THE Australian Federation of
Islamic Councils has denied
trying to embezzle thousands
from its Brisbane college
after allegations made by
its former principal.
Dr Mubarak Noor has
reportedly filed a police
complaint accusing a senior
AFIC
official and board members
of attempting to
misappropriate funds from
the Islamic
College of Brisbane.
In a report published in The
Australian, Dr Noor claimed
there was an attempt to
remove $288,000 from school
accounts as well as falsify
two loans.
The AFIC run schools were
being used as "cash cows"
for the organisation, he
later told the ABC.
But AFIC staunchly defended
his allegations in a
statement issued on
Wednesday
afternoon.
The body said the transfer
of about $280,000 from the
school's account was an
innocent mistake by the
backup signatory.
The school board treasurer
thought he was signing off
on a "noncontroversial
rental payment" to AFIC, the
statement said.
It said the mistake was
noticed afterwards and the
transaction reversed.
"The principal at the time,
Dr Noor, is not telling the
truth in his account of this
event," the statement read.
Dr Noor had been made aware
of the transaction when the
backup
signature was requested and
again when it was reversed,
AFIC claim.
Meanwhile, Queensland Police
have so far been unable to
shed light on who is telling
the truth.
"A complaint relating to a
Brisbane education facility
has been made," QPS told AAP
in a statement.
"As it is currently under
investigation it would be
inappropriate to comment
further."
AFIC's comments come after
the Islamic College of
Brisbane was named as one of
six schools to be subjected
to a commonwealth audit this
month.
A statement issued by the
office of Education Minister
Christopher Pyne said the
facilities were being
investigated over concerns
relating to financial
management and governance.
But interim principal Dr Ray
Barrett described the move
as a "kneejerk
reaction to media attention"
on Muslim schools.
The Australian Tax Office is
also reportedly
investigating for financial
irregularities
the Brisbane college, as
well as AFIC run facilities
in Sydney and Adelaide.
Source:
The Australian JUNE 03, 2015
Public Statement regarding
AFIC Schools
AFIC Media Release 3 June
2015
Recently there has been a
lot of misinformed reporting
and commentary regarding The
Australian Federation of
Islamic Councils (AFIC) and
the schools it has
established. It is
appropriate therefore that
this be corrected and the
true facts made available.
As is often the case, the
truth is more mundane and
not something that leads to
sensational headlines, but
we, the Executive Committee
of AFIC trust that this may
go some way to balancing the
debate.
AFIC is a not-for profit
organisation and registered
charity that has as one of
its main objects the
provision of education
services. In line with these
objects, AFIC has
established 6 Schools in
Australia. These are Malek
Fahd Islamic College in
Sydney, the Islamic College
of Brisbane, the Islamic
College of Melbourne, the
Islamic College of South
Australia in Adelaide, the
Islamic College of Canberra
and the Langford Islamic
College in Perth.
The schools are separate
legal entities with their
own boards and management.
Under their constitutions,
AFIC appoints the Members
and Boards of the Schools,
but does not control their
operations. AFIC also owns
the land and sometimes the
buildings from which the
schools operate and collects
rent at commercial rates.
Neither of the above facts
are unusual arrangement for
a private school. It is
common for a charity or
religious organisation to
appoint school boards or
council members of schools
it operates and it is also
common for that charity or
religious organisation to
own the premises and rent
those to the school.
This arrangement works well
for both AFIC and the
schools. The Schools avoid
having to invest in large
capital assets.
AFIC Financial Support for
its Schools The first myth
to dispel is that AFIC
somehow profits from the
schools. This is not true.
The schools cost AFIC money
every year through the
support it gives them. AFIC
provides this support in a
number of ways.
• it does not collect
all the rent due to it
from a number of the
schools, leaving the
unpaid amounts to
accumulate as interest
free loans and large
sums running into
millions have also been
written off by AFIC;
• it provides accounting
services to the schools
(with the exception of
Malek Fahd) at a
significant discount to
market rates with one
school at no cost at
all;
• it provides financial
guarantees to the banks
for commercial loan and
overdraft facilities
operated by the schools;
No charge is made to the
schools for this
facility;
• it has mortgaged all
its properties to the
bank to facilitate
borrowings of millions
by the schools or
construction of
buildings; No charge is
made to the schools for
this facility;
• it has provided
financial viability
guarantees to various
Education Departments to
support the ongoing
registration of the
schools, especially for
the Islamic College of
South Australia,
Langford Islamic College
and the Islamic School
of Canberra;
• it provides large
capital injections for
the operation of the
Islamic School of
Canberra to the tune
some $300-500,000
annually as well as
providing short-term
loans (interest free) to
meet budget shortfalls.
Islamic College of
Brisbane is also one of
those which has received
this assistance;
• it provides
significant assistance
to the Schools in their
building programs. This
includes assisting with
development applications
with councils and
approvals, bank
guarantees and rent
relief (as mentioned
above), as well as
general advice and
sometimes project
management; and among
others
• it provides the
conduit for community
backing and support for
the schools.
The reality is that AFIC's
other activities, the main
one being Halal
certification, is used to
support the schools not the
other way around. There are
no slush funds, no "millions
of dollars funnelled to AFIC"
as the Australian Newspaper
continually claims, no
payments to overseas
organisations, no "secret
arrangements" and no AFIC
official gets paid for the
work they do. We are all
volunteers. As a charity,
AFIC's financial accounts
are independently audited
and lodged with the ACNC and
so, open to public scrutiny.
AFIC has nothing to hide
financially.
The AFIC has been
continually reviewing its
standards of accountability
and financial governance.
The assumptions from the
early days was that where
AFIC was providing support
to its schools that this
support would be repaid once
the schools were able to do
so. Some 5 years ago, AFIC
started documenting its
arrangements with the
schools and entered into
services agreements for the
services it offered, which
at that time were more
comprehensive than
simply the accounting
services now provided.
Malek Fahd
The most notable of these
involved Malek Fahd where
the NSW Department of
Education withdrew financial
assistance from the school
and has been demanding the
return of $8.5million in
funding paid to it during
2010 and 2011 on the basis
that the school was
operating for profit. Malek
Fahd's position is that it
was not operating for profit
during that time. It has
disputed the claim of the
Education Minister and the
matter is currently before
the courts.
What should be made clear is
that a number of media
organisations have reported
that Malek Fahd paid the
$8.5 million to AFIC and
AFIC was forced to pay this
back or variations on this.
It has also been reported
that the School has repaid
this amount to the NSW
Government. These are
totally wrong and should be
corrected. The dispute with
the NSW Minister is
currently in court.
