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Members of the Queensland
Muslim community were
invited to a meeting on
Wednesday 1 July with Hon
Shanon Fentiman, MP for
Waterford and Minister for
Communities, Women and
Youth, Minister for Child
Safety and Minister for
Multicultural Affairs.
The discussion centred
around issues pertaining
directly to the community.
Issues raised with the
Minister and the Department
Deputy Director General Ms
Leigh Roach included those
related to challenges faced
by young Muslim students in
schools, discrimination
against Muslim job
applicants, the need for
domestic violence support
and Muslim youth workers,
the impact of foreign policy
on the community and the
lack of public condemnation
of right wing extremist
groups. Some members of the
community suggested the
re-establishment of a Muslim
Community Reference Group (MCRG).
Amongst the invitees were
Ismail Cajee President,
Islamic Council of
Queensland (ICQ), Ass Prof
Mohamad Abdalla Director,
Griffith Islamic Research
Unit (GIRU), Ali Kadri
President, Islamic Society
of Holland Park, Riaz Janif
Muslim Organisation of
Sunshine Coast, Hussin Goss
[TBC] President, Islamic
Society of Gold Coast, Imam
Akram Imam, Slacks Creek
Mosque, Jamel El-Kholed
President, Islamic Society
of Logan, Mary Kissane
President Islamic College of
Brisbane P&C, Hussain Baba
Secretary, Islamic Society
of Gold Coast, Fahim
Khondaker Islamic Council of
Queensland (ICQ), Yasmin
Khan President, Eidfest
Services, Fatima Hussein,
Member of Somali community,
Dr Nora Amath Chairperson,
AMARAH, Taufan Mawardi
Community member, Galila
Abdel Salam Director,
Islamic Women’s Association
of Queensland, Abdi Hersi
Somali community member,
Daud Guushaa Moorooka Mosque
Trustee, Dr Mustafa Ally OAM
President, Crescents of
Brisbane, Dillon Chown
Principal of Amanah
Institute, Kuraby Mosque,
Prof Shahjahan Khan Founding
President Islamic Society of
Toowoomba, Imam Ahmad
Ghazaleh Eight Mile Plains
Mosque
Non-muslims are invited
to break the fast with Muslims
across Brisbane.
Queensland's Muslims would
like to invite you for
dinner.
More Muslims than ever
before will open their doors
this month to share their
most special time of the
year.
Throughout the holy month of
Ramadan, more than 20 Muslim
families across Brisbane
will host more than 500
non-Muslims to break their
daily fast at iftar
(breaking fast) dinners.
They're an opportunity for
Queenslanders unfamiliar
with the world's
second-largest religion to
get to know more about the
culture but more
importantly, the people.
Queensland Intercultural
Society executive director
and co-founder Abdul Celil
Gelim said the events drew
more host families and
guests every year.
"For us Ramadan is a month
for the Muslim community to
open our houses to everyone,
to integrate Muslim
community with wider
community, to come together,
break bread together and to
talk about common ground,"
he said.
Along with the smaller
dinners, the QIS will be
hosting five larger events
including the ninth annual
Parliament House iftar
dinner, hosted by
Multicultural Affairs
Minister Shannon Fentiman
and opposition spokeswoman
Tarnya Smith.
"I'd encourage Queenslanders
of all faiths and cultural
backgrounds to go along if
they are invited to an Iftar,"
Ms Fentiman said.
"It is a great way to learn
more about Islamic culture,
enjoy fantastic hospitality
and delicious food."
The Holland Park Mosque will
host an iftar dinner for the
first time on July 5,
prompted by mosque president
Ali Kadri's desire for a
"grassroots" event open to
all.
"It will bring people
together. People will trust
and know what Islam is from
the muslims," he said.
"There's a lot of talk about
Islam out there but a lot of
information out there is not
authentic."
Mr Gelim said it was
important to help
Queenslanders learn more
about their Muslim
neighbours by fostering a
sense of unity and belonging
was also critical to helping
Muslim families better
integrate with their
community.
"When we come together with
the people, you know we have
a lot of commonalities
rather than differences,
maybe more than 99 per cent
we have commonalities, we
are discussing about one
percent differences," he
said.
"When we come together with
people, as a Muslim we are
learning a lot.
"I am organising (these
events) for more than 10
years.
"I learn a lot from
politicians, ministers,
journalists, from media
people, academics, and when
we open our houses, also,
host family, they learn a
lot."
The daily family ritual of
sitting down to dinner
together has taken on a new
significance for about half
a million Australian Muslims
observing the holy month of
Ramadan.
They must abstain from all
food and drink during
daylight hours to purify the
soul, refocus on God, and
practice self-sacrifice.
The fast is broken every
evening at sunset with
special meals enjoyed
together with family and
friends.
"It is such a special thing
for us, the Ramadan dinner,"
said mother-of-five, Canan
Coskun, from Logan, south of
Brisbane.
"If you can imagine you
haven't eaten all day so
you're really looking
forward to that soup and
that bread, and everything
just seems so delicious."
Her family hosts the special
dinners, or Iftars, where
they invite non-Muslim
guests to share in the
evening meal at their home.
This year, the Coskuns
counted Queensland's Acting
Assistant Police
Commissioner Brent Carter
among their guests.
"What better thing to do
with someone than to sit
down and have food with
them?" said Mrs Coskun.
"Especially when we're in my
home and I'm serving them
food.
"To share that special
moment with people from
other faith backgrounds, it
means a lot to us."
Mrs Coskun said she believed
having a meal together could
also help to break down
barriers.
"I've had many people over
at my house who have never
seen a Muslim person before,
or maybe they've never seen
a woman in a hijab," she
said.
"They're sitting at my
dinner table and just kind
of looking at me serving
them soup and serving them
sweets, and I can see them
thinking, 'wow, they're
pretty much like us and
they're quite normal'."
The notion of going without
food or water for thirty
days also sparks plenty of
questions from non-Muslim
guests.
Murat Coskun said he hoped
breaking bread with other
community members might help
foster an appreciation of
cultural diversity.
"They just think we're
refraining from food and
water, but it's more than
that," said 18-year-old
Seyma Coskun.
"It's about developing more
spiritually, it's about
doing more good, it's about
making better habits."
Her eight year-old brother,
Huzeyfe, is not obliged to
fast until he reaches
puberty, but he is trying to
join his parents and older
sisters.
He says his friends are very
curious.
"They ask, 'is it easy and
do you get very hungry?' and
I say that I don't eat much,
so it's easy for me," he
said.
Ramadan is the ninth month
of the Islamic lunar
calendar and this year runs
from June 18 until July 17.
Prayer time during Ramadan
dinner
Like his wife, Murat Coskun
hoped breaking bread with
other community members
might help foster tolerance
and appreciation of cultural
diversity.
"I think that whilst it's
not an obligation for people
to know about it, it would
not take anything away from
them, from knowing about
Ramadan, " he said.
