The Auburn Mosque in Sydney

SYDNEY, December 18 (News Agencies) - An Australian council was accused Wednesday, December 18, of racism over a decision to reject an application for a Muslim prayer center following an angry backlash by thousands of residents opposed to the building.

The council in the leafy Sydney suburb of Baulkham Hills rejected the application by 10-2 on the grounds it was not in the community interest, not compatible with the area and not in accordance with the community’s shared beliefs, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.

A development application to the council by local businessman Abbas Ali prompted an unprecedented flood of 5,000 letters to council, demanding it oppose the building.

More than 250 people packed the council chambers on Tuesday night, December 17, to hear the long-awaited decision.

Ali has complained to the local media that his premises have been vandalized and sprayed with slogans since he submitted the development application.

He said there was a demand from local Islamic families for such a prayer centre, which would have been used twice a week.

The president of the Supreme Islamic Council of New South Wales, Jaber El-Gafi, accused the council of inflaming community division.

“I think we have to address the racist remarks that’ve been said,” he told ABC radio.

“From the beginning, the council has vindicated and inflamed the situation and it did not act as an arbitrator, it acted against it from the beginning.

“That’s obvious to everybody from the remarks of the mayor and the deputy mayor. They inflamed the situation and they put remarks that could be considered racist.”

Mayor John Griffiths denied after the meeting that racism was involved in the issue, saying the decision to reject the application was based on a genuine fear by residents of “what could happen.”

“We’re elected to represent the community,” he said. “There just seems to be a fear in the community... the fear of what could happen and what could happen, I don’t know.”

But councilor Margaret van de Weg, one of two to vote in favor of the prayer centre, said she was disappointed with the outcome.

She said it had become an issue because of the Bali bombings in which 88 Australians were killed and because of the September 11 attacks in the United States last year.

“People have realized that terrorism could come to Australia,” she said.

“And unfortunately the terrorism that has affected Australians recently has involved one particular religion which happens to be the Muslim religion. I think it's sad everyone in the particular religion is tarred by the same brush.”

The council’s communications officer Justine O’Leary said some residents were concerned about issues such as sewerage and parking problems while others raised concerns about people who would be attending the centre not sharing their customs and values.

She said the recent census had shown only a small proportion of the population of the council area indicated they practiced the Islamic faith.

“Basically some of the submissions were saying that the application isn’t really suited to the area because there’s not a lot of Islamic people who live out here.”