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Themes
covered in this section are:
Islam in Australia
Structure of the Australian Muslim Community
Lakemba Mosque in Sydney, NSW.
The history of Muslims in Australia dates back to the 17th century, well before European contact with the mainland. The Makassan traders from Indonesia had a harmonious relationship with the Indigenous people of northern Australia.
The early fleets of settlers also used Muslims, from coastal Africa and the islands and territories under the British Empire, as slaves and navigators.
There were also a number of convicts who were sent to Australia for the crime of ‘disobedience’. Most of these early Muslims inter-married with the local community and their descendants were assimilated into the society.
However, in the 1860’s a large number of "Afghan" cameleers arrived in Australia to work the camel trains which opened up the interior of the continent.
They also accompanied the great explorers and were instrumental in guiding the teams through the hot and arid terrain. They eventually settled in the areas near Alice Springs and in the Northern Territory and many inter-married with the Indigenous population.
The remains of the oldest mosque in Australia is situated near Maree in South Australia and the Great Mosque of Adelaide was built by the descendants of the cameleers.
Muslims have continued to contribute positively to this nation. The Bosnian and Kosovar Muslims participated in the Snowy Mountains Scheme in the 1960’s and in recent times, the largest and most lucrative Halal food export trade in the world is operated by Muslims here in Australia.
According to the 2001 census, there are 282,578 Muslims in Australia with 35% being born in Australia.
The character and outlook of Muslims in Australia are often generalised and stigmatised with stereotypes and many do not realise that Muslims are as diverse as the number of nationalities in the world.
Muslims in Australia come from more than 60 ethnic groupings. Anyone can be a Muslim because Islam was delivered as a mercy to all humanity.
Structure of the Australian Muslim Community
About forty years ago, the then Muslim leaders of Australia adopted an organisational structure to organise the Muslim communities in this country.
Local Muslims formed individual organisations to serve their needs - such as building mosques and providing basic religious education to their children. In 1963 these organisations united together in a federation called the Australian Federation of Islamic Societies (AFIS). In 1976, the structure was changed to reflect the needs of the growing community. Islamic societies in each State and Territory were established which formed State Islamic Councils as State umbrella bodies. The State Islamic Councils, in turn, formed the national umbrella organisation, the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils (AFIC) with its headquarters in Sydney. AFIC represents the Muslims of Australia at the national and international level.The local organisations and the State and Federal bodies, are structured in a democratic manner and registered appropriately. While the Muslims of Australia have cordial relations with Muslims overseas, the national structure of AFIC emphasises the new identity of Islam for Muslim Australians who take pride in calling Australia home.
Muslim Australians who are very much a part of Australia’s multicultural society invite Australians of all faiths to understand and appreciate the spirit of Islam.
Muslims pray to God for rain during the droughts in Australia 2003.
For further information about Muslims and Islam in Australia contact the Islamic Organisation in your state or territory.