Albanian Australian Islamic Society - AAIS

The AAIS was the first Albanian organisation in the greater city of Melbourne to provide Albanian Muslim families with social, religious and educational services. Along with social functions, meetings and Islamic classes (‘Maytep’) for children, the Society also held the very first official Albanian language classes in Australia.

Shortly after its formation, the elected AAIS Board, together with the members of the time, began work on a major project to build Melbourne’s first Mosque. To complete this project, the AAIS transformed a large section of its main building to allow for the construction of the ’Albanian Mosque’. This project was successfully completed and the Albanian Mosque was officially established in 1969.

Over the years, the AAIS underwent other building improvements, such as the Minaret (early 1980s) and the Ablution gazebo, however, in 1998, during the Annual General Meeting (AGM), the AAIS Committee moved a motion to initiate a major ‘Building and Renovation‘ project to all AAIS facilities and its Albanian Mosque. The main aim of the proposed plan was to restore and beautify the AAIS and its Albanian Mosque, while also accommodate the slight increase in the number of members that joined the Society.

The AAIS ‘Building and Renovation’ project was initiated in 2003, however, due to scale of the works, the project was broken down into four stages. Prior to the commencement of works, the AAIS Committee was required to raise funds for each stage of works from members of the Society. The project was successfully completed in early 2013.

It was during the same year that the AAIS celebrated its 50th Anniversary. To mark this special occasion for the Albanian Muslim community and the broader Australian community, the AAIS Committee organised two separate events in the same year.

Prior to the completion of the AAIS’s ‘Building and Renovation’ project, the AAIS Committee discussed the notion of establishing a ‘Youth Centre‘ to better position the Society in achieving its mission, while also providing new service to AAIS members and their families. Later that year, during the 2012 AGM, the AAIS Committee moved a motion to initiate preliminary steps towards acquiring a Youth Centre. Alhamdulilah, through the ongoing support of financial members, the AAIS Committee managed to successfully establish the Youth Centre in less than 12 months.

Since the opening of AAIS Youth Centre on 28th December 2013, AAIS financial members and their families regularly frequent the new facility on a weekly basis. Along with sporting facilities and social activities, the AAIS Youth Centre also offers AAIS members islamic classes and Albanian language classes.

Today, the AAIS continues to serve both the Albanian Muslim community in the greater city of Melbourne as well as interstate. It has also become the largest Albanian Muslim organisation in Australia and it comprises of members from every Albanian ancestral land i.e. Albania, Kosova, Macedonia, Montenegro and Chameria.