The volunteers working to ensure no one goes hungry at iftar

Volunteers work to make sure no one goes hungry at Iftar time. (AN Photo)
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Volunteers work to make sure no one goes hungry at Iftar time. (AN Photo)
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Updated 23 March 2025
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The volunteers working to ensure no one goes hungry at iftar

The volunteers working to ensure no one goes hungry at iftar
  • Dedicated teams provide free meals to those who struggle to make it home on time to break their Ramadan fast
  • Young men and women provide assistance to motorists, taxi drivers, and service workers

JEDDAH: As many residents struggle to get home in time for iftar during Ramadan, a group of young volunteers has stepped in, providing free meals to ensure that no one stays hungry when it is time to break the fast. 

Volunteers aim to provide assistance to motorists, taxi drivers and service workers who may have difficulty reaching iftar locations on time. 

In the hours before iftar, many people are seen on the streets of Jeddah, heading home after a long day.

As the sun begins to fade each day of Ramadan, more than 300 volunteers — students, employees and entrepreneurs — arrive at the various sites in Jeddah by the Asr afternoon prayer. 

Firstly, they work together to pack boxes full of dates, and bottles of water and juice and later distribute meals by hand.

Al-Muthana Al-Dossary, the leader of the Hattan volunteer organization which has been carrying out various activities all year long, told Arab News that his team has been organizing the Ramadan iftar for the past 5 years.

“The response has been incredible. Locals from various parts of Jeddah are actively participating as volunteers,” he said.

Al-Dossary said that his team serves approximately 400 to 500 people daily. “Motorists, Laborers, bike riders, taxi drivers, building keepers and others rely on this initiative to break their fast,” he explained. 

“The iftar initiative is directly supported by kind-hearted people who contribute not just to this effort, but to other charitable activities under our project.

“This campaign is truly wonderful, especially when you find yourself on the road and can’t reach home in time for iftar. 

“This meal is not just to meet our nutritional needs, but it also reminds us of the essence of Ramadan and the spirit of giving,” he added.

For 17-year-old Lina Al-Mamari, distributing iftar meals to drivers and those who are in need at various spots in Jeddah is a great initiative which reflects the spirit of compassion during the blessed month of Ramadan.

She said: “I am very proud to be part of this campaign. It gives us the opportunity to offer a helping hand to those in need, and it strengthens social solidarity in our community.” 

Yazen bin Essa, who also volunteers with Hattan, expressed his satisfaction and pride.

“When you help others especially in the holy month of Ramadan, that’s the acts of kindness. 

“We want to ensure that as there is a call for breaking fast no one should go hungry during this sacred time. We want to provide a sense of comfort in iftar, the meal to break the fast after sunset,” he said. 

Some 50 meters away, Namaa Charity and Al-Ittihad Club have jointly collaborated to distribute iftar meals and food provision kits to workers, individuals, and underprivileged families. 

“The joint initiative called the ‘Fakkat Reeg’ (breaking fast) aims to distribute around 5,000 meals a day in different locations,” said Abdulrahman Alamri, the leader of the distributing team. 

“This initiative is a key pillar of Al-Ittihad Club’s annual Ramadan program, in partnership with Namma Charity and it comes within the project of breaking the fast of a fasting person on the road.”


Saudi Arabia welcomes Macron announcement of French recognition of Palestinian state

Saudi Arabia welcomes Macron announcement of French recognition of Palestinian state
Updated 6 sec ago
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Saudi Arabia welcomes Macron announcement of French recognition of Palestinian state

Saudi Arabia welcomes Macron announcement of French recognition of Palestinian state

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has welcomed a statement by French  Emmanuel Macron that his country would recognize a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September.

“True to its historic commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, I have decided that France will recognize the State of Palestine,” Macron wrote on social media on Thursday evening.

The Kingdom commends this historic decision, which aligns with the international community’s consensus on the right of the Palestinian people to determine their own fate and establish their independent state along the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, a Saudi Foreign Ministry statement released on Friday read.

It added that the Kingdom renews its call to the rest of the countries that have not yet recognized a Palestinian state to take similar steps in doing so.

Saudi Arabia has repeatedly called for the creation of an independent state for the Palestinians.

Around 142 countries now support Palestinian statehood, according to an AFP tally.

The ministry statement urged all countries to adopt serious stances in support of peace and the rights of the brotherly Palestinian people.

Israel is currently conducting a devastating military campaign in Gaza and has been accused of using starvation as a war tactic. 

An Israeli-backed organization distributing aid had been accused of shooting unarmed civilians trying to get food.

The UN said 875 people had been killed within the preceding six weeks near the aid sites created by Israel. 

