(IPS) feature

Sultan M Deen, head of the Islamic Council of Queensland, says one just cannot easily get a copy of the English version of the Koran these days, because ''virtually everyone is after it''.

Indeed, this is but one sign of interest of a renewed interest in Islam - one that is of special importance to Australia, because its some 600,000 Muslims now make up the second largest religious community here

''I did not think much about Islam or Muslims before Sept 11,'' says 22-year-old research assistant Dion Auriac. ''For me, the events of that day have been a catalyst to find out more about the world I live in and the people I share it with.''

The very first Muslims to arrive on the northern coast of Australia were Indonesian fishermen. In the 1840s, Afghan camel drivers were responsible for exploring the interior of Australia, where they established mosques in Perth, Adelaide and Broken Hill.

A large number came in the 1950s and 60s, and others came later as immigrants from different countries.

Like others overseas, Muslims in the country have been the subject of labelling and misperceptions here.

In the aftermath of the Sept11 attacks and the US-led retaliation against Afghanistan, Brisbane mosques were burnt down and firebombed by attackers.

Women harassed

Feroza Mustapha, committee member of the Islamic Women's Association of Queensland, says that a lot of women in her community were harassed and some had their headscarves pulled off their heads.

Intimidated, some Muslim women then suggested that they should not wear their head covering. But Mustapha vehemently protested this: ''People should accept us for who we are. We are not terrorists. People should not condemn us.''

Still, Feroza says that they have actually received more positive than negative reactions from Australians. She recalled how, when their mosque was burnt down, a priest approached them to offer the use of his church so that they could continue teaching Muslim children everyday.

Deen of the Islamic Council of Queensland says things are getting back to normal at his mosque, although they still have security. In fact, he says, visits to the mosque have increased ten-fold probably as people want to find out more about Islam and give their support to Muslims.

At the University of Queensland, Muslim Association president Mohammed Shibly has organised a few sessions at the school premises to clear students' misconceptions of Islam.

He says, ''Unfortunately, Muslims have to take on a bit of a defensive position because we see that Islam is under attack.''

Mohammed blames the media for passing on errors and misconceptions, for instance associating jihad with a call for holy war, a term that various critics say has been misused widely.

Western-centric view

Yvette Abberfield, who attended one of the talks, says she realised that she should not take media reports about the 'war against terrorism' at face value, ''especially those aspects of the media that put forward a very western-centric view of the world''.

Another phrase discussed in the school discussions as commonly misused by the media is the phrase ''Islamic fundamentalists'' to describe terrorists.

Dion Auriac, who was also at one of the talks on Islam, says that there is a difference between terrorists and ''Islamic fundamentalists'', who are people that do not follow the fundamentals of Islam at all and are probably better described as ''radicals or hardliners'' as opposed to the majority of Muslims in Australia.

In short, the events since Sept 11 have also become an opportunity for Australians of different faiths to understand one another better.

Indeed, the younger generation of Australians, which has grown up after the 'White Australia' policy was abolished in the early 1970s and gave way to more immigration, has learnt to be multicultural.

At the same time, Abberfield concedes, ''sometimes it is easy to forget about the Islamic community because they seem so different''.

Patricia Short, a sociology lecturer from the University of Queensland, says: ''Islam is around us without us noticing.''

She adds that heightened media attention at present has led people to notice the symbols of Islam, but the lack of interaction with Muslims has resulted in stereotyping Muslims.

The limited information people receive from the media and the global discourse of the 'fear' of Islam could also explain the misconceptions among Australians, she explains.

Status of Islamic women

Short says the status of Islamic women differs from country to country and that they are not homogenous, but adds that there is ''an apparent rigidity of Islamic rules'' among Australians' perceptions of Muslim women.

For instance, many tend to view as ''oppression'' the wearing of the hijab or veil by Islamic women. But Mohammed debunked this as a misconception by many outsiders, explaining that it is a woman's own choice.

Many women, he says, in fact find it very liberating because they are no longer judged by their physical appearance but acknowledged for their personality and intellect.

When Prime Minister John Howard described the majority of Australian Muslims as ''peaceful, law-abiding, patriotic people'', this is indeed the sentiment of some.

Take Nada Ibrahim, an Australian who is of Egyptian and Indian origin, who has been living in the country for 15 years and says she feels more attached to her country these days, despite the labelling of Muslims after September attacks.

''We are living here in Australia on the basis that we have got a contract to the country we are living in. You try to follow the rules to the best of your ability,'' she explains.

Deen of the Islamic Council of Queensland, an Australian born here, remarks that Australia has become a much more tolerant society in the last 15 years, in contrast to the time when ''racism was an everyday thing'' during the 'Australia White' policy.

''Nevertheless,'' he adds, ''after all that has happened after Sept 11, you do not have to scratch very deep to find a little racism.''