Philadelphia in the United States is now city of Bangladeshi Muslims!

Chhabed Sathee, from Philadelphia (PA): A wave of Bangladeshi expatriate Muslims has swept into Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. It’s not Eid season, yet every street and alley in the city is bustling with Muslim men and women.

On Friday, August 8, the three-day Muslim Ummah of North America (MUNA) Conference began at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. By Friday night, thousands of devout Muslims had already gathered at the convention venue.

By Friday evening, there wasn’t a single vacant room left in any of the 98 hotels across Philadelphia and its surrounding towns. Additionally, many people couldn’t find accommodations in nearly 10 nearby towns at the final booking stage. Around 35–40 journalists from different U.S. states are currently in Philadelphia to cover this year’s MUNA conference.

At the Pennsylvania Convention Center on Friday, several thousand devout Muslims performed Jumu’ah prayers together — the majority being Bangladeshis. According to organizers, about 20,000–25,000 Muslims are participating in this year’s conference, with 80% of them being of Bangladeshi origin. No matter which part of the city you go to, you can hear conversations in the Bangla language. MUNA officials say they feel honored to organize such a gathering for Bangladeshi Muslims — in a word, they are proud.

Friday’s conference speakers included Convener Arman Chowdhury (CPA), MUNA National Committee President Imam Dalowar Hossain, Barrister Hamid H Azad, Nihad Awad (Chair), Imam Mohammad Ali (FUTA), Safa Zarzour (Syrian Forum), Dr. Osama Abu Arshad (AMP), Dr. Ayman Hammous (MAS), Salman Mujahid (ICNA), Oussama Jamal (USCMO), Dr. Altaf Hussain, Imam Siraj Wahhaj, Qari Saeed Dahee, Qari Abdul Majid, Sazzadur Rahman, and Dr. Abul Kalam Azad Bashar, among others.

The list of keynote speakers includes Dr. Omar Suleiman, Sami Hamdi, Mohammad Elshinawy, Dr. Altaf Hussain, Imam Tom Facchine, Hamzah Abdul-Malik, Imam Siraj Wahhaj, Asif Hirani, Sheikh Abdul Nasir Jangda, and others. In addition, one of the most prominent Islamic scholars from home and abroad, Dr. Mizanur Rahman Azhari, will participate virtually in Tafsir and Qur’an-based discussions.