Scaling back of Services to
Schools
As a result of the issues
and disputes surrounding the
service arrangements, AFIC
has since been scaling back
its services arrangements
with the schools,
reconciling any anomalies in
the accounting for these
services and subjecting all
its financial arrangements
to more stringent scrutiny.
This program is almost
complete with AFIC only
waiting on a new round of
independent valuations of
the properties leased to the
schools so that it can
ensure that the rent is
properly set at market
value.
Currently the only services
being provided to the
schools are centralised
accounting services and AFIC
has recently decided to
withdraw from these services
as well. These are being
transitioned to the schools
over the next few months.
After this, AFIC will be
providing no services at all
to the schools. This should
finally put to rest the
false and unsubstantiated
allegations that are
floating around and allow
the schools to focus on what
they were established for -
to provide quality education
in a moderate and inclusive
Islamic environment.
Control of the Schools'
Finances
Much has been made of
allegations that AFIC
somehow controls the
finances of the schools and
can transfer money at will
from the schools to AFIC.
This is again totally
incorrect. AFIC has provided
accounting services on a
contract basis to most of
the schools, but this does
not equate to control of the
finances of the schools.
Firstly, the AFIC staff
providing the services are
accountants and employees,
not officers of AFIC.
Secondly, they are under the
direction of the School
management, which ultimately
means the principal and
board of the school.
Thirdly, AFIC does not have
the bank authority to make
any electronic transfer of
funds to AFIC.
Islamic College of
Brisbane
In relation to the
allegation that
approximately $280,000 was
transferred by AFIC from the
accounts of the Islamic
College of Brisbane in 2012,
this was a case where the
back-up signatory (School
Board Treasurer) mistakenly
thought he was being asked
to provide the second
authority to the banks for a
non-controversial rental
payment to AFIC. When the
school's standard
reconciliation process
caught up with the
transaction it was
immediately reversed and
flagged to the Principal.
The Principal at the time,
Dr Noor, is not telling the
truth in his account of this
event. Firstly, the email
sent to the back-up
signatory requesting his
signature was also sent to
Dr Noor, so he knew of the
transaction. Secondly, Dr
Noor only knew it had been
approved by the back-up
signatory after the reversal
of the transaction and upon
being advised by the AFIC
accountants. He played no
part in "uncovering" this
transaction or reversing it.
Similarly Dr Noor is
incorrect in his allegation
against AFIC that it has
inflated the financial
accommodation allowed to the
school. This is the
so-called "phantom loan". As
discussed above, AFIC has
allowed schools, including
the Islamic College of
Brisbane to underpay the
agreed rent whenever the
school was short of funds.
The "loan" is the balance of
this accommodation.
There was no inflation of
the "loan" by some $600,000
by AFIC or anyone as claimed
by Dr Noor. All that
occurred was that the
external auditor required
that the balance was
recognised in a previous
financial year, so this
amount showed up as an
adjustment in the accounts
for the following year.
There was no change in the
balance owed to AFIC from
this, just a difference in
how it showed up in the
accounts. From what we
understand, this was
explained to Dr Noor on a
number of occasions, but he
continues not to grasp this.
Allegations about other
schools
The unfortunate thing is
that notwithstanding Dr
Noor's clear inability to
understand financial
accounts, he has undertaken
his own "audit" of the
accounts of other AFIC
schools and has made
nonsensical allegation about
them. These were picked up
by the media and the result
of these baseless
allegations, and their
constant republishing by the
media is that all the AFIC
schools now are being
subject to an audit by the
Commonwealth Education
Department and the
reputation of
these schools and AFIC is
being seriously and probably
permanently damaged.
AFIC does not dispute the
right of the Education
Minster to require these
audits - he really had no
choice with all the media
pressure, and we are sure
that the schools will be
given a clean bill of
health.
School Policies
There have been reports,
again in the News Ltd press
as well as elsewhere that
the AFIC schools are turning
"hard-line". AFIC
categorically denies this
notwithstanding the fact
what hard-line means. AFIC
has a limited ability to
influence the policies at
the schools. That is a
function for the individual
school boards. AFIC can
however say that it is not
aware of any policy, formal
or informal that has been
implemented at any of the
schools that would support
this allegation. AFIC can
also confirm that the
Islamic education curriculum
taught at the schools is
moderate in its views and
compliant with the
requirements of the various
state governments, and the
religious teachers employed
to deliver the set
curriculum are properly
scrutinized. It is wrong and
irresponsible to claim that
AFIC is importing "hard
line" clerics .
AFIC has established these
schools so our children can
grow up as part of
Australia, not separate from
it, contributing to the
Australian culture and way
of life. We emphatically
deny and reject any
allegation to the contrary.
Efficiency of the schools
In closing, there have been
a lot of uninformed comments
on social media about
"wasting money on Islamic
education", and the like.
For reference, the AFIC
schools are among the most
efficient in the country in
terms of using government
funds. The school community
is primarily from lower
socio-economic areas, so
they do receive a high
proportion of government
funds per student, but the
schools also use these very
efficiently. The table
below, taken from the "My
School" website compares the
2014 annual per student
expenditure (comprising both
private fees and government
funding) of the AFIC schools
with a selection of public
and private schools in
Sydney, including those
serving the same
socio-economic groups.
Further information
Should you require further
information, please contact
AFIC by email on
admin@afic.com.au. The
Australian Federation of
Islamic Councils
LOGAN’S attempts to escape
its “Bogans from Logan”
reputation are being hurt by
its councillors making
comments that some people
should “go back where they
came from”, community
leaders fear.
While the city’s mayor and
others have campaigned to
clean up its image, Logan
Chamber of Commerce
president Bill Richards said
comments from some
councillors could damage the
good work.
“That’s just bloody
hopeless,” he said.
“Those councillors should go
back to where they’re from.
You have to get rid of that
sort of talk.”
“We can do without that sort
of attitude. We need our
leaders to be up and
progressive and positive
about Logan.”
Last year, there was a
“Gotta Love Logan” campaign
to promote a positive image.
But at Tuesday’s full
council meetings, some
councillors used the forum
to say Muslims who “don’t
love our country should go
back where they came from”,
raise concerns about Sharia
law and demand action
against extremists.
Councillor Phil Pidgeon
(pictured right) said
people who did not love “the
Australian way of life”
should “go back to where
they came from” – but
insisted he did not specify
Muslims.
Other councillors demanded
local Muslim leaders should
publicly denounce extremism,
despite many of them having
done so repeatedly.
Local Government Minister
and Deputy Premier Jackie
Trad said it was a mistake
to single out all Muslims as
belonging to extremist
perspectives.
“Political leaders have an
obligation to lead and
govern for everyone in the
community and to contribute
to community cohesion, not
social divide,” Ms Trad
said.
