Amongst the
recipients
of Australia
Day honours
yesterday
was Dr
Mustafa Ally
who was
awarded the
Order of
Australia
Medal (OAM)
“for service
to the
community
and the
promotion of
interfaith
harmony”.
Dr Ally will
be presented
with his
medal at the
residence of
the
Queensland
Governor in
March.
Dr Mohammed
Iqbal Sultan
(pictured
above
centre),
president of
the Islamic
Medical
Association
of
Queensland
and the
Muslim
Funeral
Services,
and Ms Nora
Amath
president of
AMARAH were
both
recognized
for their
"outstanding
contribution
to the
Southside
community."
At a
citizenship
and awards
ceremony
held
yesterday
(Saturday)
in Moorooka
at which
over 200
people were
in
attendance,
Dr Sultan
was
presented
with a
Community
Service
Award by
Federal
Member of
Parliament,
Mr. Graham
Perrett MP
(pictured
above left).
Ms
Amath's
award was
presented
with her
certficate
in absentia
as she was
away
interstate.
Join us on
Sunday 27
January as
As-Salaam
Institute of
Islamic
Studies and
Logan Masjid
commemorate
the blessed
occasion of
the Mawlid
(birth) of
the Beloved
Prophet
Muhammad SAW
The program
will include
Qur'an
recitation,
a lecture on
the
Prophetic
Shamaa'il
(Virtues)
delivered by
Imam Ahmad
Abu Ghazaleh
and Nasheed.
Dinner will
be served.
There will
also be a
fundraiser
for the
Syrian
refugees on
the night.
Date: Sunday
27 January
2013
Time:
between Asr
(5 pm
approximately)
and Maghrib
A number of
citizenship
ceremonies
were held
all over
Australia
yesterday
(Saturday).
One of the
ceremonies
was held at
the Kuraby
State School
at which
almost 200
new citizens
took their
oaths of
allegiance.
Nadeem Memon
and his
Kuraby-based
family
(pictured
above)
drove all
the way from
holidaying
in Gladstone
when flights
were
cancelled to
receive
their
citizenship
certificates.
A
candidate
for Bob
Katter's
fledgling
political
party
declared his
preference
for buying
''guaranteed
non-halal
meat'' so
his money
does not
''go to the
Muslim
community''.
Jamie
Cavanough
(pictured
left left),
who is
standing for
Katter's
Australian
Party in
Sydney's
most
marginal
federal
seat,
Greenway, is
under fire
for the
apparently
divisive
comments he
made to a
community
forum in one
of the
city's most
ethnically
diverse
areas.
Katter's
Australian
Party played
down the
comments on
Friday,
describing
them as a
non-issue
"Some
Australians
want crunchy
peanut
butter,
others want
smooth
peanut
butter, some
Australians
want halal
meat and
some want
non-halal
meat – these
are the
great
freedoms we
enjoy in
this
country,"
the party's
national
director
Aidan
McLindon
told Fairfax
Media.
Mr Cavanough
made his
comments on
Saturday,
less than a
fortnight
after
controversy
in the
Greenway
community
over plans
for a
supposed
Muslim
enclave,
dubbed
''Halal
housing'',
in
Riverstone.
Mr Cavanough
posted on
the
Riverstone
Community
Group forum,
which has
732 members
on Facebook:
''Can anyone
advise me
where I can
buy
Guaranteed
NON halal
lamb for
Australia
day.''
When a forum
user
suggested he
might try a
butcher, Mr
Cavanough
replied:
''have not
asked yet,
just
wondering if
anyone new
[sic] of
any, I would
prefer to
always buy
non halal as
proceeds of
halal goes
to the
Muslim
community.''
And in a
separate
post, Mr
Cavanough
called on
people to
sign a
petition
against a
supposed
plan by the
Prime
Minister,
Julia
Gillard, to
scrap the
name
Australia
Day in
favour of
Harmony Day,
saying ''the
Muslim
church is in
favour of
this''. The
Prime
Minister's
office
confirmed
there was no
such
proposal.
Mr Cavanough
told Fairfax
Media he was
simply
looking for
a better
deal on meat
and his
comments
were not
racially
motivated.
'In my view,
and it's not
the view of
any party, I
want to be
able to
purchase a
product that
has not been
faced to a
god that I
don't
believe in
and
blessed,''
he said.
