Muslim Australians - Religion Cultural Diversity Resource Manual

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The Prophet Muhammad on protection of ‘people of the Book’ under Islamic rule in the 7th century CE “Whenever monks, devotees and pilgrims gather together, whether in a mountain or valley, or den, or frequented place, or plain, or church, or in houses of worship, verily we are back of them and shall protect them, and their properties and their morals, by myself, by my friends and by my assistants, for they are of my subjects and under my protection. No one is allowed to plunder their pilgrims, or destroy or spoil any of their churches, or houses of worship, or take any of the things contained within these houses and bring it to the houses of Islam. And he who takes away anything therefrom, will be one who has corrupted the oath of God, and, in truth, disobeyed His messenger. They must not be forced to carry arms or stones; but the [Muslims] must protect them and defend them against others. It is positively incumbent upon every one of the Islam[ic] nation not to contradict or disobey this oath [sic] until the Day of Resurrection and the end of the world.” 37 There are many examples from the past that demonstrate how Muslims treated non-Muslims under Muslim rule. In great empires of the Islamic world, religious communities had the freedom to practise their religions, and to establish places of worship and educational institutions. Religious minorities were also governed by their own laws, not by Islamic law. This does not mean that in the history of Islam, there were no problems at all for non-Muslims under Muslim rule at certain points in time. In the modern period, mainstream Muslims do not divide the world into the ‘world of Islam’ and ‘world of non-Islam’. In Muslim majority countries, they do not think of non-Muslims there as second-class citizens. Today for most Muslims, what matters is citizenship in a nation-state which gives equal rights to all citizens regardless of their religion, who are equal before the law. Muslims and non-Muslims are equal members of these societies. The debates among Muslims in the pre-modern period on ‘limited rights of non-Muslims’ under an Islamic state are considered outdated and have been taken over by the emphasis on equality of all citizens. Muslims and Interfaith dialogue in Australia Many Muslims feel it is very important to establish good relations with members of the wider Australian community. Because of this, Muslims sit on interfaith bodies such as the Women’s Interfaith Network and the Council for Chaplains in Tertiary Institutions. Muslims also participate in various interfaith forums such as the Multifaith Conference on Reconciliation and Justice and meeting with members of Catholics Involved in Interfaith Dialogue. Muslim representatives of Islamic state councils often visit schools and churches to give talks on Islam and to help build bridges with the wider community. 37 “The Oath of Prophet Mohammed to the Followers of Nazarene”, trans. Anton F. Haddad, New York: Board of Counsel, 1902. 64 Muslim Australians:THEIR BELIEFS, PRACTICES AND INSTITUTIONS
Cross Cultural Coffee After the tragedy of the September 11 bombings, Jennifer decided to approach a local mosque to visit and meet with Muslim women. She had heard that Muslims were experiencing a backlash of prejudice because of the activities of the terrorists. Before her visit, she did not know any Muslims but she felt that it was important to try and contribute something positive in building a bridge for friendship between Muslims and non-Muslims. After meeting with some Muslim women, they decided to organise a gettogether which they called ‘Cross-Cultural Coffee’. The Muslim women and Jennifer invited lots of friends to meet together and introduce each other. There people could ask questions, and discuss things they wanted to share. Today the Cross-Cultural Coffee group meet once every two months and they continue to share and build friendships with each other. They have also decided to volunteer time doing activities that will help the local community, such as organising for children to become pen-friends, and to plant trees to help the environment. 38 In great empires of the Islamic world, religious communities had the freedom to practise their religions, and to establish places of worship and educational institutions. Religious minorities were also governed by their own laws, not by Islamic law. 38 “For further details, see “Conversation over cross-cultural coffee”. The Age, March 18 2003 http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/03/17/1047749718632.html Muslim Australians:THEIR BELIEFS, PRACTICES AND INSTITUTIONS 65
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Australians Muslim THEIR BELIEFS, P
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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 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: Jesus and Muslims For Muslims, Jesu
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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Muslim Australians - Religion Cultural Diversity Resource Manual

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