By IINA,
Sydney : An Australian town council unanimously rejected a contentious proposal to build an Islamic school, a decision Muslim leaders branded as a victory for racism. The Sydney suburb of Camden has rejected an application for an Islamic school, the Sydney Morning Herald reported. Some 200 residents cheered when the Camden council last night rejected an application for the school, with one insisting Muslims were incompatible with the community. Police blocked the street outside the council meeting, which received 3,000 submissions, and a dozen security officers kept guard.
Mayor Chris Patterson of Camden said the decision yesterday had nothing to do with religion but was based on the impact on traffic and loss of agricultural land. “It is a site issue,” Patterson said after the vote. “We said all along religious issues, nationalistic issues, will not be entered into.” But the independent think tank Forum on Australia’s Islamic Relations, or FAIR, described the decision as “a reflection of unwarranted fear and ignorance about Islam.”