WAGGA’S Muslim community supports the idea of building a new Islamic centre in Wagga so it can continue to meet demand.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Muslim Association of Riverina Wagga chairman Dr Ata u-Rehman said the group’s current facilities at Charles Sturt University (CSU) were “standing room only”.
A meeting will be held with CSU on Thursday to discuss the situation and options available for them.
“We might need to look at a place where we could build elsewhere in Wagga,” Dr Rehman said.
“Perhaps Wagga City Council could help us with that.”
Dr Rehman stressed that an Islamic centre was not a mosque.
He also said the continued attraction of younger members needed to have modern features such as a gymnasium.
It comes amid a period of strong debate about the arrival of new refugees in Wagga in the wake of the Paris attacks.
On Tuesday, Dr Rehman strongly condemned the attacks and sought to disassociate his faith from terrorists.
He stressed that Islam was a friendly religion in stark contrast with the horror felt on the streets of Paris.
“Anything that is happening over there shouldn't be brought here to say we, the Muslims, are responsible for this,” he said.