The
international
community
including
Australia
remains
largely
silent as
the Israeli
army
offensive in
Gaza killing
scores of
innocent
people
enters its
fourth day;
at least 100
Palestinians
have died in
airstrikes
since they
began on
Tuesday.
ANIC
condemns in
the
strongest
possible
terms the
unfair and
disproportionate
military
assault by
the Jewish
State
against the
Palestinian
people
including
women and
children
We are
witnessing
the
escalation
of brutal
aggression
by the
Israeli
Defence
Force
against the
innocent and
defenceless
people of
Palestine.
Australia
and the
International
community
must adopt a
firm stance
to prevent a
humanitarian
catastrophe
in
Palestine.
ANIC
believes
that the
Palestinian
people are
being
subjected to
“collective
punishment”
for the
unrealistic
excuse of
the
kidnapping
of three
settlers.
ANIC
reaffirms
its position
on
condemning
the alleged
kidnapping
and killing
of the three
settlers and
believes
that the
perpetrators
must be
brought to
justice
following
due process.
We call upon
the
Australian
Government
to condemn
the
systematic
killing of
the
Palestinian
people and
to do all it
can on the
international
level to
stop the
Israeli
aggression
against the
people of
the Gaza
Strip. The
international
community
must
actively
intervene to
stop this
unjust and
unwarranted
aggression.
The current
brutality
and
devastation
of the Gaza
Strip in
particular
and the
region in
general is a
stark
reminder of
the
atrocities
that an
occupation
of a free
nation can
bring.
On
Saturday 5
July Islamic
Relief
Australia in
conjunction
with the
Somalian
Community in
Brisbane
held a
fundraising
dinner for
the Feed the
Hungry
Appeal at
Michael’s
Oriental.
Nearly
$15,000 was
raised and
will
purchase
food
packages
during
Ramadan for
some of the
most
vulnerable
and
disadvantaged
people in
Somalia and
the Central
African
Republic.
The
multi-cultural
and
multi-faith
dinner was
attended by
local
politicians,
upcoming
state
candidates,
leaders and
members of
Muslim and
non-Muslim
community
groups
including
MCF, EIdFest,
AMARAH, the
Al-Nisa
Youth Group,
EMAN, UMB,
the Somalian
Sisters of
Brisbane,
Queensland
African
Communities
Council (QACC)
and
Multicultural
Development
Association
(MDA).
The short
program
featured Mr
Fadullah
Wilmot,
Deputy CEO
and Head of
International
Programs
outlining
the work of
Islamic
Relief
throughout
the world.
In
particular,
he
highlighted
that in 30
years,
Islamic
Relief has
served more
than 92
Million
people,
300,000
children
have been
educated,
nearly
40,000
orphans have
been
sponsored
and almost 3
million food
packages
have been
distributed
every
Ramadan.
Find more
information
on Islamic
Relief’s
work in
Somalia and
for the most
recent
Ramadan food
hamper
distribution
here and
here.
Find
information
on Islamic
Relief’s
work in CAR
here.
David Forde,
the
Independent
Candidate
for Stretton
commented
that “it
was a very
well
organised
event, along
with…
excellent
presentation,
not least
the report
on
empowerment
through
education.”
The event
was managed
and
organised by
Susan Al-Maani,
the
Queensland
fundraising
and
community
relations
manager,
with the
assistance
of key
leaders from
the Somalian
community.
Islamic
Relief
Australia
would
especially
like to
thank all
the
volunteers
who gave so
much of
themselves
to this
event as
well as the
sponsors for
their
generosity:
Dial a Local
Doctor,
Brisbane
Diagnostics,
Happy and
Family Day
Care,
Motherly
Love Day
Care,
Youngstar
Day Care,
Amani Day
Care, Best
Friend
Family Day
Care, United
Hearts
Family Day
Care Scheme,
GFTI:
Training
Growth and
Success.
Saturday
12 July
On
Saturday 12
July,
Islamic
Relief
Australia
organised an
information
and donation
stall at
Underwood
Marketplace.
Face
painting,
henna and
balloons
drew a large
crowd of
people
giving their
zakat ul
fitr, zakat
as well as
sadaqa.
All Proceeds
from the
stall will
go to the
Gaza
Emergency
Relief
Appeal.
Islamic
Relief
Australia
will have
another
stall next
Saturday 19
July 9am-3pm
at Underwood
Marketplace.
Come by and
say Salams
to Susan and
the
dedicated
group of
Islamic
Relief
volunteers.
