Royal Visit for the London Mosque
LONDON, July 7, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --
- Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Celebrates Historic Occasion
The London Mosque - the capital's first purpose-built mosque - opened in 1926, is to host a Royal visitor.
HRH The Earl of Wessex, Prince Edward, will visit the Ahmadiyya Muslim Mosque in Putney on Thursday July 7 - to inspect its garden and flower displays.
The mosque, known as Fazl Mosque, is one of the venues selected to be inspected by The London Gardens Society of which The Earl is Patron. It is where the worldwide Head - or Khalifa - of the global Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, resides. The Khalifa, who also has a keen interest in agriculture, will welcome HRH The Earl of Wessex to the historic mosque. The mosque complex is adorned with a stunning array of flowers and also features a section where organic vegetables are grown on site.
The mosque, in the London Borough of Wandsworth, has been the recipient of many prizes in the past for its garden which has been lovingly tended over the past 15 years by Mr Shamim Ahmad Khan and his team. The former mosque caretaker, who is now in his seventies, said he was honoured and delighted that the mosque gardens were to be showcased for Royalty, describing it as an historic occasion:
"A garden brings a place to life. With a little effort and some rain from the heavens you can really make the garden bloom. People are always happy to see nice flowers as it cheers them up. We also encourage people to take an interest in growing their own herbs and vegetables and as the mosque is visited by people from around the world, it is a message that is taken far and wide. We show people what is possible by growing cucumbers, courgettes, turnips, cauliflowers, cabbages, potatoes, corn and more.
"We also have plenty of roses not only at the mosque complex, but also at offices and homes nearby."
In April, the Mosque was the venue for a community event to celebrate the Royal Wedding.
The London Mosque has been host to a number of distinguished visitors from far and wide.
The founder of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, visited the mosque on several occasions and made his famous speech in its grounds when he decided to return to India to represent the Muslims in the sub-continent.
The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Prince Faisal Bin Adbul Aziz also visited the mosque in 1935 as did his father, King Saud of Saudi Arabia.
Sir Chaudhry Muhammad Zafrullah Khan - the first Foreign Minister of Pakistan, a President of the International Court of Justice and President of the UN General Assembly - lived at the premises for many years.
The mosque also regularly hosts visits from Ministers, international statesmen and ambassadors. Since 1984 it has served as the international headquarters of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community and involved in the nationwide peace campaign promoting its message of Love for All Hatred for None.
Contact: Basharat Nazir media@ahmadiyya.org.uk
http://www.loveforallhatredfornone.org
Baitul Futuh Mosque, 181 London Road, Morden, Surrey SM4 5PT
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