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Southsiders have witnessed
some shocking public
displays of anti-Islamic
hatred this week.
On Wednesday 23 September a
man verbally abused a 35
year old Muslim woman at the
Waterford West Shopping
Centre.
Anti-Islamic graffiti
appeared near the bus stop
at the Sunnybank Plaza
Shopping Centre. The hateful
messages were stencilled in
black paint on a rubbish bin
Both of these acts
discriminate against people
of Islamic faith.
“I’m saddened that there are
people in our community who
think discrimination in any
shape or form is
acceptable,” said Mr Perrett
MP, Federal Member for
Moreton.
“Queensland has laws to
protect against
discrimination on the
grounds of religious belief
or religious activity. It is
unlawful to, by a public
act, incite hatred towards,
serious contempt for, or
severe ridicule of, a person
or group of persons on the
ground of the religion of
the person or members of the
group, said Mr Perrett.
“People in our community
work very hard to build
respect and understanding of
other cultures and our
nation is all the more
enriched for it.
“The fact that we have laws
that prohibit discrimination
on the basis of religious
belief or religious activity
demonstrates that social
cohesion in Australia and in
our local community is
important to us.
“Cowards who think that they
can get away with spray
painting hateful slogans in
the dead of the night need
to think again – eventually
you will be caught.
Logan Police are
investigating whether an
office against the
Anti-Discrimination Act was
committed by the man at the
Waterford West Shopping
Centre last week.
He has charged with Public
Nuisance and Wilful Exposure
and will face the Beenleigh
Magistrates Court on 13
October.
"We need to encourage
harmony within society and
send a strong message to
those who want to incite
division. Your actions are
unacceptable, you are
breaking the law and if you
are caught, you could be
prosecuted,” said Mr Perrett.
Mr Ismail Cajee,
president of the
Islamic Council
of QLD, together
with members of
the Council,
immediately took
to the streets
of Sunnybank to
protest the
recent
Islamophobic
attacks on the
community.
(l to r)
Fred Avey, Maher
el Kholed, Jamal
el Kholed, Ali
Kadri, Ismail
Cajee
The
Islamic College of Brisbane
this week announced that Dr
Ray Barrett will be
continuing as Principal of
the school.
Dr Barrett had been the
caretaker Principal in
recent months.
In extending the
appointment, Chairman of the
Board, Mr Ismail Cajee
expressed the Board's
appreciation to Dr Barrett
for his "wise and strong
leadership" since his
appointment and noted his
"exceptional interpersonal
skills in particular".
"The Islamic College of
Brisbane will continue to
focus on the provision of
the highest quality of
education to students and
play a pivotal role within
the wider Brisbane
community," Mr Cajee told
CCN.
Register for the Crescents
of Brisbane’s 12th Annual
CresWalk2015 Fun Run and
Walk, and help local
refugees in the process.
Enjoy a delightfully fresh
October morning out along
the Brisbane River on
Sunday 25 October and,
on your return, savour the
famous
CresWalk Signature
Burger Meal
as you relax back at the
Park with family and
friends.
Get your entries in as
quickly as possible because
only the first 400 to
register will qualify for a
CresWalk2015 t-shirt.
Click here to get
started and then look
forward to another memorable
CresWalk, insha’Allah.
VICTORIA:
The battle over Bendigo’s $3
million mosque took another
menacing turn yesterday when
a pro-mosque councillor
found a threatening leaflet
from right-wing extremist
group United ¬Patriots Front
in his letterbox.
The bright red leaflet, with
a picture purporting to be a
Muslim holding a gun and
with a big red cross through
it, accuses Mayor Peter Cox
(pictured) and head
of a not-for-profit,
non-government emergency
housing group Ken Marchingo
of “corruption”.
Pictures of Mr Cox and Mr
Marchingo are at the top of
the leaflet with the words
“What does corruption look
like?” followed by a picture
of a mosque with a large red
cross through it.
“Mayor Cox & Ken Marchingo
selling out Bendigo’s
future,” it says under the
pair’s pictures.
The leaflet also announces
the details of another
anti-mosque rally and a map
highlighting where
protesters should meet.
