Muslim In Australia Is Interesting History

The history of Muslims in Australia can be dated back to the seventeenth century. This happened even before the European settlement arrived in the country. Some Makksan traders had a relationship with the Australian people who lived in the northern region of the country. There were also early settlers in the country who used Muslims as slaves. They brought them from countries under the British rule, and made them work for menial jobs. Many of them came from coastal Africa and Malaysia. Many Muslim convicts from around the world were brought and left in the country.

These Muslims had to make a life in the country, and they married the local people. Their descendants formed the line of Muslim population in Australia. These were the only Muslims in the country for a while, as the government did not approve of any dark Muslims migrating to their country. Though there were a lot of Muslim workers, the country refused to allow too many Muslims into the nation. The Muslims were allowed only if they were fair Muslims. Around 1860 onwards, a lot of Muslim camel caretakers were brought to the country.

These Muslims were used to help train camels, as the Australian community wanted to explore certain regions in the desert. They also wanted to build train tracks for which the camels were very useful in the sand dunes. Most of these Muslim immigrants were found to stay back in the country, as they became companions with the explorers of the nation. The descendants of these cameleer Muslims built mosques too in the country. Right from this generation, the Muslims in Australia have contributed a lot towards their own society as well as the nation’s. There are about 300,000 Muslims in the country.

Though this number seems to be very small, it is a significant number in terms of contribution. About 35 percent of this population was born in Australia. Most of the Australian Muslims love to live in the cities such as Melbourne and Sydney. Only a few of them are found to be in smaller towns. A lot of Muslims are discriminated not because of color, but because of their culture. Many of the Australians feel that the culture has not mingled with theirs. The contribution of the Muslim members in this country is the halal meat export trade, which is bringing in a lot of foreign exchange.

Though the government was initially against the Muslims migrating to their land, they realized that by making it multi cultural their economy would also improve. The Muslims were allowed into Australia freely only after the Second World War. This was because there was a shortage among labor, like many countries faced. There are local as well as national Muslim organizations, which help these Muslims come together. Most of them have made this country their own, though they do have ties with their country of origin. Many have even set up businesses with their countries of origin, and are providing a good international trade.