The Islamic Society of
Toowoomba celebrated Open
Day of the Garden City
Mosque and the 5th Annual
Toowoomba International Food
Festival on Saturday, 12 May
2018 at the Mosque premises.
In spite of very cold and
windy morning lots of people
turned up to share food,
faith, fun and friendship
with the Mosque community.
Although the function was
planned from 11am to 4pm
lots volunteers and people
providing food and other
services came much earlier
to set up their stalls and
welcome the visitors.
The formal proceedings of
speeches and questions and
answers were held from
11:30am to 1:00pm. Riman
Alammar, a student of Garden
City Mosque Madrasa was the
master of the ceremony. All
speakers spoke highly of the
leadership of the city for
working hard to maintain
peace and harmony in our
diverse community by
supporting each other,
especially at difficult
times.
After the recitation of the
Holy Qur’an, President of
the Society, Professor
Shahjahan Khan welcomed all
the guests, speakers and
visitors. He was the
Founding President of the
Society when it was formed
in 1994 and it took 20 years
to set up the first Mosque
in Toowoomba. Muslims lived
in Toowoomba since 1881 and
it took over 135 years to
build the first Mosque in
the city. He reiterated the
fact that the Garden City
Mosque is open to everyone,
not just for the Muslims –
anyone is welcome here.
Professor Khan drew the
attention of the audiences
to Ten Commandments of the
Bible and Verses 151-152 of
Chapter 6 (Alanam) of the
Qur’an almost mimicking one
another to testify that both
the books are from the same
source, the Almighty God,
Allah.
He also explained the
situation around and after
the burning of the Mosque in
April 2015 and thanked
Toowoomba Regional Council (TRC)
for approving the new
Development Application for
the expansion of the burned
Mosque building to include
all essential facilities
under one roof. The
rebuilding of the burned
Mosque is likely to start
very soon pending signing of
a contract with a builder
and receiving Operation Work
Permit from the Council.
Hon Mayor of TRC, Cr Paul
Antonio praised Muslim
community for its
contribution to the peace
and harmony of the city. He
emphasised that everyone
other than the indigenous
people are settlers or
migrants, but each one
brings strength to the
community. He said that
diversity is our strength
and hence we must celebrate
it like the event of the
day.
Dr John McVeigh MP, Member
for Groom and Federal
Minister for Regional
Development, Territories and
Local Government, and
long-term friend of the
Mosque community recollected
his connection with the
Muslim community and the
important role they play in
the city and the region.
Hon Mr Chris Whiting MP,
State Member for Bancroft
representing Minister
Stirling Hinchliffe of
Multicultural Affairs
Queensland delivered a
message from the Minister
including the commitment of
the Government of provide
fund for events like this
that bring people of diverse
faith and culture together.
State Member for Toowoomba
South, Hon Mr David Janetzki
spoke on his study of
Islamic Law as an elective
subject at the University of
Queensland and explained how
Islamic law is a very much
an evolving part of the
religion of Islam. He also
mentioned that in his maiden
speech in the Queensland
Parliament he acknowledged
Toowoomba Islamic community
and the Mosque.
Mrs Dorothy Woodside of
Toowoomba Inter-faith
Working Group spoke about
the beauty of diversity
among flowers and asked how
good would it look if all
the flowers were the same.
Catholic Bishop Robert
McGuckin spoke on his
efforts to promote peaceful
co-existence among people of
different faiths. He always
found the Mosque to be a
place of welcome.
Anglican Bishop Cameron
Venables reminded the
division within and between
religions and asked everyone
to learn from the mistakes
to be better.
Dr Mark Copland shared the
story of his long-term
relationship with Muslims
dating back to mid nineties,
and the hospitality that he
and members of his church
have received from the
Islamic people.
Imam Abdul Kader of Garden
City Mosque shared his
experience with the
neighbours who have always
supported the Mosque
community. He also answered
different questions from the
audience.
Among other dignitaries Mr
Wayne Briscoe, Executive
Director of Multicultural
Affairs Queensland and Mr
Stephen Wanyonyi, Multifaith
Coordinator at USQ
Chaplaincy were also present
in the event.
Delicious food from
different parts of the world
is always an attraction for
this event. This year the
Muslim community offered
food from many countries of
the world including
Afghanistan, Bangladesh,
Egypt, Eretria, India,
Indonesia, Iraq, Libya,
Malaysia, Pakistan, Somalia,
Sri Lanka, Sudan and Turkey.
The children thoroughly
enjoyed the entertainment of
police display and glued to
the jumping castle all the
time.
