During Ramadan, the daily fast ends at sunset with the meal known as iftar. In Doha in 2024, people formed lines after the afternoon prayer to collect free meals from distribution tents and private homes. The Peninsula reported that long queues could be seen around the city between about 4 and 5 p.m.
At the Abu Hamour home of Mohammed Al-Marri, a team prepared roughly 2,000 meals each day from the start of Ramadan. Packs included dishes such as chicken majboos, biryani, lentils and harees, and distribution ended around 5 p.m. so recipients could be ready for sunset. The line was not simply a sign of scarcity; it also grew from a Ramadan tradition of sharing food with neighbours and strangers.
Everyone in the queue carried the hunger of a day's fast. Meals were still handed out one turn at a time, and the shared wait for the same sunset briefly made the line a community.