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On
Sunday, the 7th June, the
Islamic College of Brisbane
held their Big Winter Fete,
organised by the College
Parents’ Advisory Committee.
This was a great day for our
Brisbane community to get
together with something for
everyone - rides and
activities for the kids, a
terrific variety of stalls
and different ethnic
cuisines. The winter sun was
shining brightly and
thousands turned up to
sample the food and fun.
The International Food Court
was a great success with an
amazing array of food from
many nations being sold.
Most noteworthy were the
contributions of the
Crescents of Brisbane's
CresCafe, the Islamic
Society of Queensland and the Patel and
Limbada families who donated
100% of their profits to
CPAC.
Community stallholders
showcased a huge variety of
different clothing,
jewellery, Islamic books,
toys and homewares as well
as face-painting and make-up
demonstrations. The teachers
and students at ICB offered
a variety of fun and
interesting stalls, leading
to the ever-popular rides.
This year, the committee
received sponsorship from
Oldmac Toyota, Nissan
Springwood, Southside
Ophthalmology and Party
Depot to provide additional
rides, including the popular
Rockclimbing wall and Animal
farm.
There was an impressive
array of entertainment on
the stage throughout the
day, showcasing the
potential of the students at
ICB. Some students presented
Nasheeds and cup songs,
others a beautiful song on
Mothers and some Grade 5 and
6 students showed that they
have talent, with an
excellent performance of a
traditional Palestinian
dance. This year’s fete also
played host to an Adhan
competition and the 2nd ICB
Fete Baking competition.
The highlight of the
entertainment programme had
to be the wonderful
Multicultural Parade
showcasing 68 students, in
their traditional dress from
23 nations. It is always a
delight to watch these young
children represent their
heritage and sing “We are
Australian” together.
Before the day came to a
close, there was a Martial
Arts demonstration from Rami
Thunder, followed by an
auction where many fabulous
donated goods were sold off
in a bidding frenzy.
The
late evening Fireworks
display was definitely
bigger and brighter than any
seen before at an ICB Fete.
All proceeds raised at this
year’s event will be used by
the CPAC Committee to
purchase school resources
that directly benefit the
students that attend ICB,
such as additional
playground equipment, sports
equipment and library
resources.
The success of the fete was
truly in the hands of the
community who attended.
The CPAC Committee wishes to
thank everyone for attending
and making the day a huge
success. We would also like
to extend our sincere
appreciation to Councillor
Kim Marx and the Lord
Mayor’s Suburban Initiative
Fund for their significant
financial contribution to
the Fete.
The Islamic Society of
Algester wishes everyone a
very blessed and spiritually
uplifting Ramadaan. May
Allah accept the efforts of
one and all as we remember
each other and the whole
Muslim Ummah in our
du'as.May He shower His
choicest Peace and Blessings
upon His beloved Muhammad
Sallalahu Alayhi Wa Sallam
and grant us the taufeeq to
follow in his footsteps.
Aameen
Once again, the Saturday
night BBQs will be in full
swing during the month of
Ramadaan with our popular
CHURROS served with
chocolate being available
the 1st and 3rd Saturday in
Ramadaan.
If you would like to make a
donation towards the BBQ,
please contact Faraaz Ismail
on 0433 285 086.
If you would like to make a
contribution towards the
Churros please contact
Shaheda Osman on 0421 593
785.
All proceeds from above
sales go towards the new
Masjid.
Thanking you in advance for
your support and wishing you
all a most blessed month of
Ramadaan
A worldwide discussion has
recently gained traction
when the BBC afforded
coverage to a fatwa
(religious ruling) declared
by some scholars stating
that if ones geographical
region dictates that one has
to fast for lengthy periods
of time in excess of 17
hours, then one may proceed
to cut the time of fasting
according to Medina timings.
The fatwa has been the
subject of various scholarly
rebuttals with many
mainstream Mufti’s arguing
that Allah SWT has taken
measures to limit
difficulties by affording
exceptions to travelers, as
well as those who are ill or
pregnant and find it too
difficult to fast, as stated
in Surah Al-Baqarah. Thus,
they contend, this recent
fatwa is a misnomer as it
goes beyond the built in
leniencies and concessions
that Allah had already
given.
