A total number of 4500 brand new blankets were purchased through the kind generosity and contributions of Queensland community and packed in a container for shipment to Syria early this week.

The total cost was $30,420.50 for the 4500 blankets.
1440 blankets were 210cm x 210cm
3060 blankets were 210cm x 160cm
 

This averaged at a cost of $6.76 per blanket - a considerable discount from the initial $10 per blanket estimate.

 

This container of clothes and winter items for Syria and Gaza has now been filled. This will help thousands cope with the harsh winter ahead.

The organizers are pleading to new donors to please STOP taking items to add to the container on Compton Road as it it completely filled and sealed.

The Gold Coast City Council has rejected a plan for a new mosque in Currumbin.

It follows thousands of objections to the proposal and a series of protests.

Councillors cited issues with parking, noise and community concern as the reasons for their decision.

Demonstrators, literally, applauded the move, but the Islamic community on the Gold Coast have expressed disappointment.

Steve spoke with president of the Islamic Society of Gold Coast Hussin Goss about what's next for the mosque.
 

 

Source: 612 ABC Radio

 

 

Taking about Goss.....

 

 

 

DESPITE pleas for calm from the Queensland Premier and senior police, Muslims – particularly women – have been targeted in a series of hate attacks.

The Sunday Mail can reveal Muslim women are being singled out, including one victim who had coffee thrown in her face while she was stopped at traffic lights south of Brisbane.

The woman said a man in a car pulled up beside her and callously doused her in coffee before driving off along Beenleigh Rd.

“I was terrified,’’ she said. “I feel unsafe. I feel like a stranger in my own country.”

Other Muslim women have been abused and threatened, with one told to take off her headscarf – or hijab – at West End by a man who wanted to burn it.

The women did not want to be identified, and all believe they are “collateral damage” from recent police anti-terrorism raids which have fuelled fear and suspicion across the nation.

Sarah, 30, said she’d been waiting outside a shop in Logan Rd at Underwood with a 12-year-old girl when insults were hurled at her by a man riding past on a pushbike.

“He yelled f--- jihad, f--- off, go back home you c--- and continued to verbally abuse us,’’ she said.

In the next 20 minutes she was abused twice by other men. “It’s quite frightening to hear such vile language and hatred. I was fearful,’’ she said.
Stacey, 27, said she had copped offensive insults online.

“I’m a seventh generation Australian,’’ she said. “My family are as Australian as you can get and I’m scared.”

Brisbane Muslim community leader Ali Kadri said: “We need to ensure that these acts stop immediately.

“This is how extremism starts. It starts in the mind, it comes out the mouth and ends up in violence ... we must all sit down and come up with some solutions.’’

The Brisbane attacks come after a Mareeba mosque had the word “Evil” painted on it and the Logan and Holland Park mosques were targeted in anti-Islamic incidents.

Police Commissioner Ian Stewart urged victims to come forward.

“We need all parts of the community to work with us particularly those who are singled out and targeted and reinforce to them that police are there for them as well,’’ Mr Stewart said.

On Thursday night – just hours after homes were raided by police – Mr Stewart, Police Minister Jack Dempsey and Multicultural Affairs Minister Glen Elmes held talks with Brisbane’s Muslim community representatives to address their concerns about their safety and welfare (see article below).
 

Source: Courier Mail

 

Some 40 Muslim comunity leaders were invited during the week to meet with the Attorney General, Senator George Brandis QC and Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Social Services at the Novotel Hotel in Brisbane.

 

A number of questions were put to the AG during the course of the meeting regarding the draft legislation on the Foreign Fighters Bill.

 

Those questions that were not able to be tabled have been sent to both senators for their response.

Islamic spokesman Ali Kadri tells Matt Wordsworth it's important that communities are treated equally in terms of security and radicalised Muslims are a tiny proportion of the population.

 

 

On Thursday evening a meeting was held with Members of Parliament from the Queensland State Government which included Queensland Police Minister, Jack Dempsey, Queensland Police Commissioner Ian Stewart and Queensland Ministers for Multicultural Affairs Glen Elmes and Assistant Minister Robert Cavallucci along with Ministerial Advisor Zach Davies-Hancock.