"It would just add to their
depth and I think and it
would help them better
understand people that they
bump into at work, or maybe
their neighbours or their
friends.
"We like to learn about
Christmas and how our human
brethren live and what they
believe in."
He said the family looked
forward to Ramadan.
"It's like the spiritual
pinnacle of our year," said
Mr Coskun.
"It's where we're closest to
God and consequently closest
to people as well."
Acting Assistant Police
Commissioner Carter
described it as an
educational experience.
"You know I've learned so
much, meeting this family
for the first time, sitting
down and sharing a meal with
them," he said.
"They're just like any other
Australian family: hard
working, very committed and
family-orientated."
The dinners are coordinated
through the Queensland
Intercultural Society to
foster a better
understanding of the Islamic
faith.
Richmond footballer Bachar
Houli says Muslims in
Australia are being
"smashed" as a result of
negative perceptions created
in the media.
But Houli, a devout Muslim,
believed Australians were
now less tolerant of racist
comments.
Speaking at an after dinner
hosted by the AFL at Greater
Western Sydney's Homebush
headquarters on Wednesday
night, Houli urged Muslims
in the country to show
patience.
Houli, one of the Tigers'
best players this season,
was allegedly labelled a
"terrorist" by Melbourne
radio announcer John Burns
in a conversation overheard
by a Richmond official at a
game in April. Burns later
apologised but said he did
not remember making the
remark.
"You trust the people that
hear the comments and you
appreciate the people who
want to make a difference.
That's a highlight in
society, we don't tolerate
racist comments anymore,"
Houli said.
Bachar Houli,
a devout Muslim, believes
Australians are now less
tolerant of racist comments.
"It's a minority that gives
certain people a different
name. The great thing about
Australian society, we're
not tolerating anything
anymore."
Houli, 27, who has played
125 games for Essendon and
Richmond since debuting in
2007, said he was
"surprised" it had taken so
long for the "terrorist"
slur to be made against him
given the way Muslims are
portrayed in the mainstream
media.
"Unfortunately we are
getting smashed at the
moment. But for us as
Muslims in this country we
must remain patient," Houli
said.
"God loves those who are
patient. If we can implement
patience in us, we'll be
different people. If we can
change ourselves first,
we'll be better as a
community. We have to be
patient and put up with
everything because those who
are patient will truly taste
success."
Houli described the AFL as a
"leading force" in embracing
multiculturalism and praised
his employers for their
understanding during
Ramadan, during which he
abstains from food and drink
from dawn to dusk, which can
be problematic for a
professional athlete.
The club allows him to
complete the individual part
of his training on his own
and he finishes earlier than
his teammates.
"Mind you I'm up from 4.30
am trying to get as much
food as I can," Houli said.
Houli prepares his body for
Ramadan by fasting two days
a week leading up to the
holy month.
"So far it's six days and I
haven't felt it once," Houli
said.
But Houli said he found it
more difficult to marry his
faith and football as a
junior during club pie
nights.
"It was hard to have a pie
because we couldn't," Houli
said.
"We always had an excuse,
'Mum's prepared something
really nice for us', but I
was hanging to have that
pie. The smell.
"I must have had a couple
before I found out they
weren't halal."
A
petition by "Concerned
Muslims Australia" has
been circulated to Muslim
community leaders, Imams,
organisational executives,
spokespeople, media
personnel, academics to
encourage them to boycott
AFP Eid Dinners.
The statement, signed by
members of the Muslim
community, seeks to urge
Muslim community leaders,
Imams, representatives and
prominent personalities to
boycott Eid Dinners
organised by the Australian
Federal Police on the 21
July in Sydney and the 24
July in Melbourne.
MLN has been operating
successful in New South
Wales, Victoria and Western
Australia, offering
networking opportunities,
mentoring, community legal
education workshops, legal
referral services, law
reform submissions and
internship and volunteering
opportunities to its members
and the community.
If you are a Queensland
based Solicitor, Barrister,
Law Gradate or current Law
student and you would like
to be involved in MLN QLD,
they want to hear from you.
The Justice Media Advocacy (JMA)
has presented an overview of
its achievements for 2014 in
a
report released this week.
"We
have had another
effective year working
on a number of important
cases acquired through
monitoring and referral
— a suitable selection
is included in this
report. We have also had
the opportunity to
engage with several key
community-based
organisations assisting
them to improve their
media handling and
public relations
capabilities. Our media
crisis management and
training services have
also been further
enhanced."
An anti-Islam organisation
has been deregistered, after
it was found to be posing as
an advocacy group for
domestic violence victims.
The Patriots Defence League
of Australia (PDLA), which
has chapters across the
country, was registered as
an incorporated association
in Queensland in January
2014.
But the league is better
known for its virulent
anti-Islam stance. It has
described Muslim immigration
as an "invasion", compared
Muslims to cockroaches and
rats, campaigns against
Halal food, and has
organised campaigns against
mosques being built across
the country including in the
Victorian town of Bendigo.
The group was involved in
the Reclaim Australia
marches, and has chapters in
major and regional cities
across Australia. It's
unclear how many members it
has, but more than 14,000
people have "liked" the
group on Facebook. League
members and followers often
make violent threats on
social media.
Following inquiries by
Fairfax Media, the Office of
Fair Trading investigated
the group's activities. It
found that the league was
"carrying on an operation
which is beyond the scope of
the objects of the
incorporated association"
and that cancelling the
organisation's incorporated
status was justified, "in
the public interest".
One of the benefits of
becoming incorporated as a
not-for-profit is that it
offers office bearers some
legal and financial
protection against legal
action taken against the
organisation. Without
incorporation, those members
could be personally liable
to pay damages.
Incorporation also gives
associations to right to
apply for private and public
funding, claim tax
advantages and to allow the
association to enter into
contracts.
The office said it had given
the PDLA a month to respond
to a notice to "show cause"
as to why it should keep its
incorporated status, but the
PDLA had not responded.
PDLA president TJ O'Brien
said he had not been told of
the decision and would not
comment until he had spoken
with the Office of Fair
Trading.
The Hon. Tony Abbott, MP
Prime Minister Parliament
House CANBERRA ACT 2600
Dear Mr Abbott
I am writing to you in my
formal capacity as the
Founding Chair of People
against Violent Extremism
Inc (www.pave.net.au) but
also as a member of the
Muslim community and an
academic researcher and
practitioner in countering
violent extremism.
Specifically I am writing
regarding certain comments
made by you in your address
on National Security
(Canberra, February 23,
2015). In your address you
state:
“I’ve often heard Western
leaders describe Islam as a
‘religion of peace’. I wish
more Muslim leaders would
say that more often, and
mean it.”[emphasis added]
In response to this comment,
I would like to share with
you my personal experience
as a Muslim who has spoken
out – and meant it.
