The government has given permission for a new £18m mosque and community centre to be built in the West Midlands.
A graphic of the proposed new mosque in Dudley
Dudley council turned down the application to build the mosque on the grounds the land had been designated for employment purposes.
The town's Muslim Association appealed to the government's Planning Inspectorate which has given the go-ahead for the project.
A Muslim Association spokesman said the mosque would bring people together.
Mushtaq Hussain, of the Dudley Muslim Association, said the new mosque would replace the current one at the Castle Hill site.
"The community has grown over the last 20 years and we need a replacement centre," he said.
The council received hundreds of letters from residents opposing the mosque.
A statement issued by the council said: "The planning inspectorate has today allowed the appeal by Dudley Muslim Association over its application for a mosque and community centre in Hall Street, Dudley.
"The decision followed an independent inquiry run by the planning inspectorate."
If this is £18 million of tax payers money ..... its far 2 much money 4 a mosque
I think it all depends on the benefit in relation to the cost. If the Muslim community there gets it right, then the mosque could serve as a real source of benefit for the community. There could be plenty of opportunities to engage with local schools and police etc and just with the Non-Muslims around there generally. A mosque should be so much more than just a prayer hall. I was watching that programme; The seven wonders of the Muslim world yesterday and this guy mentioned that in the past in Muslim countries there was no such thing as town halls or courts or anything like that. It was the mosque that did all this. It was the community centre. Of course, that isn't realistic for this particular community but I hope you get my point.
So I think it could either potentially be a waste, or it could potentially be a really worthwhile investment. I'm hoping it becomes the latter.
"I spent thirty years learning manners, and I spent twenty years learning knowledge."
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Government agrees to £18m mosque
Re: Government agrees to £18m mosque
thanks for the info,
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