BRITAIN’S biggest mosque has reopened as construction works have finally been completed following a devastating fire almost eight years ago.
The Baitul Futuh Mosque suffered almost £12m of damage after a blaze in September 2015 which left the structure in ruins.
Now, the building has inaugurated its new complex at the National Peace Symposium of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community over the weekend.
The large fire burnt down almost a third of the mosque complex, including multi-purpose halls.
A then-16-year-old boy was charged with arson in 2016 but was subsequently cleared of the charge the following year.
Reconstruction works then began in 2019 and now, just over four years later, the building has been reopened.
The mosque is now a £20m five-storey structure that will allow community members and locals to take part in religious, sports and community events, as well as providing office space and guest rooms.
The worldwide Head and Caliph of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, His Holiness, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, inaugurated the new complex at the 2023 National Peace Symposium.
This year marked the 17th symposium to date and was attended by hundreds of guests including parliamentarians, diplomats, academics and representatives from numerous charities and faith communities.
His Holiness, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:“A true Muslim upon entering a mosque shall himself enter a state of peace and shall by fulfilling the commands of God, prove a beacon of peace and security for others.
“All our mosques [of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community]…serve not only as an abode of worshipping God Almighty but are also a means of fulfilling the rights of mankind and establishing peace in the world.”
The Caliph used his address to drive attention towards the urgent need for peace in light of the raging conflicts around the world.
Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said: “For many years I have warned of the risks of a full-scale world war and have spoken of how its deadly and destructive consequences are far beyond our comprehension.
“Having long warned of such a war, I take no satisfaction in the fact that we are moving ever closer to it.
“Rather, I feel only grief and anguish as I see the world hurtling ever faster towards a terrifying world war in which the lives of millions of innocent people will be lost or permanently destroyed.
“Instead of bestowing a legacy of peace and prosperity to our future generations, our parting gift to them will be nothing except death, destruction and misery.”
