Habib Malik getting in kilt with his new surroundings

Islamic Relief Australia’s new CEO, Habib Malik a well-known international aid worker, a real humanitarian and an extremely effective fundraiser brings with him over 10 years of experience in humanitarian work, having previously served as Head of Islamic Relief Scotland where his results-oriented approach and strategic planning skills made Islamic Relief the leading international Muslim NGO in the country.
 

Habib Malik has spent most of his life serving the destitute and needy across the world.

 

In his previous role as National Community fundraiser in the UK, he raised millions of pounds to aid calamity stricken and poverty stricken people across the world through Islamic Relief Worldwide. He has personally visited many disaster and conflict prone areas to personally help and support those affected.

 

As an acknowledgement of his services, he was awarded the Robert Burns Humanitarian Award by the Scottish Government in 2010.
 

Habib Malik is a multi-talented person who has motivated and trained a great chain of volunteers from different parts of the world.

 

He has not only raised funds for deserving people but also has taken positive initiatives towards community development around him.

 

Due to his selfless services to the community he was awarded the Community Award by the Scottish Asian Business Community and Life Time Achievement Award by Young Muslims Scotland.
 

Dinner meeting with Brisbane community leaders at the residence of Fadlullah Wilmot, IRA Deputy CEO & Head of International Programs

During his service with Islamic Relief, he has visited many field offices including Kenya, Kashmir, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Somalia, Somaliland, Gaza, Syria, Indonesia and Sudan to understand the pain, agony and sufferings of the people affected by disasters and poverty. In 2009, he visited the Gaza strip where Islamic Relief is engaged in providing life-saving medical aid through various hospitals, water, food and primary health care to thousands of Gaza civilians.
 

In 2011, he visited Syria where Islamic Relief has already provided $170 million in emergency relief to millions of Syrians inside and on the borders of Syria.
 

Malik’s media experience includes numerous appearances on local, regional, national and international radio and TV programmes and many interviews with national and international print and online media publications.

 

Malik earned graduate degree from University of Paisley in Chemistry. He has also attended numerous management training courses.

Queensland individuals and organisations who have made an outstanding contribution to improving community harmony and cohesion were honoured at the prestigious 2014 Premier’s Cultural Diversity Awards last week.
 

Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Multicultural Affairs, Glen Elmes, said the awards provided an opportunity to acknowledge the outstanding contributions of the inspirational Queenslanders who have supported and promoted Queensland’s cultural diversity around the state.
 

“The Premier’s Cultural Diversity Awards honour the contributions and volunteering efforts from Queenslanders who support, promote and embrace our cultural diversity,” Mr Elmes said.
 

“From individuals and organisations, to education providers, business and media, our winners demonstrate commitment to supporting cultural diversity and to promoting its importance and benefits for all Queenslanders.
 

“These awards are also an opportunity to thank those in our community who may not have received an award but whose hard work continues to make a real difference to people’s lives around Queensland.”
 

Amongst those acknowledged were the president of the Islamic Society of Toowoomba, Professor Shahjahan Khan (Cultural Diversity Ambassador) and owner of Michael's Oriental Restaurant, Mr Michael Nee (Entrepreneur).

 

On the 30 August, Australian International Islamic College held its 12th Annual Fete at Durack Campus with great success. The fete aimed to raise funds for the school as well as charity. It was a wonderful community event and involved not only teachers and students but various members of the community hosting stalls.
 

The day was blessed with fine weather and stalls bedecked the College playground, hall and undercover areas, a multitude of colour and people creating a carnival atmosphere. Food stalls offered a smorgasbord of cultural treats from Indian sweets and Indonesian satays to Dutch pancakes and Indian Biryanis with a range of items in between. You were also spoiled for choice amongst the Islamic clothing and book items on offer. Modern, child friendly stalls drew in the children, with show bags, loom bands, bracelet making henna and face painting stalls vying for their attention.

 

There was something for everyone from the old to the young and the young at heart. Multiple rides offered a challenge for those seeking an adrenaline rush and it was heart-warming to see the happy faces of the children jumping on the jumping castle, sliding down the giant slide and those screaming their hearts out on the Avalanche. For those lucky enough to make it during the latter part of the evening, there were stage performances from students displaying some superb singing and acting abilities with a nasheed and poetry recitals. The fireworks went off with a blast and were a perfect ending to a brilliant day. To top it off, students watched with amazement and glee the faces of the teachers who went on the Avalanche Ride at the end of the night. Some teachers held on for dear life, while others couldn’t get enough. It was the perfect chance for the children to see the tables turned.

