BACK ISSUES

Missed the How and Why to Vote ICQ/CIQ workshop presented by Dr Mustafa Ally and Ms Rita Markwell last week at the Islamic College of Brisbane?

You can view the slides from the workshop here.

The following pre-election concerns of the Muslim community was compiled and released by the Australian Muslim Community National Summit in the forerunner to the upcoming Federal elections.

1. A balanced narrative towards Islam and Muslims and other minorities.

• The danger of Islamophobia

• Stereotyping the Muslim community because of the action of few.

• The discourse by political leaders should be inclusive of all Australians and not divisive.

• The standard of discourse must be lifted; dog whistling and scapegoating to score cheap political points at the expense of minorities should not be tolerated and swiftly and publicly rejected by the political parties.

• White supremacy must be acknowledged as a problem. More must be done to stop its growth and extremism.

• The rights of all minorities matter and especially that of our indigenous brothers and sisters. If their situation is not addressed as a matter of priority, then we cannot expect much to be done with regard to the rights of other recent minorities.

2. Laws against vilification and hateful speech on religious grounds.

• Laws that protect vilification against religion.

• Over the last few years, there has been an increase in Islamophobia in Australia. Most of it has been directed at the vulnerable people within our community, including women who wear veils.

• Since the Christchurch tragedy, the experience of Islamophobia and extreme right wing hatred, as reported to us, has sadly increased and intensified.

• There is NO legal protection at a national level and in most States, against vilification or hateful speech or acts because of a person’s religion. This is causing Australian Muslims concern and distress.

• We see it to be of critical importance that the Parliament quickly legislate to provide legal protection against vilification and hate speech and actions because of a person’s religion.

3. Immigration laws targeting Muslims.

• Australia's offshore detention regime is cruel and inhumane. Most of those that have suffered are people of colour and Muslim. We demand an immediate closure of these detention centres and for the asylum seekers to be brought to Australia.

• Australia is a wealthy nation that does not contribute its fair share to dealing with the global refugee crisis.

• Australian governments have often allowed the narrative that the country is at risk of being overrun by the hordes from the north, and that our very identity is being threatened. Immigrants are often scape-goats for all sorts of social and economic ills when in fact they contribute to the advancement and wealth of this country.

• At face value, Australia has a non-discriminatory immigration policy. But with the current hurdles in place, and the emphasis on skilled migration and/or those already with financial means, those from poorer, non-English speaking backgrounds are disadvantaged. Muslims are typically in this category.

4. National Security and Racial profiling targeting Muslims.

• Security agencies targeting Muslims, in particular public places, airports etc.

• Stereotyping and profiling people based on their travel patterns and other travel habits is quite usual but it seems that religious identity plays a big part when it comes to Muslim travellers. This creates an environment of fear and alienation amongst Muslim Australians, it also diverts resources from other threats such as drugs, smuggling, Domestic violence etc, to a relatively minor but politically hot threat.

• Despite evidence of close ties between extreme right groups in Australia and that of Europe and North America, there seems to be little to no increase in scrutiny of individuals who are known affiliates of such groups, when they travel.

• Security concerns on the rise of right wing extremists and white supremacy.

• White supremacy groups must be acknowledged as a problem. More must be done to stop its growth.

• Australian security agencies must apply counter terrorism laws equally and social media service providers that fail to remove extremist posts should face consequences.

5. Foreign policy.

• Recognition of the State of the Palestine and right of return for the Palestinians. New Israeli settlements in Palestinian territories must be condemned as they are illegal and against UN resolutions.

• Justice for Syrians, Rohingya and East Turkistan people, and the end of mistreatment for minorities,
  in particular Muslims in Myanmar and East Turkistan.

• The Australian Government's obligation and responsibility under international lawto respect, protect and fulfil human rights, in accordance with charters it is bound bye

Multicultural communities urged to use poll power against Pauline

Brisbane’s multicultural communities have formulated a plan to “put Pauline last” with a how-to-vote card that is expected to have nationwide impact by polling day on May 18.

One of the leaders of Brisbane’s Chinese community Peter Low OAM is one of five signatories on a how-to-vote leaflet being circulated by email and published on Facebook, in newsletters and newspapers produced by multicultural groups.
 

“When Pauline Hanson was first elected her speech was against Asians and from there it went on, from bad to worse, attacking any minority group, the latest is the Muslims,” Mr Low said.

“She is still harping on.

