The Australian International
Islamic College has
appointed a new Principal,
Mrs Christine Harman, to
head the College.
Ms Harman comes with
expertise in social
emotional wellbeing and
development psychology.
Her LinkedIn profile reads:
I am a passionate
educator and school
leader, dedicated to the
engagement, development
and education of young
people. I create a
school environment that
teaches young people to
build strength and
resilience with a
futures-focused
approach. I believe in
meeting a student where
they are and growing
together, empowering
young people with the
skills to build strong
and lasting
relationships, within
themselves and with
others.
Ms Harman is a Master of
Education graduate from the
University of Southern
Queensland and holds
Bachelors of Science and
Education from the
University of Queensland.
"Her sole focus for the next
3 years will be to improve
NAPLAN, Year 12 outcomes,
university entrances,
attendance rates, and
satisfaction among students,
staff and parents," College
Founder, Imam Abdul Quddoos,
stated
in a letter announcing the
appointment.
Mrs Merima Celahmetovic
(pictured left) has
taken on the Campus
Coordinator role at the Gold
Coast Campus.
Victoria's private Islamic
schools are the fastest
growing schools in the
state, almost doubling their
population in just eight
years.
Combined, student numbers at
the state's 10 Islamic
schools grew at six times
the rate of enrolment growth
at government schools and
nine times the rate at
Catholic schools between
2010 and 2018.
Professor Mohamad Abdalla,
the director of the Centre
for Islamic Thought and
Education at UniSA, said
most Australian Muslim
parents sent their children
to Islamic schools to
preserve faith and identity.
But he said there was
another important reason
Muslim communities were
gravitating to their own
schools: Islamophobia.
“Especially after 9/11,
parents want a safe zone for
their children, where they
can prosper at an individual
level and not be subject to
bullying of an Islamophobic
nature, and be able to
express their faith without
being subject to ridicule,”
Professor Abdalla said.
The population of Victoria's
Islamic school sector grew
84 per cent between 2010 and
2018, from 6684 students at
eight schools to 12,318
students at 10 schools.
By comparison, the state
school student population
grew by 14.8 per cent and
Catholic schools grew by 9.5
per cent.
MySchool data reveals that
Ilim College in Dallas was
the state’s fastest growing
school in that time.
With a campus occupying the
former grounds of
Broadmeadows Technical
School – closed by the
Kennett government in the
1990s – Ilim’s student
population has surged from
1102 students in 2010 to
2340 last year.
The college’s chief
financial officer, Kerim
Buday, said the school
expects to enrol about 2500
students next year.
Mr Buday said the school
sought to strike a balance
between striving for
academic excellence and
instilling Islamic values.
“We obviously teach the
Victorian curriculum but we
also have Islamic studies
and Koranic studies, which
is really important for a
whole lot of our parents,”
he said.
All students above year
three attend the school's
mosque for midday prayers.
Mr Buday put the school's
growth down to its close
ties with the local
community, and parents'
growing confidence about its
academic standards.
"For parents who are looking
for a private education for
their children, we’re an
affordable option as well,
that’s a very key factor,"
he said.
Fees range from $3300 a year
at primary level to $4600 at
VCE level.
It is not compulsory for
students at the school to be
of Muslim faith, although
almost all of them are, Mr
Buday said.
Students come from more than
40 different nationalities,
and 99 per cent have a
non-English speaking
background.
Adel Salman, vice president
of the Islamic Council of
Victoria, said many parents
who chose an Islamic school
were not necessarily devout
Muslims themselves, but
still sought a strong
grounding in Islamic
principles for their
children.
“I think it’s quite
reassuring and comforting
for Muslim parents that
their children are brought
up in an environment where
Islam and the Muslim
identity is not seen as a
hindrance at all, but
perhaps as a source of
strength and a real
anchoring of who they are as
Australian Muslims,” Mr
Salman said.
Many Muslims also had
conservative beliefs about
social issues such as
same-sex marriage and gender
identity, he said.
“If you mention Safe Schools
to Muslim parents you will
get a particular reaction: I
don’t want my children
exposed to that.”
Dr Emma Rowe, senior
lecturer in education at
Deakin University, said
Islamic schools were growing
fast but remained a very
small part of the school
system overall, representing
just 0.46 per cent of
Australia's school
population.
