ANNUAL REVIEW2014-2015

E A S T L O N D O N M O S Q U E T R U S T E S T . 1 9 1 0

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TO SERVE, EDUCATE AND INSPIRE.The East London Mosque & London Muslim Centre is in the heart of Tower Hamlets, a diverse borough with a rich history, and home to the UK’s largest Muslim community. Our primary concern is to serve the needs of the local community and to work towards the common good.

Contents

03 Chairman’s Foreword 22 Fundraising

04 Summary 24 Premises

05 Director’s Report 26 ELMT Archives

06 Religious Services 28 Historical Timeline

08 Education and Training 29 Conclusion

12 Social Welfare 29 Board of Trustees

18 Community Cohesion 30 Financial Statements

20 Economic Development

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Chairman’s Foreword

The East London Mosque Trust (ELMT) continues to grow as a beacon for Muslim communities in the UK. People from all over London are able to take benefit from the ELMT’s spiritual and community services, with many travelling from afar to visit the Mosque, particularly during Ramadan.

The Mosque’s leadership, volunteers and staff have worked tirelessly to maintain this institution’s positive contribution to society. I am always encouraged by their determination to continually improve and take feedback from the congregation.

The projects and services for women in the Maryam Centre are growing gradually. Women in our community have benefited tremendously by having access to a unique space catering for them.

A key priority remains empowering our communities to feel confident as an integral part of contemporary British society, especially our young people. We are particularly focussed on providing them with education, so that they may learn about their own heritage, which includes the history of the ELMT.We continue to work hard to improve relationships with relevant partners, users and stakeholders; to foster new relationships; and to find ways to work together for the common good.

One of the major challenges of the ELMT is managing reputational damage due to negative, misleading reporting by some right wing media. The Trust has actively responded to false allegations. The Trust has also formed a media sub-committee and appointed a reputable law firm to advise trustees on reputation management.

As the community remains in the public spotlight, we hope we can make an effective contribution in

changing public perceptions on the whole. This is certainly a challenge, as a charity our resources are limited; however we continue to hold Mosque open days and have hosted hundreds of tours and schools. This will go some way to demystifying Islam and Muslims, and the role of the Mosque in the community.

We remain convinced our communities have a significant part to play in improving wider society. Our faith in God remains absolute, that with His support and guidance we as a society can move forward for the betterment of all.

I thank all those who have helped to make this year another successful and productive one. We strive to serve, educate and inspire; I sincerely hope the coming year is even better than this last one.

Muhammad Habibur RahmanChairman

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Summary

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It has been a challenging year for the East London Mosque Trust (ELMT), navigating austere times. However, we have managed to continue to provide services that the public expects of our institution.

The Mosque is open every day of the year for all 5 daily prayers, plus the special prayers for Eid and in Ramadan. The average weekly footfall for prayers is 32,000 people, rising to over 70,000 in Ramadan. The midday (Jumuah) prayer on Fridays attracts over 5,000 worshippers from across London. The Friday sermon is delivered in 3 languages, and with BSL interpretation for deaf worshippers.

Ramadan is the busiest month, a demanding time for staff and volunteers. More than 600 people were provided with free meals for breaking the fast every evening. Late every evening thousands of worshippers attended the special Ramadan prayers.

The mosque provides information on Islam and regularly conducts tours for those interested to know about Islam and Muslims. This helps to preserve Islamic heritage and provides an excellent opportunity to dispel misconceptions as well as creating lasting relationships with wider society.

The Maryam Centre has now been operating for over two years, and continues to grow under the leadership of our Projects Manager. The women’s counselling service goes from strength to strength, providing women with valuable advice and information.

The security of our buildings has been ramped up since an incursion by a far-right group into the Mosque. Security personnel are now employed to ensure regular patrols of the buildings during out of hours. Frontline staff have also been

provided with training.

The ELMT has been working hard to reduce its debts from the capital building costs of the Maryam Centre, and the purchase of the neighbouring Synagogue.

We remain committed to raising health awareness within our communities and have rebranded ‘Run 4 Your Mosque’ to ‘Muslim Charity Run’, making it more inclusive so other charities could take part and fundraise at the same time.

We gave access to award-winning film maker Robb Leach to film the day-to-day activities and challenges of the Mosque; aired twice now on BBC, this may help dispel misinformation about the ELMT.

Our doors remain as open as ever to the public, congregation and service users: to visit, to pray, to learn. We pray Allah continues to bestow His blessings upon us, so we deliver excellent services for the benefit of the communities we serve.

Ayub KhanHonorary Secretary

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Director’s Report

We have had an incredibly busy year with many events and activities taking place at the Mosque and Centre.

We continue to improve our relationships with key partner organisations and with stakeholders in the community to ensure the best for our communities. Interfaith work is a vital part of the East London Mosque Trust (ELMT). We remain committed to all our engagement within the various networks and groups that we are part of. We have recently developed cultural diversity courses and now offer this to businesses and organisations who stand to benefit from understanding BAME communities, especially with regards to the Muslims.

Our projects continue to go strong and our natural focus is now on developing more services tailored for women. The demand from them has been significant and usually women from within our communities are marginalised from accessing mainstream services.

Fundraising efforts have been good this year, as we work towards eliminating our debts and senior fundraising officer continues to devise innovative campaigns to this regard. Our revenue has increased by 8.5% this year which is better than

the last, and the events department continue to push marketing to help ensure income from our venues is increased.