For further
information
contact
Susan Al-Maani
on 0433 182
520
Festival growing in numbers and popularity (ABC: Mohamed Taha)
The
south-west
Sydney
suburb of
Lakemba is
transformed
of a night
into a
vibrant food
festival
that
attracts
thousands of
people to
the streets
to celebrate
Ramadan.
The Islamic
month began
last week
for
Australia's
Muslims,
marking a
time where
they fast
from dawn
until dusk
without any
food or
water.
While
densely
populated
Muslim
suburbs
across
Australia
might be
quiet during
the day, the
suburb of
Lakemba has
become a
popular food
hotspot that
is boosting
the local
economy.
The food
festival has
been running
for the past
10 years
without much
safety
regulation.
But this
year
Canterbury
City Council
has stepped
in to
regulate the
barbeques
and food
stalls by
requiring
people to
apply for a
permit to
meet health
and safety
regulations.
"We've
licensed 23
stalls this
year,"
Canterbury
Mayor Brian
Robson said.
"We've met
with the
businesses
in Haldon
Street, and
with their
help we've
actually
regulated
the use of
the
barbeques.
"We should
be able to
control it
in a very
safe
environment."
The
increasing
numbers
flocking to
Lakemba over
the years
has led to
many
concerns
about
safety.
The council has stepped in to regulate barbeques and food stalls this year so that they meet health and safety regulations. (ABC: Mohamed Taha)
"Last year,
it was
growing to
such an
extent that
the stalls
were
actually
going onto
the road,"
Cr Robson
said.
"We also had
an incident
where one of
the
youngsters
was almost
burnt with
one of the
barbeques."
The mayor
says he
expects
thousands
more to
attend this
year.
"Lakemba is
the heart of
Muslim
Sydney; it's
really a
multicultural
ceremony,"
he said.
"We
encourage
people to
come along
and to enjoy
the
facilities
we'll be
providing."
Stall holder
Yasser
Elyatim mans
the popular
camel burger
stand.
He says the
camel burger
has been the
best seller
after going
through over
300
kilograms of
camel meat
in the last
week.
"It's become
a tradition
to eat the
camel
burgers at
night," he
said.
Mr Elyatim
says all
proceeds
will go to
charity in
the spirit
of Ramadan.
"All camel
burger
proceeds
goes to the
needy in
Syria, it's
the least we
can do to
help the
needy," he
said.
He says he
wants more
people to
experience
the Ramadan
culture.
"Come down
and see what
Ramadan's
about and
what we're
about and
the
hospitality
- this is
Lakemba," he
said.
Stall holders prepare carrot juice at the food festival in Lakemba. (ABC: Mohamed Taha)
Many of the
stalls are
open until
the early
hours of the
morning and
one stall
holder is
Musher Saleh.
He sells
carrot
juice,
coffee, tea
and camel
and chicken
burgers.
"We start
from eight
until four
in the
morning," he
said.
"It's the
best
[atmosphere],
we have so
much fun.
"It's very
busy because
people
prepare
themselves
for the next
day to fast,
so they eat
a lot so
they can
handle the
next day."
For many
people
attending
the
festival,
the food and
buzz are the
highlights.
"We come
here to buy
almost
everything;
we try the
camel
burgers, the
chicken
kebabs," a
father of
two kids
said.
"It's a
beautiful
atmosphere.
I'm so happy
and
excited."
A young
woman said
the special
time is
about faith,
family and
community.
"It brings
you closer
to God,
closer to
family; it's
something
that you
celebrate,"
she said.
Another
said:
"Everywhere
else is
closed, but
this street
is open."
Nabil Omar makes a sweet treat called halawet el jeban with cheese (ABC: Mohamed Taha)
Nabil Omar
has been
making a
popular
Lebanese
treat at his
Lakemba home
for more
than 30
years.
The month of
Ramadan
means peak
season for
the
grandfather
of 13, as he
expects to
sell about
300
kilograms of
the halawet
el jeban
sweet.
"It's sweet
cheese. It
comes from
Bega," he
said.
"We make it
especially
for Ramadan.
It's
originally
from Tripoli
[in
Lebanon]."
The Lebanese
migrant says
the sweets
have become
part of the
Ramadan
tradition.
"After they
(customers)
eat, they go
pray in the
mosque.
After they
come back
from the
mosque, then
they have
some
sweets," he
said.
US: Muslim
women in
America have
a greater
level of
economic
gender
parity with
men than any
other group
studied by
Gallup.
However,
Muslim women
feel the
least
respected of
all groups.
Gallup
surveys
America
every day.
Based on
hundreds of
these daily
surveys, in
early 2009,
Gallup
developed an
in-depth
study of the
Muslim
American
community
titled,
Muslim
Americans: A
National
Portrait.