“We have been too scared of bad publicity when we need to stop the far right from hurting the community and getting elected.

“Malcolm Turnbull made a big mistake when he changed the Senate rules, it is too easy for these people to be elected.”

Indian community leader Surendra Prasad OAM, one of the people supporting the put Pauline last campaign.

Mr Low said his how-to-vote leaflet complied with Australian Electoral Commission requirements for election publicity and contained his name and address and the names of four other supporters representing multicultural groups.

Mr Low said his how-to-vote leaflet complied with Australian Electoral Commission requirements for election publicity and contained his name and address and the names of four other supporters representing multicultural groups.
 

The other supporters are Peter Ho AM, Indian community leader Surendra Prasad OAM, Robert Zee OAM and Queensland Chinese Forum president Vicky Yu, whose group represents 20 different Chinese cultural organisations in greater Brisbane.

The how-to-vote information has easy-to-read instructions on putting a number in every box on the ballot paper, with Pauline Hanson’s One Nation to be numbered last in each case.

The leaflet says: “We strongly advocate and request the multicultural community to put the candidate for Pauline Hanson’s One Nation last on both ballot papers, due to their history of creating disharmony and divisiveness in the multicultural society.

“And please put second last the candidate who gives preferences to Pauline Hanson’s One Nation candidate.”

Mr Low said the leaflet was purposely kept simple and easy to read and had no party-based affiliations other than an overriding message to put Senator Hanson’s party last.

“It will be published in the Chinese newspaper, all the multicultural communities are getting it and will put it into their newsletters and online,” Mr Low said.

“The African community is very interested, and have 20,000 followers on Facebook.

MPs criticise 'normalisation of hate speech' at Grand Mufti dinner for Muslim voters

Representatives of Australia's major parties have appealed to Muslim voters at a dinner hosted by the Grand Mufti, where hate speech ahead of the federal election was a hot topic.

 

The Grand Mufti of Australia and New Zealand Dr Ibrahim Abu Mohamed held an invite-only event in Sydney on Thursday night for hundreds of Muslim voters and campaigning federal politicians, including Labor MP Tony Burke (pictured top left), Greens leader Richard Di Natale and Liberal Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells.

The event, attended by SBS Arabic24, was held to gauge the sentiments of voters amid tensions within Australian politics over anti-Muslim comments.

Three Liberal candidates were dumped this week after their anti-Muslim comments on social media were unearthed.

NSW Liberal Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells recognised the rise of religious intolerance, telling the reception that the Coalition had the "right measures to deal with it".

“We have seen the rise of religious intolerance around the world and as we pray for the victims and families of the recent NZ terror act it reaffirmed the need for stand-alone legislation to protect religious freedoms,” she said.

“This is the practical and necessary response to religious intolerance and the time has come where this is crucial and it is part of the government response to religious intolerance.”

Labor MP Tony Burke is campaigning in the Sydney seat of Watson, where 23 per cent of the population was Muslim.

He told the reception that the past three years have been the worst in the history of Australian politics in terms of hate speech.

“Obviously every election I hope to win, that’s how it goes, but I really want a change of government this time more than ever before. I believe the last three years have been the worst three years I have seen in Australian politics.”

Mr Burke referenced comments made by Immigration Minister Peter Dutton in 2016 that it was a “mistake” for Australia to welcome Lebanese Muslim refugees in the 1970s.

“We are seeing right now the Liberal party and Liberal National Party in Queensland referencing One Nation, we were told by senior Liberals that One Nation is more sophisticated now, while all they said instead of being swamped by Asians, they now say swamped by Muslims," Mr Burke said.

“You know when people give a normalising on hate speech and prejudice, it affects how people treat each other at work at schools on public transport and at shopping centres and it must stop.”


The Grand Mufti called on federal politicians to "listen to aspirations" of Muslim voters when campaigning.

"[We're] concurrently urging all Australians of Islamic faith to vote, properly and accurately, to ensure their votes are valid and a significant part of the political process,” he said.

“As the Muslim communities grow in size and organisation you need your local state and federal representatives to represent your values and interests.”

Dr Mohamed doubled down on calls for new laws to combat Islamophobia, something he considered as a “necessary response” following the Christchurch attack.

“We have seen the rise of religious intolerance around the world and as we pray for the victims and families of the recent NZ terror act. It reaffirmed the need for stand-alone legislation to protect religious freedoms,” he said.