''Every time
something is
deemed halal
they pay for
the right. I
have no
problem with
Muslims; I
breed sheep
and cattle
and sell
them to
Muslims. I
don't care
what they do
with them, I
was just
simply
asking where
I can
purchase
[non-halal
meat].''
With several
controversies
over recent
days,
Katter's
Australian
Party
confirmed
that
candidates
would be
reminded of
their
responsibility
towards the
party's
policies, as
opposed to
their own
personal
views.
Brisbane's
Community
Liaison
Officer,
Sergeant Jim
Bellos, who
just missed
out on
becoming
Australia's
Local Hero
yesterday,
was featured
on Channel
10's The
Project.
In the
segment
Darra Mosque
and local
members of
the Muslim
community
also
feature.
Yasmin Hussein, Muslim Activist writing
in the Religion page of Huffington Post
With
the latest
terrorist
thriller
"Zero Dark
Thirty"
released
today, I
have been
pondering
whether or
not I should
go and watch
it in a
theater. My
hesitation
isn't just
based on
reviews that
the film
normalizes
torture and
portrays it
very
graphically.
A close
friend of
mine
described
the torture
scenes as so
graphic that
she needed
to step out.
All of that
aside, my
fear of
going is
because I
wear the
hijab
(headscarf).
You may ask
yourself,
what does
hijab have
to do with
it? To be
honest:
everything.
As a young
American
Muslim woman
growing up
in South
Florida, my
biggest
challenge
wearing the
hijab was...
the heat.
Deciding to
wear it at
the age of
nine shocked
everyone,
including my
own parents
who felt I
should wait
until I got
older. Being
the stubborn
person that
I am, I wore
it anyway
and the rest
is history.
As someone
who is very
"visibly
Muslim" I
feel unsafe
and quite
honestly,
extremely
uncomfortable
watching a
film that
makes me
feel like I
am guilty of
something
that I am
not. I,
obviously,
recognize
that I have
nothing to
do with the
characters
on the
screen and
that the
motives
behind the
acts of real
life
terrorists
who claim
Islam to be
their
religion is
not the
Islam I grew
up loving.
The
unfortunate
reality is
not everyone
in America
can make
that
distinction.
As the Young
Leaders
Program
Coordinator
for the
Muslim
Public
Affairs
Council in
Washington,
DC, I work
with young
American
Muslims
aspiring to
go into
government,
media,
business and
technology
and even
Hollywood.
My work with
these youth
surrounds
the notion
that they
too are a
contributing
member of
society that
has a place
in those
industries
and fields.
With many
young
Muslims
around the
country
wanting to
be part of
Hollywood
but feeling
that their
faith is
often
displayed
negatively,
these types
of films
only
reinforce
their
feelings of
exclusion.
It makes it
hard to
convince
them that
they do have
a place in
an industry
like
Hollywood
that
portrays
Muslims, at
times, in
such a
negative
light. But
with
positive
examples of
individuals
like actor
Faran Tahir,
screenwriter
Sameer
Gardezi and
Emmy Award
winning
director
Iman Zawahry,
a real sense
of hope can
be found for
Muslims
wanting to
break into
the
industry.
Films like
"Zero Dark
Thirty" and
shows like
"Homeland"
capitalize
on an
already
tense
environment
of suspicion
and fear.
They make
people
question
whether
their
neighbours,
co-workers
or even that
man with a
beard and
kufi walking
down the
street might
be less than
upright
citizens.
These
portrayals
put people
who look
like me
automatically
into the
"other"
category.
Since 9/11,
Muslims and
individuals
of other
religions
and
ethnicities
who are
perceived to
be Muslim
have faced
incidents of
hate both
physically
and
verbally.
According to
the FBI Hate
Crime
Reports,
hate crimes
with an
anti-Islamic
bias
increased by
over 50
percent from
2009 to 2010
and has been
on the rise
since. And
with the
recent
incidents of
people
taking
measures
into their
own hands
such as the
recent fatal
pushing of a
Hindu man
onto the NYC
subway
tracks by a
31-year-old
woman who
openly
stated her
hate toward
Muslims --
these films
can
negatively
impact
national
feelings
toward
certain
communities.
It's time
for
Hollywood to
evaluate
what they
are putting
out for mass
viewing.
It's time to
stop feeding
into the
stereotypes
that already
exist in our
society and
creating an
environment
of fear.