The women volunteers
provided the visiting ladies
an opportunity to decorate
themselves with hena and
other traditional
beautification crafts.
Dr Mainul Islam, the
Coordinator of the event,
thanked all the participants
and guests, especially the
families and volunteers who
worked hard to make this
event a success.
Professor
Shahjahan Khan is Professor
of Statistics at University
of Southern Queensland,
Toowoomba, and Founding
President of Islamic Society
of Toowoomba
Cr
Paul Antonio, Mayor
of Toowoomba
Regional Council
From left:
Catholic Bishop
Robert McGuckin,
Prof Shahjahan Khan
and Anglican Bishop
Cameron Venables
A
section of the
audience
From left:
Mr David Janetzki MP
(Toowoomba South),
Prof Shahjahan Khan
and Mr Chris Whiting
MP (Bancroft)
I take this
opportunity to wish all your
readers, my Muslim friends and
neighbours, and indeed the
broader Muslim community,
sincere greetings for this Holy
month of Ramadan.
With my close
association with Muslims going
back to the 1980s, I fully
understand the significance of
the meaning of Ramadan.
I also hold dear,
the numerous kind invites I have
received to once again share an
Iftar as you break your fast – a
very generous act of kindness
and inclusiveness.
Ethnic Communities Council
of Qld (ECCQ) and the
Islamic Women’s Association
of Australia (IWAA)
celebrated successful
completion of the Community
Leadership Program. A
well-attended event by
approximately 70 people,
including the graduates and
their families, the Hon
Michael de Brenni, Member
for Springwood and Minister
for Housing and Public
Works, Minister for Digital
Technology and Minister for
Sport, ECCQ CEO Garry Page,
ECCQ Community Leadership
Program Manager Rose Brown
and CAMS State-wide
Coordinators Dr Nora Amath
and Muna Ibrahim.
Overall, the program
consisted of eight workshops
with diverse range of topics
such as volunteering, mental
health and self-care,
conflict resolution,
parenting between cultures,
legal rights and politics,
financial wellbeing and
storytelling. The program
also included excursions to
the Queensland Parliament
House and a storytelling
camp over a weekend in
Maroochydore.
During the graduation
ceremony Minister de Brenni
told the attendees that
great emphasis need to be
placed upon active
listening, having vision,
being honest, knowing when
to ask for help and owning
up to mistakes as these are
important skills for
becoming successful leaders
of the future.
Mr Page, Ms Brown and IWAA
Settlement Services Officer
Beengul Ali also addressed
attendees, talked about
their own experiences and
congratulated the
participants.
“With pride, I would like to
acknowledge your commitment
and dedication to this
course, and your enthusiasm
and perseverance in breaking
barriers such as language,
access to services,
education and employment,”
said Ms Ali.
Mr Page said a key outcome
of this program is for
participants to make changes
in themselves and then in
their communities.
Mr Page also acknowledged
the previous shared project
between ECCQ and IWAA and
touched on the importance of
collaborative framework and
the additional benefits it
brings to service providers.
IWAA clients shared their
stories and expressed their
gratitude; one of the
graduates Ebtesam Chniker
who recently arrived from
Syria said the program,
particularly the
storytelling camp allowed
her to find peace within
herself. In furtherance, she
said “Thank you
Australian Government for
giving us this opportunity
to start a new life in
Australia”. In response,
the Minister welcomed her
and all the attendees and
further cited the importance
of diversity and
Multiculturalism.
The publication, “How to
calculate your zakah in
Australia” focuses on zakah
calculation for
assets/wealth that is
commonly owned by Australian
Muslims, such as:
• Superannuation
• Salaries
• Property and share
market investments
(including managed funds
and bonds)
• All types of jewellery
• Assets held in a trust
• Crypto currencies
• Business assets
The book includes numerous
examples to illustrate and
simplify the calculation of
zakah.
Manual and excel-based
calculators have been
developed as a companion to
the book. The calculators
mirror the book format and
are relatively easy to
complete. For the excel
calculator, you will need to
unprotect the worksheet if
you are using Excel versions
2010 to 2016. Please follow
the initiation prompts to
unlock the worksheet. If you
have earlier versions of
excel all you need to do is
“enable content”. Reference
should be made to the zakah
publication when unsure what
values to use in the
calculator. Please contact
Rashaad Lambat if you have
any queries on the mechanics
of the workbook on
lambat.trust@bigpond.com.
Iqbal Lambat of Brisbane is
also willing to take
questions via his email
iqballambat@bigpond.com.
