Crescents Community News (CCN) is calling for
submissions from 5-16 year old writers for the following categories for its
inaugural Young Muslim Writers Awards (YMWA):
• Short Story Award
• Poetry Award
Closing date is 31st August 2011.
For the YMWA kit containing all the terms and conditions and the
submission process
click here.
Queensland's Hussin Goss Steals the Sydney Show
Muslim Aid Australia (MAA) Press Release
SYDNEY:
A fun-filled night with a poet, a comedian,
and an exciting auctioneer - and all for a
good cause!
A sell-out crowd
of over 320 guests attended what has been
called “the best charity dinner ever held.”
Muslim Aid Australia
(MAA) raised over
$60,000 for the global emergency appeal and
had a joyous night of fun doing it!
The Global
Emergency Fundraising Dinner commenced with
‘witty’ British MC - Sean McNulty from
Stories in the Park. McNutly thrilled the
crowd with his intellect, never losing the
audience’s attention for a second.
Quran reciter
Zaher Naboulsi followed, reading Ayaat
174-177 from Surat Al-Baqarah in a style
akin to the famous Abdul Basit Abdul Samad,
calming hearts with the soothing verses.
Muslim Aid’s
Chairperson, Madenia Abdurahman, then
approached the podium to start the night in
the name of Allah, warmly welcoming guests
to the dinner with peace on behalf of Muslim
Aid Australia (MAA) and its Board Members.
The floor was
then given to the gentle giant and spoken
word artist extraordinaire, Zohab Khan, who
regaled the audience with moving poetry
about the love of a Mother, before a second
inspiring poem about poverty. Both poems
moved listeners, with the second called “I
don’t know” making every listener
contemplate how much they really know about,
and remember those orphaned, those starving,
and those in desperate need dying every day.
MAA’s Treasurer,
Aziz Dindar addressed the crowd with
important insights into MAA’s global
activities in the last year and MAA’s
strategic plans for the future.
Thereafter, our
special “mystery speaker”, Beylal Racheha,
took the podium immediately and spoke from
the heart with passion and sincerity. His
inspirational words affected every single
attendee at the event, causing some to cry
as all thought on the plight of the poor and
our ignorance of our responsibility to them.
He reminded us of the actions of the Prophet
(saw) and his companions; that Allah sees
all our actions; that our wealth is given to
us as a gift, and that we will be questioned
about how we spent it.
But, the best
was yet to come as the entertainingly
comical Hussin Goss (who flew all the way
from Queensland to join us) came onto the
stage to what some have said as, “the most
entertaining and enthusiastic auctions we’ve
ever experienced.”
His strong 'aussie'
accent coupled with his lively auction style
had the crowd shooting their hands into the
air faster than they could say "MAA"!
While a
multi-layered cheesecake called “Mortal Sin”
was served for dessert, the hilarious
comedian Khaled Khalafalla took the stage to
flawlessly leave the crowd laughing joke
after joke and impression after amusing
impression.
The last main
act to top off the night came from an encore
performance from Zohab who delivered a very
comical poem about the moon-sighting dramas
in the community at every lead-up to
Ramadan.
After a closing
thank you and goodnight, the show ended and
our guests went home happy after a fantastic
night out for a great cause.
All of the
feedback was mostly effusive in their praise
of the event:
"Best
dinner I’ve EVER been to!" - Joanna
H. "It was awesome, I loved it! There
were no boring bits, very entertaining!
Really impressed with MAA’s work
mashallah, May Allah (swt) reward you
all for your efforts" - Safia
Maradani "Delicious food, awesome company and
entertainment that left us all in
stitches. And all for a great cause!
Definitely looking forward to more MAA
events in the future"- Muhummad S.
I.
Mr. Riyaad
Ally, Muslim Aid Australia's Marketing
and Fund Raising Manager, who sees the last
of his bachelor days coming to an end at the
end of this week, told CCN: "When we said
'Dinner of the Year' we 'meant' it! "
Animal
Cruelty is not Islamic
By Dr Mohamad Abdalla,
Griffith Islamic Research
Unit, Griffith University
The recent footage of the animal cruelty in some
Indonesian abattoirs has caused an outcry in Australia leading to the ban of
export of live cattle.
