As a token of interfaith amity and compassion, the Dharmarajika Monastery in Dhaka’s Basabo area has been providing iftar meals for the poor and hungry of the community during every month of Ramadan since 2013. This outstanding initiative is a rare example which reaffirms the eternally secular spirit of Bangladesh, after the country has recently witnessed some inter-religious turmoil. [caption id="attachment_66758" align="alignnone" width="1024"]During every evening of the holy month of fasting, a long queue of poor people can be seen in front of the gate of the temple waiting to collect iftar, the food with which Muslims break their fast[/caption] This initiative was taken by the abbot Venerable Suddhananda Mahathero. He told the thedailystar.net that “Actually, we do it from the very perspective of communal harmony and humanity.” “We want to help the poor anyhow, and offering Iftari is one of the ways,” he added During every evening of the holy month of fasting, a long queue of poor people can be seen in front of the gate of the temple waiting to collect iftar, the food with which Muslims break their fast. Established in 1951, the monastery works for social welfare to establish harmony in the society.