Closure of al-Furqan puts spotlight on role of Islamic bookshops in extremism Australia's Muslim communities host hundreds of Islamic information centres and bookstores – most are benign, but there are radical fringe groups. So what should be done? And should mainstream leaders be engaging with them?
Dogged by controversy for 13 years, the al-Furqan Islamic Centre in Melbourne's south-east elected to shut its doors on Thursday, "effectively immediately".
But its closure is unlikely to mean the end of the influence of its leader, Harun Mehicevic, on young Muslims attracted to his hardline interpretation of Islam.
In Islam, gatherings of the faithful are commonly held in backyards and garages across the country, Kuranda Seyit, the secretary of the Islamic Council of Victoria, says.