An Iftar where religion meets

Vienna, July 17: Ramadan find its true meaning in Austria as it spreads word of humanity, friendliness and courtesy. It breaks the cultural barriers here and loves all, especially the hungry.

The Turkish Cultural Association in Austria has been maintaining a tradition that brings out the beauty of Islam. For the past 14 years, it has been providing free iftar meals to the needy. The Ramadan kitchen has staff from all walks of life and feeds upto 25,000 people everyday.

Refugees from 20 different countries form the majority of the beneficiaries, which include countries like Mongolia, Ukraine, Syria, Afghanistan, Somalia and Libya.

Erdal Kaymaz, president of the Turkish Islamic Cultural Association, said,"We have been organizing this Iftar for the past 14 years. Initially we started by feeding 300 people but it has been increasing every year because of the rise in the number of refugees due to conflict and world politics."

Run by local businessmen in the form of money and food. Chef Isa Kiris, though has a tough job at hand cooking 150 kilograms of meat, 100 kilos of rice and vegetables and he has been doing this for the past 14 years. But he is happy and says,""I am happy that everyone likes the food. I can feel the pain of these people, who have had to flee their country due to difficult circumstances."

There is something even more interesting about this Iftar party. Many of the volunteers are non-Muslims. One of the volunteers, who is a Christian says,"It is the duty of every Austrian to come and help here. These are our brothers and sisters from far of countries leading a hard life and we can at least do this for them."

Meanwhile, the hungry wished that Ramadan continued for a longer time.

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