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Stretton
multicultural champion
Yasmin Khan (pictured
left) has been selected
as a finalist in the
prestigious Queensland
Multicultural Awards in
recognition of her efforts
to create more inclusive and
harmonious society.
Member for Stretton, Duncan
Pegg said the award winners
would be announced at a gala
dinner in Brisbane on August
22, which was one of the
most prestigious events in
the state’s multicultural
calendar and the premier
event of Queensland
Multicultural Week.
The Multicultural Awards,
which have been running for
25 years, honours
outstanding Queenslanders
who contribute to our
vibrant and multicultural
society.
“The awards recognise
individuals, businesses and
community organisations who
work and volunteer to
promote multiculturalism
across the state,” Mr Pegg
said.
“Yasmin Khan from Kuraby has
been selected as a finalist
in the Multicultural
Ambassador category for her
efforts to promote
inclusiveness and harmony
among Queensland
communities.
“I’m pleased that our local
area is well represented by
such a deserving finalist
and I wish Yasmin the best
of luck.”
23 finalists have been
chosen across the six awards
categories from 123
nominations – the highest
number in the past five
years.
Nominations have been chosen
across the following
categories:
• Services and
Communities
• Business Excellence
• Education and Training
Innovation
• Outstanding Volunteer
• Communications and
Media Achievement
• Multicultural
Ambassador
There is also the Minister’s
Award for Multiculturalism
in Queensland, with the
winner selected from the
strong field of nominations.
The 2015 Queensland
Multicultural Awards gala
dinner will kick off
Queensland Multicultural
Week from 22-30 August.
Queenslanders have the
chance to be part of the
gala dinner. Tickets are
now on sale and cost
$150 per head. They sold out
early last year, so get in
quick. The dinner includes a
three course meal, beverages
and spectacular
multicultural entertainment
throughout the night.
Mike Baird (centre)
addresses thousands of
Muslims surrounding the
mosque in the Sydney suburb
of Lakemba to mark the end
of the holy month of Ramadan
last year.
NSW’s and Victoria’s
deradicalisation programs
seem similar to the federal
government’s offering, but
Muslim leaders say there is
a world of difference
Speaking at a Ramadan dinner
on Monday, the New South
Wales premier, Mike Baird,
recalled the “desperate,
terrible times” last
December when a gunman took
hostages in Sydney’s Lindt
Cafe. He remembered the
sense of unity that swept
the city in its aftermath.
“One of the most incredible
things was standing there
with young Muslim leaders,”
Baird said. “They said to
me, they’ve never felt more
a part of this state than
they did in those days. What
a credit that is. What an
incredible thing happened
amongst us.”
Major Islamic social
services have virtually
boycotted the federal
government’s
deradicalisation efforts,
either fearing any
association with the Abbott
government, or dismissing
the programs as poorly
funded and designed. In
Victoria and NSW, the state
governments have been taking
notes.
In its state budget this
week, NSW announced $4m in
funding to counter violent
extremism. In substance, the
programs will largely echo
those of the federal
government. But their
success is staked on
something more intangible.
“Baird, the guy is
different,” says Randa
Kattan, the chief executive
of the Arab Council of
Australia and a persistent
critic of what she calls
“Arab-phobia”.
“What
happened
with the
federal
government
is that it’s
extremely
dismissive
of the
community,
that’s how
it feels on
the ground,”
she says.
“Whereas
with the
state if
feels like
it’s a bit
different,
like they’re
actually
engaging.”
The Victorian premier, too,
has struck a different tone:
more reflective than fire
and brimstone. “The
marginalisation of some of
our young people is an issue
we need to better
understand,” Daniel Andrews
said in April, following a
wave of terrorism arrests
across Melbourne.
His language reflects a
fundamentally different
understanding of the problem
of radicalisation, says
Kuranda Seyit, secretary of
the Islamic Council of
Victoria.
“[The Victorian government]
actually see this is a
community issue, not just a
law enforcement issue,” he
says.
“The way that the federal
government has handled this
has been a catalyst for the
states not to repeat the
mistakes, and basically be
seen as more sincere.
“That’s what’s lacking at
the federal government,
sincerity. When you’re
speaking to someone and you
know they’re not listening,
you can tell. The Abbott
government is sort of like
that person, they’re not
interested in the
discussion.”
Like others, he raises the
prime minister’s speech to
an international summit on
violent extremism this
month. The prime minister
told his audience of
diplomats, social workers,
and civil society leaders:
“Daesh [the term the
government prefers for
Islamic State] is coming if
it can for every person and
every government with a
simple message: submit or
die.”
