Australian Muslim Research Articles

‘The Whole Concept of Social Cohesion, I Thought, “This Is So Qur’anic”’: Why Australian Muslim Women Work to Counter Islamophobia

Islamophobia is on the rise in many Western countries, and while previous research has considered the causes of Islamophobia and the impact it has on its victims, little research has investigated the attitudes and experiences of Muslims who are working to counter Islamophobia, and particularly those of Muslim women. This research investigates the motivations and intentions of Australian Muslim women who run public engagement events for non-Muslims to counter Islamophobia and build social cohesion. Data were obtained via in-depth interviews with 31 Sunni, Shia, Ahmadiyya Muslim women in four Australian capital cities. The three main themes that emerged were that the women wanted to connect with the non-Muslims who attended the events, create positive social change, and increase the knowledge that non-Muslims had about Islam and Muslims. Significantly, the women said that their most important motivator was their faith, and they rejected the idea that they were doing such work to appease non-Muslims. Instead, they saw work was an affirmation of their identity as Muslim women and their commitment to God.

Navigating the Disjuncture Between Domestic and Family Violence Systems: Australian Muslim Women’s Challenges when Disclosing Violence

ABSTRACT This study uses an intersectional lens to examine disclosure among Australian Muslim women experiencing domestic and family violence (DFV). Findings reveal a disjuncture between formal DFV systems and Australian Muslim women’s realities. The disjuncture is fuelled by three key factors: reluctance to disclose violence due to discrimination and marginalisation; a disconnect between the language the women use to describe violence and the language used by formal DFV systems; and disclosures and identification of violence occurring primarily outside of formal DFV systems. The factors that lead to the disjuncture described above are shaped by all three of Crenshaw’s forms of intersectionality, demonstrating that while intersectionality can improve responses to disclosures of violence by marginalised women, it can only do so with a holistic application of the concept. One of the key implications of this is that investment is needed to increase the capacity of informal networks and non-DFV specific formal systems to identify and respond to violence in order to better respond to Australian Muslim women’s intersectional experiences. Acknowledging the factors affecting Australian Muslim women’s experiences of disclosure also yields benefits for other marginalised women.

Muslim Women’s Religious Leadership: The Case of Australian Mosques

In the history of all religions, there has been a male monopoly over religious leadership. In most Muslim societies in particular, men have enjoyed indisputable authority over religious leadership roles in the spaces of worship and communal gatherings. However, in recent decades, some Muslim women have contested this ownership and have taken up space in mosques and other religious spaces to teach and lead prayer for other women or for both genders. Yet, women’s religious leadership roles in contemporary mosques in both Muslim and Western countries are contested. Research on this topic in the Australian context is limited to very few studies. In this article, I will review the historic debate around female religious authority—particularly women’s leadership roles in the mosque. The relationship between Islam, gender and religious authority, as well as the initiation of female Imams, will also be explored. Online written interviews were conducted with twenty Muslim women drawn from three Australian Muslim online Facebook groups to determine how these women perceive female religious authority and, in particular, how they view female Imams leading prayer in the mosque. Building on the participants’ narratives, the paper investigates the didactic potential and challenges that Australian Muslim women may have with regard to greater inclusion in religious authority and decision-making positions.

The Burqa Ban, Islamophobia, and the Effects of Racial “Othering” in Australian Political Discourses

Racism and “othering” of ethnicities is an enduring feature of Western politics. In Australia, Senator Pauline Hanson is well known for radical conservative political opinions, some of which are regarded by her critics as racist. One of her most notorious anti‐Muslim campaigns came in the form of her support for a burqa ban, with engagement in constant media commentary and a publicity stunt in 2017 in which she wore a burqa into the Federal Senate Chamber. This article analyses the public discourse surrounding Hanson's call for a burqa ban, focusing on Twitter as an online media forum for the sharing and dissemination of political beliefs. In analysing Twitter posts and responses linked to Hanson's Twitter handle referring to #burqaban and related terms between 1 January 2016 and 31 December 2018, clear themes depicting orientalism, dualism, and Islamophobia emerge. I argue that the propagation of these political discourses perpetuates a perception of the burqa as epitomising fear of dangerous and harmful mischaracterisations of Australian Muslims. The normalisation and continued utilisation of orientalist, dualist, and Islamophobic themes in political and public discourse, linked with the political profile and positional authority of Pauline Hanson, legitimises calls for impositions on Muslims' religious freedoms, manifesting in debates such as the “burqa ban”.

