Thursday 21 June 2020 – in partnership with Tower Hamlets Homes and supported by Tower Hamlets Interfaith Forum and Canary Wharf Group, the East London Mosque & London Muslim Centre organised the Tower Hamlets Virtual Interfaith Iftar.

Broadcast live on Tower Hamlets Homes’ Facebook page via Zoom, the digital iftar gathering attracted almost a hundred live viewers who listened to uplifting speeches made by a variety of faith and community leaders.

The welcome address began at 8pm and was led by our Chairman, Muhammad Habibur Rahman, followed by a call towards cooperation between all communities in times of difficulty and ease by the Senior Imam of the East London Mosque, Imam Mohammed Mahmoud

The rest of the evening was full of enlightening speeches by guest speakers, including:

• Sir George Iacobescu – Chair Canary Wharf Group
• Mayor John Biggs – Mayor of Tower Hamlets
• Rushanara Ali MP – Bethnal Green and Bow MP
• Apsana Begum MP – Limehouse and Poplar MP
• Cllr Sirajul Islam – Statutory Deputy Mayor and Cabinet Member for Housing
• Will Tuckley – CEO London Borough of Tower Hamlets
• Susmita Sen – CEO Tower Hamlets Homes
• Reverend Alan Green – Chair of Tower Hamlets Interfaith Forum
• Leon Silver – Vice Chair of Tower Hamlets Interfaith Forum
• Neil Jameson – Emeritus Director and Founder of Citizens UK
• Ram Chandra Saha – Director of the Vivekananda Human Centre, representing the Hindu Community of Tower Hamlets

The evening came to a close with recitation from the Qur’an and a live adhan (call to prayer) by Kazi Shafiqur Rahman at Cabot Square, signalling the breaking of the fast.

Canary Wharf guests watching from their offices were invited to make their way down to Cabot Square at 8:45pm to listen to the call to prayer in-person to mark the end of the day’s fast, before heading back upstairs to end their evening with an Iftar meal.

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