Centre for Muslim States and Societies
About us
We are committed to conducting research that provides a better understanding of the beliefs and practices of Muslims in the Indian Ocean Rim countries and their interaction with global trends and narratives in other regions.
Our staff and students
Director
Honorary Fellows
UWA PhD students
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- Amjed al-Masaoodi
'China and Iraq relations through phases of transition 1949-2016'
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- Muhammad Ismail Khan
'China-Pakistan Relations and the US-Indian Relations: Balancing Theory' -
- Sahar Kiarashi
'An analysis of newspaper coverage of Leftist Groups in Iran before and after the Iranian Revolution: 1979' - Ridwan Ridwan
'Transnational Islam and Peacebuilding: A Study of Hibut Tahrir Indonesia in Papua' -
- Muhammad Dan Suleiman
'(Re)framing ‘the jihad’ in West Africa: an Epistemic Disobedience' -
- Ke Zhu
'Gwadar Port from Different Perspectives: China, Pakistan and Balochistan' -
- Flavia Zimmerman
'Impact of honour cultures, honour discourses and female chastity: perceptions of Pakistani and Brazilian women on how these shape gender identity in Australia'
Our collaborators
- Al Mawrid Australia
- Australian Institute of International Affairs WA
- Australian Association of Islamic and Muslim Societies Inc.
- Charles Sturt University
- Deakin University
- SalamFest
- Swan Festival of Lights
- UWA Africa Research & Engagement Centre
- UWA Public Policy Institute
- Universitas Islam Indonesia
- Western Sydney University
Advisory Board
- Professor James Piscatori, UK
- Professor Amin Saikal AM, Adjunct Professor UWA
- Emeritus Professor James Trevelyan, UWA
Community engagement and student opportunities
We are committed to promoting understanding of Muslim issues and harmony within the community.
Staff and students affiliated with the Centre are actively involved in community outreach programs that vary from lectures and seminars to forums and commentary. Sometimes we work in collaboration with other organisations.
The Centre for Muslim States and Societies welcomes applicants for Honorary & Visiting Fellowships on research in its priority areas.
Please note that Fellowships are not funded by the CMSS and you need to establish that you have independent source of funding to support your affiliation with the CMSS.
The Fellowships are offered on the conditions that govern the Visiting Fellowship policies at the School of Social Sciences, The University of Western Australia:
- Regular and frequent attendance at discipline seminar series in the Centre for Muslim States and Societies, and Political Science & International Relations
- A seminar presented on your research at Centre for Muslim States and Societies
- Two guest lectures in undergraduate or postgraduate coursework classes
- Preparation of a research article (with possibility of co-authorship by a member of CMSS) to be submitted for a high-profile, peer-reviewed journal publication (6000-8,000 words long).
- Participation in a funded or non-funded research project by agreement with the Director, CMSS.
If you are interested, please fill in the form, provide a four-page research proposal and your CV.
Our internship program focuses on the research areas of the centre. It is open to both UWA students and others. Apply by sending a cover letter and CV to cmss-ss@uwa.edu.au
The following prizes are given to students by the Centre:
- Joan Trevelyan Prize in Women in Muslim States and Societies
- Khalifa Al-Falasi Prize in Muslim Studies
- Malik Mohammad Iqbal Khan Prize in Muslim States and Societies
Join the mailing list
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News and events
CMSS Member Dr Carol Kaplanian wins the Churchill Fellowship
Congratulations to Dr Carol Kaplanian who won the 2020 Churchill Fellowship at Government House in Perth, WA. Dr Kaplanian completed a PhD at The University of Western Australia with The Centre for Muslim States and Societies under Director, Dr Samina Yasmeen.
Read moreProfessor Amin Saikal AM writes in the Strategist on Trump and Afghanistan
Prof Amin Saikal AM on Trump’s perilous approach to Afghanistan for ASPI's The Strategist
Read moreCMSS Book Launch - Dr Bob Olivier Islamic Revivalism & Politics in Malaysia: Problems in Nation Building
The CMSS presents - Dr Bob Olivier's new book, Islamic Revivalism & Politics in Malaysia: Problems in Nation Building
Read moreProf Amin Saikal AM Writes on Biden's Options in the Middle East
Professor Amin Saikal AM writes in The Strategist on the potential for regional stability with Biden's departure from Trump's 'divide and rule' approach.
Read moreCMSS x UWA-PPI & UN Habitat UNI - The Elimination of Violence Against Women
Join us for a Panel Discussion & Launch of the UN-Habitat UNI Initiative at UWA
Read moreWelcoming new intern, Rory Hewson to the Centre for Muslim States and Societies
Rory Hewson joins the growing list of keen CMSS interns. Rory is interested in the role of religion in shaping the foreign policies of Muslim majority states.
