Samah Hadid is a 22 year old
human rights advocate from Sydney and is the
Australian Youth Representative to the UN.
She appeared on this week's Q&A
panel along with Malcolm Turnbull, Bill Shorten,
Piers Akerman and Gretel Killeen and spoke on a
number of issues including the carbon tax,
multiculturalism and aid to Indonesia (see the
program below).
She is currently completing her Masters in Human
Rights Law and Policy at the University of New
South Wales. Samah serves as the Youth
Representative on the Australian National
Commission for UNESCO. She is also the co chair
of the Multicultural Youth Network , member of
Amnesty International's Diversity Steering
Committee and Action Partner for Oxfam
International Youth Partnerships.
Samah has previously been a member of Bankstown
Council's Youth Advisory Committee, the National
Youth Roundtable and selected as a participant
to the Prime Minister’s 2020 Summit and a member
of the UN Expert Group on Youth.
She has been a volunteer with the Muslim Women
Association for 7 years.
In 2009 she completed a fellowship with the
United Nations Office of the High Commissioner
for Human Rights.
Samah has been recognized for her volunteer work
as the CRC Young Volunteer of the year, UWS
Young Woman from the West, finalist for NSW
young person of the year and received a human
rights commendation award. Samah is also a co
author of the book The Future by Us. As the
Australian Youth Representative to the UN Samah
hopes to profile the voices of indigenous and
minority youth and promote the valuable role
young people make to Australia and on an
international scale.
Samah is also a performance artist and
playwright. She is currently developing The
Burka Monologues.
SAMAH HADID: Well, let me
just say, you know, for those who charge
Australian Muslims with crimes of, you know,
not being able to assimilate and being
extremists of sort, I would hope that people
recognise that the majority of Australia
Muslims are not represented by a minority of
Muslim extremists and I would also hope that
the majority of conservative Australia is
not represented by, you know,
representatives like One Nation or, for
instance, Scott Morrison or Cory Bernardi's
scaremongering campaigns, which only serve
to, frankly, create further divisions in our
society.
I'm more interested in what sort
of, you know, country, we can create where
minority groups - where marginalised
minority groups can come together and work
constructively. Where we can all be proud to
call Australia home and I don't think, you
know, myths that have been pedalled by
representatives from One Nation or otherwise
do anything to advance our national
interest.
......it's
hard for me
and my
friends,
let's say,
to create a
sense of
belonging
and to, you
know, strike
a connection
and
affiliation
with the
Australian
identity
when we are
told time
and time
again that,
frankly,
you're not
integrating,
you have to
assimilate
to our way
and our
monocultural
existence
otherwise
leave....
SAMAH HADID
PIERS AKERMAN: They are an irrelevancy as
far as they are concerned. I am disturbed
though, when I hear Samah saying that she
hopes that young Muslims will feel proud to
be Australians, as if Australia is being
held up to some sort of a test.
I would have
thought that all people in Australia have a
great affection for this country and for the
values that it offers its citizens. I'm
disturbed that Samah and her friends, or
some of them anyway, may feel that they are
totally outside broader Australia.
SAMAH HADID: Well, Piers, it's hard for me
and my friends, let's say, to create a sense
of belonging and to, you know, strike a
connection and affiliation with the
Australian identity when we are told time
and time again that, frankly, you're not
integrating, you have to assimilate to our
way and our monocultural existence otherwise
leave. How are we able...
PIERS AKERMAN: Well, but let me get this
right, Samah. You are an Australian
Ambassador to the UN, right?
SAMAH HADID: Mm-hm.
PIERS AKERMAN: And yet you don't feel
Australian.
SAMAH HADID: No, I absolutely feel Australia
but I'm saying that attitudes...
PIERS AKERMAN: Well, I...
SAMAH HADID: ...attitudes, right, that you
happen to peddle as well...
PIERS AKERMAN: But you're out there as a
pinnacle of our youth probably in one of the
most envied jobs that a young woman can have
and yet you feel uncomfortable about
representing Australia.
SAMAH HADID: Absolutely not and I did not
say that.
PIERS AKERMAN: Oh, good. Okay. Okay.
SAMAH HADID: I did not say that. I'm very
proud to represent Australia, right, but
I...
PIERS AKERMAN: Sure. Well, who are these
people that are not happy.
SAMAH HADID: If you can please let me
finish, right?
