Problems, Challenges and Prospects of Indonesian Muslim Community in Sydney for Promoting Tolerance

Abstract

This paper elucidates a map of Indonesian Muslim communities around Sydney in order to observe the possibility to promote a moderate and tolerant Indonesian Islam worldwide.

Voluntary Diaspora and Missionary Purposes: Mapping Indonesian Muslim Diaspora in Western Countries

“…NU promotes moderate Islam overseas to make its voices heard within the Islamic communities and broader public in the host country and maintain socio-religious connections with the home country. This strengthens previous research on the role of religious study (pengajian), the role of other Indonesian Islamic organizations, and some media to keep Indonesian Muslims maintaining their religion and identity (Muttaqin et al 2016;Setianto 2015). Interestingly, future studies on Indonesian Muslims in the diaspora and the efforts to promote tolerant and pluralistic Indonesian Islam will be developed simultaneously.…”

“…The diaspora of recognised Islamic ulama from Indonesia can also be explained from the perspective of the community. This can use the data collected from Indonesian Muslims in Australia, especially in Sydney, which shows the range of Indonesian Muslim diaspora communities who identify themselves as kelompok pengajian (Islamic study groups) (Muttaqin et al 2016). A recent work that listed 34 kelompok pengajian says that individual Muslims from Indonesia prefer to identify themselves as Indonesian Muslims who live in Australia rather than Australian Muslims (Muttaqin et al 2016:178).…”

“…A recent work that listed 34 kelompok pengajian says that individual Muslims from Indonesia prefer to identify themselves as Indonesian Muslims who live in Australia rather than Australian Muslims (Muttaqin et al 2016:178). The study provides the possible reason for this, namely the unwillingness of the community to integrate themselves into a larger number of Australian Muslims who came from other countries, such as Lebanon, Pakistan, and Turkey (Muttaqin et al 2016). Instead of integration, the Indonesian Muslim diaspora in Sydney has enjoyed their kelompok pengajian-based communities which are formed due to their salient backgrounds, such as ethnicity or even ideological preferences.…”