Another year has passed
through so quickly and as
usual, it is time to
reflect, review and plan
ahead.
MCF has now been in
existence for 6 years and
has been growing from
strength to strength,
indicating the confidence
that our donors, supporters
and well-wishers have in the
organisation.
Since the granting of DGR
(tax-deductibility) status
in Sept 2014, MCF has seen
more donors take advantage
of claiming their donations
off their tax returns.
This year saw a gentle
increase in the number of
individuals and families
seeking assistance for
various areas of need –
ranging from medical
expenses, rental and
electricity arrear bills,
transport assistance or just
simply to put food on to the
table.
MCF has once again worked
very closely with other aid
organisations, Muslim and
Non-Muslim. Our partner for
all overseas aid is Muslim
Aid Australia, with whom we
have a Memorandum of
Association. Locally, we
work with Islamic Relief
Australia, National Zakat
Foundation, Ayia Foundation
and Human Appeal, as well as
many of the Masaajids. We
have regular referrals from
Access, MDA, Red Cross and
work closely with Kuraby
Lions.
Seekers Brisbane provides
MCF with packed hampers
every month made up of
essential non-perishable
items. No client of MCF is
left without food. For Eid,
needy families were given
cash donations as well as
toys for children. During
Eid-ul-Adha, parcels of meat
were received for onward
donation.
This year also saw MCF
partner with Slacks Creek
musjid in a joint venture to
fund the Homeless Feeding
scheme held twice a week in
Woodridge. This is proving
to be a very successful
venture and pleasing to
provide basic food items to
the needy. We must also
acknowledge the many Muslim
Food business outlets who so
generously donate cooked
food for distribution.
With Kuraby Lions, MCF
provided funding to purchase
hampers for clients of
Kyabra Centre. In addition
120 toiletry packs were
packed and delivered for
intellectually challenged
individuals. Once again,
this was very well received
and appreciated.
In the coming year Insha
Allah, MCF will continue
with its aims and objectives
in seeing to the needs of
the most vulnerable and
those in need. MCF has an
open-door policy and no
person in need is turned
away. We welcome joint
initiatives with other
organisations with similar
aims and objectives. MCF is
also seeking to commit to
more projects to assist
Australians in need.
An urgent need that exists
in our community is to have
a data base of businesses
that are able to provide
employment to the many that
have difficulty in finding
employment. Some of the
clients that come to MCF for
assistance come out of
desperation, but would
prefer to find employment.
Due to many reasons,
including language
difficulties, employment is
difficult to find.
MCF is a volunteer-based
organisation, with no
full-time employees. All
members are voluntary
workers who sacrifice their
time for the betterment of
members of society. MCF also
has a 100% donation policy.
All admin costs are borne by
members of MCF and some
donors who contributed
specifically towards
Administration costs.
MCF welcomes any input,
ideas or assistance which
will help us grow and assist
where assistance is most
needed.
Our sincere appreciation to
our donors, well-wishers and
sponsors for their on-going
support. May Allah bless and
reward you. Aameen.
The Grand Mufti of Australia,
Dr Ibrahim Abu Mohammed (right),
and Sheikh Yahya Safi (left), of
the Lakemba mosque, have backed
a fatwa against Islamic
Australia's leading imams
have backed a fatwa against
the Islamic State terrorist
group, warning that any
support for the group
contradicts Islamic
teachings.
In a New Year message to the
nation's Muslim community,
the Grand Mufti of Australia
together with prominent
imams from NSW and Victoria
have given their religious
opinions and urged
congregations, particularly
the youth, to listen to
their religious leaders.
The Grand Mufti, Dr Ibrahim
Abu Mohammed, who is the
leading representative of
Australia's Sunni Islamic
scholars, said "most
Islamic Legal Circles and
Fatwa Boards have condemned
ISIS, declaring that Islam
is innocent of all these
barbaric actions despite
ISIS using the term Islamic
in its name. The term
'Islamic State' has been
usurped by ISIS," he
said, using one of several
acronyms for IS.
"We stand with all
organisations that have
condemned ISIS and declared
innocence from its inhumane
actions.
"Locally we would like to
bring to the attention of
our youth, and those who
lead them, that ISIS is a
trick designed to prey on
youth, either by their being
killed or locked up in
prison. We doubt the origins
of ISIS because since it was
established it has not done
one thing for the benefit of
Islam and Muslims. Rather
its actions and barbaric
acts have been against the
way of God," he said.
"Therefore we warn our youth
regarding the deceitful
propaganda that ISIS uses
through social media such as
Facebook and Twitter. We
remind our youth in
Australia that social media
and the medium of the
internet cannot be a trusted
means regarding religious
knowledge."
Dr Mohamed's comments come
as Muslim leaders around the
world, including 70,000
clerics in India, have
issued a fatwa against
terrorist groups including
ISIS and after the
Australian National Imams
Consultative Forum released
a document, Australian
Muslim perspective on some
key contemporary concerns,
addressing religious issues
raised by IS's activities
and recruitment.
The document examines dozens
of issues from citizenship
in Australia and Islam, to
jihad, and makes statements
backed by more than 20
Australian imams against
slavery, suicide, and
foreign fighting. It bluntly
states that the so-called
caliphate in Syria and Iraq,
as proclaimed by IS is not
legitimate and therefore
Australian Muslims have no
obligation to follow its
dictates.
Sheikh Mohamadu Saleem, of
the Board of Imams in
Victoria, also had a New
Year message for the
community, saying that
violent extremism is neither
religious nor Islamic.
"We condemn and deplore
ISIS's violent propaganda
that is perpetrated against
innocent civilians in the
name of Islam as the prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon him)
said: 'Harm is neither
inflicted nor tolerated in
Islam.'"
He said that "ISIS is
trying to justify 'violence
against innocent civilians'
by interpreting texts of the
Koran and hadiths,
statements of Muhammad
'cherry-picked and out of
context' to suit their
violent actions. Majority of
the leading scholars and
Islamic organisations have
vehemently denounced ISIS
for its illegitimate and
misleading propaganda."
Sheikh Yahya Safi, the imam
at Australia's biggest
mosque in Lakemba, said:
"I stand with the Islamic
scholars from around the
world who have condemned the
actions of ISIS that
contradict the teachings of
Islam and I have stressed
this on many occasions,
especially in my Friday
sermons."
Sheik Taj el-Din al-Hilali,
the former grand mufti of
Australia, has also warned
that IS is like a trap that
had tricked people and
countries.
"Joining them is a type
of madness that does not
concord with the teachings
of any religion. I warn the
Muslim youths from all over
the world against joining
ISIS or supporting them in
any way," Sheikh Hilali
said.
"Joining such a group or
supporting it contradicts
the Islamic teachings 100
per cent, because this group
is clear in breach of the
Islamic teachings."
