Islamic Centre of Education and Development

by Nazid & Faiza Kimmie

This presentation was given at a Catholic Church in Melbourne, Australia, on September 29th 2004. The theme is “peace be upon you”; I've added my own subheading to that which is, “building peace in a world of conflict”. I chose that title not only because it is topical (I'll get to that a little later) but because the concept of ‘Peace” is multi-layered and takes on different meanings; there is no denying that it is at the core of any human relationship. “Peace be upon you” also forms part of the formal greeting that Muslims use to address each other everyday: Asalaamu alaykum - “Greetings and peace be upon you”. For me, peace is a mode of relationship whether it is between individuals, nations or indeed between different faiths, but it can only exist under certain conditions that I'll detail later.

by Rafiq Clarkson

This is an overview of challenges and opportunities for Australian Muslims. It has been adapted from a slide presentation covering: the danger of ghetto Islam; balancing engagement and withdrawal; understanding our own culture (eg the first 70 years as a key); currency lads and lasses and their effects on the Australian psyche; common clashes with other Muslim communities (eg within committees); stress factors, their results, and what to do about it; weaknesses as strengths; and our opportunities.

by Rafiq Clarkson

I am going to discuss postmodernism, Islam, ourselves and our readings of the Qur’an. In my brief survey of writers they seem to either: (1) disparage postmodernism as an aberrant child of modernism (cf Postmodernity and the crisis of “truth” by Muqtedar Khan); or (2) treat it as a cultural force of late capitalism; i.e. it is couched in terms of post-colonialism exploitation of Muslims and it is mainly concerned with the ‘media’ as postmodernism par excellence (cf Postmodernism and Islam - Predicament and Promise, Akbar S Ahmed).

by Yusuf Eades

With the ongoing “War on Terror” in which Australia is taking part as a coalition ally of the United States, a spotlight has been cast on Australia’s small Muslim population. Muslims in Australia, now 1.5 percent of the total population, are mostly migrants or the children of migrants from Muslim countries. However, there has been an increasing attention in the media on Muslim converts from the traditionally Christian majority Anglo-Celtic and Aboriginal population. In this article I will discuss the place of convert Muslims in the broader Muslim community in Australia and some of the issues facing converts in contemporary Australia.

by Glenn McIntosh

In February 2004, a conference was held on 'Managing Muslim-Christian Relations: Educational Policy Options'. This involved local academics, leaders, and those involved in the educational enterprise, as well as a number of individuals from overseas (particularly south-east Asia). Participants were hosted at Trinity college, and workshops held over three days.