Mosque that shook off history of hatred

FINSBURY Park mosque in North London was once notorious as the base of Islamist hate preacher Abu Hamza.

But in the past decade it has become known as a beacon for community relations, actively promoting crossfaith cooperation.

The hook-handed cleric began spouting his vile messages shortly after becoming its imam in 1997 – and the authorities allowed him to disseminate his poisonous beliefs.

A roll-call of those who attended the mosque included July 7 suicide bombers Mohammad Sidique Khan, Shehzad Tanweer and Jermaine Lindsay.

Al Qaeda-trained terrorists who failed in major plots also came under his spell – shoebomber Richard Reid who tried to blow up an American Airlines flight from Paris to Miami in 2001, and police killer and ricin poison plotter Kamal Bourgass. In all, 2,000 fanatics are thought to have passed through the mosque’s doors. In April 2002, Hamza was formally suspended from his position by the Charity Commission for his inflammatory speeches.

Scandalously, he was allowed to continue his rants from the street outside.

Wikileaks documents revealed US intelligence chiefs once believed the mosque to be a ‘haven for Islamic extremists’.

New leadership took over when Hamza was eventually jailed for inciting murder and race hatred in 2006.

The mosque – opened by Prince Charles in 1994 – was later reclaimed by the local Muslim community, who have transformed it into a place that promotes better community relations across faiths.

But its chequered past means it remains a target of Islamophobes. In 201 a white man tried and failed to throw a petrol bomb over the railings.

And in 2010 vandals mounted a pig’s head on its gates. Just 48 hours earlier, the mosque had taken part in events to remember MP Jo Cox, who was murdered a year ago by a far-right extremist. Mohammed Kozbar, the mosque’s chairman, said members of Islington’s different faith communities had united for the weekend’s Great Get Together.

He said: ‘We met to remember Jo Cox, to honour and celebrate her affirmation that we all have more in common than we have things which differentiate us. We met to celebrate our friendship and our co-operation for the good of our neighbourhood.’

The mosque has also run exchanges with nearby St Thomas Church to increase understanding and friendship between Christians and Muslims.