Islam has had a long history in Australia. Some scholars suggest that Australia’s contact with Islam dates back to the 1600s or even earlier, particularly in relation to the interactions between Indigenous Australian communities in the north and people from what is now Indonesia, such as the Macassan fishermen. However, a significant presence of Islam in Australia only began with the arrival of Afghan cameleers from the Indian subcontinent. For close to 40 years, from the 1860s to the 1890s, these cameleers dominated the camel transport industry, playing an important role in the Australian economy by transporting goods. With the establishment of the Commonwealth of Australia following Federation in 1901, immigration from non-white backgrounds was severely curtailed. Despite this restriction, several waves of Muslim migrants arrived in Australia: Albanians in the 1920s and 1930s, Turks in the 1960s, and Lebanese in the 1970s. Many of them lacked high-level skills or English proficiency and worked primarily in farms, construction, or factories. From the 1980s, there was a significant increase in skilled migrants from more varied ethnic backgrounds.
Despite the increasing number of Muslims living in Australia throughout the 20th century, research on Islam and Muslims in the country was relatively scarce until the 1990s. While Islam was present in Australia, it did not draw much attention either within the broader Australian community or among the research community during most of the 20th century. Islam and Muslims remained at best a curiosity or were treated with benign neglect. However, key global and local events helped shed light on Islam and Muslims, albeit negatively, particularly in the media. The Iranian Revolution of 1979, the Salman Rushdie affair in the 1980s, the 1990 Gulf War, and the rise of al-Qaeda, including the various bombings that took place in Western countries in the 1990s, began to draw unwanted attention to Islam and Muslims in Australia. These events were frequently perceived through the prism of violence, portraying Islam as a foreign religion that is incompatible with the values Australians hold dear. Journalists helped to perpetuate an association of Islam with violence. Local media coverage drew attention to Muslims through reports of ‘Middle Eastern gangs’ in places like Sydney and Melbourne, female genital mutilation, and Sydney gang rapes. These reports often conflated Muslims with Arabs, and tied Islam to violence, backwardness, barbarism, and anti-Western values.
Until the 1990s, the relatively few studies of Islam and Muslims were mainly sociological, focusing on issues such as migration, integration, and the socioeconomic disadvantages faced by large sections of the Muslim community. A few studies explored the history of Muslim presence in the country and their religious practices. This research was led by a small number of academics, some of whom are profiled in this volume, such as Riaz Hassan and Gary Bouma. They pursued their research interests often without much government attention or support. Similarly, the media were generally uninterested in Islam, except when covering major global events that might have an impact on or connection to Australia, or when sensationalising certain issues perceived to be Islamic or Muslim-related.
The events of 9/11 dramatically shifted this marginal position of research, creating a major turning point in the research of Islam and Muslims in Australia. Suddenly, Muslims became the subject of intense scrutiny, particularly in the media and by the government, and Islam was no longer a curiosity but rather a significant problem and a serious threat – a fear that came to be echoed in the broader Australian community. The number of terrorism-related laws that the Parliament of the Commonwealth has passed since the 2000s, now at 93, is just one indication of the government’s heightened concern with the perceived ‘Muslim threat’. Aiming to prevent terrorist attacks on Australian soil, politicians and security agencies were desperate to understand what they considered to be Muslims’ propensity for violent extremism. This situation resulted in a surge of interest in Islam, not only from the government and law enforcement agencies but also from academia. The securitisation of Islam became central to this interest, as the government funded numerous research projects on radicalisation, violent extremism, and counter-terrorism strategies. There was also a new urgency to understand the contemporary context of Australian Muslim communities and the forces that could push or pull young Muslims towards radicalisation. Researchers began focusing on how extremist ideologies could influence young Muslim minds, and examining the political dimensions of Islam in relation to values such as secularism and individual human rights. During this post-9/11 context there was a boom in terrorism-related research in Australia for about a decade and a half: a development that mirrored a trend in the rest of the Western world which has been dubbed the ‘terrorism research industry’.
