The Imam Al-Khoei Mosque lies at the heart
of a Shia Muslim community whose roots lie mostly in Iraq as well as in
Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Whilst the Mosque opened its doors in 1989, the foundation stone of the building was laid in 1904 when the building was founded as a Synagogue, Brondesbury Park Synagogue, for a local Jewish community. Over time the community moved away and the Synagogue closed in the 1970’s. It was sold to Brent Council Education Department where the building became an exam hall for local students. By 1988 however, the building, alongside the former Kilburn High School for Girls was up for sale and it was a acquired by the Al Khoei Foundation as a home for the Shia community; the synagogue was transformed into a Shia Muslim place of worship, Brondesbury and Kilburn High School for Girls was converted into dedicated schools for boys and for girls and a new building provided a social and operational space for the Foundation.
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| The central stained glass windows |
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| The Imam Al-Khoei Mosque |
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| The central window, from the inside of the Mosque |
Interior views of the Mosque
Whilst the Mosque opened its doors in 1989, the foundation stone of the building was laid in 1904 when the building was founded as a Synagogue, Brondesbury Park Synagogue, for a local Jewish community. Over time the community moved away and the Synagogue closed in the 1970’s. It was sold to Brent Council Education Department where the building became an exam hall for local students. By 1988 however, the building, alongside the former Kilburn High School for Girls was up for sale and it was a acquired by the Al Khoei Foundation as a home for the Shia community; the synagogue was transformed into a Shia Muslim place of worship, Brondesbury and Kilburn High School for Girls was converted into dedicated schools for boys and for girls and a new building provided a social and operational space for the Foundation.
Students, teachers, parents and adult
members of the Al-Khoei community have all been involved in this heritage project,
sharing their impressions, creating works of art, uncovering unknown facts and
forming new friendships with men and women who, across time have had a
relationship with the building in its different guises.
As a ten year old girl in 1942, Sheila - Councillor Sheila Peacock, Mayor of Haringey - attended Brondesbury and Kilburn High School for Girls and ate her school dinners in the basement of the adjoining Brondesbury Park Synagogue.
On Sat 27 July 2013, during the holy month of Ramadan Sheila accepted an invitation to break fast with Muslims of the Bravanese Somali community at an event hosted by the Al-Khoei Foundation. Here she recounts arriving into the area for the meeting and the memories it evoked.
Stories from the community
A meeting of Faiths
As a young boy, Monty and his family
worshipped in the former Brondesbury Park Synagogue.
Monty’s father arrived in England from
Russia in 1897 and settled on Willesden High Road. He taught himself the skills of a ‘cutter’,
later opening his own tailor’s shop. He married
and with his wife and eleven children, lived above the shop.
During Spring 2013, Monty accepted an invitation to come and speak to young students from the Al-Sadiq school about the building they both worshipped in and to share hints of his life as a young lad.
During Spring 2013, Monty accepted an invitation to come and speak to young students from the Al-Sadiq school about the building they both worshipped in and to share hints of his life as a young lad.
As a ten year old girl in 1942, Sheila - Councillor Sheila Peacock, Mayor of Haringey - attended Brondesbury and Kilburn High School for Girls and ate her school dinners in the basement of the adjoining Brondesbury Park Synagogue.
On Sat 27 July 2013, during the holy month of Ramadan Sheila accepted an invitation to break fast with Muslims of the Bravanese Somali community at an event hosted by the Al-Khoei Foundation. Here she recounts arriving into the area for the meeting and the memories it evoked.
Stories from the community
Students at the schools also wrote their own, or their family's reflections and memories on visiting the Mosque:
While exploring the history of the building, one small group of students began reflecting on the image of the community's logo and decided to re-create it - here they talk about what they discovered in the process:
While exploring the history of the building, one small group of students began reflecting on the image of the community's logo and decided to re-create it - here they talk about what they discovered in the process:
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