Mosques across South Florida will open their doors starting from next Sunday and for a complete month to welcome people of all faiths during the holy fasting month of Ramadan, building bridges through charity and free food, Sun Sentinel reported.
“The idea is basically for our non-Muslim friends and neighbors to come visit the mosques, see what the mosques look like from the inside and to meet with the community,” said Shabbir Motorwala, a founding member of the Coalition of South Florida Muslim Organizations or COSMOS.
The events, organized by COSMOS, will take place in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties throughout May and have a free meal after sunset to break the fast each night.
Those interested in attending are asked to inquire about the food at each event and RSVP so they have enough food. Attendees are also asked to dress in modest attire.
Motorwala wants to focus on building bridges with other faiths and with the general public, especially in light of recent violent tragedies in Pittsburgh, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Poway, and others.
He added that despite differences, communities and faiths can and should come together to develop solutions for mutual problems and support each other.
“There are times when we disagree on geopolitical issues, but when it comes to local issues when a synagogue or a church or a mosque gets vandalized, we all come together to hold hands together; come join the vigil and support each other,” Motorwala said.
“United we stand. Bigotry and hate have no place in South Florida.”
Ramadan is the 9th month of the Hijri Islamic calendar and is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting to commemorate the first revelation of the Qur’an to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
During Ramadan fasting from dawn until sunset, Muslims refrain from consuming food, drinking liquids, smoking, and engaging in sexual relations.
Muslims are also instructed to refrain from sinful behavior that may negate the reward of fasting, such as false speech (insulting, backbiting, cursing, lying, etc.) and fighting except in self-defense.
Pre-fast meals before dawn are referred to as Suhoor, while the post-fast breaking feasts after sunset are called Iftar.
As Ramadan knocks the doors, Muslims are preparing themselves for the holy fasting month, and for this, many activities and events are being held worldwide to help Muslims welcome the holy month properly.
In AboutIslam, we have prepared this special guide for our readers to get the best of the holy month.
Check AboutIslam Ramadan guide: