Labour election pledge to help build minaret in Brick Lane

25 April 2008

Famous Brick Lane 18th century house of worship with proposed minaret added on

EXCLUSIVE by Ted Jeory

MAYOR Ken Livingstone has pledged to help raise funds for a major revamp, including a huge new minaret, of the famous Brick Lane Jamme Masjid mosque in East London.

The Labour candidate running for his third term on Thursday made the promise during a visit to the historic building for Friday lunchtime prayers.

It comes amid suggestions that he is 'using religion' to harvest crucial votes for next Thursday's polls.

Elders at the mosque say they need £3 million for a "regeneration" scheme.

That would include an overhaul of the interior of the Grade II listed structure, originally built as Huguenot church on the corner of Fournier-street, Spitalfields, in 1743, and later converted to the Jewish Maz'ik Adath synagogue.

But the scheme controversially includes a huge new minaret that would tower over the Brick Lane conservation area.

The pavements on the corner of Fournier-street and Brick-lane would also need to be realigned to make room for the minaret.

Its construction could also provoke anger among those who fear an irrevocable change in character to a building that has housed all three great monotheistic faiths without alteration for more than 350 years.

But mosque elders and Labour's Tower Hamlets councillor Helal Abbas pressed Ken Livingstone during his visit to Brick Lane to agree to a meeting if re-elected.

Mr Livingstone said as mayor he was not be allowed to raise funds for any religious building, although he promised to help "bring in the big cash" via other means.

"This is one of the most beautiful buildings in Brick Lane," he told the East London Advertiser.

"A building like this should be the heart of the community and it should be a place where young people are attracted to go."

He added: "I will call on the Government to place one of its 'Sure Start' education programmes here. For that, you'll need course and play equipment.

"As you redesign the building, we should look to get those facilities in place."

He added: "There's a lot we'll be able to do to help. The really big money will come from the infrastructure needs like computers."

Livingstone, if re-elected on Thursday, would order his London Development Agency to link up with a further education college to help.

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Should Brick Lane conservation area have a minaret?

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