12-year Battle against Mosque Ends in Defeat
A 12-year battle against the building of a mosque has finally ended today, after a Facebook page set up by residents of Clitheroe, Lancashire, to protest against the conversion of their local church into a mosque was closed down by social network staff. The local police requested the removal after receiving complaints from the Islamic community.
The group named ‘We Don’t Want a Mosque in Clitheroe’, had attracted almost 1,700 supporters. Heated discussions were listed, detailing the impacts of the mosque upon local traffic levels, falling house prices and noise pollution. Others questioned why 15,000 non-Muslim residents should suffer from the impacts, whilst the positives are reaped by merely 300 (2% of pop.) members of the town.
In 2003, Clitheroe BNP were called upon to campaign against the upgrading of Medina Islamic Education Centre (MIEC) to a fully functioning mosque. Residents approached the group following pro-mosque propaganda published in the community news bulletin, which featured support from the Reverend Richard Atkinson, minister of Trinity Methodist Church.
“I hope that the Islamic community’s desire for a place of worship be realised in the near future,” said Rev Atkinson. This sentiment was echoed by Lord Adam Patel of Blackburn, also a resident of Ribble Valley.
Despite massive public opposition in the market town and almost 1,000 letters of objection, planning permission was granted by Ribble Valley Borough Council in 2006. This news was greeted with disbelief by local indigenous residents, in stark contrast to the Islamic residents, one of whom, claimed: “This is a victory in our 40-year battle against the council, to establish a mosque.”
Local resident and anti-mosque campaigner Mark Towers explained: “This is a sad day; we’ve been fighting this since 1998. It has taken 12 years but they’ve finally worn us down, and the Tory-controlled borough council just caved in.”
Perhaps one scrap of comfort – should the community leaders decide to Islamicise the existing structure with minarets – is that famous ‘Matchstick Man’ artist L.S. Lowry immortalised the church in one of his works. The Islamic group have already changed the name of the chapel, from Mount Zion to Mount Vale.
Conversion of the Mount Zion Methodist Chapel begins this month.
