Green Lane Masjid
Encyclopedia
The Markazi Jamiat Ahl-e-Hadith UK, commonly referred to as Green Lane Mosque, is one of Birmingham's
and Britain
's major mosques.
Established in the 1970s, the Masjid occupies a prominent corner site in Green Lane, Small Heath
, Birmingham. One of the buildings had been constructed as a public library and baths
, designed by local architects Martin & Chamberlain
and built in the redbrick and terracotta
Gothic-Jacobean style between 1893 and 1902. It is a Grade II listed building. The complex includes prayer halls for men and women, a community hall, madrasah, library, shop, some accommodation, and it also provides funeral services to the local Muslim community.
It was also one of the main mosques that featured in Channel 4's Dispatches programme Undercover Mosque
, which investigated religious extremism in British mosques including preachers advocating violence, anti-Semitism
, sexism
and homophobia. West Midlands Police subsequently investigated the programme, feeling there may have been a misrepresentation of the mosque that could have incited religious hatred, although Ofcom
later reported that the programme had "accurately represented the material it had gathered and dealt with the subject matter responsibly and in context".
The mosque works closely with Birmingham City Council
, West Midlands Police
and local emergency services and, in 2007, came second in a national competition run by the British Islam Channel
to find the country's most 'Model Mosque'.
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
and Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
's major mosques.
Established in the 1970s, the Masjid occupies a prominent corner site in Green Lane, Small Heath
Small Heath, Birmingham
Small Heath is an inner-city area within the city of Birmingham, West Midlands, England. It is situated on and around the A45 ....
, Birmingham. One of the buildings had been constructed as a public library and baths
Public bathing
Public baths originated from a communal need for cleanliness. The term public may confuse some people, as some types of public baths are restricted depending on membership, gender, religious affiliation, or other reasons. As societies have changed, public baths have been replaced as private bathing...
, designed by local architects Martin & Chamberlain
Martin & Chamberlain
John Henry Chamberlain, William Martin, and Frederick Martin were architects in Victorian Birmingham, England. Their names are attributed singly or pairs to many red brick and terracotta buildings, particularly 41 of the forty-odd Birmingham board schools made necessary by the Elementary Education...
and built in the redbrick and terracotta
Architectural terracotta
Terracotta, in its unglazed form, became fashionable as an architectural ceramic construction material in England in the 1860s, and in the United States in the 1870s. It was generally used to supplement brick and tiles of similar colour in late Victorian buildings.It had been used before this in...
Gothic-Jacobean style between 1893 and 1902. It is a Grade II listed building. The complex includes prayer halls for men and women, a community hall, madrasah, library, shop, some accommodation, and it also provides funeral services to the local Muslim community.
It was also one of the main mosques that featured in Channel 4's Dispatches programme Undercover Mosque
Undercover Mosque
Undercover Mosque is a documentary programme produced by the independent television company hardcash productions for the Channel 4 series Dispatches which first aired on 15 January 2007 in the UK. The film caused a furore in Britain and the world press due to the content of the released footage...
, which investigated religious extremism in British mosques including preachers advocating violence, anti-Semitism
Anti-Semitism
Antisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...
, sexism
Sexism
Sexism, also known as gender discrimination or sex discrimination, is the application of the belief or attitude that there are characteristics implicit to one's gender that indirectly affect one's abilities in unrelated areas...
and homophobia. West Midlands Police subsequently investigated the programme, feeling there may have been a misrepresentation of the mosque that could have incited religious hatred, although Ofcom
Ofcom
Ofcom is the government-approved regulatory authority for the broadcasting and telecommunications industries in the United Kingdom. Ofcom was initially established by the Office of Communications Act 2002. It received its full authority from the Communications Act 2003...
later reported that the programme had "accurately represented the material it had gathered and dealt with the subject matter responsibly and in context".
The mosque works closely with Birmingham City Council
Birmingham City Council
The Birmingham City Council is the body responsible for the governance of the City of Birmingham in England, which has been a metropolitan district since 1974. It is the most populated local authority in the United Kingdom with, following a reorganisation of boundaries in June 2004, 120 Birmingham...
, West Midlands Police
West Midlands Police
West Midlands Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England.Covering an area with nearly 2.6 million inhabitants, which includes the cities of Birmingham, Coventry, Wolverhampton and also the Black Country; the force is made up...
and local emergency services and, in 2007, came second in a national competition run by the British Islam Channel
Islam Channel
Islam Channel is a UK-based, free-to-air, English language, Islamic-focused satellite television channel funded by advertising and donations. It was reported in 2008 that UK government research found that 97.3% of Muslims watched the channel...
to find the country's most 'Model Mosque'.