Muslim Australians - Religion Cultural Diversity Resource Manual

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ISLAMIC BANKING In the time of the Prophet, the Arabs used to engage in a practice called riba, which involved lending a person some goods or money. If they could not repay the loan after a certain amount of time, then they would end up having to repay much more, sometimes double the amount or over. The Qur’an prohibited the practice of riba saying: ‘O ye who believe! Devour not riba (usury), doubled and multiplied; but fear God; that ye may [really] prosper’ (3:130). Because of the prohibition of riba, many Muslims view Western banking practices involving interest as being riba-based and therefore forbidden to Muslims. However, some Muslims argue that interest and riba are two different things and that riba was prohibited because it was unjust. As such, in their view, if interest is not unjust it does not need to be prohibited. Rather than taking and paying interest, Islamic banks offer a partnership arrangement so that customers share in profits made For those Muslims who do not wish to take or pay interest, an alternative, Islamic banking, has been set up in many places around the world, including in Australia, which is home to the Muslim Community Co-operative Australia (MCCA). 32 The principles of Islamic banking are as follows: 33 » Only ethical investments must be made. Islamic banks will not invest in companies that trade in products such as pork, alcohol, gambling, and pornography. » Rather than taking and paying interest, Islamic banks offer a partnership arrangement so that customers share in profits made, but also take a share of the risk if there is no profit or an investment fails. This is a bit like having shares in a company. » Customers can arrange with the bank to receive finance for buying major things like cars and houses. Both the customer and bank agree to a fixed amount which will be paid over time including a known amount of profit for the bank. » The bank and its partners have a responsibility to contribute to social development through Islamic investments and the paying of zakat. » The bank usually has a supervisory person or board to ensure that the bank is acting in accordance with Islamic principles and ethics. 32 See http://www.mcca.com.au/ 33 See http://www.islamicbankingonline.com/ovrv3.htm 58 Muslim Australians:THEIR BELIEFS, PRACTICES AND INSTITUTIONS
ISLAM AND VIOLENCE Many people in the West believe that Islam is a religion that teaches violence against non-Muslims and that, compared to people of other faiths, Muslims are more likely to be violent and intolerant. This belief is largely based on negative images that existed in medieval Christian Europe about Islam and Muslims; for example, Muslims were falsely thought to be barbaric, violent and fanatical, an image that has continued to the twenty-first century. A European convert to Islam on images of Islam in the West And was it any wonder then, I asked myself, that, fortified by such tangible evidences of Muslim decay, so many erroneous views about Islam itself were prevalent throughout the West? These popular, Western views could be summarized thus: The downfall of the Muslims is mainly due to Islam which, far from being a religious ideology comparable to Christianity or Judaism, is a rather unholy mixture of desert fanaticism, gross sensuality, superstition and dumb fatalism that prevents its adherents from participating in mankind’s advance toward higher social forms; instead of liberating the human spirit from the shackles of obscurantism, Islam rather tightens them; and, consequently, the sooner the Muslim peoples are freed from their subservience to Islamic beliefs and social practices and induced to adopt the Western way of life, the better for them and for the rest of the world. My own observations had by now convinced me that the mind of the average Westerner held an utterly distorted image of Islam. What I saw in the pages of the Qur’an was not a ‘crudely materialistic’ world-view but, on the contrary, an intense Godconsciousness that expressed itself in a rational acceptance of all God-created nature: a harmonious side-by-side of intellect and sensual urge, spiritual need and social demand. It was obvious to me that the decline of the Muslims was not due to any shortcomings in Islam but rather to their own failure to live up to it. 34 33 Muhammad Asad. The Road to Mecca. Gibraltar: Dar al-Andalus, p. 190. Muslim Australians:THEIR BELIEFS, PRACTICES AND INSTITUTIONS 59
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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 and 44: SACRED PLACES Mecca The most sacred
Page 45 and 46: SACRED TEXTS The Qur’an The Qur
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: Al Zahra College Al Zahra College i
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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