National Mosque Open Day (NMOD)
is an annual Australia-wide
event that took place on
26th October, where a number
of mosques across the nation
opened their doors to the
public and invited them to
come in and explore their
local mosque.
Slacks Creek Masjid was one
of these participating
mosques.
Leaflets were distributed to
the local community prior to
the event, and as a result,
there was a large turn out
of non Muslims to the event.
A masjid tour was arranged
for the wider community.
Balloons and gifts were
given to the visitors.
Many non-Muslims also stayed
and observed the dhuhr
prayer.
A free sausage sizzle was
also arranged at the venue,
which was also quite
successful.
Overall, the event
successfully brought a
positive awareness to the
community about the Muslims
of Australia. It allowed a
dialogue amongst the non
Muslims and Muslims, and
helped dispel many
misconceptions that may have
been created in the past
decade. We pray that every
Australian can come together
for a common cause - peace
and harmony.
Anglicare Logan brought two
bus loads of elderly clients
to visit the Holland Park
Mosque on Wednesday 30
October.
Janeth Deen was their host
and gave them a talk on all
the features of the Mosque,
the religion and the history
of the early Muslims in the
South East Queensland. She
also presented them with a
book on the history of the
Holland Park Mosque.
They were quite Interested
and thanked her for the
experience
On Sunday 21 October, the
Muslim Crescent Scout group
had it’s first registration
day. The District
Commissioner of Scouts for
Brisbane, John Parr, came
along to support us on our
open day, giving a wonderful
Parents Information session
with Gillian Hall, the
Regional Development
Officer. He also enjoyed
talking to parents and
sharing his passion for
scouting. We had help from
members of the Gold Coast
District‘s scouting team,
who provided a variety of
exciting activities for kids
to do when they came to see
what scouts was all about.
The children enjoyed games
like catapult launching,
chain balls, giant jengas
and ring toss among others.
There were more than 20
parents who came to the
information session and
listened to the presentation
by John and Gillian. It was
a successful day with 14
children signing on to join
as well as a new leader
joining.
Since then we have more
enquiries daily from parents
to sign up their children as
well as more parents
interested to be leaders or
parent helpers. We are
looking forward for the
group to grow as the
community learns more about
what is scouts and see the
amazing activities and
opportunities it provides in
personal development for
young people.
The Muslim Crescent Scout
group will meet every Sunday
afternoon during school
terms beginning 3rd November
2019 from 3pm to 5pm. We
have two scouts sections
started at the moment – Cubs
for children aged 7 to 10
years old and Scouts for
children aged 11 to 15 years
old.
We hope the start Venturers
section soon for children
aged 15 to 18 years old.
Children can join anytime
during the year and parents
need to pay a fee to join
that covers their
registration with Scouts QLD
and various weekly
activities.
For more information or to
register, please contact the
Muslims Crescent Scouts
leader, Farah Scott at
0432026375 or like and
follow us on Muslim Crescent
Scouts on Facebook.
The award-winning author,
Hanifa Deen entertained a
large group of Sydneysiders,
overwhelmingly women with
her unique style of
storytelling on Saturday 19
October 2019 at ISRA offices
in Auburn.
The topic of her
presentation was
“Confessions of an
accidental author: How I
became a storyteller” where
she explored the secrets of
writing intuition, her
ability to listen to her
inner voice and to engage
herself linking the past
with the present and value
her own personal history.
“Originally, I was a teacher
and later I was writing
speeches for politicians. I
never thought of becoming a
writer. Brian, one of my
colleagues who was a
publisher at Penguin, 25
years ago trapped into
writing a book proposal and
send it to publishers Allan
& Unwin. So I did and my
first book Caravanserai was
born,” Hanifa recalled.
“Why do I write about social
Justice? This is because of
my family background. My
family butted heads with the
White Australia Policy that
was established in 1901,”
she said.
Ridiculing the White
Australia Policy, Hanifa
said, “At that time if Jesus
came to Australia they won’t
let him in. Amongst Muslims,
those days only some
Bosnians were allowed entry
into Australia because they
were white. It was nothing
about religion.”
“During my research for
writing, I realised that
there were some exploiters
and some exploiters in the
society. Australians called
us mossies and hence we
Muslims are Aussie Mossies.
I was trying to breakdown
the stereotype. I started to
travel around Australia to
collect the stories of
Muslims and I came to
Lakemba,” she said while
talking about her book ‘Ali
Abdul v The King: Muslims
stories from the dark days
of White Australia’
published in 2011.
“I went to detention centre
where women and children
were behind the barbed wire.
One day the boss in the
detention centre decided to
do something for the
children during Christmas
time. Someone dressed up as
a Santa and calling children
by their number instead of
their names to give them
presents. Santa was told to
call them with their name,
but Santa mentioned that he
doesn’t know their names, he
only knows them by number,”
she recalled.
