The
Queensland Forum for
Christians, Jews and
Muslims held an
interfaith forum at
the Griffith
University
Multifaith Centre
during the week as
part of the Centre's
10 year anniversary
celebrations.
Members from the
community and
30 students of the
Australian
International
Islamic College (AIIC,
Durack) attended the
event.
Amongst the
panellists were Mr
David Paratz, past
and vice president,
Queensland Jewish
Board of Deputies;
The Revd Canon
Richard Tutin,
General Secretary
Queensland Churches
Together and Mr.
Keysar Trad CEO of
the AIIC
Addressing the theme
of the forum, namely
"Is Religion to
Blame", some of the
questions and
discussion centred
around the conflict
in Israel and
Palestine and
politics and
religion
The
forum concluded with
curry and rice lunch
provided by Mr.
Sultan Deen.
Father and son grace
the cover of local
runners' magazine
Toowoomba dentist,
Dr Anver Omar
(54), plans to
support his
journalist son and
first-timer,
Yusuf (23) along
the 90km Comrades
Marathon run from
Pietermaritzburg to
Durban today (Sunday
6am South African
time and 2pm
Brisbane time).
Omar
Snr's training runs,
three times a week,
around the suburbs
of Kuraby should
hold him in good
stead on his 7th
consecutive
ultra-marathon run.
Throw in a few solo
marathons from
Kuraby to Queen
Street in Brisbane
and he will have
covered over 1000km
since January.
On
the last “down” run,
Omar Snr finished in
8 hours 50 minutes.
"This year I’ll be
just concentrating
on getting Yusuf
through before the
12 hour cut off,"
Omar Snr told CCN.
"This
will be good
preparation for me
for CresWalk in
September," Omar
said as he lodged
his tongue firmly
into his cheek and
dentures.
A
German computer
scientist,
Habiburrahman
Dastageeri
(pictured left),
has come up with a
smartphone app to
help Muslims
navigate in Mecca.
Every
able Muslim is
required to go on a
pilgrimage to Mecca,
Saudi Arabia — known
as the hajj — at
least once in their
life.
But the journey to
Mecca can be an
overwhelming
experience. Over a
million people from
around the world
descend on the
Islamic holy sites
during the hajj
period, and they
have to both perform
complicated rituals
and find their way
around heaving
crowds in often
stifling heat.
Now a young German
computer scientist
has developed a
smartphone app to
help the pilgrims
find their way and
offer a guide to
performing the
rituals that are an
essential part of
the hajj.
Habiburrahman
Dastageeri first had
the idea when he
went to Mecca with
his family in 2006
to perform the Umrah,
another, less
complicated
pilgrimage that can
be done at any time
of year.
“I
realized that it was
not as easy as I had
imagined,” he said.
“Of course my family
and I had prepared,
but when I was
there, I saw that
there was a lot that
we just couldn’t
have known.”
The 32-year-old, who
was born in Mainz
after his parents
immigrated to
Germany from
Afghanistan, was
studying computer
science at the
University of
Applied Sciences
Stuttgart at the
time. “I thought it
would be interesting
if I could have had
a navigation device
that could also be a
religious guide.”
He soon embarked on
a Masters program.
For his project, he
decided to develop a
prototype GPS system
for the hajj.
It took over two
years to develop the
“Amir” app, named
for the Arabic word
for guide.
The hajj rituals
vary according to
gender, so there is
one app for men and
one for women. The
user can then choose
exactly which of the
different variations
of the hajj he or
she is doing.
“The
first big challenge
for a pilgrim is to
know what, when and
where the rituals
have to be
performed”
Dastageeri told
GlobalPost. “These
are not part of
everyday life for
most people. They
would not have
practiced them
before at home.”
The step-by-step
guide helps them
prepare, with a
check list and
interactive
tutorials on how to
perform the rituals.
The
project took longer
than Dastageeri
expected because he
had not only had to
develop the
technology, but also
make sure that the
app complied with
Islamic thought. To
do so, he consulted
with Australia-based
scholar Abu Muneer
Ismail Davids, who
has written numerous
books on the hajj.
“It was really
important that there
would be neither
religious nor
technological
mistakes,”
Dastageeri said.
