Following the
Second World War, Muslim immigrants such as
Albanians migrated to Victoria and found the state lacking Islamic infrastructure. Makeshift mosques belonging to previous Melbourne Muslims existed decades before, often an adapted small room for religious services, but none were long lasting. In 1961, Muslim immigrants formed the Islamic Society of Victoria (ISV) to cater for their religious needs, with Albanians comprising its largest number of donors. ISV members met in an adapted small house on 1008 Drummond Street, Carlton that served for a brief period as a mosque, becoming the centre for its Islamic Community of Carlton association and of Muslim life. In 1963, the Albanian community established an organisation named the Albanian Australian Islamic Society (AAIS). Fundraising was successfully undertaken by AAIS with one of its founders, Memet Zyka, a community leader seeking and receiving donations from Muslim, Catholic and Orthodox members of the Albanian community. AAIS purchased a property at 765 Drummond Street, Carlton. The initial design of the mosque building was square with brownish bricks. and finished in 1969. The mosque since its establishment, apart from being a centre for Albanian religious and cultural activities has also provided assistance to other communities. Other arrivals, such as students from Southeast Asian countries (
Brunei,
Indonesia and
Malaysia) received assistance from the mosque. In 1981, Rexhep Idrizi, became the imam at the mosque. A
minaret was added to the mosque in 1994, after permission was granted by the
High Court of Australia. AAIS held a celebratory outdoor festival at the mosque on 17 November 2019 marking its 50th anniversary, attended by some 3000-4000 people. It included Muslim Australians of Albanian and other backgrounds, non Muslim Australians of other faiths, political representatives and heads of non-governmental organisations (NGOs). Simultaneously, an exhibition was held inside the mosque showcasing its history. For the occasion and the first time in its history, the call to prayer (
adhan) was performed by Amet Balla from the mosque minaret and heard in the surrounding area through its loudspeakers. Imam Hasani left the mosque in 2020 to become head of sharia affairs at the Islamic Coordinating Council of Victoria (ICCV). The current imam is Perparim Sulaj. ==See also==