About Us

Established by local Muslims with long roots in North Harrow in London.

Harrow is home to one of the most diverse communities in the UK, and we embrace that diversity by working with Muslims across our faith traditions and working with people of all faiths and none in Harrow and across the country.

Faith and community

We began as a small community almost forty years ago, forming the Shia Ithna’ashari Community of Middlesex (SICM).

Since then we have nurtured generations of young Muslims to be active citizens rooted in their faith. Our ethos is to be welcoming to all, and every Friday we have hosted lectures and discussions on Islam and the world around us from people of all walks of life and perspectives.

Allied to this, is our deep commitment to our wider community: hosting food banks, active interfaith engagement, and finding common cause for social justice.

We offer crucial services to local Muslims: from prayer facilities, madrassah and GCSE/A Level tuition, sports and senior citizens care.

Visit My Mosque

Go to SICM website

The Salaam Centre will be a dynamic launch pad for the community

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Timeline: How we got here

The Salaam Centre began from humble beginnings, initially using a rented hall in North Harrow.

After purchasing the North Harrow Assembly Hall, the community soon outgrew the facilities and began a long and arduous campaign to secure permission and build a state-of-the-art building fit for the 21st century.

1977

Teaching the next generation

We established the first Madrassah within the Shia Muslim community in London in 1977 with the launch of the Husayni Madrassah

1980

We start hosting regular Friday lectures, a programme that becomes known for bringing together diverse and thought-provoking speakers. These would later become known as The Salaam Talks.

Thought leadership

1985

Sustainable communities

We pursue the co-op principle, setting up a non-profit grocery shop and today, the Salaam Pharmacy.

1995

We make sure that there is better and equal representation in our community leadership. We later ensure our services are equally offered to both women and men.

Better representation

1998

Working with Harrow's Diverse Muslim

communities

We established the first Madrassah within the Shia Muslim community in London in 1977 with the launch of the Husayni Madrassah

2002

Embedding the next generation

We are one of the founding members of the Muslim Forum of Middlesex, and we recognise and work with Harrow’s richly diverse Muslim communitgies.

2004

Healthy communities

We start to offer health screenings. Later we broaden our remit to offer swimming, badminton, yoga classes and other well-being services

2007

Interfaith action and exchange

We organise visits and in return welcome members of other faiths, including visiting the local church during Christmas Mass

2008

Caring for those most in need

We start offering iftar for the homeless. And now organise regular foodbanks.

2014

Salaam Centre starts works

We hosted a groundbreaking ceremony to signify the start of the building works.

Founding of SICM

With a sizeable settled community in Middlesex, there emerged the practice of having regular Iftar in Ramadhan, initially in individual houses and later in hired halls in the vicinity of Harrow. There were already over 100 Shi’i Muslim families living within 2/3 miles of the centre of Harrow and the gatherings were well attended

Gradually, the activities evolved and an organisation called the Shia Ithna’ashari Community of Middlesex (SICM) was formed to provide an institutional framework for arranging the meetings and gatnerings. In addition to Ramadhan, gatherings began to be held on every Friday evening and on the occasion of the birth or death anniversry of the a’aimmas. Local community/assembly halls were hired for this purpose. For the last twenty years on every Friday evening SICM has had a meeting in which a wide variety of issues relating to Islam and the Muslim World have been discussed. Learned and competent people from all walks of life have contributed to the discussions on many occassions.

SICM, after a long process of lobbying of the local authority was able to secure the rental of the West Harrow school premises on a 12 monthly basis. With the rental of premises, the activities increased manifold. In addition to regular Friday functions, SICM started daily Qur’an classes for young children, daily evening congregational prayer (salaat), morning salaat on weekends, regular sports sessions and many other specialised meetings and seminars. There was a major seminar on the Nahj al Balagah and one on the Concept of Vilayat-e-Faqih. Muharram majalis were also held for the first time.

As the rental of the West Harrow school came up for renewal SICM was fortunate enough to persuade the Harrow borough to let the North Harrow Assembly Hall (NHAH) to the organisation. The NHAH was by then under the threat of closure because of cuts in local authority budgets. As expected within a year the Hall came up for sale. SICM, with the help of its Councillors, well wishers, and supporting bankers was able to acquire the Hall as its permanent worship, meeting and gathering place.

With the purchase of the premises, the activities of SICM have become much more consistent. Presently the following are regularly held:

D’ua programme on Thursday evenings
Friday lectures
Daily Qur’an reading, Children’s programme and Iftar, during the month of Ramadan
Majalis in English on birth and death anniversaries of Ma’sumin and during Muharram
Occasional seminars and other programmes
Weekly Tafsir classes
Sunday morning children’s school under an independent organisation, Husayni Madrasah
Weekly sports club at a local leisure centre
Sports session for children on weekends
‘Id Prayers
GCSE and A/S level tuition classes
Daily Salaat
Ghusl, Kafan and Burial facilities
Regular Youth trips and functions

In addition, SICM through the Battlers Well Foundation (BWF) has secured a vital facility. A dedicated graveyard with over five hundred burial spaces has been reserved at the Woodcock Hill Cemetery in Harefield. The cemetery already houses over two hundred graves.