For Dastageeri, the
chance to combine
his tech skills and
his religious
beliefs was the main
attraction in
developing the app.
“As a computer
scientist, you learn
to find solutions to
known problems, and
the hajj has existed
for 1,400 years.
With these new
possibilities we can
now significantly
simplify the hajj,
and also help many
people. That was my
motivation from the
start.”
Although it’s
outlawed, polygamy
is still practiced
informally in
Australia. Having
more than one spouse
is a long-standing
and legitimate
cultural norm in
some Indigenous
Australian, African
and religious
communities.
This week Insight
spoke to people from
diverse backgrounds
about life in a
polygamous
relationship and the
benefits and
challenges of
sharing a spouse.
What it’s like for
children growing up
in those households?
How do spouses
negotiate jealousy?
And why is polygamy
against the law?
Amongst
the representatives
in the audience were
Ms Fathima Youssef
(pictured right)
who said that
polygamy was common
in her local
Lebanese Muslim
community in Sydney.
She wasn't in a
polygamous
relationship herself
but said she saw
other women enjoying
the benefits of
polygamy, such as
housework help,
financial support
and companionship.
She said God allows
polygamy because God
“knew that man was
weak” in terms of
fidelity.
Also
in the audience was
the Imam of the Gold
Coast Mosque, Imam
Imran Husain and Ms
Eman Sharobeem, a
psychologist and
community worker who
believed religion
can subjugate women
into accepting
polygamous
relationships. She
has talked to
hundreds of
immigrant women and
says jealousy of
“co-wives” in
polygamous
relationships was a
common complaint.
She said some women
are often driven to
the point of mental
health breakdowns
because of it.
As
the killing goes on
in Syria, people are
risking their lives
again to escape the
country, many of
them with horrible
injuries.
In this week's
Dateline program on
SBS reporter Yaara
Bou Melhem met some
of the desperate
refugees and the
doctors working in
Turkey and Lebanon
to help them.
One of the doctors
Yaara met was
Syrian-born
Australian
Orthopaedic Surgeon,
Dr Tamer Kahil,
who said he just
couldn’t sit back
and do nothing.
Dr
Kahil, the cofounder
of the Australian
Muslim Doctors
Association, flew
over to Turkey with
medical supplies to
render his expert
services.
He
took along with him
much-needed
antibiotics. These
were for a
rehabilitation
centre he is helping
set up for people
hurt in the
conflict.
"What
is happening in
there is really
horrible and beyond
belief, a Government
kills its own
people. I don't feel
comfortable just
sitting doing
nothing, just
watching the news
and counting the
number of civilians
killed. That's
horrible, " he told
the SBS reporter.
"The function there
is we have
rehabilitation for
those patients,
postoperatively,
long-term treatment,
for instance, no
matter how good the
operation is, if you
don't follow it up
with effective
physiotherapy and
other modalities of
treatment, then the
operation will
fail."
The
University of
Southern Queensland
Islamic Centre in
Toowoomba was
established in the
year 2000 as a
separate demountable
building with prayer
facilities for men
and women, an office
room, kitchen and
toilets with
ablution area. In
the early days only
a third of the main
prayer hall with an
estimated capacity
of about 180
worshippers would be
in use.
Due to rapid growth
of the number of
users, especially
the international
students, the space
in the Centre was
unable to
accommodate all the
worshippers for
Jumma prayers. It
became usual to see
some 100 worshippers
spill over onto the
lawns under the open
sky on Fridays.
The extension
proposal for the
Centre took some
time to get approved
by the University.
The
expansion work is
now under progress
and this will allow
an extra 100
worshippers.
Early
in the year the
Centre was renovated
to create rear
entrance for the
women which allows
the women to enter
the facilities from
a separate entry
than the entrance
for the men.
The
USQ Islamic Centre
is open to all
Muslims in Toowoomba
and surrounding
areas including
Gatton, Warwick,
Dalby and Oakey.
"The community is
grateful to the
University of
Southern Queensland
for its on going
support to the
growing number of
Muslim students and
staff, " Professor
Shahjahan Khan, the
coordinator of the
USQ Islamic Centre
told CCN.
"But it is time for
the local community
of Muslims to start
working for a Masjid
with their own
resources,"
Professor Khan
added.
