New Delhi: To celebrate the holy month of Ramzan, Indian Minorities Federation (IMF) hosted the ‘Sadbhavana Iftar’ event for the ambassadors of 19 Muslim nations in India, which was held at the residence of Rajya Sabha MP and IMF Convener, Satnam Singh Sandhu, in the national capital. The Iftar event was attended by the ambassadors and diplomats from 19 countries, Islamic research scholars, clerics, religious leaders, intellectuals, writers and poets.

Ambassadors and diplomats from 19 countries who attended the Iftar event included Somalia’s Ambassador Abdullahi Mohamed Odowa, Afghanistan’s Ambassador Syed Mohammad Ibrahimkhil, Syria’s Ambassador Bassam AlKhatib, Gambia’s Ambassador Mustapha Jawara, Mali’s Education Counsellor Hassane Diallo, Bangladesh’s Acting High Commissioner Md. Nural Islam, Sudan’s Education Counsellor Mohamed Ali Fazari, Embassy of Algeria’s First Secretary, and Head of Economic Affairs Abdelali Bouillouta, Malawi High Commission’s Education Attache Beatrice Ngaunje, High Commission of Cameroon’s Charge d’Affaires Sylvir Michele, Chad Embassy’s Charge d’Affaires Hissein Oumar Seidou, Embassy of Guinea’s Charge d’ Affaires Diallo Boubacar, Embassy of Iraq’s Ambassador, Oday Hatim Mohammed, Embassy of Cote D’Ivoire’s Minister Counsellor, Martin Anoh, Tanzania High Commission’s Minister Plenipotentiary, Fanuel J Mathiya and Nigeria High Commission’s Education Attache Rukaiya Mustaphwa, Cultural Counsellor of Iran Fariduddin Faridasr and Deputy Chief of UAE Mission Majid Alnekhailawi.

Others who attended the Iftar event included social reformer and Shia cleric, Maulana Syed Kalbe Rushaid Rizvi; Chishty Foundation Chairman, Haji Syed Salman Chishty; and IMF co-founder Himani Sood.

Before breaking the fast, attendees offered prayers for peace, harmony and prosperity in India and the world. The gathering provided a platform for ambassadors from the Islamic nations in India to come together in the spirit of brotherhood and unity during the holy month of Ramzan.

On the occasion, the ambassadors of Muslim nations said India has deep historical, economic, and strategic ties with the Islamic world which have further been boosted in the past decade under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership. They said that PM Modi has enhanced India’s relationship with Muslim-majority countries in South Asia, Central Asia, and the Middle East to strengthen India’s security and economy.

The ambassadors of Muslim nations said PM Modi’s outreach to the Islamic world and especially with the Arab world has taken India’s centuries-old trade, cultural, and civilisational ties with the Muslim majority countries to the next level in the past 10 years. They added that India’s engagement with the Gulf region, which supplies more than 60 per cent crude oil to India and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) nations, who have bilateral trade with the country exceeding $200 billion, has become more robust and multifaceted under PM Modi’s leadership in the past 10 years.

They said as an international statesman, PM Modi has given a new direction to India’s strategic and economic engagement with the Islamic world as a result of which the country now shares close security, trade and cultural ties with the Muslim majority nations which have honoured PM Modi with their highest civilian awards. Under PM Modi’s leadership, India has long positioned itself as a strong advocate for peace, stability, and dialogue in global conflicts involving the Muslim world, from Palestine to Afghanistan. They added that PM Modi-led India supports a two-state solution for Palestine and has actively provided humanitarian aid to Gaza.