Else Kvist Wednesday, December 5, 2012 

Plans for a “mega mosque” in Newham have been turned down by councillors.

Thousands of supporters of the mosque had gathered outside Stratford Old Town Hall ahead of the meeting of Newham Council’s Strategic Development Committee this evening.

A small counter protest against the mosque had also gathered.

The plans to erect the Riverine Centre, also known as Abbey Mills Mosque, were put forward by trustees following the Tabilighi Jamaat movement.

Councilors voted unanimously to turn the plans down, siding with the recommendations of council officers who said the plans should be rejected.

At 29,227sq m the proposed complex was more than three times the floorspace of St Paul’s Cathedral.

The rejected development included a segregated space for nearly 2,000 women, a library, dining hall, visitors’ centre, eight flats for imams and guests, along with tennis courts, a garden, and a riverside walk along Abbey Creek.

The mosque was planned for former industrial land at the end of Canning Road, which is one of 10 sites listed for strategic development by Newham Council. Officers argued that the mosque plans were not in line with the council’s core strategy to create a new town centre for mixed use around West Ham Station.

The strategy states that any faith must not dominate the use or scale of the 6.3 hectare site overlooking the historic Abbey Mills pumping station and Canary Wharf.

Prominent British Muslims Threaten The Labour Party After Mosque Application is Turned Down

Posted on December 9, 2012by Ushisha Razikashvili

 The CDL posted an article regarding an Islamist mob gathering to threaten Newham council after the Mosque application in question was turned down. You can read it here.

Prominent Muslims in Britain have now warned the Labour party that they could face “a backlash” after planning permission for a controversial 9,000-seater mega-mosque was turned down.

Abjol Miah, a leading activist for both the Respect Party and the extremist Islamic Forum of Europe told us: “I think a lot of people tonight that weren’t political have become political. They are going to get more active. It is a time for change for Labour. You watch how we get angry.”

MUSLIM leaders last night warned the Labour Party could face a backlash after planning permission for a controversial 9,000-seater mega-mosque was refused.

Planners from Labour-led Newham Council in east London last week rejected the application from Islamist group Tablighi Jamaat, on the basis it was “too large”.

That leaves Ed Miliband’s party potentially out of favour with more than a million UK-based followers of the movement, which runs its European headquarters from Dewsbury, West Yorkshire.

Last night supporters of the Islamic sect vowed to punish the council in future elections for failing to listen to the estimated 90,000 Muslim residents in the borough.

Meanwhile, things could get worse for Labour across the country if Muslims decide to defect to protest groups such as George Galloway’s Respect Party, as has happened in Bradford and Tower Hamlets.

Currently, Britain’s Muslim population stands at a rapidly growing ­2.8million, with more than 600 out of 1,350 mosques affiliated to Tablighi Jamaat.

Speaking after the controversial mega-mosque decision last Wednesday, Abjol Miah, a leading activist for both the Respect Party and the extremist Islamic Forum of Europe told us: “I think a lot of people tonight that weren’t political have become political.

“It is a shame we have Labour councillors and committee members here. You know we have the London council elections in 2014 and I think the residents are going to be thinking differently.

“They are going to get more active. It is a time for change for Labour. You watch how we get angry.”

He added: “I think there is now a place for any other political party or pressure group willing to be the strong voice on these kinds of issues.”

Meanwhile, Tablighi Jamaat has vowed to seek a judicial review to challenge the council’s decision to prevent the building of the mosque.