Birmingham Central Mosque
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Birmingham Central Mosque, is a mosque in the Highgate area of Birmingham, England, run by the Birmingham Mosque Trust, and is one of the largest Muslim centres in Europe.
The mosque is open to people of all religious affiliations, men and women, and its main prayer halls currently hold between 3,500 and 4,000 people during a Friday service, with over 20,000 worshippers walk through the mosque's doors during the multiple services held on the religious festivals of Eid. It is regularly frequented by visitors from educational institutions and community/faith groups from across Europe.
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[edit] History
Birmingham Central Mosque is the second purpose-built mosque in the United Kingdom. After initially raising money to lay the foundations of the mosque, funds had run dry. There was the possibility that Birmingham City Council would sell the land off to another buyer if the mosque was not completed within two years. Thus the mosque trustees went to local communities for donations, both Muslim and non-Muslim. Soon enough, sufficient money was raised to pay for the building and completion of the mosque in 1969. The mosque was then officially opened in 1975 as the largest mosque in Western Europe. A golden dome was added to the top of the minaret in 1981.[1] In 1986, the mosque sought and was granted permission to call prayer within certain limits.[2]
In 2006, the West Midlands Fire Service were called to the mosque. A fire had begun in an office in the building, it did not spread far however caused damage to electronics and also the loss of paperwork.[3]
[edit] Controversies
Since the mosque's establishment, it has become a focal point for the Birmingham Muslim community, providing education for children and adults, lectures and seminars, counselling and a marriage bureau along with sporting and recreational activities and workshops. Over the years, Muslims have used the mosque for events, meetings, lectures, studies and community and educational purposes. Many of the original founders of the mosque committee still make up the mosque management or are trustees of the mosque but as time has passed, many new innovations have been made as to how the mosque is democratically run using Islamic teachings as the basis for equal representation of all members of the community. Thus, regular meetings, annual selection and equal opportunities have meant that the running of Birmingham Central Mosque has been as efficient as possible over the decades.
[edit] Management
The chairman of the Birmingham Mosque Trust is Dr Mohammad Naseem, a nationally recognised and sometimes controversial Muslim leader. Dr Naseem once claimed that Al-Qaeda did not exist. The mosque has a female community spokesperson, Salma Yaqoob, and is said to be the only mosque in the world with a female, Dr. Wageha Sayeda, sitting on the city's religious Shariah Council.
Former staff have included the Imam and Teacher of hadith, Abu Yusuf Riyadh ul Haq, journalist Adam Yosef and counsellor Abdul Qayyum Lodhi.
[edit] Famous visitors
The mosque has been attended by well known scholars including As-Sudais, the Imam of the Kaaba in Saudi Arabia. It has also been visited by Roy Hattersley MP, Douglas Hurd MP, Khalid Mahmood MP, George Galloway MP, scholar of comparative religion Shabbir Ally, Professor Tariq Ramadan and religious and political dignitaries. It has a very close relationship with the West Midlands Police and interfaith leaders.
[edit] References
- ^ Panikos Panayi (1999). The Impact of Immigration in Post-war Britain: A Documentary History of the Effects and Experiences of Immigrants in Britain since 1945. Manchester University Press, 103. ISBN 0719046858.
- ^ W. A. R. Shadid (1995). Religious Freedom and the Position of Islam in Western Europe. Peeters Publishers, 35. ISBN 9039000654.
- ^ Arsonists set fire to city mosque. BBC News (2006-01-07). Retrieved on 2007-12-02.
[edit] External links
- Birmingham Central Mosque website
- Birmingham Central Mosque on the BBC
- "Public urged to tour city mosque"
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