Oldham Mosque Opens Doors to Community For Annual Open Day

The European Islamic Centre (EIC) in Oldham opened its doors to the community and offered food and education about Islam.

On Saturday (19 September), people interested in learning about Islam were guided through an exhibition which highlighted Islamic belief and history. Samosas, tea and biscuits were also given out to guests.

One attendee, Paul Bradbury, said: “I saw this event advertised online and on local news sources.

“One of the really interesting things I’ve learnt as I’ve viewed all the different exhibits is how central the Prophet Abraham is in Islam.

“I have always had an interest in religions. It’s always interesting to have a good read,” he said. “It was good they had an open day; it was interesting to pop in and learn more.”

Paul has always had a positive view of Islam after living in a Muslim-majority country for two years. He plans to learn more about the faith.

Organisers said that nearly a hundred people from a wide variety of backgrounds signed up for the event.

Local man, Mathew Carter, was also present. He embraced Islam over four years ago after being an alcoholic for six years and losing everything.

He said he is passionate about educating people and challenging what he sees as misconceptions about Islam in the media and among the far right.

He added: “I’ve been to a lot of these events over the years. They’re very good and welcoming. Muslims are beautiful people and it’s a lovely event.

“After becoming Muslim I realised the terrorism thing was a lie. The grooming gang things are the actions of bad people in certain communities. It’s not a Muslim thing.

“People always say to me that Muslims are terrorists. If people just read the Quran, it tells us in there what we can and cannot do. We can’t kill innocent people,” he said.

“The best thing about Islam is that I’m not lonely anymore. If you keep up with your daily prayers, you will never feel alone again.”

He said EIC Open days have been going on as long as he can remember. Social media, he said, has a lot of misinformation about Islam, so people should be careful where they get their information from.

The Open Mosque initiative is held every year at the EIC and at mosques across the UK. It features exhibitions for the community and gives visitors the chance to see how Muslims pray and possibly join prayers.

One of the organisers, Imam Ibrahim Ahmad, spoke about the aims of the initiative and why he believes such events are important.

“The idea is to bring people to the mosque and show them what Islam is all about. We show them the history of Islam, how the Quran was written and preserved and many other things such as calligraphy.

“Opening our mosques to non-Muslims is not only important, but also a part of Islam. The precedent was set by Prophet Muhammad himself. We are here to answer difficult questions.”