“This is the practical and necessary response to religious intolerance and the time has come where this is crucial and it is part of the government response to religious intolerance.”

Greens leader Richard Di Natale made a connection between his party's stance on climate change and the Islamic faith by referring a story the Grand Mufti shared with him.

“I want to talk to you about the challenge of climate change and how critical it is and it is something the Grand Mufti about how essential told me about the Quran. We need to treat the earth like we treat each other because it is God’s creation. When someone plants a tree and a person or an animal eats from that tree it is an act of charity and will be rewarded for it.”

Mr Di Natale reminded the audience that Australia's Muslim senator, Mehreen Faruqi, was from the Greens.

"I am a proud product of Multiculturalism. My family were post-war Italian migrants, I see the way my family was treated. I think of my grandmother who spoke no word in English but raised a family and contributed greatly to this country," he said.

"We are one people together regardless of our skin colour or our religion. We are one people and we share our humanity.” 
 

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LOCAL young achievers were recognised for their work in women's health, promoting diversity, cultural education and performing arts.
 

Three Redlands residents and one local business were finalists in the Young Achiever Awards for 2019.

The awards recognised the achievements of Queenslanders who are younger than 29 years old.

The finalists were presented and winners announced at an Awards Gala Presentation Dinner held at Royal on the Park Brisbane on Friday, May 3.

Each category winner received a trophy and $2,000 from Auswide Bank.
One of the eight category winners will be chosen as the 2019 Queensland Young Achiever of the Year and will receive an additional $2,000 from Auswide Bank and an overall state trophy.

Soroptimist International Women Empowering Others Winner

2019 Redlands Young Citizen of the Year Madina Mohmood, 22, was a winner in the Soroptimist International Women Empowering Others award.

The Redland Bay resident works to promote cultural diversity and empower young women.

Ms Mohmood helped to establish the Afghan Student Association and the Muslimah Student Society at the University of Queensland.

She is the current Youth Representative of the Queensland Afghan Community Association and has been responsible for creating a youth team and organising a multicultural festival for Nowruz (Persian New Year) supported by the Queensland Government.

In 2014, Ms Mohmood was chosen to travel to Rwanda, the 40 Hour Famine focus country of the year as the World Vision Queensland Youth Ambassador.

She then spent the year speaking to high school students across the state about her experience.

She currently holds state leadership position as part of the Queensland Vision Generation, World Vision's youth moment.

In 2017, she was chosen as university delegate to visit New York for the National Model United Nations.


BB Print Regional Achiever Award
 

Imaan Ashraf, 17 of Mackay is a powerful speaker and ambassador of Islam.

Imaan wants to create awareness that wearing a hijab should not hold her back from contributing to her community.

She organised "Let's Talk About," a forum attended by prominent Muslim speakers which raised $2,800. Imaan was the emcee at the Mackay Mosque Open Day.

She organised the medical chapter of the Mackay Homeless Expo where GPs provided free healthcare.

Imaan was nominated for Outstanding Young Achiever at Queensland Government Multicultural Awards.

She received the Australian Defence Force Youth Leadership Award, Rats of Tobruk Roll of Honour Award and CQU Change Maker Award.

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The Commonwealth Bank hosted its 2nd annual ifthaar in the Queensland Parliament this week.

Over 150 invited largely non-Muslim guests were treated to a dinner, and learnt about the five pillars of Islam from Dr Nora Amath and stories of living in multicultural Australia as told by a panel that included Ali Kadri, Nora Amath, Huss Mustafa OAM and Ms Dzenita Belic.

There was a range of speakers that included the Honorary Consul General for the Republic of Turkey, Mr Turgut Manli, Queensland Deputy Police Commissioner, Steve Gollschewski, CBA General Manager Multicultural Community Banking, Huss Mustafa OAM and Ms Jennifer Howard MP who represented the Hon Minister Stirling Hinchcliffe MP.

The Mashrabiyaa Duo provided a musical interlude.

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Ifthaar at the Garden City Mosque in Toowoomba in the temporary prayer hall is being held every evening.
 

Many Muslims, especially students and people without family, regularly participate in the collective breaking of fast.

The Ifter-dinner for the first Ramadan on Monday, 6 May was attended by many non-Muslims including members of churches, politicians, community leaders, social workers and friends of Muslims.