The
countdown has begun
for the Ladies’ Spa
Day 10am-5pm next
Sunday 10th June at
the AMYN Centre
16/157 North Rd,
Woodridge.
The event is being
organised and
presented by the
Sisters’ House, with
proceeds benefitting
this non-profit
volunteer community
organisation. Entry
is by a gold coin
($1 or $2) donation.
Local
Muslim businesses
Rejuven8 Body &
Beauty, Le Reve,
Ritz Hair, Henna by
Meli & Donna’s
Massage are offering
the following
therapies and
services on the day:
Facials -
Revitalising, Anti
-Ageing,
Aromatherapy,
Nourishing
Massage -
Accupressure or
Relaxing
Hair - Cut & blow
dry, Foils
Manicures &
Pedicures, Paraffin
Wax Hand Treatments,
Waxing, Ear
piercing, Henna
Online bookings are
available until 5pm
Friday 8th June by
clicking this link
http://bit.ly/JqdefJ
There will also be
stalls by local
Muslim businesses
including Jewellry
by Rishka, Bessemer
Cookware, Herbalife,
Muslimah Chic
Clothing, Durra’s
Baby Clothes,
Wasimah Clothing &
Jessica’s Wheat
Packs.
Also available on
the day will be a
delicious range of
Hot Food, cakes,
sweets and drinks.
We would like to express our gratitude to all the
applicants for the Sister Haifaa's Ladies Retreat at
the Gold Coast in July 2012.
Alhamdulillah, we have had an
excellent response and have now officially closed
registration for this year.
Jazakallah for your interest and enthusiasm.
We look forward to seeing those that
have registered, at the retreat Insha-Allah.
Retreat Team
Salam CCN Editor
Our organisation is a not-for-profit non-political
community group that aims to promote Palestine and
Palestinian culture in Australia in a variety of
accessible and enjoyable ways, including film and
art.
We
attach our flyer for our next film evening which
being held on Saturday 7 July at 6:30pm at the
Tribal Theatre situated at 346 George Street in the
city. The tickets include the film and delicious
Middle Eastern food as well as a cultural display
and some Arab musical entertainment.
We would appreciate you advertising our event and
insha'ALLAH you will be able to attend yourself!
Kind regards Kathryn Zahran (Director of the PACSI
Management Committee)
I am working with a family recently relocated from
Tunisia. They are in Brisbane for a minimum of 2
years working for an international company.
We are hoping to find an Arabic language tutor for
their 5 year old son - to ensure that he will keep
his skills current so when he returns in 2/4 years
his language has not suffered.
In addition we are looking for a French and/or
Arabic speaker to tutor the wife in English.
Hoping someone within your community may be ale to
offer assistance/ advice.
They would also like an opportunity to meet with
other Muslim's in Brisbane. If there are suggestions
as to how they may be able to achieve this I would
welcome this.
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. 23
Seyyed
Hasan
Nasrallah
Secretary
General of
Hezbollah
Seyyed
Hasan Nasrallah
is serving his
sixth term as
the current and
third Secretary
General of
Hezbollah (the
Party of God).
Hezbollah is a
Twelver Shi‘a
Islamic
political party
and paramilitary
organization
based in
Lebanon.
Hezbollah’s
ideology is
based on seeking
social justice
through Islamic
ideals.
Political and military
successes have
made Nasrallah a
vastly
influential
figure in
Lebanon,
and in the
Middle East more
broadly.
Nasrallah and
Hezbollah are
also
controversial;
the US and
Canada list
Hezbollah as a
terrorist
organization.
Military
Power
Nasrallah has
immense
importance in
Lebanon as a
figure of
military power.
He gained this
influence by
leading
Hezbollah during
the time that
Israeli forces
withdrew from
southern
Lebanon. The
withdrawal
resulted in huge
popularity for
Nasrallah,
giving him
increased
recognition at
home and abroad
as a powerful
figure in the
Middle East.
Hezbollah
remains a de
facto security
force in
southern
Lebanon, and its
military
presence is felt
throughout the
country, with a
force of around
300,000
fighters.
