Sunday, 28 January 2007

Newsletter 0116

لسلام عليكم

The Minister for Education, Science and Training, the Hon Julie Bishop MP, and the Hon Andrew Robb MP, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, today (22 January) announced that a consortium comprising the University of Melbourne, Griffith University and University of Western Sydney will host the National Centre of Excellence for Islamic Studies.

The Centre is a significant Australian Government supported initiative under the National Action Plan to Build on Social Cohesion, Harmony and Security. The Government has committed $8 million to support the establishment of the Centre.

The Centre will advance knowledge and understanding of Islam and showcase Australia’s strengths in the field of Islamic studies. It will also play a leadership role in public debates on contemporary Islam.

Mr Robb said the consortium is well placed to build on the funding that the Australian Government has committed and establish a world-class centre.

“The Centre will provide tertiary accredited undergraduate and post-graduate qualifications. Courses – including subjects as diverse as architecture, art and commerce - will be open to any students who have an interest in aspects of the Islamic world,” he said.

“The courses would provide many subjects relevant for aspiring Muslim religious and community leaders. Courses at the Centre will provide an important vehicle for the teaching of Islam in an Australian context, applying the usual academic rigour of the Australian university system,” Mr Robb said.

“This will be particularly helpful to a broad range of young Australians who want to understand the role of religion in Australia. It will also help Muslim leaders and Islamic teachers understand the context within which Muslims practise their faith and celebrate their cultures,” he said.

The National Centre of Excellence for Islamic Studies will deliver courses on campus in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane and eventually across Australia via distance education.

“The consortium members will establish strict governance arrangements for the Centre, including: a management board comprising academic and professional staff from the consortium universities; an academic advisory board overseeing the development and quality of the undergraduate teaching program; and a national community advisory board. The community advisory board will include Australian Government representation. The Centre will need to adhere to all requirements applying to Australian universities,” he said.

The negotiation of a funding agreement will include a requirement for the Centre to adhere to a clear set of objectives, against which it will report annually. Objectives will include that the Centre does not promote any organisations or teachings supportive of violence and terror.

Development of expertise in Islamic studies will enable Australia to produce its own trained imams, the head of the new national Centre of Islamic studies says.

Melbourne University Professor Abdullah Seed, who trained at the conservative Islamic University of Medina in Saudi Arabia, will run the federally funded centre at three universities in NSW, Victoria and Queensland.

Professor Seed, who says he strongly favours the more moderate mainstream views of Islam, said the $8 million school would work to promote moderate, mainstream views of Islam.

"Australia has a fairly significant Muslim community here. Our closest neighbour, Indonesia, is the largest Muslim country," Professor Seed told ABC radio.

"Australia is engaged with Muslims around the world so we desperately need to develop that sort of expertise in Australia and of course Muslim community needs could be met through such a centre."

He said the expectation of imams in Australia was different to the expectations placed on imams in an average Muslim majority country.

"I don't think the primary objective of the centre is to train home-grown imams as such, although it will be a by-product of the centre," he said.

Muslim and non-Muslim students would be welcome to complete the program, he said.
"Students of Muslim background who might want to become community leaders, religious leaders, imams or whatever, they also could join the program," he said.

Those students might require training at a community level before taking on leadership positions, he said.

Sources:

Government Press Release

and

http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Australia-to-train-imams-locally/2007/01/23/1169518690146.html

At a ceremony held on at Michaels Restaurant the Hon. Gary Hardgrave, Federal Minister for Moreton, presented Dr. Shabir Hussein, Mr. Dinmahomed Karim and Ms Nora Amath-Rane with awards in recognition of their continued community work carried out in his constituency.

The ceremony took place immediately after the Citizenship ceremony where at least 24 Muslims took the pledge and were affirmed as citizens of Australia.

CCN Tip: If you experience interruptions during viewing allow the video to play to the end (with the volume down) and then replay from the start.

Little Mosque on the Prairie Episode 2 Part 1 of 3

Little Mosque on the Prairie Episode 2 Part 2 of 3

Little Mosque on the Prairie Episode 2 Part 3 of 3

It's Islam - but not as you know it!

Islamophobic is a podcast made by the UK Guardian Unlimited for Muslims and by Muslims. It is the first Muslim podcast from a national newspaper in the UK.

This week they talk to think tank Demos about the government's strategy to stamp out extremism.

There is also a Fatwa Focus (a cheeky look at religious rulings), a press digest from the Middle East and studio chat with human rights activist Ruhul Tarafder.

