Community Iftar brings all faiths together from across Calderdale

On Thursday 7th June we held our annual community Iftar here at Queen’s Road Neighbourhood Centre. Iftar is the evening meal when Muslims end their daily Ramadan fast at sunset. For Sunnis, it is at the time of the call to prayer for the evening prayer; for Shias, it is after the evening prayer.

We welcomed over 100+ residents from across central Halifax and neighbouring wards aswell as local services that we work with including the Police, St Augustine’s, local Mosque and ward Councillors.

Hafiz Amjad from our local community opened the fast with dua (the prayer) before our staff from Halifax Central Initiative served the dinner to our guests. This is our fourth community iftar and is growing each  with more community residents including families and children attending and  from various backgrounds and faiths. It provides a better understanding and appreciation for why Muslims participate in Ramadan and the meaning behind it.

Thank you to everyone who came and celebrated with us and Ramadan Mubarak.

RESPECT – Keep Your Partners Safe During the World Cup

Calderdale Lower Valley

The most detailed research into the links between the football World Cup and domestic abuse rates has revealed that in one force area in England and Wales, violent incidents increased by 38% when England lost – but also rose by 26% when they won.

The research, by Lancaster University criminologist Dr Stuart Kirby, a former police officer, monitored police reports of domestic violence during the last three World Cups in 2002, 2006 and 2010.

While domestic violence rose after each England game, incidents also increased in frequency at each new tournament. Separate national research examining the 2010 World Cup echoed the Kirby findings – with domestic abuse reports up 27.7% when the England team won a game, and 31.5% when they lost.

Source: The Guardian June 14, 2014.

What can I do?

We know that on average, domestic abuse rises during World Cup season in the UK. As a charity…

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