......a sometimes
self-deprecating and occasional tongue-in-cheek look at ourselves and
the world around us ......
Sunday, 28 February 2010
.Newsletter
0277
Palestinian Exhibition
By
Azima Omar
Yesterday
(Saturday) the Queensland
Palestinian Association
along with the Logan City
Council and the Justice for
Palestine Group presented
their exhibition of
artifacts and books at the
Logan West Library, Grand
Plaza Drive in Browns
Plains. The exhibition known
as Falestini ends on the
31st March.
The display showcased the
Palestinian's rich and
diverse heritage that tends
to be overlooked whenever
the Palestinian-Israeli
conflict is discussed in any
forum.
The following comments are
excerpts of Anas Abdalla's
speech highlighting the
origins of Palestinian
history and culture:
"Palestine's rich history is
an intricate, colourful,
tapestry of culture,
heritage ,folklore, biblical
and historical essence,
heavenly religions, music,
poetry, art and life."
"We welcome you to enjoy and
celebrate the Palestinian
culture, because in times of
war and in times of a forced
poverty, the works of art,
writings, language and
traditional craftsmanship
can be a beacon of hope and
comfort. The recognition and
celebration of a people's
cultural heritage reinforces
cultural and historical self
awareness."
Everyone was then treated to
an array of traditional
Palestinian savouries and
desserts.
A screening of the
documentary Reel Bad
Arabs-How Hollywood Vilifies
A People featuring Dr Jack
Shaheen was shown which
highlighted the role of
media stereotyping of Arabs
and Muslims.
Global
conference rebroadcast today
Throughout the Islamic lunar
month of Rabia al-Awwal,
millions of Muslims
worldwide commemorate the
Prophet Muhammad, by
remembering his life and
character.
For the first time ever,
an online celebration and a
global webcast has been
arranged through the united
collaboration of numerous
individuals and
organisations worldwide.
This is a global celebration
of the Prophet of Mercy,
Muhammad (SAW). Scholars
from around the world will
present on his life based on
compassion, his mission
based on integrity and his
message based on the truth
of God.
The
event will feature
well-known Muslim speakers
and entertainers in both
pre-recorded video/audio
presentations and live
webcam presentations. The
program will include short
talks, songs, and poetry,
all on the subject of
Muhammad, the Prophet of
Islam.
Speakers and performers on
the evening will include:
* Shaykh Hamza Yusuf
* Imam Zaid Shakir
* Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
* Shaykh Yahya Rhodus
* Dr. Yusuf Islam
* Shaykh Usama Canon
* Imam Afroz Ali
* Sami Yusuf
* Nader Khan
The
global broadcast, titled Celebrate Mercy, can
also be seen in centralized
viewing centres within
Australia.
The
three hour
webcast (first broadcast on the 25th) will be re-broadcast
TODAY (Sunday 28th
February) at 9pm AEDT and 8pm Brisbane time.
For $5 USD, you can also register
yourself for the re-broadcast at the website
www.celebratemercy.com and watch it from the comfort
of your home on your computer.
Soccer
kits for refugee camps
(left to right) Iqbal
Sultan and Zuleiga Goder, members of the
Crescents of Brisbane Team, hand the set of
jerseys over to David Forde to take over to
the refugee camps
Crescents of Brisbane sent
along two sets of soccer
jerseys and balls with
David Forde, who headed
off yesterday as a member of a
delegation on a study tour
of parts of the Middle
East. The kits are destined
for football enthusiasts in
the refugee camps in the
region.
CCN caught up with Mr. Forde
on his way out of the
country and asked him about
his trip to the Middle East:
Where are you going:
Lebanon, Jordan, Palestinian
Territories (West Bank, East
Jerusalem and Gaza) and
Israel
Why: Primarily learn
about the APHEDA projects in
the Palestinian Burj el-Barajneh
refugee camp in Beirut, El
Wafa Hospital in Gaza and
Tulkarem City in the West
Bank, along with issues
facing workers through
meetings with Palestinian,
Jordanian and Israeli unions
What you hope to learn:
While I have my own views on
the situation, I will be
going with an open mind so
as to get a better
appreciation of the
challenges that are faced by
refugees, workers and the
humanitarian needs of
Palestinians. I want to hear
from as many differing view
points relevant to this
conflict as soon as
possible, including from
Israeli settlers in Hebron.
