YOU ARE INVITED to join in the festivities at the Kuraby Community Hall on Saturday 17 March at 11am where several members of the local community will be having their locks shorn off and others getting them coloured to raise funds for the Leukaemia Foundation.
The only other time most of them will have had their hair that short was when they last went for Hajj!
There is a free sausage sizzle, drinks and giveaways, so please come and support the cause and have a bit of
fun on us.
To date, the following have volunteered for the crop or colour (and the list is growing):
Junaid
Ally
David
Forde
Mustafa
Ally
Ziyaad
Hassan
Riyaad
Ally
Arshad
Hatia
Ashraf
Badat
Faisal
Hatia
Shaheen
Chothia
Hashim
Hatia
Ahmed
Essof
Kemal
Omar
Faisel
Essof
Yusuf
Saleh
Ismail
Essof
Iqbal
Sultan
Riaz
Essof
If you also would like to raise funds and get your hair shaved (or coloured) email theteam@crescentsofbrisbane for an official tax deductible receipt book and a badge.
But whether you decide to take part in the shearing or not, come over with the family and join the party!
It's going to be so much fun!
See this happen at first hand!
(Please note that this is a computer generated simulation. Any similarities between these images and persons living or dead is entirely coincidental)
PS: If you have ANY hair dressing skills (and no, you don't have to be a Stephan!) and/or a clipper your services will be in great demand on the 17th.
The Islamic Rugby League (IRL) held is first fund raising BBQ last Sunday at the Sunnybank Rugby Club.
On a very warm and sunny Brisbane afternoon, Oscar Akbar and his team put out a substantial spread for the families, friends and well wishers who turned up to show their support for the fledgling organization.
The enthusiasm and commitment for the sport and the IRL itself was evident not only from the players but from the many young lads also keen to play the game.
Watch this space as CCN tracks the League's progress in the coming months and for the first
signs of a potential Bronco.
Are you a budding Bill?
The Queensland Police Service is looking for volunteers from Brisbane's southern suburbs.
Police Minister Judy Spence said the Volunteers In Policing program has just held a successful recruiting drive and 13 new volunteers will attend a four-day training course this month.
However Ms Spence said police are always looking to expand its reach into the community, especially in the growth suburbs such as Mount Gravatt, Sunnybank, Macgregor.
"This part of Brisbane is home to one of the largest concentrations of multicultural communities in the state," Ms Spence said.
"As a result the Police Service is keen to get stronger representation from those communities into its Volunteers In Policing program.
"These multicultural communities are continuing to grow, particularly the Muslim and African communities.
"The police service would like to boost safety within all ethnic communities by developing strong partnerships with local police."
Ms Spence said the Volunteers In Policing program is designed to open up positive lines of communication between community leaders and police.
"Volunteers are being sought on a part time basis to help build these ties," Ms Spence said.
"These volunteers will complement the services police provide, and to work with police and the community to help address local crime prevention needs."
Ms Spence said the expansion of the VIP program in Brisbane's southern suburbs is part of a long-term move to strengthen partnerships with multicultural communities.
"There are now more than 200 volunteers across Queensland who are supporting partnerships between police and the community," Ms Spence said.
"On the southside, 30 VIPs are based in the Metropolitan South Region, including 19 in the South Brisbane District, six in the Oxley District, four in the Wynnum District and one in the regional office.
"These VIPS come from a range of different backgrounds including Somalia, China, Taiwan, Finland, Croatia and New Zealand.
"As well as providing general support, they are helping police to work within their own communities to help people to understand the law and their rights, and to advise police on important cultural considerations "
Ms Spence said Volunteers in Policing were not a substitute for police officers or paid staff members.
"VIPs come from a wide range of backgrounds including professional people, older retirees, students and other young people wishing to gain additional life skills," Ms Spence said.
"Each volunteer can spend between four and 16 hours every week to help police in a range of crime prevention initiatives and community-based activities.
"They can also help provide support to victims of crime, conduct home security assessments and engrave property, offer referrals to other agencies and assist with school-based crime prevention projects."
Ms Spence said that volunteers will be asked to complete an intensive four day training course before being assigned to a police station, where they will be given further orientation training and any necessary job-related skills training.
The Metro South Region will advertise later in the year ahead of the next recruitment drive.
People interested in becoming a Volunteer in Policing can obtain more details at the Queensland Police Service website at www.police.qld.gov.au.
