More than 200 ladies attended the Crescents of
Brisbane Breast Cancer Awareness Workshop yesterday
(Saturday) afternoon.
Shamime Mustapha, who attended the
workshop as a participant, gave CCN her assessment of
the program:
This was the Breast Cancer Awareness
Workshop attended by many and enjoyed by all. It was
plain to see that much effort had been put into every
aspect of the events of the day.
The ambience of the hall and organisation of the
programme, complimented with the culinary delights on
offer, pay testimony to the above.
We were well addressed by various speakers; some taking
the medical point of departure, detailing the signs and
symptoms of early detection, coupled with the various
methods of maintaining awareness. Practical
demonstrations along with startling facts and
audiovisual media, served to further educate and inform
the audience of the urgency of awareness.
A very inspiring talk by a breast cancer survivor,
brought forward the emotion, resilience, and humility
shared by all those touched by cancers, whether directly
or indirectly. Later in the day, a pleasant relaxation
exercise offered many an unexpected listener a few
moments to unwind.
Competitions were a plenty, creativity was awarded,
along with many random lucky draws.
Finally, we were treated to a fiesta of scrumptious
drinks and gourmet sandwiches, with sufficient time and
space to meet and greet.
We were equally fortunate to be able to use the volume
of leftovers to feed some of the cities' homeless.
Alhamdulillah, the entire event was wonderful!
We look forward to further such
endeavours
Shamime Mustapha
Crescents of Brisbane wishes to
thank Saalihah Seedat (the brain child
and driving force behind this initiative),
Shahina Omar, Shaida Gutta,
Jamilah Solwa, and Ayesha Sabdia for
the work they put into getting this workshop
together and for their boundless creativity and
imagination.
Gala
Family Dinner
No
sooner had the Crescents Breast Cancer Awareness
Workshop ended when it was the turn of the Muslim
Business Network (MBN) to put on the largest gathering
of Muslims ever at an Eid Dinner.
The Commerce Building at the RNA
Showgrounds was packed to the rafters with almost a 1000
men, women and children in attendance at this inaugural
event.
Proceedings started with a recitation of
the Quran by Year 10 student Hafiz Issa Negussie
which drew a round of muted applause.
The Malaysian High Commissioner, his
Excellency Dato Haji Salim Hashim, was the keynote
speaker and was followed by Dr. Hanief Khatree,
MBN President who was later to steal the show when he
was turned into a dancing midget by comedian and
illusionist extraordinaire, Matt Hollywood.
Sudanese comedian, Mujahid Ahmed,
fresh from a show-and-tell appearance on Denton's Enough
Rope programme on ABC, offered his brand of black
humour.
The prize for the best joke of the
evening went to 12-year old Wasim Omar.
The star entertainment of the evening was
undoubtedly Matt Hollywood who had the audience rolling
in the aisles when he transformed Mr. Farouk Adam
into a singing monkey and made an exceptionally obliging
Mr. Haneef Deen the victim of some very clever
illusionist tricks.
CCN commends MBN on a well organized
function and one that is sure to become a permanent
feature of the local Muslim calendar. Great stuff!
EidFest
adds a Feast for Thought to its Food and Fun
The EIDFEST TALKFEST FORUM & TALKS
will take place at Eidfest2007 on Saturday 27 October at
the Mt Gravatt Showgrounds in the Main Tent
You can listen to the views and personal experiences of
Muslims and non-Muslims on a variety of topics ranging
from Sufism and Bridge Building to Demystifying Islam
and Engaging with Australia’s Dispossessed.
The forum will be chaired by well known author and ABC
radio personality Mr. Sandy MacCutheon and a
panel made up of Dr. Mohamad Abdalla, Ms.
Rashida Joseph, Ms Ruqayya Paruk and Mr.
Dylan Chown.
There will be talks during the rest of the day by
Imam Ahmad Ghazaleh, Ms. Janette Hashemi,
Mr. Adam Bowden and Ms. Rashida Joseph.
