Fund Raising Appeal 2010

Established in 1985, the West London Islamic Centre (WLIC) was primarily a Friday only service for the Jum’a prayer. It has served and brought together a growing and diverse Muslim community for over 20 years! The accounts and annual returns may be viewed online by visiting the Charity Commission website at http://www.charity-commission.gov.uk. This fundraising brochure has been compiled as a brief guide for potential sponsors, donors and parties interested in assisting the WLIC in re-paying the interest-based loan, and to purchase the adjacent plot and to convert this into a purpose built Masjid to serve as a nucleus for the Greenford and the local Muslim community. Since the early years until 2009, the Friday, Eid and Taraweeh prayers were held in various ‘rented’ halls and schools. There were NO five daily prayers, NO Qur’anic teachings and No permanent place of worship! This has resulted in a whole generation of children who missed out on an Islamic start to their lives! In 2009, after a struggle of over 20 years, the WLIC was finally in a position to put down the deposit for a Commercial Property for use as a Masjid. The new ‘Greenford Masjid’ is situated in the centre of Greenford, 12 miles North West of Central London, in the Borough of Ealing.

Executive Summary .......................................................................................................... 3

Mission Statement ........................................................................................................... 4

Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 5

How The Funding will Benefit the local Muslim Community .............................................. 6

New Services and Activities .................................................................................................... 6

Expanded Services .................................................................................................................. 6

Existing Services ..................................................................................................................... 6

Background ...................................................................................................................... 7

West London Islamic Centre at Present ............................................................................. 8

The Building and the Location ................................................................................................ 8

Permissions ............................................................................................................................ 9

Current Masjid Facilities and Services .................................................................................... 9

Current Capacity ................................................................................................................... 10

Limitations and Capacity Constraints ................................................................................... 10

Current Funding ............................................................................................................. 11

Future Plans and Proposals ............................................................................................. 12

The Appeal ..................................................................................................................... 13

How You can get involved .................................................................................................... 13

How to make Donations ....................................................................................................... 14

Contacts ......................................................................................................................... 15

The West London Islamic Centre (WLIC) has been serving the Muslim community of Greenford, Northolt, Southall, Hayes, Hanwell, Sudbury and other local areas for over 20 years. However, the services were restricted to Friday, Eid and Taraweeh prayers only. In 2009 the WLIC purchased a three storey commercial property for £1.85m on a mortgage. Currently two of the floors are occupied by rented offices to meet the mortgage repayments. Therefore the Masjid is sadly confined to the ground floor only and rapidly running short of space. At present, the Masjid offers five daily prayers and weekend Qur’an classes. This Fund Raising brochure has been compiled due to a high demand for increased and extra services for the local Muslim Community. It has been identified that a total of £4.5m is required to fully achieve the objectives of WLIC, which include:

Repayment of loans

Acquisition of adjacent plot

Renovation

Additional and extended Masjid services o Prayer and additional services for women o Five day Qur’anic classes o Friday and Eid prayers to be held at the centre

A Masjid is an absolutely vital organ to the well functioning of a Muslim community. It brings together Muslims as brothers, allows cohesion between varying cultures and brings many opportunities for the deprived. The WLIC aims to provide this. The new building is centrally situated in Greenford Broadway, with advantages of all amenities including good public transport. Its’ central location can be an immense advantage to the growing Muslim community. WLIC and Greenford Madinah Masjid are appealing to you for support in raising the targeted £4,500,000. Helping to establish a permanent Islamic Centre counts as Sadaqah Jaariyah, a special act of charity that continues to provide the reward of ongoing good deeds to its giver even after they have reached their grave.

To provide the Muslim communities around Greenford with a place for worship,

adhering to the understanding of the Qur’an and Sunnah.

To form the nucleus of an integrated community, catering for all religious,

educational and communal support needs.

To engage with the non-Muslim community and civic bodies by providing an

informed and accurate insight into the correct teachings of Islam.

