Breaking the fast together in York and Harrogate

We were honoured to welcome friends from York Mosque to break their fast with us on Thursday 6 April at Fulford Social Hall.

Chief Constable Lisa Winward and Deputy Chief Constable Mabs Hussain joined together with members from the local York Muslim community to share iftar, the meal which breaks the daily fast throughout Ramadan.

Speaking about the event, Chief Constable Lisa Winward said ‘We have a really positive relationship with York Mosque and our local Muslim community and events like this give us the chance to come together, strengthen our understanding and deepen that relationship further. Every Ramadan I am in awe of the sacrifice and the dedication members of the Muslim community display through fasting and their real sense of togetherness when they join to break their fast and say prayers. To be able to host iftar and take part in such a special evening is an honour and I’d like to thank all who attended.”

Inspector Arfan Rahouf who organised the event said  “We’ve hosted a number of iftar events over the years all across the region, and each year, we come together to show that the relationship between the police and the local Muslim community is strong. It gives us the opportunity to show North Yorkshire Police’s commitment to keeping everyone in North Yorkshire safe and I look forward to organising and hosting many more events in the years to come.”

Earlier in the week, officers and staff in Harrogate, who had fasted during the day came together to share a meal at Harrogate police station.

Organised by Police Constable Sohail Tariq over 30 colleagues from  Criminal Investigation Department, Response Policing, Investigation Hub, the Neighbourhood Policing Team, Intelligence and Custody took part and fasted alongside Sohail. Once sunset has passed, everyone joined together to break their fast and enjoyed some delicious home-cooked food provided by Sohail’s Mum!

Speaking about the evening Sohail said,

“The evening was a huge success and literally brought together the entirety of Harrogate Police Station.  I’d like to thank all who participated, I am forever grateful for your support and hope this was an insightful experience to the life of a Muslim police officer.”

As well as boosting morale the event also raised funds for charity. Financial contributions from those taking part totalling £150 have been collected by Sohail, who will be donating the proceeds to a local charity.

Deputy Chief Constable Mabs Hussain sent his thanks to both Sohail and his colleagues for their efforts and commented,

“When policing and race in policing is under constant scrutiny and criticism, officers and staff coming together like this and supporting a colleague with his fast shows that the vast majority of those who work in policing are a force for good, supporting each other and importantly, the public who we serve.”