Australian Converts to Islam: Findings from a National Survey of Muslim Australians

Abstract

While conversion to Islam in non-Muslim societies has a long and diverse history, the socio-political contexts of the post-9/11 period have led to Western converts being viewed with sharpened curiosity, suspicion and even hostility. Yet despite the rise of Islamophobia and anti-Muslim sentiment during this period, it has been suggested that significant numbers of Westerners have converted to Islam. While there has been considerable growth in academic scholarship on Western converts over the past two decades, research on this phenomenon in the Australian context remains limited. This article seeks to address this gap by outlining key findings from the 2019 Islam in Australia Survey, which represents the first in-depth, quantitative research on Australian converts to Islam. These findings provide insight into converts' backgrounds, conversion motivations, religious identities and social connections.