RECORD-BREAKING BISWA IJTEMA ENDS IN BANGLADESH

UNCLAS DHAKA 000505 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KISL PGOV BG SUBJECT: RECORD-BREAKING BISWA IJTEMA ENDS IN BANGLADESH ¶1. (SBU) On January 30, after three days, Biswa Ijtema, the world's second largest annual congregation of the Muslim Ummah, ended. Media estimated that a record-breaking 2.5 to 3.5 million Bangladeshis attended, most of them on the last day, along with over 4500 foreigners from over 60 countries. Government offices were reported empty as officials took unofficial leave to attend Akheri Munajat (final prayer) at the Biswa Ijtema site located on the banks of the Turag river in Tongi, a northern suburb of Dhaka. ¶2. (SBU) Security was tight as 25,000 police and the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) cordoned off the area, and helicopters patrolled the site to guard against any possible attack by Jamaatul Mujahedin Bangladesh (JMB) or others. During the Biswa Ijtema, which means world congregation in Bangla, vehicle traffic in the area surrounding the site was stopped, and whole streets were turned into pedestrian malls to accommodate the crowds. Local media reported three to five deaths, and 50 arrests for pickpocketing . ¶3. (SBU) With only a few tents to protect the participants from the sun, opening day was marked by prayer and sermons from representatives from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. The second day included lectures, sermons and "no dowry marriages" in a mass ceremony. On the third day, Prime Minister Zia and other senior government officials offered prayers, and separately opposition leader Sheikh Hasina did the same. ¶4. (SBU) Several foreigners, living in large tents separated into regions of the world, enthusiastically told poloff that unlike the Hajj which is obligatory, this gathering is voluntary. A Jordanian in his mid-30s, happy to see an American, while trying to force cookies and drink on poloff, said that "here we are all brothers who only want to spread the message of the supreme power of God." An American of Iraqi descent said that the Tablighi Jamaat, which sponsors the event, asks Muslims to spend their time and money to promote Islam. Differences between Muslims such as those between Shia and Sunni are not important here, when compared to the "oneness of God." Many of the foreign participants will remain in Bangladesh for several more weeks, and like one middle class Qatari, will live spartanly and travel throughout Bangladesh urging people to know God better. "We are all spending our own money to help people know God," he said. CHAMMAS