About us

The Woking Muslim Mission ceased to operate from the Woking Mosque in 1967–68, after about 55 years of world-renowned work for the cause of Islam and various national causes of Muslims. However, its distinctive propagation of Islam continued to be as necessary as ever, and is even more imperative today in the Western world than before. As the Woking Muslim Mission had been managed and inspired by the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement, a branch of this Movement was established in the U.K. in 1976 under the name Ahmadiyya Anjuman Isha‘at Islam Lahore (U.K.) which is the successor to the Woking Muslim Mission, in terms of ideology, approach and thinking. Some of its members had links with the former Woking Mission.

Members of the A.A.I.I.L. (U.K.) have created this website, launched in January 2005, in order to preserve and publish the historical record relating to the Woking Muslim Mission, in particular its origins, foundation, work, recognition and achievements.

It is not only a matter of historical interest. The work of the Woking Muslim Mission, inspired by the Lahore Ahmadiyya ideology, was based on a unique approach which is as valid, necessary and imperative today as ever before. The key aspects of its work were to:

• Remove the deeply-held misconceptions about Islam in the Western mind.
• Disseminate authentic information about Islam to attract those searching for the truth.
• Show the excellence of Islamic teachings.
• Present Islam as a revival of the original, pure teachings of other religions, particularly the religion preached by Jesus.
• Establish understanding with other religions through activities such as Inter-Faith meetings, stress the common ground in the fundamental teachings of all religions, especially Islam and Christianity.
• Bring harmony between practice of Islam and life in the West: enabling converts of Western origin to adopt Islamic practices while retaining their national identity, and enabling people of Muslim origin to play a full role in Western society.
• Distinguish between the actual teachings and requirements of Islam as a religious faith and the cultural practices among Muslims which vary with country and time.
• Emphasize that all Muslims are agreed on the fundamental principles of Islam and must co-operate with one another as members of one brotherhood. Differences between Muslim religious groups are on secondary matters only, and must not lead to mutual animosity.

Two other characteristics of the Woking Muslim Mission should be mentioned which require that its history must be preserved:

• This Mission represents the major part of the British Muslim heritage for more than a half of the 20th century.
• A very small Muslim Movement, the Lahore Ahmadiyya, maintained this Mission and it had the support and appreciation of famous leaders of the mainstream Muslims. Yet it is widely preached by anti-Ahmadiyya groups that this Movement is a heresy in Islam and its members are not Muslims and must be shunned by all Muslims. The history of the Woking Muslim Mission is a glaring proof that all this is entirely false propaganda by our opponents.