Mr Abdul Rahman Yahaya Chairman,
Islamic Council of Western
Australia
Mr Ismail Cajee Chairman,
Islamic Council of Queensland
Ms Maya Awik Chairperson,
Islamic Council of ACT
Dr Rated Jneid President,
Muslims Australia (AFIC)
Dr Abul Jalaluddin Treasurer,
Muslims Australia (AFIC)
Mr Kazim Ates Executive
Committee Member, Muslims
Australia (AFIC)
Standing L to R
Mr Adel Salman Vice President,
Islamic Council of Victoria
Mr Mohamed Mohideen President,
Islamic Council of Victoria
Mr Bilal Rifai Executive
Committee Member, Muslims
Australia (AFIC)
Mr Mohammed Berjaoui Islamic
Council of ACT
Mr Talal El Cheikh President,
United Muslims of NSW
Mr Ajeeb Idris President,
Islamic Council of South
Australia
Mr Ghulam Abbas Vice President -
Islamic Council of Northern
Territory
Mr Jamal El Kholed Vice
President, Muslims Australia (AFIC)
Mr Isa McIntosh President
Islamic Council of Christmas
Island.
The Australian Federation of
Islamic Council (AFIC) held
its first Federal Council
meeting in Queensland last
weekend after an absence of
several decades.
The forerunner of AFIC, the
Australian Federation of
Islamic Societies (AFIS),
was established in Holland
Park Mosque in 1962.
OPEN
SESSION WITH LOCAL COMMUNITY
LEADERS
One of the outcomes of the
Federal Council meeting was
the removal of Haji Rahman
(Ray) Deen (second from
right) from AFIC's
proscribed person's list.
Mr Deen told CCN that while
he appreciated AFIC’s
gesture and the spirit in
which it was offered, he
“did not need the letter
past, present, or in the
future from doing work for
the Ummah, all over
Australia, New Zealand, Fiji
and other parts of the
world”.
“In fact, I would say I wear
it as a badge of honour,
being able to stand in front
of the AFIC Congress and
state that the people who
did the wrong by the ummah,
will be answerable to the
Almighty”.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander people marked
Friday as Invasion Day, or
Survival Day, with tens of
thousands of people marching
around the country, calling
for equal rights and a
change of date.
About 3,000 people marched
in Brisbane from Queensland
Parliament house to Musgrave
Park through the CBD, with
attendance numbers up
significantly on previous
years.
The Muslim Aid Australia Road
Show hits Brisbane this weekend
at a Mosque or Markets near you.
Here Nabil Quadan, Umar Mushtaq,
Mohamed Issa and Riyaad Ally
demonstrate VR technologies
which give the public the
experience of being a homeless
person. Here Majid (left) is
seen immersing himself in the
demo at the Saturday Kuraby
Markets.
Catch the Road Show at the
Riverside Markets today
(Sunday).
Arthur Wagner quits
Alternative für Deutschland,
which campaigns on anti-Muslim
ticket
A politician for Germany’s
far-right Alternative für
Deutschland party, which
campaigns on an anti-Muslim
ticket, has converted to
Islam and left the party, a
spokesman has confirmed.
Arthur Wagner, a leading
member of the party in the
eastern German state of
Brandenburg, said he would
not comment on his reason
for leaving the party, but
confirmed to a Berlin daily
that he had converted to
Islam and that he had
renounced his party
membership on 11 January.
“It is a private matter,” he
told Der Tagesspiegel,
adding that it had been his
decision to leave.
A party spokesman said it
had not been concerned by
Wagner’s conversion, and
also confirmed it had not
pushed him to leave. It
claimed it had not known of
his move when he announced
his departure.
“The party has no problem
with it,” said Daniel Friese,
a spokesman for the
Brandenburg branch of the
AfD. Being a Muslim was no
barrier to being a member of
the party, he said, despite
the fact that among the
party’s campaign slogans
before September’s general
election were “Islam has no
place in Germany” and
“Against the Islamisation of
Germany”.
