Muslims across Birmingham are set to begin observing the month of Ramadan. An annual commemoration of their prophets first revelation, it's an important period for those of the Islamic faith. I went along to a launch gathering ahead of the start over in Sparkbrook.
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00:00 So we're here today at the Ramadan Lodge for History UK. We're also celebrating our 40th
00:08 anniversary. We're a Birmingham based charity. We've been operating for the last four decades.
00:13 So in the city of Birmingham, we've probably got around about over 340,000 Muslims. So
00:19 I think most people, you probably literally have to live under a rock not to know something
00:24 at least about Ramadan. So we created this event today just as a way for people to be
00:29 able to come together and celebrate the start of Ramadan. Certainly with a lot of the things
00:33 that are going on in the world at the moment, it's a difficult time for a lot of people,
00:37 particularly those from the Muslim background. So it's just a way of trying to bring people
00:41 together to mark the beginning of Ramadan.
00:45 Today is a celebration ahead of the start of Ramadan on Sunday, the ninth month in the
00:50 Islamic calendar, which is considered the holiest period of worship for those of the
00:54 Islamic faith. It lasts 29 to 30 days from the starting of the crescent moon to the next
01:01 and is observed through a strong adherence to and celebration of the values that make
01:07 up the teachings of the religion.
01:10 There's a lot of emphasis on prayer. There's a lot of emphasis on giving. There's a lot
01:14 of emphasis on helping others, especially during this month. So you try and kind of
01:19 concentrate as many good actions as you can. You see all the mosques are full. They're
01:24 full five times a day. You see there's a very long night prayer as well. Okay. At the end
01:29 of which is Eid, which is a big celebration for the end of Ramadan. And all the communities
01:35 get together. They'll go to the park and have a big prayer. And there'll be a fun fair or
01:39 they'll go to each other's houses and there'll be tons of food and, you know, happiness and
01:44 gifts and all of the things that we associate with a big religious festival.
01:50 Birmingham has a significantly large population of those identifying as Muslim compared to
01:55 the rest of the UK, with those practising the faith hailing from across the world. There
02:01 are over 200 mosques in the city, which will all be observing this important period, affirming
02:07 their own relationship to the faith, while also offering outreach to the wider population
02:13 of this highly diverse city.
02:16 We've got a high population of Muslims in Birmingham. You know, over 300,000 people
02:22 identify as being from a Muslim background. So Ramadan is traditionally known as the month
02:28 of mercy. So it's an opportunity for people to be able to come together, reflect on themselves,
02:33 become a little bit more disciplined, a little bit more spiritual as well. It's also an opportunity
02:39 because you spend the day fasting from, you know, dawn till dusk. It's an opportunity
02:45 that when it comes to breaking fast, you're able to come together, share food with your
02:49 loved ones, neighbours, don't necessarily have to be Muslim. So it's a way of bringing
02:53 people together as well, which I think is a really, really beautiful thing and certainly
02:58 reflective of the city of Birmingham and how multicultural and diverse we are.
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