On Monday I went along to a barbecue and family fun day in celebration of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee at the Al Mahdi Mosque in Rees Way Bradford. My original intention was to take pictures of the Jubilee festivities but I was invited into the mosque and given a full tour of the building by Ahmadiyya Muslim Community member Ruhan. I must confess that I knew nothing about the Ahmadiyya Community and was grateful for the information given to me by Ruhan. Briefly the Ahmadiyya Community has members in 197 countries around the world and believes in non violence, racial equality and respect for all religions. It was the first Muslim Ccommunity to be established in the UK in 1913, and it has its own global satellite TV station. The Community raises money for charities both in the UK and abroad and has also translated the Qur'an into 67 different languages. The mosque itself is built into a hillside overlooking the city and has extensive views over Bradford to the hills beyond. The picture shows Ruhan greeting visitors to the mosque.
It's interesting to know of their history in the UK. That's almost 100 years!
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