Muslims in Australia: a monolithic entity?
Substantial diversity exists among Muslims, in the same way that it exists among Christians. Muslims around the world, 1300 million of them, agree on just a few things such as belief in one God, the prophethood of Muhammad and life after death, and some basic practices such as five daily prayers, fasting, charity and pilgrimage. They also agree on some basic ethical-moral values, which they share with Christians. But they disagree on a vast array of things, from religious tolerance to gender equality, human rights and systems of governance.
Muslims in Australia number around 300,000, or 1.5 per cent of the population; 36 per cent of them were born here. Australian Muslims do not even form a single community; there are Sunnis and Shi’as, and different traditions and schools within those broad religious groupings. There are also ethnic, cultural and linguistic differences. Not all Muslims in Australia were migrants; some are second- or third-generation Australians. There are converts to Islam from Anglo and other backgrounds. Some Muslims are conservative in religious matters while others are liberal. Some are observant, others are not. Demographically, Muslims represent a cross-section of Australia incorporating political and socio-economic differences. More than 75 per cent of Muslims in Australia are Australian citizens.
Christians and Muslims have much in common There is a generally held view among many that Muslims and Christians have been in continual conflict since the beginning of Islam in the early 7th century, and are notable for their differences rather than the characteristics they share. While I recognise there are plenty of negatives in the Muslim-Christian relationship over the past 1400 years, in this presentation, I will not make any apologies for emphasising the positives.
It is worth remembering that Muslims and Christians share a common religious heritage. A significant part of the Qur’an, the Holy Scripture of Muslims, is devoted to Jesus Christ. One of the chapters of the Qur’an is named after Mary, probably the only woman mentioned by name in the Qur’an, referring to her as an example to humankind. The Qur’an recounts the virgin birth, that Jesus Christ is not like any other human being, that he was a ‘word’ sent to Mary, that he was ‘raised’ to heaven, and that he performed many miracles. What the Qur’an does not believe is that Jesus Christ is son of God, or God.
Prophet Muhammad (d.632) had a wonderful relationship