The
Islamic
Medical
Association
of
Queensland
(IMAQ)
held
the
first
of
its
public
community
engagement
forums
during
the
week
at
Michael's
Oriental
Restaurant.
Under
the
theme,
A
Healthy
Heart
and
Soul,
Gold
Coast
cardiologist,
Dr
Nasser
Essack,
explained
issues
related
to
heart
diseases
and
highlighted
a
number
of
preventative
measures,
while
Dr
Mohamad
Abdalla
of
the
Griffith
Islamic
Research
Unit,
substituting
at
short
notice
for
Imam
Ghazaleh
(who
took
ill
shortly
before
the
forum),
spoke
on
the
spiritual
purification
of
the
heart.
IMAQ
president,
Dr
Iqbal
Sultan,
gave
the
100-strong
audience
an
overview
of
the
structure,
aims,
objectives
and
achievements
of
his
fledgling
organization
to
date.
Following
on
from
the
success
of
this
inaugural
educational
evening,
similar
forums
on
men's
and
women's
health
issues
are
planned
for
the
future.
The
Brisbane-based
Muslim
Charitable
Foundation
(MCF)
in
collaboration
with
partners
Improvement
and
Development
for
Communities
(IDCO)
supplied
food
aid
to
the
vulnerable
households
in
the
Gaza
Strip.
The
food
parcel
for
each
household
contained
19
food
items:
The Islamic
Society of
Holland Park
Mosque needs
to collect
$2.2 million
(including
GST) by 30th
December,
2012 for the
purchase of
the property
across the
road from
the Mosque.
By week
ending 25th
November the
Society has
raised $1.4
million as a
result of:
• Donations
and pledges
from
individuals
and groups
• Sale of 2
of the 3
properties.
This still
leaves
another
$800,000 to
be raised.
What you can
do to help:
• Donate
generously
• Provide a
short-term
non-interest
loan to
cover the
GST amount
of $200K.
The GST is
recoverable,
but it will
take about 3
months.
• Provide a
12-month
non-interest
loan. This
buys the
Society time
to organise
various
fund-raising
activities
and launch
other
fund-raising
initiatives.
A spokesman
for the
society told
CCN: "The
donations
have slowed
down. We
need people
to dig deep
and give
generously.
If everyone
were to give
$200 - $500
and there
were 1,000
contributors,
we would
raise
between
$200K and
$500K."
Sydney – Twenty leading organisations from Australia’s Muslim community have released a strongly worded statement condemning Israeli attacks against Palestine’s civilian population and criticising the Australian Government for defending what they described as Israel’s “heinous crimes”. The statement was issued in response to the outbreak of hostilities by Israel upon Palestine last week that has left over 160 mainly civilians dead and led to the destruction of essential infrastructure in Gaza.
The statement, an unprecedented unified message from both Sunni and Shia community leaders and organisations, was especially critical of Prime Minister Julia Gillard.
“We acknowledge and regret civilian casualties on both sides of the conflict. Community leaders have expressed their disappointment that Prime Minister Gillard has not taken a strong stance against the excessive and indiscriminate use of force by Israel against Palestinian civilians, as well as the continual destruction of essential infrastructure”, the statement said.
The statement also welcomed the cease fire and called upon the Australian government to exert more pressure on Israel to comply with its obligations under international law to end the blockade of Gaza.
“The Australian Muslim community declares its support for the people of Palestine and prays for the relief of their suffering. We welcome the ceasefire and hope both parties abide by it to prevent further loss of life”.
In response to the pro Israel media bias that has tarnished the reporting of several mainstream Australian media outlets, the community leaders also called upon the media to report on the events in Gaza without fear or favour
A copy of the statement and the signatories can be found here.
Presented
by Cultural
Media, this
celebration
of
Palestinian
cinema is
centred on
the theme of
'Visit
Palestine'.
Touring
Sydney,
Melbourne
and Perth,
the film
festival
comes to
Brisbane's
Palace
Centro on
Friday, 30th
of November
and will run
until
Sunday, 2nd
of December,
2012.
s
A total of
seven
notable
short films
and feature
films will
be screened
over three
nights;
Friday, 30th
of November,
2012 - 7:00
PM
Man
Without A
Cell Phone is
the debut
feature of
director
Sameh Zoabi.
Originally
released in
2010, this
comedy drama
was a hit
with
audiences on
the
international
film
festival
circuit. Variety described
it as a
unique
Palestinian
feature
film, noting
"Zoabi
sticks to a
gently
humorous
approach in
a bid to set
his pic
apart from
the
increasing
number of
issue-driven
Palestinian
features."
