On Saturday 29 October Mosques all around Australia welcomed thousands of people of all faiths and diverse background, men, women and children, in order to build community understanding and harmony.
National Mosque Open Day is an annual Australia-wide event initiated by the Lebanese Muslim Association (LMA) with support from the Department of Social Services.
The event features a number of mosques across the nation simultaneously opening their doors to the public and inviting them to come in and explore their local mosque.
Visitors browsing through the exhibit inside Lakemba Mosque. Photo by ZIA.
This year National Mosque Open Day was the largest ever, featuring increased number of participating mosques across Australia, in capital cities as well as in regional towns, giving more Australians the chance to visit and be welcomed into their local mosques.
One of the oldest and largest mosques, the Imam Ali Mosque in Wangee Road, Lakemba was visited by thousands of people last Saturday to observe prayer services, listen to the recitation of Quran, and look at the exhibition on Islamic teachings, practices and cultural activities within the mosque.
A number of politicians and interfaith leaders visited the Lakemba mosque throughout the day meeting the congregation as well as the visitors.
Jihad Dib, the state member for Lakemba and the NSW Shadow Minister of Education was readily available at the front steps of the mosque welcoming visitors and engaging people into conversation.
Visitors found a unique experience and flavour, representing the multicultural make-up of the congregation at Lakemba Mosque.
There were information brochures and booklets on Islam and Muslims as well as Australasian Muslim Times newspaper to be picked up.
The visitors tasted free BBQ, special tea, sweets, food and engaged themselves in activities at the mosque throughout the day.
Of particular notice was the way a lot of non Muslims, among them an overwhelmingly a large number of women simply sat on the carpeted floor of the Lakemba Mosque attentively listening to the melodious live recitation of Quran in Arabic, possibly a unique spiritual experience to listen to the revelation that Muslims consider the Words of God.
This year the following mosques formally took part in the National Mosque Open Day 2016:
New South Wales
Lakemba Mosque
65-67 Wangee Rd, Lakemba
Cabramatta Mosque
22 Water Street, Cabramatta West
Blacktown Mosque
15 Fourth Ave, Blacktown
Orange Mosque
344A Peisley St, Bletchington
Islamic Society of Albury-Wodonga
494 Wagga Road, Lavington
Sultan Fatih Mosque
3-5 Victoria St, Mayfield, Newcastle
Victoria
Virgin Mary Mosque
143 Hogans Road, Hoppers Crossing
Albanian Australian Islamic Society
765 Drummond St, North Carlton
Geelong Mosque
45-47 Bostok Avenue, Manifold Heights
Australian Capital Territory
Canberra Islamic Centre
221, Clive Steele Ave, Monash
Queensland
Rockhampton Mosque
132 Kent St, Rockhampton
Mareeba District Mosque
108 Walsh St, Mareeba
Cairns Mosque
31 Dunn St, Cairns
Masjid Salam
Cnr Third Ave & Curtis II Court, Marsden
Garden City Mosque
217-221 West St, Harristown
Islamic Society of Gold Coast Inc.
144 Allied Dr, Arundel
Tasmania
Hobart Mosque
166 Warwick St, West Hobart
South Australia
Marion Mosque
658 Marion Rd, Park Holme
It is very encouraging indeed to see the outlook of the Muslims across Australia to stage the Open Day and invite people of all Faiths and Nationalities to such an event. This attitude will enhance much better understanding and appreciatiion of the teachings of our beloved prophet Hazrat Mohammed Mustapha SAW and in doing so see for themselves what Islam is all about.
Little knowledge of the religious and cultural aspects of Islam does not portray the true picture. Those that have been involved
in terrorist activities are so minute in number compared to 1.8 Billion muslims in the world have caused the peaceful thinking Muslims to take the blame in total. There are others who are no less in numbers than the so called Islamic Terrorists who have caused havoc in the lives of Muslims, Christians and people of other religious and cultural beliefs. The right thinking Muslims denounce any such brutal activities against the mankind. The Holy Quran prohibits violence against humanity and teaches love, tolerence and peace. I salute the Islamic Organisations for extending the invitations to multi religious societies to the mosques see for themselves the activities and apopreciate Islam. New Zealand Muslims Associations also extend such humble invitations to the general public at large.
4 November, 2016, 13:46
It is very encouraging indeed to see the outlook of the Muslims across Australia to stage the Open Day and invite people of all Faiths and Nationalities to such an event. This attitude will enhance much better understanding and appreciatiion of the teachings of our beloved prophet Hazrat Mohammed Mustapha SAW and in doing so see for themselves what Islam is all about.
Little knowledge of the religious and cultural aspects of Islam does not portray the true picture. Those that have been involved
in terrorist activities are so minute in number compared to 1.8 Billion muslims in the world have caused the peaceful thinking Muslims to take the blame in total. There are others who are no less in numbers than the so called Islamic Terrorists who have caused havoc in the lives of Muslims, Christians and people of other religious and cultural beliefs. The right thinking Muslims denounce any such brutal activities against the mankind. The Holy Quran prohibits violence against humanity and teaches love, tolerence and peace. I salute the Islamic Organisations for extending the invitations to multi religious societies to the mosques to see for themselves the activities and appreciate Islam. New Zealand Muslim Associations also extend such humble invitations to the general public at large