The discussion is still
quite intense as can be
gauged from the variety of
viewpoints showcased by the
BBC from the streets of
Norway, Britain, and
Indonesia about fasting for
such lengthy times.
Some Muslims had even
controversially gone as far
as questioning what they
considered as a
‘deprivation’ of food and
water, arguing that this
should not be the only way
to prove their commitment to
Islam.
Speaking to Cii Radio, Mufti
Adur-Rahman Ibn Yusuf
Mangera of the United
Kingdom recently addressed
this controversial ruling.
Mufti Mangera conceded that
the fatwa may have been made
with sincerity and a view to
decrease difficulty and make
fasting more manageable.
Nonetheless, he said the
Shari’ basis for the Fatwa
remained contentious
“Allah wants ease, not
difficulty for you. He
understands what challenges
there will be so for us.
(Hence) to superimpose a
further concession would
honestly seem like we are
second-guessing Allah and
assuming that Allah is not
giving us ease, and seeing
that Ramadaan is the month
of barakah and blessing,
Allah may indeed make it
easier for everyone.”
Mufti Mangera further said
that instead of cutting the
hours of fasts to align them
to Madina, if one faces
genuine difficulty in
completing a lengthy fast
(for reasons recognized in
the Shariah), one could
break the fast and atone for
it out of Ramadaan at a time
when it may be easier.
When people ask what it’s
like to work on an oil rig, I lean in and
whisper to tell them all my ‘war stories’.
The truth is, though, it’s just like real
life
‘Like anything, working as a
female in a male-dominated
industry is all of the
things – challenging,
difficult, fun, rewarding,
unexpected and above all,
completely subjective.’
Yassmin Abdel-Magied at work
Being a female in a
male-dominated workforce
makes for being a subject of
endless fascination.
The most common question
immediately after the big
reveal is an awed, “Oh, but
what is it actually like
working with all those
blokes?”
Sometimes, it’s fun just
sharing the war stories.
“Oh mate,” I’ll tell them.
“Working
on the rig is like, another
world. On land, I am usually
the only chick out of 30 or
so. Sometimes you would have
one other girl on site, but
almost never more than one.
Offshore, it’s party time!
You’re looking at maybe four
women out of 150? It’s
crazy. It’s awesome. You
should hear some of the
jokes.”
At this point, I might lean
forward, and in whispered
tones for effect, share what
I call the “crazy rig
conversations”.
“There was this one guy,
right – he was just straight
out about it,” I say. “He
was like, ‘I’m a chauvinist,
OK? I’m the last of a dying
breed. Let me just say what
I want to say!’
“I’ll tell ya, some of the
rest is unrepeatable in good
company! Get a bunch of
blokes together and anything
goes. I reckon I don’t even
hear all the good stuff,
although they do eventually
get used to you.”
Truth be told, however, that
is not the whole picture. In
fact, like anything, working
as a female in a
male-dominated industry is
all of the things –
challenging, difficult, fun,
rewarding, unexpected and
above all, completely
subjective.
What is fascinating is how
the experience of women in
industry reflects the
broader expectations of and
attitude towards women in
our society. There is a
general acceptance that
gender diversity is a “good”
thing, but some occasional
reluctance about “forcing” a
change, particularly when
affirmative action is
considered.
The Toowoomba Mosque has
been damaged three times
this year.
The West Street mosque has
been damaged three times
this year, with the latest
incident on May 16, when
graffiti was sprayed on the
outside of the building.
Police said the graffiti
appeared to be a case of
tagging, as opposed to hate
speech.
A 26-year-old Victorian man
has been charged with wilful
damage and is set to face
Toowoomba Magistrates Court
on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, police are
continuing to investigate an
arson attack in April which
caused $600,000 of damage to
the mosque.
The incident was condemned
by religious and political
leaders, including Toowoomba
mayor Paul Antonio.
"This kind of behaviour,
frankly, is a terrible
insult to the majority of
good people who call our
region home," Cr Antonio
said at the time.
In January there was a
suspicious fire when someone
forced their way into the
building and lit a fire
inside a plastic bin.
The Toowoomba Mosque opened
in January 2014 and is
located on a former
Christian church site.
We are now entering the Holy
Month of Ramadan. During
this month we actively
concentrate on the important
pillars of Islam and
spiritually connect with the
teachings of Prophet
Mohammed (PBUH).
