Mosques in Wales to open doors to show 'solidarity'

Welsh mosques have opened their doors to the public as part of an effort to help people understand about Islam.

Visit My Mosque day saw 150 venues across the UK take part on Sunday.

These included nine in Cardiff, Newport, Swansea, Wrexham, Bangor in Gwynedd and Rhyl, Denbighshire.

Mohammed Alamgir Ahmed of the Muslim Council of Wales (MCW) said it was a "great way of coming together across boundaries".

This is the second year the project has run and MCW said about 2,000 people took part in 2016.

There is no specific dress code, but men and women were advised that "short or revealing clothing is best avoided".

Mr Ahmed said: "With [President] Trump banning Muslims and sowing division, it's more important than ever that we in Wales reject his message and come together in solidarity."

Mr Trump's executive order halted the entire US refugee programme for 120 days, indefinitely banned Syrian refugees and suspended all nationals from seven Muslim-majority countries.

Those who were already mid-flight were detained on arrival - even if they held valid US visas or other immigration permits.

The move sparked protests across America and Europe, with thousands taking part in Wales.

The order has been suspended by a US Federal judge, but faces further legal challenges from Mr Trump's administration, which filed a fresh motion to implement the decision on Saturday.

"To be clear, this is not a Muslim ban, as the media is falsely reporting," the president said in a statement on Facebook.

"This is not about religion - this is about terror and keeping our country safe. There are over 40 different countries worldwide that are majority Muslim that are not affected by this order."