Markazi mosque
Encyclopedia
The Markazi Masjid also known as the Dewsbury Markaz or Dar ul Ulum (House of Knowledge), is a mosque
in the Savile Town
area of Dewsbury
, West Yorkshire
. Accommodating up to 4,000 worshippers, it is one of the largest mosques in the United Kingdom
and among the biggest purpose-built mosques in Europe
. It is also the European headquarters of the Tablighi Jamaat
movement, and houses the Institute of Islamic Education (Jamia Talimul Islam), an independent day
and boarding
faith school
for boys aged 13–19 and one of the two main Islamic seminaries
in the UK. The mosque serves as a centre for Tablighi Jamaat's missionary activity throughout Europe.
and having links with Islamic terrorism in Britain; Mohammad Sidique Khan
and Shehzad Tanweer
, two of the 7 July 2005 London bombers
, are reported to have attended prayers at the mosque. Both the allegation of extremism and specific claims that Sidique Khan or Tanweer visited the mosque are denied by its leaders. In 2006 the Institute of Islamic Education was criticised by Ofsted
for an 'over-emphasis' on religious study to the neglect of the secular curriculum, leading to poor exam performance. The latest inspection (2008) reported satisfactory improvement in this area. Times
journalist Andrew Norfolk has argued the school contributes to ethnic segregation
in the local area. The daughter of the former headmaster of the school, Aishah Azmi
, came to public attention in 2006 after being dismissed from her position as a classroom assistant in a Church of England
faith school
for refusing to remove her niqab
.
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
in the Savile Town
Savile Town
Savile Town is a small area of Dewsbury in West Yorkshire, England. It lies just to the south of the River Calder and just north of a railway line. It consists of late Victorian housing, which varies between long terraces, semi-detached and detached housing...
area of Dewsbury
Dewsbury
Dewsbury is a minster town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. It is to the west of Wakefield, east of Huddersfield and south of Leeds...
, West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
. Accommodating up to 4,000 worshippers, it is one of the largest mosques in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and among the biggest purpose-built mosques in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. It is also the European headquarters of the Tablighi Jamaat
Tablighi Jamaat
Tablighi Jamaat is a religious movement which was founded in 1926 by Muhammad Ilyas al-Kandhlawi in India. The movement primarily aims at Tablighi spiritual reformation by working at the grass roots level, reaching out to Muslims across all social and economic spectra to bring them closer to...
movement, and houses the Institute of Islamic Education (Jamia Talimul Islam), an independent day
Day school
A day school—as opposed to a boarding school—is an institution where children are given educational instruction during the day and after which children/teens return to their homes...
and boarding
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
faith school
Faith school
A faith school is a British school teaching a general curriculum but with a particular religious character or has formal links with a religious organisation. It is distinct from an institution mainly or wholly teaching religion and related subjects...
for boys aged 13–19 and one of the two main Islamic seminaries
Seminary
A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...
in the UK. The mosque serves as a centre for Tablighi Jamaat's missionary activity throughout Europe.
Controversy
Tablighi Jamaat and the Dewsbury Markaz has been repeatedly accused of promoting extremist IslamismIslamism
Islamism also , lit., "Political Islam" is set of ideologies holding that Islam is not only a religion but also a political system. Islamism is a controversial term, and definitions of it sometimes vary...
and having links with Islamic terrorism in Britain; Mohammad Sidique Khan
Mohammad Sidique Khan
Mohammad Sidique Khan was the oldest of the four homegrown suicide bombers and believed to be the leader responsible for the 7 July 2005 London bombings, in which bombs were detonated on three London Underground trains and one bus in central London suicide attacks, killing 52 people excluding the...
and Shehzad Tanweer
Shehzad Tanweer
Shehzad Tanweer was one of four men who detonated explosives in three trains on the London Underground and one bus in central London during the 7 July 2005 London bombing...
, two of the 7 July 2005 London bombers
7 July 2005 London bombings
The 7 July 2005 London bombings were a series of co-ordinated suicide attacks in the United Kingdom, targeting civilians using London's public transport system during the morning rush hour....
, are reported to have attended prayers at the mosque. Both the allegation of extremism and specific claims that Sidique Khan or Tanweer visited the mosque are denied by its leaders. In 2006 the Institute of Islamic Education was criticised by Ofsted
Ofsted
The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills is the non-ministerial government department of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools In England ....
for an 'over-emphasis' on religious study to the neglect of the secular curriculum, leading to poor exam performance. The latest inspection (2008) reported satisfactory improvement in this area. Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
journalist Andrew Norfolk has argued the school contributes to ethnic segregation
Racial segregation
Racial segregation is the separation of humans into racial groups in daily life. It may apply to activities such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a public toilet, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or purchase of a home...
in the local area. The daughter of the former headmaster of the school, Aishah Azmi
Aishah Azmi
Aishah Azmi is a British Muslim woman who came to public attention in 2006 after being suspended and then dismissed from her position as a classroom assistant in a Church of England faith school for refusing to take off her niqab when required to work in a classroom alongside a male teacher...
, came to public attention in 2006 after being dismissed from her position as a classroom assistant in a Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
faith school
Faith school
A faith school is a British school teaching a general curriculum but with a particular religious character or has formal links with a religious organisation. It is distinct from an institution mainly or wholly teaching religion and related subjects...
for refusing to remove her niqab
Niqab
A niqab is a cloth which covers the face, worn by some Muslim women as a part of sartorial hijāb...
.
External links
- Markazi Masjid – official website.