Former
independent MP Tony Windsor
has hit out at a bungled
operation that would have
seen people stopped for
passport checks on the
streets of Melbourne,
telling ABC radio he had no
doubt that some in the
Abbott government "hopes
that something goes wrong
domestically".
Speaking on ABC radio
national current affairs
program AM, Mr Windsor said
the Border Force operation
was no mistake, but a
"deliberate agenda to create
fear in the community".
Mr Windsor said:
"I've
got no doubt
that some of
these people
in Abbott's
government
hope that
something
goes wrong
domestically.
That they
can taunt a
Muslim into
doing
something so
that they
can say that
we're the
only ones
that can
protect you,
the Labor
party are
too weak to
protect you,
vote for
us," he
said,
adding, "I
think that's
an
extraordinary
agenda to go
to an
election
on."
On Friday evening the Abbott
government remained under
pressure to explain why the
police-led operation
including the Australian
Border Force involved
stopping people for visa
checks - a measure
independent Tasmanian MP
Andrew Wilkie compared to
East Germany's Stasi.
Federal MP Clive Palmer
offered his own assessment
of the operation on Twitter,
likening it to 1930's
Germany.
The Australian Border Force
began in July and combined
Customs and Immigration
functions. Officers have
more powers than former
department officials,
including the power to
detain offenders, carry
guns, and gather
intelligence.
Aslam Nabi and Haji Hussin
Goss represented the Gold Coast
Mosque Trust and Mr.Frank
Hosseini represented Sanctuary
Constructions.
On 26 August, Gold Coast
Mosque Trust and the
Sanctuary Construction
signed the contract for the
construction of the Dawah
Centre at Arundel Masjid.
The three storey Dawah
Centre will encompass of
Madrassa, Darul Uloom,
Revert Centre, sport
facilities for the youth
including a multi-purpose
basketball stadium.
The estimated cost is about
$2.8million and the trustees
has so far collected about
half million dollars from
private donors. The trustees
are seeking donations
locally as well as
nationally in order to
complete the whole project
in time.
Trustees have embarked on
nationwide fundraising
dinners starting from
Brisbane which will be held
on 31 October 2015 at the
Islamic College of Brisbane
(Karawatha). Tickets are now
on sale for $50.
You can also support the
construction of the Dawah
Centre with donations here:
Bank Name: National
Australia Bank
Branch : Ashmore
SWIFT : NATAAU3303M
For further information,
contact:
Haji Hussin Goss
(President): 041 8737 621
Haji Hussain Baba
(Secretary): 0416 212 541
Haji Habib Jamal (Treasurer)
: 040 2601 152
Three Queenslanders, four
organisations and a high
school were all winners at
this year’s Multicultural
Awards.
Minister for Multicultural
Affairs Shannon Fentiman
presented the awards at the
annual gala dinner at
Brisbane Convention Centre
last night as the opening to
Queensland Multicultural
Week.
“The Queensland
Multicultural Awards has
been acknowledging
exceptional individuals,
businesses and organisations
since 1990 and I was
honoured to be part of this
year’s celebrations,” she
said.
“We know that Queensland has
always drawn strength from
the rich cultures and
traditions of people from
diverse backgrounds.
“These awards are about
publicly acknowledging those
people who work and
volunteer to promote the
benefits of a multicultural
society and help our newest
Queenslanders to feel at
home.”
Winners of the awards were –
•
Multicultural
Ambassador
Award winner
–
Yasmin Khan
has been
working
tirelessly
within the
multicultural
arena for
more than 25
years in
Brisbane to
help build
bridges and
dispel myths
about Islam
and the
Muslim
community.
Yasmin
started the
very
successful
Eidfest, a
celebration
at the end
of Ramadan,
now in its
11th year
which
attracts
10,000
visitors
from the
Muslim and
non-Muslim
community
• Business Excellence
award winner - The World
Wellness Group runs a
medical practice inclusive
of allied health and
traditional medicine
services for marginalised
migrants, refugees and
asylum seekers. All profits
raised go towards fulfilling
its mission: ‘a social
business where the
community’s health profits.
• Education and Training
Innovation award winner
- Kirwan State High School
prides itself on being a
‘school for everybody’.
Welcoming students from 49
different nationalities, the
school has a highly
successful international
program encouraging students
to graduate as citizens of
the world. They also
conducted events to promote
cross-cultural sharing,
embedded Asian literacy,
overseas’ learning tours and
volunteering opportunities.
• Outstanding Volunteer
award winner – Daphne
Fung, founder and
Vice-President of the
Toowoomba International
Multicultural Society (TIMS)
has spent countless hours
volunteering to help
increase cultural
understanding and create a
more harmonious community.
She has helped run the
Chinese New Year
celebrations for the past
eight years, which raise
vital funds for local and
overseas’ charities.
• Communications and
Media Achievement award
winner - The Change
Makers Project, a joint
partnership with University
of Queensland and Woodridge
State High School, aimed to
build greater connections
and cross-cultural
understanding between the
Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander, Pacifica,
Australian and newly-arrived
refugee communities in the
Logan area. Youth camps,
student-led community events
and an innovative student
magazine ‘Change Makers –
The true story of Woodridge’
were part of the successful
project that generated
national and international
media coverage.
• Services and
Communities award winner
- Brisbane City Council, a
major investor in
multicultural festivals
which have attracted more
than 4.5 million residents
and visitors and 31,000
volunteers to events such as
Paniyiri, Diwali and Korean
New Year. Over the past
decade, $2.5 million in
council funding provided to
42 organisations has allowed
216 multicultural festivals
to be delivered.
• Minister’s
Multicultural Award winner
– Gabriela Corridore has
been working hard to reduce
the feelings of isolation
and vulnerability among
multicultural communities
and to improve
communication, confidence
and support networks within
the Italian speaking
community in the Wide Bay
area. Her diverse skills and
linguistic abilities allowed
her to assist groups,
individuals and
organisations develop
multicultural policies and
practices.
