Prime Minister Malcolm
Turnbull at Islamic Council of
Victoria on Monday, March 7, 2016
Turnbull’s strikingly
different tone,
including in his remarks
on Monday, have been
welcome by the leaders
of Muslim organisations.
“It went beyond our
expectations,” said Nail
Aykan, the general
manager of the Islamic
Council of Victoria.
“Everyone felt he was
humble and genuine.”
Aykan said Turnbull was
introduced to 18 young
Muslims slated as future
leaders, which
emphasised that about
two-thirds of
Australia’s 500,000
Muslims were under the
age of 35.
Aykan said he hoped that
some of the youth
assembled would run for
office. “Social cohesion
is a core aspect of what
we’re trying to achieve
but one level above that
would be civic
participation,” he said.
One of the council’s
vice-presidents, Junaid
Cheema, said Turnbull’s
message “resonated and
was authentic”.
“He’s obviously fixing a
lot of the damage that
has been done in the
past,” he said.
No Australian prime
minister has visited the
Islamic Council of
Victoria since the
1980s.
The chief executive of
the Arab Council of
Australia, Randa Kattan,
said the government’s
tone on Muslim and Arab
affairs had
“drastically” changed
since Turnbull took
office in September.
“We have particularly
witnessed the stark
difference in tone and
approach in countering
violent extremism,” she
said.
“His collaborative and
inclusive language has
created a space for the
community to engage on
solutions, rather than
continue to push back
against the demonising
and fear-mongering
narrative that has
featured strongly over
recent years.”
Other influential Muslim
Australians heralded the
change in rhetoric but
said they awaited more
substantive change.
“It’s too early to come
to a conclusion,” said
Silma Ihram, the head of
the Australian Muslim
Women’s Association.
“[Turnbull’s] ability to
engage with the Muslim
community is much better
than his predecessor, as
is his understanding of
Islam.
Malcolm Turnbull and the
Richmond AFL footballer Bachar
Houli at the Islamic Museum of
Australia in Thornbury before
his speech to the Islamic
Council of Victoria.
“However,
possibly because of the
legacy of his party, we
are yet to see
substantial
on-the-ground policy
improvements.
“We still have draconian
security laws that would
detain minors, there’s
the recent issue of the
young man [Oliver
Bridgeman] in Syria,
counter-terrorism
measures that require
teachers to report on
kids in schools.
“He’s one person in a
large party and
realistically you can’t
expect any one person to
step in and change
everything.”
Samier Dandan, the head
of the Lebanese Muslim
Association, said the
experiences of earlier
waves of Muslim migrants
could be drawn on to
help assimilate more
recent arrivals,
including the 12,000
Syrians set to be
granted humanitarian
visas.
“We don’t want to look
around in 10 years and
say: ‘How come these
refugees aren’t
assimilating?’,” Dandan
said.
“We need to identify how
we can help these
refugees by better
understanding where
they’ve come from, to
look at how we can help
them psychologically, to
deal with the traumas
they’ve faced.
“Malcolm sings the
praises of innovation.
Innovation is not just
technology, it’s also in
government services – in
particular social
cohesion and refugees.”
Turnbull's
message to Muslims: the
words we have been yearning
to hear
By Junaid
Cheema, ICV vice president
Last year we felt punished
for crimes not of our
making; now a fresh approach
gives hope to Muslims who
equally love this country
and are equally Australian.
The moment was surreal for
Australian Muslims. The
prime minister, Malcolm
Turnbull, was addressing the
Islamic Council of Victoria
and said: “I believe in
acknowledging the enormous
contributions that Muslims
have made to Australian
society”.
It was only a year ago when
the former Prime Minister
Tony Abbott gutted the
Muslim community by his
choice of words “I wish more
Muslim leaders would say
that (Islam is a religion of
peace) ... and mean it”
implying the community was
dishonest and disloyal to
this nation. Those words
flattened all Australian
Muslims and inspired myriad
anti-Muslim groups to
prominence.
Words are powerful, but here
was power of another kind.
I looked across the room at
the young faces of the
diverse Australian Muslims
who gazed at the prime
minister, spellbound, as he
addressed them. Young fresh
faces, some of which were
white, black, yellow, and
brown, heads which were
covered and heads that
weren’t, clothes which were
conservative and clothes
which were not, faces with
thick beards, and faces
which were clean shaven.
Turnbull acknowledged
Muslims as an integral part
of the “Australian family”,
saying words they had been
yearning to hear. He also
acknowledged the valuable
contributions Muslims have
been making to this nation
for over a 150 years;
contributions which have
been immortalised in the
Islamic Museum of Australia.
It was apparent that this
was no mere rhetoric – the
pm showed a deep
understanding of Islamic
civilisation and history
beyond the cheap headlines
that continually litter the
news. He recalled the
openness, pluralism and
inclusiveness inherent to
Islam and Islamic societies,
quoting the phenomenal
achievements of the
Umayyad’s of Spain, the
Abbasids and the Ottomans,
acknowledging the truism
that it is openness,
diversity and tolerance that
makes a society great.
Indeed, he said, the young
Muslims before him were
inspired to make this
country great.
Australian Prime Minister
Malcolm Turnbull tours the
Islamic Museum of Australia in
Thornbury in Melbourne, Monday,
March 7, 2016
Tony Abbott did inspire, in
a way. He inadvertently
inspired me to take up a
leadership role at the ICV,
via his message that Muslims
don’t really mean Islam is a
religion of peace. Listening
to the community, it is also
evident that his approach
inspired others to take a
more regrettable path.
Needless to say the current
method of inspiration is
much more preferred by the
Muslim community; it’s an
approach that makes us all
much stronger and that much
safer.
The approach of swinging
wild blows to beat down
radicalisation doesn’t
defeat radicalisation, it
inspires radicalisation,
because those blows
inevitably land on the
innocent.
Last year Muslim youths felt
collectively punished for
crimes not of their making,
and were confused as to why
their faith was
indiscriminately being held
accountable for the
wrongdoings of a tiny
proportion of the Muslim
population; crimes which are
even more abhorrent to
Muslims, as the perpetrators
masquerade as Muslims.
However if there was
confusion it has now been
replaced with clarity ... at
least for this group sitting
before the prime minister.
Assurance was given to the
youth that the Muslim
community will not solely be
viewed through the prism of
security, and this is
precisely what the community
has been longing for.
No doubt much work is needed
to repair the mistakes of
the past, however the brute
force model of the past is a
proven failure and has no
place in our future.
A fresh approach which
unifies rather than divides,
doesn’t collectively punish
or presume guilt and treats
all Australians equally is
what is required. This fresh
approach has given renewed
hope, inspiration and
motivation to the community
of half a million Muslims
who equally love this
country, and are equally
Australian.
Al Kauthar Brisbane is
holding their next course,
The Spiritual Zone, on the
19th and 20th March 2016,
Griffith University, Nathan
campus.
If you're wondering why you
should take another Salaah
course,
watch this 2 minute video,
which is the introduction to
the course.
What is Khushoo? How do you
attain this state in your
salah?
This course will take you on
a spiritual journey through
your salah. The journey that
starts with Azaan, its
significance as part of the
institution of salah. Next
is wudu, ablution, the
purity of the body and how
it should connect with our
soul. Then we go through the
etiquette of salah, in
dress, conduct, approach and
place. This helps set the
mood for your conversation
with Allah - Salah
We will go through every
single act and dua that will
help you get In The Zone.
That Zone where nothing else
matters in your prayer. When
each act helps you get
closer to Allah. When you
can put all distractions
aside and get connected to
your lord.
A fundraising dinner was
held at the Islamic College
of Brisbane on Saturday 5th
March to raise money for the
victims of cyclone Winston
that struck Fiji on 20th
February. The event was
jointly organised by the
various mosques and other
organisations in Brisbane
and it was a huge success.
About 600 people attended
the dinner which enabled the
organisers to raise about
$100,000 through ticket
sales, pledges and auctions.
Mr Mohammed Yusuf who
co-ordinated the event told
CCN that this was a
wonderful achievement and
would certainly not have
been possible without the
efforts of all the
hard-working and efficient
volunteers who organised the
sale of the tickets, the
setting up of the hall, the
preparation of the entrée,
dinner and dessert, and the
entire event in just over a
week’s time.
Whilst Fiji is prone to
cyclones and it had
experienced many severe ones
over the decades, Cyclone
Winston was the strongest
one on record to hit the
country with wind gusts of
over 300 knots. The cyclone
caused widespread damage to
the owns of Raki Raki, Tavua
and Ba in the main island of
Viti Levu and some outer
islands. About 1000 homes
were destroyed and 42 lives
were lost. In addition to
these several schools and
public buildings were also
destroyed. A lot of
communities are still
without electricity and
running water. The full
extent of the damage is
still not clear because some
of the worst affected areas
are still inaccessible.
Mr Yusuf said that whilst
food and other immediate
needs of the people are
being met thanks to the
generous support of
neighbouring countries and
international as well as the
local charitable agencies it
is the long term needs of
the community that are
crucial to look at.
Rebuilding homes, schools
and other infrastructure
will take time especially
since building materials are
currently in short supply.
