ORCID Profile
0000-0002-3288-7166
Current Organisation
University of South Australia
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Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 2012
Publisher: Springer International Publishing
Date: 2018
Publisher: TechKnowledge General Trading LLC
Date: 10-2015
DOI: 10.12816/0019218
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 10-03-2011
Abstract: Over the past decade, issues concerning Islam and Muslims have featured prominently in public and media discourse. Much of this discourse is stereotypical, anecdotal and often unsubstantiated. Indeed, relative to the extent of comment on Islam and Muslims, few factual data exist on what Muslims really think. This article presents the views and opinions of the Queensland Muslim community based on the findings of a survey conducted at the 2009 Muslim Eid Festival in Brisbane. The findings of this research contradict many of the assumptions made about Australia’s Muslims concerning their views and opinions on a range of social and political issues. The research shows that Muslims highly value Australia’s key social and political institutions, including its democracy, judiciary, education and health-care systems. However, Muslims do express a lack of trust in certain institutions, namely the mass media. Also, consistent with the views of people globally, Muslims are deeply concerned about conflicts in the Middle East as well as the environmental crisis. This article suggests the need for a shift in public discourse to more accurately reflect the commonality, rather than incongruity, between Muslim views, opinions and concerns and those of the wider society.
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 10-12-2020
DOI: 10.3390/REL11120663
Abstract: Course selection by year 11 and 12 students exert a significant influence on occupational outcomes of young people. While many studies have been conducted by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) across a broad spectrum of schools, not much is known about this aspect in relation to Islamic School students. In this research, data was collected on student course choice from nine randomly selected Islamic schools across Australia. For the first time, the results reveal the most prevalent course clusters studied by students are Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) aligned courses. Mathematics and sciences followed by legal and business studies sit at the peak of the course hierarchy. Long-held views and anecdotal evidence that suggest Arabic and Islamic Studies feature prominently in course selection proved to be unfounded. Preference for these courses are shown to be very low. Vocational Education & Training (VET) courses do not feature prominently in Islamic school curriculums to the disadvantage of students who may wish to pursue non-academic careers instead of opting for university inspired career paths. Professionally, medicine, engineering, law and business (in that order) are the most preferred occupations. We also find a conspicuous gender-based difference regarding course selection and occupational aspirations.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 09-2021
Publisher: Springer International Publishing
Date: 2018
Publisher: Springer International Publishing
Date: 2018
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2022
DOI: 10.1016/J.HLC.2022.06.669
Abstract: Despite significant advances in interventional and therapeutic approaches, cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of death and mortality. To lower this health burden, cardiovascular discovery scientists need to play an integral part in the solution. Successful clinical translation is achieved when built upon a strong foundational understanding of the disease mechanisms involved. Changes in the Australian funding landscape, to place greater emphasis on translation, however, have increased job insecurity for discovery science researchers and especially early-mid career researchers. To highlight the importance of discovery science in cardiovascular research, this review compiles six science stories in which fundamental discoveries, often involving Australian researchers, has led to or is advancing to clinical translation. These stories demonstrate the importance of the role of discovery scientists and the need for their work to be prioritised now and in the future. Australia needs to keep discovery scientists supported and fully engaged within the broader cardiovascular research ecosystem so they can help realise the next game-changing therapy or diagnostic approach that diminishes the burden of CVD on society.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 12-2021
DOI: 10.1016/J.MOLMED.2021.09.006
Abstract: Pluripotent stem cells underpin a growing sector that leverages their differentiation potential for research, industry, and clinical applications. This review evaluates the landscape of methods in single-cell transcriptomics that are enabling accelerated discovery in stem cell science. We focus on strategies for scaling stem cell differentiation through multiplexed single-cell analyses, for evaluating molecular regulation of cell differentiation using new analysis algorithms, and methods for integration and projection analysis to classify and benchmark stem cell derivatives against in vivo cell types. By discussing the available methods, comparing their strengths, and illustrating strategies for developing integrated analysis pipelines, we provide user considerations to inform their implementation and interpretation.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 20-08-2014
DOI: 10.1007/S10943-013-9761-7
Abstract: The use of psychopharmaceuticals as an enhancement technology has been the focus of attention in the bioethics literature. However, there has been little examination of the challenges that this practice creates for religious traditions that place importance on questions of being, authenticity, and identity. We asked expert commentators from six major world religions to consider the issues raised by psychopharmaceuticals as an enhancement technology. These commentaries reveal that in assessing the appropriate place of medical therapies, religious traditions, like secular perspectives, rely upon ideas about health and disease and about normal human behavior. But unlike secular perspectives, faith traditions explicitly concern themselves with ways in which medicine should or should not be used to live a "good life".
