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North London Central Mosque
Towards Positive Integration & Engagement
The North London Central Mosque Trust is a registered charity in the UK, serving the local Muslim community in Islington and surrounding Boroughs of North London, and working with everyone to promote dialogue and understanding in our multi-cultural society. This report covers three scopes; history & purpose, services & facilities and projects & finance.
Brief History of the Mosque
The main 5-storey mosque building was opened for the public in 1994 at a ceremony attended by HRH Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales. It is located two minutes walk from Finsbury Park underground station, close to the Arsenal football stadium. The New Era
Since February 2005, with the support of the local Muslim community, the Mosque has been run by a new board of trustees with a new management team, new Imams, a new name and new ethos. As a result, attendance has greatly increased and the range of services is steadily expanding. Today, the mosque’s prayer halls are packed with worshippers from various ethnic communities. Around one thousand worshippers attend the prayer every Friday. The mosque, which seats 1800, schedules four services to handle the demand on the Eid Al-Fitr and Eid Al-Adha festivals. People can see a change has taken place and that's why they are coming back.
The purpose
The work of the new management reflects the proper role of a mosque - as a place of worship, religious learning and social interaction. It also presents the true teachings of Islam as a religion of tolerance, cooperation and peaceful harmony amongst all people who lead a life of balance, justice and mutual respect. The aims and objectives of the management can be summarized following points:- - To create a harmonious environment and promote the enhancement of human values, spiritual attainment and faith in the Almighty, through providing the community around Islington with a focal point for a range of spiritual, social, cultural, educational and training activities, and this will enable the community to develop greater self confidence through a sense of belonging in order to affirm its cultural identities and renew its zest of self reliance.
- To create unity through religion and to improve and enhance skills, knowledge and capacity of the community to espouse values of diversity, tolerance and moderation and promote interfaith dialogue with other religious group, by reaching out and acting as a resource centre for the local communities, voluntary and statutory agencies and the wider community as a whole.
- To endorse interfaith dialogue with other religious groups dialogue will focus on clarifying misconceptions, finding common ground, and enhancing civil society through promoting core values, such as, community, personal integrity, wisdom and love of truth, care and compassion, justice and peace, respect for one another and for the earth and everything one it.
Strategic Goals - Imam Training and Leadership Development
- Involvement of Youth
- Sound Financial Base
- Public Image
- Community Development
Services and facilities
The Centre consists of four and half floors with capacity of 1800 people. Two floors of the four can be utilised for different activities and it designed as a multi purpose halls. There is funeral washing facilities under development.
Beside the 5 daily congregational prayers, the Friday service, regular Islamic lectures and discussion circles for men, ladies and children, and family events on special occasions, there are many other services for the community (see community activities schedule). Mr Jeremy Corbyn, MP for Islington North, holds surgeries at the Mosque for local residents. Youth activities such as youth club, swimming sessions, football, supplementary sessions and gym are taking place on a daily basis (see youth activities schedule).
New Initiative
Community Centre plan
The centre has a conference hall which is centrally located, properly designed and dedicated gathering place for social events, wedding receptions, lectures, workshops, exhibitions, and conferences. It can also serve as a venue for training projects such; IT training, parenting skills, ESOL, drug awareness, business advice, confidence building and cultural awareness for youth and the community at large.
This would benefit the overall advancement of the community. It can also provide help and advice in all matters of the community day-to-day life, especially since many of the community members are from an immigrant background and find themselves in a new environment, and need all the help they can possibly get from the centre.
The local MPs and councilors will hold their surgeries and trained Imams will provide advice and counsel in many of the day-to-day concerns of the community, such as bereavement counseling, cultural challenges, generation gaps, and matrimonial problems. The Community Hall will be used for:
- Educational projects for children & adults
- A range of community, youth & welfare services
- Exhibition Centre
- Provision and services for women
- A dedicated youth centre
- An advice centre for the community
- Large class room for training
- Community centre hires for special events
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