For several years, American’s Islamic Heritage Museum and the Zakat Foundation collaborated on a July 4 cookout. Some years, the event coincided with Ramadan, with hosts fasting while feeding community members while hosts fasted, followed by iftar after dark. See Zakat Foundation reporting: 4th BBQ and 5th BBQ

Guests enjoy iftar meal and a Ramadan teaching inside AIHM, 2016. [captioning and notes incomplete, but tentative ID: Dr Talib M. Shareef, imam of Masjid Muhammad] This photo: V. Spatz. Images below are from Zakat Foundation Newsletter

July 4 Ramadan Cookout

Originally appeared in East of the River, Capitol Community News, July 2016

On July 4, in the middle of a Muslim fast day, America’s Islamic Heritage Museum (AIHM) is hosting its third annual “Feeding the Community” cookout. [Possibly this was the fourth annual event — see Zakat Foundation’s reporting.] The free community event will be held at AIHM, 2315 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave SE, from 3 to 6 p.m. After dark, an iftar [break-the-fast] gathering – open to all, Muslims and non-Muslims, fasting or not – will be held from 8 to 10 p.m. The Zakat Foundation of America, an international Muslim charity, organizes the cookout as part of its work sharing food around the globe. But fellowship and community-building are just as central to events like the July 4 cookout as food.

“About three years ago, the Zakat Foundation and the Museum were working to provide food in the community,” explains Murat Kose, East Cost Program Director for the Zakat Foundation. “And we thought, why not have a barbecue to bring people together?”

That first year on July 4, Kose says, volunteers from the museum and the foundation just started cooking. And people started coming. “Everybody liked it, so it became a yearly event. We encourage everybody to come, not only to eat but to interact with each other.”

Ramadan, Fasting and Food
Volunteers, most of them Muslims who fast during daylight in Ramadan, are lined up to help with the cookout. This may seem odd to some, but many Muslims find Ramadan a time to reflect on hunger and give thanks for what they have through sharing. The Zakat Foundation, in particular, believes Ramadan “is a time to awaken compassion and solidarity with the hungry” and focuses their work during this month on food distribution.

Throughout the year, the foundation helps Muslims serve refugees, aid in emergencies, and address long-term poverty. This year, drought-stricken regions in the Horn of Africa are of particular concern, but Ramadan donations are expected to include over three million meals in 40 countries.

Ramadan is also a time to focus on fellowship, so the foundation and the museum encourage community members to get to know one another while participating in the cookout. Although many AIHM events include music and other entertainments, this event will honor Ramadan practice, which involves fasting from many forms of pleasure in addition to food.

At sundown, the day’s fast will be broken with prayers and a shared meal. Those who have been fasting are usually offered an opportunity to eat first, but all are welcome. “The iftar is open to anyone who is interested,” says Amir Muhammad, AIHM director. “We encourage the community to join us.”

Join AIHM for Eid al-Fitr
This year, Ramadan runs from June 6 to July 7. At the close of the month comes Eid Al-Fitr, the festival of ending the fast. AIHM’s celebration will take place at the museum, July 9 from 2 to 6 p.m. The community event will include vendors and entertainment. At press time, Muhammad said details were still to be confirmed. But all are encouraged to participate. Look for America’s Islamic Heritage Museum on Facebook for the latest information.

[Original article closed with information about volunteering for Zakat Foundation and AIHM efforts.]

Original by-line: Virginia Spatz is a regular contributor to Capital Community Newspapers, feature reporter for EducationTownHall.org, and publisher of SayThisName.wordpress.com.