Federal Member for Rankin
Jim Chalmers said that at “a
time when there is some
edginess in our community,
it is the role of elected
representatives at all
levels to lead by example
and to promote unity and
understanding”.
A Muslim community leader
posted the following message
after a meeting this week:
I couldn't make this up,
even if I tried. Sat
through a meeting today
where three white middle
age males (of middle to
upper middle class
backgrounds) had the
audacity to say to me as
well as other Muslims
present that we had no
right to complain about
feeling marginalised,
discriminated against,
under siege or under
resourced.
In fact, one of them
said that he himself
gets bullied (apparently
he's been called a f*&^%
Pentecostal Christian)
and he just sucks it up
so why shouldn't Muslims
just do the same?
Another one agreed and
was furious that
governments had grants
to assist Muslims while
there was absolutely no
support for Christians.
"Where is all the
support for Christians?"
he exclaimed.
Oh yes, did I mention
that these three men are
some of our elected
leaders?
Logan football club
Rochedale Rovers boots out
anti-Islamic group
A community group has been
barred from meeting at a
Logan football club, after
Rochedale Rovers officials
found out they were planning
to host anti-Islamic
speakers.
Logan City Safe Communities
is one of several groups
campaigning against a
proposed mosque in Slacks
Creek, and was due to hold a
meeting at the club on
Monday night.
However Rochedale Rovers
called off the meeting after
senior club figures saw a
pamphlet distributed by the
group with the headline:
"How safe will your family
be as Islam grows in
Logan?".
LCSC spokesman Chris Newman
said Logan residents should
"stop turning a blind eye"
to Islam.
"There's a lot of evidence
that what was once a
peaceful Australian,
multi-ethnic community has
been invaded by an outside
force that is seeking to
colonise," he said.
"We already have evidence of
a suicide bomber from Logan,
we have evidence there is a
cadre of young people from
Logan who have served in
ISIS and some of them have
come back."
Mr Newman confirmed Muslims
were not welcome at their
meetings.
"Why would you invite a fox
in to meet the chickens?" he
said.
In a statement on the
Rochedale Rovers website,
the club's board said it did
not realise the group would
be discussing religious
issues during its meeting.
"Football has no boundaries
in terms of religion and
culture; and as such, the
Board has determined that it
would not be appropriate to
use our club facilities to
host any forum discussing
these matters," they said.
Club officials rejected
claims by Mr Newman that
they called off the meeting
because of threatening phone
calls and text messages.
Monday's event was set to be
sponsored by other
anti-Islamic groups
including the Freedom &
Heritage Society of
Australia and Australia Wake
Up!
There has been heated debate
over the proposal for a new
mosque at Slacks Creek, with
more than 1000 people
signing petitions in March
calling for the plans to be
scrapped.
The premises is currently
occupied by a Jewish group
who plan to sell their site
to the Islamic community.
One petition cited "national
security issues" as a
concern about the mosque,
along with traffic
disruptions and because
there are three mosques in
surrounding suburbs.
Who are we:
We are called
“Islamic Cultural
Centre of Brisbane”
We have been based
in Brisbane since
2008 and currently
run a Boarding
Madrasah, alim
course for boys on
144 Persse Rd.
Runcorn. We also
have boarding
madrasahs for girls
based in Melbourne
and Sydney. We are
based in Australia
for the last 40
years and our head
office is based in
Melbourne. We are
from Turkish
background but 80%
of our students are
from various
nationalities.
What do we do:
We Provide a
balanced Religious
and academically
after school
education and also
boarding alim course
to the youth in the
community around
Logan area.
Currently we have 12
boarding students
(boys), and 21
daily. We also have
girls attending the
after school classes
which is led by
muallimahs.
Our current
programme:
In the Morning we
wake up for Tahajjud
and pray Fajr. The
students sleep again
and wake up again at
6:30 for breakfast
and prepare for
school. After school
we pick the students
up and have two
hours of religious
studies from 4pm to
6pm which includes,
Alif Ba, Qurani
Karim, Tajweed, Fiqh
and Ahlaq lectures.
At 6pm we have
dinner and after our
prayers our students
get ready for
tutoring for their
academic studies
which is between
7pm-9pm. 9:30 is
sleep time.
What are our
plans:
We are in the
process of
purchasing a 6.5
acre property in 74
Garfield Road,
Berrinba for
$650,000 with a
settlement date on
the 21st of August.
It is a three minute
drive from the
Islamic Collage of
Brisbane. There is a
property on the land
which will help us
to kick start our
service. Our plan is
to build a complex
which includes a
Boarding Alim
Course, swimming
pool so our
students, especially
our daughters, can
have swimming
classes in the right
environment, a child
care kindergarten
facilities,
multi-purpose hall
for youth and events
to make the Madrasah
self-sustainable.
Our vision and
aim:
Our aim is to raise
our future ulema
right here in
Australia and to
raise the
consciousness of our
Muslim youth coupled
with a strong
academic background
based on a proper
religious
foundation,
developing young men
and woman who will
relate to the
community and who
will make a positive
change in the
greater community.
What we want from
you:
We are holding a
fundraising dinner
on Saturday June
13th and would like
your assistance and
support, and invite
you to invest in
your hereafter and
make a generous
donation towards
purchasing this
boarding Madrasah.
Please help us to
establish a boarding
Madrasah that will
provide the Muslim
youth of Brisbane
their much needed
place of education.
Please give us a
chance to introduce
our self and
services. Lastly and
most importantly
your Duas.
We are looking
forward to seeing
and meeting with you
on the 13th,
insha'Allah
Shajarah
Islamic Education held “The
Montessori Toddler Workshop”
on Wednesday 2 June.
Parents and grandparents who
attended left the workshop
with a fresh outlook on
creating learning
possibilities for children
in their formative years.
The focus was on creating
opportunities for children
which were creative and
simple, and implementing
strategies and ideas in a
home environment to promote
the development of the
child. An environment which
would encourage the
independence of the child.
Participants, who included
parents (as well as babies
and toddlers), were able to
explore the various
activities and possibilities
and gained a hands on
experience!
The Montessori approach
which lends itself
handsomely towards gaining
this independence,
concentration and inner
discipline was the primary
focus. Of course the Islamic
tenets which are an integral
part of our lives is
embedded in this learning as
it provides opportunities
for our children to play and
learn and to respect their
environment, setting the
sound foundation for our
future generation. As stated
by our beloved Prophet
Muhammed (Peace be upon Him)
“Acquire knowledge and
impart it”, and this is the
aim of Shajarah Islamic
Education.
Due to the positive response
from the workshop we will be
hosting a repeat of the
workshop:
Inshallah. If you are
interested in securing your
place at the workshop please
contact our offices on
0416952868 or 3172 6884.
