Students at Dhaka University (DU) and Jahangirnagar University (JU) held separate Ghaibana Janaza ( Absentia funeral) prayers on Sunday night in memory of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and those killed in the US-Israeli attack.
They also offered special prayers for the departed souls of those killed in the reported US-Israel joint strike. A protest march followed the Janaza at Dhaka University.
At Dhaka University, leaders and activists of the Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (Ducsu) gathered at the VC Chattar area around 10:30pm.
The Ghaibana Janaza began at 10:40pm. Ducsu Vice-President Abu Shadik Kayem led the prayers.
After the Janaza, students brought out a protest procession. The march circled the dormitory area and ended at the Raju Sculpture premises, where participants held a brief rally.
Addressing the rally, Abu Shadik Kayem said “Division within the Muslim world has contributed to oppression and persecution of Muslims globally.”
He called on Muslim youth and heads of state to unite. Citing a hadith, he said “Muslims are like one body; when one part suffers, the whole body feels pain.”
He urged Muslims to respond collectively to suffering anywhere in the world.
He also declared an ambition to establish Dhaka as a global ‘solidarity hub’. He said they would seek to lead movements for freedom in the Muslim world from Dhaka. He referred to Palestine, Kashmir, the Uyghur region, Rakhine and Iran, and urged people to raise their voices against injustice and imperialism.
Meanwhile, students at Jahangirnagar University held a Ghaibana Janaza ( Absentia funeral) at the Central Shaheed Minar premises of the university campus on Sunday night to remember those killed in the recent attacks in Iran.
The programme took place under the banner of the JU Anti-Imperialism Platform.
Zahidul Islam Bappi, Literature and Publication Secretary of the Jahangirnagar University Central Students’ Union (Jucsu), led the prayers.
At the beginning of the programme, the platform’s convener Anjum Shahriar said they oppose political and military domination at the international level.
He expressed deep concern and condemned the reported loss of civilian lives in the recent attacks.
After the Janaza, Jucsu General Secretary Mazharul Islam said “Ramadan is a time of worship, restraint and self-purification.”
He described the violence and loss of life during such a period as deeply saddening. He prayed for forgiveness and peace for the deceased and called for global peace.
Earlier, Israel-US jointly launched a sudden attack on Iran on Saturday morning local time, triggering the conflict.
Later that night, Iranian state media confirmed the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 86, in what it described as a joint US-Israel strike.
According to a report of BBC published on Sunday, Iran’s Red Crescent said at least 201 people have been killed and 747 injured across the country in a series of joint Israeli-US strikes.