The Australian International
Islamic College (Gold Coast
Campus) held its 9th Annual
Qur’an Recitation
Competition 2018 at AIIC’s
multipurpose hall on
Thursday May 3rd 2018 for
the junior and high school
students. A total of 142
students participated in the
competition under the
following categories: Prep,
Years 1-7, and Years 8-10.
The Qur’an Recitation
Competition was an
inspiration to parents and
visitors provided alike.
Feedback regarding the
competition from the
community was overwhelmingly
positive. The atmosphere
generated by the competition
ensured a productive means
of reciting the Qur’an.
Parents were treated with
tea, coffee and light
refreshments.
The judges of the
competition were; Moulana
Akram Buksh and Hafiz Abu
Baker. The judges were
impressed with the
participants and their
achievements and advised our
students about the ways to
improve their recitation.
They encouraged students to
recite the Qur’an with
Tajweed and to recite each
letter precisely from its
source of origin in order
not to change the meaning of
the Qur’an. They also
advised students to learn
rules that are related to
stopping whilst reading the
Qur’an. Students were also
encouraged to memorize more
from the holy Qur’an and to
practice their memorization
regularly.
Moulana Akram told the
students that recitation of
memorized surahs in your
Salah is the best way to
avoid forgetting the Qur’an.
He encouraged parents to
take the responsibility to
ensure that their children
are improving in their
recitation by motivating
them. He also congratulated
parents for sending their
children to be educated in
the Islamic College and
mentioned the immense reward
that Allah has promised us
for learning and reciting
the holy Qur’an.
The Australian International
Islamic College Gold Coast
Campus would like to thank
all the students for
participating in this year’s
Qur’an competition. We also
would like to thank all the
teachers, Imams and staff
members of the College, for
making this year’s Qur’an
competition a success. May
Allah accept all our efforts
for his Deen and make us
from the people of the
Qur’an in this world and in
the hereafter.
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!
Here is another of these tweets
(continued from
last week's CCN):
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.
20
"This is not just an attack
on Copts, this is an attack
on me and you and all
Egyptians, on Egypt and its
history and its symbols, by
terrorists who know no God,
no patriotism, and no
humanity".
Sheikh Ali Goma’a is the
former Grand Mufti of the
Arab Republic of Egypt. He
is one of the foremost
Islamic scholars in the
world. Despite retiring from
the post of Grand Mufti of
Egypt, Goma’a has remained
active on many fronts and
his counsel is more in
demand than ever before.
Egypt’s Weight in Islamic
Scholarship: Goma’a’s
scholarly influence is
derived from his position at
the centre of many of the
most significant
institutions of Islamic law
in the world. Before
becoming Grand Mufti, Goma’a
was a professor of
jurisprudence at Al-Azhar
University–the second oldest
university in the world,
founded in 975 CE–Goma’a
also served as a member of
the Fatwa Council. He is
currently a member of the
International Islamic Fiqh
Academy, the highest
institute of Islamic law in
the Organization of the
Islamic Conference–an
intergovernmental
organization for
Muslim-majority countries.
Goma’a has authored over 50
books, as well as hundreds
of articles.
Visit to the Holy Al-Aqsa
Mosque Controversy: On
April 18th, 2012, Sheikh Ali
Goma’a, with HRH Prince
Ghazi of Jordan, broke what
had been a 45 year taboo in
some parts of the Islamic
World (propagated notably by
Qatar based Sheikh Al-Qaradawi)
and visited the Al-Aqsa
Mosque in order to pray
there and support the
beleaguered Muslim community
in Jerusalem. The visit was
viewed as controversial in
Egypt, but set off a change
of public opinion in the
Islamic World that continues
to this day. The Grand Mufti
also visited the Church of
the Holy Sepulcher, which
was much appreciated by the
Christian community of
Jerusalem.
Personal
Popularity: Goma’a was
exceedingly popular as a
mufti and remains ever
popular since his
retirement. Apart from
appearing on popular
broadcast and satellite
television, he also revived
the practice of informal
‘knowledge circles’ at the
Al-Azhar Mosque, and the
very well attended Q&A
sessions after his Friday
sermons at the Sultan Hasan
Mosque, where Goma’a makes a
point of taking on anyone
who tries to simplify or
distort Islamic teachings
without knowledge of its
traditions. This has made
him extremely popular with
those who are against
extremism, as well as also
making him a target for the
extremists. He recently
escaped an assassination
attempt on his life outside
a mosque in Cairo.
Popularized and
Simplified Fatwas:
Goma’a has immense legal
influence through his
advocacy of Islamic
religious edicts (fatwas).
