Sammamish Muslim communities host Iftar dinner events

Iftar is the meal after sunset that breaks the daily fast during the month of Ramadan.

By Evan Pappas • June 6, 2018 11:50 am

Members of the Muslim community in Sammamish recently held two community Iftar dinner events as a way to promote residents of the city to connect with their neighbors.

The Sammamish Muslim Association held their first community Iftar event on May 25, while the Neighbors Without Borders committee within Plateaupians for Peace held their second annual event on May 27.

Iftar is the meal after sunset that breaks the daily fast during the month of Ramadan. While families and communities already gather to break their fast together, the Sammamish community felt it was a great opportunity to invite their fellow non-Muslim community members to enjoy an inclusive evening of food and conversation.

The Sammamish Muslim Association held their event at the CWU-Sammamish campus and was open to attendees of all ages. Mohammed Luqman, board member of the association and one of the event organizers, said that more than 450 people attended that night. Luqman said that they also invited various faith leaders, city officials and local business leaders to the event.

Food from several different regions including North Africa, India and the Middle East was served, Luqman said. The community also made two presentations to recognize the work of Sammamish residents. Sarah Kimsey of Plateaupians for Peace and Sammamish Police Chief Michelle Bennett received recognition for the work in the community.

On May 27, the Plateaupians for Peace held their own Iftar event at the Pine Lake Community Club. The “16 and up” event sold out of their 50 available tickets to the dinner. Organizer and co-chair of the Neighbors Without Borders committee Yasmine Abdeldayem said she felt it was important to push back against negative representation of the religion by engaging with their community members in an open and welcoming way.

“It’s important to reach out to your community and Ramadan was the perfect setting for that,” she said.

This year they featured food provided by a family that came to Seattle as refugees from Syria, and featured a local artist that focused on calligraphy and Islamic art. Yasmine said that the event also served as a food drive in which attendees donated 270 pounds of food to the Issaquah Food Bank.

Sammamish resident Karen Howe attended both events and said they were a great way to meet her fellow community members and discover the connections they all shared.

Both Luqman and Abdeldayem said they are planning to continue these annual community events as well as planning for more open community events throughout the year.