Bangladesh Sufi Groups Commemorate Prophet’s Birth Amid Security Concerns

Bangladesh's Sufi groups celebrated Prophet Muhammad's birth anniversary under tight security due to recent attacks on Sufi shrines. Military and police forces were deployed to ensure safety. Sufi leaders urged extremists to stop such actions and called on the interim government to protect and restore religious sites.

Bangladesh's Sufi groups on Monday celebrated the birth anniversary of Prophet Muhammad under heightened security precautions following recent attacks on Sufi shrines. The attacks, incited by right-wing groups accusing Sufis of un-Islamic practices, have raised concerns nationwide.

Military and paramilitary personnel guarded the streets of Dhaka, with police maintaining extra surveillance over rallies and processions of Sufi adherents in the capital and other major cities. The Sufi groups appealed to far-right Islamic organizations to honor the Muslim saints' legacy of preaching Islam through love and interfaith harmony.

Speaking at a pre-Eid-e-Miladunnabi rally, Maizbhandar Darbar leader Syed Saifuddin Ahmed called on extremists to cease attacks on Sufi shrines and urged the interim government to ensure shrine security and reconstruct damaged sites. The attacks have drawn widespread condemnation from civil society, prompting the chief adviser's office to vow punitive actions against perpetrators.

(With inputs from agencies.)