Last year I was quoted in
the Australian media in
reference to Islam and the
barbaric practices of Daesh.
The article, in which I
stated that beheadings are
not part of the Islam
tradition, caught the
attention of an anti-Islamic
group by Robert Spencer.
According to Spencer’s
website, Jihad Watch, my
comments were “designed to
comfort and reassure
non-Muslims”.
The Stringer
Independent News
Yours
sincerely
Associate Professor
Anne Aly
Founding Chair,
People against
Violent Extremism.
CC: Senator the Hon
George Brandis QC
Senator Christine
Milne
Leader of the
Opposition
Shadow Attorney
General
Honourable Colin
Barnett MLA
From left: Yasmine Lewis,
Tahmina Ansari and Mostafa
Rachwani.
SYDNEY: At the Premier’s
Multicultural Media Awards,
held at Doltone House, three
young Muslims did their
community proud, Tahmina
Ansari, Mostafa Rachwani and
Yasmine Lewis were
recognised for their
talented contribution to the
Australian Multicultural
community.
NSW Premier Mike Baird and
Minister for
Multiculturalism John Ajaka
announced the winners at the
gala event. “At a time when
the mainstream media is
contracting, the
multicultural media is
thriving and we welcome the
contributions made by media
professionals who play such
an important role in keeping
our ethnic communities
informed,” Mr Ajaka said.
Tahmina Ansari (pictured
left) from the ABC won
the Young Journalist of the
Year award. Winner Tahmina
has been reporting and
breaking stories for the
ABC, including camel culling
and the Taliban murder of a
dual national.
She said “It was incredibly
humbling and such a lovely
surprise to win this award
at the 2015 Multicultural
Media Awards for NSW young
Journalist of the Year – I
have never really won
anything in my life before
besides a free muffin and I
can safely say this one
means a lot more! I was
reflecting back to when I
first started in the media
industry – I was told two
things. One, you’ll never
make it because you wear a
hijab and two, no one will
ever put you in front of a
camera because of your hijab.
Well I certainly can’t say
I’ve “made it” anywhere
however I can say this –
someone did allow me to do
my job whether it be TV,
radio, online etc and that
was and still is the ABC.
Thanks to all my mentors,
family, parents, colleagues
and friends who have
continued to support and
help me through a journey in
an industry which is all
about teamwork. Nothing I
ever do is credit to myself
but rather a credit to all
of us.”
Best Editorial of the Year
award was won by Mostafa
Rachwani (pictured right)
for his commentary “Raiding
the Muslim Community: What
happened, the law, the
politics” from Youthink
Magazine, The Lebanese
Moslem Association. The
winning editorial focused on
the aftermath of the police
raids in the Muslim
community in September 2014
and Muslim community’s
engagement with the
Australian Government. He
said “Thanks for all the
support guys! You can call
me “award winning writer”
now. Alhamdulilah.”
A stellar spoken word poetry
performance by Yasmine Lewis
(pictured below)
kicked off the event, and
engaged the audience. The
title of the poem was “If
they can pronounce
Shakespeare” [they can
pronounce your name]. The
poem was received extremely
well by the hundreds of
dignitaries and guests that
attended.
"For I, I am not your
lunch order, that you can
point at and stumble
through,
Nor am I, your fashion item
that you have appropriated
too,
this label, that was give to
me and you
is wrapped in history, so
get to know yours too.”
From left: Mrs Kerryn
Baird, Mr Mike Baird and Dr
Ibrahim Abu Mohammad at the
Premiers Iftar at Parliament
House.
SYDNEY: A large number of
community Iftar dinner
parties held all over Sydney
during the first ten days of
Ramadan have brought
together people of diverse
background in an atmosphere
of mutual understanding and
harmony.
The Premier’s Iftar Dinner
was held on Monday 22 June
at the Parliament House
attended by almost 500
invited guests from all
sections of Australian
Society including leaders
from the Muslim community as
well as parliamentarians
from both sides of the
politics, government
officials, academics,
businessmen, media and
representatives of
interfaith groups.
Muslim Victoria Police
officers Ahmad Abdo, left, Maha
Sukkar, Albert Fatileh, Mohammed
Alam and Mona El-Helwani.
VICTORIA: For Muslim police
officer Albert Fatileh, the
force is useful so long as
it represents the community
it seeks to protect. “The
police are the community and
the community are the
police,” the 57-year-old
Victorian police officer
said, borrowing from former
British prime minister and
founder of modern policing
Robert Peel.
Senior Constable Fatileh is
one of more than 100 Muslim
members of Victoria Police
who comprise and represent
the state’s 150,000-strong
Islamic community. “My
personal values and the
police values are the same:
respect, being professional,
doing the best you can,
being honest, having
integrity and setting an
example,” he said.
“Islam says to serve the
community in the best way
you can and conduct yourself
in the best way you can.”
But a number of developments
in the state have marred
public perception. “Islam
and Muslims are every day
news items and not everyone
sees Muslims in a positive
light,” Constable Fatileh
said.
In September last year,
terrorism suspect Numan
Haider was shot dead by
Victorian police after
stabbing two
counter-terrorism officers.
And in April police launched
raids across Melbourne and
charged 18-year-old Sevdet
Besim with conspiring to
plan a terrorist attack on
Anzac Day.
Constable Fatileh is a
founding member of the
Victoria Police Muslim
Association, which supports
relationships between the
Muslim community and the
force, particularly Islamic
youth, as well as providing
language and cultural advice
to non-Muslim police
members. “I’m hoping this
association can help change
some of these perceptions,”
he said.
Victoria Police was the
nation’s first police
service to introduce a
dedicated multicultural
unit, in 1983, staffed by
bilingual and multicultural
background officers.
Since then, it has
introduced a number of
Islamic imams as police
chaplains. “There are
Muslims who are willing and
wishing to serve and
actually protect the
community,” Constable
Fatileh said.
IN THE past few days the
world watched in horror as
the atrocities committed by
extremists in France, Kuwait
and Tunisia unfolded. Once
again the majority of
victims of this senseless
violence were Muslims and
once again a 1400-year-old
religion with 1.6 billion
followers was blamed for the
atrocities committed by a
minority.
In his opinion piece (“It’s
misleading to claim attacks
have nothing to do with
Islam” C-M, 29/6) Andrew
Bolt so easily claimed these
atrocities have “everything
to do with Islam”. I almost
want to excuse his ignorance
for making such a simplistic
conclusion of a complex
issue. However, Bolt is no
fool and his ability to
quote selective verses from
the Koran suggests he does
at least some research.
However, the problem is most
people in the West who have
very little to do with
Muslims or Islam, buy the
interpretations of ISIS and
other terrorist groups. Such
elucidations help them
reinforce their preconceived
belief that Islam is
inherently violent. I agree
with Bolt that these
terrorists justify their
actions on the basis of some
interpretations within
Islamic jurisprudence.
However, to argue that the
overwhelming majority of 1.6
billion Muslims live by the
same interpretation is
ludicrous. And the
implication that the
majority are silent because
they embrace the notion that
Islam must prevail over all
other religions and so the
violence is tolerable to
them, is a terrible slur.
As a Muslim who takes his
religion seriously it took
me a while to reconcile the
atrocities of the ISIS
butchers with what I know
and practice as my faith in
Islam. Unlike most
commentators, I am in a much
better place to understand
that the religious
justifications they provide
for their atrocities cannot
stand for more than a few
minutes under the light of
authentic analysis. In my
view, the explanation that
ISIS and other terrorist
groups have gained some
following is not to be found
within Islam but rather the
geopolitical situation of
the countries in which they
operate.
The recent developmental
history of many of these
extremists can be readily
traced to Afghanistan where,
after its invasion by the
former USSR, the US – still
fully involved in the Cold
War when that occurred in
1979 – engaged in
establishing and funding
madrasses where mujahideen
(those who struggle for the
sake of Allah and Islam) not
only received military
training to take on the
Soviets but schooling in
interpretations of the Koran
heavily biased toward
battlefield struggle
(jihad).
Of course, when the Soviets
left, defeated, by these
CIA-trained jihadists, the
once-hailed freedom fighters
faced a bleak future in
impoverished and war-torn
Afghanistan where, much like
in Iraq, in the wake of the
2003 invasion there, the
body politic was destroyed
leaving a power vacuum. With
no other skills, very little
education and carrying their
warped interpretation of the
Koran, is it so surprising
the appeal to them of the
rich man from Saudi, Osama
bin Laden, who presented a
new enemy, the US, for them
to fight?
Speaking of Iraq, I am sure
many are aware of the famous
“house of wisdom” – a centre
of intellectual excellence
that flourished from the 9th
to the 13th century in
Baghdad, in which the finest
scholars (including those of
Christian and Jewish faith)
traded and developed ideas.
Iraq, in fact, has a rich
multicultural and
multi-religious history and
maintained its religious
cohesion and solidarity even
when it came under colonial
occupation followed by
brutal dictatorship for more
than a century.
The March 2003 decision by
the George W. Bush-led
Coalition of the Willing to
invade Iraq – on the now
well discredited pretexts –
left what remained of that
country’s polity shattered
and its society divided,
rendering it vulnerable to
infiltration by extremists
still armed and spreading
their perverted
interpretation of the Koran.
For commentators to blithely
airbrush this recent history
and wash the West’s hands of
any responsibility for the
rise and practice of extreme
interpretations of the Koran
is dishonest. Just as it is
to blame the actions of an
extreme minority on the
majority of Muslims who
ascribe to and abide by
Islam in its complete and
non-distorted form.
Islam is innocent of the
crimes committed by Muslim
terrorists in the same way
Christianity is innocent of
the sexual abuse by some
clergy, and not all white
people are Neo-Nazis.
No, this form of commentary
is counterproductive and
likely to foster community
division. It also completely
ignores the work of the many
Muslim scholars who quietly
toil to provide the
counter-narratives to
violent and un-Islamic
justifications for violence.
If there is an issue to be
debated in the Muslim
community here it is not
about heeding the shrill
calls for all Australian
Muslim people to march in
the streets every time
someone who doesn’t speak or
act for them commits a crime
against humankind.
It is about raising the
profile of authentic and
peaceful Islamic education
and practice, so Aussie
Muslims can continue to walk
tall and proud in our
wonderful multicultural
community.
ANTI-MUSLIM protesters were
the sole voices at a rally
against a mosque in the
Maroochydore CBD this
morning.
About 150 protesters
gathered outside the
two-storey building at
Church St, which has been
approved to operate as a
mosque by Sunshine Coast
Council on Thursday.
No supporters of the Muslim
faith attended.
It was a stark contrast to
the rally last year where
insults flew between anti
and pro-mosque residents.
Streets around the protest
were blocked off by police
while plain clothes and
uniform police had to
repeatedly warn anti-mosque
protesters to tone their
comments and anger down.
The situation became
repeatedly heated as
supporters of the mosque
tried to convince opponents
that most Islamic people
were peace-loving and
represented no threat to
Australia's way of life.
This morning's rally was on
a smaller scale, but those
opposed to the mosque were
just as passionate.
Opponents warned of
beheadings, the introduction
of Sharia law, the loss of
rights for women and the
undermining of the
Australian way of life.
Many protesters though
voiced fears those setting
up an Islamic church would
be 'nice now' but would
'stab people in the back'
before long and try to take
over the community.
Standing at the back of a
ute on the street, Restore
Australia CEO and rally
organiser Mike Holt told his
supporters he would never
give up fighting against
mosques in Australia.
He said the mosque would be
the "first wedge" in
allowing terrorists into the
Coast community.
"We will stop this mosque
because we want to," Mr Holt
said.
Are you an aspiring
photographer, a professional
snapper or do you simply
love taking photographs and
want to share your natural
skill and keen eye to an
international online
audience!
The team at the AMA
International Photography
Competition are looking
forward to your submissions
this year!
So keep your eyes peeled and
your camera on hand and join
in the excitement of the
2015 competition.
All participants will be
offered the opportunity to
be posted on our AMA
Photography Wall, so be sure
to sign in and check out the
2015 entries.
This
joint Muslim community
statement expresses our
position with respect to the
Abbott Government’s ongoing
demonisation of Muslims in
Australia, their
organisations, their leaders
and their values. We – the
undersigned Sheikhs,
advocates, community
leaders, community
organisations and student
bodies of the Muslim
community – make the
following points in this
regard:
1) We reject the Abbott
Government’s predictable use
of Muslim affairs and the
‘terror threat’ to attempt
to stabilise a fragile
leadership and advance its
own political agendas.
2) We deplore and denounce
the continued public
targeting of Muslims through
abominable ‘anti-terror’
laws. The laws passed in
late 2014 have been used to
justify opportunistic raids
on Muslim homes, have
created media and community
hysteria where in the
majority of cases no crime
was committed, and have
created distressing and
harmful backlash towards
Muslims, especially women
and children.
3) We unequivocally reject
Prime Minister Abbott’s and
his party members’ use of
language that portrays
Muslims and the Muslim
community as a security
threat. This narrative
threatens social cohesion as
it invites suspicion and ill
feeling from members of the
broader community. The
presence of Muslims in
Australia as productive
contributors to society is
not the exception; it is
rather the rule.
4) We deplore the undefined
and politically expedient
use of the words
‘radicalisation’ and
‘extremism’ to criminalise
legitimate political
discourse and critique of
the Government’s policies by
members of the Muslim
community.
