East London mosque feeds NHS workers for iftar

In-person dining at the East London Mosque & London Muslim Centre is not possible this Ramadan due to Covid restrictions, but worshippers are still assisting the community through a donation-based meals campaign.

Mosque goers can donate £3 for an iftar meal via the website with both vegetarians and meat-eaters catered to, beginning with a date fruit - a staple for all iftars.

Read more: How coronavirus has changed the way Muslims celebrate Ramadan

Iftar is a meal taken at sunset when Muslim worshippers break their fast after abstaining from food and water during daylight hours, as part of Ramadan.

Good deeds and charity are also a key feature of the Muslim holy month.

"Feeding people is Islam is a highly encouraged good deed whether it is your guest or the poor and needy," Khizar Mohammad, East London Mosque's media and communications manager told Arab News. 

Anyone who is struggling financially can request an iftar meal from the mosque, which also provides around 200 people in the Tower Hamlets area with supply packs.

Mohammad said that staff at the Royal London Hospital are also benefitting from the scheme and that ELM has provided weekly meals to health workers throughout the pandemic in a show of appreciation.

This holy month, the provision would become a daily gift, he explained.

With enough money, he said the mosque hopes to extend their iftar programme to more economically deprived countries, like Yemen.

Last year, they were able to donate meals in Bangladesh.

The East London Mosque is currently also functioning as a Covid-19 vaccination site.

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