“Bilal Cleland (a regular
AMUST columnist) once asked
me to attend a seminar on a
court case that will
conclude very soon but it
went on for five and half
years resulting in my book ”
The Jihad Seminar,” she
said.
“There were 300 people who
never met Muslims. Two
non-Muslims, they said we
didn’t know that Muslims
laughed and Muslims made
jokes. A lady approached me
and said, I come across a
women every day, a women
with hijab on the train. She
asked me what should I do. I
said, just smile at her.”
While researching Australian
archives in Canberra, Hanifa
came across a number of
documents and photos of
handsome Muslim men known as
the Ghans, one of them
turned out to be her
grandfather who came to
Australia in 1886.
“In 1901 my grandfather
brought his wife and she was
pregnant and gave birth to
my father. She stayed alone
no other Muslims women were
there. She went back with my
father when he was a child
and later my father came
back to Australia when he
was 21,” Hanifa related her
family history.
Hanifa showed photos of a
number of cameleers and
other early Muslims
describing their stories in
a most interesting way while
totally engaging the
audience for almost 90
minutes.
AMUST
Hanifa Deen at lunch with
ISRA staff, AMUST team and Hazem
El Masri.
Australian Imams and
scholars have launched a
manual aiming to debunk
misconceptions associated
with Islam.
Young Australian Muslims are
increasingly turning to the
internet to understand
Islam, where they are often
feed inaccurate or
unreliable information,
according to the Board of
Imams Victoria.
To combat that, and attempt
to delegitimise extremist
views propagated online, the
board has helped launch a
12-page manual.
"A lot of youth, when they
want to understand something
about Islam, the easiest way
to get that information is
to jump online," Imam Bekim
Hasani told SBS News.
"But sometimes the
information that they get,
they get from people who we
know nothing about and we do
not know if they are
qualified to give that
information."
“It is not only important to
break down barriers and
misconceptions, but also for
young Australian Muslims to
gain better understanding on
the teachings of Islam from
a scholarly source, rather
than an unknown and
unreliable internet source,"
AMF Executive Director Hass
Dellal said.
Mr Hasani said the resource
aims to provide a tailored
interpretation of what it
means to be Muslim in
modern-day Australia.
"There are certain
principals of Islam that
actually change with time
and place," he said.
"The best way to interpret
Islam in Australia is from
the Imams that live here
with our community and
respect the tradition and
the law of the land.
"What we ask of people here
is to follow the culture
where they come from - since
we embraced Australia to be
our home, and our children
are born and raised here, it
is important for us to
follow this lifestyle as
much as Islam allows."
Mr Hasani said the resource
is aimed at reaching both
Muslims and non-Muslims.
"A lot of people, without
knowing the true meaning of
Islam, they put us all in
the same basket," he said.
"So when they have something
online where they can
actually learn, the true
meaning of these topics and
the true meaning of Islam,
it will be easier for them
to understand where we are
coming from.
"Islam has nothing to do
with violence. We religious
leaders and Islam in general
are against any form of
violence."
The manual has also been
designed for media
organisations to assist in
appropriate reporting on the
Islamic community and its
beliefs.
A 21-year-old woman has
accused a Sydney bar of
discrimination for telling
her to remove her hijab when
she tried to enter the
venue.
Soaliha Iqbal was enjoying
an evening out with friends
on Friday when she was left
“humiliated and outraged.”
The 21-year-old said she was
told by security at the
Paragon Hotel in Circular
Quay to remove her hijab
when she tried to enter the
venue.
“When it was my turn to step
up and give my ID, before
taking my ID or checking it,
security just pointed to my
hijab and said 'take that
off'," Ms Iqbal told SBS
News.
Ms Iqbal said she was so
shocked, she did not
immediately respond,
prompting a security guard
to tell her again to “take
it off”.
"I just walked away in
tears. I didn't really know
what to do.
"There were people in line,
around us, that were pretty
horrified."
Ms Iqbal’s friends filmed
the aftermath on their
mobile phones, including an
interaction with the police,
who stepped in.
Ms Iqbal said the venue's
manager eventually came
outside.
"They essentially
doubled-down on the claim it
was a reasonable request for
me to remove my hijab on the
basis of ID," she said.
"It was just constant
gaslighting - I was
constantly told by all these
men that I was overreacting
and should have walked
away."
Ms Iqbal said the hotel
group that owns The Paragon
apologised to her via
Facebook after she posted
about the incident.
The security guard was on
his first shift and wanted
to “impress the venue… with
his professionalism and
attention to detail", Ms
Iqbal was told.
The women were questioned by
officers by the side of the
road.
Two NSW police officers have
been found to have engaged
in serious misconduct by
racially abusing two Afghan
women at a traffic stop in
Western Sydney.
