Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan joined British singer-songwriter Yusuf Islam at the official opening of an eco-friendly mosque in Cambridge recently. Mr Islam, formerly known as Cat Stevens, is patron of the Cambridge Mosque Trust according to the mosque’s website.
The mosque is described on its website as ‘Europe’s first eco-mosque’ which has green features including air-source heat pumps, rainwater harvesting and solar panels. The facility relies on green energy and aims for a zero-carbon footprint.It was funded by more than 10,000 donations, ‘private and public, local and international’, according to the mosque’s website. The site said: ‘The main donor has been a consortium of government agencies in the Republic of Turkey, together with a Turkish private company (YapiMerkezi), and the Qatar National Fund.’
According to the mosque’s website, its design was inspired by both Islamic and English religious architectural traditions.”We sought to develop the idea of a British mosque for the 21st century,” the website says. “With everything from solar panels and grey water harvesting to state-of-the-art heating and cooling technology, it is a pioneer in ‘green deen (faith)’, reminding us of our connection to nature.”
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