ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the question of Islam in diaspora from a time-space perspective. It specifically examines the interpretations and manifestations of Islam among Muslims who today reside outside of the classical Dar al-Islam (Abode of Islam) or lands under Muslim rule, in non-Muslim-ruled liberal, democratic, “Western” nation-states. The chapter begins with a discussion of the scholarly literature on Islam and Muslim diaspora, including classical Islamic thought on Muslims residing in non-Muslim lands. It then presents findings from the 2019 Islam in Australia survey, which shows how Muslim Australians identify with, understand, interpret and express Islam. These findings are discussed in relation to other studies of Islam and diaspora Muslim populations in Europe and North America. This chapter offers a nuanced perspective in relation to discourses that link Muslims in the West to national security concerns. Islam in diaspora shows a liberal, progressive understanding of the faith, based on a preference for Islamic ethics over law, derived from a contextual reading/interpretation of the Qurʾan and Sunna, that seeks peaceful, respectful coexistence with non-Muslims.
