Evolution of the local Turkish Muslim community
The book is about the history and evolution of the local Turkish Muslim community centred around the Coburg Mosque, as it was the first mosque for the Turkish community in Victoria. The book was partnered by Scanlon Foundation, Australian Multicultural Foundation (AMF), Victorian Multicultural Commission (VMC), Merri-bek City Council, Hume City Council and Pacificgate International. The editor was Prof. Joe Camilleri.
Coburg Mosque reached an important milestone of 50 years, since its founding in 1971. It went onto playing a significant role in the history and the lives of Victoria’s Turkish-Muslim communities, as its where it all began. Most Turkish-Islamic centres today can trace their beginnings to this first mosque.
Researching and writing the book took around 18 months, and contains 50 interviews and around 100 stories, spread over 100,000 words and 200 photos. Its central theme revolves around “the preservation of culture, language and religious identity.
Br Nail Aykan says “the book was in part prompted by a sense of duty to honour our early settlers, most of whom are no longer with us. Ordinary families who took risks and had the courage to offer their children a better and secure future.”
He also believes that with all the inevitable struggles and challenges of migration, he is of the view that Turkish-Muslim migrants were relatively fortunate with their fate in Australia.
In his speech Nail noted that “while the Coburg Mosque didn’t shape everything about the Turkish community, it was without doubt the place of ‘first gathering and the place of dispersal’ for many of us. It had a huge impact on the community’s religious transformation over time and its growth.
Nail further highlighted that in covering the history of Turkish mosque communities, he adopted a faith lens, saying “it has not been very common to tell the story of Turkish migrants thru a faith lens.”
“A lot of academic research and studies, government reports and media coverage have mainly used secular language and thus most Australians have tended to learn about the Turkish and Muslim communities thru a secular lens. By changing the lens, you can end up seeing a different picture. A more representative and realistic picture, in my view.”
When asked what about a book on Muslim history, Nail responds by saying “InshaAllah, that is our desire. As the Muslim communities are quite diverse and its stories are multifaceted, it was best to start somewhere and hope that others will be inspired to write stories and history books. Also, we see this book as a contribution to an overall Muslim Australian story.”