Whilst I feel pity for the losses of many
Australian cattle farmers, it would be pleasing to see that the cruel
treatment practiced in Indonesian abattoirs comes to an end.
This is necessary to end the suffering that is
caused to these animals, and because such ill practices contravene Islamic
teachings.
It is unfortunate, however, to see that some of
our politicians quickly use the issue to attack Islam.
Federal Member for Dawson, George Christensen,
criticized “the religion that
actually inspires the torture of the cattle” in his recent address to the
parliament. Like those who commit cruelty against animals in Indonesian
abattoirs, Mr. Christensen is ignorant of Islam’s revolutionary teachings
about animal rights.
In Parliament
this week, Mr. Graham
Perrett MP, Member for
Moreton,
responded to this and other
issues related to the
Muslim community in his
electorate.
"MOOZ-lum"
THE MOVIE -- BRISBANE SCREENINGS
Muslim
Aid Australia in cooperation with JAAN presents MOOZ-Lum the movie in
Brisbane.
About the movie: Amid a strict
Muslim rearing and a social life he's never had, Tariq (Evan Ross) enters
college confused. New peers, family and mentors help him find his place, but
the 9-11 attacks force him to face his past and make the biggest decisions
of his life.
Where: Queensland University of Technology When: Wednesday 20th of July 2011
2 sessions only
Session times:
- 6.00 PM Screening + Q&A with writer/director Qasim Basir
- 8.00 PM Screening + Q&A with writer/director Qasim Basir
The
Annual Qur’an Competition organized by the Islamic Council of Queensland
(ICQ) was held on Sunday 19th June at the Islamic College of Brisbane. Over
90 students from various madrassahs and schools in Brisbane and Gold Coast
participated.
The programme commenced at 9.00am with Qur’an Tilawat by Hafiz Mohammed
Khatree followed by a welcome address by the President of ICQ, Br Mohammed
Yusuf. In his address the President thanked the Management Committees and
the Imams of all the participating teams and the members of the community
for their continuous support.
The competition was co-ordinated by Hj AR Deen and Hj Saheed Ali whilst the
MC for the event was Hafiz Khatree who was assisted by Br Imran Ali. The ICQ
Secretary, Br Mohammed Khalid assisted with record keeping.
Every participant received a certificate, a medal and a cash prize of $10.
The winners of third, second and first places in each category for boys and
girls received a trophy and a cash prize of $20, $30, and $50 respectively.
The overall winners for the boys and girls categories received a trophy, a
cash prize of $100 as well as clock/digital pen Qur’an. The standard of the
competition continues to improve as was evident from the fact that in
several cases there were ties.
The overall winner for the Boys category was Haseeb Abdel-Hafiz of
As-Salam Madrassah, Rochedale and the winner of the Girls category was
Shareefa Issa from the Islamic College of Brisbane.
The judges were Imam Hafiz Yakub Patel, Imam Hafiz Sohaib Akbar and Qari
Mahabub-Ul Haq.
The certificates and gifts were presented by the President of ICQ, Hj
Mohammed Yusuf, VP Hj Saheek Hassan, Principal of ICB, Dr Mubarak Noor, Hj
Sadek Mustapha, Hjn Emma Khan, Hj Saheed Ali (ICQ), Hj AR Deen (ICQ), Hj
Jamal Rane, Hj Mohammed Akbar and Dr Praveen Khan.
About 450 people attended the function and they were treated to a delicious
lunch cooked by Brs Mohammed Shameem and Ahmad Khan. Refreshments, tea and
coffee were also provided by ICQ.