 

Many thanks to all the teachers, staff, students, parents and community members involved in making the event possible and such an enjoyable one. We look forward to next year’s event being even bigger and better.

Over 200 community and faith leaders were invited by the Queensland Police Service (QPS) to celebrate Queensland's Cultural Diversity week with a dinner and entertainment at the Greek Community Centre.

 

The Master of Ceremonies was Fr Dimitri Tsakas, from the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia and the key note speakers were (Ven.) Chueh Shan Abbess, from the Chung Tian Temple and Rev (Ret.) Garth Read, Coordinator North Brisbane Interfaith Group.

 

Cultural Liaison Officer, Sgt Jim Bellos who inspired this annual event, told CCN: "The South Brisbane District has a strong commitment to promoting cultural harmony and strives to promote a positive relationship with people of all backgrounds, religions, faiths, and beliefs."

 

He was ably assisted in putting together the function with the help of Sam Cook – Producer BEMAC and Sarah Ponturo – Event Manager Kinetic Events for their support and assistance.

 

Cr Paul Antonio, Mayor of Toowoomba Regional Council (TRC) visited the Garden City Mosque on Sunday 31 August. This was the first visit of the Mayor to the Mosque which was purchased by the Islamic Society of Toowoomba in January 2014.
 

The Society invited the Mayor to an afternoon tea with the neighbours of the Mosque. This was the second such meeting with the neighbours to engage with them to understand their concerns and help maintain harmonious relationship.
 

Dr Md Shahiduzzaman, Secretary of the Society was the Master of the Ceremony. President, Professor Shahjahan Khan welcomed the Mayor, Police Officer, Parking and Community Development Officers of TRC, neighbours and the participating members of the Muslim community. He briefly stated the history of the Mosque and the initiatives taken by the Society to work with the neighbours.

The Mayor welcomed the diversity of the city of Toowoomba and noted his heritage of different European nationalities. He asked everyone to work towards developing understanding for peaceful living in the great city.

 
Some neighbours raised the issue of inappropriate parking by some worshippers in Fridays during Jumma prayers and the safely concerns around it. Imam Abdul Kader took notes on the suggestions made by the participants so that further actions could be taken to improve the situation.

The Society has always been proactive to avoid any unpleasant situation with the neighbours and regularly asked the Musallis to follow the traffic rules and safeguard the rights of neighbours.

 
Among the neighbours Dr Kerrie Harrison, Mr Ian and Mrs Sue Rosenberger, Ms Beth spoke on the occasion. The Imam explained the special right of the neighbours inscribed in Islam. From the community Dr M Saifuddin Ahmad, Mr Kim Greathead, and Dr Javaid Iqbal briefly spoke on good neighbourly relationship.

 
Professor Shahjahan Khan responded to various questions raised by the neighbours, and explained the measures taken by the Society to protect the rights of the neighbours. The program was concluded with afternoon tea including Nando’s from Toowoomba Plaza.

 

The Australian National Imams Council (ANIC) believes that all citizens have a vested interest in the ongoing safety and security of the country. However, ANIC is not convinced that the threat, no matter how serious, warrants sacrificing basic human rights and imposing on citizens the unnecessary burden of living in constant fear and paranoia.
 

His Eminence, Professor Ibrahim Abu Mohamed, Grand Mufti of Australia and ANIC plans to meet with the Attorney-General in relation to the proposed anti-terrorism proposals. During this meeting ANIC plans to raise the following concerns about the proposed changes:
 

Unreasonable Timeframe: ANIC is concerned by the speed with which the government is trying to get the current amendments through parliament. As a result, proper and thorough scrutiny of the proposals has not been possible. Given the possible serious implications of the changes, the government must provide more time for review.
 

Piecemeal Tranches: ANIC is also concerned that the government seems to be introducing proposed changes to security and counter-terrorism legislation in a piecemeal fashion with two or three separate sets of proposals. Given the complexity of the legislation it would have been more appropriate had the government issued one comprehensive set of proposals for the community to review.
 

