In Australia, cross-cultural research suggests that Australian Muslims have surpassed Asians as one of the country's most marginalised religious and ethnic groups. Muslims and people from the Middle East are thought to be unable to fit into Australia, with more than 50% of Australians preferring their relatives did not marry into a Muslim family. Yet this statistic masks diverse interpretations of interfaith relations and cultural harmony present across Australia today. In 11 essays, Us and Them offers truths about interfaith relations as they are believed and expressed by Muslim and non-Muslim Australians.
Author Biography
Professor Abe W. Ata is well known for his work on comparative religions and ethnicity. He is a ninth-generation Christian Palestinian born in Bethlehem and has lived and worked in the Middle East, America and Australia, including a stint as a temporary delegate to the UN in 1970. He is currently at the Australian Catholic University.
