By IANS
Thiruvananthapuram : Kerala will witness the largest congregation of Muslim devotees, after Mecca and Medina, at the annual prayer meeting Oct 8, organized by the Ma’dinu Saquafathil Islamiyya.
The organisers expect nearly 700,000 Muslims to attend the event known as ‘Lailathul Qadr’ in Swalath Nagar in Muslim dominated district of Malappuram.
“The first convention held 22 years ago saw the participation of a mere thousand Muslims. Last year, the participation was half a million and this time it is expected to go up by another 200,000 Muslims, who will come from several countries besides India,” said Sayyid Ibrahimul Khaleelul Bukhari, chairman of the Islamiyya, here Saturday.
Programmes begin on Tuesday at a 20-acre plot belonging to the Islamiyya, but the key event takes place on 26th night of the holy month of Ramadan that falls on Oct 8.
The event is billed as the third biggest assembly of Muslims in the world. “We give no publicity at all and our publicists are those who attend it and those who come for the first time to spread the word and it brings in more people the next year,” added Bukhari.
The prayers spill out of the 20-acre plot onto either sides of the nearly seven km stretch of the national highway that goes from Malappuram to Pokotur.
“Irrespective of caste or religion, all those living on either side of the highway allow the visiting people to erect tents and provide them with all necessary help to attend the prayers. All those unable to get a place in the main venue are provided with close circuit TVs to witness the prayers,” said Saifudeen, one of the organizers of the event.
The Islamiyya is the brainchild of powerful Sunni leader Kanthapuram A.P. Aboobacker Musaliyar, who will not grace the event as he is currently a guest of the United Arab Emirates government and leading the prayers in that country.
Musaliyar has been in the forefront of several charity initiatives and currently has 17 educational institutions which offer courses from the primary to the post-graduate level.