The Annual General Meeting
of the Islamic Women's'
Association of Queensland
was held at their offices
yesterday (Saturday).
Political aspirants Kim Marx
and David Forde were given
an opportunity to introduce
themselves to the members
present.
Ms Fatima Abdelkarim
continues for another term
in her long-standing role as
president of the
organization.
Counting the votes
IWAQ Director,
Galila Abdelsalam
and Zahra Aboukoura
Showing his hand, Mr
Aboukoura senior
with junior in two
(left to right)
Nashwa El-Adl, Kim
Marx, Galila
Abdelsalam, Mersada,
David Forde, Azza
Aura, Zahra
Aboukoura, Fatima
Abdelkarim, Azza El-Makawi
and Shamira Osman
Azza El-Makaw1 (Vice
President) and
Shamira Osman
(Treasurer)
The
Hamster Wheel | Muslims In The Media | Wednesday,
9.30pm, ABC1
Q&A on
ABC
Quotable quotes from
last week's Q&A:
RUDD, BALI AND LEADERSHIP (00:01:10)
TONY JONES:
Let’s hear from Ron Merkel on this. I mean,
police, the judicial system often react poorly
to political interventions. Are you afraid that
will happen in Indonesia? RON MERKEL: It can happen very easily and
we’re getting close to it. I had three issues
about what’s happened. I thought that it would
be great if Tony Abbott and Julia Gillard rang
up the parents and spoke to the boy and let them
all know that they’ve got a lot of support here
but also let them know that the Indonesian
justice system has to take its course and the
real worry about intervention is that the
Indonesian justice system is very proud of what
they’ve created since their democracy and, in
fact, I was engaged in judicial training in
Indonesia not long after the democracy came, and
the one message I got loud and clear, and this
is really the big point, I think, Ray, that
comes out of your question, is that the new
judiciary there want to be independent, want to
be seen to be independent and don't want to go
back to the days when government controlled
them. So that it’s very easy for Indonesia to
interpret this intervention and the publicising
of it as interference by Australia and that’s a
very bad look. And the third point I wanted
to...
BOLT CENSORSHIP
(00:30:19)
RON MERKEL: I
think the question really hits the nail on the
head and I want to put to one side for the
moment the Bolt case. It hasn't finished. The
final orders haven’t been made. It may be
appealed. An Appeal Court may reach a different
verdict. But the question that you ask about
whether this law amounts to censorship. It’s a
really big question and it’s an area that really
requires a very, very clear response.
I was pretty disturbed when Tony Abbott, after
the judgment, announced that, "I haven't read
the judgment which was 144 pages, but”, and then
went on to say how he was concerned about
censorship or freedom of speech. Then George
Brandis, who’s the shadow Attorney General of
Julie's party, has decided that these are bad
laws and wants to chuck them out because of a
case.
But these laws have been in through
parliament 15 years and there have been quite a
few cases and on all of those case I haven't
heard George Brandis and I haven’t heard this
censorship call. And what are those cases? The
law is about racial vilification. You shall not
offend, insult, humiliate or intimidate on
grounds of race. And on the free speech side,
it’s a complete defence to the conduct if you
can show what you did was reasonable and in good
faith, which is very much like our laws in
respect of defamation.
Our implied freedom of
political communication has similar restrictions
and let's just look at some of the cases that
have been brought before the courts. They’ve
usually involved Jewish people or Aboriginal
people. They’ve involved hate speech. Now, what
I would like to see before George Brandis goes
out and says these laws should be chucked into
the rubbish tin, I’d like him to go to the
Jewish community and say, yes, we understand
your history but we really think our free speech
should enable us to have group libel and group
defamation and hate speech. Then go out to the
Aboriginal people and say, yes, we know about
Australia’s racism.
Yes, we’re going to
acknowledge you in the preamble to our
constitution but we’re going to allow hate
speech out there against you because we want
freedom of speech. Then they’ve got to go to the
Muslim community, who have been in a very
fragile position since September 11, and say,
yes, we’re going to allow this kind of speech.
