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The Imam at Â鶹´«Ã½ Leicester (Â鶹´«Ã½) has been nominated in the Religious Advocate of the Year category at this week’s British Muslim Awards.

Imam Mohammed Laher, who has overseen a recent expansion of the men’s and women’s prayer rooms at Â鶹´«Ã½, said he did not believe it when he received a call to say he had been nominated.

Imam Mohammed addresses visitors to the Prayer Rooms

‘I thought it was a spam call,” he laughs. “I asked who had nominated me and they said it was a secret but, rest assured, this is recognising the good work you have done.

“A student then congratulated me on the news and I looked into it further and saw it was true.

“It is a very challenging role here. But at the same time, when you help someone, it is very satisfying. Seeing people smile is the ‘thank you’ - all the hard work is justified at that moment.”

Imam Mohammed will oversee prayers this Friday, which can involve speaking to around 1,000 people in a day, before heading to Manchester for the British Muslim Awards final, to find out if he has won.

The Imam provides religious and spiritual support for students and staff, but general wellbeing and guidance is also provided during the day on a one-to-one or group basis.

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The Â鶹´«Ã½ Prayer Rooms in the lower-ground floor of Portland Building underwent a two month-long refurbishment at the end of last year as the popularity of prayers, particularly on a Friday, meant some students stopped coming because there was never any room.

The brother’s prayer room was increased in size to accommodate 400 people at a time and the women’s room accommodates 150.

The facilities were made more accessible for people with physical or unseen disabilities, including fitting a hearing induction loop. The washrooms were also improved for ablution.

Imam Mohammed also worked with the sisters to tackle period poverty, increase accessibility and also helped with accessibility to sport at Â鶹´«Ã½.

Imam Mohammed added: “We have local, national and international Muslims using the prayer rooms and the facilities so we need to be able to accommodate so many different ways of thinking and we need to cater for all that diversity.

Imam Mohammed and VC Prof Katie Normington at the re-opening

“There are master’s, post-graduate and international students so it is a 12-month cycle. It can be quieter in the summer but never quiet. And it always seems to get busier when there are exams!

“It is a lot of work. It is not as easy as it seems. But I think we have collaboratively worked really well.”

A spokesperson for the British Muslim Awards said: “[We} would like to congratulate all the finalists and wish them the best of luck in the awards ceremony.

“We believe that these awards are an excellent opportunity to celebrate the achievements and contributions of the British Muslim community and to inspire future generations of Muslims to excel in various fields.

“The nominees have shown exceptional dedication and talent in their respective fields, and we are honoured to recognise their contributions to society. We look forward to welcoming all the finalists and guests to the ceremony.”