Annual Report 2009/10 - East London Mosque and the Chocolate Factory here in the London Muslim Centre. We were delighted to host BBC ... Egypt and Umrah accompanied by Mosque’s Chief

Annual Report 2009/10

Our Mission

“To provide a range of holistic, culturally sensitive services for the communities of London

with a view to improving quality of life and enhancing

community cohesion”

Contents

Chairman’s Foreword 4

Executive Summary 5

Religious Services 6

Education And Training 8

Social Welfare 10

Community Cohesion 12

Economic Development 14

Premises 15

History and Archives 18

Comments from the Public 18

Conclusion 19

Management Committee 19

Timeline 20

Financial Statements 22

In the name of Allah, the most Beneficient, the Most Merciful.

This time last year work had just begun on our multi-storey expansion project. One year on an impressive steel structure rises high above our mosque, soon to become a hub of religious and social activity.

For the inauguration ceremony we were fortunate to have the most popular Imam from Makkah, Shaikh Abdur Rahman As-Sudais. Thousands came to pray behind him; just like the opening day of London Muslim Centre the streets were filled with people praying.

It is a source of comfort to all here that the popularity of the East London Mosque & London Muslim Centre continues to rise amongst ordinary Muslims, and our services to the community gain increasing recognition in wider society.

The forthcoming year is set to be very busy, with centenary celebrations commencing later in 2010, and the continuation of our fundraising campaign. Insha’Allah, during this centenary year we hope expand the work of our bustling complex in our aim to achieve the highest standards in our contribution to British society.

Dr Muhammad Abdul BariChairman

East London Mosque Trust Annual Report 2009/20104

Chairman’s Foreword

Executive Summary

In the name of Allah, the most Beneficient, the Most Merciful.

We have enjoyed yet another exciting year at the East London Mosque Trust (ELMT).

Highlights include breaking the Guinness World Record for the ‘most number of children reading with an adult’, a celebration of World Book Day 2010. Over 3000 children listened to readings of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory here in the London Muslim Centre.

We were delighted to host BBC Radio 4’s Any Questions, whose lively topical programme was brought to the London Muslim Centre (LMC) by London Citizens.

After several years of preparation and fundraising, work on ELM Phase 2 began with the demolition of the funeral service building. Despite the ongoing construction, the number of people attending the Mosque continued to increase.

Last Ramadan we set a new record for raising funds on Channel S, with over £1 million committed in one evening. Almost £1 million more was pledged on the 27th night of Ramadan in the East London Mosque. The Alhambra wall appeal proved to be a great incentive for people to donate to Phase 2.

We saw an increase in the number of worshippers during Ramadan. ELM

provided iftar for about 400 people every evening and also supported an Eid dinner for newly arrived students.

The advice and counselling sessions run by our Imams continue to be very popular, with daily surgeries allowing people to address a wide range of personal and family issues.

There were many health related events this year in the LMC organised by our Faith in Health project, attended by hundreds of local people. The project worked with NHS Tower Hamlets during the Swine Flu outbreak in 2009 to raise awareness in the mosques of Tower Hamlets with speed and efficiency.

ELM Women’s Link has made good progress in terms of service delivery. It has been awarded the Matrix Standard, the quality standard for information, advice and guidance services.

The Open Days organised by the Islam Awareness Project continue to attract hundreds of visitors. A dinner organised by our partner organisations with our non-Muslims neighbours and colleagues was very successful, attracting more than 300 guests.

ELMT continues to work closely with London Citizens, Tower Hamlets Inter-Faith Forum, and Faiths Forum for London, supporting the campaigns they have initiated for the common good.

Several of our staff and volunteers benefited from the community leadership courses delivered by London Citizens.

Our Way to Work project is coming to the end of its four-year term. Originally a two-year project, the London Development Agency extended the term due to its award-winning success. Our advice and guidance counsellors did an excellent job, exceeding their delivery outputs every year by providing training for the unemployed and securing jobs for around 200 people in the last year alone.

Our main focus in the coming year will be to raise the required funds to complete Phase 2 and to plan for the projects and services to be based in the new building. We pray to Allah (SWT) that He gives us the ability to continue to provide valuable services to the community and work for the common good for all.

Dilowar Hussain KhanExecutive Director

Executive Summary 5

Prayer Facilities

The number of people attending the Mosque for congregational prayers continues to increase. Every day staff remain on duty to ensure worshippers can get in and out easily and find a place to pray.

It is estimated up to 5,000 people attend on Fridays for Jumuah prayer, and some late arrivals pray outside on the pavement. All floors in both the Mosque and Centre are used. Staff and volunteers help to ensure the areas used for prayers are filled fully and safely. British Sign Language interpreters are there for the growing number of worshippers from the Deaf community.

Special arrangements have been put in place to facilitate funeral prayers during the construction period.

