Islamic organizations in Australia
Islamic organizations in Australia run a wide range of groups and associations and are supported by the Islamic community in Australia. These organizations consist of large community organizations, local organizations, mosques and schools. Most Muslims in Australia are Sunni, and Shia, then Sufi and Ahmadiyyah are in the minority. Australian Muslim demographic profile(http://www.immi.gov.au/gateways/police/resources/_pdf/building_bridges.pdf)[1]
Large organizations
Federation of Islamic Councils of Australia
The Australian Federation of Islamic Councils (AFIC) (known as the Muslim Council of Australia) was established in 1964 as a support organization for various Islamic groups and communities and is the most important Islamic organization in Australia. AFIC considers its role as representing Islam and Australian Muslims in face of the Australian Government and other bodies, nationally and internationally. AFIC strives to coordinate and provide resources for the activities of Islamic councils and Islamic communities of its members.
Islamic schools run by this organization have been repeatedly investigated by the Australian government for alleged mismanagement. There are allegations of inappropriate turnover, unfair dismissal of employees, gender discrimination and hiring of teachers with fundamentalist or extremism backgrounds.Chris Ray's article entitled "Controversies going on in our Islamic schools"; Published in "The Sydney Morning Herald" on October 24, 2015.[2]
Lebanese Muslim Association
The Lebanese Muslim Association is an Australian non-profit welfare organization based in Lacombe, in the south-western suburbs of Sydney. This association was established in the early 1960s as a social project to meet the social, religious, recreational and educational needs of local Muslims. This group runs Lacombe Mosque, which has 5,000 members.
National Council of Imams of Australia
The National Council of Australian Imams was formed in 2006 during a meeting with more than 80 imams from Sunni mosques in Australia who gathered to discuss the crisis created by Tajoddin Al Hilali's statements.
Darul Fatwa - Supreme Islamic Council of Australia
(Dar al-Fatwa - Supreme Islamic Council of Australia) is a high-ranking Islamic institution in Australia that was established in 2004 to meet the growing needs of the Australian Muslim community by the Association of Islamic Charity Projects, abbreviated as AICP, as "a symbol of hope, independence and moderation for "Muslims of Australia".
This council is located in the city of Bankstown in the state of New South Wales, Australia.
Small groups and Associations
Brisbane Crescent
Helal Brisbane was established in 2004 as a community-oriented organization in the field of promoting a healthy lifestyle through sports, entertainment, education and culture, among the Muslim community in the state of Queensland, Australia. Every Friday or Saturday, they publish an e-newsletter called "Helal Community News" on their website, which includes general news about the Muslim community as well as local events and activities.
Goroosh National Islamic Society of Australia
The Australian National Islamic Community of Goroosh (ICMG) is an Islamic forum that comprehensively organizes the religious life of Muslims. The purpose of ICMG is not only to preserve Islamic teachings, to declare Islamic beliefs and to communicate the religious duties arising from that declaration but also, ICMG deals with all matters related to Muslims while representing their interests. The aim of ICMG is to improve the living conditions of Australian Muslims as well as to secure their fundamental rights.
Australian Islamic Friendship Association
The Islamic Friendship Association of Australia (IFAA) is a group founded by Keyser Trad, former director of the Lebanese Muslim Association.
Australian Islamic Information and Services Network
The Islamic Information and Services Network of Australia (IISNA) is an independent Islamic association based in Broadmeadows, State of Victoria.
Australian Islamic Museum
The Islamic Museum of Australia (IMA) is a non-profit foundation which was established as a first Islamic museum in Australia. This museum displays the artistic heritage and historical works of Muslims inside and outside Australia to the public.
Islamic Educational and Research Academy
The Islamic Education and Research Academy (IREA) is an Islamic association based in Hoppers Crossing, in State of Victoria.
Islamic Council for Women's Welfare
The Islamic Women's Welfare Council of Victoria (IWWC) is a social welfare association that supports Muslim women in the state of Victoria, Australia. The director of this group is Jumaneh Al-Matra. In 2011, the group was renamed the Australian Muslim Women's Center (AMWCHR).