Don't
forget to also support the Crescents Coffee Club
where you will find the best coffee and tea and freshly
baked doughnuts, cakes and toasted sandwiches in the
whole of Brisbane!
Remember
all our profits on the day go to a worthy cause.
Muslims
in Australia
Earlier
this year a gathering in Canberra called Australia
Deliberates got together a cross-section of Australians
from right across the country, 330 men and women, for a
long weekend.
They gathered to talk about the so-called "problem" of
Muslims in Australia, sparked by the infamous Cronulla
riots, the bombings of 9/11 and Bali and London.
There were 50 Australian-Muslims and a high-powered
bunch of experts, led in discussion by Bob Hawke and
Barry Jones. But mostly they were ordinary Australians.
A lot had never met a Muslim person. Few had a Muslim
friend.
Well, after that meeting (and two years of research by
social scientists), Issues Deliberation Australia has
released their report, with a one-hour documentary
called Between the
Divide.
Now, while our political leaders like to insist that
Australians are not racist, especially at election time,
the report (out this week) concludes that when it comes
to Muslim/non-Muslim relations, Australians are racist.
"And there's a grim warning. We'd better do something
about it quickly, if we don't want to breed our own
home-grown terrorists", says Dr Pam Ryan the social
scientist in charge of Issues Deliberations Australia.
Alternatives
To Violence Project (AVP) is conducting workshops to
encourage confidence and practical strategies for
dealing with conflict in our homes, workplaces or
communities, so that we can get on better with others.
AVP workshops are an opportunity to
experiment with ways of transforming conflict
creatively. They offer a practical approach for
community groups, social service agencies, youth
organisations and individuals who would like to
participate.
AVPQ will be delivering a Community Basic
level workshop so you can come and be a part of what AVP
is doing to make a change … a change in the way we
respond to violence and in the way we deal with
difficult situations.
AFIC has issued a communiqué to the
Muslim Community on the reports of the banning of hijabs,
burqas and niqabs at Australian airports by Minister
Kevin Andrews.
On
the 25th September Tajim Hussain was inducted
into the Golden Key Honours Society for his study in
Social Work.
Golden key membership is in recognition
of high academic achievement at any of the Universities
in Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Malaysia,
Canada, United States and United Arab Emirates.
On reflection Tajim sees this achievement
as his third major achievement, firstly being picked in
Fiji's national boxing team and secondly when he won
Australia's first ever gold medal in Aikido at the 1999
world championship.
Tajim currently is a black belt in Aikido
and a blue belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and teaches
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu at Rochedale Mosque on Monday nights
after Magrib salat (commences again on the 29th October
2007).
Rashid
Bhikha & Nadira Ali in Zain Bhikha's album 'Allah Knows'
The CCN
Book Club
William Dalrymple’s new book, The Last
Mughal: The Fall of a Dynasty, Delhi 1857, has just been
awarded the Duff Cooper Prize for history
William Dalrymple wrote an article in
the
UK timesonline in which he argued that many of the
western values that are thought of as superior came from
the East and the blind arrogance hurts the West's
standing in the world
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Last week, the Islamic world showed us the sort of
gesture that is needed at this time. In a letter
addressed to Pope Benedict and other Christian leaders,
138 prominent Muslim scholars from every sect of Islam
urged Christian leaders “to come together with us on the
common essentials of our two religions.” It will be
interesting to see if any western leaders now
reciprocate.
On 3 November
2007, the Fred Hollows Foundation will celebrate its 15th
anniversary with a gala fundraising event in Brisbane.
This will be a night of
entertainment with special performances, surprise
guests, great hospitality, renewed friendship and a
celebration of the values that have inspired The
Foundation since it was launched on 3 September 1992.
Gabi Hollows, Susie O’Neill,
Dr Jimmy Little, Shellie Morris, Glen Heald, GANGgajang
and The Young Australian Talent Company will all give
their time to support the evening.
