Halim Rane is a leading scholar of Islamic Studies, specialising in Islam-West Relations, and recognised for innovative and transformative teaching, research, and community engagement. His work addresses security and coexistence challenges, producing and transferring knowledge and understanding that benefits students, scholars and society. The issues he addresses concern Islam and Muslims in contexts of geopolitical conflicts, media representations, religious/ideological extremism, and interreligious relations.
Halim designs and convenes cutting-edge courses on Islam-West Relations, including ‘Islam in the Modern World’, ‘Religious and Ideological Extremism’, ‘Islam and Muslim Communities in the West’ and the ‘Muslim World Study Tour’ – a global mobility course focussed on ‘experiential learning’ that takes students to four countries of significance to Islamic civilisation.
Halim conducts research on Islam and Muslims in contemporary and historic contexts, and uses various qualitative and quantitative methods, including textual/discourse analysis, interviews, focus groups and surveys. He has authored or co-authored over 60 publications, including six books.Halim’s current research includes the Islam in Australia project – which involved a national survey of Muslim Australians and focus groups in seven cities – is a comprehensive and detailed study of how Muslim Australians understand and interpret Islam in the Australian context. His other main research focus is on covenants (‘ahd and mithaq) in the Qur’an, including the historicity and contemporary reception of covenants and treaties of early Islam, and implications for interreligious relations, peacebuilding and human security.
Halim is a founding member and previous president of the Australian Association of Islamic and Muslim Studies (AAIMS) and a member of the Australian Association for the Study of Religion (AASR).