PIERS AKERMAN: Yeah. Yeah.
SAMAH HADID: There are those who feel as
though they are being further alienated and
marginalised, right, and targeted.
TONY JONES: Okay.
.......I
mean Islam
is an
ancient
religion of
great
scholarship.
I mean for
heaven sake
much of our
learning and
culture came
to us from
the Muslims,
just like,
you know,
our whole
system of
numbers and
much of the
learning of
the ancient
Greeks only
survived
because of
the Arab
scholars and
the Islamic
scholars.
So, you
know, the
idea that
Islam is
antithetical
to learning
or culture
or
scholarship
is absurd.
Now, you
know, it's a
great
tradition.
MALCOLM
TURNBULL
MALCOLM TURNBULL: No. No. No.
That is not the - well, that's the principle
the gentleman at the back is putting up and
I respectfully disagree with him. I think it
is very important that we continue to spend
generously but, above all, effectively on
foreign aid. You've got to get value and
effectiveness for your dollar and that's
actually that's much harder than finding the
dollars. Let me just say one thing about
Islam though and Islamic, you know, schools.
Is was a great mistake to assume that all
Islamic schools, you know, are homes for
teaching extremism. I mean that's absurd.
I mean Islam is an ancient
religion of great scholarship. I mean for
heaven sake much of our learning and culture
came to us from the Muslims, just like, you
know, our whole system of numbers and much
of the learning of the ancient Greeks only
survived because of the Arab scholars and
the Islamic scholars. So, you know, the idea
that Islam is antithetical to learning or
culture or scholarship is absurd. Now, you
know, it's a great tradition. It is
important for us that we promote and
encourage Islamic traditions which are
moderate, which support freedom, which
support democracy and which support
Australian values not in the sense of Aussie
values but in the sense of democracy, rule
of law, tolerance, freedom. That's what
we're talking about and they are universal
values.
SAMAH HADID: Malcolm, do you repeat this in
the Coalition party room? Because I think
it's necessary.
MALCOLM TURNBULL: Well, I mean, look, it is
a - I mean, look, it's a penetrating glimpse
of the obvious Samah. I mean, you know, the
idea that you demonise the faith of billions
of people...
SAMAH HADID: Absolutely.
MALCOLM TURNBULL: ...with, you know, 1500
years or thereabouts of history and
tradition and scholarship is absurd.
BILL SHORTEN: So what was Cory Bernardi - so
what was Cory Bernardi thinking when he said
it?
MALCOLM TURNBULL: Well, he obviously wasn't
thinking carefully enough and that is why he
apologised for it, William.
BILL SHORTEN: Fair enough.
MALCOLM TURNBULL: All of us are mortal and
make mistakes.
Islamic
Finance Symposium
Griffith University will be
hosting the Islamic Finance Symposium on Monday,
4 April 2011.
The Islamic Finance Symposium
aims to bring together industry, academics and
politicians to discuss the emergence of Islamic
banking and finance in global financial markets
and efforts by governments (through regulatory
and tax initiatives) to facilitate it.
The 2011 Symposium will be held at the Griffith
University’s South Bank campus located on the
fringe of Brisbane’s central business district.
This is an initiative of Griffith
University, Griffith Islamic Research Unit and
Department of Accounting, Finance and Economics.
All CCN readers are welcome to attend.
Attendance is free with morning and afternoon
drinks and light lunch included.
Some 40 young men and women
headed out from Kuraby Mosque to
Camp Koonjewarre by bus on Friday afternoon.
"The rain has limited outdoor
activities, but hasn't taken away from the
learning and enjoyment of the camp," Ismail
Essof texted CCN.
Guest speakers included Zachariah
Mathews and Dave Andrews, with Imam Gazahleh and
Sheik Abshir "sharing their wisdom and adding a
deeper sense of spirituality to the camp".
The campers return today
(Sunday).
A full write up to follow next
week
‘Madrassas’ in the British media
The
strongly negative headlines generated by events
such as 9/11 and 7/7 have changed the way that
Muslims and Islam are discussed in the press.
Madrassas (particularly those in
countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan) are now
frequently mentioned in the context of debates
about radicalisation and extremism, and it is
likely that this has had an important impact on
the way that they are perceived by policymakers
and in communities in Britain.
