A Message for Our Time — Page 27
27 Mosques—Centres Of Love & Peace itself. I have personally seen that such fears do exist amongst many people in the non-Muslim world and, regrettably, such angst and suspicion of Islam and its followers continues to rise. Nevertheless, the truth is, and will always remain, that Islam is completely opposed to all forms of extremism, terrorism or vio- lence. It condemns, in the strongest possible terms, any attempts to violate freedom of belief and freedom of conscience. Under no circumstances does Islam permit coercion or force in the matter of religion; rather, Islam teaches that religion is a matter of the heart, as is written in the Holy Quran. Thus, I firmly believe that the widespread and common perceptions of Islam amongst non- Muslims are actually misconceptions. In terms of any mosque, it is vital to look at its true objectives, according to the teachings of Islam. What do Muslims—true Muslims I should say—intend when they build mosques? If a person judiciously assesses the objectives of a mosque and the reasons why they are considered to be sacred places to Muslims, they will soon realise that true mosques are not there to be feared. In order to alleviate any apprehensions that may exist amongst the local community, I shall now briefly men- tion the core purposes, so that you can all better understand what this new mosque and indeed all true mosques represent. A primary objective of a mosque is, of course, the worship of the One God and so mosques are a place where Muslims join together to bow down and prostrate before God Almighty in worship. Such worship is offered five times a day and is known as Salat. This is a fundamental pillar of faith for every Muslim, which he or she must observe. A second crucial purpose of a mosque is to be a place for Muslims who join together for worship, to be able to