Members of the Cobram Islamic Association outside the Cobram Mosque on William St.
Photo by
Owen Sinclair
Pass by the alabaster building at the corner of Cobram’s William St and Hay Ave, and you’d be forgiven for thinking it was another Christian church.
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But since opening in September 2023, the former Methodist Church and opportunity shop has found new life as a focal point for the Muslim community across Moira Shire.
Over that time, the Cobram Islamic Centre, or Cobram Mosque, may have kept a low public profile.
But on Saturday, February 15, organisers such as Cobram Islamic Association committee member Taufiq Abu flung its doors wide open as part of the Victorian Mosque Open Day.
It was a chance for believers and non-believers to share conversation and for curious minds to learn about the Islamic faith.
The refurbished church building on William St.
Photo by
Owen Sinclair
Mr Abu said that with the nearest mosque in Shepparton, worshippers arrived at the mosque from as far away as Jerilderie and Yarrawonga.
For a long time, Muslims such as Mr Abu, who has lived in Cobram for the past decade, did not have a dedicated place of worship.
“If you are a Muslim, and there’s a job opportunity here, one of the things that deters you from coming to the area is not having a place to pray,” Mr Abu said.
“As we are growing, having kids and families, if there is no mosque in the area, then we might have to leave.”
That all changed when the Cobram Mosque opened in 2023.
Now, Muslims such as Mr Abu and his friend Abdul Kuniyil, who owns the Koonoomoo service station, have a place to gather and celebrate their faith.
“People prefer Cobram now because they have a mosque,” Mr Kuniyil said.
“Before, lots of people didn’t want to come here because there was no mosque.”
Inside the mosque, after stepping over the original wooden entrance step, visitors were greeted by a Ulysses-blue prayer rug. A split-system unit sent waves of cool air across the room.
Children darted back and forth in bare feet, the sound of their laughter rising in a wind chyme symphony. A contingent of Solomon Islanders — the majority of whom work at JBS in town — inspected prayer sheets hung from the walls.
Islamic Council of Victoria board member Abdel Karim Halabi said there were now seven mosques across regional Victoria.
Most recently, Mr Halabi said Ararat opened its first mosque this year.
“The Muslim community in country Victoria is certainly growing,” Mr Halabi said.
“And it’s because there are mosques opening up, or there are people working who attract others to that particular regional area.”
He said such developments provided an opportunity for country Victorians, who wanted to keep their faith, to pray in congregation with other Muslims.
“That’s the great thing about Muslims moving into country Victoria. And not only that, they’re contributing very well to the local community as well,” Mr Halabi said.
He added that open days, such as that held at the Cobram Mosque, provided an opportunity for welcoming visitors and demystifying any misconceptions around Islam.
“It’s a place of worship for the local people; it’s a place that they can come together,” he said.
“And you need that for any community or any religion: a place they can feel safe.
“You also bring that sense of multiculturalism to country areas, and there are great benefits to that as well.”
Mr Halabi said he was pleased to see the Muslim community in Cobram receive the support it had.
“That’s really important for these people to feel safe and happy,” he said.
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