| The East London Mosque & London Muslim Centre |
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View of the mosque and centre on Whitechapel Road |
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| Location | London, United Kingdom |
| Established | 1910 |
| Branch/tradition | Sunni |
| Ownership | East London Mosque Trust Ltd. |
| Leadership | Imam(s): Sheikh Abdul Qayum Sheikh Abul Hussain Khan Sheikh Abu Tayeb Chairman: Muhammad Abdul Bari |
| Architectural information | |
| Architect(s) | Studio Klaschka Ltd (2002-10) John Gill Associates (1982-85) |
| Style | Modern |
| Capacity | 5000 |
| Dome(s) | 1 |
| Minaret(s) | 3 |
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| Website: www.eastlondonmosque.org.uk | |
The East London Mosque, situated in the inner London Borough of Tower Hamlets between Whitechapel and Aldgate, serves one of the UK's largest Muslim communities.[1] It lies near the edge of the City of London, the capital's busy business area, and just a couple of miles from the fast-expanding London Docklands. Combined with the adjoining London Muslim Centre, it is one of the largest mosques in the United Kingdom, holding up to 5000 people.[2]
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Construction of the three-storey East London Mosque began in 1982 and was completed in 1985, on the site of land left empty after bombing during World War 2. The exterior is a distinctive brick pattern in two colours, the front facing Whitechapel Road and the rear on Fieldgate Street. The mosque is capped with a gold colour dome of about 8.5m diameter. The minaret rises to about 22m above ground level, and the main entrance is finished with two smaller copies of the minaret. The mosque has two large halls, a gallery, classrooms, offices and a retail unit. The architect was John Gill Associates.
In 2002 construction began of Phase 1 of the mosque's expansion, called the London Muslim Centre. Adjoining and connected to the mosque, it is a six-storey building with a prominent entrance featuring a sweeping mosaic pattern. Construction was completed in 2004. The centre has two multipurpose halls, a seminar suite, a nursery, classrooms, a fitness centre, a small Islamic library, a radio station, retail units and offices. The centre was designed by Studio Klaschka Architecture and Design.[3]
In 2009 a further significant expansion commenced: Phase 2,[4] to be known as the Maryam Centre, is a nine-storey addition on the Fieldgate Street side on the site originally used by their funeral service.[5] Completion is expected in 2012. It will add a new main prayer hall, improved funeral services, and substantial facilities for women including prayer space, full- and part-time education, and a health and fitness centre. The building includes a mezzanine level around the main hall which will accommodate a visitor centre. The design was once again by Studio Klaschka Architecture and Design.[6]
At the beginning of the twentieth century London had no mosque, though it was the capital of the extensive British Empire containing tens of millions of Muslims. A place was needed for Muslim diplomats and merchants, and for the many Muslim sailors coming into port in Tower Hamlets. On 9 November 1910, at a meeting of both Muslims and non-Muslims held at the Ritz Hotel, the London Mosque Fund was established with the aims of organising the weekly Friday prayers and of procuring a permanent place of worship for Muslims.
Over the years many distinguished personalities were associated with the London Mosque Fund. Amongst them was the Rt. Hon. Syed Ameer Ali, the first Indian Privy Counsellor, who was the Chairman of London Mosque Fund Executive Committee until his death in 1928. His Royal Highness the Aga Khan III served as life President of the Board of Trustees while both Abdullah Yusuf Ali and Mohammed Marmaduke Pickthall, the famous translators of the Qur’an, were trustees of the Fund. Non-Muslims who recognised the need for a Muslim place of worship in London were also part of the Fund, including Nathan Rothschild who served as a trustee and Lord Lamington who became Vice Chairman of the London Mosque Fund. Sir Hassan Suhrawardy was also the chairman of the executive committee of the fund.[7] The famous historian, Professor T. W. Arnold, became its Secretary and was later replaced by Sir Ernest Houston. Sir John Woodhead became its Treasurer and the Rt. Hon. Earl Winterton was also a trustee of the Fund.[8][9][10]
For 30 years various rooms were hired for the Jumu'ah prayers on Fridays. Finally in 1940, three houses were purchased at 446–448 Commercial Road in the east end of London as a permanent place of prayer. On 2 August 1941, the combined houses were inaugurated as the "East London Mosque" and Islamic Culture Centre at a ceremony attended by the then Egyptian Ambassador, Colonel Sir Gordon Neal (representing the Secretary of State for India). The first prayer was led by the Ambassador for Saudi Arabia, Shaikh Hafiz Wahba.[11]
From the late 1950s the local Muslim population began to increase due to immigration from the Indian subcontinent, particularly from Sylhet in East Pakistan (which became Bangladesh in 1971).[12] During the 1970s, this immigration increased significantly.
