Young Mosque: A hidden gem in regional Australia

The New South Wales country township of Young is known across the nation as “The Cherry Capital of Australia”.

But a visit to the district – and more specifically to the Omar Ibn Al Khattab Mosque (Young Mosque) – on Saturday 15 July convinced me that it is far more than that!

Indeed, it is a revelation….and a ‘hidden gem’ for Australian Muslims.

Located 372 kilometres from the Sydney CBD so a comfortable four-hour drive from the southwestern suburbs of the NSW capital, Young has over the past 40 years become home to almost 1,000 Muslims who make up almost 10 per cent of the town’s population, which was 10,610 according to the 2021 Census.

Initially, a rented house served as a makeshift masjid before the LMA acquired the current site on Moppity Rd, Young, which was formerly the location of a drive-in movie theatre.

Local businessman Abdullah Sultan chairs the Masjid Young Committee which is charged with the responsibility of running the operations of Young Mosque, along with fellow members Abdul Kader Ghoneim and Ghaleb Lahlouh.

The Committee is supported by a five-man volunteer group and a team of five women (along with the guidance of Sheikh Emad Hamdy and the support of the tight-knit and enthusiastic local Muslim community).

And it’s a formula that obviously works as Omar Ibn Al Khattab Mosque is really thriving!

“Young has the only masjid in the Riverina and the largest population of Muslims of any regional area in Australia,” Abdullah Sultan (pictured third from left in the group shot) told AMUST.

“Its great lifestyle and affordability are two important reasons Muslims continue to move to Young in their numbers – but the mosque itself has the greatest drawing power.”

“You can really feel the sense of unity and peace in our mosque community and it’s a great place for raising children.”

“One of the biggest advantages of being so far away from Sydney is that there are none of the temptations or distractions of urban centres like Sydney, especially for the young ones….parents can protect their households from the Shaytan more easily.”

“The local (non-Muslim) community are peaceful and conservative people like we are, which also helps.”

“One of the disadvantages of being almost 400 km from Sydney is that it’s been difficult to attract good guest speakers on a regular basis.”

“But that’s gradually changing and in recent times we have been blessed with the presence of the likes of Brother Mohamed Hoblos, Sheikh Jamal Ud-Din El-Kiki and Sheikh Moussab Legha.”

“And of course, we are also indeed blessed to have Sheikh Emad (Hamdy) as our resident imam.”

“Sheikh Emad has only been with us for a few months after a long wait; we all love him dearly and refer to him as the ‘Sheikh of Sheikhs’.”

“He has settled in great and is amazingly humble, has a fantastic voice and is very professional in all he does.”

“Absolutely, he is the LMA’s ‘secret weapon’ for Da’wah and has completely changed the attitude and dynamics of our mosque.”

“He contributes and oversees the Mosques Da’wah approach and all Islamic Education.”

“From Youth nights to regular classes, the Sheikh has brought an incredible amount of experience and knowledge to our team.”

“We also host regular social gatherings such as family barbeques, sporting days and quiz nights.”

“On another note, we are pleased with our efforts to interact with community leaders and promote interfaith dialogue.”

“We invite the local politicians from all levels of government (former NSW Emergency Services Minister Steph Cooke is pictured third from the right in the group shot) as well as the local school principals to all our major events and they usually accept.”

“In terms of Islamic outreach, Young Mosque has witnessed six reversions take place in the last 12 months alone and we now have a new Street Da’wah booth which will help in this area inshallah.”

Mr Sultan points out that Young Mosque has been successful in maintaining a strong connection with the wider Muslim community in spite of its relatively remote location.

“We live stream nearly all our lessons and we post our updates publicly, not just on our own page – and this definitely works as over a dozen families travelled down from Sydney for our recent fun day.”

Mr Sultan is full of praise for the LMA for the support they provide to Young Mosque.

“I would especially like to acknowledge LMA president Hafez Alameddine, who has been a tower of strength.”

“Hafez saw the potential in the area and what an incredible Muslim community we have here and took a keen personal interest.”

“The LMA has had our back all the way since the current Young committee took over in March last year.”

“LMA vice president Roy Halabi has also been very helpful as has the head office at Lakemba, including the Accounts team.”

Young Mosque is situated on nearly seven very picturesque acres, a short drive from the centre of town.

Abdullah Sultan and his team are always looking to make improvements to the complex and there are big plans on the horizon.

“We are putting in a new picnic and play area and improvements to the parking and building new sporting courts are also in the pipeline.”

“And we are really excited about a major upgrade to the complex which we estimate will cost between $800,000 and $1 million.”

“This will include the construction of a new masjid with a capacity of between 1,000-1,500 worshippers.”

“The project has been on the drawing board since 2017 and we are now awaiting the construction certificate to be finalised…. it’s been a big journey to get where we are now.”

Mr Sultan’s closing message to his fellow Muslims regardless of where they may reside in Australia, is simple: “There is always something happening at Young Mosque so please come and visit us….our community are amazing and welcoming, and our Mosque is like no other.”

“We have an amazing, tight-knit community here and I want to take the chance to thank them for all the time and effort they put in here at the mosque,  from our young men and women who volunteer during Ramadan and all year round, to our elders who are always colourful in their suggestions.”

“Everyone is so welcoming and so friendly….once people come here, they don’t want to leave.”

“I relocated here from Sydney almost two years ago with my family and my only regret is that we didn’t do so earlier!”