Read moreWelcoming new intern, Winston Twigg to the Centre for Muslim States and Societies
Winston Twigg joins the CMSS team as an intern. Winston is completing a Bachelor of Commerce at UWA and is interested in deradicalization.
Read moreProfessor Amin Saikal AM writing in The Strategist on Trump's 'divide and rule' policy in the Middle East.
Trump’s accelerated Middle East policy actions, when combined with making peace with America’s past ‘terrorist’ enemy, the Taliban, to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan, are more geared towards enabling Trump to score domestically than marking the dawn of peace in the region. They are bound to deepen hostile lines between the US and its allies on one side and Iran and its supporters on the other.
Read moreCMSS Seminar: Dr Ella S. Prihatini - Women & Social Media During Legislative Elections in Indonesia
A discussion on how women are using social media during campaign periods in the global south setting
Read moreCMSS Seminar Series: Professor Tahir Abbas - Islamophobia & Radicalisation
A sociological analysis of the issues of male violence among young men as manifestations of spatiality and politics
Read moreCMSS x PolSci & IR (UWA) Seminar Series: Professor Amin Saikal, AM, FASSA - The Middle East: Covid-19, Falling Oil Prices, State-Society Dichotomy, & Conflicts
Please join the Centre for Muslim States and Societies (UWA) for an online seminar presented by Professor Amin Saikal AM
Read moreThe CMSS Presents: Dr Jamal Barnes - Huma Suffering & European Deterrence Policies
Dr Jamal Barnes on Dangerous Journeys: Migration, Human Suffering and European Deterrence Policies - 10am Fri-02-Oct. Register below!
Read moreProfessor Amin Saikal AM Writes on the Recent Middle East Peace Deals
Prof Amin Saikal AM for ASPI writing on the domestic & geopolitical drivers of the USA & Israel's peace deals with Bahrain & the UAE as painful for Palestine's cause & pushing Iran further away
Read moreWelcoming Eliza Tester as CMSS Intern for Semester 2, 2020
Eliza is a UWA Pol-Sci & IR Undergraduate. Eliza is interested in marginalised groups and social justice issues. Eliza's research interests lie in the exploration and explanation of the radicalisation of Islamic women in both Muslim-majority and Muslim-minority nations
Read moreWelcoming Ph.D. Candidate, Parisa Abbasian as CMSS Intern
Parisa is a Ph.D. candidate in International Relations at Murdoch University with a focus on Iranian American relations after the Islamic Revolution. Parisa studied both B.A and M.A at the University of Tehran in Political Science and Global Studies (British Studies). Parisa's M.A thesis was based on the Coverage of the Iraq war in the British media particularly the Guardian newspaper. Parisa's interests are Middle East studies, Islamic studies, and Iranian politics
Read moreThe CMSS Presents: Dr William Maley AM - Confronting Afghanistan's Challenges
Please join the Centre for Muslim States and Societies (UWA), Fri-25-Sept, for an online seminar presented by Dr William Maley AM on Afghanistan's intra-elite tensions, insurgency and Covid-19
Read moreProfessor Amin Saikal AM Provides an Overview of the Consequences and Lessons After the 9/11 Attacks and the Subsequent War on Terror
"the memory of 9/11 should warn us not to be complacent about the need for a viable world order that can lift us out of the geopolitical and ideological conflicts in favour of shared human values."
Read moreProfessor Amin Saikal AM Discusses the Latest Contest Between Turkey and Greece in the Mediterranean
Prof Amin Saikal AM, writing in The Strategist, discusses the dangers and geopolitical implications of the recent and ongoing Turkish-Greek dispute over natural gas
Read moreThe CMSS Presents: Professor Amin Saikal AM - The UAE-Israel Rapprochement and the Question of Palestine
Please join us for a special seminar with Prof. Saikal AM discussing What has motivated the UAE leaders to normalise relations with Israel? What implications will this have for the Palestinian struggle for independence and freedom? What does it entail for regional stability and security?
Read moreThe CMSS Presents: Fri-28th-Aug, Dr Silvia Lozeva - Migration, Diaspora, and State-Making Across Borders: The Role of Bulgarian Diaspora in Turkey
This presentation investigates the role of the Bulgarian diaspora in the state-making process through civic and political participation, and particularly the role of the Bulgarian ethnic Turkish diaspora.
Read moreProfessor Amin Saikal AM Discusses Afghanistan's Political Future After a US withdrawal
Prof Amin Saikal AM, writing in The Strategist, considers the various prospects of a political settlement after a US withdrawal from Afghanistan
Read moreProfessor Amin Saikal AM Writes on the Recent Lebanese Crisis
Prof Amin Saikal AM writes about the many factors confounding Lebanon's fragile state and society during this recent crisis.
