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Australia
gets new Grand Mufti
ANIC
AGM underway
At the annual
general meeting of the Australian National
Imams Council (ANIC) held in Melbourne yesterday
(Saturday), Dr. Ibrahim Abu Muhammad was
elected the new Mufti of Australia.
Dr. Muhammad is a
leading authority in Islamic Finance in
Australia, he holds a Masters Degree from the
College of Usuluddin and a Doctor of Philosophy
(PhD) (gained with high distinction) from Al-Azhar
University.
Dr. Muhammad has
published several works, including the recently
published second edition of his book “Invitation
to Contemplate”, which has been translated into
English and French.
A scholar, a writer
and thinker, Dr Muhammad was born in Egypt
and his PhD thesis was based on ways of making
peace a reality through Islam.
Also present at the
meeting was Malaysian Deputy Secretary General
and Member of State Parliament Dr Syed Azman.
(left
to right)
Imam Isa, Imam Syed
Asadullah Tariq, Dr. Ibrahim Abu
Muhammad, Imam Abu Eid and Imam Dr
Shabbir Ahmed
Get Well
Soon, Zeinab Ali. Our thoughts and Duas are with you
A
Facebook page reflects the sentiments of the
community over the tragic accident in Kuraby
during the week in which 15-year-old Zeinab Ali
of Kuraby was left with life threatening
injuries when she was hit by a 4WD while walking
along the footpath in Beenleigh Road.
She has received
serious head injuries and is at the Princess
Alexandra Hospital.
The two other girls
walking with her, a 16-year-old and a
12-year-old, were not injured but were taken to
the Mater Hospital for observation.
Police are appealing
for witnesses to contact the Forensic Crash Unit
on 3364 3311 or Crime Stoppers.
Eid
celebration at Arthur Gorrie prison
On
Saturday 3rd September the Islamic Council of
Queensland organised an Eid celebration at
Arthur Gorrie Prison for the Muslim inmates.
ICQ was represented by its
president, Mohammed Yusuf, and Farad
Yusuf and Gulam Hussain.
The prison management put together several
activities of sports and fun for the inmates on
this special occasion.
Goss Bros contributed $1000
towards the BBQ and sweets which were
supplemented by other dishes provided by ICQ.
On this occasion Mr. Yusuf also handed over 100
copies of the Qur’an and prayer mats which were
donated by the Algester Mosque.
Arthur Gorrie Prison currently
has about 105 Muslim inmates of whom 81 are
Indonesians.
Trust
Fund for Eye Gaze technology for Dzenan
By Janeth Deen
The Australian
Government announced it was formulating a New
National Disability Scheme on 10 August 2011.
This scheme is being fine tuned at present and
still has to be passed by all the states and
then go through parliament. If it is then
passed, it will not be brought in until 2014.
What a blessing it would be to the disabled if
it was in existence, as one part of the scheme
covers people who may have been the cause of the
accident, who are not now covered by insurance.
Yes, some insurance companies may cover them,
but not all.
Mr. Dzenan
Nuhovic
and (left
to right) Mr. Nedzad Nuhovic,
Mrs. Mirsad
Turkanovic Nuhovic,
Ms Janeth Deen
and Ms Sabrina Khan
We have many
families in our community with disabled members.
They are often cared for by devoted parents or
children, who have sacrificed time, money and
effort to look after them. Love is what drives
them to give up so much. The disabled person
needs this love. care and devotion as the
disability makes them vulnerable.
In our community, one such family comes to mind.
The Nuhovic family came to Australia due to the war in
Bosnia. The father was in a concentration camp,
and later escaped with his family to Norway.
From there they were accepted into Australia and
looked forward to starting a new life. They
arrived in 1998 and were happy to be free. They
even started a small take away business,
although they only lived in a rented house.
On the 16th October, 2000, the middle son, Mr.
Dzenan Nuhovic, who
had one month before celebrated his 23rd
birthday, was involved in an accident at
Sunnybank Hills and suffered severe head
injuries, which made him a quadriplegic. What is
more, the judge decided his inexperience was the
cause of the accident and no compensation was
given. The lives of the members of this family
changed dramatically as a result of this
accident. The son was hospitalised for over two
years in the Royal Brisbane Hospital, and then,
due to the insistence of the parents, was
released into their care.
Eleven years ago, Dzenan could
communicate with the world, over the last eleven
years, he was robbed of this ability. However,
hope is on the horizon, thanks to the
technological age. Speech pathologists in this
country have now been given the chance to trial
the eye gaze system, which operates by the pupil
of the eye linked to a special computer
programme. Dzenan has been tested and
shows signs of responding to the new technology.
The speech pathologist, case workers and the
disability department are all excited with the
results and feel he will, in time be capable of
communicating in some way, with the help of the
eye scan system. The parents are praying that he
will be able to tell them how he feels, what he
needs and so on.
