The Islamic Council of Victoria will conduct their third Open Mosque Day on Sunday, March 17th from 10:00 – 4:00pm. 20 participating mosques will open their doors to visitors and guests, provide mosque tours and a warm welcome. Geelong Mosque, at 45-47 Bostock Ave, Manifold Heights, will also be open.
The Australian Muslim community is a multicultural phenomenon in itself and proud Victorian Muslims are celebrating their diversity through caring and sharing.
Cultural Diversity Week and Harmony Day are Victoria’s largest multicultural celebrations, featuring week-long programs of festivals and events in metropolitan and regional areas. This year, the Islamic Council of Victoria’s (ICV) annual Victorian Mosque Open Day will run in line with both festivals, and will see Mosques across Victoria open their doors and hearts for visitors from any race, belief and gender.
The Australian Muslim community is adorned with an estimated 63 different backgrounds, and 200,000 Muslims call Victoria home. The Victorian Muslim community is diverse with cultural backgrounds from Albania, Pakistan, Bosnia, Lebanon, Burma, Egypt, Afghanistan and many more.
ICV’s Victorian Mosque Open Day project launched in 2017 and has become an annual hit. Thousands of Victorians have flocked to a local Mosque near them to get to know their Muslim neighbours, partaking in guided Mosque tours, hijab tutorials, henna tattoo art, jumping castles, sausage sizzles and discussions about Islamic beliefs.
The state-wide annual event, supported by the Victorian Multicultural Commission and Victorian Government (Office of Multicultural Affairs and Social Cohesion) and Australian Federation of Islamic Councils (AFIC) is back this year partaking in the community spirit of Cultural Diversity Week and Harmony Day.
ICV president Mohamed Mohideen said the Victorian Muslim community was proud of its successful multicultural society, “sharing our cultural heritage is part of celebrating what it means to be truly Australian.”
“It is about celebrating the benefits of our multicultural society which has come about as a result of the successful integration of migrants into the Australian community. Victorian Muslims are proud members of that team and we are caring and sharing people.”
For a list of mosques that are open on Sunday, 17 March, see here
