Grimsby Islamic Cultural Centre opens its doors during Visit My Mosque day
A day out at the Islamic Cultural Centre at Grimsby Mosque
VANEL staff members were very kindly invited to visit the local Mosque in Grimsby for a cultural awareness event on Sunday the 18th of February as part of national “Visit My Mosque Day”. Peter Hewson, Liz Dugard, and two IGNITE volunteers attended the event. This was so well organised and in accordance with Islamic culture; everyone had shoe covers and all female visitors were given a scarf (hijab) to wear over their heads which they were allowed to keep. The welcome from everyone was extended throughout the day and careful thought was given to every aspect of the activities and presentations which included details boards, henna hand painting, displays of Muslim dress and Arabic script in which children could join in. The guides were very informative and only too willing to answer questions and were both approachable and encouraged any queries visitors could raise. Mr Copley, one of the IGNITE volunteers, was very keen to source information from wherever he could!
The Centre members did not confine their assistance to the building itself but even made sure that visitors could cross the road safely and were given directions when they left. They thought of everything.
In the Cultural Centre itself the exhibits were exquisite, stimulating and easily readable, and they covered every aspect of the impact the Islamic faith and culture has made on the world, in science, nature, medicine, law, influencing and promoting wellbeing throughout.
Attendance on the day was very high and comprised visitors from Law Enforcement, local politics, representatives from local organisations and the voluntary sector, and notably families and children.
During the day we were privileged to witness members at prayer and this was impressive in terms of how peaceful and contemplative a process it was.
Last and certainly not least we were treated to a veritable feast of different dishes were available to sample from all corners of the Middle East and as Pete is normally addicted to fish and chips this challenged his dietary preference as the food on offer, savoury and sweet was delightful in taste, texture and served to amend any preconceptions regarding foreign food.
The event was one of harmony and revealed not just the religious aspect of the Islamic faith but moreover exemplified its historic, cultural and scientific factors and in conjunction with the warmth from the Centre members we were very pleased to go and would recommend a visit to anyone to correct misconceptions.
Find out more about Visit My Mosque day here http://www.visitmymosque.org/
Peter Hewson and Liz Dugard