Islamic College of Brisbane

School

Islamic College of Brisbane

Location
Information
Motto| Seek Knowledge
Established| 1995
Principal| Ali Kadri
Website| https://www.icb.qld.edu.au/

27°37′07″S 153°05′31″E﻿ / ﻿27.618731°S 153.092081°E﻿ / -27.618731; 153.092081The Islamic College of Brisbane (ICB) is an independent, Islamic, co-educational, P-12, school, located in the Brisbane suburb of Karawatha, in Queensland, Australia.[1][2][3] It is administered by Independent Schools Queensland, with an enrolment of 1,595 students and a teaching staff of 109, as of 2023.[3] The school serves students from Prep to Year 12,[1][2][3] and was the first Muslim school to be opened in Queensland.[4]

## History

[edit]

The school was established on 5 January 1995,[5] and opened on 30 January with the lowest tuition fees of any private school in Queensland at the time.[4] Mohammed Ally was the schools founding principal.[4]

2015 saw the dismissal of college principal Dr. Mubarak Noor: it was suspected that he was let go after he and the school board "disputed a $288,420 withdrawal from the school's bank account" by the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils due to the council not seeking the approval of the school board or chairman prior to authorising the transaction.[6] Even though the principal was let go, "the withdrawal was reversed six weeks later, following Noor's objections."[6]

In 2017, a pig's head was dumped right outside the school with a label of a swastika, and the then acting chair of the school, blamed right-winged politics for stirring up hatred toward the Islamic community.[7][8]

After the Queensland Government announced the Anti-Discrimination Bill 2024, the school voiced objections, due to the fact that the bill could "stifle religious freedom and inflame "culture wars" within faith-based schools."[9]

## Controversies

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In 2015, a long-running dispute between the College and the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, which owns the land, has resulted in members of the school board and principal being dismissed or resigning. The college has been asked to show-cause that it, "complies with registration and accreditation requirements".[10]

In May 2015, it was reported that Queensland Police were investigating a claim made by a former principal[11] that moneys have been removed from school accounts and school loans had been falsified, with possibly up to $1 million involved. A senior officer of the AFIC has been implicated.[12]

In February 2016, it was reported that a federal government audit uncovered that millions of dollars had been improperly passed from school to the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils.[13]

These controversies eventually led to the Australian Government putting the school on notice for breaching the Education Act; if the school did not comply "with financial management and governance requirements" they would cease funding.[14]

## Notable alumni

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* Yassmin Abdel-Magied

## See also

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* Australian Federation of Islamic Councils
* Islam in Australia
* Islamic organisations in Australia
* Islamic schools and branches

## References

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1. ^ a b "Islamic College of Brisbane (Karawatha) | Department of Education". Schools Directory. Archived from the original on 12 July 2024. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
2. ^ a b "Islamic College of Brisbane, Karawatha QLD | Private Schools Guide". privateschoolsguide.com. Archived from the original on 12 July 2024. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
3. ^ a b c "ACARA Data Access Program - School Profile 2023". Australian Curriculum Assessment And Reporting Authority. Archived from the original on 1 May 2024. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
4. ^ a b c Batchelor, Daud (25 October 2020). "Islamic College of Brisbane: a quarter century of sustained growth". The Australian Muslim Times. Archived from the original on 23 May 2022. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
5. ^ "Opening and closing dates of Queensland schools". Queensland Department of Education. 14 April 2019. Archived from the original on 11 November 2023. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
6. ^ a b Ray, Chris (22 October 2015). "The controversies raging inside our Islamic schools". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 24 February 2024. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
7. ^ Withey, Andree (19 July 2017). "Pig's head dumped outside Brisbane Islamic school". ABC News. Archived from the original on 26 May 2024. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
8. ^ Atfield, Cameron (19 July 2017). "Pig's head left outside school for Muslim children in Brisbane's south". The Brisbane Times. Archived from the original on 9 April 2024. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
9. ^ Sato, Kenji; Austin, Steve (7 May 2024). "Islamic College of Brisbane and Queensland Churches Together oppose Anti-Discrimination Bill 2024". ABC News. Archived from the original on 10 July 2024. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
10. ^ http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/islamic-college-of-brisbane-investigated-over-phantom-debt-secret-payments/story-fnihsrf2-1227283681092 Islamic College of Brisbane investigated over ‘phantom debt’, secret payments
11. ^ Doorley, Neil (9 May 2015). "Islamic school principal rails against 'unfair' sacking over financial audit". The Courier-Mail. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
12. ^ Shanahan, Leo (22 May 2015). "Police probe Islamic College of Brisbane over alleged fraud". The Australian. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
13. ^ Shanahan, Leo (11 February 2016). "Islamic College of Brisbane 'misused taxpayer funds'". The Australian. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
14. ^ Hurst, Daniel (13 November 2015). "Government accuses six Islamic schools of breaching Education Act". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 11 May 2023. Retrieved 12 July 2024.

* v
* t
* e

Islamic primary and secondary schools in Australia

New South Wales|

* Al Amanah College
* Al-Faisal College
* Malek Fahd Islamic School
* Salamah College
* Unity Grammar College

Queensland|

* Islamic College of Brisbane

South Australia|

* Islamic College of South Australia

Victoria|

* Ilim College (former Islamic College North Western Region)
* Glenroy Private School
* Minaret College
* The Islamic Schools of Victoria (Al-Taqwa College/Werribee College)

Western Australia|

* Australian Islamic College
* Langford Islamic College

See also: Islamic schools in: United Kingdom, United States
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