Finsbury Park Mosque

The Finsbury Park Mosque stands in the London Borough of Islington, beside Finsbury Park station and close to Arsenal Football Club’s Emirates Stadium. It is a five-storey building serving the local Muslim community and registered as a charity. The mosque first opened in 1988 on St Thomas’s Road after earlier prayer rooms proved too small. Its reputation changed in 1997 when Abu Hamza al-Masri became imam and the mosque became linked with extremism. Police raided the building in 2003, removing Abu Hamza and his supporters. After repairs and a new board of trustees, the mosque reopened in 2005 under tighter control. Visitors now find a mosque that has worked to rebuild trust with local residents and authorities. It organises events with groups such as the Muslim Association of Britain and engages with non-Muslim neighbours. The building itself remains a place of worship and community activity in North London.