This year marks the
centenary of ANZAC Day and
the Australian International
Islamic College was
fortunate enough to be
chosen to represent all the
Brisbane students for the
ANZAC Day student
commemoration ceremony at
ANZAC Square.
It was a great honour to be
a part of the commemoration
ceremony on the 23rd April.
Three of our college
students had the opportunity
to present a speech and
recite poems. Omar
Alshehri(pictured on
TV above), a year 11
student gave a very
heart-touching speech on the
valuable contribution of
those involved in the
landing of Gallipoli. Omar
expressed his gratitude on
behalf of the younger
generation for the
significant sacrifices of
the soldiers which brought
about significant changes to
Australia and the formation
of nationhood.
Later in the ceremony the
poem entitled “Sir” by
Damian Morgan was also
beautifully recited by Omar
Alshehri, followed by a
recitation of a poem “The
Inquisitive Mind of a Child”
by Sumaiyah Gedik
from year 10. The poem was
about the significance of
diggers and how a child lost
his father. Rahim’s
recitation of the poem had a
huge emotional impact on the
audience as it nearly
brought many people to
tears!
Our college also held a
special assembly on the 24th
April commemorating the true
spirit of ANZAC Day.
Students not only
participated in ANZAC Day
commemoration, but also
presented their poems and
speeches at their special
assembly.
Mrs. Banwa, our principal
addressed the assembly on
the significance of the day
and that the college has a
proud history of
participating in this event
for many years. She
congratulated our students
who made excellent
representation at this very
significant event.
Sule Kiza from year
10 and Emmanuel Gombu from
year 7 also joined the
participating group at our
college function. Sule Kiza
confidently recited the poem
“ANZAC Day” by D.Hunter
which was followed by
Emmanuel Gombu from year
7 student, who creatively
penned his own poem “True
ANZAC Spirit”.
To add more colour to our
program, Janeth Deen, our
guest of honour, spoke at
length about the impact of
the involvement of the
Australian soldiers in WW1
and WW2.
Our students remained silent
as the last post was played,
followed by one minute of
sacred silence.
The ceremony was concluded
with a lovely PowerPoint
presentation in remembrance
of the ANZAC by
Abdul-Aziz.
The
newly-formed
Brisbane Board are proud
to announce the launch of
Crescent Institute
(Brisbane) with our first
guest speaker, Mr Ahmed
Fahour, the Founder and
Patron of the Islamic Museum
of Australia and Managing
Director and CEO of
Australia Post.
The Crescent
Institute vision is to be
one of Australia's
accessible pre-eminent
business, networking and
thought leadership groups.
The Institute will build on
an impressive and
long-established network and
on a range of thought
provoking events and
activities.
Please
click here for details
of this event (6 May at
6pm).
Bookings are
essential. Early bird
tickets are priced at A$15
and regular tickets are A$25
each. All funds go to
supporting Crescent
Institute’s non-profit
activities.
Report on the second attack
to burn Toowoomba Mosque
After the first arson attack
on the Garden City Mosque on
24 January 2015, the second
attempt to burn the Mosque
was in the early morning of
Friday, 17 April 2015. The
neighbours called the
emergency number at around
01:00am and firefighters
brought the fire under
control about 02:00pm. The
police and other
investigating teams along
with the media
representatives rushed
immediately after.
Muslim worshippers came to
the Mosque for predawn (Fajr)
prayers at about 05:00am
were caught by surprise. By
that time the Mosque area
was declared crime zone.
Having no choice we went to
the University of Southern
Queensland Prayer Room to
perform Fajr prayers. Dr Md
Shahiduzzaman and myself
went back to the Mosque to
see the latest and know the
extent of damage due to the
fire.
We met an officer at the
cul-de-sac (read side)
entrance of the Mosque. He
did not allow us to go
insider the property but
told us that the damage is
much more than the first
arson attack in January.
Accompanied by him we were
able to see some smoke
markings on the entrance
(door) of the office of the
Imam and burned wood and air
condition machine on the
northern side of the office
from outside. The area was
full of smoke smell and
marks of destructions.
report by
Prof Shahjahan Khan,
President of Islamic Society
of Toowoomba
$25,000 reward to catch
mosque arsonists
A $25,000 reward has been
posted for information
leading to the arrest and
conviction of the person or
persons responsible for the
Garden City Mosque fire.
Darling Downs police
district officer Detective
Inspector Dave Isherwood
said it was hoped the
monetary incentive would
prompt someone with vital
information to come forward
to police.
"We are appealing to the
public for anyone with
information in relation to
the mosque fire to come
forward and if that
information leads to the
identification and
conviction of those
responsible than they could
be eligible for up to
$25,000," Det. Insp.
Isherwood said.
Help rebuild the burned
Mosque in Toowoomba
The Islamic Society of
Toowoomba is issuing an
appeal for donations to help
rebuild the burnt building.
The estimated cost for the
rebuilding is $600,000
including new facilities for
toilet and ablution for men
and women. Although some
money may be received from
the insurer (depending on
the assessment), the Society
believes, "it may not even
cover less than half of the
rebuilding cost."
Bank Account Details
Commonwealth Bank,
Toowoomba Plaza
Branch
A/C Name: Toowoomba
Islamic Charitable
Organisation BSB No
064459, A/C No 1034
1586
Swift Code:
CTBAAU25XXX
Heritage Bank,
Toowoomba Branch
A/C Name: Islamic
Society of Toowoomba
BSB No 638060, A/C
No 1300 9958 (S13)
Swift Code: HBSLAU4T
International Food Festival
celebrates diversity
The fire at the Garden City
Mosque and the resultant
change of venue to USQ did
not spoil the feeling of
community at the
International Food Festival
for hundreds of visitors.
