SHARING IS CARING: FLASHMOB IFTAR

At Victoria Park this evening, supporting the "Sharing is Caring" Flashmob Iftar. Iftar is the name given to the evening meal with which Muslims break their fast each day during Ramadan. Similar events were held here during Ramadan 2010. They were successful and attracted some positive media attention; I only got to go to the last of the weekly meetings though. I'm glad to see this return and I'm keen to see how it goes this year.


Harry, Grace and I have been down to De Montfort Hall and Gardens to get our wristbands for Summer Sundae Weekender, checking out what's happening onsite the night before the festival proper begins tomorrow. It's just a short step over to the Pavilion, where the Flashmob Iftar is taking place. The point of this is to extend charity and hospitality to some of the people who virtually live in Victoria Park or who are based in some of the hostels nearby. I used to teach in some of these hostels, when I worked for Leicester City Council's ReMit and Reach programmes, so I'm interested in this event from more than one perspective. I'm also happy to get Harry and Grace involved.


There are more people here this evening than I recall being at the one I managed to attend last year - both from the local Muslim community and the intended beneficiaries of the event. There's more of a mixed turnout in terms of people helping out from other communities. In the photo below, Sughra Ahmed and Selma Ravat (from the Islamic Society of Britain) flank Lesley and Alan of Street Pastors. Lesley and Alan are wearing hi visibility orange  vests, which say "Community Mediator" on the back. they also appear to glow in the dark, judging by their effect on the picture!

When I introduce the kids to some of my friends here, more than one remembers that I told them how Harry stood up for Leicester's Muslims at school, when rumours and falsehoods were being spread about them in the days before the English Defence League visited Leicester in October last year. I was proud of him for doing that and am glad it's not been forgotten.


This event - and others to follow weekly on Thursday evenings during Ramadan - has been organised by Farhaanah Surti on behalf of the Islamic Society of Britain. It's been coordinated largely through the Sharing is Caring page on Facebook.

PICNIC IN THE PARK

After our Buddhist/Muslim dialogue this afternoon (part of the Council of Faiths contribution to Leicester Speaks - AKA Local Democracy Week) I'm at the Pavilion in Victoria Park, to witness some of that social action we spoke about earlier today.

Some local Muslim friends have organised the latest flashmob meal here at 1800. Going under the title, "Picnic in the Park" this time, it follows on from the flashmob iftar, held here recently three times during Ramadan. Yasmin Surti, who gave the Muslim perspective in the dialogue this afternoon, is here too.

A young fellow from BBC Radio Leicester is doing some interviews for the Ben Jackson's show. He gets me to speak for a minute or so, giving an inter faith perspective on what's going on here this evening. If they use this recording, it will be the third time I've been on Ben's show this week!

LEICESTER SPEAKS 2010: BUDDHIST / MUSLIM DIALOGUE

This afternoon we have the third of four meetings presented by the Council of Faiths for Leicester Speaks (AKA Local Democracy Week). This Buddhist / Muslim dialogue is being held in the Welcome Centre, 1400-1500. Susthama Marion Kim is speaking for the Buddhist point of view, Yasmin Surti for the Muslim. As was was the case in yesterday’s meeting, a theme of common interest emerges: this time it’s social action. The Amida trust, which is the brand of Buddhism to which Susthama belongs, has been running a drop-in project for vulnerable people on Mondays at Bishop Street Methodist Church, next door to Pilgrim House, in which the Welcome Centre is located. Yasmin has been involved in the flashmob iftar events, in which local Muslims broke the fast at the end of the day, each Thursday in Ramadan, with food that they shared with homeless people and destitute asylum seekers beside the Pavilion in Victoria Park. this has developed after the end of Ramadan into flashmob meals, sharing with the same groups, in the same place. In fact, they're having one there this evening.

Flash! (Ah-ah!)

At the Pavilion in Victoria Park this evening, with some Muslim friends for a flashmob meal. This is a follow-up to the Flashmob Iftar, three of which were held recently on this same spot during Ramadan. Iftar is the collective meal breaking the fast each evening during that holy month for Muslims. Despite my good intentions, I never made it to any of those, so I'm glad to have got to this one.

There are about two dozen people here, a mix of young Muslims and some other people who don't normally have the chance for a decent feed. Not all of the food that's been brought to the event is eaten here. Some is transported to local hostels for the homeless.

This series of events, coordinated and publicised mostly through Facebook, is the kind of thing I'd like to feature in the panel I'll be presenting for Amplified Leicester in March next year on "Amplified Communities of Faith and/or Belief".

I meet (for the first time) Yasmin Surti, whom my friend Sughra Ahmed (also here) has recommended as the Muslim participant in the Council of Faiths dialogue sessions during Local Democracy Week (AKA Leicester Speaks). We get a few minutes to go over what's expected to happen at that meeting, at which Yasmin will be in dialogue with someone representing the Jain community. Their topic will be "What our community brings to Leicester". I'm confident she'll make a very good contribution.