East London Mosque

Infobox religious building


caption=Front view of the East London Mosque.
building_name=East London Mosque
location=Tower Hamlets, London
UK
geo=coord|51|31|00|N|0|04|00|E|region:GB_type:landmark
religious_affiliation=Islam
website= [http://www.eastlondonmosque.org.uk www.eastlondonmosque.org.uk]
architect=
architecture_type=Mosque
architecture_style=Modern
year_completed=1985
construction_cost=
capacity=
dome_quantity=1
minaret_quantity=3

Situated in the inner London borough of Tower Hamlets, between Whitechapel and Aldgate, the East London Mosque serves the UK's largest Muslim community, predominately Bangladeshi in origin, with sizable Somali and North African presence. 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.

It is one of the largest Mosques in the UK, with two large halls, a gallery, classrooms and offices. In 2004 it was expanded by the addition of the adjacent London Muslim Centre which has two multipurpose halls, a seminar suite, a crèche, classrooms, a fitness centre, a small Islamic library and a radio station.

The main languages of the mosque are English and Bangla.

History

The East London Mosque was conceptualised in 1910, when the local people, mainly Bangladeshi immigrants, decided that a mosque was necessary in London to establish the five daily prayers and, in particular, Friday prayers as required by Islam. A fund was set up and contributions were collected. [http://www.eastlondonmosque.net/uploadedImage/pdf/FAQ's%20ELM-LMC.pdf FAQs about the mosque and centre] . East London Mosque. Retrieve on 2007-09-12.]

In 1940, three houses were purchased on Commercial Road in the east end of London and a permanent place of prayer was set up to replace the previous arrangement where a small room was hired on Fridays for Jumma prayers. The following year, the combined houses were inaugurated as the "East London Mosque" and became the focal point for the growing number of migrant workers taking part in the rebuilding of the city in the post-war era. The first prayer was led by the Ambassador for Saudi Arabia, Shaikh Hafiz Wahab.

In 1975, the local authority bought the properties under a compulsory purchase order but provided temporary buildings on Whitechapel Road. The local community set about raising funds to erect a purpose-built mosque on the site which was boosted by a contribution from the King of Saudi Arabia. Seven years later, the re-building of the new mosque commenced with foundations laid down in 1982 and completion achieved in 1985.

During the arrival of Bangladeshis to the country, there were limited mosque availability for the communities, therefore prayers were conducted in council flats in small rooms. Until the 1980s, more larger facilities became available in areas where the Bangladeshi diaspora are at large. Many synagogues and some community buildings were turned into mosques for the people, and present mosques began to expand the area's of the buildings into larger facilities. This process has continued down to the present day with the East London Mosque recently expanding into a large former car park where the London Muslim Centre is now used for prayers, recreational facilities and housing.citeweb |url=http://www.bdirectory.co.uk/index.php?id=190l |title=bdirectory: Islamist politics among Bangladeshis in the UK |publisher=David Garbin - Cronem, University of Surrey |accessdate=2008-07-27]

As the community base changes so does the services offered. There is now a growing Somali community so services are offered catering for different languages; at present ranging from English, Bangla, Arabic to Somali. The diversity of the community is increasing but is still predominantly Bangladeshi.

Management

The mosque is managed by trustees who are elected each year at its AGM. The committee for 2008-09 is led by Muhammad Abdul Bari who is the chairman of the management committee. [http://www.eastlondonmosque.net/uploadedImage/pdf/Newsletter_2007.pdf ELM News] . East London Mosque. September 2007.]

The Khatib and primary Imam of the mosque is Abdul Qayyum.

Islamic Forum of Europe also plays a vital role for the mosque, providing security and other facilities requiring for the mosque. It also runs the Muslim Community Radio (MCR 87.9FM), 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 holy month of Ramadan. 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 Bangla. [ [http://www.mcrlive.net/about.php MCR Radio] ] [ [http://www.islamicforumeurope.com/live/ife.php Islamic Forum of Europe] ] [ [http://www.mcrlive.net/images/prog2lrg.jpgMCR Programs] ]

During Ramadan it has broadcasted a fundraising program, broadcasted live on Channel S from 15 September, 2008. The mosque has raised over £400,000 for the construction for another extension within the mosque, which is considered to be a record in just one day.

Services

The mosque has a stated mission to:

To further its mission a number of services are provided to the community including:

* ICT Training and English classes
* ISAP — Improving School Attendance in Partnership, a scheme in partnership with the local authority, to raise punctuality in school attendance
* Junior Muslim Circle (JMC) — Recreational activities for children
* New Muslims' classes — Islamic teaching for new converts to Islam
* ELM Evening Madrasah — after school education for children
* ELM Women's Link — support services for women
* Faith in Health — health awareness and lifestyle facilities
* Way to Work — a project assisting people to enter training and employment

ee also

* Islam in London
* Islam in the United Kingdom
* Islamic architecture
* List of mosques
* London Muslim Centre

References

External links

* [http://www.eastlondonmosque.org.uk Official site for East London Mosque]