Australia's history has long been unfamiliar to many.
However, since the 8th century, Muslims began to enter Southeast Asia and gradually spread.
By the 20th century, Islam became the predominant religion in most parts of Malaysia and Indonesia.
Today, Indonesia, Australia's northern neighbor, has the largest Muslim population in the world.
In addition to Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei are also countries with Muslim-majority populations.
In countries like the Philippines, Thailand, and China, Muslims also hold significant minority status.
Australia is vast in territory and sparsely populated, located in the remote South Pacific region, and has actively encouraged immigration, especially by offering incentives to attract skilled migrants.
In 1972, Australia abolished the "White Australia Policy" and subsequently implemented a multicultural policy, ushering in a new era of Muslim immigration to Australia, gradually increasing the Muslim population.
For example, since the late 1970s, Muslims from Afghanistan began to immigrate to Australia again.
Since the 1980s, Afghan refugees have been arriving in Australia at an average of about 500 per year, increasing to nearly 1,000 by 1991.
In 2001 alone, nearly 10,000 Afghan immigrants arrived in Australia.
Most of these immigrants are middle-class Afghans.
Overall, before 1981, about 41,000 Muslims settled in Australia, accounting for 2% of the total immigrant population.
According to the 1996 census data, Australia had 200,886 Muslims.
Between 1996 and 2000, approximately 47,000 Muslims immigrated to Australia, accounting for 9% of the total immigrant population during the same period.
In 2001, another 7,533 Muslims immigrated to Australia.
The 2001 census showed that Australia's Muslim population was 281,572, accounting for approximately 1.5% of the total population.
Of these, 53% were male and 47% were female.
The 2001 census also showed that about 79% of Muslims had obtained Australian citizenship, totaling 281,578 people, of which 221,856 were citizens.
Most Australian Muslims work in labor-intensive jobs, with only 27% being professionals, managers, administrators, and technicians.
The remaining 73% work as clerks, service industry workers, transportation workers, shop salespersons, and laborers.
Among those without technical skills and with poor English proficiency, the unemployment rate is high. Most of the Muslim immigrants from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Egypt who have immigrated to Australia in recent years are skilled migrants with good employment and income conditions.
The vast majority of Australian Muslims have good English proficiency.
Among Muslims aged 21 to 39, 85% are fluent in English, while among those aged 60 and above, only 43% are fluent in English.
Most Muslims live in Sydney and Melbourne, with fewer Muslims in other states and capital areas.
However, with the increase in immigration, conflicts between some ethnic groups have also increased.
Particularly, due to Muslims' religious and traditional customs, they have encountered some difficulties in integrating into modern society.
Some characteristics of Muslims are often exploited by extremists who treat dissenters in the name of "purification" and "holy war."
Especially after the 9/11 attacks, many religious extremists showed strong aggression.
Australia's Muslims are mainly foreign immigrants or their descendants, with diverse characteristics.
Muslims from more than 70 countries live in Australia, with Sunnis as the majority and Shiites as the minority.
Today, a new generation of Muslims has begun to emerge.
Unlike previous generations, these Muslims have received better education and absorbed new ideas and technologies from modern civilization.
They are more willing to defend their rights, showcase traditional culture, and eliminate religious biases.
Kuranda Seyit, the former president of the Australian Islamic Relations Association, pointed out that the new generation of Muslims has changed the social image of Muslims, integrating into society and having extensive contact with non-Muslims.
This has also become a driving force for Muslims to integrate into local society.
However, differences between Muslims and non-Muslims still exist in Australian society, and conflicts often occur.
In the summer of 2005, large-scale riots broke out on Sydney's eastern beaches, sparked by insults from several Muslim men against local white women, leading to two weeks of conflict and rioting.
This event exposed contradictions in Australian society and profoundly affected both sides' perceptions of each other.
The status of Australia's Muslim community in social, political, and economic aspects is relatively low, and most people have low levels of cultural education.
Australian white society has a tradition and history of discrimination against Muslims, often seeing Muslims and Islam as aliens or backward civilizations.
To uphold the dignity of Islam and improve the situation of Muslims, many people have made unremitting efforts.
However, some extremists have tried various ways to fight for the rights of Muslims, sometimes even resorting to extreme means that threaten social security.
In this environment, some extremists in Australian society have tried to exacerbate the exclusion of Muslims, leading to increased tensions in society.
Although the government has taken measures to combat extremism, the public's view of Muslims generally tends to be negative.
Some people have even joined anti-Muslim political groups in an attempt to limit the Muslim population to prevent "Islamization."
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