Lebanon’s
Leading Twelver
Shi‘a
Under Nasrallah,
Hezbollah has
gained in
popularity and
in political
stature. As
Syria and Israel
have withdrawn
from Lebanon,
Hezbollah has
begun to
position itself
as a Lebanese
nationalist
organization,
with
revolutionary
Shi’ism as the
guiding line.
Nasrallah was
educated at the
Hawza Shi‘a
seminary in
Najaf in Iraq
where he met
Abbas Musawi,
his predecessor
as leader of
Hezbollah.
Nasrallah took
over leadership
in 1992 and has
popularized the
party among the
Muslim
population, and
also among
non-Muslims.
Hezbollah has
gained wide
popular appeal
by providing
social services,
health care and
also running Al
Manar— an
influential
television
station.
Social
Services
Hezbollah has
also won
significant
grassroots
support by
cultivating a
social welfare
system that
provides
schools,
clinics, and
housing in the
predominantly
Shi‘a parts of
Lebanon, but
also in others.
These welfare
activities are
run with
efficiency and
rival those
carried out by
the state,
giving the
organization
even broader
appeal.
International
Symbol of
Resistance
Against Israel
Nasrallah has
broader
influence in the
Muslim World as
a figure of
defiance against
Israel. Israel
remains a key
issue for the
Muslim World and
Hezbollah’s aim
to achieve
social justice
in Palestine is
central to its
activities. The
military
successes
Nasrallah had in
the late
nineties are
seen as the main
factor for
Israel’s
withdrawal from
southern Lebanon
in 2000.
Moreover, the
staunch defense
put up by
Hezbollah forces
against Israel
in July 2006
earned Nasrallah
many more
supporters. In
February 2010 he
openly
criticized Arab
states’ lack of
involvement with
opposing Israel,
while at the
same time
praising Syria
and Iran.
The Arab
Spring
•• Nasrallah has
expressed
support for the
Arab uprisings,
particularly in
Tunisia, Egypt,
Bahrain, Libya,
and Yemen; yet
he supported the
Syrian regime;
betraying a
sectarian bias.
I tell you
that the
strength of
the
resistance
in Lebanon
today is at
its
paramount of
morality,
cohesion,
and courage.
Its
adherents
and
resources
are all
better than
ever.
For a
professional ironing service
contact Waseema on 0413 531
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The 'Anatolian Tigers' and the rise of the Turkish economy
ISTANBUL, Turkey — When illiterate carpenter Mustafa Boydak
Sr., from a village outside of the central Anatolian city of
Kayseri, opened his first carpentry workshop in 1957, it was
just a way to make a living.
Over the years, the small workshop developed into a
furniture company, and from there into an industrial
conglomerate operating in eight sectors with 35 companies,
among them the most important furniture brands in Turkey.
Today, Boydak Holding exports to 110 countries, and its
companies have about 2,000 branches in Turkey and 260
branches worldwide. These days, Mustafa Boydak Sr. has put
his sons in charge. He has also learned to read and write.
The success story of the Boydak family highlights the
industrial boom in several cities in Turkey’s provincial,
conservative regions that have started to compete with the
country’s economic powerhouse, Istanbul.
The growth, which began in the 1980s, has been spurred by a
new class of entrepreneurs known as “Anatolian Tigers.”
Devout Muslims with a pragmatic, global approach to
business, these entrepreneurs have begun to change the
traditional balance of power in this developing economy.
For many decades Turkey’s economy had been dominated by a
handful of huge, industrial conglomerates run by some of the
world’s richest families — all of them secular. The rise of
the Anatolian Tigers coincided with the arrival in power of
the Islamic-oriented Justice and Development Party (AKP) and
was strongly supported by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan. That has led observers to view it as a power
struggle between secular and conservative elites.
But that hasn’t happened.
"Turkish capital has simply grown more diverse in the course
of the years," said Sumru Altug, professor of economics at
Koç University in Istanbul. "But it’s wrong to draw
connections between economic developments and the political
or religious attitudes of new regional players."
.......
But going
out and
drinking
simply has
no tradition
here. People
don’t like
wasting
their time
doing such
things, they
would rather
spend it at
home with
their
families.
Mustafa
Boydak Jr
Like their secular counterparts, the old
business elites of Istanbul, the Muslim Calvinists of
Kayseri seek to improve their quality of life through
material means. They spend their new wealth on big new cars,
shopping malls and modern architecture throughout the city.
