From right (sitting) Mr Darby McCarthy (Aboriginal Elder), Mr Keysar Trad (Islamic Friendship Association), Ms Agnes Whiten (Chair, Ethnic Communities Council of Qld) Mr Ros Scotney (Toowoomba Regional Council representing Mayor Paul Antonio), Bishop Robert McGuckin (Catholic Church, Toowoomba), Prof Shahjahan Khan (President, Islamic Society of Toowoomba), Mr Ian Rosenberger (Church neighbour for over 50 years)   (Standing) Dr Abul Jalaluddin (Director, Muslim Community Cooperative, Melbourne), Prof Ken Udas (Deputy VC representing Vice Chancellor Prof Jan Thomas of University of Southern Queensland), Imam Abdul Kader (Garden City Mosque, Toowoomba), Hon Ian Macfarlane MP (Federal Minister of Industry), Imaam Yusuf Peer (President, Imam Council Queensland), Dr Md Shahiduzzaman (Secretary, Islamic Society of Toowoomba), Dr Mustafa Ally OAM (President, Crescents of Brisbane), Mr Hafez Kassem (AFIC President), Hon Dr John MeVeigh (Minister of Agriculture Queensland) , and Asst. Comm. Tony Wright (Queensland Police)

 

 

Mr Riyaad Ally receives the keys for the new Muslim Aid Australia Queensland (MAAQ)  offices donated for its use by Mr Suleman Sabdia (pictured right).

 

The offices are situated at Eight Mile Plains and Mr Ally can be contacted at riyaad@muslimaid.org.au or on 0434 984 520.

 

In the handing over, Mr Sabdia told CCN: "Sabdia Professionals welcome the opening of the Muslim Aid Australia Queensland office in Brisbane. We express our fullest support for the charitable and humanitarian efforts of Muslim Aid Australia worldwide. We wish Mr Riyaad Ally success and note our confidence and admiration for his commitment to Muslim Aid."

 

"Muslim Aid Australia has been working with the Australian community for over 25 years developing international relief and development projects to support and assist the world’s poorest and most needy communities regardless of race, creed or nationality," Mr Riyaad Ally told CCN.

 

It’s been a busy few months for the Sisters’ House as it continues to serve the needs of the rapidly growing Brisbane Islamic community. February marked the move to a new and hopefully more permanent premises, with brothers from Ummah United and the Brothers’ House ably assisting on moving day with the heavy lifting and transport of furniture and boxes.
 

The new Sisters’ House is a bright and spacious 4 bedroom house in Runcorn with many communal living areas allowing for multiple activities and classes. It has a small Islamic Library where sisters are free to come and browse at their leisure. There is a sisters learning circle (halaqa) 11am-1pm every Saturday that offers tafseer and seerah classes. We have our very popular new Muslim support group that meets regularly. We have also established the Beauty of a Muslimah Youth Group for girls aged 12-16 years that meets every Saturday night at the house for halal fun and activities. Other activities include weekly craft classes, an Islam 101 course for new Muslims, Arabic and tajweed classes.
 

Sisters’ House Annual Fundraising Dinner
The buzz has already begun and tickets are selling quickly for our upcoming fundraising dinner on Saturday May 31st at Michael’s Oriental Restaurant. We have been listening to your feedback about our previous dinners and have come up with a new and improved menu and format for the evening.
 

 

Sisters’ House Myths BUSTED
We get asked all kinds of questions about the Sisters’ House and here are some of the most common ones:
 

Q. Do you own the Sisters’ House?
A. No, we pay rent through a real estate agent like anyone else that leases a property.
 

Q. So do you get government funding?
A. No, that’s easier said than done! We are yet to find a grant category that we fit into. The closest category we may qualify for would be housing and homelessness, but as yet we have been unable to secure any government funding.
 

