Imam for
Jummah: Hafiz Abdur Rahman Hardy and
Muazzin: Rameez Gutta
Jummah
Salaah was
performed
for the
first time
this year at
Brisbane's
John Paul
College,
an
independent
Christian
school in
Daisy Hill,
south of
Brisbane.
A
spokesperson
for the
organizing
committee
told CCN:
"Parents are
requested to
encourage
their
children to
attend the
Jummah
facility at
the school
even if they
are in the
younger
grades, as
they will
InshAllah
enjoy the
experience
together."
Time:
Start 1:30pm
– Finish
1:50pm
(occurs
during the
2nd lunch
break so
they will
not miss any
of their
important
school work) Venue:
Coleman
Centre –
Upstairs
room at rear
of centre.
For further
information
or if you
are
interested
in having
your child
lead the
Jummah
Salaah,
please
contact
Sameer Gutta
– 0433 128
585 or
Muhsin Ally
- 0400 134
786.
Alternatively,
students of
JPC can
contact
their fellow
students -
Rameez Gutta
and Zain
Nathie for
more
information.
A dinner,
organised by
the offices
of State
Minister for
Southport
and
Councillor
for Arundel
and
supported by
the Islamic
Society of
Gold Coast,
will be held
on 15
February
(Friday) at
7.00pm at
Parkwood
Golf Club,
76 Napper
Road,
Arundel.
The cost of
a ticket is
$100 per
head
inclusive of
a 3 course
halal
dinner.
Contact ISGC
Secretary
Haji Hussain
Baba before
12th
February
(Tuesday)
for
reservation
of seat on
0416 212 541
or by email:
hbaba500@gmail.com.
The dinner
is a 5 star
event with
entertainment
and auctions
by Haji
Hussin Goss.
Most of us
have read
about the
life of
Prophet
Muhammad
(peace be
upon him)
and the
close-knit
community he
established
based on
piety and
benevolence.
However, few
of us have
experienced
anything
close to it
in terms of
mutual love
and generous
support in
our time.
We are
living at a
time when
information
abounds and
people can
gain Islamic
knowledge in
many ways.
We could say
that we are
the most
informed of
people in
history but
has our
access to
knowledge
made us
better
Muslims?
How often
does the
Ummah of
Prophet
Muhammad
these days
successfully
develop a
united
community
based on
piety and
benevolence?
Bayaan
Grant, a
revert of
twelve years
living in
Queensland
Australia,
believes
that
Sisters’
House has
achieved
just that!
About
Bayaan
Bayaan was
raised in a
non-religious
household
but she
admits that
she has
always been
spiritually
inclined.
She searched
for many
years to
find out how
to worship
the Creator.
Bayaan
recalls: “I
tried
different
religions
but was not
satisfied.
At
twenty-seven
years of age
and a single
mum, I heard
about Islam.
Ironically,
the one who
taught me
about Islam
at first
ended up my
husband!”
I tried
different
religions
but was not
satisfied.
At
twenty-seven
years of age
and a single
mum, I heard
about Islam.
Ironically,
the one who
taught me
about Islam
at first
ended up my
husband!
When Bayaan
first met
and
befriended
Muslims, all
she knew
about them
was that
they were
fighting
wars
overseas. At
that time
she believed
that as a
woman she
could handle
anything.
Bayaan’s
soon-to-be
husband,
also a
revert,
spoke to her
humbly and
respectfully
about Islam.
She did some
research
herself and
learned
about the
rights of
Muslim women
and how
Muslims
should
worship the
Creator in
His terms.
She loved
it! She
embraced
Islam and
has never
looked back.
A Seed Is
Sown
Another
revert, who
was a close
friend of
Bayaan, had
embraced
Islam years
before, and
she took
Bayaan under
her wing.
This friend
actually
started the
Muslim
Women’s
Convert
Support
Service in
response to
Bayaan and
her
conversion
to Islam.
In the
beginning,
monthly
social
gatherings
and Islamic
classes were
held and as
time passed
and Bayaan
established
herself in
Islam she
took on a
more active
role in
trying to
help and
meet the
needs of
revert
sisters.
Many reverts
find that
their
relationship
with family
and friends
changes and
this leads
them to
loneliness
It soon
became clear
that revert
sisters and
their
children had
a range of
needs that
were not
being met.
There was a
need for
temporary
housing
along with
resource
provision
and referral
services.
Embracing
Islam and
making the
necessary
lifestyle
changes is a
huge
challenge
and quite
often the
new Muslim
may become
confused and
vulnerable.
