The
Australian
National
Imams
Council (ANIC)
condemns in
the
strongest
possible
terms the
outrageous
depiction as
reported in
the media
yesterday,
of a
7-year-old
boy shown
holding the
decapitated
head of a
victim.
Just as ANIC
denounces
the
unspeakable
atrocities
committed in
Gaza, so too
do we speak
out against
the
brutality
carried out
in Syria and
Iraq
including
the alleged
forceful
eviction of
various
religious
groups from
their land.
Islam
promulgates
a
comprehensive
code of
ethics when
it comes to
armed
military
combat. For
example,
non-combatants
should not
be targeted
and the
corpses of
the dead are
inviolable
with Prophet
Muhammad
(peace and
blessings of
God be upon
him)
prohibiting
the
mutilation
of the
deceased.
His
Eminence,
Professor
Ibrahim Abu
Mohamed,
Grand Mufti
of Australia
stated that:
“It is
utterly
deplorable
for
extremists
to use Islam
as a cover
for their
crimes and
atrocities.
Their
misguided
actions do
not
represent
the
overwhelming
majority of
Muslims who
emulate the
pure
teachings of
Islam such
as justice,
mercy and
freedom.”
It has
previously
been
reported
that during
his teens,
the
33-year-old
Australian
father of
the boy
shown in the
photo
suffered
hallucinations
and paranoia
due to years
of drug
abuse.
During his
sentencing
in 2009 for
terrorism
related
offences a
psychiatrist
reported
that he was
on
medication
for
schizophrenia.
ANIC
believes
that the
current
trend by
many world
leaders
opting for
injustice,
unilateral
aggression,
duplicitous
foreign
policies and
infringements
on basic
human
rights, will
only
aggravate
the state of
global fear
and
violence. We
call on all
leaders of
influence
including
those in
Australia to
act with
responsibility,
ethics and
justice.
We pray that
God,
Almighty in
all His
Grace and
Glory,
brings an
end to the
turmoil
currently
prevailing
especially
in the
Middle East.
We extend
our
heartfelt
sympathies
to the
innocent
victims and
their
families who
suffer
injustice
and
oppression.
ANIC
consists of
more than
250 Imams
across
Australia
representing
their
respective
communities.
I
am very
pleased, as
no doubt you
are, with
the recent
news that
the
Australian
Government
has decided
not to
proceed with
its proposed
changes to
Australia's
highly
respected
racial
discrimination
law. It
appears that
the proposal
to remove
Section 18C
of the
Racial
Discrimination
Act 1975
was
withdrawn
following
discussions
at Federal
Cabinet on
Tuesday 5
August 2014,
because of
the concerns
expressed
from across
many and
diverse
communities
in
Australia.
In March
this year,
the
Australian
Government
outlined its
proposed
changes to
the racial
hatred
provisions
in Section
18C of the
Act. This
provision
makes it
unlawful for
someone to
"offend,
insult,
humiliate or
intimidate"
a person or
group on
account of
their race.
The draft
changes
proposed
inserting a
new section
in the Act
which would
have removed
the first
three terms
and narrowed
the
definition
of
"intimidate"
to fear of
physical
harm. It
would also
have added
the word
"vilify''
but defined
it to mean
the
incitement
of third
parties to
hatred.
The changes
would have
prohibited
vilification
and
intimidation
on the basis
of race, but
would have
made it
lawful to
insult,
offend or
humiliate.
In defence
of the
proposed
changes the
Federal
Attorney
General,
Senator
George
Brandis
expressed
the view in
Parliament
that "People
do have a
right to be
bigots, you
know. In a
free
country,
people do
have rights
to say
things that
other people
find
offensive or
insulting or
bigoted". I
suspect that
this
unfortunate,
and perhaps
ill-informed
statement,
led to a
massive
public
response
which I
believe has
resulted in
today's
backtrack.
The Act has
long served
as a strong
defence
against acts
of racial
hatred. In
its current
form, the
Act has
helped to
resolve
hundreds of
complaints
over the
past two
decades.
The proposed
changes
would have
significantly
weakened the
current
protections
that
Australians
currently
enjoy and
would have
risked
creating an
environment
in which
some
cultural,
ethnic or
religious
groups would
have been
even more
vulnerable
to behaviour
which could
undermine
their
ability to
participate
in our
economy and
in our
community.
Thank you to
all who
participated
in our
democratic
process by
expressing
your views
on
this issue.
We have
certainly
seen a
victory for
common sense
and decency
from that
process.
A container
to be sent
to Syria has
been
organized
by Ms Janeth
Deen.
Donations of
the
following
have been
requested:
*Toys in
good
condition
*Winter
clothing
-
children,
men and
women
*Baby
clothing:
0-1 year
*Children's
clothing:
5-10
years
*Teenage
clothing:
12+
*Ladies
abayas
Please
package the
items in the
above
categories
for ease of
sorting.
Ridwana
Dawoodjee
has kindly
volunteered
to assist
with the
collection
and offered
her home as
a drop off
point.
Drop off
date & time:
Thurs 21st
Aug: 9-2pm
and Friday
22nd Aug:
9-2pm
Address:
60-62
Barokee
Drive, Tanah
Merah,
(House with
a blue
roof), Ph:
32097243,
0423036456
Should you
wish to make
donations
after these
dates,
please
contact
Janeth Dean
directly
(Ph.
0435086796).
Shoe box
gifts:
With the
container
being packed
to send to
Syria, we
are hoping
to send
small
individual
gift boxes
for the
children
These
suggested
gift boxes
are to be a
shoe box
size, or a
smaller
inexpensive
box filled
with:
* a few
small
daily
use
items
(toothbrush,
toothpaste,
soap,
lip
balm,
cream,
hairbrush,
etc
*a small
new gift
(eg.
socks, a
ball,
hair
clips,
pencils,
soft
toy,
colouring
book,
loom
band,
toy car,
book) --
and
*as a
option,
a note
from
your
family
(written
by the
kids)
sharing
some
information
about
themselves
such as
their
names,
ages and
what
they
like to
do.
