Yesterday was the first day of fasting for Muslims in Turkey and the Balkans. Today, the rest of the Muslim world joins them. The countries’ start dates vary by the way they follow the lunar calendar, with some waiting for their top Islamic clerics to see the crescent part of a new moon, which signa...
This Friday evening, the Cyprus Islamic Association of Britain will be hosting its annual prayer night to usher in the three sacred months of Islam (‘Üç Aylar’), which concludes at the end of the month of fasting known in Turkish as Ramazan. The prayer night takes place the day after Re...
Since opening its doors in the capital in 2010, the Yunus Emre Institute (YEI) has become the place to learn about Turkish language, arts and culture. Based in Maple Street, Fitzrovia, a stone’s throw from Warren Street tube, the YEI has been building cultural bridges between Britain and T...
Today, Muslims around the world celebrate Eid al-Adha, or Kurban Bayramı as we say in Turkish. It is an important religious holiday, which in Muslim-majority states such as Turkey will mean a public holiday that runs until 4 September. Eid al-Adha is a time when many will undertake a ho...
A new game show for Ramazan on Turkey’s flagship state broadcaster channel has incensed many conservative religious groups across the country. The show, Kur'an-ı Kerim'i Güzel Okuma Yarışması [Kuran: Beautiful Recital Competition], televised each night, shows men competing by reciting pass...
The UK’s Cyprus Islamic Association is holding its annual İftar and Charity Evening on Sunday 11 June at the TCCA in Harringay, North London. The event is open to all in the community and will begin with prayers from the holy Kuran, and continue with a khutba (special talk) and iftar (brea...
This morning many British Turkish Muslims welcomed the holy month of Ramazan by starting their month-long fast. Ramazan is the holiest month in the Islamic calendar and for 30 days Muslims around the world will not consume any food or drink from sunrise to sunset. Fasting ends on the eveni...
If you missed this exhibition last year, when it was on at the South Bank, make sure you visit this time round. The occasion is the Prophet Muhammed’s 1446th birthday, celebrated through the incredible works of prominent Turkish calligraphers past and present. It’s perfect viewing for those i...
This Sunday, the Turkish Religious Foundation of the United Kingdom (ITDV) will be hosting a mevlit – a special event of Islamic prayer and hymns – to commemorate the holy birth of the Prophet Muhammed. Turkey’s Head of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) Professor Mehmet Görmez will lead this...
Later this month, the UK’s first Turkish-owned mosque will be busy turning Britons’ perceptions of mosques on its head. Shacklewell Lane Ramadan Mosque in Dalston, East London, has teamed up with PranaMotion to deliver an interactive multi-faith festival of music, dance, eclectic prayer and storytel...
