To the QLD Muslim community,
and the wonderful
organisations and people
whom we have worked with
over the past five years,
We, Ismail Cajee
(pictured right), Ali
Kadri (centre) and
Fahim Khondaker (left),
would like to inform you
that after serving two
complete terms on the
Executive Committee of the
Islamic Council of
Queensland (ICQ), the three
of us have voluntarily
chosen to abstain from
nominating ourselves for
re-election at the ICQ
Annual General Meeting on 10
February 2019.
In 2014, we had set out to
raise the profile of the ICQ
within the Muslim community
both at the individual and
institutional levels. We
also aimed to increase the
organisation’s role in
advocating for the Qld
Muslim community to the
broader Australian society.
With the blessings of Allah,
we believe that ICQ has made
significant progress on this
front and that it is now
timely to provide others
with the opportunity to take
ICQ to the next level.
We had always dreamt of ICQ
becoming a brand that every
Queenslander is proud to be
associated with and a
platform which creates
leadership opportunities for
talented Muslims from across
the state.
There are many initiatives
undertaken by ICQ which we
will reflect on with fond
memories InshaAllah. Some
these initiatives include:
Delivering over $1m
worth of community
development projects
into the QLD Muslim
community. The
target audience were
young people and
Muslim women and our
projects included
the support of up to
six football clubs
in Logan, the
provision of driving
and swimming
lessons, youth
camps, and a range
of other education
and employment
outcomes
Delivering the ICQ
Eid Down Under
Festival in 2017 and
2018, and the two
Eid Prayers each
year
Representing the
community on various
political forums and
in the media,
including the
production and
delivery of a three
part SBS series
called ‘The Mosque
Next Door’
Establishing a
prison chaplaincy
program (more than
300 visits) and
supporting at-risk
and marginalised
youth outside of
prison with a range
of socioeconomic
issues
Establishing a
credible halal
certification
business, which was
subsequently
selected by
Woolworths for its
integrity after a
nationwide search
for certifiers
A comprehensive transition
plan will be in place to
ensure a smooth hand over to
the incoming ICQ Executive
Committee and to ensure that
we set them up for success.
This includes an offer from
us to work closely with the
new committee on some of the
key projects for an extended
period to ensure that there
is complete knowledge
transfer and that the
delivery of services to
ICQ’s stakeholders is not at
risk. It is also comforting
to note that four of our
current ICQ committee
members have been nominated
for re-election next week.
We would like to thank the
Qld Muslim community for the
opportunity to serve on the
ICQ committee - it has been
a privilege and an honour to
represent you.
We are bound to have made
countless mistakes along the
way, so if we have caused
you any offence or hardship,
we humbly seek your
forgiveness.
A special thank you also to
all the countless
organisations and people
from the broader Australian
community whom we have had
an opportunity to work with
over the past few years. It
has been a pleasure to work
with you and we hope that
you will continue to support
the ICQ for many years to
come.
Finally, we would like to
sincerely thank our families
for their unwavering
support, understanding and
sacrifices which allowed us
to serve the community at
large for such an extended
period.
Our best wishes to the new
ICQ Executive committee, we
look forward to your every
success InshaAllah.
Assalamu Alaikum wa
Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu
Ismail Cajee, Ali
Kadri and Fahim
Khondaker
Nominees
standing for positions at
today's (Sunday 10 February)
ICQ Annual General Meeting
include:
Vice
President:
Tanveer Ahmed -
Holland Park
Nasser El Cheikh
- Logan Mosque
Secretary:
Muhammad Khatree
- Algester
Assistant
Secretary:
Imam Akram Buksh
- Slacks Creek
Moemin Dawood -
Holland Park
Muhammad Khatree
- Algester
Yahya al Kholed
- Logan Mosque
Abdirahmaan
Sheikh - Logan
Mosque
Treasurer:
Ahmad Gundru -
Gold Coast
Saba Ahammad -
Slacks Creek
Assistant
Treasurer:
Farouk Adam -
MBN
Ahmad Gundru -
Gold Coast
Nasser El Cheikh
- Logan Mosque
Sam Naman -
Logan Mosque
Executive
Members (5 to be
elected):
Janeth Deen OAM
- MCF
Moemin Dawood -
Holland Park
Hamza Maestracci
(Robbie) - MCF
Professor Usman
Malabu -
Townsville
Binil
Kattiparambil -
Rockhampton
Junaid Qadri -
West End
Farouk Adam -
MBN
The Australian National
Imams Council (ANIC) has
appointed Mr Bilal Rauf as
its Media Spokesperson.
ANIC is an umbrella
organisation consisting of
Muslim Imams, clerics and
Islamic scholars
representing each Australian
State and Territory. ANIC
represents the wider
interests of the Australian
Muslim Community. As the
ANIC spokesperson, Bilal
will speak on ANIC’s behalf
on matters involving ANIC
and affecting the Australian
Muslim Community.
Bilal has been active in the
Muslim and broader
Australian communities over
many years. In NSW, he was
formerly the President of
the Muslim Legal Network
(NSW) and also assisted with
drafting ANIC’s Explanatory
Note on the Judicial Process
and Participation of Muslims
(which is now referred to by
judicial officers and
lawyers throughout
Australia). Professionally,
Bilal is a barrister and has
been a member of the legal
profession since 2001. More
information about his
professional background and
community activities is
attached.
For all enquiries involving
or relating to ANIC, please
contact Bilal on 1300 765
940 and
spokesperson@anic.org.au.
You can also follow him on
Twitter @BilalRaufMedia.
ANIC's president, Sheikh
Shady Alsuleiman, posted the
following Facebook message
regarding the appointment:
Congratulations to Br
Bilal Rauf for being
appointed as the
Spokesperson of ANIC.
I’ve known Br Bilal for
a number of years and
worked closely with him
on a number of community
initiatives and
projects. I find Brother
Bilal sincere, humble,
open minded and very
well spoken. I’m
confident that he’ll do
an outstanding job as
the spokesperson of ANIC
and serve his community
in his best of ability,
I’m also optimistic that
Bilal will bridge the
gap between the
Australian Muslim
community and the wider
Australian society.
Profile of Bilal Rauf
Bilal has been active in the
Muslim and broader
Australian communities over
many years. He has also been
active in the media,
including participating in
panel discussions and
interviews, in addressing
matters relating to the
Australian Muslim
communities.
