Thousands of devotees were arriving in this industrial town near the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka for a Muslim gathering considered the largest after the hajj pilgrimage to Mecca. Devotees took special trains and buses or walked to Tongi, a normally quiet town suddenly bustling with makeshift food stalls and vendors selling bottled water, incense and prayer mats. Many worshipers came with their backpacks ready to camp out for the three-day annual Biswa Ijtema, or World Muslim Congregation, which opened with clerics delivering sermons on the Koran and other Islamic issues. Authorities are prepared to host around three million devotees from 70 countries and have sent 2,500 policemen to keep vigil. The private UNB news agency, quoting official sources, said the venue would be kept under video surveillance. Full Story
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