CCN wishes you and your family an inspiring and fruitful

1431 and 2010

insha'Allah

The Charter for Compassion is a call to bring the world together. It is the result of Karen Armstrong’s 2008 TED Prize wish:

“I wish that you would help with the creation, launch and propagation of a Charter for Compassion, crafted by a group of leading inspirational thinkers from the three Abrahamic traditions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam and based on the fundamental principles of universal justice and respect.”

It was unveiled to the world on November 12, 2009.

Afroz Ali, the Founder and President of Sydney-based Al-Ghazzali Centre for Islamic Sciences & Human Development will appear on Islam Online's LIVE Online Dialogue session on Monday, Dec. 28, 2009 at 9:00 GMT to discuss the Charter for Compassion.

The terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 ignited a decade of explosive tension between the Western and Islamic worlds.

For Jehad Dabab (pictured right), that day marked the start of a personal struggle that would strengthen his faith and teach him the true meaning of his first name.

Jehad was in year 12 in Melbourne and planned on spending another day studying for his final school exams when he learned of the attacks.

"A guy came up to me and said 'hey do you know your name means holy war?'" Jehad said. "I didn't know. My parents came here from Lebanon when they were about five years old and we were never very religious."

Deeply moved by the attacks in New York, Jehad wanted to know if his religion endorsed such acts of violence.

"I started looking into my religion, and I found that all of the negative things people were saying about it were wrong," he said.

"I can't say all Muslims are good people, but the religion itself is beautiful and I became much more passionate about it.

"I discovered the meaning of my name was not 'holy war', but actually it means 'internal struggle'. It could be any struggle against any aggressor, violent or non-violent."

With that revelation, Jehad, along with a group of like-minded friends, began their own struggle to break down stereotypes — through hip-hop.

Calling themselves "The Brothahood", they began rapping together at a Muslim youth camp in 1999, but the terrorism-related turmoil of this decade inspired them to take their efforts more seriously.

"The media focuses on the Muslims that jump the highest and scream the loudest. It's frustrating to see all these stereotypes," Jehad said.

"We break them down through music and talk to the youth in a language they can understand."

Nazeem Hussain (pictured left), one half of the Melbourne stand-up duo Fear of a Brown Planet, has discovered his own way to connect with the public — comedy.

He describes the show, which takes a confronting look at issues such as suicide bombings and race relations, as a "wake-up call".

"We've seen craziness all over the world this decade, coming from both sides," he said. "People need to stop being so tribal with their attitude. We need to be self-critical."

Nazeem, a friend of Jehad's, was also troubled by 9/11 and examined his religion in the wake of the attacks.

"Muslims have had to question their identity over the past decade," he said. "After the Cronulla riots and other events, people started asking 'are you Muslim or Australian?' Before there was no problem being both."

Nazeem, who is a director of the Islamic Council of Australia and heavily involved in youth work, said it was clear that this decade's backdrop of terror had rubbed off on the next generation.

"I was teaching a youth group and there was a 10-year-old Muslim girl wearing a head scarf," he said. "Some other kids in the class started saying 'you're a terrorist, take that off'.

"People shouldn't need to hide who they are ... Australia is becoming in ways more racist, more intolerant."

Nazeem said comedy allows him to directly address the problems he sees in society.

"You can't really speak about racism so bluntly unless it's through comedy," he said. "You can get away with some things you couldn't get away with anywhere else."

As 2010 approaches, both Jehad and Nazeem said they believe the tide of hate is receding — but very slowly.

"I think it is changing, but only incrementally," Jehad said. "Some people are being more active, more outspoken.

"There is a new generation of Muslims out there that are passionate about their faith."

Nazeem also said the shift was noticeable in terms of social activism.

"With hardship comes opportunity," he said. "We're starting to see some real issues being dealt with ... the events of this decade have driven many people to do good.

"I hope the next decade is shaped by positive actions."

The Brothahood, which topped Triple J's Unearthed hip-hop charts in 2007 with their track The Silent Truth, are planning a show in June.

Fear of a Brown Planet, recipients of the 2008 Best Newcomer Award at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, will be performing in Adelaide from March 9 to March 14.

 

SOURCE

AMARAH and our Christian friends from Misbah identified a need in Brisbane for interfaith conversations on contemporary issues affecting the Australian community, and hosted their first session pertaining to Spirituality and Justice last Tuesday evening at the Multi-faith Centre at Griffith University.
 

This is the first conversation out of a series of 5 for a project entitled: Spirituality, Conversations and Community-Building, funded by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) under the National Action Plan Grants Scheme. The other four issues are community, peace, environment and community-centred economies.
 

At the first session, with guided and experienced facilitators, Christians (of diverse denominations), Muslims, Quakers and Sikhs reflected and shared how their own faith provides a framework for doing justice in today’s world. They also had a chance to listen to others from different faith backgrounds discuss how their own spirituality links to the notion of justice.
 

Through some very lively discussions and inquisitive questions, participants were asked to deeply reflect on what was shared.
 

A few of the Christian participants remarked that this was the first time they had a chance to sit down with people of other faiths to talk about pertinent issues in society.
 