In NSW, Bilal is a member of
the Australian Asian
Lawyers’ Association and was
also a former President of
the Muslim Legal Network
(NSW). In 2017, he assisted
with drafting ANIC’s
Explanatory Note on the
Judicial Process and
Participation of Muslims
(which is now referred to by
judicial officers and
lawyers throughout
Australia).
Bilal also spent many years
in Queensland, where he was
the Secretary of the Muslim
Business Network and a
member of the Brisbane Lord
Mayor’s Multicultural Round
Table group.
Professionally, Bilal is a
barrister and has been a
member of the legal
profession since 2001. He
graduated from the
University of Sydney with a
Bachelor of Arts in 1998 and
Bachelor of Laws in 2000.
From 2001 until 2014, Bilal
worked at national law
firms. He has been
practising as a barrister
since 2014. Bilal appears in
courts and tribunals
throughout Australia,
including forsome of
Australia's largest
corporations, employer
associations and government
entities.
Bilal has been active in
supporting initiatives to
build bridges and provide
opportunities for engagement
and understanding between
Australian Muslim
communities and the broader
Australian communities. In
recent years, he has been
focussed on the legal
profession and assisting
members of the profession,
including judicial officers,
to understand and
appropriately handle
religious matters affecting
Australian Muslims. Bilal
also assists with
initiatives to achieve
diversity in the legal
profession, including
participating in mentoring
programmes.
ANIMAL sacrifice and Sharia
law have been used to
approve Australian
citizenship for a Pakistani
boy from a polygamous
Islamic marriage.
Home Affairs Minister Peter
Dutton denied citizenship to
five-year-old Mohammad Azan
Ghalzai last May after two
DNA tests revealed the
Australian man who claimed
to be his father was not his
biological dad.
But now the Administrative
Appeals Tribunal has ruled
the child should be granted
citizenship because his
“father’’ always believed
the boy to be his son.
It said the father had
accepted paternity through
an Islamic ritual to whisper
the name of Allah in the
newborn’s ear, and to
sacrifice an animal in the
name of Allah. He also
provided financial,
emotional and physical
support.
“The Islamic ritual of adhan,
whereby the name of Allah
and the Professor of the
Faith are whispered in the
ear of a newborn, was
undertaken by a male
relative on behalf of the
father,’’ the decision
states.
“Members of Mr Ghalzai’s
family … were present at the
baby’s circumcision. And the
Islamic ritual of aqiqah,
the sacrifice of an animal
in gratitude to Allah, was
undertaken by members of the
family.’’
The application for
citizenship by descent was
lodged by Sydney man
Mohammed Ibrahim Ghalzai,
who was born in Afghanistan
but took out Australian
citizenship in 2004, and
lives in Sydney with his
first wife and seven
children.
In 2012 he flew to Pakistan
and used Sharia law to take
a second wife, who gave
birth to the boy 15 months
later.
The department of Home
Affairs insisted Mr Ghalzai
take DNA tests to prove his
paternity, which proved the
boy was not his biological
son.
However the tribunal ruled
Mr Ghalzai was still the
boy’s parent and directed
the department to grant
citizenship by descent.
The Hurricane Stars Club is
excited to announce that we
have established an
Activities Centre at 91,
Wembley Rd, Logan Central.
This centre, in shaa Allah,
provides an opportunity for
us to do regular activities
and programs to benefit the
community at a location that
is central as well as
accessible for all community
members. There are ample
on-site parking for those
coming with their own
vehicles and for those
without transport, there are
options to come by buses or
trains, with a bus stop
right in front of the centre
and only a 10-minutes walk
from the Woodridge train
station.
We are also glad to announce
that we are sharing the
centre with an accredited
Muslim woman Mental Health
Social Worker who has more
than 15 years experience of
counselling members of the
community.
The centre will also allow
us to organise a wide
variety of activities to
serve the needs and wants of
women, youth and children in
the community. We will in
shaa Allah have regular
weekly or fortnightly
classes in the centre. Some
of the classes we hope to
offer are : Ladies Fitness
Classes that are
child-friendly [mothers are
welcome to bring their
children with them], Ladies
Pilates classes (both
classes taught by a
qualified female
instructor), Arts and Crafts
workshops, Sewing classes,
Mental Health workshops and
various suitable activities
and programs for Youths and
Children.
We also hope to start Muslim
Ladies Support groups for
vulnerable women that need
the support of others in the
community as a result of the
hardships that they are
facing. We have had requests
from women in the community
to establish avenues of
support for women facing
particular issues such as
for Women with Serious /
Terminal Illnesses, Mothers
and Carers of Handicapped
/Disabled Children, Mothers
/ Women needing Bereavement
Support for those who have
lost family members, Women
Suffing from Infertility,
Reverts Social Circle for
old and new Reverts to get
support from the wider
Muslim community and many
others.
Our aim for the support
groups are so that the
different sections of Muslim
women in the community feel
welcomed and able to make
new friends, feel supported
and socialise comfortably
with other Muslim women. We
hope the centre will help to
breakdown barriers and allow
women who may feel
socially-isolated or
culturally-compartmentalised
to come and get together
with other Muslim women. We
also hope to welcome and
allow new and long-term
reverts to meet and make
friends with other sisters
in the community.
We are also happy to
announce that the centre
will be the base of our
upcoming Muslim Scouting
program, to help provide
regular and structured
social and creative
activities for children.
Alhamdulillah, we are very
grateful to the Muslim
Charitable Foundation (MCF)
for assisting us by donating
a large refrigerator as well
as partitions so that we can
successfully run our
programs in a more private
setting comfortable for
women. We are also grateful
to many generous members of
the community who donated
various items for us to use.
We are pleased to invite
everyone to our Grand
Opening Party on *Sunday,
February 24th, 2019 from
10am to 1pm* to introduce
our new centre. We will in
shaa Allah have lots of fun
activities for ladies and
kids on the Opening Day.
This will allow everyone to
come along and see the
centre and find out about
all the programs and
activities that are being
offered as well as give us
suggestions and
recommendations.
We welcome anyone who would
like to suggest or volunteer
to help us run beneficial
activities for the
community. We would love to
partner and support anyone
who has skills or passions
in particular areas and
would like to share that by
organising activities for
the community. Lets work
together for a better and
more inclusive Muslim
community in Brisbane
inshallah.
