CHARGES of religious intolerance raised their head at the council’s consideration of the proposed Mayfield College in Mernda.
‘‘I’ve had contact with people where it sounded as though if it weren’t a Muslim school, they might have not have had the objections,’’ Cr John Fry told the council last Tuesday night, in front of a packed gallery.
Ken Mooney, spokesman for the Friends of Mernda Heritage Site Group, hit back later at claims of intolerance.
‘‘If it had been any nationality we would have objected. There’s one race, that’s the human race,’’ he said.
Cr Fry said later that the implication had been clear among some of the people he had spoken to.
‘‘People were worried about mosques and calls to prayer, noise issues,’’ he said.
Hassan Al Khirsany, spokesman for The Great Prophet said he believed objections had been race and religion based: “It would not happen to us if the school was Catholic, for example.”
He said the mayor’s opposition at the meeting had been a shock, as he had earlier been supportive.
“The objection campaign was led by people from (the) old generation,” he said.
“We should be open minded and think positively about the benefits that our new generation might gain from this school.”
He said if the VCAT appeal failed, the Iraqi community members would consider other uses including building a place for worship or funerals.
