On the 16th of August 2019,
members of the Queensland
Muslim Community attended a
community forum engaging in
the topic of Mental Health
from a Muslim community
perspective. The program
consisted of 3 rapid fire
presentations by the
panellists, live digital
polling and collaborative
audience activities which
was then followed by an
interactive Q&A.
The forum proved to be an
excellent opportunity for
community members to
challenge realities they are
facing in their everyday
lives and acknowledge
strengths and weaknesses the
Muslim community is
contending with. It was
attended by both young and
old participants and as well
as non-Muslim community
members.
The presenters were Aneesa
Kathrada, officially
representing the Department
of Education Queensland, in
her capacity as a Mental
Health Coach for the
Queensland South East
Region. Dr Mohamed Ghilan, a
Neuroscientist providing an
Islamic and scientific
background to mental health,
neuroscience and a
psychiatric perspective. Dr
Riyad Rahimullah, a
psychology researcher
providing insight on
research examining the
interaction between mental
illness and terrorism. The
program was facilitated and
moderated with energy, care
and enthusiasm by Rita
Markwell.
The forum was attended by
over 200 participants from
diverse backgrounds; health,
law, academia, social work,
education, business and
officials from Council of
Imams Queensland (CIQ) and
the Islamic Council of
Queensland (ICQ)
respectively. The program
was live streamed and was
viewed by 900 participants
over 4 continents.
Shameera Osman was part of
the Q&A panel, providing
insight as a local mental
health clinician, who
mentioned "From a purely
practical perspective,
perhaps we can make an
effort to recognise
strengths/skills of each
other and how we can channel
these meaningfully.
Particularly for people who
may be feeling a bit lost
because of retirement or
loss of connections due to
migration etc, community
mentoring (as was raised) is
a great idea and maybe
something to explore."
Hajji Habib Jamal, President
of Islamic Council of
Queensland (ICQ) said,
"The forum was
excellently organized
and enabled the
community to openly
discuss issues that are
often considered taboo.
It was great to be part
of a forum that provided
a safe and positive
space for our Muslim
community members to
work through the
challenges they are
facing in the space of
mental health and to be
able to contribute to
the discussion of a
culturally responsive
approach to mental
health in Queensland.
ICQ is working with
other responsible stake
holders to further
improve our
understanding of these
issues that affect all
of us at some point in
time. We value community
support at these
gatherings."
Moulana Abdullah Gardee from
Council of Imams Queensland
(CIQ) concluded by saying,
"It was a great
opportunity for people
young and old to have
exposure to topics such
as digital addiction,
educational frameworks,
an Islamic perspective
on mental health, help
seeking and the
engagement of elderly
loneliness to the
challenges facing young
people from a diverse
community background.
The council of Imams
Queensland has organized
a series of training for
its Imams on child
protection, mental
health and community
engagement strategies.
The discussion and
engagement of Mental
health is vital as a
Muslim community and
must be dealt with in a
respectful and a timely
manner. Furthermore, the
need for building of the
social and civic
capacity for young
people to feel a sense
of belonging through a
range of approaches is a
community obligation
which also includes
building upon the
current specialities and
expertise in our local
communities."
Challenging Realities is a
quarterly forum that
combines quick and high
calibre presentations with
dynamic Q&A to inspire
Muslims to work together and
advance the common good
across society.
The
Indonesian and Australian
Festival known as Indoz was
held in King George Square
on 23 and 24 August
attracting wide audiences
with cultural displays,
entertainment and food
stalls. It had many sponsors
including many of Queensland
Universities.
It was an
opportunity to promote
Indonesian culture through
art, music, dance, craft and
food.
The
Indonesian Ambassador and
Consul General came from
Canberra to intermingle and
discuss issues that were on
the agenda.
A VIP
business dinner was held in
the Ithicia Room in the City
Hall and during the course
of the evening there was
ample time for networking to
take place.
The
entertainment was provided
by Indonesian artists from
different parts of Indonesia
and was enjoyable to watch.
The Brisbane Lord Mayor and
several councillors also
attended.
Indonesians
intermingled at the various
tables as well as during
networking time.
The Festival
was a great opportunity for
Australians to learn
something about the culture
of our nearest neighbours.
Farzeenah Deen (pictured
with her son) is a
mother of three, living in
Brisbane. Her son has a
genetic disease called
Duchenne muscular dystrophy
(DMD). Her brother lost his
life to this disease at a
young age, her sisters son
also has this condition.
"We often think why us,
why our boys even though
we would never wish upon
this on anyone truth
being these angels where
given to us because
there is a lesson and a
deeper love that not
just anyone deserves, we
fight and give them 100
percent even on our
weakest days they always
come first.
The struggle as a family
day in and day out even
to the very end is hard
but we keep pushing and
never give up on giving
them the best life.
We were chosen because
no matter what, we will
do the best for our boys
and give them the best
life they can have, even
when we want to give up
we are a DMD family and
no matter how long the
fight is, it is worth it
forever to be called
their Mum and have
chosen to give them
birth."
Embrace Multicultural Mental
Health is run by Mental
Health Australia and
provides a national focus on
mental health and suicide
prevention for people from
culturally and
linguistically diverse (CALD)
backgrounds.
It provides a national
platform for Australian
mental health services and
multicultural communities
to access resources,
services and information in
a culturally accessible
format.
The Embrace Project builds
on the important work of
previous national
multicultural mental health
projects - including the
MHiMA and the Multicultural
Mental Health Australia
project - and works towards
an equitable mental health
system which reflects and
responds well to the needs
of Australia's multicultural
population.
The Federal government
cabinet met this week to
discuss draft proposals for
federal laws that would
protect
faith-based-organisations
from vexatious cases
launched through state
anti-discrimination
tribunals.
The Australian understands
Attorney-General Christian
Porter's proposals that were
considered aim to provide
religious groups with
exemptions from
discrimination laws, which
the government argues will
satisfy their demands and
offer protection for
faith-based schools.
The proposals would ban
discrimination on the basis
of faith in areas such as
employment, housing and the
use of services.
Australian National Imams
Council spokesman Bilal Rauf
said it was important that
religious -organisations
were given legal protection
to teach in accordance with
the tenets of their faith.
"There are presently some
protections. For the most
part, these have been
effective. However, there is
concern about a changing
legislative landscape. In
this context, there needs to
be a measured and considered
approach," Mr Rauf said.
"From a minority faith
community perspective, we
also hope that the proposed
laws will provide a level of
protection against
vilification on the ground
of someone's religion or
religious belief,
particularly against speech
or conduct which may
reasonably incite hatred or
violence."
The Australian National
Imams Council (ANIC) is
calling on Australian
Muslims to share their
experiences and raise their
concerns by filling out a
survey conducted by the
Australian Human Rights
commission.
ANIC says that it has
provided guidance in this
initiative "in an attempt to
get a better understanding
and evaluate the experiences
of Australian Muslims."
ANIC said: "We emphasise
when completing it you
should use it as an
opportunity to highlight the
following:
- Your concerns around
Islamophobia and
concerns relating to
some of the rhetoric and
media coverage which has
targeted Muslims because
of their faith and
beliefs
- The absence of
appropriate legal
protections against
vilification because of
their religion
- The stress and concern
it has caused people in
their everyday lives.
ANIC said that individual
contribution to this project
was important and vital
because "Raising our
concerns will play a
positive role in pressuring
the Australian Human Rights
Commission in advocating and
lobbying the government to
protect the Muslim community
from further discrimination
and attacks on Islam and
Muslims."
New Zealand Prime Minister
Jacinda Ardern expressed
concern after it emerged
that the accused
Christchurch gunman's
"manifesto" is being sold as
a book in Ukraine. Ardern
said the idea was "abhorrent
and disgusting."
New Zealand Prime Minister
Jacinda Ardern expressed
concern after it emerged
that the accused
Christchurch gunman's
"manifesto" is being sold as
a book in Ukraine. Ardern
said the idea was "abhorrent
and disgusting."
The New Zealand premier said
on Thursday that she planned
to contact the Ukrainian
government after the
revelation that print
versions of the "manifesto"
written by the accused
Christchurch gunman were
being sold in Ukraine.
Details of the online sales
were published by the
investigative website
Bellingcat, which found an
online forum in Ukraine was
selling the 87-page long
translated document in a
paperback format. The forum
was said to openly praise
the shooter, who killed 51
people in the Christchurch
mosque attacks in March.
Ardern told reporters on
Thursday that she was
prepared to contact the
Ukrainian government to
express her concerns.
"It's abhorrent but we only
have the ability to control
what occurs within our
jurisdiction. But I would
have no hesitation sharing
New Zealand's view with
Ukraine," Ardern said in the
New Zealand Herald.
The document has been
classified as objectionable
in New Zealand, meaning that
individuals found to be
distributing it in the
country could face a prison
sentence of up to 14 years,
or a fine of NZ$ 10,000
($6,400, 5,770 euros).
Cinespace
Fellow Mai Nguyen on creating
nuanced characters to counter
racial profiling, with examples
of Muslim characters from two
case studies, Ali's Wedding and
Degrassi : The Next Class
The representation of
Muslims in Western media has
been deeply problematic and
led to Islamophobia and
discrimination. With the
push for diversity in the
screen industry, it is
important more than ever to
have better Muslim
characters on screen. The
question is, how? How can
screenwriters write stories
about Muslims for the
mainstream non-Muslim
audience?
.....CONTINUED FROM AST
WEEK'S CCN
Here are the reasons that I
believe make Ali's Wedding
and Degrassi: Next Class
successful in their
portrayal of Muslims
#1 They develop Muslim
characters like developing
any other character.
Ali's Wedding resonates with
the audience because the
characters are relatable,
realistic and emotionally
complex.
Dianne (Helana Sawires), the
female lead, is smart,
ambitious, charming and
aspires to study medicine.
Her obstacle, however, is
her father who doesn't want
her to 'mix with Westerners
at university'. She is also
interested in Ali (Osamah
Sami), the male lead, but
he's already engaged.
Whereas Ali is rebellious -
he lies to the community
that he has passed the
entrance exam to med school,
Dianne has a more realistic
view of her setbacks and is
less inspired to take risks.
Yet, she is not passive,
either, which is evident
when she takes advantage of
the loopholes in Islamic
marriages law to date Ali.
Ali and Dianne's complexity
makes the audience root for
them: we don't see them only
as Muslims, but as flawed
individuals who are trying
their best to pursue their
goals and be with the person
they love while navigating
their own cultures and
familial expectations. It is
nuanced and authentic. It is
a human story that everyone
can relate to.
The importance of a nuanced
Muslim character with
emotional complexity is also
amplified in Degrassi. Being
portrayed as a feminist and
wearing a hijabi right from
the first episode, Goldi
clearly passes the Riz test
and challenges several
stereotypes.
Yet, it isn't until season
3, where her insecurities
about herself, her bias
towards her LGBTQ friends,
her feelings for her
non-Muslim classmate Winston
and her journey to
acknowledge her own
shortcomings make her much
more interesting and
relatable.
This shows that what we need
are not just amazing and
perfect Muslim characters
who would pass the Riz test.
What we need are nuanced and
complex Muslim characters
whose desires and goals can
be thwarted by various
factors - personal,
familiar, social, cultural
and religious, all the
factors that make us humans.
TO BE CONTINUED IN NEXT
WEEK'S CCN...
Mai Nguyen was a Fellow in
the 2019 Cinespace Social
Cohesion on Screen Writer's
Fellowship, funded by the
Victorian Government.
Mai is a writer and video
maker who wants to tell
stories to make people think
and reflect about identities
and humanity. Mai has
produced several short
videos and photo essays,
some of which have been
screened at festivals (Mokhtar
Film Festival and
Victorian's Cultural
Diversity Week 2017),
exhibited at museum (Islamic
Museum of Australia), and
featured on Meld Magazine,
SBS and ABC Online. You can
see her work at
https://maihoangnguyen293.wordpress.com/
By Ryan
Al-Natour -
This is an edited extract from Racism
and Recipes by Ryan Al-Natour, published
in Arab Australian Other: Stories on
Race & Identity (Picador Australia).