We will also have the
opportunity to hear from and
discuss the situation with
government officials, the
Australian Ambassador,
various human rights groups
and the UN in Gaza and other
stakeholders through a range
of scheduled visits,
meetings and presentations.
Under what banner are you
going: As part of Union
Aid Abroad – APHEDA
representing Labor 4A Just
Palestine sponsored by the
CFMEU (C&G) QLD who are one
of the largest sponsors of
humanitarian projects
How many are going:
11 plus 3 APHEDA staff. Five
are from Brisbane including
Evan Moorhead MP.
Kuraby
Mosque Newsletter
The Kuraby Mosque has just
published its first issue of
its Newsletter,
Double click the image to
download.
Exhibition maps Australia's Muslim cameleer history
Australia's first Muslim
community played a valued role
in the exploration and
settlement of the nation's
desert interior.
A
new exhibition that tells that
remarkable story opens tomorrow,
at the Immigration Museum in
Melbourne.
It's
called 'Australia's Muslim
Cameleers - Pioneers of the
Inland from the 1860s to 1930s.'
Presenter: Sen Lam
Speaker: Philip Jones,
exhibition curator South
Australian Museum
Progressive American Islamic
scholar Dr Amina Wadud is
visiting Australia to talk about
her main academic interests -
Islamic identity and the
struggle for women's rights
within Islam.
Amina Wadud was born Mary
Teasley but changed her name in
1974 after she converted to
Islam.
In
2005, she became the target of
death threats after she led
Friday prayers in a Catholic
Church in New York against the
accepted ban on women as imams.
But
Doctor Wadud has another passion
in the Asian region: Indonesia,
where she's lived and taught.
She's also taught in Malaysia
but its Indonesia she describes
as uniquely hopeful, though not
without potential fractures.
Presenter: Linda Mottram,
Canberra correspondent
Speaker: Dr Amina Wadud,
American-born Islamic scholar
WADUD: When you talk to
most Indonesians they will tell
you they have anywhere between
200 and 400 ethnicities and
there's a kind of vibrant
inter-relationship between these
ethnicities and this includes
religious differences, language
differences and other aspects of
culture. And I think that that
feeds into the necessity to be
able to accept what I call
radical pluralism, that the
world is not a monolith. And
some countries are trying to
homogenise themselves in a time
when I think pluralism is much
more important. Whereas
Indonesia has always had to
grapple with all of this
diversity. So I think that it's
an exciting place that accepts
for itself that we are not one
ethnicity, but at the same time
we are one people.
MOTTRAM: That sounds
somewhat idealised, it's
obviously not an ideal existence
in Indonesia. What are the
potential fractures in that
society, particularly given that
it's still quite a young
democracy?
WADUD: I think they
probably in my observation the
biggest problem has to do with
the class disparity. Again
estimate are anywhere from 22 to
28 per cent live below the
poverty line, and yet there are
obviously very, very wealthy
people at the other end. And for
my observation I'm not seeing
the same kind of seamlessness
that's happening with regard to
class, and I don't mean to say
that people have unusual
prejudices, not snobbishness,
but how is it that people can
simultaneously live without
adequate say sanitation right
next to or even working for
people who have five luxury cars
in their driveway. So I see that
there's a kind of fracture in
terms of making at least in the
United States we call the sort
of viable middleclass, they
don't really even have a
middleclass. They sort of have
like above being poor, and then
they have wealthy.
ABC Radio Australia
Muslims
hungry for NT camels
By NTNews.com
Muslims across the country
are licking their lips at
the thought of utilising a
resource that has been
overlooked for decades, but
was once used to pioneer
central Australia.
An abattoir near Alice
Springs is on the verge of
signing a contract to supply
at least 10 per cent of
Australia's muslim
population with halal camel
meat.
The first Muslims in
Australia arrived in 1860 as
economic migrants, prepared
to work tirelessly to
develop the vast interior.
Hailing from Afghanistan,
India and Pakistan, they
brought with them a great
understanding of arid lands,
as well as the 20,000
one-humped dromedaries
needed to carry out the
gruelling work.
