Badges of honour for the
Gold Mosque Team of (l to r) Hussain
Baba, Imam Abdelkader Ali and
Hussin Goss
On Friday at 12pm, Imam
Sheikh Mohamed Ali and
Hussain Baba of the Gold
Coast Mosque held the Jumma
in the Multi-Faith Centre at
the Athletes Village of
Commonwealth Games.
About 30 athletes and
officials attended the Jumma
including the famous former
Hockey Gold medallist Hassan
Sardar who won gold at the
1984 Olympics in California.
Now, he is the coach of
Pakistani Hockey team.
After Jumma, the pair rushed
back to the Gold Coast
Masjid for the Jumma at
12.45pm where the Ghanaian
cycling team was in
attendance.
Last week, IWAA’s Settlement
Clients had lunch with the
Minister at the Parliament
House as part of a 10 week
leadership program in
conjunction with ECCQ.
Harmony Day &
Neighbour Day with Logan East
Community Centre
IWAA had the opportunity to
spend and celebrate a very
successful Harmony Day &
Neighbour’s Day with our
CBDC Group on Tuesday, 20
March, with our friends from
Logan East Community
Neighbourhood Centre and. We
shared stories, challenges
and ended the day on a high
with singing and dabke
(dancing).
On Sunday 18 March the
Islamic Practice & Dawah
Circle (IPDC) held the
Queensland launch of the Al
Tadhkirah Institute at
Michael's Oriental, attended
by various prominent members
of Queensland's Muslim
community.
The Launch Event Dinner
included speeches from
Chairman Dr. Akram Hossain,
Imam Ikraam Buksh, Imam
Akram Buksh and Haji Hasan
Goss. The audience also
witnessed Quran Translation
performed by Yusuf Guler,
who has been enrolled in the
Arabic Course for the last 2
months.
The Al Tadhkirah Institute
is a nationwide initiative,
long with the Islamic School
of Canberra, which seeks to
address IPDC's commitment to
developing Islamic Education
in Australia. Al Tadhkirah
Queensland, operating from
Slacks Creek Mosque, offers
Quran Classes for both Adult
and Children, Arabic Course,
Hifz Acadamy, Sharia Course
and Revert Course. Al
Tadhkirah Queensland also
seeks to train homegrown
Islamic Scholars, so that
Australian Muslims have the
option of becoming Scholars
without having to travel
overseas. Al Tadhkirah is
also based in Sydney,
Melbourne and Perth, though
these centers at this point
are still early on in
development.
The extensive range of
courses available in
Queensland has been made
possible due to Imam Ikraam
Buksh joining IPDC in the
last 12 months. Imam Ikraam
has made it his lifelong
commitment to develop Home
Grown Islamic Scholars and
to achieve this he has
sacrificed much of his
childhood and adulthood
studying in South Africa
from some of the greatest
Islamic Scholars of our
time. He has now returned to
Australia to spread the
knowledge he has obtained
overseas. To assist him in
this he has already trained
three Australian Born
Scholars, Maulana Luqman
Najib, Maulana Hakim Najib
and Maulana Abdur Raheem,
who also are delivering the
courses at Al Tadhkirah
Queensland.
Al Tadhkirah Queensland
Board:
Dr. Mohammed Akram Hossain -
Queensland Chairman; Maulana
Luqman Najib - Secretary;
Imam Ikraam Buksh -
Queensland Principle and
Vice Chancellor; Saba Ahmed
- Treasurer; Dr. Saifullah
Akram - Media; Imam Akram
Buksh; Farook Adam; Al
Tadhkirah National Chairman,
Principle and Chancellor:
Maulana Rafiqul Islam (Based
in Victoria)
Members of Sydney Youth
Connect drove from Sydney to
Tathra last Friday.
Volunteers from a Sydney
youth group are being hailed
for their generosity after
driving to the fire-ravaged
town of Tathra to host a
free sausage sizzle for the
community.
As the coastal New South
Wales town mends following a
devastating bushfire that
swept through less than
weeks ago, kind offers of
support and aid have come
from far and wide.
The men from Sydney Youth
Connect, a youth
organisation in Sydney’s
south-west, made the
six-hour trip to Tathra last
Friday night.
Staying at the Big4 Tathra
Beach Holiday Park, they set
up a free sausage sizzle
outside the surf club the
following day.
“These guys drove from
Sydney one night, cooked
1000 sausages and kebabs for
Tathra people for free,” the
holiday park wrote on
Facebook yesterday.
“What an awesome effort.”
They were joined by members
of the Engadine Rural Fire
Brigade, who have championed
the recovery effort in
Tathra.
The park owners offered a
night of free accommodation,
but the humble team turned
it down and returned to
Sydney that night.
The Facebook post has been
shared over 6800 times on
Facebook, with many praising
their generosity and
community spirit.
“These guys made me cry. I
watched them setting up
while I was at the
lifesaving club looking for
help and I bawled my eyes
out at their generosity and
community spirit,” one
onlooker said.
“Absolutely beautiful
demonstration of love and
caring,” another commenter
wrote.
“Well done and thank you for
sending a much-needed
message to society and a
huge hug to the people of
Tathra when they needed it
most.
"I hope they realise how
much they have liefted
people's spirits."
The
9News
The team from Sydney Youth
Connect were joined by members
of the Engadine Fire Brigade.
An Islamic school in
Melbourne's north -
thousands of kilometres away
from Syria - has become the
epicentre for a gift box
campaign to bring some
happiness to the lives of
the children orphaned or
displaced in the conflict.
For the past four weeks, the
careers room at Al Siraat
College in the outer
Melbourne suburb of Epping
has been transformed into a
student-driven gift box
production line.
And still the donations keep
coming as the deadline for
gathering children's
presents to send to Syria
approaches.
Masterminding the operation
is maths and science teacher
Noori Ahmad.
'Girls, make sure there is
no food, no lollies, no
chocolate, no licorice and
no military toys in any of
the boxes at all," she tells
her students.
Ms Ahmad estimates the boxes
produced at the school for
children of all ages have
topped one thousand.