• Minister’s
Multicultural Youth Award
winner - Welcoming
Intercultural Neighbours
(WIN) - Gladstone Youth for
Cultural Diversity group
motivates young people who
are passionate about
cultural diversity in their
community. The group
coordinates cultural events
and innovative activities
related to social inclusion,
cultural learning and
sharing. As part of the
youth initiative, WIN is
also working closely with
local high schools
facilitating information
sessions as well as a
literacy and cultural
support program.
“It’s great to see such a
diverse range of communities
and regions represented in
this year’s awards,” Ms
Fentiman said.
“Our multicultural
communities have contributed
greatly to Queensland’s
social, cultural and
business life.
“They have created jobs,
wealth and ideas, and
strengthened the harmony of
our great state, which is
why it’s important to
recognise and celebrate
their valuable
contribution.”
Ms Fentiman said the awards
was the perfect opportunity
to kick off Queensland
Multicultural Week, the
state’s largest celebrations
of multiculturalism.
The video tour made by a
far-right group has been
condemned by the Islamic
Council of Queensland, which
says local Muslims are being
terrorised
The Islamic Council of
Queensland has condemned a
contemptuous video tour of
Brisbane mosques by a
far-right group as the
latest incident in a
“concentrated campaign” of
harassment that was
“terrorising” Muslims.
Council spokesman Ali Kadri
said the video, posted
online by the Australian
Defence League on Monday,
had fanned fears among
congregations already uneasy
about hate mail and the
presence of unknown people
in mosque carparks for hours
at night.
One mosque featured in the
shambolic and error-riddled
video recently lodged a
complaint with Queensland
police after the presence of
one such car caused a “huge
scare” during Ramadan, Kadri
said.
Inspired by far-right
English street protest group
the English Defence League,
the ADL last year was
accused of sending a letter
that included a death threat
to Australia’s leading
Islamic cleric and a threat
to bomb Sydney’s Lakemba
mosque. The group has been
active in the Reclaim
Australia movement.
In the video, an ADL member
calling himself Chris labels
the Holland Park mosque an
eyesore, saying it is pretty
sad it is located next to “a
memorial park where soldiers
have been laid to rest”.
In fact the 108-year-old
mosque originally owned the
plot that is now Mount
Thompson memorial park, and
sold it to a Brisbane
crematorium.
In the video, “Chris”
falsely suggests that Isis
jihadist Khaled Sharrouf, a
Sydney man, was a product of
south Brisbane mosques.
“Some of these mosques have
generated jihadis that have
gone overseas and fought,”
he says. “I think you know
the famous one with his kids
holding the heads.”
He announces at the outset
of the video, which is
intended to rally opponents
to a proposed mosque in
Bendigo, that it will
feature five of seven
mosques on Brisbane’s
southside. He later says
there are 10.
“Why the fuck do these guys
need 10 mosques on the south
side of Brisbane within 20km
of each other?” he says.
He gestures to a mosque at
Darra and says: “That’s what
the ADL’s against. This
fucking shit over here
getting built all the time
and the government does
nothing about it.”
He refers to another mosque
under construction at
Algester as a “fucking
monstrosity”, urging people
to “head down here and have
a look”.
“The ADL’s had a gutful of
these guys,” he says. “We
want to ban everything. We
don’t want them here. Ban
the burqa. Get rid of it
all. It’s fucking
disgusting.”
Kadri said he believed the
ADL was a dangerous group,
despite police suggesting
they saw no “major threat
coming out of this”.
“These people are running a
concentrated campaign and
they want a reaction from
us, that’s what they want,”
he said. “To be honest, this
whole thing is not taken
seriously by police it
seems. But it is terrorising
the Muslim community.”
Queensland police said the
local force worked with the
Islamic community in
Brisbane to help identify
and address criminal and
anti-social behaviour.
“Everyone in Queensland has
a right to feel safe, to not
feel threatened or
victimised. The Queensland
Police Service urges anyone
who feels threatened or
fearful by the actions of
others to contact police,”
the QPS said in a statement.
The president of the Islamic
Council of Queensland (ICQ),
Mr Ismail Cajee, issued the
following statement to
Queensland Mosques be read
out to their congregations
at last Friday's prayers:
A
video posted on YouTube
has been brought to our
notice that shows some
members of Australian
defence league, a right
wing extremist group
discretely visiting few
mosques on the south
side of Brisbane. They
held anti-Islam placards
and made inaccurate
statements about these
mosques along with the
use of abusive language
to describe them. The
video also encourages
people to protest
outside the mosques on
10th of October.
We have forwarded this
video to the senior
members of Queensland
police service and
Assistant Commissioner
for Brisbane region,
Peter Martin has
reassured us in a
written letter stating,
(referring to the
Australian Muslim
community) “Your safety,
and that of your family
and the community here
in Queensland, is my
highest priority. The
officers that I
represent are committed
to ensuring that there
is no infringement of
the law and that a
breach of the peace is
not facilitated”
We urge the Muslim
community not to engage
either on social media
or in person with any
such extremist. We are
assured by the
Queensland police that
their intelligence
suggests no immediate
threat to the interests
of the Muslims of
Queensland. This
intelligence will be
reassessed and shared
with the Muslim
community as necessary
to ensure that the
mosques and its
congregations are not
under any threat from
right wing extremists.
If you have any concerns
please contact Islamic
Council of Queensland
through our website or
your local masjid.
Maroochydore's Stella Maris
Catholic Church priest Father
Joe Duffy says the Maroochydore
mosque next door deserves a fair
go.
MAROOCHYDORE Catholic priest
Joe Duffy has backed the
Muslim community's appeal to
the Planning and Environment
Court to remove restrictive
hours of worship and visitor
numbers.