This is
being done
in the hope
that the
Syrian
children
will receive
a small gift
from a child
in
Australia.
Please wrap
the box in
blue or pink
to help with
gender
distribution
and indicate
the
approximate
age of the
child (with
marker pen)
that the
gift would
be
appropriate
for.
The gift
boxes can be
dropped off
directly at
Ridwana's
place. If
you could
please get
your
children
involved in
this
charitable
activity, it
would be
much
appreciated.
The
Premier’s
Cultural
Diversity
Awards
celebrate
the
achievements
of
individuals
and
organisations
that promote
the growth
and
development
of strong
culturally
diverse
communities
across
Queensland.
Amongst the
finalists
for the 2014
Awards are
Michael Nee
(Michael's
Oriental
Restaurant)
in the
Entrepreneur
category and
Prof
Shahjahan
Khan
(Islamic
Society of
Toowoomba)
in the
Cultural
Diversity
Ambassador
category.
Mufti Zeeyad
Ravat of the
Islamic
College of
Brisbane
experiences
Ramadan with
the Syrian
refugees on
the
Jordan/Syria
border where
he provided
aid and
assistance
from the
cmmunity in
Brisbane. "I
enjoyed
spiritual
Iftaars and
ecstatic
moments with
the children
who have
lost
everything
but their
smiles!"
Brothers, Adnun Khan (left) and
Albab Khan are set to open
Toowoomba's first chocolateria,
Cioccolato.
TWO brothers
are
indulging
Toowoomba
with its
first
chocolateria,
set to open
later this
year in
Margaret St.
The
business-savvy
siblings,
Albab and
Adnun Khan,
co-founded
Cioccolato
after
identifying
a gap in the
market.
"We've lived
in Toowoomba
all our
lives, we
went to
primary
school, high
school and
university
here. I
think we
know the
town pretty
well," Adnun
said.
"This is
something
Toowoomba
has been
lacking. We
want to
create a
family-friendly,
custom-made
place of
indulgence."
The two
carefully
planned all
the finer
details
including
chocolate
sourced from
the same
suppliers as
Max Brenner,
a
three-metre
custom-built
cocoa tree
and a
churros
machine from
Spain.
"We want
people to
walk in and
feel like
they're on a
movie set.
"We've
custom-made
all the
cutlery and
sourced
furniture
from all
over the
world."
They hope to
expand
Cioccolato
into
regional
areas before
hitting the
metropolitan
market.
"The
Toowoomba is
our flagship
store. We
hope to open
mid-October,
fingers
crossed."
The new store will feature
carefully designed furniture and
accessories.
A
team
of
three
representatives
of
the
World
Assembly
of
Muslim
Youth
(WAMY)
visited
the
Garden
City
Masjid
of
Toowoomba
on
Wednesday,
13
August.
President
of
the
Islamic
Society
of
Toowoomba,
Prof
Shahjahan
Khan
welcomed
the
visitors
to
the
Masjid
which
was
a
church
this
time
last
year.
"The
visitors
were
very
pleased
to
be
able
to
visit
the
Masjid
and
prayed
for
its
success
in
benefitting
the
local
Muslims,"
Khan
told
CCN.
The
visiting
scholars
Sheikh
Sami
Al
Anqari,
Sheikh
Dr
Majed
Al
Frayan,
and
Dr
Ismail
Al
Jriway
addressed
the
musallis
after
the
Ishaa
Prayers.
Imam
Abdul
Kader
served
as
the
master
of
ceremonies
and
translated
the
lectures
into
English
from
Arabic.
They
covered
various
topics
including
fundamental
ibadat
and
its
wider
meaning
in
real
life.
They
also
responded
to
the
questions
from
the
audience.
Food
was
served
to
the
participants
after
the
lectures.
Refusing
to eat with
someone is a
gesture
indicating
they’ve
dishonoured
you. That’s
why Muslim
leaders are
boycotting
high profile
events in an
attempt to
be heard.
NSW Premier Mike Baird at
Lakemba mosque, to mark the end
of Ramadan.
In recent
weeks, three
high-profile
boycotts
have been
launched by
Australia’s
Muslim
leaders
against the
backdrop of
the current
conflict in
Gaza. As a
form of
political
activism,
the boycotts
are novel,
but perhaps
the response
to them
isn’t: they
have been
described as
“divisive
and
unproductive”
and a
barrier to
constructive
dialogue.
Those
remarks came
from Vic
Alhadeff,
who was the
subject of
the first
boycott. In
his capacity
as CEO of
the NSW
Jewish Board
of Deputies,
Alhadeff
issued a
community
update on 9
July which
justified
Israel’s
Operation
Protective
Edge by
republishing
a statement
from
Israel’s
ministry of
foreign
affairs. By
doing so, I
and others
argued, he
abrogated
his
responsibility
to remain
neutral as
chairman of
the NSW
community
relations
commission
(CRC).
We argued
his position
had become
untenable,
and that he
had to
resign.
Local Arab
leaders
issued an
open letter
to Victor
Dominello,
the NSW
citizenship
minister,
and met with
him in
person, but
the minister
concluded
that
Alhadeff “is
doing an
outstanding
job” as CRC
chair and
would remain
in the post.
Similarly,
Mike Baird,
the NSW
premier,
affirmed
that
Alhadeff had
“his full
confidence”
– although
he conceded
that it was
inappropriate
in his role
for him to
have made
those
comments.
This was
seen as a
slap on the
hand for
Alhadeff,
and a slap
in the face
for NSW’s
Muslim
leaders.
After being
ignored, a
boycott or
withdrawal
becomes a
worthwhile
option.
