I had the opportunity to serve the flood victims on behalf of M.C.F Australia Alhamdulillah.

It was indeed a great privilege to be on this trip and it was nevertheless, a truly thrilling experience.
 

After spending a whole day in Karachi, changing currencies and buying goods we set off for two badly affected areas, Thatta and Sajawal.

With hundreds displaced and havoc on the streets it was difficult to decide where to start.

However, a non-profitable organization known as HANDS (Health and Nutrition Development Society) advised us and gave us a briefing as to how we should operate. This day was long and tiring as we spent it distributing food and aid.
 

However, one of the greatest achievements in these areas was the establishment of five madressahs/schools. We purchased mats, tents and blackboards to accommodate hundreds of over enthusiastic children.

Many hours were spent reading the kalimahs and surahs with them and it was a spectacular sight indeed.

Later on, a follow up showed that the numbers increased and volunteer teachers were dedicated. A few manual sewing machines were also donated and many girls are learning how to sew.

The operation completed with a survey of the damaged areas.

Seeing the orchards, homes and livestock all leveled to the ground brought tears to the eyes, and the pitiful situation of hundreds of women sitting with their suckling babies on the barrier between the rivers made us more emotional.

Much aid was given by me personally on this day.
 

Muft Zeeyad's account

 

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(left to right) Br Imraan Mohamed, Director of AMYN Children's Weekend School; Prof. Periyardhasan Abdullah, International Visiting Scholar, and Sheikh Aslam AbuIsmaeel, Director of HikmahWay Institute

Dr Periyardhasan Abdullah, former film actor, Oxford PhD Scholar and visiting Professor at the University of California spoke at the Macgregor State School Hall on his conversion to Islam after spending decades as a protagonist of Hinduism, Buddhism and atheism.   Dr Abdulllah spoke of his spiritual journey before finally accepting Islam and the people who had guided him to this path.   Alluding to his transitional quest for religious certainty a questionnaire asked Dr Abdullah "where to after Islam" to which his quick retort was "to heaven".   Sheikh Aslam Abulsmaeel led the discussion in the style of an interview and the audience was given the opportunity to pose questions to Dr Abdullah at the end of the presentation.   You can catch the event on www.islamtv.com.au.

SBS Television’s INSIGHT program is exploring whether anti-Islamic sentiment is on the rise.

Across Europe the public mood towards immigration is shifting. Countries that had doors wide open are now shutting them and the role of multiculturalism is being questioned. In many countries debate is raging about values and loyalties and the integration failures of foreigners. Many say it is a backlash against mass immigration, and with recent bans on minarets and full Islamic veils others argue that Islamophobia is on the rise.

INSIGHT wants to explore this shift in sentiment and see how Australia’s Muslim communities are integrating. Are there lessons to be learnt from Europe? Or are their experiences no different from other obstacles faced by previous migrant groups?

SBS wants to hear from overseas or Australian born Muslims and non-Muslims about your views and experiences in Australia. How do you think Australia’s Muslim communities are integrating? Do you believe anti-Islamic sentiment is on the rise? And has multiculturalism worked in Australia?

Email katema@sbs.com.au with your story.

The Feathers and Lace event that the Al-nisa youth group organised last week Saturday went off with a bang.

All the dames were all dolled up in their best 1920's inspired glad rags.

Our host for the evening was the Al-nisa president Salam El -Merebi.

The event was kicked off with a PowerPoint presentation which detailed all of the groups past events and activities which included the Afghani fundraising dinner, ghusl classes and bowling.

The combination of savouries and desserts was enjoyed by all.

Raspberry tarts, mini caramel cupcakes, peppermint chocolate cupcakes, Mediterranean loaf, salmon quiches were some of the scrumptious foods on offer.

Everyone was entertained by the games and random prizes which went on throughout the night.

The prizes were made by Al-nisa member Maryam Issadeen who created and designed delicious feathers and lace inspired cupcakes.

