Religious groups in the regional Victorian city of Bendigo have formed an interfaith council, as a dispute over the proposed construction of a mosque continues to simmer.
The matter was currently before the state's Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT), with opponents citing a range of planning-related and social objections to the project.
The opponents said the proposal was significantly larger than necessary, there wasn't enough consultation and the council proposing the development had used unlawful planning issues. They also expressed concerns over the possibility of Sharia Law being practiced.
Ghaith Krayem, President of the Islamic Council of Victoria, said the opponents were ill-informed.
"Clearly anti-Islamic and it's part and parcel of the growing Islamophobia we've been seeing across the country," he said.
Just to the north of Victoria’s largest inland city stands the city's "Great Stupa." The giant structure was the pride of Bendigo's Buddhist community and the largest of its kind in the Western world.
A few kilometres away, Bendigo's Muslim community prayed in a makeshift room at a university, which has prompted plans for the new mosque.
Bendigo Mayor, Councillor Peter Cox, said he was bitterly disappointed at the adverse publicity the division has caused, saying the development was necessary.
"Diversity is the key, whether it's to do with work, culture or recreation, people want opportunities to have a rich life and enjoy the differences in whatever we do," Councillor Cox said.
The Bendigo Islamic Association and the group opposing the mosque development declined to comment while the matter remained before Victoria's Civil and Administrative Tribunal.
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