Youth Interfaith Iftar hosted at the Natural History Museum London

Naz Legacy Foundation is proud to announce that Interfaith Iftar was hosted at the Natural History Museum in London for the first time this year on Monday 17 April 2023. Together with faith leaders, young Londoners of all faiths and none shared in the breaking of the Ramadan fast in the iconic Hintze Hall under Hope the Whale. 

The evening included a speech from the Secretary of State for Education, Gillian Keegan and a panel discussion hosted by the Museum’s Director Dr Douglas Gurr.

Director of the Natural History Museum Dr Douglas Gurr says; ‘We are honoured to be chosen as this year’s host for Naz Legacy Foundation’s Youth Interfaith Iftar and provide a space in which faith and nature can interconnect.

‘Now more than ever we are needed to unite for nature. The evening hopes to spark important conversations about the natural world, how we can come together to protect it and inspire the next generation of advocates for the planet.’

With over 100 young people from all backgrounds in attendance, the evening centred around how people can use their faith to protect the natural word and encourage others to become advocates for the planet. This year’s event was chaired by Miranda Lowe CBE, the Museum's Principal Curator of Crustacea, and Harris Bokhari OBE, co-founder of the Naz Legacy Foundation and Trustee of the Natural History Museum. 

The Secretary of State for Education, Gillian Keegan delivered a speech about the importance of young voices in tackling the climate crisis and the new Department for Education National Education Nature Park and Climate Action Awards scheme, led by the Museum. Dr Douglas Gurr, Director of the Natural History Museum also hosted a panel discussion with young people, faith leaders and the Chairman of the Museum’s Board of Trustees, Sir Patrick Vallance.

The evening is bookended by bespoke engaging educational content created by the Museum’s learning team and includes networking sessions for young people in attendance to explore their perspectives on nature and how to act as individuals, communities and future leaders.

Notes to editors

Natural History Museum media contact:

Tel: +44 (0)20 7942 5654 / 07799690151 

Email: press@nhm.ac.uk  

Images are available to download here.

For interview requests and more information, please contact a member of the team below.

Social Media Details: 

#IftarWithHope #IftarAtTheNaturalHistoryMuseumLondon

Naz Legacy Foundation: 

Twitter: @NazLegacy

Instagram: @nazlegacyfoundation

Facebook: @nazlegacyfoundation

Natural History Museum: 

Twitter: @NHM_London

Instagram: @natural_history_museum

Facebook: @naturalhistorymuseum 

What does the Naz Legacy Foundation do?

The Naz Legacy Foundation: seeks to continue the legacy of the late Naz Bokhari by supporting young people throughout education whilst supporting positive integration into mainstream British Society

Interfaith - The Foundation organises high-profile community integration events, and the Interfaith Iftar is the highlight of the Foundation’s calendar. It offers young people (18-30) the opportunity to meet people from different faiths and none and directly engage with leaders in our society. Since 2016, we are honoured to have made history by organising the first ever Iftars at iconic and historic places of worship, including Lambeth Palace and St Paul’s Cathedral, with faith leaders including the Archbishop of Canterbury, Chief Rabbi, Cardinal Nichols and the Bishop of London.

Diversity Programme- The Diversity Programme, encourages young people from disadvantaged and minority communities to visit cultural institutions and provides them with unique opportunities such as visits to St James Palace and Clarence House to learn about the rich heritage of diverse role models in Britain.

Naz Bokhari Fellowship- This programme offers young people (16-18) mentoring, skill-building workshops and work placements. 

The Natural History Museum is both a world-leading science research centre and the most-visited indoor attraction in the UK. With a vision of a future in which both people and the planet thrive, it is uniquely positioned to be a powerful champion for balancing humanity’s needs with those of the natural world.

It is custodian of one of the world’s most important scientific collections comprising over 80 million specimens accessed by researchers from all over the world both in person and via over 50 billion digital data downloads to date. The Museum’s 350 scientists are finding solutions to the planetary emergency from biodiversity loss through to the sustainable extraction of natural resources.

The Museum uses its global reach and influence to meet its mission to create advocates for the planet - to inform, inspire and empower everyone to make a difference for nature. We welcome millions of visitors through our doors each year, our website has had 17 million visits in the last year and our touring exhibitions have been seen by around 20 million people in the last 10 years.