For Muslim families raising children in regional Victoria, finding quality Islamic education close to home has long been one of the most significant challenges of life outside a major city.
In Melbourne, choices are abundant: Islamic schools, weekend madrasas, private Quran tutors, and mosque programs in almost every suburb. In Warragul, Drouin, Trafalgar, and the towns of Baw Baw Shire — until recently — there was nothing.
Warragul Mosque's Sunday Islamic education program exists to change that.
Why Islamic Education Matters for Children
Children learn who they are partly through what they are taught and partly through what they see around them. For Muslim children growing up in regional Australia, school, social life, and the broader culture can make their faith feel like something that exists only at home, quietly and separately from the rest of their life.
Without a mosque, without other Muslim children to learn alongside, and without structured education in their religion, many young people grow up feeling disconnected from their faith — not because they don't believe, but because they've never had the chance to be part of a community that practises and celebrates it together.
Islamic education is not just about knowing facts. It is about belonging. It is about a child learning that their faith is not a private exception to the world they live in but a living tradition they are part of — with a history, a community, and a future.
What Is Covered in Islamic Education for Children?
The Sunday program at Warragul Mosque covers the four core areas of Islamic education:
1. Quran Recitation
Learning to read and recite the Quran is the foundation of Islamic education. For children, this means:
- Learning the Arabic alphabet and how each letter sounds
- Reading Arabic script from right to left
- Practising tajweed — the rules of correct Quran pronunciation, covering elongation, pausing, merging of sounds, and proper articulation of each letter
- Memorising shorter chapters (surahs) of the Quran, beginning with those used in daily prayer
- Building toward longer memorisation for children who are ready
Many Muslim parents feel their child's Quran education is one of the most important gifts they can give them. The ability to read and recite the Quran correctly, and eventually to understand it, is something that stays with a person for life.
2. Islamic Studies
Alongside Quran, children learn the beliefs and practices of Islam in an age-appropriate way:
- The Five Pillars of Islam: Shahada (declaration of faith), Salah (prayer), Zakat (charity), Sawm (fasting in Ramadan), and Hajj (pilgrimage)
- Aqeedah (Islamic belief): Who God is in Islamic theology, the angels, the prophets, the holy books, the Day of Judgement, and divine decree
- The life of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him): His birth, upbringing, early life, prophethood, migration to Medina, and the lessons his life teaches
- The stories of the prophets: From Adam and Ibrahim to Musa (Moses) and Isa (Jesus), as told in the Quran
- Islamic history: How Islam spread, the early Muslim community, and how the faith developed
3. Arabic Language
Understanding Arabic gives children a direct connection to their prayers, the Quran, and the broader Muslim world. The program covers:
- Foundational Arabic vocabulary — numbers, everyday objects, the language of prayer
- The Arabic phrases and sentences used in the five daily prayers
- How to understand what is being recited in prayer, rather than hearing sounds without meaning
- Building toward the ability to read and understand simple Arabic texts
For children who grow up learning Arabic alongside English, the long-term benefit is significant — both in their faith practice and in their general cognitive development.
4. Character and Values
Islamic values are not taught as a separate unit in a syllabus. They are woven through every lesson.
Stories of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) consistently illustrate generosity, honesty, patience, humility, and care for others. Islamic teachings on respect — for parents, for elders, for neighbours, for those who are different — are part of the fabric of the education.
Children at Warragul Mosque learn not just what Islam requires them to do, but who Islam invites them to be.
What Is the Difference Between an Islamic School and Weekend Classes?
An Islamic school is a full-time school — children attend Monday to Friday and receive both their standard curriculum (English, maths, science, etc.) and Islamic education as part of their school day. Islamic schools exist in Melbourne and other major Australian cities.
Weekend Islamic classes, like Warragul Mosque's Sunday program, are supplementary. Children attend their regular school through the week and come to the mosque on Sundays for Quran, Islamic studies, and Arabic. These sessions typically run two to three hours.
For families in regional Victoria, weekend classes are the realistic option. There is no Islamic school in Baw Baw Shire, and the drive to the nearest one in Melbourne would make daily attendance impossible for most families.
Who the Program Is For
The Sunday program at Warragul Mosque is for Muslim children in Baw Baw Shire and surrounding areas — Warragul, Drouin, Trafalgar, Moe, Morwell, and nearby towns.
Children of all levels are welcome:
- Complete beginners who have never read Arabic or had any formal Islamic education
- Children with some background who want to continue their learning in a local setting
- Children transferring from programs in Melbourne or other cities who are now living in the region
The program is structured to meet children where they are. Classes are not age-stratified in a way that leaves beginners behind or bores advanced students.
Growing Up Muslim in Regional Australia
There is something quiet but real that happens for Muslim children when they come to the Sunday program for the first time and see other children who are like them — who fast in Ramadan, who pray five times a day, who have Arabic in their homes.
Before the mosque opened, Muslim children in Warragul grew up experiencing their faith largely in isolation. There was no community. There were no other Muslim kids at the mosque on Eid morning because there was no mosque. The faith was something that lived at home, quietly, while everything outside was different.
That is changing.
Children who attend the Sunday classes are part of a community. They are there when the mosque completes its first Khatam — the full recitation of the Quran across Ramadan. They are part of the Eid prayers. They grow up knowing that their faith is a living thing, celebrated and practised with others, not something to keep private.
That sense of belonging is not a small thing. It shapes how a child understands their identity for the rest of their life.
What Parents Say
The parents whose children have come through the program consistently say two things.
First: the relief of not having to drive to Melbourne. The two-to-three-hour round trip to Dandenong or Footscray for Sunday school — in addition to work, school pickups, and everything else — was unsustainable for many families. Having something local has made a quiet but enormous difference to family life.
Second: seeing their children come home excited about what they learned. Children who started not knowing the Arabic alphabet and who can now recite short surahs in prayer. Children who ask questions about the Prophet's life at dinner. Children who feel proud of who they are.
How to Enrol
To enrol your child in the Sunday Islamic education program, contact Warragul Mosque directly:
Email: hello@binai.org.au Phone: 0457 643 672
We will discuss your child's current level and experience, and arrange a suitable start time. There is no lengthy enrolment process — just get in touch.
Warragul Mosque 72 Victoria Street, Warragul VIC 3820 Sunday classes: contact us for current times Jummah prayer: every Friday at 1:30 PM (all welcome)
Support the Education Program
The Sunday classes at Warragul Mosque run thanks to the dedication of volunteer teachers and the financial support of the broader community. A permanent mosque facility — part of the long-term vision for BINAI — would allow the program to grow substantially: larger classrooms, more sessions, adult Arabic and Islamic studies classes, and eventually a proper school-level Islamic education program for Baw Baw Shire.
Every donation moves that goal closer. If you believe Muslim children in regional Victoria deserve quality Islamic education close to home, this is a cause worth supporting.
Operated by BawBaw Islamic Network Australia Inc. (BINAI), a registered charity in Victoria. ABN: 16 723 284 175.