A former Dutch Politician
has just accepted Islam
after spending years
campaigning against the
religion.
Joram Van Klaveren, a former
member of Geert Wilders’
Anti-Islamic Freedom Party,
PVV, announced his
conversion to Islam earlier
this week.
Van Klaveren said he made
the decision last October
whilst writing a book
initially intended to
demonise the religion.
“During that writing, I came
across more and more things
that made my view on Islam
falter,” he said in an
interview with Dutch Radio.
Van Klaveren was a member of
the PVV Party from 2010 to
2014. During this time, he
campaigned harshly against
Islam, stating that “Islam
is a lie” and “Quran is
poison”.
In a recent interview, he
expressed his guilt over
these past statements and
stated that he was “simply
wrong”. He also added that
it was part of the PVV
policy to link all
negativity to Islam in one
way or another.
Van Kalveren however left
the PVV in 2014 after
hearing Geert Wilders make
racist remarks regarding
Moroccans. He then went on
to set up his own party,
however he quit politics in
2017 after failing to win a
seat in the national
elections.
Van Klaveren is in fact not
the first person to convert
to Islam from the right wing
PVV party. Arnoud Van Doorn,
a former PVV official, had
also converted to Islam in
April 2013.
Van Doorn had also
campaigned heavily against
Islam during his stretch
with the PVV, even going to
the extent of filming an
anti-Islamic documentary.
However this all changed
after he visited a Mosque
one morning and was warmly
welcomed by the Muslims
present. He ended up staying
the entire day. This
triggered his spiral into
learning more about Islam
until he eventually accepted
the religion and performed
the pilgrimage to Hajj, that
same year.
Van Doorn congratulated Van
Klaveren on his Twitter and
offered him a free trip to
Umrah in celebration of his
new found decision.
He also posted “[I] never
thought that the PVV would
become a breeding ground for
converts.”
The abuse and
hate I get when
I speak out
hurts – but
shutting up
isn't an option
By Mehreen
Faruqi
I’m not
usually
afraid
to say
what is
right,
though
sometimes
I’ve
wanted
to crawl
into bed
and not
get up
Dr
Mehreen
Faruqi
makes
her
first
speech
in the
Senate.
Do all Australians have the
same right to express a
public opinion without being
harassed, abused and
defamed? Unfortunately, I’ve
learned the hard way that
the answer to this question
is no.
Practically every day, I
receive directly targeted
messages on social media and
through abusive phone calls,
letters and emails that
attempt to push me out of
the political conversation
simply for being who I am –
a brown, migrant, Muslim
woman from a Pakistani
background.
As soon as I speak out
publicly, it’s met with
relentless abuse and hate.
It’s immaterial what the
topic is – cruelty to
animals, public education,
women’s rights – the
criticism isn’t about
policy, it always boils down
to my race, gender, culture
and religion. At the core of
it is a belief that I don’t
have the same right to voice
my views on matters of
concern as white people do.
This situation is not new to
me. I’ve copped the lies
about swearing in to
parliament on the Qur’an, or
supporting despicable
practices like female
genital mutilation and
forced marriages. None of
them true.
I’ve had my face
photoshopped onto Isis
flags. I’m now used to the
tabloid media amplifying
lies about me and other
Muslims for clickbait. But
the barrage of abuse is
reaching fever pitch as the
loud voices of hate want to
drown out our voices. They
want to silence me and
others that look like me.
Over the years I’ve tried
many different ways to deal
with the vitriol, from
ignoring it to reporting it
and highlighting some of the
worst examples, sometimes
with a touch of humour. But
when you dare publish the
vile messages, there are
always a few typical
responses. Sometimes the
rationale is laughable. One
man sent me a sexually
explicit abusive message
with a signature from his
church. When I brought it to
his church’s attention, he
sent me an apology saying he
was upset because Turkey had
invaded Greece – 400 years
ago. But more often than not
there is no remorse from the
haters, just more abuse. The
denial that their hostility
has anything to do with
racism is as immediate and
unequivocal as it is
obviously wrong.
There is an inexplicable
assumption that I speak out
on issues not because I
believe in them, but to
attract loathing so I can
then play the victim. People
have called my office to
tell my staff I’m a drama
queen. People accuse me of
always making it about
gender, race and colour – as
if that’s not the constant
subject of the abuse.
But most of all they
want to grind me down.
And sometimes it works.
The cries of “it’s just
social media” and “ignore
the trolls” just don’t ring
true to me any more, even
when they come from
well-meaning allies. Social
media is as real as the
“real world”.
There are actual people
behind every offensive
comment. And I am only
human. Their name calling,
vicious insults and threats
do hurt. It also hurts to
hear good people unwittingly
perpetuate the idea that I
should stay silent because
“responding only emboldens
them”.
The idea that people
like me, who in some
people’s eyes can’t be
“real” Aussies, should
just continue their work
stoically and feign
indifference to the
volleys of abuse that
come our way, denies us
our agency to feel just
like anyone else does.
But doing nothing causes
harm. Exposing the messages
and the messengers lays bare
what so many of us
experience more and more. It
helps others to speak out.
It helps build a community
of supporters who make it
harder for bullying
behaviour to continue.
I’m not usually afraid to
say what is right, but
sometimes I’ve wanted to
crawl into bed and not get
up. I’ve thought of doing
exactly what the haters want
– shutting up. For the first
time, I’ve seriously
considered the question: Is
it really worth it?
But when I meet people
in the community,
particularly young women
of colour, who tell me
they couldn’t consider a
career in public life
because they see the
abuse that this would
open them up to, I know
shutting up isn’t an
option. Our parliaments
already lack the gender
and cultural diversity
of our streets and
suburbs. Giving in to
the abusers will only
make it worse.
Creating a more civil
discourse is incumbent on
everyone. Don’t turn a blind
eye to racist and sexist
abuse on social media; use
your privilege to intervene.
Join calls for social media
platforms to take a far more
active role in policing
their platforms.
Ultimately, we need to
dismantle the perception
that the relative anonymity
of the internet entitles
people to get away with
violent and abusive hate
speech without consequences.
Keeping an artificial divide
between the virtual and the
real only emboldens bad
behaviour. We on the
receiving end live in the
real world, same as you.