But as opposed to the modern metropolis Istanbul, there is
little means for distraction in Kayseri — there are no bars
or fancy restaurants, much less clubs or art galleries.
The conservative elites of his city consider hard work a
type of worship, just like the Calvinists of yore, said
Mustafa Boydak Jr., Mustafa Boydak Sr.’s second eldest son,
referring to a report by the European Stability Initiative
published in 2005, which called the Anatolian Tigers
"Islamic Calvinists" for their combining of religious
devotion with a hard work ethic.
..........
"Pious people are usually very diligent," he added.
"We don’t reject modern comforts," he said. "But going out
and drinking simply has no tradition here. People don’t like
wasting their time doing such things, they would rather
spend it at home with their families."
The new conservative elites are also some of the fiercest
advocates for Turkey’s bid to join the European Union. Their
openness to Western-style progress was in fact one of the
keys to their success, they say.
UK: The Yorkshire Post today reports that bids
to form faith schools within the government’s free
school initiative has led to local opposition with
some humanist campaigners arguing that the
establishment of such schools “could add to
religious and racial segregation in the region’s
cities”.
“Campaigners have warned the Government’s free
school programme could add to religious and
racial segregation in the region’s cities after
plans to create Muslim, Sikh, and Jewish
schools, and a failed bid by a Christian group
to teach creationism to pupils were put forward.
“Concerns have also been raised that another
planned free school in Yorkshire is part of an
education movement which is based on
“pseudoscience” teachings – a claim strongly
rejected by those involved.
“The Yorkshire Post can reveal that there have
been at least eight faith groups or religious
private schools in the region interested in
joining the free school movement since the
flagship policy was launched by Education
Secretary Michael Gove.
“Among the latest proposals to emerge is a
co-educational Islamic primary in west Halifax.
“The Department for Education (DfE) is holding
interviews this week with groups planning to
open free schools in 2013, with decisions
expected later this summer.
“A plan to create a new state-funded Christian
School which would have taught creationism to
1,000 pupils in ten small “family school” bases
dotted around Sheffield has been rejected.
“However the rejection letter to the proposed
Sheffield Christian School does not cite its
creationist curriculum as one of the reasons.
“The British Humanist Association (BHA) has
welcomed the decision not to approve the
Sheffield Christian School plan but warned that
as least 15 other faith-based proposals had made
it to the DfE’s interview stage nationally.
“The organisation claims that if these are
successful it could add to segregation or lead
to pupils being taught a “skewed” curriculum.
“Other proposals in Leeds include a Sikh free
school and a Jewish free school which has been
put forward by the Jewish Brodetsky Primary in
the city. The school’s head, Jeremy Dunford,
said it would not add to segregation in the city
as pupils currently go to a Jewish high school
in Manchester.
“There are also plans for a Sikh ethos school in
Leeds. Calderdale Council said a group is
planning an Islamic primary school in Halifax.
Gugsy Ahmed, head of Parkinson Lane primary in
Halifax, said he had heard the proposed school
was to be known as the Sunni Centre.
“The private Barnsley and Bradford Christian
Schools, the muslim New Horizon School in Leeds
and the SDA Church in Leeds have all expressed
interest in opening free schools.”
Proposals for faith-based free schools have been
the target of recent opposition with Muslim
schools facing their fair share of negative
reaction.
The
first Muslim school to be given free school
status, Tauheedul Islam Boys’ School in
Blackburn, encountered opposition last year as
plans went through, with the local National
Union of Teachers representative reportedly
arguing that "It is going to develop potential
social problems in the future.”
More
recently, under the same legislative changes
which are bringing in free schools, plans to
give the Bolton Muslim Girls School academy
status faced opposition protests.
Sentenced to death for
singing and dancing at wedding
PAKISTAN:
Four women and two men have been sentenced to death in
northern Pakistan for singing and dancing at a wedding,
police say.
Clerics issued a decree after a mobile phone video emerged
of the six enjoying themselves in a remote village in the
mountainous district of Kohistan, 176km north of the capital
Islamabad.
