Wembley History Society Christmas Picture Quiz - the answers!

 Guest post by local historian Philip Grant

 

Thank you to everyone who had a go at last weekend’s Wembley History Society Christmas Picture Quiz, 2022. It was a chance to take a short break from a number of more serious issues covered by “Wembley Matters”, and I hope you enjoyed it. 

 

I included a clue, ‘in 1923’, in question 2, so hopefully at least those of you who remember the original Wembley Stadium (demolished twenty years ago) will have spotted that the men in the photograph were building one of Wembley’s “twin towers”. 

 

Workers building the concrete walls of the Stadium, winter 1922/23. (Screenshot from an old film)

 

Next year will mark the centenary of the building which made the name of our district famous around the world. We will celebrate that in 2023, but I wanted to take this opportunity to pay tribute to the workers who built this reinforced concrete landmark in just 300 days (without the benefit of modern machinery, or hard hats!).

 

Were there a few of the pictures that you didn’t know the answers to? If that’s the case, you have the chance over the Christmas / New Year break to discover more about Wembley’s past. I’ve included “links” with most of the answers, which will take you to illustrated articles giving more information, if you want to take advantage of them.

If you were feeling competitive, you can now see how many of the questions you got the right answers to. There are no prizes, but if you want to publish your score out of ten (just to let others know how well, or badly, you did), you are welcome to add a comment below – only honest claims, please!

Philip Grant,
for Wembley History Society.

 

Employment Tribunal finds against Imam Abdul Sattar's claim of unfair dismissal by the Wembley Central Mosque

 

Happier days

Employment Judge Nebeau of the Employment Tribunals last month issued his Reserved Judgment in the case of Imam Abdul Sattar versus Wembley Central Mosque. Sattar was claiming unfair dismissal. The Judgment stated: 'The unfair dismissal claim is not well founded and is dismissed.'

The Judge said that although the case was about Sattar's dismissal the evidence showed tht there was in existence a fissure that became apparent three years prior to the claimant's dismissal. 

The Mosque was closed for three weeks early last year over the dispute between the Mosque Committee and worshipper allies of Imam Abdul Sattar. LINK

 

 Wembley Central Mosque, Ealing Road

More than 600 pages of documents were considerd by the telephone hearing last Autumn and the Judgment itself is 39 pages long.

Among the issues covered perhaps the most important was that of Speakers' engagement,  and risk assessments of speakers about which the Charity Commission had expressed concern.

Other issues considered including the issue and stamping of Nikah (Muslim marriage) certificates and Nikah fees,  selling of CDs at the Mosque, leafleting protests inside and outside the Mosque, unauthorised access to the Imam's office and the role of the religious sect Tablighi Jamaat. LINK

The Judgment gives an account of the attempt by the Imam of the Monks Park Mosque to mediate.

Judge Nebeau concludes his Judgment:

It must be borne in mind that the situation in 2018 and 2019 was getting beyond control. There were regular protests outside of the Masjid involving the police. The Masjid was split between those who followed the claimant and those who supported management committee. Based on the evidence before me there was also a serious breakdown in the employee employer relationship which seemed to be irretrievable. Under those circumstances, it is difficult to see a way forward as attempts at trying to resolve matters informally had been rejected. At the end of the day management committee had to manage the Masjid. Even if the three reasons found at the appeal stage in support of the claimant’s dismissal, did not apply, the apparent irretrievable breakdown in the relationship between the claimant and the management committee, would inevitably have necessitated the claimant’s dismissal.

Accordingly, I have come to the that the claimant’s unfair dismissal claim is not well-founded and is dismissed. Any hearing listed remedy is hereby vacated.

The full Judgment can be read HERE

 

'Community versus Committee' conflict closes Wembley Central Mosque

Few passers by would have failed to notice angry scenes outside Wembley Central Mosque after Friday Prayers recently. In fact a conflict has been going on for some time with the DO NOT DONATE group asking worshippers not to make the usual donations to the mosque after prayers following conflict with the mosque committee over the sacking of an Imam, financial issues and attempts to make the mosque more inclusive of Wembley's diverse Muslim community.

The mosque was founded in the 1980s.

A full account of the conflict can be found in the 5Pillars website HERE