March For Gaza: No parade to Manik Mia Avenue, rally at Suhrawardy Udyan
The March For Gaza will not parade to the capital’s Manik Mia Avenue from Shahbagh. Rather it will hold a mass rally at Suhrawardy Udyan on Saturday, organisers said.
Various political parties including National Citizen Party (NCP) Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, Hefazet-e-Islam Bangladesh and AB Party, as well as renowned people from various professions, including Islamic speakers, have organised the March For Gaza programme, which was scheduled to parade from the capital’s Shahbagh to Manik Mia Avenue around 3:30 pm.
Little-known platform Palestine Solidarity Movement, Bangladesh opened a Facebook event ‘March For Gaza’.
As of 10:30 pm Friday, over 80,400 people responded to the call with 6,400 said going and 73,900 interested.
Organisers said they changed the programme schedules considering the movement of guests of the investment summit and the admission tests.
Baitul Mukarram National Mosque khatib Mufti Muhammad Abdul Malek will preside over the gathering.
Palestine Solidarity Movement, Bangladesh media coordinator Sheikh Fazlul Karim Maruf said the march would begin from five different points in Dhaka – Bangla Motor, Kakrail, Zero Point, Bakshibazar and Nilkhet – at 2:00 pm, which will be followed the gathering at Suhrawardy Udyan at 3:00 pm.
TSC metro rail station would remain open and roads would be open exclusively for all examinees, organisers said in a press release.
Participants have been requested to bring flags of Bangladesh and Palestine and no placards with political symbols, as well to cooperate with law enforcement agencies and volunteers.
Fazlul Karim told Prothom Alo a declaration in Bangla, English and Arabic would come from the rally expressing solidarity for Palestine. An oath would be taken to boycott various issues related to the interest of Israel, and the event would end with offering doa, he added.
Meanwhile, renowned politicians, scholars and celebrities expressed solidarity by posting video messages on the Facebook page of the Palestine solidarity movement 'March For Gaza'.
As of Friday afternoon, politicians including Jamaat-e-Islami secretary general Mia Golam Parwar, Islami Andolan Bangladesh's senior nayeb-e-ameer Mufti Syed Muhammad Faizul Karim and senior joint secretary general Maulana Gazi Ataur Rahman, AB Party chairman Mujibur Rahman aka Manju, Khelafat Majlis secretary general Ahmed Abdul Quader, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis ameer Maulana Mamunul Haque, Bangladesh Jatiya Party (BJP) chairman Andaleeve Rahman Partho, Islami Oikya Jote secretary general Maulana Sakhawat Hossain Razi, Gono Odhikar Parishad president Nurul Haque and general secretary Md Rashed Khan, UP Bangladesh main organiser Ali Ahsan Zonaed, and National Citizen Party (NCP) southern region chief organiser Hasnat Abdullah, among others, posted video messages.
Islamic speaker Mizanur Rahman Azhari, As-Sunnah Foundation chairman Shaykh Ahmadullah, Ad-Din Foundation executive director Sheikh Mohiuddin, National Ulama Mashayekh Aimma Parishad general secretary Rezaul Karim Abrar, Daily Amar Desh editor Mahmudur Rahman, National cricket team members Mahmudullah Riyad, Mehidy Hasan Miraj, Nahid Rana and Taijul Islam, BUET lecturer and popular YouTuber Enayet Chowdhury, Daffodil International University professor Moktar Ahmed, Jahangir Kabir, Islamic speaker Abdul Hai Muhammad Saifullah, Pir Saheb Allama Khalilur Rahman Nesarabadi of Jhalakati Nesarabad Darbar Sharif, presenter RJ Kibria, entrepreneur Mahmudul Hasan Sohag, actor Tamim Mridha, and 10 Minute School founder Ayman Sadiq’s video messages were also seen.
Islami Chhatra Shibir president Zahidul Islam, publication secretary Md Abu Shadik Kayem and Dhaka University president SM Farhad also posted video messages supporting the 'March For Gaza'.