Millions of Muslims from around the world pour into Makkah (Saudi Arabia) every year to perform Hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam. Hajj consists of several ceremonies, which are meant to symbolize the essential concepts of the Islamic faith, and to commemorate the trials of Prophet Abraham and his family. Every able-bodied adult Muslim who can financially afford the trip must perform hajj at least once in a lifetime. Hajj is officially expected to fall between October 13 and 18.   Around 4000 Australian Muslims are expected to join more than two million Muslims in Makkah to perform their life-time journey of Hajj.

 

CCN wishes our Hajiis and Hajjianis, Hajj Mabroor

 

Local Somalis horrified by outrage

 

Queensland's Somali community has expressed horror at a terror attack in Nairobi's Westgate Mall, saying they fear extremists could be making their way to Australian shores on boats.

 

The Brisbane-based Somali Australian Development Organization said terror groups such as Somalia's al-Qa'ida spin-off Al-Shabaab - believed to be responsible for the attack in Nairobi - fund trips to Western countries so their followers can attempt to gain refugee status.

 

"Nobody here agrees with what has happened," president Adabdirahman Mohamud said. "It reminds me of September 11, the Bali bombings, (and terror attacks on) Madrid and London. It's horrible, it's inhumane and un-Islamic.

 

"No religion lets people do this. Whatever religion you believe in, it does not allow this."

 

Mr Mohamud said that he was concerned extremists could make their way to Australia as "boat people", supported financially by groups like Al-Shabaab - an organization he described as "mafia-like".

 

"I worry a lot about these people coming on the boats," he said. "Someone told me it took only three weeks from Yemen to Australia on a boat.

 

A spokesman for the Holland Park Mosque, on behalf of the Islamic Community of Brisbane, said Somali Muslims had suffered many attacks at the hands of Al-Shabaab.

 

"The Somali community in Brisbane, like the majority of the Muslim community across the world, has no sympathy towards groups which kill in the name of Islam as they are responsible for far more Muslim deaths," he said.

 

Source: Courier Mail

 

[CCN Editor] In response to this article, a member of the Somali community said the following:

This is again another very unfortunate misrepresentation of the Somali community. Many of the Somalis I know do not have any fears about any boat arrivals Somalis or otherwise. In fact, many of these refugee claimants are fleeing from the same Al-shabaab terror we saw in Nairobi's WEST GATE MALL. We also know that relevant authorities in Australia have put in place proper security and health screening procedures for these cases. Alarmist statements of these nature put fear and suspicion into our society and prejudice refugees before their claims are assessed.

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ISGC condemns attacks against innocent civilians In Kenya and Pakistan

 

The brutal massacre of innocent people in a Kenyan shopping mall and the killing of worshippers in Pakistan has been globally condemned by Muslims. More than 75 Christians were killed by suicide bombers as they were exiting a church in the northwestern province of Pakistan. In Kenya, gunmen took over a mall and killed scores of innocent people.
The Islamic Society of the Gold Coast here in Queensland, joins in the condemnation of these attacks in the strongest possible terms. The massacres are perpetrated by cowards who have no sense of value for human life.
 

In the Kenyan attack, the perpetrators have attempted to validate this gruesome act by claiming it to be in retaliation of Kenya’s military involvement in Somalia by giving it an Islamic pretext, whereas this attack has nothing to do with Islam and Muslims.
 

All acts of terror are condemned strongly. The perpetrators of terror must be convicted and punished. Acts of terror against innocent civilians, whether perpetrated by rebels or governments (under the euphemistic label of 'collateral damage') and whether perpetrated by crude weapons or sophisticated armaments such as drones, missiles, bombs, chemical weapons are all acts of terror that are worthy of severe condemnation and sanction.
 

The Kenyan and Pakistani killings along with other acts of terror are abhorrent to all peace loving people around the world. We share in the pain of those affected by this tragedy and express our condolences to their families and loved ones and pray for the recovery of the injured.
 

So long as injustice and oppression prevails anywhere in the world, mankind will not enjoy peace and stability. We therefore call upon the United Nations, its organs, and governments of the world, to strive to establish justice and peace and to address seriously the issue of injustice by punishing the perpetrators whosoever they be, for sanity and peace to prevail in our world.
 

