JEDDAH, 2 January 2004 — Biman’s first Haj flight with 274 Bangladeshi pilgrims arrived at the Haj Terminal on Wednesday night. Ambassador S.K. Sarjil Hassan and Consul General Muhammad Zaffor received them.
Also present were volunteers from local community organizations to offer service to the guests of God. One such organization is Brihattar Sylhet Shamity (BSS), which has been rendering voluntary service to Bangladeshi Haj pilgrims over the years. “This time, we’ve drawn up plans to provide three of our volunteers for each flight of Biman, the national carrier of Bangladesh, that brings in pilgrims from Bangladesh,” BSS President Kawsar Choudhury told Arab News.
He said the organization had received full support from the embassy and the consulate for its community activities. “Our volunteers will be taking care of the aged and the sick, under the overall direction of the Bangladesh Consulate General,” he said.
Saudi Arabian Airlines and Biman are equally sharing the task of transporting Haj pilgrims from Bangladesh who are estimated to range between 40,000 to 45,000.
BSS, which with its more than 300 members has emerged as a major community service organization, observes the annual Victory Day and Shaheed Divas — the Bengali language day. It observed the annual Victory Day and Eid-Reunion celebration here last night.
Choudhury’s 25-member executive team includes Vice President M.A. Malik, General Secretary Abdul Hannan, Organizing Secretary M.A. Khalique and Chief Adviser Murtahin Billah.
Some community members hailing from the Greater Sylhet region in the northeastern part of Bangladesh formed the BSS on Feb. 4, 1994, with Billah as the founding president and Choudhury as one of the founding members.
In an interview he dwelt on many aspects of the organization, the expat community and the Sylhet region. He said the need for an active service organization was felt since 1977 when Bangladeshis started coming in large numbers.
“Now, about 1.2 million expats are in the Kingdom, 50 percent of them from the Sylhet region which comprises Sunamgonj, Habigonj, Moulavi Bazar and Sylhet districts. A feature of Sylhetis is that they follow a distinct dialect, tradition, culture and lifestyle,” he said, adding that the region was the most prosperous in the country in terms of minerals, forest resources and tourist attractions.
“Some half a million Sylhetis are residing in the UK since the late 1950s and a few of them have been honored with titles by the British government. The London-based Sylhetis were among those who prominently financed the 1971 freedom war, which led to the creation of Bangladesh from Pakistan,” he said, adding that some natives of Sylhet including Gen. M.A.G. Usmani, were largely responsible for the victory. Aside from the shrine of Hazrat Shah Jalal, the region has 150 tea estates and tourist places, which are a major revenue-earner for the country.
The BSS, he said, had made a plea to the Bangladesh government to review the practice of sending female housemaids to the Kingdom and introduce Biman’s direct Jeddah-Sylhet service.