 
The purpose of the meeting was to address community concerns in respect of recent events and for discussions about how the Queensland government can assist to remedy concerns in the wider community and media in respect of Muslims living in Australia.

 

Those experiencing acts of racial or religious vilification were encouraged to report them to the police on the Police Assistance Line (131 444).

 

The meeting was also an opportunity to discuss ways in which the Queensland state government could facilitate better cooperation and relations with the Federal government at a national level. It was noted that "there was a widespread feeling in the Muslim communities that the Federal government was not striking a fair balance between legitimate security concerns and safeguarding against discrimination against the vast majority of law abiding Muslims that regard Australia as their home."

 

The Anti-Discrimination Commission is issued a letter of support to community members who experience or are exposed to religious or racial hatred. The letter sets out some information about vilification, including how to make a formal complaint under the Anti-Discrimination Act.

Logan Mosque Open Day

 

The Muslim community in Brisbane is working hard trying to distance itself from radicals. The Logan Muslim community said it had been targeted by abuse and discrimination since Australia's terror alert level was raised last week.

Police Commissioner Mr Ian Stewart said everyone had a right to live in peace.

"Within all cultures there's bad people, within all cultures there's criminals - what we need to do as Queenslanders and Australians is to work together right across our whole community to rid ourselves of that scourge," he said.

Mosque spokesman Rami Antar said it was a time for tolerance.

"Rather than coming and throwing threats and doing graffitis on the side of the walls, and throwing pig heads, and swearing as they're driving ... just open out doors and our hand for the wider community, especially those who have very serious concern about what's going on - please come," he said.

Dr Misra said Australian authorities needed to avoid mistakes made by other nations in dealing with the homegrown terrorism threat.

"Australia should learn from others' experiences – experiences of United States, Europe, UK and India – that while there is a need to safeguard the community and state institutions and government it is also important to ensure how you do it so as to avoid any backlash in the future from the community," he said.

"How we go about the task will determine whether we are able to achieve both goals
 

 

 

 

Sources: 7 News and ABC News

 

Police were forced to close streets as Mosque protesters clashed

A DOZEN police had to keep anti mosque protesters and supporters apart at an emotion-charged rally on the Sunshine Coast today.

More than 500 people - about 80% of them against the Islamic mosque, converged on land near the Stella Maris Catholic Church to protest the mosque plan.

Supporters of the mosque sang iconic Australian tunes, prompting outrage from a few of the anti mosque movement.

Streets around the protest were blocked off by police while plain clothes and uniform police had to repeatedly warn anti-mosque protesters to tone their comments and anger down.

An equally vocal contingent of young people defended the right of Islamic people to set up their own church, saying Australia was a democratic country.

But protesters accused the youth of being 'bussed in' from the Gold Coast with some even resorting to insults over their university fees.

The situation became repeatedly heated as supporters of the mosque tried to convince opponents that most Islamic people were peace loving and represented no threat to Australia's way of life.

Opponents, however, warned of beheadings, the introduction of sharia law, the loss of rights for women and the undermining of the Australian way of life.
 

Both sides, not doubt, saw it as a sign.
 

Pro-mosque supporters were just as passionate as their opponents

Some of those supporting the mosque accused Christians of showing more hate than love while opponents said it was their right to defend Australia's Christian heritage.

One elderly man brought with him a Koran, challenging the young people to read it, asking whether they really knew what was in it, or what the Islamic faith stood for.

Supporters challenged the Christians to get to know more Islamic people, saying they would realise they were peaceful people.

Many protesters though voiced fears those setting up an Islamic church would be 'nice now' but would 'stab people in the back' before long and try to take over the community.
 

Among those protesting the mosque are One Nation, Christian bikie groups, opponents of halal certification and representatives from some local churches.

 

 

 

Source: Sunshine Coast Daily

Senator Cory Bernardi has linked terror raids with his push to ban the burqa.

Comments by a Liberal senator linking terror raids with a campaign to ban the burqa have been described as "stupid and ignorant" and designed to "feed prejudice".

As news broke of the mass counter-terrorism operation across Sydney and Brisbane, in which 15 people were arrested and one charged, Liberal Senator Cory Bernardi took to Twitter to rail against the burqa as a "shroud of oppression".
 

