With the end to the month of
Ramadaan approaching fast,
the Council of Imams
Queensland (CIQ) takes this
opportunity to provide the
community with pertinent
information about Eidul-Fitr
Al-Mubarak.
Moon Sighting
According to the
moonsighting in Australia
the Holy month of Ramadaan
began on Sunday 28th May
2017, corresponding to
Sunday, 1st Ramadaan 1438
Hijriyyah.
The observing of the hilaal
will be on Sunday, 25th June
2017 and this day is the
29th of Ramadaan 1438
Hijriyyah according to the
moonsighting in Australia.
If
the moon is sighted on
Sunday, 25th June 2017
then Eidul-Fitr will be on
Monday 26 th June 2017.
If the moon is not sighted
on Sunday, 25th June 2017
then Eidul-Fitr will be on
Tuesday, 27th June 2017.
For online updates in this
regard you can refer to
this website.
CIQ acknowledges that there
is a difference of opinion
as to the need to physically
sight the moon with the
naked eye in Australia and
respects the decision of
other scholars or Islamic
Centres that choose not to
follow CIQ on this matter.
The cut off time for
sighting the moon in QLD, is
8:00 PM Sunday 25th June
2017, Brisbane time.
Sadagatul Fitr
It is incumbent upon all
family members to pay their
Sadaqatul Fitr before Eid
salaah. The purpose of
Sadaqatul-Fitr is to cleanse
the fast of Ramadaan from
vain and obscene talk and
thank Allah for helping in
fulfilling our devotion in
the Holy month of Ramadaan.
The Council of Imams QLD has
agreed that the
Sadaqatul-Fitr is $10. The
minimum amount of $5 (based
the cost of flour 1.7-2kgs)
may be paid for any families
that cannot meet the higher
amount, to avail them with
the opportunity to fulfil
this great duty.
Sadaqatul-Fitr is for all
family members including
babies born before the
Salaatu-Eid.
IMAM Yusuf Goolam Hoosen
Peer
Chairman: Council of Imams
Queensland
All praise is due to Allah
and the peace and blessing
be upon the prophet
Muhammad.
We thank Allah (SWT) for
giving us the ability to
fast the Month of Ramadan,
the ability to worship him
and the ability to fulfil
our religious and worldly
obligations.
Also, we would like to
inform the Muslim community
in Australia of the
following:
● Firstly, after extensive
consultations with Imams
from different states in
Australia and the
astronomical observatory
regarding the beginning of
Eid Al-Fitr for this year,
it has become apparent that
the moonset will be 19-25
minutes after sunset on
Saturday, the 24th of June,
2017 in Sydney and other
parts of Australia. Based on
the above, his Eminence, The
Mufti of Australia, Dr.
Ibrahim Abu Muhammad and the
Australian National Imams
Council declare that:
Saturday the 24th of
June, 2017 will be the
last day of Ramadan for
the year 1438AH and
Sunday, the 25th of
June, 2017 will be the
first day of Shawaal and
hence the first day of
Eid Al-Fitr.
● Secondly, his Eminence,
the Mufti of Australia, Dr.
Ibrahim Abu Muhammad and the
Australian National Imams
Council place emphasis on
the importance of having a
unified position on matters
regarding the Muslim
community. On this matter,
we urge all Muslims to have
full confidence in the
Australian National Imams
Council and its leadership.
His eminence also
emphasises on the
importance of respecting
different opinions on
the matter
of the beginning and end
of Ramadan as well as
the importance of
uniting the Muslims and
not indulging in debates
that will disunite the
Muslim community or
create division.
We ask Allah to keep us
united and accept your
worship.
EID MUBARAK.
Dr. Ibrahim Abu Muhammad
The Grand Mufti of Australia
As Ramadaan
draws to an end, every
Muslim looks forward with
the greatest of anticipation
to the day known as
Eid-ul-Fitr.
But the discipline practiced
during the month of Ramadan
now makes it mandatory for
us to step out of our
comfort zone in the year
ahead and apply the lessons
learned.
Eid and the days to follow
are opportunities to
demonstrate the moral
upliftment and spiritual
elevation gained through
fasting by showing
compassion, mercy and
kindness towards the
creation of the Almighty.
Amongst these are our
non-Muslims neighbours,
teachers, co-workers,
classmates and business
acquaintances. Let us invite
them and their families to
our Eid Down Under which
will be a practical and
meaningful demonstration of
Islam and Muslim culture,
very far removed from the
negativity of what is
portrayed in many of the
media streams.
On behalf of all of us at
the Islamic Council of
Queensland and our member
organizations and societies
we ask the Almighty to bless
you, your family, homes and
business with harmony, peace
and prosperity on this
joyous occasion of
Eid-ul-Fitr.
Ismail Cajee
President
MUSLIM CHARITABLE FOUNDATION
(MCF)
KURABY MOSQUE/MAJID AL-FAROOQ
As Ramadaan
ends with the first sight of
the new moon, we are all
gearing to celebrate Eid Al-Fitr
with our friends and family.
Imam Ahmed and the Trustees
of Kuraby would like to wish
all our brothers and sisters
in Islam “Eid Mubarak”. May
Allah flood your lives with
happiness on this occasion,
your heart with love, your
soul with spiritual calmness
and your mind with wisdom.
We would also like to take
this occasion to thank the
Huffaz that performed
Taraweeh and those that
performed Qiyam Al Layl,
especially:
Imaam
Ahmed Naffa
Hafez Imraan Omar
Hafez Abdur Rahman
Ghazzali
May Allah
bless you for sharing your
wonderful recitation of the
Quraan.
Eid Mubarak to All.
ISLAMIC WOMEN’S
ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA (IWAA)
Assalamu
Alaikum wrt wbt. The Islamic
Women’s Association of
Australia, IWAA, (formerly
known as IWAQ) would like to
send Eid greetings to its
members, clients, staff,
partners, family, friends
and community members.
May all your
efforts in Ramadan be
accepted, and may that
spirit, generosity,
compassion, sincerity,
commitment and servitude to
God and humanity resonate
with you throughout the rest
of the year.
Wishing you
all happiness, peace, good
health and prosperity.
EID MUBARAK.
Walaikum assalam wrtw wbt.
MUSLIM BUSINESS NETWORK (MBN)
BOSNIAK
ISLAMIC CENTRE
(Rochedale Mosque)
I hope and pray that this
Eid will bring more peace
and tranquillity and better
mutual understanding and
trust among people of
different religions and
creeds, colors and
lifestyles.
Let us therefore celebrate
it together Muslims and
Christians, Jews and Hindus,
Buddhists and those who
belong to different value
systems.
We are all citizens of this
country, Australia, which I
see as a prosperous island
of peace and tranquility in
the volatile and raptured
world.
May God help us preserve our
peace, social cohesion and
our common destiny.
I wish you all a Happy and
Peaceful Eid.
Imam Sifet Omerovic
Imam of the Bosniak Islamic
Centre
Full message
MUSLIM FUNERAL SERVICES (MFS)
On behalf of
Muslim Funeral Services Eid
Mubarak.
We wish you and your family
a joyous Eid.
May Allah (SWT) accept all
our good deeds, forgive your
transgressions, and ease the
suffering of people around
the globe Insha-Allah.
The MFS Team
SAKINA Inc.
ADVOCACY,
EMPOWERMENT & INDEPENDENCE
As Ramadan
comes to a close Sakina Inc.
would like to wish all
Muslims around the world a
blessed and wonderful
Eid-ul-Fitr.
It is now
time to celebrate the
special blessings and
spiritual fortitude attained
during Ramadan.
On this happy
occasion of Eid, let us also
remember and pray for those
struggling and in need of
our help.
We would also
like to extend our deepest
gratitude to everyone who
helped make the Eid Hampers
a success.
Eid Mubarak!
Sakina Inc. Team
QLD
MUSLIM HISTORICAL SOCIETY
The
Queensland Muslim Historical
Society Inc wishes to extend
wishes to the Community for
a happy Eidul Fitur.
May you enjoy
happy celebrations with
family and friends.
Janeth Deen
President
DAVID FORDE (Kuraby)
Eid Mubarak
I take this
opportunity to extend by
sincere greetings for
Eid-ul-Fitr.
I trust that
Ramadan has proved to be
one of spiritual reward and
reflection on what is
important to you.
I also take
this opportunity to express
my deep appreciation for the
numerous Iftars that I was
invited to across the
community.
