Ekip
February 15, 2018•Update: February 16, 2018
By Muhammad Mussa
LONDON
A yearly event which welcomes citizens in mosques across the U.K opened on Thursday with the aim to initiate interfaith dialogue.
Visit My Mosque, the brainchild of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), the largest group representing the community in the U.K., began in 2015.
The opening ceremony at the Muslim Cultural Heritage Centre in central London engaged the audience in a question and answer session.
The panel of speakers included Secretary General of the MCB Harun Khan, Labour MP Emma Dent and Councillor Gerard Hargreaves of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.
"Starting off with 20 Mosques in 2015, the initiative has grown in popularity, with 80 and then 150 mosques taking part in subsequent years," said Khan.
"Last February, with U.S. President Donald Trump's so-called Muslim-ban, tens of thousands of Britons flocked to their nearest participating mosques to show their support and solidarity," he added.
With over 200 mosques across the U.K. participating in the event this weekend, 2018 will see the largest number of mosques opening their doors to members of the public, under the theme of 'Open Doors, Open Mosques, Open Communities'.
Dent said: “This launch today and on Sunday is a day to celebrate. Open your doors and shout out loud about the work, much of which is done visibly and quietly and let the neighbourhood in. You as a community have taught me so much about your religion and humanity and fighting stereotypes.”
Khan revealed results of a startling poll. Nearly 70 percent Britons have never been inside another faith's place of worship, and nearly 90 percent have never been inside a mosque, in recent years.
The poll undertaken by YouGov was commissioned by the MCB.
It is important to note that Feb. 18 is not the only date members of the British public can visit mosques. Mosques across the U.K. are open to the public throughout the year.
