Young Muslims and Islam Today- A dialogue with visiting Islamic scholar Dr Farish Noor
Dr Farish Noor, guest speaker at the public event: Young Muslims and Islam Today, held at Darebin Town Hall.
Darebin Town Hall Council Chambers, Preston
On Wednesday 28 of October 2009, a panel of young Muslims from the Centre for Dialogue’s Young Muslims Leadership Programme spoke about the issues that confront people of Islamic faith in Australia today. Sponsored by the Centre for Dialogue’s Northern Interfaith and Intercultural Network (NIIN) the panel discussion took place at the Darebin Council Chambers in Preston.
Guest speakers included the Centre’s visiting Islamic Scholar Dr. Farish Noor, a leading Malaysian expert on the image of Islam in political discourse, and Sheikh Mohamadu Nawas, from the Australian National Imams Council.
Dr. Noor opened this lively discussion by reminding the audience that international issues such as the ‘War on Terror’ tend to impose frames of reference over any local dialogues about Islam. Dr. Noor spoke of some of the implications of these global phenomena for Australian Muslims, particularly in the context of Australia’s geo-political proximity to the Southeast Asian region which is home to the world’s largest Muslim population.
The five young people on the panel offered insightful comments, particularly in response to Dr. Noor’s challenge for both the panel and the audience to think about whether there is such a thing called ‘Australian Islam’ and if there is, what it ‘looks’ like. Although each of the panel members had slightly different opinions on the matter, they all agreed on one thing: that just as Australians are heterogeneous and multicultural, so are Australian Muslims. Perhaps it is this heterogeneity, they asserted, that should characterise the ‘face’ of Australian Islam.
The forum was then opened to the public and those present asked a range of pertinent questions on issues from government programs on religious multiculturalism to recent media portrayals of Islam and Muslims. The night ended with Dr. Noor encouraging both the panel members and the audience to continue the on-going dialogue about the meaning of Islam in Australia. As a multicultural society, Australia needs to value and nurture its rich religious and cultural diversity. Australia’s Muslim communities, representing one of the world’s great religious traditions, have much to contribute to this dialogue.
This was the first official event of the Northern Interfaith and Intercultural Network (NIIN): an initiative of La Trobe University’s Centre for Dialogue in cooperation with the City Councils of Banyule, Darebin, Hume, Moreland and Whittlesea, and a wide range of federal and state partner organisations representing the major faith communities.