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Bishwa Ijtema

The huge Ijtema tent on the banks of the River Turag near Dhaka
Native name	বিশ্ব ইজতেমা
English name	'Global congregation'
Date	1949 (1949) to present
Venue	Bishwa Ijtema Ground, Tongi, Gazipur, Bangladesh
Also known as	Tablighi Ijtema تبلیغی اجتماع Ālmi Ijtema عالمی اجتماع (If organised worldwide)
Cause	To aggress the followers of Tablighi Jamaat annually Islamic revivalism
Patron(s)	Muhammad Ilyas Kandhlawi
Organised by	Tablighi Jamaat and other associated muslim organisations and madrassahs

Islam in Bangladesh
History Muslim conquest Islamic rule Bengal Sultanate Bengal Subah Anjuman-i-Ulama-i-Bangala
Culture Architecture Bangladeshi Bengali Indo-Islamic Indo-Saracenic Mughal Literature Arabic Bengali Dobhashi Jangnama Kissa Marsiya Puthi Persian Urdu Music Ghazal Hamd Nashid Naat Qawwali Zari Zikir
Major figures Bakhtiyar Khalji Shah Jalal Khan Jahan Ali Shah Makhdum Titumir Shariatullah Karamat Ali Jaunpuri Sher-e-Bangla Siraji Nazrul Bhashani
Communities Bengali Muslims Deshi Dhakaiyas Kan Mahifarash Mahimal Nashya Shaikh Shershabadia Sylhetis Rohingyas Bihari Muslims Pangals
Ideology/schools of thought Ahl-i Hadith Barelvi/Rezvi Deobandi/Qawmi Fultali Maizbhandari Shia
Educational organizations Alia Madrasah Qawmi madrasa Islamic University, Bangladesh International Islamic University Chittagong
Political parties Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish Bangladesh Khilafat Andolan Islami Andolan Islami Front Islami Oikya Jote Jamaat-e-Islami Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Khelafat Majlish Muslim League Nizam-e-Islam Party Tariqat Federation
Influential bodies Anjuman Mufidul Islam Hefazat-e-Islam Islamic Foundation Bangladesh Tablighi Jamaat Tamaddun Majlish
Other topics Bishwa Ijtema Waz Mahfil Mosques in Bangladesh (Baitul Mukarram) Muslim nationalism in South Asia Muslim chronicles for Bangladeshi history Sufism in Bangladesh
v t e

23°53′29″N 90°23′49″E / 23.8914722°N 90.3968637°E / 23.8914722; 90.3968637 The Bishwa Ijtema (Template:Lang-bn) is an annual gathering of Muslims in Tongi, by the banks of the River Turag, in the outskirts of Dhaka, Bangladesh. The Ijtema is considered a demonstration of Muslim unity, solidarity, mutual love and respect and an opportunity to reiterate their commitment to Islamic values. It is the biggest festival by population in Bengali culture, one of the largest peaceful gatherings in the world, and the second-largest Muslim gathering, with 5 million adherents, after the Arba'een Pilgrimage's 15–20 million attendees in Iraq, both surpassing the 2–3 million worshipers who participate in the Hajj, considered to be one of the five pillars of Islam, in Saudi Arabia. Bishwa Ijtema is a modern event where Muslim participation is voluntary.

The Ijtema is a prayer meeting spread over three days, during which attending devotees perform daily prayers while listening to scholars reciting and explaining verses from the Quran, the central religious text. Speakers include Islamic scholars from various countries. It culminates in the Akheri Munajat (concluding supplication or final prayer), in which millions of devotees raise their hands and pray to Allah for world peace.

The Ijtema is non-political, and draws people of all persuasions. It is attended by devotees from 150 countries. The majority of its devotees come from across Bangladesh, the world's third-largest Muslim majority country. Despite being larger than Hajj, the obligatory Muslim pilgrimage, the voluntary Bishwa Ijtema remains largely unknown and underreported in the West. During the Ijtema, free meals and accommodation are provided by volunteers.

Etymology

The phrase Bishwa Ijtema is made up from the words of two different languages, Bishwa from Bengali and Ijtema from Arabic. Bishwa means "world" or "global" in Bengali. Ijtema (Arabic: اجتماع) means "public gathering" or "conference" in Arabic. Ijtema is a type of voluntary Islamic congregation organised by Islamic organisations in association with a large number of Muslims.

Together it translates "world conference" or "global congregation".

