Mosque welcomes community members during Ramadan

Guests joined the worshipers to open the fast

Rochdale's newly-constructed Golden Mosque on Lower Sheriff Street opened its doors to the Multi Faith Partnership and community guests recently in a bid to break religious barriers and promote a better understanding of Islam and what Muslims do during Ramadan.

The open evening was organised by Imam Irfan Chishti, Chairman of the Multi Faith Partnership and supported by the Golden Mosque’s  Youth Committee members.

Tahir Mahmood, President of the Mosque, said: “It’s the holy month of Ramadan and I am delighted to welcome the Multi Faith Partnership to the mosque.

“The Golden Mosque started life in 1963, when we bought it for £500. However, we all hope this new development will broaden our services to the local community.  Events like this are important for people and for ourselves to be able to better understand our neighbours.”

The group were given a tour of the building by Golden Mosque Imam and were also invited to observe how Muslims opened their fasts.

Imam Irfan added: “The aim was to keep this as close to normality as possible, as the formalities observed in the Golden Mosque are repeated in mosques worldwide.   We felt it was important to provide the group with an accurate and natural picture of Islam and Muslims during Ramadan.”   

Members of the Multi Faith Partnership were then invited to join the mosque congregation after they had broken their fast by tucking into some traditional food. 

Amongst the guests was the former Mayor of Rochdale, Robin Parker, who had decided to keep a fast himself from 3.00am until opening it at 9.00pm with the Muslim community. 

Mr Parker said: “Having kept a fast, I can only say I have great admiration for those who manage to hold the fast for 30 days. I realised in the morning I did not possibly drink enough water. In the afternoon as I attended meetings it was difficult when others were drinking tea.”

Tahir Mahmood concluded:  “We want to ensure the Golden Mosque plays a ‘good neighbour’ role within the wider community. We have had school visits and as we are nearing completion of this building, we wish to put the message out that our doors are open to everyone.”