Tonight:
-5°c
One of Damilola Taylor's killers was back behind bars today - only 16 days after being released from jail. Ricky Preddie (pictured left) was recalled to prison last night after breaching the terms of his parole
More...
Unelected quango to decide on mosque for Olympic site
By Mira Bar-Hillel, Evening Standard Last updated at 16:56pm on 04.04.07(Since publication of this original article, proposals for this mosque have been revised)
A proposal for a controversial £100 million mosque next to the Olympic Village will be decided by an unelected quango.
A decision on whether it gets the go- ahead will rest not with Newham's elected councillors but with the London Thames Gateway Development Corporation.
Plans by the Muslim sect Tablighi Jamaat to build the mosque have aroused concern as the group has been accused of drawing young men towards an extremist version of Islam.
Although no formal planning application has yet been made, the proposal has stirred up substantial argument.
The public will be consulted - as with other planning applications - but if the corporation approves the proposal there will be no right of appeal.
However, if the quango rejects the scheme Tablighi Jamaat can appeal to the Government.
Dr Patrick Sookhdeo, director of the Institute for the Study of Islam and Christianity, said: "The corporation has already said that the new mosque will make West Ham a 'cultural and religious destination'.
"This will be nothing less than an Islamic quarter of our capital city. But has anyone asked the people of West Ham? The non-Muslims? The moderate Muslims? The Muslim women?"
Tony Arbour, Conservative spokesman on planning for the London Assembly, said: "For this major decision to be taken by a quango is undemocratic. Local residents have been shut out of the process."
When the proposal emerged in July it was envisaged that the first phase of the mosque alone would accommodate 10,000 worshippers.
The ultimate number, including visitors, could be as many as 70,000.
Abdul Kalik, the project director, said the mosque was intended as an "Islamic landmark".
"It will be a long, undulating building borrowing ideas from nomadic structures and tented cities," he said.
The mosque would be illuminated at night by millions of translucent tiles and surrounded by an "Islamic garden, transposed on to modernday London", according to the architects Mangera Yvars.
The corporation is a public body, funded by Ruth Kelly's Department for Communities and Local Government. She appoints its independent board of directors.
Newham council confirmed: "The decision will be made by the corporation."
Tablighi Jamaat has been described by French intelligence as "an antechamber of fundamentalism", something the group denies.
Although it has never been implicated in any act of terror, two of the 7/7 bombers, Mohammad-Sidique Khan and Shehzad Tanweer, regularly visited its headquarters in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire. It has close links with the Wahhabi fundamentalist strand of Islam practised by the Saudi royal family.
Applications which go to the corporation instead of the local council include those for 50 or more houses and flats, large developments of more than 2,500 square metres of f loor space or one hectare, development on green belt or "metropolitan open land" and transport infrastructure.
Reader views (31)
But the question is where the money is coming from? Is it really the taxpayers' money or is it privately funded? As other mosques like the one being built in Reading is privately funded so please I want to ask the council or the responsible officials to make it clear to rebuff any doubts.
- Waqas Bhatti, Nottingham, UK, 12/10/2007 01:03
Report abuse
I dont mind a mosque being built....but £100 million you must be joking. Surely this money could be used in much more useful ways. Transport, hospitals etc. If the muslims want this they can pay for it themselves. And anyway, knowing designers today....its most likely going to be an eyesore for local residents.
- Erin, Chester, 12/10/2007 00:03
Report abuse
Why in a Country that is multicultural, do we need to spend £100 million on one religion when the majority of poeple in this country are not muslim?
Surely the money would be far better spent on finding illegal immigrants or using the money to bring different cultures together, not alienating one religon, making them a target? I'm sure the health service wouldn't say no to £100 million either.
- Jamie, Salisbury, 12/10/2007 00:03
Report abuse
£100m is a large chunk of money - if you're going to build a mosque, you will have to build other religious building as well. This money should be used for other purposes!