When he was Grand Mufti of
Egypt, he modernized the
process of issuing fatwas in
the country. He did this by
overhauling the Dar Al-Ifta
organization into a dynamic
institution with worldwide
reach, based on a fatwa
council and a system of
checks and balances.
ANOTHER FROM THE TOP 50
INFLUENTIAL MUSLIMS IN NEXT
WEEK'S CCN
By Jehan Jillani and
Heather Brady Photographs by Lynsey
Addario
Hannah Ajrami,
a student at University of
Houston, laughs with her friends
on her college campus.
Lynsey Addario talks about
her experience working
within these communities
across the U.S. during a
years-long reporting
project.
When Lynsey Addario moved to
India in 2000 and began
covering Muslim communities
throughout Asia, she was
introduced to nuanced views
of Islam and the people who
practice it. After returning
home to visit the U.S., she
saw the religion portrayed
in a generic,
one-dimensional way that
didn't capture what she
viewed elsewhere in the
world.
That disparity pushed her to
work with Muslim communities
across America in an effort
to tell their stories in a
broader way. Addario’s
images appear in the feature
story “How Muslims, Often
Misunderstood, Are Thriving
in America,” published in
the May 2018 issue of
National Geographic
magazine. She talked with us
about her experience
documenting these
communities and how it has
encouraged her to examine
her own faith.
JILLANI: In
journalism, one will
inevitably have to cover
communities that one is not
a part of. But I doubt that
it is always an easy or
comfortable experience. How
do you navigate that line
between being both
respectful and inquisitive?
ADDARIO: I have
always believed that it is
important to be inquisitive,
to ask questions, to educate
oneself about the unknown. I
think so much hatred and
misunderstanding stems from
ignorance and arrogance, and
that is a shame. Yes, I felt
strange as a non-Muslim,
shooting this comprehensive
piece on Islam—but I don’t
feign to know what I don’t
know. I just shoot what I
see, and what I believe is a
fair representation of a
story.
.
.
CNN spent a year
interviewing more than 100
American Muslims, asking who
they think are the most
influential Muslims in their
fields. We sought nominees
for whom religion is part of
their public identity, but
other than that, we let
American Muslims do most of
the talking.
Imam Zaid Shakir converted
to Islam while serving in
the Air Force, after years
of living in rough
inner-city neighbourhoods.
Later, Shakir co-founded
Islamic centres in
Connecticut, where he joined
with other community leaders
in serving areas plagued by
drugs and violence.
Though he is one of the
West’s most respected Muslim
scholars, Shakir is no Ivory
Tower intellectual. “The
prophets weren’t sitting in
a classroom pontificating
about abstract things,” he
says, “they were intricately
involved in the lives of
their community.”
In 2009, Shakir co-founded
Zaytuna College, and in 2016
he conducted the funeral
services for one of his
heroes: the late boxer
Muhammad Ali.
What other Muslims say about
Shakir:
“In Imam Zaid,
education and
spirituality intersect.”
The lives, ambitions, and
beliefs of more than 40
members of Brisbane's Muslim
community have been put
under the spotlight in a new
project aimed at dispelling
misconceptions about Islam
and its followers.
Award-winning documentary
photographer Matt Palmer
interviewed and photographed
41 Muslims living in the
Queensland capital for his
online project, Faces of
Islam.
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:
Radicalisation
challenge
Indonesian
Muslims must
confront
themselves
OPINION by Chris
Kenny
A
candlelight
vigil
support
the
victims
and
their
relatives
of a
series
attacks
at
churches
in
Surabaya,
East
Java.
When parents blow up
their children along with themselves in
suicide bombings aimed at killing and
maiming strangers we can be forgiven for
struggling to express the pitch perfect
response. In a normal mind, to a
civilised person, these obscenities are
too difficult to fathom; they represent
the very antithesis not just of our
higher ideals but of every instinct
influencing our daily lives.
Talk of this being a new level of
depravity is understandable but
exaggerated — we have seen Islamist
terrorists use women and children before
and they certainly haven’t baulked at
killing the children of strangers. With
guns, bombs, knives, trucks, planes and
cars, they will dismember whatever human
target they choose. There is no lower
place to sink.
For political and security authorities,
however, it is not enough to weep or
express anger, sadness, horror or
despair. Their first duty it to tackle
the threat, keep us safe and try to
encourage public behaviour and sentiment
that might assist those ends and
maintain cohesion.
So their responses to the religious
extremism that motivates these terrorist
attacks usually follows two scripted
options: one is to ignore or deny the
Islamist genesis of attacks, at least in
the early stages when emotions run high;
the other is to describe the attacks as
an affront to Islam, a distortion of one
of the world’s great faiths and an
assault against all those moderate
Muslims who condemn such murderous
attacks.