Generally, these fears are not
based on rigorous research but rather on
intermittent reporting and speculation in the
media. This leads to a poor understanding
amongst policymakers and the wider public about
how many madrassas exist, how they are funded
and governed, and what their impact on the
children who attend them may be. There is also
an unhelpful lack of clarity about the important
distinctions between mainstream Muslim faith
schools, religious seminaries (known as darul
uloom) and Muslim supplementary schools or
madrassas.
Having identified these gaps, ippr’s project
aims to provide a more accurate and extensive
evidence base on madrassas, seeking to identify
where they are performing well, where they could
improve and how they can be supported to deliver
positive outcomes for the children and
communities they serve. This briefing is
concerned with madrassas specifically rather
than mainstream faith schools or seminaries.
While the final report of this
research will not be available until September
2011, ippr has made available the preliminary
findings based on a review of the available
literature and an extensive analysis of the way
that madrassas have been portrayed by national
and local media over the past decade.
The Holland Park Mosque Ladies Auxiliary
Committee has been revived again to assist
with the organizing and coordinating of events,
functions and picnics.
At a meeting held this week, the committee was
re-constituted with SrSultana
Ahmed
as the President.
Executive committee:
SrSultanaAhmed
(President)
SrFerial Jadwat (Vice President) SrSara Deen (Secretary) SrGulnur Erol (Assistant Secretary) SrShamhad Hasan (Treasurer) SrNisha Hannif (Assistant Treasurer)
Committee members: SrZeenat Hussain SrElif Kubra Erol SrAsha Ali Ibrahim SrFarida Ali SrJahira Deen SrRoushan Rahman
Sr
Rabbul
Deen
There will be regular monthly
meetings at the Mosque on the 2nd Saturday of
every month starting at 11am (immediately after
the ladies programme).
The next general meeting will be
held this week Saturday 12 March, and all ladies
interested in being a part of this committee are
welcome to attend.
Multicultural cricket talent identification program
Male
and female cricketers aged under 16 years of age
with an ethnic or culturally and linguistically
diverse background are invited to attend a
talent identification session at the venues
listed
here.
(Cricketers over the age of 16
are also welcome to attend to be identified for
inclusion in Coaching and Officiating programs)
Players identified may be
selected to attend the Queensland Cricket
Emerging Players Program training sessions.
Biltong
from Brisbane
Authentic South African Beef Biltong
Priced
from $5
Contact
Imraan on 0421 741 424
Comes
in traditional and peri peri flavours.
Jewish
group supports non-discriminatory access to community
house, condemns calls to exclude Muslim prayer Group
AJDS Press Release
The Australian Jewish Democratic
Society (AJDS) supports non- discriminatory
access to an East St Kilda Community House that
provides a valuable resource to the community it
serves. From childrens ` parties, play groups
and celebrations, to religious events and prayer
groups, usage of the Community House reflects
the diversity of communal activity.
Recently, a Muslim prayer group which has been
using the Community House for one hour a week
over the last two years, has been the target of
an anti-Muslim campaign by a group called the Q
Society of Australia. The Q Society identified a
need for a planning amendment to the Community
House and is using this issue to spread fear of
Muslims across the local community.
Q society spokesperson Vickie Janson, who ran
for the Victorian Upper House for the Christian
Democratic Party of Fred Nile and does not live
in the area, is leading a campaign of innuendo
and misinformation which in part is aimed at
sowing fear in the Jewish population of the
local area. We join with other Jewish
organisations that have recognised the right of
people of goodwill to practise their faith in
the Community House.
The AJDS has a long and proud history of
opposing racism and supporting social justice.
Spokesperson, Harold Zwier said `It is important
that the prejudice emerging from the campaign
against a Muslim prayer group be met by voices
which proclaim the value in our diversity, the
inclusive nature of a healthy community and the
right of all people to be treated with dignity
and fairness.´
The Port Philip City Council has proposed a
planning amendment to bring the rules under
which the Community House operates, into line
with how it is actually used. We strongly
support the changes proposed by the Council.
The AJDS urges everyone in our community to
speak out against the voices of prejudice,
exclusion and religious intolerance.
A scene from The
Reluctant Infidel, where the main
protagonist, Mahmud/Solly has an
identity that blurs the lines
between Jewish and Muslim
Jews should welcome a Muslim
prayer group in St Kilda, argues Deborah Stone
A group of
petitioners
have come up
with a long
list of
objections
to allowing
Muslim
prayer in
East St
Kilda.
