Take part in Iftar under the stars
You’ll need
- See instructions for each activity base
Scouts is open to everyone. We don’t identify exclusively with one faith, and we welcome people of all faiths and of none.
We know it’s important for people to learn about each other, including understanding different faiths and beliefs. Scouts always respects people’s beliefs, faiths and cultures, and everyone should be open to learn.
As an inclusive and values based movement, we support our members to engage and learn about different faiths and beliefs in an exciting and meaningful way, even if they don’t have a faith themselves.
Celebrating and understanding differences, including differences in faiths and beliefs, is an important part of our Scout values, which are:
- Integrity: We act with integrity; we are honest, trustworthy and loyal.
- Respect: We have self-respect and respect for others.
- Care: We support others and take care of the world in which we live.
- Belief: We explore our faiths, beliefs and attitudes.
- Co-operation: We make a positive difference; we co-operate with others and make friends.
Our value of Belief and its exploration helps Scouts to learn from other faiths and beliefs. This encourages them to develop or build their personal beliefs and understand their shared values, whether faith-based on not.
We know that learning about faiths, beliefs and different attitudes can help to break down barriers, helps us all to recognise what we have in common, and teaches us to value and respect other people. It also helps us to build up respect, acceptance and knowledge for each other, leading to a more co-operative and inclusive society.
In our diverse society, people can sometimes feel cautious talking about this sensitive subject. However, it's important that Scouts offers young people safe, exciting and open spaces to explore faiths and beliefs. They should be able to engage in personal reflection, as they question and develop their opinions and understanding of the world around them.
Making time for personal reflection and developing our beliefs means exploring the places, people, communities, celebrations or stories which hold meaning for us, and it may not necessarily mean exploring a faith.
For example, someone’s shared values may be their Scout Values and that person may choose to reflect on them at important times, such as when they make their Promise. Others may choose to reflect at certain times of the year, such as a faith-based festival, birthdays, meaningful events or at New Year. Some people may still celebrate events, such as Christmas, but use it as a time to celebrate family, friends and loved ones, as well as for charity and giving.
Discover more about Faiths and Beliefs in Scouts.
- Islam’s the second largest religion in the world. It has over one billion followers, who are called Muslims.
- There are five pillars of Islam: the declaration of faith (Shahadah), praying five times a day (Salat), giving money to charity (Zakat), fasting (Sawm) and pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj).
- The five pillars of Islam provide a framework for a Muslim’s whole life – it’s about putting their faith first, not trying to fit their faith around the rest of their life.
- Ramadan is the ninth and holiest month of the Islamic year. It lasts for around 30 days and is measured from one sighting of the crescent Moon to the next.
- One of the pillars, Sawm, is about fasting during the month of Ramadan. Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset. Scholars agree that several groups of people aren’t required to fast, including children, the elderly, people who are menstruating, pregnant, or breastfeeding, and people who are ill.
- The nightly meal that breaks the fast after sunset is called Iftar. At the end of Ramadan, Muslims celebrate Eid al-Fitr.
The sky’s really important in Islam. The Sun determines prayer times, the stars can be used to find the Qibla (the direction of Mecca, which Muslims pray to), and the Moon’s used to work out the Islamic calendar.
Seeing the moon is important to mark the start and end of Ramadan. The Prophet Muhammad founded the Islamic calendar, which is based on the movement of the Moon. The new crescent Moon marks the start of a new month, whether it’s seen on day 29 or day 30 of the month.
Mystic biscuit moons is a great (and tasty) activity if you want to remind people of the different phases of the Moon before you head out to spot the crescent Moon.
- Go somewhere with a clear view of the sunset – the moon will appear near here.
- Mark the exact point that the sun sets.
- Wait for it to get dark – it’ll take about half an hour, so have another activity planned in the meantime.
- Keep an eye out for the new crescent moon. If it’s visible, it’ll usually appear no more than 25 degrees to the left of the sunset (if you don’t have a compass handy, that’s about one hand span).
- Check out the video below from the New Crescent Society for some handy hints.
To watch in full screen, double click the video
Before you begin
- Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Additional help to carry out your risk assessment, including examples.
- Make sure all young people and adults involved in the activity know how to take part safely.
- Make sure you’ll have enough adult helpers. You may need some parents and carers to help if you’re short on helpers.
Planning this activity
- Plan whether you’ll visit a local mosque or invite guests to join you at your meeting place. It’ll probably depend on what your local options are – many mosques have open days (or evenings!) or offer meals to the community during Ramadan.
- You could get in touch with the Muslim Scout Fellowship (MSF) and see if there are any nearby Scout groups you could link up with. MSF run a range of events over Ramadan, such as Iftar under the Stars events, so see what’s happening near you.
- Make sure the details (including when and where you’ll meet and how you’ll travel) are clearly communicated with parents and carers and get all of the consent you need. You may need to change your meeting time a little to celebrate at sunset.