• Mehreen Faruqi is
Australian Greens senator
for NSW
The preceding
discussion
focused on how
the message of
Islam spread.
The question of
why it was
accepted by
individuals is
more difficult
to explore,
simply because
we are unable to
determine their
exact
motivations.
Some converts,
such as Malcolm
X, wrote about
their journey to
Islam, thus
giving us a
glimpse into the
reasons behind
their decision.
However, for the
overwhelming
majority of
cases in Islamic
history, we can
only speculate
broadly on three
of the
motivations that
were arguably
most prominent.
These
motivations have
already been
discussed in
relation to the
examples offered
above, but are
elaborated on in
this section.
The Islamic
emphasis on
justice
The historian
Bahjat ʿAbd al-Latif
has pointed out
that, “[f]rom
its very
inception, the
message of Islam
showed great
concern for the
poor and the
disadvantaged
who often
comprise the
majority of the
population, and
it aimed to
liberate them
and raise their
standing. This
was perhaps one
of the strongest
incentives for
accepting the
call to
Islam…”[105]
Richard Eaton
has described
this as the
“religion of
social
liberation”
thesis.[106]
This thesis is
rooted in the
Islamic emphasis
on the pursuit
of justice, in
contrast to
other faith
traditions which
allowed for (if
not encouraged)
passivity and
promised only
otherworldly
salvation.
Discussing the
origins of Islam
and the very
reason for
Prophet
Muhammad’s
personal
retreats to the
Cave of Ḥirāʾ
leading up to
the first
revelation,
Ahmed Afzaal has
argued that
“[s]ooner or
later, the
crisis of
meaning caused
by a sensitive
person’s
encounter with
the brutal fact
of injustice has
to be addressed
in the realm of
social and
material
reality. While
one’s ideal
interest lies in
developing an
appropriate
theodicy and a
hope for
salvation in the
hereafter, the
problem of
injustice can
only be
adequately
addressed by
pursuing the
fulfilment of
the material
interest of the
weak, poor, and
the
marginalized.”[107]
Thus it has been
widely noted
that many of
earliest of the
ṣaḥābah
(companions) of
the Prophet ﷺ
were those who
were
disadvantaged in
Makkan
society.[108]
It should be
noted that the
cases in this
category, which
may readily
appear to be
mere
“conversions of
convenience,”
were not
necessarily
devoid of
conviction on
part of the
converts. Many
disadvantaged
converts, such
as the
companions Yāsir
al-ʿAnsī and
Sumayyah bint
Khayyat, did not
convert to Islam
merely because
it promised to
change their
material
reality; if that
had been the
case, they
likely would
have relapsed
under the severe
torture which
led to their
martyrdom.[109]
Rather, it is
plausible to
assume that they
had conviction
in the truth of
the Islamic
worldview, the
appeal of which
included—but was
not limited
to—its emphasis
on social and
economic
justice. Of
course, this is
not a denial
that some
conversions
probably were
nominal, but a
reminder that
convenience
should not
simply be
presumed to have
been the primary
motivation.
One common
example of the
appeal of
Islam’s “social
liberation” is
the spread of
Islam in South
Asia. Hinduism’s
caste system,
one of the most
enduring forms
of social
stratification
in history,
relegates the
lower castes
such as shudras
(labourers) or
dalits
(“untouchables”)
to a severely
disadvantaged
position, with
little to no
hope of upward
social mobility.
Thus, early
Muslims in South
Asia
“endeavoured to
carry Islam to
numerous Indian
castes that were
despised,
rejected and
discriminated
against. These
castes accepted
Islam once they
became aware
that it was
based upon
justice,
equality and
solidarity among
human
beings.”[110]
British
officials
observed this
process underway
as late as the
early 1900s, and
Indian
historians such
as Niharranjan
Ray have also
attested to
it.[111]
In the context
of the early
modern Ottoman
Empire, many
Christian women
chose to convert
to Islam because
it offered them
a more favorable
situation. Lady
Elizabeth Craven
(d. 1828) of
England remarked
that “the Turks
in their conduct
towards our sex
are an example
to all other
nations.”[112]
Muslim women in
the Ottoman
Empire—who were
considered legal
subjects at
puberty—had
access to many
legal
privileges,
including the
right to own and
control property
without male
interference and
the right to
register their
complaints in
court.[113]
Non-Muslim
Ottoman women
could also
access these
Islamic courts
for judgment and
often did,
preferring them
over their own
Christian or
Jewish community
courts. They
were
particularly
interested in
the relative
freedom that
Muslim women
enjoyed to
obtain a divorce
to escape an
unfulfilling
marriage.[114]
Many of them
went a step
further and
converted to
Islam.
Another example
is found in the
context of the
Second World
War. In the
months following
the Nazi
invasion of
Yugoslavia in
1941, many Jews
tried to escape
persecution by
converting to
Islam. Between
April and
October, at
least 20% of
Sarajevo’s Jews
embraced Islam
or
Catholicism.[115]
The Ustaša
regime (the
Nazi’s local
Croatian fascist
ally) was so
alarmed by this
that they
quickly banned
conversions.
Nevertheless,
Fehim Spaho, the
Grand Mufti of
Yugoslavia,
urged Ustaša
officials to
protect the
Jewish converts
to Islam and
instructed the ʿulamā
(scholars) to
offer them
shelter, and
many were saved
from the
Holocaust in
this way.[116]
Even today, this
trend can be
seen in the
rates of
conversion to
Islam in
prisons,
particularly in
the United
States, which
has the highest
incarceration
rate of any
country in the
world. Up to
40,000 prisoners
convert to Islam
in the US
annually, making
up about 80% of
all religious
conversions in
the prison
system.[117]
Prisoners
convert for a
variety of
reasons,
including
protection
(especially from
the prisons’
gang and/or drug
cultures), as a
form of
repentance and
spiritual
renewal, or
because of the
emphasis on
social justice
that they see as
central to the
Islamic
tradition.[118]
This last aspect
is not an
overstatement;
Muslims have
been at the
forefront of the
movement for all
prisoners’
rights in the
U.S. since the
1960s, and even
today they are
“arguably the
most proactive
litigants” in
the prison
system.[119]
He’s fostered
over 80 terminally ill
children in the Los Angeles
county. Going viral when he
was featured in the LA
Times, Mohamed Bzeek says
Islam “teaches me if
somebody needs my help and I
can help, then I must help."
