London’s first mosque turns 100 — a beacon of peace

A century ago today, the Fazl Mosque opened in Southfields — the first purpose-built mosque in London — paid for with donations raised in India, much of it given by Ahmadiyya women. Over 100 years it welcomed Pakistan’s founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Nobel laureate Abdus Salam, Saudi royalty and British princes; it founded a humanitarian charity during the Bosnian war and became a hub for interfaith dialogue. ‘A hundred years on, we mark this centenary the way we were taught to — by helping the people around us,’ says a community leader.