But the speech we’re talking about is speech
that is offensive. It’s because of a person’s
race, colour or ethnicity and history tells us
this is a dangerous area for intolerance in any
society and we’ve had
Muslim Welfare Op-Shop requests
An elderly Muslim sister has
been granted a housing
commission unit. She needs
furniture to move into the
unit. She needs a single
bed, refrigerator, two
seater sofa, washing
machine, microwave, small
table with two chairs, and a
TV cabinet. The welfare shop
can provide crockery,
cutlery, linen and curtains.
An indigenous single mother
of four has been granted a
housing commission house in
Woodridge and has no
furniture or personal
effects. She has been living
in a refuge house and is
sleeping on the floor with
her children. She needs five
beds, a washing machine,
refrigerator, lounge suite,
table and chairs, TV,
Microwave, TV cupboard. The
welfare shop has the other
merchandise needed.
A local family need a TV. It
does not matter if it is
old.
Contact Janeth Deen on 0435
086 796 if you can help out.
When the Moors ruled over Spain
Documentary into the prosperity
Islam engendered in Europe during
its reign there
Muslim Standard Time – How to cure the chronic
disease of lateness
By Br. Taha Ghayyur
“Oh
my God. I am
running late,
again! Well,
it’s all good.
No one is going
to be there on
time anyway.”
How many times
have you heard
this and similar
phrases in the
Muslim
community?
Perhaps you are
guilty of
uttering them
yourself as a
habit.
Sadly, starting
off late,
arriving late,
and delaying our
programs has
become a norm
for many of us.
It’s gotten so
bad that we no
longer even feel
guilty about
arriving late to
a class,
function,
meeting, Jumah
prayer or
appointment.
Many don’t even
bother to
apologize. We
fail to realize
how much time
and resources of
others we waste
due to our own
insensitivity
and
indifference.
I
remember
arriving at a
wedding last
summer about two
hours late (due
to a pre-planned
legitimate
reason), only to
find over half
the wedding hall
full of
non-Muslim
guests still
waiting for the
bride and groom
and their
families to
arrive. The most
heartrending
scene was of a
group of
non-Muslim
friends laying
on the ground
asleep. It
turned out they
were out-of-town
guests who had
arrived a couple
of hours prior
to the
“official’ start
time.
Of course the
blame goes both
to the
organizers of
the events and
the attendees.
It’s easy to
criticize the
organizers, but
we have to do
our part of
making the
program or
meeting
professional.
It begins with
arriving on time
and respecting
everyone else’s
time.
As Muslims,
every time we
arrive late we
lose respect in
the sight of
others. Imam al-Ghazali,
in his
commentary to a
Hadith
describing the
characteristics
of hypocrites,
states that the
trait “when he
makes a promise,
he never fulfils
it” includes
specially those
who consistently
say
‘In-sha-Allah’
and arrive late.
I
know of a great
contemporary
Muslim scholar
who, when he
used to enter a
conference,
meeting, or
dinner, the
audience or
members would
match and reset
their watches to
the minute he
was supposed to
arrive at
because he was
reputed to be
strict with
time-management.
What can you and
your family do
and how can you
prepare to
arrive on time
at any event:
Get the
directions to
where you
are going in
advance. The
common
excuse for
arriving
late we
often
present is
“got lost”
or “I didn’t
have correct
directions.”
Arrange your
ride at
least two
days in
advance.
Call around
and find out
who can give
you a ride.
Always have
a backup
plan for
rides. “I
didn’t get a
ride” is one
excuse
given, to
which I ask:
did you ask
around early
enough?
Don’t wait
for others
to offer you
a ride.
Start
getting
ready at
least 30-45
min. before
leaving
home. Don’t
run into the
shower,
squeeze in
three Rak’at
of Maghrib,
or iron your
clothes just
three
minutes
before you
are supposed
to step out!
Have a realistic
estimate of
travel time.
If you know
it takes 25
minutes to
get to a
place, you
have to
leave your
home at
least 35
minutes
before
arrival
time.
Consider weather
and traffic
conditions.
