Lakemba Mosque

In today's world, Lakemba Mosque is a topic or person that has gained great relevance due to its impactful repercussions in various areas of society. Whether on a political, social, economic or cultural level, Lakemba Mosque has captured the attention of experts and citizens alike, generating an intense debate around it. Its influence extends globally, causing significant changes that affect millions of people around the world. As Lakemba Mosque continues to be the subject of interest and research, it is crucial to analyze its implications and consequences in detail to better understand its importance today. In this article, we will delve into the Lakemba Mosque phenomenon, exploring its origins, evolution, and future projections to shed light on its true meaning and scope.

  • Lakemba Mosque
  • Masjid Ali Bin Abi Talib
  • Imam Ali bin Abi Taleb Mosque
Eid al-Fitr prayer at the Lakemba Mosque, in October 2014
Religion
AffiliationSunni Islam
Ecclesiastical or organisational statusMosque
OwnershipLebanese Muslim Association
LeadershipImam Yahya Safi
StatusActive
Location
LocationLakemba, Sydney, New South Wales
CountryAustralia
Geographic coordinates33°54′45″S 151°04′27″E / 33.912589°S 151.074074°E / -33.912589; 151.074074
Architecture
TypeMosque architecture
FounderLebanese Muslim Association
Completed1977
Specifications
Dome(s)1
Minaret(s)3
Website
lma.org.au/mosques/lakemba-mosque/
[1][2]
Lakemba Mosque under construction in the 1970s
Part of a series on
Islam in Australia
History
Mosques
Organisations
Islamic organisations in Australia
Groups
Events
National Mosque Open Day
People

The Lakemba Mosque, also known as the Masjid Ali Bin Abi Talib[1] and officially the Imam Ali bin Abi Taleb Mosque,[2] is a Sunni Islam mosque, located at 71-75 Wangee Road, Lakemba, in suburban Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is Australia's largest mosque.[3] Owned and managed by the Lebanese Muslim Association (LMA),[4] Lakemba Mosque and the LMA offices are situated contiguously at the same address.

History

A small house on the current site of Lakemba Mosque was purchased and used by the Lebanese Muslim Association from the 1960s as a place of worship. The house was demolished in the early 1970s and construction of the current building commenced. Construction lasted five years, with the mosque being completed in 1977.[5] The opening of the mosque was attended by the former Prime Minister Gough Whitlam. Fundraising for the mosque took place both locally and internationally, with about half the funds coming from the Middle East and the largest single donation coming from the Saudi royal family.[6] Lakemba Mosque was the second purpose-built mosque in Sydney and remains arguably Australia's most well-known and important mosque.

While historically Muslims of Lebanese heritage constituted the majority of the congregation, today people of Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Somali and South-East Asian backgrounds also attend in significant numbers, along with a small but growing number of converts. The overwhelming majority of the congregation is either of Hanafi or Shafi'i background.

Controversies

Taj El-Din Hilaly

Main article: Taj El-Din Hilaly

Hilaly served as Imam at Lakemba Mosque, which is run by the Lebanese Muslim Association. He was a controversial figure and made several controversial statements, as well as having promoted Islamic extremism on many occasions. Hilaly spread many antisemitic conspiracy theories during his lifetime, including claims that Western countries are controlled by Israel and claims that the Holocaust was a "Zionist lie". Hilaly was known for his antisemitic, anti-LGBT, anti-Western and Islamic supremacist views, as well as for his misogynistic statements. After a series of controversial statements on social issues, Hilaly retired from this position in June 2007 and was succeeded by Fehmi Naji.

Australian Jewish organisations have regularly accused Hilaly of antisemitism, a charge he denied. The charges began in 1988 when Hilaly delivered a lecture to a group of Muslim students at University of Sydney on the topic "The Disposition of Jews in the light of the Qur'an." He was quoted as saying:

The Jews' struggle with humanity is as old as history itself; the present continuing struggle with the Islam nation is a natural continuation of the Jews' enmity towards the human race as a whole. Judaism controls the world by...secret movements as the destructive doctrines and groups, such as communism, libertarianism, Free Masons, Baháʼísm, the Rotary clubs, the nationalistic and racist doctrines. The Jews try to control the world through sex, then sexual perversion, then the promotion of espionage, treason, and economic hoarding.

Hilaly did not apologise nor retract his comments, in which he accused Jews of "causing all wars.

