The Al Madina mosque in Barking has been recognised for its high standards of governance, practice and youth provision, as they were awarded the highest honours in two categories at the British Beacon Mosque Awards.

The prestigious awards ceremony took place at the Hilton Hotel in Paddington on Saturday 8 September, and saw over 200 Imams and members of mosque committees gather to celebrate the achievements of mosques in the UK.

Awards were on offer in 10 different categories, including Best Youth Service, which was won by Barking’s Al Madina mosque for their use of sport as a way of engaging young people and breaking down barriers.

The Victoria Road-based mosque was also awarded five-star status, following the launch of the brand new Beacon Mosque system of accreditation at the event. This will aim to rank mosques from three to five stars, following a series of in-depth checks.

Competence in all aspects of practice 

Al Madina was praised for demonstrating its competence in all aspects of governance and practice, and in particular were recognised for their boxing club and other youth services. This saw the mosque become the first in the UK to be awarded the highly respected five-star status.

Councillor Saima Ashraf, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Community Leadership and Engagement, was delighted with the awards: “The Al Madina mosque makes a fantastic contribution to the community, especially when it comes to youth work,” she said.

“It is great to see their dedicated staff getting the credit that they deserve, and I would like to congratulate them for gaining this recognition as one of the UK’s best mosques.”