Man
Without A
Cell Phone will
be preceded
with a
special
screening of
two short
films; First
Lesson,
the
directorial
debut of
actress,
Areen Omari
and No
News.
Saturday,
1st of
December,
2012 - 6:30
PM
Tears of
Gaza is
an
award-winning
documentary
by Norwegian
director
Vibeke
Løkkeberg.
An anti-war
film, Tears
of Gaza follows
three
children
through the
2008-2009
bombing of
Gaza and was
described as
"a brutally
uncompromising
blast of
outrage" by
the New
York Times.
Tears of
Gaza will
be preceded
by a
screening
of Yala
to the Moon,
a short film
directed by
Suhel Nafar
& Jacqueline
Reem Salloum.
Sunday, 2nd
of December,
2012 - 6:30
PM
On the final
day of the
film
festival,
two
documentaries
will be
screened;
the
award-winning My
Neighbourhood and Love
During
Wartime.
My
Neighbourhood is
a short
documentary
directed by
Julia Bacha
and Rebekah
Wingert
which
depicts the
experiences
of Mohammed
El Kurd, a
Palestinian
teenager and
his family,
when they
share their
home with
Israeli
settlers.
Love
During
Wartime follows
the newly
married
Palestinian
artist Osama
and Israeli
dancer
Jasmin -
described as
a 'real
life modern
day Romeo
and Juliet'.
Both Assi
and Jasmin
are forced
to live
separately
and the
documentary
charts their
numerous
attempts to
begin their
life
together.
Tickets are
currently on
sale for the
various
sessions of
the
Palestinian
Film
Festival;
to purchase
tickets
please visit
the Palace
Centro website.
Tickets are
priced as
follows;
$17.50
adult,
$14.00
concession
and $11.00
for a child
and Place
Movie Club
members.
I am a
hard-working,
strong, and
motivated
individual
with over 10
years retail
experience
seeking
employment
in an
entry-level
position
where I can
apply my
skills. I am
available to
start work
immediately.
Dear Mr
Baba (Secretary, Islamic Society of Gold Coast),
Thank you
for the very welcoming and most educational
afternoon last Saturday.
All
participants I have talked to were much impressed to
see the great efforts of the Leadership of Islamic
Society- Gold Coast to showcase the Islamic Beliefs
& Culture to the broad cross-section of the Gold
Coast multicultural community. Also, it was also a
great pleasure for me to catch up with my “old”
friends in your community.
On behalf
of Blue Care, we appreciate the excellent, community
spirited work that your community does and we wish
you well.
Blue Care
Salaams
Many people have
contacted me with donations of furnishings, clothing
etc.
Unfortunately I don't have a holding facility for
these items and have therefore made arrangements
with the following organisations to receive these
items.
1. Donations of household items to the large
charities such as Lifeline, Vinnies or the Salvos
will go to someone in need and therefore it is
suggested that this is one potential drop off point
for people wanting to make a difference.
2. Clothes, linen and toys (that are in good
condition) can be dropped off to any of the Red
Cross stores.
3. Non-perishable food (list) and hygiene pack
donations can be dropped off to the following
location at the following dates and times:
Presbyterian Church
Cnr Emma St and Shaw Rd, Wooloowin
Opening hours for
donations:
Saturday morning – 9.30am to 11.30am
Wednesday afternoon - 4pm to 5pm
Naseema Mustapha (JP Qual)
Refugee & Asylum
Support
Multicultural
Development Association
Phone: (07) 3337 5400 Fax: (07) 3337 5444
Brisbane Multicultural Centre
28 Dibley St, Woolloongabba Qld 4102
naseemam@mdabne.org.au |
www.mdainc.org.au
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.
Each week, CCN
publishes
a
personality
selected
from the
list:
No. 48
Sheikh
Mehmet Nazim
Adil Al-Qubrusi
Al-Haqqani
Leader of
Naqshbandi-Haqqani
Sufi Order
Country: Cyprus
Born: 25 April
1922 (age 89) Source of Influence: Lineage,
Scholarly Influence: Leader of sizeable
worldwide Sufi order School of Thought: Traditional
Sunni, Naqshbandi Sufi
As Sufi master
and leader of
the
Naqshbandi-Haqqani
order, Sheikh
Mehmet Nazim
Adil al
Qubrusi is
influential as
one of the
highest ranking
Sufi spiritual
guides and
traces his
lineage
back to
the prominent
Sufis ‘Abd al
Qadir al Jilani
(1077-
1166 CE)
and Jalal al Din
Rumi (d. 1273
CE).