Several new committees were formed this year by the Board of Trustees, notably the Governance, Compliance and Audit committee (GCA) as well as the Media Committee (MC). The GCA committee has been reviewing organisational policies, procedures and compliance to ensure they are kept under constant review. The MC has met regularly since inception to discuss on-going matters related to the ELMT’s PR works.

I pray we are able to continually improve our services and projects for the benefit of the community.

Dilowar KhanExecutive Director

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Religious Services

Prayer FacilitiesThe number of people praying at the Mosque continues to grow. Two month-long surveys captured the number of people coming for congregational prayers, showing an average weekly footfall of over 32,000, rising to over 71,000 in Ramadan. More than 5,600 people attend the weekly Friday prayers. The total annual footfall is now approaching 2 million.

The Mosque has British Sign Language interpreters for the Friday sermon and for the Eid prayers, available on screens through most of the complex.

FuneralsLondon’s oldest and busiest Muslim funeral service, Taslim funerals, is an independent company that has a mortuary in the basement of the Maryam Centre. The Mosque facilitates funeral prayers, after which coffins are accompanied by families to a cemetery for burial. There were funeral prayers over 600 from April 2014 to March 2015 was 619.

Religious Teaching of IslamThe Mosque has talks every day of the week to help people learn about their religion, in English, Somali, Bengali and Arabic.Every year in the month before Hajj there are training seminars

for pilgrims in English and Bangla for those about to perform this important pillar of Islam.

Adhan Radio and Internet BroadcastsFor many years the local community has been able to listen to the adhan, khutbah and talks in their homes using special digital receivers. Broadcasts are now available via Mixlr, which allows people to listen on smartphones and on the internet.

Islam Awareness Project (IAP)IAP provides information, advice and support to those interested in Islam, working with mainstream organisations including councils and major mosques all over the UK.

IAP supports the East London Mosque by facilitating classes, visits and exhibitions. IAP worked with TELCO on interfaith and community cohesion initiatives. IAP has provided more than 2,000 information packs for distribution at the Mosque reception to visitors and groups; A further 20,000 packs have been distributed to other organisations.

Ramadan 1436 AH (2015)The days of fasting in Ramadan continue to lengthen, this year starting just before the longest

day of the year; at the beginning of Ramadan fasting was from 2.39am to 9.24pm.

The purchase of the Fieldgate Street Great Synagogue was agreed just as the month started, and announced to the congregation on the first Friday; this then became the focus of fundraising.

The special congregational prayers every night (Tarawih) began at 11pm and finished at around 1am. On most nights there was a short break for a fundraising appeal either for our Mosque or an external charity.

As usual, there were big congregations every night, enjoying the recital of the Qur’an by guest reciters. The Mosque in partnership with Muslim Aid provided over 100,000 bottles of water.

On average every day over 600 people enjoyed a free Iftar meal for the breaking of the fast. 333 people applied for the 86 Itikaf places (seclusion in the Mosque in the last 10 days of Ramadan).

‘EidOver 20,000 people attend the special prayers on the morning of Eid, so five congregational prayers were held on each of ‘Eid al-Adha and ‘Eid al-Fitr.

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77Worshippers gather outside the Mosque on Eid ul-Adha 2014.

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Education & Training

Al Mizan & London East Academy Al-Mizan is our full-time primary school, the London East Academy (LEA) a full-time secondary school, both for boys, with a single governing body and head teacher. There are 27 staff members and 5 part-time break supervisors. The primary has 77 students on roll (out of a possible 100) and secondary has 148 (out of a possible 150). Both schools made significant improvements this academic year, including a determined follow-up to unannounced inspections by Ofsted in October 2014.

Al-Mizan moved to the 4th floor of the Maryam Centre in December 2014, where each year group has a dedicated teaching room. Al-Mizan’s 2015 Key Stage 2 SATs results have again been strong with 96% of pupils achieving level 4+ in Mathematics, Reading, Writing, Grammar and Punctuation. The number of hafiz graduates is increasing year-on-year.

The London East Academy achieved excellent GCSE results in 2015, with 96% of pupils gaining at least five A* to C including English and Maths.The schools make a concerted effort to ensure a broad and balanced curriculum is offered to all students, with variety of enrichment activities and experiences including trips to museums, visits to the religious buildings other faiths, and inter-school sports competitions.

ELM Evening Madrasah The ELM Evening Madrasah has 12 classes and a student roll of 225, cared for by 14 members of staff. The Madrasah has been following a new structured syllabus since 2014, with new sets of student books from the previous year.

The Madrasah is certified by the National Resource Centre for Supplementary Education on: code of behaviour, safeguarding policy statement, child protection procedure, health and safety (including risk assessment), registration form for each child, financial rules, accounts, appropriate insurance, etc.

Rainbow House Children at Rainbow House have made good progress in the past year and we continue to provide a range of services for children under 8 years of age and their families – including morning and afternoon pre-school sessions, Sunday Arabic language club, evening Arabic club, mother & toddler drop-in sessions, and crèche. We now

also provide full-time pre-school sessions for a limited number of children and a Saturday Arabic language club.

Services for Deaf Children and Adults The East London Mosque Trust continues to support Al Isharah, a charity that provides deaf friendly services for deaf people. Al Isharah has a training room on the 4th floor of the LMC.

The Friday sermon continues to be translated into British Sign Language (BSL) by an interpreter in the LMC 1st floor hall, but now this is relayed by a picture-in-picture broadcast so it can be seen across the whole complex wherever there is a screen.

The class after Friday prayer is well attended, with over 40 people discussing the subject of the sermon of the day. This is often facilitated by one of the Imams.