The Law Enforcement Conduct
Commission (LECC) has
released video of the
incident, which occurred in
April after the two senior
constables followed the car
for two minutes because they
believed one of the women
wasn't wearing a seatbelt.
In the video the first
officer greets the
24-year-old driver with the
words: "You have to be the
most stupidest person I've
met as the driver of a motor
vehicle."
He demands she and her
stepmother produce
identification, and when he
is told the older woman
recently arrived on a
temporary visa, he threatens
to put her in prison.
"We're taking her back to
jail anyway," he can be
heard saying in the video,
which was filmed on one of
the officer's body cameras.
The officer orders both
women out of the car and
when the driver protests he
tells his colleague to put
her in handcuffs.
"Out of the car, whack the
cuffs on her," he tells his
offsider.
He later threatens the woman
with unrelated charges.
"Don't argue with me love or
you'll be going in the back
of the paddy wagon as
accessory to bloody murder,"
he says.
"Don't you get aggro or
you'll be in the back of a
divvy going back to the
jail, don't take advantage
of our system."
'Bullied and frightened'
In her complaint to the LECC
the 24-year-old woman also
alleges the officers made
further offensive comments
after the camera was
switched off.
The woman told the
commission the officers
accused her of having drugs
in the car and suggested
that if the police pulled
the women over in
Afghanistan under the same
circumstances they would
have been shot from behind.
We are looking for Primary
School Teacher for our
Buranda/City Campus.
If you are an experienced
Primary school teacher,
interested in the position,
please e-mail us your resume
as soon as possible. This
position commences on TERM
1, 2020.
All applicants must be:
• an Australian Citizen or
• a permanent resident or
• have an appropriate permit
to work in Australia
WHAT WE NEED FROM YOU!
• Excellent communication
skills
• Well-developed classroom
management skills
• A passion to enrich
children's learning
• Enthusiasm
All applicants need to be
able to provide:
• Copies of qualifications,
academic transcripts and
statements of service.
• Evidence of teacher
accreditation from
Queensland College of
Teachers.
QLD police have confirmed
the Holland Park vandalism
is being investigated as a
‘wilful property damage’
case rather than a hate
crime.
On the front walls of the
mosque, the Christchurch
terrorist was called a
saint. The vandal also used
a genocidal term from the
1990s to call for the
expulsion and murder of
Muslims.
QLD has a criminal offence
of serious vilification,
which includes intentionally
inciting hatred against
people on the basis of their
religion. It also includes
threatening harm against
religious people or their
property.
This criminal offence has
never been prosecuted in QLD
and it seems police
awareness of it is very low.
Police, like most government
departments, are pushed to
get through complaints as
quickly as possible, and
there is a view that
treating offences as lower
level garden variety
offences will get runs on
the board more quickly.
But the damage to community
confidence and social
cohesion is huge – and this
has now been pointed out to
police.
In a meeting of the QLD
police community reference
group last week, the police
faced community concerns
that crimes were not being
investigated, labelled and
prosecuted for what they
were.
Ali Kadri from the Holland
Park Mosque raised these
concerns, along with myself,
from the Australian Muslim
Advocacy Network.
The police undertook to
investigate the processes
used in other states.
In response to concerns from
ICQ President Habib Jamal,
it also undertook to improve
its feedback to people who
lodge complaints. They
agreed to work more closely
with the
Islamophobia Register
and ICQ in following up
criminal leads.
As a community we need to up
our reporting of incidents,
no matter how small. We also
need to share our
experiences with police.
Community fears and distrust
of police took another blow
this week with a story
involving NSW police
harassing two Australian
women of Afghan background.
As the Australian Federation
of Islamic Council said in
response, the police must
coordinate a system wide
response ‘to ensure that
those who are the most
victimised in society are
not further traumatised by
the very ones who should be
protecting them.’
The national pushback from
AFIC, ANIC and the Muslim
Legal Network (NSW) was
excellent, and showed a
refusal of our community to
accept this as expected, run
of the mill behaviour from
suburban cops.
We have the right to be
treated with respect by
those in authority.
Our senior politicians and
QLD police commissioner must
speak out when hate crimes
occur, calling it out for
what it is, and begin
launching prosecutions of
serious vilification–
otherwise, we get the
troubling message that
somehow our sense of
security is not a
priority.
We know the Holland Park
vandalism case is not the
only case sitting on their
desk concerning anti-Muslim
hatred or threats.
We are trying to build a
positive relationship with
police and encourage more
reporting, but they need to
show us they will protectus
when it counts.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sister Rita Jabri
Markwell is an
advocate with the
Australian Muslim
Advocacy Network, a
specialist political
advocacy and policy
development body now
working at the
national level. She can be
reached at
advocacy@aman.net.au
The brand new
podcast series with
Professor Saeed Khan - the
millennial Muslim’s guide to
what the “hell” happened in
Islamic history. 1400 OMG is your guide to
what the heck happened in
Muslim History.
