TWO businessmen behind plans for a mosque in London Road, Devizes, have fallen out about how it will be run.

Imman Hossain, who runs the Bengal Bite restaurant in Sheep Street, Devizes, has withdrawn his support for the project as he believes it will not be for all of the Devizes Muslim community.

In a letter to Shaid Siddiq, who owns Devizes Textiles and the garden where the prayer centre would be based, he said: “Devizes is a small town with a small number of Muslim people from different ethnic backgrounds and culture.

“Having a Muslim community in Devizes, the best option is to take everybody onboard sharing and respecting everybody’s ideas.

“This was my aim and this is what I wanted to do.”

But he said Mr Siddiq wanted the prayer centre to primarily be for his Gulzar-e-Madina section of the religion and this would alienate others.

He said: “Neither I nor Muslim people of Devizes want to see any domineering by any ethnic group or any specific religious group or belief because it will eventually turn into conflict and have a detrimental impact on on the whole Devizes community.”

He said that he had repeatedly asked Mr Siddiq to form a committee to oversee the running of the mosque but this had been refused.

Mr Hossain said he also wanted the prayer centre to be for children and women as well as men and for it to act as an education centre and meeting place.

He said: “We have not fallen out as people but just over the way this should be run.

“I think the running of it should be as transparent as possible so the people of Devizes can understand what is happening and there is no conflict.”

Mr Siddiq this week denied there had been a clash of opinions between the two men.

He said: “I did not want to set up a committee or for it to be for children and education as at the moment the space is too small for this.

“If at a later stage we move to a bigger place then we can think about that. I have no problem with the idea in principal. I own the land where the buildings are so I do not think we need a committee.”

He said the mosque would be for all Muslims and not just for his part of the religion.

He said: “I am sure we can work this out. There has been no falling out.”

The men have applied to Wiltshire Council for retrospective permission for two portable buildings to be used by the Muslim community at Bedborough Farm, London Road, which is owned by Mr Siddiq.