Education and Islamist Jihadism: A Survey of Muslim Australians

This article presents findings from a national survey of 1034 Muslim Australians, examining the relationship between educational qualifications and Islamist-jihadist interpretations of Islam. A minority of respondents identified with indicators of Islamism, while a smaller sub-group identified with those associated with jihadism. Respondents educated in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields were more likely than their HSS (humanities and social science) counterparts to accept ideas associated with Islamism and to a much lesser extent jihadism. Ideas associated with jihadism were more likely among respondents without a tertiary qualification than among those educated in either HSS or STEM fields.

Assertive Acts in Premier’s Reading Challenge: Portraying an Australian Muslim Writer’s Concerns of the World

An interview is a discourse between the interviewer and the interviewee with the goal of exchanging information. Seen from the perspective of speech act’s theory, one of the functions of an interview is to deliver information from the speaker to the hearer where assertive acts are prominent. However, research on assertive acts to date has devoted little attention to the Islamic discourse. Therefore, this present study discusses assertive acts uttered by the guest speaker talking about her work and experiences as a Muslim living in Australia. This current study collected the data from the transcription of a New South Wales Premier’s Reading Challenge interview with Randa Abdel-Fattah episode. This study applied the descriptive qualitative approach using content analysis in approaching data. In analyzing the data, the researchers were indebted to Searle and Kreidlr, especially on their classifications of assertive acts. The results show seven types of assertive acts noticeable in Randa Abdel-Fattah’s responses to the interview with telling as the most often evident act.

Studying while Muslim: anti-discrimination law, countering violent extremism, and suspect youth

ABSTRACT As part of the global War on Terror, governments, including in Australia, have increasingly encouraged teachers to spot students ‘at risk’ of radicalisation, thereby turning schools into sites of surveillance. Despite their important intended goal, these programs have been criticised for leading to over-reporting, misinterpretation, and the stigmatisation of Muslim students who have been disproportionately affected by such surveillance practices. In a climate of Islamophobic suspicion that constructs Muslims as ‘potential terrorists’, such outcomes are not surprising, leaving young Muslims vulnerable to discrimination and stereotyping. This article provides a critical reading of Complainant 201822 v Australian Capital Territory (Represented by the Education Directorate) concerning a young Muslim student who was wrongly reported by his school to public authorities due to his supposedly suspicious behaviour. Using the decision as a case study, the article discusses how young Australian Muslims have been caught in a vicious cycle in which anti-terror laws, policing, and surveillance foster their stereotyping as ‘potential terrorists’. At the same time, the decision illustrates how the law offers little protection against the significant harms caused by this manifestation of systemic Islamophobia.

Swamped By Muslims: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Pauline Hanson’s Maiden Speech 2016

This article explores the recent upsurge of using prejudicial discourses in political communication. Following in the footprints of US president Donald Trump many right-wing populist politicians around the world used the strategies of fear to coerce policy making. This article examines the implicit and explicit discursive strategies that were used by Australian Senator Pauline Hanson in order to persuade policymakers to stop immigration and ban the woman's headscarf. The study involves a critical discourse analysis of the maiden speech delivered by Pauline Hanson in Parliament in 2016. The article focuses on the methodologies of Van Dijk's Ideological Square and Ruth Wodak's discourse –historical approach to inspect the linguistic devices used. The findings of the study show that Pauline Hanson used certain lexical choices to represent Australian Muslims as the 'Other' and politicized the issue to achieve her long-lasting wish of banning the immigrants.