Many reverts
find that
their
relationship
with family
and friends
changes and
this leads
them to
loneliness
and
sometimes
homelessness.
Some reverts
have to
change their
employment
and they
need a
referral
service to
help them
find
suitable
jobs. At the
same time
they need to
learn about
Islam and
establish
links with
the Islamic
community.
Bayaan, and
a group of
like-minded
Muslims,
recognized
the dilemma
faced by
reverts and
decided to
do something
about it.
Sisters’
House was
beginning.
Brisbane is
not so
divisive and
cliquey.
People find
it
refreshing
to see
Muslims that
just want to
help. There
is an easy
going
atmosphere
here and I
find the
complete
harmony of
an Islamic
community
here in
Brisbane.
Sunny
Brisbane
All this
was, and is,
taking place
in and
around
Brisbane.
Sisters’
House is
located just
a few doors
down from
Kuraby
Mosque and
this area
has the
largest
Muslim
population
in
south-east
Queensland.
The famous
Gold Coast
is only half
an hour
away. People
who have
come to
Brisbane
from Sydney
and
Melbourne
say Brisbane
is more like
a big
country
town.
Bayaan says:
“Brisbane is
not so
divisive and
cliquey.
People find
it
refreshing
to see
Muslims that
just want to
help. There
is an easy
going
atmosphere
here and I
find the
complete
harmony of
an Islamic
community
here in
Brisbane.”
The Muslim
population
has grown
very quickly
and has a
variety of
ethnicities
and a huge
revert
population.
How
Sisters’
House
Developed
Bayaan
remembers:
“In June
2010, we
were
officially
handed the
keys to a
four-bedroom
house in
Kuraby by
the
Queensland
Charity and
Welfare
Association
(TAQCWA).”
TACQWA has
been helping
the Muslim
community in
Queensland
in a variety
of ways for
some time.
Bayaan
recalls:
“They wanted
to help
reverts and
had heard
that we were
trying to do
just that.
So we had
some
meetings and
they simply
asked us
what we
needed to
help revert
sisters. We
found that
reverts
needed their
own place to
learn about
Islam in an
environment
that was
welcoming;
not
intimidating.
Sometimes
they also
needed a
place to
stay;
short-term
accommodation
and help to
make the
transition
into Islam
in an
Islamic
environment.
The brothers
from TACQWA
helped us
get a
four-bedroom
house and
they paid
the rent
until we
established
ourselves.”
Bayaan and
other
volunteers
formed a
committee
and called
in resources
and networks
to help set
up the
House,
including
counsellors
and
psychologists
already
working
within the
Muslim
community.
They
developed
policies and
procedures
to run the
House
properly
from the
beginning.
Within six
weeks, the
House was
fully
furnished
all with
generous
donations
from the
Muslim
community.
Bayaan
notes:
"People
contact the
House with
ideas of how
to help
people. We
work with
the full
support of
the Imams
and much of
the
community."
What Is
Sisters’
House?
Two years
since its
inception,
Sisters’
House is
established
and is
managed and
run by
volunteers
that make up
the
management
committee –
Sisters’
House
Services
Inc. The
majority of
the
committee
are reverts.
With no
government
funding, the
House is
funded by
donations
from the
Muslim
community as
well as
contributions
to rent from
tenants of
the House.
Fundraising
events are
held
throughout
the year and
it enjoys a
close
working
relationship
with a
number of
organizations
throughout
the region
including
the Islamic
Women’s
Association
of
Queensland.
Oftentimes,
reverts find
themselves
in crisis
and the
House seeks
to help them
in a variety
of ways;
they can
stay from a
few days to
a few weeks.
Bayaan says:
“Sisters
only pay
what they
can afford.
One elderly
sister who
embraced
Islam came
to stay at
the House
for a while
and we paid
her! We are
now able to
pay our own
rent and
costs.”
it is also a
place for
Muslim women
and children
to relax and
socialize in
an Islamic
environment
Just two
doors down
from Kuraby
Mosque, the
House offers
spiritual,
social,
emotional
and
financial
support.
From the
Sunshine
Coast, to
the Gold
Coast and
beyond, the
House now
has a
growing
network of
Islamic
organizations
that
mutually
help and
support each
other.
Bayaan adds:
“Now the
Imams refer
clients to
us!”
A Unique
Islamic
Community
Although the
House offers
crisis care
and a
variety of
services to
Muslim
women, it is
also a place
for Muslim
women and
children to
relax and
socialize in
an Islamic
environment.
It is a hub
of activity;
a lively
place that
runs with
the
intention of
obeying God
the Almighty
and
following
the Sunnah
of Prophet
Muhammad
(peace be
upon him).
