A delegation of the Islamic Studies Religious Education Board of South Africa from the Jamiatul 'ulama South Africa (Ta'limi Board - Education Department) that caters for more than 20 000 students across South Africa will be visiting Brisbane and the Gold Coast this week.

 

These scholars and educationists, who have more than 40 years of experience living as a Muslim minority in a secular state; having faced the challenges some generations back that compare with those in Australia today; and having successfully developed a curriculum to counter those challenges that is so widely regarded that it is been translated into Thai, Spanish, Urdu and being used in more than 40 countries ranging from the Americas', Asia, Middle East, Australia and Europe, have been invited to address and assist the local community in developing a structured Islamic program with appropriate content, coupled with the required skills to impart this knowledge.

 

They will be conducting workshops on their education programmes and Islamic School Board Members, directors of Islamic institutes, school/madrassah principals, Quran and Islamic Studies teachers, masjid committee members, 'Ulama, small Islamic Institutes, private Quran tutors, and parents and community members who have an interest in this regard or just a concern for the faith of the children are encouraged to attend.

 

GOLD COAST WORKSHOP

Wednesday, 27th February
Venue: Gold Coast Mosque
Time: Morning session only: 10am to 1pm
Cost: Free
Tea & Snacks will be provided
RSVP: As places are limited you MUST confirm your attendance by contacting Imam Imraan through a text message 0411 037 016 or email imrhus1@bigpond.com before Wednesday to assist with seating and catering.

 

BRISBANE WORKSHOP

Wednesday, 27th February
Venue: Kuraby Mosque
Time: Morning session only: 3pm to 8.45pm
Cost: Free
Tea & Snacks will be provided
RSVP: As places are limited you MUST confirm your attendance by emailing admin@kurabymosque.org.au before Wednesday to assist with seating and catering.

Full programme schedule: Click here

 

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Brief bios of workshop presenters.

All Muslims should renounce their religion immediately in favour of Christianity or atheism - it would be better for them and for everyone else, controversial Dutch politician Geert Wilders said in Melbourne on Tuesday.
 

Insisting politely that he did not want to incite or offend anyone, the anti-Islam campaigner described the prophet Muhammad as ''a warlord, terrorist and paedophile'' and urged Australia to ban the Koran and all migration from Muslim countries.
 

Told that Premier Ted Baillieu had advised Victorians to ignore him, Mr Wilders said the Premier could ignore the threat of Islam and ''sing Kumbaya'' all day long, but the voters would wake up eventually.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mr Wilders was speaking to the assembled media at a secret location 40 minutes' drive north-west of Melbourne, of which they were notified only in the morning.

 

The media had to register in advance, show ID on arrival and pass several burly men in dark suits with black radio earpieces.

For years, Mr Wilders has lived under constant police protection, staying in a government safe house and being driven in an armoured car, but before his visit Melbourne Muslim leaders said he was under no threat of violence from local Muslims. However, the Q Society, which is hosting his three-city tour, says it has had more than two dozen venues refuse to host him or cancel bookings for fear of violent protests.
 

The Q Society was founded in 2010 to ''educate Australians about Islam'', media spokesman Andrew Horwood said.

He is full of contradictions and is wrapped up in his own notoriety. He never speaks of tolerance, understanding or cohesion   Hass Dellal

Mr Wilders - impeccably dressed and coiffured and a polished media performer who never raised his voice despite some hostile questioning - said Islam was a totalitarian system that was incompatible with freedom.

''I am here to talk about the Islamisation of Europe,'' he said. ''If you think what happened in Europe will not happen in Australia you are totally wrong.''

He said he did not oppose the multiculturalism on which Australia prides itself, but cultural relativism, ''the crazy idea that all cultures are equal, so you don't have a dominant culture''.

He said Islam was based on the Koran, which contained more anti-Semitism than Hitler's manifesto Mein Kampf, and on the example of the life of the prophet Muhammad.

''Muhammad was a warlord, terrorist and paedophile (who slept with a wife when she was nine). If 1.5 billion people think he is the best example to follow it's fair and necessary to analyse it and be able to talk about it.
''I call on all the Muslims in the world to leave Islam for Christianity or atheism or whatever they want. This will be good for them and also for our free society.''

Australian Multicultural Foundation chief executive Hass Dellal said that call was so outlandish there was no sensible reply.

He's entitled to his viewpoint but I think that the Muslims in this country see themselves rightly as fair dinkum, dinky-di Australians, just as the Catholics and the Jews and the Protestants and the atheists.   Tony Abbott

''He is full of contradictions and is wrapped up in his own notoriety. He never speaks of tolerance, understanding or cohesion,'' Mr Dellal said.