Religious homophily and friendship: socialisation between Muslim minority and Anglo majority youth in Australia

ABSTRACT In this paper, we provide an analysis of the main dynamics behind the patterns of friendship between Muslim youth and the Anglo-Australian majority in Australia, from the perspectives of young Muslim Australians. In particular, we focus on the extent to which race and religiosity play a role in shaping these friendship patterns. We use qualitative data obtained from 64 face-to-face, semi-structured interviews with young Muslims between the ages of 18 and 24. Building upon the existing notions of religious homophily, we show that our respondents separate public acquaintances from close friendships and confine their acquaintances with the Anglo-Australians to the public sphere. Young Muslim Australians perceive the drinking culture of Anglo-Australians as a major barrier to socialisation in private spaces.

Sejarah dan Perkembangan Pesantren Modern Ummul Quro Al-Islami Bogor


 This article aims to discuss the history and development of the modern Islamic boarding school Ummul Quro Al-Islami Bogor including: history, founder profile, goals, vision and mission. By using a descriptive qualitative method. Based on the results of research on integrated curriculum management at the Modern Islamic Boarding School Ummul Quro Al-Islami, it can be concluded as follows: (1) The history of the modern Islamic boarding school Ummul Quro Al-Islami Bogor was founded by KH. Helmi Abdul Mubin, Lc with a capital of 250 thousand rupiah, was motivated by the arrival of a delegation from Australia to the Islamic boarding school where he taught to find an ustadz who was good at English to teach religion in the Australian Muslim community (2) KH. Helmi Abdul Mubin, Lc as the founder of the modern Islamic boarding school Ummul Quro Al-Islami Bogor is a Madurese son born on March 23, 1956, the first of four children of the late Abdul Mubin and Musyaroh, who spent his childhood in Prenduan Madura, after graduating from Pragaan Elementary School in Sumenep last continued his education at the modern Gontor boarding school in Ponorogo, East Java. (3) The purpose of establishing the modern Islamic boarding school Ummul Quro Al-Islami Bogor is to participate in building a just and prosperous society and republic of Indonesia and receive the pleasure of Allah SWT, forming a generation of Muslims who excel in academic and non-academic achievements as a provision to continue to higher education. and or live independently, produce a generation of Muslims who are polite in speech and behavior, create a generation of Islam with a social spirit (serving the community) and grow a generation of Muslims who are diligent in carrying out mandatory and sunnah worship based on the understanding of ahlussunnah wal jama'ah. The vision of the modern Islamic boarding school Ummul Quro Al-Islami Bogor is the realization of a generation of Muslims who excel in achievement, have noble character, do good deeds and diligently worship according to the teachings of Islam Ahl as-Sunnah wa al-jama'ah, as for the mission of the modern Islamic boarding school Ummul Quro Al-Islami Bogor namely providing quality education in achieving academic and non-academic achievements, preparing cadres of ulama and community leaders who are mutafaqqih fi ad-diin with the understanding of Ahl as-Sunnah wa al-jama'ah, preparing competent Islamic generations (science, skills, social behavior, sincere faith) to take part in the international world and educate generations of Islam who are obedient to Allah and His Messenger and have a sense of responsibility towards themselves, their family, society and country.
 Keyword: History, Development and Modern Islamic Boarding School

The Drawing-Up of Laws on Research Involving Human Embryos in Australia: Lack of an Islamic Voice

