The city of Alkhobar is a busy place during iftar in the holy month of Ramadan. More than 5,000 people break their fast in several groups of their respective nationalities in specially designed tents for guests to break their fast in a comfortable environment.

Local offices of the Ministry of Islamic Affairs supervise the iftar program, but it is run with the help of sponsors and donations from the local business community, funded by various Saudi philanthropists, who are interested in hosting iftar parties for thousands of people in the Eastern Province.

The Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Da’wah and Guidance organize the breakfast program through its offices for Call and Guidance in Alkhobar.

A total of 417 people embraced Islam throughout the holy month of Ramadan during these gatherings.

“Nearly 5,000 people break their fasts every evening inside these tents. We call it the Ramadan multicultural gathering,” said Husain Alshehri, one of the organizers at the Alkhobar Cooperative Office for Call and Guidance.

“This is truly reflected when, at the call for Maghreb prayer, all 5,000 people inside these tents simultaneously break their fast, with dates, juices, yogurt, rice and chicken.

“The open land where the tents are pitched belongs to the Sharbatly family. Other businessmen have taken care of rented tents. Others simply have donated money to meet the expenses of running this charitable operation for the entire month,” he said.

The iftar tents are open to everyone — Muslims and non-Muslims. “The idea is to introduce non-Muslims to Islam. Here, they get a firsthand view of what Ramadan is all about.” He added that there are also preachers who are able to answer questions in various languages.

“Many non-Muslims have misconceptions about Islam. We want to clear these misconceptions about our religion,” he said.

“We welcome them with open arms, engage them and try to clear their misconceptions about Islam. The idea is not to convert them but to make them aware of what Islam is all about — the authentic version of Islam.” The iftar dinners draw a mixed crowd. “A lot of people who visit us regularly bring along their non-Muslim friends.”

Nearly 50 young Saudis help arrange the various facilities for the large crowd of guests.
“The whole area is quite clean. There are nine tents in all, with each tent having a capacity of 2,000 people,” Alshehri said. “The tents are divided according to language.

All Urdu-speaking expatriates are in one tent; Filipinos are in a different tent; while Bangladeshis are in another; and Tamil-speaking expatriates have a separate tent too.

There is also a separate one for Arabic speakers. The Bangladeshi tent hosts the largest number each day — nearly 2,000 Muslims come here every evening.

Each tent has a speaker who delivers a lecture just before the breaking of fast, where the virtues of a good Muslim are outlined. After iftar, those who have questions about any aspect of worship can ask the preacher.

The program provides an ideal platform for businessmen to take part in acts of charity.