After a year-long development, a new mosque has opened its doors to the community in New Plymouth.
The mosque on 185 Smart Road, Hillsborough will be used for prayer, community gatherings, and education of the Muslims in the region.
The mosque is the first fully-operational Islamic Centre in the Taranaki region.
Before the current mosque, the Muslim Association of Taranaki— a registered not-for-profit organisation in New Zealand established in 2006—rented a small property on 9 Cracroft Ave for prayers.
“For six years, we used a small house for holding our regular prayers, and it was essential that we secure a permanent place of worship for the community,” Yusuf Khan, Vice President of the Muslim Association said.
The Muslim Association of Taranaki purchased The Old Bowling Club property in July 2015 and received the final resource consent from the council on November 1 this year.
Initially, the neighbours of the property objected to the development of the Masjid citing traffic issues in the area. The association appealed to the council, and later the board granted the resource consent with 28 car parks onsite and seven overflow parking.
The mosque can accommodate 75 men in the male section and 25 women in the female section. It also has an acoustic fence built to keep the noise level below the council range.
“The plan was to acquire a property, which can be used as a hub for Ibadah (worship), Islamic learnings, and growth, for Dawah and a place where families can come together and foster a sense of community,” Adeel Baig, President of Muslim Association of Taranaki said.
The mosque hosted its formal open day on Sunday, December 11, between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. More than 80 people attended the opening ceremony and interacted with the volunteers at the mosque.
Posters of the five pillars of Islam, different hadiths (teachings of Prophet Muhammad, pbuh), and Quran were on display, and light snacks were served to the visitors.
“Visitors were inquisitive about Islam [and] its teachings, and it was a very happy and friendly environment at the mosque,” Mr Baig said.
Peter Taylor and BJ Hetet, local Maori Iwi representatives, attended the ceremony on Sunday and expressed their joy at being a part of the event.
“We are quite impressed by the teachings mentioned in the Quran. It is very similar to ours,” Mr Hetet said.
Andrew Judd, New Plymouth’s former mayor, and Philip Richardson, Anglican Church Archbishop of New Zealand, also attended the opening ceremony of the mosque.
The mosque now holds regular prayers five times a day and Friday prayers as well.
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