Many businesses have closed
resulting in the loss of
jobs and this will have a
severe impact on the poor
communities who are already
struggling to survive and to
rebuild their lives.
All the funds collected have
been deposited with MCF
(Muslim Charitable
Foundation), and they will
be distributed to the needy
in Fiji through Muslim Aid
Australia and Al Imdaad
Foundation, in liaison with
the Fiji Muslim League.
Anyone still wanting to
contribute to this fund can
send their donations to MCF.
Mr Yusuf told CCN: "I
would like to thank all the
mosques and other
organisations as well as the
general community for
uniting for this worthy
cause. In particular I would
like to thank all the
brothers and sisters for
their efforts in selling the
tickets, for their donations
for the dinner and the
auction, for preparing the
food, setting up and
cleaning the hall and
helping in many other ways
to make the event a
success."
Sunday 6 March marked the
annual Clean Up Australia
Day where thousands of
Australians take time out of
their busy schedules to
spend a few hours cleaning
up a public site nearby.
Endorsed and managed by the
Islamic Council of
Queensland (ICQ), the local
effort saw Muslims
participate in the clean up
efforts across Sunnybank,
Mount Gravatt, Marsden, and
Slacks Creek, just to name a
few, contributing to the
current 2016 nationwide
total of 682,245 volunteers
and the removal of 16,657
tonnes of rubbish.
Of particular note was the
enthusiasm displayed by all
volunteers, especially
children, who made sure even
the smallest of bottle caps,
straws and candy wrappers
were promptly collected in
the general waste and
recycling bags.
The Slacks Creek Mosque,
supervised by Ustadh Abdul
Samim Khan, attracted a
sizeable group of volunteers
who came well prepared with
high-visibility vests, bin
bags and cleaning equipment.
Members of the
Slacks Creek Mosque,
young and old, helped
clean up the Council
park adjoining the
Mosque
"It is often said that
'cleanliness is next to
Godliness', and how true
this is when we consider the
importance of the concept
across many faiths and
traditions," Muhammad
Khatree, co-ordinator for
the ICQ Clean Up team told CCN.
"Cleanliness manifests
itself in our words,
actions, intentions, and the
environment within which we
live. Clean Up Australia Day
is a wonderful show of
community where the
objective is to live up to
our collective
responsibility as Australian
citizens and ensure our
environment is kept neat and
clean, minimising the
ill-effects of rubbish."
"It is our sincere hope
that our participation in
this event will remain
consistent for many years to
come."
Banking bags of
rubbish: Volunteers
(and high school
friends) at the
Beenleigh Road clean
up in Sunnybank.
Michael Jarman (right),
Scout Leader at
Sunnybank Scout Den,
and Muhammad Khatree
(left).
Islamic schools across
Australia have registered
new constitutions with the
Australian Securities &
Investments Commission,
declaring independence from
the Sydney-based Australian
Federation of Islamic
Councils.
The move by the independent
schools to seize control of
their own accounts and
boards was agreed at a
special meeting of AFIC’s
committee on Saturday.
On Sunday, the committee was
dissolved and
a new one established at
an emergency congress of
AFIC members. The validity
of the congress and the new
AFIC committee will be
argued in the NSW Supreme
Court.
AFIC lawyer Rick Mitry said
he had recommended all
schools register their new
constitutions with ASIC
immediately.
He said reforms had gone
further at Sydney’s Malek
Fahd — Australia’s largest
Muslim school, with 2400
students — and the Islamic
School of Canberra, with the
effective banning of any
AFIC representation on their
boards.
Rateb Jneid, independent
chairman of Perth’s Langford
Islamic College, said he
registered his new school
constitution with ASIC
yesterday, recognising AFIC
as a landlord only. “I have
an AFIC representative on
the board but in the future,
it doesn’t matter if AFIC is
represented or not, it’s on
merit,’’ he said. “I’m so
relieved to have this school
independence. It’s for the
kids and parents who have
lived in fear because they
didn’t have security.’’
A letter sent by the new
AFIC committee to school
principals asking for a
delay on changes was an
example of AFIC “still
wanting to put its nose in
the schools”, Dr Jneid said.
Education Minister Simon
Birmingham is expected to
announce a final decision on
the schools’ future on April
11 after an audit previously
found the schools — Malek
Fahd, Islamic School of
Canberra, Islamic College of
South Australia, Islamic
College of Brisbane, Islamic
College of Melbourne and
Langford Islamic College in
Perth — had failed to meet
basic standards to justify
tens of millions of dollars
in federal funds.
Mr Mitry, Dr Jneid and
Islamic College of South
Australia chairwoman and
Malek Fahd interim director
Miriam Silva said the
constitutional changes would
work in favour of the
Canberra and Sydney schools
most at risk of losing about
$21 million in federal
funding.
In response to the above
news, the Principal of the
Islamic College of Brisbane,
Dr Ray Barrett, told CCN:
While the immediate
crisis is over, there is
still much hard work to
be done in meeting
reports to the
Commonwealth and State
on 17th March and 31st
March so that they can
make decisions on
continuation of funding
by 11th April.
However, now that the
main obstacle has been
removed we will now be
operating on a level
playing field. I am now
extremely confident that
we will receive
“Conditional Approval”
for continuation of
funding. The condition
will be that we continue
to demonstrate through
monthly Action Plan
Reports for the
remainder of 2016 that
we progressively provide
evidence that compliance
requirements are
“lasting”.
The College Board has
called a
Community Meeting
for Monday 21 March at
7pm in the ICB
Multi-Purpose Hall to
give a progress report
to the school community.
My thanks to the
Board for their
individual contributions
to the continuing
stability of ICB over
this time. When we look
back at this period of
ICB history I’m sure it
will be identified as a
“character building”
phase of our
development.
The ABC has obtained video
of a fiery general meeting
which saw police and
security guards called in
amid a row over finances at
the organisation responsible
for six embattled Islamic
colleges across Australia.
The mobile phone vision
obtained by 7.30 shows the
moment the meeting of
members of the Australian
Federation of Islamic
Councils (AFIC) descended
into chaos.
A lawyer for AFIC was
physically intimidated and
was escorted by police from
the room for her own
protection.
The extraordinary meeting
was called by Amjad Mehboob
(pictured below),
who said his goal was to get
rid of the board of AFIC and
its current president.
But Mr Mehboob's connections
to Sydney's biggest Islamic
college, Malek Fahd have
been controversial.
Students at the college have
been told they have just
weeks before federal funding
will be cut to their school.
According to a forensic
audit of the school's
finances commissioned by the
Federal Government, Mr
Mehboob was paid almost half
a million dollars for
management services to the
school.
It found there was no
evidence he was qualified to
provide the services, nor
exactly what those services
were.
When pressed by 7.30, Mr
Mehboob did not deny
receiving the money, but
insisted that it was paid
over four years and that he
was qualified to provide
advice to the school.
"The entire schools of AFIC,
in all the states for the
last 25 years and more were
developed by me, Amjad
Mehboob," he said.
Malek Fahd is just one of
six Islamic schools across
the country owned by AFIC.
The organisation and its
schools have been dogged by
allegations of financial
mismanagement.
Government funding has been
cut to the schools in
Canberra and Sydney
following a Federal
Government-commissioned
audit carried out by
Deloittes.
Federal Education Minister
Simon Birmingham said his
department would not
hesitate to cut funding to
the other schools if they
failed to address concerns
about how the money was
being spent.
"That's why we've been very
clear through this process
that the authorised
operating entities for these
schools is not AFIC," he
said.
But AFIC is riven by
factional interests.
Sunday's fiery meeting came
just 24 hours after an
earlier bid by AFIC to
reverse the funding cuts and
satisfy the Federal
Government's demands to keep
their finances independent
of their schools.
Newly appointed AFIC
treasurer Keysar Trad said
an independent interim
school board had been set up
at Malek Fahd and that he
had the community's support
to make the changes.
"They know that I'm a
fighter," he said.
"They know that I'll make
sure that we do everything
within our power, and within
the law, to make sure this
organisation runs properly."
Mr Trad admits the latest
drama surrounding Sunday's
meeting will not help his
cause.
In the end both Mr Trad and
Mr Mehboob left the meeting
claiming victory, meaning
AFIC now has two rival
executive committees both
claiming legitimacy.
The matter will return to
the NSW Supreme Court on
Wednesday.
MATT WORDSWORTH, PRESENTER:
In just four weeks, thousands of
students in Islamic schools
across Australia could be
looking for a new school. The
federal Education Department has
finally lost patience with six
schools owned by the Australian
Federation of Islamic Councils,
or AFIC. For years, AFIC and its
schools have been dogged by
allegations of fraud and gross
financial mismanagement of
federal funds. A federal audit
found millions have been
misused. In tonight's report,
AFIC's heated internal politics
are on rare public display as
deep internal divisions threaten
to derail attempts to save the
schools. Alex Mann reports.
An interim management
committee has been appointed to
try and save the school.
The peak organisation
representing young Muslims
in Canberra says the
community has vowed to
rescue the city's Islamic
school despite a $1 million
shortfall in public funding.
