PUTRAJAYA, March 23 (Bernama) -- An American non-Muslim postgraduate student, who is passionate and observant towards different beliefs and religions, spent more than five hours at Masjid Putra here today for the Iftar (breaking of fast) programme.

Hailing from North Carolina, 24-year-old Olivia Price, who is also a Universiti Malaya student, said that having been in Malaysia for more than a year, she has learned so much about the multi-ethnic society and different cultures that exist here.

“I am doing my Masters in counselling, which is another reason I really care about what people believe om because what you believe in influences what you do.

“… and I am very passionate about different beliefs and religions. I think this programme is really informative and I learned a lot about Islam. I felt it was a good space to ask questions as I found it helpful because I want to understand different views,” she said when met here today.

Price was among more than 300 non-Muslims who joined the "Iftar Ramadan Bersama Pelancong Bukan Muslim” (Ramadan Iftar with Non-Muslim Tourists) programme organised by Masjid Putra and the Islamic Outreach Centre Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia (ABIM).

Twenty-four-year-old Del Zook, also from North Carolina, concurred, saying that this was her first time in a mosque and she was excited to join the Iftar with Muslims.

“It is really cool to be with Malaysians and interesting to learn about the religion and the mosque itself,” said the third-semester postgraduate student of Universiti Malaya.

Masjid Putra public relations officer Ahmad Najib Aris said the annual programme began with a briefing regarding Islam, followed by a question-and-answer session about fasting by an ABIM Outreach staff before culminating with a mass breaking of fast session.

"This significant event aims to strengthen relations between the Muslim and non-Muslim communities and promote the beauty of the Masjid Putra to tourists," he said.

-- BERNAMA