The only way to get "Lebanese
zucchini" — which is different
to Australian zucchini — in a
town like Rockie is to grow it
yourself.
Continued from last week's CCN....
Finding connections I
wouldn't have at home
I will not say that all my
interactions with people in
Rockhampton were based on
racism. I admired
progressive local residents
who had grown up in
conservative, regional
Queensland and were active
on social justice issues. A
local conservative
politician created a big
sign in the middle of town
reading "We'll keep the
boats out". It was graffitied and changed to
"We'll keep the goats out".
Whenever there was anything
about Arabs or Muslims
sensationalised on the news,
a work colleague would check
in with me. On one occasion
he told me that if I did
experience any racism in
Rockhampton he would be
sorry and wanted me to know
that he had my back.
This colleague was a
gardening guru. He had a
huge garden with a variety
of herbs and vegetables. I
used to get lost exploring
his garden. He had a
sophisticated system of
creating compost and growing
fresh produce.
Interestingly, he enabled me
to culturally connect to
Arab cuisine in ways that I
had not while growing up in
Western Sydney. The taste of
the herbs and vegies that
grew in his garden reminded
me of the tastes of
vegetables I had eaten in
Palestine. It was an
unexpected nostalgic outcome
of moving to regional
Queensland.
Unlike Western Sydney,
Rockhampton does not have a
smorgasbord of Arabic
restaurants selling hummus,
felafel and tabouli (unlike
the previously mentioned
dishes, I have a feeling
that I might not need to
explain these to readers).
The convenience is all over
Western Sydney and I
realised that I had taken it
for granted.
Living in regional Australia
means you are deprived of
this convenient access to
your own mob's cuisine.
There was no Arab bakery,
butcher, grocer or
restaurant in Rockhampton -
and no, I will not recognise
the doner kebab shops that
offered pineapple as a
filling.
In regional Australia you
need to find someone who
grows your produce or grow
it yourself. It means that
your lazy ass needs to take
the initiative and make your
ancestral food from scratch.
With the advantage of fresh
produce on my side, my life
in Rockhampton encouraged me
to have several Arab "aha"
moments.
For the first time in my
life I made labneh using a
cheesecloth (I didn't even
know what a cheesecloth
was!) I mixed my own herbs
to make za'atar. I mastered
loubiyeh bil zeit (green
beans with tomato, onion and
garlic) after my first
attempt.
I even made kibbeh (the
oven-baked version) with the
help of a 90-year-old amto
(auntie) who skyped with me,
inspected the bulghur
through her phone and asked
when I was going to get
married and start giving her
grandnieces/nephews. My amto
had a typical Arab ability
of passing on recipes with a
side of guilt.
I called my amo in Mount
Druitt, too - the one who
notoriously makes the best
hummus.
"Amo," I pleaded. "I have
been trying to make my
hummus really smooth. What's
your secret?"
"When you come visit, I'll
show you."
Darn it. In desperation I
bought hummus from a
supermarket. It had khal
(vinegar) in it. I threw it
out.
Salih Yucel and Abu Bakr
Sirajuddin Cook, editors Australian
Journal of Islamic Studies
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.
ANZAC Muslims: An Untold
Story
By Dzavid Haveric, Charles
Sturt University
.
Abstract: When the
Commonwealth of Australia
became immersed in two World
Wars, Australian Muslims
accepted the national call
-they shed their blood and
gave their lives for
Australia's freedom and
democracy. With their
Australian brothers-in-arms
and allies they fought
courageously with honour
against their common enemies
in different battlefields
-but this is an almost
forgotten history. Muslims
in Australia were challenged
by Britain's imperial might
and by their status as
British subjects and
'aliens' to take part in
ANZAC showing their
commitment to their adopted
country.
The virtue of justice, sense
of responsibility and
loyalty are peculiar
qualities that find their
full justification in the
organised welfare of
Australian society. This
pioneering article, based on
ongoing research on ANZAC
Muslims, makes known their
unique contribution. It
reveals historic facts about
ANZAC Muslims who were
members of what has come to
be known as the Heroic
Generation. Although their
names have not appeared in
history books, they achieved
the glory of victory for a
better future for new
generations to come. Their
contribution is part of
Australian National Heritage
-Lest we forget.
....continued from last
week's CCN.....
ANZAC MUSLIMS IN WORLD
WAR I
At the start of the 20th
century, the whole world was
in turmoil, which erupted
into accelerated conflicts.
The impact of World War I on
the colonies was profound
and multi-faceted. This was
a conflict that began in the
Balkans and became a general
European and world war in
1914. Different nations
and armies were on the move
along many roads and this
proved to be a turning point
in the history of the 20th
century.16 The Australian
army in World War I was
involved in Gallipoli
(Turkey), Palestine, France
and Belgium.
Compulsory military training
existed during 1911-29, but
only volunteers were
enlisted into active service
in World War I, serving
overseas as the Australian
Imperial Force. Training
began in Australia and
included basic fitness,
discipline and weapons
handling.
Across major centres,
patriotic gatherings were
held. For instance, when war
was declared in 1914,
Muslims gathered in Redfern,
Sydney, for the feast of
Ramadan -- "a special prayer
was offered for the success
of British arms and European
peace." Afterwards, money
was collected, which was
given to the Lord Mayor's
Patriotic Fund as a sign of
Muslim loyalty.
In 1914, the Sydney Morning
Herald wrote that a
well-known Afghan, Abdul
Wade of Bourke, known as the
"Prince of the Afghans,"
demonstrated his loyalty to
the Empire by providing the
use of his 500 camels as
transport for defence
purposes free of charge.
On the Western Front, one
could hear diverse languages
among the men. Soldiers from
many different parts of the
Empire served alongside each
other and this contributed
to a deepened cosmopolitan
experience. Though the
British and ANZAC troops and
the Indian Sikhs and Muslims
("Musalmans," as the army
quaintly termed them) had
little shared language;
Hindi and Urdu speakers were
found among the Australian
troops. Indian troops also
learned English as they
lived with and fought
alongside British and ANZAC
troops.
