Saad Followers Press Four Demands, Including Quick Announcement of Their Ijtema Dates

Followers of Tabligh Jamaat leader Maulana Saad Kandhalvi have demanded a quick announcement of the dates for their part of the upcoming Bishwa Ijtema at Tongi. They have also demanded a 'fair distribution' of Kakrail Mosque and the Tongi Ijtema ground, and a judicial inquiry into the casualties in clashes between the two Tabligh factions.

The demands were raised in a written statement at a press conference on Monday (October 26). The press conference was organised under the banner 'Tabligh Jamaat's revered ulema and civil society'. The organisers introduced themselves as the 'mainstream' of Tabligh Jamaat Bangladesh.

Present at the press conference were Mufti Shafiullah Makki, principal of Markazus Suffah Al Islamia Bangladesh; Maulana Golam Mustafa, senior muhaddis of Markazul Ulum Ash Shariah in Savar; and Maulana Nurul Islam, a muqim of Tabligh Jamaat Bangladesh. Several teachers from Dhaka University's psychology, accounting, botany and pharmacy departments, and Professor Shafi Ul Bari, dean of the civil engineering department of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), were also present.

The written statement placed four demands: quickly announcing the Bishwa Ijtema dates for Maulana Saad's followers; stopping misinformation, incitement and 'one-sided political interference'; quickly completing a judicial inquiry and ensuring justice for all the killings; and ensuring a fair distribution of Kakrail Mosque and the Ijtema ground.

The written statement said the Bishwa Ijtema is part of the country's international prestige and that hundreds of thousands of Muslims from various countries take part in it. But over the past six or seven years, counter-statements, incitement and controversy have grown around Tabligh Jamaat's internal dispute. The organisers expressed fear that if this situation continues, the Ijtema's global appeal could weaken.

They alleged that controversial statements and misinformation about Maulana Saad Kandhalvi are being spread from waz mahfils and mosque pulpits. They called for any differences to be settled through decent, fact-based discussion. If necessary, they also proposed an open discussion between representatives of both sides, mediated by the government.

The written statement raised the Tongi clash. The organisers alleged that inciting speeches were given before that incident. They again demanded a judicial inquiry to uncover who incited it, who planned it and who was directly involved.

In the early hours of December 18, 2024, at least three people were killed in a clash between the two Tabligh factions over occupying the Tongi Ijtema ground. More than a hundred devotees were injured. Earlier, one person was killed in the December 2018 clash.

The organisers further claimed that six of their companions have been killed in various districts. According to them, those killed were residents of Munshiganj, Noakhali, Faridpur, Kurigram, Kishoreganj and Dhaka's New Market area. Yet, they alleged, they themselves have been made accused and are being campaigned against as 'killers'. The organisers commented that the allegations should be settled through the courts and legal process.

The press conference also protested a statement by a top leader of the Zubayer faction. According to the organisers, on October 24 that leader gave false and misleading information about the late wife of Tabligh Jamaat Bangladesh amir Syed Wasiful Islam. They demanded that the statement be withdrawn. They also called for the rival claims about which faction received what benefits during the Awami League government's tenure to be verified on the basis of information and evidence.

Different statements have so far been heard from various sides about the dates of the next Bishwa Ijtema. On September 3, at the Secretariat, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmad said the 2027 Ijtema would be held in two phases: the first from January 8 to 10 and the second from January 15 to 17. News published at the time said the Zubayer faction would take part in the first phase and the Saad faction in the second.

But in early October, 'Olama Mashayekh Bangladesh' claimed in a statement that both phases would be held under the management of Shuraye Nezam, the Zubayer faction. On the other hand, Syed Wasiful Islam and his son claimed in a video message that the home minister had assured a separate Ijtema for the Saad followers on January 29 and 30, 2027. No official government statement was found on that claim.

The Zubayer-faction ulema hold the opposite position. At a conference of Olama-Mashayekh Bangladesh in Dhaka on September 12, a demand was raised to keep the Saad followers permanently banned from entering the Tongi ground. Their argument is that, under the previous government's decision, the 2025 Ijtema was the Saad followers' last Ijtema at the Tongi ground. The conference also demanded a speedy trial over the deaths in the 2018 and 2024 clashes.

At the press conference, the organisers appealed to the government, all political parties including the opposition, the ulema, civil society and the media. They said a permanent solution to the Ijtema issue must be found on the basis of national consensus, keeping it outside party or group disputes.