Stalwart
Missionary
Al
Haqqani’s
travels have
taken him to
meet with
students
and
followers of the
Naqshbandi Sufi
order across
the globe. This
order, which
traces its
spiritual
lineage back to
Prophet
Muhammad’s
companion Abu
Bakr, is
one that
practices silent
remembrance of
God. Al Haqqani
has a great deal
of influence
with Muslims
around the
globe, having
spent time with
the Muslim
communities
in the former
Yugoslavia, the
United
Kingdom, the
United
States, Syria,
and
Uzbekistan—where
the tomb
of the
founder of the
Naqshbandi Sufi
order is
located.
Spiritual
Guide
Al Haqqani has
ministered to
the Sultan of
Brunei, Sir
Sultan
Hamengkubuwono X
of Indonesia,
and
members of
the Malaysian
Royal Family. He
is credited for
the growing
popularity of
the Naqshbandi
order, which
reaches
millions through
his followers.
In 2010 an
online portal
authorized by
Shaykh Nazim
launched his
official
online
journal titled
Saltanat.org
which contains
articles
written by him
and broadcasts
his lectures via
livestream.
LONDON:
A 16-year-old girl is thought to have become
the first person to speak from the House of
Commons despatch box in the British
parliament while wearing a hijab, The Times
newspaper reported Saturday.
Sumaiya Karim a biology, chemistry, history
and maths student, was speaking as the Youth
Parliament held its annual session in the
lower house’s chamber, where Britain’s MPs
gather.
Karim, from Wokingham, west of London, said:
“Wearing the hijab was my own choice.”
British ministers and opposition shadow
ministers stand at the despatch boxes when
they address the Commons.
The democratically elected Youth Parliament
members, aged 11 to 18, are elected to
represent the views of young people in their
area to government.
LONDON:
Denied the right to travel without consent
from their male guardians and banned from
driving, women in Saudi Arabia are now
monitored by an electronic system that
tracks any cross-border movements.
Since last week, Saudi women’s male
guardians began receiving text messages on
their phones informing them when women under
their custody leave the country, even if
they are travelling together.
Manal al-Sherif, who became the symbol of a
campaign launched last year urging Saudi
women to defy a driving ban, began spreading
the information on Twitter, after she was
alerted by a couple.
The husband, who was travelling with his
wife, received a text message from the
immigration authorities informing him that
his wife had left the international airport
in Riyadh.
“The authorities are using technology to
monitor women,” said columnist Badriya al-Bishr,
who criticised the “state of slavery under
which women are held” in the
ultra-conservative kingdom.
BEIJING:
Unlike their peers around the world, Muslim
women in China are enjoying having
female-only mosques and getting a unique
opportunity to develop their religious
knowledge.
"I feel so blessed to have a mosque I can
visit,” 80-year-old Ma Guifang told China
Daily on Tuesday, November 20.
“Not many female Muslims enjoy such a
privilege.”
For the past 20 years, the elderly Muslim
lady from the Hui ethnic group has been
attending this women-only mosque, a
phenomenon unique to China.
The Lulan mosque was built in
1956 by a group of Muslim women who had
relocated to Lanzhou from Henan province in
central China.
Prayers are led by a male imam in a mosque
100 meters away with the service is usually
piped into the room through a loudspeaker to
the female worshippers.
The province’s Muslim women are proud of
being able to take care of their mosque.
Ma Lan, the 46-year-old caretaker, rises at
4 am to shovel coal into the boiler to
ensure a good supply of hot water for the
washing ritual.
Not many
female
Muslims
enjoy such a
privilege.
Ma
Guifang
She even cooperates with
other female worshippers in keeping the
mosque clean and ready for daily prayers and
Friday congregation, which gathers about 150
worshippers.
"Women do all the work here, no matter how
physical it gets," Ma said.
The mosque is financed solely by donations
from female worshippers and visitors as
well.
"We receive about 2,000 to 3,000 yuan ($321
to $481) a month," imam Tao Jinling said,
pointing at the list of donors and how much
they gave.
"Around 20 to 30 people come to the mosque
every day. The number rises to around 150
during the Juma prayers on Friday."
According to official data, China has 20
million Muslims, most of them are
concentrated in Xinjiang, Ningxia, Gansu,
and Qinghai regions and provinces.
