THE EAST LONDON MOSQUE and London Muslim Centre were pleased to welcome Professor John Esposito when he visited the Mosque on 23rd June.
Prof. Esposito is a founding director of the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Centre for Muslim-Christian Understanding, as well as being a director of The Bridge Initiative at Georgetown University. He is the author of many books, including Sharia: What Everyone Needs to Know; Islam and Democracy after the Arab Spring; What Everyone Needs to Know about Islam; and The Future of Islam.
Dilowar H Khan (Director of Finance & Engagement) and Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari (Trustee and former Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain) took Professor Esposito on a guided tour of the London Muslim Centre.
The Professor went on to visit the ELM Archives, where he was shown exhibits by Dr Jamil Sherif (Chair, ELM Archives Steering Group) and Sufia Alam (Maryam Centre Manager).
Professor Esposito then spoke to a large interfaith group on a peace walk, who had been visiting the Mosque as part of the Open Day. He went on to take part in an interactive roundtable chaired by ELM Trust member Dr Abdullah Faliq and attended by a number of distinguished guests including Dr Maria Holt, Reader at Westminster University, and Arifin Hassan from Malaysia.
In a recorded video interview, Professor Esposito said, “It has been more than ten years since I last visited this mosque. It has changed and expanded significantly, and that is indicative of the hard work and dedication that has gone into maintaining and developing this great place of worship. I am also very encouraged to see the opening of the ELM Archives which is a significant step in preserving Muslim history in Britain. I congratulate all those involved with the Archives and the mosque for taking such a bold step.”
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