The Islamic Society of Toowoomba and Islamic Council of Queensland jointly hosted a sold-out fundraising dinner for the first Mosque in Toowoomba last night (Saturday).

Over 800 people attended the dinner at which Associate Professor Mohamed Abdalla was one of the main speakers of the night.

 

Imam Akram led the fundraising drive and Professor Shahjahan Khan provided an update on the mosque project. Mr Hussin Goss was the auctioneer and

Mr Suleman Sabdia the Master of the Ceremonies.

In addition to the food, the other main attraction of the event was the auction which, together with the cash donations on the night, would have helped raise over $80 000 towards the project. 

 

For more information on the purchase of the property and where to send you donations click here.

In this episode, recorded at Perth Writers Festival earlier this year, some of the Festival's keenest minds were asked to bring along a book that has, in their opinion, changed the world.

Host Jennifer Byrne is joined by Festival guests, Tom Holland, Ahdaf Soueif, Jared Diamond & Loretta Napoleoni who each introduce their book of choice and explain why it is worthy of world changing status.

 

These are landmark books that simply don't come along very often. With some surprising choices that are bound to be controversial, this is a fascinating episode for anyone interest in books, or the world!

 

 

Selected transcript

 

 

JENNIFER BYRNE: It's your turn, Tom, and you are bringing a book which some say should only be read in the original Arabic, but we'll just have to make do with the translations.

TOM HOLLAND: Well, you asked books that have changed the world, and I think that there are clearly two brand leaders here, there are two books that basically wipe the floor with the opposition, and they are the Bible and the Qur'an, and I've gone for the Qur'an because I think it packs an even heftier sacral punch than the Bible, because for Christians, the Bible may be the word of God, but it's human beings, infused by the Holy Spirit, but it's human beings who are writing it. For Muslims, the Qur'an is not written by Mohammad, it's coming directly from heaven - it's a heavenly revelation, and this belief has served manifestly to change the world. The Arabs who conquered this vast empire in the 7th and 8th centuries enshrined the Qur'an in the way the Christians enshrined the figure of Jesus. It's the intrusion of the divine into the earthly, and just as the figure of Jesus is absolutely fundamental to the history of Western art, so the text of the Qur'an is fundamental to the civilisation of Islam, and it continues to be so right up to the present day.

JENNIFER BYRNE: I made an assay at it, I made an attempt at one of the translations of the Qur'an, and what really struck me was the change of tone all the time. Sometimes it's a history, sometimes it's poetry, sometimes it's a list of comman... orders, sometimes it's a list of threats.

TOM HOLLAND: There's an incredible blend of sort of awe and intimacy. You have these extraordinary passages in which the apocalypse is described - God is going to furl up the scroll of the world, visions of the day of judgment, visions of the fate of the damned in hell, incredible sense of the vastness of time and space. Simultaneously, you have these very, very intimate moments, where God is described as being closer to the believer than his jugular vein, and that extraordinary tension within it, I think... You know, if you don't believe that it's the word of God, I think that that's the explanation for the power that it's always held, that it satisfies the craving within humans both for a sense of the sublime and for the intimate.

AHDAF SOUEIF: But I think also what's interesting - you were talking about the different registers, almost, of the Qur'an - the visionary and the lists of threats and so on, and scholars make quite a clear division between the chapters and the verses that happened or that were revealed in Mecca, when the prophesy was just beginning, when Mohammed was sort of just, you know, getting that first apocalyptic vision, and these are the big visionary chapters that deal with the big stuff - with life, with death, with the world - and then... And of course, the division is not quite so black and white, but it is there, and then you have the bulk of the verses and chapters that happen when the Muslims are building the state, and here you've got all the legislative, all the... You know, this is what you do and this is what you don't do, this is the position of women, this is how you build the state, this is how you behave in war, you know, these are your treaties, and these are the state-building chapters, which are, you know, from time to time, of course, they've got embedded in them visionary things, but they're not the big sort of hard-hitting kind of areas of the Mecca period.