Pro-mosque councillor Mark
Weragoda discovered the
leaflet as he was mowing
lawns at his home yesterday
and said he took it as a
“personal threat”.
“It wasn’t there on Saturday
evening, so it must have
been put in my letterbox
overnight or early in the
evening,” he said.
Mr Weragoda said none of his
neighbours received the
leaflet and he was concerned
for the welfare of his wife
and daughter, who were
recently threatened during
an anti-mosque protest at a
heated council meeting at
Bendigo Town Hall.
The meeting was abruptly
adjourned and councillors
were escorted out by police
after protesters, most from
outside Bendigo, swamped the
council chambers.
The United Patriot Front is
a breakaway group of
extremists and a new
anti-Islamic Australian
group that has expressed
political solidarity with
far-right and neo-Nazi
groups in Europe.
Bendigo residents and
pro-mosque locals are
outraged that members of
extremist far-right groups,
such as UPF, the Q society,
which claims to be
“Australia’s leading
Islamic-critical movement”,
and Reclaim Australia, have
hijacked the local debate
and used it to send
anti-Muslim messages.
More than 400 anti-Islamic
extremists were bussed into
Bendigo from Sydney and
Melbourne to an anti-mosque
rally last month that saw
violent scuffles between the
anti-mosque group and an
anti-racism group.
More than 300 police were
sent to Bendigo for the
rally in what one commander
described as the biggest
police operation he had seen
outside of Melbourne.
Mr Weragoda believed the
threatening leaflet was in
response to an article in
which he was named as
pro-mosque published in the
Weekend Magazine on Saturday
that detailed the issues
around the mosque debate and
the involvement of
right-wing extremist groups
from outside town.
He said anti-mosque groups
were active in trying to
shut down any media seen as
favourable to a mosque.
As Australia's first veiled
reporter on national television,
I recognise the significance of
fashion icon H&M hiring its
first hijabi model. But we've
still got a long way to go when
it comes to accepting visibly
Muslim women, writes Tahmina
Ansari.
Photo: Mariah Idrissi is now
the first visibly Muslim woman
to appear in mainstream fashion
in such a capacity for such a
globally acclaimed fashion
label. (H&M)
"Wow, that's incredible, I
can't believe it."
That was my reaction to
seeing the news article on
the first hijabi model for
H&M, Mariah Idrissi, "going
viral" (see
CCN567)
H&M is a retail clothing
giant that not only has a
great range for those who
are fashion forward, but is
now apparently setting a
different kind of trend by
using a Muslim model for its
latest campaign.
Ordinarily, this would
barely be newsworthy. It
would be just another model,
just another campaign. What
makes this sensational is
that this model comes
adorned with the Islamic
headdress, the hijab. She is
now the first visibly Muslim
woman to appear in
mainstream fashion in such a
capacity for such a globally
acclaimed fashion label.
The news circulated
throughout the usual
channels and social media is
a buzz in the wake of this
bold move by H&M.
My initial reaction,
however, soon melted away
and the reality of my own
experiences as an Australian
Muslim woman who also
happens to wear the hijab
set in.
I remember when I first set
my eyes on journalism and
the doe-eyed naivety through
which I saw the industry. I
was the first Australian
Muslim woman journalist
wearing the hijab. I made
history in 2013 by being the
first veiled reporter on
national television. Me. A
once refugee from
Afghanistan whose family
came to Australia to escape
invasion, war and suffering,
but who was just like any
other candidate trying to
break into a competitive and
demanding industry. Only
difference was, I just did
it all with a hijab.
So of course this is a huge
deal for me and I would say
for any other Muslim woman
who identifies as such, or
person from a minority with
visibly identifiable
cultural or religious
attire. This is a rarity and
something that is
remarkable.
But it is also a recent
trend across different
industries where women who
just happen to be visibly
Muslim are highlighted for
their contributions - be
they social commentators
such as Mariam Veiszadeh or
media personalities like
Susan Carland.
Yet Australia has some
catching up to do.
In 2012, Samoan Australian
actor Jay Laga'aia, most
known for his role on the
ABC's Playschool, criticised
Australian TV for racism and
not casting multicultural
actors after he was dropped
from Channel Seven's
long-running soap Home and
Away. Current House Husbands
actor Firass Dirani said at
the time that major networks
weren't proactive in
assisting people from
diverse cultural backgrounds
to break into lead roles.
