St Mary's Church in Portsmouth hosts iftar meal to break Ramadan fast
A city church has hosted an iftar - the meal which breaks the fast in Ramadan - for community and religious leaders across Portsmouth.
St Mary’s Church in Fratton Road welcomed 200 people from all faiths and none, and who represent the local community, on Monday. It was suggested at the first meeting of Portsmouth’s new interfaith steering group.
An ‘iftar’ is an evening meal with which Muslims end their daily fast during the month of Ramadan, having abstained from all food and drink since dawn.
The meal itself is not an act of worship, but prayers may be said alongside it. In this case, a separate room in the St Mary’s church hall was laid aside for those who wished to pray – as the main body of the church is consecrated exclusively for Christian worship.
The suggestion came during dialogue between the vicar, the Ven Bob White, and Cllrs Asghar Shah and Abdul Kadir from Portsmouth City Council. They all serve on a new interfaith steering group that attempts to find areas where those of different faiths can find common ground.
The Ven Bob White said: “We loved welcoming some 200 people from our community to share food together. Sharing food is something that is common to all cultures and faiths, and allows us to get to know each other better and understand each other more easily.
“The evening started around 5pm. The fast was broken just before 6pm, when all ate together. There were representatives from various communities in our city.
“There were some short talks about the importance of marking our common humanity, as well as respecting the diversity that was in the room. It’s so much easier to find our common life when we are together. Shamila, from City of Sancturay, spoke of the work of Kitchen of Hope in breaking down barriers. There was a collection as people left to support their work.
“My experience is that misunderstandings tend to occur when people haven’t made the effort to build relationships with those whose faith or culture may be different to their own.”
The hosting of iftars in this way is encouraged by the Church of England’s national Presence and Engagement team, who issue guidelines to help churches hold such events with integrity and sensitivity.