October 7th 2023

Following the October 7th attacks in Israel, American associate professor Khaled Beydoun, hosting a rally outside of Lakemba mosque, faced deportation after calling the attacks a "celebration", a "good day" and "not fully a day of mourning".[7]

On the first anniversary of the attack, Lakemba mosque aimed to show its "outrage and unending solidarity” with Palestine and Lebanon through hosting a rally, despite NSW premier Chris Minns criticising the "inappropriateness" of protests planned for October 7. One of the rally's partners included Hizb ut Tahrir, recognised as a terror organisation in the United Kingdom, Germany, Russia and numerous other countries. [8]

Mosque personnel

The LMA, the first Muslim-centered organisation in Australia, are the primary caretakers of all operations at Lakemba Mosque. Lakemba Mosque has a number of staff who assist in the running and maintenance of the mosque. Currently the mosque has three official Imams:

  • The Imam of Lakemba Mosque is Sheikh Yahya Safi, who worked as an Imam in Lebanon before his appointment at the Lakemba Mosque in 1996.[9]
  • The Assistant Imam, appointed in 2022 is Sheikh Jamaluddin El-Kiki. Sheikh El-Kiki is fluent in both English and Arabic, as he was brought up in Australia and is of Egyptian heritage. Sheikh El-Kiki is a graduate of the Islamic University of Madinah, renowned in the Muslim world for Islamic sciences.
  • The Deputy Assistant Imam, as of 2015, is Sheikh Mohamed Harby. Sheikh Harby is a qāriʾ from Egypt who specialises in the sciences of Qur'an which he teaches to students at Lakemba Mosque.

Activities

The mosque offers a number of religious classes, such as in prophetic biography, fiqh and aqidah. The mosque gives a platform to a number of local Shaykhs to speak and teach, such as Shaykh Wesam Charkawi.[10][11] Since 2014, the mosque has served as the centre of the National Mosque Open Day event.

Several thousand worshippers normally attend weekly prayers on Fridays.[12] In 2015 around 30,000 worshippers attended Eid prayers at the mosque and in the road outside, making it one of Australia's largest Eid celebrations.[13] In 2016, an estimated 40,000-50,000 attended Eid prayers.[14][15][16][17]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Ali ben Abi Taleb Mosque Lakemba". The Dictionary of Sydney. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Lakemba Mosque". Lebanese Muslim Association. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
  3. ^ "Lakemba, Australia's unofficial Muslim capital, is between two worlds". The Australian. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  4. ^ "Mosques and Prayer Halls". Islamic Council of NSW. Archived from the original on 9 October 2007. Retrieved 26 January 2007.
  5. ^ The Lebanese Muslims Association: Sheikhs Archived 5 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine retrieved 2007-01-26
  6. ^ "Mosques hooked on foreign cash lifelines". Sydney Morning Herald. 25 November 2002. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
  7. ^ McSweeney, Jessica (7 October 2024). "October 7 anniversary as it happened: Vigils, rallies held in Sydney one year after Hamas' attacks on Israel". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 14 April 2025.
  8. ^ "Extremist group throws support behind Oct 7 'outrage' rally". The Nightly. 4 October 2024. Retrieved 14 April 2025.
  9. ^ Shaykh Yahya Safi Biography retrieved 2007-02-02 Archived 23 June 2005 at the Wayback Machine
  10. ^ Mercer, Phil (27 October 2014). "How anti-Muslim sentiment hit one Australian". Bbc.com. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  11. ^ "Unity to Flow Through Open Doors of Nation's Mosques". Theaustralian.com.au. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  12. ^ "Miranda Devine Spends a Day at Lakemba Mosque". Dailytelegraph.com.au. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  13. ^ Kidd, Jessica (17 July 2015). "Muslims gather to celebrate Eid Al-Fitr, feast to mark end of Ramadan". Abc.net.au.
  14. ^ "Calls for unity as 40,000 Australian Muslims mark end of Ramadan at Lakemba Mosque". Sbs.com.au. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  15. ^ "Muslim Leader Calls Out Rise of Far Right Political Parties as Thousands Mark End of Ramadan at Lakemba". Daily Telegraph. 6 July 2016. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  16. ^ Ngo, Cindy (6 July 2016). "Thousands of Worshippers Attend Lakemba Mosque to Mark the End of Ramadan". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  17. ^ "Premier Mike Baird's Backing for Besieged Islamic Community". Theaustralian.com.au. Retrieved 13 July 2018.

Sources

Media related to Lakemba Mosque at Wikimedia Commons