Do you want to have iftar (fast breaking) dinner with a Muslim family?
During the month of Ramadan in the lunar calendar, Muslims fast by abstaining from consuming water or food from dawn to sunset. After the sunset, they break their fast with a meal called “Iftar”. This is an important time not only to break fast but also share this meal with friends including those of different faiths. It is truly a special time when people of different backgrounds come together and share in the Iftar experience, learning about different cultures and faiths in the process as we believe building peaceful societies start with knowing one another.
This month represents a time of fasting, charity, prayer, and unity. Individuals from different religious and cultural communities come together to break fast and engage in friendly dialogue, resulting in a more comprehensive understanding and respect for other religious traditions. We believe iftar dinners will be a good opportunity to tackle religious, racial, ethnical, prejudice which can lead to hate and tragic violence as we experienced recently in New Zealand, Sri Lanka and United States .The work of promoting unity and is serious and vital but never before has it seemed so urgent. We hope and pray that these tragic incidents urges us to foster dialogue, mutual respect and internalization of our common humanity, and rehabilitate those whose lives are driven by hate.
Please join us to have wonderful experience with delightful food ,companions to share a meal and to give the message of ” LOVE and UNITY ”
Please read what previous attendees have said:
Yashika Singh -Head of Religion Content SABC Television Division
An awesome connection-amidst chatter, magnificent dishes of food as well as unlimited cups of tea!
The engagement shared opportunity for learning about ‘my neighbour’s faith’ through an experiential and exciting way of spiritual discourse, food, cultural ties, social cohesion and family values. Such initiatives help build harmony and strengthen one’s relationship with various faith traditions in the country.
Gwynne Robins Deputy Director-Cape SA Jewish Board of Deputies
When you share a meal with people, you share your common humanity. As the French Jewish philosopher Emmanuel Levinas said, if you could grasp “the other” they would not be “the other”. And what better way is there to get to know one another than by breaking bread together? And what better occasion could there be than at an iftaar, at the breaking of a self-imposed religious fast during a month where one concentrates on the spiritual, on patience and mercy?
Prejudices are the chains forged by ignorance to keep people apart – these iftaars break down the chains, allowing us to come together.
Fr. Christophe L Boyer –Catholic Church South Africa
Before the dinner, I was thinking about the topics that we can talk about with our hosts. But during the dinner, it was as if we have known each other for years. Our hosts were so humble towards our customs and ready to learn new things from the event and share their stories with us. What was more delightful than the food on the table is that people respectfully accept everyone around the table as they are. And again it was the people’s respectfully listening to each other was what feed the souls more than the food on the table fills our stomachs.
I end up that evening thinking that that dinner was like the most delicious foods beautifully set on a platter called “the earth” to feed our souls by the people from different cultures. While showing us the beauty of sharing, it also taught us the value of preserving what is ours.