Bakery with no cash
counter
AJ+
There is a Bakery in Makkah,
Saudi Arabia with no cash
counter. Customers pick up
what they want and drop the
amount in the box provided.
An example of honesty and
trust.
Nasra Yusuf changing
perceptions about Somalians
BBC
News Africa
"I use jokes to kill the
stereotypes associated with
us Somalis." 🇸🇴
Nasra Yusuf is the only
Somali female comedian in
Kenya and stars on the
Churchill Show, one of
Kenya's biggest TV hits.
She's trying to change the
negative perception that
some Kenyans have of Somalis
by confronting the
stereotypes head on.
Muslim Kids React to
Bullying videos
OnePath
Network
OnePath Network has invited
kids to sit down and watch
viral videos of Muslims from
around the world being
bullied. They tell us about
how they feel about these
horrific scenarios and also
explain what they think they
should do when confronted by
a bully. They also share
their own personal
encounters with bullies in
their schools and what they
have done to stop them.
Bullying is common worldwide
and most likely every one of
us has encountered a bully
at one point in our life.
The Muslim youth must be
able to feel comfortable
when talking to a parent or
teacher. This video
encourages the youth to
speak openly about their
troubles to someone that
they trust and also it
encourages parents and
teachers to sit down and
listen to what they have to
say.
Interview with
Congresswoman Ilhan Omar
The
Daily Show
“America has money. We don’t
have a problem of scarcity,
really. What we have is a
problem of moral courage.”
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.
Muslim inmate executed alone after
imam barred from death chamber during lethal
injection
Killer argued Alabama rules requiring
Christian chaplain to be in death
chamber are discriminatory
Dominique Ray had launched a
legal challenge arguing
Alabama's execution laws are
discriminatory against
non-Christians
A Muslim inmate who filed a legal
challenge after the state of Alabama
refused to allow his religious adviser
to be present during his execution has
been put to death.
Dominique Ray, 42, was executed by
lethal injection on Thursday in Altmore
over the 1995 rape and murder of
15-year-old Tiffany Harville.
Ray had argued procedures in Alabama
favour Christian inmates because a
chaplain employed by the prison remains
inside the execution chamber as the
death sentence is carried out.
The prisoner had wanted his imam, Yusef
Maisonet, present during the lethal
injection process.
However, attorneys for the state said
only prison employees were allowed to
enter the chamber for security reasons.
Mr Maisonet was present for the
execution, watching from an adjoining
witness room after visiting Ray several
times in the past week.
There was no Christian chaplain in the
chamber, a concession the state agreed
to make.
Strapped to a gurney in the death
chamber, Ray was asked by the warden if
he had any final words. The inmate said
an Islamic statement of his faith in
Arabic.
Pope Francis visits birthplace of
Islam after condemning Yemen war backed by
UAE and Saudis
Head of Catholic Church urges
sides to agree peace deal and
deliver aid
Pope Francis was welcomed by Abu
Dhabi's Crown Prince Sheikh
Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahya
UAE: Pope Francis has become the first
pontiff to visit the Arabian Peninsula,
just hours after issuing his strongest
condemnation yet of the war in Yemen,
where his host, the United Arab
Emirates, has a leading military role.
The Pope landed in Abu Dhabi on the
peninsula, which is the birthplace of
Islam.
Shortly before departing, he said he was
following the humanitarian crisis in
Yemen with great concern, using his
regular Sunday address in Vatican City
to urge all sides to implement a fragile
peace deal and deliver aid.
“The cry of these children and their
parents rise up to God,” he told
followers in St Peter’s Square.
“Let us pray strongly because they are
children who are hungry, who are
thirsty, they don’t have medicine and
they are in danger of death,” he said.
The UAE supports Saudi Arabia’s war in
Yemen, which has caused the world’s
worst humanitarian crisis.
During his two-day visit, the Pope will
aim to promote interfaith dialogue and
visit Catholic peripheries, but Vatican
officials said it was not clear whether
he would address the sensitive subject
of Yemen in public or private during his
visit.
Pope Francis was greeted by Abu Dhabi’s
powerful crown prince, Sheikh Mohammed
bin Zayed al-Nahyan.
He will meet Muslim leaders and on
Tuesday will celebrate an outdoor mass
for up to 135,000 people in the city’s
main sports arena – in what some have
called the largest show of public
Christian worship on the peninsula.
He has said the trip is an opportunity
to write “a new page in the history of
relations between religions”.
The UAE also faces criticism from
human-rights groups for jailing
activists, including Ahmed Mansoor, an
Emirati who is serving a 10-year
sentence for criticising the government
on social media.
“We are calling on Pope Francis to raise
the issue of their incarceration with
his hosts, and urge their immediate and
unconditional release,” Amnesty
International said in a statement.
The Catholic Church believes there are a
million Catholics in the UAE. Most are
Filipino and Indian, many of whom have
left behind families for work and can
face precarious labour conditions, which
human-rights groups regularly denounce.
The
INDEPENDENT
In his own words, Pope
Francis said his pilgrimage this week to
the United Arab Emirates wrote a "new
page in the history of the dialogue
between Christianity and Islam" and in
promoting world peace based on
brotherhood.
While in Abu-Dhabi, Pope Francis signed
a document with the Grand Imam of al-Azhar,
the ancient seat of learning in Sunni
Islam, condemning religiously motivated
violence and other violence, The
Associated Press reported.
“The document is a vibrant appeal to
respond with good to evil, to reinforce
interreligious dialogue and to promote
mutual respect in order to block the
road to those who add fuel to the fire
of the clashes between civilizations,”
said the director of the Holy See Press
Office, Alessandro Gisotti, after the
signing.
“The document is courageous and
prophetic because it confronts, and
calls by name, the most urgent issues of
our day on which those who believe in
God are encouraged to question their
conscience and to confidently assume
their responsibility to give life to a
more just and united world.”
World Peace
On 4 February the pontiff and the grand
imam signed the landmark document titled
“Human Fraternity for World Peace and
Living Together” which says it is “a
document on a human fraternity for world
peace and living together.”