It does not
exist on its
own;
inspired by
the sisters,
the brothers
began the
Ummah United
Centre which
seeks to
cater to the
needs of
revert men.
Already they
have done
significant
work with
the
Indigenous
Australian
revert
community
and members
of bikie
gangs who
are seeking
the Straight
Path.
The House
embraces a
key concept
of Islam;
which is to
help each
other
regardless
of race or
economic
status. It
is there for
everyone.
For me,
living in a
big city
where I have
no family,
the House
has allowed
me to be a
step closer
to my larger
Muslim
family and
helps bring
me closer to
Allah. It is
my home away
from home.
The fact
that staff
and
management
are all
volunteers
lends the
House an
atmosphere
of sisterly
care that
can be
relied on.
Sisters of
all
backgrounds
and
ethnicities
have the
chance to
participate
and work on
projects
together and
be a part of
this vital
hub of the
Muslim
community in
Brisbane.
Bayaan
teaches
on-going
classes in
the Basics
of Islam and
there are
also classes
to learn
Arabic and
Quran. The
House
organizes
dinners, day
trips and
workshops
and provides
lessons in
arts and
crafts and
cooking that
are enjoyed
by young and
old. There
are also
women’s and
children’s
health
information
sessions and
during
Ramadan
there are
Iftars and
Tarawih
prayers. All
the needs of
the Muslim
women and
children are
catered by
the House.
A previous
tenant of
Sisters’
House says:
“The House
embraces a
key concept
of Islam;
which is to
help each
other
regardless
of race or
economic
status. It
is there for
everyone.
For me,
living in a
big city
where I have
no family,
the House
has allowed
me to be a
step closer
to my larger
Muslim
family and
helps bring
me closer to
Allah. It is
my home away
from home.”
Another
former
tenant says:
“It was
truly help
from Allah.
The house
had a warm
welcoming
atmosphere,
everything
was provided
for us -
even
delicious
dinner on
arrival.
Sisters in
the house
supplied me
with
everything I
would need.
Staying at
the Sisters’
House helped
me
tremendously
in my
recovery. It
helped me
logistically
and
financially.
It helped me
emotionally
a lot as
well. The
house
continually
hosted
various
Islamic
activities
for the
sisters and
it felt so
great to be
around
Muslim women
and increase
my knowledge
in
religion.”
The
House is an
investment
in the
community. I
can’t
imagine life
without the
Sister’s
House.
Bayaan
reminds the
sisters as
often as
possible:
“Think of
the
community as
a garden –
it needs to
be
cultivated
and taken
care of.”
Goals for
the Future?
Bayaan hopes
the House
will be able
to maintain
their
activities
in time to
come. She
also hopes
to develop
stronger
ties with
other
regional
Islamic
centers and
help sisters
and children
to grow and
form a
strong and
united
community.
Bayaan
notes: “The
House is an
investment
in the
community. I
can’t
imagine life
without the
Sister’s
House.”
Four million
people have
had their
lives
shattered by
conflict in
Syria. Half
of them are
children.
An afternoon
tea held at
the Gold
Coast Mosque
last week
succeeded in
raising over
$2000 for
Syrian
refugees to
be used for
blankets,
mattresses,
warm
clothing,
gasoline,
heaters,
food,
medication,
etc.
Sisters
Angela
Hillyer,
Faizah
Batchelor,
Amila
Kujovic, Aya
Gadalla,
Christine
Leslie,
Rachel Watts
and Maryam
Talib are to
be
congratulated
for this
initiative.
MIDDLE
EASTERN
leaders are
furious at a
new police
operation
that implies
members of
their
community
are wholly
responsible
for the wave
of gun crime
sweeping
Sydney.
Police
launched the
fresh
operation to
target gun
crime on
Wednesday
and put the
Middle
Eastern
Organised
Crime Squad
in charge,
despite
having no
statistical
evidence
that
offenders
are mostly
Middle
Eastern.
The move has
strained
relationships
with the
community
and angered
leaders, who
say unfair
stereotyping
has gone too
far.
The
spokesman
for the
Australian
Federation
of Islamic
Councils,
Keysar Trad
(pictured
above),
said the
move was
racist and
would send a
message to
criminals of
other ethnic
or cultural
groups that
they are off
the hook.
Previous
bouts of gun
violence
have been
carried out
by bikie
gang members
and
criminals of
all
nationalities,
including
Australian,
Serbian and
Samoan.
