Birmingham is set to mark Ramadan with a launch event celebrating faith and culture. With one of the largest Muslim populations in the UK, the city sees Ramadan play a role in community life. The event offers a chance to reflect on its wider impact and the traditions that shape this important time.
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00:00I think it's really important for Birmingham to come together for an event like this.
00:04It marks the start of Ramadan.
00:06Birmingham consists, a third of the population of Birmingham,
00:09so that's probably over 300,000 people, consists of Muslims.
00:13So we're big contributors to society and I think it's really important for people
00:17to be able to come together and see in a month that is really, really important
00:21to the Muslim community.
00:23The month of Ramadan is a time of fasting, prayer and reflection
00:27for millions of Muslims worldwide, including in Birmingham.
00:31The city's diverse community comes together for this occasion,
00:35with mosques, businesses and local groups playing a key role in the celebrations.
00:40Events like this provide an opportunity to share traditions, break fasts
00:45and highlight the importance of community and charity during the month.
00:50I mean, intentionally mosques should be places of community as well,
00:55so a place where you can go in and a lot of the bigger mosques in and around Birmingham
00:59will put on what's known as an iftar, which happens at sunset,
01:03where you're able to break your fast and the iftar is what you break your fast with.
01:07Traditionally it's something like a date, but obviously if you've been fasting all day
01:11then you're quite hungry, so you go on to have a full meal.
01:14So it's really important that these spaces are created for Muslims to be able to access
01:17and those that aren't Muslim as well.
01:20Today's event, like iftar, brought people together over amazing food,
01:24which was more than welcomed.
01:26Alongside the meals there were presentations and stalls,
01:29all in support of the charity Isra UK,
01:32highlighting the spirit of giving that defines Ramadan.
01:36Well, Isra UK is a very old charity, it's over 40 years old in Birmingham.
01:40It's been around the world for about 45 years.
01:43It's been working all across the globe.
01:45It works also on the streets of Birmingham.
01:47We just try to alleviate poverty where we can, to whom we can,
01:50and that's what we've been doing for decades now,
01:52and we hope to continue doing that.
01:54And one of our sayings is,
01:56let no cry be unheard, regardless of background.