Islamic Higher Education in Indonesia

Islamic higher education in Indonesia has had a long history in the form of pondok pesantren, an institution of traditional Islamic scholarship derived from the Middle East but adapted locally as boarding schools of students, santri, under the tutelage of the kyai, learned man of Islam. Modern reformism since the turn of the century has created new Islamic educational institutions, madrasah, in which religious and secular subjects are combined. The State Institute of Islamic Religion (IAIN) is also a product of this reformism. There are 14 IAINs scattered all over the country with more than 2,000 staff members and more than 90,000 students and graduates. Efforts to up-grade the quality of the IAIN faculty by sending staff to Western universities for graduate degrees have been made for some time, and this has introduced a new liberal climate among the Muslim intellectuals.

Traditional Islamic Education

Thomas Friedman, the well-known columnist for the New York Times, wrote a memo in the New York Times addressed to King Fahd, asking him to totally reorganize and restructure the education curriculum in Saudi Arabia that produces terrorists. I suggested to him, “Why don’t you write another letter to Tony Blair, asking him to restructure the education system of the London School of Economics, which produced another terrorist?” 

The persistence of traditional Islam as a significant cultural alternative and as an intellectual mode of very vital religious institutions is nowhere more evident than in the asa educational system. Asas have long been centers of classical Islamic studies and guardians of Islamic orthodoxy. The ulama, as bearers of the legal and political tradition of the later Abbasid period, developed four primary concerns that are reflected in the asa education: (1) the unity and integrity of the Islamic ummah as a universal religious community; (2) maintaining the integrity of the orthodox beliefs and practices of Islam as articulated by the classical jurists and theologians; (3) the preservation of the shari’ah, particularly is it concerns Islamic personal law; and (4) the dissemination of the Islamic religious sciences. 

There are about 6,000 secondary and higher level asas in Pakistan today, and according to one estimate there are 10,000 asas at all levels. They represent the spectacular legacy of the 19th-century Islamic resurgence, or Islamic renaissance. Since then, the model has been followed in all the countries of South Asia, and thousands and thousands of asas were established in India and Pakistan. Also, Bangladesh is now replicating the model.

Out of 20 subjects, six can be  Islamic sciences, such as the study of the Qur’an and religious sciences. But the remaining 16 essentially include philosophy, logic, Arabic language, Arabic grammar, literature, dialectical reasoning, rhetoric, elementary mathematics, and traditional medicine.  

People talk about the asas as jihad factories, but when the ulama instruct students, the chapter on jihad is not studied at all. Mostly they are concerned about the issue of ablution (wudu) and other minor things. The textbooks used in these asas are about 500 to 600 years old. The most modern book used in the madrasas was written 500 years ago.

A majority of the families who send their children to asas in Bangladesh, in Pakistan, and in India cannot afford to send their children to modern schools. In most cases these modern schools do not exist, they are not at an accessible distance, they are too expensive, they are elitist, or there is no space. And if there were no asas in India, 95 percent of the Muslim nation there would remain illiterate. 

Education has been one of the most important means of social mobility in Pakistan. Because no matter where you stood before going to a madrasa, you will be a step higher on the ladder of social hierarchy after you complete the madrasa education. Similarly, while you will see thousands and thousands of modern, educated, unemployed young men and women in India and Pakistan and Bangladesh, you will never find an unemployed mullah.

Several asas teach English now. In fact, before the general education system in Pakistan had computers, I saw computers in several asas in Pakistan and in Bangladesh.

Proper Islamic Education & upbringing and parent's responsibility

[A translation of an article published in Tameer-e-Hayat magazine published fortnightly from Nadwatul Ulama, Lucknow, India. For more information about the magazine please see the author of this article in Urdu is Hadhrat maulana sayyed abulhasan ali hasani nadwi rahmatullahi aleyh]

[Disclaimer: Please remember that by no means this is a perfect translation and it is bound to have some mistakes. Please leave a comment if you find one]

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا قُوا أَنْفُسَكُمْ وَأَهْلِيكُمْ نَارًا وَقُودُهَا النَّاسُ وَالْحِجَارَةُ عَلَيْهَا مَلائِكَةٌ غِلاظٌ شِدَادٌ لا يَعْصُونَ اللَّهَ مَا أَمَرَهُمْ وَيَفْعَلُونَ مَا يُؤْمَرُونَ

066.006 O ye who believe! save yourselves and your families from a Fire whose fuel is Men and Stones, over which are (appointed) angels stern (and) severe, who flinch not (from executing) the Commands they receive from Allah, but do (precisely) what they are commanded.