Q. How do you get money then?
A. By regular and one off donations from community members and fundraising events like our upcoming Annual Fundraising Dinner on May 31st. We do request that tenants pay rent if they are able to as there are obvious ongoing costs like rent, electricity, water and internet that amount to approximately $600 per week.
Regular donations in the first 3 months of 2014 are as follows: $130 in January, $320 in February plus $150 for moving costs and $390 so far this month. May Allah reward these donors for their kind contribution. As you can see we do not regularly receive thousands of dollars but al hamdu lillah the Sisters House has managed to continue for nearly 4 years . That is why our fundraising events are vital in topping up our funds for the continued provision of community services.
 

Q. I’ve heard that the Sisters’ House encourages women to get divorced. The house is full of divorced and single women that just want to have fun and encourage each other to not get married. Isn’t that sending the wrong message to any young girls or women that go there?
A.Wrong! Each tenant has different circumstances that brought them to the house, and each sister strives to overcome her own set of issues and challenges to achieve positive life goals. We have witnessed time and again the support that the tenants give to each other, empathising and understanding through shared experiences and conversations. This does not equate to encouraging divorce or not getting married. Al hamdu lillah many sisters have benefited from their time at the house and have gone on to marry or re-marry.
We have a strict policy about tenants’ right to privacy. It is part of the house rules that no one’s information is shared with the public and gossiping or backbiting within the house is not permitted. Sisters and children that visit the house sometimes interact with tenants, but intimate details of their personal situations are not discussed.
We have a number of fully qualified counsellors who volunteer their time to speak with anyone who requires it and that’s not limited to tenants. Any sister that requires confidential counselling services can contact the Sisters’ House to receive a referral.
 

Q. I’ve heard that the Sisters’ House is Wahhabi, Salafi, make a profit from donations etc etc
A. We’ve heard all sorts of things that people think and say about the Sisters’ House over the years. Isn’t it funny that half truths and wrong information can be easily assumed by people that have never taken the time to visit the house themselves or talk to anyone involved in running it to find out the facts?
 

 

If you have any questions about Sisters’ House please visit our website and leave a message, give us a call on 0431 747 356 or 0449 268 375 or pop in for a cuppa if you are a sister. We have a Sisters’ House group on Facebook that sisters are free to join. Please note that it is a closed group so you will need to send us a request.
 

Q. Doesn’t the Sisters House only help white Aussie reverts?
A. On the contrary, Muslim women from a wide range of ages and cultures have received our services and stayed at the house; young, old, married, divorced, single, students, unemployed, workers and born Muslims aged 8 months to nearly 80 years.
Of course we love to help new Muslims or ladies interested in Islam, but that is not limited to one race of people. We have assisted reverts from such diverse backgrounds including Japan, Denmark, the Phillipines, India, Australia, Germany, Belarus, Colombia, New Zealand, Ireland, Serbia, Greece, China and others.
 

Q. So can you help everyone in our community that needs a place to stay? Can you provide aged care, refugee accommodation or housing for sisters who are experiencing domestic violence?
A. Regrettably we are unable to help everyone that is referred to us and our resources, facilites and time are limited. We are a committee of volunteers that have our families, businesses and other commitments and we each do the best that we can to keep the Sisters’ House going. As anyone who runs a volunteer organisation knows, it’s very hard work that takes dedication and we greatly treasure our volunteers! We have begun a volunteer register of sisters that can help other sisters in many ways in the community. If you would like to help please visit www.sistershouse.org and click on the tab that says Volunteer/Donate.
 

The past 6 months has seen a significant increase in the amount of people requiring assistance in many forms. There is a great demand for emergency accommodation, with the Sisters’ House receiving calls on an almost daily basis from Islamic and other community and government organisations seeking housing solutions for their Muslim clients. Whilst we would love to help everyone, it is just not practical or safe to do so.
 