It was very
humbling to be part of the
communities reaching out
across the non-Muslim
community, to build bridges
of understanding while
breaking bread together.
As with each
and every Iftar I
have attended for many
years, the friendship is
valued and ever lasting.
Regards
David Forde
COUNCIL OF IMAMS QLD (CIQ)
The Council
of Imams QLD (CIQ) would
like to wish all Muslims a
blessed and joyous Eid ul
Fitr.
The month of
Ramadaan has again left us
in the blink of an eye.
May Allah
allow us the opportunity to
witness manymore Ramadaans.
With sadness
we farewell the beautiful
month, but we rejoice in the
celebration of Eid.
We pray that the day of Eid
brings happiness to every
home across the globe.
May we
remember our brothers and
sisters going through
difficulty and oppression
and we ask Allah to purify
our character, strengthen
our Imaan and unite us as
one Ummah.
__________________________
Yusuf Goolam Hoosen Peer
Chairman: Council of Imams
Queensland
CRESCENTS OF BRISBANE Inc.
As this
beautiful and blessed month
of Ramadan draws to close,
the Crescents of Brisbane
Team wishes all CCN readers
“Eid Mubarak!”
May Allah (SWT) accept all
of our efforts and duas,
InshAllah.
The Crescents
of Brisbane Team
MUSLIM AID AUSTRALIA
Dear CCN
readers,
The team at
Muslim Aid Australia (MAA)
would like to wish you
joyful and blessed Eid
Mubarak.
Thanks to
your support we've been able
to deliver impactful and
smart projects in over 25
countries around the world.
This year
you've not only supported
the immediate needs of those
less fortunate, you've also
provided thousands of
families with the means of
generating an income and
supporting themselves.
Thank you for
putting your trust in MAA
this Ramadan to deliver your
donations to where it's
needed most.
Your
Essential Partner in
Humanitarian Aid
Muslim Aid
Australia (MAA)
BRISBANE
ISLAMIC CENTRE (BIC)
All praise
be to Allah, Lord of all the
Worlds.
The Brisbane Islamic Centre
Executive Committee takes
this opportunity to wish the
Muslim community here and
around the world a very
blessed Eid Mubarak.
May you all be blessed this
year and every year after
We pray that Allmighty Allah
shower his peace and
blessings over all of us and
keep us safe from the evil
that is being wreaked around
the world.
We take this opportunity to
announce that the approvals
for the building of our
Mosque in Underwood road
Eight Mile Plains have been
granted and Preparatory
works are underway. More
information will be
circulated in due course
inshaa-Allah.
كل عام وأنتم بخير, عيد مبارك
ISLAMIC RELIEF AUSTRALIA
As we are
nearing the end of the
blessed month of Ramadan,
Islamic Relief Australia
extends our wishes for a
joyous Eid.
May it be a
festive time of laughter,
happiness, love and peace,
and may it be a wonderful
coming together of family,
friends and strangers. IR
Australia would also like to
take this time to thank our
very generous donors.
We are
humbled by the trust (amanah)
which you continue to be
placed on us as we work
together to save lives and
empower communities across
the world.
There is no
better measure of success
than the positive impact we
are making on those we
humbly serve. And who better
to serve and protect than
our most vulnerable.
Because of
you, millions of people
around the world were able
to have a wonderful Ramadan,
comforted by the fact that
they had food on the table,
warm clothes and safe
shelter. Because of you,
they will also be able to
have a blessed and festive
Eid. Together, we can save
lives, from immediate
survival needs to long-term
poverty alleviation.
Subhannallah
wa Jazakallah Khayrun.
ISLAMIC MEDICAL ASSOC. OF
QLD (IMAQ)
On behalf of
the Islamic Medical
Association of Queensland
Eid Mubarak to our patients,
colleagues and the rest of
the community.
May you all
have a very happy and
blessed Eid and remember
those who need our help.
Ubaid Shakoor, Lions Children
of Courage Award nominee
Ubaid
Shakoor,
or Ubby as he is
affectionately known, is 15
years old and has been
diagnosed with Autism since
the age of 3 and started
speaking at the age of 5,
after years of intensive
therapy, Alhamdulillah, and
a dua given to me by Imam
Peer. Ubaid is the son of
Rasheed and Yasmeen Shakoor,
brother to Usama and
youngest grandson of Mr and
Mrs Sultan Deen.
Ubby struggles in social
situations, he really is a
man of a few words, unless
of course you are a Brisbane
Broncos fan! He is a Member
of the Brisbane Broncos and
attends every home game. He
is a gentle giant and loves
to smile, he is always
happy, Alhamdulillah.
Ubaid attends Western
Suburbs State Special School
and is currently in Year 10,
the majority of his senior
schooling is spent outside
the classroom doing
activities such as work
training, travel training
and cooking; these
activities incorporate life
skills and one day will make
him employable and gain
independence, Insha’Allah.
Ubaid started horse-riding
about 5 years ago at the
McIntyre Centre for the
Disabled. He overcame his
fear of horses and the
equine therapy became
enjoyable, he rode there for
nearly 3 years, mostly on
lead with assistance. 2
years ago, Ubby joined
EquusTerra, they offered
private riding lessons for
special needs children so we
gave it a go and Ubby was
back in the saddle,
Alhamdulillah. He now looks
forward to cantering at high
speed around the arena, a
reward at the end of his
weekly lesson, he became a
totally independent rider.
In September 2016, for the
first time ever EquusTerra
took a team to compete at
the Special Olympics at club
level. This was a great
opportunity for the athletes
to showcase their skills,
they only had 2 weeks to
learn their dressage test!
All the athletes performed
well
and displayed great
sportsmanship.
On the 30th April and 1st
May, EquusTerra took a team
of 4 athletes to the Special
Olympics State Games, this
was made possible by the
generous sponsorship from
the Rotary Club of
Archerfield and Zaffar Khan.
The Equestrian was held at
Southport Pony Club and the
athletes competed in 3
dressage tests each, only 16
children from Queensland had
been chosen to compete at
state level, this was huge.
Team EquusTerra bagged 4
gold, 4 silver, 4 bronze and
a Judge’s Encouragement
Award. We were so proud of
the children, this was our
first competition and didn’t
expect anything at all.
Alhamdulillah, Ubaid came
2nd place in all three of
his tests, giving him 3
silver medals, he rode a
billet horse by the name of
Victor, who he’d only ridden
the previous day for a
10-minute trial.
Ubaid has since been
nominated by the Senior
Schooling Teachers to Vice
Captain the Green House. His
Teacher has also nominated
him to receive the Lions
Children of Courage Award
for an Inspiring Sporting
Achievement. We are so
humbled by the love and
support given to Ubaid.
As a mother, I’d like to
break the stigma in the
Muslim Community surrounding
Mental Health. By sharing
Ubaid’s story and
achievements, I hope to
create awareness to other
families with children with
special needs.
They can succeed and do
great things, and go on to
do greater things,
Insha’Allah.
Students from the Gold Coast
AIIC qualified for the
Griffith University's
Science and Engineering
Challenge.
The 2017 Competition was
fierce!
The Challenge was held at
Queensland Academies of
Health Science, Gold Coast.
One of the participants
Tasneem Hussien, a Year 9
Student built a bionic hand
to give independence back to
patients who have lost a
hand through injury or
illness. Tasneem was the
only student to successfully
create a device that mimics
the behaviour of a real
human hand and fulfils a
number of tasks and
gestures.
The AIIC STEM teacher Ms
Fathima Abba Omar credited
Tanseem's efforts to her
innovative and 'out of the
box' mindset and approach to
class and school projects.
Ms Omar said "It was great
to be part of a challenge
that provokes our students
to examine genuine real life
problems and provide real
life solutions that are
universally applicable for
humanity".
She was proud of all of the
students efforts and
dedication, as this was the
first time the Gold Coast
Islamic College entered a
major engineering
competition and were able to
gain an overall standing of
6th position amongst many
other schools in Queensland.
Delegates from across the
country and around the world
will converge on Adelaide on
the 11th and 12th of July
for the 2nd Annual
Australian Islamic Schooling
Conference. This event is
proudly presented by the
University of South
Australia’s Centre for
Islamic Thought and
Education (CITE) and
supported by Islamic Schools
Association (ISAA) of
Australia.
With the theme ‘Islamic
Schooling Renewal – A Focus
on Curriculum’, the event
will bring together key
scholars, academics,
researchers and
educationalists as they
unpack all things relating
to curriculum in the context
of Islamic schooling.