Hussain Baba
and Haji Hussin Goss of the
Gold Coast Mosque were
invited to do a cooking
demonstration at the Eid
Festival in Christchurch,
New Zealand
From Islamophobe to
Muslim Believer: Why I Left
the Far-Right
Islam is the
religion of Peace and Love
From extreme
nationalism and far-right
politics to compassion and
empathy, watch the
incredible transformation
story of Joram van Klaveren,
a former Dutch
parliamentarian.
Kanoute 4 Seville Mosque
Twelve years
ago, in 2007, the footballer
Frederic Oumar Kanoute
helped the Muslim community
of Seville by purchasing a
musallah. This is the
converted commercial unit
that has been serving the
Muslims of the city until
now.
Since then the community has
grown bigger and with it the
need and desire to have a
dignified place of worship
and a centre for the Muslim
community. With this
intention, Kanoute has
joined this campaign to help
the project become a reality
- with your help, inshAllah.
The first purpose-built
mosque in Seville after 700
years
The great legacy of Islam in
Spain is still present in
every city today, and which
attracts millions of
visitors every year. The
contribution of this period
of history (Al-Andalus), to
the sciences, arts,
philosophy, and society in
general, are remarkable.
The context is now obviously
different, and this Mosque
and Cultural Centre will be
a positive contribution by
both serving the religious
needs of Muslims and be open
to all members of the
community, including
non-Muslims. Thus helping to
dispel misconceptions about
Muslims and Islam.
Seville is the capital city
of Andalusia, which attracts
millions of international
visitors each year. A large
percentage of these visitors
are Muslims.
The Muslim population of the
city is around thirty
thousand. Although there are
several converted small
spaces in the city for
Muslims to pray, there is no
purpose-built mosque to
allow the Muslims to worship
in a dignified way.
The Mosque and Cultural
Centre will thus not only
serve the religious needs of
local Muslims, but also
become a global centre,
visited by the hundreds of
thousands of Muslims and
non-Muslims who visit
Seville each year.
As the majority of the
Muslims in Seville are first
generation of immigrants
with very limited financial
means, the cost of building
a Mosque and Cultural Centre
is beyond their capacity -
which is why we need your
help.
The Seville Mosque
Foundation was registered in
2004 with the aim of
establishing a Mosque and
Islamic Cultural Centre in
Seville.
For the past five years, the
Seville Mosque Foundation
has been working tirelessly
on the project of the
purpose-built Mosque and
Cultural Centre. The project
has been received with great
enthusiasm from all corners
of the world, however we are
still short of our
fundraising target.
ISLAMIC
Quran recitation in
Tanzania
by Mubarak Shaban from
Burundi
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.
Seeking
knowledge is
something which
is highly
recommended in
Islam. It is
reported that
the Prophet (S)
has said: "Seek
knowledge from
the cradle to
the grave" and
again, "Seek
knowledge even
if it means
going to China."
However, we do
not always have
to go far afield
to learn some of
life's most
important
lessons and
herein I share
one of mine.
It was my
birthday. A
bleak August
day! Leaves
swept past,
carried by the
cold wind as I
wended my way to
the station. I
felt tired as I
thought of the
hour-long
journey home. I
also felt quite
dejected as I
realized that I
was now 30 years
of age. "Thirty!
Good grief,
thirty! My life
is almost over,"
I moaned.
Arriving at the
station I
thankfully sat
down on one of
the benches and
closed my eyes
hoping for a
short nap.
However, this
pleasant thought
was pushed aside
as I sensed
someone standing
very close to
me. I looked up
and saw a tall,
well-dressed
young man
standing
patiently
waiting for me
to make space
for him. This I
did, immediately
closing my eyes
once more.
"Hey Lady!" came
a voice from
beside me.
Perhaps if I
kept my eyes
closed it would
just go away.
But no! "Hey
Lady!" came once
again. "Yes," I
whispered while
forcing my heavy
eyelids open. "Hey Lady, what
is that over
there?" I looked
to where he was
pointing. "That's an old
bus depot," I
replied, hoping
that he would be
satisfied with
that answer. "Oh!" he said in
his loud, clear
voice, "Lady,
how old are
you?" Was I
hearing
correctly? "I
don't know how
old that depot
is," I said
obligingly, "but
it is very old."
"No Lady. Not
that! How old
are you?" My
worst nightmare
had now
materialized.
Here was this
young man, who
wanted to noise
my age abroad.
How could I
admit to myself,
let alone the
world in
general, that I
was Thirty? How
was I going to
put off having
to answer him?
"Well perhaps
you can guess,"
I said. Big, Big
mistake!
"Are you
twenty?" he
asked. I should
have nodded but
honesty was
something
cherished in our
home.
"No, not
twenty."
"Ah. Forty?" How
quickly he went
down in my
estimation.
"No? Fifty?" By
now thirty was
beginning to
look much
brighter. I
shook my head.
"Seventy?" At
this the titters
of laughter
could not be
disguised.
"Lady, are you
younger or older
than eighty?"
Just then our
train rounded
the corner... "Here's the
train!" I almost
shouted. Just
like the
cavalry, it had
come in the nick
of time, or so I
thought.
We joined the
crowd as it
headed toward
the train doors.
He had gone
further to the
left of me and
as he was about
to enter the
train, his head
bobbing above
the crowd, he
called out once
again:
"Hey Lady, it's
my birthday
today. I'm 21!"
The light
suddenly dawned.
It wasn't about
my age at all,
it was about his
joy. He had
wanted to share
with me this
wonderful day,
but because of
my
introspection,
self-pity and
lack of empathy
I had almost
spoilt it for
him. We could
have shared it
together.
"That's
wonderful!" I
called back to
him, "Happy
birthday!"
"Thank you
Lady!" he
shouted back
with a big smile
on his face
which touched me
deeply. What a
sweet patient
young man. How
very ashamed and
saddened I was
at how shabbily
I must have
treated him.
Tears filled my
eyes as I
travelled home,
and to be
truthful, as I
remember this
even now, tears
fall and I just
pray that
something
beautiful
happened for
that young
person. As for
me, it was a
lesson well
learned.