New Muslims

The Mosque, through the Islam Awareness Project (IAP), continues to provide regular classes for men and women to learn the basic beliefs and practices of Islam. There is also good support for those who have questions about Islam and need help with their journey to Islam. IAP organises regular activities to make New Muslims feel more part of the Muslim community. There are social gatherings, Eid and Iftar occasions, residential programmes, and much more.

Religious Teaching

A core function of the Mosque is to help people to learn about their religion. There are a number of weekly sessions running in the Mosque in English, Somali, Bengali and Arabic. As in previous years, two training programmes were held before the Hajj season, one in Bengali and one in English, with an estimated 800 people attending both programmes.

Adhan Radio

This valuable service continues to provide access to the Call to Prayer, Friday Prayer, evening prayers in Ramadan, and selected programmes for those at home. It is estimated there are nearly 3,000 adhan radios in circulation.

Ramadan

At its peak almost 5,000 people attended the tarawih prayers (special prayers for Ramadan in the late evening), filling the entire mosque and centre.

The Mosque hosted about 400 people every day in Ramadan for Iftar, the breaking of the fast. An appeal was made to the community including businesses to donate towards the Iftar fund. The response was very good with an estimated 40% of costs being covered by donations and food from local businesses.

Sventy people performed I’tikaf (seclusion) in the Mosque. Due to the overwhelming demand this year a lottery system was held to select people.

Almost £50,000 was collected by other organisations in Ramadan for a variety of good causes. Cash collections also raised more than £87,452 for the Mosque and ELM Phase 2.

Eid

The Mosque is always extremely busy for Eid, offering several congregations to cope with the numbers of people. Eid Al-Fitr was offered in 5 congregations, with £39,515 collected in Zakah Al-Fitr (to give to the poor), and £21,944 in donations. Eid Al-Adha was offered in 4 congregations, and £22,944 was collected in donations.


Religious Services

Religious Services 7

The Friday sermon translated into British Sign Language

Improving School Attendance in Partnership (ISAP)

ISAP had another exciting and busy year. It continued its core work of delivering the attendance and attainment message through activities including school assemblies, home visits and workshops with both parents and pupils.

The partnership work of ISAP now extends to over 20 primary and secondary schools. ISAP engaged with almost 200 families each term – over 500 in the year.

A new initiative piloted this year was the ‘Primary-Secondary Transition Project’. Here ISAP worked with a selected number of Year 6 pupils to support their transition to secondary school. The pupils were referred to us in their final term of primary school and stayed on the project two terms into their secondary school. This pilot was between Stebon Primary School and St Paul’s Way Community School.

Bow Boys became the third secondary school to use the project’s attendance and attainment services. The work with Swanlea School and Stepney Green School has developed further and ISAP pupils have shown very positive results.

ISAP came second in the Muslim News Awards in the category of Excellence in Education.

As in previous years, ISAP held a series of class competitions amongst the ISAP primary schools – very popular with pupils!

ISAP provides families with support and assistance to ensure their children get the best out of school. School head teachers and staff were impressed with ISAP’s work and the results ISAP pupils managed to achieve.

London East Academy (LEA)

For the second year running all secondary pupils achieved at least 5 A* to C in GCSEs and a CIE (Certificate in Islamic Education). The LEA can accommodate up to 150 secondary pupils. Year 11 and 6th Form students went on a trip to Egypt and Umrah accompanied by Mosque’s Chief Imam, Shaikh Abdul Qayum.

The primary provision, Al Mizan Primary School, continues to deliver a timetable split evenly between memorisation of the Qur’an and the National Curriculum. This year there were 72 boys on roll in three classes, years 3, 4 and 5. There has been a continued effort to enrich the curriculum through outside activities and trips, including swimming, a trip to the 1001 Islamic Inventions Exhibition at the Science Museum, and fitness and football coaching.

The LEA Sixth Form had 17 students taking between them 12 different AS and A2 subjects along with Islamic Sciences and Arabic. Three of its students were offered scholarships to enter Al Azhar. Applications have also been made to Madinah University and Umm Al Qurra in Makkah. Other students have also applied to universities in

the UK. Some of the subjects have been offered in partnership with Tower Hamlets College and Jamiatul Ummah Sixth Form. The consortium between LEA Sixth Form, Ebrahim College and Jamiatul Ummah has made some progress and efforts are continuing to strengthen the links.

Saturday Islamic School (SIS)

The Saturday Islamic School teaches children about the basics of Islam, Qur’an and Arabic language. It has a partnership with Stepney Green Maths and Computing College (SGC), and St Paul’s Way Community School where classes started from February 2009. SIS classes are spread across the ELM, LMC, SGC and St Paul’s Way, catering for about 500 girls and boys aged between 6 and 13 years. A further 25 students attend the 13+ provision to learn Arabic language to a GCSE standard.

Evening Madrasah

The Evening Madrasah provides classes for children from Monday to Friday from 5 to 7 each evening. There are over 270 students on roll with more on the waiting list. The Madrasah’s curriculum delivers basic teaching about Islam in a positive, support environment. It has recently adopted an Islamic Citizenship programme in two classes through Tower Hamlets’ Community Language Services Authority.


