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12 / 05 / 20
Join us on Monday 18th May for an interfaith iftar!
On Monday 18 May at 19:15 the Faith & Belief Forum will be teaming up with Open Iftar to present an evening of interfaith reflections. We will be sharing a platform with the esteemed Dr Hany el Banna OBE – Co-founder of Islamic Relief. Our session will share personal stories from speakers of different backgrounds as we take part in a dialogue about community, festivals, family, and navigating one’s own identity.
What’s Ramadan…What’s an iftar?
Ramadan is the ninth and holiest month of the Islamic calendar in which Muslims observe a period of fasting from food, drink and behaviours such as anger and gossiping between dawn and sunset.
When the fast is broken at sunset, the meal eaten is referred to as iftar – an Arabic word that is used around the globe.
What is Open Iftar?
Open Iftar is the flagship initiative of Ramadan Tent Project. Since 2013, Open Iftar has been inviting people from all walks of life, different faith backgrounds and none, to come together to break fast, share food & engage in inspiring conversation. In fact, it was this very initiative that led Open Iftar to receive a London Faith & Belief Community Award for their work in Interfaith Relations in 2019!
Usually Open Iftar events take place in person, welcoming people from all backgrounds and walks of life to share food and learn together but with outbreak of COVID-19, they have gone virtual and taken the initiative online!
Open Iftar have committed to the huge undertaking of providing informative spaces for people to connect, share ideas and food every single day! That’s right, every day! And they haven’t disappointed.
What will the Faith & Belief Forum be doing?
We will be teaming up with Open Iftar to provide an evening of interfaith insight! Two volunteer speakers will share their personal journeys and reflections about their identity before opening up to questions. We have taken our flagship interfaith workshop and gone virtual!
Who will be speaking at this Open Iftar session?
Dr Hany el Banna OBE – As the Co-founder of Islamic Relief – one of the most well-known International Muslim relief and development NGOs based in the West – el Banna is a pioneer in the non-for-profit sector with his charity and humanitarian work having had far-reaching and global benefits for communities in need.
Sarah Koster: Sarah is the Programmes Manager for our Education & Learning team at the Faith & Belief Forum and is part of the Reform Jewish faith community. She has been leading interfaith initiatives both locally and in a professional capacity through her work with the Faith & Belief Forum for many years. In this session, Sarah will be speaking about the different aspects of her identity and her journey in navigating this identity.
Paraskevi (Evi) Koumi: Evi works as an Education & Learning Consultant at the Faith & Belief Forum. Evi worked in peacebuilding and education in Cyprus before returning to the UK to work in the interfaith sector. Having focused on work that highlights the importance of identity, her experiences uniquely place her to speak about her own journey. In this session, she will be discussing the different elements that make up her identity, faith, and belief.
So join us for an evening that is guaranteed to bring food for thought (pun intended)!
Email jessica@faithbeliefforum.org to reserve your place
