No women allowed, but never mind: "Each year more and more people are joining the mass prayer. This shows how Bangladeshi Muslims love peace and are opposed to those who propagate militancy." Terrific, but note that they're protesting Muslim-on-Muslim violence in Bangladesh. Why not a three-million Muslim gathering denouncing Osama bin Laden and the jihad ideology?
Note also that the Tablighi Jamaat was one of the sponsors.
"Amidst bloodshed, millions of Muslims pray for peace," from AP, with thanks to Anon:
TONGI, Bangladesh (AP) -- Some 3 million Muslims put aside their country's violent struggle with political corruption and Islamic extremists and raised their hands in prayer for global peace at one of the world's largest religious gatherings.The final prayer Sunday capped a three-day Islamic gathering on the sandy banks of the River Turag in a small industrial town just north of Dhaka, Bangladesh's capital.
Pilgrims, many of whom left work early to join the prayer, streamed into the site stretching 190 acres along both banks of the river. As the crowd overflowed the space, people arrived at the site on packed boats or climbed onto the rooftops of nearby buildings....
The annual gathering shuns politics, which have become increasingly bloody in Bangladesh, and focuses on reviving the tenets of Islam and promoting peace and harmony.
Since Islam since the Hegira has been political, that sentence is somewhat contradictory.
Participants discuss the Quran, Islam's holy book, pray, and listen to sermons by Islamic scholars from around the world.[...]
About 20,000 security officials, including troops, have been deployed to the area of the gathering to prevent violence, said Biswas, after months of often violent protests to push for electoral reform.
In recent weeks, feuding between two former prime ministers -- Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina -- has triggered violent street protests, forcing President Iajuddin Ahmed to impose a state of emergency on January 11.
National elections had been scheduled for January 22 but were postponed because of the violence, which has killed 34 people.
On Sunday, 13 more politicians were arrested, the latest incident in the fight over accusations of doctored voter rolls. No new election date has been set.
Both Zia and Hasina attended the event on Sunday, but the two sat far from each other.
Bangladesh has also suffered violence at the hands of a banned Islamic group, the Jumatul Mujahedeen Bangladesh, that wants strict Islamic rule in the country, which is governed by secular laws.
The group is blamed for a string of bombings around the country that killed 26 people and wounded dozens of others in 2005.
"Each year more and more people are joining the mass prayer. This shows how Bangladeshi Muslims love peace and are opposed to those who propagate militancy," said Abul Kalam, an Islamic scholar.
[...]
Female Muslims, with the exception of high-ranking officials, were not allowed to attend, but hundreds gathered in nearby villages to take part in the event.
Abdur Rahim, a spokesman for Tablig Jamaat, an organization of Islamic preachers that sponsored the event, added that several thousands of the worshippers were from outside Bangladesh.
The annual World Congregation of Muslims, or "Bishwa Ijtema," has been held each year since 1966 on the banks of the River Turag in Tongi, just north of the capital, Dhaka.
Volunteers set up tents and troops installed seven temporary bridges. Security officials watched pilgrims heading toward the river from watchtowers and used metal detectors to search for weapons, though the site was not cordoned off.
Pray for peace, but prepare for war.
Take a look at this. Very nice.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=PGN6fYyO6Gs&mode=related&search
they pray in Thaitanistan too.
This "peace" is not our peace. It is the "peace" of Islam, the "peace" that comes when one accepts or is forced to accept Islam. Not the "peace" that Infidels talk about, which has no belief-system impliedly attached. This "peace" is the pax Islamica. A different thing.
I don't see much Jihad in this piece; I find it discomforting for a different reason.
"Politics," we're informed by AP, is the cause of bloodshed, so people should steer clear of it and pray to God for peace... In other words, if ordinary people stop worrying about politics, all will be swell.
That's a fine philosophical thesis, but reality seems to contradict it. The empirical evidence is overwhelming: The peaceful societies of this planet are the ones where "ordinary" people involve themselves in politics. The really fucked up countries are the ones where "politics" are left to an elite, be it religious or secular.