Publisher: Routledge
Date: 27-04-2011
Publisher: Routledge
Date: 06-04-2023
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2023
Publisher: Springer Netherlands
Date: 2012
Publisher: Lifescience Global
Date: 06-05-2013
DOI: 10.6000/1929-4409.2013.02.18
Abstract: Terrorism perpetrated by some Muslims has become a global phenomenon that has significantly impacted many nations. In the post-September 11 era, Australia has experienced threat of terrorist attacks from organisations including Al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiah. In response to this phenomenon the Australian government has heightened security measures and engaged various strategies to counter-radicalization. While the growing body of global research focussing on radicalization and terrorism may inform such strategies, research within the Australian context would provide a cogent platform for assisting in the response to terrorism at a national level. This paper provides discussion focussing on the paucity in literature on the question of radicalization and terrorism. Furthermore, significant gaps in the literature are highlighted and future research recommendations are suggested that would assist in broadening current understanding of the processes of radicalization and terrorism.
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 16-06-2022
DOI: 10.3390/REL13060560
Abstract: This article explores the motivation and engagement of adolescent non-Arab Muslim learners of Arabic (a-MLA) enrolled at Australian Islamic Schools (AIS). To this end, the ‘L2 Motivational Self System’ was used as a theoretical lens. This research gives ‘voice’ to learners and is dialogic, ‘speaking with’ rather than ‘speaking for’ learners in Islamic schools. It also responds to calls for the ‘renewal’ of Islamic Schools in the Western context, including in Australia, through a focus on Arabic learning. A basic interpretive qualitative approach was used, and data were collected from 40 participants using semi-structured interviews. The interviews were supplemented by classroom observations. In keeping with the emphasis placed on learners’ voices, the data presented focus on the students’ own words and perspectives. The findings suggest the presence of predominantly religious orientations to learning Arabic, but that a subset of other orientations also exists. The findings also indicate that several contextual factors can lead to disengagement and that the L2 Motivational Self System might not fully explain the situation of these learners. Nonetheless, these findings can inform the practice of teachers engaged with a-MLA and provide grounds for further research.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 09-10-2023
Publisher: Springer International Publishing
Date: 2018
Publisher: Routledge
Date: 04-2021
Publisher: Department of Theology and Philosophy, UKM
Date: 30-05-2017
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 18-06-2022
DOI: 10.1093/NAR/GKAC413
Abstract: Genome wide association studies provide statistical measures of gene–trait associations that reveal how genetic variation influences phenotypes. This study develops an unsupervised dimensionality reduction method called UnTANGLeD (Unsupervised Trait Analysis of Networks from Gene Level Data) which organizes 16,849 genes into discrete gene programs by measuring the statistical association between genetic variants and 1,393 erse complex traits. UnTANGLeD reveals 173 gene clusters enriched for protein–protein interactions and highly distinct biological processes governing development, signalling, disease, and homeostasis. We identify erse gene networks with robust interactions but not associated with known biological processes. Analysis of independent disease traits shows that UnTANGLeD gene clusters are conserved across all complex traits, providing a simple and powerful framework to predict novel gene candidates and programs influencing orthogonal disease phenotypes. Collectively, this study demonstrates that gene programs co-ordinately orchestrating cell functions can be identified without reliance on prior knowledge, providing a method for use in functional annotation, hypothesis generation, machine learning and prediction algorithms, and the interpretation of erse genomic data.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 30-12-2015
DOI: 10.1002/9781118663202.WBEREN420
Abstract: Ibn Khaldun was concerned with the study of history and society. In his attempt to study the history of the world, he postulated a scientific method of enquiry to verify the authenticity and reliability of historical narratives. His monumental works Muqaddimah and Ibar led some scholars to acknowledge him as the father of sociology and the forerunner to renowned sociologists Comte, Durkheim, Marx, and Weber. Ibn Khaldun's background and significant work on history and sociology are articulated in this entry.