“As a middle-age, middle-class Christian, I don’t get to meet Muslims at all. I always thought that justice for Muslims meant severe punishments, like killing non-believers or people who sin. I never knew that justice is so linked to God and that it is related to the concepts of mercy, forgiveness and compassion. And that Muslims are so duty-bound to fight injustice, even against their own family members. I will definitely try and attend the other sessions and encourage my Christian mates to do the same.” (Christian male participant)
 

“I have always wanted to be part of something like this. I have learnt so much tonight. Thank you for the opportunity to let me participate.”(young Muslim female)
 

“It’s amazing to learn that really we are all saying the same things even though we come from different faiths.” (young Christian female).
 

The roundtable discussions aim to break new grounds on pertinent issues by utilising the great ideas in people’s religious traditions as resources for successful community-building. All reflections will be compiled into a booklet and will be launched in late June 2010.
 

The next issue to be discussed is Spirituality and Community and will include even more diverse faith backgrounds. It will be held on Monday 11th January, 7pm at the Multi-faith Centre, Nathan Campus, Griffith University.
 

As there are only 30 places available for each session, it is necessary to register your interest.
 

Please see flyer for more information. Registration forms can be downloaded from www.amarah.org or by emailing info@amarah.org .

For other inquiries, please do not hesitate to contact Nora Amath on 0422 349 786.

AMYN is organizing Holiday Fun Day for girls at the Islamic Centre at 16/157 North Road, Woodridge on Wednesday, 30 December 2009 between 1-5pm.

There will be an Islamic movie shown as well as fun and games with food and friends. All teenage girls (and their Mums) are welcome to attend. For more information contact Laila 0415355896 or visit www.amynweb.com.

A searchable listings of a variety of community grants and funding programs across Australia for community-based and not-for-profit organziations is available at the Grant Guru Community website.

The New South Wales-based Mission of Hope recently announced the winners of it's annual Australian Muslim Achievement Awards.

The Winners in the different categories were:

Australian Muslim Lifetime Achiever Award: - Ibrahim Din (NSW)
Australian Muslim Man of the Year 2009: - Dr Jamal Rifi (NSW)
Australian Muslim Professional of the Year 2009: - Dr Jamal Rifi (NSW)
Australian Muslim Woman of the Year 2009: -- Senior Constable Maha Sukkar (VIC)
Australian Muslim Role Model of the Year 2009: - Yasir A. Mahmud (VIC)
Volunteer of the year 2009: - Ahmed Youssef (ACT)
Australian Muslim Sportsperson of the Year 2009: - Hazem El-Masri (NSW)
Australian Muslim Academic of the Year 2009: - Professor Abdullah Saeed (VIC)
Australian Muslim Creative Artist of the Year 2009: - Peter Gould (NSW)
Australian Muslim Best Community Organisation 2009: - Human Appeal International
Australian Muslim Event of the Year 2009: - Australian Federal Police Ramadan Iftar - Sydney (NSW)
Australian Muslim Best Media Outlet 2009: - Crescent Times (WA)
Australian Muslim Best New Community Project 2009: - Believe Achieve Inspire Leadership Program (FAMSY) VIC
Australian Muslim Business of the Year 2009: - Baraka Women (NSW)
Australian Abyssinian Award 2009: - Leader Newspaper (VIC)
 

Read why the winners were selected.

By Iqbal Lambat 

Whilst the economy has shown signs of recovery and the Reserve Bank has hastened to increase interest rates in response to these signs, MBN Business News has continued to report that we are not out of the woods yet. MBN Business News has previously reported three threats to the economy: increasing interest rates; poor business investment; and the potential for trade performance to falter. The later two came to bear as the Australian economy only grew by 0.2% in the September quarter – down from 0.6% in the previous quarter (so are we going backwards?).
 

The main drag on the economy was the slump in exports which coincided with a huge increase in imports. Manufacturers are also scaling back investment plans as the speed of the recovery falls short of expectations.
 

Adrian Rollins of The Australian Financial Review is of the opinion that the economy seems to be firmly stuck in second gear at the moment. Many economists are urging the Government to maintain stimulus measures. Economists are also of the opinion that the previously expected interest rate hike in February will not occur.
 

The retail front has been solid with a number of sales attracting consumers. Some retailers are, however, predicting a ‘good’ Christmas rather than a great one. Consumer confidence has been impacted by the higher interest rates and a number of retailers have resorted to discounting pre Christmas in order to boost sales.
 

For professional members and retailers, the good news is that a jobs surge is predicted in some states in the New Year.
 

Queensland readers of MBN Business News will be concerned with reports this week that developers are moving south to Victoria (which is booming) and NSW (which is slowly emerging from a recession). Traditionally, Queensland and WA were considered the boom economies of Australia, and whilst WA appears to be on the rise again, Queensland has not emerged from the gloom as fast and as strongly as the other states. Housing, construction, and the jobs market appear to be softer in Queensland than in the other states. Some economists have sought to lay blame on the state government which they say is seeking populist rather than economically sound outcomes.
 

There is no detailed MBN Business News this week – we will return to normal publication in January.

Adapted from Australian Journey - Muslim communities

The Australian Journey – Muslim communities, a new DIAC publication, is characterised by contributions of Muslims from all over the world who have made Australia home.

In this and following issues of CCN we highlight one of the successful Muslims in Australia from the report and their thoughts about what it means to be both a Muslim and an Australian.

 

Dr Nabilah Islam Medicine
	As a young doctor, there was much for Dr Nabilah Islam to learn when she began practising in outback Australia.   Now she is working in emergency medicine in Western Australia and is proud of her achievements and her culture. Muslim pride! Dr Nabilah Islam