Abdullah Saeed, Islam in Australia (ISBN 1865088641), Crows Nest, Allen and Unwin, 2003, 230 pages, paperback, $19.95, reviewed by Victoria Mason, Curtin University of Technology.
In this brief and accessible introduction to the world of Islam, Abdullah Saeed dispels the myths and explains the background to one of humanity's oldest and most intriguing religions - with particular reference to Islam now, and to the experience of Muslims in Australia.
He outlines the emergence of Islam and its remarkable contributions to areas such as philosophy, science, astronomy and medicine. This overview creates a context in which to think about Islam - its worldview, key concepts and ideas, practices and institutions, sacred places and times - and provides the reader with an understanding of the fundamental tenets of this religion, as it is lived by over 300,000 residents of Australia.
This book gives an insight into Islam today, providing a basis for understanding the high degree of diversity among Muslims while keeping an eye on what unites them.
Muslims are often depicted as an identical mass, when in fact in Australia, they make up one of the most culturally diverse groups in the community.
In the wake of September 11 and the recent bitter controversy over asylum seekers, Islam in Australia counters the ignorance and prejudice with facts about the 'people next door'.
http://www.api-network.com/cgi-bin/reviews/jrbview.cgi?n=1865088641Abdullah Saeed's Islam in Australia is a concise and excellently written book for general readership that - particularly in the wake of September 11, the asylum seeker debate and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq - is timely and very necessary. Saeed should be commended for the way in which he has prepared this book. It is frankly written and seeks to inform, rather than attempting to lionise the subjects of his book, and as a result he succeeds in bridging many of the gaps of understanding concerning Islam within the Australian context.
As Saeed himself acknowledges in his introduction, writing a book that contextualises Islam in Australia is particularly problematic, given the diversity of ways of viewing and practicing Islam. Indeed the diversity of Islam is one of Saeed's strongest recurring themes throughout the book – of moving away from viewing Islam as a homogenous entity. On this point he demonstrates the many different theological orientations, legal schools and religio-political divisions encompassed in Islam. He also illustrates how Muslims are as eclectic in their world view as they are ethnically diverse, including conservatives, liberals, traditionalists, modernists and post-modernists.
In his first chapter, Saeed gives a concise historical background to Australia's Muslims. He traces the various communities of Muslim migrants to Australia from the Macassans in the 1750s to Bosnians who arrived in the 1990s and highlights the enormous ethnic diversity of Australian Muslims – whose single largest demographic are those born and bred in Australia but who over all originate from over 70 countries worldwide.
Saeed then contextualises these demographics with a brief but thorough chapter on the origins of Islam and Islamic civilisation. The beginnings and spread of Islam are traced, as are some of the major contributions of Islamic civilisations to areas such as science and medicine. Chapter three builds on this when Saeed explores the Islamic world view and how this translates into everyday life for a Muslim. This is an excellent chapter for those wishing to understand the basic tenets of Islamic belief and it demonstrates the many ideas, beliefs and values Islam shares with the other monotheistic religions, Judaism and Christianity.
Much is done to break down negative stereotypes in chapter four, which looks at essential beliefs and practices within Islam. Chapter five is one of the most important chapters, as it addresses unity and diversity in Islam within the Australian context. In outlining what he calls the three tiers of Islam, that is, a) the core values, beliefs, ideas and institutions of Islam, b) the interpretation of these core beliefs, values, ideas and institutions to enable putting them into practice and c) the cultural manifestation of these core values, beliefs, ideas and institutions in different contexts, Saeed goes a long way to redress stereotypes that have emerged concerning Muslims and provides an interesting snapshot of the great diversity of Muslims within Australia. This theme is continued in 'The Life cycle of a Muslim' in chapter six and in chapter twelve, 'Muslim women', which addresses a topic that receives much attention and is subject to the most misconceptions.
The chapters 'Living in Australia as a Muslim' and 'Perceptions of Islam and Muslims' go a long way to addressing some of the major questions and issues facing Muslim communities within Australia as a result of global unrest. In the final chapter 'Commitment to fundamental Australian values', Saeed challenges what he notes is the widespread idea that Islam and Muslims are incompatible with the dominant culture in Australia. In the epilogue he addresses the factors from the 1990s onwards that have led to the current problematic encoding of Muslims – including Hansonism, the asylum seeker debate and the events of and following September 11. In his summation of the position of Islam within Australia, Saeed observes that 'Islam in Australia, although it represents the many manifestations of Islam around the world, is now being shaped by the prevailing values, norms and practices of Australian society. Values fundamental to Islam are now being accommodated into what is considered to be Islam'. (212)
This is an excellent book and essential reading for anyone who is seeking a concise understanding of Islam and its place within the Australian context, particularly those in the fields of education, the media or the public service.
Reviewer: Victoria Mason, Curtin University of Technology
Visitors' Comments
hello
hello, i am from maldives . We are proud of you professor abdulla saeed and you are doin great job keep it up insha allah will bless you
Mohamed Iyas (29/11/2005)
