Faith and community leaders gathered in Southall on Saturday (3 October 2026) to mark 100 years since the opening of London’s first purpose-built mosque.
The event at in Boyd Avenue was part of nationwide commemorations marking the centenary of the Fazl Mosque in Southfields, which opened on 3 October 1926.
Members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Southall began the day with prayers at 5am, before an evening gathering attended by representatives of different faiths and civic and political figures.
Guests viewed an exhibition, toured the mosque and heard from speakers from across the community.
Mayor of Ealing Councillor Faduma Mohammed said the Fazl Mosque had become “not only a place of worship, but a place where people of different faiths and background could meet, talk and build an understanding”.
Father Wilson Masih, parish priest at Christ the Redeemer Church Southall, said: “We share our faith together, we share our friendship together and we work together to make Southall and our community a better place to live in.”
Larissa Pelham, director of Ealing Sanctuary Hub and a member of Ealing Liberal Synagogue, said the gathering was “testament to our plurality and tolerance in Ealing”.
Sayeed Abdus, president of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Southall, said: “Our community in Southall exists because of that mosque in London. From the Fazl Mosque, advocates of the faith were sent out to towns and cities across Britain to build communities like ours, and everything we do here, began there.
“A hundred years on, we mark this centenary the way we were taught to — by helping the people around us. That is what a mosque is for. It is a beacon of peace for all.”
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