Passing the halfway mark of its fundraising goal and with a DA application in their sights, the Muslim Association Riverina Wagga Wagga Australia (MARWA) is making big strides towards building the region's first mosque.
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Speaking with the Daily Advertiser in September last year, members of MARWA reported having raised $100,000 towards building the East Wagga mosque project.
According to their online tally, the group has now raised $848,719, as of May 2, through a series of worldwide online campaigns and in-person fundraisers.
The current reported total makes up 58 per cent of the association's approximate required total of $1,451,500 and signals a significant jump in the last few months.
According to CSU Senior Lecturer in Computing Dr Quazi Mamun, the project received a generous boost from donors in conjunction with the recent month of Ramadan taking place over April.
"During the month of Ramadan, we received a lot of donations from all around the world, not only in Australia," said Dr Mamun, who is in charge of fundraising for the MARWA mosque project.
"We actually estimated that we will reach this because Ramadan is a special month for us.
"People are so generous during the month."
The holy month of fasting, prayers and community offers a pivotal reminder of a mosque's importance to Wagga's growing Muslim community.
"For us, a mosque is not only the place for prayer, but it is a community hub," Dr Mamun said.
Dr Mamun said building is hopefully not far from commencing, with a database of donors the association can show physical progress to in hopes of reaching its monetary goal within the year.
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"At this stage, we are still working with the architect finalising the design of the project and we are getting community feedback," he said.
"We started early this year, designing, and hopefully we will submit the DA maybe within the next month or so."
In a video posted last month, architect and Deakin University Senior Lecturer Dr Md Mizanur Rashid outlined some of the design proposals for the project.
As proposed, the mosque complex would include dedicated prayer areas for men and women, a gallery, a play area for children with outdoor sports courts, community spaces, kitchen/cafe and a large car park.
Along with other members of Wagga's Muslim community, Dr Mamun currently utilises the limited space allowed by the CSU recreation centre for prayers.
"There is a big hall, but still, that room is not enough for inviting all the family members," Dr Mamun said.
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