''If you
make it
exclusive to
one
particular
ethnic
group, then
you're
telling the
rest of
society they
don't have
to
participate
in solving
the social
issues,'' Mr
Trad said.
''I welcome
the creation
of the squad
but I wish
we could
give it
another name
because we
are
constantly
being blamed
for all the
problems in
society.''
If you make
it exclusive
to one
particular
ethnic
group, then
you're
telling the
rest of
society they
don't have
to
participate
in solving
the social
issues. I
welcome the
creation of
the squad
but I wish
we could
give it
another
name.
Keysar Trad
Randa Abdel-Fattah,
an author
and
community
advocate,
said it was
''offensive,
concerning
and
disturbing''
that
Australians
of Middle
Eastern
descent were
still being
stereotyped
as
criminals.
''It's
really just
disgusting
that we have
to deal
constantly
with this
sort of
racism,''
she said.
''People
don't
realise the
repercussions
this has for
young people
of Middle
Eastern
background
who are
instantly
linked with
crimes that
they did not
commit.''
A spokesman
for the NSW
police said
no breakdown
for the
nationality
of gun crime
offenders
was kept and
therefore no
one knew
what
proportion
was
committed by
Middle
Eastern
people.
Foreseeing
the
potential
furore, the
force's
community
contact unit
has been
meeting with
dozens of
Middle
Eastern
community
leaders to
assure them
Operation
Apollo would
target
criminals of
all
backgrounds.
A spokesman
for the
Islamic
Egyptian
Council said
he had
requested a
meeting for
Friday to
express
concern over
the focus of
the new
operation.
This is not about targeting a particular community group. In fact, the opposite. We cannot solve the gun crime problem alone and the relationship with all sections of our community is critical to the success of this operation.
Stepan Kerkyasharian
The
Community
Relations
Commissioner,
Stepan
Kerkyasharian,
said the
operation
was a chance
to develop
an ''open
partnership''
with the
public, yet
he warned
against
assuming
that
someone's
background,
religion or
language has
an impact on
their
criminality.
''We should
be very
careful not
to see this
as an
anti-migrant
grouping, I
would never
accept
that,'' he
said. ''I
see this is
as an
initiative
by the
police to
very
publicly
state that
we're open
to a
partnership.''
The
commander of
Operation
Apollo,
Superintendent
Arthur
Katsogiannis,
stressed
that MEOCS
will work
with local
and
metropolitan
police and
was
appointed to
lead the
three-tiered
operation
only because
it has the
existing
structure to
investigate
gun crime.
''This is
not about
targeting a
particular
community
group,'' he
said. ''In
fact, the
opposite. We
cannot solve
the gun
crime
problem
alone and
the
relationship
with all
sections of
our
community is
critical to
the success
of this
operation.''
Operation
Apollo has
already
seized 35
weapons,
including 24
handguns.
Sisters'
House is
holding a
Saturday
morning Boot
Camp at 8am
at Svoboda
Park, cnr
Beenleigh Rd
& Stiller
Dve, Kuraby.
Starts 2nd
March for 6
weeks and
costs $75.
Thursday
morning
group PT
9:30am at
United Ummah
Centre, 3
Harris Rd,
Underwood.
Starts 7th
March and
costs $40
per month.
For bookings
and
information
call Layla
on 0451 515
506.
New York
University
chaplain,
Imam Khalid
Latif, talks
about his up
and coming
movie,
Unmosqued:
Many
memories
of my
childhood
are of
me on
the
green,
soft,
carpeted
floor of
the
local
mosque.
I
remember
receiving
awards
for
memorizing
Qur’an,
and also
being
hit with
a belt
or stick
by my
sheikh
when I
had
failed
to
memorize.
The
mosque (masjid)
has
shaped
my
values,
decided
who my
friends
were,
and
ultimately,
gave me
a sense
of
community…until
I grew
up, that
is.
As the
years
have
passed
and the
hairs on
my head
have
dropped,
I’ve
wondered
and
questioned
the role
of the
mosque.
More
specifically,
I wanted
an
answer
to the
core
question:
What is
the
ideal
role of
the
mosque
in the
American
context?
In order
to
answer
this
layered
question,
so many
other
topics
surrounding
“mosque-culture”
had to
be
addressed.
Should
the
Friday
sermon
be
delivered
in
English
or
Arabic
or Urdu?
What
should
the
women’s
area
look
like?
Should
the
youth
share
the
mosque
space
with the
adults,
or
should
they
create
their
own,
third
space,
to hang
out in?
Is the
mosque a
place
for
prayer
and
spiritual
growth,
or is it
required
to be
something
more?
