BIRMINGHAM – As part of a Faith Associates initiative, mosques and Islamic centers across Birmingham are hosting free Ramadan iftars, inviting people to come along and join them.

“This year has seen an unprecedented response from the Muslim community, with over 2,000 iftars organized so far over the holy month of Ramadan,” Shaukat Warraich, Founder, and CEO of Faith Associates told Birmingham Mail on May 22.

He informed that similar iftar events are also taking place in more than 30 cities across the UK, as British Muslims look to share the experience with people of all faiths and none.

“The month-long initiative aims to foster mutual understanding through discussion, debate, and dialogue by inviting people of all backgrounds to enjoy the iftar feast and learn more about Islam,” the initiative’s founder hopes.

The initiative of Faith Associates was launched in 2012 to encourage Muslim communities to open their doors to their local British community.

Since then, hundreds of British mosques have participated and thousands of people from different faiths have shared an iftar together.

Mosque iftars build on Islamic teachings that encourage mosques to be not just places of worship but also schools, community centers, homeless shelters and more.

“The growth of the Mosque Iftar Initiative over the past six years demonstrates the shared desire for Muslims and non-Muslims to engage with and learn from one another,” Warraich said.

“The Qur’an teaches us to show kindness and generosity to all our neighbors. Mosque Iftars are a great way of doing that, uniting people of all faiths and none,” he continued.

Islam is the second largest religion in the UK, with results from the United Kingdom Census 2011 giving the UK Muslim population in 2011 as 2,786,635, 4.4% of the total population.

The capital London has the greatest population of Muslims in the country.