Muslim Australians - Religion Cultural Diversity Resource Manual

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The Mosque (masjid) One of the most important everyday places for Muslims is the mosque, where they perform their daily prayers as well as other important prayers such as the Friday and Eid prayers. A mosque can be anything, from a place to pray, to a simple building, to a large, highly decorated structure with a dome and a tall minaret. Although the notion of a mosque as a separate building has taken deep root in Muslim communities, it does not have to be a building. In fact, any clean place may be used as a mosque, including a park or the desert. Other sacred places There are places considered sacred by some Muslims but not others. For example, Karbala, in Iraq, is one of the holiest places for Shià Muslims. It is the place where the third Shià Imam, the Prophet’s grandson, Husayn, was killed. Shià Muslims from around the world visit Karbala to commemorate the death of Husayn. Throughout the Muslim world there are tombs and shrines of mystics and other prominent religious personalities. Many Muslims consider such places as sacred as well. This is despite the fact that there are Muslims who consider such tombs and shrines and visits to them as un-Islamic. Images of living beings and mosques No images of living beings (people, animals) are used in mosques. Muslims believe that it is blasphemous to represent God in any form. They do not use images of the Prophet or of any other prophets such as Moses or Jesus either. Mosques are decorated only with Qur’anic verses, or with the names of God, the Prophet, and the senior companions of the Prophet in very elaborate calligraphy. Geometrical patterns are also used for decoration. Another feature of mosques is that no musical instruments are played in the worship that occurs there; the human voice is the only ‘musical decoration’ permitted. 44 Muslim Australians:THEIR BELIEFS, PRACTICES AND INSTITUTIONS
SACRED TEXTS The Qur’an The Qur’an is the holy scripture of Muslims. It is in Arabic and is a compilation of revelations sent from God to the Prophet Muhammad between 610 and 632 CE. It has one hundred and fourteen chapters (suras), of unequal length. The longest sura has two hundred and eighty-six verses while the shortest has only three verses. The Qur’an talks about many different things and issues. Each chapter may have several topics, and the same topic may appear in different parts of the Qur’an. The main subjects that are dealt with in the Qur’an are: » God’s creation of the universe. » God and His message to human beings. » Ethical and moral issues, such as the evil of injustice and the need to help the disadvantaged. » How Muslims should behave in certain circumstances. » Stories of past prophets such as Adam, Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Joseph, Moses and Jesus. » The problems and difficulties faced by the Prophet Muhammad and the first Muslim community. » Life after death, Paradise and Hell, and accountability in the life after death. Muslim beliefs about the Qur’an » The Qur’an is literally the speech of God, not the words or opinions of Prophet Muhammad or any other human being. » The Qur’an was ‘compiled’ (or put together) soon after the death of the Prophet. This has prevented the Qur’an from being ‘corrupted’ or ‘distorted’. Thus the Qur’an has remained unchanged for over fourteen hundred years. » The Qur’an remains the Qur’an only if it is in Arabic. If it is translated into any other language, it is a translation of the meanings of the Qur’an, not the Qur’an itself. Muslim Australians:THEIR BELIEFS, PRACTICES AND INSTITUTIONS 45
Page 1 and 2: Australians Muslim THEIR BELIEFS, P
Page 3 and 4: CONTENTS Introduction . . . . . . .
Page 5 and 6: Muslim Community in Australia A vie
Page 7 and 8: MUSLIMS IN AUSTRALIA Origins of Isl
Page 9 and 10: Muslim doctors, engineers, lawyers,
Page 11 and 12: Muslim population figures » Of the
Page 13 and 14: Prophet Muhammad Prophet Muhammad w
Page 15 and 16: The Golden Age During the Golden Ag
Page 17 and 18: KEY BELIEFS OF A MUSLIM The most fu
Page 19 and 20: Equality of Humankind: A Common Vie
Page 21 and 22: THE FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM Call to P
Page 23 and 24: Concept of Muslim Worship Muslims b
Page 25 and 26: 5. Pilgrimage to Mecca (hajj) At le
Page 27 and 28: In Australia, the majority of Musli
Page 29 and 30: Michael’s story Michael decided t
Page 31 and 32: Divorce Marriage in Islam is highly
Page 33 and 34: Learning about religion From early
Page 35 and 36: MUSLIM WOMEN 22 In most Muslim soci
Page 37 and 38: Between Traditionalists and Liberal
Page 39 and 40: Female circumcision Female circumci
Page 41 and 42: Inheritance One of the criticisms t
Page 43: SACRED PLACES Mecca The most sacred
Page 47 and 48: A Muslim relies on historically rel
Page 49 and 50: Some principles to help Muslims dec
Page 51 and 52: The Qur’an teaches us that life i
Page 53 and 54: MOSQUES AND RELIGIOUS LEADERS There
Page 55 and 56: COMMUNITY ORGANISATIONS Muslims hav
Page 57 and 58: Al Zahra College Al Zahra College i
Page 59 and 60: ISLAM AND VIOLENCE Many people in t
Page 61 and 62: Islam prohibits the killing of any
Page 63 and 64: Jesus and Muslims For Muslims, Jesu
Page 65 and 66: Cross Cultural Coffee After the tra
Page 67 and 68: The Qur’an is full of references
Page 69 and 70: Islam is against democratic values
Page 71 and 72: Muslims marry only Muslims This is
Page 73 and 74: ISLAM, STATE AND AUSTRALIAN CITIZEN
Page 75 and 76: APPENDIX ONE Key Mosques in Austral
Page 77 and 78: South Australia Adelaide Mosque 20
Page 79 and 80: APPENDIX THREE Key Muslim Schools 4
Page 81 and 82: Saeed, Abdullah, “Rethinking Citi
Page 83: ByFriday DLD 04

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