From 1920 onwards, as roads
improved and the use of
motor vehicles for freight
haulage increased, the
numbers of captive domestic
camels declined and many
were released into the wild.
And now, according to Garry
Dann, who runs the abattoir
operation at Wamboden, about
30 kilometres north of Alice
Springs, Australian Muslims
could again play an
important part in overcoming
a problem of national
significance.
Feral camels, spread across
parts of South Australia,
Western Australia, Northern
Territory and Queensland,
are estimated to total about
one million at present and
are tipped to double within
the next eight or nine
years.
A partnership between Mr
Dann and a halal distributor
based in Melbourne could
result in more Muslims
helping to conserve
Australia's native flora and
fauna by consuming the feral
food.
Pending certification, it's
a plan that has the full
support of Imam Kafrawi
Hamzah from the Alice
Springs Mosque.
"Eating camel meat has
become popular now," he told
AAP.
He said interest in the
product would grow even
further once halal camel
meat was readily available
for purchase nationally.
Mr Dann told AAP he had been
asked to supply about 10 per
cent of Australia's Muslim
population, or 100,000
people, with half a kilogram
of halal camel meat each per
week.
"That equates back to 50
tonnes a week, which gets
back to 400 bloody camels or
more, and that's just within
domestic capital cities," he
said.
He said such an increase in
demand may require the
slaughtering to be done by
Centralian Gold at Wamboden,
and for the boning and
processing to be sent to
South Australia.
"We just won't have the
storage space," Mr Dann
said.
Under Islamic faith, Muslims
must not consume meat unless
it has been slaughtered by a
Muslim and it must not have
come into contact with the
flesh of a pig in any way.
Once meat is slaughtered the
halal way, it is lawful for
a Muslim to consume it.
"We have so many people
ready to be slaughtermen for
camel," Imam Hamzah said.
"And we try to tell the
government this will create
jobs.
"Why should we waste this
animal by shooting it when
it could be consumed by
Muslims?
"Many people all over the
world are hungry, they have
no food, no meat - so why
should we waste this kind of
meat?"
Almost
$50,000 for Adelaide to celebrate young Muslim
Australians
WA: Member for Adelaide Kate
Ellis this week announced
Federal Government funding
for a project to build the
skills and education of
local young Muslim
Australians.
“The Dulwich Centre
Foundation will receive
$49,500 under the National
Action Plan to Build on
Social Cohesion, Harmony and
Security,” she said.
“The project will train
local youth workers,
teachers and community
workers to run workshops
that focus on young Muslim
Australians’ own skills and
knowledge in responding to
challenges.”
A series of workshops and
interviews will record
stories from young Muslim
Australians that will be
documented and distributed
through a written
publication, website and
DVD.
“The Australian Government
is committed to ensuring all
young Australians have the
opportunity to realise their
full potential,” Ms Ellis
said.
Arab Film
Festival Australia call-out now open for 2010 program
The Arab Film Festival is
presented in Sydney at
Parramatta Riverside
Theatres followed by a
national tour where a
selection of the films will
be screened at venues across
Australia.
The Arab Film Festival
Australia (AFFA) aims to
showcase stories emerging
from diverse Arabic speaking
cultures to all Australian
audiences that reflect the
complexity and diversity of
Arab experiences.
Furthermore the aim is to
address the (mis)representations
of Arab culture through film
by providing critical spaces
and give exposure to
alternative representations
of Arab culture, Arab
commentary and
self-representation.
he
Australian Journey: Muslim Communities - DIAC
publication
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.
Mona Shindy
Defence - Royal
Australian Navy
People are, and will
always be, a
fundamental part of
our defence forces.
Different
backgrounds and
experiences in
defence personnel
means we are
prepared for any
situation, whether
humanitarian aid or
protecting
Australia’s
security.
More than 100
nationalities are
represented in the
Australian Defence
Forces (ADF) with
people from
Australia’s Muslim
population an
important part of
the defence
community,
supporting the ADF
and providing role
models for many
young Australians.
Commander Mona
Shindy was born in
Egypt and migrated
to Australia with
her family at the
age of three. She
was raised Muslim
and her family
settled into and
formed a part of the
broader Australian
Islamic community.
Her interest in a
Navy career was
sparked by postcards
from her older
brother and his
stories of adventure
in foreign ports as
a member of the
Australian Defence
Force.