This is the time when we
place special emphasis on
charitable donations, most
of which are usually
collected during Ramadan.
The importance of Zakatual/Fitrah
is to purify the one who
fasts from any indecent act
or speech and to help the
poor and needy. Fitrah has
been set at $10 by the
Council of Imams.
Zakaat is charity, alms,
kindness, and an official
tax which is obligatory and
must be given willingly. It
is to purify wealth, by
sharing with the poor and
needy. The Messenger of
Allah (SAW) said “He is not
a believer, he who eats his
fill, whilst his neighbour
beside him goes hungry,”
Sahih Bukari 112.
Ramadan is also a time to
acknowledge the work carried
out by your own local
charity, The Muslim
Charitable Foundation, on
your behalf since its
formation in 2009. MCF has
been transparent with all
its dealings in distributing
your donations to the needy
in the local community. At
the end of each month we
produce a case report for
anyone to source. This fund
has also ensured that
Emergency Funds have reached
the people on the ground in
disaster-hit and war-torn
countries. MCF does not take
administration costs out of
donated funds. A visit to
the website is all it takes
to confirm the transparency
of MCF. Visit
www.mcfaustralia.org.au.
As we are all aware, the
number of unemployed has
escalated over the last year
from both the public and
private sector. Consumer
confidence is low and the
business sector is suffering
as well as the unemployed.
Welfare payments are
difficult to access and many
on welfare payments have
been reassessed and have
lost some of their benefits.
Rents and electricity costs
have escalated and the
number of homeless people is
rapidly rising. More than
ever, we need our local
Muslim charity to have
sufficient funds to respond
to the call for assistance
to provide the basic
necessities for those in
need.
MCF has their special
accounts with the Bank of
Queensland: BSB 124155
Fitrah A/C 20963614
Zakaat A/C 20897312 MCF IS
NOW TAX DEDUCTIBLE
Interest A/C 20897385
General A/C 20897392
MCF has signed an MOU with
Muslim Aid who personally
distributes Emergency Relief
funds overseas. You may
specify the country you wish
to donate your funds to when
you deposit your Zakaat into
the bank and you can be sure
it will reach its
destination.
Concentration on prayer and
the rituals of Ramadan
brings the community closer
together. It is a period of
trust and spirituality and
caring for each other. This
is important in this trying
time that Muslims are
experiencing, we must
support one another.
May this Ramadan bring
happiness and contentment to
those who participate in
this Sacred Month of Fasting
and Cleansing. Peace be Upon
You
‘Our prime minister can be a
rhetorical wrecking ball,
but in no case has his lack
of subtlety been more
damaging than his remarks
about Muslims.’ Tony Abbott
at the opening of the
Regional Countering Violent
Extremism Summit, 11 June
2015.
The tone
of national conversation
around Islam and terrorism
leaves Muslims feeling hurt,
angry and bewildered. What
purpose does it serve?
Every now and then, you get
to understand – even just
for a moment – someone
else’s point of view. You
might have assumed you knew
all about it, but it’s rare
to feel it, to glimpse what
life is like for another
human being.
At a forum organised by the
Islamic Council of Victoria
on the weekend, a group of
around 100 people turned the
tables on five journalists
about media coverage of
Muslims, terrorism,
counter-terrorism laws,
police raids,
multiculturalism and the
hijab. It was polite and
welcoming – we all got a box
of chocolates at the end –
but what people wanted us to
understand was that to be a
Muslim in Australia now was
to feel hurt, angry and
bewildered.
People spoke about waking
up, day after day, to a
relentless focus on
terrorism and its implied or
specified links to Islam and
Australia’s almost 500,000
Muslims. One man believed
there was a “media jihad
against Muslims”. Some spoke
of comments beneath media
articles that were viciously
anti-Muslim, implying that
all Muslims were terrorists
or terrorist sympathisers,
and didn’t belong in
Australia.
Another, a doctor and a
board member of a well-known
Islamic school in Melbourne,
said he worried about young
people who had absorbed
anti-Muslim sentiment all
their lives. The 19-year-old
Muslim man whose photo was
mistakenly published in The
Age identifying him as a
suspected terrorist went to
ground, seriously depressed.
Islamic
Council
board member
Junaid
Cheema said
he had
recently
been called
a “fucking
Muslim” in
the street.
He joked
about it –
he liked to
think of it
as a
“cultural
exchange”.
