Husaini Islamic Centre welcomes Peterborough United.
Towards the end of the 2014-15 season Peterborough United manager Dave Robertson and members of the Posh squad were invited to the Husaini Islamic Centre, situated on Burton Street in Peterborough.Robertson, along with senior players, Jack Payne, Gabriel Zakuani and David Norris were met at the Mosque and given a tour of the facilities by the Secretary of HIC Peterborough Iqbal Manji. Following the tour, Robertson and his players were briefed about the work that takes place at the facility and the work that is carried out within the community before meeting HIC Peterborough Imam Sheikh Shahnawaz Mahdavi.
Abbas Damani of the Shia Sports team said; “We wanted to invite Peterborough United to our mosque, we have families that go watch them play on a Saturday afternoon. They have kindly opened their doors to us so why can we not do the same? There is a lot of attention on the Muslim faith right now but the majority of us are actual normal people who love football with a passion. We just wanted to show others that we are like all other football fans.
"Everybody speaks football. Some watch it, others play it and most laugh at the banter. What better way to educate others about Islam than through the language of football."
Posh manager Robertson said; “It is important for a family club like ours that we engage with all different communities, and Peterborough has a diverse community. We were made to feel very welcome and everyone was very friendly and open to us. It was a fantastic opportunity to engage with them and see the fantastic work that they do in the community.”
A Posh club spokesman added, “We would like to thank Abbas and the team from Shia Sports for welcoming us to their Mosque and for their kind hospitality and we looking forward to seeing them at the ABAX Stadium during the 2015-16 season.”