|
Mosque Open Day -
Sunshine Mosque Melbourne |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Melbournians were encouraged to take the opportunity to learn about Islam and the particulars of a mosque when Sunshine Mosque opened its doors to the public on 30th of March 2008. The event attracted over 150 people who experienced an information session followed by a demonstration of a prayer. The visitors were then divided into groups of 30 people and given the opportunity to ask questions about the Mosque and the Islamic faith. “I have always felt that Islam is portrayed very poorly,” said Mary Corkeron of St Leonard’s Catholic Parish. “Even though I did not have much knowledge about Islam, I always knew that it was not all about Jihad and that sort of thing. I know that as Christians, Muslims and Jews we all believe in one God and He is the God of peace for all of us.” Representatives from Victoria Police, the Department of Immigration and Citizenship and various Jewish and Buddhist organisations as well as Catholic, Uniting and Anglican Church communities were present on the day. Acting Chair of Buddhist Council of Victoria Diana Cousins indicated the importance of such activities in learning through social interaction and direct participation. “I found the event very informative, rewarding and inclusive,” she said. “I was very impressed that Muslims wanted to share their faith, beliefs and culture with the wider community.” “I was impressed by the explanation provided in particular about the meaning of prayer movements,” she said. “[The speaker] said that by standing up straight we represent everything in the universe even the smallest fragment of matter such as the atoms and we submit to Allah (God). I did not know Muslims thought this way, and I found it very impressive.” The program included a demonstration of the Muslim ritual prayer accompanied by a description of its significance, group tours highlighting the internal and external features of a Mosque, explanations of the central tenets of Islam as well as an opportunity for interaction between Muslims and the wider community over Turkish food and refreshments. Such events serve to highlight the multitude of threads that cut across all faiths. “There are differences to what I believe as a Christian but I realised that Torah, Quran and the Bible are quite similar in many ways,” said Frank from the Altona Christian Centre. “We were always taught that there are many ways to God or in other words there are many vehicles you can take to reach God.”
The program ended with the serving
of finger foods. Mosque Open Day is
part of AIS's interfaith visits
to the place of worship project
which aims to breakdown barriers
between different faiths through
information and interaction.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Click Image to enlarge
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
