Ugly
scenes erupted between a
group of burqa-clad
protesters and a Muslim man
outside NSW State Parliament
in Sydney during the week.
A group of men dressed in
the veiled female garb as a
publicity stunt to try and
get the outfit banned.
Members of the group
Faceless ventured into a
Sydney CBD courthouse, pub
and bank without drawing
much reaction, but faced a
stronger backlash later
outside parliament.
"It's got no place in
Australia — it's a front to
a civilised country like
Australia," Faceless member
Nicholas Folkes said of the
burqa.
Nine News filmed a man
outraged by the protesters,
shouting in their faces and
pulling off their veils.
"That's what I think of
you," the man said after
spitting on the ground.
A new project
named MasterChef Meets
the Streets (MMS) is
being run to build cultural
understandings amongst high
school students.
It is a
program where members of the
community from different
cultures teach high school
students a traditional
ethnic dish, and then share
this with homeless members
of the community in
Brisbane.
MMS needs the help of
cultural elders/teachers, to
provide the recipe for of
their own ethnic dish and
teach students how to make
it at their school one day
between the 23rd of April
and the 4th of May.
Youth Without Borders will
organise the required
ingredients and ask that the
recipe taught be included in
a book for the students and
others.
Once prepared
the dishes will be donated
to homeless aid
organisations as meals for
their clients.
For those who
are interested in being
involved, email Youth
Without Borders at
just_lucille@hotmail.com
or call YWB COO John Piesse
on 0477031102.
NSW: Labor
MLC Shaoquett Moselmane
delivered an adjournment
speech highlighting the
service to the community
given by ethnic community
media.
"It's time that we
recognised and respected
these community-builders for
their journalistic
professionalism and the hard
work and commitment to
keeping the community
informed on national and
international affairs," Mr
Moselmane said.
"Although ethnic media is
alive and well, many of the
ethnic newspapers or media
generally struggle
financially."
Mr Moselmane said that there
needs to be a means of
Government support to assist
ethnic community media to
survive a challenging
environment.
"Government should find
means to support the service
ethnic community media
provides," he said.
"Such support, however, must
be on a no strings attached
basis so as to maintain the
integrity of our 'Third
Estate'."
Mr Moselmane also said that
the hard work of journalists
at these outlets is
under-recognised.
"I understand, respect and
value ethnic community media
journalists and producers
and all who are involved in
producing their radio
programs, their press
reports or their online
services," he said.
"Those who established
ethnic media in this country
are true pioneers and they
deserve recognition."
Mr Moselmane also noted that
has commenced work on
establishing an annual
ethnic community awards
ceremony to celebrate their
contribution to Australian
society.
What
happens when young,
educated, Australian-born
girls are forced into
unwanted marriages - often
with relatives overseas?
Samia was just seventeen
when her father announced he
was taking her on a holiday
overseas. But this was a
holiday with a difference.
Back in the family's village
in rural Pakistan, Samia
watched in horror as the
local Imam walked in ready
to conduct her marriage to
her first cousin - without
her consent. With pressure
from her extended family,
she was given papers to sign
and threatened.
Returning to Australia,
Samia sought help from local
religious authorities in
Sydney - but they ignored
her and told her to accept
the marriage.
For the first time young
women, the victims of forced
marriages, are speaking out
- without disguise and
despite the risks of
backlash from their
communities. Are these women
entitled to the same
protection as other
Australian girls?
The Government thinks so; in
fact they are so concerned
they are introducing
criminal legislation to ban
forced marriage. However,
outspoken members of
Australian migrant
communities say it is their
responsibility to stop the
practice and the men who
enforce it.
It's not only women who
experience force or coercion
to push them into marriage.
It happens to men too, often
with disastrous
consequences. Reporter Sarah
Ferguson tells the story of
one young woman who agrees
to marry a man chosen by her
family. What she doesn't
know until after the
marriage is that he married
her under duress. The
relationship then descends
into a spiral of alcohol and
violence.
NSW: Labor
MLC Shaoquett Moselmane
welcomed the addition of
6,000 new Muslim burial
plots to Sydney's Rookwood
Necropolis, but criticised
the fact that it was only
done in the face of a six
month shortage.