Perhaps this "industry"
problem is a symptom of a
broader issue - prevalence
of racism and discrimination
in society. According to the
anti-racism Australian group
All Together Now, one in
five children experience
racism each day and at
sports events. In the
workplace, one in three
people are subjected to
racism.
The Australian Human Rights
Commission's "Racism, It
Stops With Me" campaign
attempts to counter this
bigotry but even their
public ambassadors aren't
immune to the rising tide.
The prime example is former
Sydney Swans great Adam
Goodes, who took leave from
the game earlier this year
after being booed by crowds
at AFL matches.
Personally,
it never
even
occurred to
me that I
was setting
some kind of
a precedent
or "trend"
by wearing a
hijab and
following my
passion for
storytelling.
It all
seemed so
normal to
me. Putting
on my hijab
every
morning
before work
is like
tying your
shoelace.
It's
habitual.
It's
routine.
Unfortunately though, it's
not perceived as such for so
many. It's typical to see a
Muslim woman in the hijab
when it involves a news
piece highlighting the
garment, though rarely the
woman behind it is seen. For
this reason, we are
continually fighting an
uphill battle and with
particular reference to my
own experiences as an
Australian Muslim woman, we
are behind the trend.
I do not want to take away
from the success of Mariah
Idrissi. What she is doing
takes stamina and a whole
lot of grit. She has pluck -
I take my hijab off to her.
Not to mention the sure
backlash she will receive
from both ends of the stick.
I am all too familiar with
the challenges that come
with being in an industry
where looking different or
being diverse is not
necessarily the "in" thing.
Where fitting in and looking
the part has more to do with
it than being just you.
Early in my career, I was
warned, "they'll never put
someone like you on
Australian Television" or
"you will make a great
writer, don't bother with
TV" by senior media
professionals. Though this
did have a huge impact on me
and it was shattering to
hear, I did not and will not
allow it to shape the kind
of journalist I want to be.
H&M clip featuring Mariah
Idrissi
The truth is, this country
is one of the most diverse
nations in the world. We
speak more than 200
languages. But this reality
isn't always reflected in
the mainstream.
I have become overwhelmed
with the number of friends
who have confided in me,
ready to give up their
careers because their
headscarf has become a
hindrance to their
professional development. It
simply saddens me.
I will truly be happy the
day that this becomes the
norm, where we see women of
all different shapes,
colours and sizes, donning
what they want and doing
what they do best.
Australia, take note; it's
time to step up and reflect
the rich diversity of this
country.
Tahmina Ansari is a
journalist for ABC News.
Follow her on Twitter
@TahminaAnsari.
A leading personality and
renowned Islamic scholar Dr.
Jamal AL-Barzinji passed way
on 27th September 2015.
Dr. Jamal al-Barzinji, who
visited Brisbane recently,
was a founding member, a
Trustee and Vice President
for Research & Publications
of the International
Institute of Islamic Thought
(IIIT) and a founder and
board member of the Islamic
Society of North America.
A biography of Dr al-Barzinji,
compiled by his colleague,
Dr. Hisham AlTalib, can be
read
here.
Perhaps now, with a changing
of the guard in the
government, the place of
religion will subside.
...it seems that Turnbull's
elevation may well signal
the end of the religiously
motivated language and
policy that characterised
much of Tony Abbott's
tenure.
Religious affiliations kept
private are a matter between
an individual and a chosen
deity. Those same
affiliations made public in
the pursuit of policy
distort the crucial
principle that a government
elected by part of the
electorate will govern
nevertheless for all of it.
The Abbott cabinet was so
overtly Christian – and so
blunt in its interpretation
of such a complex theology –
that even many other
Christians despaired.
Abbott's taunting of
Muslims, like his offensive
Holocaust references,
weren't calculated insults –
they were the verbal tics of
a blinkered schoolyard
zealot.
Abbott, Abetz and Andrews
are now all on the outer,
joining Bernardi in bitter
exile. Religious bluster
seems unlikely with this
Prime Minister. Perhaps now,
our secular constitution
will be upheld. And halal
will be a source of food,
rather than bigotry.