But for a
teenager,
such things
weren’t so
easy to
brush off.
All of this,
one man
said, was
“ripping our
community
apart”.
It was
uncomfortable to hear the
pain behind the complaints.
Would it not be a tragic
irony if the focus on what
foreign minister Julie
Bishop calls the biggest
threat to the global order
since the second world war
meant that we were
alienating rather than
enlisting Australian Muslims
to help, if we were ripping
them apart?
Would it not be a bitter
irony, too, that in our
desperate attempts to stop
homegrown violent extremists
and to deter Australians
leaving to fight overseas,
we were actually fanning the
radicalisation we seek to
counter? A few days after
Tony Abbott told a regional
summit on counter-terrorism
that “Daesh is coming, if it
can, for every person and
for every government with a
simple message: submit or
die,” Cheema had a more
complex message. Islamic
State (Isis) appealed to
youth to join up because it
tells them “Australia
doesn’t want you,” he said.
At we at the point where
some Australians hear that
message and feel it to be
true?
As the
government reminds us daily,
it has a duty to protect
Australians. That’s a
complicated duty requiring a
balance between powers and
resources for intelligence
agencies and police, and
maintaining the civil
freedoms that supposedly
define us.
Our prime minister can be a
rhetorical wrecking ball,
but in no case has his lack
of subtlety been more
damaging than his remarks
about Muslims. The media
doesn’t deserve to be let
off the hook, either.
Journalists have to cover
this story, but at times
parts of the media have
inflamed fear and mistrust.
In turn, many Muslims have
come to mistrust and fear
the media.
But it is the prime minister
who is critical in setting
the tone for national
conversation on these issues
and Abbott has presided over
a breakdown in the
relationship between many
Muslims and their
government.
Some
leaders have
given up
engaging
entirely;
others are
hanging in
there. A few
are
firebrands,
sure, but
the
overwhelming
majority are
not, or were
not until
they kept
being told
they were
the problem.
It is hard to
see the Abbott government’s
approach as anything but
politically motivated as it
promotes its national
security credentials as one
of its strengths against
Labor. Back in 2011, then
immigration spokesman Scott
Morrison reportedly urged
the shadow cabinet to
capitalise on the
electorate’s concerns about
“Muslim immigration”,
“Muslims in Australia” and
the “inability” of Muslim
migrants to integrate.
That suggestion was crude
but the strategy appears to
be in place. There was the
aborted attempt to ban the
niqab from parliament last
year and Abbott’s “Team
Australia” rhetoric towards
migrants. It is hard to keep
up with the mooted new laws,
from suggestions of
cancelling the citizenship
of those who fight overseas
to trying to shut down
propaganda through banning
vilifying and intimidating
speech. Alongside those
laws, good and bad, there
are subtle digs at Muslims
generally.
“I’ve often heard western
leaders describe Islam as a
‘religion of peace,’” Abbott
said a few months ago. “I
wish more Muslim leaders
would say that more often,
and mean it.” The
implication was clear.
Muslim leaders weren’t
saying it often and if they
were, they didn’t really
mean it.
These issues aren’t easy.
More than 100 Australians
have gone to Iraq and Syria
to join Isis, at war both
with Shia Muslims and the
west’s foreign policies and
values. The mentally
unstable Man Haron Monis
held hostages for 17 hours
in Sydney in December, a
siege which left two
innocents dead. A handful of
young Muslims raised in
Australia have become
attracted to Isis’s
apocalyptic vision and
allegedly planned attacks at
home.
It’s
not that
Muslims
don’t care
about all
this – if
anything,
they are
panicked
about their
kids to the
point of
paranoia.
They point
out, too,
that the
vast
majority of
those
murdered by
ISIS are
Muslims.
Yet so defensive have many
become that they seem too
quick to denounce any
criticism as Islamophobia or
racism. And there is a
reluctance to acknowledge
that Isis and its affiliates
in Yemen, Nigeria and
elsewhere have anything to
do with Islam and the
raging, painful discussion
about its potential reform.
But really, how can we be
surprised if many Muslims
are turning inward, putting
up defences? Others soldier
on. Some groups are
mentoring young people at
risk of radicalisation.
Several are already running
or planning to run programs
to counter Isis propaganda.
