(10 Jul 2015) LEAD IN:
Mosques in the UAE are feeding thousands of Muslims for free during Ramadan.
The centres host Iftar meals which are attended by big groups of single men.
STORY-LINE:
Sunset is drawing near and men make their way to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi.
The place of worship hosts massive Iftars for Muslims to break their Ramadan fast.
Thirteen air-conditioned tents are ready for the huge crowd of people.
"Tens of thousands of people come to Sheikh Zayed Grand mosque everyday to have Iftar around the mosque in these tents that have been prepared. The number exceeds 10,000 meals everyday," says Hasan Almazrouqi, spokesman for the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.
The mosque has the capacity to feed 18,000 people a day.
The tents are packed with men sharing the evening meal.
Almazrouqi says the mosque guests are a multicultural group.
"What is special about these tents is that all who attend these Iftars are from all walks of life and all nationalities," he says.
"This is the main goal for organising this kind of project because it is a gathering for a large number of different communities and nationalities that range from different countries, religions and languages," he adds.
The majority of those attending these events are single men who live in accommodation provided by the companies they work for.
It's an opportunity to socialise and see different mosques.
"It's also becoming quite a passion of mine that every week, and whenever I get a little bit of time, I go visit the different mosques for the Iftars," says Ghazi Maminoti, a sales associate.
An hour away in Dubai, the Al Farooq Mosque and Islamic Centre is running a similar event.
This tent was sponsored by the charity the Al Habtoor Foundation.
Al Habtoor group is one of the largest construction companies in the UAE.
The mosque has the capacity to of 1,800 people.
Many of the men that come to the mosque are construction workers.
"We work very hard on the site. When we come home we usually tend to sleep so when we sleep, when we get up it is hard for us to go and cook everything," says Muddassar Abbas, who works in a landscaping business.
"So it is very easier and very convenient, you just get up and you are fresh and you have everything, it is like tops. For us it is a nice quality food here as well," he explains.

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