MISCONCEPTIONS of Islam were put to right as Cradley Heath Central Mosque welcomed members of the community to a special open day.

The mosque, which took more than 11 years to build before it was finally completed in August 2016, was opened up to people of all faiths on Saturday (October 28) to look around the building, as well as learn more about the religion.

The open day, attended by Mayor of Sandwell, Councillor Ahmadul Haque, local MP James Morris, and councillors Ann Shackleton, Barbara Price and Julie Webb, was the first open of its kind in the mosque’s history, but the management committee said they are looking at making it an annual event.

Adnan Tariq said: “It was a very successful day and we really enjoyed welcoming members of the local community into the mosque to clear the misconceptions of Islam.

“We led tours of the mosque, explaining each aspect of the building and we also demonstrated how prayers are performed. There was a prayer at 2pm and our visitors were given an opportunity to witness the prayer taking place.

“We also invited the fire service who let the children look around the fire engine, while local police officers offered their advice on community safety.

“The management committee at Cradley Heath Central Mosque would like to thank all the individuals who attended this event, as well as those who helped organise it.

“We are always open for anyone wanting to come to talk about Islam, or who wants to have a look at the mosque and we hope to attract even more visitors to our future events.”

During the day, members of the mosque, which was built after being self-funded by the Cradley Heath Muslim community, donated £100 towards Cancer Research – a charity supported by the mayor – while offering food to everyone who visited.

James Morris MP said he was “very pleased” to take part in the special event, adding: “The day was a huge success with many people from different walks of life learning about the work that the mosque does locally, and an opportunity for us all to focus on those things which unite us, rather than divide us, in our community.”