3-day congregation of Muslims begins
A large number of devotees thronged the bank of Turag in Tongi yesterday as the first phase of Biswa Ijtema, one of the largest congregations of the Muslims, got underway.
The Ijtema venue literally turned into a human sea during the Juma prayers. Pesh Imam (prayer leader) of Kakrail Mosque Hafez Maulana Md Jobayer led the prayers.
Muslims from home and abroad gathered at the site, some 20 kilometres north of the capital, to seek divine blessings.
For the first time since its inception in 1967, this time the rituals are being held in two phases. The first stage will continue till Sunday while the second will commence on January 28 after a four-day break.
Devotees from 33 districts including Gazipur, Narsingdi, Mymensingh, Kishoreganj, Sherpur, Faridpur, Rajbari, Shariatpur, Chittagong, Khagrachari, Rangamati, Bandarban, Chandpur, Sylhet, Habiganj, Rajshahi, Natore, Sirajganj, Dinajpur, Rangpur, Khulna, Bagerhat, Jessore, Narail, and Kushtia are attending in the first phase.
The number of devotees is comparatively a little lower this year due to holding of rituals in two phases, said Aftab Uddin, a volunteer and resident of Dholaikhal in Dhaka.
Around 100 Singaporeans are here to attend the annual event, said Singapore citizen Samsuddin adding, they have come here to learn about Iman (belief) and Amal (work) and invite people to the path of Allah.
Malaysian devotee Zahari reached Bangladesh on November 19. After visiting different districts he is now attending the Ijtema for a third time.
According to him, about 3000 Malaysians are among the more than one lakh foreign devotees from over 100 countries in the Ijtema.
Defying restrictions, over 1000 women from different districts reached the venue to say Juma prayers. Failing to find room at the Ijtema field, they left.
“We 13 of us came from Gabtali to say Juma prayers but did not get any scope. We will join the Akheri Munajat [concluding prayers] on Sunday from a house at our place over the phone,” said Nurunnahar, a devotee.
The Ijtema field experienced power cut during the Juma prayers yesterday.
The monitoring activity at closed-circuit television (CCTV) control room was disrupted due to load shedding, said Md Moklesur Rahman, director general of Rapid Action Battalion.
Unlike the previous occasions, this year’s gathering is limited to the Ijtema field due to holding the event in parts, he observed.
The law enforcers restricted vehicular movement at some points. Vehicles on Dhaka-Sylhet route are now using Kanchpur-Jatrabari road instead of Tongi Station Road. Vehicles on Kaliganj-Dhaka route are moving up to Morkun of Tongi.
No transport except ambulance and those carrying crew of Biman are allowed to move from Dhaur Bridge to Pragati Sharani via Abdullapur and Tongi Bridge to Jaydevpur Chowrasta during the Ijtema.