Some are so furious at the
government they want nothing
to do with official
programs. Journalists
complain that Muslims are
reluctant to speak with
them.
And if they express what
they feel, if they push
back, they risk being
accused of not being “on the
team”, of not belonging in
Australia at all.
If you
are not a
Muslim,
imagine for
a moment
being in
their shoes.
Ahead of Ramadan, the
charity Islamic Relief
commissioned a poll by
YouGov to look at British
views about Muslims and
their religion.
While they found that
attitudes towards taking in
refugees - particularly
those from predominantly
Muslim countries - were
hardening, they also
discovered some worryingly
negative views towards the
religion in general.
The charity asked people to
name the three words they
associate with the term
‘Muslim’ and found that more
think of
‘terror/terrorism/terrorist’
(12 per cent) than ‘faith’
(11 per cent) or ‘mosque’ (9
per cent).
These are the most common
words Britons associate with
‘Muslim’:
Terror/terrorism/terrorist
12%
A
religion/belief
system/faith 11%
Mosque 9%
Koran/quaran
(sic) 8%
Religious 8%
Islam 6%
Extreme/extremism/extremist
5%
Levels of awareness around
Ramadan itself appear to be
slightly higher, with an
overwhelming majority of the
6,600 respondents
recognising it as a holy
month for Muslims. Although
worryingly, 15 people
thought it was a variety of
nut from South America and
24 thought it was an
endangered species of
amphibian…
Islamic Relief’s UK Director
Jehangir Malik said the
results of the survey were
“extremely worrying” because
they show that “public
attitudes towards Muslims
are hugely negative”. He
added: “It’s time we
celebrated the role British
Muslims play rather than
demonising the Muslim
community.”
However, perhaps one key
insight into the negative
attitudes and ignorance
towards Islam is revealed in
one of the survey’s tables
asking how much interaction
British people have had with
Muslims:
With terrorism and
Islamophobia in the headlines, what's it
like growing up as a Muslim in Australia?
Life Matters sat down with five young
Australian Muslims for a frank conversation
about what matters to them.
Meet Adam, Aisyah, Mariam,
Osama and Fatih: five Australians growing up
as Muslim Millennials. What are their
aspirations and frustrations? Where does
faith fit into their schooling and into
dating?
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.
5)
Sultan Bashiruddin Mahmood
Sultan Bashiruddin Mahmood
is a Pakistani nuclear
engineer. He has been an
important part of Pakistan
Atomic Energy Commission and
regarded for development of
the SMB probe to detect
heavy water leaks in nuclear
power plants. You can know
more about him by watching
his interview given to a
local Pakistani TV Channel.
David Cameron, inadvertent
PR man for Islamic extremists
Owen Jones
Of course we need to
confront perverse ideologies, but by
tarring all British Muslims, Cameron is
helping Isis to achieve its deadly aims
'Extremists
want Muslims to feel rejected,
marginalised, treated as a dangerous
'other'.
David Cameron and the Daily Mail
follows their script to the letter.'
UK: This morning, the
front page of the Daily Mail carries a
stark interpretation of David Cameron’s
speech on Islamic fundamentalist
extremism. “PM: UK Muslims helping
jihadis”, it booms in thick black text,
tarring an entire slice of British
citizens in one swoop. On which other
community is it possible to inflict such
dangerous, sweeping generalisations? The
assertion being made here – explicitly,
not even implicitly as is the norm – is
that British Muslims as a whole are
helping mass-murdering zealots
inflicting carnage across Iraq, Syria
and Libya. Extremists want Muslims to
feel rejected, marginalised, treated as
a dangerous “other” by the societies in
which they live. The Daily Mail follows
their script to the letter.
“Too often we hear the argument that
radicalisation is the fault of someone
else,” says our finger-wagging prime
minister. “That blame game is wrong –
and it is dangerous,” he suggests, as he
berated the redirecting of blame to
authorities, rather than the individual.
This is the argument of those who align
with Cameron’s way of thinking. There is
a “blame the west” mentality which
continually reduces the cause of
radicalisation to western foreign
policy. It infantilises radicalised
Muslims, they argue, stripping them of
individual agency. An evil poisonous
ideology and those who propagate it are
to blame, and nothing else.
China bans Ramadan
fasting in mainly Muslim region
Civil servants, students and
teachers prevented from fasting and
restaurants ordered to remain open in
Xinjiang region.
