VEDI HADIZ AND INAYA RAKHMANI This article is based on the authors’ project ‘Islamic Morality and Challenges to Democracy: A Study of Urban Lower and Middle Class Responses’. Millions of Muslims descended upon Jakarta in December 2016 and joined with large numbers of the city’s residents in a rally called the ‘Action to Defend Islam’. The demonstrators demanded that then governor of Jakarta Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (better known as ‘Ahok’) be stripped of his governorship

SHAHRAM AKBARZADEH US President Donald Trump’s invitation to meet Iranian President Hassan Rouhani after a week-long exchange of hostile tweets was a surprising turnaround, but Rouhani had no choice but to reject the offer. Since the Trump administration took over, bilateral tensions have been on the rise. Reports of an imminent US strike on Iranian nuclear facilities by anonymous sources in Australia have pushed the risk of confrontation to a new high. In a speech

PAM NILAN In Australia ‘Muslim’ (youth) gangs are said to pose a risk to the public. That claim synthesises media-driven moral panic about young Muslim men in Australia with politically amplified public fear of ‘ethnic’ criminal gangs. Yet the term ‘Muslim’ might not signify anything specifically cultural or religious about ‘gang’ members. Here two examples illustrate the ‘Muslim’ label as chosen, and one example illustrates ascription of ‘Muslim’ by the media and right-wing politicians. Both

Shahram Akbarzadeh caught up with Associate Professor Julian Millie of Monash University for the AAIMS Quarterly. Associate Professor Julian Millie is ARC Future Fellow in the Anthropology program of the Monash Faculty of Arts, and has been studying and researching Indonesian Islam for more than two decades now. His particular focus is on embodied practice, and its social and political meanings. Julian’s major publications include: Splashed by the Saint: Ritual Reading and Islamic sanctity in

HAKAN ÇORUH It should be noted that the affairs of Islam are founded on the following order: Meta-physical principles, akhlaq area, ‘ibadat (Worship), social regulations (law, trading). Moreover, the three principal themes of the Meccan revelations of the Qur’an are “Allah and his unity (tawhid),” “the coming resurrection and judgement,” and “righteous conduct.” Therefore, it should be noted that the concept of akhlaq and its application in daily lives is one of the main themes

IHSAN YILMAZ AND JAMES BARRY Prof Ihsan Yilmaz and Dr James Barry are collaborating on a number of projects, including research on Muslim identity in Australia and on Turkish minorities. In this piece, Prof Yilmaz and Dr Barry showcase their recent research on the Muslim community of Shepparton, Victoria. Most existing research on Muslim communities in Australia focuses on Melbourne and Sydney, and the regional dynamics which foster Muslim communities outside of capital cities are