The Muslim Organisation of
the Sunshine Coast (MoSC)
has been restricted by
Sunshine Coast Council to 25
people for weekly worship
services that can only be
held from noon to 3pm on
Fridays. The approval allows
an attendance of 40
twice-yearly for holiday and
festival services with no
amplification of music or
sound.
Father Duffy said the
region's Muslims were
entitled to the same level
of access to their CBD
premises as the Catholics
next door, the Anglican
church across the road, and
the Shell service station
being built opposite on the
Church St corner.
He said groups from any one
of the district's high
schools undertaking a "Study
of Religion" unit would
visit two churches and a
mosque, bringing about 40 on
a bus. Under the existing
approval they would not be
able to visit the mosque.
Father Duffy said it was
obvious the mosque community
would grow over time.
His own church is about to
begin a $30 million
re-development in
conjunction with Saint
Vincent de Paul involving an
aged care facility and a new
church. Father Duffy said
people should accept that
over time Muslim migration
to the region would rise
significantly creating
demand for a much larger
mosque and a Muslim school.
He said the council should
reverse what he described as
"prescriptive restrictions
on the Church St premises".
"I
support the
Muslims in
their appeal
against
restricted
hours of
worship and
limits being
placed on
the number
of visitors
accessing
the mosque,"
Father
Duffy said.
He said
the driving
forces
behind the
anti-mosque
movement
appeared to
be bigotry,
hatred and
racism.
The mosque proposal was met
with fierce protest by
critiques including one
protest where police were
forced to step in to ease
the hostility.
Sunshine Coast Safe
Communities president Ron
Hutchins told the Sunshine
Coast Daily last week that
while the hours being sought
may be the same as nearby
churches, church usage was
typically during daylight
and early evening hours.
"Scheduled Islamic prayer
times start every day before
sunrise and finish well
after sunset. This may mean
attendance as early as
3.20am in summer," he said.
"There is concern that the
slamming of car doors and
chanting may disturb
residents in the adjacent,
planned aged-care facility."
Father Duffy said car door
slamming was as likely to
come from the service
station being built at the
end of Church St.
The Muslim Organisation of
the Sunshine Coast has
declined to make comment
while the matter is before
the court.
The night was impressive!
The room was filled with
warmth. The keynote speakers
delivered two excellent yet
strikingly different
perspectives on women.
Mariam Veiszadeh
focussed on the contemporary
Muslim woman's difficulties
and advice on how to be
empowered and not continue
to feel victimised whilst
Dr Mohammad Abdalla
shared with us, womens'
contribution to the Islamic
civilization.
Starting with contemporary
issues, Mariam, the founder
of the first Islamophobic
register in Australia
discussed at length the
abuses directed at Muslim
women and in particular
herself, by the Australian
right wing movement, for her
stand against racism and
bigotry. It is a testament
to her faith, the support of
family and friends and
others in the wider
Australian community that
she continues the good
fight. Mariam pointed out
that it was critical not to
be and feel victimised. To
take a stand, a legal stand
against the oppressive
voices of intolerance.
Dr Mohamad Abdalla on the
other hand, noted the many
and vast achievements of
women during the golden
Islamic period. It was a
revelation indeed for most
of the audience to learn
that the first degree
issuing university in the
world was started by a
woman. A muslim woman,
Fatima Al Fihri, daughter of
wealthy businessman Muhammad
bin Abdallah bin Al-Fihri,
used the inheritance left to
her to enrich the community
through education. Fatima
founded the Al-Qarawiyyin
Mosque and University and
also together with her
sister Mariam, built the
Andalusian Mosque in Fez.
Together, they left a trail
blazing legacy unmatched
till today.
Dr Abdalla also made the
poignant point that many of
the great scholars whom we
know today had female
teachers. The famous scholar
Al-Dhahabi for example, was
under the tutelage of Sitt
al-Wuzarā' bint 'Umar ibn
al-Munajja who taught Sahih
Al-Bukhari.
The audience came to
understand, most for the
first time, the significant
role that women have played
in disseminating Islamic
theology and jurisprudence.
David Forde, Mariam Veiszadeh
and Senator Claire Moore
Salam Elmerebi then
discussed the amazing work
that is done by MCF – Muslim
Charitable Foundation. Salam
who is herself a long
serving member of MCF,
dedicates her time
selflessly to assisting
those in need.
Salam highlighted the
difficulties encountered by
refugees when they first
arrived in Australia. With a
severe shortage of financial
resources, an inability to
work and earn money due to
government restrictions and
an inability to speak
english, they find it
extremely difficult to make
ends meet, leaving many in
dire circumstances.
The evening proceeded with
donations and commitments to
contribute to refugees in
need.
A highlight of the night was
the Pay it Forward gesture
presented by Ilham Ahamed
Sabry. All women who
attended the function
received a scarf as an
acknowledgement of the
difficulties wearing hijab
can bring. Pay it forward
allowed many women at the
function to purchase scarves
to be distributed to other
women not able to attend.
The more vulnerable amongst
us.
This was a wonderful display
of the sisterhood that is
present in our community. A
message to those who think
they are alone that in fact
they are not. It truly
embodied the brotherhood/
sisterhood message that
permeates our religion and
sought to strengthen that
invisible bond between the
Muslim women.
The evening was rounded off
well with an excellent
rendition of giving from
Khalil Gibran's The Prophet
by Dr Mustafa Ally, a
touching Urdu naat by
Omar Khan and a
beautiful nasheed by our
respected Imam Ahmad Abu
Ghazaleh. This in itself
was a clear indication of
the diversity we've come to
cherish in our community.
The Tribute to Women dinner was
held two weeks ago at the
Technology Park in Eight
Mile Plains.
You can continue to support
this event and the refugees
by purchasing some of these
items Please help us to help
those in need. Give a
little, change a lot !!
To purchase any of these
item please contact
Faisel Essof: 0402575410
Fawzia Batty: 0405035786
Pay it Forward Scarves These scarves are still
available for purchase.
