Coleraine mosque hosts community group to improve understanding

"It is only through learning about each other that we can establish a better understanding."

Dr Jaweed Wali, president of the Muslim Association of Coleraine, hosted a community group last week.

It included people who never knew there was a mosque in their hometown.

Amanda O'Donnell, who has lived in Coleraine her whole life, said people's mindsets were "changing as the town changes".

"We're a lot more diverse, we're willing to include and we're trying to be equal to everybody in the town," she said.

"We're trying to learn and empower people to learn more about the different religions and about the different people coming to live here.

"Hopefully that will bring peace to our community and bring us all together."

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Dr Wali said the Muslim community was growing, with up to 60 people regularly attending prayers.

"The Muslim community has been increasing all over Northern Ireland," he said.

"Certainly in our area because of the influx of Syrian refugees. That has bumped the numbers up here… It is a great thing for us."

Dr Wali said he anticipated not everyone would feel the same, but that generally the community had been welcoming.

"People go out of their way to help them," he said.

"Even people privately on their own have gone out of their way to teach them English to help them, especially around Christmas, they bring gifts to them… they are being welcomed and taken care of."

The group also visited an Orange Hall in Dervock

The visit to the Coleraine Muslim Association was organised by Fergal Quinn, ethnic communities officer from the Building Communities Resource Centre.

"When we were setting up the programme, we wanted to have four venues where people wouldn't normally frequent," he said.

"It was a revelation to me that there was a mosque or Islamic Centre in Coleraine as it was for a lot of the participants….and yet they're such a vibrant and important part of the Causeway Coast and Glens community.

"Ignorance sometimes is just a lack of knowledge."

The group also visited the Orange Hall in Dervock, the LGBTQ+ society at Ulster University and CAN Ballymoney, an organisation that supports people with learning difficulties.

"The whole idea is for people to go into buildings and meet parts of our community who they wouldn't normally engage with." said Fergal.