Geelong mosque destroyed by suspicious fire, Islam ‘not the target’, police say

Geelong’s Muslim community has been “overwhelmed” by the outpouring of support it has received after the city’s only mosque was destroyed in a suspicious fire, believed to be connected to a string of arson attacks on churches.

Geelong’s Muslim community has been “overwhelmed” by the outpouring of support it has received after the city’s only mosque was destroyed in a suspicious fire, believed to be connected to a string of arson attacks on churches.

Victoria Police are investigating the blaze, which broke out about 2:10am in the building that was once a Uniting Church, but do not believe the attack was targeting Islam. 

Sheikh Muhammad Saleem from the Board of Imams Victoria said he had been buoyed by the support given to those affected.

“Since this morning we have received many telephone calls from the community leaders in and around Melbourne and Geelong expressing their overwhelming support,” he said.

He added, “As I was walking to see the mosque, I was quite overwhelmed by the support expressed by the neighbouring community, I’m very pleased to hear the men and women who live in the neighbourhood come forward and ask me personally what we can do, and my answer to them was, ‘Let’s stand together and rebuild it’.”