Community
leaders
announced
that they
would
“suspend
involvement
with the CRC
so long as [Alhadeff]
is at the
helm …
[because]
the minister
has walked
away from
what is
morally
right”.
Many who had
accepted the
invitation
to attend
the
premier’s
annual Iftar
(breaking of
fast)
dinner,
scheduled
for that
week,
announced
that they
would
“respectfully
withdraw …
on moral
grounds”.
They could
not break
bread with
those who
shrugged off
what they
saw as
propaganda.
Images of
injured or
dead
Palestinian
children had
spoiled
their
appetite for
a
celebration.
The result
was many
empty tables
at the
parliament
house
dinner.
Photos of
Baird
addressing
the
half-full
room made a
powerful
statement:
the premier
and minister
did not
treat
Australian
Arabs and
Muslims with
respect, so
they acted
with respect
for their
culture,
faith and
tradition.
The “Iftar
boycott” is
such a
strong image
because
dining is
much more
than
physical act
of eating,
it’s a
spiritual
communion of
people.
There is an
Arabic
expression
said after a
meal is
shared,
along the
lines of
“there is
now bread
and salt
between us”.
Even the
poorest
people share
what little
food they
have as a
gesture of
hospitality,
which is
often bread
and salt.
Salt is a
bonding and
flavouring
agent when
baking
bread, and a
bonding
agent that
preserves
friendships.
It’s also a
common motif
in the
Abrahamic
faiths. In
Christianity,
breaking
bread holds
profound
significance
after the
last supper,
as does
salt;
Christians
are
described as
the “salt of
the earth”
in Matthew’s
gospel. In
the Jewish
Shabbat,
there is
silence
during the
hand-washing
ritual
before the
bread is
blessed.
Refusing to
break bread
together is
neither
about
dishonouring
the host,
nor is it a
threat or a
provocation.
It is,
rather, a
gesture to
indicate
that he has
dishonoured
you. The
Sydney
Morning
Herald
apprehended
this in
their
editorial on
26 July,
when they
lamented
that “some
ill-chosen
and
insensitive
words at an
inopportune
time have
tarnished [Alhadeff’s]
otherwise
fine work”.
Alhadeff
resigned the
next day and
Baird
finally
conceded
that his
comments had
made his
position
untenable.
“I will
always
listen to
the Muslim
community,
just as he
has in that
resignation,”
Baird said,
proving the
boycott was
a landmark
lesson in
how to be
heard
without
yelling; on
28 July he
addressed
thousands of
Muslims at
Lakemba
mosque.
The
precedent
was repeated
last week
when the
Australian
National
Imams
Council
announced
its
withdrawal
from the
annual Eid
dinner
hosted by
the
Australian
Federal
Police on 7
August.
Again, it
was a moral
stand led by
professor
Ibrahim Abu
Mohamed, the
Grand Mufti,
who said
they
“regrettably,
must in all
good
conscience
decline the
invitation
to attend
the dinner
in protest
of the new
proposed
anti-terrorism
laws … the
amendments
are a direct
attack on
the …
presumption
of
innocence”.
Like the
Alhadeff
boycott,
which was
launched to
preserve the
CRC’s
neutrality,
the AFP
boycott
sought to
preserve a
fundamental
maxim of
Australia’s
system of
justice, the
presumption
of
innocence.
Neither
promoted,
imported or
apologised
for an
ideology
that is
dangerous or
divisive,
such as
fighting
foreign
wars.
Yet both
boycotts
were met by
last-minute
offers that
miscalculated
the
seriousness
of the
Muslim
community’s
concerns:
Alhadeff
issued a
statement,
rather than
an apology,
and the AFP
invited the
Grand Mufti
to speak
about his
concerns.
Many Muslim
Australians
watched with
horror as
their
American
counterparts
were
humiliated
at Barack
Obama’s
annual Iftar
dinner at
the White
House on 14
July, when
he appeared
with Israeli
ambassador
Ron Dermer.
With
Dermer’s
tweeted
support,
Obama said
during the
dinner that
“Israel has
the right to
defend
itself
against …
inexcusable
attacks from
Hamas.” He
was talking
at them, not
to them. Any
hope that
the dinner
was a
dialogue
were smashed
when the
president
left soon
after his
speech.
Given the US
weapons
supplied to
kill
civilians in
Gaza, many
argued that
the dinner
should have
been
boycotted in
the first
place. The
American-Arab
anti-discrimination
committee
made the
case:
“political
engagement
is important
and having a
seat at the
table is
crucial —
but only
when that
seat is
intended to
amplify our
voice as a
community,
not tokenise
or subdue
it.”
A third
Australian
boycott has
been
announced,
over the
controversial
resignation
of Fairfax
columnist
Mike
Carlton.
Peak Muslim
organisations
have written
to Fairfax,
calling for
Carlton to
be
reinstated
or they may
stop
cooperating
with
journalists
and start
targeting
advertisers.
Given that
the
Australian
Jewish News
had called
for readers
to “cancel
your Fairfax
subscriptions”
a week
earlier,
this
counter-boycott
risks being
trivialised;
there was
less at
stake. It
may have
been wiser
for
community
leaders to
invite the
editors to
their table,
break bread
together,
and explain
why Carlton
was a vital
voice for
the
voiceless.
The
political
Iftar has
arisen
during a
period of
conflict and
tragedy, but
it may well
become a new
phenomenon
in
Australia.
If
Australians
are serious
about
multiculturalism,
the broader
community
should
realise that
the boycotts
are a
pouring
forth of
Ramadan
themes of
human
rights,
justice,
integrity,
poverty and
morality,
which return
each year.
The 2015
Iftar agenda
could be
political
again;
consulting
with and
respecting
Australian
Muslims may
ensure next
year’s hosts
won’t need
to guess
who’s not
coming to
dinner.
SYDNEY:
Islamicate
introduces a
new, regular
initiative
to open up
community
conversations
in a forum
and panel
format for
the Muslim
community.