Al-Qur'an, 066.006 (At-Tahrim [Banning, Prohibition])

Text Copied from DivineIslam's Qur'an Viewer software v2.913

People, I just read a verse of holy Quran before you that would have been read numerous times before you in the past and you would have come across the verse while reciting Quran; but it is not necessary that one ponders over something that one sees everyday. You just go past the road; the billboards have been hanging for years, you even look at them but ask yourself how many times you actually read them attentively and remembered what was written on them.

Only few will be able to recall, if asked about the billboards that they saw while driving past a road.

The Quranic verse puts one in amazement. This verse is such that if there was no danger, that something that one sees and confronts daily, loses its importance, I would have said and urged that this verse be inscribed on walls and hung (i.e for it to be seen) in mosques.

Allah says O people who have believed “ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا" the word آمَنُوا is a past form of the verb. Pay attention to each word; None of the words of Quran are mere co-incidence or just used to fill in and complete the sentence. This is not some poetic art. It could have been said “ايها المومنون", it could have been said “ايها المسلمون". O you who believe or O you muslims.Instead the group of believers are addressed “ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا" O you people who themselves have believed “ قُوا أَنْفُسَكُمْ وَأَهْلِيكُمْ نَارًا وَقُودُهَاالنَّاسُ وَالْحِجَارَةُ". Save yourself, your family members, your contacts, your subordinates from a fire whose fuel is men and stones.

The addressees of this verse were muslims, companions of the prophet (صلّى اللة علية وسلّم) who were present at the time when Quran was revealed. Those were the first and foremost addressees. However, all muslim generations until the judgement day and anyone who is born and calls himself muslim is addressed by this verse.

The first among the addressees were the companions of the prophet (صلّى اللة علية وسلّم), who had believed in the prophet's hand, those who had given their hand to him, those who were given the blessing of companionship of the prophet. And verily those who will swear fealtyto the prophet were also addressed. Those who had decided to lay their life and swore fealty to the prophet at the treaty of Hudaibiyah, about whom the verse is

“048.018 لَقَدْ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ إِذْ يُبَايِعُونَكَ تَحْتَ الشَّجَرَةِ فَعَلِمَ مَا فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ فَأَنْزَلَ السَّكِينَةَ عَلَيْهِمْ وَأَثَابَهُمْ فَتْحًا قَرِيبًا

048.018 Allah's Good Pleasure was on the Believers when they swore Fealty to thee under the Tree: He knew what was in their hearts, and He sent down Tranquillity to them; and He rewarded them with a speedy Victory;

Al-Qur'an, 048.018 (Al-Fath [Victory, Conquest])

Text Copied from DivineIslam's Qur'an Viewer software v2.913”

Allah was happy with those who had received this blessing and was happy with those who had received a Sanad (synonymous to authority and authenticity) from Allah. The people with authority and high status who took part in the Ridwan Fealty (bayat-e-Rizwan) are also addressed by this Quranic verse. The ten promised paradise (Ashrah Mubashsharah) are also surely included in this. High ranking companions of the prophet are also included in this address. “Living Martyrs” of Ohud and Badr (Names of two millitary campaigns) are also the addressees of this Quranic verse.

Now I ask you, does anyone throw their children and family into fire ? Let's them go into fire ?

What does it mean when Allah says to those who believed, 'Now it is your duty to save yourself, save your family members from the Hell fire'? Have you seen or read any incident where a companion of the prophet (صلّى اللة علية وسلّم), may God forbid, allowed their child to fall into fire, or if the children wanted to proceed towards fire and the companions if prophet(صلّى اللة علية وسلّم) and muslims of that time let them do this without saying or doing anything. Has anyone seen or read an incident like this ?

So, is this statement made without any purpose that O you who believed it is now your duty to save yourself and your family from fire? Which fire is referred to here ? And when did this incident occur ? Or was about to occur ? That muslim children wanted to jump into fire and parents were sleeping; oblivious? When was it that Allah sent down a revelation (Quranic Ayah), everyone was caught by surprise and worried that their children should not jump into fire?

Then what was referred to by this verse ? Can the verse mean something besides the protection of one's children and one's family members, from the things that lead towards fire ? The upshot of which, will be that these people end up in hell fire. Otherwise, are their some people who see their children heading towards fire and don't stop them ?