"If you are more offended
by my language, you need to
check your privilege because I
am FAAAAAR more offended by
these assholes using the flag of
my country in conjunction with
such hatred." - April Brem
HOUSTON, USA:
I was in such a good mood. I
really was. It’s back to
school, and that means I get
the house to myself during
the day to write. It also
means my daughter, now a
first grader, will once
again have a steady routine
to guide her. All hail and
bow before the glory of the
routine. I won’t say I
skipped home after dropping
her off, but I won’t say I
didn’t either. So with Coke
Zero at my elbow I logged
into the world to see what I
might write about and
promptly stepped into human
poo.
HISD has opened its first
Arabic-immersion magnet
school, and Houston rushed
to prove its two favourite
contradictory truisms. One,
that we remain the most
diverse city in the country,
embracing new cultures and
peoples and ideas as only
befits America’s
headquarters for the
exploration of the cosmos
and all its wonders. Two,
that within that diverse
grouping are still terrible
bigoted assholes who have
nothing better to do than
show up to prove they’re
terrible, bigoted assholes
on the first day of class.
If you can’t read the little
sign in the lower right hand
corner of the picture it
says, “Everything I needed
to know about Islam I
learned from Muslims on
9/11”. This is why we can’t
have nice things. My initial
reaction was wondering if I
could pull off a dropkick
with some judicious
stretching beforehand, but
now I have questions I want
to ask this gaggle of gits.
6. At what point in your
life did expressing yourself
become so important you were
willing to frighten
children?
Seriously, what was the
event that made you say, “My
thoughts are so turbo
special it’s worth ruining
parents dropping their kids
off for the first day of
kindergarten?” Some of you
are surely parents, and you
can’t tell me that you don’t
remember the joy and fear
and emotion of that first
day at school. I teared up
today and all I had to do
was leave my little girl
joyously scribbling a
picture with crayons. I
can’t even imagine what
these families must have
felt when they saw your
hateful signs and woefully
misused flags.
5. Can you name a single
protest at an elementary
school that was ever on the
right side of history?
One of my daughter’s
favorite bedtime books is
The Story of Ruby Bridges by
Robert Coles and George
Ford. Little Ruby Bridges
was a real-life girl who was
the first black child
integrated by court order
into a New Orleans white
school. She ended up
spending her day as the only
student there as parents
held their kids home and
formed angry mobs that she
had to be escorted through
with bodyguards. That was
just 55 years ago, and
judging by some of you it’s
within your own living
memory. Have you learned
nothing in half a century?
In 30 years will I read to
my own grandchildren from a
book where your angry faces
peer out at impossibly small
but brave children?
4. Do you honestly not
understand the difference
between Arab and Muslim, and
either and terrorist?
Number one, most Muslims are
not Arabic. Not even close.
Most of them live in
Indonesia and India. The
Arabic world contains about
20 percent of all Islam.
Arabia is a region, Arabic
is a language, and this is a
state secular school not a
religious one. Please in
Allah’s name learn the
difference.
As for the terrorism, do you
remember this speech?
I also want to speak tonight
directly to Muslims
throughout the world. We
respect your faith. It's
practiced freely by many
millions of Americans, and
by millions more in
countries that America
counts as friends. Its
teachings are good and
peaceful, and those who
commit evil in the name of
Allah blaspheme the name of
Allah. The terrorists are
traitors to their own faith,
trying, in effect, to hijack
Islam itself. The enemy of
America is not our many
Muslim friends; it is not
our many Arab friends. Our
enemy is a radical network
of terrorists, and every
government that supports
them.
That’s President George W.
Bush speaking shortly after
the 9/11 attacks, and for me
it was one of his finest
moments as our president. He
never let for a single
second the idea that “Arab”
or “Muslim” would be
synonymous with “terrorism.”
In the immediate wake of the
greatest attack on American
soil since Pearl Harbor he
stood up there, knew you
candy-brains were going to
go tribal, and told you to
knock it off. Despite all
that came after, he was
right then and he is right
still.
Speaking of 9/11…
3. You do realize, again,
that these are young
children? 9/11 happened in
2001.
If it were a child it would
be starting to hint about
what it wanted for its first
car. However, these actual
children at this actual
school are all between four
and six years old. It’s
likely a lot of them don’t
even know about 9/11 yet. My
daughter doesn’t. But now
these parents have to look
forward to answering,
“Mommy, what’s 9/11” instead
of a pleasant conversation
about how their first day
went. Good job.
2. By the way… you know
the only reason you can even
write that sign is thanks to
Arabic, right?
Without Arabic we’d still be
using an archaic and near
useless numbering system
from the Romans. So unless
you’re going to change your
sign to IX/XI or a.d. V Prid.
Sept. you’re just being
ridiculously ignorant of how
much you owe Arabic in your
day to day life.
1. Finally, do you have
any idea how much this could
benefit kids?
Arabic is the fifth-most
spoken language in the
world, and is extremely
important to the oil and gas
industries that make up so
much of Houston culture. In
addition to that, bilingual
speakers are required in
areas of diplomacy and
national security, and a
deep knowledge of Arabic
culture and language will
better prepare them for jobs
we desperately need. Being
bilingual makes you more
hireable and early education
in two languages has many
cognitive benefits. If
nothing else, it might teach
them not to automatically
fear something just because
they don’t understand it,
and in doing so prevent them
from becoming misled bigots
clutching to the flag like a
security blanket in order to
ward off imaginary terrors.
You’re treating an
elementary school the way an
overactive imagination turns
piles of clothes in a
child’s room into a
crouching monster waiting to
eat them. Please, for all
and sundry, can’t you grow
the heck up?
Jef has a new story about
robot sharks out now in
Lurking in the Deep. You can
also find him on Facebook
and Twitter.