This month's
topic was:
"Enough is
enough. The
Gaza Crisis
and the
Australian
Muslim
community’s
engagement
response."
The
discussion
panel was
mainly
focused on
the Muslim
community’s
role in
addressing
the Gaza
crisis
whilst
looking at
renewed ways
of community
ties with
Government.
Main Speaker
Guests &
Panelists
Shaykh and
Associate
Professor
Mohamed
Abdalla -
Griffith
University
Dr Yassir
Morsi -
Researcher,
University
of South
Australia
Randa
Abdel-Fattah
- Acclaimed
Author,
Palestinian
Activist
Uthman Badar
- Hizb
ut-Tahrir
Australia
Yousef Al-Reemawi
- Academic
and
Palestinian
Activist,
University
of Melbourne
“Abdullah”
is worried.
The
Melbourne
man has a 17
year old son
who has
completely
changed in
the last
year or so.
The teenager
has grown a
long beard
and talks
constantly
about Shias
and Sunnis.
“I’m
worried … he
wants to go
to Syria and
join those
groups and
he kill some
innocent
people and
he (might)
die
himself,”
Abdullah
tells
Insight.
“He's
quiet and
depressed.”
Australian
authorities
say there
are around
60
Australians
fighting in
the
conflicts in
Syria.
And the
Federal
Government
is nervous.
“We are
deeply
concerned
that this
domestic
security
challenge
will mean
that
Australian
citizens
fighting in
these
conflicts
overseas
will return
to this
country as
hardened
home-grown
terrorists
who may use
their
experience,
the skills
that they’ve
gained, to
carry out an
attack in
this
country,”
said
Foreign
Affairs
Minister
Julie
Bishop.
In response,
the
government
is
introducing
new counter
terrorism
measures and
has
cancelled
the
passports of
dozens of
Australians.
In SBS's
Insight
programme
(aired
during the
week), Jenny
Brockie asks
why are
Australians
being drawn
to the
conflicts in
Syria and
Iraq, either
to do
humanitarian
work or join
the fight?
Where are
the
influences
coming from
and what
should be
done about
it?
Australian Mohamed Zuhbi is
a staunch supporter of the
Islamic State (formerly
known as ISIS). “I believe
that they are the future of
Syria and I believe that
they're the future of the
Islamic empire to come.” He
says he’s in Turkey doing
humanitarian work and making
occasional visits across the
border to Syria. He says he
hasn’t been part of the
fighting over there. Mohamed
was born in Syria but grew
up in Australia from the age
of one.
Mohamadu
Saleem
Sheikh Mohamadu Saleem is
the spokesperson of the
Australian National Imams
Council. He says imams try
to engage with young men to
give religious advice and
explain that it is not the
duty of Australian Muslims
to fight overseas. “There is
a very small number of
people … who are not
listening,” he concedes.
“But the large number of
people who are in schools,
in the universities, doing
the right thing, they are
listening.”
Abdul
Salam Mahmoud
Australian citizen Abdul
Salam Mahmoud is in Latakia
in Syria. He says he’s there
doing humanitarian work. “We
give monthly payments to
families who have orphans
and widows and we give them
food packages,” he says. “In
Islam we're obligated.
Wherever our people are
being harmed or being
oppressed it's an obligation
for us to go and help them
to fight tyranny and to
fight oppression.”
Rodger
Shanahan
Rodger Shanahan has served
with the United Nations in
South Lebanon and Syria and
is now affiliated with the
Lowy Institute. Rodger says
it’s only a very small group
of Australian Muslims who
are joining the conflicts in
Iraq and Syria but we need
to get to the bottom of why
they’re going. He said those
who Australians who have
been killed in the conflict
were not particularly well
educated.
Abu Bakr
Nineteen year old Abu Bakr
thinks Muslims are obligated
help fellow Muslims
overseas. He was born here
in Australia and has Italian
and Iraqi background. But he
says “in order for me to be
connected to the values here
of Australia, the Australian
government needs to stop
picking on the Muslims
here.” Authorities have
cancelled Abu Bakr’s
passport.
"Abdullah"
Melbourne man “Abdullah” is
desperately worried about
his 17 year old son. “I’m
worried … he wants to go to
Syria and join those groups
and he kill some innocent
people and he (might) die
himself,” he says. “I don't
know where he get
brainwashed, where he's been
taught like this to do these
things.” Abdullah migrated
to Australia from
Afghanistan and his son was
born here.
Over the
weekend,
Peter Leahy
posed a
rather
vacuous
question:
are we
witnessing
the
beginning of
"a long war"
between
secular
societies
and "radical
Islamists"?
Now, Leahy
is no
slouch. He
was
Australian
Chief of
Army for 6
years and is
currently
director of
the National
Security
Institute at
Canberra
University.
And yet he,
like many
others,
seems to be
convinced by
a narrative
that is
firmly and
arrogantly
out of touch
with reality
- a
narrative
that ignores
a century of
western
secular
imposition
on the
Muslim
world.
This
narrative
ignores the
dismantling
of the
Ottoman
Caliphate,
the division
of lands
along
artificial
borders, the
imposition
of puppet
rulers and
support for
(secular)
tyrants. It
ignores an
array of
like
policies
designed to
impose
secularism,
in both its
dictatorial
and
democratic
varieties,
on the
Muslim
world.
This
narrative
that
absolves
secular
liberalism
of the
wrongs of
secular
states,
while
pinning the
actions of
Muslims on
"Islam"
itself.
Thousands
can be
killed in a
war waged in
Iraq on the
basis of a
lie without
impugning
the name of
secular
liberalism
in the least
(it was just
an
unfortunate
"mistake"),
but any
wrong by any
Muslim is
somehow
certain
proof of the
ills
inherent in
"radical"
Islam.
This is a
narrative in
which the
severing of
heads is
savagery,
but the
extra-judicial
obliteration
of a person
(along with
his
adolescent
son) by a
drone is
"civilised"
warfare.