Arabian Nights
"restaurateur" Moyassar Al-Taie
engaged the services of his
whole family to run a stall
at the festival providing
authentic Iraqi cuisine.
"It's the second time we
have been at the food
festival," he said.
"It pleases me to see so
many people here and to see
the harmony between Muslims
and non-Muslims.
"What happened two days ago
(mosque fire) doesn't
represent what Toowoomba is.
"The majority of Toowoomba
people believe in
multiculturalism."
We have traditional Iraqi
foods with two different
types of rice and two
different soups - one with
beef and one with chicken,"
he said.
"We had some Iraqi sweets
but they sold out this
morning."
The USQ Clive Berghofer
Recreation Centre was filled
with the smells of foods
from around the world during
the festival, feeding the
hungry masses.
Non-Muslims got to observe
Muslims at prayer and chat
informally while a list of
guest speakers from the
wider community offered
support and gave
presentations, including
Venerable Wu Ping of Pure
Land Learning College,
Catholic Bishop Robert
McGuckin, Anglican Bishop
Cameron Vinables, Mayor Paul
Antonio and Jim Madden MP
representing Premier
Annastacia Palaszczuk.
........and now, from the
sublime to the
ridiculous........
FORMER US attorney-general
Robert F. Kennedy claimed
his country’s response to
intolerance was diversity,
which itself was inspired by
the “heritage of our
religious freedom”.
Despite this freedom of
religion through the first
and fourteenth amendments to
its Constitution, there is
of course intolerance in the
US – but everyone knows they
have legal protection for
belief and practice.
Australia’s Constitution
gives protection to
religious freedom and
prohibits anyone from making
laws which inhibit that.
Again, like the US, this
does not preclude
intolerance or borderline
religious discrimination.
During waves of migration to
Australia a minority of
people have taken objection
to some of the religious
observance by those newly
arriving communities –
whether they have been
Vietnamese Buddhists, Indian
Hindus or Muslims from
Islamic nations.
In the time since the terror
attacks on US cities on
September 11, 2001 there has
been sporadic opposition to
Muslims congregating in
suburbs or building mosques
– an often alarmist
intolerance that’s been seen
in Queensland as much as
elsewhere.
In recent weeks it has
happened again, with
community opposition to a
proposal for a new mosque in
Slacks Creek, in Logan City.
A public meeting at the
beginning of the month heard
plenty of criticism from
people living in the
vicinity of the planned
place of worship. This week
those angry voices were
echoed in the Logan City
Council chambers where
councillors demanded that if
local Muslims didn’t “love
the Australian way of life”
they should go back to
“where they come from”.
This is simplistic and
intolerant commentary which
ignores the fact many of
those who might worship at a
Slacks Creek mosque are
second generation community
members born and educated in
Australia.
One councillor, Phil Pidgeon,
attacked national
politicians – saying they
“need to be more vocal and
say it’s not right to kill
people”, while councillor
Trevina Schwarz claimed the
“lucky country was starting
to go”.
Other members of the Logan
City Council made similar
remarks, and the Logan Safe
Communities group spokesman
Chris Newman responded by
praising the council for
having a heart and soul.
The reality is the national
parliament has spoken as one
in opposition to Islamist
extremism, condemning terror
attacks in Australia and
overseas and passing new
laws to tackle the influence
and activities of ISIS
militants.
Also, Australia is as much a
lucky country as it ever was
– remaining the best place
to live in the world.
Much of the rich diversity
we enjoy and share comes
from Islamic Australians.
As to whether Logan City
Council has a “heart and
soul” will be judged by
locals, but the
short-sighted intolerance of
councillors towards those
wishing to add to the 35
Islamic mosques and prayer
rooms in this state shows
neither heart nor soul.
While there is sometimes a
reluctance from those in the
Islamic community to condemn
Islamist radical violence
quickly or forcefully
enough, this should not be
read as an endorsement of
the actions or ideology of
groups like al-Qa’ida or
ISIS.
Tolerance is a two-way
street and the elected
representatives of Logan
should understand they stand
a better chance of gaining
respect and co-operation
from Islamic community
leaders if they show respect
and an appreciation of the
beliefs and practices of
Muslims.
There’s nothing easier than
stirring up base emotional
reactions with demagoguery
and alarmism. In fact, this
is the very thing groups
such as ISIS do by railing
against the West.
The strength of our
democracy is that we respect
other people’s rights and
freedoms and do not descend
to the level of those who
would pit citizen against
citizen in a bid to win
political support or attract
people to a cause.
It is far better to work
with the Islamic community,
showing them they are
welcome and that joining in
our way of life is more
rewarding and enriching than
listening to preachers of
hate and intolerance.
The
current Mosque at Arundel is
at capacity every Juma and
overflowing during the
holiday seasons and Ramadan.
Another Masjid is needed on
the Gold Coast. To this end,
a site with existing
buildings was selected on
the most southern end of
Gold Coast near the New
South Wales border in
Currumbin close to the Gold
Coast airport, Southern
Cross University, John Flynn
and Tweed Heads hospitals.
The residents of southern
Gold Coast and northern NSW
will be able to attend the
Currumbin Masjid for their
prayers as it can take up to
an hour to travel to Arundel
Masjid for Juma prayers.
The first fundraising
function for the Currumbin
Masjid will be held at The
Islamic College of Brisbane
in Karawatha on Saturday 9
May, 2015, 6pm for 6.30pm
start.
TICKETS ARE ONLY $10 PER
HEAD.
The Gold Coast Muslims seek
support of Brisbane brothers
and sisters to make their
new Masjid in Currumbin a
reality by assisting with
donations.