The party has been accused
of stoking resentment
towards the hundreds of
thousands of Muslim refugees
living in Germany. “The AfD
contains interest groups for
Muslims, Christians and
homosexuals,” Friese said.
Wagner, who formerly
belonged to the Christian
Democrats and joined the AfD
in 2015, is an active member
of the German-Russian
community and the vice-chair
of the regional
Russian-German committee. He
has also acted as a
translator for refugees from
Chechnya.
He is believed to be the
first AfD member to have
converted to Islam after
joining the party, although
the party spokesman said
there were other Muslims
within its ranks.
The AfD was voted into the
Bundestag for the first time
last September as the third
largest party. If talks
towards forming a grand
coalition government between
Angela Merkel’s conservative
alliance and the Social
Democrats are successful,
the AfD would become the
main opposition party in the
Bundestag, with the right to
speak second in debates,
after a member of the
government.
Wagner’s case, although
considered highly unusual,
was being compared by German
media to that of Arnoud van
Doorn, a member of the
Freedom party of the Dutch
far-right politician Geert
Wilders, who was asked to
leave the party in 2013 when
it emerged he had converted
to Islam and travelled to
Saudi Arabia to perform the
hajj.
'Muslims Like Us'. Over two
nights - 8.30pm, 21 & 22
February on SBS
Muslims make up less than
three per cent of the
Australian population*, yet
dominate the news headlines
and are often misunderstood.
In a new SBS documentary, 10
Muslim Australians with
vastly different views on
their faith live under one
roof for eight days to
explore what it means to be
a Muslim in modern,
multicultural Australia.
While the housemates are
united in faith, they are
divided on what it means to
be a ‘good Muslim’.
SBS Director of TV and
Online Content Marshall
Heald said:
“Muslims Like Us showcases
the diverse range of
interpretations of Islam
that are practised in
Australia, with the broader
aim of giving Australian
audiences a chance to learn
more about what it means to
be a Muslim today.”
The 10 housemates come from
very different backgrounds.
Among them are Shia, Sunni
and Sufi; Asian, Lebanese,
Arab and Aboriginal. Some
believe the Quran is the
literal word of God and
practise Islam in a
conservative, traditional
way, but others take a more
nuanced and modern
interpretation of their
faith.
There is Bianca, a
feminist and boxer whose
views contradict those of
her family, alongside
Husnain who believes in more
traditional roles for women
and has never cooked for
himself or washed his own
clothes before, and accepts
the concept of a polygamous
relationship.
Fahad is a university
student who reveals he is
gay while in the house in a
confronting moment for some,
including Hassan, Deputy
Principal of an Islamic
school, who believes Islam
strictly forbids
homosexuality.
Anjum refuses to mix
with men and wears a full
face and body covering niqab,
while Mina believes women
covering their heads is
divisive and unnecessary
based on her interpretation
of the teachings of the
Quran.
Sleeping arrangements,
prayers, eating, socialising
between members of the
opposite sex, terrorism and
extremism are some of the
topics raised as the 10
housemates explore how their
faith impacts their everyday
lives.
Topical and important
conversation, charged
emotional debate and, at
times, conflict in the house
reveal the immense diversity
among people who follow
Islam, and the issues which
unite and divide Australian
Muslims.
Muslims Like Us is produced
for SBS by CJZ.
Join the conversation: #MuslimsLikeUs
Muslims Like Us airs over
two nights at 8.30pm,
February 21 and 22 on SBS
Following
Cassie Cohen and
Jackson Bursill on their
marathon a day (see CCN), here
are two local stories:
Story 55 - Fauziyah
“Some of my sauces and
spices are traditional to
Indonesia, like sambal and
satay sauce, but some of
them are from India, some of
them are family recipes,
like curry powder, and we do
a frozen samosa as well. My
favourite? I like really
really hot stuff. I like
sambal, but this is really,
really, extremely hot.”
