Anger as community centre is closed for hosting prayer space

A community center on the NSW Far South Coast has been ordered to cease operations after the local council classified it as a place of worship. The Bega Valley Shire Council's ruling has led to the closure of the Merimbula Ummah Community Centre, prompting frustration among its users.

Qayyum Shah, a user of the center, received a letter from the council advising of the classification and warning of potential enforcement action. "This is a community centre, not a mosque," Shah stated. "Its closure has had a negative impact on how the community sees Australia, because there has been no common sense used in this decision." He added that the prayer area was ancillary to the center's main functions, similar to prayer rooms found in airports or libraries.

The council's letter defines a place of public worship as a building used for religious worship by a congregation or religious group, even if also used for other activities. It noted that while the center's broader activities might fit the "community facility" land-use category, the "recurring religious worship component" requires a separate development application under planning legislation. The council also referred to the center's website advertising regular prayer sessions.

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This is a community centre, not a mosque.

Shah countered that the website listed general daily prayer times observed globally by Muslims, not specific advertised gatherings at the center. He suggested the council may have acted on complaints, possibly influenced by increased powers granted to councils to close spaces deemed places of worship following last year's Bondi mass shooting. Members of the local Muslim community expressed confusion about how the new laws apply to spaces with non-Muslim users and organizers.

Shah described the center as primarily a secular, multi-faith social hub for local professionals and families, including workers on the Snowy 2.0 project. Sydney-born Muslim convert Nathan Munro-Donohue, secretary of the community center, said the decision created uncertainty, noting that his wife is Christian and expressing concern that such policies could be extended to other contexts.

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Its closure has had a negative impact on how the community sees Australia, because there has been no common sense used in this decision.