MOSQUE OPEN DAY UNITES COAST

TOLERANCE, support and a strong community. Those were the main messages from the open day at the Gold Coast Mosque yesterday.

More than 300 people of all cultures and faiths took part in the day, not only to show their support in the wake of the Christchurch attacks, but to learn more about Islam.

Imam of the Gold Coast Mosque Sheikh Mohamed Ali Abdalla Abdelkader said the open day had been chance for the community to come together.

“We made this day ... to know each other, to respect each other, to understand each other and come closer to each other,” he said. “We wanted to thank everyone for supporting us ... in those hard days after what happened in New Zealand.”

Nisa Johnson, who was giving tours of the mosque, said people were very interested: “It took me an hour because people were asking so many questions.”