The Virdee Foundation is a non-profit organisation with the primary goal to relieve the needs of women and children who have or who are in danger of suffering mental, physical or sexual abuse. We actively pursue causes in need and look to expand our reach across the globe to allow us to contribute on a wider scale. The Virdee Foundation has over the years had an invaluable impact through its commitment and dedication in supporting a wide range of worldwide causes. CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE We established The Virdee Foundation with the primary goal to relieve the needs of women and children who have or who are in danger of suffering mental, physical or sexual abuse. Over the years The Virdee Foundation has been able to make a significant impact through our carefully targeted programmes of support for a range of projects and initiatives worldwide. We are extremely proud of and grateful to all our benefactors and partners that have shown their generosity and have enabled us to accomplish such a great deal. Undoubtedly there are still many causes out there where support from us all is very much needed. As a foundation we pride ourselves on actively seeking out causes in need of assistance and constantly look to expand our reach across the globe so that we are able to aid as many causes as possible.
The rich history of the Islamic Cultural Centre dates back to when a piece of land was originally presented as a gift to the Muslim Community by the British Government and from which the Centre was officially inaugurated by His Majesty King George VI in November 1944. The Board of Trustees of the Centre comprises of the Muslim Ambassadors and High Commissioners to the Court St. James and this reflects the cohesion and positive spirit which is present in our community. The role the Trustees play is of paramount importance in helping to foster an environment open to all cultures and backgrounds. We have actively created a culture of openness and expectations that truly welcomes interactions and dialogue between the Islamic Cultural Centre and all members of society, thus establishing and nurturing links with the community. This helps to shape a core component of the vision and message of the Centre, its focus on community engagement, which has stretched across the decades since its establishment. The Islamic Cultural Centre has many objectives and roles as it is involved in the religious, cultural and social life of London and the UK. Chief among them is to promulgate the true meaning and understanding of Islam as a Religion of Peace, Tolerance and Coexistence, and hence the framework of all aspects of our work stems from this standpoint. We face many challenges in society today. Ranging from safeguarding our young people from extremism and radicalisation to empowering the role of Women in society, the span of the work undertaken by the Centre has rapidly increased over the years. The Centre has a Religious Affairs Unit which not only offers the regular prayers but also advice and fatwa to the public. We also have an Interfaith and Outreach Department which creates dialogue with and amongst those of different faith communities. In this we aim to spread harmony and interconnectedness between all people of faith. Moreover, The Centre has welcomed over many New Muslims in the last two years inside the Centre who interact with us through various lectures, events and courses. We also welcome on an annual basis over 15,000 students from the UK and abroad on guided tours in our Centre and permanent exhibitions. We aim to employ our services and expertise for the benefit of the whole community. We support the distribution of the Holy Quran in 30 languages and provide registrar services, educational courses in Arabic Language, Religious Studies in English, Arabic, Persian with students of all ages. In this, as in all that we do, we aim to reach the highest possible standards of delivery. However, at the heart of all our efforts is you the people we serve. We welcome you to browse our app and more importantly our website which has much more information to find out more about the Centre and its role in society, much of which stems from your support. We also welcome any suggestions to help us improve further in our approach to serving and supporting our faith while building bridges with other communities of faith across London and the UK. Director General