Upgrades planned for Geelong mosque burial preparation room

Geelong mosque is planning to upgrade its area used for ceremonial washing of deceased people.

Geelong Mosque is planning a $140,000 upgrade for it’s burial preparation room. Picture: Supplied

Geelong mosque is planning to upgrade a converted church garage that has been used for ceremonial washing of deceased people for three decades.

The Islamic Society of Geelong has lodged plans to partially demolish and extend the “ghusl room” – a room where bodies are prepared for burial — at its mosque in Manifold Heights with Geelong council.

Plans for the rebuild are estimated to cost $140,000, according to documents lodged with the city.

Islamic Society of Geelong president Ahmed Elzahbi said the room was important for religious practices.

He said as the Manifold Heights location was still the only mosque from Werribee to Warrnambool, the current ghusl room was too small to accommodate the community’s needs.

“It's the only way we bury people,” he said.

“And that’s the only room we have in Geelong. ”

Mr Elzahbi said the building was over 30 years old, and the a renovation was needed to bring it up to modern hospital standards.

The current pre-burial room. Picture: Brad Fleet

“That room used to be the garage of the church,” he said.

“Standards have changed.

“And it’s just too small.”

Mr Elzahbi said the facility would reflect the Islamic emphasis on respect for the deceased, cleanliness, and adherence to religious rites that honoured the transition from this life to the next.

Ibrahim Alsheredi at the Geelong mosque. Picture: Brad Fleet

“This preparation involves ritual cleansing (ghusl) of the body, which is typically done with water and sometimes with scented substances,” he said.

“The body is then wrapped in a simple shroud, usually made of white cloth, known as kafan.”

The burial area includes a storage room, a shower room, a cool room to store the bodies, and the “ghusl room” where they were washed and wrapped in cotton cloth.

He said the community needed a bigger ghusl room designed to facilitate these rituals according to Islamic guidelines.

“The majority of the washing will be by the family, the close relatives and we can’t control the (family’s) size,” he said.

“Once you get four or six people in there it’s too crowded.”

Mr Elzahbi said the extension was one of many needed, as the Islamic Society of Geelong continued to look for a site for a second mosque.

Services at the current mosque suffer from overcrowding.

In 2017, the mosque was partially rebuilt after a deliberately lit fire gutted the building in May 2016, with no one charged due to a lack of evidence.

The ghusl room, which is separate to the main building, was not damaged by the fire.

Public comment on the plans is open on Geelong council’s website until September 12.

Originally published as Upgrades planned for Geelong mosque burial preparation room