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Join A Virtual Iftar Tonight

Volunteers wear masks as they pack meals for iftar at an Islamic Center in Falls Church, Virginia. The pandemic has changed how Ramadan is observed all over the world (Andrew Cabellero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)

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If you're looking for a place to safely break your Ramadan fast tonight with more than the people you're already bunkered down with, consider joining a virtual iftar dinner co-hosted by the Newport-Mesa-Irvine Interfaith Council and Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

For the holy month of Ramadan, observant Muslims around the world abstain from food and drink from sunrise to sunset. Iftar, the daily breaking of the fast, is usually a communal meal. But, well, pandemic. And that has moved all sorts of celebrations online.

Sarah Halverson-Cano is pastor of the Fairview Community Church in Costa Mesa and president of the interfaith council hosting tonight's dinner. She sees a possible silver lining in going virtual.

“This might give folks the opportunity to really explore from the safety of their own environment, but have the experience of breaking the fast and more fully understand what Ramadan is all about.”

Halverson-Cano says
iftar always highlights common beliefs and she believes participating in breaking the fast gives someone unfamiliar with Islam a different perspective.

“And we feel it at a visceral level so much more than just learning about it from a book or watching a documentary on TV,” she said.

Tonight's virtual interfaith iftar will be hosted on Zoom and begins at 6:45 p.m. Information on how to join is at NMIInterfaithCouncil.org.

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