Muslim lands are currently
wrought with war. The
Caliphate formally ended.
Sectarianism rampant. Terror
in the name of Islam. Barely
any theological progress. This series will reflect on
the last 1400 years in the
Muslim world and dig deep
into some of the root causes
of the situation many
Muslims find themselves in
today. The series is
inquisitive and reflective.
S1E4: The Fall of the Caliphate pt 2 – 1400 OMG Podcast
Quotes “Radicalisation thrives
on economic insecurity and
exclusion. to create
stakeholders in a peaceful
world, people need
opportunities to fulfill
their potential and build
good lives. Helping them is
a powerful message of
respect.”
“To me, this call to love is
a call to concrete action.
Our world needs to confront
challenges to our shared
humanity and values. They
are he very ground of the
coexistence and harmony our
future depends on.”
“Today, for the world’s
people to know each other,
we need real dialogue. That
means speaking honestly,
listening carefully, and
acting on the positive
values we all share.”
Statistics
41st – generation direct
descendant of the Prophet
Muhammad ﷺ
$5 billion tourism revenues.
Jordan is 6th in top tourist
destinations by Lonely
Planet
Abdullah
II ibn Al-Hussein
King of the Hashemite
Kingdom of Jordan and
Custodian of the Holy Sites
of Jerusalem
HM King Abdullah II is the
constitutional monarch of
the Hashemite Kingdom of
Jordan, and the Supreme
Commander of the Jordan Arab
Army. He is also the
Custodian of the Muslim and
Christian Holy Sites in
Jerusalem.
Influence Location; location;
location. King Abdullah
is not the leader of a rich
or populous country, nor is
he a religious scholar, but
what makes his role vital is
his being the linchpin to
the central cause of the
Islamic world: the issue of
Palestine and Jerusalem, and
his being the Custodian of
the Muslim and Christian
Holy Sites there. There are
over 12 million Palestinians
in the world, 3 million in
Jordan itself, around
another 5 million in the
occupied territories and
Israel, and 2 million in
Gaza. As Palestine is not
recognized as a state by the
whole international
community, the
responsibility for an
equitable peace there falls
largely on its next-door
neighbour Jordan, and so
also King Abdullah II in
particular, especially as
his family have been the
hereditary Custodians of the
holy sites from before the
creation of the state of
Jordan itself. Moreover, in
the face of increased
pressure to dissolve the
very notion of Palestinian
identity; dissolve UNRWA and
illegally and unilaterally
grant Jerusalem to Israel,
King Abdullah has been the
only voice of influence
actively—but
responsibly—resisting this
catastrophe for the Islamic
world. Moreover, Jerusalem
is as holy to Muslims as it
is to Jews and Christians,
and its loss would represent
a grievance based not only
on justice but on faith to
all the world’s 1.9 billion
Muslims, a situation with
explosive potential
consequences, to say the
least.
On the other side, on its
borders with both Syria and
Iraq, Jordan has been waging
a quiet war against da’ish
for the past five years, and
acts as a buffer protecting
both Saudi Arabia to its
South and Egypt’s Sinai to
its West. Finally, Jordan is
actually the Middle of the
Middle East. Being at the
geographic crossroads of the
three great continents of
Europe, Asia and Africa, it
straddles not only cultural
and religious borders but
also trade and shipping
routes and international gas
and electricity regional
grids.
Lineage: King
Abdullah II is a 41st
generation direct descendant
of the Prophet Muhammad g
through the line of the
Prophet’s grandson Al-Hasan.
The Hashemite Dynasty is the
second-oldest ruling dynasty
in the world, after that of
Japan. As the current bearer
of the Hashemite legacy, HM
King Abdullah II has a
unique prestige in the
Islamic World, in addition
to his being the custodian
of the Muslim and Christian
Holy Sites in Jerusalem (and
of course Jordan itself ).
Longevity: Rightly or
wrongly, monarchs rule
longer than elected
presidents, and after 20
years on the throne, and now
being the second
longest-serving Arab ruler
(and still in his 50s), King
Abdullah has had the
opportunity to acquire a
vast depth of experience,
connections and influence.
His father King Hussein
himself ruled for 47 years
and was the longest-serving
Arab leader when he died in
1999.
Support for Jerusalem
(Al-Quds): HM King
Abdullah II is the custodian
of Al-Haram Al-Sharif in
Jerusalem, the sacred
compound which contains Al-Aqsa
Mosque and the Dome of the
Rock. HM is also the
custodian of Christian holy
sites in Jerusalem. He has
strongly supported the
upkeep and renovation of
these sites.
