Connecting

Sunday 5th February was Visit My Mosque Day and so, after attending the two services at my church, I went along to visit the relatively new mosque in Cumbernauld in the afternoon.

What struck me first was just how busy it was. Hundreds of people had taken the opportunity to see inside the mosque, look at the displays, speak to some of the volunteers and taste the wonderful food on offer. Among the visitors, I met quite a few people I know from the local churches and it was good to see such a good support from the neighbouring Christian community.

The second thing that struck me was that it wasn't just our local Islamic community that was represented at the open day: in the various side-rooms there were stalls from the police, ambulance and fire services, the army and army cadets, as well as those staffed by local and national voluntary organisations. It really was a community event, and all the better for it.

Among the displays were examples of traditional clothing and handicrafts from Pakistan (see extra photos) and, even though I had visited other mosques in the past, it gave me a good feeling in these difficult times to see such a happy, friendly and relaxed atmosphere in our own community.