Niall Gooch

The problem with holding Iftar in Manchester Cathedral

(Photo: Getty)

During Ramadan, which began last week, sunset finds observant Muslims taking their iftar, a ceremonial breaking of the rigorous fast, involving specific prayers. Often this is done as a community. Pictures of mosques hosting iftar bring to mind the parish festivities which were a common feature of pre-Reformation England, before the Protestants decided that attendees at such beanfests were having far too much fun.

For reasons that remain unclear, it seems to have become fashionable for Christian churches in Britain to make themselves available as venues for the iftar. This year Manchester Cathedral, no less, opened its doors one evening for the local Muslim community, causing a brief stir on social media. I must confess to being among those who raised a sceptical eyebrow.

The objector inevitably runs the risk of sounding like a grouch. What’s the problem with a bit of hospitality? The dean and chapter are just being good neighbours, reaching out across the sectarian divide to foster love, understanding and world peace. Can’t we all just get along?

The problem is that the iftar is not simply a jolly get-together. If it were simply a question of inviting other religious groups to share a meal, or to socialise, there would be no issue, but iftar is inescapably a specific religious observance. The accompanying prayer, the adhan, incorporates the shahada, undoubtedly one of the most important credal statements in Islam, because its sincere recital is widely regarded as sufficient to become a Muslim. The shahada not only states that Muhammad is God’s Messenger, but also describes God as ‘one’. Both of these statements should be regarded as rebuttals of Christianity, which does not regard Muhammad as a significant figure at all, and teaches that God is a Trinity. Islam’s strong emphasis on the Oneness of God must be understood in the seventh century context of its founding, when its two chief rivals were polytheism and Christianity.

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