British Muslims have gathered in the West Midlands to celebrate the start of Ramadan.

The festivities took place in Birmingham’s Balsall Heath neighbourhood, welcoming the holy month with speeches, charity activities, and an array of Middle Eastern cuisine.

The event was organised by humanitarian charity ISRA-UK, and attended by people of all faiths.

It was held at the Moseley Community Hub and featured a selection of quiches, pies, sandwiches, and desserts, alongside Middle Eastern dishes.

ISRA-UK managing director Saraya Hussain (Pictured above) said: “Today’s event was to launch the beginning of Ramadan 2025 here at ISRA-UK, certainly in the city of Birmingham where we’re based and where there’s a high population of Muslims, around 340,000 of us, so it’s a very important time for the community.

Traditionally, it’s known as the ‘month of mercy’.”

She added: “It’s also the month that the Qur’an was first revealed to the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, and it’s also a month to allow people to become a little bit more spiritual, connect with their creator, become a little bit more disciplined because obviously it involves giving up food, drink and abstaining from worldly desires from dawn until dusk, so it’s a moment to become really introspective.”

ISRA-UK is helping families prepare for Ramadan with their festive Iftar packs.

These include chocolate countdown calendars, children’s activity books, decorations, and donation boxes.

Habib Mohammed, charity operations manager, said: “We’re welcoming Ramadan and also celebrating over 40 years of ISRA-UK’s global aid jobs. Ramadan gives us time to reflect and give a thought to those suffering all around the world.

We experience hunger, we experience patience and it’s all about spirituality and all about giving.”

The event was attended by people of different faiths, including refugee and migrant worker Selbin Kabote.

He said: “Ramadan means a lot to me because I have many friends from the Muslim community. To me, Ramadan is similar to the Christian fasting as it’s a time of reflection and it’s a time of thinking about the needs of other people.”