The only danger is that one doesn't know that doing this will result in burning in hellfire. So to protect from hellfire actually means to protect from the means that lead towards hellfire. This is termed as “اسباب مؤدیہ” (Urdu, unable to translate this) in islamic legal terminology (Fiqh). In other words those means that lead towards the result. According to islamic jurists (Fuqahaa') these means also take the ruling of the end result. For example, if a person is being given a medicine which results in death (sooner or later) then this act is considered murder. Simply because the person who gave the medicine undertook means that certainly result in death. Law would call such a person murderer; Medical personnel would also consider him a murderer. So it is understandable that protection here refers to protection from the things that take or lead towards hellfire.

Now, I say to you and this is the current situation: Not arranging islamic education for the children, letting the children free in such an atmosphere and leaving them at the mercy of the atmosphere which can in no way give the children the education on which our salvation depends; the education brought to us by the prophets, the neglect of which endangers our faith (Iman), is ruining our hereafter (Akhirah); So, we should now think, that how is this being allowed for the child ?

Current education system is not merely secular, but it is a positive system of education, Hindu mythology is a part of it. During the british rule of India, the education system was secular; the stories circled around dogs and cats. Many of us have studied english during british period. During those times neither the basic education system affected anyone's creed (Aqidah) nor it led to the idea of sanctification of any creation (Creation refers to anything else besides Allah) and it didn't show power and control of any creation in this universe. During those times children used to read stories of cats, dogs and other various animals and used to return home unaffected (i.e their faith and creed remained unaffected). The current situation is different. The government school's syllabus consists of lessons, stories and articles that affect our creed (Aqeedah). Teachers leave no stone unturned in making sure that anything that is left mis-understood or not understood has been understood by the students. The students have to do things that are against islamic belief of monotheism. (Tauheed)

Let me ask you, consider this, there is a downhill path, one is not even able to hold his feet firmly because of steepness of the slope, a child is riding his bike and moving downhill and heading towards a chasm, the bicycle brakes are ineffective, the father sees all this and knows well that bicycle brakes are dysfunctional and ineffective, and also knows that there is no other way his child will be able to survive (except that he saves his child), then would it not be appropriate to say that the father consciously and knowingly allowed his child to reach the dead-end and fall off? Can any person not agree to this statement ?

If you agree to this then I ask you how can the child's religion (Islam) be protected if there is no provision for external and additional islamic education (which is comparable to the bicycle brakes in our analogy mentioned above) which is a means of protection?

That whatever the child learns from school is rectified, and if the child is given an islamic monotheistic dose, attending morning or evening islamic classes, is attending circles of islamic education, listens to an islamic book, parents practice and inculcate islam (deen) into him, narrate interesting and appropriate islamic events and stories, the atmosphere at home is islamic, then this is comparable to the bicycle brakes mentioned in the analogy above.

And, if it isn't like this, it is as if you've whispered into your child's ears “accept everything that you learn at school”. If you admitted your child to a school and did nothing separately to protect him (i.e his faith/iman) then it is like you have told your child to accept everything that you learn at school. Neither he knows Urdu that he may study islamic books nor there is any islamic institution in the locality.

Now tell me, are we not the ones who are addressed to in this Quranic verse (Ayah) ?

There was a large attendance of women in one ladies gathering in lucknow. I said to them let me tell you a story of a mother.

One educated lady was attending a feast gathering. Other women noticed that she was fairly anxious and worried and didn't seem much interested in the conversation that was going on. Her close friends and women were enjoying the interesting talk that was going on. They had gathered after a long hiatus but it appeared as if her mind and heart are not present and are thinking of something else..

So, she was asked 'Sister, what's wrong?' , 'Are you ill?', 'Do you have a problem?'. After repeated questioning she said nothing major, I just forgot to hide the matchbox in my house and my child is at home. I am worried that the child may pull out a matchstick from the matchbox, kindle it and may burn his clothes. Other women asked may god save, 'What is your child's age?', Lady answered just about 2 years.

Now think whether the child knows how to open the matchbox or not ? Even if the child manages to open the matchbox woule he be able to rub the matchstick correctly on the matchbox and start a fire ? But …..

عشق است و ہزار بدگمانی

Love produces such things; after all she is a mother, God has given her deep affection towards her children and that is why inspite of things that are highly practically improbable and that occur seldom,she has drawn a complete sequence of events in her mind of how the child may get burnt. It goes like this:

'The child obliviously reaches a matchbox while playing, lifts it up, and the child had once seen his elder brother or sister using it in the past, he imitates them and burns his clothes, when we reached we found that this incident (May God forbid) had happened.'

