ABSTRACT
The post-war re-vitalisation of Muslim communities in Australia was primarily a result of immigration. Australia’s large scale migrant intake in the 1960s and 70s allowed Muslim settlement, predominantly from Turkey and Lebanon. With the subsequent removal of the White Australia policy in the early 1970s that allowed migration from other Muslim countries and natural growth, Islam has become an integral part of the country’s religious landscape. Gary Bouma et al. (2001: 53) point out that Muslims have been ‘active participants in the negotiation of the character of religious diversity in Australia at societal, community and local levels’. The diverse forms of Muslims’ civic participation and commitment suggests that the ‘primary motif characterising Australian Muslims has been active engagement in seeking and finding a rightful place in the life of Australia’ (Bouma et al. 2001: 57).
