Sonny Bill Williams breaks silence over controversial Carlton Sydney mosque opposed by locals 

Legendary NRL and All Blacks star Sonny Bill Williams has stridently defended his role in building a controversial new suburban mosque as local residents continue to protest its construction.

Williams is adamant he played by the rules to get construction up and running, and said he has catered to the demands of residents in building the place of worship at Carlton, a residential area in Sydney’s south.

A mother and daughter who live on the same street as the worksite say they are worried about noise, children’s safety, and are scared after intimidation by those who support the $5million mosque.

Despite these protests Williams has no plans to stop his efforts, which will see a former nursing home converted into the prayer site.

‘We’ve stuck to all the rules and regulations and I just think it’s a bit unfair to be honest,’ Williams told A Current Affair.

The NRL star put his own money into the project and sought the necessary council permits before going ahead with the site, which he said will be built no matter what.

‘I understand their concerns, but we’ve done our utmost, we’ve done our due diligence. We’ve knocked down half the facility to create more car spaces, I don’t know what else we can do man,’ he said.

‘If we want to have this space for our kids, our kids’ kids, to learn about our beautiful religion, we have to build relations with those around us.

‘There’s mosques all around Sydney, so saying this place is open for prayer, not all the muslims in sydney are going to come here.’

Rosyln and her daughter, Stella, have installed cameras on their houses to protect themselves.

The two claim that their neighbours are also scared of people who have been filmed ripping down signs reading ‘protect our children’ off ther fences.

Williams says he can’t control everyone, but implored those using fear-mongering tactics to stop.

Regardless, the two women have said that things need to change.

‘They were singing out allah and all these sorts of things,’ Rosyln said.

‘I might be working morning shift, or afternoon shift, or night shift and I’ve got to block all this out now.

‘How am I going to get my sleep? What about us? We’re the ratepayers.’

The problem doesn’t lie with Williams, but the council that approved the construction of a public place in the quiet neighbourhood, she explained.

One resident Rosyln and her daughter, Stella (pictured), have installed cameras on their houses to protect themselves. They live on the same street as the developing mosque and say that they are worried about noise, childrens’ safety, and are scared since intimidation tactics began 

Signs have been ripped off fences and residents say that they have needed to install security cameras to keep themselves safe

The intimidation tactics are direct and obvious, according to Stella. 

‘I’m Maltese, we speak Arabic, we know what they are saying and they are intimidating my mother and that is something that should not be going on anywhere in Australia,’ she said. 

This isn’t the first time that residents of the neighbourhood have claimed that they haven’t felt safe since construction began. 

In April, Daily Mail Australia revealed video footage of Williams, 37, apparently telling one Chinese-Australian resident resident to ‘go to China’ in a clash with locals in the middle of the road.

The neighbour started filming the footy star-turned-commentator as Williams stalked the street outside their homes in front of the site of the new mosque.

Williams’ then suggests the nearby school should be shut down over noise, as the local asks him to come back to discuss the plans. 

The man who filmed the video has since left the street, but another resident says she is close to a nervous breakdown after firecrackers were thrown into her yard and verbal abuse from strangers driving through the street. 

Others say they are also on the verge of moving out of the area – but claim the value of their properties has fallen because of the ongoing controversy over the noise and potential traffic from the mosque.

‘My grandparents first bought our home – we have lived here for four generations,’ Stella Magro, 34, who lives opposite the new mosque, told Daily Mail Australia.

‘But we want to move now. The noise at the site started without warning at 7am and once it’s up and running there will be traffic coming in and out at all hours.

‘Their headlights will be blazing right into my mother’s bedroom – it will be unbearable.

‘We want to leave but real estate agents say we won’t get anything like what our home was once worth.’