The three-minute
ad features an Arab child
addressing leaders of powerful
countries including U.S.
President Donald Trump,
Germany’s Angela Merkel,
Russia’s Vladimir Putin and the
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
The commercial ad reminds the
world Jerusalem is the capital
of Palestine. Canadian PM Justin
Trudeau also appears.
This Muslim American fought
to save his attacker's life
VOX
After surviving a
horrific hate crime, this
Muslim-American fought to save
his attackers life.
Ramadan Lectures
with Imam
Uzair Akbar
Living Muslim LIVE with
Hoblos and Stuzz!
Living Muslim
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.
After three years of meetings and lobbying finally
ICQ has been given an approval to conduct a pilot
prison chaplaincy program. There are currently 165
prisoners (1 female rest males) who identify as
Muslims. Our religious visitors had access but this
was quite limited and restricted except in Ramadan
last year when we were allowed to send Imams to lead
Friday prayers. Similarly this Ramadan as well ICQ
prison chaplains will be visiting following prisons
to conduct Friday prayers.
1. Arthur Gorie – Imam Luqman Najib
2. Brisbane Correctional Centre – Imam Abdul Raheem
3. Southern Queensland Correctional Centre – Waseem
Hassoneh and Hamza Maestracci
Full access pilot program will allow our religious
visitors to conduct group sessions including
prayers. This is something which is commonly allowed
for Non-Muslim chaplains for years.
ICQ staff brother Hamza (Robbie) Maestracci has been
working on this tirelessly along with volunteers
like Brother Waseem Hassoneh, Maulana Luqman Najib
and Imam Abdul Raheem. Between them these brothers
have conducted over 350 unpaid visits to prisoners
changing many lives in the process.
Kind Regards,
Ali Kadri – B.com, MBA, MPA, GradCertIntReltn
ICQ Vice President
Saudi
flag on German beer bottle cap disturbs
Muslims
Saudi Gazette report
BERLIN — Muslims around the world have
taken issue with the flagrant disregard
of a German firm, which used the Saudi
Arabian flag with the “Kalimat Al-Tawheed”
on the cap of its beer bottle, and have
bombarded the social media about this
irreverent act.
The Saudi Embassy in Berlin has also
denounced the German company and has
issued a statement saying it acted after
being alerted of the issue through the
social media, in which the news had
become viral.
The picture of the disrespectful act by
the company was circulating in the
social media with the bottle’s cap shown
with the Saudi flag. The German firm “Eichbaum”,
located in Mannheim city, published the
flag of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on
the caps of one of its liquor products
and triggered a firestorm of
condemnation in Twitter.
Most of the tweets railed against the
company for hurting Muslims’ sentiments
and sought the withdrawal of this
product. Nearly every tweet ended with
them commanding the company to tender an
apology.
#DostKhan in his tweet said: “In Germany
an alcohol company Eichbaum Bier wrote
Lailaheillallah Muhammad Rasulullah on
the cap of the beer bottle to hurt
muslims. Germany should take action &
force this company to apologise for this
actions or embrace (face) itself for all
kinds of reaction from muslims.”
@abu3ween tweeted: “In the doctrine of
Islam, alcohol is one of the greatest
sins. Putting the slogan of Saudi Arabia
on this product is an insult to the
Islamic religion. Please change your
product and make an apology.”
@Anthromarmalade in his tweet said: “Can
you believe the insensitivity of the
commercialists? Nothing is more
important than selling their
carcinogenic products and making a fast
money (buck) at the expense of offending
and destroying peoples health.”
A German lady tweeting in German with
the handle @DoraGezwitscher tried to
make light of the situation stating: “A
private brewery in Eichman printed the
flags of 32 countries on their beer cap
in celebration of the World Cup. One of
the printed flags is Saudi Arabia. And
that has caused outrage.”
Some were pragmatic as was Abdullah Al-Amer
who tweeted: “A judicial complaint must
be lodged, the German company and the
one who gave it permission should be
taken to the court, named and shamed,
and their names should be published in
all international and local media.”
@SBOUALILI (Kibriya Untha — A proud
female) in her tweet said: “Kalimat Al-Tawheed”
is Saudi Arabia’s flag on the covers of
beer bottles in preparation for the
Russian Mondial. First it is
impermissible because it is on a liquor
bottle. Secondly, when the bottle is
opened the cover is thrown away in the
garbage bin.”
@slmaan51 (Jallad Shgurdi while replying
to @Turki_alalshikh) said: “Peace be
upon you, Your Excellency the adviser.