The school is likely to
close after the federal and
ACT governments revoked its
recurrent funding following
a review that found evidence
of financial mismanagement
and poor governance.
School supporters hope to
raise the lost funds within
the next month to keep it
operating for its 200
students.
The funding will be cut from
April 8.
On Thursday night, more than
150 people attended a
meeting on campus to plan a
takeover of the school's
management from the
Australian Federation of
Islamic Councils (AFIC).
Canberra Muslim Youth
president Osman Adam said an
interim management committee
of four people had been
appointed ahead of an
independent board.
"They are to carry the
burden of making sure that
the whole community of
Canberra come behind the
school," he said.
"At the moment it is the
failed leadership of AFIC
because there is no other
leadership besides what the
parents have put in place.
"Our suggestion to them [the
interim committee] was they
should take over the running
of the school today.
"However, because of
litigation going on in AFIC
itself, in Sydney, they will
have to be able to work
their way through it."
Mr Adam said there was still
concern the school could
close but the community
remained hopeful and
determined.
Last year, the department
announced a review into six
school authorities
affiliated with AFIC after
concerns were raised about
the group profiting from
taxpayer funds distributed
to the schools.
The ACT Government has
promised to find a place in
the public system for all
students.
Talking about the most
intimate fears and
insecurities, accusations of
“playing the gender card”,
“first-world problems”,
jokes made "too soon" – why
are some topics still too
hard to talk about, & what
are women losing by keeping
them to themselves.
Conversations with Muslim
Women Panel
Listen to Muslim women
discuss their own
priorities: how to fight
sexism within Islamic
communities; what happens
when Islamophobia meets
everyday sexism; and how
society reacts to Muslim
women taking their place in
public life.
The Queensland Muslim
Historical Society (QMHSoc)
is seeking financial support
to help it continue with its
ongoing work of researching
and documenting the rich
history of the Muslims of
Queensland and setting up
exhibits.
The work of the Society
serves not only to help the
community better understand
its cultures and heritage
but also creates a deeper
awareness and appreciation
of its contributions amongst
the wider Australian
society.
The QMHSoc is the only known
Muslim Historical Society in
the country.
Keep up to date with the
Society's activities and
join in the conversation
through its
Facebook Page which has
reached almost a 1000 Likes
already.
Donations of any amount,
from as little as $2 dollars, can easily
be made through PayPal by
clicking the Donate button
here:
Betrayed By My Own Country –
#OliverBridgeman Interviewed
Exclusive Interview with 19
year old Humanitarian aid
worker Oliver Bridgeman, who
had his Australian Passport
Revoked.
Double Standards for
Australian Muslims #OliverBridgeman
The
Australian Federal Police
has issued an arrest warrant
for Queensland teenager
Oliver Bridgeman, who has
been doing aid work in Syria
since May 2015. Last month,
the Department of Foreign
Affairs cancelled Mr
Bridgeman’s passport, just
as he was preparing to come
back to Australia. The
19-year-old, from Toowoomba,
insists he is not involved
in terrorism and claims he
went to Syria to do aid
work. His lawyers say it is
nothing more than a
political stunt. “It’s a
disgrace. This is nothing
more than a stunt. It’s
political manoeuvring.
“They’ve told us for the
last 12 months that their
sole intention was to get
him back on home soil.”
Dealing with Injustice and
Oppression
Professor
Mohammad Abdalla elaborates
on the topic of Dealing with
Injustice and Oppression
Life & Faith elaborates on
how one should deal with
Life’s Struggles
On Friday 4th March, the
Australian International
Islamic College, Durack
Campus, inducted its student
leaders for the 2016 school
year.
The assembly acknowledged
the role student leaders
would play at the college
and honoured them with a
badge as a mark of their
rank.
The Junior College Captain
for the year is Zacharia
Alizadeh Javan and the
Vice-Captain Aisha Hersi.
From the Senior School, the
elected captain is Israa
Abdulla and Vice-Captain
Zubair Sheriffi.
The principal Mrs. Banwa
addressed the students about
the significance of their
roles as leaders and to earn
their leadership by
supporting the colleges’
motto, vision and mission
and also to support the
college values.
The assembly then ended with
a meet and greet morning tea
between parents, student
leaders and the principal.
"Student leaders and their
teacher coordinators are
looking forward to working
together to achieve a great
outcome for the year 2016."
Come
join the Brisbane Islamic
Relief Team for some henna,
face painting and delicious
cupcakes to help fundraise
for a disability centre in
Saida City, Lebanon.
Islamic Relief aims to
create a fully staffed and
equipped rehabilitation
centre in Lebanon to support
children with disabilities
from any background.
Lebanon
is significantly impacted by
refugee populations,
including Palestinian,
Iraqi, and Syrians.
The centre will provide
daily therapy in:
Physiotherapy, Speech
Therapy, Occupational
Therapy, Special Education,
and Psychosocial Support.
The centre will also train
the parents so they can
provide ongoing therapy to
their children to assist in
their recovery and support
for years to come.
The opening ceremony of
state-of-the-art library and
preparatory building was
held at the Australian
International Islamic
College (AIIC) on 10 March
in the College Multi-Purpose
Hall.
The guests in attendance for
the event included Senator
Joanna Lindgren -
representing the
Commonwealth Government of
Australia, Councillor Angela
Owen-Taylor, Councillor
Milton Dick, Mr. Brett
Gillespie - representing the
Lord Mayor, Ms. Mariana Lane
from the Independent Schools
of Queensland (ISQ),
Sergeant Jim Bellos – The
college liaison officer and
Adopt-a-Cop of AIIC, Mr. Rod
Morris from Block Grant
Authority, AIIC staff,
students and parents.
The ceremony started with
the recitation of the Quran,
followed by the National
Anthem by AIIC Nasheed
Group. Mrs. Mariam Banwa,
the Principal, welcomed the
guests and expressed her
gratitude to the State and
Federal Governments for the
generous funding received
and thanked the Block Grant
Authority for their support
and contributions towards
this major project. Ms.
Marianna Lane, representing
the executive director of
ISQ, spoke about the close
relationship between ISQ and
AIIC, and highlighted its
growth over the years.
Sergeant Jim Bellos spoke
about being an adopted cop
and Liaison Officer for AIIC
since its inception and how
it helped him to be deeply
involved with the community.
The College Captain, Israa
Abdalla, who has been
studying at AIIC since her
preparatory, explained to
the guests how the
state-of-the-art facilities
like this will contribute
and improve students’
learning experiences.
In her address, Councillor
Angela Owen-Taylor touched
on her deep involvement with
AIIC and the school
community, while Councillor
Milton Dick explained how a
building can bring together
the politicians from
different parties and
communities from different
backgrounds. Senator Joanna
Lindgren spoke on providing
better support and funding
for education. Mr. Shahid
Khan, the Education Advisor
of AIIC, delivered the vote
of thanks, while Imam Yusuf
Thaqafi delivered the
concluding dua. The
preparatory building was
officially opened by Senator
Lindgren, while Councillor
Milton Dick officially
unveiled the library plaque.
The Australian International
Islamic College would also
like to take this
opportunity to extend its
gratitude to the community
and well-wishers for their
ongoing support.
Victorian Liberal Party
leaders are turning a blind
eye to growing anti-Islamic
sentiment in the party,
according to a party source.
The claim follows calls at
Sunday's federal Senate
pre-selection convention for
all Islamic leaders to sign
a pledge denouncing
terrorism, or have their
places of worship torn down.
Senate pre-selection
candidate Kurt Reiter
(pictured left) also
aired the view there is no
such thing as a moderate
Muslim, and Muslims must
kill non-believers to be
"true" Muslims.
A party delegate said Mr
Reiter's "outright
Islamophobic" comments
should lead to expulsion
from the party, yet were
received with applause.
"Kurt got up on the day and
made these statements in
front of 400 delegates," the
party delegate said.
"If someone got up and said
the same thing about the
Christian faith or the
Jewish faith there would be
MPs and people lining up to
oppose it, saying we respect
free speech but distance
ourselves from the remarks.
But nothing of the sort has
happened."
Mr Reiter, a former branch
president who has served on
the state council and state
assembly, challenged Labor's
Lisa Neville for Bellarine
in 2010.
He expressed similar views
in a February 12 email sent
to pre-selection delegates
and the party hierarchy that
included an 'Essay on
Islamic Micro-Terrorism'.
Mr Reiter told Fairfax Media
his studies had shown him
there can be no such thing
as a moderate Muslim and
that the Koran requires the
killing of non-believers.
"This is why when
something horrific happens
you will never hear an imam
denounce it. They are
actually happy about what
they are doing; you
celebrate when people do
terrible things."
Mr Reiter said all Muslims
living in or wishing to come
to Australia should be made
to sign a pledge denouncing
terrorism and jihad.
He suggested one of his
motivators in running for
Senate pre-selection on
Sunday was the chance to
educate his party and
broader society about the
risks of Islam.
"It seems that politicians
on each side of politics are
of the view 'let's not upset
anyone, let's tolerate all
religions'. I don't think
people have a full
understanding of how
dangerous this religion is,"
he said.
The party source said the
silence from party leaders
legitimises the views.
He said if someone made the
same comments about any
other religion they would be
expelled.
