Through the joint efforts of Muslim Aid Australia, Muslim Charitable Foundation, Al Imdaad Foundation and World Orphan Fund, the day of Qurban was taken to remote areas in different countries. The photographs were taken in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Vietnam, Cambodia and Palestine, where representatives were on the ground to ensure the slaughter and distribution took place. Muslim Charitable Foundation in Brisbane raised over $15,000 towards this project. A spokesman for MCF told CCN: “This was our first joint venture for Qurban with our partners Muslim Aid and we are very satisfied with this effort. We are indeed very grateful to the Muslim community of Brisbane who once again supported our Qurban Plus drive. The look of joy and gratitude on the faces of the many recipients is in itself very rewarding.”

 

Visit the Facebook Page to see pictures of events "The Continental Club" has hosted and view a video montage of the day.

Australia's first Islamic Museum, the Islamic Museum of Australia has announced the appointment of 2013 Masterchef finalist, Samira El Khafu, to operate the museum's cafe when the complex opens to the public in early 2014.

Located in Thornbury on the banks of the scenic Merri Creek trail in Melbourne's north, Modem Middle Eastern will be housed at the rear of the museum and will operate from 10am to 4pm daily.

As the name suggests, Samira's menu will fuse Middle Eastern and Australian influences, which Samira says is the perfect inspiration considering the cafe's location.

“The museum itself will showcase the connection between Islamic and Australian cultures so I couldn't think of a better location to open my very own cafe.

“Set on the banks of the Merri Creek with a beautiful Australian landscape in the background, this cafe will represent exactly who I am-both Middle Eastern and Australian." she said.

Serving all day breakfast and lunch, this will be Samira's first cafe venture since completing her Mastenchef journey earlier this year, however Samira says fans of the show will be able to taste some of her most popular Masterchef creations with many set to appear on the menu.

“Our focus will be on fresh produce prepared daily and a few of my Masterchef dishes will feature on the menu. I don't want to give too much away too early but at least two of my signature dishes will be available." she said.

The cafe will also boast an entrance via the Merri Creek trail so walkers and cyclists can stop for a coffee and a bite to eat along their way.

Chairperson of the IMA, Maysaa Fahour, said it was an honour to have Samira on board.

“The Islamic Museum of Australia is excited to have Masterchef 2013 finalist, Samira El Khafir operate the cafe in the museum as
It will complement the Australian Muslim experience that we aim to give our visitors when we open next year." she said.

The Islamic Museum of Australia is a refined contemporary building that reflects both the traditional principles of Islamic design and the surrounding environment.

This unique space will invite visitors to experience the rich contributions Muslim Australians from the past and present day have made to art, history and culture.

Appearing on Monday's panel will be Rabia Siddique who was born in Perth, WA, in 1971, the daughter of an Indian Muslim father and an Australian mother.

After obtaining Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Law degrees from the University of Western Australia, Rabia started her legal career as a criminal defence lawyer at the Legal Aid Commission of WA.

In 1998 she moved to the United Kingdom with the intention of expanding her practice to the fields of international humanitarian and criminal law.

In September 2001 Rabia was commissioned as a Legal Officer in the British Army and served until 2008. In 2006 she was awarded a Queen’s Commendation for her humanitarian work in the Middle East and in 2009 was the runner-up for Australian Woman of the Year in the UK.

Her memoir Equal Justice tells of how she and another soldier were taken hostage by Islamic insurgents on Iraq as they tried to negotiate the release of two kidnapped British SAS operatives. After their release, her colleague received a Military Cross while Rabia received nothing. Her subsequent sex and race discrimination case against the British Army made headlines around the world.

Rabia returned to Australia in 2011. She now works as a senior government lawyer in Perth, where she lives with her husband and triplet sons.

A MUSLIM school in Sydney's southwest has been accused of serious financial mismanagement, becoming the fifth Islamic school in two years to potentially face a freeze in state funding.

Although the allegations have been put to police, no action has been taken by the NSW Education Department or Education Minister Adrian Piccoli, who has declined to reveal when he was first made aware of the claims.

Sam Cannavo resigned as principal late last month over the management of the 230-student school, making a formal complaint to police alleging that up to $2.1 million had gone missing from the school. Mr Cannavo has given police allegedly falsified building receipts with millions drawn on an account managed by a senior school official.

A builder hired by the school has also made a police complaint, alleging he was paid only half of the almost $5m the school had charged for projects at the school, alleging the school had charged millions in fake invoices.

In the past two years, The Australian has revealed four Islamic schools that have had state or federal funding frozen after allegations of financial irregularities.

Sydney's largest Muslim school, Malek Fahd, has been ordered by the federal government to pay back $9 million after an investigation by The Australian revealed millions were funnelled from the school to the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils. The school's funding has been released on the basis it pays back the money, and is challenging the ruling in court.

Despite the formal complaints to police about Bellfield and a police investigation, no action has been taken against the school by Mr Piccoli, the state or commonwealth education departments or the Association of Independent Schools, all of whom were made aware of the complaints. It is understood there are concerns about being seen as "anti-Muslim".

 

Source: The Australian

If you felt you were being unduly humiliated by having to hold your ears with both hands and do squats when being punished in madressa then this form of punishment, which has been a common practice for many generations in the Indian subcontinent, might actually have responsible for you becoming smarter than you would otherwise have been......

 

The people of Syria are experiencing a humanitarian crisis due to the civil war.

Aid agencies are reporting more than two million people, including one million children, have fled their homes and are living in relief centres in neighbouring countries. They need food, water, shelter, and health care.

Support is also being provided to communities housing Syrian refugees in places like Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey.