“We call upon intellectuals,
philosophers, religious figures,
artists, media professionals and men and
women of culture in every part of the
world, to rediscover the values of
peace, justice, goodness, beauty, human
fraternity and coexistence in order to
confirm the importance of these values
as anchors of salvation for all, and to
promote them everywhere,” it says.
World Council of Churches general
secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit
commended the historic meeting between
Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of al-Azhar,
as well as the participation and
observation from more than 600 religious
leaders.
“This first visit by the Pope to the
Arabian Peninsula is a clear sign of
hope for us all,” Tveit said. “it
strengthens and challenges the common
commitment to be one humanity together
with our many differences.”
With a population of just over eight
million, the United Arab Emirates is
overwhelmingly a Muslim nation but is
home to nearly a million Roman
Catholics, says the Catholic publication
Crux and most of them from the
Philippines or India.
Pope’s Vatican report back
The Roman Catholic leader reported back
to pilgrims at the Vatican on 6 February
during his weekly Wednesday audience
about making the first-ever papal trip
to the Arabian Peninsula.
The pope described his encounter with
leaders of Islam as a counterpoint to
the "strong temptation" to contend
there's a current clash between
Christian and Islamic civilizations.
His visit was preceded by a call from
Tveit at the international,
interreligious conference in Abu-Dhabi,
for the use of religious influence and
institutions to nurture tolerance and
respect.
Tveit had spoken at the 3-4 February
conference organized by the Muslim
Council of Elders, the Global Conference
on Human Fraternity.
At a private meeting of the Elders on 4
February, Francis said, “Young people,
who are often surrounded by negative
messages and fake news, need to learn
not to surrender to the seductions of
materialism, hatred and prejudice. They
need to learn to object to injustice and
to the painful experiences of the past.”
“They will judge us well, if we have
given them a solid foundation for
creating new encounters of civility.
They will judge us poorly, if we have
left them only mirages and the empty
prospect of harmful conflicts of
incivility.”
‘One human family’
At the Emirate’s Palace, the pope said,
“The point of departure is the
recognition that God is at the origin of
the one human family. He who is the
Creator of all things and all persons
wants us to live as brothers and
sisters, dwelling in the common home of
creation which he has given us.”
In honour of the historic visit, a new
church and mosque are to be built in
Abu-Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates
newspaper, The National, reported,
noting they will be constructed in
celebration of inter-faith relations.
Francis and Al Tayeb signed the
foundation stone for the new places of
worship, named the Church of Saint
Francis and the Mosque of Grand Imam
Ahmad Al Tayeb, alongside Sheikh Mohamed
bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu-Dhabi,
and other senior clerics and officials.
In his address Francis said, “We cannot
honour the Creator without cherishing
the sacredness of every person and of
every human life: each person is equally
precious in the eyes of God, who does
not look upon the human family with a
preferential gaze that excludes, but
with a benevolent gaze that includes.”
He added, “The enemy of fraternity is an
individualism which translates into the
desire to affirm oneself and one’s group
above others. This danger threatens all
aspects of life, even the highest innate
prerogative of man, that is, the
openness to the transcendent and
religious piety.”
From Celebrated to Vilified, House’s
Muslim Women Absorb Blows Over Israel
Representative Rashida Tlaib,
Democrat of Michigan, at a House
Financial Services Committee
meeting this week.
USA: Representatives Rashida Tlaib of
Michigan and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota
were hailed as symbols of diversity when
they were sworn in last month as the
first two Muslim women to serve in
Congress, Ms. Tlaib in her mother’s
hand-embroidered Palestinian thobe, Ms.
Omar in a tradition-shattering hijab.
Four weeks later, their uncompromising
views on Israel have made them perhaps
the most embattled new members of the
Democratic House majority. Almost daily,
Republicans brashly accuse Ms. Tlaib and
Ms. Omar of anti-Semitism and bigotry,
hoping to make them the Democrats’
version of Representative Steve King as
they try to tar the entire Democratic
Party with their criticism of the Jewish
state.
And while Democratic leaders publicly
defend them, some Democratic colleagues
are clearly uneasy. Representative Ted
Deutch, Democrat of Florida and a
founder of a bipartisan task force to
combat anti-Semitism, said some of the
lawmakers’ comments “fall into
longstanding anti-Semitic tropes.” When
Ms. Omar was named to the House Foreign
Affairs Committee, its chairman,
Representative Eliot Engel of New York,
told her privately that he would not
allow some of her “particularly hurtful”
remarks to be “swept under the rug,” Mr.
Engel said.
The tussle over Ms. Tlaib and Ms. Omar
has exposed a growing generational
divide within the Democratic Party,
pitting an old guard of stalwart
supporters of Israel against an
ascendant wing of young liberals —
including many young Jews — willing to
accuse the Israeli government of human
rights abuses and demanding movement
toward a Palestinian state.
For the Democratic Party, where most
Jews have long made their political
home, the risks are clear — and visible
across the Atlantic. In Europe,
left-wing parties are courting Muslim
immigrant voters with increasingly
anti-Israel positions, while the
populist right is wooing Jews and
cozying up to Israel’s right-wing
government. In Britain, the leader of
the Labour Party is besieged by
accusations of anti-Semitism, bringing
British Jews to the streets of London in
protest.
Islamic
State (also known as ISIS, ISIL, and
Daesh) stunned the world when it overran
an area the size of Great Britain on
both sides of the Iraq-Syria border in a
matter of weeks and proclaimed the birth
of a new Caliphate. In this timely and
important book, Abdel Bari Atwan draws
on his unrivaled knowledge of the global
jihadi movement and Middle Eastern
geopolitics to reveal the origins and
modus operandi of Islamic State.
Based on extensive field research and
exclusive interviews with IS insiders,
Islamic State outlines the group's
leadership structure, as well as its
strategies, tactics, and diverse methods
of recruitment. Atwan traces the
Salafi-jihadi lineage of IS, its
ideological differences with al Qaeda
and the deadly rivalry that has emerged
between their leaders. He also shows how
the group's rapid growth has been
facilitated by its masterful command of
social media platforms, the "dark web,"
Hollywood blockbuster-style videos, and
even jihadi computer games, producing a
powerful paradox where the ambitions of
the Middle Ages have reemerged in
cyberspace.
As Islamic State continues to dominate
the world's media headlines with
horrific acts of ruthless violence,
Atwan considers the movement's chances
of survival and expansion and offers
indispensable insights on potential
government responses to contain the IS
threat.