In 2009 West London Islamic Centre (WLIC) purchased a commercial property, in Greenford (West London) on a Mortgage of £1.5m for use as a Masjid. It has since obtained relevant permissions and holds the five daily prayers, weekend Quran classes and held its first Taraweeh prayers in Ramadhan of 2009. WLIC continues to hire out various locations and venues for the weekly Friday prayer as there is currently not sufficient capacity to accommodate everyone. It now urgently needs to pay back the interest-based loan! In addition, requires funding to convert the office building into purpose built Masjid to offer the full services of a Masjid. WLIC appeals to all Muslims to help raise sufficient funds; to cater for the exponential growth of the Muslim community within the area, to allow for an ever increasing demand for prayer facilities, to continue the WLIC’s role as a Centre for expounding the correct understanding of Islam, to introduce services for the education of children and adults, mentoring facilities for the youth and to provide a variety of other services to an increasingly dependent community. In the pages that follow, the reader will have an opportunity to develop an appreciation of the Centre’s history, the evolution of its various activities, the critical factors underlying its decisions and proposals.

New Services and Activities Friday Prayer/Jum’a facility

Introduce facilities for women; Prayer, Quran etc

5 days a week Quranic/Hadith teachings for children

Islam propagation

Bookstore/Library

Marriage ceremony/Registry

Events and Functions area

Funeral Services

Counselling area

Women Health Centre, through the NHS

Free 1 day a week Legal Advice for all!

Day centre for elderly/retired

Hajj and Umrah Group led by the WLIC, based on Not-for-Profit

Expanded Services Worship area/space (nearly 10 fold increase in space)

Ablution (Wudhu)/Toilet area (nearly 5 fold increase)

Parking to accommodate increasing number of worshippers

Existing Services 5 daily prayers

Weekend Quran for children

Wudhu/ablution and 1 toilet

Parking spaces

Taraweeh and Itikah’f

Jum’a (at the Greenford Town Hall)

During the 1980’s the Muslim community in and around the West London (Southall and local areas) began to grow. There were already a number of Masaajid established in Southall e.g. Old Southall Jamia Masjid. However, this location was not suitable for those living out of town as they would have to travel more than 3-5 miles to offer their Friday prayer. Regular daily prayers were out of the question.

It was important to establish a facility for the burgeoning Muslim community at a convenient location. Around 1984, Muslims of the Greenford area began performing Friday prayers at Shackleton Hall in Southall and remained there for several years. In 1985 West London Islamic Centre (WLIC) was first registered with the charity commission. The local Muslim community tried to purchase this building, but unfortunately due to the lack of funds at that time they were unsuccessful. Later, this was tragically burnt down. Since the tragic event, the local Muslim community have been using church halls and local establishments for prayers, but only on a temporary basis at each location.

In 1995, the WLIC members decided to rent Greenford Hall to perform Friday and Eid prayers on a permanent basis. The Taraweeh prayers during Ramadhan were offered at the nearby Stanhope Primary School assembly hall and the local Muslim community have been using the hall for the last four years.

WLIC and the community realised the requirement and the increasing demand for a Masjid for the five daily prayers and the Qur'anic teachings for the children. WLIC purchased a house in Greenford and applied to the local council for permission to use this place as a Masjid. That was refused.

In the period of 2007-2009, with a great struggle from the community, sufficient funds were raised to put down a deposit for a commercial building in Greenford Centre for a total cost of £1.85m.

In Ramadhan of 2009, the first Taraweeh was performed and the daily five prayers commenced at the new Greenford Masjid! This was truly a joyous moment and continues to be so for all the locals!

In March 2010, weekend Quran classes started for the children!

WLIC now needs to focus on completing this project and providing a fully functional Masjid. WLIC now requires funding to complete this project.

