Nora Amath - The Phenomenology of Community Activism: Muslim Civil Society Organisations in Australia

The Phenomenology of Community Activism

MUP ISLAMIC STUDIES SERIES

The Islamic Studies Series (ISS) is aimed at producing internationally competitive research manuscripts. This series will showcase the breadth of scholarship on Islam and Muslim affairs, making it available to a wide readership. Books in the ISS are based on original research and represent a number of disciplines including anthropology, cultural studies, sociology and political science. Books in the ISS are refereed publications that are committed to research excellence. Submissions on contemporary issues are strongly encouraged. Proposals should be sent to the ISS Editor.

Professor Shahram Akbarzadeh

ISS Editor shahram.akbarzadeh@deakin.edu.au

Board of Advisors

Associate Professor Syed Farid Alatas

Department of Sociology, National University of Singapore

Professor Howard V. Brasted

Director, UNE Asia Pacific Centre

Professor John Esposito

Director, Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, University Professor of Religion and International Affairs, Georgetown University

Emeritus Professor Riaz Hassan AM, FASSA

ARC Australian Professorial Fellow, Department of Sociology, Flinders University

Professor Robert Hefner

Institute on Culture, Religion and World Affairs, Boston University

Professor Michael Humphrey

Chair, Department of Sociology and Social Policy, School of Philosophical and Historical Inquiry, University of Sydney

Professor William Maley AM

Director, Asia-Pacific College of Diplomacy, Australian National University

Professor James Piscatori

Head, School of Government and International Affairs, Durham University

Professor Abdullah Saeed

Sultan of Oman Professor of Arab and Islamic Studies, Director, National Centre of Excellence for Islamic Studies, University of Melbourne

Professor Amin Saikal AM

Director, Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies (The Middle East and Central Asia), Australian National University

Professor Samina Yasmeen

Director, Centre for Muslim States and Societies, School of Social and Cultural Studies, University of Western Australia

MELBOURNE UNIVERSITY PUBLISHING

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First published 2015

Text Nora Amath, 2015

Design and typography Melbourne University Publishing Limited, 2015

This book is copyright. Apart from any use permitted under the Copyright Act 1968 and subsequent amendments, no part may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted by any means or process whatsoever without the prior written permission of the publishers.

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Text design by Phil Campbell

Cover design by Phil Campbell

Typeset by J&M Typesetting

Printed in Australia by OPUS Group

National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry

Creator: Amath, Nora, 1975- author.

Title: The phenomenology of community activism : Muslim civil society organisations in Australia / Nora Amath.

ISBN: 9780522869262 (hardback)

ISBN: 9780522869255 (paperback)

ISBN: 9780522869279 (ebook)

Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.

Subjects: MuslimsAustraliaSocial conditions.

MuslimsAustraliaAttitudes.

IslamAustralia.

Islam and cultureAustralia.

AustraliaSocial conditions.

AustraliaSocial life and customs.

305.69794

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank the Australian Muslim civil society actors who generously made the time and effort to accommodate my research in their busy lives. I am immensely grateful that they have allowed me space to enter their world and hear their stories, sharing so openly and honestly the complexities as well as the nuances of what it means to be a Muslim political actor in a Western socio-political context. Most importantly, I am appreciative that they have given me permission to share their stories with others.

I would, especially, like to acknowledge my parents, Asseary and Khoticha Amath, who as newly arrived refugees sacrificed the little money they had to join me up to a book club so that I could receive a new book every month; who over the years continued to sacrifice so much so that their kids never went without; who reluctantly allowed me to leave home to study overseas so that I could have the freedom and space to follow my own dreams; and who continue to believe in me. I am also indebted to my in-laws, Jemal and Zorah Rane, whose love, generosity, care, support and guidance have been vital, not only during my years of studies, but from the very beginning of our relationship.

I would also like to thank my three children, my heart: Usama, Amira and Humza who have been patient with me all of these years. I know there were many times when I was overwhelmed and too tired to fully be there for youthanks for understanding and for encouraging me to keep going. You can now stop asking, Are you finished yet, Mum?

Finally, but most importantly, I wish to deeply acknowledge and thank my husband, Halim Rane. We started this journey together as undergraduate students, navigating the wonderful world of knowledge. Twenty years later, you remain my inspiration. Thank you for your encouragement, your support, your advice, your insights and your valuable input. Thank you for being my rock. Words cannot fully convey how I feel about you.

Muslim communities are among the least well understood in Australia, and yet they form a vibrant element of the multicultural society that Australia aspires to have. Constituting 2.2 per cent of the population, Muslims are Australias second-largest non-Christian religious group and are forecast to grow to 714 000 by 2030, an increase of 80 per cent.scholarship and discourse about the emerging phenomenon of Australian MCSOs, firstly by identifying and mapping all possible MCSOs in Australia, and secondly by collating, delineating and explicating comprehensively their narratives and experiences.

The central research question of this book essentially is: what are the experiences of Muslim civil society actors in responding to the Australian socio-political context? In order to gain a comprehensive, detailed, yet nuanced understanding of Australian MCSOs, this book examines:

1. the nature, focus, goals, aims, and activities of MCSOs;

2. how MCSO actors have responded to the challenges of the Australian socio-political context and the perceived impact these experiences have had on them;

3. how Islam is manifested in this milieu, in terms of what aspects of the faith are emphasised and de-emphasised, how sacred texts are interpreted and applied and how the religion engages with the wider society; and

4. the implications for future inter-community relations and Islam in Australia.