The Lebanese Muslim Association’s podcast of Wednesday 9 April, revealed expansive details of the organisation’s proposal to Canterbury-Bankstown Council seeking approval to broadcast the Adhan from Lakemba Mosque every Friday ahead of the Jummah khutbah.
If approved, the Islamic ‘Call to Prayer’ would be broadcast through external speakers for a maximum of five minutes once a week — a peaceful and meaningful reminder to the faithful that the most sacred moment of their week is approaching.
The proposal to Council, which has already received overwhelming support from local residents and the broader community, represents a milestone for Sydney.
It would make Lakemba Mosque the first masjid in Australia’s largest city to publicly share this traditional call to prayer on a regular basis.
The iconic Lakemba Mosque with the minaret standing tall.
Speaking on the podcast, LMA Secretary and spokesman Hajj Gamel Kheir described the initiative as “an amazing step forward” and emphasised that the call to prayer is “a blessing” for the community.
“It’s only for a maximum of five minutes, once a week for Friday Jummah,” Mr Kheir pointed out, “and it’s well within the parameters of noise pollution.”
Many major ‘western’ cities around the world have already embraced the adhan in public spaces, recognising it as a respectful expression of religious identity in multicultural societies.
Lakemba, home to Australia’s largest Muslim population, is a fitting place for such a step.
More than 60 per cent of residents in the area identify as Muslim, with many families having deep generational ties to the Mosque and its community, dating back to the 1960s-70s.
LMA Secretary and spokesman Hajj Gamel Kheir.
Mr Kheir said the initiative speaks to Australia’s multicultural values and commitment to religious freedom.
“We live in a multicultural society, and what better way to illustrate this than by all religions being able to express themselves within the law,” he said.
Founded in 1962, the LMA is Australia’s oldest community-based, not-for-profit Islamic organisation and custodian of Lakemba Mosque – formally known as Masjid Ali Bin Abi Taleb.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, a special broadcast of the adhan during Ramadan brought comfort and unity to local families unable to gather at Lakemba mosque in person.
The proposed speakers would be fixed to the mosque’s minaret and used exclusively for the Friday adhan.
Gamel Kheir acknowledged the outpouring of community support for the proposal, saying, “the local community have been extremely supportive of the concept.”
Eid Prayer at Lakemba Mosque on Monday, 31 March. Well over 40,000 worshippers were in attendance.
“The LMA sees this step as one of inclusion and mutual respect — a celebration of Australia’s diverse spiritual soundscape.”
Just as church bells are part of the weekend rhythm in many neighbourhoods, the adhan would offer a moment of reflection and identity for thousands of Muslim Australians.
* Feature image: Renowned international Qari, Lakemba Mosque’s own Sheikh Mohamed Harby called the adhan from the top of the famous masjid’s minaret on the evening of Laylatul Qadr, when over 3,000 community members attended Australia’s largest ever open air community Iftar. (Photos courtesy of the LMA Creative Team: M.F. Khan, R. Ramadhan and B. Abdelwahed.)
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