A wealthy Muslim businessman is converting Trocadero into a mosque.
Muslim property magnate Asif Aziz received permission in 2023. There are only a few months to go before the Trocadero mosque opens to the public.
Trocadero Building in central London
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The Trocadero in London leaves behind its past as a leisure and shopping centre to begin a new chapter that many view with apprehension: Part of its basement will be converted into an Islamic prayer space..
The project's leader is property magnate Asif Aziz, who is driving the initiative through his foundation, the Aziz Foundation. This foundation is dedicated to funding university scholarships for Muslim students and promoting Islamic community projects in the United Kingdom. One of its many projects to influence society is the construction of a mosque in the heart of London.
From leisure centre to Islamic centre
The Trocadero, located right next to Piccadilly Circus, It was synonymous with tourism, leisure and modernity.. Its purpose, however, has been diverted to a use that many British citizens consider incompatible with the spirit of the place. Although the new mosque will occupy only 1.51 per cent of the building, its symbolism has not gone unnoticed..
The space, which will have its entrance at 19 Rupert Street, will be open from Monday to Friday, 10:00 to 19:00, and will be dedicated both to prayer and to religious community activities. The promoting foundation states that it also aims to foster “interreligious dialogue” and will allow the sale of alcohol in the shops and restaurants on the upper floors.
Alternative to praying in the street
One of the arguments put forward by the Aziz Foundation to justify the project is that many Muslims who work or visit central London do not have a suitable space in which to pray. For this reason, On some occasions they pray in the street, in parks or on the pavement, especially during the midday prayer times.
Azziz's idea is to cover this need and offer a “dignified, safe and discreet” alternative for daily prayer, especially in an area as busy as Piccadilly Circus. This argument has been used to defend the need for a permanent religious space in the West End, where there are many jobs but few accessible Muslim religious centres.
Concern among residents and institutional silence
The initial proposal presented by Asif Aziz in 2020 envisaged a prayer space for 1,000 people., but it was withdrawn after protests from residents and various local organisations. That project was seen as an excessive imposition in the heart of a leisure and tourist area. Now, The version approved in 2023 is smaller —390 places— but maintains the same objective.To establish an Islamic religious centre in the heart of the West End.
Despite the unease expressed by many citizens, the institutions have approved the project with surprising discretion., without thorough public debates or a residents' consultation.
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