Improving School Attendance & Attainment in Partnership (ISAAP) ISAAP continues to work in partnership with a number of primary and secondary schools in Tower Hamlets. Its objective is to tackle issues related to poor attendance, punctuality, attainment and a lack of parental involvement from a community perspective in order to raise overall levels of achievement.

ISAAP delivered well this year despite the reduction in funding and changes in staff. The project is funded through a small mainstream grant and SLAs with a number of secondary and primary schools.

The project has worked with 183 families providing one to one support, home visits, parenting workshops, facilitating assemblies at schools; and three-way meetings between pupils, parents and teachers.

The project has improved the attendance and attainment of 95% of the pupils that have been referred to ISAAP. The forthcoming year will include a review of the service with respect to sustainability and continuity.

Saturday Islamic School (SIS) Saturday Islamic School continues to provide high quality education to girls and boys aged 6½ to 15 years old. The subjects taught include Qur’an, basic Arabic language, Islamic Studies and Islamic etiquette.

Direct Service Supported Service Tenant Organisation

99London East Academy students experiment in science class.

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Four of the five branches of SIS are accommodated in the premises of mainstream secondary schools. Currently SIS educates just over 800 children and has 42 staff members. It also has a strong team of volunteers, mainly comprising of ex-SIS students.

Library The library operates from Monday to Thursday 4.30 – 8.00 PM, and on Friday 2.00 – 8.00 PM, with seasonal adjustment around the prayer times.The library has over 7,000 books, mainly in English and Arabic, but includes over 800 books in Bangla and almost 500 for children. There are 16 computers with internet access and Microsoft Office, available for library users without charge. The library also houses the archive room.

Junior Muslim Circle (JMC) The JMC holds programmes every weekend for boys and girls. It also holds residentials, night programmes and a football tournament. The JMC runs activities during all the school holidays, always ensuring that programmes implement the five Every Child Matters (ECM) outcomes.

JMC is run by volunteers; this year we have

managed to attract a large number of young volunteers aged between 16 and 19. All our volunteers are DBS checked. Volunteers took part in a trip to Tunisia. Training for volunteers includes health and safety, safeguarding, fire safety and first aid.

Jibreel Institute (registered as Jibreel Trust) Jibreel Institute made good progress in 2014/15. Over the last year around 600 learners took part in various courses. In December 2014 our one-day marriage course attracted over 200 students. This was then followed up with a 12-week course which looked at various topics around marriage.

In May 2015, Jibreel Institute delivered a course based on the bestselling book ‘Don’t be Sad’. This course was extremely successful with nearly 300 participants. Following on from this a 6-month course is scheduled to start in September 2015.

The Arabic Language Intensive course has also been popular with around 15 regular students. Jibreel Institute has lined up around 10–12 courses in the coming year with various notable scholars. These will include our popular Arabic Intensive and Tajweed courses.

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Baroness Syeda Warsi meets with students from the London East Academy.

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London East Academy students learn British Sign Language with Al-Ishara.

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Social Welfare

Help, Advice and CounsellingThe Mosque continues to be a popular with worshippers looking for advice and guidance from our Imams, especially on religious issues. Although the imams try to meet the demand from the public there are occasions when they are overwhelmed by the sheer number of enquires they receive. During a three-week audit the Mosque received an average of 1,900 enquiries (telephone, in person, email) per week.

Jamiat-ul-MusliminJamiat-ul-Muslimin is an official volunteering body for the ELMT. It was established in 1934 as a society for the promotion of Islam, with its membership mainly living in the East End of London. It played a key role in the early establishment, inauguration and management of the East London Mosque.

Its volunteering work is so closely associated with the East London Mosque that this year it changed from being an independent organisation to becoming an official committee of the ELMT with its own terms of reference.

The main duties of the 90 members include volunteering and collections for Fridays, Ramadan and Eid. They also help with itikaf arrangements. The members assisted other organisations in their collections during Ramadan.

London Citizens and TELCOThe Mosque’s relationship with TELCO, London Citizens and Citizens UK continues to grow. With a common goal of mutual respect, understanding and to foster relations with the different communities of London, the Mosque worked with Citizens UK to tackle issues on housing and the living wage.

Muslim Agency for Development and Enterprise in Europe (MADE in Europe)The Mosque partnered with MADE in Europe to host the first ‘Green Iftar’ with ethically sourced and cooked food distributed on one of the days of Iftar. People particularly enjoyed the new menu and took a moment to reflect on living and eating and being conscience of our carbon footprint. The Mosque continues to work closely with MADE in Europe to extend ethical standards across the organisation and welcomed the idea of hosting future events to promote a lifestyle that ensures the planet’s sustainability.

NHSThe Mosque teamed up with the NHS on a national campaign to urge Muslims to donate blood. The campaign ‘Muslims Give blood’ drew considerable interest from the community and soon will be followed with a day for people to come and donate their blood at the LMC.

Faith RegenFaith Regen continues to provide employment support and accredited training at the London Muslim Centre, including ESOL classes.

Islamic MarriageThe Imams performed 342 nikah (Islamic marriage) attestations this year; this is the religious ceremony, which is separate from the civil marriage which couples are advised to undertake at their local Registry Office. Our Imams also advise individuals, couples and families on issues relating to getting married.

Charity CollectionsIn addition to our own collections, the Mosque facilitates collections for other registered charities. In the last year over £183,000 was raised from our congregation for worthy causes, the majority for humanitarian appeals.