That day, even
though I was not
Muslim, I was
brought face to
face with
myself.
Aristotle once
said, "Knowing
yourself is the
beginning of
wisdom." To know
yourself and
your weaknesses,
to gain the
mastery over
these weaknesses
is true
strength, and as
the Prophet (S)
said, "the
Greatest Jihad
is the
overcoming of
one's self."
Friday essay: how a Bengali book in Broken
Hill sheds new light on Australian history
This is
an edited
extract from
Australianama
by Samia
Khatun, UQP,
rrp $34.95,
out from 6
September.
The large
book bearing a handwritten
English label, 'The Holy Koran',
was not a Quran, but a 500-page
volume of Bengali Sufi poetry.
Some 1,000 kilometres inland from
Sydney, over the Blue Mountains, past
the trees that drink the tributaries of
the Darling River, there stands a
little, red mosque. It marks where the
desert begins.
The mosque was built from corrugated
iron in around 1887 in the town of
Broken Hill. Its green interiors feature
simple arabesque and its shelves house
stories once precious to people from
across the Indian Ocean. Today it is a
peaceful place of retreat from the
gritty dust storms and brilliant
sunlight that assault travellers at this
gateway to Australia's deserts.
The
corrugated iron mosque in Broken
Hill.
By a rocky hill that winds had "polished
black", the town of Broken Hill was
founded on the country of Wiljakali
people. In June 1885, an Aboriginal man
whom prospectors called "Harry" led them
to a silver-streaked boulder of
ironstone and Europeans declared the
discovery of a "jeweller's shop".
Soon, leading strings of camels, South
Asian merchants and drivers began
arriving in greater numbers at the
silver mines, camel transportation
operating as a crucial adjunct to
colonial industries throughout
Australian deserts. The town grew with
the fortunes of the nascent firm Broken
Hill Propriety Limited (BHP) - a parent
company of one of the largest mining
conglomerates in the world today, BHP-Billiton.
As mining firms funnelled lead, iron ore
and silver from Wiljakali lands to
Indian Ocean ports and British markets,
Broken Hill became a busy industrial
node in the geography of the British
Empire. The numbers of camel merchants
and drivers fluctuated with the arrival
and departure of goods, and by the turn
of the 20th century an estimated 400
South Asians were living in Broken Hill.
They built two mosques. Only one
remains.
In the 1960s, long after the end of the
era of camel transportation, when
members of the Broken Hill Historical
Society were restoring the mosque on the
corner of William Street and Buck
Street, they found a book in the yard,
its "pages blowing in the red dust" in
the words of historian Christine
Stevens. Dusting the book free of sand,
they placed it inside the mosque,
labelling it as "The Holy Koran". In
1989, Stevens reproduced a photo of the
book in her history of the "Afghan
cameldrivers".
I travelled to Broken Hill in July 2009.
As I searched the shelves of the mosque
for the book, a winter dust storm was
underway outside. Among letters, a
peacock feather fan and bottles of scent
from Delhi, the large book lay, bearing
a handwritten English label: "The Holy
Koran".
Turning the first few pages revealed it
was not a Quran, but a 500-page volume
of Bengali Sufi poetry.
Sitting on the floor, I set out to
decipher Bengali characters I had not
read for years. The book was titled
Kasasol Ambia (Stories of the Prophets).
Printed in Calcutta, it was a compendium
of eight volumes published separately
between 1861 and 1895. It was a book of
books. Every story began by naming the
tempo at which it should be performed,
for these poems were written to be sung
out loud to audiences.
The mosque’s interior..
As I strained to parse unfamiliar
Persian, Hindi and Arabic words, woven
into a tapestry of 19th-century Bengali
grammar, I slowly started to glimpse the
shimmering imagery of the poetry.
Creation began with a pen, wrote Munshi
Rezaulla, the first of the three poets
of Kasasol Ambia. As a concealed pen
inscribed words onto a tablet, he
narrates, seven heavens and seven lands
came into being, and "Adam Sufi" was
sculpted from clay. Over the 500 pages
of verse that follow, Adam meets Purusha,
Alexander the Great searches for
immortal Khidr, and married Zulekha
falls hopelessly in love with Yusuf.
As Rezaulla tells us, it was his Sufi
guide who instructed him to translate
Persian and Hindi stories into Bengali.
Overwhelmed by the task, Rezaulla asked,
"I am so ignorant, in what form will I
write poetry?"
In search of answers, the poet wrote, "I
leapt into the sea. Searching for
pearls, I began threading a chain." Here
the imagery of the poet's body immersed
in a sea evokes a pen dipped in ink
stringing together line after line of
poetry. As Rezaulla wrote, "Stories of
the Prophets (Kasasol Ambia) I name this
chain."
Its pages stringing together motif after
motif from narratives that have long
circulated the Indian Ocean, Kasasol
Ambia described events spanning
thousands of years, ending in the sixth
year of the Muslim Hijri calendar.
Cocooned from the winds raging outside,
I realised I was reading a Bengali book
of popular history.
Challenging Australian history
In the time since Broken
Hill locals dusted Kasasol Ambia of sand
in the 1960s, why had four Australian
historians mislabelled the book? Why did
the history books accompanying South
Asian travellers to the West play no
role in the histories that are written
about them?
Moreover, as Christine Stevens writes,
the people who built the mosque in North
Broken Hill came from "Afghanistan and
North-Western India". How, then, did a
book published in Bengal find its way to
an inland Australian mining town?
Captivated by this last enigma, I began
looking for clues. First, I turned to
the records of the Broken Hill
Historical Society. Looking for
fragments of Bengali words in archival
collections across Australia, I sought
glimpses of a traveller who might be
able to connect 19th-century Calcutta to
Broken Hill.
As I searched for South Asian characters
through a constellation of desert towns
and Australian ports once linked by
camels, I encountered a vast wealth of
non-English-language sources that
Australian historians systematically
sidestep.
A seafarer's travelogue narrated in Urdu
in Lahore continues to circulate today
in South Asia and in Australia, while
Urdu, Persian and Arabic dream texts
from across the Indian Ocean left ample
traces in Australian newspapers.