Often we are the last resort for some sisters in terrible situations that are referred to us, but due to safety reasons we are unable to offer them accommodation and have to refer them on to the police or domestic violence help services. It is heartbreaking to hear of these types of cases time and time again, only to say ‘Sorry, we can’t help.’ It has always been the Sisters’ House policy to provide crisis accommodation to sisters from low risk situations, therefore we do not classify ourselves as a safe house as many people mistakenly assume.
 

There have been previous attempts to establish a safe house for Brisbane Muslimahs, but they have not yet succeeded. Just because domestic violence is not talked about openly doesn’t mean it’s not happening in our community. If there is anyone in our community that is able to help with solutions to this serious issue by gathering the necessary resources and qualified people to establish a safe house for Muslim women and children in our community, please do so because it is greatly needed.
 

In conclusion, may Allah bless each and every one of you that has helped the Sisters’ House over the past 4 years. We are grateful that we can make a difference to women and children in our community, but there is still quite a way to go.

 

On the 22 March, a fundraising ladies only brunch was held to raise awareness and much needed funds for MS research.
 

MS or Multiple Sclerosis is an auto-immune disease where many patients suffer a degradation of brain cells. Since it can affect any part of a person’s brain, it affects each sufferer differently.

"In late December 2013, my older sister Mishuda, was diagnosed with MS. She has 3 beautiful children and lives in Durban, South Africa. Since I am so far away from her, I felt helpless as I was unable to be there for her when she needed me. When a mutual friend pointed out that MS Qld was holding a fundraising initiative I jumped at the opportunity as an attempt to ‘do’ something for my big sis!," Ms Aamena Nathie told CCN.

So Ms Nathie, her three friends and sister in law got together to put on a fundraiser for ladies to come together and learn more about the disease and its affects whcih appears to affect more women than men.

 

"The ladies enjoyed the lovely food and learnt about MS and its affects on the day," Ms Nathie said after the fund raiser.

The other ladies involved with organising the food on the day were Farzanah Bhamjee, Ridwana Dawoodjee, Saleha Seedat, Nooran Pandie, Naazneen Omar, Ayesha Sabdia, Shameema Nathie. The day went well with lots of healthy menu options for the ladies to choose from.

MS Qld sent along an ambassador, Lousie, to the event where she talked about living with MS and her journey.

 

An emotionally-charged pre-recorded video message from Mishuda was played in which she described her battle with MS and how she was coping with her illness.

 

There lots of prizes on the day in the form of organic coffee, 100% pure essential oils DOtterra products and a gift voucher from Rejuven8 Body & Beauty.

Ms Nathie made this impassioned appeal to all CCN readers: "Please help me make a difference to those people living with MS. At the moment there is no cure and much needed research is required to find the cause in order to develop a treatment and cure."

"Although we have already had our fundraising brunch and had 42 ladies attend and donate so very generously, we would like to continue raising awareness and funds for this worthy cause."

"Help us help MS Queensland and so in turn so many sufferers of this disease. please copy and paste the link below into your url to donate and see the total amount raised so far: http://host.bigdinnerparty.com.au/Big-Dinner-Party-2014/denimanddiamantes."

"Thank you for your generosity, all donations are tax deductable and you can choose to remain anonymous if you wish."

 

Each year the Australian International Islamic College celebrates Harmony and Multi-cultural Day and this year was no exception.

 

The slogan for Harmony Day is “Everyone belongs” and at AIIC everyone belongs in our family, we come from many different countries, speak many languages yet come together to learn and praise Allah (SWT).
 

No school uniform on Harmony Day, it is the day the College comes alive with vibrant colours, textures and patterns with the children wearing traditional clothes from their cultural backgrounds.

 

Smiles are infectious and laughter reverberates around the school as students enjoy a day that is a little different and share a plate of cultural food.

 

In the afternoon the whole college attended a special Harmony Day presentation in the multi-purpose hall.

 

Every student in the college either painted, drew or coloured their handprint.

