Originally Posted by
Barbara Nadel
A few years ago there was a lot of controversy about a proposal put to a London council [[Tower Hamlets) regarding planning permission for a minaret beside a mosque in a street called Brick Lane. Some locals feared some vast tower which would dominate an area mainly composed of old 17th century weavers houses. The mosque in question had been a synagogue right up until the 1970s when the area became largely Bengali and, before that, a church. To be honest I didn't know what to think about the minaret. Although I felt it could only be a good thing for the local Bengali's to have their minaret, I could also sympathise with those locals who felt that a large metal tower would not look in keeping with the area. Last week I saw the minaret for the first time since it was built. It is beautiful. It glistens in the sunlight, is imaginatively styled and it blends in seamlessly with the area. But how can that be? It stands next to a 17th century ex-church and synagogue with Latin inscriptions on the side. It should indeed look appalling and out of place. But it doesn't. It looks just right because Spitalfields, is a place where things can and do look right. A haven for refugees for centuries, it remains a place of immigration and of change. The minaret is perfect for this time in this place. First we had the French refugees, then the Irish, Spanish, Jewish, Bengali... And as well as noticing the minaret I also noticed a few shops that are now selling Eastern European goods. Hello and welcome to another group of people in the long line of those East London has taken to its bosom.