Navy Captain Mona Shindy made
comments via the Twitter account
@navyislamic that were at odds
with government policy.
A senior Muslim navy officer
has been counselled and her
Twitter account shut down
after she tweeted
controversial views
concerning Islamic extremism
and then prime minister Tony
Abbott.
Captain Mona Shindy used the
Twitter account @navyislamic
as part of her outreach work
to encourage Muslims to join
the Defence Force, but ran
into trouble after tweeting
comments at odds with
government policy.
Defence personnel are banned
from expressing political
views in an official
capacity.
But the Twitter account,
described as the "Official
Royal Australian Navy
Islamic Advisor Twitter
account", published tweets
critical of Mr Abbott during
and after his prime
ministership.
"#QANDA @TurbullMalcolm
talking #islam looking
forward to a PM that unites
#auspol & #OZ," @navyislamic
tweeted in the lead-up to
the coup that ousted Mr
Abbott as prime minister.
The Twitter account - which
disappeared sometime before
Christmas - also retweeted a
comment by counter-terrorism
expert Anne Aly that read:
"Wait. Did our new PM just
give a speech and not
mention boats, death cult,
security, death cult,
terrorism, national security
and death cult?"
Captain Shindy - a mentor
for the Lebanese Muslim
Association, and former
Telstra NSW Businesswoman of
the Year - used the account
to back Grand Mufti Ibrahim
Abu Mohamed's response to
the Paris attacks.
Dr Mohamed was criticised
after a statement issued on
behalf of the Australian
National Imams Council and
himself that suggested
racism and Islamophobia were
partly to blame for the
massacre.
The Grand Mufti later said
he had "consistently and
unequivocally condemned all
forms of terrorist
violence".
"There is no justification
for the taking of innocent
lives," he said in a
statement.
Captain Shindy is a 26-year
navy veteran, a Telstra NSW
Businesswoman of the Year winner
and a mentor for the Lebanese
Muslim Association.
"#IstandWIthTheMufti
Righteous & courageous man
who categorically denounces
#ISIS #terrorism #ListenRespectInclude,"
@navyislamic tweeted in
response to the statement.
Captain Shindy - a 26-year
navy veteran - also used the
social media account to
criticise the anti-Islam
political party the
Australian Liberty Alliance
(ALA).
"Real shame to see these
extreme ill informed fringe
groups threatening
#community #cohesion #auspol
#teamhumanrace," @navyislamic
tweeted in October.
Senate candidate for the ALA
Bernard Gaynor told Channel
Seven: "It is clearly
unacceptable for defence
resources to be used to
engage with domestic
politics."
Mr Gaynor, a former army
officer, was discharged
after he made disparaging
comments about homosexuals.
"If I was Islamic then I
would probably has [sic]
been promoted," he said on
Tuesday.
The Chief of Navy counselled
Captain Shindy and decided
to shut down the account
after a review into the
Navy's social media policies
that began in December, a
Defence spokesperson said.
The Twitter account, set up
in 2013, had attracted a
growing number of
contentious comments in
recent months, in line with
increased public debate over
Islam, according to the
Defence spokesperson.
"[Captain] Shindy was
inundated with these
comments and endeavoured to
ensure a balance between
policy and other comment,"
the spokesperson said.
In a statement to other
media outlets, Defence said
the @navyislamic account was
shut down in an attempt to
"consolidate" the navy's
social media platforms.
However, a list of social
media accounts published by
Defence shows multiple
official navy accounts still
in operation, including that
of Warrant Officer Martin
Holzberger.
In a later statement to
Fairfax Media, a spokesman
for Defence said the use of
social media by the navy was
"continuing to develop".
"Some individual accounts
will remain active due to
the site not being solely
managed by navy or branding
arrangements such as with
some sporting bodies such as
the Australian Surf Rowers
League, Team Navy as well as
Navy Rugby Union," the
spokesman said.
He added that other accounts
would be reviewed shortly,
and that a review of all
navy branded sites was due
early 2016, with
recommendations on
developing a "synchronised
social media communications
strategy".
Captain Shindy was awarded
the Telstra NSW
businesswoman of the year
award for her work
overseeing a $130 million
budget for the maintenance
of frontline warships.
She also won a government
and academia award for her
dedication pushing diversity
and cultural change in
Defence.
Captain Shindy has publicly
weighed in on
politically-charged issues,
accusing the "fear
mongering" media of
"overplaying" the links
between Muslim communities
and terrorism.
"If you allow hate to be
perpetuated through further
anger all you do is spiral
down into badness," she told
Fairfax Media in November.
She said her recent decision
to wear the hijab with her
uniform has made her a
target for vilification on a
range of social media
platforms.
"Maybe when I was younger
those things might bite a
little bit and hurt,"
Captain Shindy told Fairfax
Media.
"As I've become more
philosophical about the
issues in the world today I
find myself reflecting on
why it is people are making
those comments," she said.
In the face of unrelenting
racist evil on social media,
Dan from Optus is a shining
beacon of hope.
In response to a barrage of
complaints on Facebook about
Optus using multilingual
signage in multicultural
regions, Dan’s responses are
nothing short of legendary.
Cheers to Age of Aquarium
for collating the best of
the bunch.
A Muslim woman was kicked
out of a Donald Trump rally
on Friday night for no
apparent reason. The woman,
Rose Hamid, told CNN that
she “came to the rally to
let Trump supporters see
what a Muslim looks like.”
She stood silently with a
t-shirt that read “I Come In
Peace.”
About halfway through the
rally, held in Rock Hill,
South Carolina, some people
in the crowd “turned pretty
ugly” toward the woman,
shouting “epithets.” She was
then escorted out by
security.Trump commented on
Hamid as she was being
ejected. “There is hatred
against us that is
unbelievable. It’s their
hatred, it’s not our
hatred,” Trump said.
Trump has stoked antipathy
against Muslims by calling
for a total ban on Muslim
immigration into the U.S.
Since making the
announcement Trump’s
standing in the polls has
only improved.
A small but growing number
of young Muslims are heading
overseas and gaining combat
experience that some fear
may be used against
Australia. Meanwhile, a navy
cadet program in Western
Sydney is training young
Muslims who may one day
fight for Australia.
At Provisional Training Ship
Australia in Sydney's west,
teenage girls wear black
headscarves under their
camouflage caps, and boys
have full, dark beards.
Until their cadet unit was
established in March,
neither of those things
would have been allowed
under Navy cadet rules.
The organisation’s openness
to catering for young
Muslims is one of the keys
to the program's success,
cadets say.
"To have the same
opportunities without
shaving my beard, keeping my
religion, it's a big
relief,” one teenage cadet
said.