Education and Training

Summer Supplementary Course

This popular course ran for two weeks in the summer of 2009 with the theme ‘Footsteps to Ramadan’. As well as teaching participants the basic principles of Islam, it included a wide variety of recreational activities such as arts and crafts, football, t-shirt printing, and team building activities. The course also included trips for each class such as bowling, ice skating, and was concluded with an awards ceremony providing gifts and certificates for all participants. Separate classes were run for boys and girls aged 8–16, with approximately 250 attendees.

Al Baseera Institute of Arabic & Islamic Studies

Al Baseera will offer the following courses subject to demand: Arabic language levels 1 & 2, Tajweed for Beginners, Intermediate and Advanced, Hadith, Fiqh, Aqeedah and Islamic History.

The fee-free courses offered by Al Baseera have been very successful with attendance in the hundreds. These courses have included Hajj Taleem, Umrah Seminar, Tafsir al Qurtubi, Qur’an class, etc.

Library

The library opening hours have been slightly extended again; it now opens from Monday to Thursday 4.00 – 8.00 PM, and Friday, Saturday and Sunday 2.00 – 8.00 PM, with some seasonal adjustment around the prayer times.

An additional six computers, which had been donated to the mosque, were added to the library to bring the total to sixteen. New books in Arabic and English have been bought to expand the library’s collection to over 6,500, which includes over 600 books in Bengali and over 500 for children.

The number of users is steadily increasing, and currently stands at about 1,500 visits per month.

Food 4 Thought (F4T)

Food 4 Thought continued its successful work at the LMC every Sunday. The Study Support Programme focuses its efforts on supporting students in the core curriculum subjects of English, Mathematics and Science. The service is targeted at pupils in key stages three and four, helping to instil a deep enthusiasm and interest in learning. The aim is to inspire young people to reach greater heights by providing support to achieve higher grades at GCSEs through student-focused teaching, one-to-one support and self development sessions designed to strengthen an individual’s outlook and character. F4T has successfully continued its homework club sessions at the Ideas Store, Whitechapel, on Wednesday afternoons for Years 7 and 8.

Rainbow House Children’s Centre

Rainbow House Children’s Centre, open six days a week, is dedicated to quality provision for under 8-year-olds, including morning and afternoon pre-school sessions, an Arabic language club and crèche services.

With all its sessions currently running at maximum capacity it sees over 100 children and parents benefiting from its services every week. Its recent Ofsted report highlighted the quality of the services provided by its staff and the vibrant environment in which children learn and grow.

Islamic Circles for Deaf Children

ELMT works closely with Al Ishara to provide Islamic learning for deaf people. Regular Islamic circles are organised every Saturday at the LMC for deaf children, aged 7–16. Last summer ELMT launched the Friday sermon in British Sign Language; this has been particularly well received with 50–75 deaf people travelling in specifically to take part in the Jumuah prayer as a result of this service. Jumuah prayer is followed by a study circle in BSL discussing the subject matter in the sermon.

Junior Muslim Circle

The Junior Muslim Circle holds regular weekend Islamic circles for boys and girls (about 200 in total) teaching basic Islamic tenets and manners whilst building a lasting relationship with the Mosque and other Muslim youth.

It organises a variety of indoor and outdoor activities, and arranges trips and activity days during the school holidays, such as the JMC Summer Scheme. It involves young people in charity fundraising activities, and helps them develop positive life skills (e.g. outside speakers for citizenship, team building exercises, first aid training).

Education and Training 9

8th East London Scout GroupEvening madrasah girls singing a nasheed

Help, Advice and Counselling

The Mosque is a vital point of contact for advice, guidance and support on religious and personal matters for people of all ages and backgrounds. Enquiries are received in person, by letter, email and phone. The large volume of enquiries places a huge workload on the Imams, especially the Chief Imam; most people ask to see or speak to him when they contact the Mosque because of his knowledge and experience. It is also difficult for reception staff to field enquiries from the public because the Imams are so busy. Even with dedicated surgery hours it is often not possible to deal with all the enquiries. ELM is considering employing an additional Imam if a suitable candidate can be found.

Jamiat-ul-Muslimin

Jamiat-ul-Muslimin is a volunteer organisation for the East London Mosque with over 120 members. It has regular responsibilities for the Friday prayer including stewarding the Mosque and parts of the LMC, and all the collections in both buildings. It also helps to facilitate prayer in Ramadan and on the Eid days, as well as supporting I’tikaf at the end of Ramadan.

Its members have played an active role in developing a community fundraising team for ELM’s new development, Phase 2. Jamiat-ul-Muslimin’s volunteers have committed to raise £145,000.

It gave significant support for the Channel S appeal during Ramadan, when over 50 volunteers assisted by taking phone calls and helping the staff to manage the event smoothly.

