Tuesday, 20 February 2024

Cranbourne multicultural communities

Pauline RICHARDS (Cranbourne) (13:50): There is a lot going on in Cranbourne. Next Sunday is Open Mosque Day. I will be visiting Omar Farooq Mosque in Doveton, and I know many of my colleagues, including the member for Narre Warren North, will also be participating in Open Mosque Day. I always look forward to the wisdom of Dr Iftikhar Ahmad, and I know many of my colleagues will be participating across Victoria.

Last Sunday I visited the Cranbourne mosque, and my heart was full of joy from time spent with the sisters. The mosque’s mission is to be a place of guidance, and it benefits all members of the broader Australian community. They achieve this by nurturing the development of the rapidly growing community and by keeping our youth at the forefront of everything they do. Thank you as always to the Imam Khalil Hamid for the generosity and wisdom that he always shows me, but particularly thank you to the sisters, ably led by Nazra Ibrahim, who brings joy to any room. I cannot mention you all, but thanks to Sadia 1 and Sadia 2 and our young friend who is starting midwifery at Australian Catholic University. The future is bright, and the gorgeous kids were a joy. I was skipping through the rest of my Sunday.

I do reflect on the first time I visited a mosque as part of the Open Mosque program in the aftermath of the Christchurch tragedy. I was incredibly touched. I often speak about the effect of having the Sikh volunteers there in solidarity with our Muslim community at a time of pain and grief. We are an inclusive state, and social cohesion is our absolute priority, which is why it is also an opportunity to wish the priests of the Catholic parishes the best for Lent and the Lenten season.