Today the pictures of the liquor bottles
went viral. They placed the Saudi flag
when (with) “Allah and His Prophet” have
(has) been mentioned on the flag. When
people have finished drinking they will
throw away the bottles’ cover (bearing
the Saudi flag).”
As the debate raged in the social media,
the Saudi Embassy in its statement said
that it immediately contacted the German
authorities concerned and expressed its
rejection and denunciation of this act
by the company for placing the Kingdom’s
flag, which bears “Kalimat Al-Tawheed”
that “There is no God but Allah and
Muhammad is His Prophet”.
By doing this, the German company is
desecrating “Kalimat Al-Tawheed” and is
disrespecting the Saudi flag while
sparking a provocation of Muslims’
feelings.
The embassy said it is in contact with
the German Foreign Ministry and other
authorities concerned to stop the
product, withdraw it from the markets
and get an apology for the company’s
act.
A
Muslim and a Hindu thought they could be a
couple. Then came the ‘love jihad’ hit list.
Ramiz and
Lisa, who asked that their last
names not be used because of a
Facebook threat against Muslim
and Hindu couples in India, are
an interfaith couple in India’s
eastern city of Kolkata.
KOLKATA, India — The
21-year-old Hindu college student was
having a quiet breakfast with her mother
when her phone pinged with a terrifying
message. Her name was on a hit list.
She and her Muslim boyfriend had been
targeted publicly on Facebook along with
about 100 interfaith couples — each of
them Muslim men and their Hindu
girlfriends. She immediately called her
boyfriend to warn him.
The Facebook post included instructions:
“This is a list of girls who have become
victims of love jihad. We urge all Hindu
lions to find and hunt down all the men
mentioned here.” At least two followers
heeded the call.
The phrase “love jihad” is meant to
inflame dark fears that Muslim men who
woo Hindu women might be trying to
convert them to Islam — a prejudice that
the Hindu right has tried to stoke for
nearly a decade. But use of the term has
spread on social media with the rise of
the Hindu nationalist party of Prime
Minister Narendra Modi, at a time when
religious hatred is growing on Facebook
in India, its largest market.
Ramadan
Gift: Christian businessman builds mosque
for Muslim workers
UAE: A Christian
businessman based in the UAE has built a
mosque so that Muslim workers, he rents
accommodation to, don’t have to travel
to worship.
Indian national Saji Cheriyan arrived in
the gulf state with only a few hundred
dirhams to his name in 2003. He built
his business over the past 15 years and
when he noticed that the workers had to
take taxis to the nearest mosque, he
decided to build one for them.
“They have to spend at least Dh20
($5.44) to go to Fujairah city or
another industrial area to attend the
Juma prayer in a mosque. So, I thought
it will make them happy if I build a
mosque here next to their
accommodation,” Cheriyan told Gulf News.
The mosque in the Fujairah emirate was
built for 1.3 million dirham ($354,000)
and has room for 250 worshipers at a
time. The shaded courtyard can also
accommodate an additional 700 people.
The construction work started more than
a year ago and the mosque has finally
been completed, just as Ramadan got
underway.
“When word spread about my mosque, many
other people also offered cash
donations, construction materials like
sand and paint. But I have politely
refused all those offers as I would like
to pay from my pocket for this mosque,”
Cheriyan said.
The businessman, who has an estimated
net worth of nearly $18 million, said
that he’s settled on the name Mariam,
Umm Eisa (Mary, the Mother of Jesus) in
honour of a mosque of the same name in
Abu Dhabi.
KB says:
A smoothie can be healthy, filling and
nutritious especially at Sehri time giving you a
great start to your day.
Smoothies for Ramadaan
RECIPE
Introductory
Notes
1. Best dates to use
for smoothies are
Medjool, de pitted
and sliced
2. Soak dates in
milk/water for few
hours before use
3. Substitute yogurt
and milk
interchangeably if
desired.
4. Almond milk can
be substituted for
milk
5. Add oat bran,
almonds, flaxseeds
(linseed), chia
seeds etc for a
healthier and
energising kick
6. Freezing the
fruit before
blending will
provide a creamier
texture
Vanilla-Date
Breakfast Smoothie
• 1 cup yogurt
• 1 cup milk
• 4-7 dates soaked
in the milk
overnight
• 1/2 teaspoon
vanilla extract
• Blend
Simple
Banana Oat bran
smoothie
• 1 ˝ cup milk,
• 1 Tb oat bran,
• 1 Banana,
• 4 dates soaked in
the milk overnight
• Vanilla to taste –
optional Blend
Banana
- Date Smoothie
• 250 ml plain
yogurt
• 120 ml milk,
• 120 ml dates,
fresh, pitted and
chopped and soaked
overnight in the
Milk
• 2 bananas, sliced
Blend.
