Prayer Hall High Cross

LETTER TO THE MANAGEMENT OF HIGHCROSS:

Firstly we would like to thank you for a wonderful shopping establishment that we are able to enjoy. As Muslims we want to complete our prayers on time whilst at the same are able to enjoy our shopping experience. As Muslims we need to complete our prayers at set times and hence it makes it very difficult for us to come to town without worrying about returning home to complete our prayers. Of course, it is time consuming and costly to go home and return and pay for the parking fees as well taking.

As advised by you that the closest Mosque (Masjid) is the Central Mosque on Conduit Street. As you will appreciate the Mosque (Masjid) is not always open and it is almost 20 minutes walking distance away. We therefore ask that reconsider your decision and provide a room for those of a faith to complete their prayers. We appreciate the fact that you have worked very hard to accommodate everybody's needs but we feel this one request has not been met. Muslims are not a small community at all in Leicester; the last count in 2001 had over 30,000 Muslims in Leicester alone. As you will appreciate the number of Muslims has significantly increased over the years and the approximate count today is about 50-55,000 Muslims. This is a growing need and I cannot stress to you how important this is to us all.

All that we ask is the following::

- A small room that will allow us to read our prayers
-The room would need to be divided in some way to accommodate for Males and Female
-To prepare for our prayers we would require to carry out ablution and for this we require the use of a sink.

In return the shopping centre will find that more people are able to enjoy the facility and as a result this will have an impact on the sales as well as the relations between High Cross and the users.

We the undersigned request that you strive to accommodate this request. As a community we will also do our part and try and raise funds for this project as well as support with all queries relating to the day to day running and set up.

We thank you for your time