Senator Bernardi has been a long-time critic of the burqa, arguing that it is a "symbol of female oppression and Islamic culture", carries security and identification risks and is "un-Australian".
 

Labor leader Bill Shorten on Thursday criticised Senator Bernardi's remarks, telling Fairfax Media that the last thing the country needed was "stupid" and "ignorant" comments from government MPs.

"Why on earth is this out-of-touch, out-of-line senator on a rampage with his ignorant and stupid comments?" asked Mr Shorten.

"This senator's comments should have no part to play in public life, fuelling fear and suspicion."

Mr Abbott stopped short of rebuking his backbencher on Thursday when asked about Senator Bernardi's comments at a media conference in the Northern Territory, saying there was no need to "fret about people's faith" or "fret about what people wear".

"Well this isn't about people's religion, it's not about what people wear, it's about potential terror attacks here in Australia and that's what we've got to guard against," he told reporters in Arnhem Land.

Another senior Liberal, Queensland Premier Campbell Newman, warned on Thursday against racial vilification following the raids.

"We must not let what we're seeing with these raids and arrests poison the relationships within our community," Mr Newman said.

"If anybody uses what's happened to vilify a group, race or religion they are playing into the hands of these would-be-terrorists. That is, helping the terrorist organisations to achieve what they want to achieve."

Mr Shorten said he had "no time for Senator Bernardi's stupid comments".

"The last thing we need at a time like this are ignorant comments from government MPs that feed prejudice," he said.

"We must refuse to submit to this type of fear and intolerance."

Senator Bernardi hit back at Mr Shorten, saying the Labor leader was in no position to offer criticism.

"Given Bill Shorten was part of a government that wanted to facilitate sharia-compliant finance laws in our country, his lack of understanding on this matter speaks for itself," he told Fairfax Media.
 

Source: SMH

 

As police and security services launch their biggest ever anti-terror operations, Q&A turns the spotlight onto home-grown terror.

 

Please register for the audience now or submit a video question by 9am Monday.
 

Watch Q&A Monday 9.35pm on ABC, live 9.35pm AEST on ABC News 24 or stream it on http://www.abc.net.au/tv/qanda/

 

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Dr Anne Aly is a research fellow at Curtin University, Perth, with a focus on radicalization, counter terrorism and countering violent extremism.

Anne leads the Countering Online Violent Extremism Research (COVER) Program at the Centre for Culture and Technology at Curtin University. Her research focuses on the use of social media by violent extremists and strategies to interrupt online activities including understanding of the audience and the role of victims and formers in counter narratives to extremism. She has written over 50 publications on topics ranging from Islamic identity to counter narratives and the policy response to violent extremism. Anne is the author of four books including Terrorism and Global Security: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives - Australia’s first text book on terrorism and security.

She was appointed to the board of the Council for Australian Arab Relations in 2009 and is currently serving a second term on the board. Also in 2009, she received the Australian Institute of Professional Intelligence Officers publications award for her theoretical model of internet radicalization.

In 2011, Anne was inducted into the inaugural WA Women’s Hall of Fame for her contributions to national security and counter terrorism. In 2013 she was named one of WA’s 50 most successful women by SCOOP magazine and one of Australia’s most influential women in the Financial Review/ Westpac 100 Women of Influence Awards. Anne is also the Founding Chair of People Against Violent Extremism (PAVE) a not for profit organization focused on challenging violent extremism and radicalization through intervention programs.

Anne was born in Egypt, grew up in Sydney and now lives in Perth with her husband and two adult sons.

 

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Randa Abdel-Fattah was born in Sydney in 1979. She is a Muslim of Palestinian and Egyptian heritage. She grew up in Melbourne and attended a Catholic primary school and Islamic secondary college where she obtained an International Baccaularetate. She studied Arts/Law at Melbourne University during which time she was the Media Liaison Officer at the Islamic council of Victoria, a role which afforded her the opportunity to write for newspapers and engage with media institutions about their representation of Muslims and Islam.

