Islam is one of the world’s fastest growing religions and the number of followers in the county continues to increase. It is estimated some 5,200 Muslims live in the Medway towns, around two per cent of the total population.
Source/Credit: Kent News | UK
By Joe Bill | February 1, 2014
THERE are dozens of mosques well established in the county, but for the first time the traditional dome and minaret familiar with the building will pierce the county’s skyline.
Set among the terraced houses of Richmond Road in Gillingham, the Nasir mosque will officially open next month, becoming the first purpose built facility in the county.
Currently, existing mosques in Kent are sited within converted buildings; taking on the role as a place of worship.
Dr Zahid Khan, who works in nearby Wigmore, is the spokesman for the new building.
He explained: “The building was the former Liberal club until it was transformed into a prayer hall in the 1970s. But it needed to be completely gutted. About 95 per cent of the building is new, only a few of the exterior walls are actually the same.
“The dome and minaret have been significant to our house of God for centuries. So from a distance you will see it’s a mosque, just like you would with a church. It’s a specific shape.
“There are many mosques in Kent of course, but as far as I am aware there are none with a dome or minaret.”
Islam is one of the world’s fastest growing religions and the number of followers in the county continues to increase.
It is estimated some 5,200 Muslims live in the Medway towns, around two per cent of the total population.
The numbers may appear small, but it makes the religion the second largest after Christianity.
The newly-built Nasir mosque was created by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association (AMA)– a particular sect of the religion which hails from the small village of Qadian in India in 1889, but has since spread to 150 million members around the world.
At its heart are the teachings of the holy prophet Hadhrat Muhammad.
With 250 members settled in the Medway area, the AMA has grown significantly. But why Gillingham?
“There is a reason why members of this faith settled here,” Dr Khan explains. “In 1964, Kenya was granted its independence from Britain and my family and others were all British citizens with passports.
“So my father made the choice to come to Britain, because his children were growing up and education was going to be an important thing.”
It was in fact the Chatham Dockyard that drew Dr Khan’s family to Medway
He added: “My father already had a friend here who told him that Gillingham was a place were you could come, get employment and get your children educated. So they were the reasons we came. And many people followed on that advice. Gillingham was also cheaper than London to settle down in but not far away.”
But for all the messages of peace and understanding contained within the pages of Islam’s holy text, the Quran, the actions of a minority of extremists continue to generate negative headlines, and in doing so create friction and a xenophobic streak within local communities, which breeds fear and resentment.
So could the new mosque, a very visible sign of Islam, create problems?
“No,” says Dr Khan, “we have never had any problems in this area.
“I have lived here in Gillingham since 1964. I grew up here, went to school in Rochester and own a dental practice nearby.”
Tensions are not unknown in the area, however.
In May last year, following the brutal slaying of Lee Rigby on the streets of Greenwich, there were a flurry of incidents nationwide against Muslims. Among them at another mosque in Gillingham’s Canterbury Street.
Thugs broke in and destroyed windows and books - reportedly targeting copies of the Quran.
Sheik Naseer Ahmad is president of the Kent branch of the AMA.
He said: “The mosque in Canterbury Street had some trouble, and it was all over the news.
“We’ve never had any major incidents and we have been very open about our existence here.
“We have had some youngsters who throw stones at the building and we have also had some graffiti on our property but that is all.
“We have been very fortunate that we have never had any trouble… but the motto of our community encompasses all we do; love for all, hatred for none.
“We normally have many open days at the mosque and we invite our neighbours in for question and answer sessions. If they have any questions about the religion they can ask us.”
Medway Council has welcomed the arrival of the Nasir mosque and is keen to encourage ethnic and religious diversity within the towns.
Community safety officer at the authority, Peter Hicks, said: “The council works with all communities in its area and is supportive of any new facilities that allow people to carry out their worship, whatever religion they are.
“It is good news that a new mosque is opening in Gillingham. I for one look forward to working with and meeting those that will use and run this place of worship as this will help strengthen the already very strong ties that are in place across all communities within Medway.”
Just 57 per cent of Medway’s population classed themselves as Christian in the 2011 census compared with 72 per cent in 2001.
Archdeacon Paul Wright, the Bishop of Rochester’s adviser for inter-faith concerns, hopes the Christian Church and the Muslim society in Medway can work together to better the community.
He said: “Clearly the opening of a purpose-built mosque in Gillingham is a sign of the growing diversity across Medway and beyond. As part of the Christian Church we clearly appreciate the important resource a building can be for any worshipping community.
“All faith communities have a significant contribution to make and I hope that the local churches will be able to develop ways of working with the Muslim community that gather here, and I wish them well in their endeavours.”
The minaret of a mosque is traditionally used as a tower to call Muslims to prayer. Familiar to anyone who has holidayed in a Muslim country, the call to prayer is normally broadcast over loudspeakers. This will not, however, be the case in Gillingham.
Dr Khan said: “There is always a call to prayer but it will done inside, so you won’t be able to hear it from outside. The minaret is more of an aesthetic feature in this building.
“A mosque can be of any design in Islam. We know that the first mosque in Islam in Medina at the time of the Prophet Mohammed was just a thatched building.
“A mosque is defined as a place where people can gather for prayers but as time has evolved the design has brought forward the minaret.”
Members of the Kent branch of the AMA contributed £450,000 to create the Nasir mosque which comes complete with prayer room, community rooms, disabled access and new kitchens.
Dr Khan said: “All of our funding is done by local members. We are not sponsored by any political party or government or foreign body. Any activities that we conduct here in Gillingham are funded on a voluntary basis by our members.
“They donate whatever they can and the enthusiasm for these types of projects is always there.”
The official opening of the mosque will take place in early March to mark the 50th anniversary of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community establishing itself in Kent.
It will include a visit from His Holiness Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad – the supreme head of the worldwide AMA.
Read original post here: County’s first domed mosque set to open
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