Local young artist Aakifah
Suleman has commenced work on a calligraphic work
especially for CresWalk2008.
The artwork will be amongst the
many random draw prizes to be drawn on the day.
(Examples of Ms
Suleman's work)
The GIRU Grant Saga
Chronicles
The Griffith Islamic Research Unit
(GIRU) and Griffith University have come under fire for
accepting Saudi Arabian funding for the Unit.
University 'an agent of extreme Islam' and Top
uni 'begged' for Saudi funding
were just some of the headlines making
the front pages of the newspaper.
Extracts from the newspaper
reports:
A PROMINENT Australian university
practically begged the Saudi Arabian embassy to bankroll
its Islamic campus for $1.3million, even telling the
ambassador it could keep secret elements of the
controversial deal.
Documents obtained by The Australian reveal that
Griffith University - described by vice-chancellor Ian
O'Connor as the "university of choice" for Saudis -
offered the embassy an opportunity to reshape the
Griffith Islamic Research Unit during its campaign to
get some "extra noughts" added to Saudi cheques.
A JUDGE has likened Griffith
University to hardline Islamic "madrassas" in Pakistan -
notorious for breeding radicals - and accused the
Queensland institution of promoting a Muslim ideology
espoused by Osama bin Laden.
Queensland District Court judge Clive Wall also accused
Griffith of becoming an "agent" through which the Saudi
Arabian embassy was propagating extreme Islam.
The Australian first revealed in
September that Griffith had received a $100,000 Saudi
grant.
Griffith Islamic Research Unit
director Mohamad Abdalla
has rejected accusations the Saudi funding would be used
to promote Wahabism, saying his centre was opposed to
the hardline ideology and in favour of "moderate" Islam.
In response to the daily attacks on
the unit from Kerbaj and The Australian, Griffith
University Vice-Chancellor Ian O'Connor wrote an
opinion piece entitled
Islam and the West need to engage
in the April 24 edition of the
Australian:
Mr. Ikebal Patel, President
of AFIC, issued a
press release on behalf of his organization.
The controversy that was stirred up
during the week also prompted a number of letters to the
editor of the Australian:
I USED to teach ethics at Griffith University, and one
of my students was Mohamad Abdalla, now head of the
university’s Islamic Research Unit. I found him to be a
tolerant, sensitive and modest man, who often raised
moral issues from the Koran in our tutorials. I valued
his opinions and input. I have no knowledge of the
funding arrangements for the unit he now runs, as I have
not kept in contact with people at Griffith _ and so
have no interest in defending the university. But the
suggestion that Abdalla would institute some hardline
madrassa-style indoctrination is so out of character
with the person I knew as to be quite absurd.
John Forge
East Balmain, NSW
READING the story on Griffith
University’s soliciting of funds
from Saudi Arabia, one gets the
distinct feeling that this country
is viewed as a menace at best and an
outright enemy at worst. If Judge
Clive Wall’s concerns, or those of
your correspondents who support him,
are indeed sincere, then why is
nothing ever said about the
large-scale support the Wahabi
regime receives from its Western
friends. Support such as the recent
US commitment to sell Saudi Arabia
more than $20billion in
sophisticated weaponary, to provide
assistance to its intelligence
agency and making available on-going
training to its instrument of
repressive control, the Saudi
National Guard? These are but a few
examples.
Considering Wall’s membership of the
Australian Defence Force, he should
understand that the implications of
this support are far more serious
than the funding received by a
publicly controlled university in
Australia.
Mohammed Alfakhrany
Gladesville, NSW
I OFFER the following ``reality check’’ to the editors
of The Australian, Richard Kerbaj and Clive Wall. The
vice-chancellor of Griffith University, in an email to
all staff on April 22, has advised that two esteemed US
universities, Harvard and Georgetown, ``accepted in 2005
donations of $20million from a Saudi businessman and
member of the royal family to finance Islamic studies’’.
I look forward to the reactions of your readers to this
revelation. I would specifically urge Wall to
unequivocally condemn Harvard and Georgetown for being
``agents’’ of hardline Islam. After all, he has
condemned Griffith University for accepting donations
from the Saudi government.