"I have been campaigning for
some time to have the amount
of burial space available to
the Muslim and other
communities increased, and
it's good to finally see
some action on this," he
said.
Mr Moselmane said that while
the Islamic community in NSW
would welcome this increase,
it did not come soon enough.
"Soon after the last
election, I highlighted the
need for the new Government
to continue the groundwork
made by the previous Labor
Government," he said.
"It's a shame that this
Government only acted to
address this issue when they
were facing a shortage of
Muslim burial plots within
the next six months."
"I hope that other
communities don't have to
wait this long in the
future."
Mr Moselmane highlighted his
speech in the Legislative
Council on 25 May 2011 where
he called on the NSW
Government to act
immediately on the shortage
of burial sites for other
faiths.
" I call on
the relevant Minister to
progress the work of the
former Minister for Lands,
the Hon. Tony Kelly, in
addressing the shortage of
burial grounds for many
minority ethnic and
religious groups.
This problem is most
prominent in the Muslim,
Buddhist, Vietnamese,
Chinese, Coptic, Assyrian
and other communities, to
name a few."
The
Australian Multicultural
Foundation recently
published a guide
entitled ‘Understanding
Media: A Guide for Imams
Working in the Community',
which was developed from the
Imams Media training
workshops conducted in 2011.
The publication contains
practical advice on how to
deal with media, and also
how to proactively engage
media to give your community
organisation a positive
profile.
AMD's
Executive Director, Dr B.
(Hass) Dellal said that he
hoped this would be
beneficial to the Imams and
their work with media.
As
the first term of the school
year has just finished, not
only are teachers having a
well deserve break, but one
school is celebrating a
little more than others.
Wisdom
College, Algester, only
opened its doors to students
at the beginning of this
year and for those involved
in the school, it was a long
combined sigh of relief.
After many
years of planning and
waiting for government
approvals, there was an
unexpected urgency as the
block of land had
approximately 4 weeks to be
up and running as a
functioning school before
the new school year
commenced.
Currently the school caters
for Prep to Year 7, but it
started small, with 32 eager
students and 3 more eager
teachers, but enrolments
have been increasing. For
the most, people believe it
is a Turkish or Islamic
school and only Turkish or
Muslims attend the school,
in actual fact the school is
a non-denominational private
college with children from a
variety of backgrounds and
religions.
(l
to r)
Ms Janeth Deen,
Mr Umesh Chandra and Mr Mark
The container
for Fiji has now arrived and
will be available for anyone
who wishes to send goods to
Fiji. Kitchenware, clean
linen or non perishable food
items will be welcome.
The container is situated at
39 Portal St, Darra and will
be there until 16th April.
It will leave the shipping
terminal for Fiji on 21st
April and InshAllah, will
arrive in Lautoka on 30th
April.
Ms Janeth Deen will be
filling the container over
the long week end with goods
from the welfare shop.
Muslims who have donated
goods to the shop in the
past can be well assured
that they have helped the
needy.
Nothing has
been wasted, especially when
there has been so many
natural disasters, both at
home and abroad.
The people who receive the
goods will be flood victims,
irrespective of religion or
race. Fiji has suffered from
two floods, very close to
each other and the people
need whatever help we can
give.
Most Indian organisations
are taking up monetary
donations, but not many
containers are being sent
from Brisbane.
Every
donation will be gladly
received by those affected
by the floods.
The 2nd
Annual AMYN Brisbane Islamic
Convention aims to examine
how Muslims can continue
century old tradition of
making a difference in all
walks of life.
With
international (USA and South
Africa) and local speakers,
the convention explores ways
to continue healthy and
beneficial contributions
which Muslims can make to
face the modern challenges
that our youth and adults
alike face today –
spiritual, social and
religious.
The
Convention, to be held this
Saturday 14th April, from
1pm to 5:30pm, will have
seminars, panel discussions,
video presentations, few
Islamic stalls, competitions
for audience participation
and prizes including four of
the 4th generation iPods and
iPod Touch!