It is this
survey which
determined
that Muslim
women have
the best
economic
gender
parity with
men in
America.
They are
equal to
Muslim men
in the lower
income
bracket and
five percent
behind
Muslim men
in the
higher
income
bracket as
compared to
Jewish women
who are 38%
behind
Jewish men.
As a general
trend among
all
religious
groups women
have lower
incomes:
'Protestants
and
Catholics
have the
largest
gender
differences
in the
lower-income
bracket, and
Protestants
and Jews
have the
largest
difference
between men
and women in
the
higher-income
bracket.”
My happiness
at the
findings did
not last
long as I
came across
the results
on Muslim
women
feeling
respected.
The findings
showed that
Muslim women
as compared
to other
women feel
the least
respected:
91% of
Muslim men
reported
feeling
respected
while 85%
Muslim women
reported
that they
feel
respected.
This gap is
smaller
between
Protestant,
Catholic and
Jewish men
and women.
I
interviewed
the three
Gallup
analysts who
worked on
this report.
I asked them
if they had
asked the
women why
they felt
disrespected.
Perhaps
factors such
as hijab or
Islamophobia
might be
contributing
to the
women's
feeling
disrespect.
Since the
survey was
not focused
on Muslims,
there is no
way to know
more about
this respect
gap. It
might
require
another
survey to
explore
further.
My mind did
wander to
the place of
Muslim women
in the
Masjid. It
is a reality
that many
mosques in
North
America have
not made
better
prayer
arrangements
for Muslim
women. In
Chicago,
where Juma
is offered
at about 200
locations, I
believe
there are
20-plus
Masjids
where there
is no area
for women to
pray in. I
wish these
men knew
that the
Prophet
asked Muslim
men not to
stop women
from coming
to the
Masjid,
God's peace
and
blessings be
upon him.
Many mosques
have women's
space so
secluded
that they
cannot see
the Imam.
This is
unlike the
Prophet's
Masjid,
where women
could easily
see all that
was going
on. We
cannot be
better
Muslims than
our beloved
Prophet and
his
Companions,
can we?
Among the
major
sources of
confusion
about Islam
in America
is women's
place in the
faith.
Unfortunately,
some Muslims
have fueled
this with
their
practices
and
attitudes.
For example,
women in
Saudi Arabia
can't drive.
It defies my
imagination
that Saudi
Arabia, the
birthplace
of Islam,
would have
such an
un-Islamic
law.
Similarly,
the
Taliban's
destruction
of girls'
schools goes
against the
very core of
Prophetic
teachings
which make
seeking
knowledge
specifically
'a duty for
every Muslim
man and
every Muslim
woman”.
These
attitudes
are utterly
un-Islamic
and
contribute
to
Islamophobia.
There is
some truth
to our
neighbors'
confusion
when it
comes to the
status of
women among
Muslims. I
remember
when
Governor
Howard Dean,
then chair
of the
Democratic
Party, came
to visit me
at the
Downtown
Islamic
Center and I
showed him
the Masjid
area. The
first thing
he wanted to
know was
where women
pray.
Historically,
the role of
Muslim women
was far more
dynamic than
it has come
become now.
We can still
feel the
impact of
our faith's
true
teachings in
rare cases.
It speaks to
the power of
the Quran
and the
Sunnah that
despite the
above-mentioned
problems, in
some ways
Muslim women
are ahead of
other women.
Unlike in
America,
there are
more female
physicians
in Turkey
than male
ones. Almost
40% of all
property is
owned
exclusively
by women in
Saudi Arabia
thanks to
Islamic
inheritance
laws. Women
have been
president or
prime
minister in
the largest
Muslim
country
Indonesia,
in the
second
largest
Muslim
country
Pakistan, in
the third
largest
country
Bangladesh,
and in the
fourth
largest
Muslim
country
Turkey.
However,
these good
things are
blurred out
by the
previously
mentioned
realities.
Women's
place in
Muslim
society must
constitute a
central
point of
Muslim
debates.
Muslims must
talk and
write about
this issue,
as well as
lead
discussions
about it.
The works of
Jamal Badawi
and Hassan
Turabi on
women and
Islam should
be a
required
reading in
our Islamic
schools.
(The works
of both
authors are
available on
Sound
Vision's
website by
authors'
permission
for free
electronic
readings.)
Everyone
seems to be
talking
about Muslim
women except
Muslim women
themselves.
Most of the
time,
Amazon's
bestsellers
on Islam and
women are
anti-Muslim
women like
Ayaan Hirsi
Ali, Irshad
Manji, and
Wafa Sultan.
