Reading College holds its first Community Iftar Meal

Reading College and University Centre held its first Community Iftar Meal on Tuesday 3 March.

Iftar is the meal Muslims eat at sunset to break their fast during Ramadan.

Over 80 students and staff of all faiths and special guests came together at the King’s Road campus to share a meal.

Ramadan is a time for community to come together. The Iftar was organised to give Muslim students and unaccompanied asylum-seeking students an opportunity to break their fast with their college community, instead of breaking it alone.

The college were delighted to welcome Imam Yahya and Trustee Shakeel Khan from Aisha Masjid & Islamic Centre.

Sagheer Khaliq, Student Liaison and Attendance Adviser at Activate Learning, welcomed everyone to the Iftar before handing over to Imam Yahya. The Iftar began with a reading from the Quran in Arabic and English and sharing the significance of fasting.

After the fast was broken with water and dates, students and staff were given the opportunity to pray, which was led by the Imam.

Afterwards, everyone enjoyed food kindly donated by local restaurants and businesses, Bina Tandoori in Caversham and Da Village Afghan Restaurant and Takeaway on Oxford Road.

Tesco Extra on Napier Road also donated dates, water and plates through their Community Champion scheme.

Students and staff also generously contributed to the meal by making or donating pre-made dishes.

Rabia Mughal is studying a Skills Bootcamps in Teaching Assistants at Reading College and University Centre.

She said:

“It was an amazing experience to attend the Iftar at Reading College and break our fast with other students and staff.

“Thank you to all the fantastic staff who organised the Iftar. It is highly appreciated.”

Imam Yahya from Aisha Masjid & Islamic Centre said:

“It was amazing! This was the first time I’ve done an Iftar at the college.

“As a community leader, there were a number of faces that I recognised, as some of my own students from the mosque were here and it was nice to see the Iftar supported by so many students and staff.”

Charlotte Morgan, Regional Head of Student Experience – Berkshire at Activate Learning, said:

“It was fantastic to host the college’s first Iftar with over 80 students and staff in attendance.

“We believe in the values of community and inclusion, so to host an event that champions these values was incredibly important for us as a college.

“We were joined by Muslim and non-Muslim members of our community, and it was a fantastic and friendly atmosphere, sharing food and stories and learning about one another’s culture.

“We are very grateful to the Imam and Trustee from Aisha Masjid & Islamic Centre for visiting and supporting our Iftar, and we are incredibly thankful to the restaurants and local businesses for supporting us with food and other donations.”