THE PEMBROKESHIRE MASJID & ISLAMIC CENTRE involved the whole of the local community in celebrating their holy month of Ramadhan, people of all faiths and those of none were invited to a free Grand Iftar Dinner.
Iftar is the meal at sunset in which muslims break their fast, this was at 9.25pm on Sunday 26th May.
The organisers said that they wanted to unite the local community and bring everyone together to share this meal at Pembrokeshire Masjid which is the former Tabernacle Church on 122 Charles Street, Milford Haven.
Fasting in Ramadhan is regarded as one of the five pillars of Islam and lasts twenty-nine to thirty days, from one visual sighting of the crescent moon to the next.
In a statement the Imam of the mosque explained: “It was an honour and a great pleasure for us to host our community, this is the first of many events hopefully to come as part of our aims of community cohesion and engagement.
“Ramadan is a time in which families and communities come together for iftaars and prayers in festive gatherings that demonstrate the rich and diverse traditions of Muslim societies and cultures. It is also a deeply spiritual time of reflection and renewal meant to increase thankfulness and consciousness of God’s mercy.
“Muslims honour each day of Ramadan as a day of patient endurance through fasting, and each night as a night of gratitude through prayers. It is a time to reinforce faith, compassion and forgiveness, and perseverance through adversity.
“In this month of giving, Muslims around the globe reach out to assist those afflicted by conflict, hunger, poverty and disease.
“The Grand Iftar was received with great positive feedback, many neighbours and locals including church ministers and the local councillor were amongst the attendees.”
