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Vol. 12 No. 1 (2027)
Advance Online Publication (Forthcoming Articles)

Articles

The Contemporary Growth of Muslims in Regional Victoria

https://doi.org/10.55831/ajis.v12i1.1177

Published 09.06.2026

  • Abdel K. Halabi
Abdel K. Halabi
Federation University

Abstract

This article examines the growth of Muslims in regional Victoria, measured by numbers of Muslims, registered Muslim community organisations, and cities and towns that provide mosques, prayer facilities and services. There is a dearth of research on Muslims in Australia’s regional areas, even though the first mosque in Victoria was established in the regional town of Shepparton in 1960. This article draws data from several sources, including the ABS census, organisational registries and newspapers.

Twenty Victorian Local Government Areas (LGAs) have a mosque, musalla or registered Muslim organisation. Within these LGAs, 27 registered Muslim organisations provide prayer facilities and/or services. The Muslim population has increased each census year from 2006 to 2021 for each LGA. Victoria has 16 mosques, with five opening from 2021. Currently, six organisations are collecting funds to build mosques. All measures examined in this article point to a significant increase of Muslims in regional Victoria, and several important areas of further research have been suggested.

Keywords

Regional Victoria, Muslims, Mosques, Musallas, Local Government Areas (LGAs), Growth.

PDF

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