A Muslim center in Australia can no longer hold Friday prayers in Cannington, Perth, a court ordered Tuesday, citing complaints that the faithful jam the neighborhood on a weekly basis and exceed the center’s designated limit.
The court complained Muslims attending the congregational prayer, held once every week, exceed their numbers and take over all parking spots in the industrial neighborhood in Perth,western Australia,where the Daawah Association of Western Australia prayer center is located.
An investigation by Cannignton city officials following several complaints that Muslims were bombarding the city on Friday found that Daawah was exceeding its 20 percent person limit every week as Muslims flock to fulfill their obligatory prayers.
Following complaints that the Daawah building had turned into a mosque, the State Administrative Tribunal ruled that Friday prayers contradicted the city’s designated zoning of the area as a ‘Light Industry’ zone, turned it into a “Place of Public Worship.”
Battle over words
” The mere fact that Friday prayer is being held at the premises does not make that place a mosque, Islamically ” Ms Rahman, witness
The Daawah Center contested the court’s reasoning on the city’s zoning policies and argued that its building was not a mosque, but a place where Muslims gathered to pray.
A witness named Ms. Rahman explained that while many public areas such as shopping malls and airports offer prayer space, these places did not become mosques simply because people pray in them.
“The mere fact that Friday prayer is being held at the premises does not make that place a mosque, Islamically,” Ms Rahman explained.
The center added that the city’s planning policies were not sensitive to the prayer space needs of Muslims in the area.
But city officials argued that the Daawah Center had plans to build a mosque, citing a document entitled “Masjid Project-Appeal for help’ which detailed a future plan to build ‘Masjid As-Sunnah’
Ms. Rahman however said that there was a need for building a mosque because of difficulties experienced in accommodating the growing number of worshippers.
The Daawah Center, which is allowed to use its building on Kent Street in Cannington, has put in an application to accommodate 100 people at any given time, but the request was refused.
Prayer space has been an issue in Australia for Muslim university students who in March rallied to protest lack of sufficient prayer space on campus which lead them to holding Friday prayers outdoors.
–Agencies