MOSQUES IN GLASGOW

Good Muslims need to make Salat (their essential prayers) five times each day. These prayers can be made wherever they are, at home, at work, or in a mosque. It just needs to be somewhere clean.  

They can make the Salat on their own, but it is better if it is shared with their family or muslim friends and neighbours. One prayer in the week is considered especially important for muslims to make together if possible. This is the Friday mid-day Salat, which is known as the Jummah Salat. Jummah is an Arabic word meaning to gather together.

Until the 1960's very few muslims lived in Scotland, and almost all had been born in muslim countries overseas. Some had come to Scotland to settle and find work, and some were here to study at the Universities and colleges. They were from the Arab and African countries, Malaysia and Indonesia, Persia, India and Bangladesh, but most were from Pakistan.

On Fridays they would meet in someone's house, at their workplace, or in a room at the University, to make their Jummah Salat together. As the number of muslims in the community grew, more space was needed to cope, and in those areas where there were a lot of muslims they would join together and buy a building to use as a mosque.

They would find someone who was knowledgeable in Islam and pay him to look after the mosque and act as the Imam leading the five daily prayers. He would give the sermon at the Friday prayer and classes in Qur'an for muslim children.

Different mosques would cater for the different language communities, Urdu, Bengali, Farsi, etc. (though it is possible for any muslim to pray in any mosque as the Salat and the Qur'an are always in Arabic). Mosques are often maintained by organisations based in the country of origin of the local mosque community.  

Mosques can be found in small terraced houses like the Oakfield Avenue mosque run by Dawat-ul-Islam primarily for Bengali speakers. They can be in large detached houses such as Masjid-E-Khizra in Albert Road, run by the Pakistan based World Islamic Mission. They can be in converted commercial buildings like  the Jamaat Ithna Ashara on Ashley St. used by Shi'a muslims. They can be in converted church halls like the Masjid Furqan in Carrington St. run by the U.K.Islamic Mission, emphasising the teachings of Sayyid Mawdudi of Pakistan. But the first purpose built mosque in Scotland was The Glasgow Central Mosque & Islamic Centre, run by the Jamiat Ittihad-ul-Muslimin.

In the Islamic Centre can be found a variety of facilities for the use of the muslim community. There is an administrative office to handle the running of the mosque organization (the Jamiat employs 2 Imams, an Administrator & part-time clerical staff, and a number of part-time teachers) and to distribute information on Islam in answer to inquiries. Next to the office there is a committee room for meetings of Jamiat. The Jamiat is a charitable body with a Board of Trustees (7 life members), an Executive committee (16 members elected every 2 years), Sub-committees (Media, Mosque, Education, Finance, PR and Recreation).

The Centre has a library of materials on Islam, and a large community hall for cultural and social functions. In the hall there are Youth activities (such as table tennis) and it is also used for gatherings to celebrate Weddings and festivals (there is a large Kitchen to service these functions). The hall is also used for family gatherings at Funerals, and the Centre has a small mortuary where bodies can be washed before burial. Finally, the hall is sometimes used for public Lectures and Exhibitions.

In the Islamic Centre can be seen many features common to mosques throughout the world. A Minaret, toilets and washing facilities for Wudhu, a large Prayer hall (where you can see the Mihrab, the Minbar, the Dome, and examples of Calligraphic decoration. There is also a small Prayer hall and a women's gallery with separate Wudhu facilities. Another large Prayer hall below the main prayer hall is mainly used as a Madrassah.

The Mosques and other muslim organisations also run a number of Madrassahs for cultural and religious education in buildings bought specifically for that purpose in various places in Glasgow.