During university and her role at the ICV, Randa was a passionate human rights advocate and stood in the 1996 federal election as a member of the Unity Party-Say No To Hanson. Randa has also been deeply interested in inter-faith dialogue and has been a member of various inter-faith networks. She also volunteered with different human rights and migrant resource organisations including the Australian Arabic council, the Victorian migrant resource centre, Islamic women’s welfare council, Palestine human rights campaign, Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, to name a few.

Randa has used her writing as a medium for expressing her views about the occupation of Palestine. Her articles about Palestine, Australian Muslims and the misunderstood status of women in Islam have been published in The Australian, The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Canberra Times, New Matilda and Le Monde (France).

Randa is frequently sought for comment by the media on issues pertaining to Palestine, Islam or Australian Muslims. She has appeared on SBS’s Insight, ABC’s First Tuesday Book Club, ABC’s Q&A, ABC's Lateline, Channel 7’s Today Tonight, Sunrise and Channel 10’s The Circle and 9am.

Randa is also a regular guest at schools around Australia addressing students about her books and the social justice issues they raise. Randa has also been a guest at Sweden’s Gothenburg and Litterlund book festivals (2007 and 2008) and Kuala Lumpur’s Book festival (2008). She has also toured in Brunei and the UK.

Randa lives in Sydney with her husband and their two children. She worked as a litigation lawyer for almost ten years but recently stopped. She is now undertaking a PhD exploring everyday multiculturalism and racism in Australia.

The Australian National Imams Council (ANIC) wishes to reassure all Australians that they have nothing to fear from their true Muslim neighbours who want peace and security for everyone regardless of religion. The safety of Australia is a shared aspiration of all citizens.
 

ANIC would like to remind people that the phrase “Islamic State” refers to an era when Muslims were at their peak in civilisation during which everyone - Muslims, Christians and Jews - lived together harmoniously. The phrase therefore resonates with Muslims around the world. Sadly a group of criminals have misappropriated the terminology for their own political and violent goals. They have also usurped important Islamic symbols such as the creedal statement that “There is no god but God” and the Prophetic Seal “Muhammad is his Messenger.” There is nothing Islamic about their murderous actions.
 

“Since the ISIS group was established we have been very clear about denouncing their lies and betrayal of our faith," said His Eminence, the Grand Mufti of Australia, Dr Ibrahim Abu Mohammad.
 

While Muslims have suffered disproportionate violence in the Middle East over the last few decades, non-Muslims sadly have now come under attack in Iraq and Syria. "These criminals are committing crimes against humanity and sins against God. Forced eviction, threats of execution and burning of places of worship including Churches have no place in any faith," said the Grand Mufti.
 

ANIC warns all Muslim Australians not to trust the internet and social media as some material may have dangerous influences on vulnerable minds. Instead Muslims must get proper religious advice from knowledgeable, respected and qualified Imams. ANIC believes that wrong behaviour usually stems from an incorrect understanding. It is therefore imperative in countering extremism that the correct principles of Islam are taught. Imams around Australia have been working tirelessly to educate their respective communities.
 

ANIC calls on politicians and the media to refrain from using the term “Islamic” when referring to IS or ISIS since it only serves to give credence to their illegitimate claims of religious authority. Similarly, terms such as Islamist, jihadi and jihadist must also be avoided.
 

ANIC wishes to reiterate its opposition to the current military involvement in the Middle East. There is a clear link between foreign wars and radicalisation back home. The Australian government must reconsider its support for the military offensive in Iraq. The obvious lessons from previous misadventures in Iraq and Afghanistan have not been learnt. The people of this region must be allowed to sort out their problems without Western military interference.

 

 

 

Did you leave this behind at CresWalk?

 

Write to theteam@crescentsofbrisbane.org to claim it.

 

 

 

 

His Eminence, the Grand Mufti of Australia, Dr Ibrahim Abu Mohammad and the Australian National Imams Council wishes to express its anger at an incident that occurred yesterday where a senior member of the ANIC Executive was detained by Customs at Sydney’s airport.

 

As a result of the two and a half hours detention for an alleged “routine baggage search” the respected Imam missed his flight and was unable to travel along with his group of Australian pilgrims on their way to perform the Hajj. The Hajj is the fifth pillar of Islamic ritual worship which more than 2000 Australians undertake each year. The Imam was eventually released without charge but was unable to secure another booking at the time.
 

