More than 100 mosques across the UK, including locations in London, Birmingham, Sheffield, Manchester, Glasgow, Southend, and Cardiff, are opening their doors to the public this weekend. The initiative, part of the 'Visit My Mosque' event hosted by the Muslim Council of Britain, aims to promote understanding of Islam and British Muslims.
Organisers state that the event, now in its 11th year, has gained increased importance due to rising anti-Muslim hatred. The British Muslim Trust, a government partner for monitoring anti-Muslim hatred, reports that a mosque in Britain is attacked every five days. These incidents include intimidation, violence, property damage, harassment, anti-Muslim hate speech, online abuse, and vandalism.
The London Islamic Cultural Society in north London, which has faced incidents such as a woman shouting threats at worshippers and gas pipes being reconfigured to leak gas, is among the participating mosques. Bibi Khan, the mosque's president, stated the importance of reaching out to communicate about their faith and community.
Dr Wajid Akhter, secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain, highlighted concerns that many people receive information about British Muslims from algorithms and foreign-funded sources fueling hate. Sufia Alam of the East London mosque emphasised that such initiatives are crucial when Islamophobia is becoming more visible and normalised.