MACKAY, QLD: The president of the Islamic Research and Educational Academy says when it comes to individual perceptions of Muslim communities, there is such a thing as ‘fear of the unseen’.
Waseem Razvi was a guest speaker at a Mackay Mosque on Sunday, and he says misunderstandings generally arise when people do not know each other.
He says in a bid to build a stronger relationship between the Muslim community and police, a barbeque was held a mosque last Sunday.
“I think in regional areas if you work harder now and build better relations, that can carry on in the future,” Mr Razvi said.
Imam, Eshfaq Akbar works at the local Mosque and says they have held events in the past with police officers and community members.
“Because we are an Islamic community and have a great need and rely upon the police and the police should be able to feel comfortable to interact with us, ask questions, and learn about our different traditions and things like that,” Mr Akbar said.
“We have regular meetings with police, and the patrol cars come around all the time and make us feel safe.
“We are very happy to have all the guests here today, and the police and their families, and we hope it becomes more regular.”
Acting Inspector Craig Sanderson says the Queensland Police Service is always looking for opportunities to strengthen their ties within the community.
But he says there is always room for improvement within the police service when it comes to understanding the Muslim faith and Muslim community.
“Religion is one of those things, if you have not been exposed to it then people’s understanding of it is probably not as strong as it could be,” Mr Sanderson said.
“These types of events obviously give us and our officers the opportunity to talk to people in person, and get a real understanding of what the faith is about.”
He says they always encourage their officers to build those relationships because understanding creates tolerance.
“Anything we can do to create that in the community and get that message out there, the better,” he said.