Listen to the podcast on your computer (takes a little while to load)

Subscribe via iTunes

Add this RSS feed to your favourite RSS reader
 

Al-Nisa' Youth Group Inc will be commencing with its youth services program in early March.

They are currently looking for two dynamic people, a male and a female, to be employed as the first youth workers to service the Muslim community in Brisbane.

The service will be located at the South side and will serve the Greater Brisbane Region.

The contract is for two years.

If you have what it takes to meet the challenge, then they would like to hear from you.

Download the position description and selection criteria and the code of ethics.

Applications close on Friday 9 February 2006 5:00pm.
 

By Ahmed Essof

You get 22 boys and too much free time and a good old fashioned Zimbabwe vs. South Africa 20/20 cricket match.

The venue was Daw Rd, time, straight after Jummah, and the weather, well started of dodgy but cleared nicely.

The South Africans won the toss and sent the Zimbabweans into the middle for a bat. A good start began to pan out and it looked as though the Zimbos would do well.

However, quick wickets and good bowling allowed the SA boys to peg them back. A nice middle order partnership from Asif Meman and Ismail Essof allowed the Zimbos to gain respectability on the scoreboard and get past the hundred mark.

Finishing on 138, the Zimbos had a defendable total and went into the field confident. The SA boys lost an early wicket after some umpiring discussion due to uncertainty. Up stepped Afghan born Mussa Mohammad. He began going about his business sending some wayward bowling to the boundaries. The South Africans were looking strong and then lost another wicket to bring proceedings to a small halt. However, with about 6 overs remaining, the South African boys, led by good innings of 93 by Mussa, came away with victory.

It was a win for the southern neighbours but ultimately a fun day out, a good unity event and a chance to show some of our boys’ talent was the order of the day.

The plan is to have more of these days but until then, all who took part can enjoy the day that was, and from the talent on display the England selectors would have done themselves some huge favours turning up at Daw Road on the day.

The Islamic Society of Algester will be commemorating ashura, that is, the 10th Muharram on Monday night 29th January 2007 with a Yaseen Khatam. The programme will commence after ishaa followed by Naat and Waaez for remembrance of Imaam Hussain and Hassan (R.A.) and all Shaheede (Martyrs of) Karbala.

There is provision for ladies as well. For more information contact: Ml. M. Nawaaz Ashrafi on 32197415.

Also a giyaarwee shareef programme will be held on Tuesday night 30th January after ishaa.

Please bring along small plate.

Also there will be a Yaseen Khatam before Zohor Salaat Sunday 4th February for isaale sawaab of all Shaheede Karbala

Niyaaz will be served after Zohor Salaat

All are welcome
 

Pakistan's president General Pervaiz Musharaf called a student conference, and this what one student said to him:

Click here.

Worth a watch for its audaciousness, even if your Urdu is wanting, and for no other reason than to see democracy in action (which is more than can be said of some other countries).

The AMDA will officially launch their new look website in February. The site explains its aims and objectives.

Shahi Thali (The Royal Plate) recently opened its doors in Springwood specializing in regional North Indian cuisine and delicacies.

Take out Menu

Dine in Menu

Eidfest 2006 has won the Lord Mayor's Australia Day Award for best Community Event, in a dinner marking the occasion on Wednesday night. Eidfest were represented at the dinner by Yasmin Khan and Sultan Deen.

President Yasmin Khan said, 'this award is a testament to the hard work and effort that our committee puts in each year. It is great that Eidfest is recognised in the Australia Day Awards, because it truly is a mark of this great country that all communities can celebrate religious events together."

"My thanks go to everyone on the Eidfest committee, to our stallholders, who this year came from across Australia and overseas, and to the Brisbane community for embracing Eidfest with passion. Insha'Allah, this award along with the Brisbane Indian Times award for best Multicultural Event, suggests that Eidfest is setting a high standard and we look forward to many more years of great Eidfests to come."
 

Zubair and Raeesa Khatree have been blessed with Aaliyah their second child, a baby girl born on 23 January 2007 at Logan Hospital, Brisbane.

A football coach walked into the locker room before a game, looked over to his star player and said, "I'm not supposed to let you play since you failed math, but we need you in there. So, what I have to do is ask you a math question, and if you get it right, you can play."

The player agreed, and the coach looked into his eyes intently and asks, "Okay, now concentrate hard and tell me the answer to this. What is two plus two?"

The player thought for a moment and then he answered, "4?"

 
"Did you say 4?" the coach exclaimed, excited that he got it right.

At that, all the other players on the team began screaming, "Come on coach, give him another chance!"
 

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