Organizer: Religion and Society Research Centre
GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF MUSLIM ORGANISATIONS
IN SYDNEY: INDIVIDUAL
Abstract
In 1972, Sydney had no mosques and Islamic centres, no Islamic schools, no five times regular congregational prayers, no study circles or Sunday schools, no publications, no daawah activities, no interfaith activity and not much social interaction in the Muslim Community on a common platform. Australians knew very little about Islam or identified Muslims as work colleagues or neighbours.
Today in 2012 we have a vibrant Muslim community, tens of Mosques and Musallahs, numerous study circles, Islamic Schools as well as Sunday or after hours Schools, a number of publications, daawah and interfaith activities and celebrations of Islamic festivals attended by tens of thousands of people. Islam is very prominent in public, media and political spaces and Muslims are very visible in all spheres of Australian life from the suburbs to the universities, sports grounds to beaches.
How did this huge transformation take place? What efforts were made by individuals, families and the community? What circumstances, local as well as global, brought about these positive changes? This is the story that needs to be shared, of the Islamic Community’s development in Sydney in particular and Australia in general over the last 40 years.
Ziaul Islam Ahmad arrived in Australia from India at the age of 18 in 1971 together with his parents and 5 siblings. While trying to settle as new migrants in a new country, he and his family, led by his father Dr Qazi Ashfaq Ahmad, were closely associated with pioneering efforts to establish Muslim Community and Islamic educational and daawah activities in Australia. Zia himself has been involved in the establishment of a number of organizations including Sydney University Muslim Students Association (SUMSA), Australian Islamic Mission (AIM), Islamic Council of NSW (ICNSW), Australian Federation of Islamic Councils (AFIC), Australian Integrated Family (AIF), Islamic Foundation for Education and Welfare (IFEW) and Australian MEFF Consortium (organizers of Multicultural Eid Festival and Fair, MEFF). He has also been the managing editor of a number of publications over the years including Al-Iman, Ad-Daawah, Salam, Insight and the Australian Muslim Times.
Zia works at the School of Molecular Bioscience at the University of Sydney and is the current President of IFEW and Patron of MEFF.
Date: Friday, 2nd of November 2012
Time: 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Venue: Bankstown Campus, Building 3 Room 55
If you are planning to attend, please email e.garcia@uws.edu.au by Wednesday 31 October.
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