The trials of the three different makes of this
technology are in progress and the cost of
technology will depend on which computer will
suit the young man. The cost could be from
$20,000 to $30,000. Janeth Deen was at the home
when one of the trials was in progress. She
later met with the case worker from Speak Up for
You, the speech pathologist, a lawyer, Ms
Sabrina Khan, and the parents to ascertain the
mechanism for setting up a Trust Fund in order
to raise monies to purchase a suitable system
for Dzenan, who will turn 34 on 20th
September.
The Muslim Charitable Foundation has donated
$2,000 towards the newly formed fund. The
Southern Star has interviewed the family and the
fund will be announced in the next addition. One
of the clauses of the trust deed is that should
the young man's condition deteriorate to the
extent that the machine is no longer suitable
for him, the machine would then be passed on to
another person who could use it.
The money will go into a trust account in which
the parents and Janeth Deen are trustees, until
the required amount is raised. The bank manager
is waiting for permission from head office to
publish the name of the bank and the account
number in the media. He advised Janeth Deen to
be the contact on 0435 086 796 and the address
is to be Janeth Deen, PO Box 517, Sunnybank,
4109. She will then notify and donors of the
bank and account number.
Any support, no matter what the amount, would be
beneficial and greatly appreciated.
BBC2
Documentary: The Life of Mohammed (PBUH)
EPISODE 1
EPISODE 2
EPISODE 3
Brisbane
Somalian community respond to the Horn of Africa Famine
By Abdi Hersi
Food
distributed in the refugee camps in Kenya
which now host hundreds of thousands of
Somali drought victims.
The Horn of Africa region has been parched by
the worst drought in 60 years. Somalia which has
already been wracked by decades of conflict is
the worst hit country in the region.
The United Nations now estimates that 12.4
million people are facing severe food shortages
and are in desperate need of aid. The most
affected areas of Somalia are in the south,
particularly the regions of Lower Shebelle,
Middle and Lower Juba, Bay, Bakool, Benadir,
Gedo and Hiraan, where the
UN says an estimated 310,000 people now suffer
from acute malnutrition. US officials also
stated that the famine in Somalia has killed
more than 29,000 children for the past 90 days.
Watching on television screens the calamity
unfolding in this troubled Muslim nation, the
Brisbane Muslim community responded generously
and quickly to the plight of their Muslim
brothers and sisters in Somalia. The Somali
community in Brisbane in partnership with the
Muslim Charitable Foundation (MCF) sent a cash
donation of $50,000 to the Dadaab refugee camp
in Kenya where thousands of people fleeing from
hunger and starvation are coming every day
This project is implemented by Muslim Aid Kenya
which has distributed emergence relief food of
approximately 40 tones comprising of 160 sacks
of sugar, 700 sacks of rice, 340 sacks of maize
and 4200 boxes of cooking oil. The distribution
of this relief food was a success and there were
about 1500 beneficiary families in the Dadaab
and Dagahley refugee camps in Kenya. Each of
these 1500 families received 5kg rice, 5kg wheat
flour, 5kg sugar, 5kg cooking oil, tea bags,
etc.
Dadaab is located at the northern part of Kenya
near the Somalia and Kenya border and is now the
biggest refugee camp in the world. More than
166,000 Somalis have fled the country since the
start of the year, with more than 100,000 of
those leaving since May.
According to the United Nations High Commission
for Refugees (UNHCR), about 1,400 people reach
the overcrowded Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya
each day.
The reasons why people are fleeing are mainly
the difficulties associated with the fact that
much of the country's most desperate areas are
no-go areas for the Aid ageneses.
Many of those arriving in this camp had to walk
long distance without food and water. In this
journey, some of the children, the weak and old
people die on the way, as they face hunger and
malnutrition for days and sometimes weeks.
The root causes of this famine disaster is
understood to be poor harvests, stemming from a
lack of rain, on-going fighting, destruction of
crops and poor infrastructure which all have led
to serious food shortages and increasing risk of
disease and death.
With the drought in Somalia officially declared
as famine, more and more aid and assistance will
be needed by the people of Somalia for the
foreseeable future.
(left to right)
Members of the Somalian Fund raising
committee with Imam Imraan Husain (5th from
right) and Mr. David Forde (2nd from right): Abdirisak
Laad, Abdi Hersi, Sherif Farah
(front), Yusuf Roble (back),
Abshir Elmi (back), Mohamed Darman,
Osman Shale and Ahmed Jarmal .
The Somali Community in Brisbane
appeals to CCN readers to generously
donate to this disaster in order to
alleviate the suffering of these
people.
Should you wish to donate please contact
brother Abshir Elmi, Imam of Moorooka
mussalah on 0421856825 or Abdikariim Seeraar
on 0401614205.
ICQ's
YEAR project gets off the ground
Community
leaders, Imams and Queensland Police Service
representatives attended the launch of the Youth
Empowerment Against Radicalisation (YEAR)
project at the Islamic College of Brisbane on
Wednesday.
The workshops, jointly funded by
the
Islamic Council of Queensland (ICQ) and the Attorney-General’s Community
Resilience Building Program, will be held over
the coming months starting with the first in the
series on 15 October.
ICQ president, Mr Mohammed Yusuf
and project coordinator, Mr. Yunus Rashid, introduced the rationale behind the workshops
to the different cultural community leaders and
Mr. Steve Kennedy of the QPS anti-terrorism unit
explained strategies for addressing the issues
that were likely to arise from these workshops.
