Church group’s concern at mosque ‘division and discord’

Churches in Camberley have denounced the plans to build a large traditional mosque in the town.

This week the Churches Together group said it felt the domed mosque, which will have 100ft minarets, would be making a powerful cultural and political statement.

The group, which represents 11 churches in the borough, also said that if the plans for the mosque were approved it could become a serious source of antagonism between the Muslim and wider communities.

The Rev Mark Chester, chairman of Churches Together and vicar of St Paul’s Church, said the group did support the Muslim community’s efforts to have better facilities.

He said: “There are many valued Muslim members of our community here in Camberley who have had a meeting place here for some years.

“Local churches in Camberley have had good relations with our Muslim neighbours, and agree that they should have appropriate facilities.

“However, I suggest there is a serious problem when the building of a new place of worship becomes such a contentious issue for the community.

“It is vitally important that a new-build mosque, or a place of worship for any faith, is appropriate to its setting rather than something clearly imported from a quite different culture.

“I think it is fair to say that a mosque with two 100ft minarets and a large elevated dome is making not so much a spiritual, as a powerful cultural, or even political statement.”

He added that if the mosque was given the go-ahead it could damage the relations between Muslims and the rest of the community for years to come.

“Division and discord”

Rev Chester said: “The current plans for the mosque make this a real and disturbing possibility.

“Churches Together in Camberley is committed to building better relationships between, and within, communities.

“If this new-build mosque goes ahead as planned I foresee only division and discord, which would damage our existing harmonious community.”

The organisation behind the mosque, the Bengali Welfare Association, said it did not agree with the churches’ comments.

Project manager Abdul Wasay Chowdhury said: “Our intention is to build an Islamic centre, which serves the local community. We are not interested in making a political statement.”

Mr Chowdhury said the association had gone to great pains to consult surrounding organisations and had tried to design the mosque in a way that was acceptable to the council and community.

As a result he said they had put the minarets at the back so as not to make them imposing and also agreed to use building materials that would fit in with the area.

“Thoroughly integrated”

Mr Chowdhury added: “We are pleased that Rev Mark Chester values good Christian-Muslim relations.

“However, we fail to see why the building of this mosque should result in a loss of good relations within our community today or in the future.

“We long to be a positive community thoroughly integrated into a Britain that is at peace with itself.

“Our children need to discover that Islam is a positive influence in this multi-cultural and multi-faith society, and guidance through religion provides the answer to sustaining a harmonious society.”

Mr Chowdhury also said that, even though the plans included the destruction of the main school building on the current site, the old infant school would be preserved.

He said that there were already old buildings in London Road, like the former Robins Cinema, which had fallen into disrepair.

“What I am saying is that I don’t see the point why this mosque should ruin community relations,” he said.

“We are saving one of the buildings in its original state, the infant school.”

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