While the social iftars organized by various public and private entities and individuals across the country are gaining much popularity, iftars organized by the labourers for the labourers are proving to be testimonies of brotherliness and solidarity between human beings as the holy month enters its third and final phase.
On any given day, one can witness a plethora of social iftars across the country where people from diverse backgrounds sit shoulder to shoulder in unanimity and harmony, awaiting the call for prayers to break their fasting with their brothers and sisters at smaller congregations and tents across the breadth and width of the country, which are real testimonies of a united world as the feeling of hunger binds them together.
The iftar gatherings hosted by various organizations in the Sultanate give a whiff of bonhomie among the believers from different countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and many more, who are hosted by the highly hospitable Omanis.
Recently, Rusail Industrial Area, as well as the largest fruits and vegetable market, Central Market, witnessed two of the largest iftars in the country, and they stood out for the participation of a number of labourers, workers, and blue-collar workers who joined the rest of the society in celebrating the holy month.
Organized by Suhol al Fayha, the first iftar was a gathering of both who’s who in the society as well as the labourers from the Mawaleh Fruits and Vegetable market on Friday. Organized at the huge warehouse in Mawaleh, the iftar witnessed nearly 3,000 people from different backgrounds and nationalities under one roof and is noted for its immaculate and flawless organizing and coordination.
“Our annual iftar on Friday was marked for its variety of participants from Asia to the Far East and from CEO to labourers under one roof as Islam stipulates unity among diversities in front of Allah Almighty,” Abdul Vahid, MD of Suhool al Fayha said.
The second one, the Kannur Konnect iftar, organized by like-minded people who are driven by goals of mutual support for members at times of need, the iftar witnessed nearly 600 industrial workers, employees specialized in scrap and automotive repairing, as well as people doing odd jobs at the Rusayl Industrial Area on Saturday.
“The iftar was a perfect amalgamation of people from across the world but who were working in the industrial area,” said Rekha Prem, Chief Coordinator of the mass iftar.
They say Ramadan brings in a whiff of love, harmony, and unity among diversity, and with the Ramadan fasting progressing to the culmination by next week, the days of bolstering humanitarian chords, loving each other, caring for each other, and feeling the pangs of hunger and abstinence from material pleasures are making humans united, and that is Ramadan.
The Muttrah Souq Iftar:
The daily social iftar conducted by the shopkeepers and workers of the traditional Muttrah Souq remains a hope for those who visit Muttrah for tourism as well as business needs, and the regular iftar is an epitome of perfect coordination and sacrifice of many youngsters.
"We have been catering to hundreds of passersby every day with dates, water, juice, laban, and the like for more than two decades now. All these are possible with the support of the traders and other small-scale vendors inside the Souq," Abdul Latheef, a volunteer at the Muttrah Souq told the Observer.
The workers of the Souq organize and supply Iftar kits, comprising dates, fruits, and laban, as well as the suhoor food, a major food comprising biryani and other dinner varieties, on a daily basis to the passersby as well as to the laborers of the traditional souq, the Muttrah Souq.
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