Kent Equality Cohesion Council

Tag: Gravesham & dartford Muslim Association

  • Gravesham Eid Celebrations

    Gravesham Eid Celebrations

    To mark the end of Ramadan Kent Equality Cohesion Council working in partnership Gravesham Borough Council and the Gravesham & Dartford Muslim Association, is planning a community celebration to mark the Festival of Eid. Eid is the festival of breaking the feast, marking the end of Ramadan.

    The celebration will focus on bringing the communities of Gravesham together and will include activities for families and the sharing of free food and soft drinks.

    Gurvinder Sandher, the CEO of Kent Equality Cohesion Council added: “I am proud to be involved in organising a number of events in the borough. All of these events at their core are about providing opportunities for communities to come together and celebrate all that unites us as citizens of the borough and the country. The Eid celebrations are no exception and in light of the recent terrorist atrocities I think it is more important than ever for all communities to stand together and be united and say that these attacks will not affect our way of life and the positive community relations that exist in Gravesham. We have a good fun day planned and there will be donations of free food and drink for all those who attend regardless of faith, so I would urge as many people as possible to come and join us on Community Square on July 1.”

  • Gravesham Eid Celebrations Brings Communities Together

    Gravesham Eid Celebrations Brings Communities Together

    The open air Eid celebrations on the Community Square in Gravesham which took place on July 1 were hailed a great success with around 500 people attending. Eid is an important religious holiday celebrated by Muslims around the world that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting.

    The purpose of the celebrations was to bring the diverse communities of the borough together, to share food and enjoy the entertainment on hand which included a fun fair, face and henna painting and a performance by the Four by Four Dhol Drummers. There were also welcome speeches by a number of key guests including the Imam Hafiz Ahmed Sher Barakati who spoke about the need for all communities regardless of faith to work together for the betterment of society, and the Deputy Mayor of Gravesham Cllr David Hurley who thanked everyone for attending and supporting this important community celebration.

    The celebration which was organised in partnership by Kent Equality Cohesion Council, Gravesham Borough Council and the Gravesham & Dartford Muslim Association was the first one to take place outside.

    Gurvinder Sandher, from the Kent Equality Cohesion Council said “I was overwhelmed by the support we had from everyone who attended. The last few months have been challenging ones for our Country with the spate of terror attacks, with people looking to divide our communities to cause disharmony and disruption. The Eid celebrations showcased how different faith communities and those of no faith can come together and promote peace, cohesion and mutual understanding. In addition to the celebrations we were able to share information on local projects and support available including the Reaching Communities initiative we are involved with. Great credit I believe needs to be given to our partners the respective Mosques, Kent Police and Gravesham Borough Council who shared our vision in wanting to make this event happen. I am keen to see the Eid celebrations develop in the future like the Saint George’s Day, Christmas and Vaisakhi celebrations that we organise in Gravesham.”

    Ejaz Aslam the Chair of the Gravesend and Dartford Muslim Association commented “Eid al-Fitr is a very important religious celebration for the Muslim community. I was so happy that we were able celebrate this year on the Community Square with the different communities and faiths that live here in Gravesend. We are very lucky to live in a town which has very strong community relations and the feedback I have received from members of the local Muslim community has been very positive. It is important that all communities stand together and we promote our shared values.”