It really touched me as they waited till the very end to eat - we had dates in our mouth and the brothers were still standing serving and after we went to pray they finally ate." "In that moment I saw the love and banter in their conversations, the connectedness, the brothers feeding others and that real sense of community. The three brothers who organised it started to feed the boys - ample portions cooked by our in-house cooks. "They also wanted to feed their Muslim brothers so invited 20 young men and the sessions started with a Khutba and then they stood behind the food service to let everyone have food. We co-created the night with a member of the team and three clients, they said we want a Khutba (sermon) or sheikh to come in and they said they wanted the topic to be around Tawakkul, that everything that is destined for you is in Allah's hands and they wanted to focus on the idea that Ramadan is bigger than us and about giving back.Ĭoffee Afrik organises programs for women as well But we held one in Hackney hub and that was a huge success for our young black men. "So far we've done quite a few Iftars, and we have another one for girls only. In Ramadan, we are providing a lot more food support. "We are an invisible community, we are a minority within a minority and people don't always see our needs, we ourselves know the needs as we are seeing it first hand. He said: "Ramadan is important for connecting with Allah, but loads of people feel more isolated too. The young men come together to support each other during the month (Image: Coffee Afrik)ĭuring Ramadan, Coffee Afrik has started the Young Black Men Iftar, which has been eye opening for Abdi as he witnessed these selfless men support each other. READ MORE: London mum who is Yemeni and Eritrean cooking totally different food in Ramadan
Speaking to MyLondon he said: "Both males and female people of colour need hubs and spaces that are culturally competent - our spaces use Islam as its central teaching, to teach what Sabr (patience) looks like, we teach how to transform trauma which the communities are sitting in without knowing." He says young black men are in need of love and patience and the safe space he has created with his sister Simeera aims to do exactly that. The 37-year-old started a safe space for the Somaliland and Somali community after dealing with his own traumas growing up as a black Muslim man. Abdi Rahim Hassan, the founder of Coffee Afrik, an organisation which provides 'radical healing' to minoritised communities including black and brown men who have dealt with substance abuse, homelessness and trauma says these men should be given a space to heal through Islam and love. During the Holy month of Ramadan, a group of young black men are coming together to ensure they are all supported and loved in a time where many may struggle with religion and their own traumas.