Two outstanding key note
speakers will offer their
insights on the opening of
both days of the conference.
Dr Nadeem Memon is one of
the foremost academics in
the field of Islamic
education and Professor
Seema Imam is a pioneer of
Islamic schooling in North
America.
Don’t miss this premier
gathering for scholars,
academics, policy
specialists, educational
leaders, teacher
researchers, and educational
partners in the field of
Islamic schooling.
The federal government has
refused a last-ditch bid by
Australia’s largest Islamic
school to reinstate its
commonwealth funding, which
was cut in early April after
the federal Education
Department ruled it could
not be certain the money
would be used to educate
students.
Malek Fahd Islamic School,
which has 2342 students and
231 staff across three
campuses in Sydney, says it
will go into administration
within eight days unless its
nearly $19 million in annual
funding is restored.
“After examining projections
of cashflow the school board
decided last week that
unless funding is soon
released by the commonwealth
the school will be unable to
reopen for term three,” the
board wrote in a five-page
statement.
“For the board this
was a difficult but
necessary decision ...
Whether or not the school
has to soon close is a
decision for the Minister
and the (federal)
Department.”
The school insists that
while it was previously used
as a “milking cow” by the
peak body representing
Muslims in Australia — the
Australian Federation of
Islamic Councils — it has
since severed ties with the
organisation in a bid to
comply with education
legislation.
The NSW Education Department
said it had a contingency
plan for the school’s
students.
“If Malek Fahd Islamic
School announces its closure
the Department of Education
will open a contact centre
for affected parents within
24 hours. This centre will
provide advice and
assistance to enrol their
children in a public
school,” a department
spokesman said yesterday.
“The department has a number
of primary and secondary
schools in the surrounding
areas of Malek Fahd Islamic
School’s three campuses with
the capacity to accommodate
additional students.”
The board’s warning prompts
a stand-off with the
commonwealth after a
turbulent 16 months for
Malek Fahd. In February last
year, the commonwealth
announced it had revoked
Malek Fahd Islamic School
Limited as the school’s
governing authority, saying
it, and by extension AFIC,
had been using the school
for profit.
The school unsuccessfully
appealed against the
decision in the
Administrative Appeals
Tribunal, although the
government continued to pay
the school’s $18.7m
entitlement for 2016
throughout the appeal.
Simultaneously, legal action
has begun in the NSW Supreme
Court to recoup money
allegedly stripped by AFIC,
estimated to exceed $45m.
The school board’s chair,
John Bennett, said the
school had not paid AFIC any
rent since mid-last year.
“We will be working up until
the 30th of June to make
sure the school can
continue,” he said.
The commonwealth has told
the school that while
changing the rent is an
improvement, it cannot be
sure of the court outcome
and so cannot continue
funding.
A spokesman for the federal
Department of Education said
funding would remain cut off
until the school complied
with the relevant funding
legislation. Education
Minister Simon Birming-ham
said “our focus is with the
students, families and
teachers working to minimise
the disruption to the school
community”.
It
must be disconcerting to
see a Catholic priest
wending his way through
a Muslim throng and
heading towards a
mosque!
One kind person asked
with concern, "Are you
lost?" Another kind
person said, "Welcome".
I spent some time in the
mosque, on the occasion
of Lailat al-Qadr,
listening to the Qur'an
recitation, hearing the
prayers of intercession
for peace, prosperity,
protection from harm,
for the Muslims, for the
country, for countries
in the Middle East, Asia
and North Africa, and
praying in my own way, a
Christian among Muslim
worshipers, all
believing in the one
God.
A peaceful and restful
time of spiritual
solidarity.
Susan Carland has given an
insight into the type of
hate mail she receives after
posting an email from a
stranger telling her her
religion is “a cancer".
Carland, who converted to
Islam at 19, posted a photo
on Instagram of an email
sent to her with the subject
line ‘Islam & Terrorism’.
The email read: “No offence
intended, but I have long
been of the view that Islam
is a cancer, both a) on
humanity and b) in the minds
of followers.”
It then went on, “The trail
of death and destruction
that Islam leaves…” but the
remainder of the message
could not be seen on the
screengrab he posted.
However, the Melbourne
academic appeared to laugh
off the bizarre attack,
captioning the image: “‘No
offence intended’ [laughing
emoji] #SoundsLikeSomeoneNeedsAHug”.
She also asked her 27,000
followers not to write
anything “abusive or nasty”
about the sender in the
comments section below.
“I’m sharing this because I
find it amusing, not to
start a pile-on. Let’s
remember our Ramadan adab,”
she said. ‘Adab’ is the
arabic word meaning respect
and politeness.
This is not the first time
Carland, who is married to
The Project’s Waleed Aly,
has spoken about the
trolling she is subjected to
online.
"Any Muslim certainly seems
to attract a lot of hate
online. And then being a
Muslim woman — and when
you're an unapologetic
Muslim woman — you get a lot
of hate," she told Fairfax
Media.
She said she was often
trolled because of the way
she dressed, because she
lived in Australia or for
what she had or had not
done, with trolls saying
things like: “You’re
disgusting, get out of our
country” or “you’re a
terrorist”.
She said she had also
realised it did not matter
how she responded.
"Sometimes I respond by
saying something quite
sarcastic and patronising,
such as: 'Oh, it sounds like
you need a hug?'
"Or sometimes I respond with
that GIF from the movie Mean
Girls, where Regina George
says: "Why are you so
obsessed with me?"
In 2015, Carland vowed to
donate $1 to charity for
every hate tweet she
received. In just over two
weeks, she had donated more
than $1000.
The idea was to "respond to
something awful with
something good in a way that
it doesn't really engage
with what the trolls are
doing", she said.
"I thought, what's a good
thing I can do? What is the
complete antithesis of what
these people are doing? They
are putting so much ugly
into the world. I thought
what something is good I can
put into the world."
She has since donated a
total of about $5200 to
UNICEF but admitted it can
be “hard to keep track of”
all the mean tweets
Mohammad Tawhidi appears on
Sunrise, following the terror
attack in Manchester this year.
In the space of just 12
months, a man called
Mohammad Tawhidi has come
out of nowhere to become one
of the most prominent Muslim
voices in the Australian
media.
Imam Tawhidi claims to be a
Muslim leader — and a brave
Muslim reformer.
Through his appearances in
the mainstream media, Imam
Tawhidi has warned that
Australia is being "infested
by extremist Muslims".
"When I am worried about
what I see is happening from
my community and religion,
trust me that there is
something going on," he told
the Seven Network's Today
Tonight program on February
27, 2017.
On social media, his
supporters, some from right
wing groups, support his
calls to shut down Muslim
schools and ban Muslims from
the Middle East coming to
Australia.
But strangely for a Muslim
leader, he has very few
supporters in the Muslim
community.
He has no mosque, and only a
handful of followers. And
just as curiously, he only
appeared in the media for
the first time just over a
year ago.
So who was he before he
became a media star?
Questionable qualifications
Mohammad Tawhidi dropped out
of The Al-Mustafa International
University in 2012, the
institution said
This is what Imam Tawhidi
claims about his educational
qualifications:
"I travelled to Iran, to
the holy city of Qom, in
2007, and I engaged in
my Islamic studies from
there. I received my
bachelor's degree and my
master's degree in
Islamic theology from
the Al-Mustafa
University."
- Mohammad Tawhidi,
2GB, May 25, 2017
But Al-Mustafa International
University in Iran says Imam
Tawhidi has no bachelor's
degree from their
university, let alone a
master's.
He started at the
university, but dropped out.
In a letter, Al-Mustafa
International University
said:
"In spite of given
warnings and
notifications, the
above-named person did
not take heed of them
each time and had not
satisfactory academic
record in his courses …
he was placed on
probation and [dropped]
out on March 27, 2012 …
the aforesaid person has
no educational degree
(or any given score) in
his profile … Al-Mustafa
University does not
recommend Mohammad
Touhidi for lecturing in
any way. Accordingly, he
has no competency to do
religious activities or
to preach sermons."
His own teacher seems to
contradict his teachings
Imam Tawhidi says he is a
moderate Muslim reformer —
but his very recent past
shows he has connections to
a religious leader who is
anything but moderate.
After Imam Tawhidi dropped
out of university, he fell
in with a fringe seminary
school in Iran, run by a
controversial religious
family known as the Shirazis.
