The Ihsan Mosque

The Muslim community of Norwich, which uses the Ihsan Mosque in Chaplefield East, is made up of approximately 150 men, women and children from a wide variety of backgrounds. The majority are British- born converts to Islam and is thus the only continuous, indigenous Muslim community in Britain and the mosque the first in the UK to be established by British converts to Islam. The building itself was built in 1876 and was originally a school called the St Peter Mancroft School for Boys. In the mid-70's the early members of the community began renting the building and using it as a Mosque. In 1977 an Egyptian businessman came to Norwich and was so touched by the community that he decided to purchase the building on behalf of the community with some money left to him by his mother. His only request was that the Mosque be named after his mother Ihsan.