Abbott persists also in
saluting Egypt’s president,
Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, for his
call that “Islam needed
nothing less than a
religious revolution to
reverse centuries of false
thinking”.
“That
language is
abrasive and
inflammatory
and only
puts us back
in terms of
addressing
the issue,”
Seyit says.
“Indirectly,
they are
jeopardising
the
successful
outcomes
we’re
working
towards.”
The funding announced by NSW
this week allocates $4m over
two years for “mentoring and
support” programs that
complement the federal
government’s work. If the
the details are still vague,
that’s by design, the
state’s multiculturalism
minister, John Ajaka, tells
Guardian Australia. “I’m
going out on a listening
tour,” he says.
“We really need a holistic
approach to this issue and
the best way we can have one
is to go out there,
consulting with the entire
community, the stakeholders,
the experts and leaders and
ensure we come up with an
appropriate plan.”
Respect would be at the
heart of his approach, he
says. “I’ve always believed
in this: respect is
paramount. I want people to
respect me, I should respect
people. The community of NSW
wants to be respected, we
should respect all our
communities.”
Victoria has established a
ministerial taskforce, led
by the state’s deputy
premier, James Merlino,
co-ordinating policy across
the education, youth,
multicultural affairs and
police portfolios.
The state has also
established a $4m social
cohesion and multicultural
research institute, a
network of social
researchers who will test
strategies, and build an
evidence base about what
works.
“We
don’t have
all the
answers when
it comes to
tackling
radicalisation,”
Merlino
says. “This
is not about
creating
unnecessary
fear or
politicians
grandstanding
to push
their own
cynical
motives.
It’s about
finding a
solution
that
protects
every
Victorian
from the
impact of
radicalisation,
no matter
their
background.”
Advocates such as Silma
Ihram, from the Australian
Muslim Women’s Association,
are wary, but she met Baird
this week. “There hasn’t
been enough consultation as
far as I’m concerned, but on
the interaction we’ve had so
far, I’m looking very
positively towards a
different approach,” she
says.
Sheikh Mohamadu Nawas Saleem,
a spokesman for the Board of
Imams Victoria, says it is
still early days, but “it
gives some sort of hope for
Muslims to see the premiers
not talking in the same
wavelength as the prime
minister. It reduces their
anxiousness”.
“And of course, when the
programs are up and running,
Muslims will probably be
more forthcoming to accept
it,” he says.
Increasingly, it appears
this crucial work – what spy
boss Duncan Lewis has called
the “silver bullet” in
blunting Isis recruiting –
will have to fall to the
states. Relations between
the federal government and
most major Muslim
organisations are bad, and
worsening.
The mosque will be next door
to the existing Catholic
church in Church St,
Maroochydore.
A mosque has been quietly
approved on the Sunshine
Coast, but with strict
conditions that would limit
worship to only three hours
a week.
Responding to community
fears about the Islamic
place of worship, the
council has also imposed a
limit on the number of
people allowed to pray
together.
The old house on Church St,
Maroochydore — to be used as
a mosque and caretakers’
residence — can only operate
on Fridays between 12-3pm,
with just 25 people
attending.
Two special days a year will
be allowed for religious
observances such as Ramadan
— between 7am and 10am and
limited to 40 people.
Sunshine Coast Regional
Council planning chairman
Christian Dickson said the
strict mosque conditions
reflected residents’
concerns about prayer noise,
but were also accepted by
the proponent.
“We’ve taken some specific
concerns of the residents
and put them in the
conditions,” Cr Dickson
said.
“So, no — there’s not going
to be people praying in the
street and no, there’s not
going to be 4am calls to
prayer; that’s not going to
happen.
“There will not be 100
people.
“We actually approached the
applicant and asked how many
people will you need and
what hours will suit your
group and we put them into
time frames they were
comfortable with.”
To worship outside those
hours or with more people,
the Islamic community would
have to reapply to the
council.
Cr Dickson said council
would enforce the
conditions.
The mosque was the focus of
an ugly community protest in
September last year which
descended into aggression
and vilification.
However other Sunshine Coast
groups such as Sunshine
Coast Safe Communities,
which opposes Sharia law,
have also indicated their
concern at the perceived
spread of Islam.
The application was approved
by council officers this
week without having to go to
a council vote because it
was “code-assessable”. This
meant the mosque was
consistent with the use of
that site, which borders
Christian churches.
Anti-mosque protesters were
countered by supporters of
religious freedom
Cr Dickson said it was not
the council’s role to look
at religion, but to assess
an application based on the
Sustainable Planning Act
2009 and the Sunshine Coast
Planning Scheme 2014.
“You’re absolutely not going
to please everyone, and many
in the community would have
liked to see the application
refused,” he said.
“But when you apply the
fairness test of law there’s
no reason to get into a
religious or ideological
debate.
“All individuals in
Australia have the right and
expectation to practise
their chosen religion in a
peaceful and non-threatening
environment.
“Regardless of our own
personal beliefs, under the
Sustainable Planning Act,
neither council officers nor
councillors can base their
assessment of this
application on direct or
indirect discrimination.”
However he encouraged anyone
with concerns about Sharia
law, mosques and other
elements of Islam to contact
their local federal member.
Islamic Relief had a
successful and fun
day at Underwood
Marketplace this
Saturday. There was
face painting,
henna, lollies and
cupcakes all for
sale. We were also
selling our Ramadan
Food Packs as well
as accepting Zakaat,
Fitra, Fedya and
Kaffarah payments.
Missed out? Don’t be
sad…we will be there
again next
Saturday 4 July 2015,
from 10am - 3pm,
just for you!
A big
shout out to Read
Little Muslims
who was selling
their Muslim
Childrens books at
the stall. All
proceeds made from
book sales were
donated to Islamic
Relief. JazakAllah
Khair! For perfect
children’s Eid
presents, check out
www.readlittlemuslims.com
The
Centre for
Interfaith &
Cultural Dialogue at
the University of
Griffith co-hosted
an Iftar Dinner on
Monday the 22nd June
This event sponsored
by Griffith
University, the
National Centre of
Excellence for
Islamic Studies and
the Centre for
Interfaith &
Cultural Dialogue,
in conjunction with
the Queensland
Intercultural
Society.
"The
event was a
beautiful success
and on behalf of our
team, I would like
to thank all of you
for spending the
evening with us. It
was great to have
the opportunity to
meet so many of you
face-to-face and see
so many faith and
community leaders in
the same room,
enjoying food and
friendship," Dr.
Brian Adams, ICD
Director told his
guests.
Outspoken Islamic scholar Dr
Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri has
created the first
counter-terrorism curriculum
that he says should be made
compulsory in schools and
universities around the
world to prevent vulnerable
teenagers from being
radicalised.
Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri
has developed courses
containing theological
rebuttals to the
interpretations of Islam
that extremists have used to
justify supporting Islamic
State.
The influential cleric and
Pakistani politician is
planning to bring it to
Australia later this year.
It’s the most
important month of year; a
time for reflection; a time
for Quran; and a time for
giving and sharing with the
needy. For over 26 years
Muslim Aid Australia (MAA)
has been trusted by the
Australian Muslim community
to deliver their Zakah,
Sadaqah, Sadaqah donations
during Ramadan to poorest
communities around the
world.
How the Australian Muslim
community has helped in the
First 10 Days of Ramadan:
•
Distribution of aid to
35 countries including
Syria, Myanmar,
Palestine, Cambodia, and
Somalia
• Provision of 21,000
iftar and suhoor meals
• Distribution of 11,000
food packs to families
in desperate need
• Distribution of aid to
the Rohingya refugees
who have recently
arrived in East Aceh,
Indonesia
• Completion of a new
water well for Syrian
refugees located on the
border of Turkey and
Syria
• Provision of 21,000
iftar and suhoor meals
• 160 new orphans being
sponsored
• Construction of 25 new
water wells in
Bangladesh, Cambodia,
Sri Lanka, India,
Indonesia, and Myanmar
The team at
MAA have pledged to
distribute over $1,300,000
in aid during Ramadan alone
and request your urgent
support to help make this
possible.
Please help reach more
places and more people in
the next 10 days of Ramadan
with Muslim Aid Australia.
To make a life changing
donation please
visit our website or
call our 24/7 toll free
number on 1800 100 786.
To donate via direct
deposit:
Muslim Aid Australia
BSB: 062 191
ACC: 1044 8216
All donations are Tax
Deductible with Muslim Aid
Australia!
Masjid al-Haram in Madinah
witnesses the biggest Iftar
in the world.
More than 12,000 meters of
table cloth are stretched
daily for Iftar in the
masjid area.
Serving approximately 300
000 Muslims a day, the daily
cost is approximately 1
million Saudi riyals (around
$290,000).
Consumption includes 130 000
litres of Zamzam, 50 000
litres of arabic coffee, 300
000 bread rolls, 50 000
litres of yoghurt and milk
and 50 000 litres of fruit
juices, 40 tonnes of dates
daily.
The iftars don’t last more
than 15 minutes. The meal is
sponsored by various
benefactors.
The number of dates consumed
daily by worshippers in the
Masjid al-Haram is estimated
to be more than 5 million
pieces.
15 minutes after the fast
ends, the entire Masjid is
spotless without signs of
any food or drink.
The cleaners of the two
sacred Mosques in Makkah and
Madinah play an important
role in making sure that
Mosques are kept clean. To
achieve that, the Saudi
government employs around
200 official and seasonal
employees, 2700 workers, 260
controllers and 100
supervisors.
The following documentary
details the work of The
Department of Cleaning and
Furnishing at the Grand
Mosque in Makkah:
One question I’ve seen
floating around on social
media a lot is ‘How do I
get my children involved in
Ramadan?’, so I put
together a post to answer
this question. Involvement
can mean a lot of things, it
can mean creating, learning,
doing, making or helping, it
can also mean so much more.
Essentially it is about
including children and
getting them to be and feel
like they are a part of
something and I think the
ideas in this post will help
you achieve that.
I had my 4 year old in mind
when writing this, but
there’s so many ideas in
this post this could range
from babies right up to
children 10 years old. I’ve
also included links to
purchase items where
relevant. So here they are,
49 Ways to get kids involved
in Ramadan:
Thousands of
Turkish people
break their
fasting at the
Blue Mosque
square in
Istanbul, during
the first day of
the holy month
of Ramadan.
Ramadan is
sacred to
Muslims because
it is during
that month that
tradition says
the Qur’an was
revealed to the
Prophet
Mohammed. The
fast is one of
the five main
religious
obligations
under Islam.
Surabaya,
Indonesia
Indonesians
Muslims pray in
the first
Tarawih as
Muslims begin
fasting for
Ramadan at
Al-Akbar Mosque
in Surabaya,
Indonesia.
"Islamic children’s books
have come a long way in
recent years. We think that
this calls for an annual day
where we celebrate great
quality Islamic children’s
books, authors,
illustrators, designers, and
MOST importantly our dear
children, worldwide, for
whom these books are a way
for them to learn more, ask
more questions, and become
confident, knowledgeable
young Muslims."
The first-ever, Islamic
Children’s Book Day using
the #IslamicBookDay hashtag
and promoting children’s
Islamic literature in your
online and offline
communities take place this
Ramadhan.
Hosted by authors Razeena
Gutta of
readlittlemuslims.com and
Emma Apple of emmaapple.com,
the hope of the organizers
is that this day "creates
awareness about great
Islamic children’s books,
worldwide".
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.
6)
Ayub Khan Ommaya
Dr. Ommaya published over
150 articles, chapters, and
books. His research focused
on cancer treatment,
traumatic brain injury, a
CSF artificial organ, and
philosophy of mind. He
developed Ommaya reservoir
in 1963. The reservoir was
the first medical port to
use silicone which is
biologically inert and
self-sealing.
China’s government wonders
how to stop terrorism in Xinjiang. Try
treating Muslims more sensitively
CHINA: Last year China
launched a hearts-and-minds operation in
Xinjiang: 200,000 officials were told to
spend time living among Uighurs in order
to understand their problems. They
clearly failed to listen hard enough.
Earlier this month, as Muslims in
Xinjiang prepared for Ramadan, rural
officials near the city of Hotan decided
to organise a beer festival. A local
news website showed pictures of men
glugging down beer in a drinking
contest. Uighurs in exile expressed
outrage; in a rare climbdown of sorts,
the report was censored.
A counter-terrorism law is now being
drafted that could allow officials to
brand any unauthorised religious
activity as “extremism”. That would play
into the hands of terrorists. The way to
peel violent extremists from the general
population is to give Muslims fewer
grievances. Heavy-handedness will only
make Xinjiang—and the rest of China—less
safe.
An Indonesian mosque
equipped with loudspeakers used
to call the faithful to prayer
is pictured in Jakarta.
Jakarta - Indonesia
has set up a new team to reduce noise
from mosques, an official said on
Thursday, as places of worship go into
overdrive during the Muslim holy month
of Ramadan.
There are approximately 800 000 mosques
in the world's most populous
Muslim-majority nation but residents
living nearby have long complained that
their speakers are too loud.
Places of worship become particularly
active during Ramadan, which this year
runs from mid-June to mid-July, when
Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset and
mosques blare out religious sermons even
earlier than usual.
In a new attempt to tackle the issue,
Vice-President Jusuf Kalla, who is also
head of a body grouping many of the
country's mosques, has formed a team to
take samples of noise from mosque
speakers across the country, his
spokesman Husain Abdullah told AFP.
“The idea is for mosques to turn down
the volume a little so that the sound
can be heard only by residents in the
immediate area,” he said, adding that
the aim was to have a “more harmonious,
melodious sound coming from mosques”.
He said that mosques also had to ensure
that the sounds they produced did not
overlap with noises from others nearby,
saying there was often a “war of the
loudspeakers” between places of worship
in the same area which try to outdo each
other by playing sermons loudly.
The new group, set up earlier this
month, had collected many samples and
would send a report to the vice
president, who planned to sit down with
Indonesia's top Muslim clerical body and
Islamic organisations and discuss how to
tackle the issue.
The new group would complement a
previous initiative, which saw around
100 teams of technicians deployed across
the country to help fine-tune mosque
loudspeakers and give advice on how best
to arrange speakers to reduce noise.
But Abdullah admitted regulating noisy
mosques across the world's biggest
archipelago nation would be tough and
called on the clerical body, the
Indonesian Council of Ulema, to issue a
fatwa on the issue.
Mahpara loves being
challenged and enjoys
playing her part as the
goalkeeper for Pakistani
women's football team.
Besides playing for the
national football team, she
plays for the Balochistan
United Team.
UK waterpark bans bikinis
and orders visitors to wear 'Islamically
appropriate' clothes
A BRITISH waterpark has
sparked fury by banning bikinis and ordering
visitors to cover up in "Islamically
appropriate" clothing.
UK: WaterWorld in
Stoke-on-Trent plans to black out windows
and provide a prayer room during a
women-only night aimed at Muslims.
Only female lifeguards will patrol the park
during the event, which has triggered a
flood of complaints.
Staff will also "guard" the front entrance
to "make sure that no males enter the
facility".
In a statement on its Facebook page, a
spokesman for WaterWorld said the Sisters
Only event would “attract ladies of all
religions/beliefs as we invite you to visit
our facility and enjoy its features whilst
having the option of wearing attire that our
normal operating procedures prevent”.
Conservative MP Philip Hollobone said: "I
imagine there would be a lot of outrage if
the boot was on the other foot and swimmers
were told they had to dress appropriately in
respect of Christians. I don’t see how this
is different."
One invitation to the "Sisters Only Funday"
advises attendees to cover their "awrah"
(nudity) by wearing full-length jogging
bottoms and a dark-coloured t-shirt.
Protesters are now planning to demonstrate
outside the event.
WaterWorld owner Mo Chaudry said: "I'm
astonished that we have been targeted. We
feel we've been victimised for offering
something that we feel there is a demand
for."
A WaterWorld spokesman told Breitbart
London: "We pride ourselves in having the
adaptability and diversity to cater to
demands of our guests.
"This is a female-only event and is not
specific to any ethnic or religious group."
The session is scheduled to take place
outside the centre’s normal opening hours,
meaning it would not restrict access to the
facilities for those who did not want to
comply with the additional dress
requirements, the statement added.
--------------------------------------------
An Express reader's response to
this article: This is absolutely
disgusting reporting. A water-park is
holding a two-hour event when the park would
usually be closed and promoting it to female
followers of Islam who would not normally be
able to attend the park because of their
religious beliefs with regards to the
exposure of their bodies in public and in
front of members of the opposite sex. There
is absolutely no problem with that at all.
There is a demand for it and it's not
affecting anyone.
This kind of click-bait is usually bad, but
to carefully word the headline in such a
misleading manner to promote racist
assumptions and the demonisation of Islam in
our country is an absolute disgrace. Whoever
wrote this should be sacked. There is enough
hatred and Islamophobia in the UK already
among the working class without a newspaper,
which should have a strict code of conduct
and ethics, actively seeking to scaremonger
the masses and make Muslims an enemy figure.
This is on par with the demonisation of the
Jews in Nazi Germany and I am absolutely
appalled.
Christians and Muslims
rebuild destroyed mosque in Bangui
Christians and Muslims are joining forces to
rebuild a mosque in Bangui, where Muslims
had previously been persecuted. The mosque
held a ceremony ahead of Ramadan, attended
by both religious groups, as well as
representatives from the French embassy.
