An Islamic place of worship has marked a milestone anniversary.

Nasir Mosque in Richmond Road, Gillingham, has been a pillar of Medway’s Muslim community for 10 years.

In 2014, it was opened by the worldwide head of Ahmadiyya, a sector of Islam originating in British India in the late 19th century.

Nasir Mosque follows these teachings and is run by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association.

The Imam - or faith leader - for the place of worship is Safeer Khan.

He said: “Nasir in Arabic means helper.

“The head said that this mosque should be a facilitator for the local community so we should assist and extend our hand.

“In the last 10 years we have focused on a lot of open days where we invite our neighbours, community organisations, friends, councillors and other people to come and have a look and talk to us about issues that we all face.”

At the heart of the mosque is promoting community cohesion and educating others on the true teachings of Islam.

He added: “Over the last few years and recently as well, there's been a lot of issues that have created hatred and division among people and we want as a Muslim community to remove misconceptions people have and work towards bringing about peace, justice and kindness in society.”

Imam Safeer says these misinterpretations are often about extremism and Islamaphobia.

He added: “A lot of people are scared - they think Muslims do not integrate into society, and that they hold beliefs which are contrary to British values.

“But, we have seen the positive results of interactions where people have come to us and they've asked us these difficult questions of ‘what are your beliefs’ over something that happened whether it was a terrorist attack or something like that.

“Then, we are always able to tell them that the fundamental Islamic teachings are actually quite contrary. It's about peace and love and kindness and living in coexistence with other people.”

To commemorate the past 10 years of the mosque's hard work, a special dinner was held last Friday (September 6).

Imam Safeer said: “The community felt it was essential to bring together the people of Medway to strengthen our bond of unity amidst challenging times”

More than 80 guests attended including Medway’s Deputy Mayor Cllr Douglas Hamandishe, local councillors and representatives from the police.

Imam Safeer said: “The guests really enjoyed it and said this was what we need in these times when there is so much division and uncertainty.

“The Ahmadiyya Muslim Association is grateful to the community in Medway and hopes to serve the area for many more years as well.”