One of the most surprising discoveries
was that the richest accounts of South
Asians were in some of the Aboriginal
languages spoken in Australian desert
parts. In histories that Aboriginal
people told in Wangkangurru, Kuyani,
Arabunna and Dhirari about the uphe aval,
violence and new encounters that
occurred in the wake of British
colonisation, there appear startlingly
detailed accounts of South Asians.
Central to the history of encounter
between South Asians and Aboriginal
people in the era of British
colonisation were a number of industries
in which non-white labour was crucial:
steam shipping industries, sugar
farming, railway construction, pastoral
industries, and camel transportation.
Camels, in particular, loom large in the
history of South Asians in Australia.
Camel
harnesses at the mosque.
From the 1860s, camel lines became
central to transportation in Australian
desert interiors, colonising many of the
long-distance Indigenous trade routes
that crisscross Aboriginal land. The
animals arrived from British Indian
ports accompanied by South Asian camel
owners and drivers, who came to be known
by the umbrella term of "Afghans" in
settler nomenclature.
The so-called Afghans were so ubiquitous
through Australian deserts that when the
two ends of the transcontinental
north-south railway met in Central
Australia in 1929, settlers rejoiced in
the arrival of the "Afghan Express".
Camels remained central to interior
transportation until they were replaced
by motor transportation from the 1920s.
Today the transcontinental railway is
still known as "the Ghan".
As a circuitry of camel tracks
interlocking with shipping lines and
railways threaded together Aboriginal
lives and families with those of Indian
Ocean travellers, people moving through
these networks storied their experiences
in their own tongues. Foregrounding
these fragments in languages other then
English, this book tells a history of
South Asian diaspora in Australia.
Asking new questions
I start by reading the copy of Kasasol
Ambia that remains in Broken Hill, and
interpret the many South Asian- and
Aboriginal-language stories I
encountered during my search for the
reader who brought the Bengali book to
the Australian interior. Entry points
into rich imaginative landscapes, these
are stories that ask us to take
seriously the epistemologies of people
colonised by the British Empire.
My aim is to challenge the suffocating
monolingualism of the field of
Australian history. In my new book,
Australianama, I do not argue for the
simple inclusion of non-English-language
texts into existing Australian national
history books, perhaps with updated or
extended captions.
Instead, I show that
non-English-language texts render
visible historical storytelling
strategies and larger architectures of
knowledge that we can use to structure
accounts of the past. These have the
capacity to radically change the routes
readers use to imaginatively travel to
the past. Stories in colonised tongues
can transform the very grounds from
which we view the past, present and
future.
In July 2009, when I first encountered
Kasasol Ambia, the Bengali book long
mislabelled as a Quran made front-page
news in Broken Hill. With touching
enthusiasm, the journalist announced
that I would "begin work on a full
translation shortly".
The author
talks to local school children
in the mosque in 2012 with Bobby
Shamroze, a descendant of the
original South Asians who worked
in the area.
Overwhelmed by such a task, I began
trawling mosque records held by the
Broken Hill Historical Society, soon
beginning a search through port records,
customs documents and government
archives. I did not know how to decipher
the difficult book, and so in these
archival materials I hoped to glimpse,
however fleetingly, the skilled
19th-century reader who had once
performed its poetry.
Slowly, it dawned on me that I was
following the logic that Rezaulla
outlines in his schema for translation.
For I too had stepped into the
imaginative world of the poetry in
search of answers to some hard
questions: How do we write histories of
South Asian diaspora which pay attention
to the history books that travelled with
them? Who was the unnamed traveller who
brought Bengali stories of the prophets
to Broken Hill? Can historical
storytelling in English do more than
simply induct readers into white
subjectivities?
Threading together seven narrative
motifs that appear in Kasasol Ambia, I
began to piece together a history of
South Asians in Australia.
'Pride of Muslims': Chechnya's leader
Kadyrov inaugurates 'Europe's largest
mosque'
Chechnia: Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov
has inaugurated what authorities say is
Europe's largest mosque. Sitting just
outside the capital of Grozny, the
mosque can accommodate more than 30,000
people.
Opened by Kadyrov on Friday, the 'Pride
of Muslims' mosque can accommodate
30,000 worshippers inside and up to
70,000 in its flower-decorated grounds. Kadyrov described the building as
"unique in its design, and majestic in
its size and beauty."
An aerial
view of the mosque in Shali
during its inauguration ceremony
Delegations from Saudi Arabia, the
United Arab Emirates, and Jordan, joined
Kadyrov for the ceremony, along with
more than 200 guests from 43 countries.
The mosque is situated in the town of
Shali, 35km (22 miles) outside the
center of the Chechen capital Grozny. In
2008, Kadyrov unveiled another mosque in
the city center, this one named after
Akhmad Kadyrov, Ramzan's father and
first president of the Chechen Republic,
who was assassinated in 2004.
Since assuming power in Chechnya,
Kadyrov has spearheaded an Islamic
revival in the Russian region. Critics
have accused the strongman-style leader
of human rights abuses, while supporters
have lauded him for bringing peace and
stability to a once-volatile region.
West of the Caucuses, several houses of
worship have been described as 'Europe's
largest,' but measuring capacity is
difficult when taking into account the
buildings' often ornate and sprawling
grounds. London's Baital Futuh mosque,
Rotterdam's Essalam Mosque, and
Cologne's Central Mosque have all been
described as the continent's largest,
but the new mosque in Shali can
accommodate more worshippers than all
three combined.
Muslims Raise Over $100,000 In Bail
Funds To Free Detained Migrant Parents
The "Muslims for Migrants"
campaign has already secured the
release of six detained parents.
US: American
Muslims have
raised over
$100,000 this
month to help
migrant parents
detained by the
U.S. government
post bail and
reunite with
their kids.
The "Muslims for
Migrants"
campaign has
already helped
secure the
release of six
parents ― five
fathers and one
mother -
according to
CelebrateMercy,
the faith-based
organization
managing the
campaign.
