Rochdale Council of Mosques celebrate 10 years of community service

Rochdale Council of Mosques members presented Springhill Hospice with a cheque for £3,000

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Rochdale Council of Mosques held a dinner at Rochdale Town Hall to celebrate 10 years of community service and to present Springhill Hospice with a cheque for £3,000.

The dinner was attended by 350 guests including Mayor Councillor Peter Rush, Rochdale Borough Council leader Colin Lambert and Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police Sir Peter Fahy.

Mayor Rush said: “Rochdale has a proud history of Muslims living, working and worshipping in this borough.

"The Rochdale Council of Mosques continues to make valuable contributions to the economic, spiritual and civic life of Rochdale.

"As we share this special Eid dinner together, I am reminded of how proud I am to be Mayor of a borough that is so richly diverse.”

Councillor Colin Lambert added: “It has been a real honour to celebrate the achievements of Rochdale’s Council of Mosques. In a decade they have accomplished much to be proud of. Fundraising hundreds of thousands for charity and tackling intolerance head on through the promotion of peace and unity.

"Today we celebrate the positive contributions our Muslim communities make to Rochdale.”

The evening, which filled the Great Hall, was a celebration of a decade of community service through the 14 member mosques making up the Rochdale Council of Mosques.

Money presented to Springhill Hospice was fundraised by all 14 member mosques. Fundraising took place throughout the recent Eid celebrations for local and international charities.

As part of the evening, Councillor Sultan Mahmood was asked to take a standing acknowledgement from the audience in appreciation of his efforts of establishing the Council of Mosques in his mayoral year, 2003.

Sir Peter Fahy said: “You have come very far as a community and together you have managed to overcome many challenges”

Rochdale Council of Mosques aims to help with the advancement of the Islamic religion within the borough of Rochdale for the benefit of the public as well as promoting religious harmony throughout the borough.

The Rochdale Council of Mosques was a pioneer in establishing a formal link with the Moroccan Religious Affairs Ministry which helped to resolve the much debated Eid date issue.

Irfan Chishti MBE said: “The Rochdale Council of Mosques and its affiliate Imams are never afraid to speak about the real issues – there is no taboo in Islam.”