A SAUDI Arabian student hopes to build Ballarat's first mosque at the University of Ballarat.
Ali Mashi, 25, is campaigning for a mosque to accommodate the university's Muslim students.
The third year mechanical engineering student said the mosque would enable the university to attract more international enrolments while better meeting the religious needs of students.
The Ballarat Regional Multicultural council has backed the call, which comes six weeks after the City of Ballarat launched a regional migration strategy aimed at attracting an extra 200 migrants by 2009.
About 400 of the university's students (10 per cent) are international, with about 50 originating from muslim countries, including Indonesia, Malaysia and those in the Middle East.
Mr Mashi and his Muslim friends pray five times a day at a non-denominational prayer room at the university. Once a week they travel to Melbourne University to pray in a mosque - an Islamic custom on Fridays - which
can be a seven-hour return journey.
"It's important for us because of our religion," Mr Mashi said.
"For the university also it will help to encourage more students to come here, especially from the Gulf areas."
International marketing officer Anthony Schreenan said other students had also highlighted the need for a mosque in Ballarat.
"I've just come back from the Middle East and that was one of the main questions I was asked - what are the religious facilities for Muslims in Ballarat?" he said.
At a minimum Mr Mashi would like a room at the university dedicated to Muslim worship. Ultimately he would like a mosque to be built either at the university or elsewhere in the city.
Pro-vice-chancellor Rowena Coutts said the university hoped to have improvements in place by October when Ramadan - the Muslim fasting month - begins.
"The issue of improved prayer facilities at the Mt Helen campus is on the agenda for discussion at the next Vice-Chancellor's International Advisory Committee meeting," she said.
Ballarat Regional Multicultural Council chairwoman Sulaika Dhanapala welcomed the call for a Ballarat mosque, saying there were about 60 people of Muslim religion in the city.
"There's a need for religious worshipping places in Ballarat and one is a Mosque," she said.