Strawberry
Smoothie with Dates
• ˝ cup strawberries
• Ľ cup almonds,
soaked
• 3 dates, pitted
and soaked
• 1 cup Water or
Milk
Blend
Spiced
Banana Date Smoothie
• 1 cup Milk
• 4 Medjool or other
dates, pitted,
chopped and soaked
overnight in the
milk
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:
Why Trying To
Change Someone Else
NEVER Works...Change
Comes From Within
Several years ago,
when I was in the
process of analysing
my behavioural
patterns to make
sense of my life, I
realised that the
reason I was stuck
for a decade in a
marriage that was
violent was that I
was putting all my
energy into trying
to change someone
else (the man I was
married to at the
time).
Never once did I
reflect on my own
thoughts, words,
actions and patterns
to understand that
that man was not the
maker and destroyer
of my happiness...I
was, through my own
choices and through
my resistance to
submitting to ALLAH.
Mind you, at the
time I wasn’t Muslim
so I didn’t quite
understand what
submission to my
creator meant.
Trying to change
someone else always
backfires because
there is this sense
of control that we
assume over another.
There is never
harmony in a home
where there are
people trying to
control others. It’s
an oppressive nature
to control. How many
times have you heard
people say “I’ve
tried everything to
make him/her change
but they just won’t
listen”? Well, the
key is to
become the change
yourself.
Changing yourself
will require you to
respect and
understand and love
yourself. Playing
victim is not the
solution. Placing
blame on another
keeps you stuck in
your self-imposed
prison. You can walk
out of this prison
by changing your
mindset from blame
to responsibility.
Stop blaming, start
taking
responsibility of
your own thoughts,
words and deeds.
Once I realised my
own patterns, I was
aware of what I
deserved in life.
The moment I became
aware of my
self-worth, I
realised that what I
thought I deserved
was false and based
on fears and
insecurities, such
as, if I leave him,
who will marry me?
Who will ever love
me? I can’t have a
failed marriage.
All these dark,
fearful thoughts
shackled me into
believing that the
circumstances I was
living in was what I
truly deserved. It
was only after
realising that I am
a pure soul
temporarily dwelling
in this body and
that I had a purpose
in my life that I
gathered the courage
to end the
repetitive cycle of
attracting,
condoning,
perpetuating and
justifying violence
in my life.
Steps On Becoming
The Change You Want
To See In Others
Be honest when
filling out this
table. Be willing to
change. Be willing
to learn from your
patterns. Be willing
to change your
mindset from blame
to responsibility.
1.
Identify
what is
hurting
you, who
is
hurting
you.
2.
Identify
why you
feel you
deserve
to be
hurt in
that
way.
3.
Identify
what
behaviours
about
others
affect
you.
4.
Identify
what
behaviours
in you
match
those
same
behaviours
you
dislike
in
others.
5.
Identify
what
feelings
of fear
you have
regarding
your
relationships,
your
job,
your
financial
security.
6. What
have you
learnt
from
identifying
your
patterns
so far?
7. What
do you
want to
change
about
yourself?
8. How
do you
want to
change?
Give
yourself
achievable,
realistic
goals.
(Contact
me if
you need
help in
understanding
your
patterns)
In Shaa ALLAH, next
week we will explore
the topic:
Comparisons Are
Pointless - The
Grass Is ALWAYS
Greener Where You
Water It
DOWNLOAD
Muslimah Reflections
- my new ebook of
poetry and
affirmations
DOWNLOAD The
Ultimate Self-Care
Guide For Muslimahs
WATCH VIDEOS
from Muslimah Mind
Matters YouTube
Channel.
DOWNLOAD
Muslimah Meditation
Moments - audio
files for
self-awareness
meditation.
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.
In a collaborative attempt
to build stronger bridges
across faiths and non-faith
communities, we are excited
to invite you to a community
Iftar dinner. A night to
meet people from around the
world, over a simple shared
meal.
Iftar is the name for a
community dinner held daily
after sunset to mark the end
of a day of fasting.
Ramadan, the ninth month in
the Muslim calendar, is a
special time for the Muslim
community. During the month
of Ramadan, Muslims
worldwide fast from dawn to
sunset to achieve greater
self-discipline,
self-purification, and
compassion for those less
fortunate.
