Flashmob iftar. What is it? I hear you ask
A flashmob is a large group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, performing an unusual action for a brief of time, then quickly disperse. The word is spread about the event mainly via social networking sites. Wikipedia describes a flashmob as "pointless" however, as you continue to read, you shall soon realise this flashmob is far from it.
An iftar is the evening meal that when Muslims break their fast during the holy month of Ramadan.
So, how do these two work together?
The idea behind this is to share the food with members of the community that may not have easy access to food. Iftar is usually a really exciting time for Muslims when the best of food is served after a long day from not eating, and what better way to share your generosity and spirit of Ramadan and community belonging with the homeless?
This project was initiated a few years ago which quickly spread around the country. To those attending, all they had to do is come along bringing enough food for themselves and one another.
The first flashmob iftar in Birmingham (2010) was held on Thursday 26th August. Despite the rain, the event was a massive success, Alhamdulillah, and the event was repeated again, during the last week of Ramadan.
Sabaa Alyanai, attended the event to "give something back to society, and to actively do something to help somebody else, particularly in Ramadan when everything counts and it is a reminder of your faith"
Dina Choudhury returned again to the second flashmob iftar to "understand the issues of homelessness in Birmingham, especially in the UK and finds it strange that people are roughing it out on the streets when there is so much money floating around with benefits provided by the government." She also said that "the spirit of last week was fantastic, in the rain, people came to share their food and there was a real sense of community which doesn't happen in many places".
The plans now are to continue post-Ramadan so watch this space for more info!
Here are some of the interviews I had taken from both of the flashmob iftar's of 2010.
