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Emerita Professor Samina Yasmeen AM
Distinguished Fellow
Emerita Professor Samina Yasmeen AM is Director of the University of Western Australia’s Centre for Muslim States and Societies and is a specialist in political and strategic developments in South Asia (particularly Pakistan), the role of Islam in world politics and citizenship among immigrant women.
Professor Yasmeen began lecturing at UWA in 1988 and became Head of Department of International Relations, Asian Studies and Politics in the School of Social Sciences in 2022. She is also a Vice-President of the Australian Institute for International Affairs (WA Branch) and recently completed two terms as a Community Member of the Council for Order of Australia (2022–2026).
Her many honours include WA Citizen of the Year (2011) and her induction into the WA Women’s Hall of Fame (2012). She also received the Award of the Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in June 2014.
Born into a literary family in Pakistan, Professor Yasmeen came to Australia in 1977 to study political science at ANU in Canberra. She has also written and edited several works, including Muslims in Australia: the Dynamics of Inclusion and Exclusion (2010, Melbourne University Press) and conducted a large-scale study on the settlement needs of Muslims living in Perth.
As a nationally respected public intellectual, she has advanced the understanding of Islam, human rights, migration, social cohesion and inclusion in Australian society, serving as a role model for a new generation of Australian Muslim women.
She is a regular commentator on issues relating to Islam and continues to serve on Ministerial Councils for international security, immigration, and multiculturalism for over, shaping national policy. She also actively participates in interfaith activities.
In September 2026, Professor Yasmeen joined WA DEFENCE REVIEW as a Distinguished Fellow.