"As you can see they're
still coming in," she said.
"I have about 300 boxes at
my own residence and I have
got about 40 boxes in my car
that I haven't unloaded
yet."
It's part of an
Australia-wide
'Shoebox4Syria' campaign,
that aims to provide gifts
for refugee camps in Syria.
Boxes from Melbourne, Sydney
and Brisbane will be shipped
out to the Middle East by
the end of next month and
it's hoped the gifts will be
in the hands of displaced
Syrian children in time for
the Eid festival in June -
the celebration that marks
the end of Ramadan.
The aim is to produce more
than twenty thousand boxes
from Australia.
Al Siraat College student
council Year 12
representative Bilal Adnan
said he and fellow students
were keen to get involved.
"We felt that we could help,
even if it's in a small way,
just to bring a smile to
their faces," he said.
For student, Osama Akkad,
it's a campaign close to his
heart, having fled Syria
with his family.
'It's about helping my
brothers and sisters in my
country back there and
letting them experience how
we experience Eid here," he
said.
A Australian Muslim woman who wears the niqab (face veil) has
described how she responded
to hate with good character
when she was told to ‘get
out’ whilst out shopping.
She recorded a video aimed
at other Muslim women where
she said:
“Whilst I was shopping, this
lady actually asked me to
get out. She said that how
could you ever be allowed in
this place with this thing
on your face.
I don’t know what got into
me, I just had to give her a
hug. I said, ‘sister can I
please give you a hug.’ And
I just gave her a hug. I
hugged her and subhanAllah
it was amazing how she just
burst out crying on my
shoulder. She just cried and
cried and cried her heart
out subhanAllah.
And then I just lifted up my
Niqab and I told her,
‘sister, I’m not doing this
out of oppression, I’m doing
this out of my own choice’
and she started crying even
more.
And I said ‘why are you so
upset?’ And she said,
‘because I just saw a
documentary this morning
about how Muslim women are
forced and oppressed…to wear
the hijab and this thing on
your face.‘ I said, ‘that’s
exactly why you have so much
hate, because you are
watching these things on the
media and you’re believing
what you see on the media.’
SubhanAllah, she had a
completely different picture
of us…of Muslim women.
And she apologised to me,
she hugged me, she was so
happy subhanAllah. She kept
on thanking me for telling
her.
My reason for telling you
guys this is it’s amazing
what akhlaq can do, It’s
amazing what good character
can do. It’s absolutely
amazing what just a hug and
just a smile can do.
Dave Andrews of the Uniting
Church in Brisbane led the
Jihad Of Jesus tour round
England and, at one of the
many stops along the way,
attended a private meeting
with the staff and students
at the Cambridge Muslim
College, dedicated to
training Islamic scholars,
leaders and imams for the
UK, hosted by world renowned
and well respected Islamic
scholar Shaykh Abdal Hakim
Murad (Dr Timothy Winter)
and Shaykh Ibrahim Mogra.
"As you might imagine, a
college full of brilliant,
educated, articulate Islamic
scholars, leaders and imams
in training, provided a
fantastic opportunity for
animated exchanges of
faith-based ideas. But the
college also provided a
wonderful opportunity for a
more intimate, beautiful,
vulnerable, heart-felt
conversation about our
faiths."
"A young female scholar in a
niqab, told us how she had
been abused on the street
that morning by a woman
wearing a crucifix, and how
the evening was lovely
experience of healing for
her personally."
Tourism student, Naseema
Mustapha (left) has taken on a
volunteer role as a
Multicultural Community
Ambassador promoting the
excitement of the Gold Coast
2018 Commonwealth Games to
people from African countries
like Tendayi Ndoro, a Griffith
Commerce student from Zimbabwe.
To say Naseema Mustapha is
connected is to err on the
side of understatement.
A native of South Africa she
is heavily involved in the
activities of the Queensland
African Community Council.
She also has strong and
vibrant links with an
ever-growing Muslim
community in southeast
Queensland.
For the postgraduate tourism
student at Griffith
University, therefore, the
Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth
Games (GC2018) could not
have come at a more
opportune time. She has
seized the moment,
volunteering at the Gold
Coast 2018 Commonwealth
Games Corporation (GOLDOC)
to be a Multicultural
Community Ambassador
representing South Africa at
GC2018.
“It’s an appointment focused
on the inclusion of
Australia’s culturally
diverse communities,” she
says. “I’m using my networks
to build a sense of
ownership and excitement
about the Games here in
different communities.
“It’s an awareness-building
role where I’m helping to
generate interest in the
Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth
Games among people from
countries like Zimbabwe,
Zambia, Mozambique, India
and Pakistan, as well as
South Africa.”
Be part of history
Part of the role involves
posting regular updates to
social media on athletics,
badminton, hockey and
squash. A key focus at
present is the hockey game
on the second day of the
Games between South Africa
and Scotland.
“There is great enthusiasm
among these communities
about the Games. The
Africans really love their
sport so they are keen to
know who is coming to
compete and in which sports.
Their sense of affiliation
with home is very strong.
“Through my social media
networks I’m also helping to
make them aware of Festival
2018 and the many
multicultural events that
will be happening around the
Games, letting them know
that they can be part of the
momentum and the history
that will be made on the
Gold Coast. I am also
connecting with the various
international student clubs
at Griffith University.”
While studying a Bachelor of
International Tourism and
Hotel Management, Naseema
won the Griffith Award for
Academic Excellence in 2015
and 2016. She also took out
the Queensland Government
Multicultural Awards
Outstanding Volunteer Award
2016 and, most recently, was
presented with the Griffith
Business School Global
Community Service Award in
November.
She is now studying a Master
of International Tourism and
Hotel Management at Griffith
University’s South Bank
campus; for her the right
degree at exactly the right
time.
“I can see the tourism
potential; there are
multiple opportunities. This
experience can also open up
avenues for me in tourism in
the future. Right now, it’s
a great opportunity to
promote Australia as a
destination to visit for a
major sporting event.”