We found Fauziyah at the
Harbourside Markets in Coffs
Harbour. She was running her
stall Ziyah’s Condiments,
which sells spices, sauces
and samosas. Fauziyah is
originally from Indonesia,
but married her Australian
husband in Japan, before
they eventually moved to
Bellingen, NSW (via Perth
and Bowra, NSW). Fauziyah
and her husband have three
children. We highly
recommend heading down to
Ziyah’s Condiments at the
Harbourside markets if you
find yourself in Coffs
Harbour on a Sunday!
The aim of this newsletter
is to provide weekly updates
on events and projects which
have happened or will happen
in the following weeks in
our Muslim Community.
This includes family and
fundraising events, updates
on the Gold Coast Dawah
Centre, as well as
engagements with our local
community.
Tensions have
long been high over the Chinese
government’s influence and
continued crackdowns on the
cultural identity of the Uighur
ethnic group
Kashgar is
China’s westernmost city. The
region shares borders with
Afghanistan, Kazakhstan,
Mongolia and Russia. For more
than 1,000 years Kashgar was an
oasis town on the old Silk Road,
acting as a crossroads on the
route linking the Mediterranean
to Asia
There are approximately 1.84
billion Muslims in the world
today, making up 24.38% of
the world’s population, or
just under one-quarter of
mankind. As well as being
citizens of their respective
countries, they also have a
sense of belonging to the ‘ummah’,
the worldwide Muslim
community.
The Muslim500 publication
sets out to ascertain the
influence some Muslims have
on this community, or on
behalf of the community.
Influence is: any person who
has the power (be it
cultural, ideological,
financial, political or
otherwise) to make a change
that will have a significant
impact on the Muslim world.
Note that the impact can be
either positive or negative,
depending on one’s point of
view of course.
"Without a doubt, Islam is a
demolisher of oppression and
arrogance"
Grand Ayatollah Khamenei is
the Supreme Leader of the
Islamic Republic of Iran.
He was born in Mashhad, and
studied in the leading
Iranian religious seminary
in Qom, before becoming
involved in the struggle
with the Pahlavi Regime in
the sixties and seventies.
He was a key figure in the
revolution in 1979 and
served as President between
1981-1989 before succeeding
Ayatollah Khomeini as
Supreme Leader upon the
latter’s death.
He has vocally supported
most of the unrest in the
Arab World, likening it to
the Iranian Revolution.
As a symbol for Iranian
sovereignty, Khamenei lashed
out against President
Trump’s “gangster” and
“cowboy” rhetoric in his
speech to the UN in
September 2017, in which he
threatened Iran and
suggested that the US repeal
the nuclear deal agreement
signed under the Obama era.
ANOTHER FROM THE TOP 50 INFLUENTIAL MUSLIMS
IN NEXT WEEK'S CCN
Zheng He
was born
in 1371
in the
southern
China
region
of
Yunnan
to a Hui
(a
Muslim
Chinese
ethnic
group)
family.
When people
think of great
explorers, they
think of the
usual names:
Marco Polo, Ibn
Battuta, Evliya
Çelebi,
Christopher
Columbus, etc.
But not many
know of one of
the most
interesting and
influential of
all time.
In China, he is
well known,
although not
always globally
recognized or
glorified. He is
Zheng He, the
Muslim who
became China’s
greatest
admiral,
explorer, and
diplomat.
Expeditions
In 1405, when
emperor Zhu Di
decided to send
out a giant
fleet of ships
to explore and
trade with the
rest of the
world, he chose
Zheng He to lead
a massive
expedition. In
all, almost
30,000 sailors
were in each
voyage, with
Zheng He
commanding all
of them.
Between 1405 and
1433, Zheng He
led 7
expeditions that
sailed to
present day’s
Malaysia,
Indonesia,
Thailand, India,
Sri Lanka, Iran,
Oman, Yemen,
Saudi Arabia,
Somalia, Kenya,
and many other
countries. It is
probable that
during one of
his journeys,
Zheng He was
even able to go
to Makkah for
Hajj.
Zheng He was not
the only Muslim
on these
expeditions.
Many of his
advisors and
were also
Chinese Muslims,
such as Ma Huan,
a translator who
spoke Arabic and
was able to
converse with
the Muslim
peoples they
encountered on
their journeys.