Imam Imraan Husain

Islamic Society of Gold Coast (ISGC)
 

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RELATED STORIES

 

DAILY MAIL: Hero of mall massacre revealed: Selfless Muslim civilian who rushed INTO terror and saved life of U.S. girl, 4, and her family:   Katherine Walton and three daughters were trapped amid a hail of bullets Abdul Haji plucked them to safety as he shot back at terrorists with handgun Story immortalised in picture of him reaching out to four-year-old Portia

 

THE AUSTRALIAN: Madrassa lessons worry Somalis

ANDREW BOLT: There are uncomfortable facts to be faced on immigration

New Muslim Care is an engaging program that creates a positive impact on the lives of those who accept Islam and begin a new life as Muslims.

 

Every participant goes through a cycle which includes components to assist them with various educational, emotional, and social needs.

 

Through this approach, new Muslims are able to sustain their faith and remain steadfast in times of adversity.

 

Established in late 2011, New Muslim Care is a program of Mercy Mission World.
 

We assessed a need for New Muslim Care after research studies showed that many new Muslims were leaving Islam after coming into the fold of Islam due to lack of support from the Muslim Community. Ongoing support once someone accepts Islam is vital for our growing community. The lack of such support often leads to disillusionment for new Muslims. To this end, New Muslim Care delivers programs for new Muslims to provide this support.
 

Our goal is to nurture our new Muslim brothers and sisters, and ensure retention by providing them with the necessary support and resources to make the journey into Islam easier.
 

The Brisbane Chapter of New Muslim Care will be based at the Sisters’ House as a point of contact for new Muslims to receive any of the three program element services that New Muslim Care provide such as Education, Empowerment, and My Muslim Buddy. Services will also be available for brothers at other locations TBA.
 

What services does New Muslim Care provide?
• Recorded online lessons
• New Muslim Care Starter Kits eBooks
• New Muslim Care Starter Kits distribution
• Monthly support group meetings for new Muslims
• MyMuslimBuddy: pairing a MuslimBuddy with a new Muslim in person.
 

Why volunteer as a MuslimBuddy?
The objective of MyMuslimBuddy is to partner up new Muslims (Reverts) with other Muslims in the community. It is a program inspired by the model of brotherhood created for us by our beloved Prophet Muhammad (Peace be Upon Him). Upon the migration of the Makkan Muslims to Madinah, there was a group of people that Allah had chosen to alter the course of history; a group that the Prophet eventually considered himself to be a part of. They were the Ansar, which literally means helpers and supporters.We are following the model of the Ansar and Muhajireen and how our beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) paired them up.
 

The objectives are the following:
1. Provide companionship/friendship with other Muslims
2. Inclusion into the existing Muslim community
3. Emotional Support in times of difficulty
4. Social fulfilment
5. Keep New Muslims within the fold of Islam
 

Why get a MuslimBuddy?
As a newly practicing Muslim you find that it can be quite difficult to transition into the Muslim Community. It may be hard to get to know people, or be overwhelmed with learning alone. This program will pair you up with someone who will be your support, friend and companion on this journey through your daily life as a Muslim.
 

In sha Allah your MuslimBuddy will make your journey as a newly practicing Muslim one of ease and comfort. Most of all they are your companion on equal terms and a doorway for you into the Muslim community. You may feel hesitant asking for a friend and you are not alone, but all the people we have paired up so far are so happy they made the decision to ask for one.
 

Brisbane Information Day
In sha Allah we are planning an Information Day in October (date TBA) for people to find out more about New Muslim Care including the MyMuslimBuddy program and how people can volunteer or sponsor a new Muslim Starter Kit. For more information please call 0449268375 or visit www.newmuslimcare.com.