They have
either
publicly
left Islam
or have
joined a
cottage
industry of
Islam-bashers
that has
boomed since
9/11.
It is about
time that
the
believing
women come
forward and
lead the
way. Muslim
women have
the
education.
They have
the best
income
parity with
men in
America. All
they need is
more
respect.
The
deviant,
criminal,
hyper-sexualised
male
Arab/Muslim,
the
"explicit"
and "closet"
bin Ladens,
the invading
hordes of
"boat
people" as
carriers of
illiberal
practices
that
threaten the
Australian
"way of
life," the
"pack
rapists,"
the
misogynists,
the
queue-jumpers,
the
unassimilable
Muslim -
these are
all tropes
that have
arisen over
the last two
decades and
have become
firmly
entrenched
in our
national
psyche.
So much so
that, even
now, in
2014, the
phantasm of
the
diabolized
Arab and
Muslim
"Other" can
be conjured
in a trice,
whether in
response to
the approval
of Bendigo's
first
mosque, or
in reaction
to selected
Woolworths
stores
displaying
"Happy
Ramadan"
signs.
As part of
my ongoing
doctoral
research
into
Islamophobia,
I have been
investigating
the
subtleties
that
manifest
across the
spectrum of
the
phenomenon,
mining deep
into the
attitudes
and
perceptions
of people
who harbor
ingrained
anti-Muslim
sentiments.
Time and
again, I
have found
that
Islamophobia
can be
explicit and
it can be
deeply
ambiguous.
It can
manifest
itself in
the
seemingly
benign
actions of
people who
are unaware
of the ways
in which
they
fetishize
Islam and
Muslims, and
among those
who consider
Muslims a
clandestine
group
attempting
to subvert
the nation
from within.
I have
interviewed
people who
equate Islam
to Nazism,
who call for
abortion
clinics for
Muslim
women, who
applaud the
deaths of
asylum
seekers and
even
advocate
that Muslim
males wear
ankle braces
to monitor
their
movements. I
will
confess,
however,
that having
coffee with
somebody who
openly
expresses
that Muslims
are "scum of
the earth"
has been
just as
unnerving as
speaking
with
somebody who
happily
expresses
the view
that they
are "not
prejudiced,
but ..."
The Islamic
Women's
Association
of
Queensland (IWAQ)
has a
vacancies
for a
Client Care
Services
Manager
(click
here for
more
information)
and an
Operations
Manager
(click
here for
more
information).
House for
rent in
Kuraby
3 large
sized
bedrooms, 2
separate
living areas
with a
formal
dining room
with
beautiful
timber
flooring.
This
Queenslander
home has
been
beautifully
renovated
and has two
beautiful
front and
back veranda
has and sits
on a 888sqm
block which
gives added
privacy to a
Muslim
family. The
house is
within 3
minutes
walking
distance to
the train
station and
masjid and
must be
rented out
ASAP. Asking
$460/week.
Please call
0411064035
to arrange
an
inspection.
House for
rent in
Underwood
3 bedroom,
2.5 bathroom
modern
townhouse in
highly
sought after
Aaminah
Place,
Underwood.
Immediately
available.
Rental
$390-410
negotiable.
Please call
Bilal
urgently on
0481 518
591.
I would like to know if there is any place or store
in Brisbane where clothes and toys can be donated to
the Muslims.
I had
read in one of the issues of CCN about a store in
Woodridge but don't know the address.
Jazak
Allah. Z.V.
[Editor] The Woodridge store has been closed for
a while now, but if any CCN readers can help please
email
ccn@crescentsofbrisbane.org and we will put them
in touch with our correspondent, insha'Allah.
US:
The White House has instructed US security
agencies to review their training and policy
materials for racial or religious bias after
documents leaked by Edward Snowden showed
training material for the intelligence
agencies referring to "Mohammed Raghead".
After an extensive investigation by the
Intercept on Wednesday reported that the NSA
and the FBI spied on the emails of five
prominent US activists and attorneys with
Muslim backgrounds, White House spokeswoman
Caitlin Hayden said that the administration
took accusations of the slurs "extremely
seriously."
The Intercept report, by
former Guardian columnist Glenn Greenwald,
Murtaza Hussain and Josh Meyer, suggested a
persistent counter-terrorism atmosphere in
which the mixture of Muslim heritage or
faith and political activism attracted the
scrutiny of US security agencies, despite
first amendment protections. It presented
the cases of five American activists and
attorneys of Muslim heritage who appear to
have been targeted for surveillance, at
least between 2002 and 2008. None have been
charged with a crime.