Faith in HealthFaith in Health delivered 10 focused Road Shows, working with over 100 institutions including Mosques, surgeries, pharmacies, hospitals and other religious institutions. The Road Shows promote public health messages, build relationships with institutions and develop new strands of work. Training sessions were organised on mental health, obesity and keeping healthy in Ramadan. Three Health Connex events focussed on mental health, smoke cessation and obesity.

Al-Ihsan Marriage & Family Advice ServiceThis matrimonial service helps people to find their ideal spouse. It is open six days a week, and has a website for information and registration. In 2014 the service achieved 40 successful marriages.A marriage counselling service is offered to those waiting to get married or those who are newly married.

Working in Partnership

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Public lecture by Sir Malcolm Grant, Chairman of NHS England, as he speaks to an audience at the LMC.

Reverend Christine Hall of St John, Bethnal Green looks at exhibition photos taken by Jasmin Agovic.

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Maryam Women’s Services (MWS)Based in the Maryam Centre, Maryam Women’s Services provides information, advice and guidance for women. The Maryam Centre is home to the prayer facilities for women; reception staff are instrumental in providing a safe and supportive environment for women to attend not only the prayers but the many other programmes that take place there.

MWS provides regular Mosque tours for schools, colleges, educational institutes and others, and has developed a programme that is educational and welcoming for new people wanting to learn about Islam and the East London Mosque.

A free counselling service is delivered by four qualified counsellors; a confidential space for women to express thoughts and feelings. Counsellors provide referrals and see clients on an appointment basis.International Women’s Day was celebrated again by partnering with the Muslim Women’s Collective.

The theme this year was ‘Experience of women living and working in Tower Hamlets’. MWS hosted a series conference to raise awareness in the community, some in partnership

with organisations such as Muslim Women’s Network UK, Tower Hamlets Council and the TH Council of Mosques.The Maryam Centre achieved the silver award this year for environmental sustainability. Fairtrade cloth shoe bags were given to women in the Maryam Centre as a way of saving plastic carrier bags. Many women walked to the Mosque, and jugs were given to save water when making ablutions. Next year we are going for gold!

WPCs from the local police station built on the good relationship with women at the Maryam Centre and delivered a series of workshops around safety and reporting hate crime. Over 500 personal safety alarms were given to women again this year, as well as advice on personal safety.Maryam Centre staff and volunteers were trained to report any form of hate crime to the police and council for monitoring, investigation and action. As a third party reporting centre, all women will have access to reporting any kind of hate crime or hate incident.

English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes were delivered to help women converse confidently.

Above: A Women’s counselling group meets at the Maryam Centre.

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Pro Bono in the LMCPro Bono in the LMC (PBLMC) is a free legal advice service, run by volunteer practising barristers, solicitors and Cilex executives. Where PBLMC is not able to assist they are able to signpost to other legal help providers. This service is available to those who are unable to afford or obtain legal aid. Areas of law included: family, crime, landlord and tenant, employment and immigration.

In the past year PBLMC gave legal advice in 240 cases. It is usually initial advice, such as to explain a legal letter, write a letter, or explain particular proceedings or aspects of the law. Both Muslims and non-Muslims come to PBLMC for legal help.PBLMC started a service dedicated to women only, staffed by volunteer women solicitors and taking place in the Maryam Centre.

Somali Development Association(aka Al Shafie Institute)The Somali Development Association (SDA) had an effective year delivering services to the Somali community in London, including seminars in building capacity, developing teaching skills for teachers from different London boroughs, and organising events and seminars in partnership with both governmental and non-governmental organisations. The SDA undertook charitable work to help poor and needy people in Somalia,

such as sponsoring schools, and helping with the treatment costs for sick people. The Ar-Rawdah institute is a supplementary weekend school provided by the SDA.

North African Community Association (NACA)NACA provides services and facilities for the Muslim community as a whole. Our advice service deals with family problems; we strengthen family ties by fostering and instilling better values and Islamic morals through one-to-one mentoring of children and parents.

Our youth service aims to increase spirituality and improve community cohesion, bringing youth from all backgrounds and ethnicities together to build strong relationships. Al-Qalam Madrasah caters for children between the ages of 5–17; there are currently over 180 students enrolled. We help to prepare children for adulthood with the essential knowledge, adaab (manners) and experience required of a Muslim at this age. Muslim youth are taught to respect and value each other and to contribute towards the community and society as a whole.

NACA held many seminars and talks, including Hajj and Umrah, parenting and health advice. NACA helped fundraise for and raise awareness of victims of the Bangladesh, Syrian, Egyptian and Palestinian conflicts, amongst others.

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Community Cohesion

Exhibition and Open DaysIslam Awareness Project organised two open days and exhibitions at the East London Mosque and London Muslim Centre. Volunteers are always on hand to guide people through the exhibitions and answer their questions. No one leaves empty handed as all visitors are provided with a gift pack of information materials.

Visitors & Organised VisitsAs the demand continues to grow, visits and organised tours were put on a stronger footing by streamlining the booking procedure; schools, colleges and other tour operators benefit from a dedicated member of staff to handle queries, with a separate telephone line and email to help organise an educational visit highlighting the Mosque’s history and place at the heart of the Muslim community.

This year we hosted 71 school visits, covering key stages 2 to 5. We also hosted 69 adult groups from the UK, France, Denmark, America and Italy.We are planning a special exhibition, ‘Hajj – the Fifth Pillar’, which will run from September until December.

Visits by DignitariesSadiq Khan MP, Simon Hughes MP, Jeff James (CEO of The National Archives), and Humayun Ansari (Professor of History of Islam and Culture, Royal Holloway, University of London) led the

launch of the ELM’s Archives project on 15th January 2015.Baroness Sayeda Warsi visited on 25th February 2015 to see the numerous projects and services used by the community. She took particular interest in the work of MADE in Europe with Palestinian farmers to promote fair trade products from the West Bank.

Local MP Rushanara Ali visited the London East Academy and Al-Mizan in April 2015.Lord Egremont, Chairman, and Charles Sebag-Montefiore, Treasurer, of the National Manuscript Conservation Trust visited on the 17th March 2015, and were given a tour of the Mosques archives by our professional archivist, including a special display of the celebrated 1910 Minute Book of the London Mosque Fund.

On 21st July Professor Michael Arthur, President & Provost of University College London, came to consult on the opening of the new campus site in the neighbouring borough, Newham. Professor Arthur particularly enjoyed the walking tour of the Mosque and Centre.Chair of NHS England, Sir Malcolm John Grant, visited on the 9th December 2014, accompanied by our long standing member, Iqbal Khan. He committed to a return visit to deliver a lecture on ‘the contribution of faiths and communities to health and healthcare’ later in September 2015.

Tower Hamlets Police Cadets train at the London Muslim Centre.

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Media and PublicationsThe Mosque was inundated with hundreds of media requests this year. The Mosque received positive coverage for welcoming members of the public to come and visit, helping to ease tensions within the community.

The Mosque continues its work to warn against extremism, and joined others in deterring people from traveling to Syria and Iraq.

Getty images returned again this year in Ramadan 2015 to capture photography of prayers and the Iftar meals.

A special broadcast of BBC Radio 4’s Sunday programme took place at the East London Mosque on 26th July 2015, live from our Visitor Centre. Presenter Edward Stourton, talked about current affairs, news, community issues and interfaith work.

The funeral service based at the Mosque was prominently featured in Slate magazine, in a piece dubbed ‘The Muslim Undertakers of East London’. The featured article explained how funerals work within the community and the time sensitive nature of funerals in Islam.

The beekeeping project in the ELM continues to receive positive media coverage from both local and international news agencies.

The Mosque took part in a campaign led by the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) called ‘Visit

My Mosque’ in Feb 2015, where journalists and broadcasters were invited along with many non-Muslim guests to visit the East London Mosque (ELM). This was part of a national campaign launched by the MCB exclusively from the ELM.

Robb Leech, an award-winning filmmaker, was given unprecedented access to film at the Mosque for six months from February 2015. The documentary is scheduled for broadcast on BBC 2 on 1 October 2015.

The ELM website is regularly updated with information, event listings and announcements. This year many third sector charities have sought to display paid adverts on the Mosque’s website, which covered maintenance costs with a substantial surplus.

The Mosque’s website received 2 million user visits for the period of 4 Apr 2014 to 6 Aug 2015, for a total of 7.6 million user sessions. The website recently saw a streaming audio service, Mixlr, integrated into the site; users can now listen live to prayers, events and activities through the service.

A local design company helped produce iPhone and Android applications for smartphones. The app enables users to check prayer times, see the Ramadan timetable and donate to the Mosque.The Mosque has a substantial presence on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.

Working with other organisations for a better society for allThe Mosque remains a committed member to promoting interfaith dialogue and understanding between people of all faiths and beliefs by working with:

• Faith Forums for London, • Tower Hamlets Interfaith Forum, • 3 Faiths Forum• Joseph Interfaith foundation

Community Cohesion Contingency Planning & Tension Monitoring Group (CCCPTMG)The Mosque took part in several CCCPTMG meetings this year, working with the police on issues that involve the Muslim community.

Diversity CoursesWe developed and introduced our new Diversity Courses for professionals, individuals and charities wishing to learn more about Islam and Muslims. We successfully delivered three this year including the charity Guide Dogs, and Tower Hamlets Bangladeshi Children & Families Service.

National Imams and Rabbis CouncilThe National Imams and Rabbis Council, initiated by The Josephs Interfaith Foundation, plays a vital role in bringing together qualified Rabbis, Imams, professionals and academics to developing productive projects with a specialised methodology and realistic outlook.

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Economic Development

Business Wing and Other TenantsThe following are currently tenants of EMLT:

• AIC World Ltd• Al Ihsan Marriage & Advice Service• Al Isharah• Arabian Nites• Baraka Eatery• Blackstone• Business Hub• Council of Mosques in Tower Hamlets• Eastern Accounts• Faith Regen UK• Haji Taslim Funerals• Hayaa Fitness• Islamic Forum Trust• Kuddus Solicitors (first floor)• MADE in Europe• Media Mohol & Amanah Europe• Muslim Aid• Muslim Women’s Collective• Our Choice• Pro Bono in the LMC• Rainbow House• Reconcile• Smartx7 Limited• Sunnah Circumcision Clinic• Trust Global

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Fundraising

The annual Run 4 Your Mosque on Sunday 21st September 2014 saw a sea of bright green t-shirts as runners returned to Victoria Park to complete the 5km course. On a glorious sunny morning, men and boys of all ages raised £26,754 for the Maryam Centre.

Building on that success, the Mosque broadened and rebranded the run for 2015. On Sunday 9th August 2015 at Victoria Park hundreds of people ran for over 20 charities in the new Muslim Charity Run, raising £31,200 for the Mosque, and more for the other charities. Preparation for the run was substantial, including branding, t-shirts for participants, staff and volunteers to manage the route, sponsorship, the setting up of JustGiving donation webpages, and prizes for fastest runners.

The annual winter bazaar has become a tradition at the Mosque with stall holders coming together to display a wide selection of food, drinks, handicrafts and much more, this year raising £896.

