The Muslim Community of Estevan welcomed people from the community to join them Thursday night for an iftar dinner at the Royal Canadian Legion’s Estevan branch.
Numerous dignitaries, legion representatives and other community leaders joined the Muslim community for the event. It was not only an opportunity to interact and meet new people, but it was also a chance for the invited guests to learn more about Ramadan and the Muslim faith.
Ramadan is from May 17-June 14 this year. During the month, Muslims are not allowed to drink water or eat food from sunrise to sunset, although there are exceptions made for those with health issues.
The evening opened with Zia Abdul welcoming everyone to the event and discussing the local community. Atif Hafeez offered some words from the Quran, which is Islam’s holy book, and then provided an English translation.
Syed Salahuddin, who is the president of the local Muslim community, offered further background on their faith and the growing number of Muslims in Estevan.
Estevan Mayor Roy Ludwig, Estevan MLA Lori Carr and Estevan Police Service Deputy Police Chief Murray Cowan then brought greetings to those gathered.
Dr. Imam Mohamad Masloh provided information on Ramadan and why it is significant to Muslims around the world.
The fast was broken at just before 8:50 p.m. with a small amount of food and water, and then the Muslims gathered to pray. Afterwards, a large meal was served to everybody in attendance.
Next week’s edition of the Mercury will have more on this story.