Uighur rights
groups say China's restrictions on
Islam in Xinjiang have added to
violent ethnic tensions in the
region
CHINA: China has banned civil servants,
students and teachers in its mainly Muslim
Xinjiang region from fasting during Ramadan
and ordered restaurants to stay open.
Most Muslims are required to fast from dawn
to dusk during the holy month, which began
on Thursday, but China's ruling Communist
party is officially atheist and for years
has restricted the practice in Xinjiang,
home to the mostly Muslim Uighur minority.
"Food service workplaces will operate normal
hours during Ramadan," said a notice posted
last week on the website of the state Food
and Drug Administration in Xinjiang's Jinghe
county.
Officials in the region's Bole county were
told: "During Ramadan do not engage in
fasting, vigils or other religious
activities," according to a local government
website report of a meeting this week.
Each year, the authorities' attempt to ban
fasting among Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang
receives widespread criticism from rights
groups.
The exceptionally
talented Joyann Geraldine
Thomas is the first
Christian woman to play for
the Pakistani women's
football team. She made her
international debut shortly
after turning 17, in 2014.
'Minister bowing to
zealots over gymnast's attire'
MALAYSIA: PKR legal
bureau chief Latheefa Koya slammed Minister
in the Prime Minister's Department Jamil
Khir Baharom for bowing to pressure from
religious zealots.
This was after Jamil Khir, who is in charge
of Islamic affairs, told Parliament
yesterday the government may review sports
attires after the national gymnast Farah Ann
Abdul Hadi's attire at the SEA games sparked
outrage among conservatives.
Despite winning gold at the games, Farah Ann
was attacked on social media for wearing
what was deemed to be a too "skimpy" outfit.
"The suggestion taken up by
the ministry to review the clothings of
athletes, stemming from perverse remarks by
some zealots - is dangerous and narrow.
"Instead of defending a woman athlete who
brought fame and glory to this country - a
government minister yesterday supported in
Parliament the call of those who criticised
her attire," Latheefa (photo) said in a
statement today.
This was also in contradiction with Youth
and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin who
defended Farah Ann, insisting that people
had no business judging the gymnast, except
for God.
Latheefa said if the government was so
interested about issues of aurat (modesty),
it should look at the wives of ministers
first.
"Why is there no such suggestion on cover up
of aurat for minister's spouses? Why pick on
our dynamic young athletes?
"In any case, aurat is not a clear cut issue
under Islam. It has been interpreted
differently by different imams, taking into
account the idea of what is decent in
different communities.
"Can an outfit worn during a sporting event
be termed as immoral or indecent? Where will
this end?" she asked.
Latheefa added that there were more serious,
un-Islamic matters that Putrajaya should
focus on, such as deaths in custody and the
stealing of public money.
Saudi Arabia hosts
UN-backed human rights summit 'on combating
religious discrimination'
Participants
'agree on importance of human rights
education'
SAUDI ARABIA: Saudi Arabia
has hosted an international conference on
human rights, attended by the president of
the UN Human Rights Council, and resolved to
combat intolerance and violence based on
religious belief.
The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)
- which has its headquarters in Jeddah -
convened the fifth annual meeting of the
Istanbul Process as the kingdom's Supreme
Court prepared to rule on the case of
blogger Raif Badawi, sentenced to 10 years
in prison and 1,000 lashes for “insulting
Islam through religious channels”. It later
upheld the sentence.
The UN HRC recently faced criticism over
Saudi plans to head up the council from
2016, in what critics said would be the
“final nail in the coffin” for the
international body.
And the Geneva-based human rights campaign
group UN Watch accused HRC president Joachim
Rücker of giving “false international
legitimacy” to the two-day conference on
religious freedoms held in Jeddah on 3 and 4
June.
According to a report in the Saudi Gazette,
the participants in the conference “began
with an agreement to put [HRC] resolution
16/18 into effect” – a pledge by all member
states to combat “intolerance and
discrimination, incitement to violence and
violence against persons based on religion
or belief”.
Millions of ringgit
stopping Islamic enforcers from giving up
power, academic claims
KUALA
LUMPUR, June 14 — Islamic authorities loathe
to reform the institutionalisation of the
religion as they will lose their coffers, a
local academic said today, pointing out that
Malaysia’s federal Islamic body receives
hundreds of millions of ringgit from
taxpayers each year.