Reformer: HM King
Abdullah’s progressive
vision for Jordan is based
on political openness,
economic and social
development, and the Islamic
values of goodwill and
tolerance. Under his reign
Jordan has witnessed
sweeping constitutional
changes (one third of the
Constitution was amended),
and political and social
reforms aimed at increasing
governmental transparency
and accountability.
Islamic Outreach: In
response to growing
Islamophobia in the West in
the wake of 9/11 and rising
sectarian strife, King
Abdullah II launched the
Amman Message initiative
(see “www.ammanmessage. com”
on page 51), which was
unanimously adopted by the
Islamic World’s political
and temporal leaderships.
King Abdullah II is also
credited with the Royal Aal
Al-Bayt Institute for
Islamic Thought’s most
authoritative website on the
Holy Qur’an and Tafsir (see
“Altafsir.com” on page 167).
He also founded the World
Islamic Sciences and
Education University in
Jordan (www.wise.edu.jo) in
2008. In 2012, King Abdullah
II set up integrated
professorial chairs for the
study of the work of Imam
Ghazali at the Aqsa Mosque
and Imam Razi at the King
Hussein Mosque. And in 2014,
he established a fellowship
for the study of love in
religion at Regent’s Park
College, Oxford University.
Majalla Law: 80% of
Jordan’s laws are based on
the Ottoman Majalla and
hence on traditional Hanafi
Shari’a. Jordan has a Chief
Mufti; official Muftis in
every province; Army and
Police Grand Muftis and
Shari’a Courts for all
personal status issues for
Muslims. Yet it has
Orthodox-Priest-run courts
for its native Christian
population in Christian
personal status issues, and
Jordan guarantees Christian
seats in the Parliament and
de facto at every level of
government. It has civil law
for all citizens and
additional tribal laws and
customs for tribesmen and
tribeswomen.
Interfaith Outreach:
HM King Abdullah II is also
lauded as an interfaith
leader for his support of
the 2007 A Common Word
initiative (see “A Common
Word” on page 119). He was
also the initiator and
driving force behind the UN
World Interfaith Harmony
Week Resolution in 2010 (see
“UN World Interfaith Harmony
Week” on page 154). In 2014
HM King Abdullah hosted HH
Pope Francis in Jordan
(having previously hosted
both HH Pope Benedict XVI
and HH Pope John Paul II).
In 2015 the Baptism Site of
Jesus Christ on Jordan’s
River Bank was unanimously
voted a UNESCO World
Heritage Site. Thus, at the
same time that da’ish was
destroying Syria and Iraq’s
historical and
archaeological treasures,
King Abdullah was preserving
not just Muslim Holy Sites,
but Christian Holy Sites and
universal historical
treasures as well.
Safe Haven: Jordan
has around 2 million
registered and unregistered
refugees from Syria and Iraq
and other regional conflicts
(such as Libya and Yemen),
in addition to around 2
million refugees from the
Palestine conflict. Despite
its paucity of resources,
Jordan has welcomed and
accommodated a staggering
number of refugees and is
seen by many as the most
stable country in a
turbulent region. It has the
highest percentage of
refugees of any country in
the world.
Templeton Prize Winner
2018: HM King Abdullah
was awarded the 2018
Templeton Prize, the most
prestigious prize in the
world in religious affairs.
He is the second Muslim, and
the first statesman ever to
be granted this honour. The
prize recognises those who
have “made an exceptional
contribution to affirming
life’s spiritual dimension”.
The judges mentioned in
particular the King’s work
in promoting intra-Islamic
religious harmony,
reclaiming the narrative
from extremists, as well as
between Islam and other
faiths.
Nesrine was 21 when she and
a female cousin snuck away
from a family holiday in
Lebanon.
She said they left to help
refugees on the Turkish side
of the Syrian border and had
no intention of entering the
war-torn country.
“Of course not,” she said.
“I had a whole thing going
on. I was doing uni,” she
said.
“Who walks into a war zone?
I was going to see Syrians,
yes, because of what they’re
going through.”
Like Mariam, she found
herself at an IS building
inside Syria, had her phone
and passport confiscated and
was told she was now a
citizen of Islamic State.
“I found that I was in
Syria, did I have a heart
attack? Of course,” she
said.
“Did I cry and scream and
chuck a fit like a little
girl? I chucked the biggest
tantrum. Did it work? No.
I’m still here.”
Parents desperate for
answers
Last month, Four Corners
accompanied Mariam’s father
Kamalle and Nesrine’s mother
Hiam Zahab as they travelled
to Syria to find their
daughters.
Hiam wants answers.
“I want to know why she
left, why she ended up
[like] this, and wreck her
life and our life,” she
said.
“But in the end, she’s my
daughter.”
Mariam’s father Kamalle
leads a group of Australian
families trying to bring
their relatives home.
“They’re in a constant state
of fear,” Kamalle said.
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.
