Over the past two weeks I have been trekking all over Sydney to meet various contacts of different religions, here begins my blogging series about my experiences...

ISLAM - Devotion and Discipline

I was privileged enough to have a two hour conversation with Tasnim and Zaynab, two lovely UTS students, Australian citizens and Muslims. We talked about their faith, what it's like being a Muslim in Australia and what they hope Islam will look like in a few decades from now.

Upon meeting them, I was honestly unsure of how well we would relate, whether there were enough similarities between my own Christian faith and their Islamic faith to understand where they were coming from and whether they would feel comfortable answering the deeper questions I dared to ask.

We had so much to talk about and to accurately summarise our conversation (and the future conversations I have had with other religions) there are a few key points I'll discuss:

- The meaning of ‘religion' to my interviewee

- Youth in a specific religion

- Perceptions of the specific religion in Australian society

- Generation Y's attitude towards religion

- Religion in Australia, 20-30 years from now

In my own testimony of faith that I posted a week ago, I defined religion to be a way of life and found that when I asked Tasnim and Zaynab to also define their idea of religion they came to the same conclusion.

Islam, they said, "translates to submission and surrender to Allah", therefore their lives, as Muslims, are devoted to submitting and surrendering their lives to God. This involves praying five times a day and reading the Qur'an to learn how one should live their lives.

When our generation is so distracted by the world around us today, whether it be fiddling with the latest iPhone app, or reading celebrity gossip in the MX, how does one find the time to pray five times a day?

"It's easy," they both agreed, "It's just what we do, and we always make the time, even if it means going to the prayer room at our university before or after class. We will plan our days around praying, and ensure that we always devote time to this important part of our faith every day."

We next talked about youth in their religion. Both girls are active within the youth of their religion - from university religion groups, to being involved with weekly female study groups. The Islam youth are very much a community - like a family, they spend much of their weekend together, participating in not only religious activities but various social events such as the ‘Sounds of Light' concert, held annually to raise funds for the Islamic NGO - Human Appeal International.

Both girls are part of FAMSY - Federation of Muslim Students and Youth, an organization promoting harmony within Muslim Youth and Students and providing events and seminars for the youth to participate in, such as weekend camps, and ‘how to pray' seminars.

Just like any religion, Islam faces its share of persecution, and we discussed various perceptions of their religion in Australian society - in university lectures, walking down the street, and on public transport. Unsurprisingly, being a Muslim in Australia sounded difficult - our discussion resulted in my complete admiration for their determination and courage to stand up for their faith.

Unlike many religions which are often private and unidentifiable in public, Muslim girls are immediately marked by wearing their headscarfs.  Tasnim said that she feels she must constantly smile whilst on public transport as she feels people are always staring, judging and criticizing her. Yet despite this, both Tasnim and Zaynab expressed pride in wearing the headscarf, which always clearly marks them as Muslims. They find that it is a constant reminder that they are representatives of their faith, and must persevere despite the insults and glares they receive.

Though seemingly clichéd, I asked how they feel travelling into Sydney's northern suburbs - where there are not strong Muslim communities. They expressed that they are on guard, concerned and always feel safer when returning to their Bankstown area communities. Though I suspected such an answer, it saddened me that they affirmed a perception of Sydney's northern suburbs as a reality.

They also shared a story about visiting The Entrance beach, on the Central Coast - where a friend was told to get off the beach because she was wearing a burqini. As they shared these stories of humiliation and insult with me, I couldn't help but feel humiliated myself that Australia society seems so ignorant towards Muslims - perhaps simply because we are too afraid to ask about their faith, or are we just too stubborn to even care?

Tasnim and Zaynab said they would love people to ask them questions about their faith and headscarf because they are just normal Australians, who, like the rest of us, are willing to share our opinions and values. Sadly, we are intimidated by difference and unfamiliarity.

