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Zara talks to Dr Abu Bakr Sirajuddin Cook and Dr Rami Dawood about the history of Islam in Australia, beginning with the arrival of the Makassan traders, that pre-dates European settlement, to the Afghan Cameleers, who set up the first mosques in the country. They discuss the legacy of the early Muslims in the country, their interaction with Aboriginal tribes, and the discovery of a Sufi Qadiri manuscript in Broken Hill Mosque.
WHAT WE TALK ABOUT IN THIS EPISODE
- Earliest oral accounts and recorded instances of Muslims making contact with Australia: possibility of Admiral Zheng He’s fleet
- Makassans traders from modern day Indonesia
- The influence of the Makassans on the language of the northern tribes of Australia, some of which is derived from Muslim prayer
- Arrival of Cameleers from modern day Afghanistan, Northern India, Pakistan and Bangladesh
- Contribution of Cameleers to Australia
- Broken Hill, the history of the Muslim community and its mosques
- Bengali manuscript found in Broken Hill
- The discovery of a Sufi Qadiri manuscript from 1901 inside the mosque
- Contents of the manuscript
- Interactions between early Muslims and indigenous Australians
- Muslim community in Australia today
PEOPLE / THINGS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
- Makassan traders
- Afghan Cameleers
- Broken Hill Mosque
- Broken Hill Historical Society
- Almiraj Sufi and Islamic Study Centre
- Dr Abu Bakr’s website
- ‘Islam Dreaming: Indigenous Muslims in Australia’ by Peta Stephenson
- Ian McIntosh
- Regina Ganter
Wasi Dr Abu Bakr Sirajuddin Cook is a Research Fellow at Almiraj Sufi and Islamic Study Centre, Broken HIll, Australia. He has presented at a range of international conferences and published on various aspects of Sufism in academic journals. Currently researching the history of Sufism in Australia. Connect with him on Instagram and on his website.
Rami Dawood, MS, is a student of Classical Arabic (Qaid Institute), and Islamic Studies (Daar Ibn Abbas College). He is Doctor of Medicine candidate at Monash University (2021).
FURTHER RESOURCES
- G’day Cameleers Documentary : G’day Cameleers featuring four Australian Muslim boys who, during their school holidays, went on a journey to explore the land of the early Australian Muslim Cameleers (Well known as the Afghan camel-drivers) and paid visit their final resting place. WATCH ON ALCHEMIYA
G’day Cameleers from Badayel House on Vimeo.
Listen to Sacred Footsteps- The Podcast on iTunes, Soundcloud, Spotify & more!