Working in Partnership

The Mosque has continued to work in partnership with many organisations and bodies on issues of common interest. Particular partnerships have been with the Tower Hamlets Interfaith Forum in delivering an international excursion to Bosnia-Herzegovina, forming United East End to challenge racism and fascism, and being a founding member of Faith Forum for London.

Attestations and Nikah Registration

The Imams receive many requests to provide attestations and references for people, such as providing proof that someone belongs to a religious community, work related issues, etc. Performing Nikah (Islamic marriage solemnisation) is one of the functions of the Imams and this service is headed by the Muezzin.

Al-Ihsan Marriage & Family Advice Service

AIMFAS continued to provide a valuable service to the community and has made many improvements. The AIMFAS Office, based in the foyer of the Mosque, is now open four days a week to deal with the growing number of enquiries. The marriage service is complimented by other services provided by AIMFAS

including seminars raising awareness of the importance of marriage, advice and counselling, etc.

Charity Collections at East London Mosque (excluding Ramadan)

External organisations collected more than £60,000 (excluding Ramadan – see page 6 for Ramadan collections) for various causes including disaster relief, supporting mosques and Islamic centres, and many more worthy causes. Almost a quarter of the collections went to help and support organisations in the UK. The huge response to the humanitarian disaster after the Haiti earthquake can also be seen with 26% of the amount collected going to charities involved in the disaster relief efforts in Haiti.


Social Welfare

Faith in Health

During the past year Faith in Health has continued to work in partnership with NHS Tower Hamlets to raise awareness of health services in Tower Hamlets. The project organised three of its ‘Health Connex’ events, where NHS Tower Hamlets as well as other health providers were able to showcase the free services available to the community.

The project continued an outreach programme with most of the mosques and doctors’ surgeries in Tower Hamlets, building relationships and gathering information from worshippers and patients about their health issues.

The project facilitated Imam training sessions where they learned about health issues that affect the community. The aim was to help Imams understand local health services and how they can help the community reduce health inequalities. The sessions were attended by an average of 60 Imams.

The project worked with NHS Tower Hamlets during the Swine Flu outbreak in 2009 to raise awareness in the mosques in Tower Hamlets with speed and efficiency.

ELM Women’s Link

Based in the East London Mosque, ELM Women’s Link offers a culturally sensitive, faith based service to women both in the local community, across London and by telephone, email and post throughout England.

The service has four key strands: access to learning and work; sports, health and recreation; family support; and other services such as weekly Mosque tours, Jumuah support, general advocacy and an ongoing volunteer programme. Women’s Link works in partnership with a range of organisations both to signpost and make referrals.

Women’s Link provides information, advice and guidance through an appointment system and clients are usually seen within five working days. There is a drop-in session once a week for the general public to access the services.

Women’s Link organises the annual International Women’s Day event which is held at the London Muslim Centre, and also a Fun Day during the summer break.

Women’s Link has recently been awarded the Matrix Standard, the quality standard for information, advice and guidance services.

Pro Bono in the LMC (PBLMC)

Pro Bono in the LMC is a voluntary, not-for-profit organisation that provides free help to those in need in obtaining legal advice and assistance. PBLMC refers clients to city firms such as, HoganLovells, ReedSmith and others, such as local solicitors. It works together with the Solicitors’ Pro Bono network known as LawWorks and the Bar Pro Bono Unit.

PBLMC now offers its free legal surgeries from the 4th floor of the

LMC; this allows greater community access. In the last year PBLMC has seen over 100 clients, and of those 60% were non-Muslim. Indeed, in the past four years over 700 people have come through its doors seeking assistance. PBLMC also operates a Saturday clinic at the Idea Store in Whitechapel.

Somali Development Association (SDA)

The SDA raised over £9,000 for charitable work in Somalia. It successfully extended its charitable objects to include overseas aid to assist in education. It built a school that caters for over 500 children.

The SDA has grown in student numbers again; at present there are 140 boys and girls, aged 4–16, from Bangladeshi, Somali, Arab, and other African and Asian and backgrounds.

North African Community Association (NACA)

The NACA provides a number of services for both children and adults. These include children’s classes, parental support, family counselling and health advice. It has about 50 pupils enrolled for its weekend school, Baraim-ul-Iman. Over the past year, the family counselling service has been very successful, reuniting several families on the verge of separation and divorce. NACA also holds Arabic and Qur’an classes for adults.

Social Welfare 11

Sheikh Abdul Qayum visits St. Joesph’s Hospice

Exhibition and Open Days

The Islam Awareness Project organised regular Open Days at the Mosque and Centre to promote a better understanding of Islam and to build bridges within communities. Visitors can browse a comprehensive exhibition aimed at conveying the real message of Islam. There are tours throughout the day and everyone is given a gift pack to take away. The feedback from visitors has been very positive.

Visitors and School Visits

In the last twelve months, 82 groups visited the East London Mosque and London Muslim Centre from schools, universities and professional bodies. A total of 2,083 visitors were given guided tours by members of staff. In May an activity book for children (developed by the Islam Awareness Project) was launched providing basic information and tasks for them to do whilst visiting the Mosque.

