An informal meeting between the local Muslim
community and Taiwanese business and community leaders will be held
on Saturday 8 March with the aim of forging community ties and creating a better
understanding about our different organizations,
cultures, backgrounds and religious affiliations.
Representatives from Crescents of Brisbane, MBN, ICQ,
IWAQ, AMARAH and Al-Nisa have been invited to make
presentations on the aims and objectives of their
respective organizations.
Venue: Kuraby State Special School (83 Alpita
Street, Kuraby)
Light refreshments prepared by the Crescents of Brisbane
Team will be served
"Do
Sell to Dubai" is Government plea to Muslim Businesses
During the week some 75 Muslim business men and women
were invited by the Queensland Government to Parliament
House to learn about the initiatives the State had in
place for facilitating exports to the Middle East and
other Muslim countries and about its one-stop-shop
website that provided access to government information
and services at
http://www.business.gov.au/Business+Entry+Point/.
The website has all the business information and help
one would need to start up a new business venture as
well as useful information for established ones.
The Hon
John Mickel MP Minister for Transport, Trade,
Employment and Industrial
Relations and the
Hon Desley Boyle MP Minister for Tourism, Regional
Development and Industry described the roles of their
respective ministries and praised the local Muslim
business community for their contributions to the
State's economy.
Mr Youhanna Yassa, Director, Middle East and
North Africa from the Department of the Premier and
Cabinet outlined the potential of the Middle East and
North Africa markets for Queenslanders.
The guests were then taken on a tour of Parliament House
and then sat in on a Parliamentary debate that was
addressing the issue of the 4-year fixed term for
Government.
The offices of
Michael Choi, Parliamentary Secretary to the
Minister for Multicultural Affairs initiated and
organized the event with assistance from Crescents of
Brisbane and the Muslim Business Network.
The
Algester Alert
A Youth Circle will be held at Algester Mosque on
Saturday 8 March after Salatul Maghrib.
Sheikh Ahmad Ghazaleh will address the Youth Circle. All
youth, both male are female, are invited to attend.
For more information please contact Maulana Aslam on
0431620629 or Maulana Nawaaz on 0423734438
Perrett
meets his People
Members of the Muslim community were invited during the
week to visit with Graham Perrett the newly
elected Member for Moreton at his local offices in
Sunnybank.
Perrett told his constituents that he had an open door
policy and encouraged those living in his electorate to
raise any issues of concern with him at any time.
In
Search of Presenters
According to Program Co-ordinator, Kathleen Gordon, if
you haven't already heard, it is an exciting time for
improving interfaith relations and cooperation.
Kathleen is inviting you to participate in a most
rewarding experience. As part of a diverse team of
people, you can help in pioneering changes to the way
people relate to religious diversity. You will gain a
deeper understanding of yourself and others and develop
friendships with fascinating, genuine people you might
otherwise never meet.
Multicultural Affairs Queensland and the Australian
Government will be working with Together for Humanity
Foundation an interfaith organisation to promote values
and appreciation of all people in Queensland schools.
If you think this is something you would like to get
involved in and would like to find out more,
read the brochure and let Kathleen know at
admin@togetherforhumanity.org.au if you can come to
a meeting on 5th March late afternoon or evening.
The CCN
Wedding Album
The Nikah of
Muhammad (son of Ismail and
FatimaJangda) and Yusra
(daughter of Yusuf and Nab'wiyahAdams) took place yesterday (Saturday
1 March) at the Kuraby Mosque. The ceremony
was performed by Moulana Akbar Uzair of
Holland Park Mosque.
The reception was held
last night at the Indooroopilly Golf Club.
CCN wishes the young
couple a very happy marriage, insha'Allah.
Friends
and Family
Around the Muslim
World with CCN
Barack Obama hits back
after Hussein taunts
Barack Obama was confronted for the
second time in 48 hours with efforts by conservative
Republicans to convince voters that he is a Muslim and
anti-Semite.
In a taste of what the Democratic presidential
front-runner can expect from Republican surrogates if he
wins his party’s nomination, he has been frequently
referred to this week by his full name – Barack Hussein
Obama – and accused of consulting with anti-Semitic
advisers.
John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, has
twice been forced to rebuke members of his own party
after the attacks. They followed the appearance of a
photograph of Mr Obama dressed in traditional Somali
dress, including a turban, on the Drudge Report website
on Monday. The picture was taken during a visit to
Africa by Mr Obama in 2006.
THE HAGUE The Netherlands is scrambling
to avoid a crisis in relations with the world Muslim,
appealing to a hot-headed right-wing lawmaker not to
broadcast a controversial anti-Islam documentary.
