Attendees at a sun-down dinner at the city quay have raised almost £20,000 for children in Syria whose lives have been shattered by civil war.
Local members of Action Relief and Muslim Aid organised a charity Iftar dinner, raising an “amazing” £19,335 through sponsorship and a charity auction which culminated at the meal held at Taza restaurant.
Speakers from London travelled to Dundee for the event, which celebrated the end of a long-days fast and aimed to highlight the true importance of Ramadan.
Action Relief coordinator Sonia Shoaib thanked everyone who dug deep for the children of Syria.
She said: “We have raised thousands of pounds for needy Syrian Children and Muslim Aid is working with local partners in the country to implement a special project where prosthetic limbs will be provided to the children who lost body parts either to bombing or the military action in the conflict.
Keynote speakers Ustadh Asim and Nasheed Artist Omar Esa travelled to the event from London and spoke about how everyone can take the “essence and message of Ramadan” to spread love and care, and to work shoulder to shoulder with other faith and non-faith groups and build a more tolerant and peaceful society.
Rasib Ghaffar, patron in chief of Action Relief, said: “Our vision states that we want a world where people live together peacefully and stand together in times of need.
“We will put all our efforts and energy to reach millions of needy people in Britain and across the world. This project will help us to put hope back into thousands of children’s lives.”
Muslim Aid’s Adnan Ahmed and Shoaib Hameed said they were amazed by the efforts put in by young and dedicated Action Relief volunteers who organised the event.
Ramadan takes place in the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, which is based on lunar cycles.
This means dates for the fast and its duration can vary year to year. Ramadan is due to end this year on the evening of Saturday June 24, having started on May 26.
The end of Ramadan heralds in the celebration of Eid al-Fitr, a month-long celebration of the end of the fast.