Muslim Community Radio (MCR)

ELMT continued its partnership with Islamic Forum of Europe (IFE) to run the radio station throughout Ramadan. Volunteers created, produced and presented original programming throughout the schedule. Issues tackled included citizenship and political participation to more local issues such as education, housing, drugs and the environment. MCR continued to run a limited weekend service after Ramadan over the internet. It will work closely with IFE to bring to the people of East London a long term radio licence that will enable MCR to broadcast throughout the year.

Visits by Dignitaries

The Imam of Masjidul Haram in Makkah, Shaikh Abdur Rahman As-Sudais, visited the Mosque and Centre in July 2009. The Mosque also played host to BBC Any Questions, presented by Jonathan Dimbleby, with guests including former Mayor of London, Ken Livingston and fomer Chancellor of the Exchequer, Kenneth Clark. The new Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, visited the Mosque and Centre during Ramadan. Professor Michael Sandel, an American political philosopher and a professor at Harvard University, also visited as part of a TELCO programme.

Media

There has been media coverage for several events and occasions such as the visits of Shaikh As-Sudais and Mayor Boris Johnson, the breaking of the Guinness World Record for the ‘number of children reading with an adult’, and BBC Radio 4’s Any Questions hosted at the LMC.

A partnership has been initiated with Iqra Television to broadcast a recording of our Friday khutbah.

The ELMT website is under constant development. A dedicated section for ELM Phase 2 has been created, containing information and pictures on the construction. The development team is now in the first stages of formulating a complete redesign of the website to reflect changes in use over recent years.

Two newsletters were published to keep the congregation in touch

with events at the Mosque, with news of events taking place as well as information on the new ELM Phase 2 development. A Ramadan timetable was printed with support from NHS Tower Hamlets who were promoting their ‘Smoking Cessation’ service to the community. 30,000 copies were distributed throughout the month, and a full-page of East End Life was used to bring the timetable to a larger audience.

Working with Community Organisations

ELMT continues to work with many organisations and bodies to further the interests of London’s communities, including:• TowerHamletsInterfaithForum• TheEastLondonCommunities

Organisation (TELCO)• IslamicForumofEurope(IFE),

Muslimaat UK and Young Muslim Organisation (YMO)

Criminal Records Bureau Disclosure Service

ELMT has continued to provide this valuable service to other community groups and organisations. There has been an increase in the number of organisations wanting to register with the service this year and ELMT has tried to accommodate as many as possible. Between June 2009 and May 2010 165 disclosures were successfully completed.


Community Cohesion

Community Cohesion 13

Grand Mufti of Bosnia reminds us of Srebrenica massacre

Mohamed Zabadne talks to Yusuf Islam about Phase 2

Boris Jonson Mayor of London visits during Ramadan

LMC Hosts BBC Radio 4 Any Questions

Way to Work Project

Way to Work continued to provide valuable support to the community by offering employer focussed training and qualifications as well as securing sustainable employment. Often becoming job ready is a big challenge for its clients, so a large part of the employment support is through mentoring, advice and guidance. Way to Work’s key partners and funders include the London Development Agency, London Borough of Tower Hamlets and Community Consortium Against Poverty.

In 2009–10 Way to Work placed 140 people into jobs, trained 190 clients, and provided employment support to 324 individuals.

Way to Work has delivered unique training modules in partnership with NHS Tower Hamlets and CCAP. The objective was to access the long term unemployed and motivate them through faith based teachings to seek employment rather than being dependent on state benefits.

Faith Regen at the LMC

Faith Regen Foundation has continued to work in partnership with the LMC to deliver education and training to those hard to engage groups. The following programmes and courses are currently being delivered: Learn Direct accredited courses, ESOL Classes, Basic Skills for numeracy and literacy, Basic ICT skills.

LMC Business Wing and Other Tenants

ELMT has a number of businesses as tenants in the LMC Business Wing and the Mosque shop. The businesses are doing reasonably well despite the difficult financial situation that all businesses are facing at present, in the current economic downturn.

One of the two shops in the Mosque was vacated to be converted into a fire escape because of the Phase 2 development. The other shop was also vacated to be used in part as a site office for Phase 2 and for Haji Taslim Funerals’ office due to the demolition of their premises. This second shop will be available for commercial letting once the site office is no longer required.


Economic Development

Premises 15

Renovation, Redecoration and Outfitting Works

The area above the LMC entrance, behind the mosaic, was converted into a substantial storage area, with access from the corridor created at the end of the LMC 1st floor corridor, and stepped access to the ELM roof.

Rainbow House nursery was given a complete interior repainting in bright colours.

The Chief Imam receives many visitors, but his original office was too small. By converting the office in the Reception area, a significantly larger office was created.

