Almost 30 faith leaders in north London have condemned as racist objections made by some residents to a new Islamic centre based in the former Hippodrome in Golders Green.
Markaz El Tathgheef El Eslami, or the Centre for Islamic Understanding, paid £5.25m for the Hippodrome, which once hosted Marlene Dietrich, Laurence Olivier and the Kinks. It has submitted a planning application to Barnet council for the venue to be used as a Muslim community centre and mosque.
The proposal triggered a wave of objections from residents, many of whom cited concerns such as parking and congestion. But some openly opposed a Muslim centre in an area with a large Jewish population on the grounds that it would attract “undesirables” or endanger people’s safety. The centre would “make this beautiful neighbourhood too crowded with loads of burkas and veils”, wrote one resident.
Some Jewish leaders condemned the racist attitudes, with one local rabbi denouncing “threatening and misleading” languagethat echoed the kind of hostility Jewish people faced when they first came to the area.
Now almost 30 members of an interfaith forum in the borough – including representatives of Anglican, Catholic and Greek Orthodox churches, Quakers, Methodists, rabbis, imams and Sikhs – have signed a letter saying they look forward to welcoming the clerics of Markaz El Tathgheef El Eslami.
The letter said: “As clergy and faith representatives we unanimously deplored and condemned the hostile and, at times, racist response to the new Islamic centre’s opening. It is our firm conviction that those that attend the centre are as entitled to suitable and sufficient facilities as are enjoyed by all other faiths in Barnet, including Golders Green.
“Indeed, we are sure the new Islamic community will contribute, with us, to the neighbourhood’s character, harmony and safety.”
The signatories said they were confident that Barnet council would resolve all legitimate concerns relating to the centre.
At a meeting two weeks ago to protest against the plans, Gavin Boby of the Law and Freedom Foundation – who describes himself as “the mosque-buster” – said the plans for the Islamic centre were “the biggest threat to the sense of home for Jews since Cable Street”, referring to fascists in the east end of London in the 1930s.
Boby said he had challenged 47 planning applications for mosques and Muslim centres, claiming to have stopped 33.
A petition against the centre, focusing on congestion, air and noise pollution, parking problems and the “deterioration of the quality of our lives and our safety”, has gathered 5,675 signatures. It will be heard by Barnet council’s environment committee on Tuesday. More than 1,200 people submitted comments as part of the council’s consultation process.
Jonathan Arkush, president of the Board of Deputies, said some of the comments “were unworthy of Jewish people and if any were made by members of our community I find that a matter of regret”.
The centre’s spokesman, Ahmed al-Kazemi, said it would welcome people “regardless of religion or background. We want to have good links with other faiths and integrate into the local community.”
The building was previously used as a church by an evangelical Christian group for 10 years after it closed as an entertainment venue. The Islamic centre submitted a planning application for change of use from “church” to “place of worship”, and to extend its hours of opening.
A spokesperson for Barnet council said a date to decide the planning application had not been set but it was working with the new owners of Hippodrome and the local community “to ease tensions”.