In his closing address the ICQ President once again thanked all those who
were involved with or assisted in organizing the competition. He thanked
AFIC for its continuous financial support and the Islamic College of
Brisbane for providing the venue and other facilities. The President then
briefly talked about the forthcoming national census which will take place
on 9th August. He stressed the importance of every Muslim taking part in
this census and especially nominating Islam as their religion. He assured
them that all the information provided will be strictly confidential and
will not be accessed by other departments or agencies. Once the data has
been analyzed the hard copy will be destroyed.
The programme concluded with a Dua by Imam Zeeyad Ravat.
SOUTH
AFRICA: ANC stalwart Kader Asmal suffered a serious heart attack and died
while he was in hospital for a stomach ailment, his family said on
Wednesday.
Tributes have poured in for the former education
minister, life-long defender of universal human rights and prominent
champion of the South African constitution he had helped draft.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu said Asmal served South Africa without an aim of
self-enrichment.
“He served his people and his nation, without a
thought of self-enrichment or aggrandisement,” he said.
“He added substance and vigour to whatever he
did, from the international anti-apartheid movement, to the negotiations
that gave birth to our democratic nation, and later, our constitution; and
from the cabinets in which he served under presidents (Nelson) Mandela and
(Thabo) Mbeki, to the generations of academics and students he inspired,
from Trinity College in Ireland to the University of the Western Cape.”
Tutu sent his condolences to Asmal’s family saying, “if it is any
consolation to them in this time of grief, one of the first people Kader
will bump into in heaven is a certain Albertina Sisulu”.
“He is in good company.”
President Jacob Zuma paid tribute to Asmal,
saying he had made “a sterling contribution to the struggle for liberation”
and had “sacrificed a lot in his life” to ensure that freedom and democracy
were won. He had also made his mark as minister of water and forestry and of
education.
“He will be remembered for his energy, forthrightness, efficiency and
commitment to making this country a better place each day,” Zuma said.
“He will also always be remembered for his passion for human rights for
all.”
The ANC on Wednesday night said it was “deeply saddened by news of the
passing of one of the movement’s foremost intellectual giants”.
“Comrade Kader’s immeasurable contribution in the liberation of South Africa
ensured that the ANC earned respect from the international community and
some progressive foreign governments.
“During his years of exile in Europe, Comrade Kader … continued to raise the
ANC flag high – deepening the understanding of the international community
about the ANC and the South African Struggle for freedom.
“The ANC salutes the sacrifices made by Comrade Kader, his family and his
generation for what they endured for us to enjoy democracy and freedom.
“Without the sacrifices made by Comrade Kader’s generation, we would still
be experiencing colonial and apartheid oppression. We send our sincere
condolences to the Asmal family, relatives, friends and the entire congress
movement.”
DA leader Helen Zille conveyed her party’s sincere condolences to Asmal’s
family.
“Professor Asmal will be remembered for many things, but particularly for
his scholarship and his contribution to entrenching constitutionalism in
South Africa.
Asmal leaves his wife Louise, his sons Rafiq and
Adam, and two grandchildren, Oisin and Zoë.
Turkey
has been undergoing a quiet transformation over the past decade which is
even more significant than the Arab uprisings.
The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) recently won the national
elections for the third time, making Prime Minister Recep Erdogan the most
influential Turkish leader since Kemal Ataturk. But what the AKP represents
is a far cry from Ataturk.
In an election victory photo, Erdogan is seen flanked by his wife who is
wearing a head scarf -- which had been banned from public buildings in
Turkey as part of Ataturk's modernisation of Turkey as a secular state in
the first half of the twentieth century. Flaunting a bright black and white
polka-dot head-scarf in the photo, she looks self-assured and successful,
proud of her Islamic identity and yet quintessentially modern -- much like
the Turkey of today.
Under nine years of AKP rule Turkey has changed radically, shedding its
military past in favour of liberal democracy and combining strong economic
growth and social development with Islamic conservatism and an assertive
foreign policy.