Australian Muslim Relief Society
Muslim Aid Australia (MAA) is a supportive and relief organization based in Australia, whose main work is humanitarian aid in Muslim countries. This association was established in 1989. This organization is a branch of the Muslim Relief Organization in England.
The group raised funds from Australians to help victims of the 2004 Tsunami in Southeast Asia. This group has been criticized due to the lack of clearness in how the collected funds are distributed.
Muslim Business Network
Muslim Business Network (MBN) was established in 2006 with the aim of creating a network for Muslim businessmen and promoting Muslim business interests. The heads of this group are Farooq Adam and Mohammad Khatri.
Muslim community Advisory group
The Muslim Community Advisory Group was an consultative body for the Australian federal government that was established from mid-2005 to mid-2006 by the Australian Prime Minister Howard's government.
Muslim Women's Association
Muslim Women's Association (MWA) was formed in 1983. Its executive director is Mrs. Maha Abdoh and the head of the group is Mrs. Jumna Harris. At first, this group only consisted of women from Lebanon, but over time, women from other Muslim countries such as; Türkiye, Singapore, Egypt and... participated in it.
This group supported the former Mofti of Australia (Sheikh Tajoddeen Al-Helali) during the critical attack on Mofti. The group also supports women who have been subjected to violence or other types of abuse at work or at home. MWA has also established childcare centers in local communities. This group supports the Islamic women's magazine called “Reflections”. According to the annual report of this group, in 2013, the annual budget of this association was about 950 thousand Australian dollars.
Australian Muslim Women's National Network
The Muslim Women's National Network of Australia (MWNNA) is a Sydney-based association representing a network of leading Muslim women's organizations and individual Muslim women. MWNNA runs events and projects for Muslim women of all ethnic backgrounds and represents their views in the media and government agencies. This association was founded in 1990 by Azizah Abdul Halim, and Zubaydah Rayman is the current president of this association.
National Zakat Foundation
The National Zakat Foundation is one of the Australian Islamic organizations which established to distribute Zakat for each of the eight categories of needy Muslims.
Islamic radical groups
Some of the Australians people are members of this group known as radical youth. In some cases, some of these people joined ISIS.
Ahl al-Sunnah wal Jama'ah Association(ASWJA)
ASWJA is a Salafi and Wahhabi organization founded by Sheikh Muhammad Emran. Ahl al-Sunnah wal Jama'ah is a general term that refers to the Sunnah of the Messenger of God and those who follow the Sunnah of the Messenger. The followers of this Salafi movement are scattered in Australia, United States, England and Canada.
Ahl al-Sunnah Wal Jama'ah Association of Australia is an organization that has an impact on the society and the youth and implements programs to educate them based on the imitation of the teachings of the Sunnah at the time of the Messenger of Allah. Ahl al-Sunnah Wal Jama'ah Association of Australia is associated with the Australian Islamic Information and Support Center. It is also said that this organization has a close relationship with Al-Qaeda.
Global Islamic Youth Center
Global Islamic Youth Center is an association founded by Feyz Mohammad in Liverpool area, Sydney. This center is affiliated with ASWJA. Local residents have objected to the premise that the group wants to spread a fundamentalist form of Islam.
Andrew Stoner spokesman of education as a opposition said the NSW state government should closely monitor the center and what it may teach to ensure that "extremist views" and "messages of hate" are not teaching in this center.
Hezb Al-Tahrir
Hezb Al-Tahrir is a radical Muslim group that operates in Australia. The group adheres to a form of Islamic fundamentalism and is reported to be calling on Australian Muslims to reject democracy and not cooperate with Australian law enforcement officers. A speaker associated with the group was criticized for his comments on honor killings, leading to the cancellation of one of his speeches.
Hezb Al-Tahrir Australia's spokesman has "threatened to make the Jews pay the blood price". The group has been monitored by the Australian government, although no legal action has been taken against it.
Islamic Youth Movement
The Islamic Youth Movement is a sub-group of ASWJA. This group was attacked by ASIO after the September 11, 2001 incident. This group runs the Sydney-based online magazine "Call of Islam". This group has been criticized for publishing inflammatory material condemning bin Laden in the West, Christianity and Judaism.
