New £1.3m mosque opens on Dundee city campus

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - A £1.35m mosque has been opened on the campus of Dundee's Al-Maktoum College of Higher Education.

The Al-Maktoum Mosque, the first in the city with a minaret, features prayer and worship areas and will be open to the community in general.

The college was established to promote cross-cultural understanding of Islam and Muslims in the wider community.

It was created by the Al-Maktoum Foundation, which was established in Scotland in 2005.

Mr Mirza Al-Sayegh, a member of the foundation's board of trustees and chairman of the college board, said: "I am delighted that the mosque has been completed and I'm sure it will prove to be a welcome addition not only to the college campus but also Dundee as well at a time of exciting change in the city.

"The mosque is open to all and for the benefit of all. We regard this development as a heartfelt contribution to the city, the community at large and to multiculturalism."

Acting principal of the college, Dr Hossein Godazgar, added: "The college continues to focus purely on scientific, intellectual and non faith-based activities to promote the cross-cultural understanding of Islam and Muslims in conjunction with members of other religions and none in such a crucial time.

"We are, of course, pleased to represent multiculturalism in geographic terms, too. Our main building is already attached to a Catholic Church and we are now seeing a mosque being added to this physical geography.

"I hope our neighbourhood will include even more buildings belonging to different faith communities in future."

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