From jihadis to hijabs and everything in between - what it means to be Muslim down under today In this humorous and insightful exploration of Islam in Australia, award-winning comedian and writer Sami Shah speaks with Muslims across the country, from the founder of a new group called Muslims for Progressive Values who believes in a feminist interpretation of the Quran, to the official spokesperson for Hizb ut-Tahrir; to a Muslim preacher who thinks IS deserves credit for keeping Muslims conservative. Based on Shah's much-lauded 5-part radio documentary, THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF AUSTRALIA takes us behind the stereotypes and generalisations, to find out who Australian Muslims are, how they live and what they think. The answers are both multitudinous and surprising, resulting in a fascinating multi-faceted and entertaining portrait of Islam in Australia today.
Author
Sami Shah is a multi-award winning comedian, writer, journalist and broadcaster. Sami’s autobiography, I, Migrant, was nominated for the NSW Premier's Literary Award, the WA Premier's Literary Award, and the Russell Prize for Humour Writing. He has also written Boy of Fire and Earth, a critically acclaimed urban fantasy novel, and Islamic Republic of Australia, a non-fiction exploration of religious belief. Sami has also contributed multiple essays and short stories to various anthologies and collections, and most recently wrote the satirical Gadfly column for The Saturday Paper. Sami Shah is the Ambassador-at-Large for PEN Melbourne
