Muslim Australians - Religion Cultural Diversity Resource Manual

ISLAM, STATE AND
AUSTRALIAN CITIZENSHIP
For centuries most Muslims
lived in a state under the
control of a ruler called
‘caliph’ or a ‘sultan’. Although there
were regional centres of power,
many Muslims often came under
the ultimate authority of one person
who led the community (ummah)
particularly in the first two centuries
of Islam (7th and 8th centuries
CE). While the first four caliphs
after the Prophet Muhammad are
acknowledged to have ruled the
Muslims with wisdom and justice,
soon there arose in the Muslim world
leaders who created huge dynasties
and passed the role of the caliph on
to their descendants, who were often
despotic. In the twentieth century
the last major Muslim dynasty, the
Ottoman Empire, came to an end
and the office of caliph was dissolved
in 1924. Since that time there has
been no caliph for the worldwide
community of Muslims. Like many
other issues, Muslims have different
opinions on the idea of an Islamic
state.
A conservative view
There is a view among some Muslims
that it is important to have a caliph
who rules under the authority of
God. For them, a country with a
majority of Muslims does not mean
it is an Islamic state, even if it puts
some of the shari`a laws into effect.
These Muslims believe that there are
four conditions that must be fulfilled
before there is an Islamic state:
» Sovereignty belongs to God with
all law being derived from the
Qur’an and traditions of the
Prophet. If human beings make
up laws to run their society they
are going against the will of God.
» Authority is with Muslims, which
means that an Islamic state
cannot be ruled by anyone who
does not believe in Islam.
» There is only one caliph, who
rules the entire ummah.
» The caliph is the only one with
power to implement laws in
society. 40
A liberal view
Many Muslims believe that there is
no one right model for an Islamic
state, and that Islam can encompass
modern political principles such as
democracy, equality, and universal
human rights. According to one
famous Muslim thinker of the
twentieth century, Rashid al-
Ghannushi, a re-reading of the
Qur’an supports the idea that
Muslims could organise a society
based on the ideas of freedom of
belief (including Muslims who wish
to change their religion); equal
citizenship and taxation and the right
of non-Muslims to hold public office
(except for the religious positions of
imam). 41
Muslims and Australian
Citizenship
Although many Muslims still have
fond memories of the lands of their
birth and may feel ties of loyalty to
those countries, mainstream Muslims
(particularly those who have taken
citizenship in Australia) consider that
their loyalty should be primarily to
this country.
Citizenship in Australia gives
certain rights to Muslims and places
obligations on them as well. We
cannot say that Muslims should
be interested in the rights which
citizenship confers but not the
obligations. Citizenship in Australia
gives people safety and security,
freedom, justice, equality, freedom of
belief, personal privacy and welfare.
All of these rights have corresponding
obligations.
40
See http://www.islamic-state.org/khilafah/
41
See Abdullah Saeed, “Rethinking Citizenship Rights of Non-Muslims in an Islamic State:
Rashid al-Ghannushi’s contribution to the evolving debate” in Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations, vol. 10, no. 3, 1999, 307-323.
Muslim Australians:THEIR BELIEFS, PRACTICES AND INSTITUTIONS 73