"What's next, are we going
to become a party like One
Nation was, or what Geert
Wilders is advocating?
"It may seem quite a harsh
measure but I would
certainly ask him to
resign."
The source said as the
meeting chair, Liberal party
state president Michael
Kroger should have noted the
views are not part of the
party's platform.
Mr Kroger did not respond to
a request for comment.
A spokesman for Victorian
opposition leader Matthew
Guy said as the convention
was to decide Federal senate
pre-selection. "It's got
nothing to do with us," he
said.
Mr Guy has previously moved
to contrast his views with
those of former prime
minister Tony Abbott and
position himself as a
"moderate" Liberal.
The Just Media Advocacy (JMA)
has recorded some of its
achievements for 2015
highlighting a number of
important cases acquired
through monitoring and
referral.
Media monitoring cases
include correcting Andrew
Bolt on the Mufti, and
drawing Chris Uhlmann on his
anti-Islam baiting.
On Thursday 10 March members
of the Muslim community
attended a luncheon for
Graham Perrett MP at
Michael's Oriental with
special guest the Honourable
Tanya Plibersek MP, Shadow
Minister for Foreign
Affairs.
Mr Perrett also facilitated
a special meeting of the
Muslim Community with Tanya
Plibersek in his office to
discuss issues relating to
their respective
organisations.
In attendance were ICQ
members Ali Kadri, Fahim
Khondakar, interns Hamza
Suburland, Madina Mahmood
and settlement case manager
Lamisse Hamouda.
Janeth Deen represented MCF
and Hazem Hamouda
represented MBN.
Issues discussed were youth
engagement and empowerment,
unemployment and employment
issues in general, poverty
and refugees.
The lawyer for the former NRL
star tells a media pack that his
client's alleged domestic
violence victim should not be
trusted, outside court in
October 2015.
Domestic violence charges
against former NRL star
Hazem El Masri will be
dropped on Monday, police
have confirmed.
El Masri, 39, was charged
with assaulting his former
wife Douah El-Cherif, 25,
during an argument in
October over property and
living arrangements.
The relationship, which
lasted for just over a year,
had disintegrated three
months before the fight,
Fairfax Media was told at
the time.
The pair argued when El
Masri asked Ms El-Cherif to
leave one of his properties
in which she had been
temporarily staying during
the separation.
Later that night, Ms El-Cherif
attended Bankstown police
station and alleged that her
former partner had pushed
her while trying to get his
keys back, causing her to
hit her head on some
furniture and sustain a
scratch.
However, it is understood
that more than a dozen
police working on the case
have not been able to
substantiate the allegations
and will withdraw the matter
when it returns to Bankstown
Local Court on Monday.
When I wrote an essay
critical of the famous
atheist, he asked me to
debate the issues. Now he
refuses to air it
Last December, I published
an essay in Salon reviewing
“Islam
and the Future of Tolerance,”
a book-length “discourse” on
reforming Islam, conducted
between neuroscientist Sam
Harris and activist Maajid
Nawaz. In it, I argued that
the book was a simplistic
and unoriginal take on a
complex topic, more of a
friendly conversation than
any kind of serious
analysis. The piece
concluded by lamenting the
erosion of public debate, as
intellectuals of previous
eras have been replaced by
profiteers more interested
in advancing narrow agendas
than in exploring difficult
questions.
The piece got Harris’s
attention, and he publicly
reached out to me on Twitter
to invite me on his podcast
to “discuss these issues.”
Although some of his
followers mocked the
invitation, I gladly
accepted, and we set a date
and time for our debate.
That’s when things got
interesting, because it
turned out that Harris did
not want a traditional
debate or even an open
discussion. As he wrote in
one email:
I’d like you to just
read [your piece], line
by line, and I’ll stop
you at various points so
that we can discuss
specific issues.
This was a bizarre and
rather creepy way to
structure our conversation.
Think of how awkward it
would be to read your
writing in front of a critic
who had empowered himself to
stop, critique, and rebuke
you whenever he wanted, with
thousands of people
listening. Even the
strongest piece of writing
cannot withstand a
line-by-line
cross-examination because
such an exercise puts the
writer in the witness box
and therefore on the
permanent defensive. If
Harris’s rules were
followed, our discussion
would be more like an
undignified show-trial than
a frank conversation. Is
there a single journalist
who has ever participated
in, much less proposed, this
sort of guerrilla attack?
I replied to Harris and
noted the absurdity of his
invitation:
I really hope you were not
literally intending for me
to come on and read my essay
on your podcast with you
stopping me every other
sentence as if I was in some
kind of deposition or trial.
This would be a totally
fruitless conversation.
Instead, I proposed an
alternative approach: We
should each pick a few
topics—reforming Islam,
radical jihadists, holy war,
etc—and have a debate around
each one, alternating
between who would kick
things off. In other words,
we should have a normal
debate, on equal footing,
where arguments could be
tested against their
rebuttals. Harris rejected
that offer and firmly
reiterated demand to be
judge, jury, and prosecutor.
He wrote back:
I want us to move back
and forth between the
text of your essay, my
response to it as a
reader/listener, and
your response to my
response. It remains to
be seen whether this
will produce and
interesting/useful
conversation or a
“fruitless” one. But I’m
pretty sure no one has
ever attempted something
like this before.
So this is how I want us
to approach the
podcast—with you reading
what you wrote and our
stopping to talk about
each point, wherever
relevant. Again, you can
say anything you want in
this context, and I
won’t edit you (though
if our exchange truly is
“fruitless,” as well as
boring, I reserve the
right not to air it).
Salon
Omer Aziz
is a writer, a JD candidate
at Yale Law School, and a
Fellow at the Yale
Information Society Project.
Waleed Aly has been described
by Men's Style Australia as the
"most important man on TV".
Waleed Aly is officially
"The Most Important Man On
TV" according to Men's Style
Australia.
The academic and co-host of
The Project appears on the
cover of the new issue of
the magazine and editor
Michael Pickering makes no
apologies for the bold,
broad statement.
"I had to fight for those
cover lines. I've wanted to
feature him for quite some
time, he's this big brained
man who thinks before he
speaks. There is a reason
everything he says goes
viral online," Pickering
said.
Aly is an enigma in today's
media landscape, considering
the topics he regularly
tackles, including Boko
Haram, ISIS, climate change
and Andrew Bolt, the
37-year-old former lawyer
doesn't resort to the shock
jock type tactics of the
latter to garner attention.
Not that he likes the
attention.
"He'd bristle at the thought
but, like it or not, Waleed
Aly is now a household
name," Pickering said.
"The
great thing
about him is
that's he's
a common
sense
individual
who has wide
appeal.
Here's this
muslim man
who barracks
for the
Richmond
Tigers
coming out
of academia
and into the
world of
commercial
TV, his
moment has
come."
The notion of celebrity is
canvassed in the
corresponding feature
alongside images of Aly
looking dapper in Ralph
Lauren.
"I still don't regard myself
as a celebrity and I find
the whole notion laughable,
really. I come from a world
where the thing that's
mattered most is the content
or the issue, not the
personality, and I still
approach it that way," Aly
said.
He also plays down his role
as a representative of
modern or "moderate" Islam
as suggested by Bolt.
"I don't walk out on air
feeling the burden of
representation... I don't
feel comfortable with the
idea of being
representative… of anything!
I have no authority to claim
I'm representative. I
haven't won an election or
anything."
His role as an internet
sensation is also something
he rejects, adding that he
worries about the lack of
nuance involved in
discussing meaty issues
within the confines of
commercial TV.
"I'm not going to sit here
and pretend that when I do a
four-minute piece to camera
that it's the most nuanced
rendering of the topic that
could possibly be done.
"But I am happy to say we've
done okay within that
medium."
Aly's Men's Style cover
continues the magazine's
evolution from sophisticated
lads mag to a publication
focused on showcasing
cultural and lifestyle
issues of interest to
Australian men.
Until last year Men's Style
only featured women on the
cover. Since the change in
editorial direction only
Australian men like Hugh
Jackman and Liam Hemsworth
have fronted the magazine.
Across the United States
masajid (mosques) have
expanded in physical size,
improved mass communication
via websites and social
media accounts, begun to
offer live-streaming for
Friday khutbas (sermons)
online, and have improved
women’s prayer areas. But in
recent times, many imams
have left their posts,
leaving communities and
trend followers to speculate
and ask, “Why?” Was it the
imam’s ego or a salary
dispute or are they just
becoming too impatient?
No, this wave of
resignations is a symptom of
a greater problem: while
incoming imams treat their
position as a profession by
becoming increasingly
qualified, the masjid board
has not taken the same
strides in becoming trained
in non-profit management.
Those who run the masjid and
supervise the imams’ affairs
are still volunteers with,
generally speaking, no
expertise on how to manage
non-profit organizations. As
a result, the operational
structure of the masjid is
not equipped to manage the
imam, the other employees,
or to draft and execute
long-term plans with a
vision for the changing
needs of the community.
Masjid reform must take
place to not only bring
stability by retaining their
imams but by also allowing
for future growth, and
attracting Muslims of all
backgrounds and ages.
