Draft:Mohamad Abdalla AM

Mohamad Abdalla AM

Dr Mohammad Abdalla AM was born in Libya. His parents came from the Palestinian towns of Tammun near Nablus and Zarnuqa (which was depopulated after the 1948 occupation). Before moving to Australia in December 1985 he grew up in Jordan. His father ran a martial arts club in Karate while in Jordan, where Dr Abdalla AM gained a Black Belt in his youth.

He started a degree in microelectronics engineering at Griffith University. He did three years of studies and it was during the Gulf War he started to think about faith and religion and changed focus to study Islam. He didn't complete the engineering program and changed his degree to Philosophy and science.

In 1998 he started a role as a sessional Research Assistant at Griffith University, School of Commerce and Finance.

In 2001 he worked as a Course Coordinator – Science, Technology & Society at the University of Queensland, School of History, Philosophy, Religion and Classics.

In 2006 he was appointed as a Research Fellow with the Key Centre for Ethics, Law, Justice and Governance at Griffith University. Between 2006 - 2007 he was a casual lecturer teaching two courses: Islam in the Contemporary World (second-year course) and Introduction to Islam (first-year course).

In 2006, he established the Griffith University Islamic Research Unit (GIRU) in Brisbane, followed by co-founding the prestigious National Centre of Excellence for Islamic Studies (NCEIS) in 2008, in collaboration with esteemed colleagues from the University of Melbourne and Western Sydney University.

In 2007 he was promoted by Griffith University to the position of Senior Research Fellow where he taught at the Key Centre for Ethics, Law, Justice and Governance, Mt Gravatt Campus until 2010. Then he was hired as an Associate Professor with the School of Humanities at Griffith University.

In 2016, he was appointed by the Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of South Australia (UniSA) to lay the groundwork for the Centre for Islamic Thought and Education (CITE), where he served as its Founding Director. He secured $15 million in research, scholarship, and community funding.

Dr Abdullah AM mentored over 20 Higher Degree by Research (HDR) students to completion (mainly PhDs), including notable figures such as the current Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim, and the late Abdul Khalid bin Ibrahim, former Chief Minister of Selangor.

He is a prolific writer, having authored several books and dozens of articles and scholarly journals. He is one of the most recognized Australian Muslims, being 6'4, an Imam, and working with the wider Australian society on building bridges and inter-religious harmony.

In 2020 he was awarded the Order of Australia Medal, acknowledging his remarkable contributions to education, particularly in Islamic Studies.

Other Awards and recognition include: - Special Achievement Award, Crescents of Brisbane, 2013. - The Lord Mayor Australia Day Achievement Award, QLD, 2015. - Islamic Council of Queensland Community Service Award, 2013. - Ambassador for Peace, 2013. - Man of the Year, Australian Muslim Achievement Awards, 2008.

He is married and lives in Magill, South Australia.