Another highlighted the
importance of accommodating
cadets during Ramadan.
“I
knew that
they would
take care of
needs like
halaal food
and prayers,
and during
the month of
Ramadan,
fasting," he
said.
Training Ship Australia was
set up in Lidcombe in March
as a way to reach out to the
area’s multicultural -
particularly, Muslim -
youth.
The entire Australian
Defence Force has just 98
people who identify as being
of Islamic faith.
Already Training Ship
Australia has nearly half
that amount.
Cadets don't always go on to
serve in defence, but some
are considering it.
One 18-year-old girl said
she felt the unit was paving
the way for other young
Muslims.
"I
think we've
all proven
to a lot of
people that
young
Australian
Muslims can
be part of
the
Australian
force,” she
said.
Most of the cadets at the
Training Ship attend Islamic
schools and go home to
Islamic communities.
Navy Islamic Affairs Advisor
Captain Mona Shindy said a
recent weekend away with
Training Ship Hawkesbury was
an eye-opener for all
involved.
"They got to experience
first-hand a whole bunch of
people fasting and they were
so wonderful and so flexible
in terms of trying to
understand and cater for
that," Captain Shindy said.
"They got up early with us
when we were eating before
sunrise. Having dinner at
exactly sunset so everyone
could eat together."
“I had one girl I sat down
with and she said 'I thought
it would be different from
this.' And I said, 'what do
you mean?' and she said,
'they're just like us'."
Professor Greg Barton from
Monash University's Global
Terrorism Research Centre
said programs like this
could also help combat
isolation and extremism
among young Muslims.
“Anything we can do to offer
structure, discipline, and
purpose and belonging, and
affirm people in a positive
way will yield benefits,” he
said.
Professor Barton said there
should be more investment in
medium- to long-term
outreach programs like this.
"There's no silver bullet
here but this is one of the
essential elements of what
we have to do,” he said.
If you ask someone to name
an inspirational person,
dead or alive; they will
probably name someone like
Martin Luther King, Tariq
Ramadan, or Neil Armstrong
depending on their
preference. There is no
denying the fact that these
men have indeed done amazing
things; they are powerful
people. But many people are
not aware of the fact that,
women are doing and have
done amazing things too.
It’s not our fault, we live
in a patriarchal society. I
just want to remind you of
these names, and I want you
to consider them in your
list. Marie Curie, she was
the first woman who was
awarded the first noble
prize in chemistry and
physics. Maria Michell, an
American was the first
professional astronomer.
If we talk about
contribution of great Muslim
women the name of Fatima Al
Fihri.
The daughter of a Merchant,
was known as “The mother of
boys” and “The Lady of Fez”.
I am talking about Fatima Al
Fihri. Who is the founder of
the first university
(academic university). Okay,
lets take a step back.
Around 1215 years ago, a
girl named Fatima was born
in 800 CE in Tunisia. After
a few years her family moved
to Fez, which was an
influential Muslim city back
in the days. It was a city
for people with ambition,
and it was the perfect city
or the Al Fihri family.
They were struggling with
money, but the merchants
hard work paid off; and he
turned out to be a
successful business man.
Soon after Fatima’s brother
and father passed away, she
was left alone with her
sister Mariam.
Mosque Al Andalus
As they had a generous sum
of money, they decided to
invest in something that
would be beneficial for the
community. Her sister
decided to build a mosque,
which is known as the Al
Andalus Mosque. And Fatima
wanted to benefit the
community on an educational
level, so she founded the Al
Qarrawiyyin University in
859.
This university was a huge
achievement, and a great way
to link the Muslim culture’s
alliances with European
culture. Muslims and
non-Muslims both studied at
the Al Qarawiyyin
University.
It was a university built in
the 9th century, and most of
you would think it only
tough Quran and Fiqah; but
in reality it taught
astrology, geology,
chemistry, grammar, music,
medicine, and mathematics.
The most inspirational and
admirable things about
Fatima is undoubtedly her
vision. She decided to use
her wealth in a way that
would benefit the society in
the long run. She passes
away in 880 CE, but the Al
Qarrawiyyin University is
still existent; and is one
of Morocco’s highly
appreciated university.
Guinness book of world
record recorded the
Qarrawiyyan university as
the most oldest in the
world, which is still
providing education to
students. To honour Fatima’s
great contribution, a
program was developed with
20 universities of North
Africa and Europe, to
promote higher education.
Woman like Fatima Al Fihri
have inspired millions of
people.
Eminent Italian designers
Dolce & Gabbana are
apparently making a reach
for the Middle East market
with their new line of
haute-couture hijabs, which
they premiered yesterday on
Style.com Arabia.
Providing veils and abaya
cloaks in neutral colors ŕ
la beige and "luxe black,"
as well as subtle details in
the form of minimal prints,
lace and embroidery, the
collection indicates a
change toward more inclusive
Western fashion designs --
which we all know is never a
bad thing, especially when
the result are garments this
gorgeous. Check out a few of
the pieces below.
In Southside Academy of
Combat (Brisbane) Taufan
Mawardi and his team teach
Silat Perisai Diri, an
Indonesian self defence art
form of Silat.
Although silat allows a
practitioner to disable an
aggressor when necessary,
its primary purpose is
protection. "Perisai diri"
means "to shield oneself": a
practitioner of Silat PD is
capable of developing
personal security through
building a total "shield" of
his or her PD skills. These
skills are a combination of
accuracy, speed and power.
Light, fast, elusive
movements are complemented
by protective blocks and
devastating attacks. It is a
style of self-defence which
suites anyone: an emphasis
on speed and agility in
evasion for a lightly built
person can more than
compensate for the strength
of a powerful aggressor.
The classes are
international and have
schools in countries like
Holland, U.S., U.K., Japan,
Brunei and the list goes on.
The academy is fully
accredited by the Australian
Sporting Association and
fully insured.
Silat PD was also used to
train the Indonesian elite
forces the "Kopassus" who
were ranked in the top 10
deadliest special forces of
the world. Now you have the
opportunity to train in the
art of self preservation.
This is not a martial art
for those with egos, thug
mentality or arrogance if
you display these
characteristics then you are
not welcome. For everyone
else it is the martial art
for you.
MVSLIM's list of Muslims who
achieved great things in 2015.
1. Akon
2015 is the year that the
singer and producer brought
electricity to 600 million
people in Africa.
He created the Akon Lighting
Africa (ALA) initiative in
2014 after finding out that
85% of the continent had no
electricity generating
plants and no energy grid.
That is 1.3 billion Africans
in numbers. Akon made up a
plan to cut that in half. In
2014 his goal was to bring
electric power to 600
million of Africans who live
without power, which he
achieved in 2015.