The excitement around GC2018
reminds Naseema of EXPO ’88
in Brisbane when – as an
18-year-old – she immersed
herself in the celebrations
after her parents bought a
family pass for the season.
“I remember seeing how it
transformed Brisbane and
South Bank, and I envisage
something similar happening
on the Gold Coast. There is
a massive opportunity for
job creation in the region
in the aftermath.”
Australians, Amna
Karra-Hassan and Assmaah
Helal have made it to the
2018 Women in Sport Power
List that includes 30 of the
most influential Muslim
Women in Sport from 20
countries around the globe
who impact the lives of
many.
Where the Muslim community
is constantly in the
spotlight globally, Muslim
women are often being
judged, and spoken about in
the media, as opposed to
being given a chance to
represent themselves.
“This Power List showcases a
diverse tapestry of
professions within the
sports industry and women
from all walks of life, who
represent 20 countries and
together positively impact
the lives millions across
the world,” as described by
the Muslim Women in Sport
Network.
Eager to play the sport, she
searched for an AFL team in
Western Sydney and found
there was none. She took the
initiative and started her
own.
“I’m honoured to be
recognised among the sports
leaders and women who
inspire me! It’s fulfilling
to contribute locally to
women’s sport, governance
and leadership. It’s
incredible to grow that
passion and contribute to
the conversation and
influence change on a global
scale,” stated Amna
Karra-Hassan.
Assmaah Helal is an
award-winning Program
Administrator and Chair of
the Commonwealth Youth Sport
for Development, and Peace
Group.
She was recognised for her
innovative impact on women’s
sport. She is also the
Programme Operations Manager
at Creating Chances,
Football United.
“I am absolutely thrilled
and honoured to be on the
Muslim women in sport power
list, listed among some
incredible women around the
world leading positive
change in sport and society.
It is about time we change
the conversation about how
we are portrayed in sport,”
said Assmaah Helal.
Carried out on Friday 16
March, The Power List
selection panel included
Prince Ali bin Hussein of
Jordan, former NFL player
Husain Abdullah and Baroness
Sayeeda Warsi from the UK,
the first Muslim woman to
serve in the UK Cabinet.
Along with the launch of the
list, the MWSN is launching
a Muslim Women in Sport
Virtual Summit, ‘Innovators
in Sport’, to be carried out
between 4-6 May 2018.
The organisation aims to
demonstrate the range of
achievement of Muslim women
as a minority in the Sports
industry.
It also intends to shift the
narratives in today’s
context by not only
reiterating the true
strength of Muslim women but
presenting role models for
younger generations to
emulate.
Staff and parents of the
Islamic School of Canberra.
The Federal Government has
effectively reinstated the
Commonwealth funding of the
Islamic School of Canberra
by accepting the Islamic
Practice and Dawah Circle (IPDC)
as the Approved Authority
for the school, ending a
long and controversial link
with the Australian
Federation of Islamic
Councils (AFIC).
For over two years, the
school has been in on the
cusp of closure after the
Federal Government announced
they will be ceasing funding
for the school primarily due
to governance issues. A new
Board, headed by Azra Khan
and consisting solely of
Canberra Muslim community
members then sought to
address those issues
ultimately leading to the
transfer of the land and the
school to the IPDC late last
year.
Since then the school has
worked tireless to
demonstrate to the
government that it had
resolved the outstanding
issues. Remarkably, in that
period it retained most of
its dedicated teachers and
increased the student
numbers.
The school released a
statement by David Johns,
Principal, and Dr Rafiqul
Islam, Chair of the School
Board:
“This has been a long and
involved process over many
months and the reinstating
of funding now means that we
are well prepared to
continue to grow our school
into the future. A guarantee
of funding means that we can
continue to invest in
quality teaching and
learning practices, develop
our school facilities and
develop a strategic plan
that involves increasing
year levels, student numbers
and school capital works.”
Dr Majharul Talukder, Board
Secretary, thanked the
community and asked them to
continue to pray for the
school’s success and support
it in any way they can.
The School Board thanked the
parents, students and staff
for their patience, the
previous Board members for
their hard work and the
Association of Independent
Schools for their support.
They also thanked the
Department of Education and
the ACT Education
Directorate who have worked
closely with the school in
seeking the reinstatement of
funding.
An event to share
information with the school
community and show gratitude
is planned in April 2018 at
the school.
Dr. Amir Zayegh, Secretary
of the Muslim Professionals
Association, tells us about
his work as a doctor at the
Royal Children’s Hospital.
The MPA are proud to be
supporting the life-changing
work of the Royal Children’s
Hospital by fundraising as
part of the Muslim
Community’s support to the
Good Friday Appeal.
"My name is Amir and I
am a Neonatal Fellow at
the Royal Children’s
Hospital (RCH) in
Melbourne. I am in my
final year of training
to become a
Neonatologist, which is
a doctor specialising in
caring for sick and
premature babies. I am
currently working in the
Intensive Care Unit,
otherwise known as the
Butterfly Ward, and was
recently working in
neonatal retrieval for
PIPER (Paediatric,
Infant and Perinatal
Emergency Retrieval)
based at RCH."
With a thriving business and
14 children to tend to, Shea
Terra Organics founder Tammie
Umbel is constantly on the go.
US: Days begin on her farm
in Leesburg, Virginia, where
she spends mornings
answering work emails and
getting her eight younger
children ready for the day.
Later, she spends about four
hours teaching them
everything from language
arts to math in their
at-home classroom.
Once the lessons end, Umbel
dashes off to work in her
factory, a 30-minute drive
away. She stays late into
the night and then heads
back home to catch five or
six hours of sleep.
"The next day, the cycle
starts all over again," she
said.
But not before Umbel, a
devout Muslim, gathers with
her family for early morning
prayers.
Umbel, 45, runs Shea Terra
Organics, which makes skin
and hair care products using
shea butter and other exotic
ingredients sourced from
Africa, like maobi butter
and marula oil.
She launched her business in
2000 with $1,500 and started
turning a profit five years
ago. Last year, the business
brought in $2 million in
sales.