Pakistani authorities in the area said local clerics had
ordered the punishment over allegations that the men and
women danced and sang together in Gada village, in defiance
of strict tribal customs that separate men and women at
weddings.
"The local clerics issued a decree to kill all four women
and two men shown in the video," district police officer
Abdul Majeed Afridi said.
"It was decided that the men will be killed first, but they
ran away so the women are safe for the moment. I have sent a
team to capture them and am waiting to hear some news," he
said, adding that the women had been confined to their
homes.
Afridi said the events stemmed from a dispute between two
tribes and that there was no evidence the men and women had
been mingling.
"All of them were shown separately in the video. I've seen
the video taken on a cell phone myself. It shows four women
singing and a man dancing in separate scenes and then
another man sitting in a separate shot," he said.
"This is tribal enmity. The video has been engineered to
defame the tribe," he added.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said at least 943
women and girls were murdered last year for allegedly
defaming their family's honour.
SOUTH AFRICA: The largest mosque in the southern
hemisphere has risen in Midrand at the will of 75-year-old
Turkish construction tycoon Ali Katircioglu.
Hoping to leave a legacy in
South Africa, "Uncle Ali", as he is popularly known, has
already spent more than R210-million ($2.5M) on the new
Nizamiye mosque and community complex, and has no plans for
slowing down.
"Everyone wants to leave something greater before dying. If
you look at the richest men in history, they're often
forgotten. But if you're rich and you leave something that
helps people, you will feel their prayers long after you are
dead," the Turkish-speaking Katircioglu said yesterday.
The estimated cost of the entire project, including a Muslim
university, is R1.3-billion ($160M). But Katircioglu could
not give an exact figure because he had "stopped counting a
long time ago".
During the planning stages, Katircioglu travelled back and
forth between Turkey and South Africa. When construction
started in October 2009, he moved to South Africa with his
wife to oversee the project in person.
Katircioglu had planned to build the mosque in the US. But
after failing to find a suitable site and being obstructed
by the bureaucracy he brought the project to South Africa.
The mosque, which is at the centre of a 52ha complex, is a
scaled-down replica of the Ottoman Selimiye mosque in
Edirne, Turkey. The massive dome atop the building has the
same pale-blue hue and is adorned with four identical
minarets on each corner.
At the centre of the outdoor
plaza lies a whudu, a small bathing area where devotees can
wash before namaaz or ritual prayers.
The interior is where the real treat lies. Painted in gold,
Arabic prayer calligraphy and ornate flowers completely
cover the ceiling of the 31m-high dome.
The design is reflected on the carpet directly beneath it,
creating a central symmetry throughout the building.
Tiles hand-painted with colourful flowers line the walls.
The building has two storeys to enable men and women to pray
separately - women on the balcony and men on the carpeted
floor.
The mosque can accommodate 6000 worshippers . Though it has
yet to have an official opening, prayers are held there five
times a day. On Fridays, it is filled to the brim, requiring
extra carpeting to be laid down outside.
But one need not follow Islam to visit the mosque.
"We want everyone to feel welcome and visit. You can wear
what you want, look how you want but we all have the same
heart," Katircioglu said.
The mosque is surrounded by a community complex, which is
still under construction. Originally, Katircioglu had
planned only to build a shopping centre and a primary school
at which children could live and study, but those ambitions
have since been greatly expanded.
After meeting former president Nelson Mandela, who suggested
that he add a clinic, Katircioglu worked on creating a
low-cost clinic. He also decided to extend the plot to build
a Muslim university.
The shopping centre, clinic and primary school are scheduled
to be completed and officially opened by mid-September at a
ceremony expected to be attended by President Jacob Zuma.
The university will take a bit longer to complete.
CAIRO – Becoming the first
team to compete in an international competition in hijab,
female Muslim weightlifters from the United Arab Emirates
will be making history in the London Olympics.
"We were the first country for our athletes to be covered,
wearing Islamic dress," Jassim Abdulrahman Al-Awazi, a board
member for the Emirates Weightlifting Federation and the GCC
Weightlifting Organization, told the Emirati daily The
National on Monday, May 21.
UAE weightlifters have earned a place in the London
Olympics, to start in the British capital from July 27 to
August 12.