Nouman Ali Khan, well known
Islamic scholar and teacher
was in Kuwait for the first
time to present a lecture at
the Masjid Al Kabir
organized by the Indian
Muslim Association. Ustadh
Nouman Ali Khan as he is
referred to is renowned for
his strong command of
Arabic, deep understanding
of the Holy Quran and
engaging lectures. He is
also the CEO and founder of
Bayyinah Institute in the
US.
Nita Bhatkar Chogle caught
up with Ustadh Noman during
his whirlwind visit to the
Middle East, especially for
The Times Kuwait, to find
out more about the man, his
mission and his unique
method of outreach through
modern media.
The Man
Ustadh Nouman was born in
Germany and spent the
formative part of his
childhood in former East
Berlin. Belonging to a
middle class Pakistani
family, he did not know what
it was to be Muslim till he
was almost six. While in
Germany, he went to a
Catholic kindergarten, spoke
only German and celebrated
Easter and Christmas.
At the age of six he went to
Pakistan for half a year
where he was often made fun
of since he couldn’t speak
Urdu. However, once in
school there he was
introduced to Islam and to
praying. He also learnt
Urdu.
After this short stint in
Pakistan, his father was
transferred to Saudi Arabia
where Ustadh Nouman went to
the Pakistan Embassy School
in Riyadh. This is where he
started learning about the
religion and praying
regularly because it was
enforced there.
At 13 years old, he
experienced the Persian Gulf
War and went back to
Pakistan before his father
got transferred again to the
US. He went to a public high
school in New York and was
the subject of ridicule due
to his lack of English
speaking skills. “I was
almost mute for the first
six months till I learnt
English.” said Ustadh Nouman.
Ustadh Nouman loved the back
and forth travelling and
owes his flair for languages
to it. A little know fact
that we learnt was that he
even spoke fluent Spanish at
one point, when he worked in
a Spanish neighborhood and
learnt the language in high
school as well. By the time
he graduated high school he
was fluent in both English
and Spanish.
He was in his second year of
college when his father was
transferred back to Pakistan
again but this time Ustadh
Nouman decided to stay on
and finish his education.
And this was the turning
point in his life. He
happened to meet a
fascinating Arabic teacher
who was willing to teach him
the language and that is
where his religious journey
actually started.
“And it was a crazy journey
with full time college and
working 40 hours a week. My
day would start at 5 am. I
would take a subway and bus
to work where I spent the
full day, go to college and
finish by 6 or 7 pm and then
take the train to the masjid
(mosque). After studying for
3 - 4 hours, I would take
the train and bus back home
at 11 pm,” he says.
Schedules that would make
anyone give up the
additional optional Arabic
studies, I think aloud. And
Ustadh Nouman patiently
responds, “I knew myself. I
was in New York City and
there are plenty of bad and
stupid things to do there.
Especially if you are not
living with your parents.
And I knew that I am not an
angel so the only way to
save myself was to keep
myself busy. I kept myself
insanely busy. I had 18 hour
days between work, school,
studying Arabic and barely
eating.”
He narrates a funny anecdote
about his first teaching
experience. His Arabic
teacher made him teach a
class of four students a few
basics of the language. What
he realized during the class
was that all four students
were Arabic experts who had
been studying Arabic for
over ten years. His teacher,
seeing his potential as an
Arabic teacher had asked
them to test his skills in
action! Of course, he came
through with flying colors.
On the personal front,
Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan is a
father of six children with
the eldest aged 15 and has
an interesting story to
share about his marriage. He
knew his now wife as a
colleague at an Islamic
Sunday school where they
both taught. A well-meaning
mutual friend told his now
mother-in-law about him
being a prospective groom
for her daughter. They spoke
on the phone and he and his
mother-in-law became good
friends he says. Following a
six month exchange of emails
(his wife was very strict
about purdah), they both
agreed to get married. A
long engagement period
ensued where they
communicated only through
emails with his
father-in-law being blind
copied on the insistence of
his wife! Strangely enough
they got married at a time
when he was jobless – not at
all an ideal scenario on the
marriage scene.
When it comes to his
children and future plans,
he insists he wants them to
do whatever they want. Each
of his children is different
from the other and each has
their only skill set. Emad,
his son is a Math whiz who
can do complex problems in
his head, while his eldest
Husna an artist with a good
knack of Arabic, and is also
learning photography. His
other daughter is into
athletics and is a part of
the soccer club. She also
had great memory and can
memorize a full page from
the Quran in just 15
minutes.
Ustad Nouman adds, “I don’t
believe in over formal
education. I believe the
world and the economy is
shifting and the way we
think of education also
needs to shift. What are you
good at and what do you want
to do. You have to combine
those two things. If you can
do that you can have a happy
meaningful and successful
life. If you make a lot of
money but are miserable it
doesn’t work. Of course
religious education is
something else, but it’s not
a career. It’s something
that empowers what you are
going to do. They are the
essential nutrients; you
need them no matter what you
do in life.”
Nasir al Molk Mosque,
Shiraz, Iran
Lesser known still is the
Nasir al Molk mosque in the
university city of Shiraz in
southern Iran. Adorned with
stained glass windows –
unusual in Islamic
architecture – it makes for
a spectacular sight in the
early morning and late
afternoon, when the sun’s
rays cause twirling light
patterns across the
embellished murquanas, a
form of architectural
ornamented vaulting.
Opinion by Haroon Moghul, Senior
Correspondent, Religion Dispatches
No turning back now
We have failed you.
While jihadist movements
continue to expand their
reach, anti-Muslim bigotry
is becoming more and more
mainstream. Both narratives
mean to deny the possibility
of meaningful coexistence.
Which is the identity and
the reality of thirty
million of us.
Thirty million Western
Muslims, spread out across
Europe (excluding Russia),
the United States, Canada,
Australia, and New Zealand.
But though we had every
reason to speak out, we have
barely begun to come
together.
When we are talked about,
it’s either as a problem
(terrorism) to be solved, or
as the solution
(counter-terrorism) to the
problem we’re held
responsible for. We have
little to no relevance
outside national security.
And because we do not seem
to matter, we might begin to
feel as if we do not exist.
I will not excuse myself by
saying that we could not
have known how bad it would
have gotten, or that the
forces arrayed against our
narratives were too
entrenched. I will not
soften the blow, either, by
hoping it is always darkest
before dawn. Because it may
get darker.
God does not change the
condition of a people until
they change themselves. I
ask myself how we have
gotten to this juncture. I
reflect on what I could have
done differently. If my
life’s experiences can be of
any benefit, even as a
cautionary tale, then I
offer them.
What follows is neither
exhaustive nor conclusive,
but an outline for what you
can do, and what I think you
must do, to reverse this
state of affairs, to help
build the kinds of
communities our history and
heritage promises we can.