There was huge positive feedback for this year's annual ladies event and Feathers and Lace theme.

If you would like to keep updated with the latest Al-nisa events please join us on Facebook or alternatively email us to be added to our database.

The Al-nisa youth group would like to thank all the ladies who made it such a success.

Fox News Channel host Bill O'Reilly caused a media firestorm on the ABC's live show The View during the week.

Co-hosts Joy Behar and moderator Whoopi Goldberg briefly walked off the set after a heated argument with  Bill O’Reilly when he said “Muslims killed us on 9-11.”

Creator/executive producer and co-host Barbara Walters addressed the audience: “I just want to say something to all of you. You have just seen what should not happen. We should be able to have discussions without washing our hands and screaming and walking off stage. I love my colleagues, but it should not have happened.”

Walters then turned to O’Reilly and said “Now let me just say to you in a calmer voice. It was extremists. You cannot take a whole religion and demean them." She told O’Reilly he should apologize and he later said “if anyone felt that I was demeaning all Muslims, I apologize,” causing Behar and Goldberg to reemerge from backstage and rejoin the panel.

Source

I was one of the fortunate people to attend Sakina's first water fitness class on Saturday 16th October at the Multicap Centre. Sakina specifically chose this venue to offer valuable fitness classes to our Muslim women of all age groups in the privacy of only other women.

At first I was a little apprehensive about how effective the classes may be. I recently started taking Zumba classes which I do enjoy tremendously but did note that Zumba is not that easy on the body. Also, whilst Zumba claims to work every part of your body, the water fitness class proved that there were many parts of the body Zumba did not incorporate into it's dance movements. Sakina's water fitness class I found to be much easier on the body and indeed very effective. It became quite apparent from the outset that she had indeed put a lot of effort into the format and conduct of her class. This was certainly endorsed at the end of the class too, for reasons I will mention later.

To commence with she drew on her professional skills as a physiotherapist by preceding the aqua-aerobics class with an educational talk on the benefits of Aerobics in general and then went into detail about the additional benefits one gets from doing the same aerobics in water. She showed how your body experiences flexibility, good circulation, mobility, toning, relaxation, cardio vascular therapy, buoyancy, body building through resistance, stamina and good balance, through aqua-aerobics and especially in a heated pool. She demonstrated through explanatory charts how people of different age groups can work out how much exercise intensity their hearts can endure.

She also brought us in touch with our bodies by slowly and therapeutically getting us to shut our eyes and let our minds go to each of the main parts of our bodies starting with our feet, then progressing to the legs, hips, arms, spine, neck etc . It was amazing to see how little we realise about our general posture and how we tend to focus our body weight on one side of the body rather than strike a balance.

Forethought went into the importance of rehydratiion required when doing water exercises. Sakina encouraged each participant to ensure that they constantly drank water even through the exercises. She emphasised the importance of proper hydration in relation to cramps and other aches and pains.

The water fitness classes focussed on all your body parts from the thumbs and fingers through to your feet and toes. One was not expected to over exert oneself in executing any of the exercises. She commenced with small movements gradually increasing the movements in both speed and intensity. She encouraged us to do them at our own pace. She offered a good workout at a pace that was appropriate to women of all age groups.

At the end of the class she introduced us to products that she recommended we use after being in a chlorinated pool and put out a spread of healthy and nutritional snacks which she had researched so that we could make informed choices of what was more beneficial to our health. Written summaries were provided for each. She also got us to reassess our bodies again after the water fitness classes to see if we noted any differences in our body alignment. I most certainly did.

The class was certainly worth my while. I did not hesitate to sign up for the future classes. She intends to focus on different aspects of water fitness exercises and our health in the next four sessions and I have no doubt she will deliver what she has promised.

Congratulations Sakina. It is good to see classes designed with muslim women of all age groups in mind and professionally conducted.

A variety of high quality furniture items on sale from Beachwood extendable Dining Table with 6 chairs to Storage/Pantry Cupboards

View the full list of items.

Next week Part 3

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