Shea Terra now has seven
employees, but Umbel still
plays many roles: working on
new products and overseeing
marketing, packaging and
distribution.
Umbel came up with the idea
for Shea Terra while at the
mosque.
"I would go to the mosque
for prayers and meet women
from Africa and other
countries. I would learn
from them about the products
they used like henna, shea
butter and black seed oil
for their beauty rituals,"
she said.
She wanted to introduce
those ingredients to a wider
market in America. Umbel
connected with her first
supplier and started selling
black seed oil and shea
butter online.
It was slow going initially.
But then in 2001, demand for
shea butter took off. "I
remember returning from a
trip to Saudi Arabia that
year. My friend who was
watching the business said
we had sold $1,000 of the
shea butter product in just
one month," said Umbel.
Since then, the business has
steadily grown into a
national brand, with 300
products sold both online
and at The Vitamin Shoppe
stores across the US.
Umbel travels to Africa a
few times a year to meet
with vendors and look for
new ingredients. But those
visits now also have a
deeper purpose.
"When I started the company,
I said I didn't want in any
way to harm the planet and I
wanted to open up
opportunities for other
people," said Umbel.
She's baked those principles
into her business model. "I
partner with vendors who are
people in need or they're
trying to protect their
community or habitat."
Shea Terra Organics sells 300
different skin and hair care
products.
The company's Desert Date
Beauty Oil, for example, is
produced as part of a
wildlife and elephant
conservation project in
Burkina Faso. Payments to
the local women vendors
there allow them to buy food
supplies instead of
encroaching on wildlife
habitats to grow their food,
she said.
Umbel says she also donates
2.5% of her yearly savings
to charity, mostly to an
organization called Village
of Hope Uganda.
But turning that one smart
idea into a thriving
business that helps others
isn't her only
accomplishment.
Umbel has 14 children
ranging in age from 5 to 27
-- all of whom she has
homeschooled. Six of her
oldest children are in
college, studying a variety
of subjects, including
medicine and engineering.
The remaining eight children
live with her and her
husband on their 10-acre
farm.
Umbel was at a mosque in
Washington, D.C., when she
first met her husband, a
nephrologist who moved to
the US from Pakistan.
"I told him I wanted us to
live on a farm because I saw
it as a way for us to be
self-sufficient," said
Umbel. Her kids help raise
sheep and chickens, they
ride horses and keep bees.
"As a child I had never even
set foot on a farm," she
said. "If you compare my
life before I got married,
you couldn't imagine what my
own family would have looked
like."
She grew up in Maryland,
raised as a Christian by a
single mother. "My family
was German, Irish descent.
We struggled and moved a
lot. At one point, we didn't
have a home," she said.
Tammie Umbel with her
daughter Hasannah during a visit
to Namibia.
Her disruptive childhood
forced her to change schools
several times. "I never
finished school despite
being in a program for
gifted students," she said.
At 15, she left home and
went out on her own, relying
on the kindness of friends
and odd jobs to get by.
One of the families she
stayed with introduced her
to Islam. She eventually
embraced the religion and
converted.
"The more I studied
it, the more I felt
Islam is my truth,"
said Umbel.
She now wears a hijab, which
makes her stand out in her
suburban Virginia
neighbourhood.
"As far as I know, I am
the only Muslim woman in
my immediate area. When
people see me they think
I'm Iranian, Syrian or
Pakistani because of my
headscarf. I'm
Muslim-American and
proud of it,"
she said.
Looking to the future, she
hopes her children will
follow in her footsteps in
one way.
"I don't necessarily want
them to follow my career
path. I want them to be the
best at what interests
them," she said. "However, I
do hope that each one will
campaign for wildlife
conservation, as well as
lend a helping hand to those
in hard times."
The 20-year-old is the first
hijab-wearer to take part in the
beauty competition
A Muslim beauty queen is set
to become the first Miss
England contestant to
compete wearing a hijab.
Maria Mahmood, 20, came
runner-up in the Miss
Birmingham heat and has made
it through to the
semi-finals of the national
competition.
If she is successful, Maria
will then take part in the
Miss England finals, with
the winner going on to
represent the nation in Miss
World.
Maria, an aspiring social
worker, said she wanted to
challenge the negative
stereotypes faced by Muslims
and that she wanted to
'represent diversity and
multi-multiculturalism'.
Speaking to FEMAIL, the
beauty queen added she is
still undecided on whether
she will take part in the
contest's swimwear
competition.
While a Muslim woman has
previously been crowned Miss
England, Maria is the first
hijab-wearer to take part.
She admitted she felt the
weight of the responsibility
she was taking on: 'I wear a
hijab, you are really
wearing your Muslim
identity,' she said.
'In today's society we
[Muslims] are not exactly
loved because what is
happening in the world.'
Commenting on the
misconceptions about wearing
a hijab, she added:
'Everyone sees a woman
covered and think I'm
oppressed, but am I not free
if I choose to cover my
skin?'
Maria decided to apply for
Miss Birmingham, her first
beauty pageant, after a
friend sent her a link to
the application.
However she thought she
stood little chance of being
accepted.
'I told the organiser, "I
have wardrobe restrictions
and I am not a size 8,"'
Maria said. 'I am new to the
pageant world so I didn't
know. But she said: "You
don't need to worry, there
is not a bikini round any
more".
'You need to wear good
clothes and you need to look
polished but you don't need
to look like a supermodel.'
Maria also wanted to prove
wrong the childhood bullies
who had tormented her over
her looks.
'Growing up, I used to get
bullied told that I was so
ugly I should commit
suicide,' she said. 'I
wanted to show that it
didn't have to be this way.'
Maria was fast-tracked
through to the final where
she competed against 30
other women and was named
first runner up.
Maria will soon start work
with a charity for mothers
with post-natal depression
'On the day, I was very
nervous. I was the only
hijab-wearing person there.
'You know when you're
nervous anyway, and then you
become even more nervous
because you don't see anyone
else who looks like you?'
But the judges were
impressed with Maria's
performance and she made it
through to the top 10 before
finally being crowned first
runner-up, ensuring her a
place in the semi-finals.