This time, the weightlifters will be able to don hijab while
participating in the competition after the International
Weightlifting Federation (IWF) changed rules to allow the
Muslim headscarf.
It followed the case of veiled US Muslim athlete who
challenged IWF rules that banned the outfit in competition.
Under previous IWF rules,
weightlifters wore outfits, officially called “costumes”,
which had to be collarless and not cover the elbows or
knees.
But in July, the governing body modified the rules to
accommodate Muslim beliefs and accordingly allowed hijab.
"It is very good for Muslim countries that this issue has
been raised,” said Al-Awazi.
“It is not forced, it is a choice for the athletes if they
want to wear it.”
Islam sees hijab as an obligatory code of dress, not a
religious symbol displaying one’s affiliations.
UAE officials believe that amended rules to allow hijab will
open the sport to a whole new audience.
“Now it has been opened to everyone,” Al-Awazi, the board
member for the Emirates Weightlifting Federation, told The
National.
“If you want to join, why not? Now there are no excuses, no
reasons to say no.”
Sheikh Sultan bin Mejren, the president of the Emirates
Weightlifting Federation, shares a similar view.
"It was a decision which will help the whole Islamic world,"
Mejren said.
"Now there is no difference between Muslims and non-Muslims
in events like the Olympics. There is no border to accept
them or not.
"Everybody can participate without breaking rules."
Physical Olympic sports such as rugby and taekwondo allow
Muslim women to wear the headscarf in competition.
Hijab shined during Beijing Olympic Games in 2008 when many
Muslim women athletes broke Western stereotypes, proving
that donning hijab is not an obstacle to excelling in life
and sports.
During the games, half a dozen veiled Egyptians, three
Iranians, an Afghan and a Yemeni competed in sprinting,
rowing, taekwondo and archery.
Camden Council won't deduct
pay from Muslims for prayer breaks .
UK: The Camden New
Journal reported that the Camden Council has
backed-down on plans to deduct five minutes pay from
Muslim employees every time they take a break for
prayer, after Camden Unison took on the case.
“The Town
Hall last night (Wednesday) backed down on plans to
deduct five minutes worth of pay every time one of its
Muslim employees takes a quick break to pray.
“Children’s department chief Councillor Nash Ali said
yesterday that he has asked for the deductions to be
stopped after the council’s biggest union cried foul.
“The move followed a dispute brought by Camden Unison,
which claimed the worker concerned – in the play service
– was effectively being penalised for his religious
beliefs.
“Camden is adamant that the case was not rooted in any
religious prejudice and that the tone of the union’s
claims, published on its website, had been
“inflammatory”.
“The member of staff, who has not been identified by
Unison, has worked for the council for 10 years. His
breaks to pray were likened to the way smokers are
permitted time for cigarettes without their salary being
docked.
“John Shepherd, a union co-convenor in the children,
schools and families department, said the man involved
had “prayed at work once a day for around five years”.
“He added: “Prayers take around five minutes. A few
weeks ago, he was told he would now have five minutes of
his salary deducted each day he prays. Unison
immediately took up the case, pointing out the obvious
discrepancy between this treatment and the treatment of
other members of staff who smoke, for example, or maybe
go to the toilet more often than other workers.
““In these instances managers do not monitor where staff
are every second of the day and make minuscule pay
deductions. So why should a Muslim worker be treated any
differently? We argued that doing so is likely to be an
unlawful deduction of wages and a potential breach of
the Equality Act on the basis of the protected
characteristic of religious belief.”
“The union said it had not heard any movement on its
complaint for several weeks before going public with its
online article, which prompted New Journal queries to
the council.
“Cllr Ali said: “I have asked for the deductions to be
stopped. We do not wish to see small deductions from
salaries for small periods of time to pray and I have
sought confirmation that arrangements are in place for
any employee who wishes to pray during the working day
to do so, while making up any missed time at a later
date.””
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Using the
book club you can see what books fellow CCN readers
have on their shelves, what they are reading and
even what they, and others, think of them.
KB says: This week's recipe is
inspired by an
article I read on the dessert by Aminah Patel on the
Sisters website where she researched the historical
‘dis-connection’ with Malva and South African's Muslims.
