For the first time in three years, people from across Bristol came together for the St Mark's Road Grand Iftar, where non-Muslims join Muslims to eat together at dusk during the holy month of Ramadan. The annual event, which attracted 6,000 people in 2019, has been cancelled for two years in a row due to the pandemic.
The Bristol event - described as a global inspiration - returned as a scaled-back version. As a mark of respect to the St Mark's Road traders who had concerns over the national Covid trajectory, the organisers agreed to limit the numbers for this year's event.
Invited guests included residents, community workers, councillors, the city mayor, representatives of faith communities and Avon & Somerset Police. Non-Muslims sat on red carpets laid out along the road to eat with a cross section of Bristol’s Muslim community who were breaking their fast at 8.32pm (sunset) on the last Thursday (April 28) of Ramadan.
READ MORE: Grand Iftar to pay tribute to community organiser who died in 2020
Iftar co-founder and former Easton councillor Afzal Shah emphasised the importance of this year's event, describing it as a 'once in a generation opportunity'. He said: “This is a very special event after three years since the last Grand Iftar took place.
“It’s actually a once-in-a-generation opportunity and that’s why we wanted to go ahead with the event. Not only is it Ramadan, we’ve just celebrated Easter and it’s also - within the Jewish tradition - Passover as well.
“Here we are on St Mark's Road in Easton, we’ve got the mosque, we’ve got the church and a stone's throw away from here we’ve got the synagogue and that speaks volumes about Bristol.
“In the last two years in a lockdown environment, one thing that we do know is that we live in a city that has got community resilience. All our communities came together, they looked after their neighbours, the vulnerable, the elderly, the needy and people just checking on one another.”
Mr Shah emphasised the importance of the women who volunteer their time while fasting to cook free meals for the community, describing them as the 'backbone' of the Grand Iftar.
After a recitation of the Quran from Imam Hassnain Raza Siddique, emotional tributes were made to Hanna Ahmed, one of the Grand Iftar organisers who died at the end of 2020 after a short illness.
Her death was described by fellow organisers as 'one of the worst things that happened to the Grand Iftar'. The activist and community leader was praised for her pioneering efforts in tackling gender violence and doing so much to 'protect women and girls'.
The police lead on female genital mutilation (FGM), Leanne Pook expressed her gratitude in being invited to speak about Hanna at the event. The senior officer said: “It took immense courage to stand up and be counted and be visible.”
Describing Hanna as an 'incredible woman', who could never be replaced, she added: "We feel her loss very significantly across all the groups that worked to address violence against women and girls. In our work with and alongside communities, Hanna was absolutely key in supporting us but very importantly in challenging us to be better and to be more insightful in our work and that takes huge courage.
"The type of issues we're talking about have become common place but Hanna was a pioneer along with many of the other Refugee Women of Bristol, who talked about these issues when they weren't talked about.
"She was tiny, she didn't come up to my shoulder. But what she didn't have in height, she made up for in determination, tenacity and courage. What she did for all communities was seek to make sure that integration was what it was meant to be.
"She was a bit of a one off, the gap she has left will never ever be filled but what we will do in her absence is challenge ourselves to be better, be braver and work in her memory and her honour because that's what Hanna would want us all to do.
"Huge love to her children who were the absolute centre of her world and she will live on through them."
Mayor Marvin Rees spoke at the event and thanked the Iftar founders, organisers and volunteers for contributing to the progress of the city and creating an event that has inspired others across the world. He said: “Cities around the world have taken inspiration from this event, it’s really important that we continue to celebrate each other’s place in Bristol.
“We do not get the kind of reconciled, harmonious country or city that we want just because time passes and we have this thing called progress, whatever that means. It only happens because we do it on purpose.”
After the evening came to a close, the carpets were rolled up and the volunteers cleaned the street, leaving it cleaner than it was when they found it. Plans are already being made for the Grand Iftar 2023, where thousands of people will come together again, as they did in 2019.
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