Attempts to tackle sales
threat by framing criticism
of smoking as fundamentalist
fanaticism are outlined in
cache of documents from
1970s until late 1990s
The tobacco industry
attempted to reinterpret
Islamic teaching and recruit
Islamic scholars in a bid to
undermine the prohibition on
smoking in many Muslim
countries, an investigation
has shown.
Evidence from archived
industry documents from the
1970s to the late 1990s
shows that tobacco companies
were seriously concerned
about Islamic teaching. In
1996, an internal document
from British American
Tobacco warned that, because
of the spread of “extremist
views” from fundamentalists
in countries such as
Afghanistan, the industry
would have to “prepare to
fight a hurricane”.
BAT and other companies,
which were losing sales in
affluent countries where
anti-smoking measures had
been introduced, devised
strategies to counter this
perceived threat to sales in
places such as Egypt,
Indonesia and Bangladesh,
which have large populations
of young people who smoke.
We had
tobacco
industry
lawyers
actually
developing
theological
arguments
Prof Mark
Petticrew
The industry was concerned
that the World Health
Organisation was encouraging
the anti-smoking stance of
Islamic leaders. A 1985
report from tobacco firm
Philip Morris squarely
blamed the WHO. “This
ideological development has
become a threat to our
business because of the
interference of the WHO …
The WHO has not only joined
forces with Moslem
fundamentalists who view
smoking as evil, but has
gone yet further by
encouraging religious
leaders previously not
active anti-smokers to take
up the cause,” it said.
“A Moslem who attacks
smoking generally speaking
would be a threat to
existing government as a
‘fundamentalist’ who wishes
to return to sharia law,”
says one of the archive
documents. It adds: “Our
invisible defence must be
the individualism which
Islam allows its believers …
smoking and other signs of
modern living should
encourage governments to a
point at which it is
possible quietly to suggest
their benefits.”
It adds: “With Islam we
might ask what other aspects
of modern living are
similarly open to extremist
demands for prohibition
under strict interpretation
of sharia: motion pictures,
television, and art
depicting the human being?
Use of electronic
amplification by muezzin
calling from a minaret? The
education of women?” the
document says.
The
earliest fatwa against
tobacco was in 1602, but
many scholars believed
smoking cigarettes or taking
tobacco in water pipes or
other forms was harmless
until evidence of the
dangers to health began to
emerge in the mid 20th
century. Jurists pronounced
that tobacco use was makrooh
(discouraged). In many
Islamic countries, a harder
line was taken, with smoking
prohibited on the grounds
that the Qur’an does not
permit self-harm or
intoxication.
The WHO negotiated the
Framework Convention on
Tobacco Control, starting in
1999, in response to what it
describes as the “explosive
increase in tobacco use”.
The convention, which
outlines strategies intended
to reduce demand, was
adopted in 2003.
This is an issue to be
handled extremely gingerly
and sensitivel
BAT
internal document
A report in 2000 from the
Consumer and Regulatory
Affairs (Cora) department at
BAT after the first
international negotiations
said: “It appears that the
WHO’s efforts to link
religion (specifically
Islam) with issues
surrounding the use of
tobacco are bearing fruit …
We will need to discuss
separately how we might
understand and manage this
aspect in line with the Cora
strategy.”
The tobacco industry
attempted to re-interpret
anti-smoking Islamic
teachings. A 1996 BAT memo
suggests identifying “a
scholar/scholars, preferably
at the Al Azhar University
in Cairo, who we could then
brief and enlist as our
authoritative
advisers/allies and
occasionally spokespersons
on the issue.
“We agreed that such
scholars/authority would
need to be paired up with an
influential Moslem
writer/journalist … such
advice would present the
most effective and
influential opinion able to
counter extremist views,
which are generally peddled
by Islamic fundamentalist
preachers largely
misinterpreting the Koran …
This is an issue to be
handled extremely gingerly
and sensitively … We have to
avoid all possibilities of a
backlash.”
Tobacco industry lawyers
were also involved in this
attempt at revision. A
presentation from 2000,
prepared by the firm Shook,
Hardy and Bacon, gave an
overview of the background
to Islam and smoking, with
slides stating that there is
no prohibition on smoking in
the Qur’an – and that
“making rules beyond what
Allah has allowed is a sin
in itself”.
Prof Mark Petticrew from the
London School of Hygiene and
Tropical Medicine, who led
the research, said he was
amazed by what researchers
had found in the archives.
“‘You couldn’t make it up’
comes to mind,” he said.
“The thing that jumps out at
me from all this is the fact
that we had tobacco industry
lawyers actually developing
theological arguments. That
was pretty surprising.”
A Moslem who
attacks
smoking
generally
speaking
would be a
threat to
existing
government
as a
‘fundamentalist’
who wishes
to return to
sharia law
Document
A document suggest Philip
Morris wanted to try to
recruit Islamic scholars at
McGill University in
Montreal, Canada. A
representative of the
Canadian Tobacco
Manufacturers’ Council
“agreed to make exploratory
contact”, it says. Petticrew
and his team do not know
whether they were
successful. “We couldn’t
find the papers,” he said.
The tobacco industry is
still heavily promoting
smoking in countries such as
Bangladesh and Egypt, which
are predominantly Muslim and
have high proportions of
smokers.
Its marketing is generally
adapted to the “not overly
devout”, says the study. The
authors call for further
research to find out how the
industry had approached
other faiths.
“The launch of the Faith
Against Tobacco national
campaign by Tobacco Free
Kids and faith leaders in
the US, for example, brings
together Christianity,
Islam, Judaism and other
faiths ‘to support proven
solutions to reduce
smoking’. Understanding
efforts by the industry to
undermine the efforts of
other faith communities
brings to light a broader
strategy to marginalise
tobacco control in diverse
communities, and refocuses
the problem on
tobacco-related health
harms,” says the paper.
