Thawb Trek 2017 aims to break down barriers

Emdad Rahman

THIS YEAR THE community is encouraged to take part in the Fasting 5k, a mass London group run which will take place during fasting hours during the Muslim month of Ramadan. 

The run is being organised by Abu Bakkar from Dagenham. It will take place in Mile End Park on Saturday, 10th June and is supported by Whitechapel based charity Human Aid.

Emdad (foreground) and friends promote the Thawb Trek.

Abu Bakker said, “This all started after I found myself with spare time after changing jobs. I wanted to make a difference and came up with this concept. Our society has widely labelled a man in a Thawb as a terrorist and the garment is associated with plenty of negative images.

“We are trying to use this event and this garb to challenge and break down misconceptions all over the world. Through this event we hope to spread a positive image and the added bonus is that we are raising funds for an orphanage in Lebanon which hosts Syrian orphans and widows.”

Thawb Trek carry out many initiatives like street collections, sweet sales, Eid in the Park. Iced slush and tea stalls and a sweet delivery service. The word “thawb” is the standard Arabic word for “a garment”. It is a tunic and is the traditional Arabian clothing for men and is sometimes spelled thobe or thaub.

The run will take place in the late evening – at 8pm – with the proviso that all runners will cross the finishing line before breaking fast at sunset. Iftar (breaking of fast) will take place in congregation at the park.

•To register for the race, go to
register.primoevents.com/ps/event/Thawb-Trek

•For info via Twitter or Instagram, use:
@ThawbTrek

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