Biotechnology Law ReportVol. 41, No. 1 Original ArticlesThe Drawing-Up of Laws on Research Involving Human Embryos in Australia: Lack of an Islamic VoiceBy Maryam Hashimi and Patrick FoongBy Maryam HashimiMaryam Hashimi is a tutor and research assistant at Western Sydney University. Her research focuses on the law's relationship with minority religious groups in the Australian legal context. Maryam is a law graduate, and is also completing a Master of Laws (LLM) at the University of Western Sydney. She is also a research associate at the Australian Muslim Advocacy Network (AMAN).Search for more papers by this author and Patrick FoongE-mail Address: P.Foong@westernsydney.edu.auDr. Patrick Foong is a Senior Law Lecturer at Western Sydney University School of Law in Penrith, New South Wales, Australia.Search for more papers by this authorPublished Online:11 Feb 2022https://doi.org/10.1089/blr.2021.29258.pfAboutSectionsView articleView Full TextPDF/EPUB Permissions & CitationsPermissionsDownload CitationsTrack CitationsAdd to favorites Back To Publication ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmail View articleFiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 41Issue 1Feb 2022 InformationCopyright 2022, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishersTo cite this article:By Maryam Hashimi and Patrick Foong.The Drawing-Up of Laws on Research Involving Human Embryos in Australia: Lack of an Islamic Voice.Biotechnology Law Report.Feb 2022.30-38.http://doi.org/10.1089/blr.2021.29258.pfPublished in Volume: 41 Issue 1: February 11, 2022Online Ahead of Print:January 31, 2022Keywordsstem cell researchIslamlaw reviewsPDF download

Islamic Religious Authority in Cyberspace: A Qualitative Study of Muslim Religious Actors in Australia

The arrival of new technologies has always presented new challenges and opportunities to religious communities anchored in scriptural and oral traditions. In the modern period, the volume, speed and accessibility of digital technologies has significantly altered the way knowledge is communicated and consumed. This is particularly true for the way religious authority is constructed online. Using in-depth fieldwork interviews and survey findings of Australian Muslims, this article examines the way religious actors, including imams/sheikhs, educators and academics in the field of Islamic studies, perceive and use online platforms to convey their religious knowledge. The findings suggest Muslims value the benefits of accessing knowledge, communicating ideas and facilitating religious pluralism via digital platforms. By the same token, participants warned against the dangers of information anarchy, “Sheikh Google” and the limitations of “do it yourself Islam”. Importantly, the article shows imams, educators and Muslim scholars largely prioritise face-to-face learning as a more reliable and effective method of teaching and establishing rapport among Muslims compared to eclectic internet-based information dissemination. At the same time, religious actors are not averse to Muslims using digital platforms so long as they possess the skills to cross-examine online content and verify the credentials of religious actors. For more complex and circumstantial issues, participants encouraged Muslims to consult a local imam or trusted religious scholar from the community.

Sejarah dan Perkembangan Pesantren Modern Ummul Quro Al-Islami Bogor

This article aims to discuss the history and development of the modern Islamic boarding school Ummul Quro Al-Islami Bogor including: history, founder profile, goals, vision and mission. By using a descriptive qualitative method. Based on the results of research on integrated curriculum management at the Modern Islamic Boarding School Ummul Quro Al-Islami, it can be concluded as follows: (1) The history of the modern Islamic boarding school Ummul Quro Al-Islami Bogor was founded by KH. Helmi Abdul Mubin, Lc with a capital of 250 thousand rupiah, was motivated by the arrival of a delegation from Australia to the Islamic boarding school where he taught to find an ustadz who was good at English to teach religion in the Australian Muslim community (2) KH. Helmi Abdul Mubin, Lc as the founder of the modern Islamic boarding school Ummul Quro Al-Islami Bogor is a Madurese son born on March 23, 1956, the first of four children of the late Abdul Mubin and Musyaroh, who spent his childhood in Prenduan Madura, after graduating from Pragaan Elementary School in Sumenep last continued his education at the modern Gontor boarding school in Ponorogo, East Java. (3) The purpose of establishing the modern Islamic boarding school Ummul Quro Al-Islami Bogor is to participate in building a just and prosperous society and republic of Indonesia and receive the pleasure of Allah SWT, forming a generation of Muslims who excel in academic and non-academic achievements as a provision to continue to higher education. and or live independently, produce a generation of Muslims who are polite in speech and behavior, create a generation of Islam with a social spirit (serving the community) and grow a generation of Muslims who are diligent in carrying out mandatory and sunnah worship based on the understanding of ahlussunnah wal jama'ah. The vision of the modern Islamic boarding school Ummul Quro Al-Islami Bogor is the realization of a generation of Muslims who excel in achievement, have noble character, do good deeds and diligently worship according to the teachings of Islam Ahl as-Sunnah wa al-jama'ah, as for the mission of the modern Islamic boarding school Ummul Quro Al-Islami Bogor namely providing quality education in achieving academic and non-academic achievements, preparing cadres of ulama and community leaders who are mutafaqqih fi ad-diin with the understanding of Ahl as-Sunnah wa al-jama'ah, preparing competent Islamic generations (science, skills, social behavior, sincere faith) to take part in the international world and educate generations of Islam who are obedient to Allah and His Messenger and have a sense of responsibility towards themselves, their family, society and country.
 Keyword: History, Development and Modern Islamic Boarding School

