The first ever place of communal worship for Muslims in High Wycombe was set up in a local house in the 1960’s. As the Muslim population of the town settled with their families in the 1970’s, a site was bought in Jubilee Road for prayers, learning and recitation of the Holy Quran. In 1981, the mosque was rebuilt to modern standards to accommodate the ever-growing needs of the Muslim community of High Wycombe. At the time, the mosque on Jubilee Road was the only mosque in the town, a central hub of the Muslim community, used as a place to offer prayers, learning environment for children, matrimonial services, funeral services and a resident Imam for advice, guidance and teaching.

As the Muslim population of the town grew further, so did the religious demands and needs of the community. Wycombe Islamic Mission & Mosque Trust Ltd (WIMMT) realised the need to obtain new sites to meet these needs. Three additional sites were subsequently bought in the populated areas of Totteridge, Castlefield and Micklefield. The Totteridge, Castlefield and Micklefield mosques are intrinsically linked to the Jubilee Road central Mosque, offering the same religious services and each has an imam for prayers, teaching, advice and guidance.

The vast majority of Muslims in High Wycombe are immigrants from South Asia (In particular Azad Kashmir, Pakistan & Bangladesh) or descendants of immigrants from that region. However, it is acknowledged that there is also a growing contingent of Muslims who are ‘reverting’ to Islam and whose needs also need to be catered for. The majority of the worshipers at the WIMMT run Mosques follow traditional Sunni Islam, the Hanafi branch of jurisprudence. These teachings advocate & promote peace, justice and harmony for all regardless of faith, background, culture or race. Regardless of which branch of jurisprudence is followed, the Mosques are open to all Muslims as a place of worship and learning.

WIMMT is now an umbrella organisation which, at this moment in time, oversees the day to day running of 4 Mosques in High Wycombe. The Mosques are situated in various locations throughout High Wycombe, to be easily accessible to all the Muslim community. However, similar challenges still remain today, in particular, meeting the ever-growing needs of the community. The Mosques on Jubilee Road and Rutland Ave can still be seen on occasion to ‘overflow’ onto the street/carpark, and this will need to be addressed via long-term investment.

The members of the Mosque Management Committee serve on a voluntary basis and are elected every two years. Only registered members of WIMMT are entitled to vote to elect the Committee members. The Mosques have historically been run by the elders in the community, the first generation of Muslims, in a manner which they deemed appropriate. However, we hope and pray that over the coming years, more young Muslims will have the courage to step forward and be active in the Mosques, only then will we truly see progression in our community and be able to face up to the challenges that lie ahead.

Government Document

The trustees are currently in a process to make a new government document for WIMMT that would address the new challenges that the community is facing.