Justice Minister Ernst Hirsch Ballin and Foreign
Minister Maxime Verhagen personally met with Geert
Wilders, the leader of the Freedom Party, which controls
nine of 150 seats in parliament.
"They expressed their concerns over the possible
consequences and damage the film could unleash,
politically, economically and for individual figures,"
Justice Ministry spokesman Ivo Hommes told Agence
France-Presse (AFP).
The two ministers pleaded with the far-right lawmaker
for almost an hour to back down on plans to release a
controversial documentary about the Qur'an.
Entitled "Fitna," an Arabic word used to describe all
things that can test faith and sometimes synonymous to
evil, the 15-minute edit is slated for television airing
next month.
According to a Dutch daily which has seen early rushes,
the film links images of current bloodletting in Muslim
countries to chapters of the Qur'an, ending with an
image of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon
him).
Morality, justice and women's rights: a portrait of
Islam for the 21st century
Turkey's highest religious authority is
preparing to publish a groundbreaking guide to Islam for
the modern world, putting the words of the Prophet
Muhammad into context for a sweeping reinterpretation of
the religion.
The Presidency of Religious Affairs in this Muslim, but
strongly secular, country has commissioned a thorough
review of the sayings of the Prophet, or the Hadith,
which constitute the second most sacred text in the
religion after the Koran.
“The project takes its inspiration from the
interpretations of the modernist vein of Islam,”
Professor Mehmet Gormez, vice-president of religious
affairs and senior Hadith lecturer at Ankara University,
told The Times. “This gets obscured by modern clichés
but reinterpretation is actually part of the basic
fabric of Islam.”
He said that one of the aims was to separate the
religion from the traditionalist cultural elements that
have long hampered a true vision of Islam. The Hadith
guide, to be published as a book this year, would make
it much more difficult to justify extreme, misogynistic
and violent interpretations of Islam, Professor Gormez
said.
Police Liaison Officer- REFERENCE NO: PO 106 /
08- CLOSING DATE: 17 March 2008
The Queensland Police
Service has a vacancy for a Liaison Officer. The
successful candidate will establish and maintain
effective liaison between the Queensland Police
Service, Muslim and multicultural communities and
identify the needs of communities and to enable
appropriate policies and strategies to be developed
to ensure equitable
service delivery within the District/Region.
FURTHER ENQUIRIES:
Senior Sergeant Steve Hollands, (07) 3364 3151
Coordinator needed at The Romero Centre
Expires: 03/03/2008
12:00 am
The Romero Centre,
based at Dutton Park, is currently looking for a
part-time Coordinator to work 25 hours a week. The
Centre provides services to refugees and their
families, who are, or have been, holders of
Temporary Protection Visas. It operates under the
legal auspice of the Brisbane Sisters of Mercy.
The Coordinator will have relevant tertiary
qualifications in human services, current knowledge
and experience in refugee and cross-cultural issues
and experience in coordinating a community
organisation.
Applicants are required to address key selection
criteria and provide contact numbers of two recent
referees.
For application kit: Email: adminromerocentre@bigpond.com;
or phone Rebecca on (07)3846 3250.
Applications close: 3 March 2008.
The CCN Readers' Book Club:
You are what you read!
This week's CCN Book-of-the-Week
suggested by a reader is the first book on our top
shelf.
"An
intriguing story weaving together the life story of
a young book conservator/evaluator with a Passover
prayerbook dating from the "convivencia" in Spain
when Christians, Jews, and Muslims lived and worked
together in harmony. That was before 1492 when
Ferdinand and Isabella decreed that all Jews and
Muslims must leave Spain, the Inquisition was set
into full motion to "test" those Jews and Muslims
who had converted to Christianity, and some of the
saddest history of European religion began its
spiral into hell. My first reading of this author
leaves me ready to try more of her work."
Read these are other comments by
double clicking on the book cover.
Using our book
club you can see what books we at CCN have
on our shelves, what we are reading and even
what we and others think of them.
You can even
create your own book shelf, find out what
your fellow CCN readers are reading, get and
give recommendations for what to read next,
create book lists, and even share your
opinion on a book with us.
Come see the
books we have selected and see if we have
any in common.
Then pick our
next book so we can all keep on reading.
Q: Dear Kareema, with my busy schedule I barely make
it to the gym, let alone my exercise classes. I tend to
rush through my workout and don’t always warm up or cool
down. Can you explain the importance of warming up and
stretching?