Qualitative exploration of Australian Muslim patients’ perceptions and experiences surrounding medication management during Ramadan.

Objective To explore Australian Muslim patients' perceptions and experiences surrounding medication management practices during Ramadan. Methods This was a qualitative exploration of the views and experiences of Muslim patients who were hospitalised during or shortly prior to Ramadan 2021. Data comprised comments obtained from a cross-sectional telephone or face-to-face questionnaire about medications and Ramadan fasting at a tertiary-referral hospital in Melbourne, Australia. A purposeful criterion sampling approach was employed for participant recruitment. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Data were coded inductively and subthemes and themes were developed via an iterative process. Results Comments were provided by 88 patients born in a wide range of countries and with a variety of medical and surgical co-morbidities. Themes identified included interpretation of Ramadan fasting, altering medications to facilitate fasting, perceptions about healthcare professionals and health knowledge. Many patients altered their medications to facilitate Ramadan fasting and there was considerable variability in interpretation of what breaks the fast. Patients' perceptions and previous experiences with healthcare professionals determined whether they sought advice about managing their medications during Ramadan or dismissed advice and/or self-managed their medications, sometimes inappropriately. Conclusions This exploration of Australian Muslim patients found diverse views and experiences around medication practices during Ramadan - past relationships with healthcare professionals influenced this practice. As there are ramifications for physical, spiritual and family wellbeing, it is imperative that healthcare professionals partner with their Muslim patients to optimise their medication management and health outcomes for Ramadan.

Muslim typologies in Australia: Findings of a national survey

Numerous researchers in the field of Islamic and Muslim Studies have proposed various typologies to categorize Muslims in relation to their understanding of and identification with Islam. However, to date few studies have conducted the necessary empirical work to determine the numbers of Muslims that identify with the typologies that have been constructed. This article is the first to present findings based on a comprehensive study of Muslims in relation to a spectrum of discursive typologies. The authors conducted a national survey of Islam in Australia among Muslim citizens and permanent residents in 2019. This article examines Muslim Australians across a spectrum of 10 typologies in relation to various demographic factors, questions concerning shariah and political Islam, sources of influence, preferences for interpreting the Qur’an, views on various ethical, social, and theological issues, engagement with non-Muslims, and openness to new knowledge about Islam. Contrary to stereotypical views of Islam and Muslims, the article’s findings point to a strong presence for liberal and progressive typologies and interpretations of the Islamic tradition among Muslim Australians.

Fields of Educational Interest and an Islamist Orientation in Australia

ABSTRACT This article contributes to our understanding of Islamist extremism by examining the relationship between early educational interests and ideas associated with Islamist-jihadist ideology. The article uses data collected through the Islam in Australia survey and specifically compares STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) with HSS (humanities and social science) fields of educational interest in relation to respondents’ identification with political Islamist and militant typologies, identification with Islam as a political system, understandings of jihad and views on the caliphate as an Islamic religious obligation. The article found Muslim Australians who expressed an interest in STEM fields at high school were more likely than those interested in HSS to: 1) identify with the political Islamist and militant typology; 2) believe Islam advocates a political system; 3) believe establishing a caliphate is a religious obligation; and 4) define jihad as defensive and offensive rather than as defensive only. As discussed in the article, these findings support those of other research), which have identified an overrepresentation of STEM and an underrepresentation of HSS among Islamist-jihadists. This article adds weight to the assertion that the mindset of Islamist-jihadists, may be present prior to undertaking tertiary education and may predispose some to support extremist ideologies. This paper finds that an Islamist-jihadist ideological orientation has a relationship with the STEM fields broadly and Islamic studies specifically during adolescence.