Malcolm Turnbull will seek
to recast the government’s
relationship with Muslims
through more co-operative
and inclusive policies after
warnings from security
agencies that relations with
the Islamic community have
sunk to their lowest ebb.
The move will see the new
Prime Minister avoid the
blunt and often divisive
language used by his
predecessor Tony Abbott,
which alienated many in the
¬Islamic community and
undermined the ability of
agencies to win their trust
to help combat
¬radicalisation.
The Australian understands
that Mr Turnbull will adopt
a new, more inclusive tone
in dealing with the Islamic
community and has discussed
the issue with ¬Foreign
Minister Julie Bishop and
Justice Minister Michael
Keenan, who both urged him
to take the fresh approach.
He is expected in coming
weeks to emphasise the need
to work co-operatively with
the Muslim community in
order to rout extremists and
extremist ideology from
communities.
The
move, which represents a
departure from the policies
of the Abbott government,
will be embraced by the
country’s Muslims, according
to community leader and GP
Jamal Rifi (pictured).
“It is definitely needed
and definitely welcomed —
the larger Muslim community
will respond with open
arms,” Dr Rifi told The
Australian.
He said the Muslim community
was “elated” at Mr Turnbull
becoming Prime Minister as
the relationship with the
government under Mr Abbott
had become “extremely tense
and hurtful”.
“Unfortunately, under the
¬previous government we felt
powerless,” Dr Rifi said.
“We felt that the community
was fighting radicalisation
with our hands tied behind
our back, but now we hope
that the shackles are off.
“We are hopeful and
determined to change the
status quo and roll up our
sleeves to work with the
present government to help
protect Australia.
“This means the
protection for boys and
girls not to fall for the
trap of ¬Islamic State and
the likes … we can’t shield
them from the propaganda,
but we can empower them to
resist it.”
Security agencies told the
government in the final
months of Mr Abbott’s
leadership that relations
with the Muslim community
were at their lowest ebb,
making it harder for
authorities to gain the
trust and co-operation of
Muslims to alert agencies to
possible threats.
Liberal senator Concetta
Fierravanti-Wells, who has
been consulting with 160
Muslim groups across the
country on national
secu¬rity policy, told The
Australian communities were
feeling marginalised and
there was a “growing
distrust” of government.
“At the moment what is
basically happening is
(that) because of a growing
distrust and problems in
these communities, these
communities have moved away
from us … they feel very
marginalised,” Senator
Fierravanti-Wells said.
“Basically what has
happened is they have
clamped up, they are not
really engaging and
therefore relationships have
dried up. They feel very
marginalised. Of course,
good intelligence is based
on good relationships.”
The senator, who has more
than 30 years’ experience
working with multicultural
groups and has close links
to the Muslim community,
said the government needed
to build a relationship of
trust with communities at
risk.
She called for the “complex”
issue of countering
extremism and preventing
youth becoming
disenfranchised to be dealt
with as a social issue.
“In my view, we have been
dealing with extremism and
violent extremism as a
national security issue, but
what we really need to do is
to be looking at it from a
different perspective; it is
a social issue with a
national security angle.”
Dr Rifi said Mr Abbott had
alienated many in the Muslim
community through poor
choice of words.
These included his comment
in February that he wished
more Muslim leaders would
describe Islam as a religion
of peace and mean it, and
his use of terms such as
“Team Australia” and “death
cult”.
“I believe Malcolm
Turnbull will be more mature
and insightful and that the
government he leads will not
fall for such short-minded,
unwise use of words,” Dr
Rifi said.
Since becoming Prime
Minister, Mr Turnbull has
shunned expressions such as
“team Australia” and has not
described ¬Islamic State as
a “death cult”.
Dr Rifi, in Canberra
yesterday to receive an
honorary doctorate from the
University of Canberra for
leadership of the Muslim
community and his stand
against ¬hatred and social
injustice, said he attended
a meeting of Islamic leaders
on Tuesday to discuss the
challenges of radicalisation
and that Mr Turnbull’s rise
to the leadership was
discussed.
