London Central Mosque denies imam's input in school prayer ban case

London Central Mosque issued a statement on Thursday distancing itself from claims that one of its imams said it was permissible for Muslim students to combine and defer obligatory prayers in a recent legal case over a London school’s ban on prayers.

Earlier this week, a UK court determined that a ban on Muslim prayer at a school was lawful after a student took action saying the policy was discriminatory and "uniquely" affected her faith.

In the case between Michaela Community School in northwest London and the student, headteacher Katharine Birbalsingh claimed she had spoken with the imam of London Central Mosque about the permissibility of making up missed prayers later.

The written ruling used in the case said: "Ms Birbalsingh argues that… observant Muslim pupils who miss the Duhr prayer can make up for it later in the day, including by praying at the Brent Civic Centre if they wish."

Statement regarding Michaela Secondary School https://t.co/dooBgNXlnW pic.twitter.com/VKHycTYC6i

— LondonCentral Mosque (@iccukorg) April 18, 2024

"She says. [...] she also spoke with the Imam at the London Central Mosque and Islamic Cultural Centre who agreed with this view and offered to speak to any Muslim parents who had doubts on this point."

The statement caused widespread contention among the British Muslim community and even sparked calls for boycotting the mosque.

However, the mosque said that they had disagreed with the judgment in the case, highlighting that prayer was one of the most important pillars of Islam.

"The London Central Mosque was not involved in, and was not asked to be involved in this court case in any way whatsoever," the statement said.

"The London Central Mosque stands for zero tolerance for discriminatory policies and the right to preserve everyone’s religious freedoms," they added.

It also clarified that the Imam had explained it was a requirement for Muslims to pray at the allotted time for prayer but afternoon prayers can be slightly delayed in the summer months as the time between that and the next prayer would be further apart.

"We made it clear that in the winter it would NOT be possible to pray later as times are much shorter," the statement added.

Last month, London Central Mosque faced backlash after British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak visited the place of worship on the first day of Ramadan.

Many condemned the mosque for allowing the visit while Sunak was supporting Israel's bombardment of Gaza.

Israel's war on Gaza, which started on 7 October, has killed over 33,900 people - mostly women and children - and left over 76,000 others wounded.