Frames of Meaning: The Assertive and Apologetic Logic of Action Informing Anti-Islamophobia Responses by Australian Muslim Community Organisations

ABSTRACT The scholarship is growing to capture the diversified anti-Islamophobia responses by individuals or Muslim organisations. Limited attention, however, is directed at examining the extent to which Islamophobia discourses infiltrate and shape Muslim Community Organisations’ (MCOs) anti-Islamophobia responses. I deploy Stones’ Strong Structuration Theory SST to examine Australian MCOs’ perceptions and responses to capture the extent to which Islamophobia discourses infiltrate their anti-Islamophobia strategies. I examine MCOs’ interpretations of their religious and political positions within the broader context of Islamophobia discourses. My findings reveal that two ostensibly contrasting frames of meaning inform MCOs' responses: assertive and apologetic. I argue, however, that these frames of meanings are nuanced and fluid due to their emergence within the broader structure of Islamophobia discourses. I conclude, therefore, that MCOs anti-Islamophobia strategies and actions emerge within and because of Islamophobia as pragmatic conscious and unconscious reactions, however, with transforming ideals.

Learning language and gaining employment: problems for refugee migrants in Australia

PurposeMuslim refugee migrants are a growing ethno-religious disadvantaged minority group in several Western societies, and host-country language proficiency and employment are essential factors in reducing this disadvantage. This paper thus explores the efficacy of English training programs in facilitating the settlement and employment of a group of male Muslim refugees in Australia.Design/methodology/approachThis study is qualitative in nature, with data collected using semi-structured, in-depth interviews with the eight participants in the study. Analysis was conducted using Bourdieu's concepts of field, capital and habitus.FindingsEnglish training programs offered to Australian Muslim men are problematic in their aim of linking them to employment. Areas of concern are identified in respect to the training hours offered, their learning environment, their content and pedagogy, their lack of focus on employment and their failure to recognise the existing work skills of the migrants.Research limitations/implicationsThe study is conducted with a small sample of male Muslim migrants: while the findings may be similar for other refugee groups, further research is necessary to confirm this.Practical implicationsThere is a need to restructure the current English training programs offered to refugee migrants in Australia, Muslim or otherwise. This study identifies several areas where such restructuring might occur, both at the policy and pedagogical levels.Originality/valueFew studies focus on Australian male Muslim migrants. This study enhances understanding of this under-researched group and their struggles to learn English, find employment and rise above their disadvantaged societal position.

PERANAN AMWCHR DALAM UPAYA PENURUNAN ANGKA PERNIKAHAN ANAK DAN PAKSA DALAM KOMUNITAS MUSLIM DI AUSTRALIA

Abstract: The whole world has recognized that child marriage and forced marriage (CFM) are acts that are contrary to human rights and are considered to be gender-based violence. The Australian Government since 2013 through its constitution has criminalized acts of child and forced marriage so that the perpetrators can be subject to criminal penalties. However, this policy did not effectively reduce the effect on CFM cases in Australia. It is proven that from 2017 to 2019 there was an increase in the number of victims of forced marriage and children who were categorized as victims of human trafficking in Australia. The criminal law in the CFM case is considered ineffective because the protective impact is not sustainable. The high rate of forced marriage among Muslim women in Australia is driven by high gender inequality, migration and harmful traditional cultural practices. The Australian Muslim Women's Center for Human Rights (AMWCHR) is a Muslim women's organization that seeks to advance the rights and status of Muslim women in Australia. AMWCHR has multicultural and hybridity characteristics that are not tied to any Islamic sect. This article aims to analyze the role of the AMWCHR in efforts to reduce the rate of child, early and forced marriage for Muslim women, especially in the Australian region with sustainable protection and prevention programs, based on gender equality and the principle of multi-culturalism. Keywords: Australian Government, AMWCHR, Child Early and Forced Marriage, Australian Muslim.

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

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.