PEOPLE are being taught to understand the Muslim festival of Ramadan with a fundraising fast.
The Hanfia Institute Muslim faith centre at Lockwood is inviting non-Muslims to take part in a fast to help them understand how Muslims feel during Ramadan.
People taking part will collect sponsorship money to help Kirkwood Hospice at Dalton.
Those taking part include guests invited by the Hanfia Institute and schoolfriends of Muslim children who go to the centre.
The pupils will be aged 15 and 16.
Those taking part will fast all day on Wednesday, wherever they are, and then go to the Hanfia Institute on Bentley Street at 5pm.
They will be given a tour of the mosque and be given a presentation about Ramadan in the prayer hall.
The fasters will then be able to eat traditional sweet dates and water.
They will then go to the prayer hall to watch Muslims taking part in their fourth prayer of the day.
There will then be a buffet meal.
Mohammed Imran, the institute's general secretary, said: "The idea is to help people understand why Muslims fast for a month during Ramadan - currently in its third week."
During Ramadan Muslims are supposed to try and tame passions, think about people less fortunate than themselves and spend time on prayer and reflective thought.
The fast is just one of many events the Hanfia Institute runs, as a member of the Kirklees Racial Equality Council's Faith Centres project.
There are seven faith centres in Kirklees, covering Sikhism, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism and Islam.
For more information visit www.interfaith kirklees.org.uk
