The local Brisbane Egyptian community last Sunday celebrated the fall of the Mubarak regime with a get-together of friends and supporters with typical Egyptian hospitality and fervour. There was undisguised joy and pride on the faces of the 300 men, women and children who attended the Svoboda Park gathering at the favourable turn of events in their former homeland.

Amidst the waving of the national flags and cries of "Long live  Egypt" several speakers took to the microphone, amongst them Mr Stephen Robertson MP, the Minister for Natural Resources, Mines & Energy, and Trade,  who congratulated the Egyptians on the overthrow of the regime and acknowledged the contributions the local community had been making to Australian society.

Queensland Amnesty president, Mr David Forde called for the release of all political prisoners in Egypt and pointed out that the removal of one person would not bring regime change especially after 30 years of emergency rule which had deprived the people of their civil, political and human rights.

Put together at very short notice by Dr Adel El-Mezin, the celebratory party went on for the better part of the  day as members of the Egyptian Muslim, Christian and secular communities joined as one with others to partake in the fine fare that was on offer.

The CCN Photo Gallery

 

The President of Muslims Australia (AFIC), Mr Ikebal Patel (pictured left) commented on the insistence of the Shadow Minister of Immigration Mr. Scott Morrison (pictured below) that “Muslim Migration is a growing concern” as irresponsible and highly offensive.

"Mr Morrison seems to want to create a track record – offend on day one, and retract on day two, as in the insensitivity shown by his comment in relation to the recent funerals of the asylum seekers in the boat tragedy," Mr. Patel said in his Muslims Australia press release.

Mr Patel said these comments are in quick succession to the tabling of a petition by ACT Senator Gary Humphries calling for a 10-year moratorium on ''Muslim immigration'' as an insult to Muslims of Australia. He went on to say:

The Senator’s action adds insult to injury, when one considers this not being the only time the Senator has tabled similar petitions amongst the 48 tabling of it in the senate calling for a ban on Muslim migration, and immediately after the discriminatory comments by three Liberal politicians against Halal meat and other issues concerned with Islam.

 

Muslims in Australia are disappointed and disheartened at the continual verbal abuse and discrimination meted out to Muslims.

 

This attitude is fast going beyond a joke and has to stop – NOW before racial and religious profiling becomes fair game.

Mr Patel added, “We ask our parliamentarians to seriously tackle issues affecting Australian families across the nation, such as health care and hospital waiting lists, equity when it comes to affordable housing, roads infrastructure, public transport and the list goes on..... These are the issues affecting all of us on a daily basis and at the forefront of our lives instead of trying to take Australia back 150 years.

Mr Patel reminded the senators and shadow ministers:

Australia is a democracy, espousing the right of ANY person to enter this country provided he/she satisfies Australia’s tough immigration criteria. AUSTRALIA ABOLISHED THE WHITE AUSTRALIA POLICY IN 1966, so I beg you, please let’s move on.

 

Let us respect and embrace immigrants who choose to make Australia their home, irrespective of race, colour or creed. There are so many Gillard’s, Ahmed Fahour’s, Victor Chang’s, Hazem Al Masri’s, or Usman s Khawaja’s and Tatiana Grigorieva’s still to be discovered out there in the world to enrich all Australians.

 

That is what has made the USA so great, and they have an annual lottery to entice people from all over the world to consider migrating to their great land…..now that is a proposition worth considering…

SCOTT Morrison, the Liberal frontbencher who this week distinguished himself as the greatest grub in the federal Parliament, is the classic case of the politician who is so immersed in the game of politics that he has lost touch with the real world outside it.

For instance, 16 months ago the Reserve Bank had interest rates at 3 per cent, their lowest in half a century. Australia was striving to stave off a savage global downturn, and super-low interest rates were a key part of Australia's success.

But as recovery took hold the Reserve Bank governor, Glenn Stevens, said it was time to begin returning rates to normal. Morrison was the opposition spokesman on housing at the time. He was asked on Channel Ten's Meet the Press whether the governor was right.

Advertisement: Story continues below Morrison was flatly opposed: "I think keeping interest rates low is the most important thing we can do for the economy at the moment." It would have been a disaster, of course.

