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By Justin Vallejo, Urban Affairs Reporter
November 17, 2007 12:00am
AS one of the last rural bastions in Sydney, Camden prides itself on keeping that laid-back twang of a true country town.
But the once-sleepy hamlet in Sydney's southwest has become the scene of a battle over a proposed Islamic school for up to 1200 students on 15ha wedged between market gardens and pastures.
It has roused a community to action on a scale not seen since a Muslim prayer hall was proposed in The Hills district in 2002.
Residents, who speak their views plainly, fear it is the first tremor of a seismic change in the area that would be followed by a mosque.
Now the school's developers have asked for calm and a chance to prove themselves as Australians like everyone else. Quranic Society vice-president Issam Obeid told The Daily Telegraph yesterday they didn't expect such a hurtful reaction to the school.
"Our aim is to open a school for all Australians, not just the Muslim community," Mr Obeid said.
"Hopefully the students are going to be lawyers, teachers and business people or work in IT."
Mr Obeid said they chose Camden because it was a beautiful rural area where they were able to buy a large block relatively cheap at $1.45 million.
And while students would be free to pray on the site, there were no plans to build a mosque.
"We will be teaching Australian values first because we are all Australians. We're not bringing anything bad from overseas and we're not there to teach minority group people," Mr Obeid said.
"Hopefully one day when people start to get to know us they will realise we are not like what they think."
A public meeting held in Camden last week attracted more than 2000 people opposed to the development on the corner of Cawdor and Burragorang Rds.
Support for the campaign has been gaining momentum through text messages, email and Facebook groups while the first form of "vandalism" at the site came when a wooden crucifix engraved with Christian scripture.
The cross, which has been described by some residents as nothing more than irreverent Aussie humour, says in part: "When the enemy comes in like a flood the spirit of the Lord will lift up a flag in victory (Ish 59:19)."
Camden Council, which has received about 300 official objections, has indicated it would only be approved or rejected on planning grounds - not the basis of religion.
Local Rebecca Napier said Camden had a real community concern that the Islamic school wouldn't fit in with because Muslim's "refused to integrate".
"We lit up the Christmas tree the other night and that is something they wouldn't be into because they're anti-Christian," Ms Napier said.
"It would become more like Lakemba and less like the country town that we love."
November 17, 2007 12:00am
AS one of the last rural bastions in Sydney, Camden prides itself on keeping that laid-back twang of a true country town.
But the once-sleepy hamlet in Sydney's southwest has become the scene of a battle over a proposed Islamic school for up to 1200 students on 15ha wedged between market gardens and pastures.
It has roused a community to action on a scale not seen since a Muslim prayer hall was proposed in The Hills district in 2002.
Residents, who speak their views plainly, fear it is the first tremor of a seismic change in the area that would be followed by a mosque.
Now the school's developers have asked for calm and a chance to prove themselves as Australians like everyone else. Quranic Society vice-president Issam Obeid told The Daily Telegraph yesterday they didn't expect such a hurtful reaction to the school.
"Our aim is to open a school for all Australians, not just the Muslim community," Mr Obeid said.
"Hopefully the students are going to be lawyers, teachers and business people or work in IT."
Mr Obeid said they chose Camden because it was a beautiful rural area where they were able to buy a large block relatively cheap at $1.45 million.
And while students would be free to pray on the site, there were no plans to build a mosque.
"We will be teaching Australian values first because we are all Australians. We're not bringing anything bad from overseas and we're not there to teach minority group people," Mr Obeid said.
"Hopefully one day when people start to get to know us they will realise we are not like what they think."
A public meeting held in Camden last week attracted more than 2000 people opposed to the development on the corner of Cawdor and Burragorang Rds.
Support for the campaign has been gaining momentum through text messages, email and Facebook groups while the first form of "vandalism" at the site came when a wooden crucifix engraved with Christian scripture.
The cross, which has been described by some residents as nothing more than irreverent Aussie humour, says in part: "When the enemy comes in like a flood the spirit of the Lord will lift up a flag in victory (Ish 59:19)."
Camden Council, which has received about 300 official objections, has indicated it would only be approved or rejected on planning grounds - not the basis of religion.
Local Rebecca Napier said Camden had a real community concern that the Islamic school wouldn't fit in with because Muslim's "refused to integrate".
"We lit up the Christmas tree the other night and that is something they wouldn't be into because they're anti-Christian," Ms Napier said.
"It would become more like Lakemba and less like the country town that we love."
