British Court Orders Mosque To Vacate Site and Remove Buildings

Today's Newham Recorder reports on the series of events that has led a High Court judge in Britain to order the Abbey Mills Mosque in the London borough of Newham to stop using a former chemical works site as a place of worship, and to remove all buildings used for worship at the site, dig up an existing parking lot and remove all debris. The Anjuman-E-Islahul-Mislimeen Trust bought the site in 1996, and since then it has gone through a process of unauthorized development. The site is currently used by 3,000 worshipers.  Previously an enforcement order gave the Trust two years to bring the site into conformity with the Newham Borough Council's planning policy.  In response, the Trust asked the Council for permission to build a larger permanent mosque with capacity of 9,000. Council refused that request, and the refusal is now on appeal.  In the meantime, the court, ruling that the Trust had failed to meet its obligations, has issued the injunction to vacate the site.