There were severe water pressure problems in the ELM Women’s ablutions. Initially it was planned to reroute a supply from the LMC, but in the end the best solution was to put in pumps and pressurise the mosque system. This has completely solved the water pressure problem. At the same time, all the taps were changed for new, aerated push-button taps. A baby-change unit was also installed.

Additionally, in both the Mosque and Centre bypasses were installed so that in the event of a power cut water would still come into the building under mains pressure for the LMC, and tank pressure for the ELM.

The LMC first floor hall was fully redecorated.

The communal areas and second floor of the LMC Business Wing were redecorated.

The room on the 4th floor previously used by Middle Path Media was converted into an office shared by Way to Work and Pro Bono in the LMC, who moved from the Business Wing, making their services even more accessible.

Projects and User Groups of ELMT

The following projects/user groups are using the rooms and halls of LMC on a regular basis: • ImprovingSchoolAttendanceand

Attainment in Partnership• Women’sLink• AlMizanTahfizulQuranMadrasah• ELMEveningMadrasah• LondonEastAcademy• SaturdayIslamicSchool• Al-BaseeraInstitute• SomaliDevelopmentAssociation• NorthAfricanCommunity

Association• FaithRegenFoundation• BangladeshForumEurope• DeafMuslimProject• ProBonointheLMC• FaithinHealth• IslamicForumofEurope• YoungMuslimOrganisationUK• MuslimaatUK• SaturdayHalaqa• IslamAwarenessProject• JuniorMuslimCircle• RainbowHousePlayGroup• CouncilofMosques-Tower

Hamlets • WaytoWork• Library• Food4ThoughtSupplementary

School• School/CollegeLinkProject• AssociationofIslamicTeachersUK

Events Bookings in LMC

The LMC is a popular venue for weddings, conference, seminars, and other hires. Managing the diverse use of the LMC is very challenging; it means balancing the needs of the schools, internal user groups and worshippers in Ramadan with the necessity to generate income to pay for the running of the centre.

Some of the organisations who held their events at the London Muslim Centre in the last year include:

• Al-MuntadaAl-Islami• AlIsharah• AmanahInvestmentLtd(AIC)• AssociationofMuslimGovernors• BangladeshFootballAssociation

(BFA)• Barts&theLondonHospital• BBCRadio4• BritishBangladeshChambersof

Commerce (BBCC)• ChannelS• CommonPurpose• CommunitiesAgainstDrugsand

Alcohol Abuse (CADAA)• TheCordobaFoundation• DeafMuslimUK• EastAfricaWelfare• Ernst&Young• ExeterUniversity• EXIMBank• FairTrade• FOSIS• FriendsofAl-Aqsa• FriendsoftheCitizenFoundation• GreaterSylhetCouncil• IbrahimCollege• IFCharity• IslamicRelief• JagonariWomen’sCentre

Premises

• LondonBoroughofHackney• LondonBoroughofTower

Hamlets• LondonCitizens• MuslimCouncilofBritain(MCB)• MarkfieldInstituteofHigher

Education (MIHE)• MuslimAid• MuslimHands• MuslimSafetyForum• NAFAS• NHS(VariousDepartments)• NorthEastLondonCancer

Network• NYSCorporate• ProBonointheLMC• QueenMaryUniversity• ReedinPartnership• SalaamInsurance• TELCO• TowerHamletsCollege• TowerHamletsRacialEquality

Council• TowerHamletsVolunteerSector• ULUISOC• UmmahWelfareTrust• UnitedAirways• WorkingLinks• YMCAFitness

Technical Services

The complex now has a substantial network which has grown to meet the needs of staff, projects, schools and the library. Our Technical Manager has been joined by an additional technician; together they provide all the day-to-day support and continue to develop and expand our services. They are also putting

together the specifications for the substantial expansion that Phase 2 will require.

Our AV facilities are critical not only for prayers but also facilitating a wide variety of events. This includes the live relaying of prayers, recording, facilitating events of all sizes, and integrating with MCR and our Adhan Radio network. During the next year a new AV system will be required for Phase 2.

ELM – Phase 2

Enabling works for Phase 2 began in June 2009. The sequence of works so far has been:

• Demolitionofthefuneralbuildings.

• Creationofnewfireexitroutesfrom ELM halls through pervious shop at 98 Whitechapel Road.

• Excavationofsite.• Pilingandfoundations.• Formationofbasementarea.• Erectionofsteelstructure.• Creationoffloors.• Internalblocklayoutofbasement

and ramp to street level.

The brief for the development has been refined, with some renumbering of the floors:

B Basement: a single basement which will contain improved funeral facilities, car and bicycle parking, and male ablutions.

G Ground: a new prayer hall, joined to the existing main hall, with a new mihrab, internally about 6m high with no columns. In front of the mihrab is an area for coffins for funeral prayers, and a small rest room for Imams. The large entrance lobby has a small reception office, and a lift and stairs to all but the seventh floor. The lobby connects with both the mosque and the LMC concourse. Ramps provide wheelchair access to both halls, and to the LMC concourse. There is a separate, women-only entrance with a second, extra-large lift servicing all floors, stairs down to the funeral services and up to all floors, and a ramped car park entrance.

