Ramadan: Inclusive Iftar event held at Swansea.com stadium for fasting Muslims

  • ITV Wales' Lewis Rhys Jones reports from Swansea.

The Swansea.com stadium hosted an Iftar event last night, where members of the muslim community in Swansea and the surrounding area came together to pray on the pitch side.

Iftar is the meal eaten after sunset during the holy month of Ramadan. The evening was co-organised by Swansea City AFC and Show Racism the Red Card in collaboration with local mosques in an effort to encourage inclusivity in sport.   

Bashir Humphreys, 21, who's currently Swansea City's only muslim player spoke at the event.

“You don’t see as many muslims as you want within the football industry.  So I think it’s really good to help build that.  I wouldn’t like to be that guy but someone could possibly be an inspiration to some of the youth and inspire them to go into football."

Bashir Humphreys: "You don’t see as many muslims as you want within the football industry. So I think it’s really good to help build that."

Some of Swansea's footballers have faced incidents of racial abuse in recent years, however Bashir says he hasn't faced prejudice in football.

"Football is definitely one of the most inclusive games out there, you can be all shapes and sizes, you can play all different positions, I think that’s the beautiful part about it.”

Dean Pymble from Show Racism the Red Card added: "Within sports there are things that are improving, but there’s a long way to go.  The premier league allowing players observing Ramadan to break fast during games is really important.

"But we’re still seeing up and down the country reports of racist incidents both at players but also towards fans at games."

Swansea City's Bashir Humphreys was also in attendance to break his fast. Credit: ITV Cymru Wales

This is the second time for an Iftar evening to be held at the stadium, with Swansea also hosting a similar event last year.

Dr Mahaboob Basha BEM, who represents the Swansea Mosque Consortium said he's noticed an active effort to improve the experience for muslims who attend local matches.

"The stadium said we now have an official space for muslim people to pray.  During match time, you can get out from your stand to go and pray, which is a major step and major support for people who will be praying.” 

With over 100 people from the community coming together to break fast, organisers hope the event will have demonstrated the effort going into making sure sport locations are inclusive to everyone.

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