Islamic Council of Victoria past president Ramzi Elsayed said Mr Wilders' remarks simply showed ignorance. ''He seems to be losing rationality in his argument,'' he said.

Mr Wilders cancelled the Perth leg of his tour because a hotel hosting him pulled out late on Tuesday.
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott said on Wednesday that Mr Wilders was ''substantially'' wrong on Islam.

''He's entitled to his viewpoint but I think that the Muslims in this country see themselves rightly as fair dinkum, dinky-di Australians, just as the Catholics and the Jews and the Protestants and the atheists,'' Mr Abbott told Fairfax Radio.

''That's one of the great strengths of our country - we are always conscious of what we have in common, rather than the things that divide us.''
 

Source: The Sydney Morning Herald

 

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QUEENSLAND

Asked by Greg Cary on 4BC radio on his views on the visit of Geert Wilders, Queensland Premier, Campbell Newman, had this to say.

 

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AROUND AUSTRALIA

Several organizations in Australia have released statements in response to the Geert Wilders' visit:

 

NSW Alliance

Jewish Christian Muslim Association of Australia

Islamic Council of Victoria

Executive Council of Australian Jewry

 

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WESTERN AUSTRALIA

West Australian Premier Colin Barnett said he may have "played some role" in controversial Dutch MP Geert Wilders being forced to cancel his speaking engagements in Perth.

Mr Wilders was forced to cancel the speaking component of his visit to Perth when he was unable to find a venue to host him, but he still plans to visit the WA capital.

The Premier said on Wednesday his comment that Mr Wilders was not welcome at government buildings might have affected the right-wing politician's ability to get a venue.

"I don't want him here. But he's here, and I'm not going to interfere now," Mr Barnett told Fairfax radio.

"But he certainly is not going to use government buildings to promote his message."

Mr Barnett said it was possible venue operators may have been concerned about demonstrations, which was why no one else offered their venue to Mr Wilders after a four-star hotel cancelled his booking.

 

Source: The West Australian

Two documentaries about the Palestinian-Middle East conflict have been shortlisted for Oscar nominations in this year's Hollywood Academy Awards.

 

The two films examine the conflict from contrasting viewpoints, one through the eyes of the occupier and the other through those of the occupied.

 

"The Gatekeepers" features candid interviews with retired Israeli spymasters, while "5 Broken Cameras" tells the personal story of an amateur Palestinian cameraman who documents clashes between his fellow villagers and Israeli soldiers and settlers.

 

In Gatekeepers, some of Israel's most shadowy figures: six retired directors of Israel's domestic spy agency, the Shin Bet sit before the camera dressed informally in polo shirts or suspenders, speaking frankly about their memories of tracking Palestinian militants and radical Israeli settlers.

 

The spymasters speak about the morality of their actions.

"For them (the enemy), by the way, I was also a terrorist," said Yuval Diskin, Shin Bet chief from 2005 to 2011. "One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter."

Together, the security chiefs' testimonies offer biting criticism about Israel's failure to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, saying military might alone cannot bring peace.

"These moments end up etched deep inside you, and when you retire, you become a bit of a leftist," said Yaakov Peri, Shin Bet head from 1988 to 1994.

"We're winning all the battles," said Ami Ayalon, Shin Bet chief from 1996 to 2000, "And we're losing the war."

 

 

"5 Broken Cameras" features footage shot by Palestinian farmer and amateur filmmaker Emad Burnat, who bought a camera to film home videos but ended up documenting six years of family life on the backdrop of weekly Palestinian demonstrations against the construction of Israel's West Bank separation barrier through his village of Bilin.

Those demonstrations started the same week his son was born. His film shows his son's birthday parties along with the young boy's developing awareness of the political realities he was born into.

One by one, Burnat's cameras were damaged by an Israeli army tear gas canister, hit by rubber bullets, thrown to the ground by an angry Jewish settler, and smashed in a tractor accident. When his cameras broke, he suffered serious injuries.

 

 

Sources:

Huffington Post

ABC News

 

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A dinner will be held at Michael's Oriental Restaurant in Brisbane on 9 March to raise funds for the Australian Palestine Advocacy Network (APAN)

 

(Click on the image for all the details).

 

"APAN seeks a more balanced and principled approach from the Australian government in its policies towards the Israel-Palestinian conflict, and a more active role for Australia in encouraging all interested parties to bring about a just and lasting negotiated settlement based on UN resolutions and international norms."

 

"APAN offers a voice for all Australians of goodwill who wish to express their opposition to the continuation of the current situation.