On Saturday 7th March 2015, six members of Mosque staff took part in a fundraising skydive. The brave participants found themselves jumping out of a plane in the late afternoon over Salisbury. Together, they managed to raise over £3,600 in sponsorship from family and friends.

The Mosque held a football tournament for the third year running on Saturday 23rd May 2015. 28 teams took part from all over London and all played on top form, battling it out to reach the finals. This tournament attracted diverse backgrounds including non-Muslims, raising £3,200.

On the special 27th night of Ramadan £140,658 was raised in pledges, donations and Qard Hasanah (loans). A further £74,989 was raised in

cash donations after prayers at other times during Ramadan, and £27,570 on Eid al-Fitr.

As in previous years, the ELMT had a Ramadan fundraising night on Channel S. Once again we were humbled by the wonderful response from the Muslim community, this time to support the purchase of the Synagogue. We sought both Qard-e-Hasanah & donations, together totalling an amazing £1,134,573 on the night.

Since allowing companies to advertise on our website, we have received overwhelming requests with many on the waiting list. With over 7 million views, it gives the opportunity for companies to promote themselves to the Muslim community of London and beyond. This initiative has raised over £15,950.The ELM book stall, initiated by two Mosque employees in 2008, raised £15,014. A vending machine on the LMC concourse raised a further £2,380.

The Alhambra Donors Wall is now almost complete; a few centre tiles remain. This initiative raised over £2m in the last few years for the Maryam Centre.

After the Friday midday prayer the Mosque seeks small cash donations. On average we received £5,793 per week in the last financial year.

A campaign to encourage donations by regular standing order has been a great success since its launch. The Mosque received 903 standing orders this year with a value of £2,700 per month.The funeral service continues to seek donations from its patrons to help relieve the Mosque of its debt. The ELMT is grateful for its continuous support.

Runners at the starting line of Run 4 Your Mosque 2014.

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Run 4 Your Mosque 2014 winners.

ELMT staff including documentary film maker Robb Leech participate in a fundraising sky dive.

ELMT partners with Islamic Relief to raise funds for victims of Nepal’s earthquake.

ELMT volunteers receive awards for their contribution.

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Premises

Renovation, Redecoration & Outfitting WorksIn December Al-Mizan moved from their classrooms in 94 Whitechapel Road to the Maryam Centre 4th floor. The corridor linking the old classrooms to the first floor of the Mosque was sealed, then the premises let out to Kuddus Solicitors. The remaining classroom on the Mosque side was refurbished to form a new board room for the Trustees.

The Maryam Centre finally saw the installation of new external signage, all in silver brushed aluminium and backlit with LED lights.

Due to water penetration problems in the ELM ablutions, the three showers were completely refurbished, and tiles were replaced along one wall behind ablutions taps. The metal grating was reinforced. In the LMC Ablutions a set of old hand basins were replaced with butler sinks.

Since the opening of the LMC there had been an easy seating area on the large landing on the LMC 4th floor. There was a need for more project space, so the easy seating area was partitioned to create a substantial new meeting room.

Technical Services

Information TechnologyThis has been a year for consolidation for the Technical Team, who provide day-to-day support for staff, schools and visitors, and develop and expand our services.

This year saw the introduction of fibre optic broadband, hugely improving the internet upload and downloads speed throughout our complex. WiFi provision has increased throughout the complex.

Further enhancements to the AV system have improved sound quality and backup provision. We expanded the provision of video feeds to classrooms. We also centralised control of most information screens in the complex.

British Sign Language for the Friday sermon is now more accessible as the interpreter is shown ‘Picture-in-Picture’ alongside the Imam.

The mosque adhan, prayers and talks can now be heard live from our website and through a mobile app, Mixlr. During Ramadan we had over 400,000 clicks.

LMC beehivesAfter another mild winter the beehives all fared well. Husband and wife team Khalil and Salma dedicate a lot of voluntary time looking after the several hives on the LMC roof and in the Maryam Centre observation area.

The first honey harvest of 2015 came in July from the hives on the LMC roof. For several months the main observation hive in the link between the buildings had two laying queens!

Visitors are always fascinated by the observation hive, which they can watch very close from behind the floor-to-ceiling glass. This year there have been four very successful visits just to see the beehives, benefiting a total of 60 primary and nursery children who watch enthralled as the beekeeper opens the hive, and ask many interesting questions.

A custom-made observation hive has been ordered for the link area, as it is such a popular feature for visitors. This is expected to arrive in September 2015, and should be a wonderful new feature for the 2016 season, insha’Allah.

Projects and User Groups of ELMTThe three buildings of the ELMT are regularly used by the following projects and user groups. These services greatly contribute towards the ELMT mission and provide a valuable public benefit.