The Foundation was set up in 1992 to continue the work
of eye surgeon Professor Fred Hollows, who died less
than a year later. The event celebrates 15 years of
saving sight, and is a means of highlighting the
Foundation’s core goals: to eradicate avoidable
blindness in the developing world; and to improve the
health and life expectancy of Indigenous Australians.
Since 1992, The Foundation has helped restore sight to
well over one million people in over 20 countries.
The event is also an opportunity to share future plans,
such as doubling The Foundation’s sight restoring
operations over the next five years. At present there
are approximately 37 million blind people in the world,
75% of whom needn’t be. Treatment for cataract blindness
is considered one of the most cost-effective medical
interventions when it comes to reducing poverty. As
little as $25 is often enough to restore someone’s
sight.
Event Information
“A Celebration of 15 Years: The Fred Hollows Foundation”
Venue: Hillstone St Lucia Golf Links, Carawa Street, St
Lucia
For bookings, contact The Foundation’s Brisbane office
on 3358 5877 or email slarsen@hollows.org
Tickets: $120 includes 3 course meal, beverages and
entertainment from 6.30pm
Season 2 Episode 1 Part 1 Of 3 Little Mosque On The
Prairie
Season 2 Episode 1 Part 2 Of 3 Little Mosque On The
Prairie
Season 2 Episode 1 Part 3 Of 3 Little Mosque On The
Prairie
Plan to
push for halal standard rejected
The federal government has rejected a
parliamentary committee's call for the creation of an
international halal meat standard.
Since 1983 the federal government has been running the
Australian Government Muslim Slaughter (AGMS) Program, a
halal livestock slaughter scheme.
Muslims require all meat to be slaughtered according to
halal, or permissible, rules which vary from country to
country.
The foreign affairs sub-committee of the Joint Standing
Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade
recommended the AGMS be used as a benchmark for the
promotion of an international halal standard suiting all
countries.
"The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
(should) promote in international for the adoption of a
transparent and efficient halal standard," the
sub-committee wrote.
But the government did not address the recommendation,
instead using its response to defend the AGMS.
"The AGMS is an international halal standard accepted by
the majority of Australia's halal export markets," the
government wrote.
It also rejected the second recommendation that the
department create a single halal certifying body for
Australia.
"The government and red meat industry does not support
this recommendation.
"It is important that industry has a choice of approved
Islamic organisations to facilitate the halal
certification.
"The development of a single halal certifying body ...
risks creating a potentially unfair and uncompetitive
monopoly situation."
Tuesday 08:30 pm Why Democracy?: Egypt We Are
Watching You (SBS)
In his 2005 State of the Union address President Bush
cited Egypt as the country that would pave the way for
democracy in the Middle East. Three women, unable to sit
by while their country is on the brink of drastic
change, start a grassroots movement to educate and
empower the public by raising awareness on the meaning
of democracy. They name their campaign Shayfeen.com -‘we
are watching you.' This film follows the highs and lows
of the first year of their movement in Egypt. (From
Denmark, in Arabic and English, English subtitles)
(Documentary Series) M CC WS
Al-Ahly football club is a focal point for national
identity in Egypt. In the late 19th century, the British
became the last on the list of Egypt's invaders. They
might have pillaged many of Egypt's treasures, including
the sphinx beard, but they left the legacy of a passion
for football. Egypt took to the game with zeal. In 1907,
Al-Ahly, which means national, became the first football
club to be founded in Egypt. Its first president was an
Englishman, succeeded by Egyptians. The program looks at
the major achievements of the club that contributed to
it achieving status as a national icon of Egyptian
football. We meet AL-Ahly's current club president,
Hassan Hamdy, star players like Al-Katib and the ever
enthusiastic supporters. (From the UK, in English Arabic
and Portuguese, English subtitles) (Documentary Series)
PG WS
From
the IWAQ desk....
