An East London mosque has been criticised for refusing to create space for women to pray on the first day of Eid al-Adha (the Festival of Sacrifice or Kurban Bayramı in Turkish). Poet and community activist Mohamed Mohamed and his wife had turned up at Suleymaniye Mosque in Dalston on Friday, 31 July, having reserved tickets […]
On Friday, 24 July, thousands flocked to Istanbul’s historic Hagia Sophia, known in Turkish as Ayasofya, to hear Friday prayers. It was a momentous occasion for the country’s pious Muslims, who have for years been calling for the building to be changed back into an Islamic house of worship. For the past 86 years, Hagia […]
For the past few weeks Turkish owned mosques in Northeast London, like many others across the British capital, have been calling the faithful to prayer (ezan in Turkish) from their roofs and minarets at sunset every day. Yet in these extraordinary times none have been able to visit Aziziye Mosque in Stoke Newington, Shacklewell Lane Mosque […]
Our most anticipated and holy time of the year, month of Ramadan (lunar month of the Hijri calendar), commenced at sunset on Thursday, 23 April 2020. Amazingly Ramadan (Ramazan in Turkish) has a divine energy that excites most people, even non-Muslims. In Ramadan, all healthy Muslims are supposed to keep fast between dawn and sunset, […]
The month of Ramadan, or Ramazan in Turkish, has started. The holiest of months for Muslims, Ramazan commemorates the time when the Ku’ran was first revealed to the Prophet Muhammed. For the next thirty days, all healthy Muslims will fast during daylight hours. This means not eating or drinking anything from sunrise to sunset. Dates […]
This weekend marks the start of the holiest month for Muslims worldwide. Ramadan, or Ramazan in Turkish, is the month when the Ku’ran was first revealed to the Prophet Muhammed. For the next thirty days, all healthy Muslims will fast during daylight hours. This means not eating or drinking anything from sunrise to sunset. Ramazan is […]
Şakir Alemdar, the Imam of Hala Sultan Tekke – one of the Islamic world’s holiest sites – has issued a short video clip in English urging Muslims to stay at home for Ramadan, which this year starts on Thursday evening, 23 April. Posting on his personal Facebook page, Imam Alemdar reflected on the changes Muslims […]
Updated, 16.52, 4 April 2020 Husayn Hashim El Bakayi – the UK’s foremost pastor (‘hoca’) for Turkish Cypriots – will be streaming a Mevlit (traditional prayers) to commemorate the 33 Turkish Cypriots who have lost their lives to the coronavirus. The hour-long Mevlit will be broadcast live from Shacklewell Lane Mosque, East London, at 5.30pm […]
Erkin Guney, the head of the UK Turkish Islamic Trust (UKTIT) which administers funerals for British Turks, has said calls from families in the community who need help with burying their loved ones have rocketed this week. He has received calls from 15 different families in the past few days, and all bar one has […]
Few of us want to talk about death much less plan for it, and yet its inevitability means at some point in our lives we are all likely to have to deal with the funeral arrangements for a loved one. For Muslims, the Islamic code requires a whole burial. However, the rising cost of buying […]