He wrote an
account of his
journeys, titled
the Ying-yai
Sheng-lan, which
is an important
source today for
understanding
15th century
societies around
the Indian
Ocean.
Seeing these
expeditions must
have been an
event that
people did not
easily forget.
The ships Zheng
He commanded
were up to 400
feet long, many
times the size
of Columbus’s
ships that
sailed across
the Atlantic.
For hundreds of
years, people
thought that the
giant
proportions of
these ships were
exaggerations.
However,
archaeological
evidence from
the shipyards
where they were
built in the
Yangtze River
prove that these
ships were in
fact even larger
than modern
football
pitches.
Everywhere they
sailed, they
commanded the
respect (and
sometimes fear)
of the local
people, who
offered tributes
to the Chinese
emperor. Because
of this tribute
and trade with
all the peoples
they
encountered,
Zheng He would
sail back to
China with
exotic goods
such as ivory,
camels, gold,
and even a
giraffe from
Africa. The
expeditions sent
one message to
the world: China
is an economic
and political
superpower.
What No One
Told You about
Spiritual Abuse
in Islam
By Janet Kozak
Abuse in
relationships is
not only black
eyes, bruises,
and broken
bones. With the
exception of
traumatic brain
injury in Muslim
victims, it’s
often the abuse
hidden from
plain view –
like financial,
verbal, and
spiritual abuse
– that does the
most damage to
victims
long-term.
However, it’s
the spiritual
abuse we
experience in a
relationship
that can leave
us doubting
ourselves, our
goals, and even
our belief
systems –
changing us for
the worse and
leaving
lingering
invisible scars
over time.
What is
spiritual abuse?
In a spiritually
abusive
relationship,
the abuser uses
so-called
religions
principles to
exert power and
control over
their victim.
In Muslim
relationships,
this was
concisely
explained by the
late Dr. Sharifa
Alkhateeb in her
powerful Muslim
Wheel of
Domestic
Violence. Dr.
Alkhateeb is no
longer with us,
but her research
and
contributions
towards
illuminating
these abusive
dynamics live
on.
The spiritual
abuse wheel is
an Islamic
adaptation of
the very similar
Power and
Control Wheel
developed by the
Domestic Abuse
Project of
Duluth,
Minnesota. It
shows some of
the ways that
religion is
often distorted
by abusers to
justify and
support the
abuse of both
women and
children. It’s
also a useful
tool for
understanding
what spiritual
abuse looks like
in Muslim
relationships.
Young people are
tolerant,
trusting and
politically
engaged,
according to
report
If you’ve
seen vision of
people being
racially abused
on public
transport,
you’re forgiven
for thinking the
world’s in a
pretty bad place
right now.
But a new report
turns that
assumption on
its head,
finding that
Australians -
and especially
young
Australians -
are
overwhelmingly
in favour of
immigration and
multiculturalism.
The Scanlon
Foundation’s
report on social
cohesion has
found 17 out of
20 Australians
are either “very
happy” or
“happy” with our
lives overall.
Nineteen out of
20 people aged
18-24 think
multiculturalism
has been good
for Australia,
and 80 per cent
think accepting
immigrants from
many different
countries makes
Australia
stronger.
Young people are
also the least
likely age group
to think the
level of
immigration is
too high - less
than one-quarter
of young people
agree with that
statement.
That figure
steadily
increases as
respondents age,
however, with
nearly half of
all people aged
75 and over
thinking that
immigration
levels are too
high.
Muslim ban
not a popular
idea
Remember when
Pauline Hanson
called for a ban
on Muslim
immigration
during her 2016
maiden speech?
"We are in
danger of being
swamped by
Muslims who bear
a culture and
ideology that is
incompatible
with our own,”
she said.
Despite calls
from pollies
like Senator
Hanson and LNP’s
George
Christensen to
restrict Muslim
immigration, the
report says that
policy isn’t
terribly
popular. Around
20 per cent of
the population
agrees with the
idea of
rejecting
migrants based
on their
religion - and
that number
slides to just
8.1 per cent of
18-24 year olds.