- We’ve added a basic event outline and a few activity ideas below to get you started – these will probably be most helpful if you’re holding your own event and inviting guests. If you’re visiting someone else’s event, they’ll probably have all the planning covered.
Organise the evening
- Everyone should gather together and the person leading the activity should let them know a rough schedule for the event.
- If you’re visiting somewhere new, such as a local mosque, a guided tour may be a great way to start. Make sure everyone knows the boring stuff too, like where the toilets are.
- The people hosting the Iftar should give everyone a brief introduction to the festival and Islam. This is a great chance to chat about beliefs and values, especially if some people aren’t familiar with Islam.
- If anyone’s happy to chat to the group about their beliefs, make sure you give them plenty of notice (and say a big thank you). You should share the requirements for the Scouts World Faiths Activity Badge with them if you’d like them to touch on any specific topics.
- Everyone should try all of the activities on offer. If you’re visiting somewhere new, ask the hosts what people can join in with and follow their lead. If you’re hosting your own Iftar, take a look at the activities on this page.
- Encourage people to make the most of the opportunity to share food together – Iftar is all about coming together to break the fast. At the end, everyone should come back together as a group to ask any questions and share what they’ve learned.
Make a date shake
Make an Eid lantern
- Draw a circle on the white card using the compass (or bowl or glass) and cut it out.
- Divide the circle into 12 equal sections. Cut a small slot (about two centimetres long) at each mark. Number the slots from 1 to 12. The side with the numbers will be the back.
- Slot your first piece of string into slot 1. The start of the string (the ‘tail’) should be on the back of the circle.
- Take the string straight down and put it into slot 7 (directly opposite slot one).
- Take the string behind the card and put it into slot 2 (so it’s on top again). Take the string over the front of the circle and put it into slot 8 (again, directly opposite).
- Keep going until you’ve gone around the whole circle – the string should go from slot 3 to slot 9, slot 4 to slot 10, and so on. Cut the string and tie a knot on the back of the card.
- Take your next colour of string. Put it through slot 1, and take it across the front of the card to slot 6. Take it behind the card and put it in slot 2 (so it’s on top again), then through slot 7. Keep repeating until you’ve gone around the whole circle – the string should go from slot 3 to slot 8, slot 4 to slot 9, and so on. Cut the string and tie a knot on the back of the card.
- Take your final colour of string. Put it through slot 1, and take it across the front of the card to slot 5. Take it behind the card and put it in slot 2 (so it’s on top again), then through slot 6. Keep repeating until you’ve gone around the whole circle – the string should go from slot 3 to slot 7, slot 4 to slot 8, and so on. Cut the string and tie a knot on the back of the card.
You will need
- Scissors
- Compass (or a bowl or glass to draw around)
- Ruler
- Pens or pencils
- White card
- Coloured string (at least three colours)
Reflection
This activity gave everyone the chance to celebrate with others in their local community. Was this anyone’s first time taking part in a faith festival or event? What did people expect Iftar to be like? Was it like they expected? Did people learn anything new or unexpected about other people’s faiths and beliefs?
This activity was also a chance to think about being a local, national, and international citizen. Did people come together with others in their community? How did it feel to share things like food with others? Were there similarities between people’s own values and attitudes and the values and attitudes of others? Part of being a global citizen is learning about different cultures and beliefs and identifying the things people have in common.
Safety
All activities must be safely managed. You must complete a thorough risk assessment and take appropriate steps to reduce risk. Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Always get approval for the activity, and have suitable supervision and an InTouch process.
- Cooking
Teach young people how to use cooking equipment safely. Supervise them appropriately throughout. Make sure it’s safe to use and follow manufacturers’ guidelines for use.
- Food
Remember to check for allergies, eating problems, fasting or dietary requirements and adjust the recipe as needed. Make sure you’ve suitable areas for storing and preparing food and avoid cross contamination of different foods. Take a look at our guidance on food safety and hygiene.
- Scissors
Supervise young people appropriately when they’re using scissors. Store all sharp objects securely, out of the reach of young people.
- You don’t have to do all of the activities we’ve suggested and you can add your own too.
- The Muslim Scout Fellowship hold their Iftar under the stars outside. They include some adventurous activities like archery.
- If you’re hosting an event, make sure accessibility information is easy to find. Think about whether your meeting place is step free, the toilet situation, accessible parking, and accessible public transport options. Will you be able to offer a quiet space where people can take a break if things get overwhelming?
- If you’re visiting somewhere new, get in touch before you go to make sure it’s accessible for everyone.
- Make sure there’s something for everyone when it comes to food – have alternatives for common allergens and dietary requirements.
All Scout activities should be inclusive and accessible.
You could tie in your celebration with a visit to a local place of worship.