‘Dosti Ki Iftar:’ Muslims open fast with Hindu neighbours to promote brotherhood in India

In the Indian state of West Bengal, an initiative during Ramadan, Dosti ki Iftar, brings together Hindus and Muslims to promote social cohesion and mutual trust. The initiative aims to restore the eroded social bonds between the two communities, which have been damaged by communal polarization along religious lines.

The Muslim community makes up nearly a third of the state’s 100 million population and has been present in the region since the 13th century, making significant contributions to Bengali socio-linguistic identity, literature and culture.

The Bengal Sultanate played a dominant role in the eastern subcontinent between the 14th and 16th centuries, and under Mughal rule until the early 1800s, the region became globally recognized for its textile and shipbuilding industries. However, over the past decade, the importance of history and Muslim heritage in the state and across India has been undermined, accompanied by tensions and riots ignited by majoritarian policies of the Hindu right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party, which rose to power in 2014.

In 2017, incidents of communal violence between Hindus and the Muslim minority began to emerge in West Bengal. That was when a group of Muslims and Hindus started the Know Your Neighbor (KYN) initiative to promote social cohesion in Bengal.

Mohammad Reyaz, assistant professor at Aliah University in Kolkata and co-convener of KYN, revealed that growing religious polarization and prejudices against Muslims were the main reasons they got together to address it. The KYN members have been curating meetings, discussions, and heritage walks to help Hindus and Muslims meet each other. During the month of Ramadan, regular interfaith iftars take centre stage of their program.

“Dosti ki iftari” is a gesture and initiative where Ramadan becomes a platform where all come together to assert their togetherness. “Dosti” means trust and kinship, said Espita Halder, a literature professor at Kolkata’s Jadavpur University, who has been a KYN volunteer since its establishment. Halder said she believes that creating a kinship with neighbours is what we need now. Without this feeling of kinship, the idea of India will fall apart.

During “dosti ki iftari,” people from different sections of society come and spend some time together. The KYN iftars are usually gatherings of about 100 people, most of whom are non-Muslims. Sabir Ahamed, researcher and fellow at the Pratichi Institute, who is also a main organizer of KYN, said that the participants are coming from different colleges and institutes to carry the message and spread the message of love, peaceful coexistence, and interactive multiculturalism. Ahamed added that the main purpose of the iftar is to give the message that to reduce disparity and intolerance, we need to interact more.

The KYN initiative is also a platform to tackle the fear of the other. Madhuri Katti, educator, and writer, said that in life, nothing needs to be feared. It needs to be understood. Islamophobia and all that is growing because people are made to fear the other religion fear the other community. Once they get exposure, this fear goes away. Katti added that good people coming and sharing their stories is very important to create an emotional connection between communities. Otherwise, empathy does not come.