Email
shajarah_islamic_fdc@outlook.com
Keep reading CCN for an
update on our upcoming
workshop Inshallah!
From asylum seeker to Aussie
spinner, Fawad Ahmed is
tipped to make his debut in
the Australian test cricket
team, five years after he
arrived here as a refugee.
Controversial Liberal
Senator Cory Bernardi's
parliamentary inquiry into
food certification - really,
halal certification - has
been receiving all sorts of
wonderful and well thought
out submissions from the
public.
Mr Bernardi has long held
fears about where the money
paid for halal certification
"ends up" - he has referred
to it in the past as a
"racket" - including whether
it helps fund terrorist
groups or religious
activities in Australia.
He says he's keen for the
inquiry to "establish all
the facts" about
certification. The
Australian Crime Commission
said last year it found no
links between halal
certification and the
financing of terror groups.
Submissions to the inquiry
have been trickling through
and more are being uploaded
by the day.
Here's 11 that stood out
from those received so far.
Fasting hours during this
year's Holy month of
Ramadan, set to begin from
June 18 or 19 based on moon
reports in different parts
of the world, will be the
longest in Denmark and
shortest in Argentina,
according to the latest maps
recording fasting hours
across the world.
While Muslims in Denmark
will observe the longest
fasting period in the world
- for 21 hours, those in
Argentina will fast the
least number of hours - 9
hours and 30 minutes,
according to a report
published by
emirates247.com.
As per the global map, other
countries with long fasting
hours include Iceland,
Sweden and Norway of about
20 hours. The Netherlands
and Belgium with 18 hours
and 30 minutes; Spain 17
hours and 30 minutes; while
England and Germany at 16
hours and 30 minutes.
Those in the US, France and
Italy will fast for 16
hours. Besides Argentina
where Muslims will fast for
the least number of hours,
Australia will observe fast
for 10 hours, South Africa
10 hours and 30 minutes;
Brazil 11 hours; Mexico 13
hours and 20 minutes this
Ramadan.
The Indian subcontinent
along with the Arab states
will observe medium fasting
hours - which varies from a
minimum of 14 hours to a
maximum of 16-and-a-half
hours. In Pakistan, Muslims
will observe fasting for
about 14 hours whereas in
India fasting hours during
this years Ramadan will be
around 14 hours and 30
minutes.
Those in Egypt will fast up
to 16-and-a-half hours; and
people in Bahrain, Saudi
Arabia, Tunisia and
Palestine for 15 hours. In
Yemen, fasting period will
be 14 hours and 50 minutes;
in Qatar 14 hours and 40
minutes; Kuwait, Iraq,
Jordan, Syria and Algeria,
Morocco and Libya, Sudan
will observe 14 hours.
According to astrologers,
the northern hemisphere will
observe not only the longest
fasting period but also the
most heat in at least 33
years during this Ramadan.
This is because of the Sun
passing over the Tropic of
Cancer in the northern
hemisphere, making it the
peak of summer in the
northern hemisphere and
winter in the southern
hemisphere.
This year's Ramadan is also
said to be the hottest in
recent history as most of
the world are under
scorching heat. While India
is facing the hottest ever
summer this year, it is
predicted that temperature
in some parts of Saudi
Arabia may touch 65 degrees.
The 16th annual National
Walk Safely to School Day
was held on Friday 22 May.
The primary school children,
along with their parents,
carers and teachers were
encouraged to walk and
commute safely to school.
This year, Australian
International Islamic
College primary students and
teachers participated for
the first time in this event
and organised a healthy
breakfast for our students
at D.J. Sherrington Park,
Inala.
The school aims to encourage
its students to lead a
healthier, more active
lifestyle by including a
walk at the beginning and
end of each day to achieve
at least 60 minutes of daily
exercise to help prevent
obesity and other health
problems. The event also
promotes reduced
car-dependency, greater use
of public transport, cleaner
air, improved diets and road
safety to primary school
children throughout
Australia.
“Walking is a fun and
healthy way to get to
school, but it’s important
to remember the road can be
a dangerous place,” Mrs
Banwa, Principal of AIIC
said.
This is the message that
went out to the pupils:
“Remember to stop, look,
listen and think before
crossing the road and be
careful around cars on
the drive-way or road.
“Hold mum or dad's hand
(or a trusted adult)
when crossing the road
and use the children’s
crossings when crossing
the road at school.”
"Alhamdulillah, it was a
great successful event, Dr
MN Islam, AIIC Operational
Coordinator told CCN. "I
would like to thank all the
students, parents, carers,
teachers and staff who
actively participated and
made this event very
successful."
Criminal lawyer
and anti-terror law expert Rob Stary,
Ghaith Krayem, president of the
Islamic Council of Victoria and
author Yassir Morsi, at an anti-Islamophobia
forum in Melbourne on Sunday.
Islamic Council of
Victoria’s president tells
anti-racism forum proposed
laws to allow the
immigration minister to
revoke citizenship were
aimed at Muslims
Australian Muslims are
living in trauma because
they had been singled out
for political purposes, a
leading Islamic leader said
on Sunday.
The president of the Islamic
Council of Victoria, Ghaith
Krayem, told an anti-racism
forum in Melbourne that the
federal government’s plans
to allow the immigration
minister to revoke the
citizenship of dual
nationals found to join or
support terrorist groups
“would make criminals of
people based on suspicion
and suspicion alone”.
He said it was clearly aimed
at Muslims, as two people
fighting with Kurds against
Islamic State had returned
to Australia without charge.
“But the moment a Muslim
says ‘I want to come home’,
what does our prime minister
do? If you come home, you’ll
be arrested, and the full
force of the law will be
applied.
“Let’s be honest. Let’s not
be ostriches. Those laws are
designed and they are going
to apply to our community
our community alone.”
Krayem said the intention to
strip dual nationals of
citizenship without a court
process – and the debate
within the government over
the suggestion that sole
nationals may also lose
their citizenship if there
is another country to which
they can apply – would be
based on the minister’s
discretion. There would be
limited review, and the
person would not have the
right to know the
intelligence provided to the
minister.
The forum was attended by
about 300 people of diverse
backgrounds and revealed the
depth of feeling within the
Muslim community about what
many saw were unnecessary
laws and rhetoric that gave
ammunition to extreme groups
such as Reclaim Australia
and the United Patriots
Front. That group held a
rally in Richmond at the
same time as the forum, with
speakers decrying halal
certification and Sharia
law.
“The Muslim community is a
community under siege,”
Krayem said, pointing out
the small amount of money
given to social programs
within the Muslim community
compared with the $1.2bn
boost in funding for
intelligence agencies and
law enforcement in the May
budget. “It’s a community in
trauma.”