Part I covers our relations
to the wider world; Part II
concerns our own communities
and identities.
Part I: All allies,
foreign and domestic
(continued from CCN582)
2. Hope and range
You might feel, from time to
time, that you are caught in
an existential battle, and
that you and your community
will be the first to be
sacrificed. You will
remember that the most
recent European genocide was
against Muslims. White
European Muslims, in fact,
whose Islam predates the
establishment of
Protestantism in many
European countries.
No one asks them, “Are you
Protestant or are you
European?” I do not tell you
this to dishearten you, but
to embolden you. You must
make asking these questions
unacceptable and eventually
unthinkable. Because the
Islamophobic rhetoric in
circulation in many parts of
the West today is the same
that preceded the Bosnian
genocide.
Because you are bold enough
to do what needs to be done.
To build the alliances
necessary, and work with the
partners required, to not
just defeat far-right
extremism whenever it rears
its head, but head it off
before it takes root.
Alliances demand cooperation
with those you may find
disagreeable, or who find
you disagreeable. If any one
political party takes our
communities for granted, the
others will write us off.
And you will do what it
takes to make writing your
community off that much
harder.
European Union membership
for Bosnia, Albania, Kosovo,
Montenegro and Macedonia
must be supported. Not only
are these countries part of
Islam’s long history in the
West, but their admission
will help you and your
country. The West is more
secure when it’s more
integrated, and you are more
secure inside larger, more
internally diverse political
units.
I discovered Yuna doing
research for this piece, but
she's an absolute piece of
sunshine and everyone should
listen to her.
She's a pretty huge Muslim
feminist fashion icon back
in Malaysia, where she's
from. Her music is a little
of everything — pop,
acoustic folk and R&B. Her
style has been compared to
Feist and Norah Jones, among
others. Plus, she's
collaborating with Usher on
an upcoming song to be
released in February.
NEXT WEEK: 4.
"Can I Kick It?" A Tribe
Called Quest (1999)
Donald Trump wants Muslims
banned from entering the US –
but without them the country
would be a much poorer place
Donald Trump with legendary
boxer and Muslim, Muhammad Ali.
What have Muslims ever done
for America? If your sole
source of information were
Donald Trump, you’d think
that the answer was not much
– apart from murdering its
citizens and trying to
destroy its values. The
Republican presidential
hopeful has called for a
halt to Muslims entering the
US until American
authorities “can figure out”
Muslim attitudes to the US
in the wake of last week’s
killings in San Bernardino.
If only, you might well
think, Scotland had had the
same thought about Trump
before he was allowed in to
blight Aberdeenshire with
another of his golf resorts.
What Trump doesn’t seem to
grasp is his own country’s
history, and how many
American achievements worth
celebrating are the work of
the kind of people – Muslims
– he wants to keep out.
Here, then, is a guide to
some of the things Muslims
have done for the US. It’s
not an exhaustive list – but
it’s still more impressive
than what Trump has done for
his homeland.
Treating the sick
Dr Ayub Ommaya
… responsible for many medical
innovations.
Without Ayub
Ommaya lots of people, some
of them American, would be
dead or suffering appalling
pain. In 1963, the
Pakistani-born Muslim
neurosurgeon invented an
intraventricular catheter
system that can be used for
the aspiration of
cerebrospinal fluid or the
delivery of drugs.
What that
means is that a soft,
plastic, dome-shaped device
is placed under the scalp.
This so-called Ommaya
Reservoir is then connected
to a catheter that is placed
into your brain. The
reservoir is used to provide
chemotherapy directly to the
site for brain tumours.
He also
developed the first coma
score for classification of
traumatic brain injury and
developed, too, the US’s
National Centre for Injury
Prevention and Control,
which, as part of its
mission, focuses on
traumatic brain injury.
Like many people I was very disappointed when
McDonalds Underwood opened and it was not halal as I
thought it was our best chance in Brisbane because
of the large Muslim community in the surrounding
areas.
After posting a comment on my Facebook page to
encourage people to tell McDonalds Underwood that
they would come to their store if they were halal I
was encouraged to start a petition.
So I decided to start one to show McDonalds the
demand for a halal McDonalds in Brisbane in the hope
it would influence them to get the store halal
certified because they could see the enormous profit
they would make.
I
have spoken to the store manager and he said
McDonalds head office is watching the petition so I
want to get as many people as possible to sign the
petition to impress and influence them.
So could you please share the link to my petition in
your next newsletter.
SOUTH AFRICA: Two
high flying Muslim matriculants of
the class of 2015 have resolved upon
using their ‘gap years’ to solidify
their relationship with the Qur’aan
Kareem.
In separate interviews with Cii
Radio, Raeesa Bhagalia of Ermelo and
Naseehah Kaka of Bethal communicated
their intentions to complete their
memorisation of the Qur’aan in the
academic year that follows their
successful crowning as matriculants.
Bhagalia, who also has a yearning
for a vocation in either pharmacy or
occupational therapy, said she would
be commencing her Hifdh journey in a
few weeks time, whilst Kaka
indicated that she has already
gotten the ball rolling, having
memorised 7 Ajzaa in years gone by.
“(Previously) it was a bit tough
trying to balance between school
work and Hifdh,” Kaka said, “so I
think I just want to dedicate this
year to the Qur’aan and hopefully
complete my Hifdh Insha Allah”.
“I request the Duas of the listeners
for my Hifdh this year that Insha
Allah I complete my Hifdh,” she
added.
Though she bagged 7 distinction,
Bhagalia, a learner at Ligbron
Academy of Technology, was still
awestruck when she spoke to Cii
Radio this morning.
Facebook page “Hijabis of
New York” breaks stereotypes about Muslim
women
Hijabis of New
York
USA: One day,
the 22-year-old Rana
Abdelhamid was told by a
friend that she “looked
fairly normal for a woman
with a headscarf”. She
realized how deeply rooted
the prejudice and
stereotypes of women wearing
headscarves actually are, so
she decided to create a new
Facebook page called
Hijabis of New York.
Using the immensely popular
Humans of New York page as
an example, she shares
photographs of young women
that wear headscarves in New
York along with their
stories. Now, one year
later, her page has reached
over ten thousand likes.
“My goal was to use
photography and social media
to show the rest of the
world the vibrancy and
diversity of Hijabi women,”
she told the lifestyle
magazine Elle. “There are so
many stereotypes around the
hijab, both from within the
Muslim community and the
non-Muslim community. People
will assume that veiled
women are really
conservative, soft spoken,
docile and not
career-oriented,” Abdelhamid
added.
