The Makkah Masjid in Leeds is managed by registered charity the Leeds Muslim Council (512142). The charity opened its purpose-built mosque in 2003, with 3 main halls, one of which is for women, accommodating in total up to 2700 people. The mosque also offers a wide variety of services to the community. These include educational classes for children, study groups for adults, interfaith activities, sports and leisure.

Accountability and transparency are very important in the management of the Makkah Masjid.

To promote financial transparency, the mosque posts regular statements of accounts on its notice boards. During the construction of the building, accounts were posted every week.

The mosque management realises that it is accountable to the members, and consults them regularly on a variety of issues. Qari Asim, Imam of the Makkah Masjid, explains: “whenever there is a major decision to be taken on the services, there is a consultation process with members. Approximately every three months we have a meeting, usually a workshop or roundtable discussion, on a different issue. This meeting is open to all, both men and women, and young people are particularly encouraged to attend. In this way, people have an opportunity to have their say on things which are important to them. For example, recently, the mosque acquired a new centre and we had a consultation meeting for people to tell us what kind of activities they would like to see in the new centre.

We are particularly concerned to hear the voice of the youth regarding services and therefore recently we have been organizing workshops for the youth to obtain their views about the services that the mosque provides.”

In this way the Makka Masjid involves beneficiaries and service users in the development and improvement of its services. It reports back to its members by regularly publishing accounts, both locally on its notice board and more widely by submitting accounts annually to the Charity Commission.

In addition it is open to the local community. A trustee of the charity, Mohammed Shabir, emphasises that the mosque is committed to promoting harmony within the local community by planning events that actively engage with different community organisations. The aim is to provide opportunities for visitors to explore and share the beauty of Islam. He adds: “Every year we hold a open day which is open to all, regardless of faith or cultural background. This provides a great opportunity for community cohesion in the area.”