Annual Iftar 2026 - Free The Prisoner: Breaking The Chains
Event Details
It is time to break their chains…
Join us for our Ramadan Iftar as we come together to remember those languishing behind bars. From Guantanamo to Gaza to East Turkestan our shackled men, women and children are awaiting their day of freedom.
“He was truly kind to me when He freed me from prison” [Quran 12:100]
As an Ummah, let us come together to deliver on the Prophet’s command “Free the Prisoner”!
Be inspired by how iman drives resistance, even behind bars and why we are never truly free until our last prisoner walks free.
You can expect:
- Unbelievable stories of Iman and Sabr
- Testimonies from survivors that renew your faith.
- Reflection on the work to revive justice
- And a delicious iftar to break your fast
Dates and locations:
📍 Sheffield: Saturday, 28th Feb | 3:15 PM
📍 Manchester: Sunday, 1st March | 3:15 PM
📍 East London: Saturday, 7th March | 3:15 PM
📍 South London: Sunday, 8th March | 3:15 PM
📍 Birmingham: Sunday, 8th March | 3:15 PM
Reignite your faith and enjoy the warmth of brotherhood & sisterhood alongside survivors, the CAGE team, and justice advocates!
Speakers
Shaykh Sikander Iqbal
Islamic Scholar
Shaykh Sikander Iqbal was born and raised in Alum Rock, Birmingham. He completed the memorisation of the Noble Qurʾān by the age of seventeen, thereafter cultivating a deep commitment to pursue advanced studies in the Islamic sciences.
He subsequently enrolled at the esteemed Islamic Daʿwah Academy in Leicester, where he studied under the tutelage of Shaykh Mawlānā Muḥammad Saleem Dhorat ḥafiẓahullāh. By the grace of Allāh taʿālā, he completed a rigorous programme of study encompassing Qirāʾāt (canonical Qurʾānic recitations), Qurʾānic exegesis (tafsīr), ḥadīth, ʿulūm al-ḥadīth (the sciences of prophetic traditions), and Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh).
Presently, Shaykh Sikander serves at Madrasah Abū Hurayrah and Masjid E Aman, actively engaged in various disciplines of the Dīn, including pedagogy, community guidance, and Islamic scholarship.
He also delivers lectures on a national scale, with a particular emphasis on reviving religious consciousness among the youth and rekindling within them the light of īmān.
Shaykh Sikander Iqbal was born and raised in Alum Rock, Birmingham. He completed the memorisation of the Noble Qurʾān by the age of seventeen, thereafter cultivating a deep commitment to pursue advanced studies in the Islamic sciences.
He subsequently enrolled at the esteemed Islamic Daʿwah Academy in Leicester, where he studied under the tutelage of Shaykh Mawlānā Muḥammad Saleem Dhorat ḥafiẓahullāh. By the grace of Allāh taʿālā, he completed a rigorous programme of study encompassing Qirāʾāt (canonical Qurʾānic recitations), Qurʾānic exegesis (tafsīr), ḥadīth, ʿulūm al-ḥadīth (the sciences of prophetic traditions), and Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh).
Presently, Shaykh Sikander serves at Madrasah Abū Hurayrah and Masjid E Aman, actively engaged in various disciplines of the Dīn, including pedagogy, community guidance, and Islamic scholarship.
He also delivers lectures on a national scale, with a particular emphasis on reviving religious consciousness among the youth and rekindling within them the light of īmān.
Fahad Ansari
Fahad Ansari is the director of Riverway Law and a leading expert in citizenship and immigration law. He’s a longstanding human rights campaigner and represents numerous individuals who have been deprived of their citizenship.
Fahad Ansari is the director of Riverway Law and a leading expert in citizenship and immigration law. He’s a longstanding human rights campaigner and represents numerous individuals who have been deprived of their citizenship.
Muhammad Rabbani
Managing Director
Muhammad Rabbani is the Managing Director of CAGE. A committed community organiser, Rabbani previously spent several years bettering his area by piloting pioneering gang mediation services, and youth programs in one of Britain’s poorest boroughs.
As the managing Director of CAGE, he was instrumental in bringing to light torture cases and state abuses, seeking justice and accountability for victims. His name rose to prominence as a privacy advocate when he refused to hand over his password to British police in order to protect the testimony of a torture survivor. He became the figurehead of a popular campaign supported by numerous pro-privacy organisations and ordinary citizens, demanding the roll-back of draconian police powers.
