David Coleman (Banks, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On Saturday I attended Lakemba Mosque as part of the National Mosque Open Day initiative, which was proudly supported by the government through the Department of Social Services. National Mosque Open Day was designed to give non-Muslim Australians a chance to learn more about Islam.

Thousands of people came to Lakemba Mosque during the day. Many, probably most, had never been inside a mosque before. The day provided an opportunity to learn more about the doctrinal aspects of the Muslim faith. Informative wall displays explained some of the key tenets of Islam and described the many messengers of the religion. It was also a fun and relaxed day. There was face painting for the kids, great food and drink and fundraising events for local charities.

This important initiative was planned and organised by the Lebanese Muslim Association, based at Lakemba Mosque. The LMA is a strong and articulate advocate on behalf of the Muslim community and a highly professional organisation. I would like to congratulate the LMA on the great success of National Mosque Open Day—in particular, its President, Samier Dandan, Program Director, Sahar Dandan, and Project Manager, Zachary Rea, who all played instrumental roles in the event.

Knowledge is always better than ignorance; asking the question is always better than presuming to know the answer. In bringing Australians together to learn more about the Muslim faith, National Mosque Open Day played an important role in making our community better informed and more understanding. Congratulations to all involved.