• Al-Ihsan Marriage Service• Al-Isharah – Deaf Muslim Project• Al Mizan Tahfizul Madrasah• Bangladesh Forum Europe• Council of Mosques – Tower Hamlets• ELM Evening Madrasah• Faith in Health• Faith Regen Foundation• Improving School Attendance &• Attainment in Partnership• Islam Awareness Project• Islamic Forum Europe• Jibreel Institute

• Junior Muslim Circle• Library• London East Academy• MADE in Europe• Muslim Women’s Services• Muslimaat UK• North African Community Association• Pro Bono in the LMC• Rainbow House Play Group• Saturday Islamic School• School/College Link Project• Somali Development Association• Young Muslim Organisation UK

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Events BookingsOur facilities are popular for weddings, conference, seminars, and other hires. Managing the diverse use is very challenging. It means balancing the needs of the schools, internal user groups and worshippers in Ramadan with the necessity to generate income to pay for the running of the Mosque complex.Many organisations have discovered we provide an ideal venue for conferences, seminars, meetings, launches and exhibitions. Some of the organisations who held their events here in this period:

• Air Express• Al Quran Academy• Alzheimer's Society Tower Hamlets• Amanah Tours• Association of Islamic Teachers• Association of Muslim Governors• Association of Muslim Lawyers UK• Bangla Press Club• Bangladesh Football Association (BFA)• Barts & the London Hospital• Beani Bazar Cancer Hospital• Beyond Boundaries • British Bangladesh Chamber of Women Entrepreneurs• Common Purpose• Deaf Muslim UK• Eternal Gardens • Fajr Capital• Friends of Al Aqsa• Garden of Peace• Help the Homeless• HHUGS• Ibrahim Tours• Islamic Bank of Britain

• Islamic Finance Consultants• Islamic Relief• London Citizens UK• Maqaam Tours• Media Link• Metropolitan Police ( Junior Cadets)• Muslim Aid• Muslim Council of Britain• Muslim Womens Collective• National Zakat Foundation• Orphans in Need• Palestine Solidarity Campaign • Princes Trust• Religious Archives Group• Richard House• Social Action for Health • The Cordoba Foundation• The Council of British Hajjis • Tower Hamlets Council• UK Islamic Mission• United East End• Women 2 Women Market• Young Muslim Education Forum

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ELMT Archives

The East London Mosque Trust (ELMT) has a rich collection of historical documents dating back to 1910. This resource has been appreciated by wider society, resulting in grants for cataloguing the archive for access by scholars and preserving key documents.

The ELM Archives capture the struggles and contributions of men and women who shaped today’s community and congregation. They include the records of the Indigent Moslems Burial Fund (founded 1927) and of Jamiat-ul-Muslimin (founded 1934).

The first phase of the project, now completed, was cataloguing by a professional archivist; this was made possible by funding from the Pilgrim Trust, supported by the British Library. It included working closely with The National Archives and the National Manuscripts Conservation Trust to restore and repair the ELMT archive’s oldest and most important documents, such as the original London Mosque Fund minute book 1910–1951.

Presently the archivist, working on a part-time basis, manages a group of volunteers to provide a reading room service from a secure temporary room in the London Muslim Centre.

Steering groupThe ELMT Archives steering group meets regularly, and includes representatives from Tower Hamlets Archive, Religious Archives Group, Haji Taslim Funerals, and ELMT Members and Trustee. They have been instrumental in raising the profile of the project to researchers, academics and institutions.Steering group members visited The National Archives and Lambeth Palace to learn how their archives are preserved.

Launch of online archiveThe ELMT Archive’s new online catalogue was launched on 15 January 2015 in our Visitor Centre. It was a successful, high profile event with special guests: Jeff James, Chief Executive and Keeper of The National Archives; Simon Hughes MP, Justice Minister; and Sadiq Khan MP, Shadow Justice Minister. Professor Humayun Ansari, author of the book ‘The Making East London Mosque 1910-1951’ said at the launch, “We must understand the past in order to shape our future.”

The Online Catalogue is available on Archive Hub. A social media campaign at the Everyday Muslim Symposium allowed a first public insight to our collections. The ELMT has been showcasing this initiative to encourage other mosques and religious organisations to understand the importance of archiving.

The East London Mosque archives catalogue is online archiveshub.ac.uk/data/gb3396-elmt. It has a Twitter account: @elmarchives.

Phase twoOptions for a permanent strong room were presented to Trustees of the ELMT in November 2013. The Trustees approved a location in the basement of the Maryam Centre, with additional use of the Visitor Centre for a reading room service.

Specifications, drawings and costs for the strong room were drafted. Fundraising packs were developed by the Steering Group, and a strategy employed to target local businesses to sponsor the development. The estimated development cost is £50,000.

There is an opportunity for the ELMT to create a knowledge and learning centre on themes such as ‘Muslim identity, past and present’, ‘Community participation & empowerment’ and ‘East End social history’.

ELMT staff visit Lambeth Palace.

ELMT trustee at the Synagogue open day.

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Dr Jamil Sherif speaks to guests at the launch of the ELMT’s Archives Project.

MP Sadiq Khan and Simon Hughes MP pose for a photograph alongside the ELMT minutes book from 1910.

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Historical Timeline

A brief historical timeline of the East London Mosque Trust:

1910: On the 9th of November 1910, the Right Honourable Syed Ameer Ali arranged a meeting at the Ritz Hotel under the Chairmanship of the His Highness Sir Sultan Mohammad Shah Aga Khan III. The meeting resolved to establish a fund for the purpose of building a Mosque and Islamic Cultural Centre in London.

1940: Three houses purchased for the Mosque andIslamic Cultural Centre on Commercial Road.

1941: Official opening of the East London Mosque. The Jumu’ah prayer was lead by His Excellency Sheikh Hafiz Wahba, Ambassador of Saudi Arabia.

1975: The Greater London Council (GLC) under compulsory purchase order acquired the three buildings in Commercial Road and in return provided land and temporary buildings on Whitechapel Road, London E1.

1983: The foundation stone of the East London Mosque waslaid, this was followed by a generous donation by HRH King Fahd of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

1985: The official opening of the newly built East London Mosque by Sheikh Abdullah bin Subail, Imam of Masjidul Haram, Makkah on Friday 12th July 1985.