Imam Tawhidi studied under
its senior cleric, the Grand
Ayatollah Sayid Sadiq
Husseini Shirazi, and later
went to work in one of the
Shirazi-run TV stations in
Iraq.
In February 2016, when Imam
Tawhidi set up his Islamic
Association of South
Australia in Adelaide,
Ayatollah Shirazi put out a
press release in Iran
claiming a connection with
Imam Tawhidi and this new
Australian-based
organisation.
However, the beliefs of
Ayatollah Shirazi are not at
all aligned with the
moderate brand of Islam that
Imam Tawhidi calls for when
he appears on Australian
television.
For example, central to
Ayatollah Shirazi's
teachings is the insistence
on an Islamic system of
government, not a secular
democracy.
Ayatollah Shirazi also
teaches that women should be
covered head to toe, and are
not suited to holding
positions in government, and
that it is permissible for a
girl to marry from the age
of nine.
So has Imam Tawhidi suddenly
abandoned his past?
Here is what Imam Tawhidi
says:
"I do not attribute
myself to any to anyone,
at all. Anyone at all. I
am a free human being …
Yes, I am a student of
the Grand Ayatollah
Sayid Sadiq Al-Husseini
Shirazi and he crowned
me … I am not a
representative of the
Grand Ayatollah Shirazi.
What's going on between
me and the Sayid, that's
nobody's business … I
have his picture in my
office, that doesn't
mean that I represent
him or I speak on his
behalf."
- Mohammad Tawhidi,
Facebook, June 19, 2017
But even Muslims who should
be his natural allies are
sceptical.
Zuhdi Jasser, the founder
and president of the
American Islamic Forum for
Democracy, is a leading
figure among the movement to
reform Islam in the United
States, and appears
regularly on media outlets
in the United States like
Fox.
"Shirazi is no reformer. So
for me to believe the
veracity of an individual
that claims to be about
reform, and says many things
that should appeal to most
Australians, I would hope
they would do some research
and say: 'he says this to
Australians, does he also
say this to the Shirazi
community?'" Mr Jasser told
Background Briefing.
Dr Jasser questioned how
Imam Tawhidi's views could
change so radically in two
years.
"I am all ears if Tawhidi
wants to explain … then I
will take him seriously," he
says.
Insults on social media
Imam Tawhidi's use of social
media has attracted both
notoriety and attention for
years.
In particular, he has been
accused of posting
inflammatory statements
about revered figures from
the Sunni sect of Islam.
In Islam, there are two main
strands: Shia and Sunni.
Imam Tawhidi is a Shia
Muslim.
In Australia, Sunni and Shia
have a long history of
peaceful co-existence — and
many in Australia's Muslim
community don't like people
coming in and stirring the
pot.
A Facebook group was set
up by Australian Shia
Muslims in 2015, to try and
expose Imam Tawhidi's
apparent sectarian
tendencies.
The group's admin spoke to
Background Briefing, but
didn't want to be named.
"Here in Australia we
all want to live in
peace, whether we be
whatever religion or
whatever denomination,"
the admin said.
"I go to a mosque that might
be Shiite, or it might be
Sunni, we are all brothers
here trying to establish
ourselves. We already have
the bigots that hate Islam
all together, and now we
have someone trying to cause
division within the Muslim
community."
In April 2016,
Imam Tawhidi said on his
Facebook page that Sunni
books are "full of monkey
teachings" and that Sunnis
are followers of an
"alcoholic rapist caliph and
obscene woman".
Some members of the
Australian Muslim community
say Imam Tawhidi is stirring
up trouble.
"Up to my knowledge, I
haven't seen any attack
between the Sunni and Shia,
until he come to Adelaide,"
Ahmed Zreika, president of
the Islamic Society of South
Australia says.
"When he come to Adelaide, I
see on the social network,
all the time, Sunni people
and Shia people are fighting
on social media (for him)."
Muslim leaders say that any
stirring up of sectarian
tensions goes against long
traditions of tolerance and
harmony in Australia.
"In Australia we have been
very successful in both the
Sunni and Shiite community
in coexisting because the
dominant culture in
Australia is of
co-existence," Professor
Mohamad Abdullah, director
of the Islamic Centre for
Thought and Education at the
University of South
Australia, says.
"I think anyone coming in
and criticising the Sunni or
criticising the Shia in the
guise of reformation … is
problematic."
A strange change in
direction
Imam Tawhidi only appeared
in the Australian media for
the first time early last
year.
Before that, he was a
virtually unknown Shia
preacher who had arrived
back in Australia after nine
years spent overseas, mainly
in Iran and Iraq.
"The teachings I learnt
were not incorrect but
some were better off
concealed … the coming
year, 2016, will be a
big year for me," he
wrote.
"You will be seeing and
hearing more of me in the
media and social networks.
Thus, I request from you all
to keep in mind that my
mission is an ideological
one … There shall be a
change of course. This is a
matter our beloved Marja
Taqlid, has advised and
having respect for such a
noble figure, I pay
obeisance."
Roughly translated, "Marja
Taqlid" means "religious
leader" — so your Marja
Taqlid is the person whose
religious authority you've
chosen to follow.
Background Briefing has seen
two Facebook posts by Imam
Tawhidi from late 2014, that
clearly state the Grand
Ayatollah Shirazi is his
Marja Taqlid.
Imam Tahidi says he's a
"free human being".
But if Imam Tawhidi's new
focus on mainstream media
coverage is indeed part of a
change of direction advised
by Shirazi, then this raises
questions about Imam
Tawhidi's ultimate goals.
Listen as Background
Briefing untangles the
backstory of Imam Mohammad
Tawhidi.
When Sora Fallaha completed
her medical analysis
bachelor’s degree in Jordan,
a postgraduate degree in
medical science loomed as
the obvious next step for
the gifted young student.
However, that next step
wasn’t an easy step.
To understand why is to
understand her heritage. Her
father had moved from Syria
to Jordan at the age of 18
to pursue a successful
career in computers and
information technology.
There he met his beloved
wife and they raised four
children in a nurturing
environment in Jordan. Civil
war in Syria would later
tear the family apart.
Sora was born, grew up,
studied and lived in Jordan,
but Sora – true to her
ancestry – carried a Syrian
passport. This proved a
major hurdle when she
approached teaching
hospitals to gain the
experience that was required
in order for her to study a
Master’s degree abroad.
“I even paid to work so I
could get the required
experience. However, still
for many hospitals, this was
not accepted,” she says.
................
Despite everything, Sora has
flourished in the university
environment. In June, she
submitted her PhD after a
three-and-a-half-year
research project aimed at
replacing chemotherapy with
targeted therapeutic
treatments that improve the
quality of life for cervical
cancer patients.
“Cancer research is a very
challenging area but I have
worked with some of the
leading cancer researchers
in Queensland, contributing
to high impact research,”
says Sora whose research has
been recognised and
published in a high-impact
Journal in her field.
She is currently working on
publishing more
peer-reviewed articles. “My
ultimate goal on the
academic level is to develop
therapeutic approaches to
help cancer patients across
the world”.
Sora’s ambitions and future
directions do not stop here.
“I am looking into mentoring
others in similar
circumstances including
refugees, locals, Indigenous
Australians and
international students
alike. I am a big believer
in paying it forward.”
The privacy curtains were
installed to allow Muslim women
to swim without having to wear a
burkini and without being seen
by other pool users.
FORMER Labor leader Mark
Latham has launched a
petition to ban privacy
curtains installed at a
Sydney public pool to allow
Muslim women to swim
comfortably.
Mr Latham says the curtains,
which were installed by
Cumberland Council at Auburn
pool so Muslim women can
swim without being seen by
other pool users, is
threatening age-old
Australian traditions.
Writing for right-wing
online publication The
Rebel, Mr Latham said public
pools are a “great
Australian institution”.
“For many decades, the
public swimming pool has
been a great Australian
institution: affordable,
open and full of people
mixing together, regardless
of their background, race
and religion,” he wrote for
his petition, Tear Down That
Curtain.
“Now, this tradition is
under threat.”
He then went on to say that
the privacy curtains are
discriminating against
non-Muslim men.
“For non-Muslim men, the
discrimination is twofold:
they pay their Council
rates, they pay at the pool
entry point, but they can’t
access the entire pool
facility. Public services
must be available to all the
public.”
If Muslim women are
concerned about modesty
issues or showing their
flesh to men, Mr Latham said
they should “take personal
responsibility” by wearing a
burkini.