Turkey's economy is booming. A member of the G20 group of developed and
emerging economies, last year its GDP grew by 9%. The Organization for
Economic Co-operation & Development (OECD) predicts Turkey will have the
fastest-growing economy in the OECD until 2017. Unemployment has fallen from
14.4% in 2009 to 11.5% this year, and social development programmes are
beginning to tackle poverty in some of the more remote and troubled areas.
This economic miracle has spawned a new political class of Sunni Muslim
businessmen from Anatolia, committed to global market principles but
fiercely conservative and deeply religious. They form the backbone of
support for AKP and have replaced the military-backed urban elite as the new
ruling class of Turkey.
The Daily Star
Alternative ID suggests Patel
The
President of Muslims Australia (AFIC), Mr Ikebal Patel commented on the
issue of identification for those wearing the Burqa or other head covering
in response to
the case of Carnita Matthews who was sentenced to
six months jail for making a deliberately false statement that a policeman
tried to lift her burqa. She subsequently
had her
conviction quashed by a judge on appeal.
Mr Patel said, "I understand the difficulties
the police are faced with in identifying people wearing a face veil, and
stand with the police against criminal activity."
He further mentioned that Muslims Australia (AFIC) also supports the right
of Muslim women to wear a veil under the principle of freedom of religious
expression.
Mr Patel said that Muslims Australia (AFIC) fully supports the police and
law enforcement agencies and wants to work with the authorities to assist
them in reaching an acceptable solution which will protect the community
while respecting the rights and dignity of Muslim women.
"Muslims Australia (AFIC) is pleased to take a proactive role in this
matter, as the body representing an important faith group within the
Australian community, in recommending strategies for alternate
identification methods.", Mr Patel told CCN.
"These include
having female police officers in whose
presence the face covering could be removed
for a positive identification, having finger
prints taken, or alternatively using retina
scan technology. A crime free environment is
paramount for a civilised and harmonious
society, and so is freedom of religious
expression. There is no reason for these not
to coexist in a nation such as Australia,
which is renowned for its culture of
generosity.
BBC to
show film on Prophet Muhammad's (pbuh) life
By The Independent
The
BBC is to trace the journey of the Islamic prophet Muhammad for a new series
which is claimed to be a first for British television.
Al Jazeera reporter Rageh Omaar (pictured right) will present the
three-part programme for BBC2, following in the prophet's footsteps from
Mecca and along the journeys he took during his life.
To ensure the programmes are in line with Islamic tradition, they will not
depict the face of Muhammad or feature dramatic reconstructions of his life.
The Life Of Muhammad is to be screened next month and will follow events
such as his migration to Medina and the founding of the first Islamic
constitution, through to his death. It will also examine his legacy and the
impact of the faith he established.
The trio of hour-long films have been made by Faris Kermani, the director
and producer of Channel 4 series Seven Wonders Of The Muslim World.
The BBC's commissioning editor for religion and ethics, Aaqil Ahmed, said:
"For some people in the UK, Muhammad is just a name, and I hope this series
will go some way to explaining who he was, how he lived, what his prophetic
message was, and how all of this compares to his legacy today.
"This is a very timely landmark series filmed in Saudi Arabia, Jerusalem,
Syria, Turkey, the USA, the UK and Jordan. It features comment from some of
the world's leading academics and commentators on Islam - a subject that
many people may know little about."
The BBC said the programmes would raise questions about Islam's role in the
world today and explore "where Islam's attitudes towards money, charity,
women, social equality, religious tolerance, war and conflict originate".
Omaar is a former world affairs correspondent for BBC news who joined Al
Jazeera's English service in 2006.
He said: "The details of Muhammad's life really are little known, and I hope
that my series will - for many - shine a light on the very beginning of
Islam, taking viewers to the heart of this faith, illustrating just how
Muhammad's life and legacy is as important today as it was over 1,000 years
ago."
No
understanding of what makes a terrorist: Defence
A NEW Defence report has slammed the quality of
terrorism studies in Australia and overseas, saying it is dominated by
selfproclaimed experts who are inexperienced, do little primary research
work in the field and have rarely met with genuine extremists.