ANZAC MUSLIMS IN
WORLD WAR II
....continued from last
week's CCN.....
At the outbreak of World War
II, a third-generation
Muslim, Arthur (Sarrip)
Saron was so desperate to
fight that he raised his age
from 16 to 18 years. In
early 1941, at the time of
his embarkation to the front
with his mates, newspapers
mentioned his name:
An enjoyable evening was
spent at the Diggers’
Hall, when Lieutenant T.
G. Mulherin presided
over a large gathering.
The function was a
farewell service to
servicemen. Thirty-three
men left by train for
Brisbane to join the
AIF. The draft comprised
the volunteers,
including Arthur Sarrip
Saron.
Saron served in Malaya and
became a prisoner of war in
Changi Prison, Singapore.
Private Saron’s name
appeared in the Army News in
1945 in the official lists
of AIF servicemen who were
recovered from Singapore
among 4,585 Australian
prisoners, and he was
returned to his home in
Mackay, Queensland.
Returning after the war, The
Brisbane Truth in1945 wrote
about Saron and other
servicemen:
Over 400 Service
personnel including Pte
Arthur Sarrip Saron will
return to Brisbane by
the Largs Bay, including
a number who were
transferred from the
Esperance Bay to the
other vessel. This is
the number that is
expected to be
disembarked here, though
Army authorities advise
that some may request to
be disembarked in
southern centres.
Relatives wishing to
meet their boys are
advised to go along the
Moorooka tramline then
turn into
Bracken-street, to the
end of that road, where
guides will be available
to direct them to their
lads. The Red Cross is
organising a ‘fleet of
cars’ to drive other
personnel from the ship
on a sight-seeing tour
of the city.
Muslim speed dating: Three minutes to find a
soulmate who shares your faith
UK: Some young Muslims in London are
turning to speed dating to find love.
A recent session was billed as a "super
fun speed dater" with organisers Mmm
Dating stating the session was "tailor
made with love for single Muslims aged
20s, 30s seeking marriage and
companionship."
Some Muslim societies, including in the
UK, still rely on family introductions
to meet a spouse.
While there are dating apps specifically
aimed at Muslims, those attending the
event - many out of curiosity rather
than a bid to find a spouse - said they
appreciated the chance to meet potential
partners in real life and ask questions
specific to their faith.
Germany: Restaurants in Weimar ordered to
rename doner kebabs
GERMANY: The
eastern German
city of Weimar
has ruled that
doner kebabs
made with
additive-laced
meat must now be
described as
Drehspiess
(rotisserie).
The guideline
dates back more
than three
decades but most
cities ignored
it.
Kebab
restaurants in
the eastern
German city of
Weimar have been
ordered to
change menus to
rename one of
their most
popular dishes.
Sellers of doner
kebabs — the
dish containing
meat cooked on a
vertical spit —
must now label
them as
Drehspiess im
Fladenbrot,
which is German
for rotisserie
(meat) in
flatbread.
City authorities
have decided to
enforce a
31-year-old
federal
guideline on
what exactly
constitutes a
doner kebab,
known as "döner"
in Germany.
In 1988, a food
advisory panel
to the country's
Food and
Agriculture
Ministry
recommended
under its
"Guidelines for
meat and meat
products" that
doner meat must
comply with
specific rules.
Only
natural flavour
enhancers
It must be made
of trimmed lamb
or beef, and the
proportion of
minced meat must
not exceed 60%.
Only salt, egg,
spices, oil,
onions, milk,
and yogurt can
be added.
Factory-produced
doner kebab meat
mostly contains
industrial
flavor enhancers
and therefore
does not meet
the requirement.
Weimar's food
inspection
office says the
name change will
help protect
consumers from
being misled.
However,
restaurant
owners in the
city are angry
at the change
and say
customers still
come in asking
for a doner
kebab. They say
that doner is
Turkish for
"rotary" and
kebab means
"grilled meat."
Although the
recommendation
was made by a
national body,
only one or two
other German
cities have
enforced it.
Spotlight
on additives
Producers of
huge blocks of
frozen meat used
to make doner
kebabs regularly
face criticism
over the use of
poor quality
ingredients and
phosphates
additives.
Manufacturers
insist they need
the additives to
keep the meat
juicy, tender
and tasty, but
health experts
argue that
eating
phosphates
increases the
risk of
cardiovascular
diseases.
Two years ago,
European
Parliament MPs
narrowly
rejected plans
to ban
phosphates used
in the
industrial meats
used to make the
kebab.
But in June, the
European Food
Safety Authority
issued new safe
limits for
phosphates
consumption and
warned that the
diets of
children and
adolescents, in
particular, are
laden with the
additive.
As well as
processed meat
and fish
products,
phosphates are
found in sodas,
some cheese
products, and
sauces and
pudding/cake
mixtures.