The privacy curtains were
installed at Auburn pool
earlier this year and run
around the glass walls of
the program pool, where
female-only swimming
sessions are held for two
hours each Sunday.
Auburn Council general
manager Malcolm Ryan
supported the move.
“There was a very high
demand for female-only
classes at the aquatic
centre before redevelopment
to cater for the differing
modesty requirements,” he
told the Daily Telegraph.
“With the installation of
curtains at the program
pool, the Auburn Ruth
Everuss Aquatic Centre is
inclusive to the whole
community at all times and
can cater to any
requirement, without it
impacting on the rest of the
centre.”
The program pool is one of
three pools at the complex
and is used for
rehabilitation or swim
classes. The curtain is
drawn only during prescribed
women’s swimming times.
But Mr Latham still views it
as unnecessary segregation,
which he believes
exacerbates cultural
barriers rather than
overcomes them.
“Where does it end: putting
curtains up on Bondi Beach?”
he wrote.
“If multiculturalism in
Australia is to succeed,
people must mix together,
getting to know each other,
without religious or racial
boundaries.
“In these troubled times, we
need Islamic communities to
be integrated into
Australian society and
culture, not segregated
along religious lines.”
Liberal
Senator Eric Abetz during
Question Time in the Senate
chamber at Parliament House in
Canberra in March.
Senator Eric Abetz has
lashed out at outspoken
Muslim activist Yassmin
Abdel-Magied on Facebook
after she claimed Australian
democracy is "biased against
women and people of colour".
The Liberal Senator made the
comments after the former
ABC presenter reportedly
called the government a
“neoliberalism capitalist
project” and stated the
system of democracy “doesn’t
represent anyone” at a forum
in Canberra.
According to News Corp, Ms
Abdel-Magied spoke at a
panel at the Australian
National University earlier
this week, and said: “The
traditional parliamentary
system, I mean look at the
photo of the House of
Representatives.”
“It doesn’t represent
anyone.”
Senator Eric Abetz took to
Facebook on Thursday to
voice his opinion.
He wrote: "Yassmin Abdel
Magied’s attacks on our
democracy, calling it a
“neoliberalist
capitalist project” and
effectively backing Arab
dictatorships where
forced marriages, female
genital mutilation and
sexuality-based
executions are legal are
reprehensible.
"If Ms Abdel Magied
thinks our system of
government is so bad
perhaps she should stop
being a drain on the
taxpayer and move to one
of these Arab
dictatorships that are
so welcoming of women.
Ms Abdel-Magied told News
Corp that she found the
comments by Mr Abetz
"baffling".
26-year-old Ms Abdel-Magied
endured immediate backlash
over a controversial Anzac
Day Facebook post.
The show which she presented
was later cancelled.
Karen Armstrong, British
scholar of comparative
religion, finds that there
is a long and inglorious
tradition of distorting
Islam in Europe. She
criticises the notion that
Islam is essentially more
violent than Christianity
and speaks about the genesis
of Western disdain for the
Arab world. Interview by
Claudia Mende.
(Continued from last week's
CCN)
Where do you see the
roots of this disdain?
Armstrong: The
Enlightenment ideal of
freedom was, in practice,
only for Europeans. The
Founding Fathers of the
United States, who were
deeply influenced by the
Enlightenment, proudly
proclaimed that "All men are
created equal" and enjoyed
the natural human rights of
life, liberty and property.
But they felt no qualms
about owning African slaves
and driving the Native
Americans out of their
ancestral lands.
John Locke, the apostle of
tolerance, wrote that a
master had "absolute and
despotical" rights over a
slave, which included the
right to kill him at any
time. This continues: many
of those who marched for
freedom of expression in
Paris were leaders of states
that have supported regimes
in Muslim majority countries
that denied their subjects
basic freedoms; Britain and
the US, for example,
continue to support the
Saudi regime. Again, a
disdain: our freedom is more
important than yours.
Shouldn't we also look
at certain Koranic verses
and their interpretation
throughout history to
explain the phenomenon of
Islamist terror?
Armstrong:
"Throughout history", these
Koranic verses have not
inspired terrorist
activities. Any empire
depends upon force; this is
true of the Indian, Chinese,
Persian, Roman, Hellenistic
and British empires and it
is also true of the Islamic
empires. Furthermore, until
the modern period, Islam had
a far better record of
tolerance than Western
Christianity. When the
Crusaders conquered
Jerusalem in 1099, they
slaughtered the Muslim and
Jewish inhabitants of the
city in a massacre that
shocked the Middle East,
which had never seen such
unbridled violence. And yet
it was 50 years before there
was any serious Muslim
riposte. There is more
violence in both the Hebrew
Bible and the New Testament
than there is in the Koran.
Most Christian
theologians would disagree.
Armstrong: Those
theologians who claim that
there are no passages in the
New Testament like Koran
2.191–93 have perhaps
forgotten the Book of
Revelation, which is the
preferred text of many
Christian fundamentalists
who look forward to the
battles of the imminent End
Time that will destroy the
enemies of God. They
interpret these texts
literally and quote them far
more frequently than the
Sermon on the Mount. The
aggression towards the enemy
commanded in Koran 2:191
concludes: "If they cease
hostilities, there can be no
further hostility." (Koran
2. 193). No such quarter is
allowed those who fight the
Word of God in the battles
of Revelation.
Why is this never
mentioned in debates on this
subject?
Armstrong: One might
argue that this book is
uncharacteristic of the New
Testament as a whole, but
exactly the same can be said
of the "sword verses" of the
Koran. Even Jesus, who told
his disciples to love their
enemies and turn the other
cheek when attacked, warned
his followers: "Do not
suppose that I have come to
bring peace to the earth; it
is not peace I have come to
bring but the sword."
(Matthew 10: 14). All
scriptures have violent
passages that can be quoted
out of context, given undue
importance, and made to
cancel out the irenic
teaching that inspires all
faiths at their best.
.....CONTINUED NEXT WEEK IN
CCN
Interview conducted by
Claudia Mende Karen Armstrong is a
British scholar of
comparative religion. She is
the author of several
bestsellers on the history
of religion. Her newest
publication deals with
violence in Judaism,
Christianity and Islam.
"Fields of Blood: Religion
and the History of Violence"
(2014).
I WAS told Amna Karra-Hassan
was an agent of change, a
deep thinker, and that we
should talk. We did. And she
is. Amna is daughter of
migrant parents who came to
Australia seeking better
opportunities. Amna has
inspired many in her quest
for equality, unity and
success.
She is founder of the Auburn
Giants Women’s AFL team,
which consists of various
nationalities including
Lebanese, Palestinians,
Fijian, Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander,
Croation, Serbian, Turkish,
Maltese, Macedonian, Greek
and Chinese.
She has partnered with
Holden as part of their
Supporting the Drivers of
Change diversity and
inclusion program. We spoke
about the challenges of
being a Muslim in 2017, the
effects of Trump, building a
football team to create
unity and opportunity and
cohesion, racism and Pauline
Hanson.
(Continued from last week's
CCN)
HM: If you had a
minute with politicians who
could help give perspective
and unity, what would you
say?
AKH: I think the
whole society needs to
respond. It shouldn’t just
be put on the shoulders of
politicians, or businesses
or the community, there has
to be a commitment from the
whole of society. We have to
ask ourselves, as a nation,
what we pride ourselves on,
and what we want the future
to look like. That means we
have to look at the past, to
learn from it, as well as
looking at the environment
we are in today. It is a
globally connected one, and
there are more humanitarian
issues in the world than
ever in history. We have to
look to the future and
establish our vision. That
requires every person in
society to be in that, in
whatever capacity that is.
Short answer: I’d tell our
politicians to work with
integrity and show real
leadership. Your discourse
shapes the public debate and
at the moment you’re not
only failing those most in
need, you’re failing our
nation with bad politics. If
you’re in a business you
have role to play and if
you’re a politician you have
a role to play, but even
ordinary citizens like you
and I have a role to play.
You do it every day when you
choose to go to work and
write stories about
different people. I go to
work every day and I do that
in my professional capacity,
but outside of work I work
on community engagement,
civic participation,
participation in sport and
the inclusion of girls.
That’s really important
work; but that’s not the
only work. There has to be a
commitment from everyone,
and we have to do it with
integrity. We can’t talk
about what our values are as
a nation, or what our values
are as people, and leave it
there as lip service.
HM: One minute with
Trump: what would you urge
him to think about or do?
