Welcome to The Islamic Centre: Stoke on Trent
The Islamic Centre of Stoke-On-Trent
The Islamic Centre is a registered charity in Stoke-On-Trent established for the advancement of Islam in the City of Stoke-on-Trent and within the vicinity of North Staffordshire. Current purposes include prayer rooms, education and burial facilities. Its aims to be non-sectarian and non-political.
The affairs of the Islamic Centre are administered by a management committee comprising four original trustees and eleven elected members. The management committee appoints from amongst themselves bearers of the following positions:
Director President Vice President Secretary Assistant Secretary Treasurer Assistant Treasurer
The annual General meeting is held each year but elects committee members every five years.
The names of current trustees and elected members are as follows:
TRUSTEES
Rana M Tufail
Bashir Ahmad
Mohammad Iqbal
Qudrat Ullah
OFFICE HOLDERS
R M Tufail: Director
M. Iqbal: Secretary
Qudrat Ullah: Treasurer
Amjad Wazir: Chair of Trustees
M. Saleem: President
MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
Director: Rana M Tufail
President: Mohd. Saleem
Vice President: Kasi Mohd. Shabir
Secretary: Mohd. Iqbal
Assistant: Secretary: Mohd. Iqbal
Treasurer: Mohd Razzak
Assistant Treasurer: Qudrat Ullah
History
In the early 1970s there was only one Mosque which was a converted terraced house in Stoke-On-Trent. The Muslim community living in Shelton area of the City needed a place of worship and Quranic education for their children. The present building of The Islamic Centre on Bedford Road was previously a Methodist Sunday school. It was bought and brought up to the required standard of use for worship and education.
The need for a new Masjid
The number of worshippers and children attending school increased to its maximum capacity. Therefore the management decided to look for a place to build a first purpose built mosque in the city.
The idea of acquiring a site and building a city centre mosque was conceived in around 1995. Following a five year search for a suitable site, the committee was able to secure the present 0.8 acres of land from the city council in 2001. The site was then approved by the council in 2005. The plan included a two storey Mosque bulding suitable for 1000 worshippers at a time, a community centre and a car park.
The budget for the Mosque, car park and site boundary wall is two million pounds!!!
The community centre is to be treated as a separate entity as to its costs.
What has been done so far?
The work on the site started in December 2007. The Mosque has been designed by a prominent architect who has won to his merit a number of awards for designing Mosques in the U.K.
At present the superstructure of the Mosque is completed with the grand dome to be erected in place before the end of september 2009. The cost so far has been within the projected figure of 1.1 million pounds. The remaining part of the construction including boundary wall, completion of the minorette, flooring, ceiling and wall decoration, electricity, gas, water etc will take place as the funds become available.
The need for a purpose built Mosque is acute as the preent building is insufficient. As a consequence we have to hold two Friday Jamaats and four Eid Jamaats. There is insufficient space and facilities for the Sisters.
The site area for the new mosque is 3222 square metres whereas the site area of the current mosque is only 325 square metres.
The new Mosque will hold 1000 worshippers. It will have a separate entrance for ladies. Geographically the site is situated in West Midlands between Birmingham and Manchester. The City of Stoke-On –Trent is connected with the rest of the Country by major railways and Motorways. It falls between exits 15 and 16 on the M6. The two junctions are connected with a recently built A500.
There are approximately 10,000 Muslims residing in Stoke-On-Trent coming from different parts of the world but mainly Pakistan, Bangladesh and India.
All Muslims are expected to contribute towards the costs of building the Mosque which is needed not only as a symbol of Islam but also for the education of the community at large and for the cohesion of Muslims and others for a peaceful environment in this city and in the U.K in general.
The Community of Stoke-On-Trent
Though there is obviously some way to go before completion of the Masjid there is no way it could have reached its current stage without the support and hard work of the community of Stoke-on-Trent. Various members of the community have been pro-active in staging key events to raise money for the Masjid. This has included many dinners, raffles, etc over the last few years. Many have come forward to give generous personal donations. The efforts of each and everyone are noted though unfortunately too numerous to mention here. The various sects of our generous and hard-working community are much appreciated and we hope giving them the new Masjid will unite them and serve their purposes not just Islamically but as a community Inshallah. The Masjid of Stoke-on-Trent will welcome people not just from within the community but also visitors from outside the City.
GOVERNING BODY |
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Trustees: |
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| Rana M Tufail | |
| Bashir Ahmed | |
| Mohammd Iqbal | |
| Qudrat Ullah | |
Office Holders: |
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| Director: Rm Tufail | |
| Secretary: M Iqbal | |
| Treasurer: Qudrat Ullah | |
| Chair of trustees: Amjid Wazir | |
| President: M Saleem | |
For donations and contribution please use the info below.
The Stoke-on-Trent Muslim welfare and community assosiation regestered charety number: 508861 care of Islamic centre breadfod road Shelton, ST1 5PL