Bomb Sheltered Mosque Launches Poppy Appeal

Bomb Sheltered Mosque Launches Poppy Appeal

Fazl Mosque - London Mosque - during WWII

Fazl Mosque – also known as London Mosque – was a Bomb Shelter for locals during WWII

The oldest mosque in London, which dates back to 1924, was also served as a bomb shelter in the second world war, providing shelter to local residence. It’s fitting that this mosque would be the place where Ahmadi Muslim Youth, once again , launch their 2012 Poppy Appeal.

From there, these Young Muslims are planning to spread out across town and turn up at London’s rail and underground stations in force – to collect money for the Poppy Appeal.

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Assocation will again be helping The Royal British Legion as a demonstration of their loyalty to Britain and to recognise the valuable role it has played in the the fight against fascism, and the threat of extremism.

Once again, over 100 volunteers from the group will be stationed at many Zone 1 train and tube stations in the city of London. They will be hoping to raise more than the £20,000 they collected last year.

Ann Bedford, from The Royal British Legion, praised the support given by the community;

“The Ahmadis have supported us for three years and this support has grown each year,” she said.

The Ahmadi Muslims’ support for the Poppy Appeal stands in stark contrast to the behaviour of extremists who burned poppies on Remembrance Day.

A spokesperson for the youth association said: “A few people might get the wrong end of the stick; the poppy is not about supporting the war, we want to show solidarity with our troops who are not policy makers.

“Unfortunately you’re always going to have a few people who don’t agree with what you’re doing.”

While there is a bond that links British Ahmadi Muslims with Britain, by troops who fought alongside British soldiers in both world wars, and the heritage of the London (Fazl) mosque, there is the over-riding sense of loyalty to one’s nations that is ingrained into their faith.

So if you are traveling to London over the coming weeks,  look out for an Ahmadi Muslim collecting for the Poppy Appeal, and spare a thought for what lies behind the bond between supporting our troops, and this community of Muslims.

Discover more from the BBC and on The Huffington Post articles,