The manner in which the detention occurred was extremely unprofessional and exposed severe shortcomings with the process currently in place at Sydney’s airport. ANIC is aware of a number of similar cases where innocent travelers have been unnecessarily inconvenienced and penalized financially having to foot the bill for all additional costs.
 

“It is totally unacceptable for any Australian citizen let alone a senior member of ANIC to be subjected to this seemingly random yet profiled manner causing severe stress and unwanted inconvenience,” said Dr Ibrahim Abu Mohammad.
 

Customs must as a matter of urgency review its processes to ensure that law abiding citizens are not placed in a position of unnecessary inconvenience and financial hardship.
ANIC is currently exploring all options including legal action to redress this serious problem.

His Eminence, the Grand Mufti of Australia, Dr Ibrahim Abu Mohammad and leaders of a number of key Australian Muslim community organisations wish to reassure all Australians that they have nothing to fear from their Muslim neighbours who want peace and security for everyone regardless of religion. Dr Ibrahim Abu Mohammad reiterated that: “We have a vested interest in the safety and security of Australia.”
 

The individuals arrested and charged yesterday should be accorded the presumption of innocence until proven guilty. “Everyone should allow the judicial process to take its full course without prejudice,” said the Mufti of Australia.
 

Community organisations have reported a dramatic increase over the last few weeks in incidents of abuse and discrimination especially against Muslim Australians. We call on anyone who may have suffered a hate or bias motivated crime to call and contact the nearest police station and to report it using a special Facebook page that has been set up to register these incidents.
 

The Facebook page address is here.
 

We call upon politicians and the media to refrain from using the raids to inflame hatred of certain segments of the community. The focus of attention should be on the alleged criminality of those involved and not on rhetoric which serves only to promote disharmony.

 

“Fair-minded Australians should not allow bigots and media shock jocks to undermine the cohesion within society,” said the Mufti of Australia.
 

Signed:
Office of the Mufti of Australia
Australian Federation of Islamic Councils AFIC
Australian National Imams Council ANIC
Islamic Council of New South Wales ICNSW
Lebanese Muslim Association LMA
United Muslim Women’s Association MWA

Mareeba (North Queensland) mayor says the act is ‘deeply saddening’ as there have been Muslims in the community since 1920

 

Vandals have spray painted the word “evil” across a far north Queensland mosque – an act the local mayor describes as deeply saddening.

Worshippers arrived at the mosque in Mareeba, inland from Cairns, on Friday morning to find their place of worship defaced with the yellow paint.

The town’s mayor, Tom Gilmore, said the mosque had been part of the community since the 1950s.

“This is entirely unacceptable behaviour by anybody in this community,” he said soon after visiting the site on Friday.

“The thing that is deeply saddening is that it has been in this community since the mid-50s.

“I don’t think it’s ever been defaced before in that time.”

Gilmore said a large group of “highly respected” Muslims had lived in the community since the 1920s.

He said the graffiti was visible from the street.

 

Source: The Guardian

 

Organisers of the proposed Slackcreek Mosque fund raiser headed off to Toowoomba on Friday and succeeded in raising $16 000, 

 

Senator Jacqui Lambie has called for an immediate ban on burqas, saying such a ban is necessary for public safety.

The Palmer United Party Senator told SBS she supported comments made by Liberal Senator Cory Bernardi, whose tweet linking burqas and the largest terror raids in Australia’s history prompted a swift critique from both the Prime Minister and Opposition Leader.

Senator Lambie said she felt for the “poor women who are forced to wear the full-face covering” garments.

“I agree whole-heartedly with Senator Cory Bernadi’s comments - and call for an immediate and complete ban on the wearing of burqa’s in public,” she said.

“People can do want the want in the privacy of their own homes – but for the public safety of our children and families – remove the burqa. “

Her comments come in response to SBS inquiries about an image shared on the Senator’s Facebook page overnight.

The image, shown below, depicts a woman wearing a burqa and holding a gun.
Senator Lambie confirmed she shared the image, adding that hiding identity in public was now a “national security issue”.
 

Her comments come after calls by Prime Minister Tony Abbot for Australians to remember Thursday’s raids were about crime, not religion.

