Giving back to the community, a London mosque offers hot meals and psychological support once a week for the city’s needy, reflecting one of the tenets of Islam of charity. Located in London Borough of Islington, Finsbury Park Mosque opens its doors for London’s homeless once a week to show the true face of Islam.
The project “is part of several inter-religious initiatives that aim to serve the communities around,” Mohammad Ali, the deputy director of the Mosque, told Al Jazeera on Saturday, August 8. Social workers at the mosque welcome dozens of needy people who come to share worries and hopes.
According to Ishiya, a volunteer at the mosque, the homeless are finding the social security they lack on the streets. The mosque hopes to provide better meals with more regularity, Ishiya added. It hosts a number of activities that target both Muslims and non-Muslims, “Muslims should have a role in social integration,” Ali explained.
The mosque, which has become a focal point in the community for interfaith and peaceful worship over the past 10 years, was often overshadowed by its old links with extremist preacher Abu Hamza, who was sentenced to life in US prison.
The mosque is now the only one in the country to have received the charity commission-zendorsed Visible Quality Award for its work in the community.
