Fourteenth International Conference on Religion & Spirituality in Society

Abstract

This paper explores the transmission of religiosity from migrant generations to the next generation in a Muslim minority setting like Queensland. Although Muslims have a long history in Queensland as they have lived here since the 1840s, their presence and life here in Queensland are not well documented yet. The paper is based on ethnographic fieldwork conducted over one year in Southeast Queensland’s Muslim community. The author explores how migrant generations pass on religiosity to their children and how they accommodate these practices and identities in a Muslim minority setting like Queensland. The paper highlights that formal Islamic education has been institutionalized since the establishment of Holland Park Mosque in southeast Queensland. Besides mosques-based Arabic schools, formal Islamic schools, and Islamic Studies under the RI program, there are many other informal platforms such as sports and Islamic activities groups that are used by Southeast Queensland’s Muslim community to transmit religious knowledge from one generation to another. In conclusion, this paper provides insights into how migrant generations pass on religiosity to their children in a Muslim minority setting like Queensland. It highlights that formal Islamic education has been institutionalized since the establishment of Holland Park Mosque in southeast Queensland. Besides mosques-based Arabic schools, formal Islamic schools, and Islamic Studies under the RI program, there are many other informal platforms such as sports and Islamic activities groups that are used by Southeast Queensland’s Muslim community to transmit religious knowledge from one generation to another.