So many
mosques
in
America
have the
same
problems:
youth
not
showing
up, lack
of
funds,
ethnocentrism,
irrelevant
topics
not
addressing
current
social
problems,
inequality
in
regards
to
women’s
rights,
etc.
Imagine
if we
saw
positive
change
in the
American
society
influenced
and
galvanized
by
communities
associated
with
their
local
mosques!
How
vastly
different
this
would be
than
Islamophobes
flooding
the
media
asking,
”Where
are all
the
“moderate”
Muslims?”
This
film
will
explore
the
various
functions
of the
mosque
in the
American
context,
who is
leading
them,
where
they are
going,
why the
youth
are not
attending,
and most
importantly:
What is
the
purpose
of the
mosque
in
America-
and is
it
fulfilling
it?
In the UK
every year,
more than
5,000 Brits
convert to
Islam.
More than
half of
those who
make the
switch are
white – and
75 per cent
are women.
But what
would make
someone want
to change
their
lifestyle so
dramatically?
Over the
next four
weeks CCN
will profile
four British
women who
decided to
become
Muslim.
Student
Alana, 21
ALANA
BLOCKLEY, a
media
student who
lives in
Glasgow,
converted to
Islam after
meeting her
husband
Abdul on
holiday in
June 2010.
She says:
My family
are all
travellers
and we live
on a caravan
site. I was
baptised as
a Christian
but church
and religion
were never a
big part of
my life.
I was 18
when I
decided I
wanted to go
out to the
Canaries. I
wanted to
work as a
club rep and
have the
experiences
people say
you should
when you’re
young.
I arrived in
Fuerteventura
and after a
couple of
days, a
hotel
maintenance
man offered
to take me
out for a
coffee. He
was Abdul, a
Muslim from
Morocco.
When I got
home he
asked me to
come back
and visit
him – and
after three
visits we
knew we
wanted to be
together.
I started to
research
Islam
because I
wanted to
know more
about his
life.
I decided I
wanted to
convert. I
was worried
about
telling my
parents and
burst into
tears. Mum
thought I
was pregnant
and my dad
thought I’d
crashed my
car.
I started to
wear the
hijab last
summer. We
got married
in a Muslim
ceremony
earlier this
month in
Fuerteventura.
I miss
eating Parma
ham but I
don’t miss
alcohol.
I celebrate
Eid now, but
I
compromised
with my
parents and
we all had a
halal
Christmas
dinner.
I hope I’m
going to
heaven now
and I like
the rules of
Islam.
We are living in Doolandella, QLD 4077. We have good
condition of many clothes. We would like to donate
those second-hand clothes. How can I donate and
which will be the nearest shop or bin? Is there any
pickup facility? If not then I am happy to drop.
I am looking forward hearing from you.
Regards Shai-an
[Editor]
If any reader can help, please email
ccn@crescentsofbrisbane.org and we will pass on
the details to the writer.
After centuries of
stagnation science is making a comeback in
the Islamic world
THE sleep has been long and
deep. In 2005 Harvard University produced
more scientific papers than 17
Arabic-speaking countries combined. The
world’s 1.6 billion Muslims have produced
only two Nobel laureates in chemistry and
physics. Both moved to the West: the only
living one, the chemist Ahmed Hassan Zewail,
is at the California Institute of
Technology. By contrast Jews, outnumbered
100 to one by Muslims, have won 79. The 57
countries in the Organisation of the Islamic
Conference spend a puny 0.81% of GDP on
research and development, about a third of
the world average. America, which has the
world’s biggest science budget, spends 2.9%;
Israel lavishes 4.4%.
Many blame Islam’s supposed innate hostility
to science. Some universities seem keener on
prayer than study. Quaid-i-Azam University
in Islamabad, for example, has three mosques
on campus, with a fourth planned, but no
bookshop. Rote learning rather than critical
thinking is the hallmark of higher education
in many countries. The Saudi government
supports books for Islamic schools such as
“The Unchallengeable Miracles of the Qur’an:
The Facts That Can’t Be Denied By Science”
suggesting an inherent conflict between
belief and reason.
Many
blame
Islam’s
supposed
innate
hostility to
science.
Some
universities
seem keener
on prayer
than study.
Quaid-i-Azam
University
in
Islamabad,
for example,
has three
mosques on
campus, with
a fourth
planned, but
no bookshop.
