Australian town rejects Islamic school

Camden, NU Online
A proposal to build a school for 1200 Muslim students in an Australian town has been turned down by authorities, a move denounced as “victory for racism” by a Muslim group.

Even though the project has been opposed by locals, councilors for Camden, a small town on the outskirts of Sydney, claimed that their refusal to the school project was solely based on planning issues.<>

Chris Patterson, the town’s mayor claimed that the decision was not based on any religious aspect.

It is a site issue, clearly a site issue, Patterson said after the vote, according to the BBC.

Patterson also said a re-submission of the same proposal would be welcomed if a different site in Camden was chosen.

An early internal council report used another excuse to justify its opposition to the mosque project, which was traffic at that time.

The Muslim community finds it rather hard to believe that these are the true reasons for the council’s refusal because Camden’s authorities received 3,200 submissions from the public about the Islamic school and only 100 in favor.

Muslim community organization Forum on Australia's Islamic Relations (FAIR) said it did not accept the council's explanation, AFP reported.

"Planning grounds is only a smokescreen for the real issues which were related to community tensions and potential social upheavals if the school was approved," executive director Kuranda Seyit said.

"I see this as a victory for racism."

Bigoted locals had showed their opposition to the project last November by leaving two pigs’ heads at the site of the proposed school. In Islam, pork consumption is forbidden.

The mosque was expected to attract Muslims from Sydney to Camden, which only hosts 150 Muslim families.

Andrew Wynnet of the Camden/Macarthur Residents' Group told the BBC about local concerns for the long-term demographic impact of such a development.

The character of the town will change, he said.

The Quranic Society, the organization behind the school proposal, has kept a low public profile. It argues that Australian parents should be able to educate their children the way they want, regardless of race or religion. (iso/dar)