Iyanatul Islam
Eight Mile Plains, Qld
NEVER having been in Judge Clive
Wall’s court, I can only hope that
his reasoning there is more rigorous
than his reported comments on
Griffith University’s bid to secure
Saudi funding for its Islamic
Research Unit might suggest. His
argument is one of guilt by
association: Saudi Arabia funds
Wahabi-teaching madrassas in
Pakistan; Saudi Arabia funds
Griffith; Griffith is a teaching
institution like the madrassas;
therefore its teaching must be
Wahabist. Reds-under-the-bed seem to
have been displaced by Wahabists
cloaked in the respectability of
universities.
Ken
Goodwin Indooroopilly,
Qld
Dear Editors (The Australian &
Weekend Australian), (UNPUBLISHED)
I am deeply dissatisfied with the
articles about the Griffith Islamic
Research Unit (GIRU) published 22 to
24 April 2008. I found them to be
misleading, baseless, and to have
made completely false claims. The
articles were written in such as way
as to suggest sinister dealings
between Griffith University and the
Saudi Arabian embassy. The lack of
evidence and context in the
articles, however, suggests that The
Australian engaged in a blatant game
of fear-mongering and an attempt to
undermine the progressive and
positive work of a credible and
reputable academic institution.
GIRU is strongly committed to a
moderate and balanced approach to
Islam. It has very clear and
progressive objectives that are
contrary to the so-called wahhabi
ideology. GIRU’s focus on
‘contextualisation’ and
‘objective-oriented’ approaches is
contrary to the literalism
associated with the wahhabi
ideology. Moreover, GIRU is
extensively engaged in inter-faith
and inter-community dialogue and
works with a range of state and
federal government departments on
various issues pertaining to Islam
and Muslims. This level of openness
and engagement is also contrary to
the exclusivist and insular
character associated with wahhabism.
An article about GIRU written by an
objective journalist would have
revealed this.
GIRU should be judged on its product
– the research it produces, which is
publicly available on Griffith ’s
website. GIRU’s research is
progressive, unafraid of critiquing
and reformulating long-held views in
the field of Islamic Studies, and
even critical of various Muslim
conduct and interpretations of
Islam. GIRU’s research positively
contributes to the development of an
approach to Islam that is conducive
to the Australian context and
supports more harmonious relations
between Islam and the West.
The poor journalism, sensationalism,
and inaccuracies of your articles on
GIRU are unbecoming of Australia ’s
national daily. Please get your act
together.
Regards, Nora Amath
Brisbane, Qld.
RICHARD Kerbaj’s article shows a
worrisome level of fear amongst
academics represented through denial
and dissociation. Whilst Wahhabism
has claimed centre stage as some
sort of a fundamentalist version of
Islam, this simplistic approach
needs some academic scrutiny, that
is, when those academics are not
ducking for cover to dissociate
themselves from yesterday’s much
sought after benefactors. The irony
of this hypocritical approach to
disowning the hand that provides at
least part of your food is more than
disturbing in a society that is
still reeling from the fear of
witch-hunts. This is a disturbing
attitude amongst beneficiaries of
the funding, and is nothing short of
an insult to the benefactors.
The Salafist ideology practised in
Saudi Arabia is not the source of
terrorism, in fact Saudi Arabia is a
leading partner in the fight against
terrorism. Some refer to the
dominant school of Islam in Saudi
Arabia as Wahhaby and it may be
conservative, but the denunciation
of terror and extremism and the
prohibition of suicide bombings by
Saudi scholars, even in defence of
country, mean that the Saudi branch
of Islam has done a great deal to
combat terrorism.
Keysar Trad
Islamic Friendship Association of
Australia
Mr.
Graham Perrett Member for Moreton
issued a press release reaffirming his support for Griffith
University and the Islamic Research
Unit headed by Moreton resident Dr Mohamad Abdalla.
“I am proud of my local university
and will always support their
extensive academic and community
endeavours. They are a world leader
in so many areas and have shown
independence and courage during the
difficult Howard years when so many
other universities chose to put
their cash registers before their
academic principles.”
In his letter
Mr Perrett confirmed that he had
known Dr Mohamad Abdalla for many
years in a variety of community
activities before he took on his
role at Griffith University’s
Islamic Research Unit.
“I have met many of Dr Mohamad
Abdalla’s students and from my
dealings with the faculty I could
not have seen a more considered and
moderate approach to Islam. It is
ludicrous for the ill-informed to
suggest that this faculty is a
madrasah breeding radicals. They
would be better served by reviewing
the sort of doctorate theses being
pursued by Dr Mohamad’s students
rather than peddling misguided
misinformation.”
