British mosques to hold open door event for public
Mosques in the UK are to open their doors to the general public in an attempt to reach out to British citizens, the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) says.
The MCB announced on Wednesday that the event would take place in mosques across the country on Sunday.
"Mosques will also be inviting inter-faith leaders as well, and all will be invited to come together to demonstrate unity and solidarity during what has been a tense time for faith communities," the MCB said.
The group added that apart from sharing tea and cakes, the daily goings-on of Muslims’ places of worship will be introduced to people.
"#VisitMyMosque day is part of a national initiative by Muslims to reach out to fellow Britons following tensions around terrorism."
The upcoming open day will not be the first of such to be organized in Britain’s mosques.
Over the last few years, similar gatherings have been organized to dispel misunderstandings about Muslims.
The council organized the event around three weeks after the recent terror attacks in Paris which claimed 17 lives.
Controversial letter
After the attacks, the UK government wrote a controversial letter to mosques asking imams to be more active in halting radicalization in their own communities.
"You have a precious opportunity, and an important responsibility: in explaining and demonstrating how faith in Islam can be part of British identity," said the letter from Communities Secretary Eric Pickles.
"There is a need to lay out more clearly than ever before what being a British Muslim means today: proud of your faith and proud of your country," it added.
The letter was slammed by the MCB who accused Pickles of promoting Islamophobia by contrasting religious and national identities.
According to a 2011 survey, around 2.8 million Muslims live in the UK, making Islam the second most prominent religion in Britain after Christianity.
Paris attacks
On January 7, the Paris offices of Charlie Hebdo were attacked, leaving 12 people dead. The shooting assault was carried out by al-Qaeda affiliates.
On January 9, police ended a hostage-taking at a supermarket in the eastern Porte de Vincennes area of Paris, killing armed hostage-taker Amedy Coulibaly, who was also a suspect in the killing of a policewoman in southern Paris a day earlier. Coulibaly killed four hostages before his death.
SRK/AS/MHB
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