A COMMUNITY leader has insisted a mosque will be completed – despite the credit crunch.

Residents in Daneshouse, Burnley, have raised more than £500,000 towards the £1m needed to finish the mosque, off Burns Street.

Work on the huge structure began in 2003 and is reliant on donations from the local community.

But, despite the credit crunch affecting major building schemes and the recession hitting people’s pockets, the mosque should still be completed by 2011, according to the man leading the development.

Project co-ordinator Mozaquir Ali said: “The whole deve-lopment depends on donations from the local community but since we started we have come from derelict land to what we’ve got now and we have raised more than £500,000.

“We have come a long way but these things take time. It is a deprived area and we have done well considering.

“I am cautiously optimistic because of the recession and with people having less cash, but the residents round here are proud of their mosque and they are looking forward to it being ready.”

Last week, a massive £100,000 dome was lifted on to the mosque as residents gathered to watch.

And people living in Belford Street, which backs on to the new mosque, were positive about the landmark devel-opment.

Mohammed Alam, 26, said: “At the moment I go to a mosque up the street but this bigger one will be better for the community.”

Sohail Rahman, 20, added: “I think the new mosque is mostly a good thing, although sometimes it is a bad thing because the construction work disturbs our satellite dish!

“But having said that, I will still use it when it opens. A mosque is a mosque and it doesn’t matter where you go.”