Mr Perrett stated that he looked
forward to continuing to work with
Griffith University’s Islamic
Research Unit and Dr Mohamad Abdalla
in helping to make sure that the
southside community was a harmonious
and tolerant place.
THE CCN EDITORIAL
Killing the Goose that
could have laid
Griffith’s Golden Egg
If
ever you needed a
shining example of the
phrase “a beat up” then
Richard Kerbaj’s
articles on GIRU, that
he passes off as
investigative
journalism, will surely
rank high amongst a
short list of
contenders.
Instead of enjoying his
well earned break while
Muslims and Islam take a
temporary back seat to the
apology to the Stolen
Generation and the 2020
Summit, Kerbaj has felt
the need to justify his
raison d'être as the
custodian of the “be
alarmed and be alert”
brigade by literally
scraping the bottom of
the barrel to continue
his campaign of stirring
the Muslim pot.
On
the Saudi funding issue,
Kerbaj has flogged the
“guilt by association”
angle going as far as to
resurrect a nondescript
Southport District court
judge to lend
credibility to some
rather vacuous and
disingenuous innuendos.
To
suggest that a course or
programme at a
University could be
manipulated towards a
particular agenda
without coming under the
scrutiny of Advisory,
Faculty and Academic
Boards demonstrates, at
best, a lack of
understanding of the
checks and balances
engrained in the
University system. Even
when rogue courses do
fall through the normal
QA cracks on occasions
then students and the
public at large will
have their say (see the
CCN article ANIC and
UWS for an example
of community pressure at
work).
Cash
strapped Universities
are always in search of
research funds. The
offer to respect the
anonymity of the donor
is standard practice and
not to be construed as a
conspiracy concocted to
gerrymander the funds
for some perceived
immoral or illegal
purpose.
GIRU’s track record over
its short existence is
littered with projects
and initiatives that
have been designed to
bridge the gap of
understanding of Islam
within the context of
the society we live in.
Its postgraduate,
internationally
peer-reviewed research
projects address a
number of social,
economic and political
issues from a
dispassionate, oft
critical, academic
perspective as is the
wont of Universities. To
compare them to
Madressas (where
school-going boys and
girls learn, in the
main, the basic tenets
and rituals of their
religion) is naïve in
the extreme and
undermines the work of
both educational
institutions.
Those
of us who have heard Dr.
Mohammed Abdalla at
inter-faith and
political forums, and
more significantly, from
the Kuraby Mosque Mimbar
on a Friday afternoon,
will readily testify to
his exhorting of his
congregation (to the
point of exhaustion) to
greater social
participation and
involvement with the
wider community (both of
which are seen as
anathema to some
hardline ideologies).
It is
disappointing to see a
newspaper of the calibre
of The Australian
resorting to tabloid
styled journalism at the
expense of truth and
fair play.
Why kill the goose when
everyone could have benefited
from the golden egg!
No
signs of decaying with age here!
Anver Omar (our Flying
Dentist) entered the 2008 Brisbane Marathon on Sunday
and on a flat 42km course along the Brisbane River
clocked up 3 hours 34 minutes with a 21 km split of 1
hour 40 minutes.
A break of his personal best by 55
minutes, and 7th position in his 50-59 age group of 33
runners and 48th overall from 186 runners.
"My 50 year old calves feel as if
every fibre has broken. I actually had to take a taxi
for the half km to where the car was parked," he told
our CCN reporter just after the run.
"Now, I have either been
underperforming on previous runs or have just had one of
those days, but right now the way my legs feel, there’s
no way I’m doing the 2008 Comrades Marathon ...on the
other hand...maybe the feeling will pass.....maybe."
Last year Anver completed the 98km
South African ultra distance Comrades Marathon in 9
hours and 52 minutes with well over two hours of the
12-hour cut-off time to spare.
We'll be rooting for Anver all the
way in the hope that he'll bring home the Comrades
marathon plaque again!
Religion and Law Roundtable
International and national research
is increasingly identifying complexities associated with
cultural and legal pluralism and intersections with the
law and legal process.
