Muslims in Tasmania have bought a church in Hobart in order to convert it into the city’s third mosque, and are raising funds to cover the purchase price.
The Lindisfarne Uniting Church, situated on a large hillside block that also includes a separate five-bedroom three-level residence, sold for $940,000 on August 12.
The Hobart Mosque has since announced the purchase was made by a new Islamic organisation called The House of Guidance Hobart that intends to name the property the Masjid and Islamic Services Centre.
The two buildings will be used as a mosque with a 190sqm prayer area that will be able to fit about 200 people, four classrooms for Quran, Arabic and Islamic learning, and “dedicated areas for youth and community programs”, according to a brochure shared by the mosque.
The brochure said the organisation has 90 days from the date of purchase to raise the required funds.
“We are excited to share a news: a church has been purchased in Lindisfarne to be converted into a mosque by a new organisation, The House of Guidance Hobart!” the mosque said.
“This will become the third mosque in Hobart, InshaAllah. On behalf of Tasmanian Muslim Association, we support and endorse this project.”
The church was built in 1903 and was originally named the Lindisfarne Congregational Church after the suburb on Hobart’s eastern shore. The Tasmanian News reported at the time that it was designed in a modified early English style, with construction kept “as simple as possible” and completed within 6 months.
In 1977 the congregation joined the Uniting Church, and in the 1990s the church was enlarged, with monthly services taking place until 2020.
At the time of the 2021 Census there were 993 Muslims in the City of Hobart, but 3,106 in the Greater Hobart area that includes Lindisfarne, more than double the number in 2016.
Header image: Lindisfarne Uniting Church (Petrusma Property).
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