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Published : 17 Nov 2024, 11:32 PM
The Bishwa Ijtema, one of the largest Muslim gatherings, will be held in two phases in 2025, continuing the pattern from recent years.
The first phase of the Ijtema will take place from Jan 31 to 2 Feb 2 on the banks of the Turag River in Tongi, with the Zubair faction of the Tablighi Jamaat participating.
The second phase will follow from Feb 7 to 9, with the Saad faction taking part.
Since 2019, the disciples of Maulana Saad Kandhalvi from Delhi and Maulana Zubair Ahmed from Kakrail, Dhaka, have been organising separate Ijtema events.
Earlier, the event was held in one phase under a single leadership, but due to disagreements, the decision was made to hold it in two separate phases.
The event had been suspended for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic but resumed in 2022 with the Ijtema being held in two phases.
Kazi Mohammad Saiful Islam, joint secretary of the Public Security Division, confirmed the home ministry’s decision on Sunday.
“We hope both groups will accept the arrangement,” he said.
The organisers of the first phase will hand over the venue to the committee responsible for preparing the grounds by 3pm on Feb 4.
The second phase organisers will take charge of the venue the same afternoon and will return it to the committee by noon on Feb 11.
A member of the Zubair faction, Mahfuz Hannan, said they had agreed to the government’s decision.
Reza Arif of the Saad faction said their group had convened a meeting following the announcement of the decision.
Recently, the ongoing dispute between the two factions has taken a new turn due to their opposing statements.
On Nov 5, at the 'Ulama Mashayekhs Islamic Grand Conference' in Suhrawardy Udyan, the Zubair faction, identifying themselves as 'Shuraye Nizam', presented a nine-point list of demands, including a call for the banning of the Saad faction.
On Nov 12, the Zubair faction warned of bringing Dhaka to a standstill within 24 hours if the Saad faction was allowed to enter Kakrail Mosque and the Ijtema ground in Tongi.
Despite the rising tensions, a large gathering of the Saad faction took place on Nov 15 at Kakrail Mosque, following a compromise agreement between the two sides.
Under the arrangement, Saad followers commenced their stay at the mosque for two weeks while the Zubair faction retained a four-week allocation.