5) We strongly oppose Prime
Minster Abbott’s politically
convenient threats to
‘tackle’ and ‘crack down’ on
Islamic groups such as Hizb
ut-Tahrir who disavow and
have never supported
terrorist acts, and whose
only ‘crime’ has been to
criticise the Abbott
Government’s stance towards
Muslims domestically and
abroad, as they are well
within their rights to do.
We also oppose the bullying
of Sheikh Dr Ibrahim Abu
Muhammad by Mr Abbott for
his criticism of Mr Abbott’s
attempts to silence
individuals’ and
organisations’ legitimate
criticisms of his policies.
6) We affirm our commitment
to robust political and
ideological debate and
discourse for the betterment
of humanity at large. The
Abbott Government’s attempts
to undermine this brings
into question his
Government’s commitment to
its very own purported
values and liberal freedoms.
7) We affirm our concern
about peace and security for
all. We refuse, however to
be lectured on
peace-building and harmony
by a Government that plays
divisive politics, uses fear
to elicit uncertainty in the
general public, undertakes
the oppression of asylum
seekers and incarceration of
children in detention
centres, treats its
indigenous population
tokenistically, and pledges
its explicit support to
dictators such as Egypt’s
El-Sisi, who continues to
brutalise legitimate
political opposition to his
tyranny.
8) We call on all fair
minded Australians,
including politicians,
journalists, academics,
bloggers and others
concerned about Australia’s
social justice, to continue
to scrutinise the Abbott
Government’s scare tactics,
fear-mongering and political
machinations. They do not
bode well for societal
harmony and only increase
the alienation felt and
experienced by Australia’s
Muslim community. It is time
the Abbott Government
stopped diverting the
attention of the Australian
public away from its
disastrous domestic and
foreign policies by playing
the ‘Muslim’ and ‘national
security’ card.
Grand
Mufti Ibrahim Abu Mohammed urges PM to
‘work in any field other than politics’
amid breakdown in relations between
Coalition and Islamic community
Dr Ibrahim Abu
Mohammad: ‘I personally elected
him in the previous elections.
But believe me, I will not
repeat this mistake again.’
Australia’s most senior
Muslim leader has said he
won’t “repeat the mistake”
of voting for Tony Abbott,
and publicly advised the
prime minister to “work in
any field other than
politics”.
The strong comments by the
Grand Mufti Ibrahim Abu
Mohammed come amid other
signs of a serious breakdown
in relations between the
Abbott government and large
elements of Australia’s
Muslim communities, ahead of
the expected announcement of
new security legislation on
Monday.
Abbott criticised the grand
mufti on the Bolt Report
last Sunday for suggesting
it would be a political
mistake to ban the Islamic
group Hizb ut-Tahrir, saying
his comments were
“wrong-headed” and
unhelpful.
Mohammed was interviewed on
Friday for the online TV
program, Spot Light, run by
the Islamic production
company OnePath Network.
Asked if he had any advice
for the prime minister, the
mufti said: “I respect the
presence of Tony Abbott as a
political leader of his
party and I respect the
Australian community’s
choice in electing him.
“I personally elected him in
the previous elections. But
believe me, I will not
repeat this mistake again,”
he said.
“If there’s any advice to be
given, then with my full
respect to the Australian
people in choosing him, and
my full respect to his
presence as prime minister …
I would say: ‘Work in any
field other than politics.’”
Tensions between the
government and some
Australian Muslim leaders
have frayed over perceptions
the prime minister’s latest
push to widen security
powers demonises their
communities.
Nearly 100 Islamic clerics,
activists and organisations
released a petition on
Thursday rejecting what they
called “the Abbott
government’s predictable use
of Muslim affairs and the
‘terror threat’ to attempt
to stabilise a fragile
leadership and advance its
own political agendas”.
“We unequivocally reject
prime minister Abbott’s and
his party members’ use of
language that portrays
Muslims and the Muslim
community as a security
threat,” the petition read.
“This narrative threatens
social cohesion as it
invites suspicion and
ill-feeling from members of
the broader community.”
Abbott will make a national
security statement on Monday
where he is expected to
announce plans to strip dual
citizens convicted of terror
offences of their Australian
citizenship.
He has also promised to
“crack down on Hizb
ut-Tahrir and others who
nurture extremism in our
suburbs”.
Hizb ut-Tahrir has about 300
members and campaigns to
create an Islamic state. It
has distanced itself from
Isis and declared its
opposition to violent
political change.
The prime minister’s office
has been contacted for
comment.
The average Australian
jihadist is 25 years old,
likely to be Australian-born
and better-educated than the
previous generation of
extremists of the 1990s and
post-September 11 period, a
top think tank has found.
Studying 54 of the current
wave of Islamic extremists
both at home and fighting in
the Middle East, the
Australian Strategic Policy
Institute has also found
that four-fifths of the
jihadists have an online
presence, underscoring the
dominant role of the
internet in extremism.
"Australian citizens who
have become extremist
jihadists since the outbreak
of the Syrian civil war in
2011 are, on average,
younger and better educated
than a previous generation
of Australians who
radicalised in the late
1990s and after al-Qaeda's
attacks in the US in 2001,"
the report, released on
Monday, finds.
"Gen Y jihadists are mostly
born in Australia and have
diverse ethnic backgrounds."
The
Slacks
Creek
Mosque
food
distribution
has
started
operations
with a
trolley
load of
food
delivered
to
neighbouring
Aboriginal
families by
members of
the Mosque.
If you
would
like to
contribute
food
items
towards
this
initiate
contact
Khalid
(0451
877 861)
or
Ansary
(0478
066
361).
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.
7) Sayed Amjad Hussain
Sayed Amjad Hussain is
another Pakistani inventor
who invented two surgical
devices – the
pleuroperitoneal shunt and a
special endotracheal tube.
Dr. Hussain is a member of
17 professional
organizations, 10
administrative positions, is
a visiting professor to 12
universities throughout the
world and is a member of the
editorial board of 6 medical
journals.
SAUDI
ARABIA: Pilgrims and visitors to the
Grand Mosque in Makkah can take
advantage of free Wi-Fi service in the
courtyards of the mosque.
This is part of a series of
technological services being introduced
by the Presidency for the Affairs of the
Two Holy Mosques for the benefit of the
faithful, according to Bandar Al-Khuzaim,
director of the information technology
centre at the presidency.
Al-Khuzaim said the free Wi-Fi service
in the courtyards of the Grand Mosque
aims at establishing online contacts
between the presidency staff and
worshippers.
The presidency staff will use this
popular wireless networking technology
to send guidance and awareness text
messages to pilgrims and visitors to the
Grand Mosque, the Saudi Press Agency
reported on Tuesday.
Al-Khuzaim said the presidency will also
make available Bluetooth service for
worshippers in the mataf
(circumambulation area around the Holy
Kaaba) so that those who perform tawaf
can know the number of rounds of
circumambulation that they have
finished. This service is being
introduced in cooperation with the
technological innovation center at Umm
Al-Qura University of Makkah.