The Building and the Location The new building for the Greenford Madinah Masjid is a red-brick, 3 storey commercial office building. The ground floor currently serves as the Masjid. The 1st and 2nd Floors are rented out as offices to cover the mortgage re-payment. It has sufficient parking space for the moment. Located at the Greenford Broadway main Junction, it has 2 entrances; one on Ruislip Road adjacent to ‘Betster’ and the other on Greenford Road, through a Car Garage, adjacent to the Post Office. The Masjid is easily commutable from Southall, Ealing, Sudbury, Northolt, and Hanwell and is within 3-5 miles radius. The area has an excellent connection via Public Transport; there are many bus routes and is close to Greenford Tube Station. It is also rich with many amenities, from public schools, colleges, local shops to Hospitals and Police Stations all very close by, which makes it an ideal place for more Muslims to settle in such a central location. It is approximately 30 minutes drive to Central London via the nearby A40/M40. The car garage at the front is also for sale. It is a great opportunity for the WLIC to purchase this and convert it into a purpose built Masjid according to the Sunnah. The space is sufficient to serve the locals for generations to come.

Greenford Road Entrance

Permissions WLIC has obtained full local authority permissions to run this premises as a Masjid and an Islamic Educational Centre. Current Masjid Facilities and Services

5 Daily Prayers (for Men only)

Taraweeh Prayers and Itikah’f facilities

Weekend Quran classes for children

Office for administration

Lift for access to 1st and 2nd floors

Parking for 21 vehicles

Additional parking available next-door at Lidl for future – (Jum’a and Eid)

Main Prayer Hall, Ground Floor

Toilet & Wudhu Area, Ground Floor (not suitable for disabled!)

Current Capacity

The ground floor can accommodate 125 people for prayer.

There is only 1 toilet and 2 washbasins for ablution, which are not really suitable for the disabled.

Parking for 21 Vehicles. Limitations and Capacity Constraints Unfortunately, there are a number of limitations at the WLIC due to shortage of funds. Listed below are the most important points, which are essentials for the benefit of the local Muslim community.

Currently there is not sufficient space to offer the Jum’a and Eid prayers at the centre.

There is no space to accommodate women for the daily prayers.

There are no daily Quran Classes! Only Weekends.

There are no segregated toilets/wudhu facilities for the children (girls/boys) for the Quran sessions.

This is because 2 of the 3 floors are rented out to meet the Mortgage Repayment! So WLIC continues to hire alternative places for the weekly Friday prayer. On occasions, even the other places have not been available and Marquees have been set-up in the car-park to accommodate the extra people.

Marquee set-up for Friday prayer, Greenford Masjid Car Park

In summary, at present there is a great shortage of space in running the full activities of a Masjid. Although a building has been purchased, but the Muslims can still not make full use of the building due to the loan repayments, which are currently met through the rent from upper floors. Through Your generous donations, once the loan is paid off, the upper levels can be renovated to accommodate the Friday and Eid prayers. Equal facilities can be provided for the ladies, including segregated toilets/wudhu area, praying area, Qur’anic teachings etc. In the following pages, an outline of the WLIC’s current loan and debt, funding and proposals are presented, followed by an appeal for your generous donations.

West London Islamic Centre recently purchased the new Masjid on a Mortgage. A loan of £1.50m was obtained, and a deposit of £360k paid for the purchase. The deposit was raised through generous donations locally, including Qardh-e-hasana and Houses as collateral. Average Monthly Friday Collections £3,000 Monthly Rent from Offices/Roof space £6,000 Total income for month £9,000 Mortgage Repayment/month (Interest Only!) £2,500 Staff & Imam Salary £2,100 Utility Bills (approx.) £1,200 Total outgoings £5,800

WLIC needs to raise a substantial amount of money to re-pay the loan and the Qardh-e-hasana, then to further progress and develop it into a fully functional Masjid and an Islamic Educational centre.

West London Islamic Centre has made outstanding progress in the achievement of its broad objectives and will continue to pursue these goals for the future. In addition to the proposed services list on page 6, listed below are the most important and

critical issues that require immediate resolution for the successful full-scale launch of the

Greenford Madinah Masjid. It has been established that WLIC requires circa £4.5m to:

1. Re-pay the loan

A total of £1.50m is outstanding on an ‘Interest’ based loan!

