Hasnat Abdullah urges all to remain calm in face of Bishwa Ijtema clash

Anti-Discrimination Student Movement Convenor Hasnat Abdullah has urged all to remain calm and maintain religious harmony following the violent clash  the followers of Tablighi Jamaat's Maulana Zubayer Ahmed and supporters of Maulana Saad Kandhalvi of India over control of the Bishwa Ijtema field in Tongi, Gazipur.  

Two people have been killed, and hundreds were injured in the violent clash which took place early today.  

In a Facebook post this morning, Hasnat condemned the incident, calling for patience and a peaceful resolution while stressing the need to avoid further chaos. 

He wrote, "To prevent any untoward incident, we went to Tongi to hold discussions with the Saad faction after their announced programmes of surrounding the office of the chief adviser regarding Maulana Saad's visa issue. After discussions, they agreed to withdraw their programme and promised to resolve the visa complications through further dialogue. However, they placed conditions for control of the Tongi grounds until 25 December."  

Hasnat Abdullah also clarified that the discussions were not final. 

"We made it clear that these were not final decisions. Further discussions with Maulana Zubayer and other seniors at Kakrail would lead to the final decision. Until then, patience must be maintained."  

According to Hasnat Abdullah, after these discussions, they went to Kakrail at 2am to further deliberate on the matter with seniors, including Maulana Mahfuzul Haque and Maulana Mamunul Haque.  

However, he alleged that during the discussions, a misleading video was posted online by a Saad faction cleric. 

"One of their clerics uploaded a cropped video claiming we had allowed them to take control of the grounds, which was completely opposite to our stance," he said.  

Hasnat further explained that the delegation clearly told the Saad faction that they were not the final authority and would return to Tongi after mutual discussions for a final decision. 

"We explicitly informed them not to enter the Ijtema grounds until a decision was finalised. We also requested the removal of the misleading video. Despite this, the tragic incident occurred, which is unacceptable," he said.  

Expressing strong condemnation, Hasnat Abdullah urged all devout Muslims to maintain patience and harmony. 

"The Tabligh is a religious matter, and we believe such issues must be resolved under the guidance of the senior clerics. However, as citizens, we all share the responsibility of ensuring stability across the country," he added.