A local mosque in Dunfermline, Scotland has won three prestigious awards at the 2nd Annual British Beacon Mosque Awards 2019, Dunfermline Press reported.
“From the very first day I was welcomed by the wonderful Dunfermline community, and it only took me one meeting with the chairman and trustees of the mosque to work out that this is exactly where I wanted to be,” Imam Habib, who has now left Dunfermline to pursue studies in Egypt, said.
“No-one could imagine the things that we would achieve during my two years there, from completing my Master’s degree to speaking at the Scottish Parliament, to winning awards, to meeting the Queen in her own back yard.”
Dunfermline was awarded for ‘Best Outreach Program’, ‘Most Impactful Imam’ and ‘Best Run Mosque’.
The awards, which recognize and celebrate the best mosques in the UK, started in 2018 when Faith Associates launched Beacon Mosque Standards, an initiative recognizing excellent practices and establishing global standards for Muslim places of worship.
Mosques are evaluated across ten categories which range from contribution to the local community to management and governance and are subsequently awarded three, four or five-star accreditation.
In the awards announced earlier this month, the Green Lane Masjid and Community Centre (GLMCC) won the top award as the UK best mosque.
“These achievements were only possible with the immense love and support I received from both the Muslim and wider community,” imam Habib said.
“The strong community spirit in Dunfermline has always amazed me, even to this day despite me having lived there, and I will fondly remember how they welcomed me with open arms, accepted me for who I was, trusted me with the ideas I had and, more importantly, joined in with my quest to revive positive practice and contribute to the community of Dunfermline, and society at large.
“I feel that I have grown as a person and feel honored to have had the chance to serve in Dunfermline and Scotland.”
Dunfermline mosque is a community hub for Muslims of all ages and backgrounds with space and facilities for both men and women and is always open to the wider community to visit and learn about Islam and its place of worship.