children once they reach a particular age (Hum-
phrey 1984, 43).
Traditionally, mainstream Australia is a bilateral
society and the concept of the family is that of a
nuclear family consisting of a husband and his wife
who live with their children apart from the relatives
of either spouse. One-parent families, de factocou-
ples, heterosexual or homosexual, with or without
children, and childless couples are becoming much
more common as family units. This concept is at
variance with Islamic family law, which strictly
prohibits both de factoand homosexual relation-
ships and prevents illegitimate children from inher-
iting wealth from the father. In Australia, most
Muslim migrants try to maintain their traditional
values, although some of them are being affected by
Australian values. This has led to conflict between
spouses, parents and children, as well as relatives in
Australia and abroad (Hussain 2001, 163).Conclusion
As a result of the adaptation of Islamic law
alongside local customary law, women often act or
are treated differently from their traditional roles.
It seems that the implementation of Islamic law in
patriarchal societies tends to give more benefit and
advantages to women than they have previously
experienced. However, the dissemination of Islamic
law in matrilineal societies such as the Minang-
kabau of West Sumatra has adversely affected
women in relation to materialist concerns such as
inheritance and social position.334 kinship, descent systems
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