Popular annual Islamic community event The St Mark’s Road Grand Iftar is set to go ahead this year after two years of cancellations. Due to concerns over the spread of Covid, this year’s event will be restricted, with barriers and security in place to ensure the event does not exceed the 500 person limit set by organisers.
An “Iftar” is the word used to describe the evening meal where Muslims break their daily fast during Ramadan and is traditionally done as a community with Muslim people gathering to break their fast together. The St Mark’s Road Grand Iftar that began in 2017 was initiated as a way for Muslims to come together with non-Muslims and celebrate together.
The event is led entirely by a group of volunteers who raise their own funds each year in order to feed people for free in their thousands. This year’s event will be hugely scaled down and although the numbers will be nothing compared to previous years, the organisers feel it is important for the event to go ahead even if it is a fraction of the size.
READ MORE: Muslim organisation in Bristol launches online course to educate people about Ramadan
Although a bigger open space would allow for the event to cater for the number of people it has in previous years, the organisers feel the Grand Iftar would not be the same if it were to be held anywhere other than St Mark’s Road.
This year’s event will require a lot more careful planning to ensure that precautions are taken to limit the number of people. Currently the idea is to section off a portion of the road for the event and create two exit and entry points, with access for residents.
Further engagement with the local community and businesses on St Mark’s Road will take place before the logistics for this year's event are finalised. They are also considering online streaming of the event for those who can not attend in person.
As in previous years, the Iftar will be on the last Thursday of Ramadan which begins on Saturday, April 2, this year. The smaller Iftar gathering will take place on Thursday, April 28, and entry will be on a first come, first served basis.
Afzal Shah and Mohammed Elsharif founded the Grand Iftar in 2017 as a response to the Manchester Arena bombing that year. They wanted to bring all sections of the Muslim community together with the wider non-Muslim community as a way of promoting peace and togetherness.
Mohammed Elsharif said of this year's event: "The Grand Iftar is an extraordinary event for us as we share a precious moment of our faith and culture with fellow Bristolians. This year we will be working to run a special event as start of post lockdown Grand Iftar."
For the last two years the event has been celebrated online. The last Grand Iftar that took place in 2019 and coincided with 100 years of women's suffrage was used to celebrate woman in Islam and promote women's rights.
This year the Islamic community event will be an occasion to pay tribute to Hanna Ahmed, one of the key organisers of the Bristol Grand Iftar. Hanna, who passed away in 2020, was a community volunteer, a campaigner against female genital mutilation (FGM) and a victim support worker.
