Big Iftar at the Al Mahdi Institute

On Saturday March 29th, together with the Al Mahdi Institute, we helped to organise a Big Iftar for the end of Ramadan, with the theme 'The Human Family : Beyond Race and religion'. We were able to invite many of our interfaith friends, as well as all the guest speakers, and altogether around 250 people attended the event.

Patricia spoke about her Women's Peace Group and the role of women in peace-building. Then Cllr Shahin Ashraf, MBE, Mayor of Solihull, spoke passionately about justice, and how we should treat each other fairly, if we are truly one family. This was followed by speakers from our different faith traditions, concluding with Sheikh Arif, the Institute’s Director, talking about our universality beyond religion, as one family of humanity.

When the time came to break the fast, it was such a joy to see everyone mixing together, young and old, from all faiths, ethnicities and cultures, and different social backgrounds, really exemplifying our evening together. The Institute has really become a place of welcome for all, and we look forward to many more such events in the future.