Come and join the team that organises the pride of Brisbane!
Brisbane's Award winning Eidfest is looking for committed volunteers to help with organising Eidfest 2007. If you are community minded and want to work on an award winning and well recognised festival in Brisbane, then give me a call.
Payment is in the form of a job well done, lots of cups of tea and coffee, cold drinks and cake! Give me a call on 0419 025 510 to discuss payment options - I'll throw in some samosa's - and you get a free purple shirt and cap!
Come and join a very successful organisation that runs a terrific show - every year with new surprises.
Yasmin Khan
0419 025 510
Australian Muslims go under the microscope
A sample of some 350 representative Australians travelled to Canberra last weekend to hear from a wide range of experts and religious leaders over the three days on issues related to Muslims.
Delegates from every spectrum of Australian society, both right, left and in between, came to add their views to the debate and meet Australian Muslims.
The deliberative poll brought together people from all over the country and all walks of life with 40 Muslims who had participated in earlier focus groups in several of the states.
The participants also heard from a wide range of experts and religious leaders, exposing them to radical and moderate Muslim views, to those who opposed Muslim immigration and others who argued it posed no problem. Muslim participants complained that they were judged solely on their appearance, with women in Islamic dress, including those born here, frequently harassed, told to "go home" and refused jobs.
Sydney Catholic Archbishop George Pell praised the many "wonderful" Australian Muslims he had met but urged leaders to confront the problem of the small minority at war with the Western world. "There seems to be some significant evidence that some of them are planning violence against us here and elsewhere - that doesn't seem to happen in any other migrant group," he said.
Ms Jill Hicks, who lost both legs in the London bombings and is now an ambassador for World Peace, was also a panelist
Melbourne Sheik Mohammed Omran, who has attracted criticism for his teachings and his radical followers, presented himself as a loyal Australian and "grassroots person" who had been misinterpreted by the media.
He argued that the non-Muslim majority in Australia had the prime responsibility to make the Muslim minority feel welcome.
One of the participants, 30-year-old Perth mother of two Kimberley Marshall said the weekend had convinced her that there was "no huge problem" between Muslim and non-Muslim Australians. "We're all Australians, I think," she added.
Asked by CCN on his views on how he thought the weekend deliberations went, Dr. Mohamad Abdalla, Director of the Griffith Islamic Research Unit (GIRU) in Brisbane, reflected that in his estimation, the Canberra gathering was a great success for all Australians, Muslims and Non-Muslims.
"This is because it allowed a wide variety of Australian to interact with each other at the human level and get to hear about Islam from Muslims."
"The atmosphere was very positive and the feedback from non-Muslims was indeed splendid. The gathering shattered long-held myths about Islam in a very democratic manner."
"The idea of Islam as being radical, backward, anti-West etc was clearly destroyed, at least from the minds of those who attended."
Abdalla added that the gathering demonstrated that better understanding can be best achieved when there is more interaction between Muslims and Non-Muslims.
Another delegate from Brisbane who attended, Ms. Faiza el-Higzi, President of Al-Nisa, felt that while there was a culture of "phobias" being perpetuated by certain interest groups there was a percentage of people who believed the spin doctors was "much less than we were originally made to believe."
"To me, the weekend in Canberra is a measure of the power of genuine dialogue. When people who hold different views come together to express their points of difference and are given the time and space to question and deliberate, they slowly begin to see similarities and are thus able to understand and acknowledge differences."
Faiza summed up her views for CCN by quoting Nelson Mandela: " ... and as we let our light shine, we consciously give others the permission to do the same ... as we are liberated from our fear, our presence automatically liberates others ... '
Dr Pamela Ryan's organisation, Issues Deliberation Australia, which co-ordinated the event, will give the Howard Government a report on the full findings on the comparative survey, which she says constitutes the most detailed polling on the subject anywhere in the world.
Sha'ista (daughter of Dr. Hanief and Abeda Khatree) and Abed have been blessed with a 3.2kg baby boy.
Baby Humza was born on 8 March at Pietersburg Private Hospital in South Africa, where Sha'ista has made a new home for herself.
Congratulations to the Khatrees on their first (of many, inshaAllah) grandchildren.
