Sun News Desk: The second phase of Bishwa Ijtema has begun on the bank of the Turag River in Tongi on Friday. It is considered the second largest congregation of the Muslims in the world.

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This phase of 56th edition of the Biswa Ijtema(World Congregation) started with the "a'm bayan" (general sermons) after Fajr prayers with the participation of a large number of devotees, including the followers of Indian preacher Maulana Muhammad Saad Al Kandhalvi.

Thousands of devotees from home and abroad gathered the banks of the Turag River to listen to scholars reciting and explaining verses from the Quran and to renew their commitment to Islamic values.

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Additional police personnel have been deployed in and around of Ijtema venue to ensure the security of the devotees.

Molla Nazrul Islam, Gazipur Metropolitan Police (GMP) Commissioner, said the venue has been brought under closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera surveillance.

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However, Maulana Saad is not attending this year's Ijtema. The sermons were delivered by Pakistani Islamic scholar Maulana Mohammad Osman which were translated into Bangla by Maulana Zia bin Qasim.

Noted that the first phase of three-day Biswa Ijtema ended on January 15 with Akheri Munajat.

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Tabligh Jamaat has been organising the congregation in Tongi since 1967. In 2011, it divided Ijtema into two phases to accommodate a large number of attendees.

Sun News/MR

Ijtema Turag River congregation Muslims participation devotees

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