London Islamic Cultural Society

LICS

In 1983 local Muslims in Haringey – many of whom were Indo-Guyanese – formed the London Islam Cultural Society (LICS) in the home of the organization’s President, Abdool Alli. Alli migrated from Guyana to Britain in 1959 and championed interfaith dialogue in Haringey. The purpose of LICS was to engage local Muslims and Indo-Guyanese groups.

Cultural and religious events such as Eid salat took place in Alli’s home, until larger spaces were needed. In 1985 LICS fundraised to purchase a property on Parkview Road, Tottenham for £41,260. In 1987 LICS had to purchase a bigger property to accommodate the growing organization. By fundraising once again and selling the property in Tottenham, LICS was able to purchase 389 Wightman Road (formerly Wood Green and Hornsey Synagogue) for £150,000. In 1991, after successful negotiations with Haringey Council, LICS was given permission to purchase neighbouring land to build Haringey’s first purpose-built mosque. Local Labour MP Bernie Grant was supportive of this initiative. The mosque officially opened in 2002. Local fundraising was critical in the development of the project, to minimize the debts incurred by such a large-scale endeavour. Around £1.2 million was raised for the building of the mosque, which regularly hosts school visits, interfaith sessions and educational classes.

Abdool Alli, founder of LICS, died in 2018. Its current President is Bibi Khan, MBE. To mark the organization’s fortieth anniversary in August 2023, the High Commissioner of Guyana attended the celebrations alongside the Deputy Mayor of London and leaders from Haringey Council, highlighting the continued significance of LICS among Indo-Guyanese communities in London.