“The presidency has also introduced the
issuing and renewal of online booking of
iftar meals at the Grand Mosque. Both
individuals and firms can take advantage
of this service to donate iftar meals
for worshippers,” he said.
Al-Khuzaim announced that a new facility
has been introduced for the electronic
registration for performing itikaf
(seclusion in the mosque to worship
Allah) in six languages. They are
Arabic, English, French, Urdu, Turkish
and Persian.
A similar online facility is available
for those who want to visit the Grand
Mosque Exhibition and the Kaaba cover (kiswa)
factory, he added.
Generous ... Saudi Prince
Alwaleed Bin Talal is giving
away his $41bn fortune to
charity
SAUDI billionaire Prince
Alwaleed bin Talal has promised his
entire fortune to charitable projects in
coming years, in one of the biggest ever
philanthropic pledges.
His $US32 billion ($41.6 billion) pledge
is “maybe ... the first such big
announcement” of its kind in the region,
and is modelled on a charity established
by Microsoft founder Bill Gates in the
United States, the prince told
reporters.
Alwaleed said his charity “will help
build bridges to foster cultural
understanding, develop communities,
empower women, enable youth, provide
vital disaster relief and create a more
tolerant and accepting world.”
Humanitarian ... Saudi Prince
Alwaleed bin Talal said his
charity will help foster
cultural understanding.
Alwaleed said he would
head a board of trustees tasked with
spending the funds, which would still be
used after his death “for humanitarian
projects and initiatives”.
The 60-year-old magnate belongs to the
Saudi royal family and is a nephew of
King Abdullah, who died on January 23.
In the conservative Muslim kingdom,
Alwaleed, who holds no government rank,
is unusual for his high profile and
periodic comments about economic issues.
“This is very much separate from my
ownership in Kingdom Holding,” and there
should be no impact on the publicly
listed company’s share price, Alwaleed
told reporters on the 66th-floor
headquarters of the firm which he
chairs.
Royals ... Saudi Arabia's
Prince Alwaleed bin Talal
delivers a speech as his wife,
Princess Amira, looks on in
Paris in 2007.
As well as media stakes,
Kingdom Holding has interests ranging
from the Euro Disney theme park to Four
Seasons hotels and Citigroup.
Alwaleed said he
announced his pledge now, after years of
preparation, to institutionalise the
process “so they can continue after my
lifetime”.
“I believe that a person should take
dramatic and drastic decisions at his
peak,” Alwaleed said, proclaiming
himself to be in good shape.
“I’m very healthy, enough to bike every
day three hours,” he said. “I assure you
my health is good.”
Judge Wants Proof
That Signal Mountain Man Made "True Threat"
Against Muslim Town; Robert Doggart Allowed
Home Confinement
US: Federal Judge Curtis
Collier has directed attorneys who worked
out a plea deal for a Signal Mountain man
who admitted plotting to kill Muslims in a
town in Upstate New York to show that it was
"a true threat."
And, Federal Magistrate Susan K. Lee has
reversed her earlier ruling and allowed
63-year-old Robert Rankin Doggart
(pictured left) to go free pending
disposition of the case.
Prosecutor Perry Piper and attorneys Bryan
Hoss and Janie Parks Varnell had worked out
a deal in which Doggart would plead guilty
to a one-count bill of information charging
him with interstate communication of
threats. He would face up to five years in
prison.
However, Judge Collier did not go along with
that arrangement and directed the attorneys
to file within 21 days "briefs addressing
whether the factual basis in the proposed
plea deal agreement contains communication
on defendant's part amounting to a 'true
threat' as required under" one section of
federal law.
SAUDI ARABIA: To be in the
city of the Prophet is a blessing in itself,
but to be there during Ramadan, that is a
whole other story. Women surround me as I
make my way towards the gates of
Masjid-E-Nabawi (The Mosque of the Prophet
Muhammed P.B.U.H), stopping a few feet from
the doors to remove their shoes. They then
line up, holding their bags out for
inspection.
At the entrance of each gate are two women
covered in black from head to toe. They
stand tall, even wearing black gloves.
Nothing can be seen of them except their
eyes. One by one, they look through the
contents of each bag. I see one taking out a
bar of chocolate, stating that food isn't
allowed in the mosque, while another
confiscates a juice box. They toss items
aside, relentless, and usher worshippers --
including myself -- into the mosque.
They are called Mursheeda, "those who
guide." They aren't just security guards;
they are scholars of Islam, women with a
purpose. While some worshippers may not even
pay attention to them, others have had their
fair share of unpleasant encounters with the
Mursheeda. These women are stern, and they
have to be. Thousands pour in and out of the
mosque around the clock, and they are
essential to establishing crowd control.
The Mursheeda aren't all necessarily
employees of the mosque; some are
volunteers. They stand tall, scattered
throughout the mosque on the lookout for any
suspicious or illicit activity. I see a
woman using her cell phone to take a picture
of the beautiful interior. Almost
immediately, I see a Mursheeda moving
towards her. She takes the phone, deletes
the picture, hands it back to her and walks
off without explanation.
Even inside the mosque, I note that the
faces of the Mursheeda are covered. It is
because women may take pictures of them and
show them to their husbands, brothers, or
even worse, upload them on social media.
This is why cell phones with cameras are not
permitted in the holy mosque. The Mursheeda
are extremely devout Muslims, and apart from
other women, only show their faces to
immediate male family members.
They are striking, even though they can
hardly be seen. It's in the way they stand,
with a greater purpose. They are the
guardians of the Mosque of Muhammed P.B.U.H,
the greatest man to have ever lived,
according to Islam. I note how one has a
perfect winged liner, and catch a glimpse of
a sparkly watch on the wrist of another. It
reminds me that beneath their stern demeanor,
their rigid backs and strict voices, they
are also simply women.
I see two other Mursheeda guiding women
towards seating areas. "Yallah baji," one
says loudly, motioning as traffic police
would, towards two elderly Pakistani women
who seem overwhelmed by the crowd. 'Yallah'
roughly translates to 'come on' in Arabic,
while 'baji' is an Urdu word used to address
older women. It intrigues me, their use of
multiple languages. "Asseyez-vous," I hear
another instruct, telling a group of women
to sit down in French. I later learn that
the mosque employs women of a number of
different nationalities including, but not
limited to, Pakistani, Turkish, Egyptian,
Algerian and Moroccan. The mosque attracts
people from the world over, so it is
essential to hire employees who speak
different languages.
Each member of this carefully-selected force
of women must fulfill two requirements. She
must live in Medinah, and she must be able
to speak Arabic fluently. If you look
closely, you will note that the Mursheeda
can be distinguished by one of two things,
either a pink card stuck to the front of
their burqas, or a green and white seal on
their sleeves. A Mursheeda with a pink card
is in training, and is currently serving as
a member of the guard. A Mursheeda with a
seal on her sleeve has completed her
training and is at a higher rank. She is an
Islamic scholar, and can be approached with
regard to any religious questions you may
have.
