The first Muslim mayor of London admits that Ramzan will be tough for him this year round.
“Anyone who knows me knows that I’m miserable during Ramzan. What I usually miss the most is caffeine; I go to lots and lots of boring meetings and I need caffeine to keep going,” Sadiq Khan said. “This year, in preparation [for Ramzan], I tried to cut down on coffee in the lead up to it. Food isn’t the issue – you get over that.”
While on the subject, he also discussed the general impression of Muslims –and Islam — around the world and how he intended to cultivate and bring together the Muslim and non-Muslim communities during the holy month.
“If you’re someone who doesn’t have Muslim friends and your only experience of Islam is what you see on the news – the angry man with a beard doing or saying something terrible – then you may inadvertently associate that with Islam and think that is what it’s all about,” says Khan.
Speaking about the holy month, Khan said, “I’m aware that it’s a great opportunity to do things in the community and break down the mystique and suspicion around the religion.”
Sadiq Khan intends to build bridges between the Muslim and non-Muslim communities by hosting Ramzan meals (or iftars) at synagogues, churches and mosques across London. “I’m making it a priority this month to get out there and build bridges by hosting Ramadan meals around the city at synagogues, churches and mosques.”
Khan feels that hosting iftar dinners and having non-Muslim brethren share thE meal will allow for people to share experiences which, he opines, is possibly the best way for them to understand each other’s faith. “We have the most diverse city in the world, but we don’t have people mixing as much as they could. I want to enable people to have a sense of belonging.”
Courtesy: The Guardian