1. They
argue that
Muslim
ablution
requirements
waste water.
2. They
claim Muslim
prayer is
racist and
rejecting of
other
religions,
that Islam
is
separatist
and
proselytising
and that
prayer
gatherings
may
encourage
violence.
They tar the
group with
associations
with
extremists
and imply
that because
they are
Muslims they
want sharia
law.
3. They
claim that
claim that
the prayer
group is
actually a
banned
terrorist
organization.
4. They
argue that
East St
Kilda is “a
bastion of
Judeo-Christianity”
and Muslims
are “trying
to
infiltrate”.
I don’t know the Muslims
who want to use the Alma Road Community
House for their prayers. I have no reason to
believe they are terrorists, any more than I
have reason to expect that the applicants to
run the next Italian restaurant will be
using it as a mafia hideout or that the
local Catholic school is sheltering a
paedophile priest.
It’s true the Muslim community contains a
small section that support fundamentalism,
and an even smaller group of potential
terrorists. It’s also true that there are
bubbles of underworld activity and
paedophilia and other terrible crimes within
certain groups for complex historical and
sociological reasons.
But people are innocent until proven guilty.
The day we start assuming all Muslims are a
threat is the day we end religious freedom –
not just for others but also for ourselves.
Alma Community House is a Port Phillip
Council venue for hire by all kinds of
welfare and cultural groups, from rummy
players to children’s birthday parties. It’s
in East St Kilda, in the heart of Jewish
Melbourne, just down the road from Temple
Beth Israel, Melbourne’s largest progressive
synagogue, and St Kilda Shule, a
heritage-listed orthodox shul.
The road
is long....with many a winding turn....he ain't
heavy.....he's a traveller!
Finally getting used to the
comforts of life that he had forsaken for a few
months, Yusuf Omar has settled down to
reflecting on his trip.
IOL Travel
'My
People' By Yusuf Islam (song for Egypt)- EXCLUSIVE song
‘My People’ was recorded less than a
hundred yards from the site of the Berlin wall, the
downfall of which symbolized a massive victory in
the quest for Freedom by impounded and oppressed
people. Yusuf wrote this song to support people
around the world still dreaming of being unshackled
from harsh authoritarian regimes.
The
French Film Festival at Palace Cinemas - The
Barracks this year will include “Of
Gods and Men” (in French with English
subtitles), an amazing and provocative story
about a group of Catholic monks in Algeria in
the 1990’s, which got an award at Cannes last
year.
Eight French Christian monks live
in harmony with their Muslim brothers in a
monastery perched in the mountains of North
Africa in the 1990s.
When a crew of foreign workers is
massacred by an Islamic fundamentalist group,
fear sweeps though the region.
The army offers them protection,
but the monks refuse.
Should they leave?
Despite the growing menace in
their midst, they slowly realize that they have
no choice but to stay, come what may.
This film is loosely based on the
life of the Cistercian monks of Tibhirine in
Algeria, from 1993 until their kidnapping in
1996.
Believing Women for a Culture of
Peace has 100 tickets to sell at $20 each for
the screening on Sunday 20th March. Contact Nora
at namath14@yahoo.com, 0422 349 786; or Wendy at
info@believingwomen.org.au 3350 5802 to
place orders and make arrangements for tickets.
Multicultural Fete raises $30K for flood vitims
Janeth Deen
The
Queensland Muslim Welfare Association Inc joined
with other Multi-cultural groups in their fund
raising event held at the Queensland Police
Service Academy in Oxley last night (Saturday).
Each cultural or religious group
had a display of items which represented their
community or religion. The event was attended by
representatives of all levels of Government and
the wider community with about three hundred
turning up to support the cause..
Four Muslim businesses generously donated goods
for the auction in this multi-cultural event.
Ala-din Catering donated a
hamper to the value of $150, Babyhood
donated goods to the value of $500, Siitra
clothing donated $75 worth of clothing and
Nandos Mt Gravatt donated four vouchers
worth $40 each. The names of these businesses
were flashed on the screens several times during
the night to acknowledge their contribution.
Several members of government made special
mention of the Muslims' contributions to the
flood victims, especially the Mayor of Ipswich,
Paul Pissale and Annastacia Palaszczuk, Minister
for Multiculturalism.