“The mood was optimistic
about the change,” he said.
“Definitely there are some
issues that need to be
ironed out, some grievances,
but we are very optimistic.”
He believed the tone of the
government was already
changing for the better
under Mr Turnbull. He said
many Muslims had been
offended when the Abbott
government indicated it was
more likely to accept
Christians rather than
Muslims in the new intake of
12,000 Syrian refugees
announced last month. “It
gave the impression that
Syrian Muslims are not
welcomed and that was
another blunder by the
government. Such a great
announcement (to take 12,000
refugees) should have been
used to strengthen the
interaction between the
communities (yet) it was
more divisive than
inclusive.”
He said a teleconference
this week between Muslim
community leaders and Paris
Aristotle, the head of the
Refugee Resettlement
Advisory Council, made it
clear the Syrians would be
chosen on the basis of need,
not religion.
“I believe this new
approach (by the government)
has already started,” Dr
Rifi said.
In July, Mr Turnbull
outlined his attitude to
countering violent extremism
in Australia, saying it was
more important to respond to
the terror threat with
effective measures rather
than simply being “tough”.
He quoted former ASIO
director David Irvine, who
had said: “We should not
let the phenomenon of
violent Islamist extremism
destroy the community
harmony that is such an
essential characteristic of
Australia’s highly
successful multicultural
democracy. That is precisely
what violent extremism and
terrorism want to do.”
Veteran MP Philip Ruddock,
who is working with Senator
Fierravanti-Wells on
community engagement, said
he would not comment on Mr
Abbott’s language, but he
believed it was important to
ensure diversity in the
community was respected.
USA: If the federal
government has its way, more
kids like Ahmed Mohamed with
a tinkering habit and a
curious mind will be
targeted by anti-Muslim
bigotry.
A new government program
that could reach New York
City threatens to further
stigmatize American Muslims
and cast unwarranted
suspicion on innocuous
activity. This week, the
ACLU and the NYCLU, along
with more than 20 community
and rights groups, sent a
letter to New York City
Mayor Bill de Blasio, urging
his administration to
consider carefully whether
the city should participate
in the federal government’s
“Countering Violent
Extremism” program.
It’s been nearly four years
since the White House
formally launched its CVE
plan. It’s been more than a
year since CVE pilot
programs were launched in
Boston, Minneapolis, and Los
Angeles, all of them
targeting Muslim
communities. It’s been seven
months since the White House
convened a CVE summit.
And we still don’t know
what, exactly, these
programs are. The little we
do know, however, is deeply
troubling. CVE purports to
“support and empower
American communities” and to
provide a space for
community discussions of
political opinions and
religious viewpoints.
But what
we’ve seen
suggests CVE
may task
community
members with
monitoring
each other
and
reporting to
law
enforcement
the beliefs
and
activities
of
law-abiding
Americans.
To many,
that’s known
as spying.
It’s hardly
conducive to
supporting
communities
and creating
a space for
differing
viewpoints,
and it
stymies
First
Amendment-protected
beliefs and
activity.
We know
that the
premise of
CVE is that
there is a
link between
extreme or
even
“radical”
ideas and a
propensity
to commit
violence.
But after
years of
federally
funded
studies,
researchers
have never
been able to
establish
any such
link, nor
have they
developed
reliable
criteria to
predict who
will commit
violence.
After it emerged that the
government is asking New
York City to join a CVE
initiative, we explained to
the mayor that CVE programs
that the government has
already implemented have
proven to be
counterproductive and
harmful to the communities
they target.
Singling out American
Muslims brands them as
inherently suspicious and
somehow less American. It
reinforces the false notion
that Muslims are prone to
terrorism and violence.
Ahmed, the teenage boy
arrested in Texas for
bringing a homemade clock to
school, can certainly attest
to the harm inflicted by
such stigmatization.