.
I was two years into
obtaining my degree
when I considered
joining the Navy. I
viewed it as an
admirable and
worthwhile job to
do. I stay for the
culture, the
community, the
friendships and the
opportunities to
undertake different
types of work, and
interesting work at
that.
Commander Mona
Shindy
Al-Ghazalli
Newsletter
The Al-Ghazalli Newsletter
of the Sydney-based Al-Ghazalli Centre can be
viewed
here.
Topics include:
• In Celebration of
Mercy
• Mizaan Living - Archery
• International Deen Intensive Retreat 2010
• Donations for Ansaar Project
• Essence of Islam
• The Ansaar Project @ Exodus
• The Ansaar Project @ Elizabeth Bay
• Mizaan Ecology - Cooks River Regeneration Project
• The Creed of a Muslim
• Mizaan Ecology -
Newcastle
CCN
tweeting on twitter!
The Inbox
Greetings to all at CCN
and down under,
I live in Botswana but visited Oz a few years ago
and linked up with CCN and always read with interest
your electronic newsletter.
Keep up the good work especially the work done to
show Australia that as Muslims we are just ordinary
people and not what the media make us out to be.
Just a question though do you have a compilation
booklet with all the recipes that appear in your
weekly?
If you have let me know so that I can order one – a
couple of years ago in our region (Southern Africa)
there were excellent recipe books sold compiled by
the Australian Women’s weekly!
I am sure that a similar
compilation would do well, maybe the Muslim women
can do that to raise funds!
Salaams from Botswana,
Iqbal Ebrahim
[Editor]
We have referred your suggestion about a recipe book
to our resident chef and culinary expert, Ms KB and
she has agreed to look into the viability of such a
book. Watch this space!
In the above article unlike the Australian it
clearly states that the men also got caned, which in
my opinion was deliberately left out by the
Australian - no surprises there!!
Regards
Soheab
Around
the Muslim World with CCN
CAIR Files EEOC
Complaint Against Abercrombie & Fitch
US: The San Francisco Bay Area chapter of
the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-SFBA)
announced this week that it has filed an Equal
Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) complaint
against Abercrombie & Fitch on behalf of a Muslim
employee who was allegedly fired because she refused to
remove her Islamic head scarf, or hijab
The Muslim worker reported to CAIR-SFBA
that she was hired as a stockroom worker in October of
last year at the Hollister outlet in San Mateo, Calif.
She says she was told at that time that she could wear
her scarf if it was in a color that matched the
company's brand identity.
[Hollister is a division of Abercrombie &
Fitch. Ohio-based Abercrombie & Fitch operates more than
1100 stores worldwide.]
Recently, a district manager visited the
store and noticed that the Muslim employee was wearing a
head scarf. The district manager then reportedly
initiated a conference call with the company's human
resources department during which the Muslim worker was
told that scarves and hats are not allowed in the "look"
policy. Despite informing company managers that she
wears her scarf for religious reasons, the Muslim
employee was sent home immediately.
This week, she was told she must remove
her scarf during work hours. When she refused to violate
her religious beliefs by removing her scarf in public,
she was fired.
"This unconscionable and apparently
illegal action by company managers violates not only
federal civil rights law as it relates to religious
accommodation in the workplace, but also violates
Abercrombie & Fitch s own stated commitments to
diversity, inclusion and ethical business practices,"
said CAIR-SFBA Programs and Outreach Director Zahra
Billoo. "We urge Abercrombie & Fitch customers who value
diversity and inclusion to contact the company to
express their concerns about this violation of religious
freedom."
She said Title VII of the Civil Rights
Act of 1964 prohibits employers from discriminating
against individuals because of their religion in hiring,
firing and other terms and conditions of employment. The
act also requires employers to reasonably accommodate
the religious practices of an employee, unless doing so
would create an "undue hardship" for the employer.
PR NewsWire
Saudi to grant women
court access
Mohammed al-Issa,
the justice minister, said
the government is drafting a
new law to permit female
lawyers to argue
family-related cases,
including divorce and child
custody.
The proposed new law will be
issued "in the coming days",
Saudi newspapers reported on
Sunday.
The female lawyers would be
able to represent women in
marriage, divorce, custody
and other family cases, the
newspapers said.
