500,000 Muslim Devotees Gather In Bangladesh

TONGI, Bangladesh (AP) — Hundreds of thousands of Muslim devotees have gathered on the banks of a river outside the Bangladeshi capital to call for peace and a revival of Islamic tenets.

The three-day gathering on the banks of River Turag, near Dhaka, is one of the world’s largest Islamic congregations.

Area police chief Abdul Baten says more than a half-million people took part in Friday’s opening prayers. Organizers say nearly 4 million are expected by Sunday.

The gathering is sponsored by Tablig Jamaat, a group of Islamic preachers that shuns politics. It has been held annually in Muslim-majority Bangladesh since 1966.

Participants recite verses from the Quran and hear scholars speak about Islamic teachings.