2. Re-pay the Qardh-e-hasana

3. Acquire adjacent Car Garage (see picture below) Purchasing the front car garage is essential for the Masjid. Currently there is no main entrance to the building, except through this car garage, with owners permission or alternatively through an alley way at the back. Having an entrance on the main Greenford Road will greatly benefit the Masjid and the Muslim community. Once converted as part of the Masjid, it will act as a Masjid Front.

Purchase cost approximately £1m

Benefits include: Main Entrance, Ground Floor Shops to earn revenue, a lot of exposure.

4. Fully renovate and convert into a purpose built Masjid with basement parking

facilities. It is estimated to cost approximately £2m to convert the car garage, renovate the entire centre and create basement parking facilities.

Car Garage, in front of the Masjid, (Greenford Rd)

The West London Islamic Centre is now at a crucial point in its existence. Its resources and services are stretched to the fullest. Demand for existing and new services and facilities continue to grow. There is an Urgent need to respond. Please assist WLIC in moving forward. Make the WLIC’s goal a reality through your generous contributions. Your financial support is deemed 100% charitable: the WLIC is a non-profit organisation, registered with the Charity Commissions for England and Wales (Registration No. 290990). The centre is able to issue tax receipts for UK residents.

Remember: This is not just a donation. It is an Investment Opportunity for Your AAkhirah! If you build a Masjid in this world, for you will be built palaces in the Jannah. It is a Sadaqah Jaariyah, a charity which will continue to benefit you and your soul even after your death!

Your support will ensure that the Greenford Madinah Masjid caters for all

the needs of a Muslim community.

It has been established that WLIC requires circa £4.5m to:

Purchase land in front of the building £1.0m

Pay back the loan taken to purchase the building £1.5m

Basement, Wudhu area, renovation £2.0m

Total funds required £4.5m

How You can get involved

There are many ways of helping your Mosque, so please get involved in this noble cause. Examples of things to do are as follows:

Working as a volunteer to raise funds

Buying a Square meter of space for £1,000

Buying a Prayer Mat for £300

Buying a Square meter of a complete wall for £500

Giving your Masjid the Qardh-e-hasana (loan) for a set period of time

How to make Donations

No amount is too little. You can donate by:

Phone. Make card payments. Call us Any Time on: 07977 512 974 (Naeem Qureshi) 07939 251 366 (Muhibur Rahman)

Issuing a cheque; please make all cheques payable to “West London Islamic Centre, Charity No. 290990” and mail them to the address below

Making a bank or electronic transfer to the WLIC’s bank account as detailed below

Going online to the website detailed below, and making a secure payment through PayPal

Downloading a Standing Order Form from the WLIC website and mailing the completed form to your bank

Greenford Madinah Masjid, West London Islamic Centre 412 Greenford Road Allied Sainif House Greenford UB6 9AH www.greenfordmadinahmasjid.org info@greenfordmadinahmasjid.org

Bank Details West London Islamic Centre Account No. 5107 3621 Sort Code 40-42-14 HSBC PLc. 1 Regina Road, Southall, Middlesex, UB2 5PL

If you have any questions or suggestions, please contact us on the numbers below, or e-mail us for a quick response. Mr. S. Arshad +44 (0)7760 224 343 Chairman & Trustee Mr. Mohammed Ishaq +44 (0)20 8574 8300 General Secretary Muhibur Rahman +44 (0)7939 251 366 Naeem Qureshi +44 (0)7977 512 974

Greenford Madinah Masjid, West London Islamic Centre, Charity No. 290990 412 Greenford Road Allied Sainif House Greenford UB6 9AH www.greenfordmadinahmasjid.org info@greenfordmadinahmasjid.org

Members of the West London Islamic Centre would like to thank you for taking the time to

read this brochure, and hope you will join us in this essential and highly rewarding

endeavour.

WLIC, 2010

WLIC

West London Islamic Centre & Greenford Madinah Masjid www.greenfordmadinahmasjid.org