In his keynote address Imam Uzair
Akbar of the Holland Park Mosque expressed his
support for the initiative and the role that
Imams could play in stemming the tide against
radicalization.
Members of the community were
called on to express their views on the subject.
For further information on this
project Mr. Yunus Rashid on 0402 023 550 or email
him at
yunusrashid@hotmail.com.
Picnic
with Bosnian Ambassador
Mr. Graham
Perrett MP, Federal Member for Moreton and
Dr Damir Arnaut Ambassador of Bosnia and
Herzegovina are inviting the public to join them
for a relaxing afternoon in the park, to discuss
Federal initiatives, community issues and
consular questions.
Each class took the responsibility of making
posters, Islamic props and sculptures with
detailed explanations.
These were exhibited in class and outside the
classrooms. Each class had student speakers to
explain to the parents and visitors about the
theme of their exhibits.
The aim for the exhibition was to bring Islam
into the curriculum through Literacy and
Numeracy and give students the opportunity to
showcase their understanding of the subject. The
students had the opportunity to practise
collaborative learning and cooperative skills
while putting together this exhibition.
Not only was Islamic history researched, but it
came alive with 3D props. There were props
depicting Nuh’s (AS) ship, Prophet Mohammed’s
(SAW) cave with the spider’s web, the Kaabah and
its Hajj rituals and procedures and Salah props
with explanations, amongst many others.
The interactive white board was used to show
historical footage of Islam. Some 90 parents
attending the event and Bentley Primary sent
their year 5/6 boys and girls to see the
exhibition. The students of Al-Hidayah School
were keen to share Islamic knowledge with the
visitors from Bentley Primary.
4/5 Boys presenting
their Hijra project
Amira and Kaisah's
cave project.
Ibrahim shows us what to say after we
eat.
Muhammed explains the prophet's Hijrah.
Ayesha and Noorhane's glittering mosque.
Salma and Noura's stunning display on
Yusuf
Zainab and Ashya's story about Nabi
Ibrahim
Salma, Layla & Hayfa
with the story of Ismail
Muslim Aussies reflect on 9/11
SBS
News
ABC's Compass
The programme this
week examined the deep and enduring social,
religious and cultural implications of 9/11 from
an Australian perspective. This special edition
of Compass looked at the ongoing repercussions
and legacy of "9/11" through the experiences of
Australians directly and indirectly affected.
Selected extracts
from the transcripts:
Yassmin Abdel-Magied,
Engineering student, University of Queensland
As some-one who was quite young when September
11 happened, there is a clear demarcation
between like post 9/11 and pre 9/11. And I was
10 years old when it happened. But I think the
main thing was that before 9/11, nobody really
knew what Islam was. Nobody really knew what
Muslims were.
As a kid when we would fly to Sudan I would go
up to the pilots cockpit and we would get
signatures of the pilots and they would give us
chocolates and little planes as gifts. But after
9/11 that sort of thing just never, would ever
happen. And people now know the name Islam or
Muslims but they don't really sort of understand
what it's about still.
Greg Sheridan,
Foreign Editor, The Australian One of the very difficult things for a
liberal society like Australia to come to terms
with, is the fact that the extreme Islamist
interpretation, while it is rejected by a
majority of Muslims has a place in mainstream
Muslim life.
The Catholics who blow up abortion clinics are
utterly rejected by all other Catholics. The
Islamists who take violent action in the name of
Jihad generate significant minority support
within the broad Islamic community. They also
generate support from some Islamic governments,
notably Iran, parts of the Saudi government,
parts of the Pakistani state apparatus.
Yassmin Abdel-Magied
When I see the coupling between Islam and
violence I get really upset because I sort of
think well, where is that coming from? It's
coming from a tiny minority of people who've
decided to use a religion as a political tool,
and decided to warp it for the rest of the world
essentially.
I can understand how that would make young
people angry. Like it makes some of my Muslim
mates pretty mad that people automatically
assume that because they're Muslim they must be
violent.
Dr Halim Rane, Islamic Research Unit,
Griffith University
I think that there is, perhaps for a significant
minority, there perhaps is some strong anti
western sentiments among Muslims. I think that
that is changing though. Going back ten years or
more the proportion was a lot higher. That is
certainly on the decline. Support for groups
like al Qaeda and leaders like Bin Laden has
been on the decline for the last several years,
and continues to be so.
Greg Sheridan,
Foreign Editor, The Australian
I think the word "multiculturalism" no longer
has an agreed meaning. And so the question is am
I opposed to the word or to the reality on the
ground? I think in South West Sydney there is a
very difficult, rather toxic interplay of three
difficult factors: The rise of Jihadist ideology
amongst a minority; the rise of serious violent
crime amongst a certain generation of Muslim
immigrants and their sons; and the rise of a
pattern of anti social behaviour which has a
strongly misogynist tendency. Now in so far as
any of that finds any comfort in the word
multiculturalism then that's an absolutely bad
thing.