To analyze the surge in
recent Imam’s resignations
from masajid large and
small, it is important to
understand the dynamics
between the masjid board,
the imam, and the community.
The Board
A typical board is elected
for a specified number of
years, where elected members
take on various
responsibilities:
Chairperson, President,
Financial Officer,
Secretary, and so on. The
staff of the masjid goes on
to include the imam,
sometimes multiple imams or
religious directors,
administrative staff, and
other support employees. At
the end of the day, all of
the above staff report to
the board.
Boards usually manage the
day-to-day affairs of the
masjid. These duties and
responsibilities are noble
and to be commended. The
question to be asked
remains: If a community is
made up of hundreds or even
thousands of congregants,
what is the guarantee that
the most qualified people
are elected to manage the
masjid? Those five, ten or
fifteen that are chosen to
represent their masjid, are
they equipped to understand
all of the needs and nuances
of their constituents? Are
they trained in management
or in human resources so as
to interface with the imam
and the other staff in the
most effective manner?
The masjid is, by
definition, a non-profit
organization, and rarely do
the doctors, engineers, and
business people who are
voted onto the board have
backgrounds in non-profit
management. While these
volunteers are to be
commended for their
countless hours of
dedication and sacrifice, it
is time the community
recognizes that the
non-profit organization that
we call the masjid cannot
thrive on the limited
expertise of individuals
from random professions.
These realms are completely
different. A multitude of
certifications and degrees
are offered in various
aspects of non-profit
management, so individuals
with the above expertise
should serve on the board.
Allah the Most Merciful
tells us in the Qur’an in
the second half of the ayah
(verse) below: “…And ask
those who have knowledge, if
you do not know.”
The Imam
The same level of
expectations in terms of
expertise is also necessary
for the Imam. An Imam should
have a grasp of the Arabic
language, have certified
training as a religious
scholar which includes
understanding the complex
sciences of tafsir (Qur’anic
exegesis), hadith
(narration), and Islamic
jurisprudence (fiqh). In
addition, many imams have
supplementary degrees in
social sciences, history,
Middle-Eastern studies, etc.
The ability to connect with
the community and to
understand its needs are
crucial in supporting the
diverse make-up of the
masjid’s constituents.
The demands upon the Imam
are very high. Supporting
the community in times of
distress such as providing
counseling on marriage,
divorce, domestic violence,
death, drug use, suicide,
etc. are just a few of the
Imam’s responsibilities. The
imam also shares in the
celebrations of the
community, conducting
weddings and attending
aqeeqahs (birth
celebrations) and ameens. In
addition, the imam
represents not only the
masjid, but the greater
Muslim community at
political events, interfaith
circles, and in social
justice arenas.
The imam sacrifices his time
with his own family with the
intention of serving the
community and pleasing Allah
subhanahu wa ta`ala (exalted
is He). This is not a
position of wealth or
glamour.
The Board, The Community,
The Imam: An Unbalanced
Equation
The dynamics between the
board, the masjid’s
constituents, and the imam
has many nuances. Let us
explore these relationships:
The Community-Board
Relationship
Often times the board is an
ear to the constituents’
wants, needs, and
likes/dislikes. This is a
healthy relationship that
helps to ensure that the
board is indeed representing
their community. One of the
pitfalls, however, is when
the ear is filled with
opinions from friends or
acquaintances of a few board
members that become
magnified as a major issue.
“Where was the imam at this
time?” or “Why was the
prayer time changed?” or “I
didn’t like the khutba.”
Imagine if only friends or
acquaintances get the ear of
the board, and they happen
to be those with complaints
that do not reflect the
overall effectiveness of the
imam. The result would be a
skewed impression of how
well the Imam performs.
Do other community members
know when and how to contact
the board if they have a
concern or a word of praise?
What about when there is a
conflict with the imam? Is
there a mediation process
involving professional
mediators or a group from
the community? Does the
community know about
problems before the imam
feels compelled to resign?
Regrettably, the answers to
these questions are often
“no.”
The Board-Imam
Relationship
The Board, and most often
the Chairperson or
President, in particular, is
the imam’s boss. In some
masajid, imams as employees
are given formal, written
evaluations. How are these
evaluations made? Are there
general surveys sent out to
the community after prayer
or via email? Who evaluates
the board? No one does. The
community at large does not
know the details of
individual board member
actions. Written evaluations
are a one-way, subjective
process, in which, out of
all the employees of the
masjid, only the already
over-burdened imam is
scrutinized.
The board has by-laws that
protect the masjid and the
board itself, but who is
there to protect the imam?
If there is a conflict
between the board and the
imam, who is there to defend
or represent him? A meeting
with the board can turn into
a five-on-one intimidating
process, with the Imam being
the “one.” And
psychologically speaking, it
is natural for any group of
individuals working together
to develop “group thinking”
where it is difficult to
understand any reasoning
other than that of the
group, or in this case, the
board. As a religious
director or imam, who is
already burdened with the
problems of the community,
and of society at large, he
has the added responsibility
of being his own lawyer when
negotiating for his rights
at the masjid.
A position at the masjid, as
previously mentioned, is not
one that people enter into
for glory. Thus there needs
to be an inherent level of
trust in the imam,
especially after years of
proven performance. When
hours at the masjid are
being questioned, it is a
sign of an inherent problem
– a lack of trust and/or of
an understanding of what it
means to be an imam.
Expecting the imam to spend
his over 60-hour work week
at the masjid is not
practical. As one great imam
and scholar stated, “A five
minute reminder can take
five hours of preparation.”
Aside from off-masjid
activities, countless hours
of preparation for speeches
and khutbas (Friday sermons)
are spent at home. In
addition, fielding phone
calls, and tending to crises
of the community at
individuals’ homes or at the
hospital are also time spent
away from the masjid.
The Imam – Community
Relationship
The imam deals with various
constituents either through
private counseling sessions,
or through general contact
at the masjid. Although the
imam has a close
relationship with the
community, most of its
constituents never contact
the board about their
satisfaction with the imam.
Instead, most feedback
regarding the imam comes
from only a handful of
individuals with complaints
about the minutia of masjid
affairs. As a result, what
true knowledge does the
board have of the
community’s satisfaction
with the imam?
Conclusion
There is a disconnect
between the immense
relationships that the imam
has within the community he
serves and the board’s
perception of the imam’s
performance. As a result of
this disparity, the board is
readily willing to exert
their power in enforcing
their micromanaging demands
without being mindful of the
ensuing effect their
unreasonable pressure will
have on the imam. Despite
the imam’s love for the
community, he finds himself
having to choose between
continuing his post at the
masjid and saving his own
sanity and that of his
family. In addition, the
board may be shocked by a
resignation, yet no
consideration was given to
the fact that imams are
human and there is only so
much difficulty in dealing
with the board that the imam
can handle before becoming
soured to the system.
And that’s the point: one
can endure temporary
problems, differences of
opinion and conflicts
arising from within the
masjid. However, when the
religious director or imam
understands that the system
will never change, that is,
the system of having a new,
volunteer boss every one to
two years who has no
experience in non-profit
management, who is going to
come down with their own
style of management, with
their own opinions about
what the imam should be
doing, it is difficult to
sit tight and think, “one
day this may change.”
I encourage a healthy
discussion between community
members, masjid officials
and our religious leaders to
come to a practical
solution. May Allah (swt)
guide us all and make the
masjid a place welcome for
all, including the imams.
Non-halal trolleys at NSK.
Image from Malaysiakini
Halal
trolleys
have also been talked about
for quite some time when NSK
first separated their
trolleys last year.
But now it seems
ALL supermarkets might
have to segregate their
trolleys too
if the Domestic Trade,
Cooperatives and Consumerism
Ministry makes the new rule
under business licensing
requirements.
Among
the guidelines
they’re discussing
are differentiating trolley
colours and separating
payment counters for halal
and non-halal items, said
Ministry Secretary-General
Datuk Seri Alias Ahmad.
There were
two sides
to the reaction drawn from
the public. Ikatan
Muslimin Malaysia
(Isma), an independent
Muslim preacher Wan Ji Wan
Hussin, and Sabahans were
against the idea, while
the Federation of Malaysian
Consumers Association (Fomca)
and Muslim Consumers’
Association’s (PPIM)
supported it.
People of all faiths were
brought together at a halal
barbecue in Lismore
where some of the Northern
Rivers' estimated 100
Muslims
shared their stories with
Samantha Turnbull.
"I found that
Islam answered a lot of
questions and gave me really
clear guidelines about how to
live every day." Abbey
Hodson
Abbey Hodson became a Muslim
four years ago after
searching for meaning in her
life.
"I used to really dislike
religion and I found myself
talking to Muslims and I
felt this real inner
resistance, like 'don't talk
to me about devils and
angels and different
concepts of religion I was
really uncomfortable with',"
she said.
"And I heard myself and
thought I'll never be able
to connect with people
really if I don't open up
and challenge that in
myself, and then it was a
long, slow process.
"I think I was searching for
meaning in my life and until
then I hadn't found it.
"I found that Islam answered
a lot of questions and gave
me really clear guidelines
about how to live every
day."
Ms Hodson said she sometimes
received a few strange looks
as an Anglo-Saxon, Muslim
woman.
