News

Three-state university consortium wins bid for $8m National Centre of Excellence for Islamic Studies

Media Release, Monday 22 January 2007

A three-state university consortium, led by the University of Melbourne, has won Federal funding of $8 million for a new National Centre of Excellence for Islamic Studies.

Melbourne is working in partnership with Griffith University in Queensland and the University of Western Sydney in New South Wales to provide a world-class centre of educational excellence in Islamic Studies.

The funding for the Centre is being announced by Education Minister Julie Bishop, and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, Andrew Robb.

The consortium’s successful bid follows the Minister’s call last year for an expression of interest for a National Centre of Excellence for Islamic Studies.

The Centre will be headed by Professor Abdullah Saeed, the Sultan of Oman Professor of Arab and Islamic Studies and Head of the Asia Institute at Melbourne and Director of the University’s Centre for the Study of Contemporary Islam, jointly hosted by the Arts and Law faculties.

Dr Mohamad Abdalla, Founding Director of the Griffith University Islamic Research Unit (GIRU), will be director of the Centre’s Queensland branch. GIRU is located within the Key Centre for Ethics, Law, Justice and Governance, one of Griffith University’s leading research centres, and is part of the Institute for Ethics, Governance and Law, a joint initiative between Griffith University and the United Nations University.

Professor Saeed says the Centre’s strength lies in being able to bring together established expertise in teaching, research and knowledge transfer in broad aspects of Islamic studies to further knowledge and understanding of Islam in its historical and modern complexities. “It will also function as an important think tank in relation of Islamic issues particularly in the Australian context,” he said.

In addition, Dr Abdalla says, the Centre will be instrumental in graduating students who are well-versed in both the Australian and Islamic contexts – a necessary requirement for bridging of the gap between the two worlds.

UWS Acting Vice-Chancellor, Professor Rob Coombes believes the Centre “represents a wonderful opportunity to increase our understanding of Islam, contribute to public debate, and deliver world-class, multi-disciplinary teaching and research at a regional, national and international level”.

The University of Melbourne has taught Arabic and Islamic Studies for over four decades, while the Griffith Islamic Research Unit, established with substantial funding from the Queensland Islamic Community, has quickly developed a strong relationship and reputation with state and federal government agencies and the Islamic community.

The University of Western Sydney has a substantial program of studies in Arabic at undergraduate and postgraduate level and research expertise in Arabic language, interpreting and translation, sociological and cultural studies. Its Muslim Harmony Relationship Group builds greater understanding and cooperation between Muslim and non-Muslim people in western Sydney.

The Centre will offer a major in Islamic Studies within the Bachelor of Arts program to new and existing students of consortium universities and, where possible, to students enrolled in other Australian universities and to individuals in community access programs. It will also promote postgraduate study in Islamic Studies.

Professor Saeed says development of these programs on a national basis will assist the consortium universities to develop national responses to needs in research, teaching and community engagement in Islamic Studies.

The consortium is committed to exploring new pedagogies incorporating the use of new technologies and will expand distance education access to current and newly-developed subjects.

The new Centre will be advised on Muslim community needs by an appointed national advisory board.


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MEDIA CONTACTS:

The University of Melbourne - Christina Buckridge on 03 8344 6158/0412 101 316

Griffith University - Deborah Marshall on 07 3875 5245/ 0408 727 734

University of Western Sydney - Mikael Kjaerbye on 02 9678 7080 or 0405 356 021.