He is a regular guest on international forums and media, as well as an educator at the grassroot-level.
Muhammad Rabbani is the Managing Director of CAGE. A committed community organiser, Rabbani previously spent several years bettering his area by piloting pioneering gang mediation services, and youth programs in one of Britain’s poorest boroughs.
As the managing Director of CAGE, he was instrumental in bringing to light torture cases and state abuses, seeking justice and accountability for victims. His name rose to prominence as a privacy advocate when he refused to hand over his password to British police in order to protect the testimony of a torture survivor. He became the figurehead of a popular campaign supported by numerous pro-privacy organisations and ordinary citizens, demanding the roll-back of draconian police powers.
He is a regular guest on international forums and media, as well as an educator at the grassroot-level.
Dr Asim Qureshi
Research Director
Dr Asim Qureshi is the Research Director at CAGE. He graduated in Law (LLB Hons) LLM, specialising in International Law and Islamic Law. In 2018, he completed his PhD in International Conflict Analysis from the University of Kent. He has published a wide range of NGO reports, academic journals and articles.
Since 2010, he has been advising legal teams involved in defending death penalty trials in the US and at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
He is also the author and editor of three books so far: In 2009, "Rules of the Game: Detention, Deportation, Disappearance" (Hurst, Columbia UP), "A Virtue of Disobedience" (Unbound and ByLine Books), and "I Refuse to Condemn: Resisting racism in times of national security" (Manchester University Press).
An avid reader, Asim launched thebookslamist.com, a book review platform dedicated to encouraging readers to reflect on how books have made them think.
Dr Asim Qureshi is the Research Director at CAGE. He graduated in Law (LLB Hons) LLM, specialising in International Law and Islamic Law. In 2018, he completed his PhD in International Conflict Analysis from the University of Kent. He has published a wide range of NGO reports, academic journals and articles.
Since 2010, he has been advising legal teams involved in defending death penalty trials in the US and at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
He is also the author and editor of three books so far: In 2009, "Rules of the Game: Detention, Deportation, Disappearance" (Hurst, Columbia UP), "A Virtue of Disobedience" (Unbound and ByLine Books), and "I Refuse to Condemn: Resisting racism in times of national security" (Manchester University Press).
An avid reader, Asim launched thebookslamist.com, a book review platform dedicated to encouraging readers to reflect on how books have made them think.
Moazzam Begg
Senior Director
A British-born Muslim, Moazzam Begg is a former Guantanamo Bay prisoner and outreach director for CAGE.
After his release, he became one of the most prominent public-speakers and Muslim advocates for justice and dialogue.
He is the author of the best-seller Enemy Combatant in which he recounts his experience as an innocent man detained and torture at Guantanamo, Bagram and Kandahar.
The Muslim 500 listed him as one of the 500 “most influential Muslims” in the world.
The New Statesman listed him in the top 50 “Heroes of our time”.
He has travelled extensively to investigate state abuses and western complicity in torture including to Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, and Syria.
A direct eye-witness to the conflicts in Bosnia, Afghanistan and Syria, his life has been recorded by the Columbia University Oral History project, and the BBC Storyville documentary, The Confession.
A British-born Muslim, Moazzam Begg is a former Guantanamo Bay prisoner and outreach director for CAGE.
After his release, he became one of the most prominent public-speakers and Muslim advocates for justice and dialogue.
He is the author of the best-seller Enemy Combatant in which he recounts his experience as an innocent man detained and torture at Guantanamo, Bagram and Kandahar.
The Muslim 500 listed him as one of the 500 “most influential Muslims” in the world.
The New Statesman listed him in the top 50 “Heroes of our time”.
He has travelled extensively to investigate state abuses and western complicity in torture including to Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, and Syria.
A direct eye-witness to the conflicts in Bosnia, Afghanistan and Syria, his life has been recorded by the Columbia University Oral History project, and the BBC Storyville documentary, The Confession.
CAGE International is an independent advocacy organisation that aspires to a just world. We challenge War on Terror inspired state oppression and empower communities to dismantle the discourses and policies of the global War on Terror.
Premier Business Centre 47-49 Park Royal Road London NW10 7LQ United Kingdom
Helpline: 03000302243
Office: 02073776700
General email: contact@cage.ngo
Media enquiries: press@cage.ngo