- Mark, Bolton, 12/10/2007 00:03
Report abuse
What the hell is this country coming to? I'm no racist, but we are just handing this country over to everyone else and forgetting our roots and the people of this fine country. What about the hospitals, school, police and fire services that could benefit from all this money?
- Simon Osborne, London, 12/10/2007 00:03
Report abuse
To spend public money on an exclusive building is not right. If they built a large Interfaith place of worship - I would support it - as being Inclusive, as long as it had proper disabled access/facilities too...
- Karen Angus, Shetland, UK, 12/10/2007 00:03
Report abuse
Why do people in high places always think up some stupid way of offending religous and ethnic communities? Spend the money on what will benefit all - like funding a new childrens ward that won't close after 12 months.
- S Nash, England, 12/10/2007 00:03
Report abuse
Where in this story does it say that the 100 million pounds is coming from public coffers? Would members of the public have a right of appeal if the planning application was heard by the local council? The development corporation may be a public body but this story doesn't claim that they're paying for the mosque, only deciding whether it gets planning permission.
- Mark, Luton, UK, 12/10/2007 00:03
Report abuse
It's simple, This is not an muslim country so this should not go ahead. I am more than sick and tired of my money being squandered on something I want no part of.
- Katie Walsh, UK, 12/10/2007 00:03
Report abuse
I do not agree with the proposal of a mosque being built with such cost to our country, we should be putting money in to much needer causes such as education, NHS and the homeless.
- Marie O'Connor, UK, 12/10/2007 00:03
Report abuse
Taxpayer's money is not used to build Christian churches - even the maintenance is down to congregations, the Church's own investments and charity. Why should public money be used to build places of worship for other faiths? Let's focus on schools and hospitals please.
- Nigel, London, UK, 12/10/2007 00:03
Report abuse
Please build better transport, schools or hospitals.
- Dianne Land, London, England, 12/10/2007 00:03
Report abuse
I don't mind the Muslims having a mosque but they should pay for it themselves and the people of Newham should have a chance to voice their opinion.
- Alan, East Sussex, 12/10/2007 00:03
Report abuse
Not against the building of a mosque, but it certainly should not be bigger than St. Pauls or any of the London landmarks.
- Susan Leeder, England, 12/10/2007 00:03
Report abuse
Why is public money being used to provide facilities for any religion? This money must have come from taxes, levied either by local or central government so why is it not being used on education, health care or transportation where the need is greater than it is for yet another vote buying, self agrandising minority project?
I would feel the same if I heard that public money were being used to build a Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish or any other place of worship. We are living in a secular state where the governement does not - by law - have any connection to any faith, so why is OUR money being used to support people who want to build a new cultural and religious centre?
- Robert Burnett, London, UK, 12/10/2007 00:03
Report abuse
Taxpayer’s money should not be spent on large developments for any religion or faith. This amount of money should be used on much needed resources, such as building hospitals or schools that will serve all of the community.
- F Cox, Thurrock, Essex, 12/10/2007 00:03
Report abuse
Where has anyone actually read that the Mayor plans to spend £100m on this project? I've searched every news search engine I know of - and I've not found a single reference to any public money going into the proposed mosque.
The campaign against the plans are either ill-informed or politically-motivated against Ken Livingstone.
- Rob, Brighton UK, 12/10/2007 00:03
Report abuse
Get the priorities correct - put our money to better use - into education, our so called NHS, the homelessness, prisons...
- Sadie, Grantham, Lincs, 12/10/2007 00:03
Report abuse
It's strange how the government can find £100m to spare on "controversial" projects, such as Millenium dome and now this Mosque, but are always short of money for hospitals, prisons, and schools.
- Pete Wilson, Heighington Co. Durham, 12/10/2007 00:03
Report abuse
If this proposed Mosque is being considered using public money then that is a disgrace. Planning permission for Christian churches is being turned down where the congregations are willing to pay the building costs. The world has gone mad!
- Mrs Linda Courtney, York England, 12/10/2007 00:03
Report abuse
Why do we need the largest feature of London to be of a foreign nature? Are we forgetting we are England?
