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AFL Ramadan Dinner

  • Thursday, June 25 2015 @ 07:37 am ACST
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The AFL’s Community Club site http://www.aflcommunityclub.com.au features a story looking at the upcoming Ramadan Dinners in cities across Australia. In another initiative of Richmond footballer, Bachar Houli, and the support of the AFL’s Diversity arm, the period of Ramadan is to be celebrated and recognised by the footballing community. The observance of Ramadan is one of Five Pillars Of Islam and one of the most important dates on the Muslim calendar.

The AFL Ramadan Dinner will take place in Sydney, Melbourne and for the first time in Adelaide this year.

The Dinner, initiated by Richmond defender and the AFL’s first devout Muslim player Bachar Houli, commemorates the Holy Month of Ramadan which is celebrated by millions of Muslims around the world each year.

 

Houli said he is proud to see the AFL continually support and take a leadership role in community engagement.

“Ramadan is a very significant time for Muslims as it is not just about fasting, it is a time for reflection,” he said.

The Greater Western Sydney Giants will host the first Ramadan Dinner on June 24 at Sydney Olympic Park and along with Houli, it will involve special guest Australia Post AFL Multicultural ambassador and Giants star Stephen Coniglio.

The AFL will host the event on July 1 at the Richmond Football Club, with Houli and federal government representatives in attendance.

“Now in its third year, I am proud to see the event grow year-on-year and it’s important we continue to build on our engagement with the Islamic community,” Houli said.

In a first for the city of Adelaide, the SANFL will host a Ramadan Dinner on July 8 with Australia Post AFL Multicultural ambassadors, Port Adelaide’s Alipate Carlile and St Kilda’s Ahmed Saad, lined up as guest speakers.

The Ramadan Dinner is an addition to the many programs Houli has already initiated with the aim to further engage Muslim participants in our game.

“We want to grow the Bachar Houli program to see more fans, players, umpires and employees from Islamic backgrounds participate in our game and most importantly we want to use AFL as a vehicle for social cohesion,” Houli said.