Your donation can help overseas development agencies deliver urgently needed aid to the region. The ABC is asking people to consider how they can support the Syrian Humanitarian appeal.

The United Nations has appointed UNHCR as the principal relief co-ordinator. Donations to Australia for UNHCR will go directly to the relief appeal to be used in the Syrian region.

In response to the refugee crisis now building in the Middle East as a result of the conflict in Syria, the ABC will be broadcasting a national appeal on Sunday October 20, asking Australians to donate money for humanitarian relief.

The appeal will be heard live on Local Radio across the country from 12pm to 3pm (AEST, please check your local guides) and will be simulcast on Radio National between 2pm to 3pm.

The broadcast will be hosted by Karen Tighe, who will be joined by a wide range of ABC personalities throughout the afternoon.

The program will focus on real-life stories from the refugee camps, interviews with aid workers and others who have witnessed the difficult conditions in the refugee camps and information on how donations from Australia will be used.

The ABC is partnering with Australia for UNHCR to present this fundraising appeal, but will also draw upon the experience and perspectives of other Australian aid agencies to illustrate the depth of the crisis and the breadth of the humanitarian response.

The need is great and your support will be appreciated. You can donate to any of the following organisations or your preferred overseas aid agency.
 

•Australia for UNHCR •OXFAM •UNICEF •Save the Children •CARE Australia

•Red Cross •CARITAS •UNICEF Australia •World Vision Australia •World Food Program

•Act for Peace (National Council of Churches Australia) •ActionAid Australia •ADRA Appeal •Anglican Aid

•Anglican Overseas Aid •Australian Lutheran World Service •CBM Australia •Islamic Relief •Archbishop of Sydney's Anglican Aid

 

Hillal Kara-Ali took the $180 000 winners' prize in the The Mole (Australia) Season 6 competition.

 

CCN understands that Hillal, only very recently married, will be donating part of his winnings towards the building of a Mosque.

 

At the start of the season he had this to say about himself:

“My religion is pretty much opposite to what you need to display to win the show,”

Distrustful, manipulative, deceitful and selfish are all personality traits indelibly linked to playing a successful role in The Mole. While many of us may at first struggle with living out these traits, Hillal has fretted more than most.
 

As a devout Muslim aspiring to strictly follow his religion, the thought of embracing the conniving nature of the contestants was at first a moral dilemma.
 

"My religion is pretty much opposite to what you need to display to win the show,” confides Hillal, who has prayed daily during filming. "Juggling the show and my religion is tricky but I do explain every step I take in regards to why I made a decision and how I felt about it throughout the show.
 

"Before I make any decision I juggle it in my head. If I feel that a decision is not acceptable religiously I will not do it. If I feel that it is a decision in the context of the game – and it is important to remember that it is just a game – it takes the load religiously off my back."
 

Hillal – who is a recent graduate of a Health Science degree and is aiming to follow a career in teaching – was at first nervous on how his strict beliefs would be perceived by the other contestants.
 

"I first thought people wouldn't like me and would be against my background, but on the first day I mentioned to Aisha that I couldn’t shake her hand and not to get offended,” he explains. "Putting that boundary up and allowing them to see who I am right from the beginning has allowed them to be closer to me.
 

"It's funny how the Muslim gets along with the Christian, who gets along with the gay guy – but The Mole is still a game and sooner or later someone is going to get backstabbed. But it’s part of the game and not part of religion or a background."
 

Religion wasn't the only personal dilemma Hillal faced before filming began. He also had matters of the heart to confront, breaking the news to his fiancé Rayann that filming dates conflicted with their proposed wedding day.
 

"Telling my bride-to-be that we should delay the wedding for me to go on The Mole was extremely nerve-racking!" he says. "She is a very strong woman and it was hard to tell her, but she was okay with it and knows it is important to me."
 

Hillal is a model citizen in his community and has a strong competitive streak having played rugby league for the Lebanon national team and the Australian Universities Team. He hopes this ability to be a team player helps him forge alliances in the dog-eat-dog world of The Mole.
 

"My game plan is to be the best of both worlds – to be a mediator and a friend of everyone," he says. "But when night time comes, I need to use those friendships to benefit myself."

 

 

SeekersHub Sydney held their inaugural opening weekend on the 5th & 6th October 2013, at their new premises, headed by Imam Afroz Ali, teacher and Managing Director for SeekersGuidance.
 

Shaykh Faraz Rabbani, Founder of SeekersGuidance, was the guest of honour, flying in from Toronto for the special event.

 

Hafiz Muhammad Khatree, Academy Manager for SeekerPoint Brisbane, commented:

‘ ... What a weekend it was! From the intensive learning of transformation sacred knowledge, the recitation of praises of Allah the Most High and His Most Beloved, peace be upon him, to being in the blessed company of our mentor, Shaykh Faraz Rabbani aka Digital Dervish, I found it all to be exceedingly mesmerising and thought-provoking. Most importantly, we seized this wonderful opportunity to reconnect with Allah and discover ways to internalise His attributes within our human capacity.’

 

 

 

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AUSTRALIAN INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC COLLEGE
We are seeking qualified and experienced Teachers for our
DURACK, BURANDA & GOLD COAST CAMPUSES

Primary & Secondary Teachers
ESL Teacher (TESOL Qualifications)
IT Teacher Qualified
Qualified Arabic & Islamic Teachers and Imams

Please forward CV to: Australian International Islamic College; ATTENTION CHAIRMAN
Email: admin@aiic.qld.edu.au; Applications close by 15th November 2013; PH: 3372-1400
 

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TUTORING

Tutor in maths and science for primary and high school students available in Kuraby/Eight Mile Plains area. Contact Raihaan 0405174430

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
azure	al-azward	lapis lazuli