The Phenomenology of Community Activism: Muslim Civil Society Organisations in Australia

Abstract

Muslim communities are among the least well understood in Australia. This thesis examines the emerging phenomenon of Muslim civil society organisations (MCSOs). In contrast to much publicised jihadist and radical groups, MCSOs are far more representative of Muslim communities and integral to the long-term position of Islam in Australia. Using descriptive phenomenology, this study presents the experiences of Australian Muslim civil society actors and the organisations they represent. Through 30 unstructured, in-depth interviews with 15 Australian MCSOs actors, their stories are told for the first time based on their lived experience and in their own words. In particular, this thesis explores how MCSOs have responded to the challenges of the Australian socio-political context, the perceived impact of these experiences, and how Islam is manifested within the contexts of these experiences. The key themes which emerged from these interviews include: community building, social inclusion, the impact of 9/11 and the negotiation of identity. Importantly, based on these four major themes, the phenomenological analysis delineated that the universal essence of Australian MCSOs clearly revealed that Islam does not exist in Australia in isolation from the wider socio-political context. There is a constant, albeit under-recognised, process of negotiated exchange with Australian cultural norms, values, systems and institutions. Moreover, the findings also demonstrated that external events have brought Australian MCSOs full circle in their community building.