- Darren King, Birmingham, 12/10/2007 00:03
Report abuse
If GBP 100M is available then this should be spent for the benefit of all Londoners, not any one group.
Upgrading transport services especially London Transport is surely paramount, followed bu Roads and other Public Transport.
- Geoff Clark, London, England, 12/10/2007 00:03
Report abuse
Surely, Our Ken, in his 'infinte wisdom', could think of something better to squander our money on. However I will donate a £1.00 if Ken will donate the balance.
- Harold Pomerance, St. Albans, Herts. England, 12/10/2007 00:03
Report abuse
I do not agree with the proposal, as there are definitely much needier causes that I would like my money spent on. This needs to be put to a public vote; this is a multi faith country and that should be respected. This has nothing to do with racism, but everything to do with fairness and enrouraging people to accept that if they come to this country, they are welcome so long as they respect other faiths and the existing traditions, like the celebration of Christmas.
It doesn't surprise me at all that Ruth Kelly is involved somewhere down the line and God help us all if it's left in the hands of this witless woman! I'm mixed race and am sick and tired of listening to people like her witter on about ethnicity related issues - wake up and understand you can't please everybody all the time Ms Kelly and shouldn't be trying to.
- Marie Maurice, Enfield, Middx, 12/10/2007 00:03
Report abuse
I don't understand why all this money (tax money) is being wasted on things that are not needed, there are more important things to be spending money on! If they need to build something it should be used for everyone.
- Jemma Slade, Christchurch Dorset, 12/10/2007 00:03
Report abuse
Tony Blair is quite happy to bang on about the free market, local democracy and choice when it suits his messianic ideals. Likewise, getting people out to vote seems to be his number one concern whenever there's an election. Now we have people in Newham begging for a chance to express a choice and vote and they're being excluded from the process.
Personally, I think the building looks quite nice, and if it provides a positive place for young muslims to congregate and worship, then that's all well and good. There is a worry that extremists might try and take over, but it's such a public forum that I doubt they'd make much of an impression. I'd be more worried about the spread of Islamic schools than this mosque.
Howver, the fact remains that the people of Newham want to choose, and it's incumbent upon the government and Newham council to stop running scared and give people the vote they want.
- Jamie, London, 12/10/2007 00:03
Report abuse
Our Tax money should not be spent on religious projects of any faith, but should go towards education and health of the general population.
- Graham P Abel, Chichester,England, 12/10/2007 00:03
Report abuse
This should definitely NOT go ahead - put the money into the NHS. Or even build a prison. They are always saying there aren't enough spaces for criminals, build this instead - it would be a help to everyone to get criminals off the streets!
- Paula, London, 12/10/2007 00:03
Report abuse
I think the Muslim population should have as many Mosques as they want and these Mosques should be as big as they want - but let them fund them themselves. This is an extraordinary amount of money to be spending on a single percent of the population; a minority yet to prove that it has the capability, willpower and hierarchical system of management to monitor its own members - Finsbury Park Mosque being a prime example of inappropriate spending of public money.
- James, London, 12/10/2007 00:03
Report abuse
I think it's an absolute disgrace that the public are to fund a £100m mosque. I have no objections with a mosque per se, but I would like to see the outcome of a proposal to build a Church Of England place of worship in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, financed with Saudi tax payer's money. Where is the common sense?! No thank you, not for me.
- Dan, Potters Bar, Hertfordshire, 12/10/2007 00:03
Report abuse
I just can't believe that £100m would be spent on a mosque. It should be spent on hospitals, old people's homes, homes for the homeless, council houses for people who cannot afford a home. Send money to help the starving. So many ways that money could be spent for much better reasons. Why a mosque anyway, this is England and if we had to have such a structure I should think in this Christian country it would be another new St Paul's or a very large Art gallery? I do not want a mosque and neither do many people.
- Anji Jennings, Cheltenham, UK, 12/10/2007 00:03
Report abuse
