London Islamic Cultural Society

Wightman Road Masjid is a Sunni mosque and Islamic community centre in Hornsey, London. It is Haringey's first purpose-built Mosque. The masjid regularly hosts interfaith events and school visits. The Mosque was also the first to hold a pop-up vaccine centre in Haringey to encourage those reluctant to be vaccinated to come forward.

Building Details
The current site of the complex includes the main prayer halls and the extension. The pre-extension land was the main site of the mosque from 1987 to 2002. The land adjacent was purchased at a cost of £32,500 and construction started to build what would now be known as the main prayer halls. The exterior is a distinctive pattern in sand yellow bricks, with green mosaic tiles around windows. A golden dome, spanning [-] metres in diameter, crowns the masjid. The minaret rises [-] metres above ground.

1983 - Establishment of LICS
The London Islamic Cultural Society was formed in the house of Abdool Alli by a small group of Muslims from Guyana, South America who saw the need to bring together its members both culturally and religiously.

The primary aim was to engage, communicate and support the diverse community by establishing a Mosque/Cultural centre and to provide essential services which would also benefit the wider multi-ethnic community.

LICS was officially registered in 1983 as a charity governed by its constitution. Before LICS was formed into a charity and subsequently once established, all gatherings and observation of Islamic/Cultural events were held in the home of the president Abdool Alli. As numbers grew, LICS began using school halls where necessary.

1985 - House on Park View Road
LICS purchased its first centre, a house on Park View Road, N17, for a price of £41,260. Funds were raised by donations and interest free loans and were fully paid prior to its sale in 1987. This however very quickly became too small for the progressive, dynamic society as numbers of users grew.

1987 - Purchase of Wood Green & Hornsey Synagogue
LICS purchased 389-395 Wightman Road, N8 at an auction for a price of £150,500. Brother Alli and lead Imam Al Haj Ebrahim McDoom attended the auction and secured this site for LICS.

This building was originally the home of the Hornsey & Wood Green Synagogue. Proceeds from the sale of the Park View Road building, donations and interest free loans collectively freed this building of debt.

The centre allowed LICS to provide better facilities for users and secured their commitment to working in harmony with all schools, faith groups, the council, other agencies, hospitals and the police to secure a brighter and better future for all people in the community.

As the cultural centre developed, it was quickly realised that more space was needed for the ever-growing users, in particular better facilities for the sisters and young children who often accompany them.

1991 - Purchase of adjacent land
Following discussions with Haringey Council, LICS negotiated and purchased land adjacent to the existing building for £32,500. Outline planning permission was also agreed by the council for LICS to erect a purpose-built Mosque/Cultural Centre. Users and members once again raised donations so that the land was free of debt shortly after acquisition.

1996 - Planning permission granted
In 1996 LICS was granted full planning permission by Haringey council to erect the first purpose-built Mosque/Cultural Centre. A young architect turned teacher Haroon Phobee designed the building and Al-Haj Mekaeel Maknoon provided legal guidance. Both brothers provided their services free of charge.

1998 - Construction commences
On 15 September, building works commenced to erect the new building. When LICS appointed contractors failed, architect and long-time user Capan Er provided skilled craftsmen to complete the building.

2002 - New building opens
On 12 July, the new mosque was officially opened with representatives from the council, police, local faith groups and valued mosque users. On 25 August, LICS became a Trust with a board of trustees.

2004 - Debt cleared
By this date LICS successfully raised the sum of £1.2 million by interest free loans, donation and other forms of fundraising. On this day all outstanding funds was raised, and the building became free of debt. A thanksgiving event was held on 18 July 2004, with dignitaries partaking in the event.

2012 - Plans for extension and commencement of building
LICS announces its commitment to pro vide additional educational facilities and better accommodation overall. LICS leases a nearby building, Willmott House, as it embarks on a new development to erect two additional floors above the old Mosque.

This was done to continue services such as the madrassahs, and provide extra capacity for Friday prayer. Feasibility of this new project was investigated as LICS worked hand in hand with the council to agree on the new project. The new development estimate was 1.5million plus the cost of modernising the existing main masjid area such as wudu facilities and works on merging the two buildings.

2013 - Construction completed
LICS took part in heavy fundraising. In July 2013 building works was completed on the new extension constructed by Capan Er. Total cost of the new development was £2.2 million. This extension took place in time for users to benefit during Ramadan later that year.

Facilities and Services
The mosque has two main halls, one for men and one for women. The female hall is directly above the men's hall, with an Ottoman mezzanine style view overlooking the minbar and the mihrab. A secondary hall is opened for events, Jumuah and Tarawih, with an occasional funeral service taking place. A banqueting hall accommodating 300 (with tables) is on the second floor of the extension. The masjid offers Nikah ceremonies. There are also many classroom/office style rooms above the hall. Madrassas for all types of people for all ages are available, ranging from Hifz, Tajwid, Qira'at, Arabic classes for children and adults. A funeral rite house within the masjid is not available, however, a personal funeral service can be arranged for from an external source by contacting the management. A small bookshop selling Islamic literature, clothing and perfumes is located on the ground floor of the extension. A room, complete with a kitchen and private bathroom, is available for use by guest imams, tarawih imams and any Jamaat that has contacted beforehand and obtained permission. A library containing Islamic literature, literature used for Dawah purposes and literature of other faiths is present. A Braille Quran is also available.

Hornsey railway station is located at a 2-minute walk down the road. Turnpike Lane tube station is a 10-minute walk from the masjid.

Management
The London Islamic Cultural Society is a registered charity. The mosque is managed by a board of directors. The President is MBE Rabiyah Khan, the Head Imam of the mosque is Kazi Abdul Qadir. Qari Ishaq Jasat is another imam. The Khateeb varies weekly, from profound scholars such as Ajmal Masroor and guest imams to graduated students of the masjid's madrassa. The masjid's previous imam was Shaykh Hasan Ali, from whose class the current imam also graduated.

Prominent visitors

 * Queen Camilla, then Duchess of Cornwall
 * Rob Wickham, previous Bishop of Edmonton
 * David Lammy
 * Catherine West, MP for Hornsey and Wood Green
 * Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London