'We have a voice,' says woman at mosque hit by charity run row

A female leader at a British mosque accused of excluding women from a charity run has said women in the community have a voice and do not "need saving" by critics who lack an understanding of Muslim values.

- Chris Osuh Community affairs correspondent

East London mosque, in Tower Hamlets, found itself at the centre of a media storm and received dozens of hate mail messages after staging the Muslim charity run, which was open to "men, boys of all ages and girls under 12". The communities secretary, Steve Reed, later said he was "horrified" by the decision.

The mosque said female attenders preferred to enter "women only" events, but on this occasion demand was too low to hold one.

It said the biggest issue facing Muslim women in the community was hate crime, which had intensified against the mosque since the run was reported. Emails the mosque received included diatribes such as "get with our laws or leave, you animals", as well as messages of support.

Sufia Alam, the head of programmes for the mosque who also runs its Maryam Centre for women's worship, said no one from the congregation had complained.