Emdad Rahman
The BARKING COMMUNITY FORUM (BCF) hosted a community Iftar gathering on Sunday 19th May 2019, at the Hedgecock Community Centre as part of local members observing the holy month of Ramadan. The Iftar gathering was attended by approximately 150 local residents, community organisations and community leaders, LBBD Councillors alongside special guests Harun Rashid Khan; Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), BCF Imam Ammaar Domun, Unmesh Desai, GLA Member for City & East Constituency, and the Leader of LBBD, Cllr Darren Rodwell. The keynote speaker at the Iftar gathering, Harun Rashid Khan; Secretary General of Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) said, “It gives me great pleasure to be back here again and to hear Cllr Rodwell, Leader of the Council being hugely supportive of interfaith dialogue and initiatives in Barking and Dagenham.”
He also added “The Muslim community has grown in this part of London and we must work together to create a cohesive and prosperous community with the challenges exerted by the far-right groups.” BCF would like to thank all residents for their consistent support and for attending the iftar, including the local council members:
Cllr Darren Rodwell (leader of the LBBD Council) Cllr Linda Rice (lead member for environment) Cllr Evelyn Carpenter (Lead member for Education) Cllr Syed Ghani (Lead member for Parks) Cllr Faruk Chaudhury Cllr Foyzur Rahman Cllr Sodoruzzaman Khan Cllr Moin Quadri Cllr Edna Fergus BCF is a community organisation formally established since 2011, focusing on a holistic approach to making change through social and educational activities in and around Barking and Dagenham.
BCF has been leading the path in uniting the community and working diligently over the last decade to meet the needs of the wider community.
Over the past year BCF has been facilitating a much needed space for Friday Jumuah prayers at the Hedgecock Community Centre, youth activities and provided a platform for various charities to fundraise for good causes. BCF has also been delivering educational seminars within the community, addressing topics such as dealing with anxiety and depression, community leadership, parenting, to name a few. Harun Miah, Chair of BCF, commented, ”It was nice to see so many people, families, community organisations, people of other faiths and none, attend our iftar gathering. We hope to build on this and provide a bigger community event for next year.” Please contact BCF via email at barkingcommunityforum@gmail.com https://m.facebook.com/Bcf2105/ Twitter: @BarkingForum