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Mbeki's speech at unveiling of the 2010 logo
Africa is ready. Africa's time has come.
Africa is calling: Come home to Africa in 2010 - Kommen Sie heim nach Afrika in 2010.
With these words South Africa's President Thabo Mbeki ended his speech in Germany yesterday in which he revealed the logo for the 2010 World Cup during a handover ceremony from Germany to South Africa.
In an address to dignitaries that included the likes of President of FIFA, Joseph Sepp Blatter and UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, he also had
this to say:
We are confident that the 2010 Soccer World Cup will ..... consolidate our self-respect and dignity gained
when we attained our freedom and democracy in 1994 and in a unique way help our own nation and the continent of Africa also to bask in the "Miracle of South Africa".
This will clearly be a special tribute to many South Africans and Africans who have triumphed over the pernicious system of apartheid which even denied a black child the right to play football with a white child. The 2010 Soccer World Cup belongs to the many Africans, who in many parts of the world engage in a continuous struggle against racism and xenophobia.
As many of us in this room are aware, everyday we take important steps to reunite what was a divided nation. We continue to work together to ensure that every South African enjoy dignity, freedom and justice and that our children grow up in an environment that nurtures their talents, infusing the spirit of resilience and determination even in the face of difficult challenges.
Mr. President, it was football that helped keep the high spirits of those jailed on Robben Island and in other prisons in our country. It was football that helped to boost the morale of those in exile; indeed, football was a source of comfort and solace and an inspiration for a better future for those living in the poorest of circumstances.
It was fifty years ago, in 1956, when the then Minister of Interior in apartheid South Africa, T.E. Donges, drew up the first official apartheid sport policy and legally segregated sport in our country.
All Africans, the most ardent of football fans and players, rejoiced in FIFA's decision to impose sanctions against South Africa in 1976 because they understood very well that, that action was part of the struggle for freedom. At the same time, while the rest of the world enjoyed the fruits of football fortunes, South Africans, even though enduring forced segregation in sport, also packed football stadiums and with meagre resources kept the game alive.
We are indeed very happy that the resilience, patience and love for the beautiful game by these masses of our people, was vindicated, on the 15th May 2004, when President Blatter announced that football's Golden Trophy would finally be going home to Africa. In that glorious moment, FIFA helped with the process of the restoration of our self-respect and dignity and rewarded all the African football lovers by bringing the beautiful game to the mother continent.
Indeed, the ancient kudu horn resonates across the Tempodrom heralding ardent and passionate supporters of FIFA's "beacon of hope", football, to grace the shores of the final missing ring - Africa, the cradle of humanity - in the Olympic ideal of the original Olympic Football Tournament, the forerunner of the FIFA Soccer World Cup.
Grassroots Launch Makes Breakthrough with Victorian Youth
The Islamic Council of Victoria launched its Grassroots Muslim Youth Services in April bringing together a diverse range of Muslim youth from a variety of cultural and socio-economic backgrounds to participate in a broad-based community youth festival.
The event was also attended by non-Muslim youth, social justice organizations (both Muslim and non-Muslim) and employment providers.
Entertainment and presentations ranged from demonstrations on the history of breakdancing to talks on issues such as mental health and depression.
The event was the first of its kind. Over four hundred young people attended the launch and provided overwhelmingly positive feedback.
A strongly worded letter was sent to Foreign Minister Downer expressing the feelings of many local organizations and individuals for the plight of the Palestinians.
"I feel as though the first sentence of a new chapter in the history of our Muslim community in Queensland was written today. To my knowledge, today was the first occasion that every Muslim organization in our community made a united stand for a cause", said Halim Rane of Griffith University's Islamic Research Unit after posting off the letter.
The community organizations that endorsed the letter to Minister Downer were: Islamic Council of Queensland (representing the Mosques and Islamic Societies of Queensland), Islamic Women's Association of Queensland, Mujlis Ulema of Queensland, Muslim Business Network, Crescents of Brisbane, Federation of Australian Students and Youth, Al-Nisa' Youth Group, Muslim Youth of Queensland, and Fair Go for Palestine.
