Gold Coasters ‘break fasts’ for Palestine
The sentiment of Gold Coast support for Palestine at a Ramadan break fast evening meal known as Iftar - was shared but the menu very different.
100-plus gathered at Surfers Paradise on Easter for a beachside community Iftar in solidarity with Palestinians. The Esplanade crowd ate date fruits, water and 140 donated meals in contrast to people in Gaza making do with “grass soup”.
Saturday marked five months of Gold Coast protests, demanding a permanent ceasefire in Palestine by inviting people of all faiths to break fast with the city Muslim community. This year, Easter holidays coincided with Muslim holy month Ramadan when people fast from dawn to sunset, breaking it at ‘Iftar’.
At Surfers, Ormeau’s Claudia and Gustavo Alfonso donned a keffiyeh – a traditional Palestinian scarf – and “broke their fast”.
“I work for Queensland
Health and we have a lot of Muslims so we’re aware of Ramadan,” Mrs Alfonso said. “I’ve never been interested in religion but when we saw what was happening in Palestine – we just really admired the resilience.”
Islamic Society of Gold Coast secretary Hussain Baba said Surfers Paradise venue Kopitalk donated 140 meals: “We had friends from different cultural background, many of whom are nonMuslim.
“They came and joined us to break fast together as a good gesture on their part.”
Mr Baba said for Muslims Ramadan was a month of strengthening faith and “understanding what underprivileged people go through”. “In Gaza, people are breaking their fast with grass. They’re making soup with grass. It’s very terrible.”
Mrs Alfonso: “For us, supporting Palestine has become our weekends now. We say ‘sorry fam’, we’re busy. Anybody want to join us, join us.”