Muslims converging on an Adelaide mosque for Ramadan have been parking across driveways, leaving locals in the rapidly changing suburb furious.
Residents of Gilles Plains, where the mainly Indian and Muslim immigrant population has exploded during the past five years, said cars had been partially or fully blocking their driveways during prayer services since the beginning of the Islamic holy month, and council were yet to act.
They told Noticer News a friendly email to the Islamic Society of South Australia had resulted in the Imam of the Wandana Mosque telling visitors to following parking rules and be respectful of residents, but the selfish behaviour from some visitors had continued.
One shared photos of several cars blocking driveways on Sunday night, and said the drivers had “no respect for others, only for Allah”.
“I rang the police hotline to report this as it is out of council hours, they responded by telling me I would have to contact the council so that they can check the locations in the morning to resolve,” they said.
“So basically we are stuck with depending on the council who either cannot attend quickly enough or not until the next day due to being out of their hours.
“Meaning this will continue to go unchecked with no response or action.”
Residents have also shared their annoyance on the Islamic Society of South Australia’s social media pages, with one writing “any chance of parking legally?” and another saying “stop blocking driveways”.
At the time of the 2021 Census Gilles Plains was 53.2% Australian-born and 12.1% Islamic, although locals believe that number has risen sharply since immigrant ramped up after Covid.
The complaints come after other residents of the suburb said it was becoming like a “slum” due to illegally dumped rubbish and overgrown backyards.
Header image: Cars parked in front of driveways on Sunday night (supplied).