Yassmin Abdel-Magied, Engineering student,
University of Queensland
When people talk about the fact that
multiculturalism has failed, I ask them who are
you to say that multiculturalism has failed? I
am a young person who you know, was born in
Sudan, have heritage that is Egyptian and
Turkish, grew up on the south side of Brisbane,
want to travel around the world and I'm telling
you that I don't think it's failed.
All my mates are from all around the world. I've
got pretty much every single continent is
covered and that for me is what multiculturalism
is about. They can ask me about Ramadan and I
can ask them about Christmas and Lent, and
that's what multiculturalism is about. It's not
about what our so called leaders are saying that
it's failed or it's not. Europe is often touted
as an example, but Europe is totally different
from Australia.
Dr Halim Rane, Islamic Research Unit,
Griffith University
I am concerned that there are some communities
where multiculturalism has perhaps allowed
people to not engage as much with the wider
society and remain insular. And I think that
that's detrimental because I think for the wider
society when they look at those communities
there's probably a sense of suspicion and
concern and perhaps some anxiety when they see
large groups of people seemingly practising
norms and values that they perhaps perceive to
be different from those practised by the wider
society.
Greg Sheridan
There are so many good things about diversity.
It's right to celebrate them, but it's not
enough in the debate simply to say "Hey guess
what, I like Islamic food or I like Chinese food
and I once went to a mosque and so everything's
fantastic." That level of simplistic platitude
is just not enough to cut it anymore in the post
9/11 world.
Greg Sheridan
I'm broadly a supporter of interfaith
activities. But I think most western government
activities which travel under the rubric of
counter-radicalisation have been a waste of
money or indeed counter-productive.
Dr Halim Rane,
Islamic Research Unit, Griffith University
Look I think the Cronulla riots demonstrated to
me that there was a lot of kind of
nationalistic, even sometimes paranoia about
others, ethnic and religious others. And I think
that lead to a lot of ignorance and some
prejudices as well among certain segments of the
society.
However I'm someone that has spent a lot of my
life at the beach, and the beach culture is
everybody goes there, this is a public space.
Everybody enjoys it and minds their own
business.
Unfortunately in places like Cronulla you had
groups of young Lebanese men going around
annoying people. And people could only take that
for so long before they get fed up and there's a
backlash.
Dr Halim Rane
The death of Osama Bin Laden has been, I
suppose, a positive development in that I think
that it would probably decrease the morale of
these various terrorist groups who subscribe to
his particular ideology. Couple that with the
emerging trends in the thinking of Muslims over
the last several years, I think that allows less
and less space for those terrorist groups to
operate and it also allows for them to have less
and less support in the broader Muslim world and
in Muslim communities.
Yassmin Abdel-Magied, Engineering student,
University of Queensland
Things like the youthquake in the North East
Africa and the Middle East just prove that young
Muslim people are willing to take action and
willing not only to read history but to rewrite
their history.
We have grown up in a post 9/11 world. How we
deal with that remains to be seen. But I have no
doubt that we will deal with it on our own
terms.
Celebrate
Brisbane’s many diverse cultures at the Indo Oz
Multicultural Festival 2011 on 23 October 2011
at Keating Park, Indooroopilly.
Tantalise your taste
buds with delicious foods from far off places.
Immerse yourself in the many worldly wares at
the multicultural markets. Support and enjoy our
local school bands.
A fun day out for
the whole family. An invitation is also extended
to all multicultural communities to attend and
participate in this festival of cultures from
subcontinent and beyond.
The 2011 Indo Oz
Multicultural Festival promoting Unity in
Diversity.
Sunday 23rd of
October 2011 Keating Park
10am-5pm (Next to Indooroopilly Shopping Centre)
FREE ENTRY Coonan Street, Indooroopilly
Opportunities exist for businesses to
participate to make this event more successful
for further Information and Stall Enquiries
please contact:
Irfanullah, a
6 year old boy from Afghanistan has managed
to memorize the entire Quran in 8 months.
KABUL:
According to Hamidullah Noruz, head of the
council of Ghazni Province in Aghanistan,
the child prodigy started memorization of
the Quran’s verses when he was 5 years old.
He noted that the council has requested
Afghan president to provide an opportunity
for the child to continue his studies in one
of the Islamic countries.
Nasrullah, his father, said that he has
memorized the verses at Dar-ol-Hoffaz School
under the supervision of Bakht Mohammad,
Quran reciter of the country.
Although the war in Afghanistan has not
ceased completely, there are various centers
actively holding Quranic courses for the
youth and children.
UK:
Prayers were said for the September 11
victims at mosques throughout Britain.
More than 50 Muslim community groups united
to show their condemnation of the terrorist
attacks which occurred ten years ago on
Sunday.
Imams throughout Britain gave special
sermons at Friday prayers remembering the
victims of the 9/11 attacks as well as other
people affected by terrorism.
The British Muslim groups which came
together for the anniversary have said the
9/11 attacks were counter-productive to the
terrorists’ aims.
“Those who seek to divide society have
failed. Indeed their destructive actions
have only brought communities closer
together.
