The largest mosque of Northern England opened its doors

Qatar’s royal family provided a certain amount of donation for the basic construction of the mosque in Blackburn. As well as being the largest in Lancashire, this new mosque is one of the biggest in the UK. The two-storey building is expected to host around 1,500 worshippers at one time.

Lord Adam Patel of Blackburn, who has led the project, said the day was one of ‘enormous pride’ for the Blackburn Muslim community and expressed his feelings in a speech at the opening ceremony by saying; “We should accept this Masjid as a centre for lifelong learning — a place of social welfare for generations and generations to come.” Lord Patel also said the completion of the mosque had only been possible because all sections of the community had pulled together, giving their time and expertise for free.

The building has facilities for the Islamic education of children and is next to Tauheedul Islam Girls High School, which was recently awarded Voluntary Aided status, becoming the first government-funded Islamic school in the region.