KB says:
So easy to make and tastes delicious. Fish and
chips, served with lemon and coleslaw, a great
idea for Sunday lunch.
Crispy
BATTER FISH
INGREDIENTS &
METHOD
1 cup flour
1 tsp
baking powder
1 tsp
turmeric
soda water
salt
A pinch of
chili powder
Make the batter with soda water.
The batter must be not too thin. slightly thick but drop
consistency.
Dry fish well
Dip first in plain flour then into batter
Deep fry till nice and crisp. the turmeric will give you
a lovely golden colour
Baba's Halal Kitchen
(Hussain Baba is the host and
chef of *BABA’S HALAL KITCHEN*,
a show where he uses his own
unique style to cook 'Quick, Easy and Delicious' dishes.)
Delicious Halal Potato Beef Curry
with Asst. Police Commissioner
Do you have a recipe to share with CCN
readers?
Send in your favourite recipe to me at
admin@ccnonline.com.au and be my "guest chef" for the week.
Q:
Dear Kareema, I have a really weak core and was
wondering what I can do to strengthen it?
A:
The good thing is that with every workout you
have to engage your core.
This will automatically improve your all-over
strength and give you a stable base to work
from.
Lift your shoulders up and pull them back and
down towards your spine, draw your abs in gently
and lift your chest. This will improve posture
and protect your back while working out.
Your abs and back form part of your girdle (they
work as one) and this is where all the movement
comes from so it is vital to work both areas.
The key is to draw your belly button to backbone
and focus on abs and back exercises.
Writer, Clarity
Coach, Founder and
Facilitator of
Healing Words
Therapy - Writing
for Wellbeing
Muslimah
Mind
Matters
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:
Catastrophising
Has anyone ever
called you dramatic?
Or a drama-queen? Or
that you are blowing
things out of
proportion? Or that
you are creating a
mountain out of a
molehill? If so,
then it may be
because you have
interpreted a
situation in an
exaggerated manner
whereby you
perceived it to be
worse than it
actually was in
reality.
So, how do you know
if you are
catastrophising?
Well, next time you
are in a situation
which evokes a
reaction in you to
say “Oh No!” or
“What if!!!”, it may
be that you are
catastrophising.
Catastrophising
is to present or
perceive a situation
to be a lot worse
than it actually is.
Often when people
harbour unprocessed
emotional pain or
trauma, they may
have a tendency to
catastrophise events
in their lives. The
reality may not be
as bad as they may
perceive it to be,
yet they become
defensive and react
to the situation
with high caution.
For example,
statements like the
following:
“Oh no, I
haven’t received
his/her text
reply. Maybe
he/she just
doesn’t care
about me”
or “He hasn’t
said much
today...what if
he’s having an
affair?”
or “Oh no! I’m
having a chest
ache!...what if
I’m having a
heart attack”
All these statements
have one thing in
common - a negative
thinking pattern
known as “unhelpful
thinking styles”.
Identify Your
Thinking Style
Think of a situation
where you may have
catastrophised.
Describe the
situation
What were
your
thoughts at
the time?
What were
your
feelings
during this
situation?
Strategies To
Stop Catastrophising
Constant
catastrophising zaps
away all joy from
your life. The
following strategies
may help overcome
the habit of
catastrophising.
1. In any given
situation,
identify what is
real. Resist the
temptation to
exaggerate
things in your
mind. If you are
confused about
what is real,
ask someone.
2. Belly
breathing - the
moment you feel
the need to
express “Oh no!”
or “What if”,
bring your
awareness to
your breathing.
Take in slow,
deep breaths and
feel the
movement of your
belly as you
inhale and
exhale. This
brings your
awareness to the
present moment.
3. Focus on the
situation at
hand, NOT on a
similar
situation that
may have
happened in the
past or with
someone you
know. Every
single situation
has its unique
set of reasons
and deserves to
be examined
without
comparison.
4. Lie down -
whenever the
feeling of “Oh
no” or “What if”
overwhelms you,
lie down. Try to
have a nap to
relax the
nervous system.
5. Make wudu -
bring your
awareness to
make wudu with
complete
mindfulness.
Perform each
action with
focus.
If you wish to know about
a specific topic
with regards to
Self-Care and
Clarity of Mind,
please email me on
info@healingwordstherapy.com.
If you wish to have
a FREE one hour
Clarity Coaching
phone session,
contact me on
0451977786
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.
A short film presented by
Shaykh Wesam Charkawi,
followed by Q&A panel with
special guests.
The History of Muslims in
Australia
The short film documentary
entitled "Before1770" is a
film designed to encapsulate
the history of Muslims in
Australia before 1770.
Abu Hanifa Institute, a
centre for education in
traditional Islam and youth
mentoring, utilised its
resources and community
support to document the
facts in this space.
This meant embarking upon a
journey to critical
locations in the Northern
Territory, such as Arnhem
Land, Bawaka, and Groote
Eylandt to see first hand,
the places and people who
hosted the Macassan Muslims.
This endeavour also meant
speaking to academics
specialised in the field as
well as Aboriginal elders
from the Yolngu clan.
The idea of this short film
is to establish Islam's
long-standing connection
with Australia. It is not
designed to cause pain or
disrespect to any figure,
person, organisation or a
particular community.
Date And Time
Sat, March 2, 2019
5:00 PM – 6:30 PM
AEST
Location
HOYTS Sunnybank
McCullough Street
Sunnybank
Young Muslims are being
confronted with ideas that
challenge their faith.
Their minds are riddled with
unanswered questions
regarding the existence of
God, the truth of Islam,
morality of Islamic Law
along with ideas about
gender, orientation and
family.
On top of this, young
Muslims struggle with
typical teenage problems of
mental health, self-esteem,
peer pressure and
relationships.
Faith Circle is a safe space
for young Muslims to nurture
their faith through deep
understanding of what it
means to be Muslim.
Beyond mere memorization of
texts and prayers, Faith
Circle takes students on a
journey through the ocean of
Islamic Sciences,
engendering appreciation,
confidence and certainty in
one’s Faith.
Do you have healthy
lifestyle and wellbeing goals
planned for 2019?
The good news is, if you feel like
you’re ready to make a change, the
My Health For Life program is now
available, making it easier for
Queenslanders to get their health
back on track!