The Facebook page shares
stories of ambitious
students, political
activists, and
entrepreneurs. Stories
ranging from plain everyday
situations to strong and
diverse opinions. Regardless
of the fact that the page is
in fact about
headscarf-wearing women,
Abdelhamid isn’t quite fond
of it being the main topic
of conversation about Muslim
women. “There are so many
other real
challenges–domestic
violence, assault,
harrassment–facing Muslim
women that I hope this page
will be able to shed a light
on.”
Abdelhamid
stresses the importance of
headscarves as a part of her
identity, just as much as it
is her own choice to wear
one. And most importantly
that it is now the time to
really get to know the
hijabis.
Organic Halal Meats Get
Muslims Thinking About What It Really Means
To Eat Religiously
Imam Khalid Latif
(left) is co-founder of
Manhattan's Honest Chops halal
butcher shop
US: The
Prophet Muhammad advised his
followers to treat animals
with kindness and, if
needed, kill them mercifully
for food. And he didn’t
mince words.
“Whoever kills a sparrow or
anything bigger than that
without a just cause, Allah
will hold him accountable on
the Day of Judgment,” the
Prophet reportedly said.
Remembering these
instructions, New York
farmer Zaid Kurdieh says
much of the meat that brands
itself as halal, or
religiously permissible, is
nothing but a sham.
For Kurdieh, if it’s not
organic, it’s not halal.
“Most people associate halal
with slaughter. But that’s
just the end of the
process,“ the 50-year-old
Norwich farmer told the
Huffington Post. “All
animals have a right to live
to a certain age, to eat
good food, get good
treatment. All of those
things constitute halal.”
The Islamic Food and
Nutrition Council of
America, a halal
certification organization,
estimates that the U.S.
halal market is worth at
least $20 billion. And the
industry is expected to
grow, the AP reports.
Muslims like Kurdieh are now
thinking deeply about how
the recommendations the
Prophet gave his followers
centuries ago fit in with
today’s fast-paced, global
food markets.
For meat to be halal,
animals are required to be killed by
hand using a sharp knife, with a single
slash to the throat. The person doing
the killing should ideally be a Muslim
who utters God’s name as the animal
exhales its last breath. The practice is
intended to make sure the creatures die
swiftly and without much pain.
Death matters, of course. But quality of
life matters, too.
“I don’t want to eat animals that were
systematically abused their whole
lives," Nuri Friedlander, a Muslim
chaplain at Harvard University, told the
Daily Beast. "From a spiritual practice,
I didn’t want to get that into my body."
That's why some Muslims are beginning to
look past the halal label and examine
where exactly their meat is coming from.
Kurdieh is the managing owner of Norwich
Meadows Farm, a small, certified organic
company that raises chicken and turkey,
while sourcing their lamb and beef from
trusted local family farms. None of
their animals are given growth hormones,
antibiotics, or genetically modified
foods crammed with animal byproducts.
The creatures are raised outdoors and
grass-fed, given the space to roam and
grow at their own pace.
UK: The
historic city of Cambridge,
England will soon include a
mosque amidst its stunning
skyline of spires. The
mosque itself will be the
first-purpose built mosque
in the city which also
happens to be
environmentally-friendly.
After years of dealing with
overcrowding at various
small sites across the city,
the growing Muslim community
decided that it was time to
take action. By the summer
of 2008, a strip of land and
an old warehouse has been
purchased and plans for the
new mosque were underway.
Rather than build a mosque,
it was decided from the very
start that the mosque would
follow environmental
sustainability principles.
“Islamic civilization has
been based on the rejection
of waste as an
under-estimation of God’s
blessing and so in the
construction of the new
mosque here in Cambridge, we
were very much in the
forefront of the local
environmental movement in
that we are using the latest
heat pumps, conservation
technology and green roofs
so that we’ll have an almost
zero carbon footprint,”
commented Chairman of the
Trust, Tim Winter who is
also known as Abdul Hakim
Murad.
Winters also added that they
intended to build Europe’s
first truly
ecologically-responsible
mosque and encourage Muslims
world-wide to fulfill their
environmental
responsibilities.
Designed by the
award-winning architect
Marks Barfield who was also
behind stunning projects
such as the London Eye and
Kew Treetop Walkway, the
mosque underlying idea is
based on the premise of
creating an oasis of calm
and sustainability in an
urban jungle. Winter adds,
“This building will be truly
inclusive, sustainable,
safe, secure and respectful
of the neighbourhood.”
The design will enlarge the
existing community garden
and will also create a new
permeable green edge around
the structure with trees as
well as providing bicycle
racks at street level and
car parking in the basement.
The Ł13 million project
building, which can
accomodate up to 1,000 men
and women, will also include
a cafe, a teaching area and
meeting rooms for use by the
local Muslim and non-Muslim
communities.
“The new mosque will be a
real neighbourhood as well
as a spiritual centre,
easily accessible by public
transport and on foot, with
facilities for formal and
informal community group
meetings as well as a
leisure destination,” said
Winters.
Company fires nearly 200
Muslims allegedly over Salaah request
USA: The
legal representative for
around 200 Muslim workers
who were fired from a meat
packing facility was adamant
Monday that the group simply
wants to return to work.
The workers, the majority of
whom are Somali, were
dismissed from a facility in
Fort Morgan, Colorado, after
more than 200 participated
in a walkout to protest what
they say is a change to the
company’s workplace prayer
policy.
“They’re requesting to get
their jobs back and to go
back to what they understood
to be the policy,” Jaylani
Hussein, the Minnesota
executive director of the
Council on American-Islamic
Relations, which is
representing the workers.
The exact circumstances
surrounding the initial
dispute remain murky.
Cargill Meat Solutions says
the employees had requested
group prayers that would
have hindered workflow while
Hussein says no such appeal
was made.
“They’re just trying to spin
the story so they seem more
favorable,” Hussein told
Anadolu Agency.
Cargill maintains that there
has been no change to
company policy regarding
prayer, and said in a
statement that the row stems
from a “misunderstanding”
that took root in the Somali
community “indicating
Cargill was ending prayer
entirely due to a policy
change”.
“Cargill takes our
commitment to employees
seriously and this has been
an unfortunate situation,”
Michael Martin, a Cargill
spokesman, said in a
statement to AA. “At no time
did Cargill prevent
employees from prayer at
Fort Morgan, nor have we
changed policies related to
religious accommodation and
attendance.”
Praying five times a day is
obligatory for observant
Muslims.
The company has provided its
employees with a “reflection
area” since 2009, and the
room is “is available during
work shifts based on our
ability to adequately staff
a given work area”,
according to Martin.
The employees were fired
after they failed to call in
or show up for work for
three consecutive days
during their protest.
That policy is mere
window-dressing, Hussein
said.
“The no call, no show policy
is just a blatant way of
getting rid of all these
employees,” he said.
Teamster union local 455
that represents the workers
has not assisted in the
ongoing dispute, which
compounds the issue,
according to Hussein.
“We’ve got a union that
doesn’t want to talk to us,
and we’ve got Cargill that
seems to not know how its
policy is being implemented
at its plant,” he said.
CAIR plans to continue
meetings with Cargill
throughout the week to find
a solution to the dispute
The founder of
Tell Mama, Fiyaz Mughal,
presenting the group's annual
report at an event hosted by the
Quilliam Foundation in 2014.
UK: In light of the new
recording of Islamophobia law coming
into effect in April, controversial
anti-Muslim hate monitoring organisation
Tell Mama will inevitably be made
redundant, writes Dilly Hussain.
Muslims across the UK are eagerly
awaiting the publication of the
much-anticipated Counter Extremism Bill.
Prolific Government statements
throughout 2015 set out its intent to
tackle the “extremist ideology” that
apparently lurks behind “Islamist
extremism”, and the justifiable
counter-concerns about yet further
encroachments on Muslim civil liberties,
makes this as significant a political
struggle as the Counter Terrorism and
Security Bill at the start of 2015.
But there is a development on the
horizon which promises to be every bit
as significant to British Muslims,
namely the rolling out of the policy
mandating all police forces to record
Islamophobia as a category of crime from
April 2016.
Recording Islamophobia
It was the social policy think-tank MEND
which began the campaign of getting
local communities to push for the
recording of Islamophobia as a separate
category of crime in their 2012
manifesto for the first ever PCC
elections.
Since then, MEND secured commitments
from 10 police forces in England and
Wales (almost a quarter of all forces)
before the Prime Minister’s announcement
last year building on MEND’s work to
require all forces to record.
The Government’s announcement and the
impending roll-out of new, improved
recording mechanisms will put
Islamophobia on par with anti-Semitism,
in terms of better quantification of
hate crime and analysis of criminal
statistics relating to racist and
religious hate crime affecting Muslims.
Action due to pilgrims
offering salaams to Prophet
Mumbai police
commissioner and
Ambassador-designate to Saudi
Arabia, Ahmad Javed
MUMBAI, INDIA:
Ambassador-designate to Saudi Arabia,
Mumbai police commissioner Ahmad Javed,
has his first task cut out even before
he takes charge in Riyadh this February.
On December 24, Saudi Arabia deported
about 2000 pilgrims from India,
Pakistan, Bangladesh and has also
threatened to ban their entry into the
country for life. Ostensibly this is
because of a religious practice that
goes against the Kingdom's own norm.
Reports from Saudi suggest that these
pilgrims had converged in the holy city
of Medina for Umrah, along with
thousands others from all over the world
during Milad un-Nabi which commemorates
Prophet Muhammad's birthday. The Umrah,
unlike the Haj, is a non-mandatory
pilgrimage prescribed in Islam.
One of the practices among the Sunni
sect of Islam is to say salaam and sing
naats (poetry in praise of Prophet
Muhammad) by his grave. Certain sects
within the Sunni belief in Islam,
believe in the holy power of the Prophet
which goes beyond mortality. "The belief
is that the Prophet may have died but
has never perished and that he remains
among his follower in spirit to guide
us," said Mufti Manzoor Ziyaee of the
Raza Academy in Mumbai which is now
petitioning on behalf of the deported
pilgrims. "Some of these pilgrims from
the sub-continent who went there
observed this tradition and offered
salaams dedicated to the Prophet," he
added. But the Saudis who practice a
more severe form of Wahabi Islam and do
not believe the Prophet should be thus
invoked, found this offensive. The
pilgrims, many of whom are from Mumbai,
were at first verbally warned against
this and when they persisted they were
removed from the holy site and later
deported.
Advocate Rizwan Merchant, who represents
the Barelvi sect and is a trustee of
various Dargah committees in the city
said, "Every person has the right to
follow Islam the way they want to.
Deportation from a country is in
instances of having committed an
offence. A differing ritual cannot be
reason to prevent a Muslim from visiting
the holy pilgrimage which happens to be
in Saudi Arabia."
Moroccan Cleric Calls on
Parents to Divide Inheritance Equally Among
Children
Controversial
Moroccan Islamist preacher Abdel
Bari Zamzami has reportedly came
up with a ‘religious’ solution
to the current debate over
inheritance in Morocco.
Taroudante –
Following the controversy
caused by Morocco’s National
Human Rights Council (CNDH),
which has urged the
government to reform the
family code in a way that
guarantees equality between
men and women concerning
inheritance, Abdel Bari
Zamzami recently called on
parents to divide their
wealth equally amongst their
children before they die.
According to Hespress,
citing the Moroccan weekly
Al Ayam, the preacher said
“the only
religiously-permissible way
out of this problem is that
parents give equal shares to
their sons and daughters
without leaving behind any
property that will take the
path of inheritance.”
The same source added that
the Moroccan preacher said
that Islam is calling for
“equality between sons and
daughters in terms of
giving,” unlike the case of
inheritance, which states
that the male should get a
portion equal to that of two
females.
Morocco’s National Human
Rights Council recently said
that equality is still a
long way off in Morocco, and
much of the old order
remains untouched, including
the inheritance law section
of the family code.
In its report released last
month under the title
“Preserve the Constitutional
Aims and Objectives and Make
them Effective,” the Council
stressed that women should
receive the same inheritance
as men, in accordance with
the 2011 Constitution, whose
Article 19 clearly calls for
the implementation of gender
equality.
To end terrorism, we
should follow the path of Prophet Mohammed (PBUH):
Dalai Lama
MYSORE:
Tibetan spiritual leader
Dalai Lama who is also a
Nobel Laureate termed the
Holy Quran as a Sacred Book
which is a priceless Gift of
God given to mankind for
guidance and welfare of the
entire humanity.
According to Karnataka
Muslim, the leader express
his views at the grand
global meet of Buddhists in
Mysore. The spiritual leader
also lauded the great
services of Prophet Muhammad
(PBUH) to the mankind. He
said that “The Prophet
Muhammad’s (PBUH) life is
the best example for the
entire humanity.”
“We should follow the path
shown by the Prophet
Muhammad (PBUH) in order to
establish global peace and
to end terrorism and tyranny
from the world. The Prophet
Muhammad’s (PBUH) message of
Peace, love, justice and
religious tolerance will
always be a leading light
for the whole humanity”, he
added.
“Thousands of the followers
of Buddhism from around the
world thronged the venue for
their world congregation at
Buddhist Monastery in
Bylakuppa”, reports
Karnataka Muslim.
The spiritual leader
receives a copy of the
English translated Quran
from CMA District President
Mushtaq Ahmad. Dalai Lama
received it with reverence.