AKH: I got asked a
question about Pauline
Hanson and what I would say
to her, and the reality is,
there are people that are
fixed in position, and have
no intention of shifting
that position. What is the
point of having a
conversation with someone
who isn’t actually going to
listen to what you have to
say? You’re not being heard.
If I had a minute with
Donald Trump, I wouldn’t be
too invested because I know
I would be dealing with a
narcissist and have no
impact.
HM: Has life in
Australia for a
20-something-year-old Muslim
become more complicated
since his presidency?
AKH: I would say that
life in Australia has become
more complicated in
Australia for a
20-something-year-old Muslim
for a number of reasons. The
international environment,
in terms of conflict and
humanitarian crises, has
complicated that. It is my
legitimate right to be
different and embraced for
all of me. I know I have a
right to exist, with
autonomy, dignity and
respect. But I truly believe
that many young people feel
like they are constantly
fighting for recognition and
acceptance. Or resisting the
desire to want to belong to
a society that constantly
rejects them. It’s
heartbreaking, because we
are contributing to the
problem and we need to
change the conversation on
young Australian Muslims.
HM: You spoke earlier
about being visibly Muslim.
Is that because of the hijab?
AKH: Yes — mostly.
HM: You only chose to
wear it when you were 18.
Why?
AKH: It was an
expression of my connection
and devotion to God. It was
that simple, it wasn’t
because of a conversation
with anyone, it wasn’t even
something my family
expected. I just walked out
with it on one day, and they
were shocked.
HM: Some friends said
to you, “Life’s much easier
when you’re not wearing it”.
Were they referring to life
for them, or life for you?
AKH: They were saying
it for me; it came from a
place of concern. They
believed life would be much
easier for me, if I didn’t
wear it. They often wondered
why I would be a visible
Muslim when that comes with
public scrutiny.
HM: Were they right?
Is life easier when you’re
not wearing the hijab?
AKH: I don’t think
so, for one reason. It’s not
because of that
sociopolitical context, and
that environment where the
media are talking about
Muslims, or about what’s
happening in the middle
east, or when people are
talking about international
terrorism and linking it to
Islam; that conversation
still exists. Whether you
wearing a scarf or you’re
not, that conversation still
really affects you. It
affects how you relate to
your faith, it affects how
you relate to the community,
it affects whether you feel
like you even have a
position or place. The only
difference is if someone
wanted to attack me, they’d
know I’m Muslim, and maybe
they wouldn’t be able to
tell with someone else.
Maybe that would happen
anyway, because I might
still look different without
it.
HM: I hope not. Amna,
thank you for showing many
of us some things that
aren’t always easy to see.
AKH: It’s an absolute
pleasure. I appreciate
having the conversation, and
I look forward to seeing the
story.
The UK Muslim News Awards
for Excellence event was
held 27 March 2017 in London
to acknowledge British
Muslim and non-Muslim
contributions to the
society.
Alija Izetbegovic
award for GOOD
CITIZENSHIP:
Winner: Malia
Bouattia
Malia Bouattia
became the first
Muslim woman to be
elected the
President of the
National Union of
Students (NUS) in
2016. She previously
held the role of NUS
Black Students’
officer. As a
student leader,
Malia has campaigned
tirelessly for equal
rights and for the
underprivileged. In
her acceptance
speech, Malia said,
“When we talk about
liberation, it’s not
just about women,
black, LGBT+, or
disabled students.
It’s about us all.”
Malia has addressed
the UN in Geneva
about the harmful
effects of Prevent,
Britain’s
anti-extremism
scheme in schools;
she has worked on
the Why Is My
Curriculum White
campaign, and she
has a strong network
of student
supporters on social
media.
Malia has taken on
these tasks even
though she has
herself been
vilified in the
media for taking up
principled
positions. Malia
lives in Birmingham
with her family and
is a student at the
University of
Birmingham.
..........The UK Muslim News
Awards for Excellence CONTINUES IN NEXT
WEEK'S CCN
Haroon Moghul:
Trump is quick
to tweet
denunciations on
news of any
attack by
Muslims. But
after an attack
on Muslims, he
is silent
He says Trump
and supporters
have excused
extremist
language from
the right,
seeming to
indicate that
violence against
Muslims doesn't
matter
Trump's silence
after attack on
Muslims speaks
volumes OPINION
For a long time,
a lot of Muslims
had their heads
in the sand when
it came to
jihadist
violence. They
preferred to
pretend as if it
did not exist,
or that foreign
policy was
solely to blame.
We've come a
long way. We've
learned that
radicalization
is a thing, and
that we have a
responsibility
-- if we love
our religion and
our communities
-- to think
about what we
can do to
produce a
different future
for Islam and
for Muslims. To
change how our
religion is
taught in some
spaces and some
places.
Donald Trump and
his supporters
are going to
have to make the
same journey.
They've excused,
or even
encouraged,
extremist
language and
rhetoric for a
long time now,
and, well, here
we are today,
with a President
who pretends
that violence
against Muslims
doesn't matter.
On Sunday night,
I was delivering
a book reading
at a Muslim
cultural center
in Florida and
was asked to
speak directly
to the young
Muslims in the
room, to share
my own
experiences and
struggles
growing up as an
American Muslim.
The truth is, my
experiences and
theirs are very
different. When
I was growing
up, Islamophobia
wasn't much of a
thing. Maybe my
friends and
colleagues
thought I was a
little
different, my
name slightly
harder to
pronounce, but I
never
encountered
overt hostility.
These kids,
though, they're
growing up in a
different world.
Shortly before I
took the stage,
I heard about an
attack in
London. A van,
mowing down
pedestrians.
ISIS, I thought.
Again, I
despaired.
But soon the
details filtered
out. The attack
had happened
outside a
mosque. I have
long feared that
years of attacks
by jihadists in
the West,
coupled with a
media that at
best dismisses
Islamophobia
and, at worst --
and especially,
but not
exclusively, on
the right --
fans the flames
of bigotry,
intolerance and
anti-Muslim
extremism, would
lead us to this
outcome.
Something like
tit-for-tat
violence.
Horrified
denunciations of
the attack
rolled out
across social
media.
President Trump?
He had nothing
to say. Had the
news been of an
attack by
Muslims, he has
by now made
clear, he would
have boldly
taken to
Twitter, no
matter the hour,
and used an
instance of
outrageous
violence to
justify his
policies. But
when it's
violence against
Muslims, and
especially by
terrorists who
share sympathies
with white
supremacists, if
they are not
themselves
neo-Nazis, well
then it's
crickets.
CNN
We have to yank
our faith from
the darkness of
intolerance and
the lull of
tradition.
Suicide bombs
must be
countered with
the promise of
moderation
Muslims today
face a deep
malaise. We must
confront it
By Nabil
Echchaibi
My existential
crisis as a
Muslim man
haunts me to the
core of my
being. Amid the
horrendous
nihilism of
Isis, the dull
orthodoxy of
self-proclaimed
custodians of
Islam and the
culture of fear
in the west
which sees
everything
Muslim as pure
evil, I seek an
answer to a
simple and
unasked
question: how
does it feel to
be Muslim today?
Instead, you ask
me to denounce –
even apologize
for – the
horrors of
Manchester,
Nice, Orlando,
Paris and
Berlin, as if I
were a silent
accomplice
cheering softly
behind the garb
of my faith. You
mistake my
silence for
duplicity, my
shock for
deceit, and my
choking
inability to
comprehend for
disloyalty. But
have you asked
me how I feel
instead of how
you feel about
me?
Well, I feel
morally and
psychologically
exhausted. The
moral gulf that
separates me
from the demonic
force of Isis is
both comforting
and haunting.
Haunting because
their abominable
strike will
always be louder
and more
spectacular than
the tenor of my
indignation.
Their tales of
terror and
destruction will
always muffle my
calls for
tolerance. My
voice of
moderation is
deep but faint
in the face of
their
unspeakable
bestiality. I do
not apologize. I
clamor for my
right to be
heard and
narrate my
distress,
confusion and
hope.
I’m tired of
seeing my faith
trapped in a
cancerous cycle
of terror,
reduced to a
vapid discussion
of veils, burqas
and burkinis,
and held back by
an obsessive
fixation with
fatwas. An imam
who condemns
music because it
might turn young
people into apes
and pigs is
simply an
aberration to
Muslim theology.
We have far more
important
questions in
need of urgent
answers.