Islamic militant groups
Ahmed Y group
An Algerian man known as "Ahmed Y" arrived in Australia in the late 1980s. Ahmed founded a small militant group in Australia in 2001 and supported the idea of establishing the Islamic State in Australia and using violence against Australians.
Benbrica Group in Melbourne
This group, led by Algerian cleric Abdel Nasser Benbrika, announced its existence in Melbourne. The members of this group were arrested by the Australian police in 2005.
Chikho group in Sydney
This group also operated in Sydney under the leadership of Khaled Chikho until the Australian police arrested its members in 2005 under an operation called Pendennis.
Lashkar-e-Tayyebah
Lashkar-e-Tayybah is one of the terrorist organizations that operates in India and Pakistan. This organization created a branch of terrorist activity to carry out terrorist operations in Australia. Willy Bridget, who was accused of planning an attack on Australia, was a new Muslim who was trained by Lashkar-e-Tayyebah.
(Islamic Group) - logical terror group four
Jama’at al-Islamiya is one of the terrorist organizations affiliated with al-Qaeda, which was founded by Abdul Rahim Ayyoob in the 1990s in Southeast Asia (Indonesia). This organization created a branch of terrorist activity called logical 4 to carry out terrorist operations in Australia. This organization was responsible for the failed terrorist operation to attack people during the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. At the end of the period Ayyoob resided in Perth, Australia.
Al-Shabaab
It is believed that the Al-Shabaab terrorist group was behind the terrorist incident at the Holesworthy barracks in Sydney.
Syrian syndicate
A group called the "Syrian Syndicate" has been accused and questioned for sending Australian Muslims to fight in the Syrian civil war.
Illegal terrorist organizations
In January 2015, 20 organizations in Australia were determined by a court and a government agency for actively participation in terrorism operation and prevent their activities. All these organizations except one case were Islamist. Quoted from the Australian National Security website.[3]
Mosques
It is said that there are 384 mosques and Praying places in Australia. A list of this number of mosques and Praying places are maintained by Islam Online web site.Online Islam web site.[4]
The media
Muslim Times Australia
The Muslim Times of Australia is a newspaper belonging to the Sunni community in Australia that provides news and views related to Muslims by using multimedia technologies.
Muslim Community Radio
The Muslim Community Radio (2MFM) is a radio station for the Sunni community of Australia, located in Chester Hill, Western Australia. This center is associated with (Dar al-Fatwa - Supreme Islamic Council of Australia) and Salameh College.
One Way Television Network
One Way Television Network was established in 2015 to counter Islamophobia and mainstream Australian negative media's d attitudes towards Islam. This network belongs to Ahle Sunnah Australia.
School
Islamic schools in Australia are mainly located in New South Wales and Victoria.
New South Wales
List of Islamic schools in New South Wales are as follows:
Islamic Science and Research Academy of Australia (ISRA), including university and faculty
Al-Kowsar Institute
Al-Feysal College
Vahdat Grammar College
Al-Nuri Muslim Primary School
Qiblah School
Al-Zahra College
Arcana College
Australian Islamic College in Sydney (formally King Abdulaziz College)
Australian Erfan College
King Abdulaziz School
Malik Fahd Islamic School
Noorolhoda Islamic College
Resaleh College
Sol Cllege
Victoria
Al-Serat College
Australian International Academy (formerly King Khaled Islamic College)
Darul Uloom College
East Preston Islamic College
Elim College, Australia
Menara College
Al-Taqwa Islamic College
Isiyk College
Queensland
Brisbane Islamic College
International Islamic College of Australia
South Australia
Islamic College of South Australia
Western Australia
Longford Islamic College
Australian Islamic College
Al-Hedayah Islamic School
Footnotes
- ↑ Australian Muslim demographic profile(http://www.immi.gov.au/gateways/police/resources/_pdf/building_bridges.pdf)
- ↑ Chris Ray's article entitled "Controversies going on in our Islamic schools"; Published in "The Sydney Morning Herald" on October 24, 2015.
- ↑ Quoted from the Australian National Security website.
- ↑ Online Islam web site.