The Institute of Modern Languages (University of Queensland) is looking for women who: • Speak and read Arabic and have limited English skills • Mothers, or are thinking of becoming mothers • Aged 25-40 and • Available Monday-Friday during the day Attend a 1.5 hour meeting in Brisbane in November or December 2013, to talk about a booklet on diabetes that has been translated into Arabic. An interpreter will be available during the meeting. Contact The Institute of Modern Languages: iml@uq.edu.au or phone 07 3346 8200

A voice for Australian Muslims: Legally Brown with Nazeem Hussain. Photo: Jessica Dale

Probably the most telling moment in last night's debut episode of Legally Brown was when Nazeem Hussain quipped that white viewers would be “expecting funny accents, jokes about the weird foods we eat and stories about my wacky ethnic parents. Sorry to disappoint”. And although he then proceeds immediately to impersonate his mum, he's making a statement here that “ethnic” comedy in Australia has hitherto been about the parading of stereotypes for comfortable, mainstream consumption. He's not interested in that.

This show is not Acropolis Now. Certainly, that show is an Australian landmark, but its power was in taking back ownership of wog stereotypes, thereby defanging them. It was hardly a show that punched back, even if it popularised “skippy” as a derisive ethnic marker. Hussain is a creature of a different time and circumstance.

Wogs out of Work began as a way of young Australian-raised wogs to laugh among themselves. They were lampooning their parents, their cousins, the kinds of situations that arise when a cultural gap exacerbates a generation gap. Hussain does that, too, but his is the world of post-9/11 Australian Muslims. It's about more than ethnic stereotyping. It's about being a consistent target of political opportunism, where everyone from the Prime Minister to the Foreign Minister to an otherwise washed-up backbencher with a view on burqas has you in their sights; where bombs detonate in Western capitals and unrelated nations are invaded. It is an altogether heavier, more politically contentious world.

Hussain's work has grown out of this period. The social temperature in which he has been speaking has always been high. So he's not terribly interested in presenting minstrel characters for our amusement. He wants to interrogate his audience. But, truth be known, it's hardly one-way traffic. Hussain is interrogating in every direction. Sure, he'll pot racist bogans. But last night's “Indian Tourrette's” sketch ridiculed the naiveties of political correctness. “Muslim Shore” – with its subtext that we all have our losers lacking in self-awareness – will no doubt irritate Muslims expecting Hussain to offer them sanitised self-promotion.
 

But Uncle Sam is also a buffoon: completely blind to his own outrageous double standards and the utter ridiculousness of his agenda to Islamicise everything, fully expecting Australians to be delighted by the idea.

And then there's Uncle Sam. He was born on community television at a time when the news media was completely preoccupied with radical preachers, and pop-culture was obsessed with Australian Idol. Hence, 'Australian Imam', the search for Australia's most controversial imam. Uncle Sam was a contestant, designed to embody society's greatest fears about Muslim radicalism. In the SBS series of Salam Café, he stood for mayor of Camden, which at the time was home to a visceral campaign against the establishment of an Islamic school. He resurfaces in Legally Brown as an unlikely prime ministerial candidate with a promise to “Make Australia Halal”.

It riles the vacuous, like Michael Smith who can see nothing more than a character trying to demonstrate “how funny jihad is”. But Uncle Sam is also a buffoon: completely blind to his own outrageous double standards and the utter ridiculousness of his agenda to Islamicise everything, fully expecting Australians to be delighted by the idea. Everyone's a target here: the racists in Camden or Frankston who know nothing about Muslims except how much they hate them, and the Muslims who spout radical, conspiratorial nonsense and expect to be taken seriously. Trouble is, they often are. Hussain's putting them back in the box they belong.

There's no doubt Hussain is testing social limits with all this. Precisely how this goes will ultimately say more about his audience than Hussain himself. The truth is that – at least on the small sample we have so far – is only confronting because the Australian cultural majority is so unused to hearing minorities speak with such assertiveness. I worked with Hussain for years on Salam Café, reading the same audience reaction and, inevitably, the same hate mail. By far the most common theme was that we had no right, as Muslims, to be critical of some aspect of Australia. We were lucky to have been allowed into this country. How dare we presume to criticise, well, anything? Never mind that almost all of us were Australian born. Never mind that plenty of people shared our criticisms. The message was clear: we were outsiders, and should behave as such. We were not, to borrow from Michael Smith again, “real Australians”. We should know our place. We are welcome, but only as supplicants, celebrating the nation's unblemished virtue.
 