Judicial reforms
At the moment, female
lawyers in the kingdom can
only work behind the scenes
in government and court
offices, where they do not
come into contact with men.
All judges in the kingdom
are male religious clerics.
As part of ongoing judicial
reforms, the Saudi
government is developing a
network of specialised
courts, including "personal
status" or family courts,
where the women lawyers
would be allowed to
practice.
Women in Saudi Arabia are
nearly totally segregated
from men in public life.
A move by a French
fast-food chain to offer halal menus at a handful of
restaurants has some politicians fuming, in the latest
row over France's increasingly visible Muslim minority.
The Quick chain has taken pork off its menu in eateries
in Roubaix, northern France, as well as in Marseille and
in the Paris suburb of Argenteuil, to try to tap into
the growing market of Muslim customers.
But politicians have complained that the switch to
no-bacon hamburgers, launched three months ago, is
depriving non-Muslims of their right to the standard
menu.
Roubaix Mayor Rene Vandierendonck plans to file a
complaint for discrimination, arguing that non-Muslims
now have to trek to the suburbs to get a bacon burger,
as Quick is the only fast-food place in the city centre.
"I'm not bothered by the fact that there is a halal
menu," he said.
"But this is going too far because it is the only menu
on offer and it has become discrimination."
French far-right politician Marine Le Pen suggested the
Halal menus were providing a financial boost to Muslim
organisations that certify meat as having been
slaughtered in accordance with Islamic practices.
Ms Le Pen condemned the menu switch as "unacceptable"
and denounced a form of "Islamisation".
In cities and towns across France, Quick's red-and-white
signs are as familiar a sight as McDonald's golden
arches, offering the usual array of hamburgers, french
fries and soft drinks.
But in eight of Quick's 350 restaurants, the "Strong
Bacon" double cheese hamburger is not on offer, replaced
by a halal version with smoked turkey.
One customer was quoted in Le Parisien daily as saying
that "it's just not the same".
The government has frowned on Quick's decision,
suggesting that it was a form of "communautarisme", a
pejorative term suggesting that a group is exhibiting a
ghetto attitude.
Series of
controversies
Home to Europe's biggest Muslim minority, estimated at
between 5 and 6 million, France has been caught up in a
series of controversies that have highlighted its unease
with Islam in a strictly secular society.
President Nicolas Sarkozy's government is drafting
legislation to ban the wearing of the full Islamic veil
and is sponsoring a debate on national identity that has
exposed fears about immigration.
Responding to the hubbub over the halal hamburgers, the
head of France's Muslim Council called for reason to
prevail and announced that he planned to meet with
Quick's owners.
"Halal and kosher restaurants have been around for a
long time," he said.
"Quick is the first fast-food chain to offer a full
halal menu but it is only in a few of its restaurants.
"There are plenty of restaurants that do not offer halal
meals and Muslims are not complaining of
discrimination."
Quick manager Luc Demain, who runs the outlet in Roubaix
among others, said there had been a slight increase in
business since the new halal menus had been introduced
and that he had not received complaints from customers.
Lionnel Lucca, a deputy from Sarkozy's right-wing UMP
party, has called for a boycott of Quick to press for
"freedom of choice to be restored" at the fast-food
outlets.
LONDON — A British venture capital firm plans to launch
Europe's first halal industrial park, tapping an
under-served market worth up to $6.27 billion a year.
"If you look at some figures, the halal sector in the UK
is worth between 2 to 4 billion pounds, the majority of
that is imported," Mahesh Jayanarayan, chairman of Halal
Industries, told the Reuters Islamic Banking and Finance
Summit.
He said the Super Halal Industrial Park (SHIP) will be
based in South Wales, adding that it was chosen because
of its meat industries and affordable land prices.
The park would provide services such as storage, product
packing, meat selection and processing as well as
research and development.
Halal Industries has partnered with the Penang
International Halal Hub (PIHH), the agency set up by the
Malaysian state to promote halal-related industries.
Muslims should only eat meat from livestock slaughtered
by a sharp knife from their necks, and the name of
Allah, the Arabic word for God, must be mentioned.
Jayanarayan said the project will take three to five
years to launch and will cost around 150 million pounds
-- a sum he plans to raise in the capital markets, by
sourcing government grants and by finding
anchor-partners.
