Communal iftar held again in Çilingir Neighborhood this year
As part of the traditional communal iftars organized every year during Ramadan, the Turkish Minority of Western Thrace continued this tradition once again. The first communal iftar of the year took place on the evening of Wednesday, March 5, 2025, in the Çilingir Neighborhood of the Meriç region.
The longstanding traditional iftar dinner of the Çilingir community saw the participation of numerous distinguished guests, including Turkey’s Consul General in Komotini, Aykut Ünal, and his wife İlayda Ünal; Mufti of Komotini İbrahim Şerif, Deputy Mufti Fehim Ahmet, DEB Party President Çiğdem Asafoğlu, Vice President Mehmet Bostancı, Kozlukebir Mayor Erdem Hüseyin, Deputy Mayor in Charge of Mehrikoz Region Osman Hoca Osman, Komotini Turkish Youth Union President Sedat Hasan, President of the Western Thrace Minority Higher Education Association Hüseyin Baltacı, Sofulu Municipality Council Member Mehmet Çilingir, and President of the Western Thrace Mosques Religious Officials Association Erol Yoluç. Hundreds of locals also attended the gathering.
After the call to prayer at sunset, attendees and locals broke their fast together at the prepared tables. The iftar prayer was led by Dr. Süleyman Taş, a religious official from the Kocaeli Mufti’s Office in Turkey.
Following the meal, Mufti of Komotini İbrahim Şerif and Consul General Aykut Ünal addressed the attendees, extending their greetings and best wishes for Ramadan. They also expressed their gratitude to the people of Çilingir for once again bringing their fellow community members together at a blessed iftar table.
After the meal, the evening prayer was performed collectively. Later, guests engaged in conversations over coffee, and as the evening progressed, they gathered again for the night prayer and Tarawih prayer.
