Public Services students visit Birmingham Central Mosque 06/04/2017

On Wednesday 4^th April, twelve students from the second year Level 3 Public Services course visited Birmingham Central Mosque. The mosque is the second purpose built mosque in the United Kingdom, which was built in 1969 and opened to the public in 1975. It is one of the most recognised religious buildings in the city of Birmingham and a result, a vast number of people visit the mosque every year.

The visit included:

• A multi-media presentation about Islamic faith. The students learned about the ‘Five Pillars of Islam’ and how Islam is a religion of peace.
• A Q&A and discussion session where barriers regarding topics of terrorism, arranged marriage, Sharia law and how Islam impacts positively on the local community.
• A guided tour of the mosque building accompanied by a faith guide and a demonstration of prayer and the ceremonies and ritual involved.
• Observation of one of the daily prayer services.

The diversity involved in the local Muslim community and the openness of the followers of the faith in discussing their views and opinions, gave the learners a positive experience that broke down many preconceived barriers leaving the learners with a completely refreshed and better understanding of Islam.