“Ten years on from the 9/11 attacks our
communities are growing stronger and more
resilient. Communities have come to together
to find common ground and resolve
differences.”
This is the first time such a diverse group
of Muslim community organisations have come
together.
Dilwar Hussain from the Islamic Society of
Britain said: “Terrorism is an evil that no
Muslim should feel the need to defend, or
make excuses for.
“Terrorists are not ‘on our side’, they are
in fact our opponents.”
The groups involved acknowledged that the
last ten years had not been easy.
They said that was partly due to other
incidents, like the 7/7 London bombings, as
well as conflicts which were prompted by the
9/11 attacks.
Those who
are in the
habit of
misusing the
name of
religion,
misquote
some of the
text and I
felt that it
is my duty
to go to the
text, so
they can
understand
that Islam
has nothing
to do with
the killing
of innocent
people in
the world
Shahid Raza
The Imam of Leicester Central
Maulana Shahid Raza reminded worshippers
that terrorists had been quoting passages of
the Quran out of context.
After prayers he told Sky News: “Those who
are in the habit of misusing the name of
religion, misquote some of the text and I
felt that it is my duty to go to the text,
so they can understand that Islam has
nothing to do with the killing of innocent
people in the world.”
After the sermon, young Muslims spoke to Sky
News about their feelings that the community
had had a difficult ten years in the
aftermath of 9/11.
Umar Razaq told me it’s frustrating that
they keep needing to make the same point:
“It annoys me that I have to make the point
to my friends, walking around with a beard
and people look at you differently and you
have to constantly remind them that we’re
not the same, we’re not all terrorists.”
Another Nazir nagi told Sky News: “when
someone sees a Muslim dressed in traditional
clothes they get stereotyped as a terrorist
and it’s completely wrong as not all Muslims
are terrorists and not all terrorists are
Muslims.”
Paris
ban on Muslim street prayers comes into
effect
A ban on saying prayers in the street, a
practice by French Muslims unable to find
space in mosques, has come into effect in
the capital, Paris.
Interior Minister Claude Gueant has offered
believers the use of a disused fire brigade
barracks instead.
The phenomenon of street prayers, which see
Muslims spreading mats on footpaths, became
a political issue after far right protests.
France is home to the biggest Muslim
minority in Western Europe.
By some estimates, as many as six million
French people, or just under 10% of the
population, are Muslims, with origins in
France's former North African colonies.
Their integration has been a source of
political debate in recent years, and
earlier this year France became the first EU
state to ban the wearing of the Islamic veil
in public.
The new ban came into force
at midnight (22:00 GMT) on Thursday, in time
for traditional Muslim Friday prayers.
Speaking earlier this week to Le Figaro, Mr
Gueant said about 1,000 people were using
two streets in the capital's multi-ethnic
Goutte d'Or district for prayers.
He said an agreement had been reached with
two local mosques for the state to rent out
the disused barracks on Boulevard Ney with
floorspace of 2,000 sq m (yds) for three
years.
To encourage believers to use the new space,
prayers would not be held inside the
existing mosques for the first few weeks.
He said he did not believe force would have
to be used to impose the ban because
dialogue was "bearing fruit".
The minister said similar problems with
street prayers existed in two other cities,
Marseille and Nice.
Responding to Mr Gueant's plan, Mohamed
Salah Hamza, an imam in the Goutte d'Or,
said preparations at the barracks were
behind schedule, and he feared a "climate of
anarchy".
"We are not cattle," he was quoted as saying
by France's TF1 News.
Far right protests at the "Islamisation" of
the Goutte d'Or district began last year and
in December the leader of the French
National Front, Marine Le Pen, accused
Muslim fundamentalists of using prayers for
political ends.
She controversially compared the practice to
the Nazi wartime occupation of France.
FBI
Teaches Agents: ‘Mainstream’ Muslims Are
‘Violent, Radical’
The FBI is teaching its counterterrorism
agents that “main stream” [sic] American
Muslims are likely to be terrorist
sympathizers; that the Prophet Mohammed was
a “cult leader”; and that the Islamic
practice of giving charity is no more than a
“funding mechanism for combat.”
At the Bureau’s training ground in Quantico,
Virginia, agents are shown a chart
contending that the more “devout” a Muslim,
the more likely he is to be “violent.” Those
destructive tendencies cannot be reversed,
an FBI instructional presentation adds: “Any
war against non-believers is justified”
under Muslim law; a “moderating process
cannot happen if the Koran continues to be
regarded as the unalterable word of Allah.”
These are excerpts from
dozens of pages of recent FBI training
material on Islam that Danger Room has
acquired. In them, the Constitutionally
protected religious faith of millions of
Americans is portrayed as an indicator of
terrorist activity.
“There may not be a ‘radical’ threat as much
as it is simply a normal assertion of the
orthodox ideology,” one FBI presentation
notes. “The strategic themes animating these
Islamic values are not fringe; they are main
stream.”
The FBI isn’t just treading on thin legal
ice by portraying ordinary, observant
Americans as terrorists-in-waiting, former
counterterrorism agents say. It’s also
playing into al-Qaida’s hands.