Organization

The event is organized generally in January, occasionally in February, by the Bangladeshi branch of the Tablighi Jamaat, a Deobandi movement.

The congregation takes place in an area which spans over five square kilometers in Tongi, an outer suburb north of Dhaka. An extensive tent is created in the area with the help of the Government of Bangladesh. Transport is provided by state-run companies, including Biman Bangladesh Airlines, the Bangladesh Railway and the Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC). The Bangladesh Armed Forces assists by arranging infrastructure. Law enforcement agencies such as Bangladesh Police and Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) are responsible for ensuring the safety and security at the Ijtema ground and the surrounding vicinity. Despite the large number of devotees living within a confined space, generally there are very few problems of sanitation, cooking, and internal movements. It is believed to be possible because of the minimalist approach adopted by the devotees. Devotees reduce their own requirements and develop a respect for others' requirements. During the Final Prayer, huge crowds stretch from the Ijtema ground in Tongi into the Dhaka metropolitan area. Schools and offices are declared closed on the occasion.

History

The Bengali Tabhlighi Jamaat movement started in Dhaka, East Bengal in 1954. The first Ijtemas were organized in Chittagong (1954) and Narayanganj (1958), followed by Ijtemas at the Ramna Race Course in Dhaka in 1960, 1962 and 1965. Due to the increasing numbers of participants, the government of East Pakistan allowed organizers to schedule the event annually by the River Turag in 1967.

Since 2012, due to the accommodation demands, the Tablighi Jamaat authorities has bifurcated the Ijtema into two phases in order to better manage the growing number of participants.

Number of devotees

In 2001, the number of attendees was 2 million. In 2010, the number was 5 million. However, number declined to 2 million in 2018, but increased to 4 million in 2023.

Foreign devotees

Between 20,000 and 50,000 foreign devotees from various regions, including the South Asian subcontinent, Russia and Central Asia, Europe, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, North Africa and the United States, were estimated to attend in 2007.

Overcrowding and weather

Due to increasing overcrowding, the Ijtema was divided into two segments with an interval of seven days from 2010. Attendants from 32 designated Bangladeshi districts are permitted in the first phase. The second phase allows devotees from the remaining districts of the country. Foreign devotees are allowed in both phases.

Due to increasing overcrowding, the Ijtema was further divided into four segments from 2015. The first phase is for devotees from 16 designated Bangladeshi districts. The second phase allows devotees from another 16 designated Bangladeshi districts. Devotees from the remaining 32 districts of the country were to join the following year.

In 2008, the event had to be cut short to only one day due to rain and cold weather which left three attendees dead.

See also

• Raiwind Ijtima
• Dawah
• Spread of islam
• Islamization
• Darul Uloom Deoband
• Nerul Aalami Markaz
• Kakrail Mosque
• Raiwind Markaz

References

1. ^ "Viswa Ijtema". Banglapedia.
2. ^ Lemos, Eirini (7 January 2016). "What is the festival of Bishwa Ijtema and where is it held?". The Telegraph.
3. Cockburn, Patrick (9 November 2017). "Free at last from Isis, millions of Muslims stage the greatest religious march in the world". The Independent.
4. "Two million Muslims begin Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca". BBC News. 31 August 2017.
5. ^ "Muslims attend Bangladesh prayer". BBC News. 5 December 2004.
6. "Muslims condemn Paris massacre at Bangladesh's mini-Hajj". The Economic Times. Agence France-Presse. 9 January 2015. Archived from the original on 17 February 2017.
7. "Bangladesh Muslim festival ends". BBC News. 8 January 2001.
8. "Akheri Munajat ends seeking world peace". The Daily Star. 10 January 2016.
9. ^ "57th Ijtema: Devotees gather in Tongi for day 2". The Business Standard. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
10. Hossain Opu, Mahmud. "Millions attend world's second-largest Muslim gathering | Religion". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
11. "Bangladesh: Officials to host the annual Bishwa Ijtema religious gathering in Tongi Jan. 13-15 and Jan. 20-22". Crisis24. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
12. "Millions of Muslims gather in Bangladesh". Reuters. 2 February 2007.
13. Sarkar, Kailash (26 January 2008). "Ijtema cut short for inclement weather". The Daily Star.

External links

• BBC Slideshow on Biswa Ijtema 2007

• Islam in Bangladesh
• Tablighi Jamaat
• Tongi
• Islamic festivals
• January events
• Islamic terminology