2012 was a
very dark
year for our
nation. We
witnessed
some of the
highest
numbers in
gun violence
sweep our
country and
affect some
of the most
vulnerable
of our
communities:
children.
Hollywood
needs to
acknowledge
the role
they play in
the culture
of violence
we live in
today; a
young woman
of any faith
should never
be left
feeling like
she can't
watch a
movie in a
movie
theater.
Yasmin
Hussein is
the Young
Leaders
Program
Coordinator
of the
Muslim
Public
Affairs
Council in
Washington,
DC. Hussein
is a
graduate of
Florida
Atlantic
University (FAU)
where she
received her
bachelor's
degree in
intercultural/organizational
communication
with a minor
in
non-western
history and
is currently
in the
process of
completing
her master's
degree in
intercultural,
cultural and
rhetorical
communication.
During her
graduate
coursework
at FAU,
Hussein was
awarded a
teaching
assistantship
and taught
undergraduate
courses in
public
speaking and
interpersonal
communication.
Last year
Yasmin was
awarded a
grant
through the
state
department
to travel to
Bulgaria and
Bosnia to
lecture and
meet with
Muslim
communities
in both
countries.
Hussein is
the former
treasurer
and
community
service task
force chair
of MSA
National.
She has been
invited to
speak and
take part in
numerous
events
across the
country
focusing on
issues of
poverty
alleviation,
youth
engagement
and student
activism. In
2008,
Hussein
attended
former
President
Bill
Clinton's
inaugural
"Clinton
Global
Initiative
University,"
where she
represented
the
community
service work
of MSA
National.
My name is Zulkeplee Othman from the School of
Design at Queensland University of Technology.
I am doing a PhD and my research is exploring
“Contemporary Australian Muslim homes: Perceptions
of privacy in the context of maintaining modesty and
hospitality”.
The purpose of this project is to investigate how
Australian Muslims (you) perceive privacy in your
home, and how privacy is achieved while maintaining
modesty and hospitality in the modern Western
society.
Thus, as an Australian Muslim, I would like to talk
with Muslim members in your organisation (preferably
those who live in Brisbane area) and yourself about
how Islamic religion and culture affect your homes
and the spatial and furnishing layout.
I would also like to study on how privacy in
Australian Muslim home is achieved while maintaining
modesty and hospitality, and look on what the
current Australian homes have to offer, with regards
to these aspects.
This is the first study of its kind within
Australia, and its important findings will
contribute to the body of knowledge of the design
precedents done across the globe.
I am particularly interested to talk with Muslim
people living in Queensland, preferably within
Brisbane area; aged between 25 to 55 years old who
are working and have children or maybe extended
families (parents or siblings) living in their
houses.
Please
view this link for further details on the study
and how to participate:
Many thanks for your consideration of this request.
If you are interested in participating, please email
me or ring me to discuss.
Wassalam.
Regards,
Zulkeplee Othman
PhD Candidate
School of Design |
Faculty of Creative Industries
Queensland University of Technology | Gardens Point
Campus
t: 0408 711 893 | e:
zul.othman@student.qut.edu.au
Shajarah
Islamic
Kindergarten
requires a
sister who
is at least
Diploma
Qualified
and holding
a
Supervisor's
Certificate
(or eligible
for
Certificate)
to work in
its Islamic
childcare
from end
February/start
of March
2013.
The children
are all 3-5
with some
before and
after-school
care as
well. This
is a
permanent
part time
position.
The
Kindergarten
is also on
the lookout
for a
qualified
Kindergarten
Teacher for
a new
Kindergarten
program
projected to
open
mid-year.
To enquire
please call
07 3172 7850
or email
cover letter
detailing
why you
would like
to work in
our Islamic
Childcare
Centre and
resume to
info@shajarah.qld.edu.au.
AIIC
Teachers
Wanted
Qualified
teachers are
required for
the AIIC's
Durack and
Gold Coast
Campuses.
MICHIGAN,
US: McDonald's and one of its franchise
owners agreed to pay $700,000 to members of
the Muslim community to settle allegations a
Detroit-area restaurant falsely advertised
its food as being prepared according to
Islamic dietary law.
McDonald's and Finley's Management Co.
agreed to the tentative settlement, with
that money to be shared by Dearborn Heights
resident Ahmed Ahmed, a Detroit health
clinic, the Arab American National Museum in
Dearborn and lawyers.
