First Iftar at St Mary's Stadium hailed as a success
Nearly 300 members of the local Muslim community came together last week at St Mary’s Stadium to attend our first Iftar. The event was also attended by club colleagues and Saints Foundation participants.
Organised in collaboration with the Muslim Council of Southampton, those in attendance were able to come together to celebrate the holy month of Ramadan. Iftar allows Muslims observing Ramadan the opportunity to gather to break their fast together as well as provide a space for mutual dialogue and engagement.
The event included a welcome speech from our Director of Community, Greg Baker, as well as the Secertary of the Muslim Council of Southampton and Imam Sayifullah Nasir, highlighting the importance of Ramdan. This was all before calls to pray were made pitchside by Hassan Mahmoud.
Commenting on the event, our Director of Community, Greg Baker said: “We were delighted to host our first ever Iftar in partnership with the Muslim Council of Southampton. We hope the event was the first of many for the club, as it was a wonderful occasion to bring our communities together to celebrate the holy month of Ramadan.
Football is a sport for everyone and has the ability to bring people together. Seeing our community come together like they did last week really brought this message home. It’s important we shared this celebration to help promote understanding, friendship and compassion within our community regardless of each other’s backgrounds.”
The Secretary of the Muslim Council of Southampton, Rashidul Islam said: “The event was an excellent opportunity to bring the Muslim community and others together to discuss our faith and also to discuss our other passion, football.
It was well received in the community by both Muslims and non-Muslims and bringing people together can only be good for our society as a whole.”