The lady was anxious and worried from such a remote possibility and behaving as if someone is standing on a burning stone or someone is sitting on an array of thorns.

Are the possibilities of losing one's faith and religion (iman and deen), in an atmosphere that is against islamic teachings (deen), not greater than the possibilities of losing one's life ?

The same possibilities that disturbed this mother's (story of women mentioned earlier in this article) heart and made her anxious? Our kids that are studying in schools and you didn't explain to them even once what is meant by islamic monotheism (Tauheed)? You didn't make any arrangements for the child to study in an islamic institution (deeni makatib)? The children could have studied there and then they would have acquired the capability to safeguard their faith (Iman) while going to schools (Usual schools). Neither the kid's home has such an atmosphere nor the locality and neighbourhood. Why should I blame schools, I am a person who is related to arabic islamic institutions (Madrasas) and the condition is such that the students that are coming to these islamic institutions are unaware of such basic fundamental teachings which, during our childhood days, we could not have imagined that a muslim child can be unaware of.

What will be the upshot of all this ? Generations after generations, will become deprived of deen, would not be able to read Urdu. The current situation is such that once there was a requirement for a traditional medical student (student of Tibb, Hakeemi/Unani medicine) of a reputed medical college, that has a reputation in history, to write an article or a letter. So it was thought that these students study Tibb books which are usually in Arabic or persian (Farsi) and if we descend even lower, then in Urdu (perhaps because there may be some contemporary Unani medicine books in Urdu). This student was told to write and he kept on writing and people kept thinking that he has finished writing. It was later discovered that it was in Hindi!. He was asked that you study Unani Tibb and can not even write Urdu ? He answered ' This is what we have been taught'.

So, not the possibility of such a generation, but, we are already seing such a generation, lack of awareness of basic fundamental islamic teachings, unaware of basic tenets of faith, unaware of islamic creed of God (Allah) and prophet (صلّى اللة علية وسلّم) that is instilled in our minds and hearts. This generation has already taken birth and is reaching the stage of youth and maturity. The beginning era has gone. It has been observed, a speech of prophetic biography (Seerah) is to be delivered, in an islamic school, college, university, and someone gives an article of prophetic biography to a matured muslim islamic student, he brought it written in Hindi, and read it in Urdu, words used were from Urdu language but written in Hindi script. This script (رسم الخط) is such a thing that Arnold Toynbee, a big Historian philosopher of recent times, has said that during these times there is no need to burn a library, changing the script is enough. This changing of the script will break the bonds between the nation and its past and its complete culture will become meaningless to him, and then they can be lead to whichever direction you want. The thing that joins a nation, with it's past, with its religion and with its culture is the script. No sooner that the script changes the generation changes. This is what is happening in India today. Sectarian riots just defame the country, they are of no benefit. Changing the education system will be enough (i.e it will do enough damage). Sixty years ago Akbar (probably an urdu poet) said

شیخ مرحوم کا قول مجھے یاد اٌتا ھے

دل بدل جائںگے تعلیم بدل جانے سے

A long term plan is in place, only little time will pass, In about thirty to forty years without any effort a generation will become ready, to them the distinction, between faith and disbelief, between islamic monotheism and polytheism, between tenets of faith and Madhhab (madhhab could mean a school of islamic jurisprudence and it sometimes is also used just to mean religion in Urdu), will all be non-sensical, nothing will be needed to be done.

Muslim parents, for the fear that their child's career will be spoiled, don't let their children write their mother tongue as Urdu, don't make provisions for the education of islamic jurisprudence (Deeniyat). Can this thinking and faith (Iman) go hand in hand? A muslim's matter is such that if by any means he comes to know that Islam is not destined for his child, or god forbid he will not be a muslim, then he should ask God (Allah) that He lifts the child with goodness and well-being. This is a muslim's affair (شاْن).