This is a
narrative in
which all
things Islam
are
relentlessly
attacked and
demonised in
mainstream
media and by
politicians
across the
West.
This is a
narrative in
which
installing
thoroughly
corrupt
regimes like
that of
Hamid Karzai
in
Afghanistan,
and
thoroughly
oppressive
regimes like
that of
Nouri al-Maliki
in Iraq, are
a part of a
"struggle to
produce
inclusive
and
legitimate
governments."
This is a
narrative
that frames
the
aggressor as
victim, and
victim as
aggressor.
Leahy claims
that "the
West is not
decisively
engaged" yet
and that "we
are mostly
observers"
in a war
against
Islam. This
is
notwithstanding,
inter alia,
two long
wars in Iraq
and
Afghanistan,
drones
regularly
killing
Muslims
(mostly
civilians)
in Pakistan,
Yemen and
elsewhere,
blind
western
support for
Israeli
aggression
against the
people of
Palestine
over half a
century,
western
military
bases
littering
the Muslim
world,
billions of
dollars
being given
to tyrants
like Sisi
annually,
and
systematic
efforts,
overt and
covert, to
push a
bastardised
version of
Islam
(so-called
"moderate
Islam")
domestically
and abroad.
If this is
the work of
an
"observer,"
one wonders
what the
work of a
participant
looks like!
It is time
to make a
break from
the past - a
radical
break: a
move away
from a
belligerent,
exploitative
foreign
policy that
is the root
cause of so
much
violence
around the
world, and
towards
leaving
people to
assume their
own
political
destiny.
As for
Leahy's
suggested
solution, it
is more of
the same:
"measured"
political
and military
responses
alongside a
focus on
attacking
"the radical
ideology of
political
Islam." Is
that not the
precise
thing
western
leaders
across the
board have
propagated
and
implemented
since 2001?
It is the
same failed
strategy:
ever-increasing
amounts of
money and
resources
being sucked
in by spy
and defence
agencies;
ever-eroding
legal
standards;
ever-intensifying
exceptional
targeting of
one
community.
In spite of
all this,
the "terror
threat" only
seems to
grow. Every
time
political
leaders open
their mouth
about
"terrorism"
it is to
tell us that
the threat
is "serious
and
evolving"
(as
Alexander
Downer said
in 2004),
"very real"
(John Howard
in 2006),
"not
diminishing"
(Kevin Rudd
in 2010),
"ever-present"
(Julia
Gillard in
2012) and
"as high as
it has ever
been" (Tony
Abbott in
2014).
Remarkably,
these
politicians
do this with
a straight
face and
with no
admission of
failure.
These
politicians
are not
ignorant.
They are
ideologically
driven and
willing to
exploit
others for
personal and
national
gain - that
idol called
"national
interest."
What they
fail to
realise,
perhaps, is
that
oppression
begets
reaction
that cannot
be
surgically
contained.
It simply
cannot. We
are dealing
with human
beings,
after all,
not
machines. We
are dealing
with people,
not numbers.
We are
dealing with
collective
passions,
aspirations,
emotions,
dignities,
values and
histories.
Make no
mistake.
This "long
war" against
Islam has
long since
begun.
Western
powers may
have started
it how they
willed, but
it has also
long been
out of their
control.
Failure is
written all
over it.
Still, it
has been
arduous and
devastating,
for humanity
as a whole.
Enough is
enough. It
is time to
stop, and
not embark
on yet
another
phase of
insane
criminality.
....it would irresponsible for all those sincerely concerned about the fate of humanity not to call it as it is
It is time
to make a
break from
the past - a
radical
break: a
move away
from a
belligerent,
exploitative
foreign
policy that
is the root
cause of so
much
violence
around the
world, and
towards
leaving
people to
assume their
own
political
destiny.
Enough of
forcing
others to be
re-shaped in
the West's
image as if
they are
little more
than
subjects of
western
desire,
pieces on
the West's
chessboard.
Australia
must move
away from
shadowing
the United
States and
United
Kingdom -
making ever
more enemies
along the
way - and
move towards
new,
conciliatory
relationships
with the
Muslim
world,
knowing that
it itself is
on the verge
of a radical
change: a
real
caliphate
that returns
to the
people their
usurped
independence
and
establishes
justice and
equity for
all, as it
did
aforetime.
A move away
from dealing
with people
as a matter
of economics
and
commerce,
and towards
dealing with
them as
human
beings, no
less human
than
yourselves.
All this, of
course, and
much more
like it,
requires a
radical
ideological
and
political
shift which,
far from
being
likely, is
not even on
the table of
consideration.
It would be
delusional
to think
otherwise.
Nevertheless,
it would
irresponsible
for all
those
sincerely
concerned
about the
fate of
humanity not
to call it
as it is.
Uthman
Badar is a
writer,
activist and
student of
economics,
Arabic and
Islam. He is
the
spokesman of
Hizb
ut-Tahrir in
Australia.
2014
marks
the
9th
AMAAs
which
aims
to
raise
the
profile
of
Australian
Muslim
individuals
and
organisations,
promote
their
achievements
and
prominence
in
the
Australian
society
and
encourage
Australian
Muslims
to
participate
and
excel
in
areas
within
the
Australian
society.
Individuals
and
organisations
may be
nominated
for the
following
categories:
Australian
Muslim
Lifetime
Achiever
Award
Woman of
the Year
Man of
the Year
Youth of
the Year
(up to
24 years
old)
Role
Model of
the Year
Sportsperson
of the
Year
Professional
of the
Year
Event of
the Year
Media
Outlet
of the
Year
Business
of the
Year
Community/
Humanitarian
Organisation
of the
Year
Best New
Community
Project
/ New
Initiative
Volunteer
of the
Year
Creative
Artist
of the
Year
Abyssinian
Award
People’s
Choice
Award
The Gold
Coast
Hospital
Multifaith &
Chaplaincy
Department
held
meetings
during the
week with
the other
faith
leaders
regarding
special
events, the
use of the
Multifaith
prayer room,
and access
to the
Patient
Entertainment
System (PES)
at the Gold
Coast
Hospital.
