Islamabad[lower-alpha 1], in the village of Tilford, Surrey, England, is an estate which serves as the headquarters of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.[1] Islamabad is 10.4 hectares in area, where four hectares are used for headquarter buildings, offices and residential housing. It is the resting place of Mirza Tahir Ahmad, the fourth caliph of the community.[2]

History

The site, located in the Sheephatch area of Tilford, was formerly an old boarding school, namely the Sheephatch Camp School,[3] one of the 32 camp schools erected in 1939, designed by Thomas S Tait of Burnet, Tait & Lorne architects following the Camp Act 1939 until 1977.[4] During the Second World War, the school had also served as an evacuees shelter for the Ruckholt Road Central School in Leyton and later closed in 1943.[1] The camp was leased to Surrey County Council from National Camps Corporation in 1946 and maintained it as a co-educational boarding school until its closure in 1977.[5][6] The land was sold for £80,000 but was again put up for sale and bought by the community back in September 1984 in an auction for around £423,000.[7]

Jalsa Salana UK

It served as the Jalsa Gah, a site used to hold the annual convention Jalsa Salana until 2004, whereafter the Jalsa's were held in Hadeeqatul Mahdi, Alton.[1][7][8] The first Jalsa took place in the beginning of April, 1985.[9]

Ahmadiyya Headquarters

The International Headquarters of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community was previously set at The London Mosque and served for a period of 35 years since the fourth caliph of the community, Mirza Tahir Ahmad left Pakistan in 1984.[10]

In April 2019, Mirza Masroor Ahmad, the fifth caliph of the community had indicated the site would become the new headquarters for the community, and soon after relocated and inaugurated the new site on Friday 17th May 2019.[7][11] The formal inauguration of the mosque was held on 29 June 2019 in the presence of faith, civic and religious leaders. Around 300 guests were in attendance, including MP Dominic Grieve, former attorney general, MP Sir Ed Davey, chair of Tilford Parish Council Debra Lee, and former mayor of Farnham David Attfield.[12]

Facilities

As the headquarters of the community, the site accommodates many facilities including:[12]

  • Mubarak Mosque
  • Residence of the Caliph.
  • MTA International studio facilities
  • Administrative buildings
  • 32 additional residences
  • Multi-purpose hall
  • Equestrian centre
  • Courtyard[13]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Urdu: اِسْلَام آباد، ٹِلْفورْڈ
  1. 1 2 3 "The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community". Exploring Surrey's Past.
  2. ↑ "Islamabad Education Centre Architecture & Building Consultancy". Carter Jonas. Retrieved 2023-10-03.
  3. ↑ Yip, Ann (2018-06-14). "Last reunion for Tilford School turned into site for Muslim group". SurreyLive. Retrieved 2023-10-03.
  4. ↑ "Detail 1645 – Screen Archive South East". Retrieved 2020-08-19.
  5. ↑ Sheephatch School, Surrey | Thames News (in Turkish), retrieved 2020-08-19
  6. ↑ "From a wartime school to the Ahmadiyya Markaz". Al Hakam. 2019-04-19. Retrieved 2020-08-19.
  7. 1 2 3 "Islamabad (Surrey)". www.ahmadipedia.org. Retrieved 2023-10-03.
  8. ↑ "Jalsa Salana: Thousands head to Alton farm religious gathering". BBC News. 7 August 2021. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
  9. ↑ Hakam, Al (2018-08-03). "Reflections from Three Decades Ago - First Jalsa Salana in Islamabad". Retrieved 2023-10-03.
  10. ↑ "Historic Moment – Islamabad In Surrey Becomes The New Headquarters And Centre Of The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community". Press & Media Office. 2019-04-16. Retrieved 2020-08-19.
  11. ↑ "Head Of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Opens New Central Mosque In Islamabad, Tilford, UK". Press & Media Office. 2019-05-19. Retrieved 2020-04-04.
  12. 1 2 "Muslim leader opens new Tilford mosque". Farnham Herald. Archived from the original on 24 February 2021. Retrieved 2020-08-19.
  13. ↑ Evans, Alec (2019-09-24). "5 things I learned visiting Ahmadiyya caliphate's Surrey mosque". getsurrey. Retrieved 2020-05-09.

51°11′29″N 0°45′07″W / 51.19139°N 0.75194°W / 51.19139; -0.75194

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