Rob Stary, a criminal lawyer
who has defended several
people accused of terrorism
offences, said that since
the 9/11 attacks in New York
and Washington in 2001,
Australia had passed more
than 50 terror-related laws
and spent more than $30bn on
the “war on terror”. He said
the result had been a
polarisation of the
community as the government
used the fear of terrorism
to pursue wars in
Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria.
“What we are seeing is a
sophisticated and
coordinated pattern and
attack on the Islamic
community … to ensure there
is no dissent, no
examination of our role in
Afghanistan, Iraq and
Syria.”
Many speakers and members of
the audience spoke of the
everyday difficulty of
living as a Muslim,
particularly for women who
wore the hijab. Others were
wary of leftwing groups
using the issue to discuss a
broader social justice
agenda.
“Racism comes from the
progressive left as much as
the conservative right,”
academic Yassir Morsi said.
Others spoke of the fear
that Muslims had about
speaking out strongly
against laws they saw as
unfair and about community
disquiet over heavy-handed
police raids.
The meeting discussed plans
to counter Reclaim Australia
rallies planned for July.
More than 100 police on foot
and horseback close streets
and stand between competing
protests to prevent repeat
of April’s clashes
Protesters jostle
with police during the dual rallies
in Melbourne on Sunday
A significant police
presence has kept anti-Islam
protesters and anti-racism
activists apart at opposing
rallies in Melbourne.
Reclaim Australia splinter
group United Patriots Front
organised a demonstration
outside Richmond Town Hall
on Sunday afternoon,
prompting a counter-rally by
a group called Campaign
Against Racism and Fascism.
More than 100 police
officers, including mounted
police, were at the rally
and kept the two crowds
apart. Police on foot and
horseback surrounded the
town hall and blocked off
streets to traffic.
When about 50 UPF members
marched towards the town
hall chanting “Aussie,
Aussie, Aussie” and “I am
Australian”, and holding the
Australian flag, they were
surrounded by police.
But it was not long before
the much larger crowd from
Campaign Against Racism and
Fascism drowned out their
chants with slogans such as:
“fuck off Nazis” and
“Muslims are welcome,
racists are not”.
The rally face-off ended
after police created a safe
passage for the UPF members
to leave.
UPF said Sunday’s gathering
was a response to what it
called the leftwing violence
members of its group
experienced during clashes
at Federation Square on 4
April over extremism and
other issues.
A PRESTON resident has made
lending support to Muslims
affected by racial
vilification as easy as the
click of a button.
Susie Latham last month
helped to launch
voicesagainstbigotry.org, a
platform allowing
Australians to add their
name to a list of people
condemning racial
vilification against
Muslims.
The list swelled to almost
400 names in just over a
week, and continues to grow.
Constant stories of racial
abuse directed towards
Muslims were too much for Ms
Latham, who saw the
individual pain and
suffering caused by acts of
bigotry.
“I don’t think people
realise how it impacts on
individuals,” Ms Latham
said.
“If you don’t agree with
what’s being said there’s
nowhere to say ‘hey, if
you’re saying stuff about
Muslims you’re not saying it
on my behalf.’”
Rumours of an anti-Muslim
political party planning to
launch in Australia in late
2105 was the final insult
for Ms Latham, who set about
creating the website
alongside friend and human
rights academic Linda
Briskman.
“It’s just something that
was the final straw for me,
I just thought we don’t
really need that sort of
thing in Australia, we
should try to at least
provide an alternative
voice,” Ms Latham said.
Voicesagainstbigotry.org
includes anecdotes from
Muslims who have been
subjected to racial abuse,
many of which exhibit the
individual suffering often
caused by the words of
bigots.
One anonymous Muslim told of
his experience working in a
halal butcher where a woman
shouted racial abuse at
himself and his cousin,
calling them “boat people”,
rapists and “murderers”.
“The whole of the shopping
centre was watching. No one
said a word,” the supporter
wrote. “As she was storming
us with hatred words my mind
was away. Believe me l hated
myself.”
“I never felt frightened,
not even during the killing
days in central Baghdad, but
that day at the butcher shop
l was horrified, frightened,
less secure.”
Islamic Association of
Australia president Muhammad
Wahid said the Muslim
community often felt the
sting of racial abuse, and
welcomed the support from
those who signed
voicesagainstbigotry.org.
“We do receive a lot of
abusive emails, but you can
count on your fingers the
people who email or ring to
say ‘we are with you, and we
sympathise with you,’” Mr
Wahid said.
“The website is a good
initiative,” he said. “It’s
very welcomed in the
community.”
Figures show Muslim people
are school-smart but
job-poor compared with
general population.
Researchers have
found evidence of religious
discrimination
Australian employers are
choosing candidates based on
whether or not they have a
foreign name, with Muslims
suffering the most,
researchers say.
A Muslim professor told The
Australian there was
evidence of religious
discrimination, and studies
were pointing to employment
bias against
foreign-sounding names in
job applications, particular
Middle Eastern names.
The International Centre for
Muslim and non-Muslim
Understanding director Riaz
Hassa said figures from the
2011 Census revealed, in the
prime employment age group
of 25 to 44-year-olds, 7.4
per cent of the Muslim
population was unemployed,
compared with 3.8 per cent
unemployment for the general
population.
“There is clearly
institutionalised
discrimination in the labour
market in Australia,”
Professor Hassan said.
Professor Hassan said he
cited a study by Australian
National University
economists that involved
sending out 4000 fake
employment applications and
gauging the call-back rate
based on race.
That study found people with
Anglo-Saxon names had
significantly higher
call-back rates and people
with Middle Eastern names
the lowest, he told The
Australian.
One well-qualified Muslim
woman had applied for junior
positions using her real
name. When she reapplied
using an anglicised name,
she received a call back in
30 minutes.
When scanning the Census
2011 figures for school
completion rates and
university qualification –
the statistics did not
mirror Muslim employment
numbers.
Muslim males had a 45 per
cent Year 12 completion rate
compared with 37 per cent of
the general population, and
a 17.9 per cent university
qualification rate against
13.9 per cent for all
Australians.
For Muslim women, Year 12
retention was 42 per cent
(compared with 40 per cent)
and university
qualifications were 15.3 per
cent (against 16.5 per
cent).
But in
the prime
employment
age group of
25 to
44-year-olds,
54 per cent
of the
Muslim
population
was employed
compared
with 78.4
per cent of
the general
population.
The Census data showed
Buddhism was the next
religion in line for
unemployment with 27.2 per
cent with a university
degree, 24.1 per cent
completing Year 12, and a
jobless rate of 8.6 per
cent.
Professor Terence Lovat
of the University of
Newcastle, who led a 2011
study into Muslim labour
force experiences, agreed
the Muslim community seemed
to be suffering genuine
religious discrimination.