Australia's inflation rate runs at about 3 per cent a year. Official interest rates were then 3 per cent. So our central bank, in real terms, was lending money free. Free money, like free water or any free commodity, is always misused and abused. Morrison thought this was fine. He was talking garbage.

The point of this story? Morrison is a cheap populist, with form. On that occasion, he was being irresponsible with the national economy. For him it's just about clever lines.

This week it was race. Morrison decided to see if he could win some political points by inflaming racism and resentment. More specifically, he zeroed in on some of the most vulnerable people in the country for political advantage. Indeed, is there anyone more vulnerable than a traumatised, orphaned child unable to speak English, held in detention on a remote island?

Morrison publicly raised objections to the government's decision to pay for air fares for some of the survivors of the Christmas Island boat wreck to travel to Sydney for the funerals of their relatives.

Some were Christian funerals, others were Muslim. But all of them were foreigners, all of them were boat people, all of them were dark-skinned, and to Morrison that made them all fair game. Unable to tell the difference between the Coalition mantra of "we will stop the boats" and his emerging position that "we will vindictively pursue boat people suffering tragedy" he went on radio.

As the survivors were gathering to mourn their dead, Morrison said that with the government paying for the 22 air fares, "I don't think it is reasonable. The government had the option of having these services on Christmas Island. If relatives of those who were involved wanted to go to Christmas Island, like any other Australian who wanted to attend a funeral service in another part of the country, they would have made their own arrangements to be there."

The government flies people, Australians and foreigners, on all sorts of occasions, evacuating citizens from crises at home and abroad, deporting failed asylum-seekers, even flying politicians to state funerals so they don't have to pay from their own pockets.

Morrison next day conceded that his timing was insensitive, but didn't retract his complaint. He denied that he had been influenced by One Nation, even though One Nation had been busily emailing and lobbying politicians on the matter.

Some Liberals were so angry that they told the Herald's Lenore Taylor about a shadow cabinet meeting in December at which Morrison had suggested the party capitalise on public concerns about Muslim immigrants.

A member of the Liberal shadow cabinet later told me: "We had all been asked to come up with potential issues we could run with. Scott said, 'What are we going to do about multiculturalism? What are we going to do about concerns about the number of Muslims?' He put it on the table like a dead cat." Malcolm Turnbull, Philip Ruddock and others argued strongly against any exploitation of the issues.

Full article

The President of Muslims Australia, Mr Ikebal Patel, has congratulated the Gillard Government in announcing the formation of a new independent organisation, The Australian Multicultural Council as a positive effort on the part of the government to progress and grow Australia as a inclusive and welcoming nation.

Mr Patel added, ”We hope the government in trying to achieve a standard of acceptance does not inadvertently focus its attention on Muslim migrants only”.

Muslims Australia has stated on many occasions that Islamic values are consistent with Australian values and Muslims see no impediment in living, sharing and contributing to the ongoing prosperity of this beautiful and bountiful land, hand in hand with all Australian citizens, either in times of joy, or during periods of unfortunate despair. The colour of the tears and blood shed during times of joy and sorrow does not discriminate between races and religions, and this should be the strength of Australian Multiculturalism.

Mr Patel, went on to say, “Multiculturalism - Australian style is unique, our diverse ethnic communities look forward to consultations with the Australian Multicultural Council in making our model of Multiculturalism, one that is envied around the world. It is now time for Australia to redefine the whole concept of Multiculturalism and the vibrancy that this has brought about in all Australians lives in areas such as cuisine, art, music, dressing up and many other areas”.

"Minister Chris Bowen (pictured right) has to be applauded for his very strong leadership taken during times of extreme opposition from various circles and the appointment of Senator Kate Lundy is timely and welcome," Mr. Patel told CCN.

Whilst my electorate of Stretton was physically untouched by the January floods, that does not mean that my constituents were untouched by the suffering of their fellow Queenslanders.

I have often spoken of how proud I am to represent one of Australia’s most multicultural electorates and time and time again over many years these multicultural communities have been among the first to dig deep into their own pockets to help those who have been impacted by natural disasters.