When was the last time you heard a
Muslim woman speak for herself without a
filter?
In 2016,
Mariam Khan read that David Cameron had
linked the radicalization of Muslim men
to the ‘traditional submissiveness’ of
Muslim women. Mariam felt pretty sure
she didn’t know a single Muslim woman
who would describe herself that way. Why
was she hearing about Muslim women from
people who were neither Muslim, nor
female?
Years later
the state of the national discourse has
deteriorated even further, and Muslim
women’s voices are still pushed to the
fringes – the figures leading the
discussion are white and male.
Taking one
of the most politicized and misused
words associated with Muslim women and
Islamophobia, It’s Not About the Burqa
is poised to change all that. Here are
voices you won’t see represented in the
national news headlines: seventeen
Muslim women speaking frankly about the
hijab and wavering faith, about love and
divorce, about feminism, queer identity,
sex, and the twin threats of a
disapproving community and a racist
country.
Funny, warm,
sometimes sad, and often angry, each of
these essays is a passionate
declaration, and each essay is calling
time on the oppression, the lazy
stereotyping, the misogyny and the
Islamophobia.
What does it
mean, exactly, to be a Muslim woman in
the West today? According to the media,
it’s all about the burqa.
KB says:
Blueberries, an antioxidant superfood, are
plentiful at the moment. I have read that they
are acked with antioxidants and phytoflavinoids
and are also high in potassium and vitamin C.
Apparently, not only can they lower your risk of
heart disease and cancer, they are also
anti-inflammatory.
Blueberry & Ricotta Pancakes
Recipe shared by Ayesha Randeree
INGREDIENTS & METHOD
Ingredients
1 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tblsp sugar
1 egg
½ tsp grated lemon rind
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 tsp vanilla essence
¾ cup blueberries
Lemon curd (bought from Woolworths)
Method
Sift together dry ingredients in
bowl
Whisk together wet ingredients in a separate bowl
Pour into dry ingredients and mix till well blended
Gently fold in blueberries
Don't over mix
Batter must be little thick, if it's too thick add
little milk
Heat fry pan and drop in spoonfuls of batter
Fry till golden on both sides
Serve with a drizzle of lemon curd and blueberries
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.
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.
Patterns are the set of
habits and
behaviours we
inherited from
others as a result
of conditioning.
When we live
according to these
patterns, we operate
on a default mode.
Life is a beautiful
blessing by ALLAH
swt whereby we are
blessed with a mind.
Humans are blessed with
the mind to live a
joyful, kind, caring
life. However, when
we look around us,
humans have not been
living a joyful,
kind and caring
life...one only
needs to observe the
state of the world
currently to see how
destructive, unkind
and uncaring we have
been to ourselves
and all of ALLAH’s
creation. SUBHAAN
ALLAH!
The good news is that it
is never too late to
become aware and
make a conscious
transformation to
break the pattern.
To switch off from
the default mode of
operation and switch
on our SOULFUL mode.
Transformation of self
does not occur
overnight. If that
were the case,
Muslims across the
globe would not be
required to pray
five times a day.
ALLAH swt has
commanded these five
obligatory prayers
to help us
understand that we
need to connect with
HIM and reflect on
the hours between
each prayer in order
to seek guidance for
the hours to come.
When we live on a default
mode, our prayers
also reflect the
lack of connection
to self and to ALLAH
swt. We behave as
though it is a chore
and we seldom use
our minds in the
prayer time to truly
reflect and
genuinely connect.
The reason we do
that is that we are
caught up in the
worries of our
material world - too
anxious to get on
with the chores of
the day ahead, too
fearful to simply
embrace the present
moment.
The present moment - NOW -
is all we have. The
awareness of NOW is
what transforms the
self. If we use our
present moment to
dwell in fear,
anxiety, worry,
anger, jealousy or
hate, we begin to
operate on a
negative frequency.
As a result, we
generate negative
outcomes.
Allowing even one negative
emotion means to
live
un-authentically to
our true nature in
which ALLAH swt
created us. Our
Essential Selves
(refer to my column
in newsletter 639)
thrive on positivity,
joy, kindness, care,
compassion and
unconditional love.
It is absolutely
vital to transform
negative thoughts to
positive ones if we
are to live
according to the
true nature in which
we were created.
I recommend a daily
practice of
THOUGHT SWITCH.
Here is how it’s
done. For the
purpose of this
exercise, I have
used the words
“pleasant” and
“unpleasant” to
describe the nature
of our thoughts. A
pleasant thought
always makes you
feel joy and love.
An unpleasant
thought always
evokes worry,
anxiety, fear,
anger, jealousy,
hate and doubt.