1999: East London Mosque raised £600,000 from the local community to buy the adjacent disused land to develop its extension programme.

2000: The land was officially purchased and

planning beganin earnest to build the extension programme to house much needed community facilities.

2002: ELM acquires full planning permission for the extension programme titled the ‘London Muslim Centre’ from the Local Council.

2004: Opening of the London Muslim Centre, 11th June 2004, where over 15,000 people congregated to pray with Sheikh Abdur Rahman as-Sudais, Imam of Makkah.

2006: Establishment of employment and training projects.

2008: Planning, Design and Consultation for the proposed new development of the East London Mosque (phase 2).

2009: Sheikh Abdur Rahman as-Sudais, Imam of Masjidul Haram, Makkah leads groundbreaking ceremony in August 2009. This marks the expansion of the Mosque and women’s facilities, with the building of the Maryam Centre.

2010: Centenary celebrations marking 100 years of the East London Mosque Trust.

2011: During Ramadan 2011, the Maryam Centre is 50% complete.

2013: The new Maryam Centre opens to the public for use in Ramadan.

2015: The Mosque acquires the Synagogue building next door for £1.5m with plans to redevelop it for community use.

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Conclusion

Board Of Trustees (28 Sep 2013 To 19 Sep 2015)

Elected members1. Muhammad Habibur Rahman, Chairman2. Ayub Khan, Secretary3. Mohammed Abdul Malik, Treasurer4. Muhammad Siddique, Vice-Chairman5. Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari6. Sirajul Islam7. Hasan Siraj Salekin8. Ismail Jama Salah9. Mohammed Abdur Rahim Kamaly10. Rahela Choudhury

Co-opted members11. Sirajul Islam (Hira) (appointed 17 October

2013)12. Shafiur Rahman (appointed 5 November 2013)13. Sayeda Anzumara Begum (appointed 5

November 2013)14. Mazhar Baqaullah Khan (appointed 4 January

2014)

Our collective struggles and successes are always a gift from Allah. We learn at times of hardship together as a community and we rejoice in times of ease with humility.

The East London Mosque Trust is always striving to do better; to become the leading Muslim institution in the country – an example to others and to the communities we serve.

The most significant development for the institution this year will be the starts of the phase 3 development works, which will extend the main prayer hall of the Mosque and also securing funding to build the strong room for the Mosque’s archive.

We will continue to fundraise to alleviate the Trust’s debts and this remains one of our utmost priorities, but also exploring options of making the institution further self-sufficient and sustainable as well. Of course, our reliance on our donors is still pivotal, which goes a long way in helping repaying the outstanding Qard Hasanah loans. In the coming year we will focus on our fundraising strategy to diversify different ways in

which we can fundraise.

Let us reflect back on the successes of this year and work towards the next, surely our collective endeavours do not go unnoticed and our reward is with Allah. I thank everyone that continues to help us make this institution a success. May Allah reward you all.

Muhammed SiddiqueVice-Chairman

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Financial StatementFOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2015Incoming Resources Unrestricted Restricted Total 2015 Total 2014

£ £ £ £

Voluntary Income 1,430,073 23,125 1,453,198 1,296,670

Activities for Generating Funds 359,810 359,810 285,426

Investment Income 550,889 550,889 475,721

Incoming Resources from Charitable Activities 1,090,722 1,090,722 1,126,118

Others Incoming Resources 145,007 145,007 147,757

Total Incoming Resources 2,485,779 1,113,847 3,599,626 3,331,692

Resources Expended

Income Generation 106,054 106,054 94,305

Investment Costs 270,098 270,098 257,531

Charitable Activities Costs 736,395 1,063,517 1,799,912 1,703,101

Administrative and Support Costs 549,496 17091 566,587 514,074

Total Resources Expended 1,711,906 1,080,608 2,792,514 2,619,077

Net Income/Deficit Before Fund Movements 773,873 33,239 807,112 712,615

Gross Transfer Between Funds 4,282 (4,282)

Net Movement before other recognised gains and losses 778,155 28,957 807,112 712,615

Profit on Fixed Assets Disposal 81,249 81,249 37,826

Net Movement in Funds 859,404 28,957 888,361 750,441

Total Funds Brought Forward from Previous Year 15,162,939 2,975,886 18,138,825 18,138,825

Total Funds as at 31 March 2015 16,022,343 3,004,843 19,027,186 18,889,266

BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31 MARCH 2015

Fixed Assets 23,107,232 23,103,685

Current Assets 3,751,244 3,636,807

Current Liabilities: Amount falling due within one year 1,543,219 1,722,942

Net Current Assets / (Liabilities) 2,208,025 1,913,865

Total Assets less Current Liabilities 25,315,257 25,017,550

Creditors: Amount falling due after one year 6,288,071 6,878,725

Total Net Assets 19,027,186 18,138,825

Funds of the Charity

Unrestricted Funds

General Funds 2,244,490 2,030,653

Designated Funds 13,777,853 16,022,343 13,132,286 15,162,939

Restricted Funds 3,004,843 2,975,886

Total Funds as at 31 March 2015 19,027,186 18,138,825

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East London Mosque & London Muslim Centre46-92 Whitechapel Road, London E1 1JQ, United Kingdom.

Telephone: +44 (0)20 7650 3000Facsimile: +44 (0)20 7650 3001Email: info@eastlondonmosque.org.uk

Website: www.eastlondonmosque.org.uk www.londonmuslimcentre.org.uk

Charity Reg: 1122613

Photo Credits: Rehan Jamil, Abdullah Bailey and Getty Images.