Unhelpful Discourse: In a recent press conference the Prime Minister called on “Team Australia” to get behind the proposed laws. ANIC believes that such language is unnecessarily divisive and sets those who have genuine concerns about the changes in direct conflict with the government. In addition, the report that the government allegedly dropped proposed changes to section 18C of the racial discrimination act to appease Muslims so it could gain support for the anti-terror provisions unfairly scapegoats these Australians. The government’s use of the word “jihadist” is particularly problematic given that the unusual combination of an Arabic word with an English suffix negatively stereotypes the noble Islamic concept of striving for what is better. ANIC calls on the government to use inclusive and responsible language.
 

ASIO Powers: The government has before parliament proposals to grant ASIO greater powers including access to third party computers on the same system or network and immunity from prosecution to intelligence officers engaged in special operations. ANIC is concerned that increased powers will only increase the lack of accountability and oversight of intelligence officers. The prospect of these powers being abused in the absence of proper safeguards is of great concern.
 

Lowering Arrest Threshold: The government stated that the legislative changes will make it easier to arrest terrorists by lowering the threshold for arrest without warrant for terrorism offences. ANIC is extremely concerned that further lowering of current thresholds may have the effect of criminalising legitimate, non-violent activism and calls on the government to reconsider this change.
 

Promotion and Encouragement: The government’s proposal includes the provision that advocacy should capture promotion and encouragement of terrorism. ANIC believes that this may have serious implications on the right to free speech where anything said which could be deemed to be in support of terrorism may run foul of the law. This will be a particular concern to preachers who spend a large proportion of their time teaching and advocating on social justice issues.
 

Travel to Designated Areas: The government’s proposal includes a new offence of being in a designated terrorist area and making individuals justify why they were in such a location. ANIC believes that this is a serious attack on the right to freedom of movement. This provision will have the unintended consequence of capturing unwitting and innocent travelers. ANIC believes that this would be an unnecessary intrusion into an individual’s privacy with regard to freedom of movement and reverses the traditional legal onus of being innocent before being proved guilty.
 

Cutting Dole Payments: On Saturday 16th August 2014, the Prime Minister announced a further proposal that any Australian citizen assessed as being a serious threat to national security would have their unemployment benefits and other welfare payments cut off. ANIC is seriously concerned about the justification of denying payments to someone who may not have been convicted of any criminal offence. Already the confiscation of passports in the absence of any conviction is causing extreme angst within the community. ANIC understands that under current social security laws, welfare payments can only be cancelled if the recipient no longer meets social security eligibility rules for example criminals serving jail sentences. ANIC believes that denying welfare payments to people who are not incarcerated may paradoxically drive these individuals into engaging in criminal activity.
 

Funding for Community Engagement: As recent as Tuesday 26th August 2014, the Prime Minister announced that $13.4 million would be allocated to strengthen community engagement programs in Australia with an emphasis on preventing young Australians from becoming involved with extremist groups. ANIC supports all measures to counter the threat of violence at home but believes that these programs are merely cosmetic band aid solutions.

 

The main causative factor is the Australian government’s military involvement in the Middle East. If the government is serious about reducing the threat, then it must review its foreign policy decisions with regard to this region. ANIC believes that the current trend to support unjust, dictatorial regimes and unilateral military aggression based on duplicitous foreign policy positions will only aggravate the state of global fear and violence.

 

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ANIC opposes military involvement in Iraq

 

The Australian National Imams Council (ANIC), as stated previously, believes that one of the main causative factor for local radicalisation in the west has been the western governments' military involvement in the Middle East. The support of unjust, dictatorial regimes as well as unilateral military aggression based on duplicitous foreign policy positions has only aggravated the state of global fear and violence.
 

If the Australian government is serious about reducing the terror threat locally, then it must review its foreign policy decisions with regard to this region. It is on this basis that His Eminence, Professor Ibrahim Abu Mohamed, Grand Mufti of Australia and ANIC opposes the government’s current decision to transport and provide weapons to the Kurdish forces in Iraq.
 

The decision by the government, given the complexities present in Iraq, is confounded by the following:

• The decision is not based on a United Nations’ resolution sanctioning such action. And this is despite the fact that Australia currently sits on the UN Security Council.
• The weapons are not earmarked for a national government but rather for a breakaway force that includes a listed terrorist organisation, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
• The likelihood of mission creep given the government has already foreshadowed the possibility of deploying SAS soldiers and fighter jets. Professor Ibrahim Abu Mohamed voiced his opposition stating: “ANIC calls on the government to reexamine its decision to provide weapons to Kurdish forces in Iraq. The Government will be imputed for further radicalization locally if it continues military intervention in the middle East.”