Last
Sunday, Dr Anver
Omar knocked up his
10th Comrades
Marathon in a row,
earning him his
permanent number.
Disabled school
children cheer on
runners along the
route.
Anver
(57) and Yusuf Omar
(25) (sporting
CresWalk t-shirts)
completed the 89km
up-run from Durban
to Pietermaritzburg
with son, Yusuf, in
a creditable time of
just over 11 hours.
Dawn
fajr prayers at the
start of the run in
front of the Durban
City Hall where over
22,000 local and
international
runners lined up.
Mostly, Muslim students are
taught about inventions and
discoveries of Muslims and
they list hundreds and
thousands year old
inventions by Muslims.
But one important fact needs
to be highlighted that
Pakistani scientists, too,
have a great contribution in
where the world is standing
today.
There are hundreds of
capable scientists which
have worked on prestigious
scientific missions and many
of them even have invented
numerous things in their
disciplines.
This list of greatest
Pakistani scientists prove
that Pakistan is not far
behind anyone in development
of today and has a
contribution in the modern
world.
Even though resources in the
country are minimal, yet
these brilliant minds were
stronger enough to take over
the circumstances.
3) Amjad Farooq and Basit
Farooq
They made world's first
computer virus in 1986. It
was made for MS-DOS
operating systems. The virus
used to infect the boot
sector of storage media
formatted with the DOS File
Allocation Table (FAT) file
system. This virus was
suppose to stop and track
illegal copies of their
disk.
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Nick Connery: There
is no ‘War on Christianity’ by Muslims in
the U.S.
Opinion
US: Lately I’ve been consistently reading
opinions about a “War on Christianity” and I
have to say the idea that Christianity is
being targeted in order to advance Islam is
a completely groundless concept.
In order to metaphorically “stick it” to
Muslims, anti-Islam rallies are popping up
all over the Southwest, first in Texas, and
now in Arizona. After the shooting in Texas
by known terrorists, organizers in Arizona
decided to have another “Draw Muhammad”
cartoon contest last weekend in order to
bait Muslims to react violently. The goal
may be advertised to advance free speech,
but really we know that the goal is to goad
violence from Muslims in order to fuel
anti-Muslim sentiments and stereotypes that
Islam is a religion of unadulterated
violence.
To understand what’s really going on in the
U.S. let’s look at the amount of hate-crime
violence that Muslims face in the United
States every year compared to Christians.
The FBI reports in 2013 there were 1,223
victims of anti-religious crimes, and of
those victims, about 60 percent were Jewish,
14 percent Muslim, 6 percent Catholic and 4
percent Protestant. So, by the FBI standards
nearly 75% of all religious-based crime in
our nation had Jewish and Muslim victims.
Now imagine if Muslims in the U.S. had a
rally specifically to patronize and mock
Jesus Christ. Christians would be outraged.
In fact anytime Muslims seem to rally to
promote Islamic tolerance Christian groups
seem upset.
For example, there was the large Christian
gathering that interrupted and heckled
Muslims during the Muslim Capitol Day in
Texas in January. Then the next month a
similar event happened during a Muslim rally
in Oklahoma when a young Muslim girl tried
to sing “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Finally
let’s not forget the now infamous
controversy, protest and outright disdain
over a proposed Islamic Community Center
being built in New York City two blocks away
from the World Trade Center site.
This is where the root of the problem lies.
There are people in this nation who after
9/11 believe that Muslims cannot be American
and therefore aren’t entitled to American
rights. They think acts of foreign and
domestic terrorists should define a whole
race of people, and Muslims are de facto
subordinate to Christians.
Our nation is one of tolerance, especially
religious tolerance, and the way we’ve been
treating Muslim-Americans since 9/11 has
been disgusting. A 10-second Google search
could cite a dozen articles of bigotry and
outright violence against Muslim-Americans
and pro-Islamic organizations within the
past year.
I deployed to Iraq in 2008, and in my
company there were two Muslim-American
soldiers. I wonder sometimes how they feel
when they see these acts of blatant
prejudice against fellow Muslims. There is
no “War on Christianity” by Muslims here in
the United States, so let’s stand together
to stop this propaganda from further
disenfranchising American citizens, some of
whom have fought and died for this country.
Nick Connery, 28,
is an Army veteran of Operation Iraqi
Freedom and serves in the Missouri Army
National Guard. He lives in Jefferson City.
US Muslim wins hijab
case against Abercrombie & Fitch
The company denied
Elauf the job on the grounds that
wearing the scarf violated its 'look
policy'
US: The US Supreme Court has
ruled in favour of a Muslim woman who filed
a lawsuit after she was denied a job at the
Abercrombie & Fitch clothing chain because
she wore a headscarf for religious reasons.
On an eight to one vote, the
court handed a win on Monday to the US Equal
Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), a
federal agency that sued the company on
behalf of Samantha Elauf, who was denied a
sales job in 2008 at a store in the state of
Oklahoma when she was 17.
The company denied Elauf the
job on the grounds that wearing the scarf
violated its "look policy" for members of
the sales staff, a policy intended to
promote the brand's East Coast collegiate
image.
The ruling was welcomed by
the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR),
which campaigns for the civil liberties of
Muslim communities in the US.
"We welcome this historic
ruling in defence of religious freedom at a
time when the American Muslim community is
facing increased levels of Islamophobia,"
said CAIR National Executive Director Nihad
Awad.
"We applaud Samantha's
courage in standing up for her rights by
contacting CAIR, which led to the EEOC
lawsuit and to our amicus brief filed with
the court."
The legal question before the
court was whether Elauf was required to ask
for a religious accommodation in order for
the company to be sued under the 1964 Civil
Rights Act, which, among other things, bans
employment discrimination based on religious
beliefs and practices.
Elauf was wearing a
headscarf, or hijab, at the job interview
but did not specifically say that, as a
Muslim, she wanted the company to give her a
religious accommodation. The EEOC has
reported that Muslims file more employment
claims about discrimination and the failure
to provide religious accommodations than any
other religious group.
This video features several
reverts to Islam explaining how their lives
changed. Among those interviewed is Sverrir
Agnarsson Ibrahim, said to be the first-ever
Icelandic convert to Islam.
Married Couple Teams
Up To Become Middlebury College's Muslim
Chaplains
Muslim Chaplains Beau
Scurich and Naila Baloch pray with
students at Middlebury College.
US: Many of the country’s
most prestigious universities have hired
Muslim chaplains in recent years to offer
spiritual support to their Muslim students.
Middlebury College, one of America’s oldest
liberal arts schools, outmatched them all.
The small rural Vermont school hired Beau
Latif Scurich and his wife, Naila Baloch, in
the summer of 2014 to share the full-time
Muslim chaplaincy position.