The accusation is one of the gravest the US
intelligence agencies have faced in the year
since the Guardian and other news outlets
began publishing material leaked by Snowden.
A central aspect of the intelligence
agency's public defence is that it cannot
surveil US persons for
constitutionally-protected activity and that
its court-certified privacy protections are
too robust to allow for privacy intrusions
of the sort the Intercept reported.
The allegation threatens to sever the
tenuous relationship between US law
enforcement and surveillance agencies and
American Muslim communities, many of whom
have long suspected that their government
views them as an internal threat and not a
population to be protected.
SOUTH AFRICA: As
the mercury continues to plummet across the
nation, hundreds of Muslims are amongst
those who awake daily in the freezer like
conditions of their ‘cold rooms’ aka
squatter camps this Ramadan.
It is an uphill daily struggle for many of
them, compounded by the earlier start
required during this Holy Month.
Cii Radio heard from one such shanty-town
dweller about his daily routine this
Ramadan. Cassim Qundulu is a Malawian
national who resides at the Thembelihle
informal settlement outside Lenasia in
Gauteng.
This is his story:
Here in Thembelihle squatter camp in Lenasia,
we wake up because of the Power of Allah SWT.
But our life is disastrous because it is too
cold. Here, you know we stay in Mkuku
houses, there is no proper accommodation. We
do not have electricity.
We have to get up early to prepare water
through the primus stove, so that we can
prepare to go to the Masjid. But,
ultimately, we wake each morning because of
the Power of Allah. Whether is difficult or
easy, you still have to get up to perform
Salaah.
I use my cellphone alarm to awake me every
morning after 4am. I then heat water on my
primus stove for about half an hour after
which I wash up and go to the Masjid for
Salaah.
We do have a
tap in the yard, but at these early hours it
is impossible to access water from the tap,
as everything is frozen. So, we have to
store water for usage already from the
previous evening.
We make Suhoor together as an entire family.
To do it yourself is difficult. You see,
myself, I am single. I cannot do it on my
own. I have my sister who prepares
everything and then calls me to partake.
We eat meals very similar to that in Malawi:
Rice, Pap..if we don’t have that, sometimes
we purchase half a dozen eggs and eat that
with two slices of bread.
At the time of Iftaar, we eat at the
settlement Masjid which is catered for by
Crescent of Hope.
I like this Month of Ramadan, it is powerful
for us. It is a preparation, and with it we
are able to put ourselves in a strong
position to navigate the other 11 months of
the year
Midnight sun
prevails from May 28-July 16 in Kiruna,
which covers more than half of the fasting
period this year.
SWEDEN:
Kiruna, Sweden - During this year's holy
month of Ramadan, when consumption of food
and water is prohibited between dawn and
dusk, how do Muslims observing the fast
manage in the far north of Scandinavia,
where the sun never sets?
An estimated 700 Muslims are spending
Ramadan in the mining town of Kiruna,
located 145km north of the Arctic Circle and
surrounded by snowcapped mountains
throughout the summer. Many of them are
recent asylum seekers, sent to Kiruna while
their claims are processed.
The sun stays up around the clock from May
28-July 16, which constitutes half of the
fasting period this year.
"I started Ramadan by having suhoor with the
sun shining in my eyes at 3:30 in the
morning," said Ghassan Alankar from Syria,
referring to the meal just before dawn.
Idris Abdulwhab
displays the time - 5 minutes before
midnight - while the sun remains bright.
"I put double curtains in my room and still,
there's light when I'm going to sleep."
Since there is no central authority in Sunni
Islam that could issue a definite religious
ruling, or fatwa, Muslims in the north are
using at least four different timetables to
break the fast.
Alankar
sticks to Mecca time, Saudi Arabia, "because
it's the birthplace of Islam". But he is
worried about whether his fast will be
accepted by God.
"I'm not sure I'm doing the right thing,"
said Alankar, who arrived in Kiruna seven
months ago after a hazardous journey via
Lebanon, Turkey, and Greece. "Only when I'm
in God's house, if I make it to heaven, I
will know."
Most of the
Muslims in Kiruna break their fast following
Stockholm's timetable.
No dusk,
no dawn
The start of Ramadan is determined by the
sighting of the new moon, which moves about
11 days back in the Gregorian calendar each
year. About every 33 years, Ramadan falls at
the same time.
A majority of those who fast in Kiruna
follow the timings of the capital Stockholm,
1,240km further south, after being advised
by the European Council of Fatwa and
Research (ECFR), a Dublin-based private
foundation composed of Islamic clerics.