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When Sisters With Helping Hands asked for donations to make Ramadan food hampers for the community they were overwhelmed by the support of the community. It took the Sisters With Helping Hands Volunteers weeks of planning, a month of receiving, and days of packing, but the Ramadan Food Packages, made from everyone’s generous donations were finally delivered to families in need in Brisbane.

When we started the donation drive, we only thought of doing it in a small scale of 20-30 packs for our first year.

But little do we know, there are many many generous Muslim sisters and brothers out there who are just looking for opportunities to gain maximum rewards in the Hereafter, Tabarakallah !

We have had donations coming in even as soon as the drive was announced, and coming as far away as Sydney or even overseas like from Qatar. May Allah reward each and every one of the donors.

We had a scramble at first to widen our number of recipients, to correspond with the increased number of food packages being donated. We almost panicked halfway through, thinking of how to fulfill the amanah given to us. However, Allah is indeed the Best of Planners.

Alhamdulillah, through our network, we were able to help more families in need, struggling students with their families, single mothers, mothers with long term illnesses, disabled sisters and isolated new reverts. We worked in cooperation with the Muslim Charitable Foundation and their successful Ramadan Food Packs program to ensure their was no overlap in distribution and widespread support was given to those in need in the community.

Each one of the recipients were immensely grateful for the food package they received. Mothers and Fathers smiling, saying Shukr for relieving their hardship for the month ahead and assisting them to make a more meaningful Ramadan experience for their families. Children were happy to receive extra sweets and tidbits that we were able to add to the package from all the donations.

In total, 95 food packages went out to different families in Bald Hills, Inala, Woodridge, Holland Park and even all the way to Collingwood Park.

Jazakumullahu khair to all the donors for all the duas and support. Jazakumullahu khair for sharing the Spirit of Ramadan with the less fortunate. May Allah make our Ramadan ahead a means for us to attain Taqwa and be free from all sins.

Ramadan Mubarak !

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In the aftermath of the Christchurch attacks, one man, Matthew, a non-Muslim, has taken it upon himself to go to the Darra Mosque during Friday and evening (taraweeh) Ramadan prayers to stand guard and ensure the safety of the praying congregants.

Mojib Ullah, from the Mosque, was full of praise for Matthew's selflessness and told CCN: "Please keep him in your prayers!"

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The food stalls are back up during the evenings in Lakemba, Sydney.

Camel burgers, Syrian ice-cream, gozlemes, and culinary delights from the world over ..

Source: Bilal Rauf Facebook

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A four-year study into faith communities in Australia and the UK has found Muslims experience acts of violence on an individual basis like no other religious adherents, leading to calls for better early education in religious awareness.

In the midst of conducting her research, RMIT University's Professor Anna Hickey-Moody said she was disturbed when she heard the experiences of Muslim Australians, prompting her to lead the call.

"The mosque [where] I spent most of the week in Adelaide has had young men, white men, driving around the mosque in a car with the windows rolled down pretending to shoot it. I mean, that's terrifying," she said.

"No other religion has [had its adherents] experience acts of violence on an individual basis … but this has been consistent in Australia with the Muslim research participants."

Since 2016, 340 people from religious communities have been interviewed in six cities across Australia and Great Britain for the Interfaith Childhoods project.

They included lower socio-economic communities in Sydney, Adelaide, Canberra, Melbourne, London and Manchester.

Professor Hickey-Moody brought together children and their parents, asking the children to create art about their identities and then interviewing their parents in-depth about their experiences of living in Australia.

Ending in 2020 and funded by the Australian Research Council, it will be the first Australian study to create a large-scale public art program discussing social values in relation to different faiths in young children.

"One child in south-east London drew a globe where he pinned where he began, as in where he was born in Somalia, and then the flight around the world and the different places where he's been and where he ended up. It was his story of home," Professor Hickey-Moody said.

But it was when she interviewed the parents, particularly the Muslim women, when she heard the full extent of difficulties of religious life in Australia.

"One of the mums was telling a story about a someone driving past and rolling down the window and pretending to shoot her with their fingers like a gun, and I had a feeling of disbelief about the violence of that act," she said.

"She was talking about how complicated that is to experience as a mother. She wants her daughter to have a religious life, but she's also scared to teach her daughter a way of life that might allow her to be vulnerable.

"One story that stuck in my head … [a woman] and her sister were in town in Adelaide and they saw an older woman that was struggling with her walking frame and they went to try and help her because they realised she wasn't going to make it across the lights.

