Over 350 people attended an open iftar, an evening meal marking the breaking of the Ramadan fast at sunset, hosted by King’s College.

The event, which took place on 22 February, was organised by the Ramadan Tent Project (RTP), a charity that hosts open iftar meals to help bring communities together during Ramadan.

Organiser Kashif Darr said that the aim of the iftar was to educate people about the practice, and to break down barriers. “It’s open to everyone. Breaking bread is one of the oldest traditions to make friends and this is what it is - you are sat on the floor side by side sharing a meal,” he said.

Henning Grose-Ruse Khan, a King’s fellow, said: “Open Iftar is a wonderful opportunity for Muslims and non-Muslims from across Cambridge to gather at King’s College during Ramadan.

“Previous events have been a great success, and I’m delighted that King’s College continues to be a place that welcomes these opportunities for people of all faiths and none to gather.”

The iftar was described by attendees as bringing “a sense of community”. Raza Amine, a Cambridge PhD student, said the talks were “really inspiring,” adding that it was “really uniting to come together as a Muslim community and also a non-Muslim community, just like a huge crowd, to share and celebrate this occasion”.

Ruse-Khan said the iftar helped to remove divisions between communities that “come from not knowing the other,” noting that fasting is a common practice between many different faiths and religious traditions.

Nagham, a student at St Catherine’s who celebrated Ramadan outside an Arab country for the first time this year, said: “I really missed having the community and the vibes and, actually, I really missed hearing the call to prayer.

“In Ramadan, it’s so important to have the sense of community so that we don’t feel like we’re doing it in isolation but rather as a group together.”

Another student, Maya Dannawi, said: “I was really touched when I saw the adhan [call to prayer] happening here in King’s, the same hall [where] we’ve been coming for dinners.

“It’s my first time in the open iftar and this is my first actual […] Ramadan experience here. It was really nice.”

RTP hosts an annual Ramadan Festival to unite people and celebrate “connection, learning, and shared humanity,” with the charity organising approximately 20 open iftar meals across the country each year. The theme for the 13th annual Ramadan Festival taking place this year is ‘hope’.

This year, Ramadan began on the evening of Tuesday 17 February, and will last until Wednesday 18 March.