Read moreWelcoming Ella Dawson as CMSS Intern for Semester 2
Ella is an undergraduate student in her final semester of her Bachelor’s degree, majoring in Marketing, and Political Science and International Relations. Ella’s interest areas include the politics of Africa, the politics of Islamic states, and Australia’s engagement with developing nations in the Asia Pacific.
Read moreThe India-China conflict in the Himalaya: Cultures, Ecologies, Geopolitics
Join us! Drawing on historical research and pre-Covid fieldwork in Ladakh in India, this talk will look at the other side of the India-China clash in the Himalaya: the interconnections between ecology, culture and geopolitics in the region
Read moreDr Samina Yasmeen talks with Indus News, Pakistan
CMSS Director Dr Samina Yasmeen highlighting women in a guest spot discussion about their cultural and economic relationship to gold on Pakistan's Indus News.
Read moreCMSS Seminar Series: Muslim Women in the Economy - Book Launch Seminar
Join us for a new CMSS Seminar Series: Muslim Women in the Economy - Book Launch Seminar" w/speakers, Dr Shamim Samani & Dr Dora Marinova exploring the changing role of Muslim women in the 21st-century economy. Wed 5-Aug, 4pm!!
Read moreWelcoming Honours Student James Randall to the CMSS
James is an Honours student researching the role Pope Francis plays as a facilitator of interfaith dialogue, specifically his travels to the Middle East
Read moreThe CMSS & AIIA WA Present Speaker, Tayyeb Shah on the Growing Academic Power of Asia
"Academic Power Is Moving East" - Wed, 22-Jul-2020 - Tayyeb Shah is Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Global Partnerships) at UWA
Read moreDr Samina Yasmeen speaks to Andrew West on ABC Radio National
CMSS Director Dr Samina Yasmeen discusses recent tensions over religious pluralism in Pakistan between Islam and Hinduism
Read moreWelcoming Dr Alexander E. Davis as a new member of the CMSS
The CMSS is proud to welcome Dr Alexander E. Davis to the CMSS. His current research projects look at India’s borderlands, particularly the Indian Ocean and the Himalaya.
Read moreSarah Myers wins Joan Trevelyan Prize in Women in Muslim States and Societies, 2019
The Director of the Centre for Muslim States and Societies congratulates this year’s winner of Joan Trevelyan Prize in Women in Muslim States and Societies, Sarah Myers. The Prize is awarded to the student enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts (Honours) with the highest mark in an honours dissertation in the area of Women in Muslim States and Societies
Read moreWelcoming James Stefanuto as CMSS Intern for Semester 2, 2020
James is an Honours student working on Australia’s bilateral Strategic Partnerships with Indonesia and Vietnam. He has worked as an electrical communications technician, copywriter, journalist and research assistant in Australia, Vietnam and Indonesia, respectively
Read moreUS-Pakistan Interreligious Coalition (UPIC) - Just Future Conference JULY 15-17.
CMSS is participating in the Just Future Virtual Conference being organised by UPIC. We invite all those interested in these issues to register free of cost.
Read moreLibya's Double Tragedy
Professor Amin Saikal AM, discusses the key factors driving structural instability and insecurity in Libya.
Read moreWelcoming Professor Amin Saikal AM - as Adjunct Professor in School of Social Sciences
The Centre for Muslim States and Societies is pleased to announce that Professor Amin Saikal AM, a member of the Advisory Group for the CMSS, has been appointed as Adjunct Professor in School of Social Sciences. He will be actively involved in the research, supervision and community engagement undertaken at the CMSS. As an internationally renowned scholar of the Middle East and the Gulf region, Professor Saikal has written numerous books, journal articles and played a pivotal role in shaping policies towards the countries of the region.
Read morePersian Gulf fault line could be a new front in US–China competition
Professor Amin Saikal AM, discusses how US-China competition is becoming an increasing source of instability for the geopolitics of the Persian Gulf.
Read moreWebinar: Dhaka’s Changing Landscape
Dr Rita Afsar will talk about her co-authored book, 'Dhaka’s Changing Landscape: Prospects for Economic Development, Social Change, and Shared Prosperity'. Friday 29 May, 10-11am.
Read moreIslamic State terror in the Maldives as COVID-19 arrives
Dr Azim Zahir explains how ISIS supporters in the Maldives may be exploiting coronavirus pandemic after ISIS claims responsibility for its first attack in the country
Read moreMaldives stabbing puts Australian man in hospital
Dr Azim Zahir talks to the ABC on radicalisation in the Maldives and the stabbing of three foreigners.
Read more