Imams, Mosques and Islamic Leadership in Australia

Chapter 3 focuses on the role of imams, mosques and peak Islamic bodies in Australia. It examines the inter-relationships and external dynamics shaping Muslim attitudes towards religious and clerical leaders. The chapter outlines the social function of imams, preliminary classifications of local religious authorities, the origins of peak organisations such as the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils (AFIC), ANIC and the emergence of fatwa councils and online Islamic websites in Australia. It argues that most academic and public discourses analyse Muslim figures and organisations through the prism of religious leadership, rather than religious authority. This is mainly done against the backdrop of 9-11, Muslim migration and global Islamophobia. The chapter identifies important empirical and theoretical gaps in trying to systemise and conceptualise Islamic religious authority in Australia.