A High Court judge has ordered the demolition of a mosque in east London which has 2,000 worshippers a week but no planning permission.
Abbey Mills mosque near Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford was built as a temporary Islamic centre on the site of a former chemical factory bought in 1996 by a group of Islamic missionaries from the Tablighi Jamaat.
The movement began in India in the 1920s and has been accused of spreading an isolationist interpretation of Islam. It has said that it is apolitical and wants Muslims to return to the core principles of Islam.
The group started a makeshift mosque and drew up plans for a large UK headquarters, including a so-called mega mosque for tens of thousands of worshippers. The proposals divided locals and the plans were reduced to a capacity of 9,000, but in 2012 Newham council refused planning permission because the land had been earmarked for housing and businesses. [The Times (£)] Read more