Within an Australian context, recent attention has been
focused on the extent to which the Australian legal
system, particularly the judiciary, should be expected
to be responsive to demands for accommodation of some
aspects of various religious traditions, while also
ensuring the protection of other fundamental human
rights, such as that of equality.
The Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC)
is currently in the process of establishing a steering
group and, to date, those who have accepted their
invitation to join the steering group include:
Jamila Hussain, Islamic Law Lecturer of the University
of Technology Sydney; Professor Greg J Reinhardt of the
AIJA and Hass Dellal Executive Director of AMF and Chair
of the University of Melbourne, Centre for Islamic Law
and Society
The purpose of the project is to conduct a national
roundtable dialogue over a period of two days, that
includes members of the judiciary, key legal sector
representatives and training bodies, academics and
community members to explore issues around the interface
between religion and the law. These issues have both
human rights, ethical, as well as practical implications
for the administration of law.
The focus of the project is on canvassing and building
knowledge and is a significant opportunity to review the
issues, establish a network, and set the agenda for
further action in research, professional skills
enhancement and consultation.
The final paper aims to reflect and incorporate the
views expressed by participants, with emphasis being on
building evidence and defining different positions in
this important area.
While proposing to deal with such
issues generally, the intent is to have a principle
focus on the issues for Muslim communities; this will be
reflected in the drafting of papers, structuring the
program, and inviting the participants.
Sheikh Saad Nomany
mesmerized the capacity audiences who turned up for his
recitations at the Gold Coast, Holland Park and Kuraby
Mosques this week.
Flawlessly switching between the
styles of the famous and familiar Imaams of the Middle
East, Sheikh Nomany gently transported his audiences
from the Mosques of Egypt to the Holy Mosques of Makkah
and Medina within the short space of an hour.
His impressions of Sheikhs Abu Bakr
Shatery, Sudais and Shuraim were followed by an uncanny
imitation of the Muadhdhin of Masjid-Al-Haram.
To relive Sheikh Nomany's
performance at the Holland Park Mosque this week see the
video clip below (courtesy of Mohammed Alqubaiwi who
also captured the photos).
Sheikh Saad Nomany at Holland
Park Mosque
Monday 21 April 2008
Faiths
share goal of understanding
JOINING FORCES: Former
Afghan refugee and
deeply committed Muslim
Forotan
with her leadership
program mentor, a radical
Christian community worker
in suburban
Brisbane, Dave Andrews
Picture: Jono
Searle
A Brisbane suburban link between
the Crescent and the Cross is helping to break down
mutual mistrust, writes Daryl Passmore HOMA Forotan is a
young woman with a broad smile, a big heart and a sharp
intellect, who loves her adopted country and wants to
change the world.
In the second year of a
bio-medicine degree at the University of Queensland,
when the 21-year-old is not studying she is helping high
school students as a volunteer with a homework club at a
community learning centre on Brisbane's southside.
Afghan-born Ms Forotan, a deeply
committed Muslim from suburban Moorooka, is one of 16
people selected from around the country by the
Australian Multicultural Foundation for a program
nurturing a new generation of young Muslim leaders.
It's a challenge she is keen to
embrace.
"Now is the time to move ahead and
change attitudes," she said.
That means attitudes on both sides
of the cultural divide.
The Leadership Australia program
resulted from a series of nationwide Muslim youth
summits which found young people were looking for ways
to contribute to broader community activities and build
networks to create greater understanding and awareness
about Muslims in Australia.
"The majority are compassionate and
are as worried about the future of Australia as everyone
else," said Ms Forotan.
She said her own enthusiasm and
confidence had been inspired by the kindness of people
since she came to Australia. Her family fled from
Afghanistan in 2001 to escape the Taliban. White her
father, a doctor, came to Australia, Ms Forotan went
with her mother and six brothers and sisters to Pakistan
for five years before joining their father.
After coming to Brisbane, Ms
Forotan attended Yeronga State High School, graduating
with an OPl score, the highest possible.
While at school, Ms Forotan
attended the Annerley Homework Club, where she is now a
voluntary tutor.
The Muslim woman is being mentored
in the leadership program by a radical Christian leader,
Dave Andrews, who helped Ms Forotan's family settle in
Australia.
