London’s West End lights up for Muslim holy month Ramadan as mayor calls for unity

By Gizem Nisa Demir

ISTANBUL (AA) - London’s West End was illuminated this week as Mayor Sadiq Khan switched on the city’s Ramadan lights on Friday evening, marking the fourth consecutive year the display has celebrated the Muslim holy month in central London.

More than 30,000 LED lights inspired by Islamic geometric patterns now shine across Leicester Square and nearby streets, displaying “Happy Ramadan” before changing to “Happy Eid” on March 18.

The initiative is funded and organized by the Aziz Foundation.

Speaking at the ceremony, Khan urged unity amid rising political tensions and growing Islamophobia, saying: “Let’s show the best of London, let’s show the best of Britain, and let’s show the best of Islam.”

“I call on Muslims, Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Sikhs, those of organized religions, and those that aren’t, come together during this month of Ramadan,” he added.

Addressing wider global conflicts, the mayor encouraged worshippers to remember those suffering in places, including Sudan, Gaza, and Ukraine, through prayer and charity, while warning against those “sowing the seeds of division, hatred, and fear.”

“One of the jobs we have during this month of Ramadan, whether you are Muslim or non-Muslim, is to show that London is the antidote to that hatred. We are the antithesis of everything they believe in,” he said.

Khan later said through US social media company X that switching on the lights at Piccadilly Circus was “a pleasure,” describing London as “a beacon of hope, unity, and inclusivity,” where “diversity is a strength, and where everyone is loved and wanted.”