As Ramadan is celebrated across the West Midlands and the globe, the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner is supporting the Open Iftar, to ensure that the Muslim community can celebrate Ramadan safely and whilst ensuring that current lockdown rules are adhered to.
The Open Iftar, organised by the Ramadan Tent Project since 2013 is the largest community event during Ramadan in the UK. Usually hosted in a major city, with speeches from senior figures before breaking the fast and sharing a meal in the holy month. This year, the Open Iftar is going virtual to make sure that Ramadan can still be celebrated in a prominent way, whilst making sure that rules around social distancing are kept to.
Hoping to host the world’s largest virtual Iftar on the first day of Ramadan, the Open Iftar will broadcast a live call to prayer, before speeches from the likes of Sadiq Khan, Mayor London. The event will allow households to share their own experiences with each other.
The West Midlands Assistant Police and Crime Commissioner Waheed Saleem said: “As a Muslim I am aware how important the month of Ramadan is to the Muslim community. It’s a time for reflection, communal prayer and coming together to break the fast. This year is going to be different due to the coronavirus outbreak but seeing innovative ways for Muslims to keep the spirit of Ramadan going is really great to see.
“We know that maintaining social distancing is paramount at the moment to protect the ones we love and we won’t be able to do the things we would normally do. I would urge all the community to observe this month in your own homes with you families and not to attend other people’s homes.
“Pulling together as a community is important in these difficult times and the Open Iftar is one example of how we can keep doing this virtually in the holy month of Ramadan.”
You can find out more about getting involved and what’s going on with #MyOpenIftar here.
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