Ahmed's
attorney, Kassem Dakhlallah, told The
Associated Press on Monday that he's
"thrilled" with the preliminary deal that's
expected to be finalized March 1. McDonald's
and Finley's Management deny any liability
but say the settlement is in their best
interests.
The lawsuit alleged that Ahmed bought a
chicken sandwich in September 2011 at a
Dearborn McDonald's but found it wasn't
halal _ meaning it didn't meet Islamic
requirements for preparing food. Islam
forbids consumption of pork, and God's name
must be invoked before an animal providing
meat for consumption is slaughtered.
Dakhlallah
said there are only two McDonald's in the
United States that sell halal products and
both are in Dearborn, which has one of the
nation's largest Arab and Muslim
communities. Overall, the Detroit area is
home to about 150,000 Muslims of many
different ethnicities.
The locations
advertise that they exclusively sell halal
Chicken McNuggets and McChicken sandwiches
and they have to get those products from an
approved halal provider, Dakhlallah said. He
said there was no evidence of problems on
the production side, but he alleges that the
Dearborn location on Ford Road sold
non-halal products when it ran out of halal.
Dakhlallah
said he was approached by Ahmed, and they
conducted an investigation. A letter sent to
McDonald's Corp. and Finley's Management by
Dakhlallah's firm said Ahmed had "confirmed
from a source familiar with the inventory"
that the restaurant had sold non-halal food
"on many occasions."
After they
received no response to the letter,
Dakhlallah said, they filed a lawsuit in
Wayne County Circuit Court in November 2011
as part of a class action.
The AP left messages Monday afternoon for
attorneys representing the corporation and
the franchise.
In the
settlement notice, Finley's Management said
it "has a carefully designed system for
preparing and serving halal such that halal
chicken products are labeled, stored,
refrigerated, and cooked in halal-only
areas." The company added it trains its
employees on preparing halal food and
"requires strict adherence to the process."
He said
although Ahmed believes McDonald's was
negligent, there was no evidence that the
chain set out to deceive customers.
"McDonald's
from the very beginning stepped up and took
this case very seriously," Dakhlallah said.
"They made it clear they wanted to resolve
this. They got ahead of the problem."
The lawsuit
covers anyone who bought the
halal-advertised products from the Ford Road
restaurant and another Dearborn McDonald's
with a different owner between September
2005 and last Friday. Since that would be
impossible to determine, Dakhlallah said
both sides agreed to provide money to
community-based charities that benefit
members of this group.
The other
location on Michigan Avenue wasn't a
defendant or a focus of the investigation,
Dakhlallah said.
He said the
final hearing will ultimately determine who
gets what and how much, but roughly $275,000
is expected to go to the Huda Clinic, about
$150,000 to the museum, $230,000 to
attorneys and $20,000 to Ahmed.
Dakhlallah
said he believes it's the first lawsuit of
its kind related to McDonald's and halal
food.
In 2002, McDonald's agreed to donate $10
million to Hindu and other groups in the
U.S. to settle lawsuits that accused the
chain of mislabeling french fries and hash
browns as vegetarian. The vegetable oil used
to prepare the items had contained traces of
beef for flavoring purposes.
The Great Theft : Wrestling Islam from the
Extremists
by
Khaled Abou El Fadl
Despite President George W. Bush's
assurances that Islam is a peaceful religion and
that all good Muslims hunger for democracy,
confusion persists and far too many Westerners
remain convinced that Muslims and terrorists are
synonymous.
In the aftermath of the attacks of
9/11, the subsequent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq,
and the bombings in London, an unprecedented amount
of attention has been directed toward Islam and the
Muslim world.
Yet, even with this increased
scrutiny, most of the public discourse regarding
Islam revolves around the actions of extremist
factions such as the Wahhabis and al-Qa'ida. But
what of the Islam we don't hear about?
As the second-largest and
fastest-growing religion in the world, Islam is
deemed by more than a billion Muslims to be a source
of serenity and spiritual peace, and a touchstone
for moral and ethical guidance.
While extremists have an impact upon
the religion that is wildly disproportionate to
their numbers, moderates constitute the majority of
Muslims worldwide. It is this rift between the quiet
voice of the moderates and the deafening statements
of the extremists that threatens the future of the
faith.
In The Great Theft , Khaled Abou El
Fadl, one of the world's preeminent Islamic
scholars, argues that Islam is currently passing
through a transformative period no less dramatic
than the movements that swept through Europe during
the Reformation. At this critical juncture there are
two completely opposed worldviews within Islam
competing to define this great world religion. The
stakes have never been higher, and the future of the
Muslim world hangs in the balance.
