Lakemba Mosque

The Lakemba Mosque, also known as the Masjid Ali Bin Abi Talib and officially the Imam Ali bin Abi Taleb Mosque, is a Sunni Islam mosque, located at 71-75 Wangee Road, Lakemba, in suburban Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is Australia's largest mosque. Owned and managed by the Lebanese Muslim Association (LMA), Lakemba Mosque and the LMA offices are situated contiguously at the same address. History A small house on the current site of Lakemba Mosque was purchased and used by the Lebanese Muslim Association from the 1960s as a place of worship. The house was demolished in the early 1970s and construction of the current building commenced. Construction lasted five years, with the mosque being completed in 1977. The opening of the mosque was attended by the former Prime Minister. Fundraising for the mosque took place both locally and internationally, with about half the funds coming from the Middle East and the largest single donation coming from the Saudi royal family. Lakemba Mosque was the second purpose-built mosque in Sydney and remains arguably Australia's most well-known and important mosque. While historically Muslims of Lebanese heritage constituted the majority of the congregation, today people of Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Somali and South-East Asian backgrounds also attend in significant numbers, along with a small but growing number of converts. The overwhelming majority of the congregation is either of Hanafi or Shafi'i background. Controversies Taj El-Din Hilaly Hilaly served as Imam at Lakemba Mosque, which is run by the Lebanese Muslim Association. He was a controversial figure and made several controversial statements, as well as having promoted Islamic extremism on many occasions. Hilaly spread many antisemitic conspiracy theories during his lifetime, including claims that Western countries are controlled by Israel and claims that the Holocaust was a "Zionist lie". Hilaly was known for his antisemitic, anti-LGBT, anti-Western and Islamic supremacist views, as well as for his misogynistic statements. After a series of controversial statements on social issues, Hilaly retired from this position in June 2007 and was succeeded by Fehmi Naji. Australian Jewish organisations have regularly accused Hilaly of antisemitism, a charge he denied. The charges began in 1988 when Hilaly delivered a lecture to a group of Muslim students at University of Sydney on the topic "The Disposition of Jews in the light of the Qur'an." He was quoted as saying:The Jews' struggle with humanity is as old as history itself; the present continuing struggle with the Islam nation is a natural continuation of the Jews' enmity towards the human race as a whole. Judaism controls the world by...secret movements as the destructive doctrines and groups, such as communism, libertarianism, Free Masons, Baháʼísm, the Rotary clubs, the nationalistic and racist doctrines. The Jews try to control the world through sex, then sexual perversion, then the promotion of espionage, treason, and economic hoarding.Hilaly did not apologise nor retract his comments, in which he accused Jews of "causing all wars. Anwar al-Awlaki event In 2010, Lakemba Mosque attracted national attention following reports that Anwar al-Awlaki, identified as an Al-Qaeda recruiter, had spoken to young Muslims at the mosque via telephone link during a 2009 event. The federal Attorney-General's Department examined the sermon, and the incident created internal divisions within the mosque community. Lebanese Muslim Association funding investigation Lakemba Mosque is owned and managed by the Lebanese Muslim Association (LMA), which faced scrutiny in 2007 over fundraising activities. The LMA had collected A$70,000 for victims of the war in Lebanon, prompting questions about whether portions of the funds had been directed to a Lebanese radio station with alleged connections to Iraqi insurgents. 2026 Eid al-Fitr incident On 20 March 2026, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke attended Eid morning prayers at Lakemba Mosque, where they faced heckling from several attendees. Some members of the crowd accused the officials of being "genocide supporters" while others booed. Despite the disruptions, Albanese described his visit as a positive experience. He made a quick departure, avoiding a large crowd that had gathered outside the mosque. Mosque personnel The LMA, the first Muslim-centered organisation in Australia, are the primary caretakers of all operations at Lakemba Mosque. Lakemba Mosque has a number of staff who assist in the running and maintenance of the mosque. Currently the mosque has three official Imams: The Imam of Lakemba Mosque is Sheikh Yahya Safi, who worked as an Imam in Lebanon before his appointment at the Lakemba Mosque in 1996. The Assistant Imam, appointed in 2022 is Sheikh Jamaluddin El-Kiki. Sheikh El-Kiki is fluent in both English and Arabic, as he was brought up in Australia and is of Egyptian heritage. Sheikh El-Kiki is a graduate of the Islamic University of Madinah, renowned in the Muslim world for Islamic sciences. The Deputy Assistant Imam, as of 2015, is Sheikh Mohamed Harby. Sheikh Harby is a qāriʾ from Egypt who specialises in the sciences of Qur'an which he teaches to students at Lakemba Mosque. Activities The mosque offers a number of religious classes, such as in prophetic biography, fiqh and aqidah. The mosque gives a platform to a number of local Shaykhs to speak and teach, such as Shaykh Wesam Charkawi. Since 2014, the mosque has served as the centre of the National Mosque Open Day event. Several thousand worshippers normally attend weekly prayers on Fridays. In 2015 around 30,000 worshippers attended Eid prayers at the mosque and in the road outside, making it one of Australia's largest Eid celebrations. In 2016, an estimated 40,000-50,000 attended Eid prayers. See also Islam in Australia Islamic schools and branches List of mosques in Australia References Sources Andrew Wilkie (1 September 2010). Axis of Deceit: The Extraordinary Story of an Australian Whistleblower. Black Inc. p. 130. ISBN 9781921825699. Jackson, Richard; Murphy, Eamon; Poynting, Scott, eds. (10 September 2009). Contemporary State Terrorism: Theory and Practice. Routledge. p. 181. ISBN 9781135245160. McKeith, Sam (31 October 2015). "Public Welcomed Into Australia's Mosque Open Day". Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved 13 July 2018. "Christmas message written above mosque". Couriermail.com.au. 23 December 2012. Retrieved 13 July 2018. "Christmas wish appears in sky over mosque". Abc.net.au. 23 December 2012. Retrieved 13 July 2018. Olding, Natalie O'Brien and Rachel (23 December 2012). "Lakemba Mosque removes Christmas 'fatwa' post". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 13 July 2018. "Weekends broadcast at the Lakemba Mosque". Abc.net.au. 25 March 2011. Retrieved 13 July 2018. "Melbourne Terror Attack Shorten Halfhearted in Calling Out Islamists". Theaustralian.com.au. Retrieved 13 July 2018. External links Media related to Lakemba Mosque at Wikimedia Commons Lakemba Mosque