The Twins of
Faith: Annual Australian
Islamic Conference (AAIC) is
one of Mercy Mission
Australia’s many projects.
AAIC draws a large audience
attracted by high-profile
lectures, panel discussions,
workshops and youth
programs. The conference
includes a “bazaar” area
that contains a variety of
stalls showcasing business
and service organisations
that are seeking to raise
awareness amongst the
Australian Muslim community.
Highlights of
the conference will be aired
in Islam TV after Ramadhan.
There are
over 1.6
billion
Muslims in
the world
today,
making up
approximately
23% of the
world's
population,
or more than
one-fifth of
mankind.
The
Muslim500
publication
is part of
an annual
series that
provides a
window into
the movers
and shakers
of the
Muslim
world. It
gives
valuable
insight into
the
different
ways that
Muslims
impact the
world, and
also shows
the
diversity of
how people
are living
as Muslims
today.
The 2011
Muslim500 lists the
world's most
influential
Muslims who
have
impacted on
their
community,
or on behalf
of their
community.
Influence
is: any
person who
has the
power (be it
cultural,
ideological,
financial,
political or
otherwise)
to make a
change that
will have a
significant
impact on
the Muslim
World. The
impact can
be either
positive or
negative.
The
influence
can be of a
religious
scholar
directly
addressing
Muslims and
influencing
their
beliefs,
ideas and
behaviour,
or it can be
of a ruler
shaping the
socio-economic
factors
within which
people live
their lives,
or of
artists
forming
popular
culture.
Over the
coming
weeks, CCN
will publish
a
personality
selected
from the
list:
No. 15
Hodjaefendi
Fethullah
Gülen
Turkish
Muslim
Preacher
Fethullah
Gülen is a
preacher,
thinker and
educator, who
having assumed
the leadership
of the Nurcu
religious
movement—started
by Said Nursî
(1878-1960
CE)—has gone on
to become a
global
phenomenon in
his own right.
His popularity
and authority in
Turkey has been
the driving
force of the
movement that is
widely thought
to have brought
about the social
and, eventually,
political
changes of which
politician Recep
Tayyip Erdogan
has been the
ultimate
heir—that is the
enfranchisement
of Muslim
politics in
Turkey. Despite
his peaceful
means of
preaching and
community
organization,
Gülen is hated
by the
secularist
establishment in
Turkey and has
been living in
the US since
1999.
Humanitarian
Reformer
Gülen and his
followers have
devoted
considerable
energy in recent
years on
interreligious
dialogue with
tens of
interfaith
centers in
Europe and the
US being opened
to foster better
relations
between faiths.
Gülen is also
the head of a
series of
socially
oriented
philanthropic
efforts. His
teaching
emphasizes that
there are no
material
shortages in the
world, and that
there is no
justification
for starvation.
Gülen has
established many
charities to
distribute
wealth to the
needy.
Catalyst for
Educational
Change
When Gülen began
preaching in
Izmir—in his
youth—a network
of pupils began
to unite around
his teachings—as
a ‘social
movement’
inspired by
Gülen’s example.
This movement
has culminated
in the
development of
around 300
schools in
Turkey and
hundreds more
worldwide.
Graduates from
these private
schools around
the world are
coached in
ethics and
philosophy that
are inspired by
Gülen’s
teachings, and
continue to take
top honours in
university
placement tests.
Influence in
the Media
The Gülen
movement has
opened hospitals
and charities, a
TV and radio
station, as well
as a bank—Asya
Finans—that
operates on
Islamic
principles.
Gülen also has
two major
mass-circulation
daily Turkish
newspapers that
are affiliated
with his
movement:
‘Zaman’ and the
English-language
‘Today’s Zaman’.
The Gülen
network has also
initiated a
Journalists and
Writers
Foundation and a
Teachers
Foundation—providing
an umbrella
organization for
a host of
dialogue groups
and charitable
organizations.
Intellectual
Gülen is one of
the most
important
thinkers and
writers from
Turkey, and
among the most
effective
activists in
twentieth-century
Turkey. The
Gülen movement
is one of the
best connected
and therefore
one of the most
powerful
networks
competing to
influence
Muslims around
the globe,
making it likely
to have an
enduring impact
on the
modernization of
Islam and its
engagement with
Western ideas.
