Yesterday, the Mosaic Associates held their inaugural roundtable discussion event at the Commonwealth Club in central London. The roundtable welcomed Sharif El-Gamal, Nour Moussa and Sayyed Nadeem Kazmi, developers of the Park 51 Community Centre in New York, as the session’s keynote speakers.

The controversial proposed 13-story Muslim Community Centre, located in Lower Manhattan close to the World Trade Centre site, is designed to provide facilities for all members of the local community. Featured all over the international press, the Mosaic Associates took this unique opportunity to find more about the project and the vision behind it.

During the meeting, Sharif El-Gamal, Chairman of Soho Properties and developer of Park 51, described his wish to establish a Community Centre that would celebrate the American-Muslim identity and show a positive face of Islam. His vision for the project is to create a hub of culture and coexistence that brings people of different faiths and backgrounds together.

“Mr. El-Gamal led an insightful discussion on his decision to create this community centre and move forward with his plans that were faced by many hurdles and garnered media attention from all over the world. It was a refreshing experience to hear background information about the project and get questions answered by the developers themselves”, said Jonathan Freeman, National Director Mosaic UK.

The Park 51 Community Centre will include a 500-seat auditorium, theater, a performing arts center, a fitness center, a swimming pool, a basketball court, a childcare area, a bookstore, a culinary school, an art studio, a food court, and a memorial to the victims of the September 11 attacks. The prayer space for the Muslim community will accommodate 1,000 to 2,000 people.

Azhar, Director at Conran & Partners and a Mosaic Associate said, “It was a tremendously interesting discussion and I got a lot out of this.”

Mosaic Associates are like-minded individuals committed to Mosaic’s aim of creating opportunities for young people of all backgrounds, harnessing the power of positive thinking. The Associates bring together Mosaic’s most distinguished supporters, with a demonstrable commitment to supporting the priorities of Mosaic as set by its founder HRH The Prince of Wales.

To learn more about the Mosaic Associates, please contact Annis Araim at or 020 7566 8778