Essex Mosque holds first ever open day despite arson attack

A small mosque in Essex opened its doors to over 250 neighbours of all faiths and none last Saturday in the aftermath of attacks on its property.
 
Al-Falah Islamic Centre in Braintree, Essex, suffered an attempted arson attack by two attackers in January 2017 who were identified on CCTV and a previous 'smoke grenade' attack in 2013.
 
Despite this, the small community opened its doors to neighbours in its first ever mosque open day on 23 September in a family-fun day that included an exhibition, food, gifts, henna art and bouncy castles for over 250 adult and children guests.
 
Kashif Ahmad, Imam of Al-Falah Islamic Centre, said, "It was a pleasure to see so many members of our local community come and visit our Mosque today and we hope that we have helped to dispel some of the concerns and misconceptions about Muslims and Islam. We hope through events like this that Braintree remains a united community."
 
Two men in January set fire to rubbish bags and threw it on the roof of the mosque premises causing the corrugated roof to set ablaze. Fortunately their attempts to set the building on fire failed and nobody was hurt.
 
Harun Khan, MCB Secretary General, said "It is a sad reality that in 21st century Britain, places of worship are being attacked. Braintree Mosque's bravery in holding an open day shows that despite those working to spread fear and hate in our society, British Muslim communities remain open, welcoming and cooperative with all."
 
The MCB encourages mosques in the UK to hold open days and provides support via the national #VisitMyMosque initiative.
 
The next #VisitMyMosque Day will be on 18 February 2018, for more information and to register, visit www.visitmymosque.org