"This would be a private equity play but also a property
play, purely because we are trying to pre-sell the
project to industrial people to come in."
Europe has no halal industrial parks, despite being home
to millions of Muslims.
IslamOnline
Germany Mulls
French-style Burqa Ban
CAIRO – Following the
suit of their Western neighbour, German politicians are
proposing a full ban on the face-veil in the European
country, drawing fire for violating individual freedoms.
“The burqa is a full-body prison that deeply threatens
human rights,” Lale Akgun, former Social Democratic
Party (SPD) lawmaker, told Frankfurter Rundschau daily
Thursday, January 28.
“It would be an important signal for Germany to ban the
burqa.”
The Christian Democratic Union (CDU) also proposed a
blanket burqa ban.
“[If] there is a collision with other legal interests,
such as schooling or headscarf ban, an action must be
taken,” said lawmaker Wolfgang Bosbach.
His party colleague Norbert Geis said politicians would
have to review whether a burqa ban in schools and
universities would be constitutional.
The proposed German ban comes as a French parliamentary
panel has recommended a partial ban on face-veils in
hospitals, schools, public transport and government
offices.
Many German states have already banned hijab, an
obligatory code of dress, in schools.
There are some 3.5 million Muslims in Germany, two
thirds of whom are of Turkish origin.
Islam comes third in Germany after Protestant and
Catholic Christianity.
“We have a different understanding of freedom than the
French,” Wiefelsputz, said.
Violation
But the proposed ban drew fire from fellow politicians.
“We have a different understanding of freedom than the
French,” Dieter Wiefelsputz, SPD member and speaker for
interior issues, said.
“I hope for an enlightened Islam, but we cannot force
it.”
Environmentalist Green party leader Cem Ozdemir
criticized the ban debate for focusing on minor things,
overlooking the real conflict of integration.
“[It is] a symbol of debate that overlooks the true
conflict,” Ozdemir said.
“The burqa is rejected by the vast majority of all
Muslims, even supporters of the headscarf.”
While hijab is an obligatory code of dress for Muslim
women, the majority of Muslim scholars agree that a
woman is not obliged to wear the face veil.
Scholars believe it is up to women to decide whether to
take on the veil or burqa, a loose outfit covering the
whole body from head to toe and wore by some Muslim
women.
The Hill
Indonesians heed
call to scrap paper and go for gold
GUIDED by a Scottish-born
convert to Islam, a group of devout Indonesian Muslims
is shunning ''worthless'' paper money in favour of gold
and silver coins for daily transactions.
The followers of Sheikh Abdalqadir as-Sufi - born Ian
Dallas - trade goods such as food, medicine, clothes and
phone cards with gold dinars and silver dirhams in line
with a strict interpretation of Islamic law.
Their anti-modern views sit uneasily with the naked
capitalism of Jakarta, the financial and political
centre of one of the fastest growing economies in the
world.
''History has proven that, since the prophet Muhammad,
the value of one gold dinar for thousands of years has
always been equal to the value of one goat,'' said
33-year-old Kurniawati, who runs a shop in southern
Jakarta.
Hoping to follow the example of Muhammad and the first
generations of Muslims, the sheikh's followers do their
shopping with dirhams worth around 30,000 rupiah
($A3.50) and dinars worth 1.43 million rupiah ($A170).
The Age
AROTC uses cutouts
of Muslims as targets
Army ROTC cadets carried
M249 light machine guns during lab exercises Feb. 20
that involved the use of props portraying concealed
Muslim men on Zimple Quad.
One cut-out prop depicted a man crouched behind a sheep,
while the other represented a man standing behind an oil
barrel. AROTC held the laboratory exercises two blocks
from the campus Al-Rahma Mosque.
Master Sergeant Thomas Lewis of Tulane AROTC said the
props served as part of a procedure aimed at improving
communication through the chain of command.
“These props bring cadets to different angles where they
have to then report back what they see,” Lewis said. “We
verify what they saw or explain to them what they should
have reported.”
Ahmed Siddiqui, president of the Tulane Muslim Students
Association, said he found the use of props representing
stereotypical Muslims offensive and that these
laboratory policies portray a negative image of the
AROTC.
