The Bishwa Ijtema: Bangladesh's Global Muslim Gathering

Every year, millions of Muslims converge on the banks of the Turag River near Dhaka for the Bishwa Ijtema, the world's second-largest Muslim gathering after the Hajj. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the origins, organization, and spiritual significance of this massive event, rooted in the Tablighi Jamaat movement. They discuss how the Ijtema began in 1946 with a small group of devotees and grew into a global phenomenon drawing over three million participants from 150 countries. The conversation covers the movement's founding by Maulana Muhammad Ilyas Kandhlawi, the unique decentralized structure of the Ijtema (no central committee, all volunteers), and the key practices like bayan (sermons) and ijtema (congregational prayer). They also touch on the logistical marvel of feeding hundreds of thousands daily, the role of the Bangladeshi government in providing security and infrastructure, and the quiet, apolitical character of the gathering. Along the way, they consider the Ijtema's impact on Bangladeshi society and its contrast with more politicized forms of Islam.

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