The focus of this research is the (largely immigrant) Muslim community and its struggle to educate its children in Australia. As part of the settlement process, Muslims have developed a community infrastructure of mosques, Muslim organisations, newspapers and since the late 1980s, Islamic schools. The establishment of these new schools to meet the educational and religious needs of Muslim children represents one of the most significant changes to the education system in Australia. This thesis, examines the factors which have influenced the Muslim community in Australia to open new schools and the extent to which this action represents the dissatisfaction of Muslim parents with the education their children receive in Australian government schools. A number of questions shaped this research. What kind of education is the Muslim community seeking for its children? To what extent can the educational needs of the Muslim community be met by Australian government schools? What are the educational options available to the Muslim community? The research was undertaken using a number of qualitative research methods, which required a long term and in-depth involvement with the Muslim community including Islamic schools. Since the research was undertaken within the ethnographic tradition, the presentation of data documents the Muslim community's experiences, opinions and where possible their own words. The diversity of the Muslim community itself was an important factor in this research and it does not speak with a common voice on education matters, due to the lack of a representative education body. Although there were many shared beliefs and problems in relation to the education of their children, Muslim parents have made different decisions about the education of their children. According to this research, Islamic schools receive a high level of support from the community but nevertheless most Muslim children are educated at government schools. This however, does not represent total confidence in government schools. The research was undertaken within the context of a culturally diverse society, which has developed a number of policies in education specifically to meet the needs of the children of immigrants. Based on the information collected from the Muslim community, these policies have failed to adequately meet the needs of Muslim children in Australia but there is also evidence that these needs are not totally met by Islamic schools.