Sunday, 22 January 2006

Newsletter 0063

This issue of CCN is kindly sponsored by

HP Corporation

Assalaamu-alaikum

Ipswich Opening Ceremony

(A report by CCN's Flying Dutchman - standing in for our Man-on-the-Mussallaah who was otherwise distracted by the rare prospect of a South African victory at the Gabba)

Sunday the 15^th of January 2006 will be remembered as a great milestone in Ipswich - it was the day in which the first Mosque opened in that city.

An estimated 700 people from all sections of the community turned up for the occasion.

Amar Ali Khan, the Vice President of the Islamic Society of Ipswich was MC for the day's programme which began with a recitation of the Holy Quran by Qari Mehboob Ul Haq, the Quranic teacher at Holland Park Masjid, which was then translated by Miss Hafsa Khan.

Imam Uzair Akbar, Imam of Holland Park Masjid talked on the role of the Mosque and Muslims in a locality and their obligations to their neighbours.

He spoke of the need for peace and the mutual respect for other religions.

Every Muslim should also take into consideration the effect the Mosque will have on the neighbourhood, which include the manner in which they drove their cars, how they parked them, the behaviour of the people at the Mosque and the noise levels in the early or late hours of the day.

Many misconceptions about Muslims were cleared up in the Imam’s talk, several of the dignitaries and guests were seen jotting down notes from his talk.

The Mayor of Ipswich, the Honourable Paul Pisasale was the next speaker.

He expressed his appreciation for the establishment of the Mosque in Ipswich and affirmed that Ipswich is a Multicultural city that not only warmly welcomed people of various ethnic and religious backgrounds but also encouraged it.

He then presented a Plaque to the President of the Islamic Society of Ipswich, Jemele Deen, which commemorated the opening of the Mosque.

The next speaker was the Queensland Police Commissioner, Bob Atkins who reminded the audience that the Police see Muslims as law abiding citizens and that they did not accept the negative stereotypes portrayed in the media.

He reiterated the point that the Police Service was also there for Muslims as well.

He noted that he had attended many Islamic functions which also included the opening of the Darra Mosque, turning of the sod at the Rochedale Mosque and now the opening of the Ipswich Mosque.

The State Minister for Small Business, Information Technology Policy and Multicultural Affairs, the Honourable Chris Cummins followed with words of encouragement for the Mosque particularly since he was an “Ipswich boy”.

He drew on his experiences in living in Malaysia where people of various religions and ethnic backgrounds lived together.

He applauded the community involvement and understanding that the Ipswich Mosque has taken steps towards in ensuring that it is part of the community.

An inspiring speech was then given by Reverend Denis Scanlan, the Catholic Priest for Leichardt and North Ipswich. The Reverend was a very strong supporter of the establishment of the Mosque in Ipswich and began his speech with Allahu Akbar.

He emphasized that both Christianity and Islam are Abrahamic religions that believe in the One God. Both religions, he went on to say, have a great deal more in common then they do have differences, both are Peaceful and both suffer from extremism.  Christians need the Muslims to remind them of their faith and could learn from Muslims about how to connect themselves with God. The very name Islam, meaning submission, and the commonly used term “Insha Allah” (God willing) were two examples of how Muslims went about achieving this connection.

Click here to read the full speech of the Reverend.

The Federal Member for Blair, Cameron Thompson spoke next. He expressed his delight in seeing a Mosque in Ipswich., and having a Mosque showed that Ipswich had come of age.

He was particularly pleased to see Muslims of diverse ethnicity and spoke of how a Mosque in Ipswich would be an attraction for other Muslims to the area.

He expressed that only good can come from this and that he looked forward to working with the Muslim community.

The last speaker was Mrs. Mia Leagh, Member of the Islamic Society of Ipswich, President of the Steering Committee of Believing for a Cultural Peace and Interfaith Women Organisation of Brisbane.

She gave a well researched speech about the examples of Islamic Civilization throughout history and the tolerance of other religions in Islam.

She highlighted the importance of Peaceful and Harmonic coexistence especially in this day and age.