A community worker whose emphasis
on practical spirituality over organised religion has
often put him at odds with the church, Mr Andrews lives
and works among some of Brisbane's most marginalised
people in the inner-city suburb of West End
indigenous people, drug-users, ex-prisoners and those
with mental illness attempting to live, rather than
merely preach, Jesus's teachings.
Ms Forotan said: "I can really feel
connected with him because he challenges the stereotypes
in his own religion as well as others. "He has the type
of understanding that grandfathers have for their
grandchildren. He is very sensitive and feels your pain
as his."
Mr Andrews, who with his wife Ange
worked in Afghanistan and set up community ministries
among the poorest of the poor in the slums of India
before returning to Brisbane, is involving Ms Forotan in
multi-faith forums.
ANIC
and UWS
The Australian National Imams
Council (ANIC), a body representing the Muslim Imams of
Australia,
has called on the the community to petition the National
Centre of Excellence of Islamic Studies and the
University of Western Sydney over a course being
conducted there.
According to Shaykh Moez Nafti,
the President of ANIC, the course structure and content
of ‘Women in Arabic and Islamic Literature’
has involved "repeated and unjustified attacks upon
Islam by the lecturer and a course reader that is
seriously flawed."
"The reader promotes a very
negative view of Islam and especially women in Islam. It
does not represent normative, traditional Islam as
practised by the overwhelming majority of the Muslim
Population in the world today and through fourteen
centuries of Islamic history.
"We are concerned that the course
does not provide a balanced view of Islam and that
students will emerge with a very skewed understanding of
the faith. The course is so biased that it does not draw
upon the work of renowned academics whose writings would
give the course a more moderate slant. Such an omission
is not only serious but quite telling. It tells of the
fact that this course was not constructed and is taught
in a very negative manner with prejudices which are very
obvious.
"Even when there is a reference to
a traditional source (and there is only one reference
and that is to Bukhari) that source is taken out of
context and not given explanation from the traditional
sources on which there is an abundance written and
recorded.
"The two major sources for Islam
are the Quran (Divine revelation) and Hadith (sayings of
the Prophet) neither of these will convey their complete
meaning if they are taken out of context or taken
literally without appropriate explanation. And that is
exactly what was done with the reference to Bukhari and
the Hadith contained therein.
"The subject’s emphasis on
sexuality and it’s explicit sexual content is not
reflective of normative Islam which is what we thought
the National Centre of Excellence in Islamic Studies
would attempt to portray.
"We would appreciate a reassessment
of this course, its content and the manner in which it
is taught so that it more accurately reflects the actual
and not imagined teachings of Islam. And to truly
reflect the normative teachings of Islam which is best
placed under the Centre of excellence in Islamic
studies."
From
the IWAQ desk......
IWAQ held a
farewell morning tea for Ms. Safia Raza
(picturedright in photo) on Tuesday 22 April.
The staff of
IWAQ wish Safia all the best in her studies.
The "Let us Know"
website launch was held at IWAQ on Thursday
24 April.
Ms. Susan Booth,
Commissioner of Anti Discrimination
Commission Queensland attended and explained
the purpose of the website.
She encouraged anyone
who had lately been subjected to
discrimination to write and lodge a
complaint their website link,
www.adcq.qld.gov.au.
Around
the Muslim World with CCN
Gaza's running man
When the athlete Nader al-Masri was allowed to leave
Gaza yesterday, it marked the first step in a journey he
hopes will end in Olympic glory. But others are not so
lucky.
A misfired Qassam rocket recently hit his
house. His Adidas running shoes are badly torn round the
instep from over-use.
He has been training on dusty, cratered dirt roads
having been banned for the last four months from using a
Qatari visa to train on purpose-built running tracks.
And when a lethal clan dispute put his home town of Beit
Hanoun under curfew, he was reduced to running endlessly
up and down the narrow 200-metre alley next to his home.
So when Nader al-Masri, the fastest distance runner in
Gaza, was finally allowed yesterday by Israel to leave
for the West Bank, it put him on the path to realising
his 10-year-old dream of competing in the 5,000 metres
at the Beijing Olympics. "I'm so happy," he said after
leaving through the Erez crossing. "This feels even
better than when I heard I was in the Palestinian team
for Beijing."
Praying passenger removed
from S.F. -bound flight at JFK
NEW YORK - A passenger who
left his seat to pray in the back of a plane before it
took off, ignoring flight attendants' orders to return,
was removed by an airport security guard, a witness and
the airline said.