"By reuniting
these families,
we wish to
respond to
hardship with
hope, as our
faith instructs
us, and send a
message of
compassion
through action,"
the organization
wrote on the
campaign's
fundraising
page, which
launched Aug. 5.
The six parents,
whose names are
not being
released for
their safety,
are from
countries in
Central America,
the Caribbean
and West Africa,
according to
CelebrateMercy.
The parents had
been living in
the U.S. for
several years
before being
held in
detention
centers for
periods ranging
from two months
to four years.
CelebrateMercy
is distributing
its fundraising
proceeds to the
National Bail
Fund Network,
which is helping
coordinate the
bailout process.
Weiss estimates
the funds that
have been raised
to date will
free at least
another five
parents.
Two prominent
American imams,
Imam Zaid Shakir
and Imam Omar
Suleiman, have
signed on to
promote the
campaign. In a
joint letter,
the religious
leaders used
numerous
scriptural
references to
outline exactly
why their faith
supports
protecting
individuals'
"God-given
rights to
migration and
asylum."
"When we view
the sickening
conditions those
migrating to our
southern borders
are exposed to,
we should be
touched and
moved to action
knowing that our
religion grants
those fleeing
persecution,
oppression, or
ecological
devastation, the
right to migrate
and to be duly
considered for
asylum," the
imams wrote. "We
should further
vigorously
defend the
dignity our Lord
has afforded to
all human
beings, and our
obligation to
assist those who
are suffering
from recognized
forms of
oppression."
Australianama: The South Asian Odyssey in Australia
by
Samia Khatun
DESCRIPTION
Australian deserts remain dotted with
the ruins of old mosques. Beginning with
a Bengali poetry collection discovered
in a nineteenth-century mosque in the
town of Broken Hill, Samia Khatun weaves
together the stories of various peoples
colonized by the British Empire to chart
a history of South Asian diaspora.
Australia
has long been an outpost of Anglo
empires in the Indian Ocean world, today
the site of military infrastructure
central to the surveillance of
'Muslim-majority' countries across the
region. Imperial knowledges from
Australian territories contribute
significantly to the Islamic-Western
binary of the post- Cold War era. In
narrating a history of Indian Ocean
connections from the perspectives of
those colonized by the British, Khatun
highlights alternative contexts against
which to consider accounts of non-white
people.
Australianama challenges a central idea
that powerfully shapes history books
across the Anglophone world: the
colonial myth that European knowledge
traditions are superior to the
epistemologies of the colonized. Arguing
that Aboriginal and South Asian language
sources are keys to the vast, complex
libraries that belie colonized
geographies, Khatun shows that stories
in colonized tongues can transform the
very ground from which we view past,
present and future.
Marinate the T-bone steaks in all the above ingredients.
Heat the Oil and Butter in a large enough pan/pot
Add the marinated T-Bone Steaks to the pan/pot, and allow to
brown for a few seconds on each side, turning once
Add a little water, and lower the stove heat, cook the
T-bone steaks on medium-low heat until just tender.
SAUCE MIX FOR SAUCY T-BONE STEAK
3 Tablespoon Tomato Sauce
2 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
1 Tablespoon Peri-Peri Sauce OR Prego Sauce
1 Tablespoon Sweet Chilli Sauce OR Mrs Balls Chilli Chutney
1 Tablespoon Mustard Sauce
Mix all these sauces together until well blended.
As the Water/Liquid begins to evaporate from the T-bone
Steak in the pan/pot, Baste them with the sauce mix.
Baste a few times, turning the T-bone steaks to brown well.
Do not dry out the steaks, use all the sauce to coat them
well.
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.
The best thing about a HIIT session is that you
can do it anytime, anywhere, and push yourself
as hard as you like. Devise your own
fat-burning, time-saving workout. Do exercises
that you love :
• If you’re a runner –
try hill sprints
• If you’re hitting the gym – try 20sec on,
10sec recovery on treadmill
• If you’re into weights – try a resistance
routine with body weight plus plates
• If you’re a cyclist – Hit the steep climbs
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:
"Respect and
Understand Your
Children".
Children often do as
we do, not as we
say. It is vital
that first we
respect and
understand them
before we expect
them to respect and
understand us. As
parents, we may have
the benefit of age,
experience and
sometimes
vocabulary, however,
we too are children
at the core of our
being and we have
the ability to
relate to most or
all of the emotional
ups and downs that
our children
experience daily.
We expect our
children to respect
us. The real
question is: Do we
respect our
children? And what
do we say or do in
order to display
that respect?
Respecting anyone
means to have regard
for their feelings,
rights and wishes.
When you respect,
you are one step
closer to
understanding. When
you understand
someone, there is no
room for assumptions
or accusations.
Take a moment and
ask yourself when
was the last time
you displayed regard
for your child's
feelings, rights and
wishes? How did you
display it?
Having an attitude
of respect and
understanding is not
the same as
practising them. As
parents, it is vital
that children
actually see us
practising
respectful words and
respectful actions
towards them and
others.
10 ways to
display respect and
understanding
1. Talk to them. Put
away your gadgets,
look them in the eye
and verbally connect
with them. A great
way to start is to
ask an open ended
question which
invites an elaborate
answer. For example,
"What were some of
the things that you
did today or that
happened today that
made it a wonderful
day for you?"
2. Listen when they
reply. LISTEN. Do
not formulate a
response while they
are speaking. Do not
cut them off while
they are speaking.
Become fully
engaged. Observe
their body language.
A lot is
communicated through
body language.
3. Always compliment
a good behaviour. If
the behaviour has
been negative, look
for moments when
they are silent and
compliment on their
efforts to refrain
from the negative
behaviour. For
example, "I am very
pleased with you
that you are trying
your best to respect
our agreement on
Internet use."
4. Speak well about
those they love. For
example, you may not
be close to your
in-laws but that
does not mean your
child has to inherit
your opinions about
them. Respect their
love for them. Speak
well about those
they love.
