Source: The Times
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article3641534.ece
Of the 1,300 mosques in Britain, the Shah Jahan Mosque stands out. That northern Europe's first purpose-built mosque is to be found in Woking will surprise many; that it is still flourishing today would once have seemed equally improbable.
The mosque's 120-year history mirrors some of the complexities in the variable relationship that Britain and Islam have enjoyed in the same period. It was founded in 1889, flourished for a decade, then fell into decay. Twenty years later it was restored and until the construction of the East London Mosque in 1940 it was the only building of its kind in Britain.
Now it is protected as a listed building; around 100 people attend the daily after-lunch prayer sessions, and about 3,000 Muslims attend its Eid celebrations each year.