The ability to communicate
in another language is a
marketable asset; fluency in
Arabic is an extraordinary
asset. While it may seem far
away, learning Arabic will
help your children gain jobs
in the oil and gas industry,
state department, and many
multi-national corporations.
In response to potential
protests on 10 October at
Mosques by some right wing
extremist groups, the Darra
Mosque invited Mr David
Forde from Multicultural
Affairs Queensland (MAQ) to
address Friday's
congregation.
Mr Forde spoke about MAQ's
role and the Minister's
support for the Muslim
community through social
media and government funding
for a support worker. He
advised the congregation to
avoid responding to any
confrontational protests
should they occur and leave
it to police.
Several comments were made
from the floor, including
the need for government to
show public support for the
Muslim community.
Mr Forde undertook to raise
the suggestion of a workshop
through the
Anti-Discrimination
Commission that would
provide better awareness
about the complaints
processes.
This
interview with volunteers 'Shuv
Homsi' and 'Nazeem' gives an
inside look on the war on
drugs in Australia from the
grassroots - not only in the
Muslim community but the
wider Australian community
included.
Feeding
the Needy Programme
A Slacks
Creek Mosque Australian
Unity Centre initiative
every Friday outside the
Woodridge train station.
By Haroon Moghul, Senior
Correspondent, Religion Dispatches
You can’t solve a problem if
you don’t know you have a
problem. But how do you know
you have a problem if you
don’t have a word for it?
“Mansplaining,” for example,
describes the peculiar
tendency of some men to
patronizingly lecture women,
assuming that by virtue of
their gender alone, they
need to be talked down to.
Probably the worst kind of
mansplaining happens when a
man’s talking to a woman
about something she’d
obviously know more about.
Such as, for example, being
a woman.
I have been a victim of a
related phenomenon, one that
irritated me to no end.
Then, when I came up with a
name for it, I was even more
frustrated—because I
realized how pervasive it
is. I call it “Islamsplaining.”
From cable news “specials”
and social media exchanges
all the way down to
in-person interactions,
Islamsplaining is
everywhere.
Don’t believe me?
On April 25, ESPN
commentator Curt Schilling
compared Muslims to Nazis.
In his newest book, It is
all about Islam: Exposing
the truth about ISIS, Iran,
Al-Qaeda and the Caliphate,
Glenn Beck insists all
Muslims are either moderates
or Nazis. Wisconsin Governor
Scott Walker has made a
similar, equally baseless
claim: Only precious few
Muslims are moderates. .
You know what these
Islamsplainers all have in
common?
They know nothing about
Islam, but they speak as if
they were experts.
“I’d
love to have
coffee and
hear you
tell me what
else is
wrong with
me and
one-fifth of
humanity!”
And I have a hunch that if
they ever do meet Muslims,
it’s not to hear our points
of view, but to put us in
our place.
In my experience,
Islamsplaining usually
happens like this: Someone
I’ve just met perceives that
I’m brown, bearded and have
a funny name (and therefore
likely Muslim), and begins
to lecture me on what’s so
good about the West, or so
bad about Islam, suggesting
these are two unequal
planets on opposite ends of
the galaxy.
Not that there’s room for
debate.
The Islamsplainer speaks.
And based on the way the
Islamplainer pontificates,
you’d expect that
Islamsplainees across the
world usually smile, nod
politely, agree with
everything, challenge
nothing, and maybe ask for a
business card: “I’d love to
have coffee and hear you
tell me what else is wrong
with me and one-fifth of
humanity!”
One recent experience of
Islamsplanation was more
jarring than usual, because
that particular
Islamsplainer had years of
law enforcement experience
under his belt. While he
Islamsplained at me, I
wondered how common his
opinions were among his
colleagues, how badly these
errors of perception
impacted on our domestic
policy and whether any
Republicans who did not
think this way might speak
out.
The Islamsplainer and I met
after a television panel on
Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez,
the 24 year-old Tennessean
responsible for killing five
US servicemen in
Chattanooga. We speculated
on possible motivations,
because at the time there
was no clear evidence
Abdulazeez was a terrorist
(and there still isn’t).
But, of course, he was a
Muslim, so all of him had to
be reduced to that, and my
barrel-chested, goateed co-panelist
did not disappoint. Since we
were heading out of the
Rather like climate change,
the Islamsplainer is hard to
stop once he starts.
building together, we began
talking. Or rather he did.
In retrospect, I wish I’d
feigned some excuse to stick
behind in an empty studio. I
could’ve claimed it was
prayer time and I needed a
vacant room, all to myself,
because I’d been a bad
Muslim and it was gonna take
a while. It was that bad.
Before
we’d even
reached the
elevators,
I’d been
told there
were only
two types of
Muslim,
“progressive”
and
“fundamental.”
(Imagine if
I’d
exclaimed,
in response,
“Ooh! Just
like there’s
two types of
white
people:
liberals and
confederates?”)
The “fundamentals” can’t
exist in the modern world,
my co-panelist Islamsplained,
because something something
Prophet Muhammad.
“Fundamentals” turn to
violence because Muhammad
did; but the only solution
to this violence, he said,
was “the Muslim community.”
Always nice when someone
from law enforcement tells
you he can’t help you.
Imagine if 911 calls worked
that way.
I did not point out that
cutting back the wide
availability of deadly
weaponry in the United
States might be at least a
part of the solution. Nor
did I mention that jihadist
recruiters and their
supporters religiously avoid
mosques, because mainstream
Islam wants nothing to do
with them: they not only
don’t want to talk to
Muslims; they want to kill
us. (That very day, an ISIS
bombing killed 115 Muslims
attending services for the
biggest holiday of the
year.)
But
rather like
climate
change, the
Islamsplainer
is hard to
stop once he
starts.
From lone wolves, he told
me, ISIS was graduating to
sleeper cells across
America; these undercover
operatives were 21st century
versions of Elizabeth and
Philip Jennings, the KGB
superspies who lived double
lives in metropolitan DC on
FX’s The Americans. They
look like us, sound like us,
but also want to kill us. Of
course, I didn’t ask how
American Muslims could
possibly be the solution to
covert underground cells
established by a foreign
entity with which we have no
relationship.
