TONGI, Bangladesh (AFP) — Nearly two million people gathered near the Bangladesh capital Dhaka for a three-day event billed as the largest annual Islamic event after the hajj pilgrimage to Mecca.
From dawn, huge columns of thousands of devotees defied fog and cold as they streamed toward the gathering site on the banks of the river Turag at Tongi for the Bishwa Ijtema, or World Muslim Congregation.
The gathering -- at which Muslims pray and listen to religious scholars -- was first held in the 1960s and was launched by Tablig Jamaat, a non-political group that urges people to follow Islam in their daily lives.
"I cannot afford to go to the Hajj. But every year I come to the Bishwa Ijtema to listen to the religious scholars," said Hamidur Rahman, 60, a poor villager from the northern Bangladesh district of Kurigram.
Police said at least two million people were attending the event, with some 8,000 officers deployed.
"People started coming to the site in batches more than a week ago. The main site became full last night," said Mizanur Rahman, the assistant superintendent of police.
"But this morning we only see people heading to the Ijtema site from all directions. Now all the roads leading towards the main site are full with people," he said.
Organisers said Muslims from at least one hundred countries had joined this year's congregation which would conclude after prayers on Sunday when some three million people were expected to attend.
Bangladesh, with a population of 144 million, is the world's third-largest Muslim-majority nation.
From dawn, huge columns of thousands of devotees defied fog and cold as they streamed toward the gathering site on the banks of the river Turag at Tongi for the Bishwa Ijtema, or World Muslim Congregation.
The gathering -- at which Muslims pray and listen to religious scholars -- was first held in the 1960s and was launched by Tablig Jamaat, a non-political group that urges people to follow Islam in their daily lives.
"I cannot afford to go to the Hajj. But every year I come to the Bishwa Ijtema to listen to the religious scholars," said Hamidur Rahman, 60, a poor villager from the northern Bangladesh district of Kurigram.
Police said at least two million people were attending the event, with some 8,000 officers deployed.
"People started coming to the site in batches more than a week ago. The main site became full last night," said Mizanur Rahman, the assistant superintendent of police.
"But this morning we only see people heading to the Ijtema site from all directions. Now all the roads leading towards the main site are full with people," he said.
Organisers said Muslims from at least one hundred countries had joined this year's congregation which would conclude after prayers on Sunday when some three million people were expected to attend.
Bangladesh, with a population of 144 million, is the world's third-largest Muslim-majority nation.
No comments:
Post a Comment