$900,000 MOSQUE REBUILD

Unsolved arson won’t stop plan

TOOWOOMBA’S Islamic Society needs $900,000 to push ahead with plans to rebuild the Garden City Mosque more than three years after two arson attacks destroyed the old structure.

THE Garden City Mosque on West St still carries the blackened scars of two arson attacks that remain unsolved.

Despite a $25,000 reward and countless appeals for any information, those responsible for the deliberately lit fire have never been charged.

The widely condemned attacks haven’t stopped Toowoomba’s Islamic community from forging ahead with plans to build a new centre of worship from the ashes.

After months of working through Toowoomba Regional Council’s development process, approval was given to build a two-storey mosque on West St, including provisions for more, and safer, parking arrangements.

But the process churned through the insurance funds paid out in the wake of the arson attacks in January and April, 2015.

The Toowoomba Islamic Society needs about $900,000 to build the new mosque with hopes rising construction could begin this year.

Mosque spokesman Shahjahan Khan said plans, designed and approved in the past two years, included community facilities and amenities.

“The estimate is $900,000,” Professor Khan said.

“We’re not sure if that will be enough but that estimate is what we are working on.

“The building itself has to be one cost, then we have to build 42 car parks and that will cost us money, and we have a new driveway (on Stephen St) that is part of the approved plan.”

Professor Khan said insurance funds were paid out and used up throughout the design and council approval stage, after originally being given an option of repairing the burned structure, or building a new mosque.

“Because the structure was so burned, we saw an opportunity to make it a proper mosque,” he said.

He hoped support from the Islamic community, or the wider community, could help with the building costs.

“We are trying to find a contractor or a builder to build the job,” he said.

“It’s taking some time.

“If we got some money we could probably do it (rebuild) by January or February.”

He was confident that once development began, more donations towards rebuilding would come in.

Police continue to investigate the two arson attacks in 2015, with a $25,000 reward on offer for credible information.

Photo: Bev Lacey LOOKING FORWARD: Garden City Mosque spokesman Shahjahan Khan estimates about $900,000 is needed to rebuild the two-storey mosque on West St.

Photo: Contributed SUPPORT NEEDED: How the new Garden City Mosque will look after it is built at the West St site more than three years after the former structure was damaged by two arson attacks.