Mohammed Bouras says his space of belonging and safety at his university is under threat.
Since the Muslim international student moved to Victoria last year, Swinburne University of Technology’s Multi Faith Centre has been a place for him to connect with other people and develop friendships.
But now, he and other members of the Swinburne Islamic Society (SWINIS) are at loggerheads with the university over the centre, which they have now been locked out from for two straight Fridays for prayers — on the main day of worship for Muslims.
Mohammed Bouras is the Swinburne Islamic Society’s Friday prayer coordinator. Source: SBS News / Youssef Saudie
Bouras and SWINIS members feel the prayer room has been compromised due to alarms and security passes having been installed. They’re also disappointed they were not consulted over the university-appointed chaplain (or Imam) who oversees the prayers.
Meanwhile, Swinburne University — located in Hawthorn in Melbourne’s inner-east — alleges some SWINIS leadership has breached the Multi Faith Centre’s guidelines, which has led to them being locked out.
Bouras — who is also the SWINIS Friday prayer coordinator — spoke to SBS News last week when he held a protest with other members on Friday, 18 October. At that point he had also organised a second protest for Friday, 25 October which has since gone ahead because the centre remained closed to the group.
“It’s like a statement,” Bouras told SBS News. “If you don’t allow us back in the prayer room, we’re going to keep praying; you cannot prevent us from praying.”
Bouras said Friday prayer was “very crucial” to Muslims and alleged the action the university had taken amounted to “discrimination” and claimed their religious rights had been infringed on.
What is Swinburne University’s Multi Faith Centre?
The Multi Faith Centre is a facility for students, staff and their immediate family to use for prayer, meditation and reflection at Swinburne University.
The space is not for regular use by members of the wider community.
Along with the Imam, who was appointed earlier this year, Swinburne also has appointed accredited Christian, Jewish, Buddhist and Hindu chaplains.
The Multi Faith Centre is located at Swinburne University’s campus in Hawthorn, in Melbourne’s inner east. Source: Getty / Nina Dermawan/Moment Editorial
SWINIS president Tabish Rather said the university installed alarms and introduced security passes to access the prayer room, which is mostly used by Muslims, late last year. He claimed these are not typically used at other similar spaces.
“Treat us just like you treat everyone else, don’t marginalise us, don’t reinforce stereotypes, don’t make our life difficult,” Rather told SBS News.
Alarms were installed to ensure compliance with the key card access, the ABC reported earlier this week.
How has Swinburne University responded?
A Swinburne University spokesperson told SBS News it had decided to close the centre on Fridays because of “breaches and a pattern of behaviour” from a small group of SWINIS members.
The spokesperson said the Friday closures would remain in place “until SWINIS meets with the university to discuss our concerns and commits to follow the guidelines that everyone else follows”.
“SWINIS leadership have repeatedly breached the guidelines since they were approved in 2023,” the spokesperson said.
The university has also alleged SWINIS has continued to open the centre to the general public, and has refused to work with the Imam.
The spokesperson said the university was also investigating an incident on 11 October “led by a small group of Swinburne Islamic Society members”.
“This includes refusing to allow the Imam to lead prayer and encouraging attendance from large numbers of people not associated with the university,” the spokesperson said.
Sheikh Sarakibi Moustapha was appointed by Swinburne University earlier this year. Source: Supplied
SBS News has seen a video of the incident in which the chaplain attempts to take a microphone from a student who is leading the Friday prayer.
The video shows the chaplain leaving after the student gave the microphone to a SWINIS member.
The centre was then closed for the rest of the day.
Rather said SWINIS was not properly consulted about the the Imam’s appointment.
“You cannot impose an Imam upon us,” he said. “We’re not sheep that need a herd, we have the right and the capability to choose our Imam,” he said.
Data from a SWINIS online survey, provided to SBS News, showed all of about 200 respondents had voted in favour of the current student-led setup, rather than accepting the university-appointed chaplain.
‘No one opposed me’: Imam
Sheikh Sarakibi Moustapha told SBS News he had no issue with consultation being part of the process of choosing a chaplain.
“But I did consult,” he told SBS News.” No one opposed me personally, like when I met with them in April 2023, they were opposing chaplaincy altogether.”
“I haven’t seen the uni Islamophobic or anti-Muslim in my dealings with them, I have not seen anything like that.”
Moustapha believes the dispute stems from a broader issue of not having a local mosque in the area.
“There’s a need for a prayer space; there’s a need for a mosque,” he said. We can come together, we get a bit of donations from the community, if that works and we find the place, we either lease it or purchase it, and we get the permits, you know, to be a place of worship.”