As a result, Defence says there remains little
understanding of the fundamental process of radicalisation that makes some
people move from simply feeling frustrated to becoming a terrorist. The
strongly-worded study, conducted by the Defence Science and Technology
Organisation and released on its website this month, was commissioned to
improve Australia's understanding of violent extremism and the responses to
it.
Violent
extremism is
expressed
through a
multiplicity
of forms and
guises and
so there is
an urgent
need to
expand the
research
gaze beyond
Islamism and
Muslim
communities
to the
broader
phenomenon.
The study, "Countering Violent Extremism
Literature Review", concluded there were common "deficiencies" in much of
the writing on terrorism issues since 2000.
"First, (there is) a lack of primary source
analysis; second, a continued general shortage of experienced researchers on
this topic; third, the majority of authors who haven't met with terrorists
or undertaken any fieldwork in the area being written about; fourth, the
reliance on limited methodologies and levels of analysis; and fifth,
remarkably, little academic analysis is devoted to critiquing research into
violent extremism and terrorism studies," it says.
DSTO said there was a lack of clarity in
terrorism literature as to how people moved from being frustrated or
disaffected towards accepting violence as a mode of political struggle. "The
problem again is that understandings of terrorism as set out in the
literature still cannot explain why some people become terrorists whilst
others do not. "It is easy enough to show how radical ideas are internalised
by terrorists post-facto, but this does not explain why some people exposed
to radical ideas are not radicalised. In fact, the majority of people
exposed to radical ideas are not radicalised."
....there
is no reason
to ignore
that other
ideological,
ethnic or
religious
groups may
also pose a
threat to
Australia's
national
security
The report, by research teams from DSTO and the
University of South Australia, was based on a study of 526 terrorism
articles from academicjournals, websites, and government and nongovernment
reports and books. While the report recognises "the unique challenges in the
collection of primary data" on terrorism, it says researchers needed to
improve their empirical research bases using court records and reports as
well as terrorist websites. It also calls for terrorism studies to be
broadened beyond Islamic terrorism. "Violent extremism is expressed through
a multiplicity of forms and guises and so there is an urgent need to expand
the research gaze beyond Islamism and Muslim communities to the broader
phenomenon.
"For instance, in the various terrorist-related
cases heard in Australia it is worth noting that at least one of these case
(a Tamil Tiger case) was not related to Islam, Muslim extremism or jihadist
networks. Thus, there is no reason to ignore that other ideological, ethnic
or religious groups may also pose a threat to Australia's national
security."
Source: Australian Monday 20/6/2011
Muslim
community gets recognized for its contribution
Last week, CCN reported on local Muslims being recognized on
behalf of the Muslim community by the Queensland Government for their
contributions during this years floods and cyclone.
The above images show Mr. Fazal Muhammed (left)
accepting his medal from Mr. Wayne Wendt MP, State Member for Ipswich West,
at the ceremony held recently.
Flying
UAE flag high
Emirati
filmmakers Khalid Al Mahmoud, Nawaf Al Janahi and Nayla Al Khaja will fly
the UAE flag when their films are screened in Australia next month.
The trio's films Sabeel, The Circle and Once will tour across the country
from June 30-July 31 as part of the line-up for the Arab Film Festival
Australia 2011.
The films were originally screened at the Dubai International Film festival.
More than half of the 22 feature, documentary and short films screening at
the 2011 Arab Film Festival Australia have been selected from DIFF 2010 and
recent editions of the Gulf Film Festival.
Films from Lebanon include Stray Bullet by Georges Hachem and Sabine Al
Chamaa's short film A Tuesday.
Six
ordinary Australians agreed to challenge their preconceived notions about
asylum seekers and refugees by living like refugees for 25 days. They moved
in with real refugees building a new life in Australia, before taking a
perilous journey to unknown shores on a leaky boat.
If you missed the SBS documentaries that were
shown over three nights you can
watch them here.
CCN
tweeting on twitter!
