- Title: Londoners break Ramadan fast in open Iftar event
- Date: 20th June 2017
- Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UK (JUNE 19, 2017) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF ORGANISERS PREPARING FOR OPEN IFTAR VARIOUS OF GUESTS ENTERING GATES BANNER READING (English): OPEN IFTAR, DISCOVER THE COMMUNITY SPIRIT GUESTS WALKING DOWN TOWARDS MARQUEE GUESTS TAKING OFF SHOES (SOUNDBITE) (English) GUEST, KARIM PERRINEAU, SAYING: "So my friends for the first time decided to fast along with me. And I said that would be great if they could come along to this open Ramadan tent and break their fast with me. Which is what we did. We're all from different faiths, different backgrounds. It was great that we could open our fast hearts together." MAN SITTING DOWN WITH OTHER GUESTS VARIOUS OF PEOPLE SITTING IN MARQUEE FOR OPEN IFTAR EVENT VARIOUS OF GUESTS LISTENING TO SPEAKER VARIOUS OF GUESTS EATING DATES AND DRINKING WATER TO BREAK FAST (SOUNDBITE) (English) INTEGRATION CAMPAIGNER, BARONESS WARSI, SAYING: "And then in the early hours of this morning we see a terrorist attack, yet another terrorist attack, this time in Finsbury Park. And it seems that those that are on the extreme edges of all communities want to divide us, whether that was at London Bridge or in Manchester or at Finsbury Park. And that's why those of us that are in the middle need to try even harder to make sure that we pull together. It is important at a time when we feel as a nation a sense of unease between communities that all of us do our bit to create a sense of ease." VARIOUS OF GUESTS PRAYING VARIOUS OF WOMEN EATING FORK BEING PUT INTO FOOD (SOUNDBITE) (English) GUEST, SADAR MOOSVI, SAYING: "And those people, not just Muslim but from across the world, from different countries, from different beliefs. And people who don't even believe are here. But sitting together, eating together and actually realising that we're all in this together and we're part of the human race." VARIOUS OF PEOPLE EATING
- Embargoed: 4th July 2017 09:57
- Keywords: London Iftar Ramadan Britain breaking fast Open Iftar community project
- Location: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM
- City: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM
- Country: United Kingdom
- Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment
- Reuters ID: LVA0016M2Y4B9
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Londoners from a variety of faith backgrounds have been gathering to break the Ramadan fast at a series of Iftar events, run by a group that hopes to bring together disparate elements of British society.
Hours after a man drove a van into worshippers outside a north London mosque just a few miles away, injuring 11 people, hundreds of the capital's residents came together to eat dates and drink water at sunset to end a fast that began at dawn.
Two people were seriously injured in the incident just after midnight on Monday (June 19), in what Prime Minister Theresa May called a sickening terrorist attack. A man, who had earlier suffered a heart attack, died at the scene but it was not clear if his death was connected to the van attack. The driver, a 47-year-old white man, was grabbed at the scene by locals and pinned down until police arrived.
Baroness Warsi, a campaigner on integration, was attending the Open Iftar for the first time, and said the event was especially important because people "need to try even harder to make sure that we pull together".
"In the early hours of this morning we see a terrorist attack, yet another terrorist attack, this time in Finsbury Park. And it seems that those that are on the extreme edges of all communities want to divide us, whether that was at London Bridge or in Manchester or at Finsbury Park," said Warsi, a former government minister who was the first Muslim to be appointed to the British cabinet.
"It is important at a time when we feel as a nation a sense of unease between communities that all of us do our bit to create a sense of ease," she added.
The Open Iftar event, first organised by the Ramadan Tent Project in 2011 and held at Malet Street Gardens, was originally meant as a way for students from diverse Muslim backgrounds attending the nearby School for Oriental and Asian Studies to break their fasts together.
In 2013 the nightly Ramadan gathering was opened up to people from all faiths and backgrounds, including homeless people who may have struggled to find a meal.
"My friends for the first time decided to fast along with me. And I said that would be great if they could come along to this open Ramadan tent and break their fast with me. Which is what we did. We're all from different faiths, different backgrounds. It was great that we could open our fast hearts together," said Karim Perrineau, one of the event's guests.
The organisers serve food to up to 360 people a night from a wide range of Muslim countries, this year including dishes from Pakistan and Turkey.
"Those people (who attend are), not just Muslim but from across the world, from different countries, from different beliefs. And people who don't even believe are here. But sitting together, eating together and actually realising that we're all in this together and we're part of the human race," said Sadar Moosvi, another guest.
The gathering is meant to show how people from different backgrounds can unite in a common cause through shared understanding. Following the recent terrorist attacks in Manchester and London its inclusive mission has taken on an extra and urgent potency. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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