Masjid-E-Nabawi is anything but simply a
mosque. It includes a number of offices, a
lost and found, a library, a clinic and a
school specializing in the teaching of the
holy Quran. Most importantly, it is the
resting place of the Prophet Muhammed
P.B.U.H, who I have come to visit and pay my
respects to. These women have led me to him,
and for this they shall be greatly rewarded.
Saudis Turn Birthplace of
Wahhabism Ideology Into Tourist Spot
By BEN HUBBARD
Visitors at the Diriyah
complex, on the outskirts of
Riyadh, the Saudi capital.
The site will feature parks,
restaurants, and a series of
museums.
DIRIYAH, Saudi Arabia — More
than 250 years ago, in this sunbaked oasis
of mud-brick houses and ramparts, the
ancestors of the Saudi royal family and an
outcast fundamentalist preacher formed an
alliance that has shaped this land ever
since.
In return for political supremacy, the House
of Saud endorsed the doctrine of Sheikh
Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhab and followed it to
wage jihad against anyone who rejected their
creed, gaining control of much of the
Arabian Peninsula.
That alliance laid the foundations of the
modern Saudi state, which has in more recent
times used its oil wealth to make the
cleric’s rigid doctrine — widely known as
Wahhabism — a major force in the Muslim
world.
And now, this site, the birthplace of it
all, is becoming a tourist attraction.
Inside a massive complex on the outskirts of
Riyadh filled with parks, restaurants and
coffee shops, hundreds of laborers are
rehabilitating mud palaces once home to the
Saud family and building museums celebrating
its history. Nearby stands a sleek structure
that will house a foundation dedicated to
the sheikh and his mission.
Imam Hamid Slimi: Mosque
raises money to repair Catholic church
allegedly damaged by schizophrenic Muslim
CANADA: When a Muslim leader
heard that a member of his own community had
vandalised a nearby church, he realised he
had to act. Not just with words but with
deeds.
So Hamid Slimi (pictured left), imam
of the Sayeda Khadija Centre in Mississauga,
Canada, paid a visit to the St Catherine of
Siena Roman Catholic Church where he was
shocked to see the damage. Pages had been
torn from the Bible, an alter had been
damaged and a cross had been thrown to the
floor.
Mr Slimi then returned to his mosque and
organised its members to raise money to help
repair the vandalism, carried out in May. In
one day they managed to raise around $5,000.
“It was a very bad scene,” Mr Slimi told The
Star. “The guy who did it ripped pages out
of the Bible. He broke the altar. He threw
the cross. When I saw this, I thought it was
pure injustice. It was just wrong.”
The newspaper said that police Iqbal Hessan,
22, in connection with the damage and and
charged him with breaking and entering.
During the bail hearing, Mr Hessan said he
was “upset with the Christian religion”. His
father reportedly told the court that his
son had been diagnosed with schizophrenia,
which he believed had caused his anger and
imbalance.
Police said that reviewing the young man’s
mental health history, and had decided they
were “not proceeding with a hate crime”
charge.
Mr Slimi’s mosque did not immediately
respond to phone calls. However, Father
Camillo Lando, of St Catherine of Siena
Roman Catholic Church, told The Independent
that he had informed his congregation this
Sunday of the gift from the mosque's
members.
“It was very nice,” he said. “I told people
on Sunday. We have said there should be no
revenge.”
Hijab a key part of
ensemble for Clifton High's best-dressed
girl
Abrar Shahin,
named best dressed among Clifton
High School seniors, talking with
friends before Friday's graduation
NEW JERSEY (US): The senior
class pick for best-dressed female senior at
Clifton High School sports a black skirt and
skinny jeans, ankle-high boots and a cropped
white blazer in her yearbook photo. Her
makeup is just about perfect, capped with
plum-toned lipstick.
But there is one other fashion accessory
that makes Abrar Shahin stand out: a black,
white and blue-green patterned scarf — a
hijab — that wraps around her head and
drapes around her neck.
“There are always cheerleaders who win and
popular girls, so I was very surprised it
was me, being a hijabi,” Shahin said, using
the word for a person who wears the Islamic
head covering. “It was a dream come true.”
With her trendy style, Shahin, who has a
clothing-store job in Paramus and plans to
attend Rutgers this fall, is shattering
stereotypes about Islamic fashion while also
keeping true to her religious tradition. The
“best dressed” vote also shows how
acceptance has grown at one of the largest
and most diverse high schools in the state.
The class of 2015, which graduated Friday,
includes many immigrants and
first-generation students whose families
hail from across the globe.
Even in an area as diverse as North Jersey,
Clifton stands out for its global flair. The
high school, with about 3,300 students, is
52 percent Hispanic, 35 percent white, 8
percent Asian and 5 percent black, according
to state records.
But the more telling record is the ancestry
breakdown in the U.S. census, which shows
more than 65 groups represented in the city.
Italian, Polish, Puerto Rican, Arab and
Peruvian are among the largest groups. Many
people with Turkish, Russian, West Indian,
Albanian, Ukrainian and Hungarian
backgrounds also live in Clifton.
Always on point
Lindsey Cinque, a French teacher who is
yearbook and senior class adviser, said that
Shahin’s award showed that students can look
beyond labels to honour someone’s
accomplishment. Cinque broke the news to
Shahin in class about her win, which seniors
decided by writing down the name of any one
of their peers.
“In a class of 800 people, it’s definitely a
huge honor that they picked her,” Cinque
said.
It’s not clear how many votes Shahin got or
whom the votes came from. The best dressed
male, Abraham Zeidan, also happens to be
Muslim.
Shahin said her friends are from many
backgrounds, while Cinque noted that all
different people in her class would
complement Shahin on her clothes and style.
Although Shahin was surprised by the win,
her French teacher of three years said her
great fashion sense was clear to her and to
other students.
“School is early, so a lot of
times kids will come in sweat pants or
dressed casually,” Cinque said, about the
early hour students must report for class.
“She was always dressed up, and she
definitely took a sense of pride in her
fashion.”
The hijab, which covers the head and neck
and frames the face, is worn by Muslim women
for different reasons; some believe it shows
their devotion to God or fills God’s
commandment for modesty. Others wear it as
an expression of their Muslim identity.
Shahin blends tradition and modern trends to
create her style. She wears a hijab and
modest clothing with long sleeves and pants,
according to Muslim custom. At the same
time, she wears trendy teenage clothes from
stores like Forever 21.
Her favourite look is “boho-chic,” which she
describes as “laid-back and flowy,
effortless and classy.” She likes to pair
flowing shirts over skinny jeans with chunky
necklaces or bangle bracelets.
“Every day is different. It depends on my
mood,” said Shahin, who also helps put
together outfits for customers at her job at
Francesca’s at the Paramus Park mall.