'You need to be, confident,
well-spoken and be motivated
to spread a good message,'
she said.
She continued: 'Afterwards I
had the judges coming up to
me telling me how much they
loved what I was
representing. That really,
really felt good.
'An Indian girl came up to
me afterwards and said: "As
an Asian woman I would
never, never consider doing
this but now seeing you I
definitely will pursue it".
'You shouldn't let your skin
colour and your race hold
your back.'
Justice Haddon-Cave invokes
Islamic theology in condemnation
of Ahmed Hassan, who carried out
September tube bombing.
Ahmed Hassan placed an
explosive device that failed to
detonate completely at Parsons
Green station in London, UK
A British judge has invoked
Islamic theology in the
sentencing of a teenager
convicted of carrying out an
attack on a tube train in
central London.
Ahmed Hassan was sentenced
to a minimum of 34 years in
prison on Friday for the
attack at Parsons Green
station in September last
year.
The explosive device he made
failed to detonate
completely and killed no one
but left at least 30 people
injured.
At the trial, Justice
Charles Haddon-Cave said the
18-year-old sympathiser of
the Islamic State of Iraq
and the Levant (ISIL, also
known as ISIS) group had
committed 'hiraba'
(terrorism) and caused
'corruption in the land'.
Both terms are used in
Islamic law to describe acts
of rebellion and are often
used by theologians in the
modern context to refer to
"terrorism".
"You will have plenty of
time to study the Quran in
prison in the years to
come," Justice Haddon-Cave
said in his closing remarks
at Hassan's trial.
He added:
“You should
understand that the
Qur’an is a book of
peace; Islam is a
religion of peace. The
Qur’an and Islam forbid
anything extreme,
including extremism in
religion. Islam forbids
breaking the ‘law of the
land’ where one is
living or is a guest.
Islam forbids terrorism
(hiraba).
The Qur’an and the
Sunna provide that the
crime of perpetrating
terror to “cause
corruption in the land”
is one of the most
severe crimes in Islam.
So it is in the law of
the United Kingdom. You
have, therefore,
received the most severe
of sentences under the
law of this land.
You have violated the
Qur’an and Islam by your
actions, as well as the
law of all civilized
people. It is to be
hoped that you will come
to realise this one
day.”
Hassan arrived in the UK as
a 16-year-old refugee from
Iraq just three years
earlier.
At the time, he claimed to
have been an orphan who had
been kidnapped by ISIL.
A
Shaykh in Florida by the
name of Shaykh Azhar Nasser
is currently winning at
Twitter! Not too long ago he
began tweeting the questions
posed to him alongside
responses to those
questions.
It’s probably worth stating
at this point that if you
don’t have a sense of
humour, please read no
further.
His Twitter feed is a great
reminder that religion
doesn’t always have to be
about punishment, hell and
brimstone and that sometimes
we need to take a moment to
stop and actually have some
fun!
I’m not entirely sure what
the straw was that broke the
camel’s back, so to speak,
but the Shaykh isn’t holding
back anymore. Ask him
questions at your peril!
A new wave of food bloggers
is putting the spotlight on
halal foods and carving out a
niche on social media.
In a world dominated by
influencers, “food porn” and
sponsored posts, a new breed
of Muslim foodies -
colloquially known as
‘haloodies’ are carving out
a niche on social media for
the odd 1 billion consumers
of halal food (meaning
lawful in Arabic) around the
globe. According to The
Economist, the Islamic
market will be worth more
than $5 trillion by 2020, so
you could say these bloggers
are onto something.
Their task? Broadly,
convincing the rest of the
world that halal food isn’t
actually that scary (on the
contrary, it’s delicious,
ethical, and more than
worthy of the popular
Instafood hashtag), and
dissolving the negative
stereotypes unfortunately
pinned to Muslims and the
food they eat.
Of course, it depends who
you ask. Each ‘Haloodie’
food blog is as unique as
the person or team behind
it, with different aims and
philosophies underpinning
them.
The London Haloodie
showcases fine halal food at
luxury restaurants around
the world, while Tazzamina
is a lifestyle influencer
who wants her audience to
know Muslims can pull off
fabulous flatlays just as
good as anyone else.
American born Yvonne Maffei
is something of a halal food
celebrity. Her expansive
food blog,
My Halal Kitchen,
showcases recipes for an
array of cuisines, seasons
and meal types – it’s a
veritable bible for anyone
looking to up their halal
game.
“The mission of My Halal
Kitchen is to provide home
cooks with the tools to
prepare completely halal
meals, including those with
the necessary substitutions
to make every dish halal and
without having to filter a
recipe for non-halal
ingredients,” the website
reads. “It aims to make the
lives of readers better by
expanding the list of
available recipes that are
wholesome, healthy,
delicious, economical and
halal.”
Maffei divides her time
between Ohio and Dubai,
highlighting local gems,
recipes and food tips along
the way. Want to know where
to find halal deli meat in
Chicago? Maffei will be able
to tell you.
With haloodie space is ever
expanding (honourable
mentions go to Sydney Halal
Eats, Halal Girl About Town,
Dima Sharif) and they're
cashing in on a big market,
and reaching untapped social
audiences.
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.
13
"We don't want to waste our
lives in this whirlpool that
we were in the past 30
years. We want to end this
epoch now. We want , as the
Saudi people, to enjoy the
coming days and concentrate
on developing our society
and developing ourselves as
individuals and families,
whole retaining our religion
and customs".
HRH Crown
Prince Muhammad bin Salman
Al-Saud is the Crown Prince
of Saudi Arabia, Chief of
the Royal Court, Minister of
State, First Deputy Prime
Minister and Minister of
Defence, all at the tender
age of 32, making him the
youngest Minister of Defence
in the world.
