Take part in Iftar under the stars

Scouts is open to everyone. We don’t identify exclusively with one faith, and we welcome people of all faiths and of none.

We know it’s important for people to learn about each other, including understanding different faiths and beliefs. Scouts always respects people’s beliefs, faiths and cultures, and everyone should be open to learn.

As an inclusive and values based movement, we support our members to engage and learn about different faiths and beliefs in an exciting and meaningful way, even if they don’t have a faith themselves.  

Celebrating and understanding differences, including differences in faiths and beliefs, is an important part of our Scout values, which are:

• Integrity: We act with integrity; we are honest, trustworthy and loyal.
• Respect: We have self-respect and respect for others.
• Care: We support others and take care of the world in which we live.
• Belief: We explore our faiths, beliefs and attitudes.
• Co-operation: We make a positive difference; we co-operate with others and make friends.

Our value of Belief and its exploration helps Scouts to learn from other faiths and beliefs. This encourages them to develop or build their personal beliefs and understand their shared values, whether faith-based on not. 

We know that learning about faiths, beliefs and different attitudes can help to break down barriers, helps us all to recognise what we have in common, and teaches us to value and respect other people. It also helps us to build up respect, acceptance and knowledge for each other, leading to a more co-operative and inclusive society. 

In our diverse society, people can sometimes feel cautious talking about  this sensitive subject. However, it's important that Scouts offers young people safe, exciting and open spaces to explore faiths and beliefs. They should be able to engage in personal reflection, as they question and develop their opinions and understanding of the world around them.

Making time for personal reflection and developing our beliefs means exploring the places, people, communities, celebrations or stories which hold meaning for us, and it may not necessarily mean exploring a faith. 

For example, someone’s shared values may be their Scout Values and that person may choose to reflect on them at important times, such as when they make their Promise. Others may choose to reflect at certain times of the year, such as a faith-based festival, birthdays, meaningful events or at New Year. Some people may still celebrate events, such as Christmas, but use it as a time to celebrate family, friends and loved ones, as well as for charity and giving.

Discover more about Faiths and Beliefs in Scouts.

• Islam’s the second largest religion in the world. It has over one billion followers, who are called Muslims.
• There are five pillars of Islam: the declaration of faith (Shahadah), praying five times a day (Salat), giving money to charity (Zakat), fasting (Sawm) and pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj).
• The five pillars of Islam provide a framework for a Muslim’s whole life – it’s about putting their faith first, not trying to fit their faith around the rest of their life.
• Ramadan is the ninth and holiest month of the Islamic year. It lasts for around 30 days and is measured from one sighting of the crescent Moon to the next.
• One of the pillars, Sawm, is about fasting during the month of Ramadan. Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset. Scholars agree that several groups of people aren’t required to fast, including children, the elderly, people who are menstruating, pregnant, or breastfeeding, and people who are ill.
• The nightly meal that breaks the fast after sunset is called Iftar. At the end of Ramadan, Muslims celebrate Eid al-Fitr.

The sky’s really important in Islam. The Sun determines prayer times, the stars can be used to find the Qibla (the direction of Mecca, which Muslims pray to), and the Moon’s used to work out the Islamic calendar.

Seeing the moon is important to mark the start and end of Ramadan. The Prophet Muhammad founded the Islamic calendar, which is based on the movement of the Moon. The new crescent Moon marks the start of a new month, whether it’s seen on day 29 or day 30 of the month.

Mystic biscuit moons is a great (and tasty) activity if you want to remind people of the different phases of the Moon before you head out to spot the crescent Moon.

1. Go somewhere with a clear view of the sunset – the moon will appear near here.
2. Mark the exact point that the sun sets.
3. Wait for it to get dark – it’ll take about half an hour, so have another activity planned in the meantime.
4. Keep an eye out for the new crescent moon. If it’s visible, it’ll usually appear no more than 25 degrees to the left of the sunset (if you don’t have a compass handy, that’s about one hand span).
5. Check out the video below from the New Crescent Society for some handy hints.