IFTAR Dinner in Sydney, Australia Builds Harmony in Faith

Each year Ramadan is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting, communal prayer, refection, and community. Each day during Ramadan the meal held after sunset is called iftar.

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Recently members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Sydney hosted an iftar celebration with 140 guests from a variety of organisations and religions. The faith promoting evening included representatives from New South Wales Parliament, Australian Federal and New South Wales Police Forces, local schools, religious and ethnic organisations, charities, and local businesses.

Elaine Sasulu, an attendee, said, “There was a great spirit felt tonight in embracing our similarities and the common interest of being unified in our love of a greater being.  And it was so lovely to be here this evening to be united together in harmony.”

During the evening, the guests were presented with uplifting music and spoken word to highlight the objectives of Ramadan and community.

Shazia Bano, of the Fijian Muslim community shared, “This type of activity should be done more often so people can come together to bring greater peace and harmony to spread love.”

Abbas Raza Alvi, of the Indian Crescent Society of Australia, said, “This is the most difficult period of time anywhere in the world. When the people are fighting among their religions, their ethnicities, their genders, and their colours. And during the month of Ramadan, which is a prayer month, you are bringing every religion together. My congratulations, my heartiest congratulations, to every one of you for doing this wonderful job of bringing the people of the community social cohesion, peace, and harmony.”

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Newsroom websites states: “A respect for the diverse beliefs and unique contributions of all the world’s faiths is one of the hallmarks of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. From the faith's earliest days, Joseph Smith elevated the principle of religious liberty and tolerance: ‘We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may’ (Articles of Faith 1:11).

The Newsroom statement continues: “The spiritual and physical needs of the world require goodwill and cooperation among different faiths. Each of them makes a valuable contribution to the larger community of believers. In the words of early Church apostle Orson F. Whitney, ‘God is using more than one people for the accomplishment of his great and marvelous work. The Latter-day Saints cannot do it all. It is too vast, too arduous, for any one people.’ Thus, members of the Church do not view fellow believers around the world as adversaries or competitors, but as partners in the many causes for good in the world.”