A leading Muslim community group has declined to “break bread” with councillors during the holy month of Ramadan.
The Brighton and Hove Muslim Forum said that members would “decline any Iftar gatherings” organised or endorsed by the council or Labour or the Conservatives.
Iftar is observed during Ramadan, often as a community, with people gathering to break their daytime fast together after the call to prayer at sunset.
Locally, members of the Muslim community have long served an iftar meal to councillors and council officials and representatives of other public services and faiths.
But as Ramadan approached this year, the Forum issued a statement, saying: “The Brighton and Hove Muslim Forum (BHMF) has announced a major decision to decline any Ramadan Iftar gatherings this year organised or endorsed by Brighton and Hove City Council, the Labour Party and the Conservative Party.
“This comes as the Islamic community prepares for Ramadan, a period marked by fasting, worship and communal gatherings, set to begin on either Monday 11 March or Tuesday 12 March.
“Our decision is due to the great anguish and deep sense of abandonment that we and the Muslim community are feeling in relation to the ongoing events in Palestine and the response from our elected officials.
“It is impossible for us to ‘break bread’ with those who claim that they are friends of the Muslim community yet betray these sentiments with their actions – and, indeed, inaction.
“The double standards and highly divisive statements from the Prime Minister and the leader of the opposition, failing to acknowledge a genocide, cutting off vital humanitarian UN funding and unwillingness to call for an immediate ceasefire has not gone unnoticed.
“We as the Brighton and Hove Muslim community are deeply hurt and disappointed. Humanitarian support and standing up to injustice and oppression should never ever be sacrificed for political agendas.
“Additionally, we suggest that community-based Ramadan iftars organised through the goodwill from friends of the Muslim community ought to be cancelled this year with the budgeted funds donated towards humanitarian aid in support of Gaza.
“The Muslim community are in a state of mourning due to the significant loss of life in Palestine.”
The Labour leader of the council Bella Sankey said: “As Labour councillors in Brighton and Hove, we have, along with our residents, watched the violence in Israel and Gaza with horror and despair.
“We know these events have had a huge impact on residents in Brighton and Hove, that this is a very anxious time, felt especially acutely as our local Muslim and Palestinian communities mark the holy month of Ramadan.
“Brighton and Hove Labour group called for an immediate ceasefire last November, within weeks of the Israeli government’s offensive in Gaza, when the scale of their response to the Hamas terror attack on 7 October became clear.
“We are saddened that the Brighton and Hove Muslim Forum have issued this announcement.
“I have reached out to community leaders with genuine requests to explore how we can rebuild trust and confidence.
“I once again urge community leaders to meet with me to explore how we can restart the once strong bond and working relationship for the benefit of the residents in Brighton and Hove.”
Councillor Sankey added: “Our thoughts remain with the Israeli and Palestinian children, families and communities that have experienced devastating loss in this violence.
“Our focus is on supporting all our residents in Brighton and Hove who have been impacted and to work to support community cohesion.”
Conservative leader Alistair McNair said: “The events in Israel and Gaza are distressing and complex for both Jewish and Palestinian communities in Brighton and Hove.
“My role as a councillor is to serve the residents in this city. We need to try to understand the needs and fears of Jews and Palestinians and promote understanding where possible.”
Councillor McNair added: ““Conservatives in Brighton and Hove welcome invitations to attend Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist and Christian events.
“We hope especially that Ramadan and Easter can be times for reflection and prayer and coming together.”
funny how they hate britain yet they remain here
Your ability to say the most racist and hateful things is particularly potent.
islam isnt a race you dullard
Semantics. Hateful, discriminatory, isolationist, bigoted. There’s a whole dictionary of words that could be used. I think you get the point.
Integration should be explained to people who come to the UK, and we need a national ID system to verify who gets what. 1 ID gets access to housing, NHS, benefits, job market, HMRC, car registration and insurance, banking, dentists, company registrations and ownership, access does not mean entitled, the rest of Europe works that way why not here.
I would encourage the Muslim Group to issue a statement for Hamas to release the hostages and for all other Muslim groups to do likewise. Israel will then cease their operations in Gaza and the world can move on?
Israel will never stop as long as the dollars keep pouring in like they have done since 1947, they are now in the process of splitting Gaza North from South by building a road East to West cutting of Gaza to the outside forever, Genocide sanctioned by many.
I would encourage the entire Council to issue a statement saying that while they sympathise with those suffering, the Gaza situation has zero to do with the council and they will not be commenting on something they have no power to change any further.
Thats fine….. Its a publicity stunt either way. Reinforcing differences.
How deeply upsetting this must be for the Council – they won’t be able to get their army of ‘officers’ to spaff off on twitter about how woke and righteous they are by trying to engage with minority groups
Our council should keep its nose out of foreign affairs they have zero control over and declare that this is its policy from now on. They are not given taxpayer’s money to empty the bins or run services in Gaza. We cannot afford this laughable pantomime virtue signalling a minute longer.
They hate us. Wake up!
This is clearly an attempt at manipulation by means of triggering the ‘touchy-feely’ types we have as local councillors including the leader of the council. I just hope they remember that whatever their personal views, local politicians should not devote time to a conflict in the Middle East that they have precisely zero influence over.
Every time I see the current coverage of people suffering in Gaza my mind flashes back to the scenes of the very same people rejoicing in the streets. Then I recall the body-cam footage of what the Palestinian/Hamas troops and as it turns out UN aid workers did to the Israeli women and children, and their bodies. I do not see any peaceful solution to this, not ever. So why do we pretend there ever can be ? The Palestinians are still committed to the eradication of Israel. Until that changes history will repeat over and over.
My other Ramadan musing is that why is this a Muslim forum issue when the Muslim neighbors of Palestine have done nothing to help and Egypt has even built walls to keep the Palestinians out. We also never hear from the Muslim forum when one Muslim country attacks another. Does this make them intrinsically racist ? I have to ask if the Muslim community in the west is being unduly influenced by bad actors – such as Iran (who bankrolled the attack on Israel) who also sponsor Muslim “community projects” in the west.
A pointed political gesture, this was. Could have just quietly declined. It’s the equivalent of my goddaughter reminding me that she is not talking to me because I didn’t get her ice cream.