BAT told the Guardian. “This
study, which concerns
material written nearly 20
years ago, does not
represent the views,
policies and position of
British American Tobacco. We
are a global business that
holds itself to strict
standards of business
conduct and corporate
governance, manufacturing
and marketing our products
in accordance with domestic
and international laws and
observing the cultural and
religious beliefs in the 200
countries in which we
operate.”
Philip Morris did not
respond to the Guardian’s
request for comment.
In this
episode of Halal in the
Family, Aasif makes a new
friend (The Daily Show's
Jordan Klepper), but when he
learns that Wally is Muslim,
he becomes suspicious that
his new friend is spying on
his family. With Sakina
Jaffrey (House of Cards) and
Nicky Maindiratta.
The
first ever
Sisters'
House Online
Auction is
now up and
running and
will be open
until 9:00pm
Thursday
30th of
April. More
than 50
items are on
sale ranging
from
crockery to
kattaans.
100% of
proceeds
from the
auction will
go towards
the support
services of
the Sisters'
House so
that they
can continue
to help
women and
children in
the
community.
Former Al-Taqwa Islamic
school student Lamisse
Hamouda blows whistle on
principal's disapproval of
girls' sports
When Lamisse Hamouda (pictured) heard that
a Melbourne Islamic school
had made headlines for
banning female students from
running, she knew it was her
former school, Al-Taqwa
College, at the centre of
the controversy. The
26-year-old Sydney youth
worker also knew it was time
to speak out about her own
experience at Al-Taqwa. This
is her story.
A notification popped up on my phone saying my
friend had posted a link to
my Facebook page. I opened
it, only to find my former
principal's face sternly
looking back at me. I knew
what the article was about
as soon as I read the
headline [Girls at Islamic
School banned from running],
and I laughed.
I laughed because I couldn't believe that Al-Taqwa
College was still being run
by an out-of-touch
principal, Omar Hallak, who
curbs the rights of female
students to participate in
sports by citing out-dated
beliefs grounded in
pseudo-science and
patriarchy.
US: Michele Bachmann claimed
that Muslims invented global
warming in hopes of
weakening the American
economy before a full-scale
jihadi invasion.
In an interview with Fox
Business, the former
congresswoman from Minnesota
was asked her opinion on the
recent report that 2014 was
the warmest year on record,
a fact most scientists
believe is linked to
human-induced climate
change.
“Muslims created the global
warming hoax so we bankrupt
ourselves switching to
renewable energy,” Bachmann
told a stunned Neil Cavuto.
“Once our economy is
completely destroyed, our
military power will crumble,
leaving us exposed to their
jihadi invasion force.
“Everyone knows you can’t
run an army on solar panels.
So the Muslim Brotherhood
soldiers will meet minimal
resistance when they arrive
on our shores. New York and
Washington will fall in
days. Chicago and Los
Angeles a few weeks later.
Muslims
created the
global
warming hoax
so we
bankrupt
ourselves
switching to
renewable
energy
Michele
Bachmann
“Within six months the
invaders will establish an
Islamic caliphate here in
America. Headscarves will
become mandatory. Churches
will be burnt to the ground
and mosques erected in their
place. Christian virgins
will be raped in the streets
by roaming gangs of Yemeni
thugs.
“This is why the global
warming lie is so dangerous.
It’s clearly part of a
larger plot to destroy the
western world and establish
a global Islamic empire. We
need to expose these climate
change scientists for the
radical Muslims they are
before it’s too late."
Cavuto attempted to get
Bachmann to roll back her
comments, asking the former
congresswoman if she had
considered for a moment the
possibility that climate
scientists might be correct
in their conclusions.
Within six
months the
invaders
will
establish an
Islamic
caliphate
here in
America.
Headscarves
will become
mandatory.
Churches
will be
burnt to the
ground and
mosques
erected in
their place.
Christian
virgins will
be raped in
the streets
by roaming
gangs of
Yemeni
thugs.
Michele
Bachmann
“Neil, my cousin’s husband’s
best friend is a science
teacher at Ramsey Middle
School here in Minneapolis,”
Bachmann explained, “and he
says that the Earth has
actually been getting colder
for the past 50 years.
“Why would Todd lie to me? I
tell you what, I trust him
more than that Muslim guy
leading the
Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change!”
Rajendra K. Pachauri has led
the IPCC since 2002,
overseeing the publication
of several authoritative
reports on the issue of
climate change and its
causes. He was born in India
and is a practicing Hindu.
Bachmann represented
Minnesota’s 6th district
from to January of this
year. She decided not to
stand for reelection in 2014
after a failed presidential
campaign in 2012 nearly led
to her defeat.
It's always interesting to
watch older generations
dictate and decide what we,
the young, should do.
I believe the latest policy
aimed at young people is
headed straight for the bin
marked "failure".
An interesting and serious
example of this is the
solutions presented to
combat the radicalisation of
young people. Older
generations mean well and
are trying to find the
answers to a growing
problem. But when it comes
to young people, it is hard
to know what is going on in
our minds.
IS creates a sense of
heroism within young men
such as Jake Bilardi, and
government policies won't
counter that.
When there is already so
much resistance from young
people to any
government-designed idea, it
is not going to work.
The government's response?
To do exactly that by
introducing a Countering
Violent Extremism (CVE)
program, in which community
organisations specialising
in education or counselling
can apply for extra funding
and become service
providers. The government
identifies who is at risk of
radicalisation and forces
them towards these service
providers. Essentially, this
program is saying to at-risk
young men: "we think you
would do something wrong and
we're here to stop it". It
pushes them further down the
path of radicalisation.