"Mostly what I find is that
people want to approach me
and talk to me and ask
questions, which I love,"
she said.
"Sometimes if I see someone
looking at me badly, I
imagine they think it's
worse that I'm white ... I
think people have
preconceived ideas, but
without a dialogue it's
impossible to know what
people are thinking."
Ms Hodson said she had been
nervous about meeting Middle
Eastern Muslims at first,
but her fears proved
unfounded.
"I was always frightened
before I would meet Muslim
people and I thought they
were going to judge me or I
won't know what to talk
about, but I always found
them to be so generous, no
matter where they were from
– Pakistan, Jordan,
Australia – there was really
this beautiful kind of
attitude," she said.
"I know, now, when I see
strangers in a park and they
are obviously Muslim I know
that they are going to be
friendly, warm and
welcoming."
MVSLIM's list of Muslims who
achieved great things in 2015.
10. Tariq
Al-Olaimy
Tariq is the co-founder of
3BL Associates. That’s a
“people + planet strategy
consultancy” which was
established to re-imagine a
more sustainable energy
system.
He is also the co-founder of
www.Diabetes.bh, the
first online education and
community platform for
diabetes in Bahrain, which
is recognized as a ’World
Diabetes Day Champion’ by
the International Diabetes
Federation. With a strong
focus on climate change
issues, he is a founding
National Coordinator of the
Arab Youth Climate Movement
(AYCM), which is now present
in 17 different MENA
countries, as well as a
climate policy tracker.
Tariq is among the first 100
people in the world to
achieve a specialist
certification in the field
of Biomimicry, which is a
practice that studies
nature’s best ideas, models,
systems and processes.
Ubudiah Mosque, Malaysia
Built between 1913 and 1917,
this place of worship in the
royal town of Kuala Kangsar,
Peninsular Malaysia, is
often touted as the
country's most beautiful
mosque. With four minarets
and a golden dome, it was
designed by Arthur Benison
Hubback, a British architect
who was also behind the
Kuala Lumpur railway
station.
Alhamdulillaah Shajarah Islamic Kindergarten has
been approved to participate in a Federal Government
Early Learning Language Program for Arabic starting
March 21st 2016 inshaAllaah.
The learning would take place using Apps on Tablets.
The kindergarten's enrolments are, however, still low at this time
of year and it currently does not have finances to
cover purchasing the Tablets required (e.g. Samsung
Galaxy).
The school would like to appeal to the community for help in
securing the required Tablets as it is unlikely to start this program without assistance and
the children would miss out on this wonderful
opportunity to use technology to begin learning the
language of the Quran.
If you are able to help please get in touch with
the Kindy on 31727850 or deposit any contribution to:
You should add a new community arrivals to the page
too, then those who migrate their and do not have
anybody can call and welcome the new members of
community. Perhaps then make new friends and do not
feel the pain of a new country and place without
family too much…
Btw… we will be migrating too within the next couple
of years… for us it will be good to be with our
family but others don’t have that luxury..
Zaheda (South Africa)
[Editor]
Thank you for this suggestion. We have now expanded
our Births, Marriages and Condolences section to
include New Migrants. CCN readers are invited to
share their milestones and record them for posterity
by emailing us at
ccn@crescentsofbrisbane.org.
Dear CCN Organizers
My Sundays begin with reading the newsletter.
When I do not read it I feel I have missed my Sunday
breakfast.
Thank you very much for the effort your team exerts
in this venture.
InshaAllah, the Almighty rewards you for your
sincere dedication.
This is also a huge IBAADAT, disseminating knowledge
to the seekers
WASHINGTON – Marium
Raza, an American Muslim junior
student at Redmond High School in
Western Washington, has achieved a
perfect score on the SAT, offering
an inspiration to Muslim students
worldwide, LUB Pak reported.
The young American Muslim is the
daughter of Pakistani immigrants who
settled in US years ago.
The achievement makes her one of the
few students, less than 0.01%,
worldwide who achieve a perfect
score.
Marium is interested in genetics and
human health, and wants to major in
something along those lines.
She also wants to make future
studies about anthropology and the
social and ethical aspects of
biology.
The young girl’s achievements were
not limited to high school grades.
She has volunteered at Virginia
Mason Hospital in Seattle, since
last September where she ran the
concierge cart.
Her role in hospital was to deliver
items that patients may need in
their hospital stay, such as cell
phone chargers, DVD players, books,
magazines, etc.
She is also a member of a club about
Speech and Debate where she has been
participating in tournaments since
9th grade.
Aside from that, she is an officer
of Knowledge Bowl club, and is also
part of UNICEF, Model UN, and
Science Olympiad. Along with these
clubs, she began contributing to the
Blaze Newspaper this year.
Marium is also involved with the
local mosque and community center
and as a Sunday school teacher where
she teaches Qur’an for children ages
9 – 12.
Top Pakistani religious
body rules women's protection law
'un-Islamic'
A woman carries laundry on her
head, while heading home after
washing in Charsadda, near
Peshawar
ISLAMABAD
(Reuters) - A powerful
Pakistani religious body
that advises the government
on the compatibility of laws
with Islam on Thursday
declared a new law that
criminalizes violence
against women to be
"un-Islamic."
The Women's Protection Act,
passed by Pakistan's largest
province of Punjab last
week, gives unprecedented
legal protection to women
from domestic, psychological
and sexual violence. It also
calls for the creation of a
toll-free abuse reporting
hot line and the
establishment of women's
shelters.
But since its passage in the
Punjab assembly, many
conservative clerics and
religious leaders have
denounced the new law as
being in conflict with the
Muslim holy book, the Koran,
as well as Pakistan's
constitution.
"The whole law is wrong,"
Muhammad Khan Sherani, the
head of the Council of
Islamic Ideology said at a
news conference, citing
verses from the Koran to
point out that the law was
"un-Islamic."
The 54-year-old council is
known for its controversial
decisions. In the past it
has ruled that DNA cannot be
used as primary evidence in
rape cases, and it supported
a law that requires women
alleging rape to get four
male witnesses to testify in
court before a case is
heard.
The council's decision this
January to block a bill to
impose harsher penalties for
marrying off girls as young
as eight or nine has angered
human rights activists.
VIETNAM:
While traveling in the
Mekong Delta region of
Vietnam, I was surprised to
find Muslims in an isolated
village near the Cambodian
border on the Mekong River
Bank. Arriving by a small
boat, the group I was
traveling with got off on a
narrow, half rotten, wooden
bridge one by one. Following
the group, we were met by
barefoot children who were
trying to sell us snacks and
followed us into the
village.
A group of men were sitting
nearby wearing “Batik Lungi”,
long shirts with a knot in
their waist and white skull
caps. They were all
discussing something with an
elder in white robes and
turban.
The houses were built on 2
to 3 meter wood or concrete
stilts to prevent flooding
from the Mekong River
entering the houses. Beneath
one of them at the entrance
of the village, waved
fabrics were setup for
display, while hijab wearing
women were demonstrating the
waving techniques of the
Cham people and showing off
their tribe patterns.
From the 2nd to the 17th
century, the lands of South
Vietnam belonged to the Cham
Kingdom, ethnical decent
from the Malay Polynesians.
The prosperity in the
Kingdom primarily came from
maritime slave and
sandalwood trades, which
might have affected the
beginning of the Islamic
conversion that started all
the way back in the 11th
century. Officially the Cham
King converted in the 17th
century and spread the
Islamic teachings to his
people in the southern
regions, before the
Vietnamese dynasty conquered
the land in the same
century.
The invasion
and defeat might explain why
Islamic teaching didn’t
reach the Cham people in the
more centralized regions of
Vietnam, which today
predominantly are Hindu or
Buddhist. After the invasion
of the South, most Cham
Muslims fled to Cambodia and
landed in what is called
“Kampong Cham” literally
translated to “Port of the
Cham”, or to Terengganu in
Malaysia. Fragments remained
near the Mekong River in
Vietnam.
Aimen Dean : An MI6 spy has
admitted radicalising Muslims
and sending them on jihad.
UK: In an
interview with the BBC
magazine Aimen Dean,
originally from Saudi
Arabia, claims to be a
founder member of Al Qaeda.
But he says he changed tack
in 1998 after Al Qaeda
bombings in East Africa and
became a spy for Britain’s
security and intelligence
services, MI5 and MI6.
In the interview Dean says
he spied on Al Qaeda in
Afghanistan as well as
Muslims in Britain such as
Babar Ahmed, Abu Hamza and
Abu Qatada.
During the interview with
BBC journalist Peter
Marshall, Dean has the
following to say:
Question: The difficulty is
though that if you’re there
under cover, welcomed there
as an al-Qaeda man, you have
to keep up this pretence by
talking to people at the
mosque, you have to
encourage them to join the
jihad?
Answer: Yes… although there
are limits. I was aware of
my boundaries basically
about how much you can
incite. You use guarded
words about general rather
than specific incitement.
But then the most difficult
part actually was after 7/7,
2005. That’s when the laws
and regulations regarding
incitement like you know
were really tightened.
Q: So you couldn’t say what,
and you could say what?