Just under 45
per cent of
young people
have a positive
attitude towards
Christians,
compared to 36
per cent who
have a positive
attitude towards
Muslims.
ABC News
Former
refugee Jamila
Gordon has
worked in
technology for
Qantas and IBM –
but she had a
tough start.
Jamila Gordon is
a long way from
the small
village where
she was born.
She fled
Somalia's civil
war and came
alone to
Australia as a
young refugee.
She couldn't
speak a word of
English.
But that didn’t
stop her from
becoming a top
tech executive
for companies
including
Qantas.
“The village
(where I was
born) was very
desolate, dusty,
we had water in
the wells," Ms
Gordon told SBS
News.
"My mother was
pregnant every
year, or she had
a baby ... In
the end, she had
16 children.”
Her family moved
to Mogadishu to
avoid a drought.
But just before
the civil war
broke out they
were separated.
Ms Gordon was
sent to live
with distant
relatives in
Kenya.
"Through my
friends in
Kenya, I met an
Australian
backpacker. It
was his second
day in Kenya and
we became
friends and he
sponsored me to
Australia,” she
said.
At 18 years old,
Jamila found
herself in
Sydney alone and
unable to speak
the language.
She quickly
learned English
at TAFE and got
a job washing
dishes, earning
five dollars an
hour. She went
to university in
Melbourne to
study
accounting,
before taking an
IT elective and
falling in love
with it.
She says IT had
some surprising
similarities to
her first school
in Somalia.
“The process I
used to memorise
the Koran in the
village where I
was born, was
exactly the same
as the process
of software
programming that
I used when I
was at Latrobe
University,” Ms
Gordon said.
After university
she got a job as
a software
programmer and
climbed her way
up the ladder,
working in
Europe for major
companies
including IBM.
She later
returned to
Australia to
become chief
information
officer at
Qantas.
She is currently
based in Sydney
and works with
smaller tech
start-ups,
helping them get
off the ground.
Rod Bishop CEO
of Jayride, a
start-up
marketplace for
transport hire,
says working
with Ms Gordon
has been a
perfect fit.
"There's really
not a lot of
growth-focused
technology
people operating
at an extremely
high level in
Australia. So it
was an absolute
pleasure and we
saw eye to eye
straight away,"
Mr Bishop said.
Former
professional
colleague David
Thodey, who is
the chairman of
the board at
CSRIO, says
Jamila brings a
unique approach
to her work.
"She's always
had a vision for
what she wanted
to do, but a
great
determination
and incredible
will and drive
to get the job
done."
The Beautiful Girls Of
Bhatkal: They Won’t Be Silenced
Hashtag Our
Stories
ex-Brisbanite,
Yusuf Omar, and his wife,
Sumaiya,
are founders of
Hastag our
stories.
They visited over 25
countries in just three months in 2017 promoting
their mobile journalism
initiative under the theme "More
cameras, more perspectives, more
truth". Here is one of
their stories...
Bhatkal
Yusuf Omar:
Go to Bhatkal and you’ll
find jungles like the
Amazon, hospitality like the
Arab world, beaches like the
Maldives and yet it’s still
very much India.
Trevor Noah imagines an
Egyptian Trump
Imam speaks on school ban
Following a
London school's decision to
reverse its ban on the hijab for
under eights, a local imam gives
us his reaction. He was involved
in discussions between the
school and parents.
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.
16
year old Syrian boy wins International Peace
Prize 2017
SYRIA: A 16 year old
Syrian refugee, Mohamad Al Jounde, won
the prestigious International Children’s
Peace Prize of 2017, for building a
school for hundreds of refugee children
and providing them with education. He
continues to fight for the right to an
education for all refugee children.
Not many teenagers can say they founded
a school, let alone be a refugee who
experienced the horrors of war, and
resided in a cramped camp in Lebanon.
