Community cohesion celebrated at stadium's iftar

A community iftar held at Peterborough United's stadium was an opportunity to break down barriers and celebrate cohesion, organisers said.

About 300 people of different faiths, and no faith, joined worshippers at London Road on a chilly Monday evening to break that day's Ramadan fast.

The free event was organised by city's Khadijah Mosque and the football club's community charity - The Posh Foundation.

One of the imams, Osama Zafar, said: "It was an opportunity for non-Muslims to see how we observe Ramadan, how we come together - the imam [Sheikh Mahmood] highlighted the importance of not having hatred amongst people.

"This is what Islam is about - about community, about unity."

Ramadan, which began on 18 February, sees Muslims fast for a month and refrain from eating or drinking between dawn and sunset.

Zafar said the event offered the community's youth a chance to get involved and set a positive example.

"It's just not about getting them inside the Masjid. It's about getting them active, to have better lifestyles, having better morals, living upright lives," he said.

"So whichever way we can help, if that's through the foundation, we want people off the streets, living as better behaved citizens."

Volunteer Tokeer Rashid said: "Food is the link to everything. You can sit down, have a bite to eat, have a chat, finish off with a cup of tea, and that's a perfect day."

It was the first visit to The Posh's stadium for Laura Gecaite, who found the iftar experience "amazing".

"It brings a lot of people out of their comfort zone and [gets them meeting] new people [in a] different kind of environment," she said.

Eva Woods said: "I think it's amazing that so many people have come even when it's cold outside and the days are getting darker, but it's so nice to see this community in a part of town that we're not necessarily local to.

"I think without getting people in the same place - in a big, recognisable venue like the stadium, it's really hard to break down barriers."

• BBC Sport: Peterborough United

Nisha Beg, who came with her young daughter Moneera, said: "I haven't been to this stadium before, and now that I've come for the big gift, it's like the best time to have the first impressions.

"It's a really nice atmosphere. When they did the speech outside [in a stand] it was just open and peaceful and the fact that we've got everyone together in one spot, shows cohesion."

Lubna Mahfouz said: "It's important to show that our deen [religion] is a welcoming religion.

"I'm really happy that I came and it's encouraging to hear that they're thinking of doing this every year, so I'm looking forward to seeing how big it grows and be part of that growth."

Emily Purbrick, community manager at the Posh Foundation, said: "It's definitely something that we've been wanting to do for a while.

"And just the amount of people that have showed up today — it's really been inspirational and just great to see."

Follow Peterborough news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.