"When they got to the walking frame to try and help her, she looked at them with this visceral hate and said 'get your hands of me you bitches, I'm just coming for you, I'm coming to tell you to get back where you came from'.

"Her sister burst into tears because she was so shocked, and she [the older woman] burst into laughter."

Adelaide seen to be the most unaccepting city
Across all of the cities involved in the project, the researchers found stories from Adelaide to be the most distressing.

"It has a less multicultural community, it's a less international community, and I think there's not the kind of cosmopolitan consciousness that requires understanding social difference," Professor Hickey-Moody said.

One Muslim woman in the Adelaide focus group burst into tears as she recalled the moment another women came right up to her face and yelled at her to "get out of here".

Another Adelaide woman said her son was on the bus when two men hopped on and said "let's slay them all" as they drove passed the local mosque.

Dr Samia Al Haque has been living in Adelaide for the past six years, and while most of her life there was free of racism there was an incident she could not forget when she went to take her English literacy test.

"One of the men [doing identity checks] commented on how I dressed," she said.

"He said [rudely] 'I don't understand why you Muslim women dress like this'. I was actually wearing a formal dress with a cardigan on top.

"It really disturbed me. I could feel my ears go red and my face flushing. I did cry later on, after I came home."

Dr Al Haque escalated the incident, was refunded her money and received a written, formal apology.

Rahmotollah Ahmadi moved to Tasmania when his refugee family were accepted into Australia.

He said he and his wife were verbally abused several times while walking, and his friends had been egged on a different day.

"It's very sad and depressing. They told us before we came to Australia [that] you are free to follow any religion. It's your right," Mr Ahmadi said.

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Lovers of regulation, supporters of same-sex couples and very liberal when it comes to abortion – this is how a sample of a thousand Australians perceive themselves.

Australia is a country that accepts gay couples, hates the big banks, considers second-generation migrants “Australian”, but the majority feel negatively towards Islam.

New wide-ranging data released by YouGov has revealed fascinating insights into the Australian identity, its place in the world, and its many contradictions.

Australians were the second-highest out of 23 countries surveyed in not considering where someone’s parents come from as relevant to identifying as Australian, but in our personal lives, 47% admitted to having “very few” or no close friends of a different ethnic background. And 80% of us believe women still suffer discrimination, but a third also think the women’s rights movement has gone too far.

Islam and other religions
51% of Australians had unfavourable sentiments towards Islam, and only 10% looked upon the religion positively, making Australia more negative than 17 of the other 22 countries surveyed.

In fact, 37% of people said they were “very unfavourable”– the most negative response available. This was far higher than the milder option of “fairly unfavourable” (14%), and made it the single most common response to the religion. 23% of people were neutral.

In comparison, 45% of Australians were positive towards Christianity, and 21% were negative.

Judaism had a favourability rating of 18%, and unfavourability of 20%. The largest segment was “neither favourable nor unfavourable” and “don’t know” – which added to 58%.

Age was one of the biggest factors that correlated with anti-Islam sentiment.

Those aged 45 and over had negative sentiments above 60%, and positive sentiments at 5% or lower. Those between 25 and 34 had negative sentiments 30 points lower (31%), and positive sentiments at 20%. Those 18-24 had similarly high positivity, but higher negativity too (at 41%).

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Hala Ramadan remembers only too well the “agony” of making sense of her new world in Australia, the country she fled to as a 15-year-old with limited language skills.

Ramadan grew up in Beirut during the Lebanese civil war, and recalls studying by candlelight in an underground shelter with the sound of war above. In Sydney she was given a new chance, a way out that was defined by education; first an HSC, then a Bachelor of Science and a Masters of Teaching.

Now the principal of Belmore Boys High School, Ramadan says her struggles are what shaped her to be the person she is today.

This challenging background is always what gives her the empathy to lead a diverse school population, where 98 per cent of students come from language backgrounds other than English. Many are from refugee or refugee-like backgrounds.

“Belmore Boys is not a place of employment for me; it is my home, and my family,” Ramadan says. “It is at Belmore that I fully understood my role as an educational leader in shaping the educational journey for my students.”

With 380 students, the school’s population represents 35 language backgrounds. Many have come from disadvantaged circumstances. Ramadan says that with the correct level of support and “lots and lots of love”, the sky is the limit in terms of achievement and success.

As the mother of the school, which is how the kids refer to her, Ramadan’s door is literally always open for staff, students, parents and local community members. Care takes many forms, as varied as family sessions with a psychologist to training for parents so that they can upskill and improve their lives.

