Online Islamic identity and community in Australia and three neighbouring countries
- Publication Type:
- Thesis
- Issue Date:
- 2008
Open Access
Copyright Clearance Process
- Recently Added
- In Progress
- Open Access
This item is open access.
In Australia, Islam is a controversial religion practiced by a small but growing band of converts
alongside migrant Muslim communities from the Middle East, Africa, Europe and Asia. By contrast, in
Indonesia it is the professed faith of the majority of the population yet holds no place in state laws or
the constitution of the Republic. In Singapore Islam is practiced within tightly monitored state imposed
boundaries by a Muslim population that comprises the Island’s second biggest ethnic/cultural
group. Nearby Malaysia though secular in policymaking and socio-political foundations, incorporates
Islamic aspects into its governing practices and national identity. Since the early days of its existence,
the internet has been the site of alternatives and challenges to the dominant popular discourse that
permeates the content and values of earlier media forms such as television and print. Does the
internet act to the benefit, or to the detriment, of Muslims in representing themselves and their way
of life? If the internet can be used for the benefit of Muslims, in what ways can it do this?
The thesis explores how Muslim identity is constructed and mediated online in Australia, Indonesia,
Malaysia and Singapore. It provides key parameters that emerge from the overview of the countries
studied, and uses these as the basis for the research topic. It then examines five key hypotheses (that
national government policies on internet “freedom” will set up a first order structure of constraint
that will either facilitate or inhibit free expression and exploration of identity; that government
policies on religious freedom and in particular the public expression of symbolic aspects of Islamic
identity will contribute to the priority accorded different internet content questions – eg political
rights, questions of moral or ethical guidance, and personal relationships; that the political strength of
Islam within a society will be demonstrated by the diversity of opinions and outlets available to
members of the ummah; that the social class and economic position of users will affect their access to
and use of the Internet, reflecting the specific characteristics of the digital divide in each society; and
that the use of the internet will have an effect on gender relations among adherents to Islam in the
four nation-states studied, with particular reference to changing conceptions of Muslim women’s roles
and responsibilities in the areas of relationship building and participation in public discourse).
Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: