......a sometimes
self-deprecating and occasional tongue-in-cheek look at ourselves and
the world around us ......
Sunday, 2 August 2009
.Newsletter
0247
News you won't find on CNN!
Qu'ran
Competition Draws Record Entries
Over 80 students
from various schools, organisations and
Madressahs took part in the Islamic Council of
Queensland (ICQ) Annual Qur’an Recitation
Competition last Sunday at the Islamic College
of Brisbane (Karawatha).
The overall winner of the boys section was
Ahmad Aliqari Suriadi who represented the
Islamic Centre of Toowoomba and the overall
winner of the girls section was Malak Boualem
representing the Australian International
Islamic College. The winners were presented with
monetary gifts and trophies.
All participants received certificates of
participation and medals provided by the ICQ and
category winners were presented with a complete
Quran CD Set, a Nasheed CD and monetary gift.
Trophies went to the second and third placed
candidates.
The judging panel
comprised Hafiz Yakub Patel, Imam Akram Buksh,
Qari Mahbub Ul Haq, Hafiz Mohammed Khatree and
Hafiz Sohaib Akbar, assisted by Imran Ali.
The 400 people who
attended the event were treated to a lunch
prepared and sponsored by Abdul Gaffar Deen and
his family.
There were speeches by the president of AFIC,
Ikebal Patel; the president of the ICQ, Suliman
Sabdia; the Principal of the Islamic College of
Brisbane (ICOB), Dr. Noor; the chairman of ICOB,
Mohammed Yusuf; and the board members of ICOB.
The special guest
presenter at the competition was Ali Mohammed
Deen.
A complete list of
the winners and placings in all the categories
can be obtained
here.
THE future of a controversial Muslim
school on the Gold Coast is in doubt with the local
council fighting it for control of a large slab of its
site.
The Gold Coast Islamic College has been the subject of
heated debate since it was proposed for Carrara late
last year, attracting hundreds of protesters – many
draped in Australian flags. They said the school would
promote "segregation, not integration".
Now, despite receiving initial planning approval from
Gold Coast City Council after 1500 objections and 1200
support letters were lodged, the future of the Islamic
College hinges on a stoush over 28.5m of the school's
Chisholm Rd block.
The city council says it has always had a right to
control the land on the school's southern border under a
local area plan but the college claims that it
rightfully owns the flood-prone portion.
College spokesman Keysar Trad said the red tape which
led the council to claim ownership of 20 per cent of the
land was discriminatory.
"Yes we understand they have the authority to claim part
of our land but this red tape is the type of red tape
that is only evoked when people they don't want owning
land are owning it," Mr Trad said.
"They have finally found a way to make this look like it
isn't a religious decision – but we believe it is."
But Mayor Ron Clarke said council wanted the area to
create a nature corridor.
"It has always been listed in the local area plan as
something we wanted to do," he said.
"It is a flood basin and we want to dedicate the area to
native flora and fauna. We have been burnt in the past
when we give individuals control of these things – they
can cut off public access and ruin it for everyone."
But the Islamic College says it has paid for the land,
it is in its mortgage, and it can't afford to give it
up. "The council is giving no thought to those poor 60
children who will have to commute to Brisbane and
elsewhere to go to school," Mr Trad said. "This idea of
acquiring our mortgaged land for free reeks of
discrimination."
Cr Clarke said the council had appeased several college
requests before the land stand-off erupted.
"We have been very supportive of the Islamic College –
this is not a religious decision, it is purely a
planning requirement," he said.
Mr Trad said the school had not ruled out going to the
appeals tribunal.
Islamic
Centre Open Day in Toowoomba Promotes Understanding and
Religious Harmony
Reported by
Dr Shahjahan Khan, President
of Islamic Society of
Toowoomba Inc
The Fourth Open Day
of the University of Southern Queensland (USQ)
Islamic Centre held at the Toowoomba campus of
the USQ on Saturday 25 July 2009. The event was
jointly organized by the Islamic Society of
Toowoomba (IST) Inc and USQ Multicultural
Centre. An organizing committee consisting of
representatives from the IST and wider community
within and outside USQ managed the most
successful Islamic Open Day in terms of
participation, festivity, discussions and
diverse activities on the day.
The program continued from 10am to 3pm with
varieties of activities for women, children and
a general discussion session for all. There was
genuine atmosphere of friendship and open
interaction among the Muslim and non-Muslim
participants. The environment became attractive
due to the colourful dresses and costumes
representing different nationality and culture
of the participants.
The discussion session started at 10:30am with
recitation from the Holy Qur’an by nine-year old
Qari Ahmad. USQ Professor Shahjahan
Khan, President of the Islamic Society of
Toowoomba and Chair of the Organising Committee
presented a brief history and introduction of
the Open Day, and the ongoing interaction of
local Muslims with followers of other religions
in the wider community. He also provided some
basic information about Islam and Muslims in USQ,
Toowoomba and Australia. He thanked USQ for its
on going support for the increasingly growing
number of Muslim students, mostly from overseas.
He also emphasised the longstanding mutually
beneficial partnership between USQ and IST.
USQ Chancellor, Mrs Bobbie
Brazil
Ms Bobbie Brazil,
Chancellor of USQ opened the event and welcomed
the guests and participants. She also
highlighted the importance of such events to
improve understanding and develop social
harmony. She reiterated the commitment of USQ
for its international students and their well
being, and appreciated the role of IST in this
context.
The keynote speaker of the day, Dr Mohamad
Abdalla, Co-Director of Australian Centre
for Excellence of Islamic Studies, explained the
need for an `indigenous’ Islam.
He described the fact that unless
any practice or an aspect of any culture is
clearly against the agreed principles of Islam,
Muslims would accept that as part of Islam. He
pointed out that Islam should not be viewed as a
`foreign’ religion, as it has the capacity to
include anything that is `good’ in its fold.
He asked Muslims not to make
Islam restrictive or portray it as difficult
religion. He extensively quoted the early
Islamic scholars to support his views.
In his
speech, Eng Ikebal Patel, President of
Australian Federation of Islamic Councils (AFIC),
focused on the Islam-phobia as a stereotype
against Muslims.
Citing
some of the recent anti-Islamic episodes in the
USA, Europe and Australia, he demanded that it
is time to stop these kinds of aggressions
against Muslims in the civilised world.
He also
asked the Muslim community to do its part to
improve the image of Islam in the world.
Professor Peter Goodall, USQ’s Pro-Vice
Chancellor of Social Justice overviewed about
the changing role of universities including the
need for engaging with the local community.
He
also shared his experiences from Sydney with the
Muslim community, and praised the wisdom of
changing the name of a Mosque in Sydney to
Gallipoli Mosque.
(left to right) Mr.
Shaheed Ali (ICQ), Dr. Shahjahan Khan (USQ), Mr.
Abusaleh,
Mr. Ikebal Patel (AFIC)
Brittania and Jadzia
The
Director of USQ Multicultural Centre, Dr
Krzysztof Batorowicz, highlighted the value
of religion in the modern society, including
universities.
As an
evidence, he cited an example of religious
sacrifice in a German concentration camp during
the second World War. Analysing advancements of
Australian Multicultural Policy and the USQ
Multicultural Policy, he argued that religion is
a significant part of culture. Unfortunately,
Mr
Gary Page, Executive Director of
Multicultural Affairs Queensland, sent a last
minute apology due other commitments.
Two
Primary School girls, Jadzia and
BrittaniaClifford-Pugh entertained
the audience by singing a song of Yusuf Islam.
A video
clip from the documentary Muhammad: Legacy of
Prophet on the women and hijab was shown. Former
USQ student Eng Ahmad El-Komy was the
master of the ceremony.
Information booklets and flyers were distributed
among the participants.
Posters
and display on various aspects of Islam and
Muslims were attractive.
Children participated in drawing and colouring
activities. Women’s area was popular for various
women clothing and decoration by henna.
The
lunch included rice and lamb curry as well as
vegetarian meals. Home made sweets and disserts
were supplied by various families.
The USQ Media Services issued a
media release well ahead of the event, and
publicized it on its website.
The
local daily the Toowoomba Chronicle dedicated
one full page to cover the evens of the day
along with a number of photographs.
(left to right) Dr.
Mohamad Abdalla (GIRU), Prof Peter Goodall (USQ),
Dr. Shahjahan Khan (USQ), Mr.
Muhidin
Gogok
Function comes up Trumps
Last night (Saturday) the Gold Coast
Convention Centre was the venue for Brisbane's Gogok
Card Club's annual awards function.
In an
intimate setting the members, comprising the regular
Friday night card players,
their wives and friends were entertained after dinner by
popular Brisbane singer, Hafeez Ali Khan.
In his annual address, club President,
Yacoob Bassa, thanked the members for their
"friendship and comradery" during the course of the year
and farewelled Dinmahomed Karim and his wife,
Khairoonisa, who return to Zimbabwe shortly.
Mr. Abdul Omar takes on the role of MC for
the night
(left to right) Mr. Yacoob
Bassa (winner: most gogoks given);
Mr. Abdullah Hashim (Player of
the Year) and
Mr. Abdul Hamid Omar (runnerup)
(left to right) Mr. Hafeez Ali
Khan, Mr. Sikki Gutta and Mr. Yunie Omar
CCN Turns
250! Soon, insha’Allah
CCN
is about to celebrate its 250th birthday. On 23rd August
CCN will officially turn 250.
As our birthday draws near we’d be more than happy to
hear your thoughts and feelings of the uninterrupted
journey that you have taken together with us over the
last 5 years.
SOUTH AUSTRALIA:
Premier Mike
Rann says Muslims have
experienced less racism in
South Australia than
elsewhere in the country.
Mr Rann has officially
opened an Islam in Australia
symposium in Adelaide.
The Premier says the 10,000
Muslims living in South
Australia make a vital
contribution to society.
He says there is plenty of
scope for improved relations
between Muslims and others
in SA.
"We have not seen the range
of incidents that have
occurred in other states and
that's something that I
think we should be proud
of," he said.
"But we shouldn't rest on
our laurels, I think we have
to constantly work at good
community relations."
President of the Australian
Federation of Islamic
Councils, Ikebal Patel, says
Australian Muslims need to
move away from a 'victim'
mentality.
He told the symposium
Muslims needed to be
proactive in tackling
negative myths about Islamic
culture.
"So that we are proactive
and identify ourselves as
Muslims by all means, but
not be in a reclusive mould
saying 'Yes we are poor
Muslims, we are being
subjected to harsher
treatment than anybody
else'," he said.
"I think if we are being
proactive we will go a long
way to try and breaking some
of these myths."
Brisbane's suburb of Algester could have
a new school by February next year.
The
"boutique" independent private school on Algester Road,
to be named Resha College, would cater for a maximum of
150 students.
And
despite its Turkish name, meaning raindrops, and its
desire to cater for the local Turkish population,
Queensland Education and Cultural Foundation's Murat
Coskun said the college would welcome students of
all faiths and ethnic backgrounds.
Mr.
Coskun said the school had been several years in
planning and had been modelled on successful schools in
Sydney (Sule
College) and Melbourne (Isik College).
He said
the school would open with a refurbished existing
building and four demountables to cater for
approximately 40 students from prep to year 7.
"We envisage the school
population would grow to around 150 students over the
next five years," he said.
No response has been
received from The Australian to date.
Muslim
women told to remove "mask" in bus
Muslim woman 'culturally raped' in
veil bus row
A Sydney
bus company has apologised to one of
its customers after the driver
argued with a Muslim woman over her
right to wear a niqab, or veil.
Hillsbus now says its driver behaved
unacceptably when he told Khadijah
Ouararhni-Grech to 'take off her
mask'.
The company says its actions were
born out of ignorance and not
malice, but it has refused to speak
publicly about the incident.
The New South Wales Government says
it should serve as a clear warning
to private bus operators that they
need to lift their standards.
"I was approached by the bus driver
who stood up from his chair and said
'right, you can't get on this bus
with that mask on; you have to show
your face and take that mask off',"
Ms Ouararhni-Grech said.
She says she told the driver it was
discrimination but he still argued
with her.
"I said to him, 'what's it to you
what I wear? And what's the
difference between me wearing this
and anyone else wearing like a
swine-flu mask or wearing what they
choose to wear?' No-one tells me how
to dress in the morning."
After a few minutes the driver
relented, telling Ms Ouararhni-Grech
that it was only because she was a
woman.
"It's almost being like raped of
your culture. It's like something
has been taken away from you. You
feel very victimised - you can't
help to feel that; it's a natural,
human natured feeling," she said.
Anwar Abudragh, a soulful
singer of classical Iraqi maqam and
inspirational player of the oud (fretless lute)
and joze (Iraqi spikefiddle), performs at
Brisbane Powerhouse, Saturday, 15th August.
Abudragh seeks to reinvent Iraqi maqam, by
enriching the classical tradition with his
musical experience in working with artists and
musicians from different horizons.
Accompanying him are Iraqi and
local musicians on Arabic, Turkish and Persian
instruments and the sensational dancing of
Tamara Taylor. This intimate concert will begin
by introducing listeners to the rarefied and
delicate sounds of classical Iraqi songs and
improvisations, and ends with a large ensemble
with Tamara leading an Arabic dance party.
Your ears and eyes will be
transfixed from start to finish with a plethora
of unique instruments, rhythms and accents.
Sex
education for Muslims
Sex
Education is something that is held in our public
schools which normally do not get the approval of the
our community as it may encourage unacceptable
behaviour. But worry no more.
Federation of Australian Muslim Students and Youth (FAMSY)
is organising a "Sex Education for Muslim Youth"
session that will try to put it from an Islamic
perspective. Yes, the Halal way. We encourage all Muslim
male youth (13-16 years old) to register and participate
in this workshop. It will provide you with ample
opportunity to also ask those hard questions. So here
are the details:
You must register by calling 0422876171 or email your
personal details to
ubatchelor@hotmail.com
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots.
You need JavaScript enabled to view it
When: 9 am to 12 noon Sunday, 9 August 2009 Where: Islamic College of Brisbane, Karawatha
(we can pickup from Kuraby train station or mosque) Who: All Muslim Male Youth – 13 to 16 years old
(females may be organised in the future) Price: Its FREE – just register and come along
Parents!...please note that it will be run according
to Islamic Principles to make the youth better Muslims
· No mixing of gender
· Our educator (Dr Zachariah Matthews) is married,
mature, moral and upright
· Teaches halal and and haram rulings with reasons and
consequences
· Not encouraging lewdness and experimentation as this
is the main risk of this type of education
· Does NOT use images of private body parts or acts as
per Quran and Sunnah method which does not rely on
visual aids
· Following the Quranic method, only dignified and
implicit language will be used
.
After four
rounds of golf over the last
six weeks, at various
courses including Colonial,
Robina Woods and finally
Brookwater, the leader board
finally took it's final
shape.
Falla Ahmed
emerged as an untouchable
outright leader and was
never really tested by the
rest of the field, who
themselves were being tested
by the Brookwater golf
course till they were fully
sick!
Falla took
first place and won himself
a new set of irons.
Reyaz Suleman
was a distant second with
the rest of the field for
the 4 round overall placings,
bunched up within a few
points of each other.
Faizal, Faisel & Ebrahim
Ibrahim test my spelling ability
Aziz compares hairstyles with
Mo Ally
as Hamid slides quietly by
Ayoob Ismail
who was lying second at the
start of play had to settle
for 3rd place after what his
wife described as an
unsettled and sleepless
night. Being a doctor, she
failed to react to his colic
nerves.