"In Stockholm, there's day and night,"
Hussein Halawa, secretary-general of the
council, told Al Jazeera, explaining the
decision. He was personally invited to
northern Sweden from Dublin this year to
experience the lengthy daylight and give
advice.
Fatima Kaniz and her mother,
from Balochistan, break their fast according
to Kiruna prayer times.
Idris
Abdulwhab, from Eritrea, follows the ECFR
fatwa, which means his longest period of
fasting will be 20 hours.
"Zero, 15, 25 or 45 hours, it doesn't matter
as long as you believe in what you're
doing," he said. "But we're human beings; of
course it's hard sometimes."
One of those who has chosen to fast
according to the local prayer times listed
online is Fatima Kaniz. In a homely
apartment overlooking mountains and mining
facilities, she prepares a Pakistani
fast-breaking dinner, or Iftar, for 8:30pm
as the persistent sun penetrates the window
blinds. Oil sizzles in a pan as she drops in
pakoras, a vegetable snack made with
chickpea flour.
She recalls her first day in Kiruna five
years ago, in June.
"I waited for the sun to go down so I could
pray maghreb," she said, referring to the
sunset prayer. "I waited until 3am, until my
Chinese roommate at the asylum centre found
me and explained it was pointless to wait. I
thought, 'What kind of strange place is
this?'"
Puri Gul prays maghreb (the
prayer after sunset) in bright sunlight.
The fare of
the day consists of the Pakistani Ramadan
staples chapati and pakoras served with
raita, with the addition of Swedish fish
fingers and lentil stew.
During two-thirds of Ramadan, following the
Kiruna prayer times means that Kaniz fasts
for about 18 hours. But due to the sun's
movements, she will fast for a whole 23
hours during one of those days.
"I live in Kiruna, and I pray according to
Kiruna time all year round. Why should I
change this during Ramadan and suddenly
follow Stockholm?" she asked.
She followed the same system during four
previous Ramadans - the last one also at the
height of summer.
"Sometimes I got tired and took the bus home
from work instead of walking, but otherwise,
I felt fine," she said. "But I looked at the
clock many times."
The weather in Kiruna varies widely during
the summer months. Within a day, 25 degrees
Celsius and sunshine can turn into 10
degrees and pouring rain.
December Ramadan: Perpetual darkness
When Ramadan falls in December, however,
Muslims will face the opposite of midnight
sun: polar night. For two weeks, the sun
does not rise above the horizon.
"Why don't they come to me to ask about
Ramadan then?" asks Halawa of the ECFR. He
said a conference will be held later this
year to issue a winter timetable for both
fasting and prayers.
Mahmoud Omer Mahmoud, from
Eritrea, says the cool weather makes long
fasting hours manageable.
Muslim prayer times also follow the sun -
which means that during winter, all five
prayers can fall within a time span of two
hours.
Abdulnasser Mohammed, of Somali origin, was
new to Sweden and Kiruna the last time
Ramadan fell under the Midwinter night, in
2000.
"There was no really established Islamic
organisation at the time, or information on
the internet. I had to make up my own
rules", he said. "I fasted for about five
hours."
Mohammed, who is now the chairman of the
Islamic association in Kiruna, follows the
fasting times of Istanbul in the summer,
since Turkey is the Muslim country closest
to Sweden.
But he explains, in his view, everyone is
free to choose.
"Islam isn't rigorous," he said. "Ramadan is
not about starvation or about inflicting
injury on yourself. People must choose what
works for them."
Apart from the Syrians, who have fled the
war in their homeland, Eritreans form the
largest Muslim community in Kiruna.
Istanbul Minimarket opened
last month. Sliman Omar says sweets, juice
mixes, and dates are most in demand during
Ramadan.
Hawa Fidel
and Alia Hassen host a plentiful Iftar at
Stockholm's fast-breaking time, 10:10pm, in
the apartment they share. They have prepared
seating on the floor and filled trays with
sponge-like injera flatbread, spicy beef
stew, pastries, and other traditional
Eritrean food.
The men chatting in the living room are
already planning their next communal meal.
They have set up a system to share the costs
fairly, with participants paying different
amounts depending on their incomes. Some
have jobs. Others, whose applications for
asylum have been rejected, get by on a
monthly $200 grant provided by the
government.
"Eating together with friends remind me of
Eritrea," said Fidel, who is still waiting
for permanent residency after living in
Kiruna for three years. But she misses going
to a mosque for tarawih, the special prayers
at night during which long portions of the
Quran are recited.