The religious man, who wore a full beard, stood near the
lavatories and began saying his prayers while the United
Airlines jet was being boarded at John F. Kennedy
International Airport on Wednesday night, fellow
passenger Ori Brafman said.
When flight attendants urged the man, who was carrying a
religious book, to take his seat, he ignored them,
Brafman said. Two friends, who were seated, tried to
tell the attendants that the man couldn't stop until his
prayers were over in about 2 minutes, he said.
"He doesn't respond to them, but his friends explain
that once you start praying you can't stop," said
Brafman, who was seated three rows away.
[Editor] So you thought the man in question was
Muslim.........think
again...
Sunnybank ANZAC DAY Commemoration Service
Ali Syed and Neslihan
Kartal of the Islamic College of Brisbane
read their lines remembering all the
"innocent and helpless lives that have been
sacrificed"
Mr. Safet Avdich who
fought in World War 2
MacGregor vs Gold Coast: Coverage from both ends of the
pitch
Report by Abdul Khan
Last Sunday, the unbeaten Warehouse champs from
MacGregor took on an under done Afghan team from the
Gold Coast. The Gold Coast knew they were in trouble as
soon as they lost the toss, and were sent into bat, but
figured they may have stood a chance as the bowlers
proved far less intimidating than they looked.
The bowling was pretty poor, leading the Afghans to
become complacent with their batting. The ball was
coming so slowly that the batsmen were striking and the
ball had not even reached the bat. It was almost like
the bowlers were balling slower balls, but without
trying remarked one of the batsmen. While none of the
batters were able to dominate the bowling, the boys set
the MacGregor team a competitive total of 183 from 30
overs - not bad for a rag tag team of guys who hardly
ever train.
The MacGregor run chase started poorly as they lost a
wicket in the very first over. Unfortunately for the
Gold Coast, extras proved their undoing as the bowlers
failed to keep the pressure on. In the end, MacGregor
ran down the 183 with 5 overs to spare and with 7
wickets in hand, but this was not a true indication of
how close the two teams actually were. It was a game the
Gold Coast boys lost rather than a game that MacGregor
won.
[Editor] And
now for a view from the other side
Report by Wunofda Khans
“The Gold Coast boys are now
looking for another team to take on, and would like to
invite anyone who thinks they maybe able to offer some
competition. If
you think your team has what it takes to take on the
best of Queensland, please call”. CNN 4/11/07
The
offer was put up many months ago and a group of local
brothers took up the challenge last Sunday. The Gold
Coast cricket team who were unbeaten in previous games,
had finally met their match. It may not have had the
glamour of the IPL 20/20 but the match that was in
planning for 6 months had just as much competition, and
reputations at stake.
Captain Shahzad’s Gold Coast team went into bat for the
much anticipated 30 overs a side match. Tameem top
scored with 30, and was supported by local Imam Uzhair
who scored 23no. The injured Imam had an ‘angel’ running
for him, as he hit the big ones. The team made a
reasonable a 9/183 after the 30 overs with Ahsim,
Tahseen and Umar all taking 2 wickets each.
The
Macgregor boys started their innings with Tahir Suleman
and Faisal Ali. Suleman finished with an impressive 64
runs. The appointed captain for the match Naeem Khatree,
was next at the crease and he had a point to make. The
star of the day scored a dazzling 74 not out, taking his
team to a convincing victory by 7 wickets with 8 overs
to spare.
The
Gold Coast team arrived with such confidence and left
realising that they had been outclassed by a much more
experienced team. The McGregor boys are quiet achievers
having won 2 winter cricket premierships with warehouse
cricket in 2006 and 2007. They are pleased to have
finally shown their Muslim brothers from the Gold Coast
what a team who can offer some competition can do.
....and
now a word from this week's sponsor.......Pitter Patter
The CCN
Readers' Book Club:
You are what you read!
Using our book
club you can see what books we at CCN have
on our shelves, what we are reading and even
what we and others think of them.
You can even
create your own book shelf, find out what
your fellow CCN readers are reading, get and
give recommendations for what to read next,
create book lists, and even share your
opinion on a book with us.
Come see the
books we have selected and see if we have
any in common.
Then pick our
next book so we can all keep on reading.
Q: I’ve been following your training program for the
upcoming Creswalk and thoroughly enjoy the challenge.