Vocational training in subjects such as agriculture and personal training is offered to ensure young men have career paths in place. Multicultural celebrations at the school include Chinese New Year festivities and gathering for Iftar, the traditional meal eaten by Muslims after sunset during Ramadan.

“We focus on wellbeing as a necessary tool for learning for our boys, because learning will not take place at a deep level, unless our boys feel safe, supported and nurtured,” she says.

“Our students have a range of soft skills that emerge from living a life of complexity and disadvantage. We flip the model and treat our students as strong individuals who are survivors, not victims.”

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The Islamic Council of Queensland (ICQ) wishes you, your families and your organisations Ramadan Mubarak.
 

May this month be full of blessings, mercy, collective improvement, tolerance and understanding for all.
 

We ask Almighty Allah to grant us such sincerity that we leave this month closer to Him than ever before.

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How to perform prayers (salah/namaz) on an airplane?
 

Performing your prayers (salah/namaz) while on an Airplane is not that easy as most Airlines do not provide such facilities. The following tips will help you perform as best as possible:

1. Ensure you know all the rules and dispensations pertaining to wudhu and salah as a traveller. You can find here a list of areas that one should ensure they have the knowledge of. www.halaltrip.com/other/blog/121-tips-to-safeguard-your-salaat-while-traveling.

2. Since it is not easy to perform wudhu and salah on an Airplane, if there is a choice, it is better to choose flight timings which allow one to perform all salah before departure or after arrval

3. If you are on a long flight and need to transit through an Airport, if there is a choice, it is better to choose to transit through an Airport which has comfortable prayer and wudhu facilities as well as Halal food. You can find brief overviews of Airport facilities under the Airport guides section. www.halaltrip.com/airport-near-me/.

4. If after considering all of the above, your flight timing is such that have to perform Salah while on air, then it is about managing the four key elements for salat efficiently; time, wudhu, direction & space.

5. Time: First thing is to know the correct prayer times for the flight using the Air Travel Prayer Times calculator here or using the HalalTrip mobile app.

6. Wudhu: Taking wudhu on a plane is not easy as well. As such it is better as much as possible to take wudhu before boarding the plane. Especially if the next prayer time comes soon after take-off. If you have to take wudhu on a plane, it is very important to make sure that proper care is taken not to mess up the aircraft toilets, so as not to inconvenience other passengers or staff. Understanding the rules of "masah" (wiping over socks) will help ease the performance of wudhu while travelling.

7. Space: If you are flying first or business class, finding a place to spread your prayer mat and pray properly is not generally an issue. However if you are flying economy class, due to space constraints, it a bit more challenging. In this case, the best is to approach the airline staff and see if they are able to provide some space. If that is not possible, then one can perform salah while seated. Consult your scholar to know the exact ruling regarding the performance of salah while seated in a plane.

8. Qiblah direction: If you are able to find space to pray properly, then you can find the approximate Qiblah direction by using HalalTrip mobile app. If you are praying seated, then facing the Qibla direction will not be always possible. Consult your scholar to know the exact ruling regarding facing qibla in such a situation.

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Detectives from the State Crime Command’s Financial and Cyber Crime Group have issued a warning to Queensland residents about a scam using a Queensland Police Service phone number to legitimise a government or Australian Taxation Office (ATO) impersonation scam.

In this instance the criminals are using a practice known as caller ID spoofing where they inappropriately manipulate the telephone network to indicate the incoming call is from a different number (in this case a QPS number).

The scam starts when the criminal calls the victim impersonating a government department. They advise the victim has an outstanding fine or fee with them (for example, the ATO). While this type of scam has been doing the rounds for some time, police are concerned this version of the scam has an additional layer which may result in more members of the community falling victim.

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Muslim News UK readers nominated the following illustrious men, women, children and projects deemed worthy of short-listing for a Muslim News Award for Excellence. These exemplars of good practice, excellence – future role models – will be treated to a Gala Evening in the presence of their peers and other renowned guests in April, when the finalists are announced for the 15 coveted Awards for Excellence
 

CONTINUED FROM LAST WEEK'S CCN.......

