Lord Mayor and High Sheriff host Iftar at Leeds Civic Hall

The iftar meal is only the third of its kind to be held at the Civic Hall and was jointly hosted by the Lord Mayor of Leeds, Councillor Abigail Marshall Katung, and the High Sheriff of West Yorkshire, Professor Adeeba Malik CBE DL, in support of the Lord Mayor’s chosen charity, the Leeds Community Foundation.

During the holy month of Ramadan, Muslims worldwide fast (sawm) during the hours of daylight, abstaining from all food and drink. Iftar is the second meal of the day for those participating in Ramadan, and it ends the day’s fast, which starts immediately after the pre-dawn meal of suhur. The start of iftar is signalled by the call to evening prayer, the time of which alters daily to account for the lengthening days.

Joining the Lord Mayor and High Sheriff at the meal were notable dignitaries from across the region including the Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire, Ed Anderson CBE, the Lord Lieutenant of South Yorkshire, Professor Dame Hilary Chapman DBE, the West Yorkshire Combined Authority Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, Alison Lowe OBE, the Leader of Leeds City Council, Councillor James Lewis, and the Chief Constable of West Yorkshire, John Robins. Others in attendance included the Lord Mayors of Bradford, Wakefield, and Calderdale, as well as a cross-section of faith representatives from other communities. 

Qari Asim MBE from Makkah Mosque led the call to prayer which signalled the start of iftar as the sun set. As is traditional, the fast was broken with the eating of dates and drinking of water before guests enjoyed a buffet-style meal. 

Speakers at the iftar meal included the former Children’s Mayor, Mohammed Hussein and the Leeds Children’s Mayor finalist (2024/2025), Zoha Ahmed, who both spoke about what Ramadan means to them. The children’s thoughts add to speeches by the Lord Mayor, the High Sheriff, the Lord-Lieutenant, and the Leader of Leeds City Council, Councillor James Lewis.

The Lord Mayor of Leeds, Councillor Abigail Marshall Katung, said: “It was a great honour to jointly host an iftar meal at the Civic Hall, together with the High Sheriff of West Yorkshire, Adeeba Malik.

“The holy month of Ramadan is not only a time of abstinence. It is a time of reflection and the coming together of communities. I hope that by sharing this meal, we brought our multi-faith communities in Leeds a little closer together and that it acts as a prompt for us all to reflect on how we can, in our own way, make the world a better place.”

Councillor James Lewis, Leader of Leeds City Council, said: “I was pleased to attend the iftar and take the opportunity to underline the Council’s full commitment to doing all we can to tackle anti-Muslim prejudice in Leeds. This includes our adoption in 2022 of the Anti-Muslim Prejudice definition as something that is direct or indirect hatred and discrimination against anyone of Islamic faith on grounds of their belief and practice. 

“We undertake regular engagement work with various groups in communities across Leeds, and we run awareness raising campaigns on how to report Islamophobic hate and the support available to victims; as well as to highlight the many positive contributions British Muslims make every day to life in Leeds.   

“This year we are also supporting the ‘Fasting in Solidarity” campaign for Ramadan 2025; and we plan to launch new hate crime and social cohesion strategies for the city.”