 

These handprints decorated the hall forming a circle around the hall to signify coming together and belonging, that we go hand in hand with each other no matter our ethnicity, language or cultural backgrounds.

Mrs Banwa our Principal opened the event, followed by a reading from the Qu’ran.

 

The College captains spoke about Harmony Day and read a poem.

 

We thank the college’s Nasheed group for leading the school in the national anthem and later performing a nasheed on stage.

In the planning phase it was wonderful to see students volunteering and wanting to go up on the stage to present.

 

The Year 4s had all students doing an Aboriginal hand dance, the Year 2s said ‘Hello’ in many different languages and Year 6s played their part with interesting speeches.

 

The stars of the show were the Year 1s, they stole the show with their hat and cultural fashion parade.

Mashallah to all students who joined in and enjoyed the spirit of Harmony Day and Multi-Cultural Day.

 

 

 

Source: The Australian

COMMUNITY leaders and police have appealed for calm after gunshots were fired at the western Sydney house of a senior member of an anti-Islamic group.

The attack on Nathan Abela's (pictured above) home comes as NSW police investigate anti-Islamic comments the Australian Defence League (ADL) leader posted on Facebook.

The 24-year-old claimed he had to duck for cover after someone knocked on his door and several shots were fired at his Greystanes unit on Thursday night.

Earlier this week, NSW police started investigating anti-Islamic comments Mr Abela and ADL members posted on Facebook.

"NSW Police respects the right to free speech but does not tolerate any offence that is motivated by hatred or prejudice against any group," a police spokesman said on Friday.

The police force has a bias-motivated crimes unit that investigates hatred and prejudice-driven offences.

 

Mr Abela's Facebook page has since been shut down.

Comment has been sought from Facebook.

The morning after the shooting, Mr Abela told reporters he would continue his fight.

"I'm gonna fight and if I have to die for it, so be it," he told Macquarie Radio.

"I love my country."

Mr Abela was not seriously injured but claimed he hurt his shoulder as he dived for cover.

NSW Community Relations Commission chair Vic Alhadeff called for calm.

"We urge all parties to take a deep breath and let good sense prevail," he said in a statement.

"This incident has the potential to cause serious disharmony, which is something all people of goodwill wish to avoid.

"There is no place for extremism of any kind in our society."

 

Police would not comment on a motive for the attack but also warned against any retaliation.
 

"This is a criminal act and we will be conducting a significant investigation ...," Detective Superintendent Scott Whyte said.

"The NSW Police would not tolerate any breaches of the law whatsoever."
 

---

 

Source: The Australian

A CONTROVERSIAL anti-Islamic group says one of its leaders has been targeted in a shooting in Sydney's west.

No one was seriously injured, but a 24-year-old man was treated by paramedics for a minor shoulder injury after shots were fired into a unit block at Greystanes just after 11pm last night.

Witnesses reported seeing a silver-coloured Audi drive away from the scene.

In a video posted online, the Australian Defence League says the injured man is Sydney-west charter president Nathan Abela.

Mr Abela recently appeared on radio, with presenter Ray Hadley describing him as a “liar” and a “grub” for secretly recording a conversation with his personal assistant and posting it on YouTube, News Corp Australia reported.

It is also reported Mr Abela uploads videos to his YouTube channel that show him handing out anti-Islam flyers or phoning people to ask if they are proud of being a Muslim.

“Regardless of this incidence he is still in high spirits ... he will be back fighting again soon stronger and better than ever,” a member of ADL said.

Police are asking anyone who saw the incident to come forward.

 

Indian American filmmaker Ajmal Zaheer Ahmad (pictured) is gearing up to take movie fans on a journey into a whole new realm of cinema with the release of his supernatural thriller “Jinn.”

Written and directed by Ahmad, the film is set to release across the United States Apr. 4 and is based on supernatural creatures in Islamic and Arabic folklore.