Wired
Mahinur
Ozdemir MP – a story of hope and courage
Blog by Osman
Karolia
Mahinur Ozdemir is a young
Belgian Parliamentarian of Turkish heritage
who fought incredible opposition to become
the only member of any European parliament
to wear the hijab. She also observes her
five prayers, speaks five languages and has
achieved an impeccable academic record.
Today Mihnur is more popular than ever and
has been an inspiration to a whole
generation of Muslim women across the
western hemisphere to wear the hijab and to
also seek an education.
Ozdemir has defined the absence of an
Islamic culture containing European elements
as one of the main causes triggering
xenophobia and Islamophobia, especially
against the Muslim minority living in
Europe, and has urged European Muslims to
embrace the societies where they live which
she thinks will accelerate the integration
of Muslim immigrants in Europe.
“That would also pave the way for non-Muslim
Europeans to have a closer look at Islam and
get to know European Muslims better,”
Özdemir told Today’s Zaman of Turkey in an
exclusive interview. She also expressed her
hope that such an initiative accompanied by
the expansion of tolerance in Europe would
decrease the risk of religious confrontation
“because it would result in providing people
who have prejudices against Islam with a
greater knowledge of the subject,” she
emphasized. Özdemir underlined that just as
Islamic principles have been introduced into
different societies, some cultural aspects
of these societies which do not contradict
the basic pillars of the religion have also
had an effect on how Muslims interpret
Islam.
A
Belgian Muslim of Turkish origin, Özdemir
said that she has encountered many Christian
deputies in parliament who are keen to find
answers to their questions on Islam and has
had several conversations with her
non-Muslim colleagues on the matter. “As a
devout Muslim, which is visible because of
my headscarf, they ask me questions about
Islam,” she said, defining these
conversations as a humble platform for
cultural and religious dialogue.
Özdemir was the first headscarved deputy of
any of the parliaments in Europe and was
elected to the Brussels regional capital
parliament in June 2009, an event which
kicked off a controversial debate on
secularism, the Muslim minority’s political
rights and the political engagement of
European Turks.
This is all from a girl from an immigrant
family who dared to dream, who valued and
excelled in her education, who is proud of
her faith and who views the hijab as a
symbol of liberation and not oppression.
This is not written to encourage us to all
become parliamentarians but rather it’s to
motivate us all regardless of race, belief
or gender to have a go, to put in the hard
work and to make a difference.
Mahinur is not in parliament to exclusively
serve any minority group but seeks to serve
all Belgians. In Australia there are a
number of Muslim parliamentarians in
different states including one Muslim member
of the Federal parliament. Like Mahinur they
all serve all Australians and all are a
voice of tolerance and reason. Despite the
fear mongering the election of Muslims to
parliaments across Europe, Australia, Canada
and the US Congress has not led to upheaval
or rebellion. Instead it as a remarkable
example of integration by Muslims and
acceptance by the societies in which they
live. In this spirit in almost all 57
countries in the Muslim world once can also
find many non Muslims represented in their
respective parliaments.
I am an optimist with tremendous faith in
the triumph of the human spirit and this
will not be hijacked by those who seek to
bring violence and discord regardless of who
they are.
Mihnur’s is a very real story of commitment,
perseverance and courage. I leave you with
one of her quotes.
“I will work against unemployment and
towards allowing the Hijab to be worn in the
workplace and in schools. I would like to
point out that with or without Hijab, my
view of the problems in this country and
finding solutions to them and helping others
will be the same. I cover my hair, but not
my ideas, and the Islamic headscarf will in
no way be an obstacle to my political
activity. It should not be a controversial
issue and I would advise those criticizing
the Hijab to do away with the injustice that
obscures their vision. Efficiency alone is
what matters, not the Hijab!”
Multicultural Advisor, Community Care - Sunshine
Coast
Full details
The Inbox
[Editor] A reader wrote to
CCN, in response to the ABC's Compass programme to
which we provided a link to in
CCN356,
that we should point out to CCN readers that "either
this man (who is featured as coming from a Muslim
background) is not a Muslim or he does not know much
about Islam and he is giving his Islamic credit all
to Freemasons."
The programme might have given the
wrong impression to new Muslims that "it is okay to
be a freemason and a Muslim and while we may share
some similarities overall it's a very different
society. Their leader is a most worshipful grand
master and that is promoting shirk."
The writer adds:
"I thought it's fair to bring it to
your attention that this can affect our aqeedah as
we have a much better system which we can follow and
a (far better) system than anything that's man made
..... otherwise we could also become Christian and
Buddhist Muslims too."
"The way your article (appeared) in
CCN (gave the impression that you were) promoting
the freemason club and (that) it's okay for the
Muslims to accept it."
"I personally don't believe all the
readers of CCN are astute and it's a responsibility
of Muslim Media not to cause any ambiguity and show
the article the way it is to be shown with the right
intention."
The piece was certainly not included
with the intention of promoting the ideology of
Freemasons but to show the incongruity of the
position that the couple in the documentary were
adopting. We trust that our writer's welcome
feedback clarifies the position for any of our
confused or impressionable readers.
