Fast Breaking Iftar Dinner at Old St. Joseph’s Church
Last night will be one to remember at Saint Joe’s Church in Center City Philadelphia where Muslims and non-Muslims gathered to fellowship in honor of Ramadan.
“We are having this meal because we eat all together, we start together,” said Elena, who participated in the event.
Nearly one hundred and fifty people gathered together under this tent to break fast at an Iftar dinner sponsored by Old Saint Joe’s Church and the Dialogue Forum of Philadelphia.
“We recognize that our religion is one of many and we are joyous about that,” said Lou Oschmann, a member of the Ecumenical & Interfaith Committee at Old Saint Joseph’s Church. “We want to dialogue with people of other religions about how peaceful our relationship with other religions should be.”
“We share our Iftar dinner with non-Muslims, Christian, Jewish people to better understand each other, promote the dialogue,” said Omer Faruk Genc, Outreach Coordinator, Dialogue Forum of Philadelphia. “This is our aim for this event.”
When it was time to break fast at 7:40 pm, there was plenty of delicious Turkish food on hand, including Dolma and Baklava.
Muharrem John Atalan, a sponsor for the event, helped with getting the food. “Turkish food, it’s my favorite food.”
There was art and music. There was also prayer. But the main focus of the event was fellowship.
“It’s great,” said Kristin Lockett, who found out about the dinner while walking in Center City. “I love the whole interfaith experience. I learned alot about Ramadan tonight. I’ve had personal interaction with a Turkish community. So it’s been great for me.”
“I met people of other faiths. I think that is important now, especially today in the world in which we live,” said Robert Kaufman. “Now we are all accustomed to our own faith, but we have to be aware of others.”
“I think it is great that Turkish, Turks and Americans bonded,” said Aleyna Cifti, 13. She and her friend, Sema Tozluyurt, said they enjoyed making new friends of other faiths.
“It’s not just about the money or the food, it’s about being together,” said Elena, smiling.
Hopefully, with more of these dinners, Muslims and Non-Muslims will be able to bridge the gap on their differences and realize we are all alike.
By Cherri Gregg Mincey, Ebru NEWS
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