4 – 10 May 2009 Leeds Makkah Mosque Islamic Exhibition
I attended the mosque’s open day on Friday 8th May. It was a well attended event and I was pleased to assure the senior police officer present how well neighbourhood policing arrangements work in our ward. I received a very warm welcolme.
Leeds Makkah Mosque held this year’s ‘Connecting Cultures’ session which was held on Friday 8th May 2009 at 3.00pm as part of its Islamic Exhibition 2009Islamic Exhibition 2009
On 4 – 10 May 2009 Leeds Makkah Mosque held its annual Islamic Exhibition, the largest exhibition of Islamic artifacts in the North of England. The Exhibition is held as part of the Leeds “Treasures Revealed” initiative, under which places of worship belonging to different faiths open their doors to the wider community. Makkah Mosque is the only mosque in Leeds that takes part in the “Treasures Revealed” programme and therefore is a popular visiting place for people of all faiths and backgrounds. The previous Exhibitions held at Makkah Mosque have been very successful in encouraging different communities to come together and enhance their relations.
Dignitaries Session
In addition to the general exhibition, it held a special ‘Connecting Cultures’ session for dignitaries and community leaders on Friday 8th May 2009 at 3:00pm. The format of the session will be along the same lines as last year.
Distinguished speakers at last year’s exhibition included John Battle MP (former faith advisor), Hilary Benn (Cabinet Minister), the Chief Constable of West Yorkshire Police, the Pro-Vice-Chancellors of Leeds University and Leeds Metropolitan University, faith leaders, and representatives from local council, the education, the business, voluntary and community sectors. We are aiming to secure a similar line up for this year’s session.
UK’s Model Mosque
Makkah Mosque is leading the way in holding multi-faith events and encouraging inter-community relations; this is one of the reasons behind it recently being voted the UK’s Model Mosque in a nation-wide competition. For details, please see:
http://www.makkahmasjid.co.uk/wp/index.php/2008/10/30/makkah-masjid-uks-model-mosque/
Further, HRH Prince Charles has also recognised Makkah Mosque’s efforts to enhance inter-faith and inter-community relations in a recent speech. For detail, please refer to the speech at:
http://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/speechesandarticles/a_speech_by_hrh_the_prince_of_wales_mosaic_talent_awards_nat_414958915.html
Media
Due to the fact that Makkah Mosque holds the largest Islamic exhibition in the North and hosts acclaimed events aimed at connecting people of different cultures, it attracts extensive local and national media coverage. BBC Look North, ITV’s Calendar News and a number of Asian Channels have covered our previous programmes. A number of articles have also been published regarding the previous events in various local papers and journals. Please see the links below for further details:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7388868.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/8023556.stm
http://www.makkahmasjid.co.uk/wp/index.php/2008/06/16/islamic-exhibition-connecting-cultures-event/
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