What difference does being religious make?: Islam

"Islam is one of the world's major religions, with followers known as Muslims adhering to a monotheistic belief structure. The word Islam is derived from a word meaning "submission," particularly submission to the will of Allah according to the Prophet Muhammed and the religious text known as the Qu'ran. Most Muslims fall into two major groups, Sunni and Shia (also known as Shi'a or Shiah) based on political rather than theological differences ... "

"Australia's twin century-maker has come full circle at the venue he once called home, where his legacy was partly defined but also, inevitably, considered in a broader context ... "

"He won't play in the Brisbane Test, but Usman Khawaja is back in the Australian squad for the first time in two years and he's as competitive as he was growing up in Sydney in the 1990s ... "

"There’s a story Usman Khawaja once told about growing up as a Pakistani Muslim in Australia, trying to fit in to the country’s notoriously white and conservative cricket culture ... "

"Usman Khawaja needs little introduction to cricket fans and supporters all over the world. The Pakistani-born Australian cricketer and qualified pilot has become one of the most recognisable sports people on the planet ... "

"Muslim former NRL great Hazem El Masri has described Usman Khawaja's Test cricket debut as "phenomenal" for the Australian Muslim community. You can see him in action today as he plays alongside Shane Watson ... "

""We're lucky he was the first," writes Waleed Aly in his foreword to Bachar Houli's 2020 memoir. By first, he means the first practising orthodox Muslim to play AFL. "It might have been someone less talented, someone clubs saw as too much trouble and simply discarded. It might have been someone less confident, too timid to mention those moments when football and Islamic practice intersect, leaving the next Muslim player to explain why they're raising issues their predecessor didn't..."

"The AFL’s first practising orthodox Muslim, Bachar Houli, joins Phil this week. Bachar discusses his parents, who migrated to Australia from Lebanon in the 70s, the importance of his faith, and how that has affected his football career. Praying five times a day while playing in the AFL is quite the juggling act! Bachar has also been a part of three flags with Richmond, and the gents take some time to discuss how Bachar became one of the most decorated half-back the game has seen ... "

"Bachar Houli entered the AFL 14 years ago as its first orthodox Muslim. With the quiet strength of his faith and the beauty of his play, he’s changed the way the game understands itself ... "

"Richmond Premiership hero Bachar Houli opens up on family, faith and football ... "

" ... To understand Adam Saad you have to understand his family. To understand his family you have to appreciate his religion. To appreciate his religion you need to understand his family. You can’t separate one from the other. You also can’t separate the family ... "

"El Masri. Man of the moment in Rugby League and poster boy for good behaviour in the midst of League's most notorious team of bad boys - the Canterbury Bulldogs ..."

"HAZEM El Masri, the greatest pointscorer in 101 years of rugby league, has finally revealed the secret of his success: he always says a prayer before kicking for goal ... "

"The Bulldogs legend is sharing his experience of the Lebanese civil war to help another generation of new arrivals realise their dreams, writes Daniel Lane ... "

"An international representative for Australia and Lebanon, and a New South Wales State of Origin representative goal-kicking wing, he played his entire club football career in Sydney with Canterbury-Bankstown with whom he won the 2004 NRL Premiership ... "

" Cricket Australia has agreed to a request by Fawad Ahmed, their Muslim leg-spinner, not to wear the sponsorship logo of beer brand VB because of his faith's ban on alcohol ... "

"Sr Silma Ihram is a Muslim revert of 42 years. As the mother of 6 children and grandmother of 12, education has been the key focus of her life since she embraced Islam. After returning as a new Muslim to Australian in 1976, she realised that there were no Muslim schools and set about establishing the first one in NSW, and one of the first 2 Australia wide in 1983. She established a second school in 1995, a vocational College in 2010, and was appointed as Principal in a Muslim school in Brisbane during 2009 ... "

"Dr Anne Aly was the first woman of the Islamic faith to be elected to federal parliament and like others in her community, she experienced racism in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks ... "

"Leila's father's role as a minister in the Somali government marked the family as a militia target, and the family spent the next 8 years living as refugees in camps near the Kenyan border ... "