Dr Rowe argued in a paper
published in the academic
journal T&F Online this
month that Islamic schools
have faced a level of
suspicion from the
government and the media
unmatched by any other
school sector, culminating
in recent years in an
"unprecedented policy
intervention in which the
federal Australian
government withdrew funding
from the largest Islamic
private schools in the
country".
Ashik Ahmed started Deputy
11 years ago after
identifying an opportunity
when working for his
then-boss' business Aerocare,
managing tasks such as sick
leave and salaries. Deputy's
software helps businesses
with lots of contractors,
casuals or shift workers
manage their time, rostering
and other critical workplace
operations.
The startup has taken off
with Ahmed listed on the
Australian Financial
Review's Young Rich List
this year with an estimated
wealth of $146 million based
on Deputy's nominal
valuation of $423 million.
"I wasn't keen on being part
of that," Ahmed says. "But
having said that, when the
news happened I thought 'I
can use that as an avenue
for inspiring other people,
especially other migrants
like myself'."
Ahmed moved to Australia
from Bangladesh with his
family in 1997, an
experience he says was
"very, very difficult".
"The difficulty probably was
more for my parents coming
from a middle-class
background in Bangladesh but
in Australia they couldn't
get jobs," he says.
While Ahmed could read and
write English he had limited
experience speaking English
and also had to deal with
racism.
"It would be a lie if I said
I didn't face it or see it,"
he says. "People might yell
and say 'When are you going
back to your own country?'.
I ignored it and I saw the
bigger path of what life has
to offer me."
That path was based on an
aptitude for technology.
"The big revelation for me
was until I came to
Australia I had never seen a
computer in my life and that
was a key turning point for
me as well," he says
Paul Bassat, co-founder of
Square Peg, says the venture
capital fund feels "pretty
lucky" to have invested in
Deputy with few companies
matching Deputy in terms of
size, scale and growth.
"We love the business and we
love the market opportunity
but more than that we really
love Ashik and he is a
pretty special founder."
MAA's newly formed Women's
Forum, with the support of
MCF, Brothers in Need,
arranged a Sausage Sizzle on
Sunday 2nd December at
Kuraby Mosque.
All funds raised will be
used to provide much needed
vouchers for the victims of
the ongoing bushfires
affecting QLD. The event was
well attended by the local
community. MAA would like to
thank the wonderful
volunteers and supporters
for making this event a
success.
The Islamic College in
Carrara hosted a community
get together where students
read Qur'aan, gave an Arabic
speech with translation, and
sang Arabic, English and
Bosnian Islamic nasheeds.
Imam Imraan Husain, who
directs the Islamic
education at the college,
delivered an address which
focussed on the importance
of an Islamic environment
for young children.
Attendees were treated to a
sumptuous lunch.
They call themselves the
Sunshine Coast Water Angels.
Anna Bradley and Rachel Wise
have earned the title,
delivering over 100 tonnes
of water to drought stricken
farming communities in
Stanthorpe and Warwick.
Two soccer mums living on
the Sunshine Coast decided
to do something to help
relieve the serious water
crises people were
experiencing in both
townships. At the same time,
inspiring many people
throughout the country to
come to the aid of
water-starved communities.
How did it all begin?
The angels' good deeds
inspired Muslim Aid to make
contact with the women
through their Facebook page.
IA spoke with Ryaad Ally
while he was driving a
truckload. He’s working with
Muslim Aid helping to
co-ordinate massive fodder,
food parcels and water
deliveries. An effort which
has been happening for over
a year.
Ryaad told IA: Last year
we took our first truck
loads to Goondiwindi, and
distributed 33 tonnes of hay
bales. A couple of months
later when we got our
community more involved, we
delivered in ten truckloads
130 tonnes of hay.
When we heard about the
water crisis affecting
Stanthorpe, and along the
granite belt, we organised
10 truckloads of drinking
water, around 196,000
litres.
Another delivery to Warwick
is planned this month, as
well as 10 truckloads of hay
to drought-stricken farms in
South Australia.
Ryaad says that Muslim Aid
will continue to help, but
that hay is getting more and
more expensive:
“The drought makes it
difficult to get hay and it
takes longer to access.”
The Deen family in Oxley,
well-known for their
extraordinary charitable
efforts, have been a
powerful supporter of the
drought relief program along
with Muslim Aid donating
trucks and fuel. In previous
drought-stricken years, the
family initiated drought
relief fodder deliveries and
the tradition continues.