The
Coordinator
at the
Multifaith &
Chaplaincy
Department
of the Gold
Coast
Hospital &
Health
Service
spoke in
glowing
terms of the
contribution
of Imam
Imraan
Husain of
the Gold
Coast
Mosque:
"Imam Imraan
of Gold
Coast Mosque
had and
continues to
have a very
real
contribution
to the
planning of
the new GCUH
facilities
and to the
support of
staff,
patients and
their
families. We
would like
to thank you
and we look
forward to
together
developing
our patient-centered
spiritual
and pastoral
care for
many years
to come."
FREE
PALESTINIAN
PHOTO/ART
GALLERY AND
INTELLECTUAL
FORUM ON
PALESTINE WHEN:
SUNDAY 17TH
AUGUST TIME:
2:30- 4PM WHERE:
Australian
International
Islamic
College
DURACK
In the wake
of the
atrocities
and the
human
tragedy in
Gaza, you
are invited
to view a
FREE
Palestinian
photo/art
gallery and
attend an
essential
information
session on
the
Palestinian
situation
and what is
happening on
the ground.
Join us to
show your
support for
the cause
and to gain
a deeper
understanding
towards one
of the
greatest
injustices
of our time.
Speakers
will draw on
their
previous
experiences
in Palestine
and provide
practical
and
productive
solutions
towards how
we can
contribute
constructively
for the
cause. For
more
information
please
contact:
0411182347
or
azharim@live.com
We would like to take this opportunity to thank each
and every one for their thoughts and prayers on the
passing of our beloved daughter Safiyyah Rane. She
could not speak, yet she taught us so much through
her eyes and her loving heart.
To all those who sent beautiful flowers, who gave so
much food, all those who walked through our doors to
pay their respect, all those who phoned, we pray
Almighty Allah to reward you all for your kindness.
Our angelic daughter left behind a legacy, and that
is the legacy of Love.
Fields Medal mathematics
prize won by woman for first time in its
history
Maryam Mirzakhani, a
mathematician at Stanford
University, was among a number
of women tipped for the Fields
Medal in recent years.
US: Maryam Mirzakhani, who
was born and raised in Iran, has been
awarded the highest honour a mathematician
can attain.
It will go down in history as the moment one
of the last bastions of male dominance fell.
A woman has won the world's most prestigious
mathematics prize for the first time since
the award was established nearly 80 years
ago.
Maryam Mirzakhani, an Iranian maths
professor at Stanford University in
California, was named the first female
winner of the Fields Medal – often described
as the Nobel prize for mathematics – at a
ceremony in Seoul on Wednesday.
The maths community has been abuzz with
rumours for months that Mirzakhani was in
line to win the prize. To outsiders her work
is esoteric, abstract and impenetrable. But
to more qualified minds, she has a
breathtaking scope, is technically superb
and boldly ambitious. She describes the
language of maths as full of "beauty and
elegance".
The prize, worth 15,000 Canadian dollars
(Ł8,000), is awarded to exceptional talents
under the age of 40 once every four years by
the International Mathematical Union.
Between two and four prizes are announced
each time.
Saudi King receives
honorary doctorate from Al-Azhar University
The Custodian of the Two Holy
Mosques, King Abdullah Bin
Abdulaziz
CAIRO: Egypt’s Al-Azhar
University, one of the world’s foremost
Sunni Islamic academic institutions, has
granted the Custodian of the Two Holy
Mosques, King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz, an
honorary doctorate in appreciation of his
support for the country and the Islamic
religion.
“Al-Azhar University council has decided to
grant an honorary doctorate to the Custodian
of the Two Holy Mosques for his courageous
stance towards Egypt and for his support of
the issues of Islam and Muslims across the
Muslim world,” Egypt’s state-run MENA news
agency quoted Al-Azhar University President
Usama Al-Abd as saying.
In exclusive comments to Asharq Al-Awsat,
Abd said this was the first such award
granted by Al-Azhar for over two decades.
He said: “[Granting] an honorary doctorate
is the least we can do to honor the
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques for his
heroic stance [in support of] the will of
the Egyptian people. Therefore, I have
proposed to the Al-Azhar University
Council—the world’s largest such
council—that they grant the Custodian of the
Two Holy Mosques an honorary doctorate.”
The University’s council unanimously agreed
on the proposal, Abd said.
The president of the university said he had
been commissioned by the Council to award
the doctorate to King Abdullah in person. He
added that he will be coordinating with the
Saudi ambassador in Cairo, Ahmed Al-Qattan,
before he heads to the Kingdom “in the next
few days.”
PAKISTAN: Deadly violence
erupts as supporters of anti-government
cleric Tahir ul-Qadri try to march on his
headquarters.
Supporters of a Pakistani anti-government
cleric have clashed with police in the
country's second largest city resulting in
at least four deaths, 500 arrests and six
police officers missing, officials said.
Violence began on Friday and continued on
Saturday as supporters of populist leader
Tahir ul-Qadri, attempted to march on his
headquarters in the city of Lahore, in
Punjab province.
Following the flare-up, Qadri called off a
large protest rally planned for Sunday, and
instead urged his supporters to hold smaller
protests in their home towns.
In a televised address, he called on his
supporters to "protest peacefully," but
slammed the government for orchestrating a
"massacre in the name of a crackdown."
Qadri has accused the government of being
corrupt and complict in protester deaths.
The violence, started on Friday when police
fired tear gas and baton charged a protest
crowd after a shipping container used to
block a road leading to Qadri's house in
Lahore was removed.
The supporters brought a crane to remove the
shipping container and allegedly threw
stones at police who tried to stop them.