The 30-somethings, who were previously
chaplains at Tufts and Northeastern
universities, are the first married couple
to share a full-time Muslim chaplaincy
position at a U.S. college.
Baloch is a religion and astrophysics
graduate with a master’s in theological
studies who grew up in a mixed Sunni-Shia
household in Pakistan; Scurich is an
American Muslim convert from California with
a degree in Islamic studies and Arabic.
They met in Northern
California four years ago at the University
of Spiritual Healing and Sufism and were
married in 2012.
“As a pair they bring a great mix to the
table, because their own journeys represent
in particular ways what some of our own
students are experiencing,” said Laurie
Jordan, chaplain of the college. “Naila was
an international student at Williams College
so she knows what it is like to come to a
small rural school from a far away country
and try to navigate something completely
different from the large urban setting where
she grew up, and where Islam is the cultural
norm and background for daily life. Beau on
the other hand went to a California high
school and is an American convert to Islam —
so he is familiar with the kind of
backgrounds and experiences of our domestic
students who are Muslim.”
Baloch said they don’t share the same views
on everything, and they have to make sure
one doesn’t overshadow the other. Scurich
said they often ran meetings and attended
events together this year, but admitted they
are working on curbing overwork by dividing
their responsibilities and their time more
equitably.
Sohaib Nazeer Sultan, co-president of the
Association of Campus Muslim Chaplains and
Princeton University’s first Muslim life
coordinator and chaplain, estimated that
there are around 50 Muslim chaplains at U.S.
colleges, including around 10 full-time.
Many more hold part-time positions — some
splitting their time between two
institutions — and several are volunteers.
(The first Muslim chaplain at any major
university in the U.S. was Yahya Hendi, who
was hired by Georgetown in 1999.)
Student beaten for
falling asleep during Quran class
A school prefect went beyond
his call of duty by kicking
and slapping a Form One
student for falling asleep
while reading the Quran.
ALOR SETAR - MALAYSIA: A
14-year-old boy in a boarding school in
Kubang Pasu who was unable to focus on
reading the Quran due to sleepiness was
called out of the surau and beaten by a
prefect.
In the incident on April 24, the victim did
not retaliate despite being kicked and
slapped as there were 10 other prefects
surrounding him.
“The prefect even challenged me to a fight
because I am training in taekwondo,” Harian
Metro quoted the boy as saying.
That same night, the victim was called out
again and slapped by a Form Five student.
The boy’s parents have lodged a report with
the Bukit Kayu Hitam police and requested
for the transfer of their son to another
school.
Kubang Pasu OCPD Supt Abd Rahim Abdullah
said police had referred the case to the
boarding school and the district education
office and would not investigate further.
United Airlines
faces boycott after Muslim woman denied soda
over 'weaponization' fears
US: United Airlines has been
threatened with a boycott after staff
refused to give a Muslim woman a sealed soda
can saying she might use it as weapon. Her
supporters are calling on travellers to
choose other airlines.
Strangers across the internet are supporting
31-year-old Tahera Ahmad, who was refused an
unopened can of Diet Coke on a
Chicago-Washington DC flight on Friday.
She said she was “in tears of humiliation
from discrimination” after a flight
attendant told her “we are unauthorized to
give unopened cans to people because they
may use it as a weapon on the plane.”
When she asked for an unopened can, she was
reportedly told: “Well, I’m sorry. I just
can’t give you an unopened can, so no Diet
Coke for you.”
However, Ahmad quickly noticed that the man
next to her had been given an unopened can
of beer. When she brought this to the flight
attendant's attention, the employee promptly
opened the man's drink.
"She was clearly discriminating against me,"
Ahmad wrote.
When Ahmad pointed this out to other
passengers, a male passenger said: “You know
you would use it as a weapon so shut the
f**k up.”
The flight attendant did apologize, saying
he "acknowledged it was unethical and said
he never should have said anything.” The
pilot also apologized and walked her to the
service desk at Reagan National Airport, so
she could file a formal complaint.
But while support for Ahmad continues to
roll in, others in the Twittersphere are
less sympathetic – with one alleging that
United Airlines will be the “safest airliner
in the world” if Muslims boycott it.
How One Pakistani
Town Mastered Religious Tolerance
PAKISTAN: Pakistan has become
synonymous with terrorism. On most local and
international news channels, we hear about
minorities getting slaughtered at the hands
of extremists; attacks on temples, churches,
imambargahs; or the forced conversions of
Hindus and Christians in the country.
I reckon you might be pleasantly surprised
to know that there is a small town in
Tharparkar, a district of the Sindh province
where none of this is happening.
Mithi is one of the few towns in Pakistan
where Muslims do not form the majority. In
this quiet portion of a sprawling desert,
both Hindus and Muslims have lived together
like brothers since the creation of
Pakistan.
In our
village,
Hindus and
Muslims have
been living
together for
decades and
there has
not been a
single day,
when I have
seen a
religious
conflict. No
loud speaker
is used for
Azaan at the
time when
Hindus are
worshiping
in their
temple, and
no bells are
rung when it
is time for
namaz.
Nobody eats
in public
when it is
Ramazan and
Holi is
played by
every member
of the
village.
Women only watch
football to stare at men's thighs: Saudi
cleric
SAUDI ARABIA: A Saudi cleric
faced the wrath of social media on Sunday
after he issued a fatwa stating watching
football should be ‘haram’ for women since
it is only watched so they can stare at
men’s thighs.
In a fatwa that has been the subject of much
ridicule, the local mosque imam ruled that
women “do not care who wins the match, all
they care about is watching the player’s
thighs.”
He added that a “woman seeing a foreign man
is sinful, so what about seeing his thighs
and tight kit?”
Angered by the fatwa, an opinion piece
translated in English by the Saudi Gazette
stated, “I cannot describe how embarrassed
and annoyed I was after listening to a fatwa
issued by a local mosque imam.”
UK:
C of E crisis as it loses 1.7m followers -
and Islam gains 900,000: Former Archbishop
Lord Carey warns: 'Church is a generation
from extinction'
The Church of England has suffered a
dramatic slump in its followers, shocking
new figures show.
Between 2012 and 2014, the proportion of
Britons identifying themselves as C of E or
Anglican dropped from 21 per cent to 17 per
cent – a fall of about 1.7 million people.
Over the same period, the number of Muslims
in Britain grew by nearly one million,
according to a survey by the respected
NatCen Social Research Institute.
Former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey
warned last night that unless urgent action
was taken, the Church was just ‘one
generation away from extinction’.
The number of Anglicans in Britain has
dropped from about 10.3 million to 8.6
million, and will raise fresh fears over the
future of the Church of England, which has
been in decline since the 1960s.
