Dhaka, Jan 24 – The Biswa Ijtema will be held on Feb 15, 16 and 17 this year and not in two phases like it had been held over the last few years. This year, Ijtema will be held in only one phase.
The decision came on yesterday following a meeting at the religious affairs ministry presided over by State Minister Sheikh Md Abdullah. Leaders of the two factions within Tabligh Jamaat also attended the meeting.
Earlier, the factions had called their own Ijtemas on different dates in January. Ijtema is the second largest congregation of Muslims, held in Tongi annually.
Following a meeting with two factions of Tabligh Jamaat on Wednesday, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan announced that the feud between them has been resolved and they reached a consensus to jointly hold the Ijtema in February.
Home minister added that Maulana Saad Kandhalvi of India will not join this year. The Biswa Ijtema, the second largest congregation of Muslims after the Hajj, was postponed after the two factions announced different schedules in December last year.
Tabligh is now the largest organisation of Sunni Muslims in the Indian subcontinent with its headquarters, referred to as the Markaz, in New Delhi.
On Wednesday, Leaders of the two factions of Tabligh Jamaat—one led by Indian preacher Maulana Saad Kandhalvi and another by Maulana Muhammad Jubayer— had finally agreed to hold the Biswa Ijtema together in February this year.
Coming out of a two-and-a-half-hour meeting with the leaders of both two factions at the home ministry, home minister Asaduzzaman Khan informed reporters that they eventually managed to resolve the conflict centring the Ijtema between the two groups.
“The factions have resolved their differences. They will organise the Ijtema together in February,” the minister said.
The home minister also said that two leaders from the factions would hold another meeting with the state minister for religious affairs on Thursday to fix the date of the Ijtema.
Earlier, the first phase of Biswa Ijtem was scheduled to be held from January 11 to 13 while the second one from January 18 to 20 last, but those were postponed due to the December-30 national election.
Last year, one person was killed and 20 others were injured in a clash beween the supporters of Maulana Saad Kandhalvi and Maulana Jubayer.
To avoid the conflict between the two groups, the government deferred the Ijtema this year. – Staff Reporter
Dhaka, Jan 24 (UNB) – BiswaIjtema, the second largest congregation of Muslims after Hajj, will be held on February 15-17and it will be held once instead of two phases.
State Minister for Religious Affairs Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah made the announcement on Thursday from a meeting held at Religious Affairs Ministry with the presence of a delegation from two feuding groups of Tabligh Jamaat.
Mawlana Zubair, Mawlana Omar Faruk, Syed Wasiful Islam and Sahabuddin Nasim were present at the meeting.
The junior minister said, “There had been loggerheads between the two factions for long. However, representatives from the two factions sat in a meeting Wednesday. Now, there is no dispute between them.”
Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal on Wednesday said the BiswaIjtema will be held in February at Tongi as the two factions of TablighJamaat reached an understanding over holding this grand congregation.
The first phase of BiswaIjtem was scheduled to be held from January 11 to 13 while the second one from January 18 to 20 last, but those were postponed due to the December-30 national election.