About 500 of Qadri's supporters had been
arrested and more than 100 police officers
injured, according to provincial police
spokeswoman Nabeela Ghazanfar.
Rana Mashhud Ahmad, a law minister for
Punjab province, told the Associated Press
news agency that protesters abducted six
policemen during the melee.
'Peaceful revolution'
On Thursday, he threatened to march on
Islamabad and overthrow the government of
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif should the
arrests of his followers continue.
In a statement released by PAT, Qadri was
quoted as saying the group would have "no
choice other than giving a final call of
revolution to the entire nation to come out
on streets and march towards Islamabad and
provincial capitals to topple [the]
government."
Qadri, who is normally Canada-based,
returned to Pakistan in June to lead what he
terms a "peaceful revolution".
A religious moderate, Qadri commands tens of
thousands of followers and held a disruptive
four-day sit-in protest against the
government in 2013, months before the
election that saw Sharif come to power for
the third time.
A separate protest, led by opposition
politician Imran Khan, is planned for the
capital on Thursday to protest alleged
election irregularities.
The planned demonstrations have unnerved
Pakistan's political scene which has been
blighted by coups and street protests.
World's top Muslim leaders
condemn attacks on Iraqi Christians
VATICAN: Two of the
leading voices in the Muslim world denounced
the persecution of Christians in Iraq, at
the hands of extremists proclaiming a
caliphate under the name Islamic State.
The most explicit condemnation came from
Iyad Ameen Madani, the Secretary General for
the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the
group representing 57 countries, and 1.4
billion Muslims.
In a statement, he officially denounced the
"forced deportation under the threat of
execution” of Christians, calling it a
"crime that cannot be tolerated.” The
Secretary General also distanced Islam from
the actions of the militant group known as
ISIS, saying they "have nothing to do with
Islam and its principles that call for
justice, kindness, fairness, freedom of
faith and coexistence.”
Meanwhile, Turkey's top cleric, the
spiritual successor to the caliphate under
the Ottoman Empire, also touched on the
topic during a peace conference of Islamic
scholars.
In a not-so-veiled swipe at ISIS, Mehmet
Gormez declared that "an entity that lacks
legal justification has no authority to
declare war against a political gathering,
any country or community.” He went on to say
that Muslims should not be hostile towards
"people with different views, values and
beliefs, and regard them as enemies.”
Their remarks come at a time when Christian
leaders in Iraq have called on Muslim
leaders worldwide to denounce the
anti-Christian violence in the country. In
the past decade, the majority of Iraqi
Christians have either fled the country or
taken refuge in the autonomous region of
Kurdistan.
The declaration of a "caliphate" by Islamist
militants in Iraq lacks legitimacy and their
death threats to Christians are a danger to
civilization, Turkey's top cleric, the
successor to the last caliph's most senior
imam, said.
Islamic State, an armed group formerly
allied to al Qaeda that has captured swathes
of territory across Iraq, last month
declared its leader, Ibrahim al-Baghdadi,
"caliph" - the historical title last held by
the Turkish Ottoman sultan who ruled much of
the Muslim world.
"Such declarations have no legitimacy
whatsoever," Mehmet Gormez, head of the
Religious Affairs Directorate, the highest
religious authority in Turkey, which,
although a majority Muslim country, has been
a secular state since the 1920s.
"Since the caliphate was abolished ... there
have been movements that think they can pull
together the Muslim world by re-establishing
a caliphate, but they have nothing to do
with reality, whether from a political or
legal perspective."
Gormez said death threats against
non-Muslims made by the group, formerly
known as Islamic State in Iraq and the
Levant (ISIL), were hugely damaging. "The
statement made against Christians is truly
awful. Islamic scholars need to focus on
this (because) an inability to peacefully
sustain other faiths and cultures heralds
the collapse of a civilization," he told
Reuters in an interview.
If China Is Anti-Islam,
Why Are These Chinese Muslims Enjoying a
Faith Revival?
Beijing bans some Muslims
from observing Ramadan, or boarding public
transport while veiled, but it allows
millions of others to practice their
religion without hindrance.
Hui imams pray before the main
Friday prayers during the holy
fasting month of Ramadan at the
historic Niujie Mosque in
Beijing on July 4, 2014
RUSSIA: The road to Linxia,
in China’s vast, sere northwest, is known
locally as the Quran Belt, with a profusion
of newly built mosques and Sufi shrines
lining the motorway. Some are built in a
traditional Chinese style, with pagoda-like
eaves; others, with their green tiled domes,
echo Middle Eastern architecture.
With violent unrest affecting northwestern
Xinjiang, a spotlight has been cast on that
area’s Muslim Uighurs, who have long chafed
at rule from Beijing. But the Uighurs, some
of whom yearn for autonomy from the People’s
Republic, are not the biggest Muslim
population in China, which has more
adherents to Islam than the European Union.
That distinction belongs to the Hui, a 10.5
million-strong group that is also the second
largest of China’s 55 officially recognized
ethnic minorities. One of the Hui centers of
Islamic learning is the Wild West town of
Linxia, in Gansu province, where Sufi
traditions remain vibrant.
With the bloodshed in
Xinjiang escalating — the most recent clash
late last month, which the Chinese
government labeled a “violent terrorist
attack,” saw nearly 100 people killed,
according to an official count — authorities
have intensified a crackdown on spiritual
expression by Uighurs. (Tibetans face
religious repression too as their
disenchantment with Chinese rule grows.) But
this does not mean that Beijing is
curtailing Islam nationwide. Indeed, members
of the Muslim Hui community are enjoying a
flowering of faith in what is, officially,
still an atheist communist nation.