Faezeh Hashemi Award for Excellence in SPORTA

Asma Elbadawi is a basketball player and coach from Bradford, West Yorkshire, who successfully lobbied for the Basketball governing body the International Basketball Federation (Fiba) to allow Faezeh Hashemi Award for Excellence in SPORTMuslim players to compete in hijab. Asma, who was born in Sudan, began campaigning against Fiba’s ban on headgear using social media and the #FibaAllowHijab hashtag. Asma argued Fiba should follow football authority Fifa in removing restrictions on hijabs, turans and other religious headwear as she claimed there was no correlation between the item of clothing and players’ safety. On May 4, 2017, the first-ever Mid-Term Congress – which brought together representatives from 139 national federations – unanimously ratified the Fiba Central Board’s decision for a new rule that would allow players to wear headgear. Not one to rest on her laurels, Asma is now advocating sport for young British Muslim girls. An accomplished spoken word poet, she also won BBC Radio 1Xtra’s ‘Words First’ 2015 Competition.

Ramla Ali is the first female Muslim to win a British boxing title, and the only female boxer to ever represent Somalia in an international competition, including recent tournaments in Istanbul and New Delhi last November. Her accomplishments in and outside of the ring secured her Nike sponsorship deal in 2018. Outside of competing, Ramla donates her time to charity including Fight 4 Change where she teaches women-only self-defence classes among her students are war and domestic violence survivors. She was featured on the front cover of the Guardian Observer Magazine in November with a two-page spread about her ambitions of qualifying and participating in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

As the only Muslim Ambassador of a Premier League Club, Mohammed Bhana has connected the club to a new British Muslim fan base, who have been welcomed with open arms. His appointment has helped open breakfast clubs in areas with a high Muslim population. But his talents go beyond playing football. Mohammed has an innate ability to market and grow brands in both the marketing and automotive sectors, paying dividends for Huddersfield Town A.F.C. of the Premier League and the globally-recognized Kahn Design. At Kahn Design, his ability to creatively market on a limited budget quickly put the automotive company on the map. In one example, the ‘F1’ number plate purchased by Kahn for more than £400,000 in 2008 – a record for the time – was pushed by Mohammed who had been tracking its value for some time. The value of it has since skyrocketed to £15 million, making it the most valuable number plate in the world. Mohammad’s efforts have been recognised by the Yorkshire Asian Business Association, who recently awarded him under the Professional of the Year category.     

TO BE CONTINUED IN NEXT WEEK'S CCN

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Editors' Introduction (Vol 3 No 3 2018): The history of Islam within Australia is an important, yet often overlooked, part of Australian history. Muslim presence in Australia has helped shape multicultural experience facilitating intercultural dialogue as well as contributing significantly to the development of the Australian nation. However, to date, it has received minimal scholarly attention. There have been significant studies on the engagements of the Maccasans, Muslim fishermen from Indonesia, with the Indigenous peoples of northern Australia. These studies have detailed the cultural interactions and trade between them and the lasting impacts of the inclusion of language foreign to Australian soil. There is also an increasing awareness of Australia’s cameleers, many of whom were Muslims, and the contribution they made to maintaining trade routes and assisting early Australian explorers. Despite the growing interest in the field, the history of Islam in Australia remains an understudied area of research. This rich history dates back further than we thought and has possibly had a greater impact than what is recognised. Given the current political and social climate surrounding Islam globally, it is timely that this volume of the Australian Journal of Islamic Studies is published. This volume brings to light the depth and richness of Australia’s Islamic heritage, challenging some of the prevalent assumptions on the topic, and calls for further studies in this field. Australia has proclaimed itself as being a successful example of a multicultural society. It is a society that has been shaped, and continues to be shaped, by a diverse range of cultural inputs. With this being the case, it is justifiable to ask how and why the contributions of Muslims to Australia have been largely overlooked.

Over the weeks, CCN highlights extracts from the Australian Journal of Islamic Studies which is an open access, double-blind peer-reviewed journal dedicated to the scholarly study of Islam.

REVULSION AND REFLECTION: THE COLOURED AND WHITE MUSLIM IN AUSTRALIA’S PRINT MEDIA FROM THE LATE 19TH TO THE EARLY 20TH CENTURY (Katy Nebhan)

RACE, RELIGION AND TRANSNATIONAL INFLUENCES

There is no one simplistic discourse that articulates the representation of Muslims in Australian newspapers during this period. The shift from references to them as workers and handlers, even oddities, to rivals and a ‘Mohammedan’ threat was not entirely born within an Australian context. What John Esposito described as a “powerful wave of Muslim religious revivalism” in the 18th century, inspired by a perceived external challenge and threat of conquest by Europe, was partially responsible for this change.

