Bishwa Ijtema's second phase ends with call for world peace

The second phase of the Bishwa Ijtema ended on Sunday with the Akheri Munajat (final prayers) seeking peace for mankind.

Hundreds of thousands had gathered on the banks of Turag River in Gazipur's Tongi on Sunday to join the final prayers of the Ijtema, the second largest Muslim congregation after the Hajj.
 
The 33-minute long final prayer, conducted by Indian cleric Maulana Muhammad Saad, was attended by around 3 million devotees, said organisers.
 
Apart from the Ijtema grounds on the river banks, people gathered as far as Khilkhet in capital Dhaka, Gazipur's Boardbazaar and Savar Ashulia to attend the prayers.
 
Traffic between the Bhogra Bypass intersection and Shahjalal International Airport on the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway had been suspended since Saturday midnight.
 
Devotees were seen walking down to the already overflowing Ijtema ground since early on Sunday.
 
Police said that apart from Muslims from 17 Bangladesh districts, another 6,500 from 96 countries across the world have joined the second phase of the Ijtema.
 
Gazipur's Superintendent of Police Harun Ur Rashid said they have intensified security measures, which include deploying a few thousand policemen in and around the Ijtema venue.
 
Railway authorities have arranged 14 special train services to accommodate devotees returning home after the final prayers.
 
The first phase of the Ijtema started on Jan 13 and ended on Jan 15, where devotees from 17 other districts, including Dhaka took part.
 
The Bishwa Ijtema, the second largest Muslim congregation after the Hajj, was first organised at Dhaka's Kakrail Mosque in 1946.
 
Two years later, it was held at Chittagong's Haji camp followed by one at Narayanganj’s Siddhirganj in 1958.
 
As the number of participants increased, the congregation was eventually moved to the banks of Turag in Gazipur.
  Later, 160 acres of land was acquired and developed as a permanent Ijtema ground.
 
Since 2011, it's being held in two phases, to ease the accommodation problem.
 
But last year, the organisers planned a four-phase Ijtema that will be spread over two years to enable Muslims from the country’s 64 districts to take part.

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