A record crowd of 6000 men, women and children made their way to the Islamic College of Brisbane to perform their Eid prayers on Friday.   On a cool and pleasant morning during which the forecasted rains just held off, the khutbah (sermon), salaat (prayers) and duas (supplications) were led by Imam Akram Buksh of the Kuraby Mosque, Imam Uzair Akbar of the Holland Park Mosque and Mufti Zeeyad Rawat of the College.     Mohamoud Ahmed, Sufyaan Mohamoud and Suleman Mohammed   Sayed Waqar, Qari Fida-ul-Rahman and son Qasim   Shafiq Allahwalla and Zaffar Khan     Eidfest president, Yasmin Khan, promotes the annual festival taking place the next day at the Mt Gravatt Showgrounds Jasmani Jalil, Fadlullah Wilmot and Abdul Rahim Ahmad       (left to right) Mariam, Mutassem (dad), Mohammed, Shadia, Samia (mom), and Sarinah The indomitable Deens serve up yet another delectable dish   Leila and dad Nabil Hijasi, Anas Abdalla, Haroon Deen, Najeeb Ahmed and Hamza Ahmed

The Algester Mosque held its Eid prayers on the Mosque premises on Friday.

By CCN's Man-on-the-Mussallah

 

It took the locals a while to get to Eidfest yesterday (Saturday), but when they finally did make their way to the Mt. Gravatt Showgrounds (partially, if not fully, recovered, perhaps, from the previous day's official Eid celebrations) they came in huge numbers.   An estimated 10 000 Muslims and non-Muslins attended the celebration of Muslim cultures on what turned out to be a perfect day and night for such and outdoor event. Even the crescent moon and the bright stars came out in all their glory to grace the occasion.   All the stalls, catering from clothing and food to a variety of goods and services, were kept busy throughout the afternoon and evening.       The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane, John Bathersby, was the keynote speaker at the Opening Ceremony. He spoke of the importance of  maintaining a dialogue between the different religious groups and expressed his admiration for the steadfastness of Muslims in adhering to their religious obligations by way of prayers and fasting.           Sandy McCutcheon, well known Brisbane author, radio host and raconteur, gave a firsthand account of his experiences in the flood ravaged areas of Pakistan where he had recently spent some 17 days helping out with the relief effort.   He was full of praise for the people of Pakistan who, he said, had came out in force to help their own countrymen but urged Australians to support the aid agencies in whatever way they could.   He described the camps that have been created in the region and in particular the plight of half a million pregnant women who are expected to give birth in the next few months.   "Much has been made about the critical state of Pakistan itself - comments about corruption, Islamic militants and the country taking advantage of of the begging bowl syndrome sitting their with its hand out."   The reality, McCutcheon told the audience, was "absolutely different." "I cannot stress enough that the people of Pakistan - the ordinary people of Pakistan - are doing a huge amount."   There was not a day, he added, that the families he stayed with did not feed the poor, often 30 to 40 people who came to their gates each iftaar.   During they day they loaded onto trucks clothing and rations made up by the locals at cost price.   On the question of militant Islamists taking advantage of the situation, McCutcheon said:   "Everywhere I went I saw the banners of Jama' AT UL Dawa, which is the social wing of Lashkar-e-Taiba, complete with their very famous black swords banner. They were openly asking in the streets and markets for donations. But put this in balance. They were, in the first ten days the first people to cook food and take food to hundreds of  thousands of people. The government reports say that they rescued over 800 hundred people physically from the floods. And say to yourself, if any of these organizations saved even 200 000 lives that's far more than would be killed in any insurgency, and at least they're alive. I am not at all endorsing Lashkar-e-Taiba - I am saying that when no one else was there people needed to eat and they would have been dead otherwise. So it is a balancing act."   McCutcheon also acknowledged the work of the Pakistan army and NGOs like OXFAM and the Fred Hollows foundation who have had many of their eye clinics washed away but were diverting their resources to building houses in the villages. "In the long road to recovery the people of Pakistan need all the help they can get and they will get it from Australia, insha'allah. When Ramadan arrives next year let us all say that we have made a difference and that we have contributed in some way."   David Forde (pictured left) of Amnesty International interviewed two of the victims of the Gaza Flotilla horror, Ahmed Talib and his wife, Jerry on the EidFest stage. They gave graphic accounts of the Israeli attacks on the Mavi Marmara.     The Mayor of Brisbane, Campbell Newman (pictured right with Janeth Deen), launched the Muslim Roots documentary on behalf of the Mt Gravatt Community Centre and the Queensland Muslim Historical Society.     The showstopper of the night had to be the inaugural Pizza Lane's vuvusela competition in which contestants raced to finish a foot-long sub under the watchful eye of Danny Hoyland.   Musical interludes were provided by Turkish solo artist Istanbul Gypsy Groove and young Zaid Peter Boyd.   A spectacular fireworks display lit up the Mt Gravatt suburb in a show that came close to rivaling the annual Riverfest extravaganza.   Hafeez Ali Khan and the Bhangra Boys rounded up the evening with Bollywood favourties and dance music respectively.           Queensland Turkish Islamic Cultural Centre's Turkish Delights (.... and the sweets weren't that bad either) The Mina Fashions Team   Money, Money, Money IMAGE REMOVED ON REQUEST Fathers and Sons Akhter Shaykh and Alam (13 months) and Riordan (9 months) and David Forde Istanbul Gypsy Groove does a foot stomping, handclapping Mexican La Lamba   Test driving the Ships of the Desert Support the fund through www.australianreliefaid.com Zaid Peter Boyd succeeds in turning the melody of Lionel Ritchie's Hello into a nasheed Senator Claire Moore (centre) flanked by the Queensland Muslim Historical Society members and supporters Winner of the prize in the QMHS competition was Amina Essof An impromptu improvised session There's a time to play and a time to pray   The Pizza Lane vuvusela eating competition gets underway   A clear Brisbane sky....... .....gets lit up

By Nora Amath

Last week, ACCES Services, AMARAH, MCF and MBN hosted an iftar for over 200 refugees and migrants at the PCYC, Woodridge.   The hosts, as well as the 25 volunteers from AMARAH, ensured everyone who attended was able to share a wonderful meal together as a community.   AMARAH’s lolly bags were a big hit with the children; however the highlight of the evening was MCF’s distribution of the fitrana to over 25 families.   The distribution ensured that everyone was able to have a wonderful Eid.   Organisers received very positive feedback from those who attended that there will be other events like these in the future insha'Allah.