But we haven’t even reached
peak Islamsplanation. I was
then informed that
Chattanooga shooter Muhammad
Abdelazeez was clearly in
possession of his faculties,
and indubitably a terrorist
(an assumption flatly
contradicted by later
evidence). On the other
hand, Dylann Storm Roof, he
said (bringing him up out of
nowhere), wasn’t a
terrorist, or a white
supremacist. Just a troubled
soul who’d skipped his
medication.
Why didn’t I intervene?
Men don’t necessarily
mansplain because they
believe they’re superior to
women. They might just do it
to convince themselves they
still are a vital part of
every single
conversation—that their
point of view is always the
priority. Islamsplaining is
no different. By definition,
an Islamsplainer is a person
so embedded inside his own
privilege that he cannot
welcome challenges to his
authority.
When he was done
Islamsplaining at me, he
asked me if I traveled often
to Muslim communities—so he
could come along next time,
he said, and “lecture” (Islamsplain)
to them. I stifled a laugh,
took his business card, and
recycled it at the next
corner
1 minute walk
to Hillcrest mosque.
2 minutes drive to Grand
Plaza, Browns Plains
shopping centre.
Highset 3 Bedrooms, Kitchen
and 1 Bathroom.
2 Living Areas, 2 Garages.
Ample space for kids 800m2
block.
Available 14th September.
Rent $335 per week.
Contact Mumtaz 0405 669 264.
Muslim Link interviewed
Ilhan Ibrahim, who, along
with her two sisters Hodan
Ibrahim and Ayan Ibrahim,
have co-founded Qurtuba
Publishing House.
4. Tell us about your
publication “Guide to
Entrepreneurship & Business
in Islam”
Both in Canada and the U.S.,
unemployment rates for
post-secondary graduate
students has been on the
rise since the 2008-2009
Global Financial Crisis.
More and more students are
having to face the reality
of unemployment upon
graduating. In fact, in a
report by Statistics Canada,
one of the leading causes of
students returning to school
to pursue higher education
is due to the difficulties
they faced in seeking
employment, which in turn
increases their student debt
load. This is a perpetual
cycle that many students
feel trapped in.
Unfortunately, the
conventional system does not
provide students with
feasible alternatives.
When we look into Islamic
traditions, we see that
entrepreneurship was an
established practice of
Muslim civilization dating
back to the time of the
Prophet Muhammad (peace be
upon him). Not only did
entrepreneurship create
social stability, but it
also provided economic
resilience and
self-sufficiency for Muslims
and non-Muslims alike. In
fact, our Prophet Muhammad
(peace be upon him) hailed
from a line of independent
businessmen. Unfortunately,
the Islamic roots of
entrepreneurship have been
long forgotten by Muslims
for some time. This book, A
Guide to Business and
Entrepreneurship in Islam,
wishes to resurrect this
core foundation of Islamic
economics and illustrates
how entrepreneurship can be
integrated as a solution and
an alternative course for
the contemporary Muslim.
NEXT WEEK IN CCN:
5. Tell us about the
inspiration behind “A Guide
To Overcoming Conflicts with
Immigrant Parents”. What
feedback have you received
from readers…and your own
parents?
47 As in O, A levels:
Pakistani student beats world record
ISLAMABAD:
A Pakistani student, Haroon
Tariq, has broken the
current world record by
securing a total of 47 As in
his International General
Certificate of Secondary
Education (IGCSE) O Level
and A Level exams from the
University of Cambridge
International Examinations.
His subjects spanned both
the humanities and sciences
including Human and Social
Biology, Islamic Religion
and Culture, Physics,
Chemistry and Global
Development.
A student of Froebel’s
International School (FIS),
Haroon Tariq’s achievement
had put Pakistan in the
global spotlight.
In the O Levels, the
previous world record was 28
As which was also held by a
Pakistani student Zohaib
Asad. However, Haroon Tariq
obtained 38 As in O levels
and a total of 47As in his O
and A level exams.
While talking to Dawn,
Haroon Tariq said he studied
50 different subjects in O
and A levels during the span
of three years. He said
obtaining 47 As was not easy
as he had to study different
languages including Spanish
and French.
“I want to study engineering
in the future, but have not
decided whether to
specialise in software
engineering or aeronautical
engineering,” he said.
Haroon Tariq said his
teachers guided him well due
to which he achieved the
remarkable score, adding
that he had to give all his
attention to his studies.
Head Principal of the school
Shahmina Kamal said, “I feel
honoured to be instrumental
in shaping a competent
youngster for tomorrow’s
Pakistan.” Similarly, the
head of the Dept of
Examinations Sahar Pirzada
said, “I always remind
students that success is a
state of mind. They need to
trust themselves as they
always know more than what
they think they do.”
“Surely enough, we have
students setting world
records for academic
excellence,” she said.
Why China wants a bite of
the booming halal food market
The famous Muslim Snack Street
in Xi An, China.
CHINA: A new Euromonitor
report forecasts that Muslim consumers will
make up more than a quarter of the world's
population by 2030, and China wants to play
an active role in feeding them.
Chinese companies are increasingly flexing
their muscles in the burgeoning market for
halal food - one a report last year
commissioned by the Dubai Chamber of
Commerce said would be worth $1.6 trillion
by 2018 - while the government is also
eyeing halal-focused pacts with regional
partners to broaden country's export
portfolio.
Under Islamic law, halal food must be
strictly free of alcohol, pork, tobacco or
lipids from animals. Animals destined to be
sold as halal meat must also slaughtered in
accordance with religious guidelines.
China is not an obvious candidate as a halal
food powerhouse. The 26 million-strong
Muslim population make up just 2 per cent of
China total population, with the vast
majority living in Xinjiang and Ningxia
provinces in Northwest China, the most
underdeveloped part of the country.