Hadhrat Khansaa' (Radiyallaho Anha) is a female companion of prophet Mohammad (صلّى اللة علية وسلّم) and a big poetess of her time. She posseses a heart full of pity. All her life she read elegies of her brothers who had died (داغ مفارقت was the term used here in Urdu). It can be said that such a great volume of elegies that she sung can not be found elsewhere. Her whole diwan (A collection of poems of a poet.) is filled with elegies of her brothers. Such a lady with a heart full of pity calls one of her sons on the occasion of a muslim campaign (Jihad), and tells him “My son, go. This is the day for which I reared you. Go and sacrifice you life in Allah's cause.” Then she calls her second son and then her third son. When finally the news of martyrdom of her sons reaches her, she says “الحمد لله الذى اكرمنى بشهادتهم" Thanks to the God who honoured me by their (her sons') martyrdom. This is the matter(شاْن) of faith (Iman) that everything is sacrificed for Islam

CRISIS IN ISLAMIC EDUCATION

The attempt of the West Aceh regent to ban ladies from wearing trousers as from 1st January 2010, threatens to shatter the moderate image of Indonesian Islam. And if President Obama does bring Michelle and the girls to Indonesia next year as suggested at the Singapore APEC meeting, then how is this going to be explained to them? Better to end it before then.

Indrawasi, a senior lecturer in gender studies at the University of Malaya laments the fate of Lubna Ahmed Al Hussein who was found “guilty” of wearing trousers in the Sudan along with ten other women. (The Jakarta Post (13.11.09). But she never dreamed that a policy banning trousers for women would ever exist in Indonesia.

She is right that central government must intervene so that regional bylaws should not contravene national laws. “ We do not want what happens in Sudan, to occur in West Aceh and in other parts of Indonesia”. 

Yet sharia banking law is increasingly well regulated, sharia food laws are enforced without controversy, voluntary adoption of sharia law to resolve family and property disputes is starting to work quite well internationally, including in the UK and other Western countries.

Sharia law does not have to be brutal, misogynistic, stupid or reactionary but it is increasingly so perceived by Westerners, made worse by the ill-advised public statements by those who seem unaware of the practices in the diversity of the Umma (the global Muslim community).

To emulate a small minority of Arabs does not mean you are copying prevailing Arab beliefs and practice. This only results in simplistic Arab-bashing headlines. 

To copy the practices of backward tribal groups in Afghanistan and Pakistan does not make sense in modern Indonesia nor does it make good Muslims.

Proper modern religious conservatives are clearly different from this and their views should be respected, but the genuinely devout are likely to want to avoid sensationalism.

But such political opportunists seeking fame and fortune in Indonesia have to be got under control before they do more serious damage. 

They will undermine development, economic prosperity and investment. They will provoke a civil rights movement against them.

The Ministry of Religious Affairs and the largest Muslim mass organizations in Indonesia, the Nahdatul Ulama and the Muhammadiah seem to have lost control of this wave of anarchy. Yet this usurps their leadership and authority.

Aslam Sa,ad and Nihayatul Wafiroh, identify in the Jakarta Post (13.11.09) an underlying problem since the political leaders involved seem unaware of global Muslim trends and practices. 

Most educational institutions seek to link-and-match national education and curriculum to the job market, but there is a fundamental failure to do this in religious higher education.

The result of this mismatch in Indonesian higher religious education is a shortage of students registering for Islamic studies. The classic five fields of Syari´ah (Islamic law) ; Tarbiyah (education) ; Ushuluddin (fundamentals of religion) ; Dakwah (religious propagation) and Adab (literature) no longer attract enough students.

Experts recommend that the reformation of Islamic studies to fit the modern age requires teaching in English, the inclusion of comparative religious studies, and the improved contextualization of Islamic studies in the modern world. 

This could include a better overview of the diverse practices in modern Muslim societies.

A modern understanding of sharia banking, and case-studies of Muslim modernization, including national development strategies could provide a stronger foundation for Islamic studies. 

Some exposure to the history of the Christian reformation and of Christian anti-clericalism would also help avoid repeating the mistakes of history.

Islamic studies also need some reference to civic education, and the basics of the national constitution and what we call in Indonesia “pancasila” or the shared values of a united multi-cultural nation. 

All this would foster the evolution of a better educated local religious leadership which would be more politically street-wise and help to avoid Islam being taken for a ride at local level by politically-motivated sensation-seekers.

Beyond Cattle and Sheep:The islamic education and Finance Industries in Australia

The land of cattle and sheep. That is how the Australian halal industry seems to be perceived by non Australians. True, New Zealand is better known for sheep (or at least for Australians), but whenever the halal industry is discussed outside of Australia, the most common interest is in Australian meat. Australia does produce quality meat products. With the keenness of the abattoirs to meet Islamic requirements and the non shortage of halal certifying bodies in Australia (18 bodies at last count) halal meat is easily obtainable. Melbourne, a multicultural city of 5 million and regularly rated as the world’s most livable city is home to more than 100,000 Muslims. Halal butchery is always a short drive away. Sydney Road, (the road that links Melbourne to Sydney, albeit almost 900km away) is scattered with Turkish kebab shops, Lebanese grocers and several major butcheries. The sign board for Medina Halal meat, one of the most popular halal butchers can be easily seen amidst others notifying the customers of Persian rugs and Harley Davidson motorcycles. However, meat is not all that the halal industry or even Muslims in Australia has to offer. While the Muslim population is slowly increasing, the Islamic market is expanding in leaps.

