Should mosque leaders be inviting politicians to Eid prayers?

So Albanese showed up to Eid prayers at Lakemba today. The LMA invited him. People were not having it. Worshippers started calling him out over Gaza, some got removed by police. Then the PM goes on camera and says it was just "a couple of people" in a crowd of 30,000. Brother, the whole room was tense.

I get that the LMA probably thought they were creating a platform to raise concerns. But when you invite someone on our holiest day and they use it as a photo op, what are you actually achieving? He left, got his headline, and nothing changes.

On the other hand, some people say if we shut the door completely, we lose any chance of being heard. I do not agree but I can see the argument.

Where do you stand? Should our mosque leaders be rolling out the red carpet for politicians who have done nothing for the community? Or is engagement, even uncomfortable engagement, better than silence?

3 Comments

faisal84· 20 Mar

Assalamu alaikum. This is a difficult one and I have been thinking about it since the news came out. On one hand, the LMA has always positioned itself as a bridge between the community and government. That is a role that requires inviting people you may disagree with. On the other hand, Eid is sacred. It is not a networking event. In my view, there is a time and place for political engagement and our prayer halls on the day of Eid is not it. InshaAllah our leaders find better ways to hold these conversations.

Abdi Noor· 20 Mar

Nah this is exactly the problem. Every time a politician shows up to a Muslim event, they get their photo, their headline, and we get nothing. Then election time comes around and they act like showing up to Eid makes them an ally. The community is tired of being used as a backdrop. I work with young people in the west and they are completely disillusioned with this kind of politics. We need to demand actual policy commitments before we hand out invitations.

Hamid Noori· 21 Mar

Assalamu alaikum brothers and sisters. I have lived in Australia for over twenty years and I have seen this pattern many times. Politicians visit mosques, they eat our food, they smile for photos, and then nothing changes for our community. But I will say this. Closing the door completely is also not the answer. The Afghan community learned this in our dealings with government services. Sometimes you must sit at the table even when the conversation is uncomfortable. The real question is what conditions we set before we extend the invitation. InshaAllah we find wisdom in this.