Plymouth Islamic Community Center to Host Interfaith Ramadan Event

For many Plymouth residents, summer is a great time to take advantage of the long daylight to barbecue into what would otherwise be the dark of night. For some, though, the long daylight means a long fast, part of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. 

The fast is part of a month-long celebration so important its observance constitutes one of the five core tenets of Islam. It is intended to teach self-restraint and generosity to participants. When the sun finally sets, Muslims break their fast with a meal called "Iftar." 

This year, one Plymouth Center is using this sacred event to build bridges across religions. The Northwest Islamic Community Center of Minnesota has partnered with the Minnesota Council of Churches to host an interfaith open house and Iftar meal on Sunday, Aug. 4, at 7:30 p.m. At least 14 other mosques around the Twin Cities and Duluth are organizing similar interfaith events during Ramadan.

“Last year more than 350 guests attended an Iftar duringRamadan. We hope this year will be even bigger,” said Gail Anderson, director of the program. “We hope that people who have never had an opportunity to visit a mosque before will come join us for dinner at a mosque in their neighborhood.”

Anyone interested in attending is asked to RSVP on the Council of Churches' website.