Just a walk over for our Faizul!
Faizul Doola of Kuraby won the Gold Coast Bulletin 7.5km Walk over the weekend in a time of 44 minutes, beating off some 2800 other challengers.
The race was part of the Gold Coast Airport Marathon that takes in the route along Broadwater, Southport and Surfers Paradise.
Well done Faizul! Some of us would have been hard pressed running the distance in that time!
Facing the challenges of a new business in a new country
Multicultural women in business face added challenges, like having to overcome language
barriers, deal with different customs and laws, and cope with isolation.
The Office for Women and Brisbane City Council invite women in the greater Brisbane region to attend the ‘Business Networking and Information Event for Multicultural Women’.
The event will be co-hosted by the Minister for Women, Honourable Desley Boyle MP, and Lady Mayoress Lisa Newman and is open to women both new to and/or established in business, with a multicultural background.
In addition to providing an important networking opportunity, a number of key organisations involved in assisting business will provide information on their programs and services at the event.
Register now – don’t miss this opportunity to enhance your business network. The event is free but bookings are essential.
Date: Tuesday, 11 July 2006
Time: 10.00am-11.30am (light refreshments will be served)
Venue: Ithaca Auditorium, Level 2, City Hall, Brisbane
To register your place visit www.women.qld.gov.au/seminars or call Elizabeth Sullivan or
Lin Cheng, Lord Mayor's Multicultural Unit on 3403 4201 or 3403 4404.
CCN welcomes Brisbane's latest migrants
Zubair Khatree (son of Yusuf) and his wife Raeesa with their son Sahal, arrived to Brisbane on 30 June.
Zubair has a Bachelor of Business degree and has worked as a consultant and business analyst for Accenture and Standard Bank in South Africa.
Raeesa is a lawyer.
Dust off the old Brownie and win a prize
The 2006 Premier’s Multicultural Photographic Awards, offering more than $25,000 in cash and other prizes, were announced in Brisbane last week.
Premier Peter Beattie said the awards, now in their third year, were open to all Queensland residents and he encouraged professional and non-professional photographers, especially school students, to get their entries in by Friday 11th August.
“The theme for this year’s awards is People in Places and we’re looking for images that celebrate Queensland’s cultural diversity and heritage,” he said.
“First prize in the Open category is $15,000 and $4,000 goes to the winner of the School Student category. Highly commended prizes in these categories are $5,000 and $1,000 and every short listed entrant will also receive a prize.
“A Premier’s Encouragement Award and Minister’s Regional Award offer $200 worth of photographic equipment.
“Queenslanders will again be able to vote online for a People’s Choice Award from the shortlist, which will be on display at this year’s Queensland Multicultural Festival at Roma Street Parkland on Sunday 15th October.
Multicultural Affairs Minister Chris Cummins said the awards would be judged by professional photographers from metropolitan and regional newspapers, academics and community leaders.
“Entry to the awards is free,” he said. “Photographs must reflect or be inspired by multiculturalism in Queensland, be taken in Queensland, in black and white or colour, be taken on film or transparency or digitally, not be computer generated and be a single moment in time.
“The Beattie Government developed these awards to complement the Queensland Multicultural Festival and our strategy to maintain the Smart State’s global reputation as an inclusive and welcoming place in which to live, do business and trade,” he said.
“In their first year in 2004, the awards attracted 251 entries, last year there were 521 entries, so I encourage Queenslanders to maintain that exponential growth in entries this year.”
The Brisbane Muslim Burial Service (based at Kuraby Mosque) has set up an SMS Messaging system to notify people of janazas taking place in the local Community.
If you would like to receive these notices email your mobile phone number to janaza786@hotmail.com.
Eastern Magic
Scheherazade is part of the 2006 Brisbane Festival and is a "celebration of the magic and music of the East". There will be camel rides, food stalls, storytelling, belly dancing and music throughout the day, and admission is free.
