Author Description

Australia displays an outstanding record, says Dr Ata, in displaying tolerance and in accommodating an incredibly diverse population. While the cultural and historical differences between Christian and Muslim communities in our society are too great to make a complete reconciliation easily achieved, given the alternatives, a creative dialogue must continue. Especially since the events of September 2011, many Australians have become concerned about what goes on behind the walls of the Muslim community. These concerns, often driven by fear and lack of knowledge, can be addressed through education. The essays collected in this book look behind those walls and explore the issues challenging both Muslim Australians and the mainstream society today. The broad and diverse perspectives covered in this project are important and topical, and have not been gathered before in published form. They are written by contributors who are members of Muslim community and outsiders, lay and religious, academic and non-professional; Australian and beyond. This in many ways widens the frame of reference, effectiveness of argumentation and style of criticism. The analysis and understanding of what it means to be a Muslim in a growing multicultural, multireligious, technological contemporary Australia present a difficult and sensitive task. This collection provides a stepping stone on that journey.