Saudi Students Acknowledge Local Organizations
Imam Shazad Khan (ISoD), Mr. Tariq Alzahrani (President, SSC), Ambassador Ahmed Khan and Mr. Ahmed Khan (ISoD)
At the official launch of the Saudi Students Club of Brisbane (SSC) at Queensland University of Technology on Sunday, the Saudi Ambassador, Mr Hassan Nazer presented the President of the Islamic Society of Darra (ISoD), Mr. Ahmed Khan, with a gift in appreciation of the assistance given by the Society to Saudi students.
The Society have been providing Saudi students with facilities to hold English exams for their children.
The Australian Islamic International College was also recognized for the help they have provided to the students of the past years.
CCN's Madame Mumbai on Asha in Australia
Asha Bhosle performed at the Sydney Opera House on the past two nights with the American Kronos string quartet.
Singing songs of her late songwriter husband R.D. Burman, Ms Bhosle broke the stereotype of playback singers of her ilk by coming across on stage as a vibrant, entertaining and engaging personality, with a youthful voice and movement that belied her 75 years.
She drew gasps of delight as she walked onto the stage resplendent in her fashion statement of white saree with sparkling embroidery, pearls around her neck and diamonds.
However, the mostly Indian audience who came along hoping for the razzle and dazzle of a Bollywood extravaganza would have been sorely disappointed to find the eclectic sounds of the American Kronos Quartet (with David Harrington and John Sherba on violins, Hank Datt on viola and Jeffrey Zeigler on cello) dominating the first half of the evening's entertainment with classical compositions from Iraq, Iran and Argentina.
Also backing Ms Bhosle were Ms. Wu Man on pipa and Nitin Shankar on tabla.
The next and final performance is on March 16 at the Arts Centre in Melbourne.
The CCN Chuckle
One night 4 MBA students were having fun till late night and didn't study for the test which was scheduled for the next day. In the morning they thought of a plan. They made themselves look as dirty and weird as they could with grease and dirt.
They then went up to the Dean and said that they had gone out to a wedding last night and on their return the tyre of their car burst and they had to push the car all the way back and that they were in no condition to appear for the test.
The dean was a just person so he said that you can have the re-test after 3 days. They said they will be ready by that time. On the third day they appeared before the dean. The dean said that this was a special condition that all four were required to sit in separate classrooms for the test. They all agreed as they had prepared well in the last three days.
The test consisted of 2 questions with total of 100 marks.
q. 1. Write down your name ----- (2 marks)
q. 2. which tyre burst ------- (98 marks)
The Inbox
Dear Editor
Thank you for publishing my email. The response I have had has been overwhelming. Not just the replies but the responses that have come from the heart. I have had offers of free copies of the Holy Qur’an and copies attached to the email, along with offers of guidance both by email and phone.
I also did get a reference to the copy I have enquired about.
Perhaps the one email that moved me the most was from someone who despite his struggle with the English language, made an incredible offer to me.
Once again thank you.
Bob…………..
To the team at CCN,
Assalaamu-Alaykum,
I wanted to send a heart-felt THANK YOU to each and every one of you. I sent my details in a few weeks ago and it was posted on your website this week. I've had a few enquiries as a result and hopefully I can help these ladies see the benefits of keeping FIT!!!
It's not all about looking good ladies; it's about feeling great...
I love working with the group of ladies at Kuraby - not only are they enthusiastic, they motivate each other, which makes our workout sessions so much more enjoyable. I've noticed great improvements in their strength and flexibility - and it only gets better from here ladies!
Like I say to them: "do your best - inspire the rest"!!!
The best ideas and the best feedback come from our community of readers. If you have a topic or opinion that you want to write about or want seen covered or any news item that you think might be of benefit to the Crescents Community please e-mail
Share your thoughts, feelings and ambitions for our community through CCN.
If there is someone you know who would like to subscribe to CCN please encourage them to send an e-mail to theteam@crescentsofbrisbane.org with the words “Subscribe Me” in the subject line.
Disclaimer
Articles and opinions appearing in this newsletter do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Crescents of Brisbane team, CCN, its Editor or its Sponsors, particularly if they eventually turn out to be libelous, unfounded, objectionable, obnoxious, offensive, slanderous and/or downright distasteful.
It is the usual policy of CCN to include from time to time, notices of events that some readers may find interesting or relevant. Such notices are often posted as received. Including such messages or providing the details of such events does not necessarily imply endorsement of the contents of these events by either CCN or Crescents of Brisbane Inc.
YOU ARE INVITED to join in the festivities at the Kuraby Community Hall on Saturday 17 March at 11am where several members of the local community will be having their locks shorn off and others getting them coloured 