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
SEE THE NEW LOOK ISLAM TV AUSTRALIA
NOW WITH INDIVIDUAL CHANNELS FOR EASY ACCESS
TO YOUR FAVOURITE SPEAKERS.
WWW.ISLAMTV.COM.AU
DOWNLOADABLE AUDIO LECTURES
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ISLAM
TV IS SUPPORTED BY SALAM CARD
SUPPORTING LOCAL MUSLIM AND MUSLIM FRIENDLY
BUSINESS
Tea With Arwa: One Woman's Story of Faith, Family and
Finding a Home In Australia
by
Arwa El Masri
Arwa El Masri on Hazem, love and Islam
Love
sometimes appears in the most unexpected places. For
Arwa El Masri, wife of rugby league star Hazem El Masri,
it arrived with a jolt the moment she looked into her
future husband's eyes.
"I have always believed in love at first sight, but I
never thought it would happen to me," says Arwa. "But
that's what it was like. I knew the very first time our
eyes met that he was the one, the person that my soul
fitted to. It was such a supernatural feeling.
"And to have that certainty consume you is a little
frightening, but also very beautiful. It was something
so powerful that I couldn't resist it, even though I
tried."
Meeting and falling in love with Hazem in 1997, when he
was a rising football star with the NSW Canterbury
Bulldogs rugby league team, is an integral part of
Arwa's life, now the subject of a deeply personal
memoir, Tea With Arwa.
The youngest of three daughters in a Palestinian family
dislocated by the Israeli occupation of their homeland,
Arwa came to Australia in 1985 seeking a new life and a
new home.
More than a decade later, she found both and a sense of
completion when she met Hazem, a migrant from Lebanon.
"In Hazem, I found my home," she says. "And it was
thanks to my new country that I found my soul mate.
So meeting Hazem is bound up with the ideas and emotions
of a new beginning and a new sense of belonging, both
for me and for him."
However, Tea With Arwa is much more than a love story.
It is also the story of a young woman's faith.
Arwa, 34, tells of her feelings about being a Muslim
woman adapting to life in a Western culture and about
how, at 23, she decided to follow her deeply held
spiritual beliefs and wear the veil.
"Taking the veil is a very personal decision," says Arwa.
"Not all Muslim women wear one and that is their choice.
But I chose to wear it because it was right for me as a
sign of my respect for Islam and for myself."
Wearing the veil or hijab, says Arwa, is an expression
of modesty meant to shield a woman from unwanted sexual
advances.
"It is a representation of a woman's right not to be
seen as a sexual being only and a refusal to be judged
on physical attributes alone," says Arwa. "For me, it is
as much a feminist statement as a religious one."
She says that taking the veil changed the way many
people viewed her. "It didn't change the people who know
me, but people in the street looked at me differently,"
she says.
"And, when they spoke to me, it was delayed, simple
English, as though they assumed I couldn't understand
and had just arrived from overseas.
"I never let those moments deter me. I'm still the same
person, with the same morals, respect for others and
respect for myself.
"I wrote this book in the hope people would read my
story and realise we are not so very different, that we
all share a common humanity," says Arwa, who weaves her
story with her family's favourite Middle Eastern
recipes.
"Regardless of our religion, we are all looking for the
same things: family, love and belonging. Those are all
feelings we share."
Tea With Arwa: One Woman's Story of Faith, Family and
Finding a Home In Australia by Arwa El Masri, is
published by Hachette Australia, $35.
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: We've become very much an
avocado-a-couple-of-days family recently with "the
man-of-the-house" convinced that it is doing wonders for
his skin tone. He snacks on a mixture of Aromat and
avocado with crisp bread and says it also helps him keep
off the chips and desert cravings in the evenings. Just
for variety I prepared him this salad and he found it
both refreshing and tasty. I hope you do to!
Avocado Salad
Avocado Mix
3 avocados cubed
1 onion finely sliced (water to
be squeezed out)
1 green apple cubed
1 green chilli sliced
1 tomato finely cubed
1 grated green mango (optional)
Dressing
1 Tab salad cream
2 Tab mayonnaise
1 Tab condensed milk
Salt and pepper to taste
Lemon juice
A drop of green food colouring
Pour the dressing over the
Avocado Mix and refrigerate
before serving on a bed of
lettuce.
IF YOU HAVEN’T ALREADY REGISTERED FOR
CRESWALK, TIME IS RUNNING OUT! BE SURE TO CONTACT A
MEMBER OF THE CRESCENTS TEAM
OR GO ONLINE TODAY TO SIGN UP FOR A GREAT
DAY!!
Final week of our CRESWALK training
program:
Please note that the following program is suitable for
beginners. For the more competitive or serious athlete,
intensity, duration and frequency of exercises need to
be increased!
REMEMBER: NUTRITION IS JUST AS IMPORTANT AS YOUR
TRAINING REGIME. SO START EATING HEALTHIER TODAY AND
DON'T FORGET TO DRINK YOUR WATER!