LORETTA NAPOLEONI: The reason why I actually did some work on the Qur'an is because of Islamic finance, which is something that I researched. When they wanted to construct a financial system for Islam, 'cause let's not forget that the interest rate is considered to be something that nobody should apply or use, not only for the Muslim, but also for the Christian. So, what happen was that, of course, these countries were colonised by Western powers, and Western powers imposed their own financial system, ie, you know, banking system, and Egypt was the country that started this debate already in the beginning of the 18th century. So, scholars were discussing the fact there is a prohibition, a clear prohibition in the Qur'an to impose interest rate. So, it took a long time to get to the point to create the Islamic Bank, because they did not have the money, but after the oil shock in 1974, Saudi Arabia actually did have the money, and it was very easy to construct the bank, because it was very easy to extract from the Qur'an the rules and regulations, 'cause they were all there.

JENNIFER BYRNE: Is that right?

LORETTA NAPOLEONI: Yes, it's fascinating.

JENNIFER BYRNE: So, it did change the world in that way too.

TOM HOLLAND: It shaped the world of post-oil crisis Saudi Arabia. What more do you need? You can't say that about The Iliad.

(Laughter)

LORETTA NAPOLEONI: But there's something else which is even more important, I think, is the flexibility. So, if you look at how an Islamic bank actually functions, you have a committee of bankers. On top of the bankers, you have a committee of scholars, which are experts of Qur'anic law, and that committee of scholars will judge each product independently and separately.

JENNIFER BYRNE: Still?

LORETTA NAPOLEONI: Yeah, absolutely, still. So, the flexibility of the system is incredible. So, people think, 'Oh, my gosh, you know, this is something that comes from the religious book, therefore it must be very, you know, strict.' Absolutely not! Our finance is much, much more strict, much more inflexible than the Islamic finance, and it's fascinating, I think it's fascinating, how, from a religious book, you can actually end up having something so open-minded.

TOM HOLLAND: I think that what all this demonstrates is that the Qur'an has one of the key things that any scripture needs, which is that it has to be rife with contradiction, so that people can pull out this bit or that bit. You know, the one that obsesses the West, of course, is the issue of whether the Qur'an condones violence, and the answer is that it does, but it also condemns it. So, people can pull out this or pull out that.

JENNIFER BYRNE: I'm prepared to give you provisional victory on this one, Tom, because I want to move on past the Qur'an. In fact, 'cause there is no winner. I was very interested, Loretta, in the fact that you brought The Hunger Games, fiction, Ahdaf, you brought Homer, fiction...

TOM HOLLAND: What would you say about the Qur'an, though?

(Laughter)

JENNIFER BYRNE: I think I'd leave that tricky one to you. You seem to be doing very well getting into your own trouble. Do you think, generally speaking, fiction or nonfiction is the more persuasive form for an idea, transmission of an idea?

Gus Gould takes us into the life of Sonny Bill Williams.

 

SBW gives us access into his life like he has never done before.

 

Meet his family. Sonny's Father Mr John Williams, brother John Arthur Williams, sister Nial Williams, Nephew Malik, niece Tenim Lea.

 

SBW is a long time supporter of a charity called The Violet Foundation, meningococcal awareness.

 

Williams converted to Islam in 2008, and is the first Muslim to play for the All Blacks. Prior to converting to Islam, he was involved in several alcohol-related incidents.

 

 

 

Representatives from the Queensland Government's Multicultural Affairs department met with members of the Logan Mosque this week.

 

Aamer Rahman and Nazeem Hussain are award-winning, Australian comedy duo Fear of a Brown Planet.
 

Following sell-out shows in Melbourne, Sydney, Darwin, Perth, London and Edinburgh they’re finally making their Brisbane debut.
 

Tackling the topics of immigration, race relations and the War on Terror head on, Fear of a Brown Planet promises to provoke and entertain audiences with an anarchic take on politics and race, whilst boldly tackling the delicate topic of Islam.
 

