The Preston Mosque is a mosque in Preston, Victoria

Preston, Victoria

Preston is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 9 km north from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Darebin. At the 2006 Census, Preston had a population of 27,892.-Settlement:...

, a suburb of Melbourne

Melbourne

Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

. It is the seat of Australia's leading Muslim cleric, Sheik Fehmi Naji El-Imam

Fehmi Naji

Fehmi Naji El-Imam AM is the Grand Mufti of Australia. His predecessor, Taj El-Din Hilaly, retired on 10 June, 2007. He is secretary of the Victorian Board of Imams. Sheik Naji is currently the Grand Mufti and highest sunni leader in Australia, however there has been disputes whether the Mufti is...

. Sheikh Fehmi Naji El Imam was appointed as Mufti of Australia in 2007 by the Australian National Imams Council (ANIC).

The formal name for the Preston Mosque is "Umar bin Al-Khattab Mosque" and the mosque is run by the Islamic Society of Victoria Inc (ISV).

The senior Imam is Sheikh Fehmi Naji El Imam, seconded by Sheikh Mohamad Mahmoud Abou Eid.

The Executive committee is chaired by Mr. Ahmad Allouche.

History

Before the mosque was built, Muslims would gather at a house that used to be on the property. In 1975 the building began and was completed the following year in 1976. Additions like the dome and minaret were added later. Most of it was funded by Bosnian Muslims and Arabs.

Background

The Preston Mosque is very popular with Muslims in Victoria. Almost all Muslims relate to it somehow. About 800 people pass through the mosque per day over the course of the five daily prayers. For the Friday Congregational Prayer, at least 1000 worshipers will attend, and if the Friday falls on a public holiday that number can easily climb to 1500 worshipers.

Memorandum of Understanding

In 2009, the Darebin City Council signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Islamic Society of Victoria (ISV). This is the first of its kind in Australia between a mosque and council.

This is a result of a strong and robust relationship between Council and mosque. The focus of the memorandum is that the council and mosque will work together on projects that have benefit to the community.

The City of Darebin is home to people from 148 different countries, who speak 105 different languages.

Services

• Five daily prayers and Friday Congregational Prayers,
• Taraweeh (Night) Prayers during Ramadan,
• Eid Prayers,
• Burial service,
• Mosque tours for schools and community groups,
• Annual Hajj group,
• Bookstore that has a range of authentic books and DVDs in Arabic and English,
• An authorized marriage celebrant to officiate marriages,
• Qurban / Udhiyah leading up to Eid El-Adha,
• International Well projects,
• International orphan sponsorship,
• Evening Islamic classes,
• Female-only classes (during the day),
• Weekend Arabic School.

Associations

The Islamic Society of Victoria enjoys a good relationship with other Islamic organization, government and non-government organizations and local organizations.

- Darebin City Council

- Department of Immigration and Citizenship

- Victoria Police

- State Emergency Services

- Victorian Multi-Cultural Commission

- Federal Police