REMEMBER: NUTRITION IS JUST AS IMPORTANT
AS YOUR TRAINING REGIME. THIS WEEK ESPECIALLY SO, AS
THIS IS YOUR FINAL CHANCE
TO PREPARE FOR RACE DAY!!
DAY 1:
Walk for a minimum of 60 mins. (10 mins. at a moderate
pace, 45 mins. at a more brisk pace and 5 mins. cool
down / slow pace). PLEASE REMEMBER TO STRETCH AFTER
EVERY WORKOUT!
Healthy Tip: Always keep your body hydrated - carry a
bottle of water with you daily!
DAY 2:
It’s time to train smart not hard, so make sure to push
your boundries without doing any damage. Go for a
45-60min jog/run OR walk if you feel more comfortable.
Try increasing your walking time by 5-10 mins.
DAY 3:
Back to the pool for a cardio session (swimming or aqua)
while soothing the muscles.
DAY 4:
Today we’re back to strength training – grab your
weights and challenge upper and lower body. Remember to
use your own body weight as well (push-ups, sit-ups,
chin-ups, etc). Active recovery - Do an activity that
you enjoy (low impact). Include your stretching routine.
DAY 5:
Time to pound the pavement.. Head out for your jog or
walk. Your goal should be to beat the time / distance
you set earlier in the week!
DAY 6:
REST AND RECOVER! TOMORROW IS D-DAY. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE
AN EARLY NIGHT AS YOU’LL NEED ALL YOUR ENERGY FOR THE
RACE.
DAY 7:
RACE DAY!! HAVE A HEALTHY BREAKFAST AND MAKE THE MOST OF
ALL THE TRAINING YOU’VE UNDERTAKEN BY RUNNING A GREAT
RACE!!
N-JOY PLEASE NOTE: The above training program assumes a healthy participant. Those with medical conditions or
who are not already physically active, need to seek
clearance from their GP before starting any form of
exercise.
All questions sent in are published here anonymously
and without any references to the author of the
question.
The CCN Chuckle
Zaiboonisha,
the community gossip, and self-appointed monitor
of the town's morals, kept sticking her nose
into other people's business.
The community was fearful of Zaibinisha's
vicious slandering but feared her enough to
maintain their silence.
She made a mistake, however, when she accused
Mula Nasruddin of being a womanizer and a
philanderer after she saw his old donkey hitched
to a post in front of the town's only, shall we
say, house of ill-repute.
She emphatically told Mula Nasruddin (and
several others) that everyone seeing it there
would know what he was doing!
Mula Nasruddin, a man of few words, stared at
her for a moment and just turned and walked
away.
He didn't
explain, defend, or deny. He said nothing.
Later that evening, Mula Nasruddin quietly
hitched his donkey in front of Zaiboonisha's
house, walked home .... and left it there all
night.
The CCN
Men do less
than they ought, unless they do all they can.
Notice
Board
Click on image to enlarge
Events and Functions
This year we're also
running & walking for the
Muslim Aid Australia Somalian and Horn of
Africa Famine Appeal
REGISTRATIONS ARE
STILL OPEN!
REGISTER ONLINE
or
DOWNLOAD THE ENTRY
FORM
or
CALL 0402 026 786
Click the button below
for all the details
Sunday, 25 September 2011, 9am, Orleigh Park, WEST END
Study the 40
hadith of Imam An Nawawi,
appreciate the history of our
sacred tradition and Enhance
your understanding of the Hadith
by learning the implications in
Sacred Law and their relevance
to our lives as Muslims in the
21st century.
Computers,
laptops, bags, accessories, digital cameras,
monitors, notebooks, printers,
toners/cartridges, software and much much more.
All the best brands at the lowest possible
prices. Visit us today
www.efxshop.com.au
Want an effective treatment to
clean out BAD CHOLESTROL and PLAQUE from your
arteries?
ArgiNox Maintain is available from Zakiya
Sacur - 0433 270 770. Book your consultation
now
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
subscribe to CCN please encourage them to send
an e-mail to
ccn@crescentsofbrisbane.org with the words
“Subscribe Me” in the subject line.
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.
On
Saturday 3rd September the Islamic Council of
Queensland organised an Eid celebration at
Arthur Gorrie Prison for the Muslim inmates.
Community
leaders, Imams and Queensland Police Service
representatives attended the launch of the Youth
Empowerment Against Radicalisation (YEAR)
project at the Islamic College of Brisbane on
Wednesday.
UK:
Prayers were said for the September 11
victims at mosques throughout Britain.
A
Belgian Muslim of Turkish origin, Özdemir
said that she has encountered many Christian
deputies in parliament who are keen to find
answers to their questions on Islam and has
had several conversations with her
non-Muslim colleagues on the matter. “As a
devout Muslim, which is visible because of
my headscarf, they ask me questions about
Islam,” she said, defining these
conversations as a humble platform for
cultural and religious dialogue.
Program Manager – Sector & Community Development
Love
sometimes appears in the most unexpected places. For
Arwa El Masri, wife of rugby league star Hazem El Masri,
it arrived with a jolt the moment she looked into her
future husband's eyes. 
.jpg)
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7
August 2011