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The
properties were purchased by the Gloucester Muslim Welfare Association
(GMWA), formed in 1961, and a permanent site for congregational
worship was established in 1974.
Suleman
Kholwadia, a founding member, hopped to South Africa with a collection
tin and raised £8,000.
The
GMWA bought the houses for £500 and used the rest to restructure
the building for large congregations, to install an extended washing
area (Muslims must wash limbs and faces before each prayer) and
to buy more properties to establish a regular income.
The
remainder was banked for daily repair, maintenance and utility bills.
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| The
mayor Harry Worrall attended the first Gujarati Muslim wedding
in 1971 |
Councillor
Harry Worrall is named in particular as a prompt and helpful supporter
of the young Gloucester Islamic community and was crucially instrumental
in the purchase of the council houses.
Suleman's
son, Rashid, was the first Gujarati Muslim to marry in Gloucester
on April 21 1971. The Chequers Bridge administration at first refused
to book an appointment for a Muslim wedding. However
Councillor Harry Worrall stepped in and promoted greater understanding.
Suleman's
son, Rashid, was the first Gujarati Muslim to marry in Gloucester
on April 21 1971. The Chequers Bridge administration at first
refused to book an appointment for a Muslim wedding.
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| Our
Untold Stories |
The
wedding eventually numbered 800, mostly non-Muslim guests, including
councillors and county dignitaries.
Prayer
facilities on Suleman's arrival in the county in 1957 were non-existent.
He and his brother, Ismail, stepped onto English soil in 1953.
They
worked in Nottingham briefly, then Birmingham and moved to Gloucester
in 1957 as the first Gujarati Muslims to enter the county.
As
more men arrived, they hired a room and each member of the fledgling
prayer committee paid two shillings and six pence monthly towards
the rent.
Suleman
purchased a house for a home at 65 Blenheim Road for £1200 and this
five-roomed property at one stage housed 30 Muslim and Hindu men
at the same time.
Eventually,
families joined the men and Suleman's son, Rashid, was the first
Gujarati Muslim child to enter the English educational system.
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| Rashid
Kholwadia and his sister Amina were the first Gujarati Muslim
children to enter the educational system in Gloucester |
One
committee member, Abdul Huq Patel, a professional lawyer, established
a cemetery plot for the Muslim community in 1965. For many years,
only babies and infants were laid to rest there and it was 1968
before the first adult grave was required.
The
mosque was eventually demolished, to be rebuilt, capped with a dome.
In
the early days, there were seven committee members. Today there
are eleven members who are selected annually by vote.
The
president and the secretary are elected every five years. Current
congregations can exceed 660 individuals on special days of the
year and the mosque can be crammed to bursting.
In
recent years, the Muslim community has mushroomed with new immigrants
from the Middle East, the Balkans, and Bangladesh joining the Gujaratis
at communal prayer.
»
See 'The Bangladeshi Community'
»
See 'The Gujarati Muslim Community'
»
See 'The Pakistani Community'
»
See 'The Islamic Secondary
School for Girls'
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