My generation was born into
the internet. It has become
the avenue for radical
preachers to target young
men. And for young men to
reach out to others, form
friendships and concoct
plans. The internet has
become one of the most
powerful tools for the
dissemination of ideas and
Islamic State has harnessed
this power very effectively
and persistently. In my
experience, empowering young
people with the ability to
question what is presented
to them, especially in the
face of terrorism or
extremist ideologies, is
another preventative
strategy.
To some extent the solution
is education. Schools,
universities and vocational
institutions provide an
opportunity to gather young
people, some radicalised and
at risk, and deliver the
same message to them all.
Ideally education should
transform the way people
think and act. It must
assume its central role in
helping people to forge more
just, peaceful, tolerant and
inclusive societies. If our
system taught this to all
young people, we most
definitely would not be
having these conversations
today. Although within my
group at school we don't
talk about radicalisation
and Islam, perhaps it would
help if we did. Making
issues taboo and off-limits
may well be worsening the
situation.Instead, open,
thorough conversations about
the issues of the day
empower young people to
analyse what is presented to
them.
Rather than government
policies and forced
programs, community leaders
should be utilised. With a
greater chance of engaging
young people, they are
trustworthy and approachable
figures. The positive thing
about radicalisation is that
it operates in networks.
Connnecting with just one
individual opens a pathway
to others. The ripple effect
that follows is powerful.
During my work as youth
ambassador for the Cancer
Council, I noticed that
connecting with just one
young person from a certain
group opened up
communications with many
others. Young people bind
together, principally
because we feel we are a
generation misrepresented
and not cared for.
"I don't blame them for
going to fight," one of my
male friends revealed to me.
Intrigued, I probed him
further. "We face the
never-ending pressures of
school, the burdens our
parents bestow upon us and
our own sense of ambition to
mean something in the world.
For many young men, IS
provides an escape and a
sense of meaning. It takes
them away from the problems
we face in our lives and
introduces an ideology that,
in essence, is prevailing,"
he said.
He is right
Many radicalised young
people did not have strong
religious views before
joining IS. IS just
encapsulated everything good
to them. Within young men,
IS creates a sense of
heroism, advocating the
misconception that in this
war between the West and
extremism, those who join IS
will emerge as valiant
heroes.
They see that it takes a
huge amount of bravery to
venture alone to Syria, to
fight for a group you hardly
know, and to leave behind
everyone you love. Some
great force is needed to
push young men to this
consequence. Unfortunately,
IS has discovered it and is
using it.
Perhaps this is what our
politicians and decision
makers need to realise.
Treating the radicalisation
of young people as a
national security issue and
introducing blanket policies
is not the answer.
Consulting young people and
community leaders could well
be.
Rizina Yadav is a Year 10
student at Merewether High
School.
Just Media Advocacy (JMA)
wrote to the columnist about
several issues in the
article. In it he referred
to the Catholic faith as “a
controversial dogma.”
JMA enquired as to how the
PM might feel about his
faith being associated with
the phrase as well as the
term “sneaky” which was also
used.
JMA also highlighted that
the columnist singled out
halal certification for
scrutiny but did not state
whether the federal
government certification
proposal should include
kosher products or not.
Finally, he inaccurately
reported that the Grand
Mufti of Australia was
appointed by Muslims
Australia.
Mr Bolt agreed to correct
the error and subsequently
removed all online
references including several
negative imputations to the
current Mufti of Australia.
We are looking to supply
wholesale and retail Halal Quails to the Brisbane
area.
We need to ascertain the viability of the project
and are asking business and private enquirers to
email or text us if they would like to purchase the
Halal Quails.
We can also supply Quail eggs if this is something
that people would like to consume.
New TSA Precheck
Program Offers Expedited Interrogations For
Muslim Passengers
WASHINGTON—In an effort
to streamline the process for qualifying
travelers, officials from the
Transportation Security Administration
introduced a new precheck program
Thursday that provides expedited
interrogations for Muslim passengers.
“Whenever I fly, there’s
always a long wait in line before I get
pulled aside for a security check and
ushered into a back room where I’m
grilled about my identity and
background; but for just $120 and a
short appointment, all of that waiting
is removed, and I can skip straight to
being questioned at length by law
enforcement,” said Akron, OH resident
Asma Soubra, who, along with other
accepted applicants in the program, will
be allowed to bypass other passengers
and proceed immediately to a small,
windowless interrogation room in the
airport where officers will take turns
attempting to pin extremist sympathies
onto her.
“I used to have to get to
the airport so early to make sure I
could get through the line and then all
the intrusive searches of my belongings
and the inquiries about my travel plans,
religious values, and political beliefs.
Now, I just show up four
hours before my flight, jump ahead of
everyone else, go right into the holding
cell for a few hours of invasive
examination, and then I’m on my way.”
SA officials also confirmed they were
planning to offer the expedited
interrogations to non-Muslim travelers
who simply look like they are from the
Middle East.
SAUDI ARABIA: Sara Omar,
grandma of US President Barack Obama, has
emphasized the significance of the Prophet
Muhammad exhibition in Makkah and said it
reflects the moderate teachings of Islam
that calls for tolerance and rejects
violence.
Sara has come to Makkah with
her son Saeed Obama, uncle of President
Obama and her grandson Mousa Obama to
perform Umrah.
She commended the Saudi
government’s efforts to expand the two holy
mosques.
Sara and her family members
visited the Prophet’s show, which is located
in the Naseem district of Makkah, for two
hours. “I am very happy to visit this
exhibition, which is a good example for the
propagation of Islam in a modern way,
supported by scientific and authentic
documents.”
