Islam : a new religious vehicle for Aboriginal self-empowerment in Australia?

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticle

    Abstract

    The assumption that Islam is a new religious identity among Aboriginal Australians is questioned. The historical evidence demonstrates a well-established connection between Islam and Aboriginal communities through the early migration of Muslims to colonial Australia. This historical framework allows us to criticise the negative construction of the Aboriginal Muslim in the media through the use of statistical information gathered in three Australian censuses (1996, 2001 and 2006). Our conclusion is that the Aboriginal Muslim needs to be understood both in terms of the historical context of colonial Australia and the Aboriginal experience of social and political marginalisation. Their conversion to Islam represents some degree of cultural continuity rather than rupture. Finally the article demonstrates that the sociological and psychological understanding of conversion is underdeveloped and inadequate.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)49-74
    Number of pages26
    JournalInternational Journal for the Study of New Religions
    Volume1
    Issue number1
    Publication statusPublished - 2010

    Keywords

    • Aboriginal Australians
    • Islam

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Islam : a new religious vehicle for Aboriginal self-empowerment in Australia?'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this