In our ever-evolving and evolving community, tolerance and mutual understanding are becoming more important every day. That is why it is very important for the Muslim community to be heard and understood, because only an insight into Islamic history and participation in Muslim everyday life can reduce the prejudices against Muslims.

For this reason, the Islamic Centre in Essen -Alfaruq Mosque – invites every year to the Day of German Unity for the Open Mosque Day.

This holiday is particularly suitable for this purpose, as it gives this event a symbolic meaning.

At that time, the dividing wall between East and West Germany had to be removed – and unity could finally be realized.

Today, our goal is to tear down the walls of mistrust around Muslims and to facilitate cultural exchange – so that today's Germany can also be strengthened in its unity.

Because the Muslims in Germany not only belong to the Muslim community, but are also mostly German citizens. They feel as much part of this country as any other person in that country.

This open day serves to get to know each other and get closer to different parts of society. We therefore hope to remove the barriers and put aside our differences so that civilised and supportive cooperation can take place.

The standard program on the Open Mosque Day looks like this:

• Reception of guests at the beginning of the event with milk and dates filled with almonds
• In the men's prayer room, guests get an overview of the activities and goals of the mosque.
• In the course of a short lecture, the guests are informed about the five pillars of Islam, which form the basis for the coexistence and the duties of the Muslim community.
• Discussion and Question Round
• Afterwards we continue with the second part in the large hall. There our guests can admire the stations with oriental specialties, which are prepared diligently by several helpers. From henna paints to an Islam knowledge quiz, there's something about everything and for everyone. As a guest, you can get to know The Islamic culture and achievements in an interesting way. At the same time, a mosque tour takes place. For this purpose, the visitors are divided into several small groups, in which the rooms are shown to them.