Mosques Open Their Doors to Counter Rising Islamophobia

Across the United Kingdom, more than 100 mosques—including sites in London, Birmingham, Sheffield, Manchester, Glasgow, Southend and Cardiff—hosted “Visit My Mosque” open-day events this weekend. The programme, run by the Muslim Council of Britain, offers tea, cultural food, talks, multi-faith activities, art exhibitions and workshop discussions. At the London Islamic Cultural Society, police officers greeted visitors and about two dozen participants joined a round-table dialogue about faith and community life.

The Guardian

The open days occur against a backdrop of heightened hostility toward Muslim institutions. In the past three years the London Islamic Cultural Society endured a woman shouting that more children should be killed, and a gas-pipe sabotage that allowed dangerous leaks inside the building. Anti-Muslim and antisemitic incidents have risen sharply since the Hamas-led attacks on Israel and Israel’s war in Gaza, affecting both Muslim and Jewish congregations in mixed-community areas such as Haringey.

The Guardian

Muslim Council of Britain secretary-general Dr Wajid Akhter warned that algorithms and foreign-funded billionaires are fuelling toxic hate online and on the streets. Sufia Alam, head of the Maryam Centre at the East London mosque, stressed that hatred must not define relations with neighbours. Mohammed Kozbar, chair of Finsbury Park mosque, argued that openness, dialogue and solidarity are the best responses to rising Islamophobia. Bibi Khan, the first woman president of a UK mosque, said media portrayals often misrepresent community life and highlighted the need for direct communication.

The Guardian

Judith Prinsley, deputy for Muswell Hill United Synagogue and vice-chair of the Deputies of British Jews’ security division, attended the London event. She described recent antisemitic graffiti near her synagogue and expressed shock that the gas-pipe sabotage received little broader coverage. Prinsley and Khan, both members of the Haringey Multi-Faith Forum, underscored the importance of joint solidarity between Muslim and Jewish residents.

The Guardian

• “In the current climate, far too many people are getting their information about British Muslims and their neighbours from an algorithm and foreign-funded billionaires fuelling toxic hate towards faith communities, both online and on our streets in Britain.” — Muslim Council

The Guardian

• “We cannot allow hatred to define the relationship between Muslims and their neighbours,” — Sufia Alam

The Guardian

• “We have seen over the past year this manifest in the rise of Islamophobia.” — Mohammed Kozbar, the chair of Finsbury Park mosque

The Guardian

• “In this day and age, we see things in the media that don’t reflect what’s going on in our community. It’s so important for us to reach out and to be able to communicate exactly what’s happening with us in terms of our faith, the people we serve, what do we do and what we believe in,” — Khan. There

The Guardian