Ramadan launch organised by ISRA UK takes place in Sparkbrook

National World - LocalTV

Muslims across Birmingham are set to begin observing the month of Ramadan. An annual commemoration of their prophets first revelation, it's an important period for those of the Islamic faith. I went along to a launch gathering ahead of the start over in Sparkbrook.

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00:00 So we're here today at the Ramadan Lodge for History UK. We're also celebrating our 40th

00:08 anniversary. We're a Birmingham based charity. We've been operating for the last four decades.

00:13 So in the city of Birmingham, we've probably got around about over 340,000 Muslims. So

00:19 I think most people, you probably literally have to live under a rock not to know something

00:24 at least about Ramadan. So we created this event today just as a way for people to be

00:29 able to come together and celebrate the start of Ramadan. Certainly with a lot of the things

00:33 that are going on in the world at the moment, it's a difficult time for a lot of people,

00:37 particularly those from the Muslim background. So it's just a way of trying to bring people

00:41 together to mark the beginning of Ramadan.

00:45 Today is a celebration ahead of the start of Ramadan on Sunday, the ninth month in the

00:50 Islamic calendar, which is considered the holiest period of worship for those of the

00:54 Islamic faith. It lasts 29 to 30 days from the starting of the crescent moon to the next

01:01 and is observed through a strong adherence to and celebration of the values that make

01:07 up the teachings of the religion.

01:10 There's a lot of emphasis on prayer. There's a lot of emphasis on giving. There's a lot

01:14 of emphasis on helping others, especially during this month. So you try and kind of

01:19 concentrate as many good actions as you can. You see all the mosques are full. They're

01:24 full five times a day. You see there's a very long night prayer as well. Okay. At the end

01:29 of which is Eid, which is a big celebration for the end of Ramadan. And all the communities

01:35 get together. They'll go to the park and have a big prayer. And there'll be a fun fair or

01:39 they'll go to each other's houses and there'll be tons of food and, you know, happiness and

01:44 gifts and all of the things that we associate with a big religious festival.

01:50 Birmingham has a significantly large population of those identifying as Muslim compared to

01:55 the rest of the UK, with those practising the faith hailing from across the world. There

02:01 are over 200 mosques in the city, which will all be observing this important period, affirming

02:07 their own relationship to the faith, while also offering outreach to the wider population

02:13 of this highly diverse city.

02:16 We've got a high population of Muslims in Birmingham. You know, over 300,000 people

02:22 identify as being from a Muslim background. So Ramadan is traditionally known as the month

02:28 of mercy. So it's an opportunity for people to be able to come together, reflect on themselves,

02:33 become a little bit more disciplined, a little bit more spiritual as well. It's also an opportunity

02:39 because you spend the day fasting from, you know, dawn till dusk. It's an opportunity

02:45 that when it comes to breaking fast, you're able to come together, share food with your

02:49 loved ones, neighbours, don't necessarily have to be Muslim. So it's a way of bringing

02:53 people together as well, which I think is a really, really beautiful thing and certainly

02:58 reflective of the city of Birmingham and how multicultural and diverse we are.

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