“The police actions yesterday were about crime,” he said.

“They weren't about any particular religion or any particular community.”

Palmer United Party MP Clive Palmer declined commenting on Senator Lambie's call, saying he was not aware of the push.

‘Vast majority of Australian Muslims are absolutely first class Australians’

Mr Abbott also commented that the “vast majority of Australian Muslims are absolutely first class Australians”, adding to his critique of the comments by Senator Bernadi.

The controversial tweet, slammed by both Mr Abbott and Bill Shorten, stated that the burqa was a “shroud of oppression” that is not right for Australia.
Mr Abbott dismissed the comment, stating that the raids were not about religion or clothing, while Mr Shorten gave a heavy critique of Senator Bernardi’s comments on Thursday.

Mr Shorten said Senator Bernadi should not be fuelling suspicion.

"Why on earth is this out of touch, out of line senator on a rampage with his ignorant and stupid comment?" he said.

"I was so frustrated and angry by those ignorant comments... I'm not sure that's totally helpful."
 

Source: SBS

 

---

 

Ban the burka photo shared by PUP senator Jacqui Lambie is of Afghan policewoman killed by Taliban

 

The photographer who took the picture of an Afghani policewoman which was shared online by Senator Jacqui Lambie in a push to ban the burka has labelled the move appalling and insulting.

Malalai Kakar was Afghanistan's first female policewoman who the Taliban gunned down in her car in 2008. She was well known for her stance on women's rights.

Lana Slezic said she was shocked and appalled the photo she took of Lt Col Kakar in Afghanistan has been used out of context and without permission.

The Palmer United Party senator shared the image posted by far right British group Britain First on her Facebook page.

The Facebook post showed a woman in a blue burka pointing a pistol overlaid with the words: "For security reasons it's now time to ban the burqa."

Lana Slezic, who is now based in Toronto and took the photo as part of her Forsaken exhibition, said she believed Senator Lambie's actions were an insult to Lt Col Kakar, who died fighting Taliban extremists.

"I'm shocked... I cannot believe how Malalai's image has been really desecrated on Jacqui Lambie's Facebook page," she said.

"It's a misappropriation of Malalai Kakar's identity of her family. It's an insult to her family and her children and I'm appalled by the way it's been used really.
 

"She was the pinnacle of strength in Kandahar at a time that was extremely difficult for Afghan women. She was the first female police officer in Kandahar and stood for the rights of women.

"All the women of Kandahar knew who she was and knew they could come to her with their problems. Problems like domestic violence, rape, forced marriage.

 

"She was their one beacon of hope and in December 2008 she was brutally murdered in front of her family, in front of her home in Kandahar. She was shot by the Taliban.

"To have this image used in this way really is such an insult to Malalai – she would be turning in her grave and I am also deeply insulted by the use of the image in this way."

Slezic said she took the photo in Lt Col Kakar's office to show the difficulties she faced working as a female police officer.

"In her office she always wore a uniform and she was armed, but when she left her office, as soon as she left the police station she was in a burka," she said.

"So the image was a portrait taken in her office to show what she had to face every day working as a police officer literally undercover.

"I cannot believe that anyone could be so insensitive and frankly stupid. It's inappropriate, it's wrong, it's misleading. I definitely don't support the use of my image this way. It's insulting to Malalai Kakar and to her family."

Lt Col Kakar achieved a measure of global fame for her deeds, which included protecting divorced Afghani women from their husbands.

The mother of six was married to a United Nations worker.
 

Source: ABC

 

The Islamic Society of Algester invites you to their annual fundraiser on Sunday the 28th of September.

 

The funds will go towards the Algester mosque as well as the Food for life program in South Africa.

 

Click on image for more details.

 

Tickets are on sale now.

Police Commissioner Ian Stewart and Premier Campbell Newman said they would not tolerate any show of hatred or violence towards the Muslim community.
 

PREMIER Campbell Newman has encouraged Queenslanders to visit local mosques, warning that those vilifying Muslims after yesterday’s raids would be “playing into the hands of these terror groups”.

The Premier has called for calm and understanding in the wake of this week’s terror revelations about an alleged Queensland-based plot, saying hate directed at Muslim places of worship or schools would not be tolerated.
 

