Members of Ireland’s LGBT community have been invited to dine with the Muslim community next weekend in Dublin

The Irish Muslim Peace & Integration Council will welcome lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people to its second annual community Iftar in the Al-Mustafa Islamic Centre at Blanchardstown next Saturday next. Iftar is the meal when Muslims end their daily Ramadan fast at sunset.

Ramadan is the annual month during which Muslims abstain from food, drink and sex between dawn and sunset.

“As more than one billion Muslims worldwide celebrate Ramadan by fasting and appreciating the blessings given to us, it is important for the Irish Muslim community to reach out to our neighbours as an example of true Islamic ideals,” said Shaykh Dr Umar Al-Qadri, chairman of Irish Muslim Peace & Integration Council and imam of the Al-Mustafa Islamic Centre mosque.