Belgium’s
Catholic
University of
Leuven
established a
‘Fethullah Gulen
Chair’ (for
Intellectual
Studies). In
2008, Gülen
topped the list
of “The World’s
Top 20 Public
Intellectuals”
by the magazines
Foreign Policy
and Prospect.
Poverty is
not only the
lack of
money, for
it can
assume
the form of
a lack of
knowledge,
thought, and
talent. In
this
respect,
wealthy
people who
lack
knowledge,
thought, and
talent can
be
considered
poor.”
I just wanted to update my details for your mailing
list. I'm about to abandon this email account but
don't want to miss out on my weekly dose of CCN.
Jazakallah Khair for all your wonderful work! It is
much appreciated and valued.
Wassalaams Fathima
Dear Editor
I would like to take this opportunity to thank your
readers who assisted with my Stretton State election
campaign. It was a very enjoyable and humbling
experience, not least for the fact that so many
people gave their time and energy in so many ways to
assist me. I didn't win, but achieved one of the
highest percentages for any candidate outside the
two main parties.
One of the most pleasing aspects of the campaign was
having reinforced the view that while Stretton is
the most diverse electorate in Queensland it is also
the most accepting. This was underlined by the
diverse range of volunteers on election day, people
associated with the Muslim, Christian, Jewish,
Buddhist, Asian, Tamil, English, New Zealand,
American, South African communities to name but
some.
Jewel
thief dressed up in burka to trick his way into shop
UK: A jewel
thief dressed up in a burka to trick his way into a shop, a
court has heard.
The raider posed as a woman in the traditional garment to
gain access to the jeweller's in Burnley, Lancashire.
Three masked men wielding a single-barrel shotgun, a Samurai
sword and an axe then followed the "customer" into the shop
where they robbed up to £30,000 (€36,0000) of jewellery.
Four men were today jailed at Preston Crown Court for
admitting conspiracy to rob the shop and two homes in
Burnley and Bolton.
One of the gang was an Olympic wrestling hopeful who "had
thrown it all away" as he plotted the robberies which took
place between February and May 2011.
Rais Atcha, 20, of Burwell Close, Bolton, had trained at the
sport since the age of four and had represented his country,
with "high hopes" of making the British team for London
2012.
Kolkata:
Manirul Islam is blind but he can read Arabic and Quran. He
can even write.
He has completed reading and
writing 30th Para (chapter) of Holy Quran.
A madrasa has brought light
into the life of this boy from Rampurhat village of Birbhum
district of West Bengal.
Set up in 2009, the blind
school of Jamia Islamia Madinatul Uloom in Burdwan district
has now 11 blind students who are being taught reading and
writing Arabic and Quran besides Urdu through the Braille
system.
This is the first madrasa in West Bengal which is using
Braille to teach Arabic, Quran and Urdu and thus bringing
light in the life of blind Muslim boys who are eager to
learn Quran and Arabic.
The blind school is located
inside the premises of Jamia Islamia Madinatul Uloom in
Memari area of Burdwan. The school is run by Al-Madina
Market Education & Welfare Society, which also runs the
Jamia.
Parliament
OKs elective Quran course in schools amidst scuffles
Istanbul:
Turkish Parliament has approved an article of a
government-sponsored bill that aims to amend the country's
educational system, paving the way for an elective course on
the Quran and the life of the Prophet Muhammad in schools,
amidst heated debates between the opposition and the
government.
Debates over Article 9 of the compulsory education bill,
seeking to increase the duration of compulsory education
from eight years to 12, started on Thursday.
The ruling Justice and
Development Party's (AK Party) proposed article was approved
amidst heated debates between the ruling and main opposition
party. The proposal was approved by 306 out of 391 deputies.
According to the approved article, an elective course on the
Islamic holy book the Quran and the life of the Prophet
Muhammad will be available at middle schools and high
schools.
The Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), which had previously
presented a proposal similar to the AK Party's proposal,
supported the ruling party during discussions of the
proposed article. However, the article caused outrage among
the main opposition party.
