Launch of the Museum of Islamic Art Australia in Sydney

Photo: Panel discussion faciliated by Professor Mehmet Ozalp (left) with Khaled Sabsabi and Dr Nur Shkembi. Photos by Think Studio.

The Museum of Islamic Art Australia (MIAA) was officially launched on Sunday 26 October 2025, at the Novotel Parramatta, marking an inspiring evening event that brought together artists, academics, and community leaders to celebrate the intersection of Islam, creativity, and Australian identity.

The Islamic Sciences and Research Academy (ISRA) has successfully secured a $26.3 million grant to build the first Islamic Arts Museum in Western Sydney. This grant falls under the WestInvest Community Project Grants Initiative of the NSW State Government.

The event titled The Story Begins commenced with Orhan Kaba welcoming guests to “the story begins” the museum’s first public engagement. He outlined MIAA’s vision as “a premier cultural destination and educational hub in Sydney and Australia,” inviting everyone to take part in this “historic venture.”

A recitation from Surah Nur (37–38) by Annas Agha followed, grounding the evening in reflection before Professor Mehmet Ozalp, Director of ISRA, described the launch as “a historic moment in the history of this project,” calling MIAA “a big audacious project” that “galvanises our staff, our volunteers, and makes us work hard.”

Reimagining Islamic Art: Dr Nur Shkembi

Art historian Dr Nur Shkembi delivered a rich, contextual overview of Islamic art, from its global beginnings to its future in Australia. Quoting critic Walder Jame, she began:

“If any art challenged the myth of the dark ages, it is the arts of Islam.”

She traced the Golden Age of Islam, between the 7th and 13th centuries, describing works of “immense beauty and mathematical clarity.”

Dr Shkembi outlined how Western museums such as the British Museum (1753) and Munich’s Masterpieces of Muhammadan Art exhibition (1910) shaped global understandings of Islamic art, often leaving out stories of Muslim–First Nations connections that predate colonisation.

Turning to Australia, she highlighted milestones like the Festival of Islam in 1976, which “challenged the limiting Western definitions of decorative arts.” Looking forward, she envisioned MIAA as

“a dynamic space for community… not a typical stagnate showcase of objects, but a think tank of sorts.”

Quoting curator Thelma Golden, she added that MIAA will help create “a new story” in art history, inspired by the spirit of artists who were “contemporary, innovative and experimental” in their own eras.

Panel Discussion: Islamic Art in Australia

The evening’s centrepiece was a thought-provoking panel featuring Dr Nur Shkembi, multi-award-winning artist Khaled Sabsabi, and Professor Mehmet Ozalp.

Dr Shkembi challenged the old cultural divide:

“…this idea of you know the east and the west I think that’s an old binary that persists that isn’t really a reality for most people.”

On identity, she urged a new approach: “Maybe we should stop asking” what it means to be Australian Muslim.

For Khaled Sabsabi, Islam forms the heartbeat of his art:

“For me, Islam is the core. It’s the foundation. It’s the inspiration.”

He described Islamic art as “nonexclusive… there’s no limit. You can’t start anywhere,” explaining that Islam’s reach was possible because it “coexists with local traditions and customs.”

Speaking about his decade-long work 70,000 Veils, inspired by the Prophet Muhammad’s (s) saying that there are “70,000 veils between you and the divine”.

He was asked if AI could ever create Islamic art. His response was simple: “It won’t come from the heart.”

Sabsabi shared how a young student once told him that his exhibition made her feel she was “being represented” for the first time in a museum. That, he said, is what art should do.

Museum Location Revealed

After a contemplative kanun performance by Tarik Hussein, the audience was treated to a surprise: a video reveal announcing the museum’s future site at 99 Parramatta Road, Granville.

In the video, Professor Ozalp highlighted the spiritual and symbolic significance of the number:

“It was the 99, when we first had our courses we had 99 enrolments. There’s the famous 99 names of God.”

He described the site as ideally positioned “close to public transport and right in the heart of Sydney,” calling it both practical and deeply meaningful “anchored on earth, yet connected to the divine.”

Grand Mufti Dr Ibrahim Abu Mohammad closed the evening with a heartfelt address delivered entirely in Arabic, translated in English by his translator.

He began by reflecting on the richness of the Arabic language, describing it as “a language of 12 million and 303 words,” before celebrating Australia’s diversity:

“Civilisations converge through their people interacting to produce something… bound by love and tolerance as if forming a human canvas painted by a masterful artist.”

He reminded the audience, “We are a generous community, more than $145 million dollars in charities are distributed overseas every year,” and concluded with a prayer for peace, unity, and protection “from the evil of hatred that comes to us from outside the country.”