Publisher: Springer International Publishing
Date: 2018
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 06-04-2023
DOI: 10.3390/REL14040508
Abstract: Substantial research in educational and non-educational contexts demonstrates the importance and value of volunteering broadly and among young people specifically. However, there is no research that explores volunteering from the perspectives of students in Australian Islamic schools. To fill this gap, this paper explores the motivations for, and benefits of, volunteering from the perspectives of high school students in three Australian Islamic schools (AIS). The research utilised a phenomenological qualitative approach to explore the lived experience of these students vis-à-vis volunteering. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 26 (13 male and 13 female) high school students (HSS) (year 10 to 12) at three AIS across three states. The findings demonstrate that students were motivated to volunteer because of intrinsic religious reasons, self-satisfaction and development, altruism, knowledge and skill-based enhancement, social motives, employment-based motives, and inspiring parents’ motive. The benefits include in idual and societal development, enhanced involvement and belonging within mainstream society, and countering Islamophobia.
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 06-08-2020
DOI: 10.3390/REL11080404
Abstract: This paper provides insight into senior secondary learners’ views on Islamic Studies (IS) in three large Australian Islamic schools. This study offers a ‘dialogic alternative’ of ‘speaking with’ rather than ‘speaking for’ learners in Islamic educational research, planning, and renewal within K-12 Islamic schools. The study privileges learners’ voice and enables an insight to their experience with one of the most important features of Islamic schools—Islamic Studies. Using phenomenology as a methodological framework, learner voice was elicited through focus groups where 75 learners (years 10, 11, and 12) provided information describing their experience with Islamic Studies. Thematic content analysis of the textual data suggests that learners’ dissatisfaction far outweighs their satisfaction with Islamic Studies. The findings of this paper can benefit Islamic schools in Australia and other Western contexts.
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 08-09-2022
DOI: 10.3390/REL13090835
Abstract: Since the implementation of a multicultural policy in the 1970s, religious ersity in Australia has increased. Research has demonstrated that intergroup contact is essential for managing erse multicultural societies. This is because, given the right conditions, intergroup contact will reduce prejudice and build trust between groups. Given the importance of intergroup contact, policy makers and researchers have identified interfaith dialogue’s importance to the success of multicultural societies. However, there is very limited research that explores interfaith dialogue from the perspectives of adherents, in this case Christians and Muslims in the Australian context. This paper focuses on interfaith dialogue between Christians of the Uniting Church and Sunni Muslims of Adelaide, South Australia. It explores the factors that influence participants’ attitudes towards engaging in interfaith dialogue. Using a grounded theory methodology, the study involved seventeen (17) mixed gender Muslim participants over the age of eighteen, including everyday adherents and religious leaders. Some of the key findings demonstrate that theological perspectives and notions of multicultural citizenship are positive drivers for dialogue Islamophobia and dehumanization of Muslims were inhibitors.
Publisher: Emerald
Date: 03-2004
DOI: 10.1108/EB018895
Abstract: Islamic science was originally viewed as mere translator and transmitter of Greek, Indian and pre‐Islamic Persian science. Recent research has shifted our understanding of Islam's contribution to what is now called “the exact sciences.” We now know that Islamic science “was even richer and more profound than we had previously thought.” A substantial amount of genuine science was done in Islam, it predated similar discoveries in the West, and it also impacted upon the Renaissance. For ex le, in the late 1950apos s, E. S. Kennedy and his students at the American University of Beirut discovered an important work of a fourteenth century Muslim astronomer by the name of Ibn al‐Shatir. This discovery showed that Ibn al‐Shatir's astronomical inventions were the same type of mechanism used by Copernicus a few centuries later,” and may have played a key role in the Copernican revolution. Consequently, an unprecedented acceleration of research into Islamic science started from the 1950s onwards. Recently, historian of Islamic science George Saliba was able to show that one of Copernicus's Muslim contemporaries — Kliafri — was a “brilliant astronomer, whose ability to work with the mathematics of his time is unsurpassed, including that of Copernicus,” and that he could use mathematics much more fluently, and much more competently, than Copernicus could do.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 30-12-2010
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan UK
Date: 2011
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 20-07-2019
DOI: 10.1093/BJSW/BCZ088
Abstract: The care and protection of children are a concern that crosses ethnic, religious and national boundaries. How communities act on these concerns are informed by cultural and religious understandings of childhood and protection. Islam has specific teachings that relate to the care and guardianship of children and are interpreted in erse ways across the Muslim world. Islamic teachings on child-care mostly overlap with Western understandings of child protection, but there can be some contested positions. This creates complexities for social workers intervening in Muslim communities where the basis of their intervention is primarily informed by a non-Muslim paradigm or occurs in secular legal contexts. The purpose of this article is to address at a broad level the issue of how overarching concepts of child protection and Islam influence social work practice with Muslim communities. It addresses a gap in practical applications of the synergy of Islamic thinking with core social work practice in the field of child protection. For effective practice, it is argued that social work practitioners need to consider common ground in Islamic thinking on child protection rather than rely on Western frameworks. This requires further research to build evidence-based practice with Muslim families.