1 First floor: the high hall allows the creation of a surrounding mezzanine level, with a viewing gallery and media room for visitors, exhibition and meeting space, and the first level of a substantial two-tier office area dedicated to women’s projects. This floor connects to the first floor of the mosque and the first floor of the LMC.

2 Second floor: a new prayer hall for women, with rooms at the back for children, and a lobby area with two buggy parks, complemented by a large women’s ablutions area. There is also a large meeting room, and the second tier of the women’s project offices.


Premises 17

3 Third floor: a multipurpose hall that can be used by pupils from the new school, as additional prayer space for women, and as a conference/function facility. This floor also has a hospitality room.

4 Fourth floor: first of two education floors, with 5 classrooms, including ICT, reception and all necessary ancillary rooms. This has been designated for the new full-time

girls’ secondary school, with some additional rooms available to expand existing primary provision. It is joined to the next floor by an internal staircase.

5 Fifth floor: second of education floors, with 5 classrooms, including a Science Laboratory, and ancillary rooms. This has been designated for secondary only.

6 Sixth floor: the main part of this floor will be a women’s health and fitness centre, with a café and other services; this will help generate income for the centre whilst providing a much needed resource. The remainder of the floor will be for family services.

7 Seventh floor: Caretaker/guest accommodation and HVAC service for the building.

Comments from the Public

The East London Mosque Trust represents the culmination of 100 years of collaboration and cooperation between numerous men and women, Muslim and non-Muslim. 2010 is the year that we begin to celebrate this legacy through a year-long centenary of community activities and publications. It will start in September with a community fair to mark the end of Ramadan, and continue with a range of activities planned to mark the centenary,

including the launch of a new webpage with information and resources about the history of Islam and Muslims in East London; a series of lectures dealing with the historical presence of Muslims in Europe, Britain and London and our future; a volume of community written biographies of the personalities that helped shape the situation of the Muslims in East London over the last century; and, a permanent exhibition in the ELM’s new building.

An academic contribution is due to be published in November 2010 through our partnership with Royal Holloway, University of London. An annotated version of the London Mosque Fund minute books with introduction and commentary in the Royal Historic Society’s auspicious Camden Series will tell the story of the development of Muslim infrastructure in East London.


ISAP Comments:

“Since ISAP’s intervention and support my child’s attendance

figures have significantly improved. I’m extremely proud and

feel really motivate to try harder as a parent”. (Parent from Columbia Primary School)

Faith in Health:

‘‘I attended the Health Connex event at the London Muslim

Centre. It was nice to see these events in the Mosque, good

activities and great healthy food!” Comment from member of the public

History and Archives

As the organisation prepares for the new development, we have seen some disruption to the general services and will see more over the next year. I will take this opportunity to compliment all the staff and volunteers for keeping the services operational, and to all our user groups for their patience and perseverance. May Allah reward us all with a magnificent facility that is fitting for our community.

I am humbled yet again by our supporters’ commitment in donating to this House of Allah; last Ramadan

we achieved a record in raising £1m in one night, and £2m in overall commitments. We still have a momentous challenge ahead of us in meeting our building costs, and I have high hopes that the community will come forward to help the Mosque meet its fundraising targets once again.

The preparation for the Centenary Celebrations is well underway, and we have planned for a year-long celebration that involves all the sections of our community with a host of activities and events.

I encourage you to get involved and volunteer your time for what promises to be a historic year for the East London Mosque Trust.

May Allah be pleased with us and bless all our endeavours.

Ayub KhanSecretary

Conclusion | Management Committee 19

Management Committee 18th July 2009 to 17th July 2010

The Trustees of the East London Mosque Trust during the session, who act as the Management Committee, were:

01 Dr Abdul Bari (Chairman)02 Muhammad Siddique (Treasurer)03 Ayub Khan (Secretary)04 Muhammad Habibur Rahman (Vice-Chairman)05 Mohammad Abdul Malik (Assistant Treasurer)06 Sirajul Islam07 Musaddiq Ahmed08 Abdur Rahman09 Ahmed Abdel Mohsen Ahmed10 Dr Abdul Hayee Murshad11 Ismail Jama Salah12 Mahera Ruby13 Rahela Choudhury14 Muhammad Rahmani15 Tobaris Ali

Conclusion

Timeline


1905 First ‘Eid prayer held at London’s Hyde Park by prominent British Muslims in treacherous weather conditions.

1910 First meeting organised to raise funds to establish a Mosque and Islamic Centre in London. Jumu’ah (Friday) Prayers begin at hired halls.

1935 As more and more Muslim sailors settled in East London, Friday prayers and ‘Eid Prayers moved to the area.

1938 The Trustees purchase a house for use as a Mosque and hostel for Muslim sailors living in East London.

1940 Three houses purchased for the Mosque and Islamic Cultural Centre.

1941 Official opening of the East London Mosque on Friday 1st August. The Jumu’ah prayer was lead by His Excellency Sheikh Hafiz Wahba, Ambassador of Saudi Arabia.