Aziz Suleman
leap frogged from 6th place
at the start to shift Faizal
Ismail into fifth and end up
in 4th place.
On the day
the two stand out scores
were 38 for Falla and 31 for
Aziz.
Falla & Hanif model for Rayban
Kader & Kassam know that they
should be up on the
winner’s podium... next time
The overall prize winners after 4
rounds were:
1. Falla Ahmed
2. Reyaz Suleman
3. Ayoob Ismail
4. Aziz Suleman
5. Faizal Ismail
Fayaaz Batty and Jay Pragji
look pensive
Shahaad at prize giving with
Mubeen and
Imraan looking on
Honourable mention to the others
that participated in all 4 rounds
1. Zeyn Kara
2. Mubeen Mahomed
3. Hashim Ebrahim
4. Ebrahim Ibrahim
5. Faisel Kara had to hand over the golden skirt
that he held dearly for the previous 3 rounds to
6. Hamid Kassim who slipped down from 7th to
last place after a torrid round on the last day.
Faizal & Zeyn
listen as Faisel shows his glee at
unloading the
golden skirt award
Falla & Hashim
wait for drinks
The 1st two
rounds attracted 16 players
each, the 2nd had 20 players
while the final was sold out
with 24 players.
Game 3 - Colonial
4ball alliance
1. Faisel Kara, Aziz Suleman, Ebrahim
Ibrahim & Faisal Noormahomed
2. Imran Omar, Hashim Ibrahim, Faizal
Ismail & Ayoob Ismail
Game 2 - Colonial 4BBB
1. Zeyn Kara & Falla Ahmed
2. Faizal Ismail & Ayoob Ismail
Game 4 - Brookwater
individual stableford
1. Falla Ahmed
2. Aziz Suleman
A big thank
you to all the players who
participated and to CCN for
its coverage and promotion of this event.
Shahaad
Suleman
(Tournament
organizer and scribe)
Robina Woods
(re-run)
Muslim
Aid Australia
Largest
Mosques of the World
Number 14
The CCN Inbox
Assalam alaykum
I take the question (in last week's CCN) referred to
Arabic language, understanding, and speaking etc and
not just merely learning to read the Quran.
If
so, the following info will help.
I know of UQ's school of modern languages. You can
study without being an official student of the
university.
Mohammad Azhari, Imam Abdul Qudoos's son, is
currently teaching Arabic at Durack mosque. his
number: 0423950596.
I've also seen a notice on the noticeboard of
Rochedale Mosque and possible Darra mosque if my
memory serves me correctly.
Hope this helps.
Regards, Riyad H. Rahimullah
Re query regarding Arabic classes in
Brisbane
University of Queensland offers Arabic classes every
semester at the Institute of Modern Languages. These
are accredited courses and subsidised.
I understand the both the teachers Qais Ansari and
Shirley also offer private tutoring.
Ishaq
Around
the Muslim World with CCN
Yusuf Islam: what’s new,
pussycat?
Yusuf Islam performs during a
fund-raising concert for tsunami victims
in Jakarta, Indonesia
I thought Yusuf Islam had
gone to the loo. Or to
organise a cup of tea.
Rarely do one’s interviewees
leave the room to pray, but
at least it left no room for
doubt: however you are
addressing this man — as a
songwriter, father, activist
— he is answering you,
first, as a Muslim.
Because of this, he is not
an easy person to get to
know: friendly enough and
scrupulously polite, but
rather in the way you might
be to a Vat inspector: give
them what they want, offer a
superior biscuit and they
might leave quickly, giving
you the benefit of the
doubt.
"I was given an incredible gift of being
able to study this book all alone, while
being a pop star and having millions of
fans. On the road, I carried the Koran with
me. After the show the band would get used
to me going to my hotel room and shutting
the door and not joining in the frolics.
Allowances were made for my quirky
behaviour; they thought I’d grow out of it.”
