From Bar to Mosque: Zia Bin Russell’s Humanitarian Journey
A property in East London that once operated as an alcohol bar has undergone a remarkable transformation. Today, the same premises echo with the Adhan, the recitation of the Holy Qur’an and the prayers of worshippers standing shoulder to shoulder in Salah.
The transformation was undertaken by Zia Bin Russell, a prominent London-based Bangladeshi businessman and a native of Raozan, Chattogram. He acquired the former bar and transformed it into a mosque and Muslim community facility through substantial personal investment.
According to information provided by those associated with the project, the property’s current market value has now exceeded £4.5 million.
What was once a commercial venue associated with alcohol is today a place of Sujood, Qur’anic learning, worship and community life.
The story is striking not simply because of the property’s multimillion-pound value, but because of what the property has become.
Where alcohol was once served, the Qur’an is now recited.
Where people once gathered to drink, worshippers now gather to pray.
A multimillion-pound property has been given an entirely new purpose and identity.
Yet this East London mosque represents only one chapter in Zia Bin Russell’s much broader philanthropic journey.
For years, largely away from publicity, his support has extended to humanitarian relief in Gaza and Sudan, assistance for people with disabilities in Bangladesh, skill-development programmes, livelihood support for vulnerable women, flood and disaster relief, and sustained assistance to madrasas and Qur’anic education initiatives in remote communities.
Through support provided to religious educational institutions in different regions, a number of students have gone on to complete the memorisation of the Holy Qur’an and become Huffaz.
His humanitarian engagement has also included years of support for vulnerable women in remote communities through sewing machines, financial assistance and livelihood opportunities, with the aim of helping families move from dependency towards sustainable self-reliance.
In Bangladesh, his longstanding work for people with disabilities is now also taking a more structured form through a Skill Development Initiative in Nabinagar, Savar, under the humanitarian programmes of Hafezzi Charitable Society of Bangladesh. The initiative seeks to equip people with disabilities with practical skills and opportunities to earn independently and live with dignity.
Beyond Bangladesh, his humanitarian support has reached families facing some of the world’s gravest crises.
In Gaza, his assistance has contributed to projects involving food, cooked meals, bread, safe drinking water and other emergency humanitarian support for war-affected families.
In Sudan, where conflict has displaced vast numbers of people and created severe hunger and humanitarian need, his support has similarly contributed to relief initiatives for vulnerable families.
Many of these projects have been implemented through Hafezzi Charitable Society of Bangladesh and other humanitarian organisations operating internationally.
Significantly, a considerable portion of this work was never promoted by Russell himself. Numerous projects were completed without photographs or videos appearing on his personal platforms. Some activities only became public after those working alongside him encouraged their documentation—not for personal publicity, but in the hope that one person’s example of giving might inspire others with financial means to serve humanity.
Zia Bin Russell currently serves as an Honourable Adviser and Guardian of Hafezzi Charitable Society of Bangladesh and has remained closely associated with its humanitarian activities over the years.
From a former alcohol bar in East London—now a mosque and community facility reportedly valued at more than £4.5 million—to vulnerable families in Bangladesh, people with disabilities in Savar, students becoming Huffaz in remote madrasas, struggling women receiving livelihood opportunities, and war-affected communities in Gaza and Sudan, the initiatives share one central principle.
