On a bush block on the industrial outskirts of Bendigo, a minaret rises from the facade of a mosque. There are no fences, making the site of the central Victorian city’s first mosque visible from adjacent roads.
This is no accident. Sameer Syed, who has been involved in the Bendigo Islamic Community Centre’s inception from its start, says the vision was an “open mosque”.
“We wanted something very welcoming … very open, very visible,” he says. “We want people to feel the same way. Just drop in, have a coffee.”
The centre’s spokesperson, Aisha Neelam, chimes in and jokes: “People can come meet a Muslim.”
More than a decade ago, fierce pushback against the vision to create a place of worship for Bendigo’s Muslim community made international headlines after the project became a rallying point for rightwing extremists, many of them from out of town.
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A mock beheading staged by the United Patriots Front leader and far-right extremist, Blair Cottrell, and two supporters outside the council chambers led to Victoria’s first racial vilification conviction. In 2016 a high court challenge to stop the mosque failed.
Syed credits the combination of a grassroots campaign – Believe in Bendigo – and outreach work by Muslim leaders for changing community sentiment, although a handful of protesters still demonstrate.
Ten years later, the centre is preparing to begin using its first completed building in coming weeks. The mosque is still under construction.
Neelam, who has lived in Bendigo for almost 20 years, says the centre’s community have strived to see the ugly scenes of 2015 as “not even a blip in our whole story”.
“The highlight is all the people that did the work that got the mosque to where it is and the cohesion the mosque created in the community, not the division,” she says.
“It brought along a lot of dialogue and a lot of respect, and there’s just so many connections that were built through that.”
Faith leaders united to create the Bendigo Interfaith Council, designed to promote mutual understanding.
Anthony Radford, a founding member of Believe in Bendigo, says it tried to understand opponents’ values.
“They were a lot of young tradies and a lot of working-class people,” he says. “So we focused our messaging a little bit on those values and being prepared to go to them and say, ‘Hey, this is the true story.’”
Neelam says the Muslim community had a “wake-up call” and decided to make themselves visible, hosting workplace workshops.
“It’s just not about Islam,” she says. “This is more just about just multiculturalism, really, and learning to accept others.”
Syed, the centre’s vice-president, says he expects workshops will continue at the new site, which has hosted school groups.
“We need to normalise the Muslim community,” he says. “We’re everywhere.”
The first sod was turned in 2019 but construction paused during the Covid lockdowns.
The centre has received grants totalling just over $1m but the majority of funding is from donations. Fundraisers were held in Melbourne, Sydney and Ballarat.
“There’s a lot of community spirit that’s gone into this,” Neelam says. “There’s a lot of love, a lot of heart.”
For the past 20 years the Muslim community has used a small student room at La Trobe University for prayers. The Bendigo Islamic Association hired community halls to host Ramadan celebrations.
Syed says the first building to be completed – a multipurpose space – will be used for Friday prayers and activities once an occupancy permit is granted. The centre hopes to host a formal opening early next year.
When completed, the mosque will fit about 375 people. There will also be a sports and community centre and an outdoor courtyard.
“Our vision has always been that this mosque is not just for the Muslim communities, it’s for Bendigo,” Syed says.
