Reconfiguration of Islam by Muslims in Australia. How - and whether - Muslims who have grown up in a secular Western democracy reconfigure normative Islam so as to facilitate active membership in the wider society is a vital issue. This project is the first to research this in Australia. It will focus on how Islam and Muslim identity are re-configured by long-term Muslim residents and local converts, in contrast to those whose Muslim identity was largely shaped outside of Australia. Understandin ....Reconfiguration of Islam by Muslims in Australia. How - and whether - Muslims who have grown up in a secular Western democracy reconfigure normative Islam so as to facilitate active membership in the wider society is a vital issue. This project is the first to research this in Australia. It will focus on how Islam and Muslim identity are re-configured by long-term Muslim residents and local converts, in contrast to those whose Muslim identity was largely shaped outside of Australia. Understanding how Muslims reconcile Islamic identity with active membership in the wider society has important implications for the future of Australia as one of the most successful multicultural democracies.Read moreRead less
Religion, Finance and Ethics: Islamic and conventional perspectives on shared principles, practices, and financial institutions and instruments. By linking together specialists in finance, banking and religious history, with the Muslim Community Cooperative (Australia), this project explores communication and mutual benefit between international Islamic finance and conventional Western finance. It will propose new financial structures and instruments to expand the scope of Islamic finance, to m ....Religion, Finance and Ethics: Islamic and conventional perspectives on shared principles, practices, and financial institutions and instruments. By linking together specialists in finance, banking and religious history, with the Muslim Community Cooperative (Australia), this project explores communication and mutual benefit between international Islamic finance and conventional Western finance. It will propose new financial structures and instruments to expand the scope of Islamic finance, to maximise lending and investment opportunities in Australia, and to promote interaction between the Islamic and conventional financial sectors. The project will enable Australian researchers to work with international authorities in Islamic finance, promoting dialogue between Islamic and other groups, and increase investment and development within the Australian financial market.Read moreRead less
Interreligious Relations between Muslims and People of other Faiths. Traditional Islamic law and theology developed a wide range of negative positions about people of other faiths. Based on extensive fieldwork, this project aims to understand how and to what extent prominent Muslim religious leaders are transforming these negative positions to positive ones today in Australia, Indonesia, Pakistan and Singapore. The project will lead to an evidence-based understanding of the potential for future ....Interreligious Relations between Muslims and People of other Faiths. Traditional Islamic law and theology developed a wide range of negative positions about people of other faiths. Based on extensive fieldwork, this project aims to understand how and to what extent prominent Muslim religious leaders are transforming these negative positions to positive ones today in Australia, Indonesia, Pakistan and Singapore. The project will lead to an evidence-based understanding of the potential for future interreligious harmony in these countries. Since positive interreligious relations are of domestic, regional and global concern for social cohesion and peace and security, the outcomes of this project will be of significant interest to both scholars and policymakers in Australia.Read moreRead less
Reception of Historical and Critical Approaches to the Qur’an in Muslim Educational Institutions. This project examines the impact of historical and critical-reformist approaches to the Qur’an in Muslim societies by examining their influence on educational institutions in four strategic Muslim countries/regions: Indonesia, Turkey, Iran and the Gulf. Understanding this impact will provide crucial insights into future dynamics of Muslim religious thought on the Qur’an, which has far-reaching legal ....Reception of Historical and Critical Approaches to the Qur’an in Muslim Educational Institutions. This project examines the impact of historical and critical-reformist approaches to the Qur’an in Muslim societies by examining their influence on educational institutions in four strategic Muslim countries/regions: Indonesia, Turkey, Iran and the Gulf. Understanding this impact will provide crucial insights into future dynamics of Muslim religious thought on the Qur’an, which has far-reaching legal, social, cultural and political effects in Muslim societies. By conducting interviews with university lecturers and students, this project will measure how historical and critical-reformist Qur’anic scholarship is currently perceived and how it is reconciled with orthodox religious ideas.Read moreRead less
Glocalisation and sub-national Islams in Indonesia: neo-traditionalism, local Islam and the commemoration of regional Islamic legacies. Australia is both directly and indirectly affected by dynamics within Indonesian Islamic society, but we have limited understanding of how Indonesian Islam maintains its local character, which is generally tolerant and peaceable, in the face of persistent globalizing forces that challenge the legitimacy of local traditions and tend to undermine healthy inter-com ....Glocalisation and sub-national Islams in Indonesia: neo-traditionalism, local Islam and the commemoration of regional Islamic legacies. Australia is both directly and indirectly affected by dynamics within Indonesian Islamic society, but we have limited understanding of how Indonesian Islam maintains its local character, which is generally tolerant and peaceable, in the face of persistent globalizing forces that challenge the legitimacy of local traditions and tend to undermine healthy inter-communal relations by promoting confrontation and intolerance. This study will make a vital contribution to our understanding of the forces that are shaping the future character of Indonesian Islam and inform how we should best engage with Indonesia though government and social initiatives, including aid, education and media activities.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE220101517
