Thousands congregate in New York to share iftar joy

Thousands of people in Queens County, New York attended an iftar (fast-breaking meal) dinner held on Saturday evening.

Muslims across the world fast every year during the holy month of Ramadan.

The Turkish Cultural Center (TCC) organized the iftar event in Queens. During the event, attendees of different religions were provided with information about the Ramadan tradition to contribute to inter-religious dialogue.

Governor of the State of New York Andrew Cuomo did not participate in the event, but sent his assistant to the iftar. Speaking during the event, TCC manager Oğuzhan Turan pointed out that the center's aim is to keep Ramadan alive not only for Muslims, but also for everyone.

There were whirling dervishes on Saturday, the first day of the iftar tent organization. On Sunday, Iranian Amir Vahap and his band famous in New York for their Sufi music, took the stage for an hour, drawing great interest from an eclectic multi-national crowd.

Turan said that the center is planning to host iftar to more than 3,000 people, as they have done in previous years. Pointing out that its expectations for the first two days were fulfilled, Turan said: “Tomorrow is the last day of the iftar organization and we hope that more than 1,000 people will come, as they did today.”

Excerpted from the news article published on Sunday's Zaman, 21 June 2015, Sunday