He has also asked the Queensland Police Service to ramp up the “safety and security” of mosques.

Mr Newman, who warned that police would be protecting the Muslim community against hatemongers, said he hoped to attend one of today’s mosque open days.

“I would encourage Queenslanders who love our democracy, who love our multicultural community, to actually turn up as a gesture of good faith, as a gesture of fellowship to show the people in that community that all Queenslanders on the whole are right behind them 100 per cent and understand exactly the difficult issue that confronts us all,” he said.

“Queenslanders other than Muslims should turn up and go to these mosques as they’re opened up to see first-hand, but more importantly, to actually demonstrate solidarity with them.”

Mr Newman urged Queenslanders to focus on the fact certain “criminals” were using Islam “as a badge” and to avoid lashing out at the vast majority of the Muslim community, who “unequivocally” rejected the hate and extremist violence.

“We don’t want to see any unpleasantness directed against the Muslim religion or their places of worship, their schools,” he said.

Mr Newman said those who used the raids and arrests to vilify any particular group would be “playing into the hands of these terror groups”.

“That is actually helping the terrorist organisations to achieve what they want to achieve,” he said.

Police Commissioner Ian Stewart echoed the Premier’s comments, saying “people who are intent upon hurting other Queenslanders should be fearful”.
 

Source: Courier Mail

It should be a given that a young child brandishing a severed human head is something that no reasonable person would condone. And yet such is the animosity toward Islam that when one such image was splashed on the front page of The Australian – the son of an Australian 'jihadist' posing with the decapitated head of a Syrian soldier – Muslims were expected to vocalise their horror lest they be taken to approve of it.

As Muslim academic and feminist Susan Carland tweeted at the time, 'If you honestly need me to TELL you that I don't agree with a father getting his young son to hold up a severed head…I kind of want to cry.'

The relentless persecution of minorities, public beheadings of journalists and crucifixions that are a now a daily occurrence in Syria and Iraq are all atrocities that most Muslims find no less terrifying and distressing than the wider community. It is a testament to how 'different' Muslims are considered that some Australians still think many, if not all, Muslims living here are not only unbothered by such atrocities, but actually support them as a legitimate expression of Islam.

This is the reality for Muslims in the age of the war against terror. Condemning terrorism is exhausting. No matter how loudly or often Muslims distance themselves from the actions of groups such as the so-called Islamic State (IS), it is never enough.

That the world's 1.8 billion or so Muslims are expected to rally against every bad deed committed by a stranger who happens to nominally share their faith speaks to the deep distrust with which Muslims are regarded.

It is demoralising to know that people in my own country assume, or at least suspect, that I approve of these atrocities. Whether I like it or not, my religious background and my name tie me to these 'jihadists.' Their actions reflect on me; I feel the permanent weight of expectation to publicly apologise for their actions.

And I do so, knowing full well that to some, nothing I say will make up for the fact that I was born into the Islamic faith. Or, more specifically, I was born into one of the many Islamic faiths.

That a non-practising Alawite Muslim such as myself feels pressured to repeatedly condemn rogue Sunni groups like IS demonstrates both how much the west fears 'otherness', and the extent to which western society is unwilling to confront its own prejudice.

There are more than 15 denominations and sects in Islam, all with varying interpretations of the faith, all with differences both subtle and vast. Alawites are considered heretics by many Sunnis, and indeed have been the victims of persecutions and attempted genocides dating back centuries.

Though some (and I stress some) Alawites have achieved unprecedented prominence due to the rise of the Assad family in Syria's ruling Ba'ath party, Alawites are a secretive sect and have always historically existed on the fringes of Islam.

Although much of the Sunni majority regard them as being outside the fold of Islam, Alawites are Muslims in that they regard Mohammed as the messenger of God and the Quran as the last holy book.

I mention all this only to highlight the ludicrousness of assuming that Alawites secretly approve of Islamic State actions and goals, not least because they too would be annihilated under its 'caliphate.'

That is not to say that Sunnis themselves generally approve of the Islamic State. Of course they don't – given that many victims have been Sunnis who refuse to recognise delusions of an 'Islamic State.'

