FATIKCHHARI, Chattogram, Oct 14, 2023 (BSS) - Tens of thousands of people today joined special prayers for Palestinians alongside seeking fraternity of mankind and global peace, coinciding with the 161st birth anniversary of great Sufi saint Syed Golamur Rahman at the Islamic spiritual hub of Maizbhandar Darbar here.

 Addressing the grand rally, incumbent leader of the spiritual hub Syed Saifuddin Ahmed Maizbhandari said for the past 75 years Israel continued to occupy the Palestinians ancestral land of thousands of years using brute force and tortures.

 "They (Israeli authorities) now remerged afresh as terrorists" as in the past one week they killed 2,215, wounded nearly 10,000, when some
 one million Palestinians were displaced according to UN estimate.

 Syed Saifuddin said throughout the decades "illegal Zionist state" of Israel gave no fig to the UN resolutions and appeals from global forums to stop atrocities on Palestinians.

 He, however, said majority of Palestinians were Muslims but the actual followers of Islam are always opposed to killing of women and children irrespective of their religious faiths in any situation.

 "(But) the current situation made it clear like daylight that the issue cannot be solved without establishment of the sovereign independent state of Palestine. . . to ensure permanent peace and save the humanity," he said.

 Syed Saifuddin said the world must act now towards that end and urged the UN, OIC, and Muslim majority countries and other global forums to take whatever steps needed to establish independent Palestine.

 Syed Golamur Rahman

 The birth anniversary of Syed Golamur Rahman, fondly called Baba Bhandari, drew tens of thousands at the Miazbhandar Darbar on the outskirts of the port city here as he is regarded to have given the Maizbhandari sufi order a complete shape.

 Syed Saifuddin said Sufi Saints never give indulgence to feuds and divisions among people and in line with the philosophy Baba Bhandari promoted unity of mankind, fraternity and intra-communal harmony.

 The three-day congregation was featured by Milad mahfils, zikrs, spiritual musical soirees and the concluding prayers, seeking divine blessings for happiness, tranquility in private and social life alongside global peace and particularly for ending the miseries of the Palestinians.
 
 A descendent of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), Syed Ahmedullah established the Maizbhandar sufi order in early 19th century, with a pursuit of extracting Islam's essence of fraternity and love and establish it in the cultural arena.
 
 The order or Tariqa took a new look in terms of rituals and spiritual pursuit during the time of Syed Ahmedullah's nephew, Syed Golamur Rahman or Baba Bhandari in the last century while the campaign was spread in the international arena as well by his successor Syed Moinuddin Ahmed.