In a heartwarming gesture amid cold weather, a local mosque in Birmingham will be offering a warm space for people during the holiday, concluding what has been an exceptionally difficult year for many.
“As the cold winter emerges and bills are on the increase, come and make the most of our warm space,” the Smethwick Jamia Masjid Anwar Ul Uloom wrote on Facebook.
“It is a free service for the community so you can keep warm, enjoy a hot drink and refreshments as well as connect with others in the community. Are are welcome, so see you there.”
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Warm Banks
The mosque gesture is part of a larger Warm Banks initiative by Black Country council.
“We know our warm spaces are really valued by many people and we felt it was important we did everything possible to make them available between Christmas and New Year,” Council leader Kerrie Carmichael told Birmingham Mail.
“More than 11,000 people a week are coming into our libraries and many of those people need somewhere warm and safe.
“We’re pleased to be able to offer a place to keep warm and have a hot drink every day of the Christmas holidays. And we’re very lucky in Sandwell to have fantastic community and voluntary groups who are also opening their Warm Spaces over the holiday period.”
British Muslims usually lead similar efforts to help the homeless during winter.
In January 2021, several Muslim organizations in Birmingham kicked off “Our Masjids with the Homeless” initiative to help the homeless. The groups include Al-Suffa Institute and the Great Barr Muslim Foundation.
Different mosques also welcome the homeless to their shelters during the winter season.
For example, the Green Lane Masjid and Community Centre (GLMCC) in Birmingham, opened its doors to shelter homeless in 2020.