China, however, is forging ahead. Under its
"One Belt One Road" initiative that aims to
recreate the Silk Road land and maritime
trade routes, China has sought opportunities
for halal trade with Muslim and Arab
countries through bilateral trade
agreements.
In Linxia city, in China's Gansu province,
several companies have struck trade
agreements with Turkey and Kazakhstan to
export manufactured food products, reported
Want China Times.
China has also set up networking conferences
and seminars, including the Sino-Malaysian
Halal Food and Muslim Supplies Certification
and Industry Cooperation Seminar that took
place in July this year.
And it has created infrastructure to support
the halal trade, including the construction
of halal food and Muslim supplies
manufacturing hubs such as the Wuzhong Halal
industrial park, in the Muslim stronghold of
Ningxia, which has attracted 218 companies.
It is not just external demand that is
driving China's interest in halal.
Joy Huang, China research manager at
Euromonitor International, told CNBC that
demand was also underpinned by non-Muslim
mainland residents.
"Halal
food is
considered
to be
healthy and
hygienic,
given the
high
standards
for
manufacturers,"
Huang
said.
"Non-Muslims
think that [halal
food] is
safer, given
the number
of food
safety
scandals in
China," she
added.
Major local food players are
jumping on the bandwagon to meet the growing
domestic appetite for halal products.
Shineway Group, one of China's largest
processed meat companies, was an early
starter, investing $310 million in a halal
meat production base in 2009.
But even halal providers in China have
suffered from food safety scares.
The country got its first large halal foods
certification center, the Ningxia Halal
Foods International Trading Certification
Center, only in 2014. It is permitted to
certify halal foods in several provinces.
And while certification rules are improving,
most halal centers are only operated at the
regional level, and lack national
standardization and legislative support.
According to Euromonitor, this is because
Muslims are a minority in China and the
government is more focused on general food
safety than the religious requirements of a
relatively small group of consumers.
There are also concerns that China's slew of
food safety scandals could hinder the growth
of Chinese halal food exporters. This is
unlikely, however, to be a long lasting
roadblock.
The biggest halal food company in China is
Inner Mongolia Yili Industrial Group. Also
known as Yili Group, the company, which
reported total revenue of $8.4 billion in
2014, focuses on dairy products including
formula milk, pasteurized milk and ice
cream.
Youngest Nobel peace prize
winner Malala Yousafzai achieves top grades
at school
Top student:
Despite being shot in the head
by the Taliban in 2012 in
Pakistan, Malala Yousafzai has
achieved outstanding results at
a British high school.
LONDON: Malala Yousafzai, the
youngest person ever to win the Nobel peace
prize, has another reason to celebrate after
posting a string of top grades in her GCSEs,
a set of important exams faced by British
teenagers.
Her father Ziauddin Yousafzai said on
Twitter on Friday his 18-year-old daughter
had achieved six A*s and four As, placing
her in the top tier of school kids to take
the exam.
After rising to global fame as an education
activist after she was shot in the head by a
Taliban gunman in Pakistan in 2012, her
family resettled in Birmingham in Britain.
Last year she became the youngest person
ever to win the Nobel peace prize.
Yousafzai, whose own education was disrupted
when she was attacked and moved to Britain
for rehabilitation, sat her exams two years
after most British teenagers take them.
Pakistani media praised her good results.
"Nothing that Malala Yousafzai achieves
seems startling any more but she continues
to make Pakistan proud," said the Express
Tribune, an English-language Pakistani
newspaper.
It doesn’t matter
how old you are, you should always care for and
improve your bone and joint health through exercise.
• Exercise helps with blood flow, which in turn,
can help reduce inflammation in joints
• You can build better bone strength through
daily movement (incidental exercise)
• Lifelong exercise is key - stay consistent
when it comes to your workout routine
• Young adults should be encouraged to do
high-intensity, weight-bearing exercises
• Adults should aim to continue doing high
intensity exercise for as long as possible
• Older adults should adjust their workouts as
they go, doing what is manageable
• Women are more likely to develop osteoporosis
which is when bones weaken and become brittle
Who is Charlie: Xenophobia
and the New Middle Class
by
Emmanuel Todd
Description
In the wake of the attack on the
offices of Charlie Hebdo in Paris on 7 January 2015,
millions took to the streets to demonstrate their revulsion,
expressing a desire to reaffirm the ideals of the French
Republic: liberté, égalité, fraternité.
But who were the millions of
demonstrators who were suddenly united under the single cry
of ‘Je suis Charlie’?
In this probing new book, Emmanuel Todd investigates the
cartography and sociology of the three to four million who
marched in Paris and across France and draws some unsettling
conclusions.
For while they claimed to
support liberal, republican values, the real middle classes
who marched on that day of indignant protest also had a
quite different programme in mind, one that was far removed
from their proclaimed ideal.
Their deep values were in fact
more reminiscent of the most depressing aspects of France’s
national history: conservatism, selfishness, domination and
inequality.
By identifying the anthropological, religious, economic and
political forces that brought France to the edge of the
abyss, Todd reveals the real dangers posed to all western
societies when the interests of privileged middle classes
work against marginalised and immigrant groups.
Should we really continue to
mistreat young people, force the children of immigrants to
live on the outskirts of our cities, consign the poorer
classes to the remoter parts of the country, demonise Islam,
and allow the growth of an ever more menacing anti-Semitism?
While asking uncomfortable
questions and offering no easy solutions, Todd points to the
difficult and uncertain path that might lead to an
accommodation with Islam rather than a deepening and
divisive confrontation.
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.
• 5 egg whites
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup sugar
• ½ cup oil
• ½ cup water
• 3 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla essence/paste
Method
1. Beat the egg whites with ¼ tsp bicarbonate
soda and ¼ tsp baking powder until fluffy. Leave
aside.