The program was entertaining with music, dance,
speeches and food. It started at 4pm and
finished at 8pm. It took eight weeks of meetings
to prepare for the event and all the
multicultural and religious groups bonded well
and learned much about each other during the
process.
The southern
hemisphere's largest mosque is rising up in
Midrand, Gauteng
SOUTH AFRICA:
The mosque, at the corner of Le Roux Avenue
and the K101, is set on 10ha and will cost
an estimated R210-million.
It is modelled on the Selimiye Mosque in
Edirne, Turkey, acclaimed for its lavish
Ottoman architecture.
Scheduled for completion in January 2012, it
will incorporate the Sama (meaning heaven in
Arabic) High School, student boarding
facilities, a bazaar, clinic, conference
facility and a community hall for 1500
people.
The
venture is the brainchild of Ali Katircioglu,
72, better known as "Uncle Ali", a Turkish
businessman who is funding and managing the
project.
Katircioglu, who is inspired by the
teachings of his long-time friend Fethullah
Gülen, a Turkish preacher, author and
educator, was advised by his friend to
develop the project in "Madiba's home".
Once completed, it will be handed over to
the Fountain Education Trust, an Islamic
non-profit organisation, which will manage
the administration of the institution.
The structure, which is 80% complete,
includes four minarets, each 55m high, a
32m-high and 24m-wide dome at the apex of
the mosque, with 24 smaller domes adorning
the boarding rooms and courtyard.
The interior will be ornamented in Ottoman
style with all natural marble ceramics and
Islamic artwork.
"Uncle Ali realised that there was not a
single model of Ottoman architecture in the
southern hemisphere and vowed to ensure the
project was completed. He has turned away
all donors, telling them to contribute to
the running of the facilities, such as
bursaries for the students, instead," said
Mehmet Naci, deputy principal of Sama Boys'
School.
Naci said once the project was completed,
they would apply to the Gauteng Department
of Tourism to have it listed as a landmark
and tourist attraction.
Anti-Muslim Protestor Throws Crosses At Feet
Of Man Praying By White House
USA: A group of anti-Sharia
protestors who planned to counter-protest
the planned pro-Sharia rally by the radical
provocateur Anjem Choudary in front of the
White House on Thursday found themselves
without an opponent to debate.
The counter rally planned by Frank Gaffney
in response to Choudary's pro-Sharia
demonstration was left without a raison
d'etre after Choudary failed to show up as
he'd previously announced (and promoted on
Fox News). That left Gaffney and his group
preaching to the choir so to speak as they
denounced Sharia law to their followers as
well as media and curious onlookers.
But just as the rally was dying out, a
Muslim man who showed up to pray in front of
the White House. He was quickly surrounded
by a large group of protestors who shouted
an array of insults at him: mocking him for
drinking Starbucks coffee, telling him to go
back to his country and even throwing tiny
crosses at his feet as he prayed.
Baroness Warsi: I would die for my beliefs,
says Muslim peer
Baroness
Warsi, Britain's first Muslim Cabinet
minister, has said she is prepared to “have
a short but productive life” rather than
resign from front-line politics in the face
of serious threats from Islamic extremists.
The Conservative Party
co-chairman said that being “brave” rather
than having a “play-it-safe life” was a
worthwhile price for being a pioneer at the
highest levels of government.
It is believed that the peer has faced
serious threats from Muslim extremists.
In an interview with the Daily Telegraph,
Baroness Warsi said her situation “worried”
her family.
However, she said: “Why go into politics if
you are not going to be brave?
“If you want to stand on the sidelines and
not stand up for what you believe in,
politics is the wrong game to be in.
“It worries my parents and it worries my
husband and it worries my kids and they
obviously don’t like it when I hold this
approach.
“If that means you have a short but
productive life, that is worth doing, than
having a long but play-it-safe life. I
believe that there are things that are far
more important.
“If people when they were fighting against
apartheid or fighting for the black civil
rights movement … thought I could be dead
tonight if I do this – I don’t think people
think like that when people feel
passionately enough about something and feel
this is an issue of huge principle.”
Two years ago on a visit to Luton, Baroness
Warsi was attacked by Muslim extremists who
do not support a Muslim woman having such an
important role in British political life.
“If Luton was anything to go by when I was
egged, my natural reaction was to turn round
and start on them rather than walk away,”
she said. “My natural reaction is always –
how dare you?”