In 1975, the local authority bought the properties in Commercial Road under a compulsory purchase order, in return providing a site with temporary buildings on Whitechapel Road, next to the Fieldgate Street Great Synagogue. The local community set about raising funds to erect a purpose-built mosque on the site, and were aided by a contribution from the King of Saudi Arabia. Seven years later, the building of the new mosque commenced with foundations laid down in 1982 and completion achieved in 1985.
The mosque was the first in Britain to broadcast the Adhan (call to prayer) from the Minaret using loudspeakers. It had a capacity of up to 2000, with prayer areas for men and women, and classroom space for supplementary education. However, by the 1990s the capacity was already insufficient not only for the growing congregation but also for the range of projects based there. The land next to the mosque had been left vacant after bomb damage during World War II, and was used as a car park. The mosque launched a campaign to buy the land, and the purchase was completed in 1999.
In 2001 HRH Prince Charles launched the project to build the London Muslim Centre (LMC).[13] Construction began in 2002, and the new centre opened on 11 June 2004, with over 15,000 people attending the opening prayers.[14][15] The prayer capacity of the mosque and centre rose to about 5000, with a greatly increased range of services. The building had cost over £10 million, more than half of which had been raised by ordinary Muslims.[16]
On the opening day Sheikh Abdur Rahman Al-Sudais, Imam of the Kaaba in Makkah, led the Friday prayer. He told the thousands that had gathered that day that this was a shining example of how the British Muslim community were taking great steps forward to enhance community cohesion. Amongst the guests were Racial Equality Minister Fiona Mactaggart, the chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission Trevor Phillips and senior officials from the Muslim Council of Britain. Prince Charles, who was in Washington for the funeral of former US president Ronald Reagan, sent a video message of support.[16]
In July 2004 the Malaysian prime minister, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, visited the mosque and centre.[17]
In November 2004 HRH Prince Charles returned to see the centre he had launched three years earlier.[18] The following month HM The Queen featured excerpts of his visit in her Christmas Message.[19][20]
In July 2008 the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Phillips, delivered a speech on "Equality Before The Law" at an event highlighting the pro bono legal service at the LMC.[21]
In October 2008, the East London Mosque and London Muslim Centre won Islam Channel's Super Model Mosque award presented at the Global Peace and Unity event at the Excel Centre.[22][23]
In December 2008 the East London Mosque planned to allow Noor Pro Media to hold a conference on 1 January 2009 which would include a videotaped lecture by Anwar al-Awlaki; former Shadow Home Secretary Dominic Grieve expressed concern over al-Awlaki's involvement.[24]
17 Apr 2009: launch of UK's first signed khutbah (Friday sermon) in partnership with local charity Al-Isharah.[25][26]
19 Jun 2009: construction began of the mosque's new Phase 2 expansion, the 'Maryam Centre'.[4]
4 Sep 2009: the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, visited the mosque and centre in Ramadan, commending its projects and urging people to try fasting for a day.[27][28]
4 Mar 2010: hosted 'The BIG Read' in partnership with IF Charity, Islamic Forum Europe, Muslim Aid, and Tower Hamlets Council, a successful attempt to break the world record for 'Most children reading with an adult', when 3,234 children listened to readings from Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.[29][30]
5 Mar 2010: hosted the BBC's weekly live topical debate 'Any Questions?', chaired by Jonathan Dimbleby and with panellists Ken Livingstone (former Mayor of London), Ken Clarke (then Shadow Business Secretary), Mehdi Hasan (senior politics editor at the New Statesman) and Julia Goldsworthy (then Liberal Democrat spokesperson on Communities and Local Government).[31]
25 Aug 2010: subject of a BBC documentary, 'Middle EastEnders', that "chronicles the setbacks and triumphs of an institution which has shaped the identity of a corner of London", timed to anticipate the centenary of the mosque.[32]
4 Sep 2010: the mosque raised over £1.1 million in one night in Ramadan on Channel S,[33] breaking the record for ethnic television for the third year in a row, in an appeal for the building of their Phase 2 expansion.[34]
3 Sep 2011: the English Defence League wanted to march past the mosque, but after widespread opposition[35] the Home Secretary, Theresa May, banned the march. The EDL instead held a static demonstration in Aldgate, prevented by police from entering Tower Hamlets, whilst a larger 'United East End' counter demonstration was held by an alliance of groups and organisations.[36]
The East London Mosque Trust Limited is a registered charity[37] (previously registered as The London Mosque Fund)[38] and a private company (limited by guarantee, no share capital).[39] The mosque is managed by trustees who are elected each year by its members at the Annual General Meeting. Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari is the chairman of the Management Committee for 2010–11.[40] The Khatib and primary Imam of the mosque is Abdul Qayum. The Executive Director is Dilowar Hussain Khan.