After a little research, she found that
Malva Pudding gets its name from a type of wine called
Malvacea from Madiera. "This wine traditionally always
accompanied the pudding, although absolutely no alcohol is
used in the actual dish itself. Since this dessert is of
Cape Dutch origin, it was a pudding intrinsically linked to
wine, as the Cape Dutch, or Afrikaners are well associated
with winemaking and wine estates. Today, however, the Malva
Pudding can be happily divorced from its traditional
associations and simply be enjoyed for what it is – a rich,
spongy absolutely delectable pudding served with custard or
ice cream."
Malva Pudding
Step 1
Sift the following:
1 cup flour
¼ cup self raising flour
1tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
Step 2
Mix together:
1 tsp bicarb of soda
1 cup milk
1 tsp vinegar
1 tab melted butter
Step 3
Beat well:
1 egg
1 cup sugar
Then add 1 tab apricot jam
Step 4
Bring together all the above mixtures,
mixing it alternatively.
Bake in muffin pans or in one large
casserole at 180degrees.
When the pudding is baked (light brown)
pour the sauce over and serve warm with
ice cream
Sauce
Bring to the boil:
1 cup fresh cream
4 tab butter
1 cup sugar
½ cup hot water
1 tsp vanilla essence
Q: Dear Kareema, I find it hard enough doing my
exercises on a daily basis now, how do I keep it up during
the colder months?
A: Don’t let the weather determine your exercise
regime or routine. It WILL get colder, so be sure not to let
your motivation levels drop. Set yourself some goals so you
can stay on track. Remember that you want to
come
out of winter a fitter person so you can enjoy the warmer
months and set yourself more challenges.
Try
to stay positive and know that there will be days when you
just don’t feel like working out, and that’s ok, as long as
you get back on track the next day…
My
secret: embrace the weather and I always reward myself when
I reach my goals!
...If a
husband divorces his wife
(irrevocably), he cannot,
after that, re-marry her
until after she has married
another husband and he has
divorced her. In that case
there is no blame on either
of them if they re-unite,
provided they feel that they
can keep the limits ordained
by Allah, which He makes
plain to those who
understand.
.
"Your living is determined
not so much by what life
brings to you as by the
attitude you bring to life;
not so much by what happens
to you as by the way your
mind looks at what happens."
Khalil Gibran
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
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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.
Habiburrahman
Dastageeri first had
the idea when he
went to Mecca with
his family in 2006
to perform the Umrah,
another, less
complicated
pilgrimage that can
be done at any time
of year.
“The
first big challenge
for a pilgrim is to
know what, when and
where the rituals
have to be
performed”
Dastageeri told
GlobalPost. “These
are not part of
everyday life for
most people. They
would not have
practiced them
before at home.” 
Amongst
the representatives
in the audience were
Ms Fathima Youssef
(pictured right)
who said that
polygamy was common
in her local
Lebanese Muslim
community in Sydney.
She wasn't in a
polygamous
relationship herself
but said she saw
other women enjoying
the benefits of
polygamy, such as
housework help,
financial support
and companionship.
She said God allows
polygamy because God
“knew that man was
weak” in terms of
fidelity.
Seyyed
Hasan Nasrallah
is serving his
sixth term as
the current and
third Secretary
General of
Hezbollah (the
Party of God).
Hezbollah is a
Twelver Shi‘a
Islamic
political party
and paramilitary
organization
based in
Lebanon.
Hezbollah’s
ideology is
based on seeking
social justice
through Islamic
ideals.
Political and military
successes have
made Nasrallah a
vastly
influential
figure in
Lebanon,
and in the
Middle East more
broadly.
Nasrallah and
Hezbollah are
also
controversial;
the US and
Canada list
Hezbollah as a
terrorist
organization.
Relax
in one of the newest and
most exciting developments
in the heart of Surfers
Paradise - Boulevard Tower
located at 6 Orchid Ave
Surfers Paradise. A stroll
away from the beautiful
sandy beaches of Surfers
Paradise. Walk to Hard Rock
Cafe, and enjoy the
convenience of shops,
supermarkets, restaurants,
cafes, boutiques etc right
at your doorstep. 
Fifty
years to the day Jallalludin got himself drafted into
the Turkish Army.
post comments on
our Wall
7
August 2011