Questions that
should haunt our
present and
perturb our
daily existence
as adherents of
this faith.
What keeps me
awake at night
is how we
plunged into
this sorry state
of decline. Why
we suddenly
stopped thinking
and inventing,
we who gave the
world astronomy,
chemistry,
algebra,
surgery, the
university,
musical scales
and coffee. How
can we reconcile
the anarchic
savagery of our
worst Muslims
today with the
humanist
generosity of
our best Muslims
of yesterday?
What have we to
offer the world
today?
What's it
like to wear a hijab in
Australia? ABC News
12-year-old Itrat told
Behind the News about how
she feels when people talk
about hijabs like they're a
bad thing | #WorldRefugeeDay
Sabariah
Hussein
CTV News
Sabariah
Hussein, 70, cooks for up to
300 people a day, helping to
feed the homeless or anyone
who needs a hot meal. CTV’s
Vanessa Lee reports on a
remarkable woman.
Wajahat
Ali: Muslims will ‘never be
absorbed into whiteness’
Washington Post Live
Wajahat Ali,
Op-Ed Contributor at the New
York Times, draws parallels
between Muslim and Christian
groups historically feeling
isolated. Ali argues that
unlike Catholics and Jews,
Muslims will “never be
absorbed into whiteness.” He
says in terms of American
politics, Muslim’s feel
stuck in the middle.
Möhámmád
Jävír working with refugees
in Queensland ABC
Möhámmád Jävír:
Firstly, I will always be
thankful to the ALLAH, My
parents and those peoples
who have helped me along my
journey. Lots of peoples
have supported me through
out my hard time. Now is my
time to give back and It
always make me happy to help
others.
Nesrine
Malik
BBC Newsnight
"Certain
language is used" when
there's an attack by a
Muslim, Nesrine Malik tells
us
If Pauline
Hanson ran a school The Feed SBS Viceland
Finally, a
place that teaches good..
The art of
Khadijia Saye
Channel 4
News
This is the
stunning and moving art of
Khadija Saye.
On the brink of
great success, she is missing
presumed dead in the Grenfell
Tower fire in London.
Imam Al-Bukhari
- A Brief Biography
This man
was sick of hearing about
Muslims on TV,
so he met
some for himself!
OnePath
Network
ISLAMIC EDUCATION VIDEOS
Will You
Surrender? | Spoken Word |
Yazeed Zee Islam In Focus Australia
PLEASE
NOTE
It is the usual policy of CCN to
include notices of events, video links and articles that
some readers may find interesting or relevant. Such notices
are often posted as received.
Including such messages/links or
providing the details of such
events does not necessarily
imply endorsement or agreement
by CCN of the contents therein.
London
mosque attack: 'Hero imam' protected terror
suspect
UK: A London Imam who
protected an alleged terrorist just
after he attacked worshippers leaving a
mosque in the city's north yesterday has
praised members of his congregation for
their actions.
Mohammed Mahmoud could be heard shouting
"no one touch him" after a trio of men
tackled Darren Osborne, 47, who had
driven his van into a crowd outside the
Muslim Welfare Centre.
Footage of the immediate aftermath
indicates that Osborne, who witnesses
say was screaming that he wanted to
"kill all Muslims", was in very real
danger of being harmed by the furious
witnesses.
But thanks to the composure of Mr
Mahmoud and several others, police were
able to arrest an apparently uninjured
Osborne.
"It wasn't me alone, there were a group
of brothers…who were calm and collected
and managed to calm people down and to
extinguish any flames of anger or mob
rule that would have taken charge had
this group of mature brothers not
stepped in," Mr Mahmoud told the media
overnight.
"This community of ours in Finsbury Park
is a mild-mannered, calm community not
known for their violence. Our mosques
are incredibly peaceful."
Grenfell
Tower fire: Kensington Muslims host sunset
meal on street for people affected
'That’s the
Muslim attitude'
Water, fizzy
drinks, bread and fruit were
laid out for the evening meal
UK: Tablecloths were laid
out along a street as the local Muslim
community came together to host a meal
for those affected by the Grenfell Tower
tragedy.
Many people who live in the area
surrounding the tower are Muslim and
volunteers from the charity Penny Appeal
decided to cater for those who are
observing Ramadan, although anyone was
welcome to join in.
At sunset people broke their fast for
the Iftar meal and were offered water,
fizzy drinks, bread and fruit to sustain
them as the aid effort continued around
them.
The impromptu meal was praised by
Twitter users, with one pointing out:
“That’s the Muslim attitude”.
It was another example of volunteers
coming together to help those affected
by the fire.
Hundreds of people have donated clothes
and food, and fundraising initiatives
have so far raised over Ł3m.
Zia Salik, head of fundraising at the
charity Islamic Relief, told The
Independent that his team and other
volunteers worked day and night to help
with the rescue effort.
“There was a huge outpouring from the
community to say ‘we want to do
something’,” he said.
From jihadis to
hijabs and everything in between - what it means
to be Muslim down under today
In this humorous and insightful exploration of
Islam in Australia, award-winning comedian and
writer Sami Shah speaks with Muslims across the
country, from the founder of a new group called
Muslims for Progressive Values who believes in a
feminist interpretation of the Quran, to the
official spokesperson for Hizb ut-Tahrir; to a
Muslim preacher who thinks IS deserves credit
for keeping Muslims conservative.
Based on Shah's much-lauded 5-part radio
documentary, THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF AUSTRALIA
takes us behind the stereotypes and
generalisations, to find out who Australian
Muslims are, how they live and what they think.
The answers are both multitudinous and
surprising, resulting in a fascinating
multi-faceted and entertaining portrait of Islam
in Australia today.
KB says:This will add colour
to your Eid table and also help get rid of the
chocolates you don’t want to see after Ramadan.
Rocky
Road
Ingredients
2 x 250g Milk Chocolate
1 x 55g Turkish delight
1 cup salted peanuts
250g pink and white marshmallows
2 large Crunchy Chocolates
Method
1. Cut up the marshmallows, crunchies and
Turkish delights into large portions.
2. Melt the milk chocolate and combine all the
ingredients together.
3. Place the mixture into a pan lined with
baking paper.
4. Refrigerate to set for approx. an hour.
5. Cut into slices and serve.
6. You can store any extras in the refrigerator
and it can stay for a long time and can be made
in advance for children’s parties.
You could add any kinds of nuts or sweets you
enjoy, another favorite is m and m’s or picnic
bars.
Do you have a recipe to share with CCN
readers?
Send in your favourite recipe to me at
admin@ccnonline.com.au and be my "guest chef" for the week.
Welcome to my weekly
column on
Self-Care and
Clarity of Mind.
If you’re taking
time out to read
this, pat yourself
on the back because
you have shown
commitment to taking
care of your mind
and body.
Today, In Shaa
ALLAH, we will
explore the topic:
Practise
Understanding and
Give Up the Need to
Be Right All The
Time
As I sit down today
to write this column
I feel compelled to
reflect on my
personal journey as
a new Muslim. This
is my sixth year as
a Muslimah,
Alhumdolillah. My
truth-seeking
journey was long and
filled with
struggles. The most
difficult part came
when I embraced
Islam and was
immediately disowned
by my parents. I
tried to reason with
them, however, it
did not work. For
almost six years now
my daughter and I
have not had a
relationship with my
parents and other
extended family
members.
They
made it crystal
clear to me in our
final conversation.
“We are right, you
are wrong,” they
insisted. Their need
to be right
outweighed my pleas
to make them
understand.
At
first it hurt alot,
however, over time
and with ALLAH’s
guidance I have come
to understand that
there are two sides
to my relationship
status with my
parents - one is
‘understanding’ and
the other is ‘the
need to be right’.
While I practise
understanding and
continue to make
duaa for them, they
persist with their
need to be right.
Our
Prophet (SAW)
experienced a great
many similar
situations where
people persecuted
him and his
followers simply
because the
persecutors felt the
need to be right all
the time.
Take
an honest account of
your life these past
few weeks...have you
in any way been
operating on a
default program to
feel the “need to be
right all the time”?
By this I mean, have
you persisted
stubbornly with a
certain mindset
about a situation
without practising
any kind of
understanding?
Understanding does
not mean agreeing.
It means to open
your mind to listen
to another person’s
perception about a
particular
situation. It means
to acknowledge that
another person has
the exact same right
to an opinion about
an issue as you do.
It means to
respectfully listen
to each other’s
viewpoints.