Unofficially, Muslim groups say the number
is even higher, stating that there are from
65-100 million Muslims in China — up to 7.5
percent of the population.
In general, during Muslim prayers, women may
not lead men but may lead other women, which
is the case of females leading prayers in
female-only mosques in China.
In Islam, the majority of jurists maintain
that a woman is allowed to lead her fellow
sisters in congregational prayer if there is
no man to lead the congregation.
Education
Chinese Muslims praise efforts of the
women-only mosques in educating females
about their religion.
"Only China has women's mosques, but this is
not a common practice among Chinese
Muslims," said Jin Rubin, secretary-general
of the China Islamic Association.
"But one thing for sure is that women's
mosques can provide them with a better level
of education, which Islam greatly
encourages."
Wang Yuming, director of Lanzhou's Xihu
mosque, which also runs a school for women,
agrees.
"Muslims care about education for women
because we believe they are the lighthouse
of the family," he said
“Their influence helps to keep our society
stable.”
The school costs the mosque about 500,000
yuan every year, but Wang believes it’s
worth the cost.
Female
Muslims
deserve a
decent level
of education
and the
mosque is
the best
place to
provide
that.
Wang
Yuming
"In addition to teaching the
women about the Qur’an and Islam, we also
teach them basic math and urge them to tell
their children to stay away from drugs," he
said.
"Female Muslims deserve a decent level of
education and the mosque is the best place
to provide that.
"Now that winter has come, we have to make
sure the classrooms are warm enough to allow
elderly students with arthritis to sit
through the classes without pain," said
Wang.
Studying at the school for five years, Ma
Lanying, 76, said that learning is a
lifelong activity for Muslims.
"I feel so proud that I can understand the
Qur’an and know exactly what the prayers
mean," said Ma, who walks 45 minutes to
school every weekday.
Determined to change her life, Ma Aizheng,
who worked as a nurse before she retired,
said she makes time to study at home in the
afternoon after classes finish at 11:30 am.
"Studying the Qur’an has become a spiritual
support for me," said Ma.
“I didn't have time when I was working and
now I have a lot catching up to do.”
MAKKAH: Construction
work on the expansion of the mataf (the area
where pilgrims circle around the Holy Ka’aba
as part of the tawaf ritual) in the Grand
Mosque started Thursday.
The engineers overseeing the project gave
the go-ahead to set up the two largest tower
cranes ever built in the 21st century in the
eastern and western parts of the mosque.
The expansion has been
designed in a way to preserve the Islamic
identity and character of the Grand Mosque
and the mataf in particular.
The project will separate the mataf from the
prayer areas and link it to various floors,
significantly easing the flow of worshippers
as they enter and leave the tawaf area.
The top floor of the mataf
will have an automated walkway revolving
around the Kaaba.
The study also suggests the tawaf and the
masa’a (where pilgrims perform the ritual
run between Safa and Marwah) areas be
provided with cable car services linking the
Grand Mosque with three areas of the holy
city to reduce congestion during the peak
Haj and Umrah seasons.
The study recommends cable cars mainly for
elderly pilgrims and those with special
needs.
The expansion project will result in the
mataf’s capacity being increased to
accommodate 130,000 tawaf performers per
hour across all floors instead of the
current capacity of 52,000.
The project includes the first floor being
allocated for physically handicapped
worshippers and will be connected to
elevators and escalators.
Conservative
campaign chief alleged racist remark against
Muslims
UK:
The Mail on Sunday’s front page article last
week covered the allegations that David
Cameron’s newly appointed election campaign
chief, Lynton Crosby, used the phrase
“f****** Muslims” when advising incumbent
Boris Johnson during last year’s London
mayoral election. .
The Mail on Sunday attributes the claim to a
source who told the paper, “Mr Crosby said
Mr Johnson should concentrate on traditional
Tory voters instead of ‘f****** Muslims’.
The source added: “He definitely used that
phrase."
“Lynton’s view was that chasing the Muslim
vote and other ethnic groups was a waste of
time – and he frequently expressed himself
in very strong terms. Some people found it
very offensive.”
Crosby is said to have used the phrase
during a discussion with other Johnson aides
on whether the incumbent mayor should
“devote more attention to wooing the ethnic
minority vote in his battle with Labour’s
Ken Livingstone.”
However, a spokesman for Crosby has stated
that Crosby has “absolutely no recollection”
of the tirade. The spokesman said that “It
is entirely mischievous to suggest Lynton is
racist in any way. He campaigned vigorously
for the Muslim vote during the Mayoral
race.”
