Posted 14 March 2025

It was a pleasure to be invited to community Iftars – the fast-breaking evening meal of Muslims in Ramadan – at Bradford College and Leeds Conservatoire, both of which are members of Go Higher West Yorkshire (GHWY).  

In this blog post, I reflect on both events and share the meaning of the holy month of Ramadan.  

A time for unity 

There is a sense of unity in Ramadan as every healthy Muslim who has reached the age of fasting does so. There is no employer or employee; staff or student; young person or key influencer – we are one when fasting.  

I was reminded of this at the Iftar at Leeds Conservatoire as Imam Waqas Ahmed talked about unity in fasting. Similarly, at the Bradford College Iftar, their catering and hospitality students were supported by My Lahore to deliver an Iftar as they’re all united in preparing an Iftar for their community. 

A time for gratitude 

Ramadan is not just about abstaining from food and drink from dawn to sunset. It is also about giving to charity, practicing gratitude (e.g. we know where our next meal is coming from and have a roof above our heads), and seeing it as a time to reset.  

At both the Iftar, there were delicious buffets catering for Halal, vegetarian and vegan so I am grateful for food security.  

The Iftars at Bradford College and Leeds Conservatoire encouraged donations to Islamic Relief and Global Relief Trust respectively. During Ramadan, Muslims give Zakat (obligatory charity) that is 2.5% of their savings to charity.  

We were also invited to reflect and contribute to a gratitude tree at Leeds Conservatoire Iftar, as students and staff who were not observing Ramadan were invited to partake in a shared fast that day. 

A time to reflect 

Through attending the Iftars, I was reminded of the Social Graces model from GHWY’s cultural competence CPD as people reflect on their positionality in society whether as Muslims fasting or non-Muslims as an ally.  

There are little things you can do to support Muslim students and staff in Higher Education. This is the ethos behind an informative guide on Ramadan entitled ‘Fasting, Faith and Flexibility’. Produced by Dr Shames Maskeen (Senior Lecturer in Psychology and Associate Director of The Race Institute at Leeds Trinity University), the resource aims to help those who want to support Muslim staff and students. 

Summary  

Ramadan always goes too quick, but I am glad I had an opportunity to attend Iftars at Bradford College and Leeds Conservatoire and meet people I would not have done otherwise.  

Thanks to all the staff and students involved in organising these events and showing that it is about community not just during Ramadan but all year round. Looking forward to next year’s Iftar! 

 

Tahera Mayat, GHWY Collaborative Outreach Officer