Many universities are timid
about courses that touch even tangentially
on politics or look at religion from a
non-devotional standpoint. Pervez Hoodbhoy,
a renowned Pakistani nuclear scientist,
introduced a course on science and world
affairs, including Islam’s relationship with
science, at the Lahore University of
Management Sciences, one of the country’s
most progressive universities. Students were
keen, but Mr Hoodbhoy’s contract was not
renewed when it ran out in December; for no
proper reason, he says. (The university
insists that the decision had nothing to do
with the course content.)
But look more closely and two things are
clear. A Muslim scientific awakening is
under way. And the roots of scientific
backwardness lie not with religious leaders,
but with secular rulers, who are as stingy
with cash as they are lavish with controls
over independent thought.
The long view
The caricature of Islam’s endemic
backwardness is easily dispelled. Between
the eighth and the 13th centuries, while
Europe stumbled through the dark ages,
science thrived in Muslim lands. The Abbasid
caliphs showered money on learning. The 11th
century “Canon of Medicine” by Avicenna (pictured
above, with modern equipment he would have
relished) was a standard medical text in
Europe for hundreds of years.
In the ninth century Muhammad
al-Khwarizmi laid down the principles of
algebra, a word derived from the name of his
book, “Kitab al-Jabr”. Al-Hasan Ibn al-Haytham
transformed the study of light and optics.
Abu Raihan al-Biruni, a Persian, calculated
the earth’s circumference to within 1%. And
Muslim scholars did much to preserve the
intellectual heritage of ancient Greece;
centuries later it helped spark Europe’s
scientific revolution.
The
caricature
of Islam’s
endemic
backwardness
is easily
dispelled.
Between the
eighth and
the 13th
centuries,
while Europe
stumbled
through the
dark ages,
science
thrived in
Muslim
lands.
The Abbasid
caliphs
showered
money on
learning.
Not only were science and
Islam compatible, but religion could even
spur scientific innovation. Accurately
calculating the beginning of Ramadan
(determined by the sighting of the new moon)
motivated astronomers. The Hadith (the
sayings of Muhammad) exhort believers to
seek knowledge, “even as far as China”.
These scholars’ achievements are
increasingly celebrated. Tens of thousands
flocked to “1001 Inventions”, a touring
exhibition about the golden age of Islamic
science, in the Qatari capital, Doha, in the
autumn.
More importantly, however,
rulers are realising the economic value of
scientific research and have started to
splurge accordingly. Saudi Arabia’s King
Abdullah University of Science and
Technology, which opened in 2009, has a $20
billion endowment that even rich American
universities would envy.
Foreigners are already on their way there.
Jean Fréchet, who heads research, is a
French chemist tipped to win a Nobel prize.
The Saudi newcomer boasts research
collaborations with the universities of
Oxford and Cambridge, and with Imperial
College, London.
The rulers of neighbouring
Qatar are bumping up research spending from
0.8% to a planned 2.8% of GDP: depending on
growth, that could reach $5 billion a year.
Research spending in Turkey increased by
over 10% each year between 2005 and 2010, by
which year its cash outlays were twice
Norway’s.
The tide of money is bearing a fleet of
results. In the 2000 to 2009 period Turkey’s
output of scientific papers rose from barely
5,000 to 22,000; with less cash, Iran’s went
up 1,300, to nearly 15,000. Quantity does
not imply quality, but the papers are
getting better, too. Scientific journals,
and not just the few based in the Islamic
world, are citing these papers more
frequently.
A study in 2011 by Thomson
Reuters, an information firm, shows that in
the early 1990s other publishers cited
scientific papers from Egypt, Iran, Jordan,
Saudi Arabia and Turkey (the most prolific
Muslim countries) four times less often than
the global average. By 2009 it was only half
as often. In the category of best-regarded
mathematics papers, Iran now performs well
above average, with 1.7% of its papers among
the most-cited 1%, with Egypt and Saudi
Arabia also doing well. Turkey scores highly
on engineering.
.......rulers
are
realising
the economic
value of
scientific
research and
have started
to splurge
accordingly
Science and technology-related subjects,
with their clear practical benefits, do
best. Engineering dominates, with
agricultural sciences not far behind.
Medicine and chemistry are also popular.
Value for money matters.
Fazeel Mehmood Khan, who recently returned
to Pakistan after doing a PhD in Germany on
astrophysics and now works at the Government
College University in Lahore, was told by
his university’s vice-chancellor to stop
chasing wild ideas (black holes, in his
case) and do something useful.
Science is even crossing the region’s
deepest divide. In 2000 SESAME, an
international physics laboratory with the
Middle East’s first particle accelerator,
was set up in Jordan. It is modelled on
CERN, Europe’s particle-physics laboratory,
which was created to bring together
scientists from wartime foes. At SESAME
Israeli boffins work with colleagues from
places such as Iran and the Palestinian
territories.