5. Respect their
fears and
sentiments. Fear is
very real to the
person experiencing
it. You do not have
to encourage it but
you need to show
sensitivity that it
is real to your
child. For example,
"I know it makes you
fearful when you
think about your
exams. I used to be
the same. I know how
you feel. I
understand. I am so
pleased that you are
trying your very
best. That is all
that matters. Allah
rewards efforts not
results. Keep doing
your best."
6. Do not bring up
past behavioural
issues when
addressing a new
issue. Telling them
you can no longer
trust them because
they lied to you
last year about a
fake Facebook
account is NOT going
to resolve anything.
Instead, have a
respectful
discussion about
having boundaries
around internet
usage.
7. Show good manners
so that they can
emulate good
manners. Saying
"Please", "Thank
you", "I'm sorry" to
your child does not
mean you are weak.
In fact it displays
good manners and
your child will
learn to treat you
and others with the
same respectful
manners.
8. NEVER laugh at
their mistakes,
NEVER belittle them
and NEVER insult
them. Doing these
will hurt them and
scar them for life.
You only have to
access your own
unhealed childhood
pain to realise that
somewhere deep
inside you is a
memory of an adult
who may have laughed
at your mistake or
insulted or
belittled you.
9. "I am big, you're
small...I'm right,
you're wrong" -
NEVER imply or say
this. Your children
are human beings
created by ALLAH and
deserve the same
respect and joy as
you or any other
human being on earth
does. They are
neither beneath you
nor above you. They
deserve equality the
same way you do.
10. Explain yourself
clearly when you set
boundaries. If you
need to prohibit
something, get them
to sit and discuss
the best strategies
that will benefit
the entire family.
Show them you treat
them with fairness
and that it is a
home with love and
understanding, not a
house with a
'dictator'.
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.
Mula Nasruddin and
the Boris Johnson are shown a time machine which can see
50 years into the future.
They both decide to
test it by asking a question each.
Mula Nasruddin goes
first: "What will my country be like in 50 years time?"
The machine whirls
and beeps and goes into action and gives him a printout,
he reads it out: "The country is in good hands under the
new Sheikh, crime is non-existent, there is no conflict,
the economy is healthy. There are no worries."
Boris Johnson
thinks, "It's not bad, this time machine, I'll have a
bit of that" so he asks: "What will England be like in
50 years time?"
The machine whirls
and beeps and goes into action, and he gets a printout.
But he just stares at it.
"Come on, Brother
Boris," says Mula Nasruddin, "Tell us what it says."
But man wishes to do wrong
[even] in the time in front
of him. He questions: "When
is the Day of Resurrection?".
At length,
when the sight is dazed and
the moon is buried in
darkness. And the sun and
moon are joined together, -
That Day, Man will say:
"Where is the refuge?"
"Arguing that you don't care
about the right to privacy
because you have nothing to
hide is no different than
saying you don't care about
free speech because you have
nothing to say."
More about the
book:
In Sarah's house,
the Bible and the
Koran sit together
on a shelf - two
books bursting with
stories...
‘Sarah loves her two
grandmas –
Grandmother Azar and
Grandmother Maria.
Grandmother Azar
tells Sarah stories
from the Holy Koran,
while Grandmother
Maria tells her
stories from the
Bible. At Christmas
time, Sarah snuggles
in each of her
grandmothers' laps
and listens to two
nativities stories
about the birth of
baby Jesus. They are
the same in some
ways, and different
in others ... but
both can be Sarah's
favourite.’
About the author:
Janine M Fraser
lives on Phillip
Island in Victoria
for most of the
year, and three
months of the year
in Manhattan, New
York. She loves
books, writing and
travel and looks for
stories wherever she
goes. Her previous
books have been
short-listed for the
CBCA awards, the NSW
Premier's Award and
the WA Premier's
Award. Janine is
also a published
poet.
BRISBANE BOOK LAUNCH
- INTERFAITH
Sarah's Two
Nativities, written
by Janine Fraser
that I have
illustrated. It is
published by Walker
Books, out in
September.
The book,
beautifully written,
has a strong
multicultural
message that you
might be interested
in. The story is a
bridge between
Muslims and
Christians, to be
more precise.
I would love to
invite you at the
book launch on
September 21st at
2pm here in Brisbane
at the book store
Where the Wild
things Are.
It would be
wonderful to have
representatives of
different
communities as we
think it is a great
opportunity for
families and
children from
diverse cultural
background to share
a special moment
altogether around
this picture book
and its message.
So please feel free
to invite some
friends, families
and people who might
be interested as
well.
Helene.
About the
illustrator:
Award winning
illustrator Hélène
Magisson began her
artistic career as a
painting restorer in
Paris, where she was
also trained in the
art of medieval
illumination. Helene
has lived all over
the world, including
Africa, France and
India. She loves to
discover other
cultures through
their arts and
customs. She now
calls Australia home
and has begun a new
career of
illustrating picture
books, some of which
have been CBCA
Notables.
Feel free to visit
my website:
www.helenemagisson.com
At Sisters
Support 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."
1. All Islamic Event dates given above are supplied by
the Council of Imams QLD (CIQ) and are provided as a guide and are
tentative and subject to the sighting of the moon.
2. The Islamic date changes to the next day starting in
the evenings after maghrib. Therefore, exceptfor Lailatul
Mehraj,
Lailatul Bhahraat
and
Lailatul Qadr - these dates refer to the commencement of the event
starting in the evening of the corresponding day.
HikmahWay offers online and
in-person Islamic courses to
equip Muslims of today with
the knowledge, understanding
and wisdom to lead balanced,
wholesome and beneficial
lives.
Articles and
opinions appearing in this newsletter do not necessarily
reflect the opinions of the CCN Team, its Editor or its
Sponsors, particularly if they eventually turn out to be
libellous, unfounded, objectionable, obnoxious, offensive,
slanderous and/or downright distasteful.
It is the usual policy of CCN to
include from time to time, notices of events that some
readers may find interesting or relevant. Such notices are
often posted as received. Including such messages or
providing the details of such events does not necessarily
imply endorsement of the contents of these events by CCN
The best ideas
and the best feedback come from our community of readers. If you
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Friday essay: how a Bengali book in Broken
Hill sheds new light on Australian history
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7
August 2011