IPDC is a registered not for profit community organisation Like many other community organisations, the beginning of IPDC was also from week end family get together. It was late nineties. Few likeminded families and friends used to get together in some one’s house with a common question; how could they practice and celebrate their religion Islam properly in their newly adopted home Australia.

There was also an element of concern; the Islam they had been familiar with, and practicing seemed not represented in the mainstream Medias and social narratives. They found themselves in front of a big challenge: how to explain Islam to their children in Australian context? While they were thinking and sharing their ideas and eating all the delicious Deshi foods, the number of families and friends in the gathering kept slowly growing obliging them to go outdoors. At the same time, they started to feel the need to develop some sort of mutual support mechanisms for themselves.

Back in their country of origin, they had extended families to help, here they had none but themselves. In 2001, IPDC made its formal start by its registration to NSW Fair Trading, which allowed them to operate only in NSW. Soon, the fear and hope of the new socio-cultural environments and the desire to do something spilled over across the border of NSW. To work across Australia, IPDC did its second registration with Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC). At present, IPDC is operating full-fledged chapters in NSW, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia, and Australian Capital Territories. IPDC volunteers has been working tirelessly to create an environments and support networks enabling Muslims can live and practice their faiths in complete harmony with the wider communities. IPDC has successfully established (of its own or in collaboration with others) Masjids and Multi-cultural Islamic centres in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane. IPDC has already taken initiatives to establish new centres in ACT and South Australia.

To IPDC volunteers, all these achievements are an enormously humbling experience of the divine blessings from Allah Subhanahu Taa’la, The One God. Nevertheless, if you ask IPDC parents; are they happy now? They will tell you about their new challenges; next generation (NextG) does not speak their language, speaks only English and has very different tests of foods and friends from their parents. Most importantly, Muslim youths in general are significantly lagging in Australia in terms of income and employments.

Now, IPDC speaks in English instead of their community language. Instead of the initial fear of identity crisis, IPDC wants to talk about the hope of cultural harmony. The new journey is creating an environment and support network which will help build the next generation as pious, professionals, confidents and having a positive sense of entrepreneurship and ownership. If you share all these hopes and/or concerns, whatever your language, gender, race and religious believe, IPDC volunteers want to work with you. Let’s work together for an ethical, moral, multicultural Advance Australia Fair.