Prominent Melbourne imam Sheikh Issa Musse wants to help the community learn more about the Muslims who call Wyndham home.
As imam at Hoppers Crossing’s Virgin Mary Mosque, Sheikh Issa believes it is important to challenge misconceptions about Islam and help people understand what happens at a mosque.
As such, the Werribee Islamic Centre (WIC) will open the mosque to the public on Saturday.
“We all belong to this country. Given the current crisis, we think it is important to say to people, ‘Don’t target others’. No matter what happens 20,000 or 30,000 miles away, we are all in one boat in this country,” the sheikh said.
During the open day, there will be mosque tours with guides
to answer people’s questions. There will also be a barbecue and children’s activities.
The Virgin Mary Mosque is one of only two mosques in Victoria taking part in the national open day. It is home to Victoria’s only multi-ethnic congregation, welcoming people from Africa, Pakistan, the Middle East, Morocco, Sri Lanka, Albania, India, Europe and Bangladesh.
WIC vice-president Rifai Raheem said the centre was “honoured” to welcome the community into its mosque, which has been at its Hogans Road site for about 10 years and has a growing congregation, now about 500 people.
“This is a unique opportunity to celebrate diversity,” Mr Raheem said. “We want everyone to feel welcome to come to the mosque and ask questions. We understand this is a time when the community wants to know more about others.”
The open day is from 10am-4pm. More details are available at www.lma.org.au/nationalmosqueopenday
