East London mosque that 'banned' girls over 12 from charity run 'reviewing' format following backlash
The restriction on the Victoria Park event was blasted as "sexist" and “absolutely unacceptable"
A mosque that banned girls over 12 from taking part in its charity park run has pledged to “review” its format after the restriction sparked massive backlash.
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The East London Mosque was blasted as “sexist” for imposing the ban on the charity run in Victoria Park, which it had described as “family friendly” and “inclusive” on its website.
Speaking to LBC, communities secretary Steve Reed said he was “appalled” at the restriction, adding that it’s “absolutely unacceptable that women should be blocked from going on a fun run in a public space when the men are allowed to go out there and do that.”
Several women’s rights groups also slammed the ban, which Tower Hamlets Mayor Lutfur Rahman refused to condemn.
Kellie-Jay Keen, founder of feminist group Party Of Women said it was “plainly unlawful” and said it “reinforces regressive sexist attitudes towards women's place in public life”.
Read more: A Tower Hamlets fun run just told girls they don’t belong – and that should shame us all
Baroness Gohir OBE, chief executive of the Muslim Women’s Network UK, said organisers were “likely” to have breached the Equality Act.
While the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is still considering whether the Equality Act 2010 was in fact breached, the organisers have insisted they broke no laws.
However, they have now pledged that they will be “reviewing” the format of next year’s event.
Sufia Alam, the head of programmes for ELM, who also runs its Maryam Centre for women’s worship, told the Guardian: "The format was designed for a specific community, taking into account that we wanted men and their children to participate.“
"We did offer at the beginning to women, but I only got one or two. I can’t do a race with one or two women.
"We haven’t banned people - this is what the community wanted. We’ve got a congregation of 10,000 - they’d be up in arms if we had done something that was not proper.”
She added that women at the mosque have been involved in a range of different sports together, with a new women’s health and wellbeing hub set to open next month.
“Nobody asked us; they just assumed we were banned … but women feel comfortable in a women’s space,’ she said.
The East London Mosque Trust said in an previous statement: “For over a century, the East London Mosque (ELM) has proudly served the community, with a long-standing commitment to supporting women and girls.
“The Maryam Centre, part of the Mosque, opened over a decade ago, was one of the first purpose-built women’s facilities of its kind in the UK, offering a space for worship, education, health and fitness, counselling, and social programmes.
“Building on our rich heritage and strong traditions of supporting all parts of the community, including women, the East London Mosque is due to launch a new Women’s Fitness and Wellness Hub in November, further strengthening our support for women’s health and empowerment.
“Our goal remains the same: to nurture faith, wellbeing, and social good for everyone in our community.
“The Muslim Charity Run is one of many initiatives that promote health, wellbeing, and charitable giving across our community.
“ELM encourages women to take part in sporting activities. There are many Muslim women from our community who have taken part in sporting events including boat races, cycling, hiking and marathons as well as various sporting challenges to raise funds for charity.”
It added that it remains committed to listening to the needs of our community and ensuring our programmes serve everyone.