The Muslim community in Kiruna is using a
hall in an apartment block as a mosque, but
so far it is only open for Friday prayers.
On the first
Friday of Ramadan, as the rain trickled
down, about 40 men and four women, including
Fidel, gathered there at Stockholm's dhuhr
prayer time.
Ghassan Alankar, who worked
as a guide and translator for two decades in
Syria, now guides visitors in Kiruna Church.
Safwaan al-Taieb,
who used to do the call to prayer in his
neighbourhood mosque in Syria's Deraa before
he fled the country last year, recited a
melodious adhan.
Al-Taieb's sister came with him to Sweden,
but because she fasts according to Mecca
timings and he Stockholm, they do not eat
together.
Besides the rest of the family, he said the
social nature of Syrian society is what he
misses the most - during Ramadan and the
rest of the year.
"In Syria, you don't eat only with your
family. Everyone is welcome, we bring plates
of food to our neighbours, we invite others.
If you do that with Swedish people, they
think you're crazy."
"Next Ramadan, God willing, I'll be back in
Syria."
Daily Mail
journalist busted posing as Muslim extremist
to stir up hatred
The following comment was
posted on an online chat forum for Muslims
inviting responses:
Some of the other members of
the forum became suspicious by the strange
comment and decided to check the new
member’s IP address:
More up-to-date checks of the
IP address by other members of the forum
showed the comment was posted by someone
working at the Daily Mail Group (the Evening
Standard used to be part of the Daily Mail
Group):
The whole thread has now been
deleted from the forum.
So it seems the Daily Mail ordered one of
their journalists to pose as an extremist on
a Muslim forum to try to elicit comments
they could use for an anti-Muslim story.
Fortunately they were busted.
In a civilised society, a national newspaper
journalist trying to stir up hatred and
controversy with lies and subterfuge should
be so professionally shameful it would
normally lead to the sack for the hack
concerned and investigations into standards
of journalistic accountability at the
publication.
At the Daily Mail – it’s just another day at
the office.
Famous Barcelona bullring
may be converted into Europe’s biggest
mosque
SPAIN:
The Emir of Qatar has reportedly agreed to
roll out €2.2 billion ($2.99 bn) to convert
Barcelona's Monumental bullring(pictured above)
into a 40,000-capacity mosque, the biggest
in Europe, by 2020, if the city council
approves the project.
The building would include a 300m high
minaret which may become the third largest
in the world after those in Mecca and
Medina,
reports 20 Minutos, Spain's
most-read general newspaper, citing its
sources close to the project. The mosque for
Barcelona’s Muslims will also have a
conference hall, a Koran study center,
housing up to 300 people, and a museum of
Islamic art and history.
The Balańa Group in Barcelona has already
agreed the sale, reports 20 Minutos. The
next stage will be discussing the project
with the city council and getting its
approval. The Balańa group, however, hasn’t
confirmed the information, the paper writes.
According to the Statistics Department of
Barcelona´s Town Council, at least 500,000
Muslims were living in Barcelona in 2012.
But despite this significant number, the
city has only several small houses of
worship for Muslims.
"Locals would have to be proud that Muslims
transformed the pain of the bulls into a
spiritual center,"
Mowafak Kanfach, owner of Barcelona's Arabic
Book Shop, told 20 Minutos.
"The law says that everyone has the right to
pray in a dignified place, not in a
commercial premises."
The Plaza Monumental de Barcelona, opened in
1914, has hosted the concerts of many
celebrities, including the Beatles, Tina
Turner, the Rolling Stones and Bob Marley.
Since the ban on bullfights in Catalonia in
2010, no bullfighting has been held in the
arena.
The Monumental Bullring is not the first
place in the city to be considered as a site
for a mosque. In 2004, the city authorities
negotiated with Saudi Arabia over the Las
Arenas bullring. However, the plan was
postponed and finally Barcelona council
decided to build a shopping center instead
of a mosque.
Against Our Better Judgment: The Hidden
History of How the U.S. Was Used to Create Israel
by
Jocelyne Cesari
"Prodigiously documented... Alison Weir
must be highly commended for throwing such a brilliantly
hard light on the relationship between the United States and
Israel. I hope this marvellous book gets all the attention
it deserves." - Ambassador Andrew Killgore, Publisher,
Washington Report on Middle East Affairs.
Soon
after WWII, US statesman Dean Acheson warned that creating
Israel on land already inhabited by Palestinians would
"imperil" both American and all Western interests in the
region.
Despite warnings such as this one, President
Truman supported establishing a Jewish state on land
primarily inhabited by Muslims and Christians.
