This week saw the RS Department’s Lower Fourth Form visit to the British Museum and the East London Mosque and London Muslim Centre. Here George Greenbury reflects on the day:
“The pupils were split into two groups, and alternately visited the British Museum and East London Mosque, passing like ships in the night in central London as their coaches relocated them at lunchtime.
The East London Mosque and London Muslim Centre is one of the United Kingdom’s oldest purpose-built mosques; here, pupils were given a tour of the prayer hall and introduced to some of the complex’s other functions (including as a wedding venue, primary school, and secondary school). Pupils were also taught about the concept of God in Islam, Hajj, and the other five pillars. The experience here was book-ended by extensive question and answer sessions, during which pupils asked excellent questions about Muslim belief and the realities and practicalities of practising Islam in the UK today.
The British Museum was an enjoyable and purposeful adjunct to the mosque visit; here, pupils explored the history of Islam and the Arab world, by visiting the recently reopened Islamic Galleries and completing various activities from the Museum’s education centre before exploring the magnificent Great Court. The pupils were incredibly well behaved throughout, and learned a great deal to contextualise their studies about Islam and the Abrahamic faiths more widely.”