1975 The Greater London Council (GLC) under compulsory purchase order acquired the three buildings in Commercial Road and in return provided land and temporary buildings on Whitechapel Road, London E1.

1983 The foundation stone of the East London Mosque was laid, this was followed by a generous donation by HRH King Fahd of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

1985 The official opening of the newly built East London Mosque by Sheikh Abdullah bin Subail, Imam of Masjidul Haram, Makkah on Friday 12th July 1985.

1999 As Muslim population in the area grew considerably the need for a larger Mosque and Islamic Centre was ever more imperative. East London Mosque raised £600,000 from the local community to buy the adjacent disused land to develop its extension programme.

2000 The land was officially purchased and planning began in earnest to build the extension programme to house much needed community facilities.

2002 ELM acquires full planning permission for the extension programme titled the ‘London Muslim Centre’ from the Local Council. A very comprehensive fundraising programme begins which amounts to over £6m donated by the public.

2004 Opening of the London Muslim Centre, 11th June 2004, where over 15,000 people congregated to pray with Sheikh Abdur Rahman Sudais, Imam of Masjidul Haram, Makkah. Establishment of secondary educational facilities and the London East Academy.

2006 Establishment of employment and training projects.

2008 Planning, Design and Consultation for the proposed new development of the East London Mosque.

2009 Sheikh Abdur Rahman Sudais, Imam of Masjidul Haram, Makkah leads groundbreaking ceremony in August 2009. This marks the expansion of the Mosque and women’s facilities.

2010 Centenary Celebrations marking 100 years of the East London Mosque Trust and the opening of the new building.

A brief historical timeline of

East London Mosque and

London Muslim Centre:

Timeline 21

Sheikh Hafiz Wahba delivering the Khutbah

Gathering at the laying of the foundation stone ceremony, 1982

Friday Prayers outside the Fieldgate St Mosque. Late 1970s

Concept artwork for the Maryam CentreFundraising rally for the LMC

Ceremony after the local Muslim community raised 600k


INCOME AND EXPENDITURE Restricted Unrestricted Total 2010 Total 2009

£ £ £ £

Incoming Resources

Donations 51,069 1,061,362 1,112,431 747,768

Rent and Service Charges - 812,094 812,094 821,781

Educational projects - 631,513 631,513 512,363

ELM - LMC Projects 667,607 - 667,607 573,970

Others Income - 84,505 84,505 73,081

718,676 2,589,474 3,308,150 2,728,963

Resoucres Expended

ELM - LMC Projects: Direct Charitable 593,218 - 593,218 512,830

Educational projects: Direct Charitable - 596,433 596,433 527,822

Others Expenses: Direct Charitable 48,299 878,754 927,053 847,850

Management and Administration - 311,778 311,778 269,703

Total Resources Expended 641,517 1,786,965 2,428,482 2,158,205

Net Income / Deficit for the Year 77,159 802,509 879,668 570,758

Fund movement: Unrestricted to restricted 17,146 -17,146 0 0

Funds as at 1 April 2009 2,825,800 10,933,375 13,759,175 13,188,417

Funds as at 31 March 2010 2,920,105 11,718,738 14,638,843 13,759,175

BALANCE SHEET Total 2010 Total 2009

£ £ £

Fixed Assets

Freehold properties at cost 4,839,107 2,851,729

London Muslim Centre 9,766,860 9,766,860

Long Leasehold 658,048 658,048

Fixture, fittings and equipments 312,657 352,679

15,576,672 13,629,316

Current Assets

Stock of Radio receiver 994 1,566

Debtors & prepayments 481,714 381,245

Cash at bank & in hand 1,712,659 1,922,339

2,195,367 2,305,150

Creditors

Amount falling due within one year 1,596,818 1,242,681

Net Current Assets/(Liabilities) 598,549 1,062,469

Total Assets Less Current Liabilities 16,175,221 14,691,785

Creditors

Amount falling due > one year 1,536,378 932,610

Total Net Assets 14,638,843 13,759,175

Funds

Total Fund Restricted 2,920,105 2,825,800

Unrestricted 11,718,738 10,933,375

14,638,843 13,759,175

Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2010

Approved by the Board of Trustees on 17 July 2010 and signed on it’s behalf by

Mr Muhammad SiddiqueTrustee & Treasurer

Dr M A Bari Trustee & Chairman

East London Mosque & London Muslim Centre46–92 Whitechapel Road, London E1 1JQ, United Kingdom

Telephone: +44 (0)20 7650 3000 Facsimile: +44 (0)20 7650 3001 Email: [email protected] www.londonmuslimcentre .org.uk Ph

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Annual Report 2009/10 - East London Mosque and the Chocolate Factory here in the London Muslim Centre. We were delighted to host BBC ... Egypt and Umrah accompanied by Mosque’s Chief

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