2. Mix all other
ingredients (except baking powder) together in a
bowl.
3. Gently fold the
beaten egg whites and baking powder into this
mixture.
4. Rinse a ‘Chiffon
Cake pan’ with hot water and then place the
mixed batter into the pan. Do not grease the
pan. If you do not have a Chiffon Cake pan, you
can try using any aluminum cake pan.
5. Bake in a
moderate oven until a cake tester/toothpick
comes out clean.
6. Immediately
invert the cake tin and balance on the funnel of
the pan, a glass or a bottle. Place a wet cloth
over the pan, and allow to cool completely while
covered, elevated and upside down. As the batter
is very light and fluffy, this ensures that the
cake will not collapse on its own weight.
7. Once completely
cooled, use a spatula to release the cake from
the pan.
TOPPING: For the
topping, beat approx. 200g of butter and 1 tsp
vanilla bean paste with condensed milk. The
amount of condensed milk you add will depend on
whether you prefer the icing firm and
spreadable, or runny. Decorate with roasted
almonds and melted chocolate.
*If using a standard
size Chiffon Cake pan, you will need to double
this recipe.
Jallaludin applied for a job and when he didn’t get it, he
called the Anti-discrimination Council (ADC) to complain
that he was turned down straight away without even an
interview.
Jallaludin: I've just been told straight out that I didn't
get the job because I'm a Muslim! What a cheek!
PART I: And remember Abraham
and Isma'il raised the
foundations of the House
(with this prayer): “Our
Lord! Accept (this service)
from us: for You are the
All-Hearing, the
All-Knowing."
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.
Zikr
- every Thursday 7pm, families welcome Hifz& Quran Reading Classes (for brothers and sisters) -
Tuesday 5:00 - 7:00pm & Thursday 5:30 - 7:00pm Madressa
(for children) - Wednesday & Friday 4:30 - 6:30pm Salawat
Majlis - second Saturday of every month. Starting at
Mughrib, families welcome Islamic
Studies (for sisters) - one year course. Saturday 10:30
- 2:30pm. Enrolments for 2016 now available Ilm-e-Deen
Degree Courses (for brothers) - Three full-time and
part-time nationally accredited courses. Enrolments now
available for 2016.
For more details, contact: Maulana Nawaaz: 0401576084
On Going Activities
1. Daily Hadeeth reading From Riyadusaliheen,
After Fajar and after esha .
2. After school Madrassah for children Mon-Thu 5pm to 7pm
3. Adult Quran classes (Males) Monday and
Tuesday after esha for an hour.
4. Community engagement program every second Saturday of the
Month, interstate and overseas speakers, starts after margib,
Dinner served after esha, First program begins on the 15
August.
5. Monthly Qiyamulail program every 1st
Friday of the month starts after esha.
6. Fortnight Sunday Breakfast program. After Fajar, short
Tafseer followed by breakfast.
7. Weekly Tafseer by Imam Uzair after esha followed by
dinner. Starts from 26 August.
For all activities, besides Adult Quran, classes
sisters and children are welcome.
For further info call the Secretary on
0413669987
IPDC
Lutwyche Mosque
Weekly classes with Imam Yahya
Monday: Junior Class
Tuesday: Junior Arabic
Friday: Adult Quran Class
For more information call 0470 671 109
Holland Park Mosque
All programs are conducted by Imam
Uzair Akbar
DAY
MONDAY
TUESDAY
PROGRAM
Tafseer Program
Basics of Islam
Tafseer Program
AUDIENCE
Men
Ladies
TIME
after Maghrib Salat
Brisbane Northside Muslimahs Support Group
To help sisters on the northside of Brisbane to connect
with their local sisters.
We
will endeavour to have regular meetings, either for a
lesson/discussion on
Monday Tafseer – Juz Amma* Tuesday Arabic Grammer/Tafseer Quran (URDU) Wednesday Reading & Reciting Quran (Adult class) Thursday Tafseer Quran (URDU) Friday Tafseer Quran (URDU)
All the above programs are after Isha salah
All are welcome! See you at the Masjid – The place to be!
Please note that the Tafseer gets recorded
and uploaded on to our website as an mp3 file, so that you
can download and listen at anytime.
Visit our website at:
masjidtaqwa.org.au
Queensland Police Service/Muslim
Community Consultative Group
Meeting Dates & Times
Time: 7.00pm sharp
Date: TBA
Venue: Islamic College of Brisbane - 45 Acacia Road
Karawatha
Articles and
opinions appearing in this newsletter do not necessarily
reflect the opinions of the Crescents of Brisbane Team, CCN,
its Editor or its Sponsors, particularly if they eventually
turn out to be libellous, unfounded, objectionable,
obnoxious, offensive, slanderous and/or downright
distasteful.
It is the usual policy of CCN to
include from time to time, notices of events that some
readers may find interesting or relevant. Such notices are
often posted as received. Including such messages or
providing the details of such events does not necessarily
imply endorsement of the contents of these events by either
CCN or Crescents of Brisbane Inc.
The best ideas
and the best feedback come from our community of readers. If you
have a topic or opinion that you want to write about or want
seen covered or any news item that you think might be of benefit
to the Crescents Community please e-mail
ccn@crescentsofbrisbane.org.
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The
CCN Inbox: Letters
to the Editor
Former
independent MP Tony Windsor
has hit out at a bungled
operation that would have
seen people stopped for
passport checks on the
streets of Melbourne,
telling ABC radio he had no
doubt that some in the
Abbott government "hopes
that something goes wrong
domestically".
ISLAMABAD:
A Pakistani student, Haroon
Tariq, has broken the
current world record by
securing a total of 47 As in
his International General
Certificate of Secondary
Education (IGCSE) O Level
and A Level exams from the
University of Cambridge
International Examinations.
Zikr
- every Thursday 7pm, families welcome
post comments on
our Wall
7
August 2011