Community mosque is the best in Britain!

As pride in the achievement reached fever pitch among attendees, reporter Will Kilner went to find out why the Madni Jamia Masjid had been singled out in the Model Mosque of Britain contest

My tour guide for the afternoon, Imran Rasul, epitomised everything the competition judges admired in the Madni Jamia Masjid.

Young, enthusiastic and dedicated to his community, the 22-year-old was clearly at ease in a building he described as "my home".

As he strolled confidently through the airy modern rooms in the large building, Mr Rasul, a youth volunteer, pointed out interesting features and provided an in-depth description of each room's function.

He explained that the steering committee had done everything within its powers to make the mosque as inclusive as possible, with the aim of making it more youth, family and community-friendly.

The desire to attract young people to the mosque was exemplified in the 20 classrooms provided within the building for after-school tuition of children.

But Mr Rasul recalled that, when he was a child attending the mosque, his surroundings were not quite so glamorous or appealing.

Looking back to when he was a 14-year-old, he remembered how prayers took place in a nearby temporary building until the new purpose-built mosque was constructed in 2003 at a cost of about £3 million.

"What we have got here now is fantastic," he said.

"It's the hub of the community and people come from far and wide to have a look at it because it's a pretty special place," said Mr Rasul, pointing to the main prayer hall, where between 200 and 400 people regularly attend prayers.

The large premises include a spacious kitchen, various storage rooms, offices, two prayer halls and a full funeral service, including storage and wash rooms for the recently-deceased.

On the bottom level of the building, Mr Rasul explained that the entire floor had been created purely for use by women, at a cost of about £500,000.

In one of the rooms designed for female worshippers, Mr Rasul introduced four young women who said they were determined to further enhance the mosque's reputation as an inclusive community facility.

One of them, Waheeda Ghafoor, explained how she had been made to feel hugely welcome at the mosque since she started attending three years ago, so much so that she now helps to co-ordinate the Connecting Cultures events held at the mosque.

The 26-year-old, who is also a member of the Interfaith Inclusion steering group, said: "As a female, I have been made to feel that I have a role here and I feel like an equal in terms of what I have to say.

"The award we have been given is a fantastic achievement for everybody here."

Shaziya Younas, another female volunteer, said there was always something interesting taking place at the mosque.

"There are lots of classes here about learning Arabic, the Koran and there are lots of talks as well. If ever I have a question about anything, I know I can come here and ask them," said the 29-year-old.

"It's so welcoming. I travel here from BD8," she added.

Members of the steering group are especially proud of the success of the Connecting Communities event held last month, which involved the mosque throwing its doors open to school- children from all cultures with an open day designed to create a greater understanding of Islam in the community.

Children at schools across the district were given a guided tour of the mosque, including a prayer demonstration, while a number of prominent Muslim artists created a series of dynamic displays about Islam.

Some of the children were given henna tattoos, while others watched demonstrations of Arabic calligraphy, followed by a colourful video presentation on Islam.

"This is typical of the things we are trying to do to help community cohesion and to make the mosque very inclusive," said Abida Rafiq, 27, who played a big part in organising the event.

She said the mosque was heavily involved in a city-wide initiative, spearheaded by the Bradford Council for Mosques, to encourage citizenship and community cohesion.

Boosted by success in the Model Mosque of Britain competition, the steering committee is keen to continue transforming the mosque into a specialised centre for learning and a hub for social development.

Plans are afoot to develop a brand new library within the building to add to existing educational facilities, which include a high-tech £20,000 computer room.

Amrin Bhatti, 26, a member of the committee set up to develop the library concept, said: "We want to establish a library for the local community and we are planning to open it to everyone."

Munsaf Saddiq, general secretary of the mosque, said: "Literacy is a big issue in Bradford and we want to use the mosque as a tool to raise educational standards by having extra facilities here to support local schools."

Mr Saddiq, 36, said the success in the recent competition was particularly enjoyable because it had come against mosques which were regarded as the biggest in their cities and had been established for 30 or 40 years.

He praised the elders at the Madni Jamia Masjid for trusting the younger members with a lot of responsibility to take the mosque forward.

He added that ambitious plans were now being put in place to buy the adjacent land with the aim of creating a community women's centre, enhanced youth facilities, an elderly day-care centre and an Imam House for resident scholars.

Mr Saddiq praised the generosity of those who attend the mosque, who donate enough money each year to cover the £150,000 yearly overheads, which include lighting and insurance.

e-mail: will.kilner @bradford.newsquest.co.uk