Whilst people are intimidated by their outward expression of faith, both agreed that our generation, Gen Y is definitely searching. As I discussed in my opening blog, we all established that people are looking for fulfilment - and religion just may be the place to find it. They expressed that it may not be the traditional sense of religion that previous generations have followed, yet that we are, as I also commented, redefining religion - it's becoming cool to be spiritual.

We discussed these influences on items such as jewellery - Tasnim said she saw a necklace of a crucifix and Buddha statue (on the one necklace!!) in Diva, whilst I've seen many elephants - on rings, necklaces and bracelets - a symbol predominantly recognised in the Hindu faith.  

Whether or not this is a sign of our generation turning back to religion (in a general sense, probably not), I believe it does show an open-minded approach to philosophy and religion - if we're not open to the faith behind the religion, we're at least open to their main ideas and beliefs.

Lastly, we discussed Islam in the coming decades from now - they would both like people to have an understanding of their Islamic faith, to not be scared to ask questions and they envision living in a harmonious society, where religions, such as Islam can be accepted.

If they are two words I'd use to describe Islam after my time with Tasnim and Zaynab, I would describe Muslims as disciplined and devoted. Unfortunately in our somewhat fickle society, discipline and devotion are often lost - perhaps this is why we struggle to relate to these aspects of Islam.  I believe, however, we could learn a lot from them - if we took their approach to faith in our careers, family and social life our society would perhaps be a much better place.

What are your thoughts about Islam in Australia - do you think Australians are ignorant and stubborn and perhaps need to be taught about all world religions that have graced our shores? Have you witnessed verbal or physical attack towards a Muslim?

I'd love to hear your opinions and stories, so feel free to comment below, or chat with me on twitter; @religiversity. I'd also encourage you to visit the Sydney Morning Herald series on Islam in Australia -  it raises various debates about the treatment of Muslims in Australia, and the public comments provide a valuable insight into a range of society's perceptions. Well worth a read!

BELOW: A glance at Islam

Source: BBC Religion  (A fantastic resource if you're just as interested as me in religion!)

Islam began in Arabia and was revealed to humanity by the Prophet Muhammad. Those who follow Islam are called Muslims. Muslims believe that there is only one God. The Arabic word for God is Allah. The word Islam means 'submission to the will of God'. Islam is the second largest religion in the world with over 1 billion followers.

• Muslims believe that Islam was revealed over 1400 years ago in Mecca, Arabia.
• Followers of Islam are called Muslims.
• Muslims believe that there is only One God.
• The Arabic word for God is Allah.
• According to Muslims, God sent a number of prophets to mankind to teach them how to live according to His law.
• Jesus, Moses and Abraham are respected as prophets of God.
• They believe that the final Prophet was Muhammad.
• Muslims believe that Islam has always existed, but for practical purposes, date their religion from the time of the migration of Muhammad.
• Muslims base their laws on their holy book the Qur'an, and the Sunnah.
• Muslims believe the Sunnah is the practical example of Prophet Muhammad and that there are five basic Pillars of Islam. (see below) 
• These pillars are the declaration of faith, praying five times a day, giving money to charity, fasting and a pilgrimage to Mecca (atleast once).

The Five Pillars of Islam

The most important Muslim practices are the Five Pillars of Islam.

The Five Pillars of Islam are the five obligations that every Muslim must satisfy in order to live a good and responsible life according to Islam.

The Five Pillars consist of:

• Shahadah: sincerely reciting the Muslim profession of faith
• Salat: performing ritual prayers in the proper way five times each day
• Zakat: paying an alms (or charity) tax to benefit the poor and the needy
• Sawm: fasting during the month of Ramadan
• Hajj: pilgrimage to Mecca

Why are they important?

Carrying out these obligations provides the framework of a Muslim's life, and weaves their everyday activities and their beliefs into a single cloth of religious devotion.

No matter how sincerely a person may believe, Islam regards it as pointless to live life without putting that faith into action and practice.

Carrying out the Five Pillars demonstrates that the Muslim is putting their faith first, and not just trying to fit it in around their secular lives.