During discussions, Republican People's Party (CHP)
parliamentary group Chairman Muharrem İnce, who delivered a
speech in Parliament, accused the AK Party of manipulating
religion for political gains. He argued that the AK Party is
seeking to gain votes by using religion in politics.
Another CHP deputy chairman, Engin Altay, said the AK Party
and the MHP have violated the Constitution. “You are
committing a crime against the constitution today,” he said
addressing deputies from the two parties.
CHP Sivas deputy Malik Ejder Özdemir said the proposal runs
contrary to the principle of secularism mentioned in the
Constitution. “Today is a historic day, now they can say
that they [AK Party and MHP] have abolished the republic and
declared the caliphate again in Turkey,” he argued.
Speaking to the press about the article upon his return to
Turkey late on Thursday, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
criticized protests by the Confederation of Public Sector
Trade Unions (KESK) and the Education Personnel Union (Eğitim-Sen)
against the bill on Thursday, in which police and
demonstrators clashed. Police using high-pressure water
cannons and teargas on protestors. Erdoğan said the proposed
Quran course would be an elective, and thus not compulsory.
“Those who don't want to attend such courses are free not to
attend them. We won't force KESK members or their children
to attend these courses. Why are they reacting in such a way
to the article then?” he asked. Erdoğan also thanked MHP
deputies for their support during the open vote in
Parliament.
Shaima
Alawadi Dead: Iraqi Woman Who Was Severely Beaten In
California Home Dies
EL CAJON, Calif. — A 32-year-old woman from Iraq who
was found severely beaten next to a threatening note saying
"go back to your country" died on Saturday.
Hanif Mohebi, the director of the San Diego chapter of the
Council on American-Islamic Relations, said he met with
Shaima Alawadi's family members in the morning and was told
that she was taken off life support around 3 p.m.
"The family is in shock at the moment. They're still trying
to deal with what happened," Mohebi said.
Alawadi, a mother of five, had been hospitalized since her
17-year-old daughter found her unconscious Wednesday in the
family's house in El Cajon, police Lt. Steve Shakowski said.
The daughter, Fatima Al Himidi, told KUSI-TV her mother had
been beaten on the head repeatedly with a tire iron, and
that the note said "go back to your country, you terrorist."
A
runaway victory for George Galloway – and all praise to
Allah
George
Galloway fought his by-election campaign in Bradford West as
a champion of Islam, nakedly appealing to race and faith.
In the last few days before
George Galloway’s amazing by-election triumph in Bradford, a
crudely photocopied leaflet flooded the Asian areas of the
seat. “God KNOWS who is a Muslim. And he KNOWS who is not,”
it said. “Let me point out to all the Muslim brothers and
sisters what I stand for. I, George Galloway, do not drink
alcohol and never have. Ask yourself if the other candidate
[the Labour candidate, Imran Hussain] in this election can
say that truthfully. I, George Galloway, have fought for the
Muslims at home and abroad, all my life, and paid a price
for it. I, George Galloway, hold Pakistan’s highest civil
awards.”
The leaflet contains no official logo of Mr Galloway’s
Respect party, or the names of an agent or printer, as
required by electoral law; Mr Galloway denies that it came
from him. Its allegations that Mr Hussain is a heavy drinker
are totally false and libellous.
At Mr Galloway’s official campaign rally in Bradford’s
Hanover Square last Sunday, footage of which was still
available yesterday on his own website, he said: “I’m a
better Pakistani than he [Mr Hussain] will ever be. God
knows who’s a Muslim and who is not. And a man that’s never
out of the pub shouldn’t be going around telling people you
should vote for him because he’s a Muslim.
A Muslim is ready to go to
the US Senate, as I did, and to their face call them
murderers, liars, thieves and criminals. A Muslim is
somebody who’s not afraid of earthly power but who fears
only the Judgment Day. I’m ready for that, I’m working for
that and it’s the only thing I fear.”
SEE THE NEW LOOK
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BUSINESS
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: Although the photo I
took looks as if this desert/cake is difficult to make,
Faranaaz Omar, who shares her recipe with CCN Readers,
assures me that it's quite simple to make and has provided
us with this step by step guide.