Rapid Appointments:
At the beginning of 2015,
Prince Muhammad bin Salman
was largely unknown in
political and diplomatic
circles. Since his father’s
accession to the throne in
January 2015, Prince
Muhammad has been swiftly
appointed to a number of
powerful positions. He was
first, on 23 January,
appointed Minister of
Defence, and also named
Secretary General of the
Royal Court. Then, on 29
January, Prince Muhammad was
named the chair of the
Council for Economic and
Development Affairs, and was
given control over Saudi
Aramco by royal decree. In
June 2017, he was appointed
as Crown Prince of the
Kingdom following his
father’s decision to remove
Prince Muhammad bin Nayef
from all positions.
Military Challenges:
As Minister of Defence the
young prince has to deal
with many key military
issues which Saudi Arabia is
currently involved in. He is
perhaps most personally
identified with the air
campaigns against Houthi
strongholds in Yemen. Saudi
Arabia is also backing the
international coalition
against DA’ISH in Iraq and
Syria, supporting the
monarchy in Bahrain, and
arming the anti-Assad forces
in Syria. His ascension to
the role of Crown Prince
coincided with geopolitical
tensions among members of
the Gulf Cooperation Council
and the cutting of
diplomatic ties with Qatar
in the summer of 2017.
Charity Work and Youth
Development: Before his
recent promotions, Prince
Muhammad bin Salman was
known as the founder and
chairman of the ‘Misk
Foundation’, a charitable
initiative seeking to
bolster creativity,
innovation and talent in
Saudi youths in the fields
of science, arts and
technology. He also heads
the King Salman Youth
Centre. These experiences,
and his own age, have made
him popular amongst the
youth (70% of the Saudi
population is under 30).
Vision 2030: As
Chairman of the Council of
Economic and Development
Affairs, Crown Prince
Muhammad bin Salman launched
“Vision 2030”, a
comprehensive, multi-year
plan for the future of Saudi
Arabia. The ambitious plan
seeks to revitalize the
Saudi economy by bolstering
the Kingdom as a global
investments powerhouse, and
moving away from
oil-dependency as the
largest source of national
income. It also seeks to
strengthen government
efficiency and the promotion
of a “tolerant, thriving,
and stable Saudi Arabia that
provides opportunity for
all.”
ANOTHER FROM THE TOP 50
INFLUENTIAL MUSLIMS IN NEXT
WEEK'S CCN
14 stages of
love according
to the Arabic
language
By Rayana Khalaf
Arabs are in a
league of our
own when it
comes to
romance. I mean,
just look at the
ways we express
love, we're
always ready to
sacrifice our
skin and bones
for the people
we love.
Over-the-top
demonstration of
love goes beyond
our everyday
conversation, as
it is rooted
deep within our
literature.
There is no
shortage of epic
and fiery poems
in Arab
literature,
brought to us by
the likes of Abu
Nawas and Nizar
Qabbani.
In these poems,
we see
variations of
words referring
to love, like "'oshk"
and "gharam"...
but contrary to
popular belief,
these words are
not synonymous.
They each refer
to a unique
degree of love.
Actually, there
are 14 degrees
of love in
Arabic language.
Here they are in
increasing order
of intensity:
As
the 62nd session
of the
Commission on
the Status of
Women (CSWS62)
was underway
this week in New
York City, Rev.
Canon Terrie
Robinson
encouraged faith
leaders to see
their positive
role in speaking
out for gender
justice in their
communities.
When it comes to
living and
working with a
sense of
justice, “faith
leaders and
faith groups -
at least where
they are
adequately
equipped - have
huge potential,”
she said.
In addition to
Side by Side,
speakers on the
15 March panel
represented Finn
Church Aid, the
Lutheran World
Federation,
Centro Bartolomé
de las Casas,
and Islamic
Relief
Worldwide.
Iman Sandra
Pertek, senior
policy advisor
for gender at
Islamic Relief,
highlighted how
the most
important
foundations of
the Muslim faith
are important
for gender
justice:
upholding
balance,
upholding
dignity,
respecting
equality,
standing up for
justice, and
exercising
rights and
responsibilities.
She quoted
Prophet Muhammad
(pbuh) on
positive
masculinity,
saying “the best
of you are those
who are best to
your wives and
families.”
Hussin Goss
facilitates another Gold Coast
conversion
The Island of Peace
Nas Daily
Anoushé Husain shatters
expectations with one arm
The Happiness
Heroes
School under attack for
teaching Islam
Sunrise
Angry parents
have slammed a Sydney Catholic
college for teaching Islam, and
'forcing out' a student who
complained about it.
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.
Look
up in the sky! It’s a bird! A plane! No?
They’re Muslim superheroes!
Ladies and gentlemen,
meet the 99, originally created by Dr.
Naif Al-Mutawa. These Muslim superheroes
highlight universal values, while at the
same time, aim to revolutionize Islamic
culture.
Originally born in Kuwait, after the
break of 9/11, Dr. Al-Mutawa, took a
leap towards a life-changing idea for
the superhero franchise and the Muslim
world.
Misrepresentation of
Islam is a common reoccurrence found in
media, thus Dr. Al-Mutawa decided to
alter that by re-defining a way for the
public to see how misconceived the mass
audiences essentially are in
understanding the essence of the
attributes which defines Islam.
In a CNN interview, he explained,
“Everytime something terrible happens in
the name of my culture, my culture
becomes diluted. I wanted to grab the
bull by the horns and change it,”
After starting his own company known as
Teshkeel Media Group, Dr. Al-Mutawa,
being the new C.E.O, began the journey
of The 99, the comic-book series based
on the 99 core virtues and principles of
God in Islam. The 99 is also based on 99
characters who received mysterious and
unusual traits and abilities after
coming into contact with ancient Noor
stone gems.
Dr. Al-Mutawa
stated, “I wanted to take the
central values of my faith, which I
believe are human values, and use
them creatively.”
Dr. Al-Mutawa hopes to
showcase an immensely tolerant, peaceful
and eclectic variation of Islam, all in
the aims of turning the negative
stereotypes of Muslims to one of a more
positive appeal and mindset. He has been
invited to give two TED-talks, featured
in Forbes magazine, won prizes in the
Gulf region and has received endorsement
from the Saudi State.
“In a world where Muslims were just evil
characters, these offer another way of
seeing Muslims”, said Dr. Al-Mutawa.