Can you suggest other ways of making my ‘run / walk’
more challenging apart from the hills and different
routes?
A: Keep up the enthusiasm and be sure to come and
see me on RACE DAY with an update on your preparation
and race results!!
A great alternative is to ‘BEACH IT’ – running on sand
burns 25% more kilojoules than running on a hard
surface. It’s quite challenging too and a great way to
change the shape of your legs ladies!!
Running up and down STAIRS is another alternative that
will have you burn about 3780kj (for an hour of running
though)!!
BRING ON THE CHALLENGE TEAM!! Nothing is impossible..-
N-JOY!
IN PREPARATION FOR
CresWalk2008, FOLLOW THIS 5 WEEK TRAINING PROGRAM:
REMEMBER TEAM:
TRAIN SMART, NOT HARD!!
WEEK 3 of
our 5 week training program:
Please note that the following program is
suitable for beginners. For the more
competitive or serious athlete,
intensity, duration and frequency of
exercises need to be increased!
REMEMBER: NUTRITION IS JUST AS IMPORTANT AS
YOUR TRAINING REGIME.
ENJOY A HEALTHY
DIET AND DON'T FORGET TO DRINK YOUR
WATER!
DAY 1:
Walk for a minimum of
50 mins. (10
mins. at a moderate pace, 35
mins. at a more brisk pace and 5 mins. cool
down / slow pace).
PLEASE REMEMBER TO STRETCH AFTER EVERY
WORKOUT!
IF YOU'RE FEELING GOOD AND NEED MORE OF A
CHALLENGE, TAKE ON THE ABOVE OPTION (soft
sand running).
Healthy Tip: Always keep your body hydrated
- carry a bottle of water with you daily!
DAY 2:
Instead of walking, try jogging. Don't
reduce the distance - keep up the effort and
further challenge your muscles.
Wear some ankle weights for
extra resistance.
DAY 3:
Back to strength training team! Lift
weights, including your own body weight (tricep
dips, push-ups, sit-ups, chin-ups, etc).
If you're a gym-junkie, a pump class will be
great!
DAY 4:
A spin (cycle) class will be great for
strengthening the legs so be sure to give it
a go. Alternatively, a ride in the park
could be just
as challenging if you’re new to cycling.
Ensure good posture and technique.
Again, add more time / distance to last
weeks program.
DAY 5:
Active recovery - Head for the pool and do
a few laps (walk in the pool if you're not
comfortable swimming) Include your
stretching routine.
DAY 6:
Interval Training. Include some 30 sec.
sprints into your walking/jogging routine,
walk for a minute (recovery), then sprint
again..
DAY 7:
Family time: An 'active' day
out on a picnic will be great to get the
kids involved. (Active recovery)..
PLEASE NOTE: The above training
program assumes a healthy participant.
Those with medical conditions or who are not
already physically active, need to seek
clearance from their GP before starting any
form of exercise.
Ingredients
30ml Sunflower oil - 30ml Butter - 1 Large
onion thinly sliced - 1 green pepper seeded
and chopped - 1 tomato chopped - 5ml chilli
powder or crushed dried red chillies - 10ml
methi masala - 5ml salt - 500ml frozen mixed
vegetables 500ml long grain rice - 60ml
butter.
Method
1. Heat oil and 30ml butter in a large saucepan and
braise onions until golden.
2. Reserve a third of the onions for garnishing
3. Add green peppers and tomato to the saucepan with
chilli powder methi masala and salt and simmer for 15
mins
4. Add frozen veggies and simmer for 10 mins
5. Meanwhile parboil rice for 15 mins in lightly salted
water
6. Rinse drain and add to saucepan with veggies.
7. Dot with 60ml butter and add reserved braised onion
8. Steam covered over medium heat for 15 mins
Source: Radio Islam Newsletter -
Wednesday, 23 April 2008
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edition of CCN.
The CCN Chuckle
Mula Nasruddin
found a goat and showed him to a policeman.
The policeman said, "Take that goat to the zoo, now."
Next day the policeman sees Mula Nasruddin with the goat
again.
The policeman stops Mula Nasruddin and says, "What on
earth are you doing with that goat?"
Mula Nasruddin says, "What is there to do? Yesterday I
took him to the zoo and now I'm taking him to the
movies."
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