A mosque says a speaker who told worshippers that ‘Interfaith work is haram’ will not be permitted to speak at the venue again.

The speaker, Mufti Faruk Adam was filmed by a worshipper at a Blackburn mosque who alerted this newspaper.

In the short video he says that interfaith work is haram and encourages onlookers not to take part in visits to other religious places of worship.

He adds that this type of work is against Islam and asks worshippers to be aware of those who take part in interfaith work.

The concerned worshipper who filmed segments of the Jummah (Friday) speech said he was forced to go public because ‘ordinary Muslims were trying their level best to live harmoniously with our non-Muslim neighbours, but such priests were destroying any good we have tirelessly achieved’.

A mosque spokesperson said, “We have been alerted to a speech at the mosque on Friday and the concerns of the worshipper have been acted upon.

“The mosque was already taking action before the video was brought to our attention.

“The comments in the video are not the views of the mosque and we wish to make it clear interfaith work is important in helping to break down barriers and create understanding.

“We support the actions of all communities taking part in interfaith work. The mosque has held open days and attendees have taken part in interfaith work for many years.

“In this case the Mufti was speaking his personal opinion and he is in no way linked to the mosque.”

Mufti Faruk said, “Having listened to the opinions of others I understand that my comments could be construed the wrong way particularly as the clip didn't mentioned my request for everyone to respect each other.

“I have no ill-will against anyone and in particular the mosque. We all need to understand our own faith before trying to understand anyone else's.”

Imam Fazal Hassan the Muslim Chaplain at Royal Blackburn Hospital, who has been involved in interfaith work for the last 15 years.

He has also helped to organise a number of multi-faith events recently including visits to local churches and mosques.

He said, “Understanding the people of other faiths around you has been a natural process of human life, as no society can live in peace until it behaves tolerantly with its neighbours.”

“Thus, Muslims throughout history have always observed religious pluralism and have been living in peace, tolerance and co-existence with people of other faiths”.

“Interfaith work is not about compromising with your faith or watering down your beliefs and religious values, on the contrary, the interaction and engagement between faith communities help to better understand your own faith traditions and build trust.”

He added, “Interfaith work cannot be ignored by Muslims in the 21st century and if done for the right reason and in accordance with Islamic principles it really has the potential to make a positive impact on communities.

“It connects people of faith with qualities of friendship and respect and love that are vital ingredients for a healthy and peaceful society.

“Genuine interfaith work, has the prospect to address the problem of today’s divided communities, strengthen social cohesion, and remove fear and mistrust.”