A: Good to see that you’re making an effort to fit some
form of exercise into your busy schedule! Don’t think
what
you’re doing is not enough. Every little bit counts and
keep in mind that you don’t have to complete an entire
workout in one session. Breaking it up into 10 minute
mini-sessions is fine. Rushing through it is not good -
remember ‘QUALITY versus QUANTITY’.
Both the warm up and cool down is important – warming up
actually prepares the muscles for the work ahead and
the cool down / stretch reduces the risk of injury and
prepares the muscles for your next workout.
Warm up
Warming up prior to an activity can help:
- Prepare the heart and other organs of the body for
physical activity.
- Mentally prepare the body for physical activity.
- Increase body temperature, heart rate and breathing
rate.
A warm up should involve low-intensity exercises such as
on-the-spot marching or jogging (or a slow walk on the
treadmill).
Stretching
Stretching effectiveness can be maximized by the
following:
- Stretch alternate muscle groups.
- Stretch GENTLY and SLOWLY, NEVER BOUNCE or stretch
RAPIDLY.
- Stretches should be held for a minimum of 20 seconds
each.
- Stretch to the point where you feel tension in the
particular area, NOT PAIN.
- DO NOT hold your breath when stretching. Breathing
should be slow and deep.
COOL DOWN
A cooling down routine helps overcome soreness and
stiffness and returns muscles to their resting length.
An effective cool down consists of a gradual reduction
in activity levels such as slow/easy jog or walk
followed by stretching.
8
tbsp honey (I use much more, for a
sweeter and less liquid sauce)
2
tsp ground cinnamon
1/2
cup peeled almonds
1
tbsp sesame seeds
oil
In a large pot, melt the butter. Fry the chopped onions
until soft, and add the chicken, salt, pepper, turmeric
and cinnamon sticks.
Add enough water to cover the chicken, about two cups.
Bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer until the chicken
is done, adding water if necessary. Remove the chicken
pieces.
Add the prunes or apricots and simmer for about fifteen
minutes. Add the ground cinnamon and honey, stir and
cook until the sauce has a honey-like consistency. Add
more honey if necessary.
When the sauce is almost ready, sautee the almonds in
oil. Drain most of the oil from the pan, and toast the
sesame seeds.
Return the chicken to the pot and reheat. Place chicken
in a serving sheet, pour sauce on top of it and top with
almonds and sesame seeds.
This dish goes GREAT with couscus. Add several pats of
butter to the couscus and mix well.
Dried
apricots are an excellent source of potassium and a
good source of iron
High
in soluble fibre
Source: SANHA e-Bulletin 25 (Safar 1429 - February 2008.
To subscribe to the South African Halal Authority's
e-Bulletin email
consumer@sanha.org.za. The SANHA e-Bulletin has a
circulation of 30 000.
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.
The Inbox
Dear CCN,
As salam alayekum
Brothers
My name is Taher Mohammed I recently moved from New
Zealand in search of Job. And Al hamdu lillah I got
a Job as Accountant in Brisbane in Nundah Village. I
don't know anybody in Brisbane am new to the country
and new to city.
Please guide me in this regarding as I need some
help from Muslim brothers for temporary shelter.
Your help in this regard will be much appreciated
and will be rewarded by Allah subhanahu wa ta ala. (Amin)
My contact number is 0423593028.
Jazak allah.
The CCN Chuckle
Jalaluddin goes to
the local Mufti, Moulana Moola, to discuss his views on
a certain fatwa that the latter had issued recently.
After a short
session with the Mufti, Jalaluddin returns to Mula
Nasruddin rather shaken up by the experience.
"Why are you
looking so shocked?" asks Mula Nasruddin.
"Mula Nasruddin, I
was very disturbed by Moulana Moola's language!" replies
Jalaluddin.
"He was full of the
F-word and the B-word"
"I can't believe
Moulana Moola would have a crude bone in his body"
interrupts Mula Nasruddin.
"Well I tell you,
it was all Faasiq this and Baathil that!" continued
Jalaluddin.
[Editor] For the uninitiated:
A Faasiq is one who perpetrates a major sin and
baathil means falsehood
What's
happening in our neck of the woods......
Click on image to enlarge
Clean
Up Campaign
GIRUConference
The "Hope For Happiness"
Fashion Evening
Introduction to 'Aqeedah
Course
Charity Dinner for Iraqi
widows and orphans
'A Day Out on the Northside':
Opening of the Madrassah
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.
dustrial
Relations and the
Police Liaison Officer- REFERENCE NO: PO 106 /
08- CLOSING DATE: 17 March 2008