The mosque is a member of the Tower Hamlets Inter Faith Forum,[41] a founding member of The East London Communities Organisation (TELCO),[42] and an affiliate of the Muslim Council of Britain.[43] The Islamic Forum Europe (IFE) and the mosque are very closely intertwined,[44] the organisation was created in 1989 by Muslims involved in the running of the East London Mosque.[45] The mosque interprets the Hanafi school of law,[46] though it shares the ideology of the Jamaat-e-Islami, and the Muslim Brotherhood.[47]
Prominent imams who have visited the mosque: Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais (imam of Masjid al-Haram),[48] Adel Salem Al Kalbani (former Imam of Masjid al-Haram), Delwar Hossain Sayeedi (one of the leaders of the Jamaat-e-Islami),[49] Sheikh Yusuf Estes, Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips, Sheikh Hussain Yee, Sheikh Abdullah Hakim Quick,[50] Dr Mustafa Cerić (Grand Mufti of Bosnia).
Politicians who have visited the mosque: Mike O'Brien (former Minister of State), Fiona MacTaggart (former Home Office Minister), Stephen Twigg (former Minister for Schools), Stephen Timms (Shadow Financial Secretary to the Treasury), Dominic Grieve (Attorney General), Sadiq Khan (former Minister of State for Transport), Boris Johnson (Mayor of London) Ken Livingstone (former Mayor of London), Baroness Uddin, the late Robin Cook (former Foreign Secretary).
Other notable visitors: HRH Prince Charles, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi (former Prime Minister of Malaysia), Lord Phillips (former Lord Chief Justice), Sir John Stevens (former Metropolitan Police Commissioner), Maumoon Abdul Gayoom (former President of the Maldives), Brendan Barber (Secretary General of TUC), Riah Hanna Abu El-Assal (former Bishop of Jerusalem).
The mosque has a stated mission to:
| “ | … provide a range of holistic, culturally sensitive services for the communities of London with a view to improving the quality of life and enhancing community cohesion | ” |
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—Annual Report 2005-06, East London Mosque Trust Ltd[16] |
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As the community base changes so does the services offered, previously sermons or announcements were given in Bengali or Sylheti only. Today the sermon is delivered in Arabic, Bengali and English, to meet the needs of the diverse communities living in the United Kingdom.
To further its mission a number of services are provided to the community including:[51]
The mosque also runs Muslim Community Radio (MCR), in partnership with Islamic Forum Europe, which started to broadcast since 1998 through a RSL, then through Spectrum, and since 2001 acquired the rights to broadcast 24 hours across east London during the month of Ramadan. In 2005 it moved into a new studio in the London Muslim Centre. It is run by volunteers at the mosque, it provides programs for women, children's shows, quiz shows, fiqh sessions, taraweeh prayer, and shows such as Daily Halaqa, Qur'anic class, Easy Talk, Drive Time and many more, all in English and Bengali.[52][53][54]
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