People gather on the bank of the River Turag at Tongi on Thursday as the first phase of Biswa Ijtema is set to begin today. The congregation will be held in phases. — Sanaul Haque
The annual Biswa Ijtema, a congregation of Tabligh Jamaat, begins today on the bank of the river Turag at Tongi in Gazipur city.
This year, Muslim devotees from across 32 districts will take part in the congregation in two phases. The devotees of the rest 32 districts will take part in the coming year, officials said.
Devotees from across 17 districts will take part in the first phase. The second phase will start on the 15th January and will end on the 17th when participants from the rest 15 districts will join the prayer.
People belonging to the following districts are participating in the first phase:
Dhaka, Sherpur, Narayanganj, Nilphamari, Sirajganj, Natore, Gaibandha, Lakshmipur, Sylhet, Chittagong, Narail, Madaripur, Bhola, Magura, Patuakhali, Jhalakati and Panchagarh.
In the second phase, people will come from Jhenidah, Jamalpur, Faridpur, Netrakona, Narsingdi, Comilla, Kurigram, Rajshahi, Feni, Thakurgaon, Sunamganj, Bogra, Khulna, Chuadanga, and Pirojpur, respectively.
During the four days interval, the organisers will clean the places and prepare the venue for the second phase.
Giash Uddin, a senior citizen of the Ijtema organising body, told New Age that due to accommodation crisis, they decided to divide the 64 districts into 4 parts.
However, this new system is not applicable to international devotees.
In 2011, the organisers split the congregation into two phases to deal with overcrowding, ensuring better management and watching security matters.
Several lakhs of the devotees from around the selected districts have already reached the city while many others are on their ways to the venue.
Source: New Age