SUNDAY 16 JULY
11am - 4.30pm
CB Mott Park, Cnr Logan and Abbotsleigh Roads, Holland Park
Performances include:
Dya Singh - North Indian Qawwali Master Dya Singh creates a new and universal mystical form of world music, blending East and & West together. Yalla! – an exciting traditional and upbeat Middle-Eastern music and dance group. Camoon - Middle Eastern funk-fusion group combining the Moorish rhythms and modes of Spain and Morocco with the melodic modes of Turkey, Egypt and Tunisia.
Along with a host of local musicians including, Pejvak, Sufi Poetry, Rahim Zullah, Rasheeda's Veils, Dastan and the Turkish Tea House
Public Lecture and Forum
Professor Dr. Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will deliver a public lecture on "Islam and Democracy" at the University of Queensland on Thursday 20 July from 9-12noon.
Three Muslim Girl Scouts in Minneapolis do the Girl Scout pledge in front of the Al-Amal School, the only all-Muslim school in Minnesota. The girls are wearing Girl Scout merit badge sashes
To many (in the USA), Girl Scouts are as American as the flag and apple pie. But the scouts are adapting, changing their ways to attract and keep girls who haven't traditionally joined a troop, including the children of immigrants. Scouting seems to particularly appeal to Muslims girls.
"On my honor," they start, "I will try to serve Allah and my country, to help people and live by the Girl Scout law."
Substituting Allah for God is one of a few tweaks the Girl Scouts of America have made to the traditional scouting rituals and practices to include Muslim girls. These girls wear traditional head scarves, called the hijab. They earn some badges unique to their faith. Islamic merit badges are rewards for learning prayers or teaching non-Muslims about their religion.
As they prepare for their first overnight camping trip, these girls insist that their troop leader, Farheen Hakeem, get special Muslim-approved marshmellows so they can make s'mores. And Hakeem has secured a private swimming hole where the girls can shed their scarves and swim without any men seeing them.
What unites the girls in this troop is their difference from everything around them.
"As Muslims, what do we do differently that other people don't do?" Hakeem asks the girls in a lesson on cultural understanding.
Russell Peters will be in town on Friday 15 December at the QPAC Concert Hall.
If you have never heard of this Canadian/Indian stand-up comic then take a listen to this clip and discover why Chinese and Indians just cannot do business together!
Even if you have seen this before, it never fails to be funny.
Arabic Influences in English?
Ever wondered how much influence Arabic words have in the English language?
Try the word game to see how people are using Arabic words in everyday English.
The Iceman Goeth
CCN has it on good authority that a local Muslim owned ice manufacturing business has just sold up.
CCN wishes to advise that quips from readers such as "Are the former owners now 'chilling out'?"; "Have their assets been frozen?"; or, "Is this what is meant by an 'icebreaker'?", will all fall on deaf ears as we have heard these clichés before, and far smarter ones at that, we hasten to add!
As the saying goes: Many a truth ...............
How news headlines in the USA are made:
A man sees a woman getting chased by a dog. When the dog is about to bite the woman, the man intervenes and kicks the dog.
A reporter was seeing all this.
He said "That was great. I'll definitely publish this in newspaper. Tomorrow the headline will be 'LOCAL HERO SAVES LADY FROM A DOG'."
The man replied "Thank you, but I'm not from here. I am from overseas".
Reporter " OK. Then the headline will be 'TOURIST SAVES WOMAN FROM A DOG'".
Man: Actually, I live in US but I'm not a US citizen. I'm a Saudi national".
Next day, the headline in the paper read
TERRORIST ATTACKS A LOCAL DOG.
A Word From This Week's Sponsor
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The Islamic Council of Victoria launched its Grassroots Muslim Youth Services in April bringing together a diverse range of Muslim youth from a variety of cultural and socio-economic backgrounds to participate in a broad-based community youth festival. 
The 2006 Premier’s Multicultural Photographic Awards, offering more than $25,000 in cash and other prizes, were announced in Brisbane last week.
The Brisbane Muslim Burial Service (based at Kuraby Mosque) has set up an SMS Messaging system to notify people of janazas taking place in the local Community. 