""Each year more and more people are joining the mass prayer. This shows how Bangladeshi Muslims love peace and are opposed to those who propagate militancy," said Abul Kalam, an Islamic scholar."
....Well, we certainly do not see these people actively helping coalition forces to seek out and destroy the various militant groups in the region...The militants move freely amonst their inhabitated areas...I suspect a lot of sympathetic supporters within this large group of Muslims....
I believe Muslims actually hate women....
How about we counter with an online rosary rally from the Catholics and a prayer rally from the Christians?
That must be some picture, praying to the god of darkness, asking for him to give light.
I believe Muslims actually hate women....
I believe (like in all super-male societies,) that muslim men are basically homo-sexual, but use women to convince themselves they're not.
Praying for peace will not work...because they are not praying to THE GOD. They are praying to 'another god' and that god wants anything BUT peace.
I should mention that Lucifer/Satan is sometimes refered to in scripture as 'the god of this world'.
I believe Muslims actually hate women....
I believe (like in all super-male societies,) that muslim men are basically homo-sexual, but use women to convince themselves they're not.
Posted by: Carolyn2
A religion that teaches hate, intolerance and violence will hardly teach its men how to love their wives. Since they are incapable, they are frightened and therefore use a heavy fist out of fear.
What you see is the 'fruit' produced by their false religion.
In most religions, I find that the ideal way for a man to treat his wife is a clear indication of how they view of God's relationship with mankind.
For example:
In Islam a woman is little more than a tool that a man uses to have children with and he can beat her and command her to do as he pleases at any time.
A Muslim is nothing but a tool for Allah to command, beat up, threaten, subjugate and discard. The idea of a "Fatherly God" is very offensive to Muslims.
Rancorcrankor,
I never thought of that before. You are absolutely correct.
Thank you for pointing that out.
And there are probably another 3 million moslem men praying for pieces -- pieces of their infidel prey.
Peace? Moslems? don't hold your breath. Even among themselves there was never peace. Look at the "succession" after Mohammed.
And as far as between Moslems and non-Moslems, what peace was there ever--except for that forced on Moslems after they had been soundly whipped by non-Moslems.
Words like "peace" "dip in sacred waters" "prayers" and so on sound as hollow as "joint terror mechanism". All the waters of the world are sacred. Most people are not.
Along with all Bengali/Bangladeshi-Muslims & other religion I do also pray for PEACE in Bangladesh in establishing True-Democratic Government by the People for the People dumping corruption for a Golden-Bengal & Shawnirbhor Bangladesh. BanglaMA gained liberation at the cost of 3million people & 2Lovely President was killed and has not yet learned to hate-corruption in building Bangladesh but to revanga & profit which is a great tragidy in tear's. Let us help each other towards honesty, truth & respecting all Religion in 1971 liberation history though we are 92%muslim to be an example in this political conflicted world. Peace be on Bangladesh I pray, Amin!!! comments from: Dr.Momin,(Int.Politics)
Along with all Bengali/Bangladeshi-Muslims & other religion I do also pray for PEACE in Bangladesh in establishing True-Democratic Government by the People for the People dumping corruption for a Golden-Bengal & Shawnirbhor Bangladesh. BanglaMA gained liberation at the cost of 3million people & 2Lovely President was killed and has not yet learned to hate-corruption in building Bangladesh but to revange & profit which is a great tragedy in tear's. Let us help each other towards honesty, truth & respecting all Religion in 1971 liberation history though we are 92%muslim to be an example in this political conflicted world. Peace be on Bangladesh I pray, Amin!!! comments from: Dr.Momin,(Int.Politics)
"Along with all Bengali/Bangladeshi-Muslims & other religion I do also pray for PEACE in Bangladesh", from "Peace"man above.
You say you want peace? In that case tell your people to stop harassing Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury. And apologize for all the crimes committed against Hindus and Christians since your country's formation, and rebuild any Hindu temples or Christian churches that were destroyed, invite the Hindus and Christians back and offer them full protection. If they (understandably) don't want to come back, give them financial compensation. And prosecute all those who've committed crimes against non-Moslems since the beginning of your state, including the current harassment of Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury.