Hawzah News Agency-British Muslims are inviting Londoners to know more about their faith, culture and traditions in a special festival planned on Sunday, August 14, welcoming all faiths to use a new Islamic community centre being built in the city’s south end.
“Just because Muslims are the ones who built it, it doesn’t mean it’s for Muslims,” Eman El Hailes, organizer of the Around the World Festival, told.
The festival will be held on a site on Southdale Road West where the Muslim community is building a community centre called Noor Gardens.
The new community center, covering 5.2 hectares at 457 Southdale Rd. W., will house conference and banquet facilities, recreational and prayer spaces, and social services.
Almost $4 million has been raised for the $10 million to $12 million project through an annual fundraising dinner and community donations. The dinner this summer raised $700,000.
At the festival, several religious and secular cultural groups, including Somali, Pakistani and Syrian, will showcase traditional food and dress at the third annual free event Sunday.
“Whoever you are and whatever your background is, you’re always welcome in the community centre,” said El Hailes.
“We wanted to emphasize that by inviting everybody and including all the cultures that are here in London.”
Attended last year by 1500 people, the festival is expected to receive a double turnout this year, El Hailes said.
Volunteers have distributed flyers to surrounding neighborhoods, restaurants and businesses, and stepped up social media presence with more than 1,000 online followers.
According to Aya Algheriany, one of the festival organizers, the festival is an attempt to bridge the gap between the Muslim and non-Muslim communities and counter misconceptions of Muslims in the media.
“It’s a community event that brings everyone together regardless of religion or culture,” she said.
“There is a little bit of a gap between (Muslims) and other communities.”
Construction is set to begin next spring on the project, which began four years ago.