Whether that be raising funds for the victims of the Christchurch earthquake last year, the Victorian bushfires of 2009, the terrible floods in Pakistan, Cyclone Larry in 2006, the earthquakes in Taiwan and southern China and, of course, in 2009 the terrible tsunami that struck Samoa and other Pacific islands as well as the earthquake that hit Indonesia, the various ethnic, cultural and religious groups that make up the Stretton electorate have mobilised quickly and efficiently to dispense comfort and aid to the victims of these terrible natural events.

Today I want to take the opportunity provided by this condolence motion to pay special recognition to these multicultural groups. Over the years I have marvelled at the generosity of spirit and giving of the Taiwanese community.

These new Australians first started to migrate to our country in the late 1980s under the Hawke government’s business migration scheme.

Entrepreneurial by nature, successful businesspeople in their country of origin, this community has established itself as a vital and visible component of the outer south side of Brisbane. The variety of community groups they have established separately and together have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars in flood aid.

Over the past few years Australia’s business migration program has delivered to my electorate new constituents from other parts of the world—from India, Pakistan, South Africa, Fiji, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Egypt, Lebanon, Bosnia, Saudi Arabia and the Arab Emirates.

Predominantly Muslim by religion, this community has also demonstrated a generosity of spirit, a commitment to helping their fellow Queenslanders and a love of their new home.

The Islamic Council of Queensland, the Muslim Charitable Foundation, the Islamic College of Brisbane at Karawatha and the various mosques and Crescents of Brisbane have all raised significant funds for the cause and often in cooperation with other non-Muslim organisations such as the Lions Club of Kuraby and I understand that their fundraising efforts have not finished.

I have deliberately not mentioned individuals as there are too many to list and no doubt I will leave some out. But I will mention one:

Mohammed Sayed Dawoodjee (pictured left), a trustee of the Kuraby Mosque, who one week before the floods hit Brisbane made a significant donation on behalf of the Kuraby Mosque to the Premier and me for the victims of the Central Queensland floods. Then one week later Mohammed’s own business, Rocklea Cold Storage and Distribution, was inundated completely and its future is now in question. When I visited Mohammed at his Rocklea business his concern was not so much for his own future but for the 70 small businesses that rely on his cold stores to store and distribute their products.

It is this concern for our fellow man in time of distress and hurt that has typified all of the efforts of my wonderful multicultural electorate of Stretton.

I recognise and thank them all, including the many other community organisations and individuals, and simply say that it is an absolute honour to represent such a generous electorate.

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The following letter to the editor was published in the Gold Coast Sun (Wed 16 Feb):

With ingredients such as 20 drops of orange oil, 30 drops of lemon oil and 10 drops of nutmeg oil, it sounds more like a home remedy than a top-secret formula.

But an American radio program claims it has uncovered the exact recipe for Coca-Cola in the pages of a 1979 newspaper.

Britain's Daily Mail reports the program This American Life published a photograph of a handwritten recipe for Coca-Cola from a February edition of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The blend of oils - also including coriander, neroli and cinnamon oils - and alcohol is reported to be the formula for the so-called "Merchandise 7X", which gives the famed soft drink its distinctive flavour.

The Sydney Morning Herald

The Queensland Muslim Welfare Assoc. (QMWA) has joined with other multicultural and religious groups for the Flood Relief Floodraising event to be held on 5th March from 4 - 7pm at the Queensland Police Service Academy, Rudd St, Oxley.
 

QMWA will have a table in one section of the hall. All those attending the event have been requested to come in clothing from their own ethnic group or religion. There will also be a table to display items relating to the culture or religion. Halal food will be provided.

Tickets sell at $50 per person - all children are free up to the age of 12 years. Tickets can be obtained from Janeth by calling 0435 086 796

A request has been made for an auction item from the Muslim community.

Deputy Mayor, Graham Quirk will be the auctioneer.

Mohammed Azhari who hails from from Brisbane is currently studying Islamic studies in Damascus, Syria and is a part-time lecturer at The Dialogue of Civilizations Department in the Sheikh Ahmed Kuftaro Institute in Damascus.

He sent in an article which he penned exclusively for CCN readers on the remembrance of the Prophet (pbuh).
 

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