Searching for Solace ; A Biography of
Abdullah Yusuf Ali : Interpreter of the Qur'an
by
M. A.
Sharif
Review
Muslims across
the world refer to different translations of the Quran,
but anybody who has gone through the translation of the
Surahs by Abdullah Yusuf Ali (picture left)
in English will agree that his knowledge of a great many
subjects-comparative religion, world history, both
English and Oriental literature, in addition to Islamic
lore is marvellous.
Abdullah Yusuf Ali’s Translation and Commentary of the
Quran was first published in Lahore in 1938. Thus, from
that year till his death, Yusuf Ali was recognised and
acclaimed as a great scholar of Islam who had rendered
valuable service to the Quran by enabling the English
readers to understand its meaning and message better.
To most people, Abdullah Yusuf Ali who has been
reverentially known at least in the sub-continent as
Allamah Abdullah Yusuf Ali was recognised simply as the
most important “interpreter of the Quran” in English.
Strangely enough, while his scholarly stature was widely
known, very few people knew anything about him, other
than his being a translator of the Quran. Even basic
information regarding his place of birth, his childhood,
his family background, religious orientation, etc were
scarcely known. The life of this outstanding scholar of
the Quran even for those who cared to read about Islam
was shrouded in a mist.
M.A.Sherif, the scion of a religious and educated family
of South Asia, settled in UK and a systems analyst by
profession has attempted to precisely fill this gap. He
has devoted several years of his life delving into many
sources. Thanks to this methodical research combined
with Sherif’s intellectual endowments, a lucid and
felicitous pen-we now have a captivating, full length
biography which brings out Yusuf Ali in flesh and blood.
The author’s choice of the title, Searching for Solace
for this biography is significant. For Yusuf Ali
suffered the shock of two successive broken marriages
and the ensuing agony was further exacerbated by the
disrespect shown to him by his children. That Yusuf Ali
could fruitfully carry out his masterpiece translation
of the Quran under these circumstances enhances our
appreciation for the man and his achievements. It was
natural and appropriate that in these stressful
circumstances Yusuf Ali should turn to God and to God’s
book for solace. For the Quran in its own words is “an
exhortation and a healing for the ailments of the heart,
and a guidance and mercy for those who believe (10:57)
and above all is the fact that it is in “Allah’s
rememberance that hearts find peace.” (13:28).
The work was originally published by the Islamic Book
Trust, Kuala Lumpur and it was the globe trotters who
were lucky to pick up this book as it went out of reach
in India. This fresh edition of the book is a boon to
us, and soon its Urdu translation will see the light of
the day.
Packed with touching incidents from the life of Yusuf
Ali, the reader is taken on a journey into the life of
the man who saw the world through his heart and when the
world hurt him, his heart completely broke, as the first
chapter reads : “ The winter of 1953 was a harsh one in
Britain. On Wednesday 9, December, a confused old man
was found out of doors, sitting on the steps of a house
in Westminster. The police took him to Westminster
Hospital. He was discharged the following day and a
London County Council home for the elderly in Dovehouse
Street, Chelsea took him in. He suffered a heart attack
on December 10 and was rushed to St Stephen’s Hospital
in Fulham. Three hours after admission, he died.
Unusually there were no relatives to claim the body and
arrange for the funeral. However the deceased was known
to the Pakistan High Commission and as soon as the
Coroner for the County of London had completed the
inquest, an Islamic burial was arranged in the Muslim
section of Brookwood cemetery, Surrey.
So in these enigmatic circumstances, ended the
remarkable life of Abdullah Yusuf Ali at the age of 81.”
If the first chapter has already made you misty-eyed, do
pick up a copy of this brilliant biography of a
sensitive human being and a great Muslim scholar.
Get in touch with Syed Tanveer Ahmed, Bookware
(Bangalore) Ph: 23543401, Cell: 9844158731,E-mail:
bookware@indiatimes.com and Adam Publishers and
Distributors, New Delhi.
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.
KB SAYS:In the mood for a
"tea-dunker"? Then I invite you to try this easy but
delicious recipe. But beware - it can become quite
addictive. Ask anyone who has had even just a taste of
it.
.
Ingredients
1. 250g grated butter (frozen)
2. 3 cups flour
3. 7 tsp baking powder
4. ½ tsp salt
5. 2 Tab Castor Sugar
6. 1 ½ Tab whole jeeru (cumin seeds)
7. Approx 1 ½ cups of buttermilk
Method
1. Sift the flour, Baking Powder and salt.
2. Toss the butter into the flour, working
quickly so the butter does not melt.