 

The Islamic Women's Association of Queensland (IWAQ) held its strategic planning meeting at the Springwood Towers this week.

 

Amongst this week's panellists is Egyptian novelist, commentator and activist, Ahdaf Soueif .

 

Ahdaf Soueif was born in Cairo and educated in Egypt and in England, where she studied for a PhD at the University of Lancaster.

She is the author of two collections of short stories, Aisha and Sandpiper , and two novels. In the Eye of the Sun is about a young Egyptian woman's life in Egypt and England, set against key events in the history of modern Egypt. The Map of Love is the story of a love affair between an Englishwoman and an Egyptian nationalist set in Cairo in 1900. The Map of Love was shortlisted for the Booker Prize for Fiction.

In 2004 her book of essays, Mezzaterra , was published. Her most recent work is Cairo: My City, Our Revolution , a personal account of the 2011 Egyptian revolution.

She writes regularly for The Guardian and is a key political commentator on Egypt and Palestine. She is the founder of the Palestine Festival of Literature, Pal Fest, and has made many programs for Arab, American and British TV and radio stations.

Ahdaf lives in London and Cairo.

 

Watch Q&A 9.35pm on ABC 1, live 9.35pm AEDT on ABC News 24 or stream it on the website, abc.net.au/qanda

Sergeant Jim Bellos is once again calling on the community to support this year's Time4Kids crime prevention campaign, an initiative of the Police-Citizens Youth Clubs (PCYC).

 

The Time4Kids launch will be held during Youth Week on Friday 5 April at the old Boggo Road gaol, Dutton Park between 6.30am and 9.30am. The event will see PCYC gaols [jails] set up where community leaders will do time to stop youth crime.

The concept is to be detained in gaol until $500 bail has been raised to be released. Jim will be in gaol for about 60-90 minutes and have set myself a target to raise $5000. These funds will go towards PCYC running youth crime prevention programs across Queensland.

The event will be high-profile and will attract strong media interest and community participation, with Channel 9 as confirmed as media partners.
 

You can read more about Jim's very worthy cause here.

 

At the Griffith Multi-Faith Centre

 

From left to right: Dr Mustafa Ally, Haji Sultan Deen, Head of the Queensland Jewish Community Services Mr. Ari Heber,  Dr Aafreedi of the Gautam Buddha University in India, Mr Brian Adams, director of the Griffith Multi-Faith Centre, US Consul General, Mr Niels Marquardt, Mr Farouk Adam and Ms Janeth Deen.

This is NOT a true story

CCN has adapted it from the parody website The Daily Currant in response to an Australia political party candidate who called for guaranteed non-halal meat.

 

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Conservative political candidate JC, called 000 today after accidentally eating a pizza prepared according to Muslim tradition from a Turkish-owned pizzeria.

According to a review of the emergency 000 tapes, the 28-year-old candidate was afraid he had contracted food poisoning from the "contaminated" meal and expressed concern that the restaurant may have links to terrorism.

The incident began in the offices of the candidate where an employee had ordered out from a new pizza place for lunch.

"I heard really good things about this pizzeria called Effendis. According to the Brisbane Times its like one of the best in Brisbane," explains HB, a secretary at the candidate's electoral office. "So I ordered it for the office. And everyone loved it. It was some of the best pizza we've ever had.

"But then someone asked me what this word 'Halal' on the box meant. And I didn't know. I figured it was like a style of pizza. You know like Thai style, Italian style, Halal style.

"We were all puzzled by this 'halal' thing so we Googled it. And wow were we shocked to find out it was an actually Muslim thing."

The term halal refers to a method of preparing food that is consistent with Islamic teachings. It is comparable to the term kosher in Judaism.

"When he found that out, JC immediately started going into panic mode," HB says. "After a few minutes in the bathroom he called 000."

CCN has exclusively obtained a transcript of the 000 call, which reads as follows:

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TripleO: Hello this is 000. What is your emergency?

JC: Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god. Hello? Hello?

TripleO: Hello sir what is your emergency?

JC: Yes I think I might have been poisoned. Oh my god, please help. Please.

TripleO: Okay calm down. How do you think you've been poisoned?

JC: Pizza. I ate a pizza that I shouldn't have eaten.

TripleO: Okay, so you think you have food poisoning then?

JC: Yes madam.

TripleO: Do you have any signs and symptoms? Any vomiting? Nausea? Diarrhoea?

JC: No, nothing like that yet. But I can feel the poison inside of me. I know it's coming. Please help!

TripleO: Help is on the way sir, don't worry. What makes you think the pizza you ate was poisoned? Was it undercooked?

JC: No no nothing like that.

