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Churches oppose Islamic school

Churches oppose Islamic school

Elicia Murray Urban Affairs Reporter

April 22, 2009

CAMDEN'S Christian leaders have united to condemn the Quranic Society, which
wants to build an Islamic school in Camden, for espousing views which are
"incompatible with the Australian way of life".

The leaders of the St John's Anglican, Camden Presbyterian and Camden
Baptist churches and the Evangelical Sisterhood of Mary signed a letter to
Camden Council arguing that the proposal was not in the public interest.

"Camden is increasingly becoming a multicultural community, but when one
part of the community seeks to dominate the public space, as we have seen in
Auburn, Bankstown, Lakemba and more recently Liverpool, the social impact is
unacceptable," says the letter, which was read at the Quranic Society's
appeal to the Land and Environment Court yesterday.

"Our concern is the Quranic Society inevitably advocates a political
ideological position that is incompatible with the Australian way of life.
This includes promoting Quranic law as being superior to national laws and
regarding followers of any rival religion as inevitably at enmity with it."

The school proposal has split the Camden community.

The council voted unanimously to reject the original application for a
1200-pupil school "on planning grounds alone" last May.

After reducing its proposal to a school catering for 900 students, the
Quranic Society took its case to the Land and Environment Court.

Commissioner Graham Brown, who will decide the school's fate, visited the
site yesterday morning, along with lawyers, council officials and residents.
It is on a rural block on the corner of Cawdor and Burragarong roads.

The hearing continued at Camden Civic Centre in the afternoon, attended by
about 150 residents.

The hearing continues today.

from
http://www.smh.com.au/national/churches-oppose-islamic-school-20090421-ae1i.html