BBC Radio 4's Any Questions? to Broadcast From Western Europe's Biggest Mosque Complex

BBC Radio 4's Any Questions? to Broadcast From Western Europe's Biggest Mosque Complex

LONDON, January 7/PRNewswire/ --

- Ahmadiyya Muslim Community's Baitul Futuh Mosque to Host Event

The popular BBC Radio 4 panel programme Any Questions? is to be broadcast live from the Baitul Futuh Mosque in Morden, Surrey, on Friday January 8 - believed to be the first time the programme has hosted at a mosque.

Baitul Futuh is a showpiece mosque, ranked amongst the top 50 modern buildings in the world by The Independent magazine, and is run by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, one of the oldest Muslim communities in Britain who built the first London mosque in 1924. Baitul Futuh is the biggest mosque complex in western Europe, capable of holding more than 10,000 worshippers.

The GBP15 million mosque was opened in 2003 and funded entirely through voluntary donations by members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community.

Rafiq Hayat, President Ahmadiyya Muslim Association UK, said:

"We are delighted to host Any Questions? and to bring people into our mosque. It is part of our ethos to be open and welcoming and to engage with all communities.

"Our community is based on the belief: Love for All, Hatred for None, and it is important for us to articulate this distinctive message at a time when public opinion towards Islam is at such a low ebb."

An evening of lively debate is on the cards when a panel of well-known public figures will answer questions from the floor on subjects ranging through politics, current affairs, international news and other topical issues.

The panel on January 8 is expected to include:

Polly Toynbee: Columnist for The Guardian and president of the Social Policy Association.

Rt Hon Sadiq Khan MP: Cabinet Minister for Transport; Labour MP for Tooting.

Simon Hughes MP: Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for North Southwark and Bermondsey.

Daniel Hannan MEP for the South East region.

Any Questions? is chaired by Jonathan Dimbleby and goes out live on Friday evening at 8.00pm, repeated at 1.10 pm the following day and is followed at 2pm by the Any Answers?. Around 1.5 million people listen each week, the majority listening to the Saturday repeat.

Note to editors: Photo opportunity 7.55-8.00 pm only. Please contact Dr Basharat Nazir, +44(0)7703-483-384

Source: Ahmadiyya Muslim Association UK

Please contact Dr Basharat Nazir, +44(0)7703-483-384

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Profile: International Entertainment