Farooq E Azam Mosque and Islamic Centre

The Farooq E Azam Mosque and Islamic Centre is an Islamic mosque in Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, England. It opened on 15 July 2017, costing £2.2 million and taking 12 years to complete. The mosque can accommodate up to 2,500 people. It is a registered charity, collecting £91,812 in 31 March 2021. The charity has a stated 6 Trustees and 20 Volunteers. The centre uses this money for the aim of "holding of prayer meetings, lectures, public celebration of religious festivals, providing services of worship, religious teaching, facilities and services to allow believers to practice their faith and follow its doctrines, whilst providing an opportunity and open learning environment for other practising faiths to gain information on Islamic beliefs and teachings and promote community cohesion". The centre also provides outreach programs to the diverse population within Stockton. Local NHS services such as the James Cook University Hospital's intensive care unit and the local North East Ambulance Service have made financial donations. They have also hosted events and given equipment, such as defibrillators) to improve interaction with sidelined communities. One such event was for community food distribution during the 'beast from the east' weather event. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the mosque was used as both a vaccination centre and an instrument against COVID vaccine misinformation. The mosque ran outreach programs to help dismiss fraudulent claims, and reinforce that the vaccine did "not contain alcohol, pork or any other animal or foetal products that would be forbidden by Islam".