Iftar, Swansea Mosque

Yesterday was all about food. First there was the big lunch in St. James' Park, and then in the evening we joined friends at Swansea Mosque for iftar, the evening meal with which Muslims end their daily Ramadan fast at sunset.

Iftar is the second meal of the day; the daily fast during Ramadan begins immediately after the pre-dawn meal of Suhur and continues during the daylight hours. In this case, Suhur took place at around about 3am this morning, a particularly punishing regime for all those observing the fast.

It was a fantastic evening with lovely food and excellent company. It was also a revelation being able to see the new Mosque. I visited a number of times when work was underway to convert the former Presbyterian Church in St. Helen's Road, and even saw the plans, but I never imagined such a comprehensive and impressive transformation could be achieved.

The building is now the biggest Mosque in Wales, a valuable resource for the local community and an important centre for Muslims in South Wales. Even though it incorporates many of the features of the previous church, it is unrecognisable from what was there before.

It took many years and nearly £3 million, all raised from within the local community, to achieve this feat, but it was well worth it. Those involved in the project are to be congratulated for their vision, for their commitment, and for providing such a fantastic building  at the heart of Swansea city centre.