London is set to become home to the largest mosque outside the Middle East, as controversial plans continue to move forward for a huge development in East London, Christian Today can reveal.
Already England's capital city contains more mosques than any other in the Western world, and plans have been continuously rumoured for an enormous modern Muslim complex which would create an Islamic village in London's East End.
At the proposed site, a simple and small mosque currently stands, which is set to make way for a 17-acre centre for up to 12,000 Muslim worshippers, Christian Today has learned.
Although the mosque would dwarf many of England's Christian cathedrals, it is not the size of the proposals that is the main concern, but rather the group behind the proposed establishment.
Alan Craig of Christian Peoples Alliance, has described the mega-mosque saying: "It's going to be very large. It's going to be a mosque, it's going to be an Islamic garden, there's going to be a library, there's going to be residential accommodation," according to US-based CBN News.
Craig is also a councilman for the London Borough of Newham, where the mosque is set to be built. Stating the reason why he is fighting the development of the super-mosque, Craig has said: "I'm not anti-Muslim. I'm a democrat. I believe Muslims have the right to build mosques. But there's a difference between your average mosque down the road...and this monster mosque, this mega-mosque that they want to build."
The group behind the development is called Tablighi Jamaat.
According to the USA's FBI, the Tablighi Jamaat has ties to al-Qaeda. In addition, the shoe bomber Richard Reid was associated with Tablighi Jamaat, as were two of the 7/7 bombers who struck London's public transport system in 2005.
Tablighi Jamaat has come under scrutiny from western security agencies since 9/11. Two years ago, according to The New York Times, a senior FBI anti-terrorism official claimed it was a recruiting ground for al-Qaeda.
