More than 2000 people are expected to gather outside the Finsbury Park Mosque in early April to celebrate breaking their fast in a symbolic event that shows community spirit.
The Street Iftar event, at which, people of all faiths will come together to break their fast in mass, is being organised in collaboration with Finsbury Park Mosque and charities including Muslim Welfare House and Islamic Relief.
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting. During Ramadan, it is common to have one meal, known as the suhoor, just before dawn. Iftar is the name of the meal eaten by Muslims at sunset to break their fast directly after sunset.
According to the Finsbury Park Mosque, one of the biggest mosques in London, the event is scheduled to be held on Tuesday, April 2nd from 6.15pm outside their premises in St Thomas’s Road.
“It is about coming together to break our fast, celebrate the holy month of Ramadan and our community spirit.”
Finsbury Park Mosque
A spokesperson for the Muslim Welfare House said that the list of guest speakers is yet to be finalised. However, community leaders and Islington council members including the head of the Finsbury Park Mosque, Mohammed Kozbar, and the CEO at Muslim Welfare House, Toufik Kacimi, alongside the mayor of Islington, Councillor Gary Heather, are among others are expected to deliver talks during the event.
At the event in 2023, ten speakers from different faiths and backgrounds addressed the crowd, including Rabbi Roni Tabick from Islington Faith Forum, Toufik Kacimi, Mohammed Kozbar.
The 2024 edition of the event is the fifth year, the event is being held. The first event of this kind had been organised after the 2017 Finsbury Park terrorist attack.
In 2017, Darren Osborne ploughed a van into worshippers gathered outside the Muslim Welfare House shortly after evening Ramadan prayers. In the terror attack Makram Ali, 51, lost his life while 11 others were injured.
At the last Street Iftar, the daughter of Makram Ali, Ruzina Akhtar, addressed the crowd to express solidarity and deliver a message of hope.