He first founded the school when he was
12 years old, in Bekaa Valley refugee
camp in Lebanon. After experiencing the
brutal and impersonal reality of the
Syrian war, Mohamad and his family
decided to flee and seek refuge in the
nearby country, Lebanon. Once they had
settled, the family quickly lost
majority of their funds. Consequently,
his father had to move to Sweden to
financially support his family, as there
weren’t any job opportunities in
Lebanon.
Although Mohamad had lost his country,
family, friends and eventually his
father, he did not despair nor lose
hope.
Like many other refugees, Mohamad was
not able to go to school for the first 2
years in Lebanon. However, he never lost
his motivation to help others that were
in a more desperate situation. He
empathised with the children, understood
their circumstances, and this fuelled
his will to fight for the rights of
education for himself and other
children.
L'Oreal
model in a hijab has stepped
down after a backlash over
pro-Palestine tweets.
UK: A beauty blogger who
was the first ever hijab-wearing model
to front a mainstream haircare ad has
pulled out of a campaign with L'Oreal
after a backlash over tweets she wrote
in 2014.
Amena Khan wrote on Instagram that she
had decided to step down from the
campaign due to the “current
conversations surrounding it."
Ms Khan had previously told Newsbeat
that she was delighted to be the first
woman in a hijab to be involved in a
mainstream advert for haircare.
It comes after the discovery of tweets
she apparently wrote in 2014 which some
branded as "anti-Israel".
Ms Khan has since deleted the tweets and
apologised for them.
Posting on Instagram she alluded to the
tweets when announcing that she would no
longer be involved in the haircare
campaign.
She said: “I recently took part in a
campaign, which excited me because it
celebrated inclusivity."
She explained that she made the decision
to stand down from the campaign as "the
current conversations surrounding it
detract from the positive and inclusive
sentiment that it set out to deliver".
Regarding her previous tweets, she
wrote: “I deeply regret the content of
the tweets I made in 2014, and sincerely
apologise for the hurt they have caused.
“Championing diversity is one of my
passions, I don’t discriminate against
anyone”.
During her interview with Newsbeat she
had described the L’Oreal campaign as a
“platform for diverse voices and women
who don't fit the very narrow mould of
beauty."
A spokesperson for L’Oreal Paris told
Newsbeat: “We have recently been made
aware of a series of tweets posted in
2014 by Amena Kahn, who was featured in
a UK advertising campaign.
"We appreciate that Amena has since
apologised for the content of these
tweets and the offence they have caused.
"L'Oreal Paris is committed to tolerance
and respect towards all people. We agree
with her decision to step down from the
campaign."
For Humanity or for the Umma?: Aid and Islam in
Transnational Muslim Ngos
by
Marie Juul Petersen
Description
In the wake of 9/11
and the 'War on Terror', transnational Muslim
NGOs have too often been perceived as
illegitimate fronts for global militant networks
such as al-Qaeda or as backers of national
political parties and resistance groups in
Palestine, Afghanistan and elsewhere. Yet
clearly there is more to transnational Muslim
NGOs. Most are legitimate providers of aid to
the world's poor, although their assistance may
sometimes differ substantially from that of
secular NGOs in the West.
Seeking to broaden our understanding of these
organisations, Marie Juul Petersen explores how
Muslim NGOs conceptualise their provision of aid
and the role Islam plays in this. Her book not
only offers insights into a new kind of NGO in
the global field of aid provision; it also
contributes more broadly to understanding
'public Islam' as something more and other than
political Islam.
The book is based on empirical case studies of
four of the biggest transnational Muslim NGOs,
and draws on extensive research in Britain,
Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Jordan and
Bangladesh, and more than 100 interviews with
those involved in such organisations.
KB says:
There is nothing better than the simplicity of
fish and chips which can be served as a meal at
any time of the day.
BATTERED FISH
Ingredients for
marinade
1 box Hake Fillets or fresh fillets of fish
¼ tsp turmeric Powder
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp crushed Garlic
1 tsp green chillies
Salt to taste
Marinate the fish in the above ingredients.
