Iftar Parties: Breaking bread, bringing down walls

The past month of Ramzan witnessed a few notable inter-faith Iftars in India, where people of different cultures and religions came together. The Institute of Dialogue with Cultures and Religions (IDCR), located on the Loyola College campus in Chennai of South India, organised one such Iftar on Friday, at which students from the Fu Jen Catholic University, Taiwan, too, took part.

“They asked the meaning of the prayer recited by the Moulvi, which was from the Quran, and also had questions about the status of women in Islam,” said A. Faizur Rahman, founder secretary general, Islamic Forum for the Promotion of Moderate Thoughts, who translated the verses of the Quran for the students.

He also recited a chapter that talks about unity among Muslims, Christians and Jews. "It asks the Muslims to recognise the people who were given the Books. It calls for unity among these religions and asks them to work for a common cause,” he said.

IDCR executive director and dean of research Vincent Sekhar said during the meeting, the relevance of fasting in Hinduism, Christianity and Islam were explained by experts. “This is the first time that such an Iftar has been conducted by the institute that aims to bring together different religious or cultural communities,” he said.

On Monday, the World Veg Council, Chennai, and Government Madras-i-Azam Mosque organised an inter-faith vegetarian Iftar party to honour the sentiments of those people of other faiths who do not consume meat. Hakim Syed Khaleefathullah Sahib and P.S. Surana, founder partner, Surana & Surana, international attorneys, participated in the Iftar. 

(Source: The Hindu)