The speeches were rounded off with a Naat by Saadiq Mustapha and a vote of thanks by Abdul Rahman Deen. All the speakers were presented with plaques by the President of the Islamic Society of Ipswich, Jemele Deen. The official function closed with an impassioned dua by Imam Yusuf Peer.

The ceremony was topped off with a BBQ.

David Forde, Electorate Officer for Stephen Robertson MP, is the organizer of the event and explains why he has undertaken the task of bringing the two communities together:

More from the Gabba

Support for Muslim Community

Dubbo's religious leaders were particularly disheartened by the "vicious" attack, in which the words "Muslim scum" and "go back home" were spray-painted in bright blue across the front of the Islamic mosque.
Catholic Priest, Fr Paul Devitt from St Brigid's Church described the vandalism as the work of a "warped and bigoted minority."

"There is a very good rapport between religious organisations in Dubbo, we respect each other and each other's differences and live very easily together and this kind of rubbish is an affront to us all," Fr Devitt said.

Bishop Arthur Jones from Dubbo's Anglican Church agreed and said his general reaction to the vandal attack was one of "huge disgust and grave concern."

"Any desecration of a sacred place is disgusting and in no terms justifiable."

Both Fr Devitt and Bishop Jones have themselves been victims of vandalism in the past and have often found their properties damaged and their buildings marred by graffiti.

But Fr Devitt and Bishop Jones agreed this was a "totally different" kind of attack and thus "all the more saddening."

"This was a definite slur and a very intended one which strikes at the true heart of the Islam faith and Muslim community," Bishop Jones said.

Baptist Church administrator Arthur Marriott said he was surprised to see such an attack occur in a city he described as religiously and racially tolerant.

"I was shocked to see the tentacles of racism expanding into Western NSW and can only pray this kind of behaviour does not escalate."

Roger Fletcher and his team at Fletcher International Exports Pty Ltd have worked closely with the Australian Muslim Community for a number of years and have never experienced an issue of racism at the plant.

"We have a harmonious workforce free of racial tensions but unfortunately it only takes a minority to do something like this and ransack everything," Mr Fletcher said. Mr Fletcher was upset to see that some people in Dubbo would attempt to incite racial tensions in the town by means of wanton vandalism.

"The Muslims are trying to do their part within the Dubbo community and it's up to all of us to learn to get along with one another and work together," Mr Fletcher said.

Dubbo Parkes MP and minister for Multicultural Affairs John Cobb also expressed his concern and has organised a special trip to Dubbo to meet with the Muslim community and to thank the Rotary Clubs and local volunteers who generously donated their time on Sunday to paint over the graffiti
 

Source: http://news.ibn.net/newsframe.asp?url=http://news.ibn.net/newsgen.asp?url=aum2

[Editor] It's obvious that not all the inmates of the famous Dubbo Zoo are kept locked in at all times.

Aussie sheep meat bound for the needy

Meat from 50,000 Australian sheep is being packed for delivery to needy Muslim countries, following a three-day slaughter last week over the Islamic Holy Festival of Eid.

Muslim charities pay for the annual contract kill by Fletchers International at Dubbo in New South Wales, and Albany in Western Australia.

The company has been sourcing sheep for the festival for the past 17 years and this contract is the biggest so far.

Managing director Roger Fletcher estimates it will provide around 3 million meals.

"I think it's a great thing because it's money that's collected by Muslims around the world and a lot in Australia," he said.

"The meat then goes out to the needy places like Pakistan where the earthquakes were, Indonesia, parts of Africa, Bangladesh, where they've had problems with the floods."

Source:

http://news.ibn.net/newsframe.asp?url=http://www.abc.net.au/rural/content/2006/s1548235.htm
 

More Mirth from the Mimbar

Here is a story of an Imam who got up after Friday prayers and announced to the people:

"I have good news and bad news. The good news is, we have enough money to pay for our new building program. The bad news is, it's still out there in your pockets."

Source: Islamic Women's Association of Queensland Inc. Newsletter Year 15 Issue 1 Jan/Feb 2006

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