Ingredients for batter
1 cup flour
¼ cup corn flour
½ tsp salt
2 Tbsp oil
½ tsp egg yellow
Pinch of bicarb of soda
Cold water
Mix all above ingredients together and make a
paste with cold water.
Dip fish into the
batter and fry in shallow oil on low heat until
crispy.
Serve with chips and
coleslaw.
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:
THINK AND
RESPOND, OTHERWISE
YOU’RE ONLY REACTING
Nearly four years
ago I received a
clear sign from
ALLAH that
completely shook my
being. It was on a
day where I was
truly down, bashing
myself up and
feeling guilty about
the rude words I had
chosen to speak to
my husband. It was
over a silly joke
which soon turned
into a gigantic
trigger propelling
me to react in a
negative way. He was
completely shocked
at my outburst.
Later, after a
decent apology, he
forgave me (I mean,
of course he had to,
no husband wants to
go to bed hungry :)
Jokes aside, what he
did after forgiving
me was a blessing.
He asked me to
reflect on my
outburst and
understand the
motive behind the
negative, harsh
words I had so
mindlessly thrown at
him.
All he said to me
before we hugged and
made up was, “Before
you speak, think.”
That night as I was
writing at my desk,
I heard my phone
buzz. There was a
picture message on a
whatsapp forum that
was mostly reserved
for banter and
chats. It was rare
that a picture
message would appear
on that particular
chat. I downloaded
the picture and
found the following
words in bold,
colourful words:
It blew my mind.
Subhaan Allah. What
a timely reminder
for me, completely
in unison with my
husband’s advice to
me earlier that
evening.
So, why don’t you
pause for a moment
and reflect on your
day today. Did the
words you speak and
the actions you
perform result from
thinking? Or were
you on auto-pilot,
merely reacting to
whatever came your
way?
Reactions are
mindless. They
cripple you into
perpetuating a
negative pattern
that serves as a
whirlpool, sucking
you deeper into the
darkest depths of
anger, frustration,
self-loathing,
aggression and
self-sabotaging,
sometimes
catastrophising
behaviours.
When you think, you
are forced to bring
awareness to the
part of your mind
that requires
processing. Life is
how you are
constructing your
perceptual
reactions.
Perceptions form the
foundations of your
choices and
judgements about
yourself and others.
The choices you make
must move you
forward in life so
that you are living
a positive, joyful,
kind life. Are your
perceptive abilities
being dumbed down
because you are not
spending time
thinking but rather
reacting? Mindful
choices require to
spend time in
silence and become
aware of yourself.
9 Steps To
Becoming Aware
1. You need to
be silent for a
few minutes and
do an Awareness
Scan of your
physical self.
2. First take a
deep breath and
exhale slowly,
mindfully.
3. Blink your
eyelids and feel
the inner lids
touching the
eyeball.
4. Now, bring
your awareness
to your neck,
your throat, and
your shoulders.
5. Become aware
of your hands,
your fingers and
fingertips.
6. Expand your
chest with deep,
full breaths in
and out a few
times.
7. Bring your
awareness to
your abdomen,
then to your
lower back and
your thighs.
8. Now try and
feel the
softness that is
underneath your
knee-caps.
9. And finally
become aware of
your legs down
to your feet.
Wriggle your
toes.
Spend a few minutes
daily in silence and
become aware.
Awareness enhances
your ability to
respond by thinking
instead of react
without thinking.
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD
Muslimah Reflections
- my new ebook of
poetry and
affirmations
In Shaa ALLAH, next
week we will explore
the topic:
UNDERSTANDING YOUR
ENERGY
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.
If you've been following the café food trends
lately, you would have noticed turmeric has
started becoming a popular spice lately from
turmeric lattes, soups and tablets.
It is now becoming a common ingredient found in
your local brunch cafés and health shops.
What does turmeric do anyway? What is it about
this ingredient that makes it so special? And
where does the research stand behind it?
Turmeric is a spice traditionally used in many
countries worldwide, but is particularly used in
Indian dishes such as curry. Its main bioactive
compound is Curcumin which is the yellow pigment
that is made up of small 'Curcuminoid'
molecules.