By the book
Science of the kind practised at SESAME
throws up few challenges to Muslim doctrine
(and in many cases is so abstruse that
religious censors would struggle to
understand it). But biology—especially with
an evolutionary angle—is different. Many
Muslims are troubled by the notion that
humans share a common ancestor with apes.
Research published in 2008 by Salman Hameed
of Hampshire College in Massachusetts, a
Pakistani astronomer who now studies Muslim
attitudes to science, found that fewer than
20% in Indonesia, Malaysia or Pakistan
believed in Darwin’s theories. In Egypt it
was just 8%.
Yasir Qadhi, an American chemical engineer
turned cleric (who has studied in both the
United States and Saudi Arabia), wrestled
with this issue at a London conference on
Islam and evolution this month. He had no
objection to applying evolutionary theory to
other lifeforms. But he insisted that Adam
and Eve did not have parents and did not
evolve from other species. Any alternative
argument is “scripturally indefensible,” he
said. Some, especially in the diaspora,
conflate human evolution with atheism:
rejecting it becomes a defining part of
being a Muslim. (Some Christians take a
similar approach to the Bible.)
Though such disbelief may be couched in
religious terms, culture and politics play a
bigger role, says Mr Hameed. Poor school
education in many countries leaves minds
open to misapprehension. A growing Islamic
creationist movement is at work too. A
controversial Turkish preacher who goes by
the name of Harun Yahya is in the forefront.
His website spews pamphlets and books
decrying Darwin. Unlike his American
counterparts, however, he concedes that the
universe is billions of years old (not 6,000
years).
But the barrier is not insuperable. Plenty
of Muslim biologists have managed to
reconcile their faith and their work.
Fatimah Jackson, a biological anthropologist
who converted to Islam, quotes Theodosius
Dobzhansky, one of the founders of genetics,
saying that “nothing in biology makes sense
except in the light of evolution”. Science
describes how things change; Islam, in a
larger sense, explains why, she says.
Koranic
verses about
the creation
of man, for
example, can
now be read
as providing
support for
evolution.
Others take a similar line.
“The Koran is not a science textbook,” says
Rana Dajani, a Jordanian molecular
biologist. “It provides people with
guidelines as to how they should live their
lives.” Interpretations of it, she
argues, can evolve with new scientific
discoveries.
Koranic verses about the
creation of man, for example, can now be
read as providing support for evolution.
Other parts of the life sciences, often
tricky for Christians, have proved
unproblematic for Muslims. In America
researchers wanting to use embryonic stem
cells (which, as their name suggests, must
be taken from human embryos, usually spares
left over from fertility treatments) have
had to battle pro-life Christian
conservatives and a federal ban on funding
for their field. But according to Islam, the
soul does not enter the fetus until between
40 and 120 days after conception—so
scientists at the Royan Institute in Iran
are able to carry out stem-cell research
without attracting censure.
But the kind of freedom that science demands
is still rare in the Muslim world. With the
rise of political Islam, including dogmatic
Salafists who espouse a radical version of
Islam, in such important countries as Egypt,
some fear that it could be eroded further
still. Others, however, remain hopeful.
Muhammad Morsi, Egypt’s president, is a
former professor of engineering at Zagazig
University, near Cairo. He has a PhD in
materials science from the University of
Southern California (his dissertation was
entitled “High-Temperature Electrical
Conductivity and Defect Structure of
Donor-Doped Al2O{-3}”). He has promised that
his government will spend more on research.
Released from the restrictive control of the
former regimes, scientists in Arab countries
see a chance for progress. Scientists in
Tunisia say they are already seeing
promising reforms in the way university
posts are filled. People are being elected,
rather than appointed by the regime. The
political storms shaking the Middle East
could promote not only democracy, but revive
scientific freethinking, too.
Imam
Feisal Abdul Rauf Embezzlement Lawsuit:
Former Head Of 'Ground Zero Mosque' Accused
Of Squandering Millions
NEW YORK, Feb 5 (Reuters) - The head of a proposed mosque that was to be built near the site of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks in New York City was sued on Tuesday and accused of squandering millions of dollars in donations on lavish lifestyle perks for himself and his wife.
The lawsuit, filed in Manhattan Supreme Court by several donors, accuses Imam Feisel Abdul Rauf of diverting $167,000 from private donations and $3 million from the Malaysian government for his personal use.
The money was intended for the Cordoba Initiative and the American Society for Muslim Advancement, two non-profits founded by Rauf aimed at educating the public about Islam and combating anti-Islam sentiment, the lawsuit said.