Peace negotiations to end the war and exchange prisoners and hostages appeared to have collapsed on Thursday night after US President Donald Trump recalled his negotiators.

US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff said: “We will now consider alternative options to bring the hostages home and try to create a more stable environment for the people of Gaza.”

Hamas said they were surprised by Witkoff’s comments but would be willing to continue negotiations.


Muslim World League chief meets Afghan ministers in Kabul

Muslim World League chief meets Afghan ministers in Kabul
Updated 24 July 2025
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Muslim World League chief meets Afghan ministers in Kabul

Muslim World League chief meets Afghan ministers in Kabul
  • Officials emphasize that religious tolerance must be reflected in Muslim conduct

KABUL: Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa, secretary-general of the Muslim World League and chairman of the Organization of Muslim Scholars, conducted high-level meetings with senior Afghan officials during his visit to Kabul.

Al-Issa met Afghan Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi. Discussions centered on strengthening solidarity and promoting Islamic values worldwide. Key topics included the imperative to present Islam’s true character through its principles of justice, rights protection, moderation and universal compassion.

The officials emphasized that religious tolerance, as outlined in the Qur’an, Sunnah and prophetic traditions, must be reflected in Muslim conduct at both individual and community levels.

The dialogue addressed contemporary challenges facing these objectives, particularly conflicting scholarly interpretations on critical issues that should unite the Muslim community.

Officials referenced the significance of the “Makkah Document” and the “Document for Building Bridges Between Islamic Schools of Thought,” while highlighting the crucial role of the league’s Islamic Fiqh Council as the premier jurisprudential body serving the Islamic nation’s muftis and senior scholars.

The meeting stressed the importance of promoting religious awareness through wisdom and sound guidance, while preventing those who exploit such discrepancies — whether deliberately or through ignorance — from damaging Islam’s image and fueling Islamophobic sentiments.

Al-Issa commended the Afghan government’s counter-terrorism efforts during the talks.

In a separate meeting, Al-Issa held discussions with Afghan Interior Minister Khalifa Sirajuddin Haqqani, focusing specifically on Afghanistan’s fight against terrorist organizations.

Both officials underscored that Islamic unity carries profound significance, while division and discord threaten Muslim solidarity and tarnish Islam’s reputation. They agreed that such damage far outweighs any perceived benefits some scholars might identify in jurisprudential matters that rank below this paramount Islamic goal, adhering to the established principles of weighing benefits against potential harm recognized across all Islamic schools of thought.

 


Saudi deputy foreign minister receives US Embassy official

Saudi deputy foreign minister receives US Embassy official
Updated 27 min 2 sec ago
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Saudi deputy foreign minister receives US Embassy official

Saudi deputy foreign minister receives US Embassy official

RIYADH: Saudi Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Waleed bin Abdulkarim Elkhereiji met on Thursday with Alison Dilworth, the charge d’affaires ad interim of the US Embassy in the Kingdom.

During the meeting in Riyadh, the officials reviewed relations between the two friendly countries and ways to develop them in all fields, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

They also discussed the most prominent developments at regional and international levels and the efforts made in this regard.

 

 


Saudis make electronic chips at KACST

Saudis make electronic chips at KACST
Updated 24 July 2025
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Saudis make electronic chips at KACST

Saudis make electronic chips at KACST
  • Chips are distinguished by their potential applications in various fields, such as electronics, wireless and high-frequency communications
  • Design of the chips involved researchers from the national laboratory, along with a number of students from four Saudi universities

RIYADH: King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology has designed and produced 25 advanced electronic chips which had been developed in laboratories by Saudis for training, research, and development purposes. The achievement is part of the establishment’s efforts to support and empower the semiconductor ecosystem in the Kingdom.

The chips are distinguished by their potential applications in various fields, such as electronics, wireless and high-frequency communications, integrated circuits, energy-efficient lighting, and miniaturized sensing systems, in addition to industrial and research applications in measurement and testing.

The design of the chips involved researchers from the national laboratory, along with a number of students from four Saudi universities. It formed part of the initiatives integral to the Saudi Semiconductors Program, which aims to qualify national talents in this vital field.


Saudi FM holds telephone call with Eritrean counterpart

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and his Eritrean counterpart Osman Saleh Mohammed. (File/AFP)
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and his Eritrean counterpart Osman Saleh Mohammed. (File/AFP)
Updated 24 July 2025
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Saudi FM holds telephone call with Eritrean counterpart

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and his Eritrean counterpart Osman Saleh Mohammed. (File/AFP)

RIYADH: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan held a telephone call with his Eritrean counterpart Osman Saleh Mohammed on Thursday, Saudi Press Agency reported. 

During the call, the two ministers reviewed relations between their countries and ways to enhance them. They also discussed regional and international issues of common interest.