Palestinian Community Hosts Iftar at BC Legislature

250 Palestine supporters rallied for a twenty-sixth weekend in a row at the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in Victoria, this time breaking fast during Ramadan with an interfaith iftar feast, while over a million contrastingly starve in Gaza.

The feast was actually preceded by the usual march across town, only much later than usual. Fewer people attended, but I noticed many people who normally do not attend the rallies, most likely due to scheduling conflicts. Another change to the formula was to have a guest speaker give his speech not at the Legislature but instead in the middle of an occupied intersection so more bystanders can listen.

We came back to the Legislature precincts where a feast awaited, the work of many volunteers supplemented by the contributions of more who brought their own dishes. Supporters had been encouraged to fast the whole day in solidarity, iftar indeed being the fast-breaking evening meal of Ramadan.

The event was organised in collaboration with Islamic Relief Canada, a charitable organisation distributing aid in Gaza. The attendance was invited to give generously to assist the more than one million starving Palestinians. The World Health Organisation recently declared a famine in Gaza imminent and urged Israel to reopen humanitarian corridors to allow aid through. In contrast, the Israel Defence Forces have displayed a record of targeting humanitarian workers; just this week, seven of the World Central Kitchen were killed in such a strike, drawing worldwide consternation.

Holding interfaith iftar feasts is a traditional way to bridge the gap between Muslim communities and the rest of the world. Public officials in the West are known to attend and even host them, such as Justin Trudeau this year. The White House usually has one annually, although this year the event was cancelled after an acrimonious meeting between US President Joe Biden and prominent Muslim leaders.