Institutionalising Islamic Religious Authority in Australia: The Case of the Australian National Imams Council

Abstract

This article examines how Muslim religious actors exert their collective authority within institutional settings. It focuses primarily on the role of the Australian National Imams Council (ANIC). The article examines ANIC's formation as a clerical organization and its role in qualifying, recruiting and monitoring imams in Australia. It draws on fieldwork data conducted between 2018-2019 and includes in-depth interviews with imams and sheikhs as well as ANIC members, Muslim academics and educators in the field of Islamic studies. The study includes survey data collected from members of the Muslim community about ANIC's legitimacy as a nation-wide representative council of imams. It investigates the extent to which participants recognize and contest ANIC's authority based on its interaction, inclusion and transparency with the wider Muslim community. The article concludes that ANIC operates with the goal of legitimizing its religious authority through its organizational structure, traditional Islamic schooling and social activism in a localized Australian context.