Kirkcaldy Mosque close to opening - after two decades of work

On Sunday August 13, the Mosque is hosting its third charity fundraiser along Fife Coastal Path from the Lang Toun. The event has been billed by Maz Salim, a mosque trustee, as fun for the whole family.

“We want to welcome and invite everyone to come and enjoy the day. It would be nice to see the whole community there,” he said. “The coastal path is beautiful, and it's a fun day for the whole family and whoever wants to join us.”

Based on previous walkathons, Mr Salim anticipates at least a couple hundred participants. Walkers will follow thetrail from the mosque to Blackhall Mosque in Edinburgh. For those looking for an easier day out, there’s a 1:00pm start from Inverkeithing walking from the bridge and back.

“There are going to be certain points with snacks and drinks along the walk. In Inverkeithing, we’ve got permission to have a few stalls for various things, and free food will be there,” Mr Salim explained.

The money raised from the event will go towards the final stages of construction for Kirkcaldy’s Central Mosque and Community Centre, which is the first purpose built Mosque in Fife.

The first planning application for the building was submitted in 2000, but Mr Salim estimates that some £200,000 is still needed to finish community building.

“We’re at the stage now where we’ve ordered the doors and facings and things like that. We need to complete the outside and get the car park finished. We’re hoping to get one of the floors open sometime in September,” Mr Salim explained.

The Fife Islamic Centre acquired the old mosque and surrounding land sometime in the 1990s. “The idea was to build a bigger mosque to facilitate everyone’s needs as the population grows. Now we’ve built the mosque and we’re finally at the finishing stages,” he said.

Mr Salim expects one of the floors to be ready sometime in September, but the official opening date depends on the timely delivery and installation of materials.

The new mosque was described as an 18,000 square foot space spread across four floors with a big car park for visitors. There will be a children’s creche, a youth games room, facilities for funerals and more.

“There’s a lot of buzz and excitement around the opening. We’re hoping to welcome people from all over,” Mr Salim said. “We’re part of the community. Our title is Kirkcaldy Central Mosque and Community Centre. We named it that because it’s the community’s regardless of what faith you’re from.”

For more information about the charity walkathon is listed on the Mosque's Just Giving page.