Representational.
Cairo: In Egypt, many Christian churches and organisations set up Rahman or Mercy banquets for Muslims at Iftar in Ramadan, upholding the spirit of tolerance and unity, Arab News reported.
Egypt’s National Council for Women president Maya Morsi launched Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark for distributing food for the poor and supervising the packing of food cartons.
Morsi wrote on Facebook, “Love never falls. Pope Tawadros II helps collect charitable donations for distribution in Ramadan. We are in a bond until doomsday.”
Pope Tawadros II attended in preparation for Ramadan food aid last week. The programme was part of the Coptic Orthodox Church’s charity drive. They had set up daily Ramadan Iftar in Luxor, a southern city of Egypt.
One of the organisers of the Iftar initiative, Romani Ramzi Ajaibi, said that he started to set up Iftars ten years ago with the help of his relatives. The setting up of the banquet strengthens that Coptic and Muslims are brothers in one homeland and everyone is fasting now, though there are minor differences between the two communities, Ajaibi said.
He said that the banquet would have all meals daily, including meat and poultry. Professional chefs from hotels prepare the food, and more than 500 meal units are distributed to hospital patients.
Arab News learned that the organisers also deliver meals to some of the poor in their homes, who are ashamed to go to the Iftar banquet table to take charity.
Further, the Church of the Virgin Mary and Pope Kyrillos VI distributed 250 bags of Ramadan kits to the most vulnerable families in the Montazah neighbourhood in Alexandria Governorate.