Australian Aboriginal Muslims in prison

Australian Aboriginal Muslims in prison are a minority population that has provoked public and political concerns due to its conversion to Islam. In the past decade, Muslims across the globe have become all but synonymous with terror in the global debate, and have frequently suffered forms of social exclusion. Aboriginal Muslim prisoners, having survived on the margins of Australian society, now find themselves branded through the impact of global discourse on Islam and terror and live under the intensified gaze of both the media and agencies of the State. Our curiosity was raised by the fact that a conversion by a small number of Aboriginal inmates has created alarmist media statements, drawing on statements made by both mainstream Australians as well as representatives of the State. Our aim is to query these claims and to highlight the need for constructive analysis of the conversion to Islam amongst all groups of people. This article also brings for the first time in the field, such an extended analysis of quantitative data on this issue.