Curcumin has effects on the body that is similar
to polyphenols, in that it has antioxidant and
anti-inflammation properties which may be
protective against developing cancers, amongst
other benefits. Traditional Chinese medicine has
used this spice as an ailment for thousands of
years, but only recently has Western medicine
begun to research this functional ingredient.
Recent findings have found that adding turmeric
into your diet may help in reducing the risk of
cancer and be protective for cancer patients.
This is due to its antioxidant properties which
help to reduce inflammation and tumour
progression. Besides cancer, other research
studies has also shown turmeric may help to
reduce the cognitive decline associated with
aging. It can help to reduce plaque levels in
the brain which is associated with dementia and
Alzheimer's disease.
On top of that, consumption of turmeric may
positively benefit those with diabetes. In
animal studies, it was found that it can cause
blood sugar levels to drop. It can also help
with lowering lipid levels. Thus, turmeric may
assist in improving blood glucose control and
insulin activity which can be good treatment for
the side effects of diabetes.
On the down side, its bioavailability (the
ability to be readily absorbed by the body) may
be poor, therefore only a small percentage of
what you consume can be utilised by the body.
However, it can be improved by consuming with an
agent that can enhance absorption such as
piperine, found in black pepper.
Overall, research is still quite new surrounding
turmeric, but there has been numerous positive
findings associated with its consumption. I
recommend you to try to regularly include foods
in your diet which contain turmeric along with
plenty of fruits and vegetables, to reap the
potential health benefits.
Until next time,
Fitria
For any other health questions or enquiries,
send me a message or subscribe to
my blog.
Need an answer to a
nutrition related matter? Send your question to
Fitria at
fitria.s@hotmail.comAll questions sent in
are published here anonymously and without any
references to the author of the question.
BRISBANE - 17
March 2018 at Chandler
Theatre, Sleeman Complex
About
InfoReset
Seminars:
Conscious Events
returns to
Australia & New
Zealand in
February and
March 2018 with
their latest
seminar brand
called InfoReset.
The Full Day
Seminar Tour
(11am to 6pm)
features an
amazing lineup
of authors who
will be speaking
in this part of
the world for
the first time.
Ex Economic Hit
Man, John
Perkins
(USA) who has
spoken at
international
economic summits
will present
hard evidence on
the role of
Economic Hit Men
in the
destruction of
entire countries
and how the
current Death
Economic system
can be
transformed into
a Life Economy!
Conchita
Sarnoff,
Investigative
Journalist and
research
professor at
American
University, will
address the
global epidemic
of human
trafficking and
child abuse that
haunts the
corridors of
power from
Harvard to the
White House.
Son of Oscar
winning
Hollywood
director Olive
Stone and
co-host of RT’s
Watching the
Hawks, Sean
Ali Stone is
the expert
commentator on
global
geopolitics and
the
imperialistic
agenda behind
world events.
Sean has
dedicated his
life to becoming
a symbol of
peace between
the major
religions by
accepting Islam
as his chosen
faith, and to
put an end to
the
miscommunications
and
misrepresentations
of Islam to the
western world.
True to the
name, InfoReset
Seminars
promises to be a
powerful
Information
Reset for all
who attend!
www.inforeset.com
Construction of
the Cultural Centre (Dawah &
Youth Centre) is progressing
well.
This week the doors, windows and
beams for the roof of our GC
Islamic Cultural Centre have
been installed. The plumbing
work is currently in progress
and the interior walls have been
partitioned for rooms and
toilets..
We still need donations to fund
this construction.
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.
HikmahWay offers online and
in-person Islamic courses to
equip Muslims of today with
the knowledge, understanding
and wisdom to lead balanced,
wholesome and beneficial
lives.
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..
Share your
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
here.
Former
refugee Jamila
Gordon has
worked in
technology for
Qantas and IBM –
but she had a
tough start. 
16
year old Syrian boy wins International Peace
Prize 2017
post comments on
our Wall
7
August 2011