London Jamia Masjid

Also known as the Brick Lane Mosque, the London Jamia Masjid is a historical anomaly, and a reflection of the various communities that have inhabited the area at one point or other. It was originally established in 1743 as a Huguenot Church - at that time the area was inhabited by Huguenot refugees fleeing persecution in France. In 1809, it became a Wesleyan chapel (a Methodist group), and about 90 years later it was turned into the Spitalfields Great Synagogue for the Orthodox Jewish community. Finally, it reached mosque status in 1976 and it is still the main mosque of Banglatown, whose congregation is mainly Bangladeshi in origin. Notably, the mosque suffered a nail bomb attack (no casualties) in 1999. Combat 18, a white supremacist group, claimed responsibility.