A mosque which was subject to an arson attack last month opened its doors to the community in a bid to “build bridges and demolish walls”.
Peacehaven Mosque held an open day on Saturday, November 15 for an event focused on healing, unity and understanding following the incident on October 4.
The mosque was packed with people, and food and drinks were laid on for visitors.
Khuram Kiani, founding member of the mosque, said the whole community was in “big pain” following the attack.
“Maybe the damage to the building wasn’t that much but the physical and mental damage – we’re still trying to recover,” he said.
“But the positive side was the local community, I mean to say the non-Muslim community, and all the faith groups – Jews, Christians, Hindus – that came to support us.
"The way we healed, within a week, that would not have been possible without the help of these people.
“Today is like a token of appreciation for what you guys have done – amazing. It’s also a first step forwards towards unity and integration and community engagement. We are committed to build bridges and demolish walls.
“I know this happened, you cannot blame everyone – one individual did it or two people did it or whoever – but these people are angels. They are lifesavers to us. They raised over £50,000 and been coming here more or less every day supporting us. You can see the cards, the flowers.
“We’re very grateful for the whole community. It’s like a thanksgiving.”
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Several visitors said it was their first time in the mosque and some even said they weren’t aware of its presence before the attack.
One resident said the open day was an example of the mosque being “not at all secretive” following the attack.
Town councillor, Max Rosser, feels that there is a silver lining to the attack.
“The one good thing that’s come out of this is that people are interacting and making friends,” he said.
The site which is now home to the mosque used to be The Bells Club.
“They’ve taken an asset that was a bit dire and transformed it into something positive which has a community feel. I’d personally like to see something architecturally more Islam.
“Our community is very welcoming and lovely. What those idiots did is not Peacehaven and when I see national headlines saying it’s indicative of Peacehaven – it’s not.
“We’re a multicultural society and we respect everyone. We’re a community of people united in peace – we’re called Peacehaven, we’re the only place in the country with ‘peace’ in its name.
“Some of the people here are some of the loveliest people you can meet and I’m proud to have this opportunity to come together and make a statement.”
Ricky Ryder, 38, of Seaford, and Jack Slowey, 34, of Peacehaven, appeared at the Old Bailey on Friday, November 14 via videolink.
The court heard they intend to plead not guilty to arson with intent to endanger life, with a trial pencilled in for December next year.
