It may be fate, or it may be coincidence, but it is surely highly appropriate that the building which now houses the South London Islamic Centre should have started life some 100 years ago as a fire station. It was then a protection and a safeguard for the local community against the threat of fire in this world; it now offers protection to the same community against the danger of fire in the Hereafter.
By the grace of Allah, there has been a Muslim community in Streatham for almost 50 years and this community has gradually grown in number and prosperity over the years. It now contributes at every level to the general vitality of the area and to the local community.
Since Muslims arrived to the British Isles they have gradually established themselves in this country through tremendous effort and sacrifice. Although much has been achieved, a lot has still yet to be realized.
In the early days, when there was no Mosque or community centre, people used to meet in private houses until 1977 when we acquired a lease on the former fire station situated in the very heart of Streatham. The initial conversion costs were met by the generous donations of the local Muslim community and running costs have always been kept low due to the sincere, voluntary assistance rendered by that same community. We also sincerely acknowledge the contribution made by the Lambeth Inner City Partnership Unit through their sponsorship of our venture for the first 5 years.
In November 1989, by the will of Almighty Allah we managed to purchase the freehold of the building and since then we have initiated an enormous undertaking to completely rebuild and modernise its existing facilities to meet our current requirements and those of our future generations. The current buildings require tremendous maintenance and upkeep and are too small to accommodate the increasing numbers of worshippers and activities. Additional facilities for prayers, offices and classrooms are urgently required.
Currently worshippers on Fridays fill up every available space including the main Mosque, the Assembly hall, the Ladies hall, Classrooms, our offices and even the outside courtyard. During the two Eid Festivals, we are forced to hold a number of prayer sessions (from 3-5) to accommodate all worshippers.
The world does not wait for change and is only influenced by those willing to attempt to change it. We believe that Almighty Allah will bless you and reward you for your generous donations towards this planned project. We have already received planning permission for the first phase of this project & this project was completed with the help of Muslim communityís donations .The following pages provide further information about the aims and objectives of our project and we pray that we can rely on your full support to make this noble dream a blessed reality.