Express & Star

Mosque opens up to public as part of open day

There were friendly smiles and warm greetings from members of a Black Country mosque as it opened its doors to the public.

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Dr Adeel Riaz, Shabir Hussain, Tanveer Akmal, Asma Shah, Seharish Akhtar, Sadiyah Bibi, and chairman Haroon Rashid welcome the community in for Mosque Open Day

The Aisha Mosque and Islamic Centre on Rutter Street in Walsall was one of many around the country to open up as part of Mosque Open Day on Sunday.

The national initiative, which opens up thousands of Mosques to showcase what they are about, was held for the first time since 2019 due to Covid restrictions and saw more than 100 people come to Aisha Mosque to take a look.

There were displays inside, discussions of where people go to pray and refreshments provided for free by the mosque, with volunteers helping to direct people throughout the day, with visitors including the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster.

Aisha Mosque chairman Haroon Rashid said the day had been very successful and said it showed the mosque was place people could visit at any time.

He said: "Today is very important to us because, first of all, the mosque is open all the time and we have visits throughout the year, but this is an annual event which we can publicise all over the community.

"It's a way of showing that it is not just a mosque or Islamic centre, but is a community centre for everyone to come and see and be part of it, and it's been really joyful to see lots of faces and families here.

"It's the first time in three years we've been able to do this and we hope this can help us to do more in the next year, with festivals around Ramadan and Eid-ul-Adha, the second Eid where we speak about the Prophet Abraham and his sacrifice to God.

"This is a big event where we can tell everyone about what we are about and we've been really happy with the amount of people who have been through."

PCC Foster also praised the event, speaking of the honour of being there.

He said: "It's been an absolute privilege and honour to attend this Mosque Open Day today.

"It has been wonderful to see people, family, friends and the local community coming together, united as one in order to enjoy and understand the work of this local mosque in the community."

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