Join us to share a meal on
Saturday 26 May at the
Ashgrove Bowls Club. This
event is open to people of
all walks of life. Everyone
is welcome to come along,
whatever your religion or
cultural background.
Any funds raised on the
night will go to Refugees
Welcome Australia (RWA) who
help refugees and people
seeking asylum by providing
long-term and stable
accommodation with local
residents who have a spare
room in their house or
apartment. Doing so
kickstarts a foundation of
stability for the people RWA
assist, and it enables their
clients to re-start their
lives - it allows them to
focus their attention on
looking for work, rather
than worrying about where
they will live and where
they will get their next
meal.
Admission:
$10 waged - for people
earning a full time income
$5 unwaged - for people on
low/no income (students,
pensioners etc)
$20 for a family ticket (2
adults + 1 or 2 children
under 8)
Purchasing tickets online
prior to the event will help
us for catering purposes.
Do you have questions?
Leave a comment or drop us a
line on
thegabba.ward@bcc.qld.gov.au
or call the Gabba ward
office on 3403 2165.
*Cover photo was taken at
last year's Iftar dinner*
Islamic Schooling Renewal –
A Focus on Pedagogy
3rd Annual Australian
Islamic Schooling
Conference:
Islamic Schooling Renewal
– A Focus on Pedagogy
Tuesday 10 and Wednesday
11 July 2018
Adelaide
Pedagogy can be defined in
many ways, narrowly as a way
of teaching or a methodology
of instruction, and more
broadly as a framework for
conceptualising what is
meant by approaches to
schooling. A critical
reflection on pedagogy
within the field of Islamic
schooling is timely as we
move beyond the
establishment phase and
embrace an era characterised
by renewal.
If one considers the
provocation that pedagogy is
never politically neutral, a
unique lens for exploration
exists in the field of
Islamic schooling given the
complex politics of Muslims
and Islam in popular
Australian media as well as
in other contemporary
Western contexts and the
intersection with
contemporary schooling
contexts, sometimes
criticised as neoliberal.
How much progress has been
made in the area of pedagogy
within Islamic schooling?
What is an Islamic pedagogy
and what does it offer to
the field of Islamic
schooling? Are our current
pedagogies responsive to the
educational context and the
needs of Australian Muslim
students? How does
pedagogical practice in
Islamic schools align with
AITSL teacher standards? How
equipped is the field of
Islamic schooling to manage
necessary pedagogical
renewal?
These are just some of the
questions that Islamic
Schooling Renewal – A Focus
on Pedagogy will tackle over
two conference days, as it
examines pedagogy and
Islamic schooling for Muslim
students from a
whole-of-life and
whole-of-community
perspective.
With an impressive line-up
of international and
national speakers from
specialist disciplines and
diverse sectors, Islamic
Schooling Renewal – A Focus
on Pedagogy is sure to offer
valuable and practical
insights into the future of
pedagogy in Islamic
schooling in the West.
The conference will
critically explore pedagogy
and Islamic schooling for
Muslim students from a
whole-of-life and
whole-of-community
perspective.
Topics and themes of
presentations will include
the following but not
limited to:
• Conceptualisations of
pedagogy in Islamic
schooling
• Pedagogy – theory and
praxis
• Pedagogical leadership
• Politics and pedagogy
• Pedagogy, identity and
citizenship
• Critical pedagogical
perspectives
• Culturally Responsive
Pedagogy
• Professional learning
communities – pedagogical
conversations
• Pedagogy and implications
for curriculum and
assessment
• Professional learning and
teacher education
The 3rd Annual Australian
Islamic Schooling
Conference: Islamic
Schooling Renewal – A Focus
on Pedagogy will be held on
Tuesday 10 and Wednesday
11 July 2018 in
Adelaide, South Australia,
for more information please
contact
cite@unisa.edu.au or 08
8302 6919
The
National Zakat
Foundation is a
ground-breaking
initiative which
aims to utilise
Zakat funds and
voluntary donations
collected in
Australia for the
benefit of local,
deserving
recipients.
This
group includes some
of the most
vulnerable members
of our community,
including widows,
orphans, refugees,
the aged as well as
the homeless.
Our
work covers five
core areas that
together form an
end-to-end service
for the Muslim
community in
Australia with
respect to Zakat.
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.
If there is
someone you know who would like to subscribe to CCN please
encourage them to enter their details
here.
Ramadan
Mubarak
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.
Radicalisation
challenge
Indonesian
Muslims must
confront
themselves
Saudi
flag on German beer bottle cap disturbs
Muslims 
Vanilla-Date
Breakfast Smoothie
post comments on
our Wall
7
August 2011