Obama’s grandma also
expressed hope that the exhibition would
visit other countries with the support of
the Saudi government in order to remove the
misunderstandings about the divine religion.
US judge allows
'Muslims killing Jews' ads on buses
New York judge says ads are protected speech
and similar campaigns have run in other
cities without inciting violence.
USA: United States federal
judge has ordered New York's Metropolitan
Transportation Authority (MTA) to display on
its buses a controversial ad that refers to
Muslims killing Jews, rejecting the argument
that the ad could incite "terrorism" or
imminent violence.
In his ruling, published on Tuesday, US
District Judge John Koeltl in Manhattan said
the ad from the American Freedom Defense
Initiative (AFDI), which had previously run
in Chicago and San Francisco, was protected
speech under the First Amendment of the US
Constitution.
Similar AFDI campaigns have also run
elsewhere, including in Washington DC.
The ad portrays a menacing man wearing a
scarf around his head and face, includes a
quotation "Killing Jews is Worship that
draws us close to Allah" attributed to
"Hamas MTV", and then states, "That's His
Jihad. What's yours?"
Koeltl said he was "sensitive" to security
concerns, but noted that the MTA and
Chairman Thomas Prendergast "underestimate
the tolerant quality of New Yorkers and
overestimate the potential impact of these
fleeting advertisements. It strains
credulity to believe that New Yorkers would
be incited to violence by ads that did not
incite residents of Chicago and San
Francisco".
MTA buses and subways are often forums for
policy debates. The agency has accepted
other ads from the AFDI, which is
characterised as an anti-Muslim group by the
Southern Poverty Law Center.
MTA spokesman Adam Lisberg said the agency
is disappointed in the ruling and is
reviewing its options.
The judge suspended the effect of his order
for a month to leave time for appeals.
Is state
Islamophobia coming to a UK classroom near
you?
We cannot allow our
schools to become seeding ground for this
latest wave of state Islamophobia, says Max
Rosenberg.
UK: The National Union of
Teachers conference attracted front page
headlines over Easter for its stand on
Prevent, the government so-called
‘anti-extremism’ strategy. Previously a
voluntary scheme, Prevent has now become
statutory under the Counter Terrorism Act
(CTA). The union conference position
represented a beacon of principle against
state Islamophobia.
Since January, we have seen a
steep rise in anti-Muslim racism: a wave of
demonising coverage followed the Charlie
Hebdo murders; a political and media
backlash was mounted against CAGE, the human
rights organisation for Muslim prisoners;
Theresa May announced new Tory manifesto
pledges including the power to close Mosques
and religious ‘supplementary’ schools. May
declared ‘game over’ for ‘non-violent
extremists’ while Nigel Farage referred to a
Muslim ‘fifth column’ out to kill us.
Meanwhile the election campaign is panning
out to be the most racist in decades.
Not surprising then that
teachers’ delegates gave example after
example of Muslim students refusing to
express their opinions for fear of being
labelled extremist. NUT conference heard how
whole classes shut down in silence at the
mention of Charlie Hebdo and students would
not admit they found the cartoons offensive
in case they were reported. Prevent officers
have told teachers that a student who goes
on a demonstration against the bombing of
Gaza should be treated as a suspect; even
charitable work for Palestine has been
challenged. This is the tip of a growing
iceberg.
Celebrating their
achievements, Time magazine has named
several Muslim leaders and icons in its 2015
list of The 100 Most Influential People in
the World on April 16.
The annual list showcases
five categories; Titans, Pioneers, Artists,
Leaders and Icons.
Muslim leaders like Nigerian
President Muhammadu Buhari, Indonesian
President Joko Widodo and King Salman bin
Abdul Aziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia were
named by the Time.
Iran’s foreign minister
Mohammad Javad Zarif and the Iraqi Prime
Minister Haider al-Abadi were also included
in the list.
Influential Muslim women like
Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai and
Afghanistan's first lady, Rula Ghani, were
also mentioned for their crucial lure in
championing education and women's rights.
British
Muslim women 71% more likely to be
unemployed due to workplace discrimination
UK: Discrimination against
Muslim women in the workplace means they are
much more likely to be unemployed than white
Christian women - even when they have the
same qualifications and language skills -
research shows.
British Muslim women are
around 70 per cent more likely to be looking
unsuccessfully for work, according to the
University of Bristol’s Dr Nabil Khattab,
who spoke at the British Sociological
Association’s annual conference in Glasgow.
The recent national Labour
Force survey showed the unemployment rate
among Muslim women was 18 per cent, compared
with 9 per cent for Hindu women and 4 per
cent for white Christian women. This has
previously been attributed to Muslim women
being less well educated and less fluent in
English, but Dr Khattab says his data shows
the discrepancy is also likely to be
explained by employer discrimination.
KUALA
LUMPUR ― A local Muslim actress and model
voiced indignation today over the forced
removal of a church cross by a group of
Muslims in Petaling Jaya, and extended an
apology on their behalf to “my Christian
sisters and brothers”.
Wardina Safiyyah, who now
resides in Australia, also expressed hope
that the church in Taman Medan would not
take down its cross.
“I hope the cross stays
there. #letthecrossstay Please don't take
it down,” the tudung-clad actress wrote on
her Facebook page.
“My heart goes out to my
Christian brothers and sisters. I am so
sorry that you are being bullied by my
fellow Muslims,” she added.
Wardina went on to point out
that Muslims, since centuries ago during the
time of Prophet Muhammad, have always lived
harmoniously with the Christians.
She said she even believes
that Christians are the closest to Muslims.