Drawing on the rich tradition of
Islamic history and law, The Great Theft is an
impassioned defense of Islam against the encroaching
power of the extremists.
As an accomplished Islamic jurist,
Abou El Fadl roots his arguments in long-standing
historical legal debates and delineates point by
point the beliefs and practices of moderate Muslims,
distinguishing these tenets from the corrupting
influences of the extremists. From the role of women
in Islam to the nature of jihad, from democracy and
human rights to terrorism and warfare,
Abou El Fadl builds a vital vision
for a moderate Islam. At long last, the great
majority of Muslims who oppose extremism have a
desperately needed voice to help reclaim Islam's
great moral tradition.
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: In Arabic,
“baba” means father and “ghanoush” means
spoiled. This “spoiled dad” dip is the creamier
companion to hummus. Popular throughout the
Middle East, it is a common appetizer and very
healthy on its own.
Baba Ganoush
Ingredients
1
large eggplant
1 crushed clove of garlic
¼ cup lemon juice
3 tab tahini
1 tsp salt
3 tsp olive oil
Topping
2 tab lemon juice
2 tsp olive oil
Method
1.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees and bake eggplant
for 30 minutes, or until outside is crisp and
inside is soft.
2. Allow to cool for 20 minutes.
3. Cut open eggplant and scoop out the flesh
into colander and allow to drain for 10 minutes.
Removing the excess liquid helps to eliminate a
bitter flavor.
4. Place eggplant flesh in a medium bowl. Add
remaining ingredients and mash together. You can
also use a food processor and pulse for about 2
minutes.
5. Place in serving bowl and top with lemon
juice and olive oil. Add other garnish according
to taste.
6. Serve with warm or toasted pita, flatbread or
Turkish bread
Garnishing Ideas for Baba Ganoush
Baba Ganoush always has to have olive oil on top
for garnish. However you can spice things up a
bit by adding crushed red pepper, a dash of
cumin, parsley or coriander.
Q: Dear Kareema, Are there any exercises I can do
so that in the mornings my ankles and feet are not sore?
Plus strengthening my upper body - waist up - to aide in
picking up and bending over.
A: Use a ball (basketball size or smaller), place
your feet on it while seated on the couch and roll it
forward and back, side to side and circle it around.
This will strengthen your ankles and should not cause
any pain during or after exercise. You can also pick the
ball up with your feet (squeezing ball), lift and lower
legs to strengthen and encourage your hips for bending
and picking things up. Make sure your knees are bent
when lifting and lowering items of the floor. Stand with
your back to the wall – place ball between your back and
the wall, legs wide and roll the ball down and back up
by bending your knees. A gym ball would be good for this
exercise too.
UPPER BODY – sit on the edge of your couch or chair with
your hands next to your legs.
Move your feet forward (so it’s in front of your knees).
Lift your bottom off the couch and bend / extend your
elbows (lifting and lowering your body and keeping your
back close to the couch/chair. This will strengthen your
arms. Keep your tummy pulled in gently throughout and
you’ll have stronger abs too.
To those
who believe in Allah and His
Messengers and make no
distinction between any of
the Messengers, We shall
soon give their (due)
rewards: for Allah is
Oft-forgiving, Most
Merciful.
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.
.
A
candidate
for Bob
Katter's
fledgling
political
party
declared his
preference
for buying
''guaranteed
non-halal
meat'' so
his money
does not
''go to the
Muslim
community''.
With
the latest
terrorist
thriller
"Zero Dark
Thirty"
released
today, I
have been
pondering
whether or
not I should
go and watch
it in a
theater. My
hesitation
isn't just
based on
reviews that
the film
normalizes
torture and
portrays it
very
graphically.
A close
friend of
mine
described
the torture
scenes as so
graphic that
she needed
to step out.
All of that
aside, my
fear of
going is
because I
wear the
hijab
(headscarf).
You may ask
yourself,
what does
hijab have
to do with
it? To be
honest:
everything.
MICHIGAN,
US: McDonald's and one of its franchise
owners agreed to pay $700,000 to members of
the Muslim community to settle allegations a
Detroit-area restaurant falsely advertised
its food as being prepared according to
Islamic dietary law.
post comments on
our Wall
7
August 2011