A: You can’t specifically
urge someone to go. You
can’t specifically call for
an attack. You can’t glorify
violence committed against
civilians. You know you have
to be careful there. You can
sit down there basically and
blast the West for what they
do. You can sit down there
and talk about martyrdom in
general without you know
touching directly on what’s
happening right now. So you
have to be clever about how
you phrase your words.
No longer will this
election be #aboutuswithoutus.."
"This election
cycle has seen an unprecedented
amount of attention focused on
Islam, Muslims, and Muslim
communities. But one thing has
been missing—our own voices.
It's time for that to change."
Muslim
communities turned out in full
force in Michigan's presidential
primary to send a clear message:
no longer will this election be
#AboutUsWithoutUs.
In Dearborn,
one of America's largest Arab
and Muslim communities, the
voter participation rate was
higher than 34%, nearly double
the previous primary's statewide
turnout rate. In key races like
last night's, that's one way a
community shows real power.
This election
has seen an unprecedented and
malicious focus on Islam as a
religion and Muslim Americans as
a community. We've heard all
sorts of terrible ideas
targeting us—from calls for
banning us from the country and
from political office to rants
about lining Muslims up and
shooting them.
Unfortunately,
for the most part, this story's
been missing something critical:
our own voices. That's why last
week we launched our #AboutUsWithoutUs
campaign—to provide a platform
for Muslim Americans to speak up
and speak out.
Speaker of Parliament
lauds efforts of Muslims in crafting a
progressive South Africa
Baleka Mbete,
speaker of Parliament and
National Chairperson of the ANC
SOUTH AFRICA:
As South Africa marks two
decades since the adoption
of its remarkable
constitution, the speaker of
the country’s parliament has
lauded the contributions of
Muslims in enacting this
historic milestone.
For many, the document
stands out as one of the
most admirable and
progressive man-made
constitutions in the modern
history of the world. It
embraces broad personal and
socio-economic rights, the
duties of the state and the
collective well-being of its
citizens.
But, as South Africans of
all persuasions continue to
enjoy stability under its
provisions, Baleka Mbete,
speaker of Parliament and
National Chairperson of the
ANC, has urged citizens not
to remain oblivious of the
hidden toil of stalwarts
that formed the key
ingredient of the document.
The outspoken politician
shared with Cii Radio
accounts of clandestine
meetings that took place in
neighbouring countries that
pitted freedom fighters
together with Apartheid
bureaucrats for the purpose
of determining the future
shape of South Africa.
“It was difficult, we must
never underestimate how
difficult it was. You must
remember that we were all
coming from different
backgrounds. We did not know
each other we did not know
what to expect,” Mbete
reminisced.
She recounted the uneasiness
of struggle stalwarts
knowing that they would be
engaging with persons whom
they previously had
considered ‘the enemy’.
Ultimately, however, she
said, both sides were forced
to compromise on their
personal preferences for the
greater good of the country.
“Slowly we all got to
realise that we were all
human beings, we all had
families, and we wanted to
get on with our lives. But
of course we had to fix
things around us, and create
the environment for that to
happen”.
Reaffirming the inalienable
position of Muslims as
citizens of South Africa,
Mbete paid tribute to
members of this community
who were instrumental in
assisting the nation’s
smooth transition to
democracy.
“There were those from
the Islamic community who
were with us, fought the
struggle and sacrificed.
There were those who were
part and parcel of the
constitution making
process,” she said, making
special mention of Former
cabinet Minister, the late (Abd)ullah
Omar, who now has an entire
branch of the ANC named
after him.
“He is one of our great
comrades that we will never
forget in terms of the
contribution he made, and I
always quote something he
said at the last NEC
meetings he attended.
“Muslims (in South
Africa) must know that they
have a proud history to
celebrate. They have people
to look up to, whose lives
were as much part of the
struggle as anybody else,”
she asserted.
The Speaker further exhorted
Muslims to continue playing
a constructive role in the
country’s future.
Emphasizing on the necessity
of ensuring stability, Mbete
explained that a country
without stability would be
unable to concentrate on
meeting its most pressing
needs.
“[Concentrate on] developing
the country, developing the
future. That is where our
energies should be focused.
Not on destroying.. The
preoccupation and tendency
to want to destroy in the
name of something you are
fighting for or want, I
think, does not make sense”.
Bernie Sanders Wins Big
With Michigan Muslims — And Political
Pundits Can’t Quite Believe It
A Muslim woman
holds up a sign at a Bernie
Sanders campaign rally in
Dearborn, Michigan, Feb. 15,
2016
US: Political
commentators and media
outlets were quick to pounce
on a “fascinating” statistic
from Bernie Sanders’ victory
in the Michigan primary on
Tuesday night: Democrats in
Dearborn, a city whose
population is 40 percent
Arab, voted overwhelmingly
for Sanders over rival
Hillary Clinton (59 percent
to 39 percent). The subtext
of pointing out this
particular statistic is
clear. How, the media
wondered, could a
predominantly Muslim group
support a Jewish candidate?
As the results rolled in,
television pundits like
Lawrence O’Donnell and Chuck
Todd marveled on MSNBC that
Sanders was doing so well in
Dearborn “despite” the large
Arab-American population
there. WNYC radio host Brian
Lehrer tweeted that Sanders’
dominance in Dearborn was
“the stat of the night,”
later adding “It’s official:
Arab city feels the Jewish
Bern.” Meanwhile, The Week
dubbed it “just one more
strange data point in an
election overflowing with
them.”
The assumption implicit in
such commentary, of course,
is that Muslims are biased
against Jews — and that when
they do cast a vote for
Jewish candidates, it’s
because they’ve somehow
managed to overcome their
own inherent anti-Semitism.
But this fascination with
Dearborn’s support of
Sanders actually
demonstrates the media
industry’s own
all-too-prevalent prejudice
— and reveals how much
reporting on American
Muslims is still rooted in
an unsophisticated naiveté
about what motivates them.
“It’s no surprise that the
mainstream media ... is
guilty of promoting
two-dimensional caricatures
of Muslims and Arabs,” said
Hend Amry, a Libyan-American
writer who frequently
comments on social issues
related to Muslims. “I
tweeted that the media is
shocked that Dearborn
residents didn't announce an
‘intifada’ against Jewish
Bernie Sanders to point out
this very stereotype.”
Khaled Beydoun, a law
professor who specializes in
Arab populations, wrote that
“the ‘Muslims voting for a
Jew’ tagline is trite,”
adding that Muslims in
Michigan were supporting
Sanders because of his
progressive politics and
outreach.
Malala Shuts Down Donald
Trump In The Most Elegant Way Possible
UK: "The more
you speak about Islam and
against all Muslims, the
more terrorists we create."
Malala
Yousafzai offered up a
reality check for Donald
Trump and any other
politician attacking the
entire Muslim faith.
"The more you speak about
Islam and against all
Muslims, the more terrorists
we create," she said in an
interview with Channel 4 in
the United Kingdom.
Yousafzai, who last year
became the youngest-ever
Nobel laureate when she won
the Nobel Peace Prize, was
asked about the "wild things
being said about Islam and
Muslims," such as the GOP
presidential candidate's
call to stop all Muslims
from entering the United
States.
She said:
"It's
important that whatever
politicians say,
whatever the media say,
they should be really,
really careful about it.
If your intention is to
stop terrorism, do not
try to blame the whole
population of Muslims
for it because it cannot
stop terrorism. It will
radicalize more
terrorists."
In a separate
interview with AFP,
Yousafzai called Trump's
comments "tragic" and "full
of hatred, full of this
ideology of being
discriminative towards
others."
Egypt drafts bill to ban
burqa and Islamic veils in public places
A woman wears
an Islamic niqab veil
EGYPT: The
Egyptian parliament is
drafting a law banning women
from wearing the niqab veil.
The ban will apply to
wearing the clothing in
public places and government
institutions, it has been
reported.
The full-face veil is worn
by some followers of Islam
and typically covers all of
the wearer’s face other than
their eyes. The clothing is
common in Egypt which is a
predominantly Muslim
country.
MP Amna Nosseir, professor
of comparative jurisprudence
at Al-Azhar University, who
has backed the ban, said
that wearing the veil is not
a requirement of Islam and
in fact has non-Islamic
origins. She has argued that
it is a Jewish tradition
which appeared in the
Arabian Peninsula prior to
Islam and that a variety of
Quran passages contradict
its use. Instead, she has
advocated that the Quran
calls for modest clothing
and covered hair, but does
not require facial covering.
A number of restrictions
have been placed on wearing
the niqab in Egypt in recent
years. In February, Cairo
University banned nurses and
doctors from wearing it in
medical schools and in
teaching hospitals, arguing
the ban would: “protect
patients’ rights and
interests.”
In September of last year,
the university also banned
academic staff from wearing
the niqab in classrooms in
response to complaints from
students that it was too
difficult for niqab wearers
to communicate effectively
with students.
Britain First stages
'hapless' protest outside London mosque
Group's deputy leader seen
waving a cross and claiming she
has a 'Christian duty to save'
Muslims
UK: Only a
handful of far-right
protesters have turned up to
stage a “hapless”
demonstration outside one of
London’s largest mosques.