TripleO: Well then I don't understand. Did you put something on it?

JC: No no. It's just...I don't trust the place that it came from.

TripleO: Okay sir where did you get the pizza?

JC: Its was from Effendis in Sunnybank

TripleO: Oh Effendis? I love that place. Great sauce.

JC: Oh yeah? Well did you know that it's run by Muslims?

TripleO: I did not know that sir. Is that relevant to your problem though?

JC: Relevant? Ha! That is the problem. You don't know what Muslims put in food they prepare for Christians. No one does.

TripleO: Okay...

JC: I mean think about it. It's the perfect opportunity. Millions of unsuspecting Australians. How do you know Al-Qaeda isn't opening halal restaurants all across Australia right now, just waiting for the right time to strike?

TripleO: Well sir that's unlik...

JC: And the Muslim Brotherhood. Have you seen what they're doing in Egypt? How do you know they're not already here in Australia funding these sleeper cells? Think about it. Family owned restaurant? It's the perfect cover!

TripleO: So you think that a local Turkish pizza place is associated with Al-Qaeda and the Muslim Brotherhood and might have poisoned you in an act of gastrointestinal terrorism?

JC: Exactly.

TripleO: Okay well, paramedics are on their way. Did anyone else eat the pizza with you sir?

JC: Yes there were six of us. We're all gonna flipping die! Just hurry!

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The owners of the pizzeria say they are shocked by the incident, saying there's nothing dangerous about eating halal food.

"It's basically just making sure we don't use pork. That's pretty much the only noticeable difference," explains MC, owner of the restaurant.

Authorities say that in the end JC did not have food poisoning. He was diagnosed with an acute anxiety disorder and given sedatives to ease his paranoia.

Kuraby's newest dentist, Dr Zaheer Kadwa, made the news in the Toowoomba Chronicle this week in a report in the Careers section of the newspaper on how young graduates are finding placements soon after graduation.

 

Dr Kadwa, who earned his dental degree from the University of Queensland last year after starting off his schooling at Brisbane State High, told the newspaper that he had to think outside of the box in order to secure his first job with a practice in Neil Street in Toowoomba (a hour and a half drive from Brisbane).

 

Zaheer told CCN he will be willing to offer any career advice he can to others contemplating a similar path as he has chosen.

 

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.

 

Model Ayesha, 24

 

AYESHA OLUMIDE, from Edinburgh, is a model who works under her original name of Eunice. She converted to Islam in 2009 while at university. She says:

Before converting to Islam I was a Christian – but where my family is from in West Africa, Islam and Christianity are both practised. But it wasn’t until I started studying philosophy at university that I began to learn more about Islam.
 

At first I was worried it would be too extreme but when I studied the Koran it blew my mind. The theories about nature and science appealed and I felt enlightened. You can’t always explain everything in a scientific way and Islam helps me with that.
 

 

I was first scouted as a model while a 15-year-old tomboy. I was into football and athletics – but a career in fashion is all about looks. Converting to Islam made me realise how much we value people if society thinks they’re beautiful.

 
At the mosque, women cover their head and dress modestly, so no one is judging you on what you look like. At first I found it hard to square being a Muslim with being a model. But I spoke to a Muslim sister and she said Islam is not an extreme religion, so if it felt too extreme to me it probably wasn’t right.

 
Now I cover my hair for 99 per cent of the time but if I don’t want to when I wake up one day, I don’t. And I don’t do any bikini or underwear shoots.

 
I don’t have set days at the mosque but I do go often and I pray every day. I would like to start a family in the future but don’t think I’d marry a non-Muslim.

 

Source: The Sun

SEEKING EMPLOYMENT

 

An extremely honest and reliable recent business graduate is looking for business marketing, communication roles in Brisbane.

 

Aziz averaged High Distinctions through out his Bachelor of Business in Marketing from Victoria University and is a member of the Golden Key Society as a result of his grades.

 

He is looking to work with businesses that are involved in halal products/services.

 

He can work full time, part time or on consultancy basis. 

 

If you are interested in talking to Aziz further, please call him on 0423436643 or email him at aziz.yasin@live.com. Aziz's up to date resume is available here. 

 

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AIIC NEEDS LANGUAGE VOLUNTEERS

 

The Australian International Islamic College (AIIC) requires volunteer language translators to provide in-school support for students.

Support is need for Rohingan, Arabic Somalian translators during curriculum delivery.

 

The appropriate Blue Card will be organised by the College.

 

If you are able to volunteer some time for this worthy program contact the Administration at the Australian International College. 724 Blunder Road, Durack  4077, Ph:  3724-1400