Over six years since it was first announced, construction work on the long-delayed new Belfast Islamic Centre (BIC) is finally underway.
The charity, which is affiliated to the Muslim Council of Great Britain, is currently based in Wellington Park in south Belfast but it's now on the move to the former Aldersgate House at nearby University Road.
The refurbishment work on the city's new Islamic Centre building is due to be completed next year.
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It was first announced that BIC was planning a move to larger premises in the city back in January 2016 and it was intended the centre would be completed by the end of 2016.
The new three-storey base will include the prayer space, a drop-in centre, educational facilities and a coffee shop open to the public.
It will also serve as a place for interfaith and intercultural dialogue and debate
BIC announced the commencement of the construction work in a social media post earlier this week and confirmed that Belfast-based company Mascott Construction Europe Limited has been awarded the contract.
"This is a moment of immense joy for the Islamic community of Northern Ireland," a spokesperson said.
"The Islamic community here had the desire for a larger premises for over two decades but that remained a challenging task.
"Alhamdulillah with the community’s generous support over those years and with additional support from the Department for Communities and Belfast City Council, we were able to kickstart the project Alhamdulillah.
"The estimated completion of the refurbishment is around July 2023 Insha’Allah. We will try to keep you up to date with photos of the build from time to time."
Mascott Construction Europe also said “they are delighted to be working with Belfast Islamic Centre, Belfast City Council, CBS Consulting and Taylor & Boyd on this prestigious project”.
The Belfast Islamic Centre was established in 1978 by a group of Muslims from the local community to provide a focus for all Muslims living in Northern Ireland.
The centre operates for the benefit of all Muslims irrespective of their ethnic background, gender, country of origin or age.
At present those who use the centre represent 42 nationalities. No-one is absolutely certain about the number of Muslims in Northern Ireland, however it is estimated that there are over 10,000 currently resident in the province.
BIC is the largest institution of the Muslim community in Northern Ireland and acts as both a place of worship and a community centre.
In trying to address a very wide range of needs, BIC has inevitably found it extremely difficult to provide the necessary range of services to the Muslim community within a comparatively small facility and with modest staffing and financial resources.
Aldersgate House, a former office block, was bought by BIC for £750,000 in 2015 to be turned into a community centre.
At the time, the centre said its existing premises were no longer fit for purpose and it had been striving to secure an alternate place for its activities and worship for some time.
The refurbishment plans have been delayed multiple times due to a lack of funds and the Covid pandemic.
Funds have been raised directly by BIC, including via a crowd-funding page, which currently stands at over £40,000.
The total cost of refurbishment is estimated at around £1.6m.
The old centre has also been subject to several to attacks over the past decade including paint bombing, red paint daubed on the front door of the building and pieces of pork — a meat which Muslims refrain from eating — being thrown through the door of the centre.
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