(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - Ramadan is a 29 or 30-day period each year when over 500 million Muslims around the world fast.
Islam teaches that from sunrise nothing should pass through their lips, but with sunset comes a time for family, friends and feasting.
This year across the country hundreds of Islamic households opened their homes to the wider community.
Neighbours, colleagues and community leaders alike joined Muslim families to break bread and learn more about the faith and culture.
The 'Open-house Ramadan' program allowed non-Muslims to experience this most sacred time of the year in the most intimate of settings.
Lauren Bothma and friend Natalie Woodhill were the guests of young sydney-based couple Emre and Elle Kusbeci.
The 20 year-old university student says she knew very little about Islam before attending the dinner.
"I didn't know a whole lot about Ramadan. I studied Islam at school, read books, but being the community itself is totally different, Lauren Bothma told SBS.
"Hearing how it affects them personally, their everyday life, it was really cool to have that insight."
Sydney-based interfaith organisation Affinity Intercultural started facilitating the dinners in 2006.
They say the community response has been positive and they're planning to expand the program to more communities across the nation in the future.
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