Despite a clear shift of power in the 19th century and the dominance of European colonialism, Christian religious figures in particular were weary and warned of complacency. In 1883, the South Australian Christian Colonist published an article titled “Islam and Christianity,” which described the work of the missionaries and the “civilisation advances” in Mount Lebanon and Damascus.

Despite their elevated social status and economic success, the author reminded Christians in the region and Australia that it is “not possible that the Mohammedans can rest contented with the present state of matters,” and given the opportunity, they will “attempt to regain their former power.”

This ‘threat’ was given as the reason why “Christians are to some extent always uneasy, and when any excitement arises among the Moslems the alarm and fear of the Christians may be easily imagined.

The alarm and suspicion referred to by a number of Australian mainstream publications focused mainly on the “active subtle Mahommedan missionaries” who through the “ignorant convert to Islam” sought to give the “Crescent the upper hand throughout the world” and subvert Christian rule.

The writer also referred to the newspapers he had seen with Khan from Liverpool, New York, Cairo and other cities, “all printed and published in English at the places named solely for proselytising purposes.”

The purpose of Khan’s visit to Western Australia was, according to the article, to prove to the local people that Islam is not a faith “befitting only a barbarous and unenlightened people, but the most cultured and highly civilised as well. ”As well as helping to establish a mosque in Perth, Khan was interested in “founding a free Mohammedan library.”

It is no coincidence that Khan’s visit to Australia occurred at around the same time agitation towards Muslims in Australian print media was increasing. Towards the end of the 19th century, the elite of Indian diasporic communities were advocating the mobilisation of an international Muslim brotherhood. This transnational movement, which played out implicitly in Australian newspapers through the letters written by Musa Khan to various editors, may have been the reason for Mulla Mirza Khan’s visit.

It may have also been the key motivator behind Musa Khan’s public expressions of frustration in these letters. According to Eric Germain’s study of southern hemisphere diasporic communities, members of this literate Muslim elite were:

In search of recognition of their religious specificity but also of their “Britishness,” a colonial citizenship meaning equal rights and opportunities with white settlers in the Crown’s colonies. Among the external signs of this Anglophilia – truly felt but, at the same time, consciously used as a political claim -was the English language that the Indian elite chose to use in their political expression.

For Australia’s early Muslims, this link with Britain offered some hope amid the discrimination and racism that played out in the local media

MORE IN NEXT WEEK'S CCN....

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Would you like to see the cover of your favourite book on our book shelves below?

Then simply email the title and author to admin@ccnonline.com.au

CCN's Bookshelf

CCN's favourite books »

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Zucchini and Spinach fritters

(gluten free)

 METHOD

1. Beat eggs and milk together.
2. Add remaining ingredients with the exception of baking powder.
3. Add the baking powder when ready to fry.
4. On a greased tawa or griddle place I tab of the mixture, flatten it and allow to cook for a minute and then turn over and cook on the other side.
5. Fry till golden brown.
6. Serve with tomato salsa (see below)

Salsa:

1. Boil 2 to 3 tomatoes on the stove or microwave with a little water.
2. When it's soft, liquidize and strain.
3. Discard seeds and peels.
4. To the juice add: 1 small chopped onion, 1 Tab. vinegar, salt and green chillies.
5. Adjust seasoning to suit your taste buds.
6. Refrigerate.

Add the chicken strips to it and leave aside for a few minutes.

Deep fry each chicken strip on medium to high heat.
Serve hot with your favourite sauce or chutney.
 

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At the Kuraby Mosque, they have weekly husband's marriage seminars.

At the session last week, the Imam asked Jallalludin, who said he was approaching his 50th wedding anniversary, ‘‘to take a few minutes and share some insight secret how you had managed to stay married to the same woman all these years.’’

Jallalludin replied to the assembled husbands, "Well, I've tried to treat her nice, spend money on her, bought her enough jewellery and abayas, but best of all is, I took her to Saudi Arabia for the 25th anniversary!"

The Imam responded, ‘‘Brother Jallalludin, you are an amazing inspiration to all the husbands here! Please tell us what you are planning, for your
wife for your 50th anniversary?’’

Jallalludin proudly replied, “I’m going back to Jeddah to pick her up."

 

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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, except for Lailatul Mehraj, Lailatul Bhahraat and Lailatul Qadr – these dates refer to the commencement of the event starting in the evening of the corresponding day.

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Disclaimer

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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