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$336,367.00
Summary
Through the Lens of Sufism: Global Dissemination of Knowledge in Islam. This project aims to investigate the intellectual legacy of Sufism on Islamic thought. Using an interdisciplinary approach it expects to generate new knowledge about the influence of Sufism since the thirteenth century, through a detailed analysis of newly-identified medieval texts and their transmission and dissemination throughout knowledge systems. Expected outcomes of the project include a challenge to conventional under ....Through the Lens of Sufism: Global Dissemination of Knowledge in Islam. This project aims to investigate the intellectual legacy of Sufism on Islamic thought. Using an interdisciplinary approach it expects to generate new knowledge about the influence of Sufism since the thirteenth century, through a detailed analysis of newly-identified medieval texts and their transmission and dissemination throughout knowledge systems. Expected outcomes of the project include a challenge to conventional understandings about the chronology and structures of Islamic thought, and the first global mapping of Islamic intellectual networks. The project should provide significant benefits including an improved appreciation of the influences on, and complexities of, Islamic thought in the modern world.Read moreRead less
Islamic Perceptions of Justice in International Relations. This research moves beyond the conventional view of Islam and the West dichotomy and explores the middle ground. It explores the potential for redressing Muslim grievances through the existing international system by examining the sources of these grievances. It contextualises Islamic activism within time and space and, by implication, facilitates the formulation of relevant policy responses. As a result, this project contributes to a de ....Islamic Perceptions of Justice in International Relations. This research moves beyond the conventional view of Islam and the West dichotomy and explores the middle ground. It explores the potential for redressing Muslim grievances through the existing international system by examining the sources of these grievances. It contextualises Islamic activism within time and space and, by implication, facilitates the formulation of relevant policy responses. As a result, this project contributes to a de-ideologised view of the Muslim experience and the building of bridges to cross the imagined schism between Islam and the West. Read moreRead less
Radical Islam in Indonesia: Latent External Threats for Australia. This project is a qualitative research project on the national and regional dynamics of radical Islamic movements in Indonesia. It investigates the ideas and events behind the radicalisation of Islam that occurred following the fall of the Soeharto regime. It also examines the domestic and international factors that have triggered this trend. This project will produce a detailed picture of the radical movements, which will includ ....Radical Islam in Indonesia: Latent External Threats for Australia. This project is a qualitative research project on the national and regional dynamics of radical Islamic movements in Indonesia. It investigates the ideas and events behind the radicalisation of Islam that occurred following the fall of the Soeharto regime. It also examines the domestic and international factors that have triggered this trend. This project will produce a detailed picture of the radical movements, which will include their actors, followers, training methods, media used, connections, and their impact at both the domestic and international level. The project's outcome will be useful for the identification of external threats to Australia and ensuring Australia's national security.Read moreRead less
Democratizing the Middle East: implications of Washington's policies. Regime change has been justified by the coalition of willing as beneficial to the promotion of democracy and stable governance in the Middle East. It is, therefore, important to examine how effective this project has been. Australia's foreign policy towards the region resembles that of the United States, including military intervention in Iraq and Afghanistan. This involvement warrants an assessment of the way state building h ....Democratizing the Middle East: implications of Washington's policies. Regime change has been justified by the coalition of willing as beneficial to the promotion of democracy and stable governance in the Middle East. It is, therefore, important to examine how effective this project has been. Australia's foreign policy towards the region resembles that of the United States, including military intervention in Iraq and Afghanistan. This involvement warrants an assessment of the way state building has set these two societies on a democratic trajectory, and whether they are serving as beacons of democracy in their neighbourhood. It is in Australia's national interests to have a realistic assessment of its foreign policy impact in the Middle East and Central Asia. Read moreRead less
The Theological and Ideological Bases of al-Qa'ida's Political Tactics. This research moves beyond the conventional view of Islam and generates new understandings of the many complexities of political Islam, and the role of violence and terrorism; explores the theological and ideological foundations of al-Qa'ida's political tactics; the long-term objectives beyond al-Qa'ida's terrorist activity. It conceptualizes Islamic activism within time and space and, by implication, facilitates the formula ....The Theological and Ideological Bases of al-Qa'ida's Political Tactics. This research moves beyond the conventional view of Islam and generates new understandings of the many complexities of political Islam, and the role of violence and terrorism; explores the theological and ideological foundations of al-Qa'ida's political tactics; the long-term objectives beyond al-Qa'ida's terrorist activity. It conceptualizes Islamic activism within time and space and, by implication, facilitates the formulation of relevant policy responses. As a result, this project contributes to security and counter terrorism works and falls squarely within the National Research Priority, Safeguarding Australia (Terrorism and Transnational Crime). Read moreRead less