Religious Literacy and Islam in Australia

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Recently, I came across an article, “Religious literacy is essential to Australia’s migration solution“, written by Halim Rane, a Professor of Islamic Studies in the School of Humanities, Languages and Social Science at Griffith University.

After reading it, I had some questions that I wanted to raise publicly, and that is how this post was born. What I have done is taken excerpts from Professor Rane’s article and stated my questions below the excerpts.

Islam’s Growth

“Islam is the world’s fastest-growing religion, with a global population exceeding two billion, Muslims are expected to comprise around one-third of the world’s population by the latter half of the century. “

  • Is Islam the fastest-growing religion because of a high birth rate in Muslim communities, OR is it because people are converting to Islam?

Pew Research has reported that Muslim population growth is driven mainly by higher fertility (around 2.9 children per woman versus roughly 2.2 for non-Muslims) and a younger median age (about 24 versus 33). Net conversions appear to contribute little, with roughly as many people leaving as joining. In Australia, ABS data indicate that much of the recent increase came from migration, particularly from Pakistan, Afghanistan, India and Bangladesh.

  • If the primary drivers are demographic rather than large-scale conversion, how should that shape the way we talk about future population change?

Our Misunderstanding

“The religion of Islam and its sacred scripture, the Qur’an, are poorly understood by many Australians, who are frequently exposed to sensational media reporting, divisive political discourse and ideologically motivated public commentary.”

  • While I agree that there is some truth in this statement, what are we non-Muslims (in Australia and around the world) to make of videos shared on social media featuring Muslim Imams preaching hateful messages?
  • How are non-Muslims meant to interpret troubling passages in the Qur’an concerning us (such as Surah 9:1-6 and Surah 9:29-31) amongst others?

Many people are born into Islam and raised with the expectation that they will remain Muslim and follow its teachings.

  • How does classical Islamic law and practice treat someone who later questions the teachings in the Qur’an or leaves the religion altogether?

In the major schools of Islamic jurisprudence, the traditional penalty for apostasy has been death (usually after a period to recant), grounded mainly in Hadith such as “Whoever changes his religion, kill him.” Roughly a dozen countries still prescribe death for apostasy or closely related blasphemy offenses, and social or family sanctions are common even where the state does not act. There have been documented cases of blasphemy laws being abused to cause harm to those of a different faith.

  • If this is the historical and legal pattern, what weight should we give to the modern claim that Islam is a “religion of peace”?
  • Does the existence of peaceful individual Muslims settle questions about the doctrine and its institutional application, or do the classical apostasy rules and Pew findings of substantial support for the death penalty in several Muslim-majority regions still require explanation?
  • When people express concern about these rules—or about personal safety if they or their family members question or leave Islam—how useful is the label “Islamophobia”?
  • Is the fear or criticism irrational, or is it a response to documented legal penalties, social consequences, and reported cases? If the latter, what is the most accurate way to describe it?

Muslim Australians

“Most Muslim Australians already understand Islam in ways that support citizenship, coexistence, ethical responsibility, contextual interpretation and close relations with non-Muslims.”

  • Does the Qur’an traditionally allow for contextual interpretation, OR is this a modern view that Islam has embraced or is embracing?

“The 2020 Islam in Australia national survey, based on 1,034 Muslim Australian citizens and permanent residents, examined how Muslim Australians understand, interpret and express Islam in Australian society.”

  • Even if the 1,034 respondents were randomly selected, how confident can we be that the pattern holds for the wider Muslim Australian population, and does the study claim more uniformity than the data actually support?

“If citizenship, loyalty to lawful agreements, peace with neighbours, respect for difference and contribution to the common good are Australian values, then Muslim Australians do not stand outside those values.”

  • What about teachings in the Qur’an that appear to contradict this? For example, how are non-Muslims, especially Christians like me and Jews, meant to interpret Sura 5:51 and Sura 9:29?

Religious Literacy

“Religious literacy is essential because Australia’s future prosperity will likely require migrants from regions where Islam is socially significant, while public understanding of Islam remains vulnerable to fear, media distortion, geopolitical trauma and political manipulation.”

“Australia does not need a discriminatory migration policy to protect its values. It needs a religiously literate public culture capable of recognising that Muslim Australians already hold understandings of Islam that affirm human security, citizenship, openness to knowledge and peaceful coexistence.”

  • Are Australian Muslims following the same Qur’an as those who are branded as “radical Islamists”? If so, why is there a difference in interpretation of the teachings?
  • Would you agree that there should be a greater effort in Islam to ensure a correct and standard interpretation of the Qur’an that is accepted globally?
  • Why is the burden placed on everyday Australians to understand Islam better when it seems that Muslims themselves have different interpretations of the core teachings of Islam as laid out in the Qur’an?

Instead of focusing on educating the wider population about Islam in order to reduce a perceived prejudice, an alternative priority would be equipping Muslim immigrants and their children with a clear understanding of Australian civic norms (freedom of belief and speech, equality under the law, and rejection of violence or coercion over religious choice) and expecting assimilation on those points.

  • Which approach better serves social cohesion and the rights of individuals inside Muslim communities who may wish to dissent or leave?
  • What evidence from integration outcomes, attitudes toward sharia, or rates of parallel-society formation should guide that choice?

Raising questions is not an attack on individual Muslims. It is an attempt to understand the doctrine, the data, and the practical implications for Australian civic life. I sincerely hope that I will not be falsely accused of being an “Islamophobe” for writing this post.

Thanks for reading.

Thank Sri :)Thank Sri 🙂