The whole picture
It is common for women to pair hijabs with
modern clothing, and there are Muslim
fashion bloggers who are creating a fashion
niche in this area. The hijab is associated
with piety and conservatism in Islam, and in
some cases has been a magnet for scorn or
prejudice. But Muslim women are like other
women who want to have fun with fashion and
express themselves, said Sonya Nasser, owner
of Arabella Couture, a women’s clothing
store in Paterson.
Nasser said people used to look down on
young women for wearing a hijab. A “best
dressed” honor for a hijabi at an American
public high school means times are changing,
she said.
“It sends the message that we are able now
to set trends and be respected for what we
stand for at the same time,” she said.
Shahin plans to study physical therapy at
Rutgers but dreams of having a fashion
company on the side. Shahin, who is of
Palestinian descent, said she believes she
is the first hijabi to ever win the
best-dressed award.
“It’s such an honor to see that they are
looking at us as equal and that they’re not
just looking at hijab,” she said.
Afghan president nominates
first female judge to Supreme Court
KABUL- AFGHAN: Afghan
President Ashraf Ghani on Tuesday nominated
a female judge to sit on the Supreme Court
in an unprecedented move that has angered
some Islamic conservatives.
Anisa Rasouli, the head of the Afghan Women
Judges Association and a former juvenile
court judge, was the only female nominated
to the nine-member bench after the
announcement was delayed due to opposition
by a group of Islamic conservatives earlier
this month.
“I’m proud to announce that for the very
first time I have nominated a woman to the
Supreme Court,” Ghani told a gathering of
diplomats and women’s rights activists.
“Appointing a woman to the Supreme Court
does not alter the judicial system. We do
have full support of the Ulema (Islamic
scholars) for it,” he added.
The nomination, which requires approval by
parliament, is part of efforts by Ghani’s
unity government to promote more women to
high-profile positions since he and his
Chief Executive Officer Abdullah Abdullah
assumed office last September.
Under the constitution, Supreme Court judges
have fixed ten-year terms. In April
lawmakers approved Ghani’s nominees for a
number of cabinet positions, including four
women.
The former academic and World Bank economist
has already appointed two female governors
for the provinces of Ghor and Daikundi,
moves hailed by rights campaigners.
He also said Tuesday he wanted all
ministries to appoint female deputy
ministers.
But the moves have angered some influential
Islamic scholars in the conservative
country.
Earlier in June a group of clerics gathered
in Kabul to protest at the possible
appointment of a female judge to the Supreme
Court.
Under the 1996-2001 fundamentalist Taliban
regime, women were banned from leaving their
homes without a male chaperone and often
denied basic rights such as an education.
Nearly 14 years after the Taliban were
toppled by a US-led invasion, Afghan women
have made giant strides — with female
lawmakers and security personnel now
commonplace.
President Ghani’s wife Rula stepped into the
limelight during the presidential election
last year and has been actively campaigning
for women’s rights since then.
But activists say there is a long way to go.
In March an Afghan woman was lynched by a
mob after being falsely accused of burning a
Koran, triggering protests around the
country and drawing global attention.
In
his disturbing and timely book Jean-Pierre Filiu lays bare
the strategies and tactics employed by the Middle Eastern
autocracies, above all those of Syria, Egypt, Yemen and
Algeria, that set out to crush the democratic uprisings of
the 'Arab Revolution.'
In pursuit of these goals they
turned to the intelligence agencies and internal security
arms of the 'deep state,' the armed forces, and to street
gangs such as the Shabiha to enforce their will.
Alongside physical intimidation,
imprisonment and murder, Arab counter-revolutionaries
discredited and split their opponents by boosting
Salafi-Jihadi groups such as Islamic State.
They also released from prison
hardline Islamists and secretly armed and funded them.
The full potential of the Arab
counter-revolution surprised most observers, who thought
they had seen it all from the Arab despots: their
perversity, their brutality, their voracity.
But the wider world
underestimated their ferocious readiness literally to burn
down their countries in order to cling to absolute power.
Bashar al-Assad clambered to the
top of this murderous class of tyrants, driving nearly half
of the Syrian population in to exile and executing tens of
thousands of his opponents.
He has set a grisly precedent,
one that other Arab autocrats are sure to follow in their
pursuit of absolute power.
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:Naan
is a special kind of bread and is enjoyed by
most families with Haleem (A wheat, barley and
lentil soup) in Ramadaan. This recipe is tried
and tested and is very easy and successful.
Naan
Ingredients and
Method
Step 1
Mix together
6 cups of sifted bread flour less 3 Tab
2 x 10g yeast sachets
2 tsp. salt
3 Tab. full cream milk powder
2 tab soomph/fennel seeds
Step 2
Cream together
2 tab butter
¼ cup oil
2/3 cup of castor sugar
Then add two eggs and beat well. (Remembering to
leave aside a little egg to brush the top of the
naans before baking)
Step 3
Rub in the creamed mixture into the flour
mixture with light fingers and make soft dough
with 1 cup of warm milk and 1 cup of warm water.
The dough will be sticky so used oiled hands.
Leave to rise in a warm place until double in
size.
Once the dough has risen, used oiled hands to
divide the dough into 8 portions (approx. 200g)
and place in a baking tray, (I used mini pizza
trays) brush with the beaten egg and sprinkle with thal or sesame seeds.
Grandfather Habibullah: There was once a time when I used to
go with 2 liras in my pocket and I would come home with all
groceries, bread, butter, milk, biscuits, newspaper etc...
Grandson: it's not possible to do so these days Grandfather.
They've put CCTV everywhere.
And the Book (of Deeds) will
be placed (before you); and
you will see the sinful in
great terror because of what
is (recorded) therein; they
will say, "Ah! Woe to us!
What a book is this! It
leaves out nothing small or
great, but takes account
thereof!" They will find all
that they did, placed before
them: and not one will your
Lord treat with injustice. ~
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.
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and the best feedback come from our community of readers. If you
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ccn@crescentsofbrisbane.org.
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The
CCN Inbox: Letters
to the Editor
A
"We
have had another
effective year working
on a number of important
cases acquired through
monitoring and referral
— a suitable selection
is included in this
report. We have also had
the opportunity to
engage with several key
community-based
organisations assisting
them to improve their
media handling and
public relations
capabilities. Our media
crisis management and
training services have
also been further
enhanced."
SAUDI
ARABIA: Pilgrims and visitors to the
Grand Mosque in Makkah can take
advantage of free Wi-Fi service in the
courtyards of the mosque.
In
his disturbing and timely book Jean-Pierre Filiu lays bare
the strategies and tactics employed by the Middle Eastern
autocracies, above all those of Syria, Egypt, Yemen and
Algeria, that set out to crush the democratic uprisings of
the 'Arab Revolution.' 
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7
August 2011