“I sincerely with all my
heart love my Christian sisters and
brothers,” she added. Explaining, Wardina
said she understands how it feels to be a
minority and to be bullied by others because
of the faith she professes.
She said in Australia, every
time a non-Muslim voices support for
Muslims, she feels grateful and thankful.
“It means a lot,” she said.
“I hope we lend our support to the
Christians when some of 'us' treats them
with such harshness.”
“The cross is their symbol of
faith. Leave it there. Leave them alone.”
Wardina
urged Muslims to drop a flower at the
doorstep of the church in a gesture of
support after the Sunday incident.
She said Muslims have no
reason to fear the cross, as only vampires
are afraid of such symbols.
“Let the Christians worship
freely. The Prophet pbuh says 'Kindness
makes things beautiful, while violence
renders them defective',” she said. During a
protest on Sunday, a group of about 50
residents of Taman Medan gathered outside a
church in their neighbourhood to demand that
it remove the cross it had hung on its
facade.
The protesters, who were seen
liaising with the church leaders through
Umno branch leader Datuk Abdullah Abu Bakar,
reportedly claimed that the cross, a
religious symbol to Christians, was a
challenge to the area's Malay-Muslim
majority and could influence the young.
Abdullah, who was later
revealed to be the brother of
Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri
Khalid Abu Bakar, has since insisted that he
had not been leading the protest but was
merely acting as mediator between the group
and the church.
The Muslim News Awards for
Excellence 2015 shortlist
UK: The readership of The
Muslim News selected and nominated them, and
a distinguished independent panel of Judges
reviewed, deliberated and mused over the
list.
Over the next few weeks
CCN will profile one of the illustrious men,
women, children and projects deemed to be
worthy of short-listing for a Muslim News
Award for Excellence.
These exemplars of good practice, excellence
– our future role models – will be treated
to a Gala Evening in the presence of their
peers and other renowned guests in March,
when the finalists are announced for the
[16] coveted Awards for Excellence
Imams Hasan and Husayn
Children’s Award for Excellence
Maaz Bin Saud
is three times world kickboxing champion.
At the age of 11 he won his
first world title in Portugal in 2010 then
second time in Spain in 2011 and last year
he won the world title in two different
categories third time in Montreal, Canada.
The achievement crowned a
string of victories for Maaz where he won
number of tournaments including the British
Open Championships, English National
Championship, and the MAI Open Championship.
Maaz continues his studies at
his local school in Liverpool and attends
Madrassah where he is doing hafiz Qur’an
memorising – classes.
In 2010 Maaz was named Junior
Sports Personality of the Year at the
British Asian Sports Awards.
Because of his achievements
he was also invited to 10 Downing Street.
Q: Dear Kareema, I love
being in the water aqua-aerobics and swimming.
Will these activities aid in
burning calories and getting fitter?
A: Of course. Both are great for fat
burning and muscle toning.
Why don’t you step it up a notch
and try bodysurfing and stand-up paddle
boarding.
If you love being in the water,
this will be great to incorporate into your
workout routine and very challenging too.
Muscles crave pressure to get
stronger, so mix it up with your aqua and
swimming and I guarantee you will love not only
the workout, but the results as well.
Dr.
Milena Rampoldi, the translator of ‘Female Sovereigns in
Islamic States’ from Turkish to English, tells the tales of
the great women in Islamic history. From Maldives to India,
Rampoldi unravels the ‘political consciousness of Muslim
women, who are called to actively participate in Islamic
politics, to promote development, democracy and welfare in
the contemporary Islamic world’.
In this book, the
translator presents a revised English translation of the
work by the Turkish and Islamic feminist expert Bahriye Üçok
(1919-1990) who in 1990, was murdered by a parcel bomb. With
this new publication, the translator aims to allow the
rediscovery of historical studies on Muslim women governing
Islamic States, which in many cases are fundamental for
Islamic feminism today.
As Dr. phil.
Milena Rampoldi writes in her foreword: “Those can help
sources like us clearly understandable this issue from a
historical and philosophical point of view. Like in the
other two monotheistic religions, Judaism and Christianity
in Islamic culture and religious history there is a
predominating androcentric point of view, which excludes
women from social and political life even more from, by
interpreting and / or manipulating religious sources in a
misogynist way, to prove dogmatically and a-historically
decree and establish this exclusion, without permitting
other interpretations, ran thus completely and / or
negatively closing the hermeneutic circle “.
The translator’s
socio-political goal is to reactivate the political
consciousness of Muslim women, who are called to Actively
participate in Islamic politics, to promote development,
democracy, and welfare in the contemporary Islamic world.
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: The
health benefits of fennel are said to include
relief from a number of disorders. Fennel's
essence is widely used around the world in mouth
fresheners, and toothpastes. It originated in
the Mediterranean and have long been used for
culinary and medicinal reasons.
Perhaps, a combination of
fennel and carrots is just what the doctor
ordered.
Roasted Fennel and Carrot Soup
Ingredients
• 1 medium fennel bulbs with
fronds
• 300g carrots, quartered
lengthwise
• 1 medium onion, quartered
• 1 garlic clove
• 5 tablespoons extra-virgin
olive oil
• ˝ teaspoon sugar
• 2˝ cups chicken stock
• 2˝ cups water
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 tsp green chillies
Method
Preheat oven to 200°F
with rack in lowest position.
Chop enough fennel fronds
to measure 1 tablespoon and reserve.
Discard stalks and
remaining fronds.
Slice bulbs 1/4 inch
thick and toss with carrots, onion, garlic,
3 tablespoons oil, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt,
and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
Spread in a pan and
roast, stirring occasionally, until browned
and tender, 25 to 30 minutes.
Blend the vegetables in a
blender with chicken stock until very
smooth.