Listen to
the local
news or
watch the
weather
report
before
getting
behind the
wheel.
The
10-minute
Rule works!
No matter
what the
occasion,
always aim
to get to
the
destination
10 minutes
ahead of
time. This
allows you
to
accommodate
any
last-minute
uncertainties:
“Oh, I
forgot my
wallet at
home,” “Man,
I have to
pick Brother
x on the
way,” “Oops!
I have to
pray my ‘Asr
before I get
to…” Etc.
If it helps
you, set
your
personal
watch,
cellphone or
car time
five minutes
ahead.
“Well it’s a
typical
Muslim party
or
conference!
There is no
way they
will start
on time!”
Well, guess
what, if
we ALL adopt
this
attitude, no
one would
ever arrive
on time and
let the
program
start on
time. We
have to
change this
thinking and
make a point
to arrive on
time. Being
people of
principle, we
must remain
consistent
in all
circumstances.
Be honest!
Be honest to
yourself and
others.
If you know
you are
going to be
late to a
party or
Halaqa,
clearly set
that
expectation
with your
host,
coordinator
or meeting
leader. What
does it take
to drop a
message or
call to let
the other
person know
that you
will be 10
to 15
minutes late
(whether
it’s due to
expected or
unexpected
reasons).
Don’t
succumb to
the
“In-sha-Allah
Syndrome.” Use
In-sha-Allah
only when
you know you
mean it.
Alhumdulillah, it is a great feeling to see the website of
crescentofbrisbane.org which shows a vibrant community of
believers there.
We plan to move to Brisbane in January 2012 (we are
Australian permanent residents and Indian citizens currently
living in Brunei).
We have 3 children (1 in secondary and 2 in primary schools)
who will also migrate with us to Brisbane.
We look forward to knowing and meeting you all there.
Fi AmanAllah.
Ehtesham Ali
Around
the Muslim World with CCN
Baroness
Flather on Muslims and polygamy in the UK
An ENGAGE Response
UK: The Daily
Mail on Saturday devoted a double page
spread to a special investigation on the
incidence of bigamy and polygamy among
British Muslim communities.
The investigation was prompted by the
comments made by Baroness Flather (pictured right) in the House of Lords,
during the debate on the Welfare Reform
Bill, and subsequently in an article she
wrote for the Daily Mail, entitled
‘Polygamy, welfare benefits and an insidious
silence’.
Lady Flather reiterates the point she made
in the House, that large families should not
automatically qualify for larger welfare
payments. She goes further to claim that
Muslims engaged in polygamous relationships
are taking the state for a ride exploiting
the panoply of benefits available to single
parent families.
She writes:
“…there is now a growing wealth of
evidence that the generosity of the
welfare state encourages some Muslims
from these two regions [Pakistan and
Bangladesh] – along with plenty of white
families – to produce ever larger
families in order to claim extra
payments and publicly-subsidised
housing. And it’s something the system
seems to allow too easily."
Saturday’s
Daily Mail investigation sets out to uncover
cases of British Muslim men involved in
bigamous or polygamous marriages, leaving
the state to pick up the bill as taxpayers
finance the ‘single-parent families’ that
arise from their folly.
The issue of men marrying women under nikah
arrangements and thereby denying them their
legal entitlements as common law wives is an
important subject matter and one that
deserves attention, if only to protect those
women who are made vulnerable by the
practice. But there is more to the comment
piece by Lady Flather and the DM’s special
investigation than the pursuit of justice
for women who cannot speak for themselves.
Lady Flather argues that, “The women
[multiple wives] are regarded by the welfare
system as single mothers - and are therefore
entitled to the full range of lone parent
payments. As a result, several “families”
fathered by the same Pakistani man, can all
claim benefits as they are provided for by
the welfare state, which treats them as if
they were not related."
Lady Flather’s concern lies principally with
Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities and
the practice of multiple marriages within
these communities and its impact on the
welfare state as mothers effectively become
single parents, thereby divesting Muslim
males of responsibilities to their
offspring. One wonders if comments of this
nature made in relation to single parent
families of any other racial or ethnic group
would be dealt with quite so liberally?
