Multiculturalism and the Integration of Multigenerational Muslim Communities in Queensland, Australia

Abstract

This article examines the impact of Muslim immigration on Muslim communities in Australia, based on the lived experiences of early Muslim Australians. Much of the literature on Muslim migration to Australia concerns Muslims as migrant communities. To date there has been a marked lack of research on the impact of Muslim immigration on Muslim communities, which have resided in Australia for multiple generations. Using descriptive phenomenology inquiry as the research approach, this study is based on 11 semi-structured, in-depth interviews with early Muslim Australians from the state of Queensland. Our study suggests that the absence of multiculturalism as official policy may have encouraged the early Muslims to practice their faith in a way that was more conducive to the Australian social and cultural context and hence they were better able to integrate in Australian society. The study identifies significant changes to have occurred following the large-scale immigration of Muslims post-1990. These changes were perceived to be both positive and negative, and include the organisation and composition of the community, understanding and practice of Islam, as well as integration and relations with the wider Australian society.