The Rt Hon Theresa Villiers, Member of Parliament for Chipping Barnet, took part this weekend in the nationwide ‘Visit My Mosque’ project, meeting members of the community at the North Finchley mosque.
‘Visit My Mosque’ is a day where mosques across the UK are encouraged to hold open days and welcome visitors. The initiative aims to allow non-Muslims to understand more about the Muslim faith and the daily life of a mosque. This year, over 150 mosques opened their doors to visitors of all faiths and none. In the run-up to the day, a number of mosques also took part in interfaith visits and social action projects.
Theresa visited the North Finchley Mosque on the High Road, North Finchley. This is close to the boundary with her Chipping Barnet constituency and serves a number of her constituents. It is also home to the Islamic Association of North London and offers classes and prayers. Visitors took part in a walking tour and learnt about the mosque’s history. Theresa met one of the mosque’s imams, Abdul Hamid, and she also spoke to a number of local residents who regularly worship at North Finchley mosque.
Theresa Villiers said: “It was great to be back at North Finchley mosque again on a day when the mosque welcomed so many friends and neighbours from the surrounding area. In a diverse community like Barnet, it is important that we work together strengthen mutual understanding and respect between different parts of the community. The ‘Visit My Mosque’ initiative makes a welcome contribution to this goal and I hope to see it continue.”
The North Finchley Mosque is open for people to visit throughout the year, but on certain days invitations go out to encourage people to come along. The mosque will be holding a further open day in early July.