“Overseas terrorists use photographs of President Bush
as targets during militant training, but the [AROTC] is
using pictures of generalized people, not a specific
insurgent,” Siddiqui said. “The depiction of a Muslim
man in traditional Arab clothing hiding behind a sheep
and an oil barrel is a stereotype that portrays all
Arabs as being enemies of the state.”
Tulane Hullabaloo
Pool champion
giving back to the community
THE
UK's number one pool player and the current European No
2 pool player, Imran ‘The Maharaja’ Majid, spent
last month in Manchester continuing his work on a
personal vision to help children enjoy the benefits of
playing pool. He is also using pool as a fun way to draw
youngster into youth clubs were they can take part in
leisure activities and be in a safe protective
environment with supervised adults helping children with
any needs they may have.
The 37-year-old spends five hours a day training in the
snooker hall, at the top of Hounslow High Street
(formerly Rileys), when he's not flying across the globe
to compete in major tournaments.
Imran, who was born in Chiswick, picked up a cue at the
age of 12 and was soon beating players twice his age at
Heathrow, where his dad worked for British Airways.
Since abandoning his accountancy course to turn
professional 10 years ago, he has won more than 28 major
tournaments across the world.
He is a big star in Asia, where the sport is huge.
"In the Far East I can walk into a McDonald's and get
mobbed for autographs because all the tournaments are on
TV over there," he said.
Imran is confident of
continuing his good form in recent tournaments and is
looking forward to his next tournament in Germany where
he will be representing Great Britain in the World Team
Championship.
The Muslim Nwes
The CCN
Middle Link
Senior Administrator Position
The Islamic Women’s
Association of QLD Inc has an upcoming vacancy for
the position of Senior Administrator.
“TThe reading of all
good books is like conversation with the finest men of
the past centuries.”
- Descartes
This week
CCN
recommends
Theory and Practice of Modern Islamic Finance: The Case
Analysis From Australia
by
Abu Umar Faruq Ahmad,
PhD
SYNOPSIS
Though
small in comparison with conventional finance, Islamic
finance is at the threshold of serious expansion,
growing at between 15–20 per cent a year. Yet the wealth
potential of Islamic finance is far from being its most
attractive feature. What is most compelling about
Islamic finance are its ethical principles and strong
corporate governance based on Shariah law.
• This book seeks to contribute to the existing body of
work in the area of Islamic finance through examining
the extent of divergence in practice of Islamic
financing from the traditional Shari`ah in the
Australian context. The author makes a discursive
analysis of the regulation of Islamic finance in
Australia in terms of (a) the financing instruments
used, (b) certainty of transactions between participants
in the system, and (c) institutional risk management of
Islamic financial institutions. The work's objectives
are two-fold: (a) to analytically study the extent to
which Islamic Financial Services Providers (IFSPs) of
Australia differ from the traditional Shari`ah in their
current practices of Islamic legal financial system by
their use of different financial products and
techniques, and (b) to create awareness and transparency
about the various products and instruments used by the
IFSPs of Australia. A comprehensive introduction to the
principles of Islamic finance
• Shaikh Abu Umar Faruq Ahmad is well known in the
global Islamic finance industry in general, and in the
Australian Islamic financial market in particular. He
has held the position of Chairman of the Shari`ah
Supervisory Board of Islamic Cooperative Finance
Australia Limited since its inception in July 1998
• Discussions of the topics throughout the book are
logically coherent and presented in plain language
• An indispensable guide for the learner and/or
professionals working in Islamic banking and finance
sectors
• The book can convincingly claim to have made a
breakthrough in the frontier of knowledge in the field
of Islamic finance
• Glossary and book review is included
• Originally, the book was a PhD dissertation for which
the author was awarded ‘high distinction’ for his most
comprehensive, methodologically sound, well organised,
lucid, comprehensively documented and analysed, and
convincingly argued and concluded research
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.
1/2pkt South
African Tennis Biscuits or 7 Australian
Arnott’s Butternut Snap Cookies
½ cup pecan nuts
½ cup grated
chocolate
2 tab icing
sugar
Method
Mix all the ingredients
together and if possible place in a mould
and freeze.
It is best prepared the
day or several days before.