This free lifestyle modification
program is designed to help eligible
participants improve their health
and reduce their risk of developing
chronic disease such as type 2
diabetes, heart disease or stroke.
It takes a fresh, personalised
approach to help people move past
the barriers that stand in the way
of making healthy choices and
positive lifestyle change.
The program is run by a qualified
health professional over six
sessions.
See flyer for upcoming program
details.
For further information and to check
eligibility :
tel 0404 296 297 or
MH4L.Logan@bigpond.com.
Or you can call the secretary Abdul
Samim Khan on 0413669987.
On 31 December 2017 the only
Islamic childcare centre in the whole of Brisbane had to
unfortunately close its doors due to the Department of
Transport requiring it for their future expansion. To
date they are still in the process of securing new
premises to continue serving this very important need of
the community and the wait continues….
In the interim the need is
still there. The question most Muslims would be asking
themselves is “Where do I send my child so that he/she
can learn, grow and develop in an Islamic environment,
and establish a sound Islamic foundation?”
Msasa Montessori is a private home based learning centre
for 3-5 year olds. The focus is an Islamic based
learning environment alongside the Montessori method of
teaching. Children will be taught their basic duas,
surahs, tasbeehs, stories of the Prophets will be read
and enacted, and Inshallah their love for Allah and His
Noble Prophet Muhammed S.A.W will develop. Supported by
the Montessori method of teaching they will develop
their independence and will utilise equipment which will
enable them to develop and grow.
Montessori is a method of education based on
self-directed activity, hands-on learning and
collaborative play. The Montessori materials cover
developmental activities designed to meet the needs of
children in five curriculum areas:
Practical life skills, Sensorial activities,
Mathematics, Language and Cultural Studies.
By providing such an
environment, the children will develop a strong sense of
wellbeing and identity as Muslims and they will become
confident and involved learners with the ability to
communicate effectively and with confidence.
At Sisters
Suppprt Services Inc we have
qualified volunteers who help
women in their darkest moments &
time of need to empower them to
make the right choices for
better outcomes for their own
lives.
Here are some examples of our
cases over the past few months.
ALL names have been changed to
protect client identities.
1. Aisha, a victim of Domestic
Violence came to us for
assistance. We assisted her by
giving her money to buy clothing
and personal items as she left
her home quickly and with very
little. Aisha has also needed
ongoing counselling which she
has been receiving from us for
the past few months. She was
taken to appointments and
connected with the right people
who helped her start a new life
in a safe environment.
“Thank you so
much for your help. I am so very
grateful. Thank you to Sister
Services. Allah bless you all.”
2. Katie, a revert sister with
young kids needed ongoing
counselling and support as she
had not been coping well at home
and was not able to look after
herself and her family. Sisters
Support Services was there for
her; “I can’t tell you enough in
words how grateful I am, just by
listening to me when I was
feeling so low. Life is not
looking so dark anymore !”
3. Sarah also a revert sister
recently divorced with a young
child arrived in Brisbane with
virtually nothing. We have
helped her with everyday
essentials, food supplies &
assisted her to find suitable
accommodation. Sarah has some
health issues & needed financial
support with purchasing
medications & by being driven to
medical appointments by our
volunteers.
"So happy with
the help I've received from
Sisters Support Services."
Open Day and 6th Annual Toowoomba International Food
Festival
Islamic Society of Toowoomba
217 West St.,
Harristown, Toowoomba
0421 081 048
11AM to 3PM
20 April
21 April
(tentative)
Sat (EVE)
Sunday
NISF SHA'BAAN
(Lailatul Bahrat)
15th Sha'baan 1440
6 May
(tentative)
Monday
RAMADAAN
(start of the month of fasting)
1st Ramadaan 1440
26 May
(tentative)
Sunday
LAILATUL-QADR
(Night of Power)
27th Ramadaan 1440
5 June 2019
(tentative)
Wednesday
EID-UL-FITR
(end of the month of fasting)
1st
Shawal 1440
11 August
(tentative)
Sunday
YAWMUL ARAFAH
(Night of Power)
9th Zil-Hijjah 1440
12 August
(tentative)
Monday
EID-UL-ADHA
10th Zil-Hijjah 1440
17 August
Saturday
Eidfest @ Dreamworld
Eidfest
Dreamworld
0418 722 353
from 6PM
1 September 2019
(tentative)
Sunday
RAʼS AL-SANAH AL-HIJRĪYAH
(Islamic New Year)
1st Muharram 1441
16 November
Saturday
Annual Milad-un-Nabi
Al-Mustapha
Institute of Brisbane
TBA
0422 433 074
from 3.30PM to
Maghrib
PLEASE NOTE
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.
Every Sunday Quran Tafsir or Islamic Lesson
or Arabic Class.
After Magrib
Conducting by Imam Yahia Baej
Children Arabic/Quran Class every Tue-Wed-Thursday after
Magrib
ALGESTER
MOSQUE
Nuria Khataam
Date: Every last Wednesday of the month
Time: After Esha Salaat
Venue: Algester Mosque
Contact: Yahya
Ph: 0403338040
IPDC
HOLLAND PARK MOSQUE
Queensland Police Service/Muslim Community
Consultative Group
NEXT MEETING
Date: Thursday 21
February Time: 5.30pm – 7:00pm Venue: Upper Mt Gravatt Police Station
You are cordially invited to attend the South Brisbane
District Police /Islamic Leaders Working Group meeting on
Thursday the 21st of February 2019 at the Upper Mt Gravatt
Police Station from 5.30pm – 7:00pm.
The South Brisbane District Police aims to develop
strategies and services that reflect the needs of our
diverse Islamic community in order to foster a respectful,
peaceful and harmonious District through knowledge sharing
and dialogue.
This SBD working group will also include community leaders
from our neighbours in South East Region and Southern
Region.
The purpose of this working group is to focus on broad
issues of the Islamic faith, culture and religion and their
influence on policing.
The role of the working group is to:
Establish an information exchange mechanism that allows
the community to provide feedback on QPS Services on an
ongoing basis.
Consult with, and provide advice to our community.
Identify any emerging religious issues or trends likely to
create community interest or concern.
Facilitate effective communications between the QPS and
the Islamic community.
Formally report to QPS on matters of religious
significance.
Promote strategies and achievements to the broader
community.
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
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