When asked how he came up with the concept for “Jinn,” the Michigan-born filmmaker told India-West, “I’ve known about jinn all my life. The concept was always very scary, but cool at the same time, and I used to wonder why some of my friends knew about the jinn and others didn’t.”

Wikipedia describes jinn as intelligent spirits of lower rank than the angels, able to appear in human and animal forms and to possess humans.

“We’d never seen a movie, comic book, television show or video game about them,” said Ahmad. “Imagine growing up on ghost stories but having no cinematic portrayal of ghosts. Jinn are part of a mythology known to a massive populace; it seemed obvious that someone’s got to make a film about them.”

Ahmad is described as the youngest student ever to get accepted to the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, one of the top film and art schools in the U.S., which boasts alumni like “Immorals” director Tarsem Singh and “300” director Zack Snyder.

After graduating, Ahmad began his career as a concept designer and storyboard artist, working in commercials and directing music videos for Brandy, Chaka Khan, Dr. Dre and Fatboy Slim.

Ahmad’s feature film and television credits include the NBC series “The Pretender,” “Dungeons and Dragons” from New Line Cinema, the award-winning sci-fi short “Alliance” and the Bollywood-Hollywood feature “Perfect Mismatch.”
 

 Trailer

 

Besides writing and directing, Ahmad is a co-founder of Exxodus Pictures and also has a background in design, which he used to conceptualize and build the “Firebreather” car seen in “Jinn.”

“As a filmmaker, I want to create new heroes. I want young people to be able to walk away from my films and say, ‘I want to be like that man’ or ‘I want to be like that woman,” he said.

“The movies I gravitate toward have all the classic elements of heroism and enchantment, which is what I’m trying to do today. I truly believe in the idea that we can shape the world, little by little, by putting positive images into the collective consciousness,” said Ahmad.

“Jinn” tells the story of Shawn (Dominic Rains) and his new wife Jasmine (Serinda Swan), who are living an idyllic life until it is interrupted by a cryptic message that warns of a curse that has afflicted his family for generations.

Fearing for his life, Shawn seeks help from a mysterious duo and a mental patient (Indian American actor Faran Tahir) as he tries to protect his family and confront the ancient evil that is haunting them.

The writer-director is hoping the film’s cultural mythology concept will appeal to audiences enough to turn it into a lucrative franchise.

“I wanted to spark the imaginations of people around the world using a folklore which, for the most part, has not been explored by Hollywood,” he said.

 

Source: India West

"I have cerebral palsy. I shake all the time," Maysoon Zayid announces at the beginning of this exhilarating, hilarious talk. (Really, it's hilarious.) "I'm like Shakira meets Muhammad Ali."

 

With grace and wit, the Arab-American comedian takes us on a whistle-stop tour of her adventures as an actress, stand-up comic, philanthropist and advocate for the disabled.
 

  

The Masjid Ibrahim (PERTH, WA) works are progressing slowly.

1) The carpark is been completed,
2) The main entrance and driveway / road will be completed
3) Tiling will commence in a day or two, insha'Allah
4) Internal painting has commenced

"We are requesting duas for the masjid to be completed with ease, peace and barakah InshaAllah," a spokesperson for the project told CCN.

For more information on the project, current and future activities and on how to donate contact Sh Burhaan at mburhaan@hotmail.com or call 0452 21 7866.

 

 

Just three weeks after opening, the Islamic Museum of Australia has been inundated by requests for tours from schools, community groups and service providers from across Melbourne. Some schools have travelled from as far as Shepparton and the Mornington Peninsula to visit the IMA.

Many of the groups have commented on the exquisite art. Others enjoyed the interactive nature of the exhibits: playing chess on an oversized chessboard, watching short films on Hajj and Muslim women and seeing a Minaret where the azan is sounded as soon as someone enters.

 

One student from Sirius College commented, “I have never felt so proud to be Muslim before.”