By far the most common theme was that we had no right, as Muslims, to be critical of some aspect of Australia. We were lucky to have been allowed into this country. How dare we presume to criticise, well, anything? Never mind that almost all of us were Australian born.

Hussain isn't a supplicant. Not content with neutralising prejudices, he's throwing them back. On next week's show, he dresses as a range of non-white celebrities he doesn't remotely resemble (Will.i.am, Sachin Tendulkar), only to fool members of the public into believing they're in the presence of celebrity. He's exposing a binary world where there's whiteness, and then otherness. Where white people are individuals and non-white people (a singular group) are not.

Is that edgy? In Australia that description is typically reserved for someone who drops the c-bomb or says something unkind about Don Bradman. We simply don't have the tradition of lacerating American comics like Dave Chappelle or Bill Hicks. Hussain, by his own admission, isn't as provocative as all that. He's just speaking with a voice we rarely hear from a minority: one that simply assumes its place as an insider. His is a political voice, sure. But it's also an Australian voice. And that, I suspect, is what's most likely to offend.

Waleed Aly is a columnist for Fairfax Media and a lecturer in political studies at Monash University. He has also been a long-time friend to Nazeem Hussain after having worked together on comedy talk show, Salam Cafe.
 

Source: The Age

 

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Watch Episode 1 here

 

 

Dr Mohamad Abdalla (Associate Professor and Founding Director of the Griffith University Islamic Research Unit (GIRU), and Director of the Queensland Node of the National Centre of Excellence for Islamic Studies (NCEIS), School of Humanities, Griffith University) published a paper in the 2012 Griffith Law Review on the subject of Sharī‘a which concludes with this comment:

Whether in Australia or Saudi Arabia, the Sharī‘a helps Muslims live their lives in ways that are deemed legal, fulfilling and pleasing to their Maker.

 

Contrary to the fear mongering discourse propagated by media and politicians, the application of Islamic law in Australia is limited to personal status law only.

 

Given the nature of Australia’s constitution and the absence of a plural legal system, aspects of Islamic law beyond personal status law are exempted because ‘God does not burden a soul with more than it can bear.’

 

When conflict arises between Sharī‘a and Australian Law, and Sharī‘a law cannot be accommodated, or causes unnecessary hardship, then abiding by the law of the land becomes binding.

 

Thus far, Australian law has been, by and large, very accommodating to various demands of Sharī‘a personal status law, and therefore it may be possible in the future that Australian courts will find ‘well-balanced’ solutions which can maintain the ‘two important goals of preserving the public order and fulfilling individual needs for legal ‘difference.’

 

There are a number of areas of convergence between the higher objectives of Sharī‘a and Australian law, such as the preservation of public interest.

 

While ‘Muslim thinkers both in and outside of Western liberal democracies are engaged in a particularly vibrant process of first-order, abstract, ideal interrogation of their religious commitments in light of the minority condition,’ specialists from both sides need to work together on the more contentious aspects of Sharī‘a to facilitate its proper application within the confines of Australian law.

 

Full Paper 

The Brothers' House in Kuraby is in need of the following items

2 X washing machines
2 X fridges 400 litre and above
Cutlery
2 X microwave
Bed sheets and linen which are in good conditions preferably for single beds.

 

If you can help, email Shoaib at shoaib@oscs.net.au.

This week's Halal Food Festival in London is attracting interest among a growing group of foodies beyond the Muslim community.

 

Their culinary buzzword is provenance; they know their Jamie from their Nigella; and they have the spare cash to splash on eating out, if they could only find the right restaurants. The catch is that any meat they eat must be halal, on either religious or taste grounds.

Meet the Haloodies, a growing group of food lovers who are bored of curries, fed up with kebabs, and long for nothing more exotic than a shepherd's pie. Their increasing spending power has sparked a race among retailers, wholesalers and canny restaurateurs to carve out a chunk of a market that is worth about Ł420bn globally.

