BIRMINGHAM – A Birmingham mosque has been praised for managing to raise a record breaking £1.2m to supply bread to starving Syrian refugees.

An appeal was launched after staff from Green Lane Masjid & Community Centre (GLMCC) in Small Heath traveled to refugee camps on a fact finding mission in 2015, the BBC reported.

The money raised in Birmingham in 2016 will go to provide 3,000 tonnes of flour which will be transported into the country and used to provide bread to those in need. Funding will also provide essential winter supplies and bread for Syrian refugees in Lebanon who have fled the war.

The cheque, with more than £1.2 million pounds, was presented to Human Appeal on the 7th April 2017 by GLMCC General Manager Amer Ijaz and Task Force (Green Lane Masjid) Project Manager Ishfaq Ahmed.

In 2016, the congregation of Green Lane Masjid helped GLMCC to raise one of the largest amounts by any local charity, supporting aid projects in Syria, Iraq and Lebanon. The charity’s most significant appeal, the Syria Bread Project, aims to provide 42 million life-saving meals to Syrians facing and fleeing violence in the war-torn country.

“Donating a proportion of wealth to the poor and needy is an essential part of Islam,” the mosque administration wrote on Facebook.

“This tradition is known as Zakat, a religious duty bestowed upon Muslims, and sees members of the Birmingham community donating significant sums of money to support projects at home and abroad throughout the year.”