In a roundtable discussion on
Islam and human rights today, several
speakers also criticised Malaysian religious
enforcers of repeatedly exceeding not only
their jurisdiction, but also Islamic
injunctions and teachings prescribed in holy
texts. “Institutionalisation is not simply a
religious issue.
There are economic
implications. These people will never give
up power because of the tremendous economic
benefit that they receive,” said Datuk Dr
Shad Saleem Faruqi (pictured), an
emeritus professor of law at Universiti
Teknologi Mara.
“Don’t expect them to give
that up. What as regarded as a religious
struggle is basically actually an economic
struggle.” The Malaysian Islamic Development
Department (Jakim) is budgeted to receive
more than RM783 million for its spending
this year under the Prime Minister’s
Department.
Queen's Birthday Honours:
Bank of England's Minouche Shafik leads the
business gongs
Nemat "Minouche"
Shafik joined the Bank of England in
August as deputy governor for
markets and banking, and is in
charge of unwinding the Bank's
£375bn quantitative easing programme
UK: Nemat 'Minouche' Shafik,
the Bank of England Deputy Governor, has
been named a dame in the Queen's Birthday
Honours list.
Ms Shafik, who has been in charge of markets
and banking at the Old Lady of Threadneedle
Street since last August, leads a string of
honours recognising high profile figures in
the world of regulation and finance.
Ms Shafik, who oversaw the Bank's 'Fair and
Effective Markets Review' which was
published earlier this week, received the
recognition for services to the global
economy.
Keep Moving - Just
because it’s Ramadan and the temperature is
heading south doesn’t mean your routine has to.
If anything, the cooler weather is a bonus as
you won’t feel the thirst as much as you would
on warmer days and the days a shorter:
- Implement a walking routine. Start by walking
around your neighbourhood or enjoy the walking
tracks that are not too far away from home
- Try walking after Ifthar if time permits
- If you’re a regular at the gym, try to keep it
up (check for early morning classes) so you can
still do everything you need to after work
- YOU DON’T HAVE TO PUSH YOURSELF AS HARD AS
YOUR NORMALLY WOULD - Be sure to drink water
when breaking fast and in the morning before
starting your fasting day
- Light meals and watch your portion size,
especially when it comes to the sweet treats -
If you’re fortunate enough to be home during the
day, catch some 10-minute power naps so you can
stay up at night and reap the ultimate rewards
- Stay focused and don’t let your fitness levels
drop too much – find the balance
- N-JOY and Ramadan Kareem
For
the Palestinians who live in the narrow coastal strip of
Gaza, the Israeli invasion of December 2008 was a nightmare
of unimaginable proportions: In the 22-day-long action 1,400
Gazans were killed, several hundred on the first day alone.
And yet, while nothing should diminish Palestinian suffering
through those frightful days, it is possible something
redemptive is emerging from the tragedy of Gaza. For, as
Norman Finkelstein details, in a concise work that melds
cold anger with cool analysis, the profound injustice of the
Israeli assault was widely recognized by bodies that it is
impossible to brand as partial or extremist.
Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the UN
investigation headed by Richard Goldstone, in documenting
Israel's use of indiscriminate and intentional force against
the civilian population during the invasion (100
Palestinians died for every one Israeli), have had an impact
on longstanding support for Israel. Jews in both the Unites
States and the United Kingdom, for instance, have begun to
voice dissent, and this trend is especially apparent among
the young.
Such a shift, Finkelstein
contends, can create new pressure capable of moving the
Middle East crisis towards a solution, one that embraces
justice for Palestinians and Israelis alike. This new
paperback edition has been revised throughout and includes
an extensive afterword on the Israeli attack on the Gaza
Freedom Flotilla which resulted in the deaths of nine
activists and further strained the loyalty of many of
Israel’s traditional allies around the world. It also
contains a brand new appendix in which Finkelstein dissects
the official Israeli investigation of the flotilla attack.
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
dough can be used for pizzas, bagels knotted
rolls etc. or you can vary it a little by adding
1tsp somph / fennel seeds. This recipe has been
shared by Sister Aisha.
10 minute Arabic dough
2 cups warm water
4 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoon yeast
2 cups flour
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon milk powder - secret ingredient
that makes it so soft
Mix together and set aside for 10-15 minutes.
