Islamic group sorry for branding synagogue a ‘place of non-believers’

From Jewish News EXCLUSIVE: Dawat-e-Islami, the movement buying Wembley United Synagogue, has “apologised profusely” after distributing offensive fundraising flyers.

The Islamic movement buying Wembley United Synagogue has “apologised profusely” after its fundraising flyers sought help to purchase “a place of worship of non-believers”.

The United Synagogue’s sale of the 14,500 sq. ft. building is close to completion, the two parties having already exchanged.

Dawat-e-Islami, a global Sunni Muslim group founded in Pakistan, caused a wave of upset across social media sites including Facebook’s ‘Friends of Wembley Shul’ in recent days. The synagogue received a written apology on Wednesday morning.

In an email sent to Wembley Synagogue chair Charles Vitez from Dawat-e-Islami’s head of London region, a copy of which has been seen by Jewish News, Hasan Ali Safdar said: “I am writing to apologise for the hurt caused by our leaflet this week…The wording on the leaflet stated the building is ‘a former place of worship of non-believers’, which was referring to non-believers of Islam i.e. any other religion. The wording was never intended to cause any offence. We have removed this text from the campaign immediately and apologise profusely for any offence it may have caused… We will not distribute the old leaflets and will only use the amended material.”

The original text certainly shows what they really think – “people of the book” or not. 

In December, Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis attended a farewell service at the shul on Forty Avenue, whose membership has dropped from 1,800 in the 1960s to about 150 families today, in part due to the shifting focus of north London’s Jewish community.

David Collins, the United Synagogue’s chief operating officer, told Jewish News: “We are pleased that the trustees of Dawat-e-Islami UK immediately recognised the hurt caused by the offensive language on their fundraising flyer. . . The United Synagogue has robust due diligence processes.  The buyer was selected after a full marketing exercise for the sale. All the serious bids for the property came from other faith groups and following due diligence, the highest bidder was chosen as would be expected by the Charity Commission. ..”

There is a new, downsized United synagogue under development nearby, while the Jewish communities in Borehamwood, Stanmore and Edgware Hertfordshire north of London grow.