A High Court judge has ordered for the demolition of Abbey Mills mosque near Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford, East London. The mosque is said to have 2,000 worshippers a week but no planning permission.
In 1996, the mosque was built as a temporary Islamic centre on the site where a former chemical factory used to be. A group of Islamic missionaries from the Tablighi Jamaat bought the factory and converted it into the Islamic centre.
It is said that the movement commenced in India in the 1920s and has been accused of spreading an isolated representation of Islam. It is alleged that the movement said it is apolitical and wants Muslims to return to the core principles of Islam.
After the group started a makeshift mosque, they made plans for a large UK headquarters which would include a mega-mosque for tens of thousands of worshippers. The plan is said to have divided locals and hence, the plan was reduced to a capacity of 9,000. However, in 2012, Newham council refused planning permission because the land had been marked for housing and businesses.
In 2015, the government sustained the refusal of planning permission. Additionally, the site owners were given three months to stop using the mosque, but they spent two years appealing.
The High Court has now ruled in the favour of Newham council and has ordered the mosque owners to pay the council £22,207 in costs. The mosque owners have until 16th February to take the case to the Court of Appeal.
