Manukau Masjid opens doors for the community to learn about Islam

Masjid At-Taqwa in Manukau hosts at least three mosque open days every year inviting community members to come and know more about the religion Islam.

Imam Dr Shaikh Mohammad Anwar along with local community members from the South Auckland region under At-Taqwa Trust hosted mosque open day on Sunday, March 11 and spoke to community members sharing information about Islam and its teachings.

The event was hosted just outside the mosque premises with numerous stalls that exhibited posters, books and pamphlets about different subjects in Islam and the messages conveyed to the community.

“Islam is very famous in the news but mostly for the wrong reasons and this is what we at masjids try to do, convey the correct message of the religion, which is peace, love and brotherhood,” Dr Anwar told The Indian Weekender.

There were different stalls each displaying different messages such as Jesus and Mary in Islam, about Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), a brief history of Islam, the concept of God, Muhammad and Bible etc.

“Our aim through this event is to interact with the community both Muslims and non-Muslims and tell them what religion really means, what we do inside the masjid and what activities we do from the masjid to connect more with the community,” volunteer at the event Feroz said.

National List MP Kanwaljit Bakshi, Race Relations Strategic Advisor Rakesh Naidoo were also present at the event.

The mosque is open seven days a week and invites everyone to come anytime and talk to the volunteers of the masjid and know more about Islam and even clarify their doubts about the religion.

Besides Preaching and praying the mosque hosts many events and activities to connect with the youngsters and women in the community.

The masjid hosts Quran classes on weekends, summer camps and sports activities like swimming, volleyball, football, gym for the youth and children and also netball for the women.

“My wife and daughters are closely attached to the mosque and often go out to play netball with the female teams in the community,” volunteer Feroz said.

The volunteers also distributed copies of free Quran to the public who attended the event.

“Our doors are always open, if you have a question, come to us, and we will tell you more about Islam and its messages,” volunteer Feroz conveyed to the public.