When
you fail to open
your mind, you fail
to understand. When
there is no
understanding, there
is an ongoing need
to be right. And
when there is this
addictive need to be
right, there is the
obsessive attachment
to judge others.
For example
Notice the tone of
this conversation
between a father and
his son who has
recently lost his
job and despite all
efforts, remains
unemployed.
Father: “Shouldn’t
you be looking for a
job? You are locked
up in your room
everyday.”
Son:
“Whatever.”
Father: “So, you’re
just going to give
up? When I was your
age I supported an
entire family.”
Son:
“What’s your point?”
Father: “My point is
that you are lazy
because you have
everything given to
you on a platter.”
Son:
“Abba, I’m trying.”
Father: “Yes, but
you’re not trying
hard enough. You are
lazy, spoilt and
think that you are
entitled.”
The
Son storms off to
his room and bangs
the door shut.
Father to Mother:
“He is the laziest
boy on earth.
Shame!”
In
the above scenario,
the Father failed to
open his mind and
understand his son.
The moment he said
the words, “Yes, but
you’re not trying
hard enough” was
when he was
operating on his
addictive need to be
right.
Practise
Understanding - Give
Up The Need To Be
Right
Now,
let us look at the
following
conversation from an
angle that displays
understanding and
empathy.
When
you consciously
practise
understanding you
are in fact
detaching from ego.
It is ego that
demands the
addictive need to be
right all the time.
Remember to catch
yourself out every
time you feel the
need to be right.
Detach from that and
embrace an open mind
with which to
practise
understanding.
In Shaa ALLAH, next
week we will explore
the topic: How to
Overcome Insecurity
If you wish to know
about a specific
topic with regards
to Self-Care and
Clarity of Mind,
please text or email
me or visit
www.muslimahmindmatters.com.
If you wish to have
a FREE one hour
Finding Clarity
telephone session,
contact me on
0451977786.
Don’t let an injury
derail your fitness goals. Try to stay as active
as
possible while you’re rehabilitating and recover
faster.
Whatever the injury,
make sure you have clearance from your doctor
and get moving safely as soon as possible. The
good news is that in many cases staying active
isn’t just safe, it’s important for the healing
and recovery process.
The key is to listen
to your body while exercising. Train smart –
exercise safely, and do not aggravate your
injury.
Reader’s Question
Mrs. M asks: If
I use a weedkiller
to eliminate bindii
on my lawn, will it
kill the weeds as
well as the lawn?
Answer: Yes!
A weedkiller kills
everything so never
use it unless you
want all vegetation
eliminated. You must
use a HERBICIDE
which is designed to
kill the weeds but
is harmless to lawn
grass.
Weedkiller
• Kills
everything
including
trees.
• Only
works by
contact
with the
leaves
and
stem.
•
Harmless
to
plants
when it
is
sprayed
into the
soil.
• Poison
works
down to
the
roots
killing
permanently.
•
Highly
poisonous—avoid
contact
with
skin.
Herbicide
• Will
not kill
the lawn
but only
the
weeds it
has been
developed
to kill.
• Safe
to use
on lawns
but not
in
flowerbeds
because
it could
be
lethal
to
flowering
plants.
• On
lawns,
the
herbicide
must
make
good
contact
with the
leaves
and
stems of
the weed
for
success.
Kill the
weeds
before
they
flower
otherwise
the
seeds
will
drop and
the weed
will
grow
again.
A Lawyer,
representing a wealthy art collector called him and
said, "Jallalludin, I have some good news and I have
some bad news."
Jallalludin replied, "I've had an awful day; Let's
hear the good news first."
The lawyer said, "Well, I met with your wife today and
she informed me that she invested $1,500 in two pictures
that she thinks will bring a minimum of $15-20 million.
And I think she could be right."
Jallalludin replied enthusiastically, "Well done! My
wife is a brilliant businesswoman! You've just made my
day. Now I know I can handle the bad news. What is it?"
The lawyer replied, "The pictures are of you and your
secretary."
O you who believe! When you
deal with each other, in
transactions involving
future obligations in a
fixed period of time, reduce
them to writing. Let a
scribe write down faithfully
as between the parties: let
not the scribe refuse to
write: as Allah has taught
him, so let him write. Let
him who incurs the liability
dictate, but let him fear
his Lord Allah, and not
diminish anything of what he
owes...
The Islamic
Council of Queensland would like
to extend a formal invitation to
the Queensland community to join
us for a day of fun and
festivities at the Eid Down
Under Festival on 1 July 2017.
This
is an environment where our children will learn
about Allah and his beloved Prophet Muhammad
S.A.W., recite their duas and surahs, learn
about the 5 pillars of Islam, following the
Sunnah, the values of Ramadaan and Eid and go to
sleep listening to the beautiful recitation of
the Quran or Zikr. ……
HELP!!! THE ONLY ISLAMIC KINDY IN BRISBANE!!
Assalamualaikum. Shajarah Islamic Kindergarten
is in need of your help! The Department of
Transport who owns the current premises at 2
Rothon Drive, Rochedale South, require the
property to create a new busway through the
area. We need to find a new location a.s.a.p.
Going back to the beginning…. Shajarah Islamic
Kindergarten was the inspiration of a new
Muslimah’s concerns that there was no Islamic
Kindy where she could send her son to for the
most critical years of his life i.e the 1st five
years. (As we are all aware of the importance of
the foundation phase in the correct upbringing
of our children). She noticed this empty
Kindergarten building at No. 2 Rothon Drive and
in October 2012 the first Islamic Kindy in
Brisbane opened it’s doors to a pressing need in
the community. From such humble beginnings up
till now, we are pleased to say that through the
Rahmah and mercy of Allah we have grown to
become an established institution serving the
needs of the Muslim community.
In October 2016 we were assessed by the Office
of Early Childhood Education and Care and
Alhamdullilah we were rated as “EXCEEDING THE
NATIONAL QUALITY FRAMEWORK”. We meet all
government requirements for the National
governing body “ACECQA” as well as the
Queensland State Government Office of Early
Childhood Education and Care.
Our Service Approval currently includes :-
An Approved Kindergarten Program for children
in their final year before school,
Long Day Care for 3year olds to school age,
Before School Care
After School Care
Vacation Care for School Aged Children
A Montessori Program across all ages.
We
have 24 childcare places per day. Our
Kindergarten is set in a beautiful garden
setting and it will be sad to see it go. We even
have parents coming from the North side and as
far as Gold Coast, braving the traffic for up to
an hour just to place their child in our Islamic
Kindy!
To
date we have approached various organisations
and individuals and visited buildings for rental
but unfortunately have not been successful in
securing premises for our new Kindy.
We beseech anyone who can be of any assistance
in helping us to find new premises, renovate if
required, and relocate by the 31st December 2017
to come forward and assist us in continuing this
humble but integral venture for the future of
our children in this environment we find
ourselves in.
1. All Islamic Event dates given above are supplied by
the Council of Imams QLD (CIQ) and are provided as a guide and 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.
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
MONTHLY COMMUNITY PROGRAMME
FIRST FRIDAY OF EVERY MONTH
Click on images to enlarge
IPDC
HOLLAND PARK MOSQUE
Queensland Police Service/Muslim
Community Consultative Group
NEXT MEETING
TIME: 7.00pm –
8.30pm DATE: TBA VENUE: Islamic College of Brisbane [ICB].
Articles and
opinions appearing in this newsletter do not necessarily
reflect the opinions of the CCN Team, its Editor or its
Sponsors, particularly if they eventually turn out to be
libellous, unfounded, objectionable, obnoxious, offensive,
slanderous and/or downright distasteful.
It is the usual policy of CCN to
include from time to time, notices of events that some
readers may find interesting or relevant. Such notices are
often posted as received. Including such messages or
providing the details of such events does not necessarily
imply endorsement of the contents of these events by CCN
The best ideas
and the best feedback come from our community of readers. If you
have a topic or opinion that you want to write about or want
seen covered or any news item that you think might be of benefit
to the Crescents Community please
e-mail us..
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thoughts, feelings and ambitions for our community through CCN.
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someone you know who would like to subscribe to CCN please
encourage them to enter their details
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Births, Marriages,
New Migrants and
Condolences
l
and displayed great
sportsmanship.
It
must be disconcerting to
see a Catholic priest
wending his way through
a Muslim throng and
heading towards a
mosque! 
London
mosque attack: 'Hero imam' protected terror
suspect 
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our Wall
7
August 2011