Lord Mayor hosts Civic Hall Iftar meal

Hosted by the Lord Mayor of Leeds, Councillor Dan Cohen, guests included the HM Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire, Professor Adeeba Malik CBE and the Children’s Mayor of Leeds, Sienna Silva-Farber. The meal was held in support of the Lord Mayor’s chosen charity, Leeds Mencap.

Iftar, the meal Muslims eat at sunset to break the day’s fasting during the holy month of Ramadan, is only the fourth of its type to be held at the Civic Hall.

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.

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.

At the invitation of the Lord Mayor, a group of Foster4Leeds foster carers who are either Muslim or care for Muslim children were invited to take part in recognition of their tireless work. Other guests included faith leaders from other religions, including the Bishop of Kirkstall, Reverend Arun Arora, and the Lord Mayor’s chaplain, Rabbi Anthony Gilbert.

With the executive member for communities, customer service, and community safety, Councillor Asghar Khan acting as master of ceremonies, with support from Councillor Abdul Hannan, the speakers included the Children’s Mayor, Sienna Silva-Farber, HM Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire, Professor Adeeba Malik CBE, and the Leader of Leeds City Council, Councillor James Lewis.

The Lord Mayor of Leeds, Councillor Dan Cohen, said: “The civic iftar meal, which is quickly becoming a fantastic tradition here in Leeds, is an opportunity to bring together all the communities the office of the Lord Mayor represents around our city, and build harmony, trust, and understanding between our cultures.

“The holy month of Ramadan is not only a time of abstinence. It is a time of reflection, of coming together and of charity. I hope that by sharing this meal, we brought our multi-faith communities in Leeds a little closer and built on our understanding of each other.”

Councillor James Lewis, Leader of Leeds City Council, said: “It is always an honour to attend the civic iftar and take the opportunity to underline the Council’s full commitment to doing all we can to tackle discrimination of all types, including 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.”  

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Image captions:

Main image: Guests join the Lord Mayor of Leeds, Councillor Dan Cohen and the Leader of Leeds City Council, Councillor James Lewis, for a group shot following the civic iftar meal. 

Iftar 3: (L-R) Distinguished guests at the iftar meal included: the Bishop of Kirkstall, Reverend Arun Arora, the Lord Mayor, Councillor Dan Cohen, the Lord Mayor’s chaplain, Qari Asim MBE from Makkah Mosque, the Lord Mayor's chaplain, Rabbi Anthony Gilbert, and Leeds City Council executive member for communities, customer service, and community safety, Councillor Asghar Khan.

Iftar 1: (L-R) Leeds City Council executive member for communities, customer service, and community safety, Councillor Asghar Khan, The Lord Mayor of Leeds, Councillor Dan Cohen and Councillor Abdul Hannan at the 2026 iftar meal.