Transfer to a medium
saucepan and simmer until you reach the
desired consistency.
Season with salt and
pepper.
Meanwhile, finely grind
fennel seeds in grinder and stir into
remaining 2 tablespoons oil.
Serve soup drizzled with
fennel oil and sprinkled with reserved
fronds.
Cook notes: •Soup can be made
1 day ahead and chilled.
Father Flannery, a Catholic Priest, Reverend Billy Bob, a
Baptist Preacher, and Imam Mula Nasruddin all served as
chaplains to the students of Northern Michigan University in
Marquette.
They
would get together two or three times a week for coffee and
to talk shop.
One day, someone made the comment that preaching to people
isn't really all that hard - a real challenge would be to
preach to a bear.
One
thing led to another, and they decided to do an experiment.
They would all go out into the woods, find a bear, preach to
it, and attempt to convert it.
Seven days later, they all came together to discuss their
experience.
Father Flannery, who had his arm in a sling, was on
crutches, and had various bandages on his body and limbs,
went first. 'Well,' he said, 'I went into the woods to find
me a bear. And when I found him, I began to read to him from
the Catechism. Well, that bear wanted nothing to do with me
and began to slap me around. So I quickly grabbed my holy
water, sprinkled him and, Holy Mary Mother of God, he became
as gentle as a lamb. The Bishop is coming out next week to
give him first communion and confirmation.'
Reverend Billy Bob spoke next.. He was in a wheelchair, had
one arm and both legs in casts, and had an IV drip. In his
best fire-and-brimstone oratory, he claimed, 'WELL,
brothers, you KNOW that we don't sprinkle! I went out and I
FOUND me a bear. Then I began to read to my bear from God's
HOLY WORD! But that bear wanted nothing to do with me. So I
took HOLD of him and we began to wrestle. We wrestled down
one hill, UP another and DOWN another until we came to a
creek. So I quickly DUNKED him and BAPTIZED his hairy soul.
And just like you said, he became as gentle as a lamb.. We
spent the rest of the day praising Jesus Hallelujah!
The priest and the reverend both looked down at Mula
Nasruddin, who was lying in a hospital bed. He was in a body
cast and traction with IVs and monitors running in and out
of him.
He was in really bad shape. Mula Nasruddin looked up and
said: "Looking back on it, .......circumcision may not have
been the best way to start."
The Hypocrites - they think
they are over-reaching
Allah, but He will
over-reach them: when they
stand up to prayer, they
stand without
earnestness, to be seen of
men, but little do they hold
Allah in remembrance.
For information on
advertising in the CCN Business
section and be included in our Directory Listing
with a web link and a brochure, email
ccn@crescentsofbrisbane.org.
Muharram 1437 – Islamic New Year 1437 (1st Muharram
1437)
PLEASE NOTE
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.
The Tafseer gets recorded and uploaded on to our website end
of each week, please visit our website to download these
recordings at
www.masjidtaqwa.org.au.
The Tuesday and Thursdays Dars Nizame program is in Urdu,
these sessions too are recorded as well as webcasted live.
For webcast details please contact us via our website
“contact us” page. The recordings are sent via a download
link, if you are interested please again contact us via our
website “contact us” page.
Queensland Police Service/Muslim
Community Consultative Group
Meeting Dates & Times
Time: 7.00pm sharp
Date: Wednesday 11 February 2014
Venue: Islamic College of Brisbane - 45 Acacia Road
Karawatha
Articles and
opinions appearing in this newsletter do not necessarily
reflect the opinions of the Crescents of Brisbane Team, CCN,
its Editor or its Sponsors, particularly if they eventually
turn out to be libellous, unfounded, objectionable,
obnoxious, offensive, slanderous and/or downright
distasteful.
It is the usual policy of CCN to
include from time to time, notices of events that some
readers may find interesting or relevant. Such notices are
often posted as received. Including such messages or
providing the details of such events does not necessarily
imply endorsement of the contents of these events by either
CCN or Crescents of Brisbane Inc.
The best ideas
and the best feedback come from our community of readers. If you
have a topic or opinion that you want to write about or want
seen covered or any news item that you think might be of benefit
to the Crescents Community please e-mail
ccn@crescentsofbrisbane.org.
Share your
thoughts, feelings and ambitions for our community through CCN.
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.
Prof Mark
Petticrew
The
earliest fatwa against
tobacco was in 1602, but
many scholars believed
smoking cigarettes or taking
tobacco in water pipes or
other forms was harmless
until evidence of the
dangers to health began to
emerge in the mid 20th
century. Jurists pronounced
that tobacco use was makrooh
(discouraged). In many
Islamic countries, a harder
line was taken, with smoking
prohibited on the grounds
that the Qur’an does not
permit self-harm or
intoxication.
The
first ever
Sisters'
House Online
Auction is
now up and
running and
will be open
until 9:00pm
Thursday
30th of
April. More
than 50
items are on
sale ranging
from
crockery to
kattaans.
KUALA
LUMPUR ― A local Muslim actress and model
voiced indignation today over the forced
removal of a church cross by a group of
Muslims in Petaling Jaya, and extended an
apology on their behalf to “my Christian
sisters and brothers”.
Wardina
urged Muslims to drop a flower at the
doorstep of the church in a gesture of
support after the Sunday incident.
Dr.
Milena Rampoldi, the translator of ‘Female Sovereigns in
Islamic States’ from Turkish to English, tells the tales of
the great women in Islamic history. From Maldives to India,
Rampoldi unravels the ‘political consciousness of Muslim
women, who are called to actively participate in Islamic
politics, to promote development, democracy and welfare in
the contemporary Islamic world’.
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7
August 2011