NEW ZEALAND ANGLICANS URGES TO HOST IFTAR MEALS FOR MUSLIMS DURING RAMADAN

New Zealand Anglicans urged to host Iftar meals for Muslims during Ramadan

The Tikanga Pākehā Ecumenical Group (TPEG) has issued a renewed call for churches to promote friendship between Anglicans and Muslims through hosting Iftar meals during Ramadan 2021.

“The simple gesture of sharing a meal together builds solidarity and understanding between people of different faiths,” wrote TPEG chair the Rev. Michael Wallace in a letter encouraging the New Zealand dioceses to promote Ramadan hospitality at their church facilities.

The Tikanga Pākeha Ecumenical Group is asking Anglicans to remember that our observant Muslim neighbors in Aotearoa New Zealand will be fasting during daylight hours for the month of Ramadan, which this year runs from next week April 13 – May 12.

During Ramadan, Muslims break their daily fast at sunset each night with a large meal called an Iftar, which tradition encourages them to share within their faith community and with others. In many countries where Christians and Muslims live alongside one another in sizable numbers – for example in India and Singapore – Christians will often host their Muslim neighbors for Iftar meals as a gesture of friendship and solidarity.

SOURCE: https://www.episcopalnewsservice.org/2021/04/23/new-zealand-anglicans-urged-to-host-iftar-meals-for-muslims-during-ramadan/