By 2050, a new generation of Australian Muslims will be shaping the country’s institutions, communities and public life, confident in their identity, belonging and contribution to Australia’s future.

When I think about Muslim Australia in 2050, I do not think first about numbers. I think about a young Australian Muslim studying at university, running a business, working in a hospital, teaching in a school or helping shape the country’s future.

She may be the third or fourth generation of her family in Australia. Her grandparents may have been born here, while her great-grandparents arrived from another country. She may know her family history and speak her grandparents’ language, but Australia will simply be home.

She will not need to explain that she is both Muslim and Australian. For her, there will be nothing unusual about it.

That is the Australia I imagine in 2050. Not simply a larger Muslim community, but a community with its own Australian character.

I came to Australia as a migrant in 1992, when the Muslim community was much smaller. Many of us were finding our way, building families, establishing businesses and creating places to pray and maintain our traditions.

Much has changed. By the 2021 Census, Australia had around 813,000 Muslims, or 3.2 per cent of the population. If current growth continues, that number could reach around 1.5 million by 2050.

The more important question is what happens when their children and grandchildren begin shaping the community.

A community finding its Australian character

The third and fourth generations will have a........

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