He is unexpectedly
emotional, weeping briefly
at the mention of his
mother, who died in 1990.
And again at that of his
older brother David — who
gave him his first copy of
the Koran as a 28th-birthday
present — who is not only
alive but on the phone every
day as his de facto manager.
But mostly he is suspicious,
even warier of us than we
are of him.
.
Using the book
club you can see what books fellow CCN
readers have on their shelves, what they are
reading and even what they, and others,
think of them.
Ingredients
12 medium size white button mushrooms
Breadcrumbs from 1 slice of bread
2 eggs
A handful of olives, pitted and chopped
A handful of shredded cheddar cheese
A dash of olive oil
1 teaspoon green chillies
Half a teaspoon of garlic flakes
Half a teaspoon of dried oregano
Salt flakes and black pepper to taste
Directions
With a wet cloth wipe the mushrooms
Snap mushroom stems off. Chop these roughly.
Combine all the ingredients together and
spoon into the mushroom caps, pressing down
well to fill out the whole cap and then
molding extra filling into neat mounds.
Bake at 200 C for about 20 minutes until the
cheese is nicely browned.
Serve hot as an entree
Do you have a recipe to
share with CCN readers? Send in your favourite recipe
to
ccn@crescentsofbrisbane.org
and be our "guest chef" for the week.
Kareema's Keep Fit Column
Q: Dear Kareema, I suffer from
lower back pain and have been advised by my doctor to
lose some weight (as this may be a contributing factor),
strengthen my core muscles and also look at improving my
posture. Is there anything I can do whilst at my desk
that will help with posture as I spend a lot of time
working on my computer?
A:
Your body is at it's most stable position when your
posture is good! Many injuries, aches and pains result
from poor posture or a weakness in those muscles
responsible for good posture.
Our largely sedentary lifestyles has certainly resulted
in poor posture. Unfortunately, most of us are seated at
a screen for the majority of the day which results in
the following - our bent knees shorten the back thigh
and front hip muscles, while our rounded backs weaken
those muscles around the waist area and lower backs.
To stretch out tight muscles, straighten your legs, lift
your chest and reach your arms around your back to
interlock the hands (or if you're seated, reach your
arms behind your chair) and feel the release in your
chest, shoulders and lower back.
Also make sure that your chair / desk is at a good
height for you to sit tall while working on your
computer (instead of rounding your back and leaning too
far forward to reach your keyboard).
All questions sent in are published here anonymously
and without any references to the author of the
question.
The CCN Chuckle
Mula Nasruddin
delivers the weekly the jummahkhutbah
(Friday sermon) at the local Mosque.
He had just had
all of his remaining teeth pulled and new dentures were
being made.
The first
jummah, he only spoke for 10 minutes. The second
jummah, he spoke for only 20 minutes. But, on the
third jummah, he spoke for 1 hour 25 minutes.
When asked about this by some of the congregation, he
responded this way.
The first Friday, my gums were so sore it hurt to talk.
The second Friday, my dentures were hurting a lot.
The third Friday, I accidentally grabbed my wife's
dentures... and I couldn't stop talking!
University of Queensland,
323 Hawken Drive, St. Lucia
Every Friday
Subject:
Fiqh Made Easy
Venue: Room E215 Building 1 (Forgan Smith),
University of Queensland
Time: 7pm to 7.50pm
Every Friday
Subject:
Tafseer al Qur'an (Explanation of the
Qur'an)
Venue: Room E215 Building 1 (Forgan Smith),
University of Queensland
Time: 8pm to 9pm
Sunnah Inspirations is a
non-profit organisation to cater for Muslim
social support and supplying information to
Muslims and non-Muslims. They have
been doing various activities around
Australia, and have organised Da'wah
information stalls at various universities
in Brisbane. More info can be found on
their website above.
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
ccn@crescentsofbrisbane.org.
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
ccn@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.
CCN
is about to celebrate its 250th birthday. On 23rd August
CCN will officially turn 250.
C