That IS and other terror groups are a perversion of Sunni Islam is evidenced in the fact that so many of its adherents know little of the religion itself. As Mehdi Hasan notes in New Republic, the books of choice for 'the swivel-eyed young men who take sadistic pleasure in bombings and beheadings' are Islam For Dummies and The Koran for Dummies.

All of which serves to highlight that the readiness with which some westerners take the most violent and extreme groups as legitimate expressions of Islam betrays the racism that underpins perceptions of Muslims.

Islam may indeed be a religion and 'not a race' as the popular mantra of the Islamophobe has it, but it's a religion that has never been sanctioned by the west. While extremists of other stripes, whether they be Christian or even Buddhists, are regarded as aberrations, no such allowances exist for Muslims. A Muslim doing a bad thing must be doing so because of Islam, not despite it, even when their victims are other Muslims.

Despite evidence to the contrary, the western world has long regarded Mohammed as a barbarian and the Quran a fundamentally more violent book than the Bible. Every beheading, every massacre and every terrorist attack is consequently taken to reflect Islam as a whole.

Rather than assessing terrorism in the context of the political and social environment in which it occurs, it becomes a flag of convenience for the distrust that lies dormant, waiting for the chance to surface. When the most extreme forms of terrorism are used to legitimise the ostracism of ordinary Muslims of all stripes, then nothing will satisfy the persistent demands for condemnation.

They merely serve as a reminder that to some, Muslims will never fit in.
 

Source: Eureka Street

The spiritual leader of Muslims in Australia has warned young people not to trust "Sheik Google and Sheik YouTube", saying they are "very dangerous and they have no moral or religious authority".

While speaking out about the potentially harmful influence of social media, Ibrahim Abu Mohammad, the Grand Mufti of Australia, reached out to all Australians, reassuring them they have nothing to fear from their Muslim neighbours.

"I would like to say to my fellow citizens that we are all Australians and the safety and security of this country must be a shared part of all our culture and ethics," Dr Ibrahim said.

"We are the first ones to oppose anyone who may think of harming Australian society."

Dr Ibrahim spoke to Fairfax Media last week amid speculation that the terror threat level would be raised and after two men were arrested in Brisbane on terrorism-related charges.

Dr Ibrahim had spent the week meeting with politicans and religious leaders, particularly Christian leaders, to whom he expressed compassion over the situation in Iraq and Syria.

"Muslims, unfortunately, have been bearing the brunt of the disproportionate carnage for more than a decade." he said. "Sadly today people of other faiths, including Christians, have been caught up in the current conflict in Iraq and are becoming the target of violent extremists.

"These criminals are committing crimes against humanity and sins against God. Forced eviction, threats of execution and burning of places of worship including churches have no place in any faith."

Dr Ibrahim said he wanted to set the record straight about his position on the so-called Islamic State. As the highest Islamic religious authority in Australia, he said that he wanted all Muslims to know that the term Islamic State has been "hijacked" and used for political and terrorist purposes.

He said since the group had been established "we have been very clear about denouncing their lies and betrayal of our faith".

"[It] is not a state, it is not Islamic and there is nothing about the name that deserves to be linked with Islam," Dr Ibrahim said. "I have said this in sermons and on radio and in the community.

"They [Islamic State] have killed more Muslims than Christians. They hurt Islam more than any other faith but no one has conveyed our concerns until things got worse. Until people started talking about ISIS more and more."

Dr Ibrahim, who is based in Fairfield, the heartland of Iraqi Christians, has been speaking to communities, congregations and on radio to denounce Islamic State fighters. He said imams were actively speaking against them and had played a large role in stopping people travelling to the region.

He has advised people who have religious questions or may be tempted to join Islamic State to get proper, religious advice from knowledgeable, respected and qualified sheiks.

Dr Ibrahim said that when he and other religious leaders met Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop last week, the mainstream media were not interested in reporting it – despite them contesting the government's military involvement in Iraq and preferential support for Israel during the recent Gaza war – unless they had had a major disagreement.

Dr Ibrahim said people need to be reminded that the term "Islamic State" refers to an era when Muslims, Christians and Jews lived together in peace and harmony.

"That is why that terminology 'Islamic State' is attractive to Muslims," he said.
 

Source: The Age

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