Iftars across Sydney promote social cohesion in challenging times

Photo: Parramatta Diocese Iftar Dinner on Tuesday 24 February 2026.

A series of community and interfaith Iftar dinners held across Sydney during the first ten days of Ramadan have highlighted the power of coming together, not only to break bread, but to strengthen belonging at a time when Muslim communities continue to face Islamophobia and exclusionary rhetoric.

Ramadan began on Thursday 19 February and will conclude on Thursday 19 March, with Eid-ul-Fitr expected on Friday 20 March (and possibly Saturday 21 March).

During this sacred month, Muslims fast from dawn to sunset, gathering each evening for Iftar, the meal that breaks the fast. More than food, iftar represents gratitude, reflection, discipline and compassion.

That spirit was evident on Tuesday 25 February 2026, when community leaders and faith representatives gathered in Parramatta for the Parramatta Diocese Iftar Dinner.

Keynote speaker Osman Karolia, Principal at Islamic College of Sport, delivered one of the evening’s most powerful reflections, focusing on young Muslims born in Australia who are told to “go back to where you come from.”

For many of these children, Australia is the only home they have ever known. Karolia captured their confusion with a stark rhetorical question: “Where do we go? Do we go to Granville? Do we go to Lidcome? Where do we go?”

His words reflected the lived reality of young Australians who are made to feel like outsiders in the country of their birth.

He also spoke about the impact of social media, describing how many students are “lost” and “confused” because their “source of truth is social media,” where they encounter narratives suggesting “everyone’s a bad guy” around them.

In response, he urged courage. “We’ve got to call it out,” he said, describing social cohesion as an “active project” that requires standing up to prejudice.

Ramadan, he reminded attendees, includes an “abstinence from actions and words which injure or harm others” — a discipline that extends to how society treats its most vulnerable.

The following evening, on Wednesday 25 February 2026, the Affinity “Blooming Together” Iftar was held at Wat Phrayortkeo Dhammayanaram Lao Buddhist Temple in Edensor Park — a powerful symbol of interfaith solidarity.

Gawaine Powell Davies, Board Director of the Buddhist Council, acknowledged that “the Muslim community is under enormous pressure” and said multiculturalism means “we support each other.”

Affinity Intercultural Foundation Executive Director Ahmed Polat described the gathering itself as “a quiet prayer,” reflecting on the symbolism of the lotus: “The lotus grows in muddy waters, yet opens in quiet beauty.”

In challenging times, he suggested, perhaps this spirit of fasting and humility is what the world most urgently needs.

During her address at the event, Mehar Ahmad, President of Seena Inc while reflecting on the meaning of Ramadan for Muslim recalled her decades long partnership with the Bonnyrigg Buddhist community and specially Nith Chittasy and his wife Ramphay in organising Multicultural Eid Festival & Fair (MEFF) at the Fairfield Showground now in its 41st year.

Then on Thursday 26 February 2026, the Chifley Community Iftar at Australian Islamic College Mount Druitt brought together political and community representatives.

Ed Husic MP spoke about the emotional weight of observing Ramadan while thinking of those suffering in Gaza, both Muslim and Christian.

He welcomed a recently arrived refugee family from Gaza, praising their “remarkable resilience and compassion,” and shared his personal connection in taking his oath of office on a copy of the Holy Quran loaned by the family.

He reflected that Iftar is about “gratitude, reflection, compassion, and community,” serving as a reminder that communities are stronger when joined together.

Across Sydney, these early Ramadan gatherings demonstrated that unity is not passive, it is practiced.

In a climate where division can feel amplified, the simple act of sitting together, sharing a meal and listening to one another affirms a powerful truth: Muslim Australians belong, and strength is found in solidarity, courage and shared humanity.