Ramadan Hamper:
The Islamic Women’s Association of Queensland (IWAQ)
would like to thank everyone who contributed towards the
Ramadan Hamper Project and especially the school
children from Runcorn Heights State School. We pray to
Allah to Bless you all for contributing towards this
worthwhile project. We have been asked whether this
project will extend after Ramadan. If there is a
positive response from the community we can have a
collection every 3 months but we need to know the
community response. Please email us your thoughts on
this to
admin@iwaq.org.au.
IWAQ Fun Night for Women:
This is fast approaching with only 3
weeks left. If you haven’t purchased your ticket,
please do so as soon as possible. We would love to see
you there.
Vacancy
The position of Front Desk Administrator
is currently available. For a copy of the application,
please call IWAQ on 32726355 or email
admin@iwaq.org.au
Fund
Raising Drive for Rochedale Mosque
The
Islamic Society of Eight Mile Plains has commenced
construction of the new Mosque complex at 2647 Logan
Road.
The building structure in now up to
the full three storey level.
The Bosnian community has already
raised much of the funds to kick off the project and
their members have donated their time, effort and skills
to get this far.
They are still raising funds within
the Bosnian community but require assistance from the
broader Muslim community.
A group of non Bosnian Muslims has
decided to assist them in their Fundraising drive.
They are
inviting you to join their ad hoc
fundraising committee for this important cause.
A meeting will be held to formalize this committee on
Wednesday 24 October after Magrib at the Rochedale Mosque.
Your support and help is earnestly
requested.
Kareema's Keep Fit Column
Q: Kareema, my parents are over 60 and
fairly inactive. What can they do to improve their
'quality' of life?
A:
Encourage them to move more (inactivity could lead to
weight gain and subsequently other health issues.
This is the first step to a healthier lifestyle. After
60, we tend to lose muscle strength at about 15% per
decade, and after 70, about 30% of muscle strength is
lost. Lifting light weights or using resistance bands
will help slow this!
Bone thickness will improve with weight bearing
exercises which means less risk of fractures
Increase in muscle strength will contribute to better
balance which means less risk of falls
Strength training also reduces pain and stiffness
sometimes associated with arthritis.
All this will help with maintaining their independence
which we all know is KEY...
(Ref: Changes in skeletal muscle with aging, Resistance
training for older adults)
All questions sent in are published here
anonymously and without any references to the author of
the question.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The
Culinary Corner
RECIPE
SCONES
Ingredients 1 cup fresh
cream - 4 ½ tblsp Sugar. Beat them together.
½ tsp salt -
1 egg. Beat then add to fresh cream mixture and mix
again.
Divide
mixture into 3 equal parts. Make 3 balls and press flat
in pan. Make a cross on top. Bake on 180c for 20
minutes.
Source: Radio Islam Newsletter - Friday,
19 October 2007
Do you have a recipe to share with
CCN readers?
Send in your favourite recipe to
theteam@crescentsofbrisbane.org and who
knows, you could be our "guest chef" for a future
edition of CCN.
.....and now a word from this week's sponsor...........
MnM Packaging Australia
Contact Yahya on 0403 338 040 or Abdul on 0412 268 665
The CCN Chuckle
Mula Nasruddin
(yes, he's back!) rides his camel to the nearest oasis for a drink of
water.
The attendant at
the oasis spots two penguins sitting in the back seat of
the camel's saddle.
He asks Mula
Nasruddin, "What's up with the penguins in the back
seat?"
Mula Nasruddin says
"I found them. I asked myself what to do with them, but
I haven't had a clue."
The attendant ponders a bit then says, "You should
take them to the zoo."
"Hey, that's a good
idea," says Mula Nasruddin, hops onto his camel and
rides away.
The next day Mula
Nasruddin is back at the same oasis. The attendant sees
the penguins are still in the back seat of the saddle.
"Hey, they're still
here! I thought you were going to take them to the zoo."
"Oh, I did," says Mula Nasruddin, "And we had a swell
time. Today I am taking them to the camel races."
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.
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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.