South Sydney residents protest controversial mosque development

Nothing unusual about this; it’s a pattern I have seen many times in the UK. Repeated this time in Australia. Islam: Religion of Pieces. A little piece of Essex, a little piece of Walthamstow, a bigger and bigger piece of Whitechapel, a little piece of Carlton. All the time expanding and Islamifying. Not many Muslims in the area? Build the mosque and they will come. And the tactics seem to be the same the world over. From News Australia.

South Sydney residents campaigning against a proposed 2000-square-metre mosque are holding a protest outside a council meeting today, where they fear the development will be pushed through. The proposed mosque on Botany Street in Carlton has attracted fierce opposition since the development application was first lodged in December 2019, with more than 4300 local residents raising objections in submissions to the council.

Residents have raised concerns about traffic congestion and noise pollution on the quiet suburban street.

“There is a lot of opposition from the local population,” said local resident George, who lives 200 metres from the site. “The area is very close to the technical high school, four or five other schools. People are concerned because of the traffic, the noise. It’s a very small area, there’s no parking. It’s madness.” Because under racism regulations any concern about the ideology propounded inside a mosque will be thrown out as ‘vile racism and islamophobia’. Parking and noise (all genuine and valid) are the only objections that will be accepted. 

Georges River Council’s Local Planning Panel deferred a decision on the mosque in August to request additional information from the applicants. A final decision is expected to be made at today’s LPP meeting at midday – and residents fear their concerns will be ignored.

“The Georges River Council has not respected most residents’ opinions and has recommended the DA to build one of southern Sydney’s biggest mosques,” a flyer for Thursday’s protest reads.

George, a mechanical engineer by trade who works in occupational health and safety, said he had carefully reviewed an acoustic report conducted for the developers, and that there were “many gaps and inconsistencies”. George, who asked not to use his last name due to “intimidation”, said he was sceptical.

Earlier this year, Nine’s A Current Affair reported that tensions in the small suburb were escalating, with supporters of the proposed mosque caught stealing signs erected by residents opposing the project.

CCTV footage showed a small group of young men removing a sign from a front fence, while locals photographed other men making off with signs from their properties. Yes – seen similar in England. 

Dianne, who has lived on Botany Street with her parents her whole life, told the program there had been an increasing amount of “hostility” and people were now “refusing to come out because we are scared”.

“But some of the things we are hearing as people pass by is, ‘We are coming’, ‘It’s a done deal’, ‘You can’t stop us’,” she said. “It’s a democratic right [to protest]. We are not harming anyone. There is nothing on the signs offensive or rude.”

The day before the August meeting, state Labor leader and local member Chris Minns urged the council’s mayor to postpone the meeting.

“The residents … are in lockdown, under stay-at-home orders, subject to a curfew and unable to have physical contact with people they do not live with,” Mr Minns said in a letter. “Residents are unable to meet, organise, scrutinise or communicate in person with each other before the decision is made.” But of course not. Can’t have local people free to object. 

George said it was “curious” as Carlton did not have a large Muslim population.

According to the 2016 Census, Carlton has a large Chinese population of 18.8 per cent, with English, Australian, Greek and Macedonian the other main ancestry responses. If you build it, they will come.

In the community webinar, some residents questioned why the mosque was needed in Carlton when there was a “huge mosque” in nearby Arncliffe. Wrong sort of mosque, you see. 

Prior to the August planning meeting, Muslim leader Keysar Trad, a close friend of the developers, said the mosque would benefit the community. “We should give these people a chance and see what beautiful friendships emerge,” Mr Trad told A Current Affair.

ANYTHING with Keysar Trad involved is dubious, dodgy and should be objected to on principle.  He isn’t just a close friend of the developers; he has other friends as well. And Sheikh Taj El-Din Hamid Hilaly is not a nice man. 

A pertinent comment The site is worth several million for a congregation apparently of 100. That’s tens of thousands per worshipper which seems very unlikely they donated. Thus the question that begs is who is paying for this? So many times friends and I have wondered this. It isn’t always Saudi, but there are deep pockets out there. 

A spokeswoman for Georges River Council declined to comment, saying a statement would be issued after a decision had been reached.