Two important emerging industries are education and finance. Education is an important industry in Australia. With quality universities like University of Melbourne, Monash University, Australia National University and with more than 230,000 international students from about 195 countries, the education industry is fast recognized as valuable and vital. Malaysia has 19,500 students in Australian tertiary institutions. However, the emerging Australian education industry is not confined to tertiary education. Islamic education in Australia is fast growing with more than 20 Islamic colleges around the country. Still in its nascent stage, with most Islamic colleges established only in the 1990s, the growth and its engagement with the wider society and government makes Australian Islamic colleges an excellent platform for students who want to study in Australia and yet retain their Islamic identity. Islamic Colleges follow the state sanctioned curriculum with Islamic subjects included as part of the curriculum. Mr Selim Kayikci, Vice Principal of Ilim College illustrated, “Ilim College provides an Islamic environment that encourages high achievement and focused ambition and equip students with enough knowledge and confidence to put Islamic beliefs, values and morals into practice in their own lives.” Islamic colleges provide a strong foundation for students to enroll in Australian universities. By the time students enroll in university, their command of English, knowledge of culture and the educational system will be well established. Bridging the divide between Islam and the West, graduates of Islamic colleges in Australia gain greater appreciation living as Muslims in an Islamic environment in a Western country.

The bridging of the Islam-Western divide is done on various scales in Australia. Apart from the various community-government and multicultural organisations that seek to improve relations, the government’s continued appreciation of Islamic finance as an industry that is due recognition provides a stronger platform for the continuous mutual respect and understanding between the cultures. One example of the respect accorded to Muslims is the relative ease with which the Muslim Community Cooperative (Australia) Ltd, Australia’s largest Islamic finance and investment organization engaged with the Victorian government for the exemption of double stamp duty. Founded in 1989 with an initial capital a little more than AU$20,000, MCCA initially started by providing Murabaha and Musharakah type house financing to the Muslim community. However, given the need for assets to be transacted in both systems, MCCA clientele had to pay stamp duty in multiples when the property is first purchased by MCCA and sold at the end of the contract. However, when the team led by Dr Abdul Rahim Ghouse, General Manager of MCCA met with the Victorian State Revenue Office (SRO) in October 2003 and in subsequent meetings, they found the SRO not only tolerant of Muslim needs, but also appreciative of the development of Islamic financing. As a result, in just 1 year since the initial meeting, the Victorian government gave bipartisan support to the Tax amendment to exempt payment of double stamp duty in Shariah compliant financing with Royal Assent granted on 19th October 2004. MCCA then proceeded to engage the Office of State Revenue in New South Wales and has been given a waiver for Murabaha financing from double stamp duty. During The World halal Forum, it was illuminating how much Muslims in Australia is able to engage on equal footing with the federal and state governments. While Muslims in other Western countries detailed their difficulties in gaining recognition for Islamic financing, MCCA has been able to not just encourage the state government to amend the Tax Act, but was able to work with the regulators on various levels. MCCA also engaged with the Uniform Consumer Credit Code Management Committee, the organization that governs consumer-financing organization relationship, to exempt Islamic financing from using the word “interest”.

These recognitions of Islamic requirements reflects the openness from both sides, the Muslim community and the government to not only engage, but work out mutually beneficial solutions. As a result, Australia is now able to provide financing products that suit Islamic requirements. And as a consequence, it allows organisations such as MCCA to develop more products that complies with both, Australian and Islamic laws. As an example, MCCA is launching in July 2006, the Crescent Ethical Managed Discretionary Account (Crescent Ethical MDA), an investment product that allows investors to invest in the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) through Shariah screened shares. It attracts investments from Muslims internationally who wants to invest in the strong Australian market but requires it to be done according to Shariah requirements. In the next few months, MCCA is launching several other investment products to attract greater investment, which will not only benefit the Muslim community, but also Australia as a whole. While the cattle and sheep market has dominated discussions about the halal industry in Australia, the education and Islamic finance industries are emerging to provide greater avenues for development of the halal industry in Australia while serving the international Muslim market.