Key Highlights
- Now plans are afoot for female classes and youth clubsIt’s early afternoon on a gloomy day at the Jamia Usmania mosque in Bradford and a group of mostly elderly men have finished their midday prayers. The assembly of mainly retired men would usually return to the familiar drumbeat of day-to-day life, but instead they make their way downstairs to tackle squats, glute bridges and the butterfly position in the mosque’s weekly 45-minute pilates class.“It’s a very unique thing for older Asian men,” said Zafar Kayani, 69, the pilates instructor.
- “They’re coming here for their spiritual health.
- Then getting that physical exercise and mental wellbeing, and they’re connecting with each other.”‘They’re connecting with each other,’ says instructor Zafar Kayani (in grey top).
- hristopher Thomond/The GuardianIt has been a whirlwind few weeks for the organisers of the pilates sessions, which began at three mosques in Bradford with a small number of attenders.
- A TikTok video promoting the class went viral, since amassing almost 2m views, and interest has grown, with up to 30 people attending each session. The TikTok sparked interest from mosques across the UK and farther afield, including from Malaysia and Canada, with inquiries on how similar initiatives could be implemented for their congregation.“We never expected it to go that viral,” said the mosque’s general secretary, Mohammed Ilyas.
