Rising Together: Sydney fundraiser supports Bendigo mosque

• Featured image courtesy of SBS Arabic24

The “Time to Rise” fundraiser on Sunday 3 November, Bankstown’s Highline Venue, was a wonderful show of unity and resilience within the Australian Muslim community, as hundreds of supporters gathered in support of Bendigo’s long-awaited and much-needed masjid.

The event, expertly organised by Summit Marketing, demonstrated the collective power of faith and solidarity toward establishing a place of worship that will serve Bendigo’s growing Muslim population.

The gathering included a number of passionate addresses from prominent community leaders and influencers who emphasised the mosque’s importance and how its presence will change the lives of Bendigo’s Muslim residents considerably.

Sheikh Wesam Charkawi told the audience that this project is about far more than just a mosque.

“This story is bigger than the masjid itself,” he explained. “The struggle to build this mosque has unified the community and  its benefits will be a lot more than what we can see in front of us.”

Sheikh Ibrahim Dadoun echoed these sentiments, urging guests to support their brothers and sisters in Bendigo so they might also build a future for their children and pass on the teachings of Islam to a wider society.

“They want you to be the reason they have that masjid,” he said, inviting those present to contribute to this long-awaited dream.

Fred Nagi, another prominent voice at the event, stressed the mosque’s significance for both the youth and the elderly in Bendigo.

“Not having a local masjid has a huge impact on iman and worship,” he pointed out, describing the mosque’s potential impact as “massive” for the local Muslim ummah, who will finally have a place to gather, worship and connect.

One of the most poignant moments of the night came from Samir Sayyed, a Bendigo Mosque committee member, who had journeyed over 800 kilometres to share his story.

In an emotional address, he described the difficulty of finding a suitable place for prayer and the challenges the community faces without a permanent space of its own.

Bendigo, a city of over 110,000 people located 150 kilometers northwest of Melbourne, has seen its Muslim population double, if not triple, in recent years.

Mr Sayyed explained that the 200 Muslim children living in Bendigo under the age of 13 would never have seen a mosque.

“The car park is underway and the multi-purpose hub is almost finished,” he added, detailing a  journey across Australia to raise funds for the mosque’s completion.

The Bendigo Mosque project hasn’t been without its obstacles.

As Master of Ceremonies Ahmed Bassal recalled, the initial application to build the mosque faced considerable backlash.

Outsiders even travelled to Bendigo to protest, with the situation attracting media attention nationwide and even internationally.

Yet, after a lengthy legal struggle, the community’s right to build the mosque was ultimately upheld by Australia’s Supreme Court.

Since then, some of the mosque’s initial opponents have embraced Islam, demonstrating the power of dialogue, understanding and patience.

It is important to note that the local Bendigo community has in the main been supportive of the project, with one local church offering to cover Christian statues, symbols and photos in their space to accommodate Bendigo’s Muslim worshippers.

Some members of other faiths have even shielded Muslims from aggressive anti-mosque demonstrators.

The Bendigo Mosque complex will be much more than a place for worship alone.

It will serve also as a comprehensive Islamic centre, providing prayer spaces, classrooms, a function hall, a funeral parlour and a commercial kitchen.

The goal is to establish a one-stop hub that will serve the Bendigo Muslim community for generations to come, ensuring that it becomes a hub for education, celebration and community support.

Adding to the momentum, non-Muslim supporters such as Margot Spalding, a former Telstra Businesswoman of the Year, have also stood as vocal advocates for the project.

The Bankstown fundraiser was a resounding success, with the community demonstrating its unwavering support through generous contributions.

Hussin Goss, the beloved auctioneer from the Gold Coast, energised the crowd with his unique style and humorous banter, helping raise a healthy six-figure sum for the cause.

The evening was a tribute to the deep bonds within the Australian Muslim community and its members’ dedication to realising a lasting Islamic centre in Bendigo.

And with the legal challenges behind them, the Bendigo Mosque project has an exciting path forward.

The support of those both within and outside the Muslim community reflects the strength and dedication of the many people working to make this dream a reality.

Inshallah, with continued support, this beautiful new masjid will open its doors in the not too distant future and AMUST looks forward to reporting more on the project’s progress in coming months.