Islamic Centres across Britain have been open to visitors today. So I went this afternoon to the Central Mosque in Kirkcaldy. This is the new Mosque which will be finished in a year or two. For now they meet in much more modest buildings – but the place was full of visitors. I was there with our Rector at St Peter’s in Kirkaldy, Revd Christine Fraser, and I was glad to find a good representation of her congregation there as well. These visits are important. It’s a time for building friendship. The tragedy of Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland was that lack of contact allowed a space to develop – and in that space grew ignorance and then fear.
So here I am with the Chairman of the Mosque and their two youthful and energetic Imans. They are full of suggestions for contact with the local faith communities – so I’m hopeful!
Isn’t that great? When I go for mid week MP/HE at St Ninian’s, Glasgow a Muslim man passes me on his way to the nearby mosque. With a big grin he shouts ‘God is great!’ I answer with a grin ‘And so are you!’ One of these days we will stop to chat.
Excellent! As a fellow Ulsterman, I agree. We’ve visited Mosques in West Midlands and Turkey.