We are what we eat,
and having a great breakfast is very important
but too often
overlooked. Not only does it feed into your mood
for the day, it will fuel your body
for a good day ahead.
While we are sleeping, our bodies are fasting.
It is very important to break that
‘fast’ so you can function throughout the day
and kick-start your metabolism.
A healthy and nourishing breakfast will keep you
fuller for longer, stabilise blood
sugar levels, and give you sustained energy.
All meals should include healthy, low-GI carbs,
a good source of protein and fibre.
If you’re strapped for time, plan your meals
earlier and have some on-the-go options
available. Always hydrate with water for a
glowing skin and to stop the body from
confusing thirst with hunger.
REMEMBER TO NOURISH YOURSELF THROUGH MOVEMENT AS
WELL.
To book appointments -
Ph: 3341 2333 (Underwood)
Ph: 3299 5596 (Springwood)
M: 0406 279 591
Website:
www.diversenutrition.com.au
How to achieve your 2016 health goals: Part 1
It's good to set a health goal so that it is
clear what you want to work towards. If you
don't have a goal to start with, you might lose
sense of what you want to achieve which can lead
to a loss of motivation. In order to achieve
your main goal, it is very important to set
smaller goals which will become the stepping
stones to help reach your main goal.
For example, your aim may be to lose 20 kgs this
year. Of course, this is not something
achievable in one day. It may seem too difficult
at first, but it is possible by setting small
goals which are SMART (Specific, Measurable,
Attainable, Realistic and Timely).
Stay tuned for my next article where I will go
into further detail about writing up a SMART
goal and I will also give an example to help you
create SMART goals for yourself.
The best self defence is
awareness. Look where you're
going. Check out the gas
station, ATM, 7-Eleven etc.
before you pull up/go check
the environment. This is not
paranoia but prevention. If
the people or the area seem
dangerous leave to another
place. Do not become another
statistic as a victim of
violence.
Click here for contact
and registration details for
Southside Academy of COMBAT
Beneath
the holy mountain Croagh Patrick, in damp and lovely County
Mayo, sits the small, sheltered village of Ballinacroagh. To
the exotic Aminpour sisters, Ireland looks like a
much-needed safe haven. It has been seven years since Marjan
Aminpour fled Iran with her younger sisters, Bahar and Layla,
and she hopes that in Ballinacroagh, a land of “crazed sheep
and dizzying roads,” they might finally find a home.
From the kitchen of an old
pastry shop on Main Mall, the sisters set about creating a
Persian oasis. Soon sensuous wafts of cardamom, cinnamon,
and saffron float through the streets–an exotic aroma that
announces the opening of the Babylon Café, and a shock to a
town that generally subsists on boiled cabbage and Guinness
served at the local tavern. And it is an affront to the
senses of Ballinacroagh’s uncrowned king, Thomas McGuire.
After trying to buy the old pastry shop for years and
failing, Thomas is enraged to find it occupied–and by
foreigners, no less. But the mysterious, spicy fragrances
work their magic on the townsfolk, and soon, business is
booming. Marjan is thrilled with the demand for her red
lentil soup, abgusht stew, and rosewater baklava–and with
the transformation in her sisters.
Young Layla finds first love,
and even tense, haunted Bahar seems to be less nervous. And
in the stand-up-comedian-turned-priest Father Fergal
Mahoney, the gentle, lonely widow Estelle Delmonico, and the
headstrong hairdresser Fiona Athey, the sisters find a merry
band of supporters against the close-minded opposition of
less welcoming villagers stuck in their ways.
But the idyll is soon broken
when the past rushes back to threaten the Amnipours once
more, and the lives they left behind in revolution-era Iran
bleed into the present. Infused with the textures and
scents, trials and triumph's of two distinct cultures,
Pomegranate Soup is an infectious novel of magical realism.
This richly detailed story, highlighted with delicious
recipes, is a delectable journey into the heart of Persian
cooking and Irish living.
-----------------------
"A man who does not read is no better than a man who cannot
read."
Would you like
to see the cover of your favourite book on our book shelves
below?
Using the book club you
can see what books fellow CCN readers have on their
shelves, what they are reading and even what they,
and others, think of them.
KB says:
As an innovation from an old family recipe, I
sometimes cut up fruit into the cooled dessert.
Vermicelli Dessert
Ingredients
1 litre milk
ľ cup vermicelli which has been made crisp in
the oven
1 tin condensed milk
˝ cup coconut cream or a cream of your choice
1 tab. coconut
Pinch of elachi powder
2 tab. custard powder
2 tab. corn flour/maziena
Method
Mix custard
powder and corn flour with a little cold
milk to form a paste.
Bring the
remaining milk to a gentle boil, then add in
the cream, condensed milk, elachi and
custard powder mix and allow the contents to
simmer for a few minutes and then add the
vermicelli and coconut and allow it to
simmer for a few minutes.
The mixture will
thicken, remove from the heat and allow it
to cool.
Place in a
serving bowl and sprinkle with slivered
almonds and refrigerate, best served
chilled. I normally make it a day before.
Allah created the heavens
and the earth for just ends,
and in order that each soul
may find the recompense of
what it has earned, and none
of them be wronged.
Laylat al-Qadr
- Night of Power 1436 (27th Ramadan 1437)
6
July
Wednesday
Eid al-Fitr
1437 (1st Shawwal 1437)
9
July
Saturday
ICQ Eid Festival
Islamic Council
of QLD (ICQ)
TBA
TBA
TBA
20
& 21 August
Sat & Sun
The Divine Light
Sh Wasim Kempson
Al Kauthar
Brisbane
Griffith
University NATHAN
0438 698 328
All day
12
September
Monday
Eid al-Adha
1437 (10th Zilhijja 1437)
3 October
Monday
Muharram 1438
– Islamic New Year 1438
(1st Muharram
1438)
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.
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 - first 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.
Quran Reading Class For Ladies (Beginners
or Advanced)
Every Saturday 2 - 4pm
Lady Teacher
Algester Mosque
Zikrullah program every Thursday night after
Esha
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
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,
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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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The
CCN Weekly News &
Views Briefs
Another year has passed
through so quickly and as
usual, it is time to
reflect, review and plan
ahead.
(1).jpg)
Matric high flyers pursue Hifdh
dream
Beneath
the holy mountain Croagh Patrick, in damp and lovely County
Mayo, sits the small, sheltered village of Ballinacroagh. To
the exotic Aminpour sisters, Ireland looks like a
much-needed safe haven. It has been seven years since Marjan
Aminpour fled Iran with her younger sisters, Bahar and Layla,
and she hopes that in Ballinacroagh, a land of “crazed sheep
and dizzying roads,” they might finally find a home. 
Zikr
- every Thursday 7pm, families welcome
post comments on
our Wall
7
August 2011