This week an estimated 20,000 Haloodies will congregate in east London at the Halal Food Festival, the world's first gastronomic celebration of halal produce. All of the UK's major supermarket chains are sending scouts to help them find ways to exploit the trend. Attendees can browse food stalls offering anything from hot dogs and sushi to French and Moroccan dishes without worrying how the meat was killed or even transported.

While typical British dishes have got more exotic, Muslims want the reverse. We want regular stuff like shepherd's pie, which we see everywhere but we can't try.   Imran Kausar

Imran Kausar, a doctor by training, who masterminded the festival, said British Muslims were no longer "economic migrants trying to make do [but] affluent and aspirational members of the middle class [who wanted to] expand their culinary horizon." He added: "While typical British dishes have got more exotic, Muslims want the reverse. We want regular stuff like shepherd's pie, which we see everywhere but we can't try."

Contrary to stereotypes, not all those planning to go will be Muslim by faith: there is a small but expanding group of people who opt for halal much as they might choose free-range or organic meat. Simon Teal, 32, a scientist at Pfizer who lives in Wimbledon, London, explains why. "The meat has more flavour, and cuts that you flash fry or grill, like lamb chops, are more tender than non-halal meat. Plus buying halal gives me more confidence about where the meat has come from in the same way that buying something that is organic or free-range does."

Around 4 per cent of the UK's population is Muslim, yet halal produce comprises more than 15 per cent of all meat sold in the UK, according to Saqib Mohammed, the chief executive of the Halal Food Authority, one of the two main organisations that regulate Britain's halal food industry. "Some is exported but the rest is being consumed by non-Muslims," he said, adding: "Educated non-Muslims are convinced that halal meat is more hygienic."

One company seeking to profit from Britain's taste for halal, worth an estimated Ł3bn, is DB Foods, the country's largest meat wholesaler. It recently converted one of its warehouses to producing halal meat and will this week launch a new online business, halaltodoor.com, to sell direct to consumers pledging 100 per cent traceability. "It's a bit morbid but you can ring and check who slaughtered it," said Zak Johnson, of HalaltoDoor.

 

The move is in response to "strong demand", including from areas that "aren't always high-Muslim communities," he added. "Our end game is to be the halal Ocado."
 

Restaurant chains that are changing their menus include Pizza Express, which uses only halal chicken. One in five branches of Nando's serves halal-certified chicken, and KFC is running a halal trial in about 100 of its outlets. The Meat & Wine Co steakhouse in Westfield Shepherd's Bush even has a separate halal menu.
 

An element of society will use this to express their anti-Islamic sentiments.   Imran Kausar

Although halal is most often used in connection with meat, the word simply means "lawful" and refers to any object, not just food, or action or behaviour that is deemed permissible under Islamic law. The issue can be incendiary, however, on both faith and animal welfare grounds. Dr Kausar admitted he is braced for protests. "An element of society will use this to express their anti-Islamic sentiments," he said.
 

For meat to be considered halal the animal must be alive and healthy before it is killed, crucially with a single cut across the jugular. All the blood must be drained from the body, and the slaughterer must recite a special Islamic prayer as the animal is killed.
 

The point that arouses controversy is whether the animal has been stunned first: stunning livestock is compulsory throughout the EU but most member states, including the UK, grant exemptions to Muslims and Jews. That said, Food Standards Agency data published last year shows that 84 per cent of all cattle and calves slaughtered by the halal method in the UK in 2011 were stunned first.
 

Dil Peeling, of Compassion in World Farming, said: "It's always sensitive. Halal principles could lead to better treatment of animals beforehand but there aren't any assurances. We believe, and this is backed by science, that animal should be stunned before they are slaughtered and that can't be guaranteed with halal slaughter, so that is a concern."

 

ONE READER'S COMMENT: Interesting how many of these comments conveniently ignore the fact that non-halal cattle and poultry are treated extremely inhumanely most of their life and that stunning in no way guarantees a smooth transition to death. In fact, some animals are even skinned before they have fully lost consciousness and sense of life. All death should be lamented, including that of animals. However, since the animals live far better lives when under halal standards, as compared to factory grown & caged animals, it is a moral obligation upon us to support it. The 30 seconds or so til death that the animal suffers (almost all forms of killing cause suffering) do not reduce the value of its life. Thus, it is more humane to allow halal cattle growing as opposed to common factory and slaughterhouse cattle.
 