Just take a look at the article in the Daily
Mail regarding comments made by Lady Flather
on BBC Radio 5 Live yesterday on Nigerian
men taking multiple wives because, she said,
“Most of the men in Nigeria don’t do
anything, their wives do all the work,
that’s why they have so many.”
Radio show host Nicky Campbell interjected,
“If I’d said what you’ve just said I’d be in
the papers tomorrow for racism, wouldn’t I?”
The
BBC,
the Daily Mail
and the Daily Telegraph
have all reported on the comments of
prominent scientist and atheist,
Richard Dawkins who has attacked
Muslim faith schools for teaching
‘alien rubbish’.
UK:
In
an interview with the Times Educational
Supplement, Dawkins said that Muslim faith
schools had a "pernicious influence"
and that despite concerns with faith schools
in general, “Muslim
ones worried him the most”.
He
argued that the way that young people are
taught in Muslim schools could affect their
thinking “right up until their university
years.”
"Occasionally, my colleagues lecturing in
universities lament having undergraduate
students walk out of their classes when they
talk about evolution - this is almost
entirely Muslims,"
Responding to Dawkins’ claims, Sheikh
Ibrahim Mogra from the Muslim Council of
Britain stated that, "To expect faith
schools not to teach this kind of religious
teaching is unreasonable, but I also think
it is important for faith schools to teach
science to children as well so they are
aware of modern day findings and can use the
information to ask further questions and
strengthen their faith. "I don't believe any religious teaching
prevents people from being creative and
independent in their thinking."
"The results of Muslim faith
schools in England in maths and science show
a strong compatibility between the Muslim
faith and scientific learning."
Rightly so - some Muslim faith schools in
the UK have been at the forefront of
academic excellence, such as the Tauheedul
Islam Girls School, which not only boasts a
ranking of ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted, but also
assisted a
local non-faith school
in turning around its educational fortunes.
Such schools should be given due credit for
their excellence in all fields, including
that of science
The Daily Telegraph reporting on the TES
interview, claims that
“Mr Dawkins said he was not
so worried about the expansion of faith
schools if they were the kind that "vaguely"
have a kind of Church of England-style
assembly.
“But he was holding "his fire" for the ones
that are teaching "total nonsense".
"There is a difference between faith schools
which just vaguely have a kind of Church of
England assembly and faith schools that
actually teach nonsense like this school in
Leicester," he said.”
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 WWW.ISLAMTV.COM.AU
ISLAM
TV IS SUPPORTED BY SALAM CARD SUPPORTING LOCAL MUSLIM AND MUSLIM FRIENDLY
BUSINESS
The Wayfinders: Why Ancient Wisdom Matters in the
Modern World
by
Wade Davis
Synopsis
Over
the past decade, many of us have been alarmed to learn
of the rapidly accelerating extinction of our planet's
diverse flora and fauna.
But how many of
us know that our human cultural diversity is also going
extinct at a shocking rate?
Biologists
estimate that 18% of mammals and 11% of birds are
threatened, while botanists anticipate the loss of 8% of
flora. Meanwhile, of the 7,000 languages in the world
today, 50% will disappear in our lifetime.
Languages are
merely the canaries in the coalmine: what of the poetry,
songs, knowledge, and ways of seeing encoded in these
disappearing voices?
In The
Wayfinders, acclaimed anthropologist Wade Davis offers a
gripping account of this urgent crisis. He leads us on a
fascinating tour through a handful of indigenous
cultures and worldviews while reminding us of the
encroaching dangers posed by unchecked globalization.
An
enlightening, awe-inspiring, and cautionary look at
vanishing cultures and languages from one of the world's
most celebrated and distinguished anthropologists.
Would you
like to see the cover of your favourite book on our book
shelves below?
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: Made this to go with tea after
Jumma lunch this week. Friends seemed to enjoy it even more
with a light spread of butter over the slice.
