"This is one of the main purposes of our mosque. As well as being a centre for education and prayer it is a place where we can integrate with the whole Crawley community."
Source/Credit: Crawley News
By Chris Ballinger | January 22, 2014
A NEW mosque has been officially opened in Langley Green after being converted from a former church.
The first Ahmadiyya Muslim Association mosque in Sussex, the Masjid Noor Mosque, had its opening ceremony on Saturday to mark the end of eight months of renovation work.
His Holiness, Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, the fifth Caliph (spiritual leader) and world head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, visited Crawley for the first time to unveil the new religious centre.
The building, in Langley Drive, was previously used by the Elim Pentecostal Church and internal and external redecoration has taken place.
The association's regional president Ahsan Ahmedi said: "We have built a small extension and installed a minaret (a spire which provides a visual focal point) as well as redecorating inside and out.
"The renovations in total cost more than £100,000, all paid for by our community."
About 500 people attended on the day, including 180 who were not part of the Muslim faith.
Mr Ahmedi added: "We want to reach out to the larger public in Crawley.
"Any person of any faith is welcome to come inside the mosque and pray. There are no restrictions.
"During the opening a Roman Catholic and a Protestant both offered their prayers inside the mosque with us.
"This is one of the main purposes of our mosque. As well as being a centre for education and prayer it is a place where we can integrate with the whole Crawley community."
The Ahmadiyya community in Sussex is made up of about 200 people, from 50 families, with the majority living in Crawley.
The mosque will also attract people who live in Brighton, Eastbourne and Haywards Heath, as well as Gatwick Airport workers.
Crawley's Ahmadiyya community also plans to use the mosque to help people in need across the town.
Mr Ahmedi added: "We want this to become a centre for the homeless and there are plans to set up a weekly coffee morning.
"This will be for people who are struggling and would like a free cup of coffee or tea."
The building was sold to the association in March 2012, with the church congregation moving services to Ifield.
Steps were taken by the Ahmadiyya community to avoid any ill feeling over the change of use.
Mr Ahmedi said: "When we bought the mosque we undertook a condition to make sure there would be no objection from the church and this was put in writing.
"If there had been any objection we would not have moved forward with this. We wanted to make sure the local community was not aggrieved."
The Ahmadiyya faith is a reformist movement promoting the peaceful message of Islam and was founded in India in 1889.
The opening of the mosque coincided with the centenary of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community launching in the UK.
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