Australian Muslims recognised in 2026 Australia Day Honours

Photo: Professor Shahjahan Khan OAM, Emeritus Professor of Statistics.

Several prominent Australian Muslims have been recognised in the 2026 Australia Day Honours, receiving the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for decades of service across education, the arts, multicultural leadership and community development.

Their inclusion in this year’s honours list reflects the enduring contributions Muslim Australians continue to make to the nation’s civic, cultural and social fabric.

Among those honoured is Professor Shahjahan Khan OAM, Emeritus Professor of Statistics who was honoured for service to the Muslim community of Australia.

Beyond his distinguished international academic career, Professor Khan has played a foundational role in Muslim community institution-building in Queensland and nationally. His leadership has spanned mosque governance, interfaith engagement and national organisational roles, contributing quietly but consistently to social cohesion over several decades.

A longtime reader and writer for AMUST, Professor Khan based in Toowoomba resigned from UniSQ in 2022 to take up the role of the Vice Chancellor of Asian University of Bangladesh, Dhaka.

Dr Khan said he had been left humbled and grateful to receive an Order of Australia Medal for his contributions to the Muslim community of Toowoomba, an honour he never sought.

He was appointed as an Emeritus Professor of University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba in 2023.  In the same year, UniSQ introduced Professor Shahjahan Khan Scholarship in his honour for international students.

Across his more than three decades in Toowoomba, Dr Khan worked to develop strong ties between the city’s different faiths and cultures, as well as support refugees, domestic violence survivors and other vulnerable groups.

He successfully led the fundraising of $1.2m to build the Garden City Mosque in 2013, only to see the place of worship suffer multiple arson attacks just two years later.

Another recipient is Mohammad Kamruzzaman OAM, recognised for service to the arts and to the Bengali community of Melbourne. A playwright, actor and artistic director, Kamruzzaman has been a cornerstone of Bengali theatre in Australia for more than two decades.

Through the Renaissance Drama Society of Melbourne, he has preserved cultural storytelling traditions while creating platforms for emerging voices, using the arts as a bridge between generations and communities.

In Brisbane, Tausif Khan OAM was awarded for service to the Indian community. Over more than 40 years, he has helped shape Brisbane’s multicultural landscape through leadership in cultural organisations, festivals and ethnic broadcasting. His work reflects a model of grassroots civic engagement sustained through long-term volunteerism and community trust.

Education and youth development were central to the recognition of Zeynep Sertel OAM, honoured for service to the Islamic community of Victoria.

As Principal of Ilim College’s Secondary Girls Campus, Sertel has played a key role in building an educational environment grounded in academic excellence, values-based leadership and student wellbeing.

In a statement shared by the Ilim College team, the honour was described as recognition of sustained service, collective effort and the broader school community that supports young people to thrive academically and ethically.

Also recognised for service to the Muslim community of Victoria was Ramzi Elsayed OAM. A long-time community leader and accredited Muslim chaplain,

Elsayed’s work has spanned welfare support, interfaith dialogue and advisory roles with public institutions, including Victoria Police. His contributions highlight the often unseen labour involved in pastoral care, advocacy and bridge-building during moments of social tension.

Completing the group is Omer Riza Incekara OAM, honoured for service to the Turkish community of Australia and to multiculturalism.

In a LinkedIn statement, he said he was “deeply honoured and genuinely humbled,” accepting the award “with gratitude and a strong sense of responsibility,” and reaffirming his belief in “serving community, building understanding, and helping people feel they belong.”