What little we know about
CVE programs raises serious
concerns that these programs
threaten the fundamental
rights of the communities
they target. Elements of CVE
programs intended for
schools task teachers and
social workers with
monitoring and identifying
students they believe are at
risk of “radicalization.” We
still don’t know how they’re
expected to do this or what
characteristics the
government believes such a
student might exhibit, but
we do know that schools
should be environments where
curiosity, inquiry, and
intellectual discourse
thrive. CVE threatens to
turn them instead into
places where children are
viewed as suspects and
personal expression as
potential threats.
b) Go toFightAgainstHate.com.(If
you are a first-time
user, you will have
to register using
your FB Login or an
email account). Once
logged in, paste
hyperlink of the
item into the box
saying submit
report.
c) It will ask you
to categorise it
(choose anti-Muslim
hate) and
sub-categorise it as
a specific type.
Press submit.
My
name is Naomi Bedford and I
am a highly trained
hairstylist.
I have been hairdressing for
over 15 years and worked in
award winning salons. I
specialise in colour and
cutting.
I use all cruelty free vegan
colours and products which
are mostly grey water safe
and don’t contain any
petrochemicals and are all
paraben and SLS free.
I work from a private salon
which is located at the back
of a females clothing
boutique in Stones Corner.
It is away from the
clientele of the boutique
and I work alone. This space
is perfect to accommodate
the needs of the Muslim
female community. A salon
where woman can feel safe
and comfortable.
I would love to look after
you!
My hours of operation are:
Monday 10 am - 9 pm
Tuesday 10 am - 4 pm
Wednesday closed
Thursday 10 am - 4pm
Friday 10 am - 9pm
Saturday 10 am - 4
pm
Sunday closed
My website and Facebook are
currently being updated.
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.
TUTORING SERVICES
Tutoring by a pre-service
teacher available for
Primary School Students
Specialising in Maths
Other subjects available on
request.
Blue card holder.
Discounted rates for CCN
readers.
Please contact Tas on
0433556488 via text
FOR LOAN
An electric, adjustable
hospital bed with side
rails available for loan.
Please contact (07) 3219
7086 or 0434 556 935 for
more information
ROOMMATE WANTED
Seeking Female roommate to
share large home with a
sister for a temporary
basis.
Rent negotiable. Fully
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or single sister. Walking
distance to buses, close to
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schools, major shops and
mosque. Located in Mount
Gravatt. Please phone: 3343
2233.
Toastmasters public
speaking champion Mohammed Qahtani
On August 15, Saudi Arabian
security engineer Mohammed
Qahtani won the title of
Toastmasters International
World Champion of Public
Speaking. He survived seven
rounds of a competition that
lasted six months and
included 33,000 competitors
from around the world.
He and nine other finalists
competed at the Toastmasters
annual convention in Las
Vegas, and he took home
first place for his speech
“The Power of Words,” which
you can watch below:
Saudi teen to be executed
by CRUCIFIXION for anti-Government protest
.
Ali al-Nimr is
to be crucified for protesting
against the Saudi Government
Saudi Arabia: Human rights
campaigners are calling on the European
Union to step-in to prevent Ali Mohammed al-Nimr
being executed by Saudi Arabian authorities.
Mr al-Nimr has been in a Saudi Arabian jail
since he was arrested on Valentines' Day in
2012 when he was just 17-years-old during a
crackdown on anti-government protests in the
Shi'ite province of Qatif.
Authorities accused him of taking part in
illegal protests and firearms offences -
despite no evidence being produced for the
latter charge.
After numerous breaches of international
standards following his and his family's
strong denial of the charges, a final appeal
was held in secret and without Mr al-Nimr's
knowledge which was dismissed, giving him
few legal options now to oppose the sentence
originally handed down on May 27 last year.
Lawyers now fear Mr al-Nimr will be executed
within days.
In Mecca I saw little of
Islam’s compassion, but a lot of Saudi
Arabia’s neglect
Opinion by Sabreena Razaq
Hussain (UK)
I am grateful to be
alive after a distressing Hajj
experience – and urge all Muslims to
protest about the inhumane treatment of
pilgrims. Radical change is needed
‘Much of the
poor management of the hajj
stems from the actual
functioning of Saudi Arabia
itself.’
With 2 million people
gathered in one small city for the hajj,
some discomfort was to be expected. And
putting up with it was, I initially thought,
an opportunity to exercise the patience so
very valued by our faith of Islam and in the
holiest of cities. So we marched on
hopefully.