This terrorism research industry that emerged after 9/11 was often criticised for its one-sided focus on violence. However, in my view it had a positive impact, too, on the broader Muslim community – albeit indirectly. The massive interest in Islam and Muslims from a terrorism research perspective also led to a broader familiarisation with Islam and Muslims within the Australian community. Such familiarisation was supported by various initiatives, including Islamic cultural awareness programs for journalists and security and police agencies; an increasing number of university courses on Islam and Muslims to meet rising interest among students; community-focused events aimed at making the Muslim community feel they belong; interfaith gatherings and events designed to promote an understanding of Islam; and the increasing efforts of emerging young Muslim leaders to ‘normalise’ Islam in Australian society. Today, for example, a wide range of Islamic terms have become part of the average Australian’s vocabulary. Terms such as Ramadan, halal, jihad, Shariʾa, fatwa, imam, and iftar are now very familiar across Australian communities, such that they do not require any translation. Consequently, Islam is no longer necessarily seen as a ‘foreign’ religion but as part of the Australian social and religious landscape, one of the many religions now indigenous to Australia. This development indicates a kind of normalisation of Islam, where Muslims are now regarded as part of the broader Australian society.
Part of this normalisation can be attributed to the involvement of many young Muslims from various backgrounds in the research space. Research on Islam and Muslims in the early years was driven largely by researchers who were not necessarily Muslim. However, in the post-9/11 context, an increasing number of second- and third-generation Muslims, who were born and raised in Australia and consider Australia their home, also began to play key roles in this research, either through their research higher degree work or as commentators, researchers, and journalists. Against the background of Islam being vilified and Muslims being perceived as sympathisers of violent extremism, these new generations of Muslims asserted their Muslim identity and worked to counter the portrayal of Islam as a foreign religion and of Muslims as outsiders. Owing to their strong sense of pride as Muslims and their integral role in the Australian community, as well as the numerous role models in different sectors of the community – including Bachar Houli in sports, Ahmed Fahour in business, Ed Husic and Anne Aly in politics, and Waleed Aly in media – many university-educated second- and third-generation Muslims have also become part of the research community. They are contributing actively to further mainstreaming research on Islam and Muslims, broadening the focus beyond terrorism and violent extremism and playing a crucial role in ‘normalising’ Islam and Muslims within Australian society.
This shift in research from the narrow, security-focused approach to one that seeks a broader understanding of Islam and Muslim communities is now evident across the research community. This change is reflected in the diverse backgrounds of the contributors to this book, many of whom are Muslim. Research now explores the everyday lives of Muslims in Australia, including identity formation as a religious minority, changing religious norms and adaptation, socioeconomic disadvantages, discrimination, Islamophobia, and social cohesion. Other themes of interest include the history of Islam and Muslims in Australia, media representation, gender roles, economic contributions, interreligious relations, and the impact of global events on Australian perceptions of Islam. There is also significant interest in the contributions of Muslim Australians to the cultural, economic, and social fabric of the country. The challenges that Muslim communities face, such as domestic violence – a topic many Muslims previously avoided speaking about publicly – are also being tackled by these new generations of Muslims in a confident and self-critical fashion.
Today, research on Islam and Muslims in Australia is richer and more diverse than in the past. It has moved beyond its previous focus on securitisation towards recognising the positive contributions of Muslims and the struggles and challenges they experience living as faith communities in a secular, post-Christian society. This research is being undertaken in universities and other research institutions with funding support, and it increasingly draws upon the insights and research contributions of Muslims themselves, including academics, students, journalists, commentators, intellectuals, and religious leaders.
This book is an excellent showcase of the wide variety of research on Islam and Muslims. It captures the current state of research on Islam and Muslims in contemporary Australia, far removed from the humble beginnings before the 1990s, and brings together contributions from both established and emerging scholars. The chapters highlight the various perspectives of Australians on Islam, including historical, legal, and sociological, and draws upon the lived experiences of Muslim Australians. The content reflects the dynamic, evolving, and multidisciplinary nature of this research, underscoring how the field has progressed from viewing Islam as a marginal issue to treating it as very much a part of the mainstream research agenda. Moreover, the diversity of this field brings a sense of optimism to its progression in the future and is a sign of vitality in this area of research. This well-presented and scholarly book is a must-read for anyone interested in Islam and Muslims in Australia.
Abdullah Saeed
Sultan of Oman Professor of Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Melbourne