Glasgow Central Mosque is located on the south bank of the
River Clyde in the
Gorbals
The Gorbals is an area in the city of Glasgow, Scotland, on the south bank of the River Clyde. By the late 19th century, it had become densely populated; rural migrants and immigrants were attracted by the new industries and employment opportun ...
district of central
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
. The organization, 'Muslims in Britain' classify the Glasgow Central Mosque as,
Deobandi.
The Mosque
![Glasgow Central Mosque Minaret](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dd/Glasgow_Central_Mosque_Minaret.jpg)
The Mosque was designed by W. M. Copeland & Associates in the
Islamic style built in
Old Red Sandstone
The Old Red Sandstone is an assemblage of rocks in the North Atlantic region largely of Devonian age. It extends in the east across Great Britain, Ireland and Norway, and in the west along the northeastern seaboard of North America. It also exte ...
and completed in 1983.
The Islamic Centre is now the Central Institution for the Muslim community and this is the largest community centre in Strathclyde. The mosque itself is Scotland's largest mosque.
Controversies
In February 2016, Habib ur Rehman Rauf, religious head of the mosque, was quoted in the media supporting the actions of
Mumtaz Qadri
Malik Mumtaz Hussain Qadri (1985 – 29 February 2016), better known as Mumtaz Qadri (, ur, ), was the assassin of Salmaan Taseer, Governor of Punjab. Qadri was a commando of the Elite Police and, at the time of the assassination, a member ...
who assassinated Pakistani politician
Salman Taseer
Salman Taseer ( Punjabi and ur, ); ( 4 January 2011) was a Pakistani businessman and politician, who served as the 26th Governor of Punjab from 2008 until his assassination in 2011.
A member of the Pakistan Peoples Party since the 1980s, ...
whilst acting as his
security guard. Imam Habib claimed his messages were taken out of context.
Qadri disagreed with Taseer's opposition to
Pakistan's blasphemy law.
In April 2016
International Business Times revealed that the mosque held annual Khatme Nabuwwat conferences. The mosque president, Dr Mohammed Shafi Kausar refuted the existence of any secular group at the mosque.
Also in April 2016, representatives of Glasgow Central Mosque rejected an invitation to a vigil in memory of
Asad Shah, a Pakistani shopkeeper assassinated by a Pakistani Muslim extremist.
Imams
There are currently two Imams at Glasgow Central Mosque.
*Shaykh Abdul Ghafoor Ahmad
*Qari Wali Ahmed
See also
*
Islam in the United Kingdom
Islam is the second largest religion in the United Kingdom, with results from the 2011 Census giving the total population as 2,786,635, or 4.4% of the total UK population,[Islamic schools and branches
Islamic schools and branches have different understandings of Islam. There are many different sects or denominations, schools of Islamic jurisprudence, and schools of Islamic theology, or '' ʿaqīdah'' (creed). Within Islamic groups themselves ...]
*
Islamism
*
List of mosques
*
List of mosques in the United Kingdom
This is a list of notable mosques in the United Kingdom listed by regions in Scotland, England and Wales.
England
London
North East
North West
South East
South West
East of England
East Midlands
West Midlands
Yorkshire ...
References
External links
Glasgow Central Mosque Official siteGlasgow Central Mosque
{{Mosques in the United Kingdom
1983 establishments in Scotland
Mosques completed in 1983
Mosque buildings with domes
Mosques in Glasgow
Sunni Islam in the United Kingdom
Mosque-related controversies in Europe
Gorbals
Deobandi mosques