3. Add the sugar and the jeeru (cumin seeds)
and toss lightly with a fork.
4. Add buttermilk to make soft scone like
dough.
5. Pat the dough into a rectangle approx
10mm thick.
6. Cut into strips or squares and place on a
baking sheet.
7. Brush with buttermilk and sprinkle with
sesame seeds or slivered almonds
8. Place on a baking tray leaving space
in-between as they will rise and place In
the freezer until frozen, maybe overnight if
possible.
9. Remove from the freezer and bake in its
frozen state at 220 degrees for 5 minutes
then reduce to 200dgrees and bake for
another 3 minutes.
10. Then reduce to 180 degrees and bake
until light brown, approx 5mins.
11. Reduce the temperature to 100 degrees
and allow to dry out for 3 to 4 hours or
until crispy.
12. Pack in an airtight container.
Q: Dear Kareema, I'm in my
late 50's and can actually feel my body 'slowing'. I can
still do all the activities I enjoy and I even make it
to the gym on a regular basis. How hard should I be
working without pushing myself too far and what are some
activities I can do that would suit?
A: A great way to keep up your fitness levels is
through as much accidental exercise (exercise without
knowing it) as possible! This means to move / be active
on a daily basis. There are inventive ways to slot it
into your life..
Try mowing the lawn, or light digging in
the garden. Medium-paced swimming or cycling will be
good for you too as there is no jarring through the
knees (no impact).
As for how hard you should be pushing
yourself - well, as hard as you can!
Always find your limit and challenge it.
Go with how you feel on the day.
If you feel sluggish, choose
moderate-intensity exercises (slight but noticeable
increase in your breathing and heart-rate), eg. brisk
walking, etc.
On the days that you're feeling good or
get to the gym, go for it! Push yourself to YOUR maximum
and be sure to 'rest and recover' your muscles with
breaks in between.
Make sure to fit a couple of Yoga,
Pilates or stretch classes in every week. NJOY!
All questions sent in are published here anonymously
and without any references to the author of the
question.
The CCN Chuckle
A
defendant was on trial for murder. There was
strong evidence indicating guilt, but there was
no corpse. In the defence's closing statement
Habibullah the lawyer, knowing that his client
would probably be convicted, resorted to a
trick.
"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I have a
surprise for you all," Habibullah said as he
looked at his watch. "Within one minute, the
person presumed dead in this case will walk into
this courtroom." He looked toward the courtroom
door. The jurors, somewhat stunned, all looked
on eagerly. A minute passed. Nothing happened.
Finally Habibullah said, "Actually, I made up
the previous statement. But you all looked on
with anticipation. I, therefore, put it to you
that you have a reasonable doubt in this case as
to whether anyone was killed, and I insist that
you return a verdict of not guilty."
The jury, clearly confused, retired to
deliberate. A few minutes later, the jury
returned and pronounced a verdict of guilty.
"But how?" inquired Habibullah the lawyer. "You
must have had some doubt; I saw all of you stare
at the door."
The jury foreman, Mula Nasruddin, replied, "Yes,
we did look, but your client didn't."
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Topics that
are relevant, Iman-boosting and
mind-capturing. Where: AMYN Islamic Youth Centre,
16/157 North Road, Woodridge When: Every Saturday,after Maghrib
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
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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.
The
strongly negative headlines generated by events
such as 9/11 and 7/7 have changed the way that
Muslims and Islam are discussed in the press.
Male
and female cricketers aged under 16 years of age
with an ethnic or culturally and linguistically
diverse background are invited to attend a
talent identification session at the venues
listed
The
French Film Festival at Palace Cinemas - The
Barracks this year will include “
The
Queensland Muslim Welfare Association Inc joined
with other Multi-cultural groups in their fund
raising event held at the Queensland Police
Service Academy in Oxley last night (Saturday).
The
venture is the brainchild of Ali Katircioglu,
72, better known as "Uncle Ali", a Turkish
businessman who is funding and managing the
project. 
Baroness
Warsi, Britain's first Muslim Cabinet
minister, has said she is prepared to “have
a short but productive life” rather than
resign from front-line politics in the face
of serious threats from Islamic extremists.