Sit in silence for 2
minutes
Notice your thoughts
Notice your inner voice
If a pleasant thought
comes, smile and
say
ALHUMDOLILLAH
If an unpleasant thought
comes,
IMMEDIATELY
think of the
beauty of
nature, for
example, clear,
blue ocean;
majestic
mountains;
colourful
flowers…
Keep thinking about
pleasant
thoughts, keep
smiling and
saying
ALHUMDOLILLAH
Keep switching unpleasant
thoughts to
pleasant ones by
thinking of
nature and its
beauty
Dwell only on pleasant
thoughts and
smile as you
utter
ALHUMDULILLAH
Do this practice daily for
2 minutes, few
times a day.
Practise this daily and In
Shaa ALLAH you will
feel more aware of
your habits and
behaviours. With
awareness comes
transformation.
If you wish to know about
a specific topic
with regards to this
subject, please
email me on
info@healingwordstherapy.com
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.
So woe to
the worshippers Who are
neglectful of their Prayers,
Those who [want but] to be
seen [of men], But refuse
[to supply] [even]
neighbourly needs.
This
historic 111 years
old mosque was
unfortunately
targeted today with
threatening
graffiti, symbols of
hatred and reference
to the Christchurch
terrorist. Sadly, in
recent times these
hate crimes have
become common and
many of our patrons
have been victims of
abuse, threats and
even bottles thrown
at them.
We are an open and
welcoming mosque. We
want peace and wish
to keep the
community safe.
After the repeated
attacks we are
looking to upgrade
the security of the
mosque to include
more cameras,
security locks and
gates.
The Australian
community has always
shown great support,
for which we are
very thankful for
and proud to call
Australia our home.
We welcome people
from all communities
to join us and stop
hatred and spread
the message of peace
and love!
Please help us
collect these much
needed funds and
show the offenders
that peace and love
will always win!
Australian International Islamic College
724 Blunder Road,
Durack
0422 433 074
from 3.30PM to
Maghrib
14 March 2020
Saturday
1st National Conference 2020: “Environmental Crisis and Our
Obligations to Act: Teachings from Islam and Abrahamic Faith
Traditions”
Centre for
Interfaith and Cultural Dialogue, Griffith
Nathan Campus, University
TBA
23 March 2020
(tentative)
Monday
LAILATU
MI'RAAJ
(Ascension
night)
27th Rajab
1441
10 April 2020(tentative)
Friday
NISF SHA'BAAN
(Lailatul
Bahrat)
15th Sha'baan
1441
25 April 2020(tentative)
Saturday
RAMADAAN
(Start of the
month of fasting)
1st Ramadaan
1441
21 May 2020(tentative)
Thursday
LAILATUL-QADR
(Night of
Power)
27th Ramadaan
1441
25 May 2020(tentative)
Monday
EID-UL-FITR
(End of the
month of fasting)
1st Shawal
1441
31 July 2020(tentative)
Friday
YAWMUL ARAFAH
(Day of Arafah)
9th Zil-Hijjah
1441
1 August 2020(tentative)
Saturday
EID-UL-ADHA
10th Zil-Hijja
1441
21 August 2020(tentative)
Friday
RAʼS AL-SANAH
AL-HIJRĪYAH
(Islamic New
Year)
1st Muharram
1442
30 August 2020 (tentative)
Sunday
DAY OF ASHURA
10th Muharram
1442
30 October 2020
(tentative)
Friday
MILAD UN NABI
(Birth of
Prophet Mohammed (pbuh)
12th Rabi-ul-Awwal
1442
PLEASE NOTE
1. All Islamic Event dates given above are supplied by
the Council of Imams QLD (CIQ) and are provided as a guide and are
tentative and subject to the sighting of the moon.
2. The Islamic date changes to the next day starting in
the evenings after maghrib. Therefore, exceptfor Lailatul
Mehraj,
Lailatul Bhahraat
and
Lailatul Qadr - these dates refer to the commencement of the event
starting in the evening of the corresponding day.
HikmahWay offers online and
in-person Islamic courses to
equip Muslims of today with
the knowledge, understanding
and wisdom to lead balanced,
wholesome and beneficial
lives.
Articles and
opinions appearing in this newsletter do not necessarily
reflect the opinions of the CCN Team, its Editor or its
Sponsors, particularly if they eventually turn out to be
libellous, unfounded, objectionable, obnoxious, offensive,
slanderous and/or downright distasteful.
It is the usual policy of CCN to
include from time to time, notices of events that some
readers may find interesting or relevant. Such notices are
often posted as received. Including such messages or
providing the details of such events does not necessarily
imply endorsement of the contents of these events by CCN
The best ideas
and the best feedback come from our community of readers. If you
have a topic or opinion that you want to write about or want
seen covered or any news item that you think might be of benefit
to the Crescents Community please
e-mail us..
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thoughts, feelings and ambitions for our community through CCN.
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Muslim speed dating: Three minutes to find a
soulmate who shares your faith
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7
August 2011