A member of the British parliament from Southampton, John Denham, is trying to save the downtown mosque from being closed. Denham said the rescue was important so that the Abu Bakr Mosque remained open, to serve the city's large Muslim community.
Support was provided by Denham after reports the mosque received a gas bill of £ 10.000. The giant energy supplier, British Gas, sent the huge bill after it discovered it undercharging against that mosque for years.
The mosque building, on Argyle Street, currently has an old style meter, but since 2007, gas companies have been charging as if it were a new metric meter. Denham said British Gas should be forced to pay for its mistakes.
Speaking after the Southampton Labor Party visit to the mosque, Denham said: "It was actually the fault of the gas company, but people have to pay so much money."
The Muslim community, said Denham, is an integral part of life in Southampton. "They did a lot for this city and if something goes wrong, we have to stand behind them."
If the mosque is forced to close, the roughly 1.400 Muslims who pray there every Friday will be left without a place of worship.
The mosque's chairman, Sharif Ahmed, thanked the support, especially from a respected person like Denham. "This will have a huge impact on us," he said. "It would be a big blow if we lost the mosque." (Mel / Dailyecho.co.uk / ddhongkong.org). *