“Just go see it. It’s extraordinary.” The Age
 

“Intensely amusing political stuff, from a very different point of view.” The Sunday Telegraph
 

“Rahman and Hussain are every bit as funny as they are politically engaged.” The Guardian
 

Duration: 60 minutes
 

Check dates, times and venues and get your tickets here.
 

Crescent Wealth is Australia’s first dedicated Islamic wealth manager, offering a superannuation fund that invests according to Islamic investment principles. Coming up this month, they are hosting a series of helpful, interactive seminars around Australia where you can learn more about Crescent Wealth, Islamic Super and more. S

Register at www.MyIslamicSuper.com.au for more.

Join the next Info session on
20 September 2013
When: 6.30pm
Where: Gold Coast Mosque
144 Allied Drive, Arundel

Find Out:
What is Islamic Super
What is Potential Benefits
How to Find & Combine Your Super
The Changing Super Laws That Affect You

Register Free Today at www.MyIslamSuper.com.au

An Australian jihadist fighting in Syria has reportedly blown himself up in a suicide bombing near a military airport in the country's east.

For some time now concerns have been growing among the Australian intelligence community about the involvement of Australian jihadists who have travelled to fight in the Syrian conflict.

At least four Australians are known to have been killed in the fighting, but the news of the first Australian to become a suicide bomber is seen as a significant and troubling development.

According to various jihadi websites, at 5:45am on Wednesday the Australian known as Abu Asma al Australi drove a truck loaded with 12 tonnes of explosives into a checkpoint close to the Deir Al Zour military airport.

The website reports say the checkpoint, considered to be the first line of defence for the airport, was completely destroyed and 35 soldiers from the Assad regime were killed.

Abu Asma is described on one website as "our immigrant Lion".

Suicide bombing 'a different level of commitment'

Rodger Shanahan is a former Army officer and an expert in middle eastern terrorism with the Lowy institute.

He says the advent of the first Australian suicide bomber presents a qualitative step up in the level of commitment yet shown by home grown jihadists.

"There's different level of commitment you would think if you've undertaken a suicide attack and ... if there's one there could be more Australian citizens who are that motivated to take their lives in that manner," he said.

Australian intelligence agencies are thought to be tracking about 100 Australians who are currently active in the Syrian conflict, and it is believed that number is growing.

The concern is that some of those individuals will be further radicalised by their experiences overseas and that they could potentially use that experience and training to conduct terrorist operations once they return to Australia.

As Mr Shanahan points out that anyone actively involved in the conflict would have come into contact with terrorist groups.

 

 

ABC

 

Click here to donate to the cause

 

Muslim hip hop artist Mo Sabri sings about pious themes in a genre that’s not exactly known for godly messages.

 

The Tennessee-born son of Pakistani immigrants is following in the footsteps of Christian rock musicians who have done that for decades.

 

More than two years after the death of Osama bin Laden, concern about Islamic extremism remains widespread among Muslims from South Asia to the Middle East to sub-Saharan Africa.

 

Across 11 Muslim publics surveyed by the Pew Research Center, a median of 67% say they are somewhat or very concerned about Islamic extremism.

 

In five countries – Pakistan, Jordan, Tunisia, Turkey and Indonesia – Muslim worries about extremism have increased in the past year.

 

Against this backdrop, extremist groups, including al Qaeda, garner little popular support.

 

Even before his death in 2011, confidence in al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden had plummeted among many Muslims.

 

Today, al Qaeda is widely reviled, with a median of 57% across the 11 Muslims publics surveyed saying they have an unfavorable opinion of the terrorist organization that launched the twin attacks on New York City and Washington, DC more than a decade ago.

 

The Taliban, who once shared Afghanistan as a base of operation with al Qaeda, are viewed negatively by a median of 51% of Muslims in the countries polled. Hezbollah and Hamas fare little better.