Hajra Khan
(Captain, Pakistani Women's Football
Team)
Hajra Khan is one of the
best female football player
in the country. Born in
1993, the young lady is
leading the Pakistani women
football team. She plays as
a midfielder for Diya
Women’s Football Club (DWFC)
Karachi and as a striker for
the national women’s
football team. Hajra Khan
and Shayla Baloch to be
signed by an international
women football club
(Maldivian National Women’s
Football team).
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
Uthman Dan Fodio Award for
Excellence in Community Development
Penny Appeal is one of the fastest
growing charities in the UK, which aims to
make charitable giving affordable.
In just five years, Penny
Appeal’s growth has been phenomenal. The
charity now operates in thirty countries
across Africa, Asia and the Middle East,
benefiting the maximum number of people
possible through its core campaigns.
The charity began by
supporting orphans in a small village in
northern Pakistan and enabling them to
attend school. Since then its orphan care
programme has expanded to include other
areas of Pakistan and also other countries.
Penny Appeal opened its first
orphanage, Mera Apna Ghar, in January 2012
and, in 2014, opened an orphanage in the
Gambia. OrphanKind is the name given to the
charity’s orphan sponsorship programme which
provides orphans with first-class care
within a loving foster family and a good
education.
With a strong online
presence, a growing band of volunteers and a
variety of fun or extreme fundraising
challenges to get involved with, Penny
Appeal appeals to the young as well as to
traditional givers. Penny Appeal is based in
Wakefield, West Yorkshire and has offices in
Bradford and Islamabad.
Q: Dear Kareema,
I have been working on my upper body for a while
and now I need to strengthen and tone my legs.
I’ve started doing step and cycle classes and am
wondering what else I can do?
A: Squats and walking lunges are great
because you’re using your body weight while
doing it.
They are perfect for
Strengthening and toning calf and thighs
muscles.
The leg press
machine is another good option and is a great
challenge for strength.
While you may not
think so, Yoga will compliment all of the above
exercises and leave you feeling long, lean and
strong.
The Muqaddimah, often translated
as "Introduction" or "Prolegomenon," is the most important
Islamic history of the premodern world.
Written by the great
fourteenth-century Arab scholar Ibn Khaldûn (d. 1406), this
monumental work established the foundations of several
fields of knowledge, including the philosophy of history,
sociology, ethnography, and economics.
The first complete English
translation, by the eminent Islamicist and interpreter of
Arabic literature Franz Rosenthal, was published in three
volumes in 1958 as part of the Bollingen Series and received
immediate acclaim in the United States and abroad.
A one-volume abridged version of
Rosenthal's masterful translation first appeared in 1969.
This Princeton Classics edition of the abridged version
includes Rosenthal's original introduction as well as a
contemporary introduction by Bruce B. Lawrence.
This volume makes available a
seminal work of Islam and medieval and ancient history to
twenty-first century audiences.
Why Mark Zuckerberg wants
everyone to read 14th-century Islamic book 'The Muqaddimah'
Ibn Khaldun is considered by
some historians to be one of the most influential texts in
the fields of historiography and sociology.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s 2015 New Year’s resolution
was to read an important book every two weeks and discuss it
with the Facebook community.
Zuckerberg’s book club, A Year of Books, has focused on big
ideas that influence society and business. His selections so
far have been mostly contemporary, but for his eleventh pick
he’s chosen “The Muqaddimah,” written in 1377 by the Islamic
historian Ibn Khaldun.
“The Muqaddimah,” which translates to “the introduction,” is
an early attempt at stripping away biases of historical
records and finding universal elements in the progression of
humanity.
Ibn Khaldun’s revolutionary scientific approach to history
has established him as one of the foundational thinkers of
modern sociology and historiography.
The influential 20th century British historian Arnold J.
Toynbee described “The Muqaddimah” as “a philosophy of
history, which is undoubtedly the greatest work of its kind
that has ever yet been created by any mind in any time or
place,” according to the Encyclopedia Britannica.
Zuckerberg explains his latest book-club pick on his
personal Facebook page:
It’s a history of the world
written by an intellectual who lived in the 1300s. It
focuses on how society and culture flow, including the
creation of cities, politics, commerce and science.
While much of what was believed then is now disproven
after 700 more years of progress, it’s still very
interesting to see what was understood at this time and
the overall worldview when it’s all considered together.
The majority of
Zuckerberg’s book club selections have been explorations of
issues through a sociological lens, so it makes sense that
he is now reading the book that helped create the field.
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:This
chicken can be made in advance and frozen right
up to Step 3. It is ideal to have in Ramadaan.
Sesame
Seed Chicken Schnitzel
6 pieces of Breast Chicken tenderized, made flat
and cut into rectangular pieces.
You can request your
butcher to supply you with the schnitzel.
Step 1
Marinade chicken with the following for approx ½
an hour.
1 tsp crushed garlic
I tsp salt
1 tsp red chilli powder
½ tsp garlic flakes
1 tsp crushed jeeru (Cumin seeds)
½ tsp black pepper
Step 2
Dip chicken into the following mixture:
1 cup buttermilk
Juice of I lemon
2 Tab Perinaisse
¼ tsp black pepper
½ tsp red chilli powder
Step 3
Coat Chicken in the following mix:
1 pkt Cream Cracker or Arnott’s Jatz Original
Biscuits crushed
¼ cup Sesame seeds
½ tsp red chilli powder
Coat chicken well by
pressing the chicken between 2 hands so that the
crumbs do not fall out.
Step 4
Grease oven tray with butter or ghee or olive
oil. Place the chicken on the tray and place
pieces of butter, on top of the chicken pieces
or drizzle with olive oil and bake for approx
15mins on one side then turn over and repeat.
Chicken must be golden brown in colour and
tender.
Serve with a perinaisse dip, chips or baby
potatoes and a healthy green salad.
Those who believe (in the
Qur'an), and those who
follow and the Jewish
(scriptures), and the
Christians and the Sabians,
any who believe in Allah and
the Last Day, and work
righteousness, shall have
their reward with their
Lord: on them shall be no
fear, nor shall they grieve.
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 Monday and Tuesday's Madina Arabic Course 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: TBA
Venue: Islamic College of Brisbane - 45 Acacia Road
Karawatha
Articles and
opinions appearing in this newsletter do not necessarily
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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.
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The
CCN Inbox: Letters
to the Editor
Shajarah
Islamic Education held “The
Montessori Toddler Workshop”
on Wednesday 2 June.
–
Resident
UK:
C of E crisis as it loses 1.7m followers -
and Islam gains 900,000: Former Archbishop
Lord Carey warns: 'Church is a generation
from extinction'
post comments on
our Wall
7
August 2011