ANIC fully supports the government’s current humanitarian assistance insofar as food, water and medical supplies to affected regions in Iraq are concerned. This is a just and noble act that all citizens will applaud.

Climate change is an important issue for people of faith. Mariam Ismail Badaroon, of Cape Town, South Africa, has not only adapted the lifestyle of her family to make a difference, but is also teaching families at her mosque on how they can slow the impact of climate change.

 

 

 

 

Plans are underway for an Interfaith Summit on Climate Change, to be held in New York from 21 to 22 September. Some 30 religious leaders will gather for the two-day summit.

In attendance will be leaders from various spiritual traditions such as Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, Brahma Kumaris, Indigenous and multi-spiritual. The summit will convey the concern of faith communities around the world regarding the proposals of the United Nations Secretary General’s Climate Summit, taking place on 23 September at the UN in New York.

 

A new website featuring interfaith perspectives on climate change, highlighting the upcoming summit, has recently gone online www.interfaithclimate.org. It offers a variety of faith-based perspectives while encouraging people to get involved in addressing climate change issues.
 

What compels young Muslim men to Jihad?

 

Local Brisbane Muslim men are being attracted to Jihad in the Middle East.

One of them is Afghan-born "Abu Yusseph", whose real name is believed to be Zia AbdulHaq, a man who left behind a son and ex-wife when he moved from Brisbane to Aleppo to be part of Islamic State.

Steve Austin spoke with Associate Professor Mohamad Abdalla from the School of Humanities at Griffith University.
 

In the Interview Dr Abdalla says there are a number of factors that contribute to the violent radicalisation of young men.

 

He says it's often vulnerable anti-social young men who fall through the cracks that become radicalised and insists Muslim leaders regularly speak out against them actions of radical Islam. Dr Abdalla says young people are also attracted to radical groups because they want to fight against Israel.
 

Austin notes that Australia is providing arms for a group in Iraq who are fighting ISIL in Northern Iraq. Dr Abdalla says such policies actually exacerbate the problem because young Muslim men see it as a double standard.

 

How the protection of religious freedom could activate economic benefits in the  community will be a central theme of a three-day conference to be hosted by Griffithv University in the immediate wake of the G20 Leaders Summit.
 

The G20 Interfaith Summit will be held on the Gold Coast from November 16-18, with international dialogue around economic development, religious freedom and socialvcohesion at its core.
 

Leading religious commentators from Australia and overseas will attend the forum, which is supported by the Queensland Government, and the International Consortium for Lawvand Religion Studies.
 

Among the delegates confirmed are Dr Brian Grim, a world-respected expert on religious freedom and business. Others include Dr W Cole Durham, managing editor of the Harvard Law Journal, RMIT’s Professor Des Cahill, renowned advocate for multiculturalism and the promotion of respect between religious communities and the Australian Human Rights Commissioner, Tim Wilson.
 

A specially-convened interfaith panel from the United Arab Emirates will consider the extent and impact of religious freedom in the Middle East.
 

The Director of Griffith’s Centre for Interfaith & Cultural Dialogue, Dr Brian Adams (pictured above), believes the Interfaith Summit will provide context for many issues raised at the G20 Leaders Summit.
 

“Religion is often misunderstood or overlooked as a factor around world events but it has a major role to play from medical ethics to cross-border conflicts to macroeconomics,” he said.
 

“We anticipate that some of the delegates at the G20 Leaders Summit will also attend the Interfaith Summit on the Gold Coast, where some of the issues raised on Saturday and Sunday can be debated and developed on Monday and Tuesday.
 

“Our aim is to improve the understanding of faith-based perspectives and how they impact on communities, ultimately in relation to macroeconomic, transnational decisions made by world leaders.”
 

The G20 Interfaith Summit, to be held at Crowne Plaza, Surfers Paradise, will bring together scholars, lawyers, commentators, political leaders and interfaith leaders from around the world.
 

“We expect the event to make a productive contribution to economic debate in the immediate wake of the G20 summit.”

 

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