Iftar is going places. After being arranged in recent years at well-known public places like the Trafalgar Square in London and the Times Square in New York, iftar has finally made it to the Windsor Castle, a residence of the British royal family since the late 11th century.
Iftar was arranged at the castle’s St George’s Hall, which is normally used to entertain heads of state and for special banquets, on March 2. According to the BBC, the call to prayer echoed throughout the over 1,000-year-old building to signal the time to break the fast. Dates were eaten and prayers offered before a hearty meal was served to about 350 people.
“It’s very kind of the royal family to open their home to us,” a woman attendee told a reporter. Another one said: “We never thought we’d be here breaking iftar. We’ve come a long way.”
The iftar, for which no entry fee was charged, was organised by London-based charity Ramazan Tent Project (RTP), which has been arranging such events under its initiative termed “Bringing Communities Together”. “We are incredibly grateful for his (King Charles’) support towards the British Muslim community,” said Omar Salha, the founder and chief executive of RTP. “The king is an excellent ambassador for this cause and is committed to community cohesion.”
An award-winning charity that has been organising Ramazan events since 2013, RTP has to date arranged open iftars at such historic places as the British Library, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Royal Albert Hall, and the Shakespeare’s Globe. The not-for-profit organisation has also been holding open iftars at the Trafalgar Square, which like the other places mentioned above is situated in London.
The first open iftar at London’s iconic square was arranged in 2022 and has since been organised without fail each year. London’s Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan, a politician whose parents were from Pakistan, has been a regular patron of this project.
Ramazan in America
Under a similar initiative launched across the Atlantic Ocean, open iftar and taraweeh are arranged during the holy month of Ramazan at the renowned Times Square in New York. The first open iftar at this iconic place was arranged on April 2, 2022 and the latest one on March 2 this year. The event, termed “Taraweeh in Times Square” is sponsored by an organisation called “Project Zamzam”. Between 1,000 and 2,000 meals are distributed during the event.
Another important event held this year in the US was the annual iftar in Houston. The event was held by the Mayor of Houston and Sister Cities Associations and attracted more than 2,500 attendees from diverse backgrounds and professions.
Houston’s Mayor John Whitmire was the chief guest on the occasion. Other guests included Congressman Al Green, prominent American businessman Javed Anwar, business tycoon Tanweer Ahmed, diplomats from various countries, senior government officials, and community leaders. Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s speech was displayed on a large screen.
Speaking to the media, Mr Whitmire praised the organisers, stating that the iftar was not just the mayor’s event but a collective celebration of all the communities, symbolising religious tolerance, harmony, and unity.
Not to be left behind, Muslims in the Australian city of Sydney also hold a food festival during the holy month, which is called the “Lakemba Nights during Ramazan”. Famous for its diverse cuisine, this global food bazaar spans several streets across the suburb of Lakemba, and one can get their hands on everything from camel burgers to biryani, and so much more.
Last year some 1.6 million visitors from across Australia visited its stalls. This year too more than 60 local businesses — including five food trucks — transform Lakemba’s Haldon Street into a vibrant foodie hotspot every Thursday to Sunday, from 6pm to 2am.
Newspaper articles
The events described above are not the only indicators that show Ramazan is gaining wider recognition across the world, particularly in metropolitan cities. As compared to the past, an increasing number of articles and features are now being published by Western newspapers and websites that describe in detail rituals and rites performed by Muslims during the holy month.
An article published in ‘The Guardian’ on March 25, 2024 is a case in point. It was a heartfelt piece in which an Afghan man, who was reunited with his family in an Australian city after several years, spoke about the personal as well as universal lessons of Ramazan, thereby emphasising its relevance beyond the Muslim community.
As compared to the piece mentioned above an article published by the Associated Press in February this year — entitled ‘What is Ramazan and how do Muslims observe the Islamic holy month?’ — was a far simpler one as it mainly sought to explain fundamental concepts related to fasting. ‘The Guardian’ published an article about Ramazan this year on March 12, which was written by one Nesrine Malik. The self-explanatory title of the article was “The long wave: From aseeda to Vimto, Ramazan traditions across the diaspora”.
One of the leading dailies of India, the ‘Indian Express’, published on March 15 a very interesting piece, which was titled “Ramazan 2025: Top 10 global cities with the longest and shortest fasting hours”. According to this piece, the cities where Muslims will have to fast for the longest periods of time include Nuuk in Greenland and Reykjavik in Iceland.
The newspaper quoted islamicfinder.com as saying that devotees living in the two aforesaid cities will have to do without food and water for about 16 hours on March 29, the final and longest day of fasting this year. Other cities with long durations of fasting are Glasgow (Scotland), Berlin (Germany), and Moscow in Russia.
On the other hand, those residing in Johannesburg, South Africa, and Canberra, Australia, will fast for just over 13 hours on the last day of Ramazan this year. The other places with short durations of fasting include Brasilia (Brazil), Jakarta (Indonesia), and Luanda in Angola.
The above facts make it clear that Ramazan is gaining more publicity as compared to the past. But why is that? Is it because the fever of Islamophobia is on the wane? Or because it’s some sort of a compensation after Israeli forces rained death and destruction over Gazans for more than a year.
Well, the answer to both those questions is in the negative, at least to the extent of the US. So, while the British government and the royal family may have become somewhat sympathetic towards the Muslims lately, the Trump administration cannot be expected to harbour such sentiments, especially after it put Mahmoud Khalil, the student who helped organise protests over the Gaza genocide at the Columbia University, behind bars on the charges of supporting Hamas. The administration is trying to deport the young activist even though he possesses a green card. That episode shows the US government wants to maintain close ties with the Israeli government and doesn’t care at all about the Muslims.
One reason why the Muslim communities are increasingly holding Ramazan events at key public places now could be their newfound desire to play a more active role in their chosen countries than before. In other words, they may have decided that time to come out of their shells and take matters into their own hands may have come; so they should shed their low-key profiles and take on bolder projects.
Growing confidence
The other reason could be the realisation on their part that Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world. They should start asserting themselves now that their populations are growing in Western countries. According to a report that builds on Pew Research Centre’s original projections, the population of Muslims across the world will grow more than twice as fast as the overall world population, between 2015 and 2060.
This means that in the second half of this century Muslims will likely surpass Christians as the world’s largest religious group. While the world’s population is projected to grow 32 per cent in the coming decades, the number of Muslims is expected to increase by 70 per cent — from 1.8 billion in 2015 to nearly 3 billion in 2060. In 2015, Muslims made up 24.1 per cent of the global population. Forty-five years later, they are expected to make up more than three-in-ten of the world’s people (31.1 per cent).
A critical factor in the unfolding scenario could be a noticeable increase in the rate at which Christians or people of other faiths are embracing Islam. A 2017 Pew Research report found that one in five of 1,001 surveyed Muslims in the US were converts. This augurs well for the future of Muslims in America in particular and the West in general. Ends
Nizamuddin Siddiqui is an author who teaches journalism at Hamdard University, Karachi
All facts and information are the sole responsibility of the writer