CASEY councillor Wayne Smith says ideology would not sway his vote on a proposed mosque in Green Street, Doveton.
More than 100 petitioners have opposed plans for the 11.5-metre-high mosque which would hold up to 600 people.
Cr Smith enraged nearby residents with his comments last week: “Would we be having these objections if it was a Catholic or Uniting church moving in? I don’t think so.”
A Doveton resident rang the Journal last week to say the statement implied opposition was based on religion.
“Our objections are based on traffic and noise,” the resident said. “We wouldn’t object to a church because it’s not open all hours day and night, seven days a week.”
Cr Smith said his family received death threats when he voted for a mosque in Hallam but his “position was unchanged”. “I’ll be voting according to what I see in the council officer’s recommendation. It’s not based on anything personal or about ideology.
Cr Smith said he was willing to discuss the issue with church leaders, including Catch the Fire Ministries pastor Daniel Nalliah, whose planned evangelical Christian church would be next to the mosque.
Mr Nalliah said he’d like to “educate” Cr Smith about Islam and “the issues we’ve faced in the past — the councillors will have no choice but to reject it”.
The mosque’s proponents did not comment.
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