Praying five times a day at home, Nehaad Al-waiz is one of the Muslim population who have been living for years without a mosque in Rolleston, New Zealand.
As the number of Muslims tripled over the past years, Rolleston Islamic Charitable Trust is working to fulfill the dream of building the first mosque in the town on the southern outskirts of Christchurch..
“When we build something, it will be a masjid, the very first in Selwyn, for everyone,” Al-waiz told Stuff.
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The group will need to raise “anywhere from $1.2 to $2.4 million” for the land alone in either a commercial zone or lifestyle block.
“We need to be able to get to at least $250,000 to make a deposit on either of them,” he added.
“We’re [in the] very early stage, but the aim is there, the goal is big and we don’t know how much time we have until someone else purchases these properties we have our eye on.”
Supporting Muslim Families
The new Al-Salam Islamic Centre will serve around 40-60 Muslim families in the area.
One of these families are Sahif Ali and his wife who moved to Rolleston from Wellington a month ago. He discovered the Muslim trust and quickly joined it to help in the campaign to get a mosque in the area.
Ali believes that the new mosque would offer a place for Muslims to support others moving to the country and town.
“It feels like something beneficial for Muslims but adds to the community too.”
Islam is New Zealand’s second-largest religion after Christianity.
Muslims have been in Australia for more than 200 years. They now make up 2.2 percent of its 20-million population, according to 2016 consensus.
Coming from India, Egypt, Turkey, and Afghanistan, many Muslims prayed for decades at homes or makeshift mosques.