Linxia’s Islamic places of worship are just
one symbol of this religious boom. Ismail, a
Hui who works for a state-owned enterprise
in the Ningxia autonomous region, says he
openly practices his faith. “Of course, I
fast during Ramadan,” he says. “All my Hui
friends do it, too. It’s our obligation as
Muslims.” But a Uighur college student says
he and his classmates were not allowed to do
the same. “[Han university authorities] make
sure we eat at the cafeteria. They say they
don’t want us to be tired, but I don’t
believe them. It is because we are Uighur.”
Hui participation in the hajj pilgrimage to
Mecca has increased over the past several
years, say scholars. Another sign of renewed
religious commitment: Ismail says he has
noticed more Hui women in his hometown
wearing veils in recent years. “As more Hui
women receive education, they learn more
about their own identities,” he says. “As a
result, they realize the protection brought
by Islam and are starting to wear veils
more.”
The Myth of Race: The Troubling Persistence of an
Unscientific Idea
by
Robert Wald Sussman
Description
Biological races do not exist—and never have.
This view is shared by all scientists who study variation in
human populations. Yet racial prejudice and intolerance
based on the myth of race remain deeply ingrained in Western
society. In his powerful examination of a persistent, false,
and poisonous idea, Robert Sussman explores how race emerged
as a social construct from early biblical justifications to
the pseudoscientific studies of today.
The Myth of Race traces the origins of modern racist
ideology to the Spanish Inquisition, revealing how
sixteenth-century theories of racial degeneration became a
crucial justification for Western imperialism and slavery.
In the nineteenth century, these theories
fused with Darwinism to produce the highly influential and
pernicious eugenics movement. Believing that traits from
cranial shape to raw intelligence were immutable,
eugenicists developed hierarchies that classified certain
races, especially fair-skinned “Aryans,” as superior to
others.
These ideologues proposed programs of
intelligence testing, selective breeding, and human
sterilization—policies that fed straight into Nazi genocide.
Sussman examines how opponents of eugenics, guided by the
German-American anthropologist Franz Boas’s new,
scientifically supported concept of culture, exposed
fallacies in racist thinking.
Although eugenics is now widely discredited, some groups and
individuals today claim a new scientific basis for old
racist assumptions. Pondering the continuing influence of
racist research and thought, despite all evidence to the
contrary, Sussman explains why—when it comes to race—too
many people still mistake bigotry for science.
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: Here's a
gluten-, dairy-, sugar- and the ultimate
guilt-free treat I found that will go down well
with your next cuppa.
Healthy Quinoa Carrot Cake
Ingredients
for the cake:
2 cups blanched almond flour
1 cup toasted quinoa flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
˝ teaspoon nutmeg
˝ teaspoon
ginger
Pinch of sea salt
˝ cup melted
coconut oil
˝ cup honey
Ľ cup + 2
tablespoons maple syrup
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup grated carrots
˝ cup chopped
nuts (almonds, pecans, walnuts, etc.)
for the
dairy-free "frosting":
Ľ cup coconut butter
2 tablespoons honey
˝ teaspoon
cinnamon
2 tablespoons almond milk
1 - 2 tablespoons water (depending on desired
texture)
Method
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a
Bundt pan with coconut oil and set aside.
2. Whisk together dry ingredients in a small
mixing bowl. Set aside.
3. In a larger mixing bowl, beat coconut oil,
honey and maple syrup until combined then add
eggs and vanilla and whisk until smooth.
4. Add dry mixture into wet in three additions,
mixing well after each.
5. Fold in carrots and nuts.
6. Pour batter into prepared pan, tapping on the
counter to release any air bubbles.
7. Bake on centre rack for 35 - 45 minutes until
a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out
clean.
8. Let cool in pan for 15 - 20 minutes.
Carefully flip over and release. Let cool
completely before slicing.
9. When ready to serve, whip up the frosting by
mixing together all the ingredients (minus the
water) until smooth.
10. Add the water 1 tablespoon at a time until
you reach your desired consistency.
11. Either top up a slice with a dollop of the
frosting or ice the whole cake.
Q: Dear Kareema, I’m
thinking of trying boxing for the first time
just to mix up my routine a little. What am I in
for?
A: A great cardio challenge – that’s what
you’re in for… Boxing not only builds upper body
strength, it’s an all over body booster if you
include some skipping, push-ups, etc. in between
the sparring!
So it’s a win – win for you.
It may take a few sessions before you feel
comfortable with the moves but it will certainly
shock your muscles and guarantee a great
cardio-kick.
So glove-up, focus on good
technique and reap the rewards.
After having dug to a depth of 3 meters last year,
British scientists found traces of copper wire dating
back 200 years and came to the conclusion that their
ancestors already had a telephone network more than 150
years ago.
Not to be outdone by the British, in the weeks that
followed, an American archaeologist dug to a depth of 6
meters, and shortly after, a story
published in the New York Times: "American
archaeologists, finding traces of
250-year-old copper wire, have concluded that their
ancestors already had an advanced high-tech
communications network 50 years earlier than the
British".
Mula Nasruddin, reading of these discoveries, decides to
dig up a bit of his desert patch in his village hometown
and his findings were reported in the Tashkent Echo:
"After digging as deep as 20 meters in his backyard in
Abu Qatar, Ouzbekistan, local elder Mula Nasruddin, a
self-taught archaeologist, reported that he found
absolutely nothing at all. Mula Nasruddin has therefore
concluded that 250 years ago, Ouzbekistan had already
gone to wireless."
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.
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.
I
am very
pleased, as
no doubt you
are, with
the recent
news that
the
Australian
Government
has decided
not to
proceed with
its proposed
changes to
Australia's
highly
respected
racial
discrimination
law. It
appears that
the proposal
to remove
Section 18C
of the
Racial
Discrimination
Act 1975
was
withdrawn
following
discussions
at Federal
Cabinet on
Tuesday 5
August 2014,
because of
the concerns
expressed
from across
many and
diverse
communities
in
Australia.
Australian
Muslim
Lifetime
Achiever
Award
post comments on
our Wall
7
August 2011
