Police are guarding the carpark entrance of the Imam Ali Islamic Centre on Lowson St, Fawkner but ‘the Islamic State’ graffiti can clearly be seen from the street of the fenced property.

Members of an Islamic community centre gutted by fire overnight have dismissed ISIS graffiti tags on the outside walls of the building as a “cover-up” to an ownership dispute.

Speaking to the Herald Sun, a friendly group of 10 congregation members said they went to local police just recently, concerned the Imam Ali Islamic Centre would be again targeted.

“We know who did this, I’m not going to believe this ISIS bulls---,” one man said.

According to bystanders, the centre has been targeted by arsonists three times in as many months.

Some members of the centre detailed a three-year building ownership dispute they say is due to go to court in February as the cause of the unrest.

The centre includes male and female prayer rooms and apparently has over 1000 attendees, comprised predominately of Iraqi Shiite families.

“We’re very upset, our children come here, my wife, my mum,” one man said.

He said firefighters had been called to the building just last week.

One neighbour said the community centre was at the centre of a row with council over building permits and parking.

“It’s supposed to be some sort of prayer school but they come all hours of the night and park everywhere,” one man said.

“We’ve had a lot of rows with the council over it, because they park everywhere.

“To my understanding they’re not meant to be using it at all, until it passes council regulations.

“There’s been a lot of trouble with them and the council. (The council) shut it down, building regulations, they’ve gone through a lot of red tape.”The small, dilapidated building, which is surrounded by a Catholic school and residential properties, is apparently active with many people attending it regularly.

Neighbours were trimming hedgerows in the tree-lined street on Sunday while authorities worked.

Firefighters were called to the address at about 2.30am this morning, with the urgency of the emergency request elevated, an MFB spokeswoman said.

It took 50 minutes to bring the fire under control and asbestos was also found.

One neighbour said it was the third time in three months firefighters have attended the property.

Another verified it was a busy centre, and finding a park in the street was difficult.

“Truth be told it’s a very strange building,” a woman said. “They have a black flag up sometimes. It’s constant.”

An Islamic centre was destroyed by fire in Sydney in April this year, with a mosque in Geelong also going up in flames in May.