 

Others stated the museum was the best thing to happen to the Muslim community, however one student disagreed, stating the best thing for him was Halal Maccas!
 

Each tour is tailored to fit the individual school’s needs. Grade 3/4 students from St Anthony’s Primary were treated to an Amazing Race style quiz, as well as having the opportunity to play dress ups, trying on beautiful cultural costumes. Religion and Society students from the Peninsula school requested an additional focus on Muslim beliefs, practices and ethics, which was covered in a custom Powerpoint presentation in the lecture theatre. Year 12 art students from Australian International Academy were given a guided tour and detailed explanation of the artistic element of the museum by art director Nur Shkembi.
 

A highlight for many visitors has been meeting MasterChef finalist Samira El Khafir and partaking in some of her delicacies at her café “Modern Middle Eastern.”
 

Some groups have elected to combine a tour of the five galleries of the museum with a professional development workshop, available at an additional cost. This is what one visitor said about their experience: “We were delighted with the tour and workshop and plan to make this a regular part of our council’s program.”
 

The Islamic Museum of Australia (IMA) is now taking bookings for school groups for students in years 3-12 who wish to learn more about Islamic art, faith and culture. Interactive tours for school and other groups provide a fascinating insight into Australian Muslim life, history and civilisation.

 

The content presented in the IMA is closely aligned to the Australian National curriculum ensuring an educational experience that is both meaningful and relevant.
 

School tours take approximately 90 minutes. Presentations on specific topics of interest can be arranged with prior notice. Schools have the option of booking an art and craft workshop within the tour for an additional $5 which adds an extra 40 minutes.
 

BOOK A TOUR NOW >>
 

The Islamic Women's Association of Queensland (IWAQ) now services the Gold Coast.

 

IWAQ helps women over the age of 65 with domestic services, social support, transport and other services.

 

They are located at the Gold Coaast Mosque Centre 144 Allied Drive, Arundel.

 

For more information call Ms Mirvat at the office at 5594 0063 or 0421 414 023.

 

Saad Hariri $3.3bn ($3.7bn) Lebanon         
 

Married with three children, Saudi-born businessman and politician Hariri is the wealthiest in his family, and a huge achiever in the Arab world.

 

After graduating from the McDonough School of Business, he continued to meet the family’s high expectations, and in November 2009, at the age of 40, was sworn in as Lebanon’s prime minister.

 

Raised in Saudi Arabia, Saad managed part of Rafiq Hariri’s business until his father’s assassination in 2005, when he returned home to follow him into politics and became an elected Member of Parliament (MP).

 

As the general manager of Saudi Oger — the family’s $9bn construction company — he had huge success winning large projects, and helping build the company up to what it is today.

 

But never one to put all his eggs in one basket, Hariri currently holds large stakes in a number of large firms. Solidere, for example, has rebuilt much of Beirut.

 

Following the downturn, he admitted to revising the value of his construction portfolio, but has continued to push forward with a view to emerging from the recession successfully. 

 

 

NEXT WEEK: Another from the rich list next week
 

Source: ArabianBusiness

To commemorate Women’s History Month, we collected photos of Muslim American women.

 

We’ve compiled thirty-two images. One for each day of March, plus another because no one month can contain the awesomeness of Muslim Women.

These images show the status and the importance of Muslim women in our society. Muslim women are liberated, educated, and play the most important roles in our society.

Update: The purpose and intent of this article is not to showcase the ethnic and racial diversity of Muslimahs. No one article can do that. We meant to express the diversity of the roles Muslimahs play in society and to begin to re-frame how they are thought about. Going forward we will make sure to be all inclusive.

 

(1) Saba Chaudhry Barnard – Professional Artist (If you looked at the featured image for this article and thought it was awesome, that’s because SHE painted it!) (Photo credit: Noor Iskandar)

 

 

Another from the collection in next week's CCN.
 

Source: Trivial Room: Your eye into Muslim Australia