Rauf used the money to pay for vacations, real estate, entertainment, a luxury sports car and other gifts and lavish lifestyle perks for himself and his wife, the lawsuit said. The lawsuit also accused Rauf of falsifying the two groups' tax returns for several years to conceal fund transfers and sources.
With only a dozen students
for now, Zaytuna College in California hopes
to integrate Islamic and western education.
A Muslim college in the
United States is the first of its kind,
which mission is to join Islamic scholarship
with the Western academic emphasis on free
inquiry and developing critical intellectual
capacities.
Zaytuna College in Berkeley California is a
fledgling institution with only 31 students,
operating out of space rented from a Baptist
seminary.
UK:Major food retailers and suppliers are
being summoned to an urgent meeting
following a spate of mis-labelled or
contaminated food products reaching the
public.
The Prison Service yesterday launched an
urgent investigation and after a number of
Halal meat pies and pasties supplied to
jails were found to contain traces of pork
DNA.
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) also said it
was suspending a supplier of meat to prisons
after discovering that food products may
contain traces of non-Halal meat, despite
being sourced from a properly
Halal-certified supplier.
Islamic law forbids the consumption of pork.
All the contaminated products have been
withdrawn, the MoJ said.
Yesterday the Food Standards Agency (FSA)
ordered a meeting of food suppliers and
retailers on Monday following a number of
recent cases that have shaken consumer
confidence in food labelling.
An FSA spokeswoman said: "People have a
right to expect that the food they are
eating is correctly described.
"It is the responsibility of food businesses
to ensure the food they sell contains what
it says on the label. We are considering,
with relevant local authorities, whether
legal action is appropriate following the
investigation."
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: Inspired by a
recent episode of My Kitchen Rules, Farzahnaz
Hatia prepared this mouth-watering desert during
the week. Her Aunty Safia added a creme anglaise
that turned out to be the pièce de résistance of
the desert.
Apple Crumble with Crème Anglaise
Ingredients
3 Granny Smith
Apples (peeled, cored and sliced)
A sprinkling of lemon juice
90g butter
60ml brown sugar (1/4 cup)
125ml cake flour (1/2 cup)
180ml oats (3/4 cup)
5ml cinnamon (1tsp)
Method
1. Preheat oven to
180 degrees
2. Sprinkle the apples with lemon juice to
prevent them from turning brown.
3. Cream the butter and brown sugar
4. Add in the cake flour, oats and cinnamon to
from the dough.
5. Place the apple slices into a greased
ovenproof dish.
6. Grate the dough over the apples
7. Bake at 180 for approx. 45mins until light
brown and crisp.
8. Serve warm with cream or custard or crème
anglaise if you really want to impress your
guests.
Q: Dear Kareema, I organise bi-monthly ‘active
outings’ for our organisation and was hoping to get a
few more ideas on interactive fitness challenges to put
my team through their paces.
A: Head to the beach and enjoy a two-day beach
volleyball comp. It doesn’t matter what your fitness
level, your entire body will be challenged and you’ll
leave feeling tired (and maybe a little sore) but
definitely stronger and fitter.
Another great option is dragon boating as you can have
quite a few members in each boat – this is an awesome
workout for your arms and abs and will leave you feeling
toned and terrific.
Hiking and indoor rock climbing are a few more of my
favourite workouts. Great for core stability and leg
strengthening, and will give you and adrenalin rush
every time – NJOY!
Jallaludin went from his home in Bankstown to the Sydney
CBD offices of a recruiting company having seen an
advertisement for the “best job in the world”.
Naturally interested, he went in and asked the
receptionist for details.
The receptionist pulled up the file and read; "The job
entails working on a tropical island. No formal
qualifications are needed but candidates must be willing
to swim, snorkel, dive and sail. In return, the
successful applicant will receive a salary of A$150,000
for six months and get to live rent-free in a
three-bedroom villa, complete with pool, maid and
butler, and if you're interested you'll have to go to
Cairns "
"My goodness, is that where the job is?" asked the
Jallaludin.
She answered: "No Sir, that's where the end of the queue
is."
And you (O
reader!) bring your Lord to
remembrance in your (very)
soul, with humility and in
reverence, without loudness
in words, in the mornings
and evenings; and you be not
of those who are unheedful.
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
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its Editor or its Sponsors, particularly if they eventually
turn out to be libellous, unfounded, objectionable,
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readers may find interesting or relevant. Such notices are
often posted as received. Including such messages or
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imply endorsement of the contents of these events by either
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