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 20-12-2022
DOI: 10.1093/CVR/CVAC191
Abstract: The major cardiac cell types composing the adult heart arise from common multipotent precursor cells. Cardiac lineage decisions are guided by extrinsic and cell-autonomous factors, including recently discovered long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs). The human lncRNA CARMEN, which is known to dictate specification toward the cardiomyocyte (CM) and the smooth muscle cell (SMC) fates, generates a ersity of alternatively spliced isoforms. The CARMEN locus can be manipulated to direct human primary cardiac precursor cells (CPCs) into specific cardiovascular fates. Investigating CARMEN isoform usage in differentiating CPCs represents therefore a unique opportunity to uncover isoform-specific functions in lncRNAs. Here, we identify one CARMEN isoform, CARMEN-201, to be crucial for SMC commitment. CARMEN-201 activity is encoded within an alternatively spliced exon containing a MIRc short interspersed nuclear element. This element binds the transcriptional repressor REST (RE1 Silencing Transcription Factor), targets it to cardiogenic loci, including ISL1, IRX1, IRX5, and SFRP1, and thereby blocks the CM gene program. In turn, genes regulating SMC differentiation are induced. These data show how a critical physiological switch is wired by alternative splicing and functional transposable elements in a long noncoding RNA. They further demonstrated the crucial importance of the lncRNA isoform CARMEN-201 in SMC specification during heart development.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 03-2022
DOI: 10.1007/S40839-022-00164-Y
Abstract: This paper responds to calls for renewal in Islamic schooling and education. In doing so, it provides insight into educators’ views on Islamic Studies (IS) in five Australian Islamic schools, with a focus on senior years (years 10, 11 and 12). The study offers a ‘dialogic alternative’ of ‘speaking with’ rather than ‘speaking for’ educators in Islamic educational research, planning, and renewal within K-12 Australian Islamic schools. It privileges educators’ voice and enables an insight into their experience with one of the most important and distinct features of Islamic schools – IS. Using phenomenology as a methodological framework, educators’ voice was elicited through focus groups where eighteen educators provided information describing their experience with IS. The study identified “strengths” and “challenges” of IS. Strengths includes parents’ desire for IS, educators’ personal connection with learner, knowledge of subject-matter, autonomy in teaching IS and unity among IS educators. The challenges outweigh the strengths and include insufficient time for IS, lack of resources, absence of a clear vision leading to a tokenistic and fragmented approach to the teaching of IS, low-level respect and recognition of IS educators and more.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 05-03-2021
DOI: 10.1186/S13059-021-02293-3
Abstract: The discovery that somatic cells can be reprogrammed to induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) has provided a foundation for in vitro human disease modelling, drug development and population genetics studies. Gene expression plays a critical role in complex disease risk and therapeutic response. However, while the genetic background of reprogrammed cell lines has been shown to strongly influence gene expression, the effect has not been evaluated at the level of in idual cells which would provide significant resolution. By integrating single cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) and population genetics, we apply a framework in which to evaluate cell type-specific effects of genetic variation on gene expression. Here, we perform scRNA-seq on 64,018 fibroblasts from 79 donors and map expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) at the level of in idual cell types. We demonstrate that the majority of eQTLs detected in fibroblasts are specific to an in idual cell subtype. To address if the allelic effects on gene expression are maintained following cell reprogramming, we generate scRNA-seq data in 19,967 iPSCs from 31 reprogramed donor lines. We again identify highly cell type-specific eQTLs in iPSCs and show that the eQTLs in fibroblasts almost entirely disappear during reprogramming. This work provides an atlas of how genetic variation influences gene expression across cell subtypes and provides evidence for patterns of genetic architecture that lead to cell type-specific eQTL effects.
No related grants have been discovered for Mohamad Abdalla.