Love
A Muslim Day poster goes viral in response
to vile racist mailout
‘This increasing Muslim prison
population is a symptom of a
broken justice system and a gang
problem that is rapidly getting
worse,’ says Dr Mohammed Qasim
The
posters encourage people to do
nice things for Muslims and
people in need
UK: A poster encouraging
people to 'love a Muslim' has gone viral
in response to a vile mailout
encouraging people to attack Muslims on
a day of hatred.
The initial mailout, titled
'Punish A Muslim Day', contains anti
Islamic statements and a sick points
system awarded for increasingly serious
offences against Muslims on April 3.
It was sent to addresses across
Yorkshire and has sparked an
investigation by the North East Counter
Terrorism Unit.
The vile poster was met with horror
across social media and made national
headlines.
But now a new poster, entitled Love A
Muslim Day, has been put together
directly contrasting the original
mailout - and has gone viral among
people disgusted by the racist printout.
It encourages people to do nice things
for Muslims and people in need, on the
same day - April 3.
In direct contrast to the original
poster it reads: "They have loved you.
They have made you so many curries and
kebabs. They have created so much love
between people. How will you repay this?
"Be a normal person. Be a special
person. Show your love!"
The poster features a rewards system for
actions taken, including 10 points for
smiling at a Muslim, 50 points for
throwing different coloured flowers on a
Muslim, 500 points for fasting in
Ramadhan and celebrating Eid, and 2500
points for buying a Hajj package for a
Muslim family.
Muslim Engagement and Development (MEND)
said their Yorkshire Regional Manager
Shahab Ud'deen had created the poster.
In Service of God and Humanity: The Legacy of
Shaykh Muhammad al-Ghazali
by
Benaouda Bensaid
DESCRIPTION
In his passionate devotion to the task of
inviting others to Islam, Muhammad al-Ghazali
(1917-1996) presented Muslims with a powerful
critique of themselves, not only in their
endemic failure to project Islam in the best,
most reasoned light, but also in their betrayal
of the Qur’an’s spiritual principles and the
highest standards set by the Prophet Muhammad.
This work analyzes al-Ghazali’s critique of
du’at (those inviting to Islam) and the practice
of da’wah work itself (the call to Islam).
It also examines his
methodology, various proposed solutions, and the
juristic responses to his perspective.
The evolution of al-Ghazali’s
thought and the people and factors influencing
him are key elements of the study.
It is hard to
conceive where the state of discourse on da’wah
and Islamic reform would be without al-Ghazali’s
outstanding contributions.
KB says:
Sharing Raeesa Khatree's recipe from her The
Great Australian Bake Off appearance.
Talk about the
perfect pair: pears and walnuts atop buttermilk
waffles.
Pear and walnut buttermilk waffles
Recipe by Raeesa Khatree
from The Great Australian
Bake Off
Ingredients
Waffle
450g plain flour
2tsp table salt
150g corn flour
1.5 tsp baking
powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of
soda
1.5 tsp cinnamon
powder
4 extra large eggs –
separated
110g castor sugar
2tsp vanilla bean
paste
750ml buttermilk
230ml full cream
milk
240ml sunflower oil
1 cup crushed
walnuts
Pears in
verjuice
6 pears – slightly
firm but ripe
2 tbsp demerara
sugar
12 strands of
saffron
ľ cup Sangiovese
Verjuice
1 cup castor sugar
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup water
Pear peel
crisps
Pear peel from pears
used above
Ľ cup castor sugar
1 tsp fine salt
Ľ tsp cinnamon
Mapled syrup
walnuts
1 cup whole walnuts
˝ cup maple syrup
1 tbsp sunflower oil
1 tsp salt flakes
Mapled walnut
ice cream
1˝ cups whole milk
2 tbsp granulated
sugar
1˝ cups heavy cream
5 egg yolks
ľ cup maple syrup
Ľ tsp vanilla
extract
Pinch salt
Method
1. Preheat oven to
170°C. Toast whole
and crushed walnuts
on baking pan. Place
in oven.
2. For the waffles,
separate eggs. Place
egg whites in bowl
of stand mixer and
whisk until soft
peaks form.
Gradually add castor
sugar and after
peaks are firm and
glossy, add vanilla
bean paste. Combine
milk, buttermilk,
oil and egg yolks in
a very large bowl
and whisk, set
aside. Combine
flour, corn flour,
salt, bicarb, baking
powder, cinnamon.
Slowly pour
buttermilk mixture
into flour mixture
and whisk thoroughly
to remove lumps.
Gently fold egg
white mixture into
batter in 3 batches,
using a spatula. Add
crushed toasted
walnuts to mixture.
3. Preheat waffle
maker then pour in ľ
cup of batter into
each square of
waffle machine and
use spatula to cover
the base of the
waffle iron. Close
and cook until
golden brown and
crisp on the
outside; usually 5-6
mins. Remove with
tongs gently and
cool on a wire rack.
Repeat with
remaining batter and
make 4 more batches.
A total of 12 square
waffle pieces is
required.
4. For the pears,
using a saucepan,
simmer water, sugar,
cinnamon stick and
saffron strands.
Once it simmers, add
verjuice and lower
heat. Meanwhile,
peel pears using
long strokes and
reserve peels in a
bowl. Cube pear
flesh and place in
another saucepan
with demerara sugar,
turn pears and once
it gets a golden
colour, remove and
add quickly to
saucepan with
mixture. Cover with
a lid and leave to
simmer till a syrup
forms and pears are
cooked through,
approximately 20
minutes. Remove from
heat and set aside.
5. For the pear peel
crisps, preheat oven
to 160°C. Dab pear
peel with paper
towel. Dip into
sugar and sprinkle
salt over. Place on
baking paper lined
baking pan and place
in oven for
approximately 30
minutes or until
crisp.
6. For the mapled
syrup walnuts,
preheat oven to
170°C. Place baking
paper on a baking
pan. Toss roasted
walnuts with maple
syrup and salt. Add
oil and coat walnuts
evenly. Place
walnuts on a baking
tray and bake until
the syrup thickens,
approximately 15
minutes. Remove from
oven and leave to
cool. Reserve 6
whole walnuts for
decoration. Using a
metal spoon or
mallet, crush
remainder of walnuts
slightly.
