East London Mosque celebrates its centenary

THE East London Mosque celebrated its hundredth anniversary with a special event at the House of Lords.

The Whitechapel Road mosque – the biggest in the UK – hosted diplomats and leading Muslim figures at the bash on November 25.

Started up in 1910 by a small number of Islamic leaders living in London, the current site has been serving Muslims from across the country since 1985.

It had previously been functioning out of three converted houses in Commercial Road.

The adjacent London Muslim Centre was opened in 2004.

Around 25,000 people visit the mosque each week and that increases to 47,000 during Ramadan.

Lord Sheikh of Cornhill, who hosted the event, said: “The East London Mosque has had a glorious past and it’s a privilege to host this centenary event in this great venue.

“Amongst other services the centre provides Muslims and non-Muslim the

opportunity to learn through dialogue, discussion and interaction.”

Also speaking at the event, Rushanara Ali, MP for Bethnal Green and Bow, said it was important for Muslims to have a voice “across the board” in politics and public life.

Among more speakers, Dr Abdul Bari, chairman of the mosque trust, said: “The vision of our predecessors was to create an institution that bound the communities together with a common goal. They have done remarkably well, and we see the testament to that by celebrating 100 years of what they seeded.”