Forward Thinking participate in Iftar events, 17th - 22nd May 2019

As part of the holy month of Ramadan, Forward Thinking staff have participated in a number of iftar events over the past two weeks.On the the 17th of May, Oliver McTernan, Jordan Morgan and Maisie cook were at Finsbury Park Mosque to take part in their annual Iftar event. Speeches were given by a number of figures, including the local Islington MPs Jeremy Corbyn and Emily Thornberry.Then, on the 20th of May, Oliver delivered a speech at Tavistock Square's iftar. This was part of the Ramadan Tent Project, a yearly project that hosts an open iftar event for 30 nights. In 2019 the first twenty nights are being hosted at Tavistock Square in Bloomsbury, and the final ten will be held across various London locations. People of all faiths and none are invited to attend  and more can be learned at http://www.ramadantentproject.com/ On the 22nd of May Oliver spoke at the East London Mosque's annual iftar dinner.  East London Mosque serves the largest Muslim community in the United Kingdom. 250-300 people from different communities will come together to break fast together, including a number of politicians and diplomats representing different countries as well as prominent leaders from the UK. Oliver will be speaking on the theme of "bringing communities together". Other speakers will include H.E. Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmed, the Malaysian Minister of Health and Rushanara Ali, the MP for Bethnal Green.On the 21st May, Jordan Morgan attended the iftar organised by the APPG on British Muslims. Parliamentarians including, John Bercow MP, discussed the steps that have been  made to tackle prejudice, hatred and discrimination against British Muslims, in addition to highlighting the positive contributions communities make at local and national levels.Harry Higginson also attended an iftar event on the 22nd of May, held at the Al Khoei foundation. The foundation largely focuses on the needs of Shi'a communities in London and around the world but also runs several schools and seeks to promote better understanding of Islam in the UK. Speakers at the dinner included the Ambassador of Iraq to the UK, who spoke of the new Iraqi government's efforts to encourage dialogue and co-operation in the Middle East.      We again wish all of our Muslim friends and colleagues Ramadan Kareem, and hope they and their families are having a fulfilling month of reflection and celebration.