The mega mosque! Muslim place of worship with four times the capacity of St Paul's Cathedral planned for east London

Plans for a 10,000-capacity mega-mosque the size of Battersea Power Station have led to fears it could create a hardline Islamic enclave in the capital. The east London mosque, earmarked for West Ham, near the Olympic Park, will hold four times as many worshippers as St Paul's Cathedral, have 40ft minarets, an Islamic library, sports facilities and eight flats for visiting clerics.

It has been described by the architects as a 'contemporary Islamic sacred space'.

But critics point to the fact it has been submitted by Tablighi Jamaat, a Muslim missionary movement once described as an 'ante-chamber of fundamentalism'.

They say the Islamic group preaches 'separation and segregation' and that two of the 7/7 bombers, Shehzad Tanweer and Mohammad Sidique Khan, are believed to have prayed at a Tablighi mosque in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire.

Alan Craig, campaign director of MegaMosque-NoThanks, told the Daily Star: 'Newham Council wants a mixed use of the site with homes, shops and business units.

'The mosque trustees say they want to build a mosque the size of Battersea Power Station. Either way, it will be the UK's first custombuilt Sharia-controlled zone.'

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