Kehillat S'dot Zahav was among local organisations who were thanked by community spokesperson Heri Febriyanto for their support of the right of Muslims to build a mosque in Bendigo.

Kehillat S'dot Zahav was among local organisations who were thanked by community spokesperson Heri Febriyanto for their support of the right of Muslims to build a mosque in Bendigo.

The mosque project had been approved by the Bendigo Council and Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, but faced a High Court challenge by protesters who sought to have the mosque blocked. Last week, the challenge was defeated.

Howard Nathan (pictured), immediate past president of KSZ, said the shul was "very vocal in our support of the right of the Muslim community to build their own house of worship here in Bendigo Our view is that the freedom to express religious belief, or none at all, is the most fundamental one in our democratic society. It trumps all other freedoms, including unfettered speech and protest."

With thanks to the www.ajn.com.au