Authorities in an Australian town have rejected proposals to allow an Islamic school to be built there. Councillors for Camden, a small town on the outskirts of Sydney, unanimously voted against the proposed school for 1200 pupils. The councillors said they based their decision solely on planning grounds, citing an internal report about its environmental impact. The proposed development had met with fierce local opposition. Camden's authorities received some 3,200 submissions from the public about the school and only 100 in favour. The BBC's Nick Bryant in Sydney says Camden does not have a large Muslim population so most of the pupils for the proposed school would have had to be brought in by bus from Sydney, an hour's drive away.
Residents' views The issue prompted a strong response from Camden locals. "They've got terrorists amongst them, OK? We can't say they haven't - they have," said one resident. "We're quite happy to integrate, we happily integrate with Italians, Greeks, English, Scottish - this town has every nationality. Muslims do not fit in this town - we are Aussies, OK?" A variety of local residents' views were aired at a public meeting late last year and attended by over 1,000 people. Some speakers focused solely on the environmental impact of locating an urban-scale school in such a bucolic setting. One speaker implored the crowd to stick to planning issues, and not let the campaign be contaminated by racism or xenophobia. Andrew Wynnet of the Camden/Macarthur Residents' Group told the BBC's Nick Bryant about local concerns for the long-term demographic impact of such a development. "The character of the town will change," he said. The Quranic Society, the organisation behind the proposal, has kept a low public profile throughout the process. Its position has been that Australian parents have the right to educate Australian children wherever they wish, regardless of race or religion. The organisation was not represented at the meeting, but it can appeal against this decision in the courts. An internal Camden council report had earlier recommended against construction, mainly citing traffic concerns. |
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