No. 1534 - Burnie - House of Guidance - Burnie Masjid [Mosque] (2023)

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This is one of a series of articles that explores Tasmanian places of worship other than Christian churches. These buildings include mosques; synagogues; temples and gurdwaras. At least seven 'non-Christian' religious denominations have purpose-built places of worship in the Tasmania.

Tasmanian data from the 2021 census reveals that there are almost 5000 people who identify with the Islamic faith. Until recently Tasmania had only two mosques, one at Kings Meadows in Launceston, and the other, Tasmania’s first mosque, in West Hobart. In 2023 a third mosque opened at Cooee, a suburb of Burnie.

Islamic presence in Tasmania dates back to 1807. However, the number of Muslims remained very small until the arrival of post-Second World War migrants. By the 1960s the lack of religious support and organisation was finally addressed:

“In 1968 Muslim students in Hobart founded the first Islamic organisation in this State, the Tasmanian Students Islamic Society, to take care of their general and religious concerns. The need for a broader organisation representing the entire community gave birth to the Tasmanian Muslim Association in 1973, committed to promoting the religious, cultural and social interests of the community, including the establishment of an Islamic Centre-cum-Mosque. The Association was incorporated in 1976 and as the Islamic Council of Tasmania became affiliated to the national Islamic organisation”.

In 1985 Tasmania’s first mosque was established on Warwick Street, West Hobart. In March 2022, a second mosque was opened at Kings Meadows, Launceston. In September 2023 a new mosque at Burnie opened in a former Uniting Church building on Fidler Street, Cooee. Prior to the establishment of the Fidler Street Mosque, Burnie’s Islamic Society held met at in a hall at the Burnie Sport Centre. The mosque serves the entire North West Coast which is the home of about 500 adherents of the Islamic faith.

This article will be updated once further information becomes available. Links with further information can be found at the end of this page.

The Burnie Masjid. Photograph: gopray.com.au



The Uniting Church on Fidler Street before it was converted into a mosque. (my photograph)




Sources and further information:

Advocate, 28 September 2023

https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/northtas-drive/burnie-mosque/102911882

https://www.utas.edu.au/library/companion_to_tasmanian_history/M/Muslims.html

https://www.facebook.com/tnwia.au/

https://www.facebook.com/tnwia.au/videos/740447971261187

An article about the Hobart mosque: https://www.churchesoftasmania.com/2023/01/no-1219-west-hobart-warwick-street.html

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