History of Islam and Muslims in Australia

Dr Dzavid Haveric develops a story in which he explains how Muslims have settled within the Australian Commonwealth to build diverse multi-ethnic and cosmopolitan communities. This comprehensive account of Islam in Australia reaches back to 9th century Muslim records of exploration and from more recent pre-colonial times when Makassan fishermen made their regular yearly visits to Northern Australia renewing contacts with the country’s indigenous custodians. The small but persistent presence of Muslims from the earliest days of British settlement is also part of an intriguing and still unfolding story. It is not merely an account of how Islam presents itself among other religions but of a Muslim multi-ethnicity with the many stories of a diverse and pluralistic faith-community. This book will provide the reader with an insight of what it means for the vast majority of Muslims around this vast country - from Cocos Islands to the east coast - who are happy to declare: ‘Australia is my home’. - Dr Bruce C. Wearne Former Senior Lecturer at Monash University.