The paper states that although Johnson has
defended Croby and urged the Conservatives
not to reverse the appointment, others have
warned that “his advocacy of populist
policies, and in particular his views on
immigration, could lose votes.”
Crosby’s detractors include the deputy chair
of the Conservative party, Lord Ashcroft,
who believes “it would be a mistake to hire
Lynton Crosby.”
The Mail on Sunday article adds that Crosby
is known for “winning elections for
Right-wing political leaders by ruthlessly
playing the immigration card”, and that
“he was associated with claims in the 2001
Australian general election that asylum
seekers had thrown children into the sea.”
In this majestic
novel, an irresistible boy tells
the story of his survival and
coming of age against the
background of South Africa,
during and just after World War
II.
The more that you read,
The more things you will know.
The more that you learn,
The more places you will go.
Dr Seuss
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: This is a
wonderful recipe--I hadn't tried anything like
this before and it turned out absolutely
delicious. The saffron and the almonds added an
exotic flavour to what would have been an
otherwise ordinary chicken dish.
SAFFRON CHICKEN with Slivered Almonds
Ingredients
1 chicken cut into pieces
8
(approx.) baby tomatoes on trusses
1 sliced onion
1 tsp salt
2 tsp ground ginger and garlic
¼ tsp. turmeric powder
1 tsp. coriander seeds
1½ tsp. crushed jeeru
1 tsp red chilli powder
2 pinches of saffron heated slightly and to it 1
tab water
4 tab. Lemon juice
¼ cup of yogurt
¼ tsp. of elachi (crushed cardamom seeds)
Method
1. Heat 1 table spoon of olive oil and
sauté onions.
2. When the onions are brown add all the spices
and simmer for a minute.
3. Add the chicken and mix it well with the
braised spices, close the lid and allow to
simmer for approx. 10mins.
4. Add the remaining ingredients and cook on low
heat for another 7mins, adding water if
necessary.
5. Lastly, add the tomatoes and contnue to
simmer for another 5mins.
If you missed this excellent video that was shown at the
Islamic Medical Association of Queensland (IMAQ)
community engagement evening during the week, I hope you
are inspired and entertained by this as were many of the guests at the
forum:
The King of a Middle Eastern fiefdom advertised for a
new Chief Swordsman.
After a year, only three applied for the job: a Japanese
samurai, a Chinese martial arts expert and Mula
Nasruddin.
"Demonstrate your skills!" commanded the King.
The Japanese samurai stepped forward, opened a tiny box
and released a fly.
He drew his sword and *Swish!* the fly fell to the
floor, neatly divided in two!
"What a feat!" said the King.
"Number Two Swordsman, show me what you do."
The Chinese martial arts expert smiled confidently,
stepped forward and opened a tiny box, releasing a fly.
He drew his sword and * Swish! * Swish! * The fly fell
to the floor neatly quartered.
"That is skill!" nodded the King.
"How are you going to top that, Number three swordsman?"
Mula Nasruddin stepped forward, opened a tiny box
releasing one fly, drew his scimitar and *Swoooooosh! *
flourished his sword so mightily that a gust of wind
blew through the room.
But the fly was still buzzing around!
In disappointment, the King said, "What kind of skill is
that? The fly isn't even dead."
The
recompense for an injury is
an injury equal thereto (in
degree): but if a person
forgives and makes
reconciliation, his reward
is due from Allah: for
(Allah) does not love those
who do wrong.
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
Articles and
opinions appearing in this newsletter do not necessarily
reflect the opinions of the Crescents of Brisbane Team, CCN,
its Editor or its Sponsors, particularly if they eventually
turn out to be libellous, unfounded, objectionable,
obnoxious, offensive, slanderous and/or downright
distasteful.
It is the usual policy of CCN to
include from time to time, notices of events that some
readers may find interesting or relevant. Such notices are
often posted as received. Including such messages or
providing the details of such events does not necessarily
imply endorsement of the contents of these events by either
CCN or Crescents of Brisbane Inc.
The 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.
.
BEIJING:
Unlike their peers around the world, Muslim
women in China are enjoying having
female-only mosques and getting a unique
opportunity to develop their religious
knowledge.
Ma
Guifang
UK:
The Mail on Sunday’s front page article last
week covered the allegations that David
Cameron’s newly appointed election campaign
chief, Lynton Crosby, used the phrase
“f****** Muslims” when advising incumbent
Boris Johnson during last year’s London
mayoral election. .
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August 2011