BOUDOIR (Sponge finger) BISCUIT PYRAMID
Step 1
Mix the following ingredients
500ml fresh cream
1 tsp coffee essence or 1 tsp instant coffee
mixed with a little water
2 Tab Icing sugar
1 tsp Vanilla essence
Step 2
Add 6 Tab drinking chocolate one Tab at a time
and carry on beating until mixture is
consistency of whipped cream.
Step 3
Then take 3 packets Boudoir biscuits, dip each
in hot milk and form into a pyramid using the
above cream mixture to layer and use as a
topping.
You
can then decorate as you like either with
chocolate sticks, fruit (eg strawberries) or
just crumble a flake over and sprinkle gold
dust.
Q: Dear Kareema, I love to walk and don’t want to miss
out now that the kids are on holidays again. Is there
anything you can suggest I do??
A: Why don’t you try some walking tours with the
family.. You’ll be amazed at how much fun the kids will have
as there’ll be loads of exploring and discovering to do, not
to mention the distance you’ll end up covering without even
realising it.
Check with your local council for maps surrounding your area
or lush pockets of rainforest or bushland that has walkways.
Most
areas/suburbs have self-guided tours, so even if you’re
going away, check in at the visitors centre for some
information on some great walking/family activities.
Q: Dear Flightstar Fozi, I intended to travel
to Greece during the December School Holidays and I am
hoping to visit a few Greek Islands. I have been told that
some Island accommodation will close during winter and
ferries might not be operating. Will we be able to access
the Island and will the shops be open?
Flightsar Fozi: I think because of severe economic
crisis effecting Greece, they will welcome any tourist
anytime who can boost their economy.
The ferries will be operating in winter, to take the local
population on the Islands, especially the larger ferries. I
reckon you will find that a lot of business’s will be closed
due to the the tourist numbers being less.
The Islands where you can go all year around are Santorini,
Mikonos, Sifnos, Paros, Crete and Rhodes.
The only thing you have to be careful of is the civil un
rest in the city of Athens in the recent times, but I think
the Islands are unlikely to be affected by the violent
protests.
Jallalludin
drives his car perfectly well during the day, but at
night it just won’t move at all.
He tries driving the car at night for a week but still
no luck.
He then furiously
calls the car dealers and they send out a technician to
him.
The technician asks:
“Sir, are you sure you are using the right gears?”
Full of anger Jallalludin replies: “You fool, idiot man,
how you could ask such a question, I'm not stupid!! I
use D for the Day and N for the Night...”
You have
indeed in the Messenger of
Allah a beautiful pattern
(of conduct) for anyone
whose hope is in Allah and
the Final Day, and who
engages much in the Praise
of Allah.
The Immense Ocean by Imam Ahmed Ibn Ajiba
al Hasani
Date: Saturday 3 March 2012, then
every second Saturday of each month Time: 3pm - 4:30pm Venue: IWAQ Office, 11 Watland St, Springwood
Light refreshments provided.
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.
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CCN or Crescents of Brisbane Inc.
Ugly
scenes erupted between a
group of burqa-clad
protesters and a Muslim man
outside NSW State Parliament
in Sydney during the week.
As
the first term of the school
year has just finished, not
only are teachers having a
well deserve break, but one
school is celebrating a
little more than others.
Fethullah
Gülen is a
preacher,
thinker and
educator, who
having assumed
the leadership
of the Nurcu
religious
movement—started
by Said Nursî
(1878-1960
CE)—has gone on
to become a
global
phenomenon in
his own right.
His popularity
and authority in
Turkey has been
the driving
force of the
movement that is
widely thought
to have brought
about the social
and, eventually,
political
changes of which
politician Recep
Tayyip Erdogan
has been the
ultimate
heir—that is the
enfranchisement
of Muslim
politics in
Turkey. Despite
his peaceful
means of
preaching and
community
organization,
Gülen is hated
by the
secularist
establishment in
Turkey and has
been living in
the US since
1999.
Fethullah
Gülen
post comments on
our Wall
7
August 2011