Britain’s biggest mosque reopens after £20m redevelopment following fire

The £20m reconstruction project lasted eight years and was funded by members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community south London mosque which suffered catastrophic fire damage has reopened after an eight-year, £20million redevelopment. The Bait ul Futuh Mosque, in Morden, dubbed Britain’s largest mosque, underwent significant redevelopment after a blaze damaged almost a third of the complex in 2015. The mosque has been built back bigger and better with an expanded capacity to allow community members and locals to take part in sports, religious and community events, as well as providing office space and accommodation facilities such as guest rooms.

The five-storey structure opened on Saturday at the community’s National Peace Symposium. More than 1, 500 people were in attendance at the event, including leader of the Liberal Democrats Sir Ed Davey, Conservative politician Paul Scully, and Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court Karim Khan. The mosque has served as a hub for the community in the years since it first opened in 2003. “During the pandemic, the large halls in the Baitul Futuh complex hosted Merton’s pop-up vaccination clinic,” said Adeel Shah, one of the community’s youngest Imams.

“Schools have also conducted their examinations here, and emergency services have conducted their training here. ”Marking the inauguration, Ahmadiyya Muslim Community head Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad spoke of the role and importance of mosques. The reconstruction project was funded by members of the Worldwide Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/bait-ul-futuh-mosque-london-morden-reopens-fire-b1065072.html