18 March, 2025
When you think that an interfaith experience of Iftar in Oxford cannot get any better, and suddenly, an invitation lands in your inbox, in a spam (!) folder, actually. In the email, discovered incidentally while skimming through a junk folder, Dr Tarlan Suleymanov (IftarMe Project Coordinator) wrote: ‘I am reaching out with a special invitation for you, both as a valued member of our community and as someone who shares our commitment to fostering understanding and cohesion. We would be delighted to host you for an IftarMe gathering at one of our volunteers’ homes between 1st March and 25th March between 6 pm and 8 pm. We will do our best to match you with one of our local families in Oxford or the surrounding areas. Please let me know your availability, and we will arrange a suitable date.‘
For the last few years, Oxford Interfaith Forum has participated in the Annual Ramadan Dialogue Iftar Dinners organised by the Dialogue Society at Mansfield College, but the invitation to IftarMe sounded like a very different experience. It offered a unique opportunity to share Ramadan’s spirit and food through intimate family hospitality. At its heart, IftarMe is about building bridges and fostering dialogue at the grassroots level – a mission of the Dialogue Society.
It was a great honour to be Mr Mahmut Gunaydin‘s (Regional Branch Director of Dialogue Society) guest, meet his family, break the fast with delicious meals prepared by his wife Leyla, and share it with their four children, family members, and other guests.
Mahmut is no ordinary man, best known for his unique ‘Story of a Chickpea‘ – the project that won him the 2024 BBC ‘Make A Difference Award’. Using the journey of a humble chickpea as a metaphor, Mahmut teaches the values of inclusion, personal responsibility, and individual roles in diverse community settings. Therefore, it was not surprising that chickpeas featured prominently on the dessert table at Mahmut and Leyla’s home! Indeed, they tasted twice as delicious because of the meaning given to them! and Leyla’s Güllaç was the crown of the dessert! It is a special sweet food served exclusively during the month of Ramadan! To my regrets, I was warned that I cannot see Güllaç until the next Ramadan. It disappeared so quickly that I could not capture it on camera but here is a stock file of what it looks like.
In addition, as if all the above was insufficient to demonstrate the host family’s outstanding welcome and generosity, Mahmut and Leyla gifted each guest a set of six beautiful Turkish hand-made decorative bowls pictured below.
We left Mahmut and Leyla’s beautiful home with an enormous sense of gratitude, filled with Turkish Delights (of course!) and gifts, but as Mahmut said ‘it was more than just a meal’!
If you have not experienced intimate home-hosted IFtarMe yet, you do not know what you are missing. It is late for the 2025 Ramadan, but do sign up to get an invite for the next year. And do not forget to check your spam folder if the invitation lands there. Who knows? You might end up with the honour of being Mahmut and Leyla’s guest enjoying their extraordinary hospitality.
Mr Mahmut Gunaydin, Regional Branch Director of Dialogue Society, shared: Inspired by the word ‘iftar’—the meal that breaks the fast—IftarMe is a unique initiative that brings people together over food, conversation, and shared experiences. This community-led project invites families to open their homes and host guests for iftar, fostering meaningful connections across different backgrounds and faiths. By sharing a meal, participants engage in an enriching dialogue, building bridges of understanding and strengthening the social fabric of our diverse communities. IftarMe is more than just a dining experience—it is a celebration of hospitality, unity, and mutual respect. In an increasingly fragmented world, the project provides an opportunity to connect on a personal level, promoting friendships that transcend cultural and religious differences. Whether one is fasting or simply curious to experience iftar, everyone is welcome to take part. The initiative is spearheaded by the Dialogue Society, a charity with over two decades of experience in organizing interfaith and intercultural events, including large-scale community iftars and Christmas meals. IftarMe builds on this legacy, taking interfaith engagement a step further by bringing dialogue into homes. Through these small yet powerful gatherings, we hope to cultivate empathy, strengthen social resilience, and promote an inclusive society. It is heartwarming to see so many people keen to participate, forming long-lasting friendships across the UK. IftarMe is an invitation to embrace diversity, share kindness, and create lasting connections—one meal at a time. To learn more or sign up, visit www.iftar.me
Dr Tarlan Suleymanov, IFTARME Project Coordinator in Oxford, commented: ‘It has been a privilege to coordinate the IFTARME project in the Oxford area, bringing people together over shared meals and meaningful conversations. This initiative is about more than just breaking fast—it’s about breaking barriers, fostering understanding, and strengthening the bonds that unite us as a diverse community. By engaging with schools, faith and non-faith groups, and people from all cultural backgrounds, we create a welcoming space where everyone can come together in the spirit of friendship and mutual respect. I have witnessed firsthand the power of dialogue and hospitality in building meaningful connections, and I look forward to continuing this journey with even more people joining our IFTARME gatherings.’
The Annual Iftar Dinner organised by the Dialogue Society at Mansfield College
(Photo/video courtesy of Dr Muhammad Hameem Bin Sheik Alaudin)
