More than 600 concerned residents have signed an independent statement supporting the Monmouthshire Muslim Community Association in its bid to establish a mosque in Abergavenny.The statement of solidarity is open to all citizens of the town and the surrounding area and the co-ordinators plan to share it with the MMCA and the community.

The statement in full

Abergavenny has a proud history of welcome, inclusivity, and solidarity in the face of persecution. From the hidden chapel in Plas Gunter Mansion where Catholics risked their lives to practice their religion, to our modern status as a Town of Sanctuary, our town has long been one where anyone who comes seeking community, finds it.

As citizens of Abergavenny and the surrounding communities we are therefore putting our names to this statement expressing our wholehearted support for the decision of the Monmouthshire Muslim Community Association to establish a mosque in our beautiful town.

Too often a small number of loud voices dominate debates with divisive, inhumane, and harmful rhetoric when the vast majority abhor their views.

In truth, we are honoured that you have chosen Abergavenny as the location for the first permanent Muslim place of worship in Monmouthshire, and we look forward to celebrating its opening. Many of us have already experienced the hospitality and generosity of spirit shared by our Muslim neighbours over the years. We look forward to the joy, kindness, community, and care we will continue to share with our Muslim community in our hometown for years to come.

A meeting of Monmouthshire County Council’s cabinet last week, discussed the proposal to lease the former Abergavenny Library to the Monmouthshire Muslim Community Association following a ‘call-in’ by three councillors where it was decided the proposal should be given the green light