Biswa Ijtema: Annual Global Muslim Congregation In Bangladesh

Muslim devotees gather during the first phase of the three-day Biswa Ijtema, or the World Congregation of Muslims, at the banks of the Turag river in Tongi, near Dhaka, Bangladesh, Friday, Jan. 31, 20

Tens of thousands of people gathered on a riverbank near Bangladesh’s capital on Friday to listen to sermons by Islamic scholars at the Biswa Ijtema, or global congregation of Muslim devotees. The three-day annual event will end Sunday when hundreds of thousands of Muslims are expected to join final prayers like every year. This is the first phase of Biswa Ijtema, while the second phase will be held Feb. 3-5. The third phase will be held Feb. 14-16.

Biswa Ijtema is one of the largest gatherings of Muslim devotees, held on the sandy banks of the Turag River in Tongi, just north of Dhaka, the capital. The event dates back to the 1950s when the Tablighi Jamaat movement started hosting the event.