But with the 40-plus degree heat of Mecca,
the harsh policing, the aggressive crowds,
the chaotic organisation, the pressure was
relentless. As the days went on, I couldn’t
have felt a starker contrast between the
spiritual tranquillity and contentment
experienced within the confines of the Grand
Mosque and sites, and the anxiety and
distress caused by those policing it.
Prior to my arrival in Saudi
Arabia, accompanying my parents on
pilgrimage, my ignorance had led me to
believe that one of the richest Muslim
countries in the world would be well
organised in facilitating the rites of hajj.
Now, back in the UK, I am grateful to be
alive and still horrified by what I
witnessed. I fully understand why hundreds
of people were crushed to death and I don’t
believe that “God’s will” can be used an
excuse.
We’d had a pleasant and spiritual warm-up in
the crowded but welcoming streets of Medina.
Our group of UK pilgrims remained incredibly
organised, my mother’s diabetes was stable
and my father, an asthmatic, remained
mercifully unaffected by the heat. As a
pilgrim, daughter and a GP, I was happy and
excited to be heading for Mecca. But the
reality was a shock.
Even getting to and from the mosque and
other sites was distressing. Accompanying
wheelchair users, we had to help them on and
off the wheelchairs many times as the
pavements were almost knee high with no
clear ramps or similar. Considering the
number of people with permanent disability
or debilitating conditions, this was
shocking.
The heat was one of the biggest tests of
all, causing many to become exhausted and
dehydrated. Yet only a few of the crowded
routes had supplies of water. Some of the
common pilgrim routes, where the symbolic
stoning of Satan takes place for example,
were devoid of any water supplies other than
the presence of young policemen occasionally
squirting random pilgrims’ faces with water.
Q: Dear
Kareema, how can I maintain my fitness while I’m
away on holiday?
A: It’s important to relax and give your
body some recovery time especially while
you’re on a break. When exercising on holidays
focus on maintenance.
Try booking a place
where there is a gym or other activities
available. Aim to
do activities that you would not normally do, eg.
maybe hiking, swimming, outdoor
activities etc.
Be as active as you can be with the family.
Beach (soft sand) running is also a great
way to work up a sweat.
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: The
recipe for this delicious and addictive treat
has been kindly shared by SHAHEDA KHATREE
ALMOND
ROCCA
Ingredients
250g frozen salted butter
3 Tab. cold tap water
3 Tab. liquid glucose (use a warm or a wet spoon
to measure)
1 cup white sugar--250mls
1/2 cup slivered almonds
Method
Place first four
ingredients in a heavy based pot -pot with a
thick base.
Use a wooden
spoon and stir mixture constantly on medium
heat till thick and creamy.
After 6-8
minutes of cooking mixture will turn to
light caramel color.
Now add in the
slivered almonds and stir and cook for
another minute or 2 until mixture turns into
a toffee color.
Pour mixture
immediately onto a greased oven tray and
spread quickly with two metal tablespoons
Mixture sets very quickly so you need to
work really fast.
Leave to set and
once cooled break up into pieces.
COOK'S NOTES
Always use
frozen butter for best results.
Soft butter or
room temperature butter will separate when
cooking and will NOT set.
Use a wooden
spoon to stir mixture because a metal spoon
will heat up.
Always grease
your tray BEFORE you start making the
mixture.
Always keep a
block or two of butter in your freezer!
The Believers are but a
single Brotherhood: so make
peace and reconciliation
between your two
(contending) brothers; and
fear Allah, that you may
receive Mercy.
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
The
Islamic College of Brisbane
this week announced that Dr
Ray Barrett will be
continuing as Principal of
the school. 
VICTORIA:
The battle over Bendigo’s $3
million mosque took another
menacing turn yesterday when
a pro-mosque councillor
found a threatening leaflet
from right-wing extremist
group United ¬Patriots Front
in his letterbox.
The
move, which represents a
departure from the policies
of the Abbott government,
will be embraced by the
country’s Muslims, according
to community leader and GP
Jamal Rifi (pictured).
My
name is Naomi Bedford and I
am a highly trained
hairstylist. 
Zikr
- every Thursday 7pm, families welcome
post comments on
our Wall
7
August 2011