7. For the mapled
walnut ice cream, in
a medium saucepan
over medium-low
heat, warm the milk
and sugar, stirring
occasionally, until
the sugar has
dissolved.
Meanwhile, pour the
heavy cream into a
large bowl and set a
mesh strainer on
top. In a medium
bowl, whisk the egg
yolks. Slowly pour
the warm milk
mixture into the egg
yolks, whisking
constantly. Then,
pour the mixture
back into the
saucepan. Stir the
mixture constantly
over medium heat
with a heatproof
spatula, making sure
to scrape the sides
and bottom of the
pan occasionally.
Keep stirring until
the mixture thickens
and coats the back
of the spatula. The
mixture should be
between 76-79°C.
8. Pour the custard
through the mesh
strainer and stir it
into the cream. Add
the maple syrup,
vanilla bean paste
and salt. Stir to
combine. Cool
rapidly by placing
dry ice with caution
into mixture. Pour
mixture into ice
cream machine and
churn for 20-30
minutes. When
mixture is almost
churned, with 5
minutes to go, add
in a handful of
crushed mapled
walnuts. Once done,
scoop out 3 scoops
each into 2 bowls
and place in
freezer.
9. To assemble place
waffles on marble
board in 4 piles of
3 waffles each,
cascading down.
Place caramelised
pear and sauce over
waffles. Sprinkle
with crushed mapled
walnuts. Place bowls
of ice cream between
piles of waffles.
Place pear crisp on
ice cream along with
one whole mapled
walnut and a few
strands of saffron.
Jallaludin's wife
wrote to her local counsellor, seeking advice on a
marital issue:
Dear brother, I hope
you can help me here. The other day I set off for work
leaving my husband in the house watching the TV. My car
stalled, and then it broke down about a mile down the
road, and I had to walk back home to get my husband's
help. When I got home I couldn't believe my eyes. He was
in the house with our neighbour's wife. We have been
married for 10 years. When I confronted him, he broke
down and admitted that he'd been having an affair for
the past six months. He won't go to counselling, and I'm
afraid I am a wreck and need advice urgently. Can you
please help?
Sincerely,
Sister Begum
A few days later she
received the following reply:
Dear Sister
A car stalling after being driven a short distance can
be caused by a variety of faults with the engine. Start
by checking that there is no debris in the fuel line. If
it is clear, check the vacuum pipes and hoses on the
intake manifold and also check all grounding wires. If
none of these approaches solves the problem, it could be
that the fuel pump itself is faulty, causing low
delivery pressure to the injectors.
He who created seven heavens
in layers. You see no
discrepancy in the creation
of the Compassionate. Look
again. Can you see any
cracks? Then look again, and
again, and your sight will
return to you dazzled and
exhausted.
Every year in
Darra Masjid
Australian
Muslims gathers
and listen to
talks by senior
Islamic
scholars. Their
talks focus on
the importance
of faith in one
God and the
prophethood of
Prophet Muhammad
(PBUH), prayer,
knowledge,
service to
humanity,
sincerity and
making an effort
towards
uplifting
goodness.
Food (breakfast,
lunch and
dinner), parking
and security is
also arranged
for those who
attend.
PLEASE DO YOUR
BEST TO ATTEND
IT AND ALSO PASS
THE MESSAGE
AROUND.
Timings:
Starting from
Friday
30/03/2018 Asar
time to Sunday
01/04/2018 Fajar
time.
Venue: Islamic
Society of Darra
Address: 219
Douglas St,
Oxley QLD 4077,
Australia
IWAA is delivering a small
business program to Muslim
women in the Ipswich area.
It is a free 12 week
program, every Saturday
morning, with a start date
of 7 April.
The program aims to provide
business support, training
and mentoring to Muslim
women to help them
commercialize and
operationalise an idea into
a successful small business
in Ipswich.
The participants will be
provided with mentoring and
one on one skills to assist
them to establish their own
business.
Participants will also be
able to commercialise a
business idea, price and
value it, and be given step
by step guidance and ongoing
mentoring (from mainstream
businesses) to establish and
operationalise a business.
At the end of the 12 week
course participants will
have developed a simple
business and marketing plan,
set up an ABN, registered
their company, set up a
website and Facebook page;
set up accounting systems
and business processes, set
up weekly and monthly cash
flow and other simple book
keeping tasks and will have
established a customer base
and be working on their
business.
Ongoing mentoring and
support will be provided
through the Ipswich Chamber
of Commerce, and individual
business mentors selected to
be part of this program.
The main facilitator is
Christine Mudavanhu who also
resides and owns a business
in Ipswich.
There are only 8 places
available so participants
will need to register ASAP.
If you have any questions,
please do not hesitate to
contact Nora Amath at
nora.cams@iwaa.org.au.
The Islamic Practice and
Dawah Circle (IPDC) is
coordinating an Australia
wide quiz.
The quiz will start off in
Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and
Brisbane.
The winners will then join
the grand final.
QLD Competition:
Date : 7 April 2018
Time: Asr to Magrib
(4.30pm - 6.00pm) Venue : Slacks Creek
Mosque
Are you looking at starting your own
business? Do you have a business idea that you would
like to explore with a professional?
This interactive, practical
experience that provides you with tools to start or
grow your business!
Workshop 1: Thinking like an
Entrepreneur Workshop 2: The Entrepreneurship
Journey Workshop 3: Branding and Design Workshop 4:
Communication and Pitching
COST: $80 Workshop Series (Four
Workshops)
MELBOURNE
click on image
Need to improve your English for work or
social settlement? Learn for FREE with the Adult Migrant
English Program at TAFE Queensland.
The AMEP provides up to 510 hours of free English
language, literacy and numeracy training to eligible
refugees and migrants, at more than 40 sites throughout
Queensland.
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.
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the knowledge, understanding
and wisdom to lead balanced,
wholesome and beneficial
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