Source: The Independent

Obabiyi Aishah Ajibola, a contestant from Nigeria, reacts after being named World Muslimah 2013 at the 3rd World Muslimah annual award competition in Jakarta September 18, 2013. Twenty Muslim women from Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam and Nigeria competed on Wednesday in the finals of the pageant, held exclusively for Muslim women, which assessed not only the contestants' appearances but also their piety and religious knowledge.

 

Ajibola, 21, fell to her knees and thanked “almighty Allah” as she was crowned the winner and received her prizes of 25 million rupiah ($2,189.25) and trips to Mecca and India.

"We're just trying to show the world that Islam is beautiful," she told Agence France-Presse.
 

The contest, according to BBC, was launched in 2010 as a response to the Miss World pageant, this year to be held Saturday, Sept. 28.

 

More than 130 contestants from all over the world will compete at the Bali Nusa Dua Convention Center in Indonesia for Miss World, which is run by Julia Morley.
 

The Miss World Muslimah competition is much different, with contestants judged on looks as well as ability to recite from the Quran, relationship with Islam, and when they began wearing their headscarf, a requirement in the pageant.
 

Eka Shanti, a former television news broadcaster who lost her job for refusing to remove her headscarf, launched the pageant three years ago "to show that there are alternative role models for Muslim women,” she told AFP.
 

 

“It's about more than Miss World,” she said. “Muslim women are increasingly working in the entertainment industry in a sexually explicit way, and they become role models, which is a concern.”
 

On the World Muslimah Facebook page, the organization’s goal is stated as “to strengthen Muslim women self development & character to become Sholehah, Smart & Stylish.”
 

 

The Guardian reported 500 or more contestants initially competed during a round of online questions, but 20 finalists from six countries – Bangladesh, Brunei, Iran, Malaysia, Indonesia and Nigeria – competed as finalists on Wednesday.

 

Leading up to the final pageant, contestants underwent three days of “spiritual training,” took walks before dawn and studied the Quran together, BBC reported.
 

Protests have erupted for the upcoming Miss World pageant, which was initially to be held in Jakarta but moved to resort island Bali for security and safety concerns.

 

Contestants in Miss World have also been banned from wearing bikinis and must wear sarongs because “the public wanted” it that way, Indonesian Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Angung Laksono said.
 

On the other side, the Miss World Organization has criticized the Indonesian government for its lack of support.
 

Source: International Business Times

As an actor who has impersonated a consultant surgeon for over a decade, I have encountered a range of dramatic medical conditions. But nothing can prepare you for the sight of sick and dying children. Seeing them struggle with common preventable diseases shames you into a humble and helpless silence.

 

Hundreds of thousands of children across Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia were afflicted with severe malnutrition, and those I encountered were the lucky ones – the ones who made it to the hospital. Even then it was a hospital with a single doctor, no bed sheets, no mosquito nets and sparse supplies. At the height of the drought a child was dying every six minutes, and aid agencies were stretched to breaking point.

 

Some aid agencies are rising to this challenge by shifting the focus of their aid towards disaster protection – helping poor communities to prepare for the worst instead of just expecting them to hope for the best. Islamic Relief has launched a new Ł9.5 million disaster protection programme that will help protect 466,000 people against the ravages of drought, floods and tropical storms in five countries: Kenya, Niger, Yemen, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
 

Half the cost of this forward-looking initiative is being met by the generosity of the British public, from donations to Islamic Relief’s 2012 Ramadan appeal. The other half comes from the UK Government, which pledged to match every public donation to that appeal pound for pound, up to a maximum of Ł5 million.

 

 

Islamic Relief

 

 

 

 

Hugh Anthony Quarshie is a Ghanaian-born British actor who has achieved international popularity for his appearances in a whole range of media including theatre, television and cinema.

 

Click here to donate to the cause

 

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
algebra	al-jabr	to reduce or consolidate