Sharjah/Dubai: Non-Muslim communities in the UAE have been hosting iftar during Ramadan to demonstrate the spirit of tolerance and peaceful coexistence in the country.
Religious leaders of different faiths praised the UAE leadership and community for nurturing an environment where diversity is respected and welcomed.
In Sharjah, the St Michael’s Catholic Church on Wednesday hosted iftar for some 500 labourers and other guests for the first time in its decades-long history.
Parish Priest Father Varghese Chempoly said: “We wanted to show the spirit of unity and brotherhood practised in the UAE. Our prayer is to protect this country and guide its leaders. We also took the iftar initiative in line with the declaration of Pope Francis of 2016 as the Year of Mercy.”
He added that another inspiration behind the iftar was the parish youth who reach out to the poor every Ramadan. “We’re so happy to welcome our Muslim brethren for iftar.”
For most of the workers, who came from different labour accommodations, it was their first time in a church.
“It is doubly a new experience for me as I’ve never been to a church before and never had iftar as a guest of another faith. I’m so honoured to be here today and their hospitality is lovely,” said Abdul Razak, 25, a welder from India.
Vijay Varghsese, a parishioner who has been regularly going to the church for 20 years, said the response to the iftar was “tremendous”. He added: “Our parish youth are engaged in community outreach every Ramadan, such as providing water and dates at traffic signals during iftar. This invite to the church has been received so well, it shows the spirit of togetherness of the UAE.”
Religious figures spoke on interfaith harmony shortly before iftar. Guests also received gift bags after iftar.
Positive understanding
Also on Wednesday, members of different faiths gathered for iftar at the Gurunanak Darbar Gurudwara, a Sikh temple, in Dubai’s Jebel Ali area.
The multi-faith iftar, which was held for the third year in a row, was hailed as a symbol of tolerance and understanding by some of the community leaders who attended.
Dubai-based Islamic speaker Ahmad Hamed, who gave a short talk ahead of the iftar at the temple, said: “Gatherings like these will create a better awareness and build positive understanding between different faiths. Dialogues can clear differences and clarification can bring solutions.”
He said that this was the third interfaith iftar he attended as it was a great opportunity to give the true message of Islam.
“The message of Ramadan is Quran and the message of Quran is submission to Allah,” he added.
Surender Singh Kandhari, chairman of Gurunanak Darbar Gurudwara, who hosted the iftar said hosting iftar has become one of the temple’s key events of the calendar.
“This is the third year in a row we are hosting the iftar. I don’t think there is anything better trying to understand each other and appreciate different beliefs. Our idea of hosting the iftar is to unite people of different faiths and share knowledge,” said Khandhari.
People from different communities came for the event from different emirates.
Gulvir Singh, a resident of Abu Dhabi for the last 35 years, is a regular to the Jebel Ali Gurudwara.
He came all the way from the capital to attend the programme as he found the idea interesting.
“I always believed that the basic message of all religions is the same, which is to serve God through humanity. I come to the Gurudwara to do the same. Today I got a better understanding of Islam and Ramadan,” said Singh, who is a businessman.
