The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) was delighted to see thousands of people around the UK take part in its “Visit My Mosque” initiative on Sunday, 7th February. This was the second year that the MCB had organised the national event, and over 80 mosques from all four nations in the UK took part – three times the number participating in the first year.
Speaking at the nationwide launch of the initiative at London Central Mosque, Dr Shuja Shafi, MCB Secretary General, said, “We were struck how this initiative resonated so well with the British public last year. We found that there was a huge demand for this so decided to facilitate the event again this year, and we are pleased to have over 80 mosques participating.”
The MCB hoped that the special day would provide a platform for Muslims to reach out to fellow Britons and explain their faith and community – contradicting some of the mainstream media’s hostile headlines. Individual mosques did just that: offering visitors an insight into the day-to-day goings on of a busy Muslim centre of worship – as well as refreshments and momentos of the day.
Some mosques invited inter-faith leaders to visit, to demonstrate unity and solidarity of local faith communities. Many visitors were just curious local residents. David from Hendon said, “I’ve driven for many years past London Central Mosque wondering what goes inside, but when I got an email telling me there was an open day, I decided to come today and visit.”
Other casual visitors used social media to explain how their visit went. One such was Frances Stanfield, who posted on Facebook: “Just back from Medina Mosque Southampton. Lovely hosts and some interesting and open conversations.”
Muslims associated with the visits also had a very positive take on the day. Tanvier Ahmed, a member of the Outreach Team at Darul Isra Mosque in Cardiff, said, “The majority of mosques have open doors so you can walk in at any time. Today we’re just making that extra special effort by putting on an event, but we welcome visitors throughout the year.”
Dr Salah Beltagui of the Muslim Council of Scotland said, “We hope that such events are the start of new acquaintances between Muslims and their neighbours of other faiths or beliefs, and be a start of relationships and joint work to improve the lives of all communities in future.”
Mosques up and down the country invited local faith leaders and civic and political leaders to make a visit. Many politicians participated at their local mosques, including Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn MP. Other Members of Parliament who popped in to a local mosque included Bob Blackman, Stella Creasey, Fabian Hamilton, Wes Streeting, James Flanagan and Rupa Huq.
The MCB is the UK’s largest Muslim umbrella body, with over 500 affiliated national, regional and local organisations, mosques, charities and schools. Many of its affiliates offer open days throughout the year. If you would like to visit your mosque, ask when its next open day is – or encourage it to hold one.
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