I spent last night making my batch of
cupcakes for today's CresCafe at the Queensland
Multicultural Festival at the Roma Parklands. I hope the
weather holds out long enough to enjoy the foods and the
festivities. If you can, come over and try Mariam Issadeen's
sensational cupcake-on-a-stick.
Pecan
and Date Loaf
Ingredients
150g chopped dates
5ml bicarbonate of soda
200ml boiling water
60g butter
100g brown sugar
1 egg
5ml vanilla essence
50g chopped pecan nuts
200g flour
5ml baking powder
Chopped Pecan nuts for decorating
Method
1.Sprinkle
bicarbonate of soda onto the dates, pour boiling
water over and allow it to soak.
2. Cream the butter and brown sugar, beat in the
egg, and add essence and the nuts.
3. Fold in the sifted flour and baking powder
and lastly add the date mixture. This makes a
soft mixture.
4. Pour into a greased loaf pan or mini loaf
pans, decorate with pecans and bake at 180”c for
approx 10 mins for mini loaf pans or approx 20
mins in a loaf pan.
This can be served
warm with ice cream as a desert or sliced and
served with tea.
Q: Dear Kareema, coming into the warmer months now,
what are some slight changes I can make to my winter workout
routine that will make a difference in the way I feel and
still get results even though I’m not making major changes?
A:
Start by looking at what you wear for your workouts – avoid
wearing cotton as it tends to keep moisture on the skin.
Try going for high-tech fabrics which wick away rather than
absorb moisture and smell.
My prescription for boosting your workout routine: use a
medicine ball while doing some of your exercises.
It’s versatile and will instantly add a challenging effect
on your body and muscles (even if you do the same exercises
as you did during winter). It will also strengthen your
core, help with balance and maybe
even coordination – all while toning upper and lower body.
All questions sent in are published here anonymously
and without any references to the author of the
question.
Flightstar Fozi's Travel Tips
Dear Flightstar Fozi, I am flying into Abu
Dhabi at 7am and have a connecting flight at 8pm that
evening, How far is the city from the airport and what
do you suggest we do for those free hours?
Weary Traveller
Dear Weary Traveller,
The airport is about 30 km from the city, but you will
have plenty of time to see some amazing parts of the
capital of the Emirates.
Abu Dhabi is an unassuming city unlike its neighbour
Dubai, its more relaxed and easy to get around. Head to
the Sheik Zayed Mosque (pictured right) a really beautiful stark white
structure that really is an engineering masterpiece.
Be sure to see the Emirates Palace Hotel and enjoy the
opulence of a wonderful hotel, the staff are really
friendly and open to day visitors.
If you’re interested in something a little different go
to Yas Marina Circuit to take the 2 hour tour around the
Grand Prix track, it’s not far from the airport, and
looks even more spectacular at night.
As the sun is going down, head to the cornice to see how
the Emirates cool down. Here you can enjoy the locals
singing and playing their drums.
Make sure you get back in plenty of time to check in by
6pm.
Low ticket price
of $15 per person, per night, on
both Friday and Saturday nights. Last year 5,000 tickets were
sold for the one night,This year numbers
will be restricted to 3,500 per
night, giving more opportunities
for the rides. There will be extended hours,
6pm to midnight. Halal food
will be on sale.
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
Islamic Couture
ZAM ZAM Water now available:-
500ML Bottle @ $6.50 each Buy 5 @ $6.00 each Buy 10 @ $5.80 each Buy a carton of 24 @ $135.00 a carton
($5.63 each)
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.
.jpg)
“Oh
my God. I am
running late,
again! Well,
it’s all good.
No one is going
to be there on
time anyway.”
Over
the past decade, many of us have been alarmed to learn
of the rapidly accelerating extinction of our planet's
diverse flora and fauna. 
A:
Start by looking at what you wear for your workouts – avoid
wearing cotton as it tends to keep moisture on the skin. 
Abu Dhabi is an unassuming city unlike its neighbour
Dubai, its more relaxed and easy to get around. Head to
the Sheik Zayed Mosque (pictured right) a really beautiful stark white
structure that really is an engineering masterpiece. 
.jpg)
post comments on our Wall
7
August 2011