 

Hezbollah, in particular, has seen its support slip in key Middle Eastern countries, including a 38 percentage point drop in favorable views among Egyptian Muslims since 2007.

In many of the countries surveyed, clear majorities of Muslims oppose violence in the name of Islam.

 

Indeed, about three-quarters or more in Pakistan (89%), Indonesia (81%), Nigeria (78%) and Tunisia (77%), say suicide bombings or other acts of violence that target civilians are never justified.

 

And although substantial percentages in some countries do think suicide bombing is often or sometimes justified – including a 62%-majority of Palestinian Muslims, overall support for violence in the name of Islam has declined among Muslim publics during the past decade.

 

These are among the key findings from a survey of 11 Muslim publics conducted by the Pew Research Center from March 3 to April 7, 2013.

 

Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 8,989 Muslims in Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Lebanon, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Palestinian territories, Senegal, Tunisia and Turkey.

 

The survey also finds that Nigerian Muslims overwhelmingly oppose Boko Haram, the extremist movement at the center of a violent uprising in northern Nigeria.

 

One of Boko Haram’s stated aims is to establish sharia, or Islamic law, as the official law of the land. Nigerian Muslims are divided on whether their country’s laws should closely follow the teachings of the Quran.

 

 

 

PewResearch

Labor's more experienced grass roots organisation in western Sydney helped it stem the flow of votes towards the Coalition, but it can no longer rely on the unwavering support of ethnic workers, writes Andrew Jakubowicz.

........

 

By 2009, local Liberals had wrested control of the Lebanese Muslim Association from its long-time ALP-aligned leaders.

In the 2011 NSW state election, Muslim voters, especially Sunnis associated with the LMA, moved strongly against the ALP (prompted as well by Christian Maronite ALP chieftain Eddie Obeid's scandalous behaviour and anti-Muslim activism).

This shift in Muslim sentiment was triggered in 2001 when Obeid blocked an aspiring local Muslim politician from ALP pre-selection, and Sussex St parachuted in his Maronite sister-in-law.

Her recalcitrance when minister on the issue of finding burial grounds for Muslim dead would tip the LMA towards O'Farrell, who promised to deliver and did so. But it would not necessarily hold - no longer rusted on to Labor, they were not attached to the Libs.

However there is no single 'ethnic vote' and as migrants become more successful and socially mobile, they move towards the voting pattern of their economic class and away from the voting pattern of early immigrant workers.

In this election, seats that were heavily Muslim stuck with the ALP. In the lead-up, the LMA had fashioned a strategy to gain support from the government.

 

........

 

With Rudd's resurgence and Bowen's return to the front bench, the game changed again. The ALP began listening and came up with a promise of $10 million for an aged care facility.

Hockey matched it, though the Muslims were less impressed when the ALP offered exactly the same amount to the much smaller Maronite community, which the Coalition also matched. Minister Kate Lundy meanwhile delivered a cheque for $130,000 to a Turkish Muslim community for a new hall.

The heart of Muslim Sydney is the seat of Blaxland, where 23 per cent of the population profess Islam, and Watson where the figure is 20 per cent.

In Blaxland, for the Liberals, Anthony Khouri, an Arab Christian, could gain no traction against Jason Clare. Indeed the primary swing towards Clare was 6 per cent. Tony Bourke in Watson held his primary position, but preferences swung to the Liberal Ron Delezio, dropping him back 1.6 per cent.

The seats of Reid and Werriwa each have a Muslim population of 10 per cent, though Werriwa is more 'white'.
 

 

ABC

During the Middle Ages, when Europe was plunged into the Dark Ages, Arab scholars and historians translated most of the works of the Greek scholars, thereby preserving some of the greatest intellectual achievements that are the cornerstone of Western civilization.

 

For the next few weeks CCN will offer an English word that has, as its origin, the Arabic language:

 

English	Arabic Origin	Arabic Meaning
alcohol	al-kuHul	A mixture of powdered antimony