Fewer than 10 members of
Britain First - including
deputy leader Jayda Fransen
- showed up to picket the
East London Mosque in
Whitechapel.
During the “protest” which
started at 11am on Tuesday,
two men unfurled a Britain
First banner while Ms
Fransen held up a Christian
cross and shouted “We want
our country back”.
The trio were only there for
around 20 minutes - leaving
shortly after police
arrived.
Ms Fransen is seen arguing
with a police officer,
asking him if it is “within
[his] job description to
come and mock a Christian
who’s preaching in the
street”.
She then calls the police
“traitors” for turning
against Christians in a
“Christian country”.
She claimed it was “[her]
duty as a Christian to save
fallen souls from the
damned”.
Men are observed filming the
incident and laughing at the
group - though some
indistinct shouting can be
heard off camera.
Donald Trump comes under
fire at debate in Florida for saying Muslims
hate the US
US: US
Republican presidential
front-runner Donald Trump
has come under fire from his
rivals for saying Muslims
hate the United States, at a
debate that was relatively
free of the gut-punching
attacks that have dominated
past encounters.
Mr Trump, the front-runner
who could tighten his grip
on the Republican
presidential nomination
battle if he wins Florida
and Ohio on Tuesday,
defended his belief, as
stated in television
interviews, that followers
of Islam "hate us".
"We have a serious problem
of hate. There is tremendous
hate," he said.
But Mr Trump's rivals, US
Senator Marco Rubio of
Florida, US Senator Ted Cruz
of Texas, and Ohio Governor
John Kasich, said the United
States needed to maintain
good relations with Muslim
countries in the Middle East
to help in the fight against
Islamic State (IS)
militants.
"We are going to have to
work with people in the
Muslim faith even as Islam
faces a serious crisis
within it," Mr Rubio said.
Mr Rubio also defended
American Muslims as
patriots.
"If you go anywhere in the
world you're going to see
American men and women
serving us in uniform that
are Muslims," he said.
"Anyone out there that has
the uniform of the United
States on and is willing to
die for this country is
someone that loves America."
SAUDI ARABIA:
“We cannot generalise”. This
is the purport of the
verdict of the South African
National Halaal Authority
(SANHA) on questions of the
Halaal status of consumer
meat available in Saudi
Arabia.
Over successive years,
messages have gone viral
that allege that much of the
meat available through
popular restaurants in
Islam’s Holy Cities is
unsuitable for Muslim
consumption due to doubts
arising from their points of
origin.
“The senior body of scholars
in Saudi Arabia (the Hay’ah
Kibaril Ulama) has formally
issued a 50 page fatwa that
all imported meat is haram,”
reads one such message
attributed to Mufti Abdullah
Nana, founder of Halal
Advocates, an organization
that provides halal
certification for American
food companies, restaurants,
and animal processing
facilities, and is the
author of Legal Rulings on
Slaughtered Animals.
A
warning to those
Intending to perform
Umrah or Hajj: Mufti
Abdullah Nana, the
founding member of the
Halal Advocates of
America, says: “I can
personally verify that
machine slaughtered
chicken, meat not
slaughtered by a Muslim,
& doubtful meat is
imported into Saudi
Arabia. The senior body
of scholars in Saudi
Arabia (the Hay’ah
Kibaril Ulama) has
formally issued a 50
page fatwa that all
imported meat is haram.
It is a major travesty
and perhaps a conspiracy
that millions of Muslims
that visit Makkah/Madinah
every year are eating
haram/doubtful food”
There are local hand
slaughter suppliers, but
only a small percentage.
90% of fast food chains
(McDondalds, KFC etc)
including Al-Baik use
imported meat. For
reference, I have
translated the detailed
fatwa of the Hay’ah
Kibaril Ulama (Body of
Senior Scholars) as part
of the following book:
”Mufti Taqi Uthmanis DBs
Research… -
EXCERPT FROM VIRAL
MESSAGE
Clarifying
its stance for the benefit
of the South African public,
SANHA’s Moulana Mohammed
Saeed Navlakhi told Cii
Radio the status of Saudi
meat was a delicate affair,
and as such, the certifying
body generally steered clear
of any public pronouncements
that could “put the
community into a huge amount
of doubt, confusion and
great difficulty”.
“In general, countries in
the Middle East are net
importers of meat whether it
be red meat or poultry,” he
explained.
“Unfortunately, the majority
of poultry suppliers to the
Middle East are from South
America – this is a major
cause of concern. However,
we cannot say that all meat
is not Halaal or doubtful,
because there is a growing
percentage of local
producers of poultry in
Saudi Arabia”.
To book appointments -
Ph: 3341 2333 (Underwood)
Ph: 3299 5596 (Springwood)
M: 0406 279 591
Website:
www.diversenutrition.com.au
What’s the hype about: Chia seeds?
Is it actually a super food or is it a super
myth? Chia seeds are derived from a plant called
Salvia Hispanica and dates back from the Aztec
times. Despite their small size, they are packed
of full of nutrition including omega 3, fibre,
protein, calcium, magnesium and iron.
It is versatile in that it has no taste and can
be easily added to smoothies, fruit salads,
porridge and sprinkled over your toast. They
have a gelatinous property, thus, can be added
in baking to replace eggs, or mixed with fluids
to make a jelly-like pudding. As it is a high
plant source of protein, it is excellent for
those on a vegetarian/vegan diet.
Due to its high fibre content, they can help
keep you fuller for longer and assist with
keeping your bowels healthy. However, ensure
that you drink plenty of water to balance it
out; otherwise you might find yourself having
stomach pains or discomfort from the sudden
increase of fibre.
The biggest con of these seeds is that they are
a little heavy on the pocket due to all the
marketing hype; they are sold for approximately
~$10 for packet of 250g. Another important con
to note is that the form of calcium, iron and
omega 3 found in these seeds may not be as
readily absorbed by the body as that which are
found in milk, red meat and fish, respectively.
Overall, chia seeds are a great addition to your
diet; however, if you don’t consume them, it
does not mean that your diet is nutritionally
bankrupt. You can still have a nutritious diet
and meet all of your body’s needs by ensuring
that you eat a wide variety of fruits and
vegetables as well as including lean meats,
legumes, nuts, dairy and whole grains.
Gouging, poking or
scratching the attacker’s
eyes with your fingers or
knuckles would be effective,
as you can imagine. Besides
causing a lot of pain, this
should also make your escape
easier by at least
temporarily interfering with
his vision.
Click here for contact
and registration details for
Southside Academy of COMBAT
43 books to read before you die – favourites of the
Independent
Books are deeply personal
things. Each of us form unique bonds with the characters we
read about, relate to storylines and personalities in
different ways and enjoy all sorts of genres from crime to
romance, gothic to fantasy.
World Book Day celebrates the comfort, joy and fulfilling
challenges to be found in a good novel, with readers taking
part in a host of activities around the world.
The Independent HQ has been having a long, hard think about
the books that are closest to our hearts.
Together, they’ve come up with a list of 43 novels that mean
the most to them, from the classics to less well-known
stories deserving of a wider audience.
Take a look at their picks and see if any of them grab your
fancy. Pour yourself a cuppa and enjoy.
The
Independent
"One who does not read is no better than one 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:
The cake is moist and has a beautiful golden
colour in it. I added extra cinnamon and nuts
but you can vary this to your liking. Make this
your go to carrot cake recipe and you won’t go
wrong.
An Easy Carrot Cake
In your cake mixture
whisk
4 eggs
1½ cups sugar
1½ cup oil
Sift and fold into above mixture
2½ cups flour
1½ tsp level bicarb
1 tsp salt
3 tsp cinnamon powder
2 tsp baking powder
Add in
2 cups grated carrots
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup chopped almonds
250g crushed pineapple tin (strain)
Pour mixture into a well-greased baking pan and
bake at 180 degrees for approx 45mins.
Say: "Call upon Allah, or
call upon Rahman: by
whatever name you call upon
Him, (it is well): for to
Him belong the Most
Beautiful Names. Neither
speak your Prayer aloud, nor
speak it in a low tone, but
seek a middle course
between."
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
1st Muharram
1438
– Islamic New Year 1438
12 October
Wednesday
Day of Ashura
12 December
Monday
Birth of the
Prophet (pbuh) / Milad un Nabi
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 & Madressa - Wednesday & Friday
4:30 - 6:30pm, brothers, sisters and children
• New Muslims Program - last Thursday of every month,
6:30 - 8:30pm
• Salawat Majlis - first Saturday of every month.
Starting at Mughrib, families welcome
• Islamic Studies - one year course, Saturday 10:00 -
2:00 pm, brothers and sisters
• Ilm-e-Deen, Alims Degree Course - Three full-time and
part-time nationally accredited courses, brothers
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
Click on images to enlarge
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
Queensland Police Service/Muslim
Community Consultative Group
Next Meeting
Time: 7.00pm Date: Tuesday 29 March 2016 Venue: Islamic College of Brisbane - 45 Acacia Road
Karawatha
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Randa Abdel-Fattah: What I
Couldn't Say
US Muslim Girl Achieves Perfect
SAT Score
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7
August 2011