Then add:
½ cup oil
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder (optional)
Mix and knead until
combined then use as desired allowing a further
30mins to rest after it has been shaped.
A distraught
Jallaludin went to the police station to report that his
wife was missing...
Jallaludin: My wife is missing. She went shopping yesterday
and has not come home...
Sergeant: What is her height?
Jallaludin: Gee, I’m not sure. A little over five-feet tall.
Sergeant: Weight?
Jallaludin: Don’t know. Not slim, not really fat.
Sergeant: Colour of eyes?
Jallaludin: Ooh…never really noticed.
Sergeant: Colour of hair?
Jallaludin: Changes a couple times a year. Maybe dark brown
at the moment.
Sergeant: What was she wearing?
Jallaludin: Could have been a black abaya. I don’t remember
exactly.
Sergeant: What kind of car did she go in?
Jallaludin: She went in my sports car.
Sergeant: What kind of sports car was it?
Jallaludin: Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG 6.3 7G-Tronic Edition 125
Coupe finished In Magnetite Black Metallic with Black
Leather AMG Sport Seats
and Brushed Aluminium plus Piano Black Cappings; Unmarked
19" AMG Multispoke Alloy Wheels; Tyre Pressure Monitoring;
Panoramic Glass
Electric Tilt/Slide Sunroof; COMAND Online with HDD Wide
Screen Satellite Navigation, Bluetooth Telephone
Connectivity, Multi-Media Interface
(MP3, Ipod etc), Superb Sound System With DAB and Harman-Kardon
Sound Upgrade; Leather Trimmed AMG Multi-Function Steering
Wheel with
Paddle Shift; Parktronic Front and Rear Parking Sensors;
Parking Assist; Attention Assist; Speed Limit Assist;
Electrically adjustable, heated door
Mirrors with Powerfold; Electrically Adjustable with Heated
Front Sport Seats with Memory; Electrically Adjustable
Steering Column; Bi-Xenon
Headlights with Powerwash and Auto Activation; LED Daytime
Running Lights; Cruise Control; Rear Privacy Glass; AMG
Carpet Overmats...
…at this point the Jallaludin started choking up.
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
reflect the opinions of the Crescents of Brisbane Team, CCN,
its Editor or its Sponsors, particularly if they eventually
turn out to be libellous, unfounded, objectionable,
obnoxious, offensive, slanderous and/or downright
distasteful.
It is the usual policy of CCN to
include from time to time, notices of events that some
readers may find interesting or relevant. Such notices are
often posted as received. Including such messages or
providing the details of such events does not necessarily
imply endorsement of the contents of these events by either
CCN or Crescents of Brisbane Inc.
The best ideas
and the best feedback come from our community of readers. If you
have a topic or opinion that you want to write about or want
seen covered or any news item that you think might be of benefit
to the Crescents Community please e-mail
ccn@crescentsofbrisbane.org.
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The
CCN Inbox: Letters
to the Editor
On
Sunday, the 7th June, the
Islamic College of Brisbane
held their Big Winter Fete,
organised by the College
Parents’ Advisory Committee.
This was a great day for our
Brisbane community to get
together with something for
everyone - rides and
activities for the kids, a
terrific variety of stalls
and different ethnic
cuisines. The winter sun was
shining brightly and
thousands turned up to
sample the food and fun. 
The
late evening Fireworks
display was definitely
bigger and brighter than any
seen before at an ICB Fete.
“Working
on the rig is like, another
world. On land, I am usually
the only chick out of 30 or
so. Sometimes you would have
one other girl on site, but
almost never more than one.
Offshore, it’s party time!
You’re looking at maybe four
women out of 150? It’s
crazy. It’s awesome. You
should hear some of the
jokes.”
KUALA
LUMPUR, June 14 — Islamic authorities loathe
to reform the institutionalisation of the
religion as they will lose their coffers, a
local academic said today, pointing out that
Malaysia’s federal Islamic body receives
hundreds of millions of ringgit from
taxpayers each year. 
For
the Palestinians who live in the narrow coastal strip of
Gaza, the Israeli invasion of December 2008 was a nightmare
of unimaginable proportions: In the 22-day-long action 1,400
Gazans were killed, several hundred on the first day alone.
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our Wall
7
August 2011