Visitors gather as town’s mosques open their doors
MOSQUES threw open their doors to the community on Sunday.
Three mosques in Rochdale took part in the annual Visit My Mosque Day.
Golden Mosque on Lower Sheriff Street, Neeli Mosque on Hare Street and Bilal Mosque on Bulwer Street were among 200 mosques across the country taking part in the event, which aims to encourage people from all communities to visit their local mosque in a bid to dispel some of the myths and prejudices surrounding Islam.
Among the visitors were Rochdale MP Tony Lloyd and the Mayor, Coun Ian Duckworth.
Tahir Mahmood, representative of Golden Mosque, said: “Having done these open days for a few years now, we know how important it is to reach out to our non-Muslim neighbours and establish a cohesive community, one that we can all be proud of.
“These events are not about converting anyone, they are simply an opportunity for people to learn about Islam, Muslims and the work of a mosque for themselves rather than what they may have read or been told. The Golden Mosque runs projects that are aimed at all sections of the Rochdale community from Soup Kitchens to Fun Days.
“We also run a regular group (first Sunday of the month) for anyone who wants to learn more about Islam, so if you’ve missed out on the open day, please join us at one of these events.”
Imam Hassanat, of the Bilal Mosque, said: “This is the first time we have got involved in the Visit My Mosque Open Day and we are delighted with the result.
“We sent out an open invitation to the local community to tour the mosque, to speak to the imams and teachers/volunteers.
“We would like to thank everyone who attended and hope they took many positive experiences with them.
“We will be planning further activities and events open to all as well as build on the relationships we have made”
Imran Ahmed, representative of the Neeli Mosque, said: “We take part in the Visit My Mosque initiative every year.
“It was another opportunity to open our doors to the Rochdale community and invite people into our mosque and have a chat over tea and biscuits. We had a steady stream of visitors throughout the day and the feedback we received has been very positive from everyone that attended.”
Dobir Miah, of the Rochdale Council of Mosques, added: “I spent most of the day at the Bilal Mosque as it was their first time and also went to see the others and I met as many people as possible who took time out on a Sunday afternoon to meet their Muslim neighbours and see for themselves what goes on inside a mosque.
“It was very pleasing to see all three mosques had a steady flow of visitors coming and lots of questions being asked to dispel myths.”