In 1983, the first Muslim full time day school opened its doors to students in a humble partly burnt-out 1920’s building in Coburg, an inner northern suburb of Melbourne. The founding group saw a vital need for education more sensitive to their children’s religious and cultural needs.

That small lower primary school of 63 students has mushroomed to more than 50 schools throughout Australia providing for the needs of students from Kindergarten to Year 12.  A large number of the schools in most States have been producing graduates at the highest level of achievement for more than decades, and a large number of these graduates are working as professionals in a wide variety of fields, to the benefit of the Australian community.  Almost every University in Australia and many Universities in South East Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the USA currently contain graduates from Australia’s Islamic schools.

Doctors are working in our hospitals, lawyers in many jurisdictions, engineers, scientists, teachers, nurses – even airline pilots, are bringing to their fields of expertise, the skills and understandings they have gained at an Australian Islamic school.  Thousands of citizens are contributing to the spiritual and material wealth of this great country on the values they have imbibed at an Islamic school.  And even today, many thousands of young Australians are building their futures in eager anticipation within the embrace of the spiritual and cultural support provided by an Australian Islamic school.

Countless thousands of non-Muslim Australians all over Australia have been enriched through encounters with Muslim students from our Islamic schools.  Countless thousands of Australians have been given the opportunity to understand Islam and have developed trust and acceptance through such encounters.  Australia’s rich tapestry has been enriched and enlivened by the huge variety and diversity of cultural traditions from the Muslim world, filtered through our Australian Islamic schools.

As we celebrate the achievements of so many individuals and families, groups and societies and Councils, we thank our Governments and the Australian society that has enabled such achievements.  And most of all, we thank Allah Almighty for the blessings he has showered upon the Muslim community of Australia and for making Australia such a wonderful country in which to raise and educate our children.

Abdullah Khan, President