New on
ISLAM TV this week
If you are unable to view Islam
TV here open this CCN newsletter in Firefox or
Safari
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: This week's
delicious recipe is from the incredibly creative
SawlehaHansa, from Durban, South Africa who
is presently in Brisbane attending a family wedding
where her many talents in fashion designing, decorating
and cooking have set a new bar for innovation and
artistry.
.
Ingredients
400ml coconut cream
¾ cup sugar
1½ can pineapple
pieces
3 cups water
1 cup crushed ice
Method
Boil cream and sugar
together until bubbles form remove from heat
and leave to cool In a blender add pineapple
and ice with the water and blend.
Mix together with cream mixture leave in
freezer for 3hours and refrigerate until
served.
Q:
Dear Kareema, I need to tone and strengthen my legs as
well as improve my balance.
Which exercises are best, apart from
walking?
A: A great exercise to trim and tone the legs
would be squats - stand with your feet wider than hips,
knees and toes pointing out a touch.
Slowly
sit back (as if you were going to sit on a chair), and
then rise before touching the chair. For more
resistance, try using some weights to further challenge
the muscles.
Static lunges with either your front or
back foot on a Bosu ball (half a swiss ball) is good to
challenge your balance, in addition, it's another great
leg toner as you have to work harder to recruit more
muscles for stability - which means leaner, stronger
legs!
Remember - repetition equals results. So
try doing 15 reps, 3 sets of each with a 20-30 second
rest between sets.
Also, the stronger your core, the better your balance.
So don't just think of leg exercises when it comes to
improving your balance. Incorporate tummy exercises such
as sit-ups, planks/hovers, etc. and watch your fitness
level and balance soar.
All questions sent in are published here anonymously
and without any references to the author of the
question.
The CCN Chuckle
One day Mula
Nasruddin went to an auction.
While he was
there, he bid for a parrot.
Mula
Nasruddin really wanted this bird, so he got
caught up and thoroughly involved in the
bidding.
He kept on
bidding, but kept getting outbid, so he bid
higher and higher and higher.
Finally, after he had bid much more than he had
intended, Mula Nasruddin won the bid; the parrot
was his at last.
As he was paying for the parrot, he said to the
auctioneer, "I hope this parrot can talk. I
would hate to have paid this much for it, only
to find out that he can't talk!"
"Don't worry." said the auctioneer, "He can
talk. Who do you think kept bidding against
you?"
Want an effective treatment to
clean out BAD CHOLESTROL and PLAQUE from your
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Sacur - 0433 270 770. Book your consultation
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Gabriel K hair studio is a boutique studio
exclusively for women. Gabriel K has over 20
years experience as a stylist and uses Matrix as
the professional range.
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
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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.
The
Annual Qur’an Competition organized by the Islamic Council of Queensland
(ICQ) was held on Sunday 19th June at the Islamic College of Brisbane. Over
90 students from various madrassahs and schools in Brisbane and Gold Coast
participated.
SOUTH
AFRICA: ANC stalwart Kader Asmal suffered a serious heart attack and died
while he was in hospital for a stomach ailment, his family said on
Wednesday. 
Turkey
has been undergoing a quiet transformation over the past decade which is
even more significant than the Arab uprisings.
The
President of Muslims Australia (AFIC), Mr Ikebal Patel commented on the
issue of identification for those wearing the Burqa or other head covering
in response to
The
BBC is to trace the journey of the Islamic prophet Muhammad for a new series
which is claimed to be a first for British television.
Emirati
filmmakers Khalid Al Mahmoud, Nawaf Al Janahi and Nayla Al Khaja will fly
the UAE flag when their films are screened in Australia next month.
Six
ordinary Australians agreed to challenge their preconceived notions about
asylum seekers and refugees by living like refugees for 25 days. They moved
in with real refugees building a new life in Australia, before taking a
perilous journey to unknown shores on a leaky boat.
Slowly
sit back (as if you were going to sit on a chair), and
then rise before touching the chair. For more
resistance, try using some weights to further challenge
the muscles.