Few Americans today are aware that US support
enabled the creation of modern Israel.
Even fewer know that US politicians pushed
this policy over the forceful objections of top diplomatic
and military experts.
As this work demonstrates, these politicians
were bombarded by a massive pro-Israel lobbying effort that
ranged from well-funded and very public Zionist
organizations to an "elitist secret society" whose members
included Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis.
AGAINST OUR BETTER JUDGMENT brings together
meticulously sourced evidence to illuminate a reality that
differs starkly from the prevailing narrative. It provides a
clear view of the history that is key to understanding one
of the most critically important political issues of our
day.
Would
you like to see the cover of your favourite book on
our book shelves below?
Using the
book club you can see what books fellow CCN readers
have on their shelves, what they are reading and
even what they, and others, think of them.
KB says: I used half
the batch of dough for individual biscuits as in
the recipe below, and the other half I spread on
a baking pan lined with baking paper. I baked it
and when it was cool, spread melted chocolate
over it (for the chocolate lovers in my family)
and then sliced it into mini bars.
Crunchies
Ingredients
1. 250g soft butter (not melted)
2. 1 cup castor sugar
3. 2 ˝ cups of oats
4. 2 cups desiccated coconut
5. 1 cup cake flour
6. 1 tsp baking powder
7. 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
8. 1 tab golden syrup
9. 1 tsp vanilla essence
Method
1. Place all the ingredients in a large bowl and
mix well. You could use the dough hook of your
mixer to bring all the ingredients together.
2. Preheat oven to 170 degrees.
3. Make small balls and flatten slightly; you
could place a decorative cherry on the top,
place on a greased baking tray or tray which has
been lined with baking paper (preferable)
4. Bake until light brown and cracks appear;
switch off the oven and allow the crunchies to
become crisp.
A long time ago in some village there lived a man called
Khutbuddin with his family.
They had never seen a mirror in their life.
One day Khutbuddin found a mirror in the desert.
When he saw his image in it he thought it was his
father’s photo.
He
became very happy and took it along with him.
He used to speak to the mirror every day.
His wife, Begumbibi, became suspicious of him and one
day when Khutbuddin was out to work, she looked into the
mirror and said, “Ah now I get it. So this is the lady
who my husband talks to every day.”
She became angry and showed the mirror to her
mother-in-law.
The mother-in-law saw her image in it and said: “Don’t
worry, be grateful that she is an old woman and will die
soon.”
O you who
believe! When you prepare
for prayer, wash your faces,
and your hands (and arms) to
the elbows; rub your heads
(with water); and (wash)
your feet to the ankles.
If you are
in a state of ceremonial
impurity, bathe your whole
body...
1. All Islamic Event dates given above are tentative and
subject to the sighting of the moon.
2. The Islamic date changes to the next day starting in
the evenings after maghrib. Therefore, exceptfor Lailatul Mehraj,
Lailatul Bhahraat
and
Lailatul Qadr – these dates refer to the commencement of the event starting in the
evening of the corresponding day.
Topic = Tafseer lessons Venue = Masjid Taqwa, Bald Hills, Qld 4036 Day = Every Monday | Time = After Esha salah | Period =
approximately 30 minutes Presenter = Mufti Junaid Akbar Cost = free, and InShaAllah Allah will give great reward Who can come = All brothers and sisters are welcome to
attend
Please note that these recordings will be available for
downloading from our website
masjidtaqwa.org.au.
Queensland Police Service/Muslim Community
Consultative Group
Australian Muslim Youth
Network (AMYN)
Find out about the
latest events, outings,
fun-days, soccer
tournaments, BBQs organised
by AMYN. Network with other
young Muslims on the
AMYN Forum
Articles and
opinions appearing in this newsletter do not necessarily
reflect the opinions of the Crescents of Brisbane Team, CCN,
its Editor or its Sponsors, particularly if they eventually
turn out to be libellous, unfounded, objectionable,
obnoxious, offensive, slanderous and/or downright
distasteful.
It is the usual policy of CCN to
include from time to time, notices of events that some
readers may find interesting or relevant. Such notices are
often posted as received. Including such messages or
providing the details of such events does not necessarily
imply endorsement of the contents of these events by either
CCN or Crescents of Brisbane Inc.
The best ideas
and the best feedback come from our community of readers. If you
have a topic or opinion that you want to write about or want
seen covered or any news item that you think might be of benefit
to the Crescents Community please e-mail
ccn@crescentsofbrisbane.org.
Share your
thoughts, feelings and ambitions for our community through CCN.
If there is
someone you know who would like to subscribe to CCN please
encourage them to enter their details
here.