Glasgow Central Mosque

Mosque in Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom

55°51′9″N 4°15′3″W / 55.85250°N 4.25083°W / 55.85250; -4.25083ArchitectureTypemosqueCompleted1983Construction cost£3 millionSpecificationsCapacity2,500 worshipersDome(s)1Minaret(s)1

Glasgow Central Mosque is located on the south bank of the River Clyde in the Gorbals district of central Glasgow. The website "Muslims in Britain"[2] classifies the Glasgow Central Mosque as Deobandi.[1]

The Islamic Centre is the central institution for the local Muslim community, and is the largest community centre in Strathclyde. The mosque itself is Scotland's largest mosque.[3] The mosque was designed by W. M. Copeland & Associates in the Islamic style built in Old Red Sandstone, and was completed in 1983.[4]

The only minaret of the mosque

Controversies

In February 2016, Habib ur Rehman Rauf,[5] then-religious head of the mosque (who moved to an Edinburgh mosque in 2020), was quoted in the media supporting the actions of Mumtaz Qadri, who assassinated Pakistani politician Salman Taseer whilst acting as his security guard. Habib said his "comments were 'misconstrued' and said the situation had added to his 'sense of tragedy' following recent terror attacks."[6][7][8][9] Qadri disagreed with Taseer's opposition to Pakistan's blasphemy law.[10]

In April 2016, the International Business Times said that the mosque held annual Khatme Nabuwwat conferences. The mosque president, Dr Mohammed Shafi Kausar said there was no secular group at the mosque.[11] Also in April 2016, representatives of Glasgow Central Mosque ostensibly accepted but then declined to appear at the last minute at a vigil in memory of Asad Shah, a Pakistani shopkeeper assassinated by a Pakistani Muslim extremist.[12]

Imams

There are two Imams at Glasgow Central Mosque:[13]

  • Shaykh Abdul Ghafoor Ahmad
  • Qari Wali Ahmed

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Glasgow Central Mosque". Muslims in Britain. 25 April 2015. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
  2. ^ "Muslims In Britain".
  3. ^ Sutton, Matty (30 September 2012). "Scotland and Islam". www.heraldscotland.com. Retrieved 21 June 2014.
  4. ^ Historic Environment Scotland. "Glasgow, Gorbals Street, Glasgow Central Mosque (196583)". Canmore. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  5. ^ Sometimes spelled Habib ur Rahman Rauf
  6. ^ Profile of controversial imam, bbc.com. Accessed 19 October 2023.
  7. ^ "UK imam lauds extremist killer in Pakistan; courts controversy". India Today. PTI. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  8. ^ McKay, Calum (25 March 2016). "Glasgow mosque leader praises extremist killer". BBC News. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  9. ^ Piggott, Mark (25 March 2016). "Glasgow: Imam of Central Mosque criticised for praising Pakistani terrorist who killed politician". International Business Times. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  10. ^ Haider, Zeeshan; Georgy, Michael (4 January 2011). "Pakistan's Punjab province governor shot dead". Reuters. Retrieved 4 January 2011.
  11. ^ Porter, Tom (20 October 2016). "Glasgow Central Mosque accused of hiding links to anti-Ahmadi 'hate speech' group". International Business Times. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
  12. ^ Brooks, Libby (18 April 2016). "Scottish Muslim groups fail to attend Ahmadi anti-extremism event". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  13. ^ "Our Team – Glasgow Central Mosque".

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Glasgow Central Mosque.
  • Glasgow Central Mosque Official site
  • Glasgow Central Mosque
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