Tidjani, Muslim (man, Sango, 14 sec): “I’m
asking all Muslims of Lakouanga that at the
start of Ramadan we all pray so that peace
comes back to our country, the Central
African Republic, and so that social
cohesion that exists between Muslims and
Christians in Loukanga, gets spread to other
neighborhoods.”
Ephrem Kosh-Komba, director of the cabinet
at the Ministry of reconciliation (man,
French, 30 sec): “It’s a commendable act, to
be encouraged and to be supported
significantly. The meaning of it is that
these are two communities that have opposed
eachother, these are two communities
somewhat at the root cause of what we’re
going through today. So we can only
encourage and especially thank the partners
like the French government, that have brough
that meaningful and important support so
that this mosque gets rebuilt.”
Charles Malinas, French embassador to the
Central African Republic (man, French, 25
sec): “The French embassy is participating
in the rebuilding of the Lakouanga mosque
which associates all the inhabitants of
Lakouabga, regardless of their religion,
Christians and Muslims, with an
organisational committee that associates
Christians and Muslims. An the mosque of
Lakouanga, the rebuilding of the mosque of
Lakouanga, is the symbol of the
reconstruction of the Republic of Central
Africa.”
Christian Aimé Ndotah, man at the initiative
of rebuilding the Lakouanga mosque (man,
French, 17 sec): “We always lived in good
harmony. Religion was never a question. And
when the mosque was destroyed, it made us
sad. I’m a Christian and pray at the parish
of the ‘Saints Martyrs de l’Ouganda’ and I
couldn’t conceive that my Muslim brothers,
some of whom are our parents, didn’t have a
place of worship.”
Salleh Ndiaye, Imam of Lakouanga mosque
(man, French, 13 sec): “In the past two
years, we haven’t been able to pray in this
mosque. And I’m staisfied like the entire
Muslim community of Lakouanga and even the
Christian community of Lakouanga of this
reconciliation.”
Persatuan Pengguna
Islam Malaysia (PPIM) president
Datuk Nadzim Johan claims that the
excessive leftovers during Ramadan
is due to over-preparation of food.
KUALA LUMPUR, June 19, 2015:
Every year during the fasting month
(Ramadan), about 270,000 tonnes of leftovers
that could still be consumed are disposed of
wastefully.
According to the Solid Waste And Public
Cleansing Management Corporation (SWCorp),
the food could have fed 180 million people,
six times the country’s population of 27
million.
If the food is arranged in piles, the height
of it would level that of 30 KLCC buildings.
KLCC is 452 metres high.
SWCorp chief executive officer Datuk Ab
Rahim Md Noor said an average 9,000 tonnes
of food were discarded daily during Ramadan.
He described the wastage as a worrying
trend.
“Food leftovers are the highest component in
the solid waste composition scale at 45%,
while the cost of managing solid waste in
the states under SWCorp reached RM1.4
billion last year,” he told Bernama.
Ab Rahim said the 9,000 tonnes of food could
have fed six million people.
Hence, he said, various initiatives had been
implemented by SWCorp, among them, an
agreement with hotels and eateries that
leftovers be donated to welfare
institutions.
The corporation oversees the solid waste
management system for Kuala Lumpur and
Putrajaya, Pahang, Kedah, Perlis, Negeri
Sembilan, Malacca and Johor.
Meanwhile, Persatuan Pengguna Islam Malaysia
(PPIM) president Datuk Nadzim Johan claimed
that the excessive leftovers during Ramadan
was due to over-preparation of food.
“The buffet spread prepared, particularly by
hotels, are enormous. In this regard, hotel
owners should set up a mechanism to penalise
customers who waste food.
“If the hotels have a mechanism in place,
I’m sure customers will think twice or
thrice about wasting food,” he said.
Malaysian Association of Hotels president
Cheah Swee Hee concurred that food wastage
during Ramadhan was a result of
superabundant preparation.
“Our association is cooperating with SWCorp
to educate the public against wasting food
particularly during the fasting month.
“To this end, we have been putting up
posters to first advise and educate, before
taking any action to penalise them, which
would be the last resort,” he said.
The association has more than 800 members
nationwide.
If I were a betting woman I’d say the future
looks pretty grim for Muslims. I’m no
pessimist, but the evidence is a bit
overwhelming. In the western world we are
witnessing the progressive
institutionalization of religious and
cultural discrimination against Muslims, and
swept along way are other faiths in which
individuals that happen to practice their
religion by wearing certain clothing and
jewelry.
We are not helping ourselves
by continuing to kill each other in Iraq and
Syria in an effort by some alleged Muslims
who seem to think that murder is a righteous
path to establishing a caliphate. Many of us
living in Muslim countries and in the West
sit idle because we mistakenly believe that
wanton mass murder has nothing to do with
us.
Western societies react to this barbarism in
typical knee-jerk fashion. For all of their
hyperventilating love to rescue the Muslim
woman from the clutches of evil men,
Muslimahs (women) are usually the first
targets of discrimination. France, a country
I once loved for its love of culture,
language and beauty, but now I fear, set the
tone some years ago by banning the hijab in
schools and government buildings and then
the niqab on French streets. It implements
draconian hate speech laws that target the
Muslim community, and ignores hate crimes
committed by others.
Turn empty Catholic
churches into mosques, French Muslim leader
says
FRANCE: France’s top Muslim
official has suggested turning empty or
abandoned Catholic churches into mosques,
saying as many as 5,000 are needed for the
country’s Muslim population - the largest in
Europe.
“It’s a delicate issue, but why not?” Dalil
Boubakeur, rector of the Grand Mosque in
Paris and the president of the French
Council of Muslim Faith, told Europe 1 radio
on Monday.
There are currently about 2,500 mosques in
France with another 300 under construction,
but the number falls short of what is
needed, he said. With roughly 5 million
Muslims in France, at least 5,000 mosques
are needed, Boubakeur said.
During the interview with French radio he
gave an example of the transition of a
church into a mosque in Clermont-Ferrand,
which was welcomed by the local religious
community. The church had been abandoned for
more than 30 years and the building was
given to the Muslim community in 2012.
"It's the same God, these are neighboring
rites, fraternal, and I think that Muslims
and Christians can coexist and live
together,” he said.
It’s not the first time the lack of places
of worship for millions of Muslims has been
brought up in France. In April, Boubakeur
called for doubling the number of mosques.
His remarks were welcomed by the Christian
community as a “legitimate” demand.
“Muslims should, like Christians and Jews,
be able to practice their religion,”
Monseigneur Ribadeau-Dumas, spokesperson for
the Bishops’ Conference of France, told
French radio station Europe 1.
However, this suggestion has been criticized
by the far-right National Front party. In
April, Florian Philippot, its
vice-president, argued France doesn’t need
more, because “100 percent of places of
radicalization are mosques.”
Q: Dear
Kareema, I’m a regular cyclist but have been
feeling a little ‘under the weather’ over the
last few months and have not been cycling as
much as I normally would. I can certainly feel
that the weight’s crept up on me and have
started back at the gym in the last few weeks.
Any suggestions on how to tackle my weight loss?
A: Assuming you’ve got clearance from
your GP, I’d say ease back into it slowly.
Try a few classes at
the gym and see which ones you prefer or suits
you.
Mix up your cardio
and strength training routines so they
compliment each other (you’ll see results
quicker this way).
Get back on your bike and set yourself small
weekly goals. As you get stronger and fitter,
set tougher challenges and be sure to make smart
changes to your diet as it plays an even bigger
role in losing weight than exercising.
The key is consistency with exercise and a
healthy diet – so make it a lifestyle change for
long term results. N-JOY!
Medieval Moslem Astrolabe
(Photo courtesy of 1001
Inventions-Musliim Heritage
2007)
Muslim science, driven by a
thirst for knowledge,
curiosity, and necessity to
observe Islamic practices
properly, flourished in the
Islamic Golden Age.
In this Age, the nature of
Muslim science was of a mixed state: scientists came from
different Muslim countries, contributing to all fields of
science, with many of their works drawing on the wisdom and
practices of the Greeks, Indians, Persians, Chinese, and
people of other nations.
Similarly, the theorems,
instruments, and other developments that Muslim scientists
left behind provided an avenue for the leap of knowledge of
Europeans and thus lay the foundation of the Renaissance.
Eminent European scientists such
as Roger Bacon, Leonardo Da Vinci, Nicolas Copernicus, and
Johannes Kepler drew upon Muslim achievements, which they
often referred to in their works.
Muslim astronomy, once at the hub of global science, was not
only significant in Islamic tradition, but it played an
enormous role in how we calculate time, measure months,
navigate the seas, and locate coordinates in present time.
Unfortunately, much of the
intriguing history of Muslim astronomers has been scattered
to the winds and some of it has never even been heard in the
West. In this regard, Muslim astronomers are like supernovae
(stars that suddenly increase in brightness, explode, and
fade from the view), who were at the centre of attention in
their time, but were gradually lost from view over the
course of history.
However, despite their forgotten
names, I would claim without hesitation, that the power of
their contributions to science is so strong that it is
impossible to imagine the present-day astronomy and science
without their memories.
We cannot return and manoeuvre the past, but we can look
back in time when we look at the stars and other celestial
bodies.
In fact, when we look at stars,
we see not how they look today, but how they looked
thousands or even billions of years ago (depending on how
distant the stars are in light years).
In a similar vein, many of the
technologies and scientific advancements we see today should
take us back to their long history and echo of its
scientists, geniuses like the Muslim scientists of the
Islamic Golden Age who played a crucial role in modern-day
science.
Maybe the least that we can do
when we look at the stars and the Moon is to remember
prominent Muslim scientists such as Al-Farangus and
recognize that many of their names originate from Arabic.
As we look at the sky pondering
that we can do the incredible by looking to the past, we may
also think about what we can do today to become the
supernovae of the future.
Electrum
Magazine
Would you like
to see the cover of your favourite book on our book shelves
below?
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:Yaseera
Peer, who kindly shares this recipe with us,
says she found this recipe especially useful
when she had mash left over from another dish.
Aloo
Paratha
Ingredients
2 cups flour
2 T butter
1 pkt yeast (10g)
4 Tab. sugar
1 tsp salt
½ cup warm milk
½ cup warm water
Method
1. Sift the flour, add in salt sugar and yeast.
2. Add the butter.
3. Form the dough with the mixture of the warm
milk and water.
4. Knead the dough well until smooth.
5. Seal the dough in a dish and leave in a warm
place to rise.
6. When ready divide the dough into 4 balls.
7. Roll each ball out into a circle using a
rolling pin.
8. On two of the circles add your mash potatoes
which is seasoned with add green chillies,
crushed garlic, jeeru, salt , pepper, dollops of
yoghurt or cottage cheese, chopped peppers etc
9. Place a layer of cheese on the top of the
mash mixture.
10. Seal the edges well with another circle and
brush the top lightly with ghee.
11. Bake in a pre-heated oven on 180degrees for
approx. 15mins.
12. Cut the Paratha like a pizza whilst hot.
Mula
Nasruddin, who had been a retired goat herder for a long
time, became very bored with retirement, so he decided to
open a medical clinic.
He
put a sign up outside that said: "Dr. Mula Nasruddin's
Medical Clinic". Get your treatment for $500; if not cured
get back $1,000."
Dr.
Julaab, a young local GP, who was positive that this old
goat herder didn't know the first thing about medicine,
thought this would be a great opportunity to get $1,000.
So he went to Mula Nasruddin's clinic.
This is what transpired:
Dr. Julaab: --- "Dr Nasruddin, I have lost all taste
in my mouth. Can you please help me ?"
Mula Nasruddin: --- "Nurse, please bring medicine
from box 22 and put 3 drops in Dr. Julaab's mouth."
Dr. Julaab: --- Aaagh !! -- "This is petrol!"
Mula Nasruddin: "Congratulations! You've got your
taste back. That will be $500."
Dr. Julaab gets annoyed and goes back after a couple of days
figuring to recover his money.
Dr Julaab: "I have lost my memory. I cannot remember
anything."
Mula Nasruddin: "Nurse, please bring medicine from box
22 and put 3 drops in the patient's mouth."
Doctor Julaab: "Oh no you don't, that is petrol!"
Mula Nasruddin: "Congratulations! You've got your
memory back. That will be $500."
Dr. Julaab (after having lost $1000) leaves angrily and
comes back after several more days.
Dr. Julaab: "My eyesight has become weak, I can
hardly see !!!!"
Mula Nasruddin: "Well, I don't have any medicine for
that, so here's your $1000 back."
Dr. Julaab: "But this is only $500..."
Mula Nasruddin: "Congratulations! You got your vision
back! That will be $500."
"And Behold! You come to Us
bare and alone as We created
you for the first time: you
have left behind you all
(the favours) which We
bestowed on you: We do not
see with you your
intercessors whom you
thought to be partners in
your affairs: so now all
relations between you have
been cut off, and your (pet)
fancies have left you in the
lurch!"
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,
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It is the usual policy of CCN to
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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
Stretton
multicultural champion
Yasmin Khan (pictured
left) has been selected
as a finalist in the
prestigious Queensland
Multicultural Awards in
recognition of her efforts
to create more inclusive and
harmonious society.
Masjid al-Haram in Madinah
witnesses the biggest Iftar
in the world. 
post comments on
our Wall
7
August 2011