Decorate with grated
peppermint or plain chocolate or pecans or
fresh fruit before serving – it is easy and
simply delicious.
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 Q&A Column
Q: Dear Kareema, I so wanted to do the Clem7
tunnel walk in Brisbane on Sunday but I chickened out
because I have not done any training for ages. How do I
get ready for the next fun run, and especially with
CresWalk2010 coming up in May.
A: If you are going to sign up for a 5K walk but
don't regularly walk for fitness, it will take just a
few weeks of training train to get you to enjoy the
event without you coming off sore and in agony. I will
be giving CCN readers a programme to follow closer to
CresWalk.
All questions sent in are published here anonymously
and without any references to the author of the
question.
The CCN Chuckle
Mula Nasruddin and his son were riding the donkey to the
town market. A group of people passed.
Mula heard them whisper: "What times are these? Look at
those two, have they no mercy on the poor animal?"
Nasruddin, hearing this, tells his son to get off and
continue the journey on foot.
Another group of people passing by and seeing this
comment: "What times are these? Look at this man. His
poor son with his frail body has to walk while he at his
best age is riding the donkey!"
Hearing this, Nasruddin tells his son to ride the donkey
and he himself gets off to walk the rest of the way. A
third group of people seeing this remark: "What times
are these? This young man is riding the donkey while his
sickly old father has to walk!"
Hearing this, Nasruddin tells his son to get off the
animal and they both walk with the donkey trailing
behind. Another group passing by point to them,
laughing: "Look at these idiots. They have a donkey and
they are walking all the way to the market!"
[Moral] As many mouths, as many opinions. It is
impossible to please everyone.
Notice
Board
Click on image to enlarge
Events and Functions
Exhibition of Palestinian
Artefacts & Books
Information Seminar for
International Indian Students
Taleem this
week will be held on Thursday 4th March at
the residence of Shaheena Dudhia from
11am-12pm at 20 Delaney Court, Carindale.
Call
3849 3685 for more information.
All ladies
welcome.
Ladies
Keep-Fit Dance Classes
24
February - Bellydance fitness class
8.15pm-9.45pm contact Renata 0400 701 676
10 March - Dance fitness class 8.15pm-9.45pm
contact Claudia 0415 844 439
24 March - Bellydance fitness class
8.15pm-9.45pm
14 April - Dance fitness class 8.15pm-9.45pm
28 April - Bellydance fitness class
8.15pm-9.45pm
12 May - Dance fitness class 8.15pm-9.45pm
26 May - Bellydance fitness class
8.15pm-9.45pm
9 June - Dance fitness class 8.15pm-9.45pm
23 June - Bellydance fitness class
8.15pm-9.45pm
Inspiration Talk, BBQ and Youth Hour
Topics that are relevant, Iman-boosting and
mind-capturing. Where: AMYN Islamic Youth Centre,
16/157 North Road, Woodridge When: Every Sunday, 7pm
Info: www.AMYNweb.com Everyone is invited
Australian Muslim Youth Network (AMYN)
Find out about the latest
events, outings, fun-days, soccer tournaments, BBQs
organised by AMYN. Network with other young Muslims on
the
AMYN Forum
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 libellous,
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.
Yesterday
(Saturday) the Queensland
Palestinian Association
along with the Logan City
Council and the Justice for
Palestine Group presented
their exhibition of
artifacts and books at the
Logan West Library, Grand
Plaza Drive in Browns
Plains. The exhibition known
as Falestini ends on the
31st March.
The Al-Ghazalli Newsletter
of the Sydney-based Al-Ghazalli Centre can be
viewed
THE
UK's number one pool player and the current European No
2 pool player, Imran ‘The Maharaja’ Majid, spent
last month in Manchester continuing his work on a
personal vision to help children enjoy the benefits of
playing pool. He is also using pool as a fun way to draw
youngster into youth clubs were they can take part in
leisure activities and be in a safe protective
environment with supervised adults helping children with
any needs they may have. 
Senior Administrator Position 
Though
small in comparison with conventional finance, Islamic
finance is at the threshold of serious expansion,
growing at between 15–20 per cent a year. Yet the wealth
potential of Islamic finance is far from being its most
attractive feature. What is most compelling about
Islamic finance are its ethical principles and strong
corporate governance based on Shariah law.
C