One of the largest Mosque in Europe
London, IDN Times – A number of Ahmadiyya mosques in various countries have become tourist destinations in the city, because they were built with beautiful architecture. One of them is the Baitul Futuh Mosque, which is located in London, a city which since 1913 has been the center of global Ahmadiyya activities.
The idea to build the Baitul Futuh Mosque appeared in 1995, the process was completed in 2003. Baitul Futuh means “House of Victory”. Mirza Tahir Ahmad, who at that time became the leader of the global Ahmadiyya community took the initiative to raise funds for the construction of this mosque on February 24, 1995. The land purchased was located in the Modern area, southwest London, and was purchased on March 29, 1996.
Ahmadiyya United Kingdom (UK) commissioned architect from Studio Oxford, Sutton Griffin to design the mosque complex. Mirza Tahir Ahmad laid the first stone on October 19, 1999, in a ceremony which was attended by 2,000 guests. The mosque was inaugurated by Mirza Masroor Ahmad, the replacement for Mirza Tahir Ahmad on October 3, 2003, attended by 600 guests. Included among the guests were the high commissioner of the British government, members of the European parliament, the Mayor of London, representatives of the people and representatives from 17 countries.
Baitul Futuh absorbed a development cost of £15 million or at the current exchange rate of more than Rp292 billion. All funds come from donations from Ahmadiyah followers in England. The mosque complex can accommodate 13 thousand people. On September 26, 2015, part of the administration building caught fire, 50 percent of the building was damaged. The mosque complex was renovated at a cost of 20 million pounds. Baitul Futuh is one of the 16 thousands of Ahmadiyya mosques of the Qadian sect, worldwide, and is an important place for their congregation to visit.
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