Hassan Joudi

Birmingham Central Mosque opened its doors to the city’s homeless with free hot meals between December 24 and January 1.

“The mosque committee have decided to tackle this issue by supporting those in need in the area, regardless of religion and race,” said organiser and community activist, Kasim Choudhry. “The project is being run by local volunteers from the mosque, funded by donations and business sponsorship.”

The mosque – which already has a regular food bank programme – raised £2,000 to set-up the special Christmas kitchen this year, partnering with the Birmingham Soup Kitchen. The mosque is also organising 10-15 volunteers per day from the mosque and other organisations, including a nearby church, to staff the kitchen.

Aberdeen Muslims have partnered with a local homelessness charity, Aberdeen Cyrenians, to raise £5,000 for those sleeping rough in the city over the winter period. The Aberdeen Cyrenians operate the only facility in Aberdeen where a homeless person can eat, have a shower, or wash their clothes.

Deputy Chief Executive, Scott Baxter, said, “The number of people that are using this service has increased by 100% this winter compared to last year, whilst we are faced with more cuts in funding. It is a great blessing that the Aberdeen Muslim community has stepped in at the right time and united together to help us deal with this funding crisis.”

In London, SICM (Shia Ithna’ashari Community of Middlesex) provided volunteers for the fourth year running to help with Glass Door (previously West London Churches Homeless Concern), London’s largest emergency winter night shelter.

“There were some positive encounters and was generally very good. There were a lot more volunteers than previous years so it was really nice to see,” volunteer Narges Marvasti told The Muslim News.