INDEPENDENT
AUSTRALIA
Southern Downs
Community Relief
group:
"We
are blessed to have
Muslim Aid Australia
here today
delivering food
hampers!
Words
can’t
describe our
gratitude to
those who
donated the
water that
was
distributed
today by the
Sunshine
Coast Water
Angels and
the hampers
from Muslim
Aid
Australia.
To our team
of dedicated
volunteers ~
thank you!
It was a hot
one today
and you
soldiered
on.
As we headed
out for a
special
delivery we
were
reminded how
dire the
landscape is
ravaged by
drought and
now fire.
For those
needing
assistance
with
anything
from water
to mental
health there
are
information
packs
available as
well."
Nadia
Saeed (left) with Dina Ghaznavi
in Abu Dhabi
Ms Nadia Saeed, recent
winner of the AMAA Youth of
the Year Award, will speak
at the World Muslim
Communities Council in Abu
Dhabi as part of the
International Youth Forum.
"Words will never
describe how grateful and
humbled I am to be able to
speak to an International
body about my passion of
youth leadership for Muslim
communities. I pray that
Inshallah I am able to
represent the extraordinary
young Muslim Australians who
I have the privilege who
work with so closely,"
Ms Saeed posted in Facebook.
Uncle Sam Watson, Aboriginal
Elder, Leader of the
Brisbane Aboriginal
Community was aid to rest on
Friday where in excess of
1500 people came to pay
their respects.
The second Islamophobia in
Australia Report launched
last month, in the same week
a graphic video showing a
pregnant Muslim woman being
punched and stomped on
circulated widely on social
media.
Earlier in October another
video went viral, showing
two New South Wales police
officers verbally abusing
two Muslim women,
threatening to falsely
charge them as an accessory
to murder.
In both cases, the victims
were women and visibly
Muslim, wearing a head
covering (hijab), and the
perpetrators were white men.
These examples correlate
with the report’s findings,
where 71% of perpetrators
were male and 72% of victims
were female.
Alarmingly, most
Islamophobic attacks
occurred in public, and yet
only 14% of bystanders got
involved or intervened. And
of those, only one in three
defended the victim. The
majority of witnesses simply
passed by without paying
attention.
Islamophobic incidents
recorded nationwide
The second biennial
Islamophobia in Australia
report analysed 349
Islamophobic incidents
reported to the Islamophobia
Register of Australia, from
2016-2017. Combined with the
previous report, 592 online
and offline cases were
recorded in the last four
years. But this represents
only the tip of the iceberg.
Both reports conclusively
show Islamophobia in
Australia does exist and is
a persistent social issue,
one that overwhelmingly
targets women, a
vulnerability that stems
from being identifiably
Muslim when wearing a hijab.
It is also alarming that the
incidents in public spaces
not only continued to occur
regularly, but their
prevalence increased since
the previous report.
Guarded places, such as
shopping centres, train
stations and other crowded
areas saw 60% more
harassment than unguarded
places – an increase of 30%
since the previous report.
Islamophobia in shopping
centres was most common,
accounting for 25% of
reported incidents.
This could be because public
spaces give more opportunity
for Islamophobic people to
cross paths with Muslims.
Yet, the presence of a
crowd, CCTV cameras and
guards didn’t appear to
deter them.
What you can do if you
see an attack
Hate crimes are rarely
prosecuted in Australia, and
together with the lack of
bystander intervention and
pervasive negative
stereotypes of Muslims,
perpetrators seem more
emboldened.
But public opinion is where
the most important
opportunity to prevent
Islamophobia lies. If
witnesses to Islamophobic
hate incidents intervene, it
would strongly discourage
perpetrators and others with
similar sentiments.
So, if you see an
Islamophobic incident in a
public, guarded place like a
shopping centre, the first
thing you can do is directly
report to the security
guards, who can take the
perpetrator away.
Witnesses should also
consider reporting the
incidents to the
Islamophobia Register and
the police. In fact,
witnesses reported 41% of
all physical cases recorded
in the report.
The second thing you can do
is comfort the victims.
Victims, who were often left
in tears, say they felt
traumatised, deeply
disappointed, publicly
ridiculed and, as a result,
extremely distressed.
A smile or simply saying,
“don’t worry, this is your
country just like all other
Australians”, would go a
long way to alleviate the
intense feeling of not being
accepted.
And third, witnesses should
get involved. In one
reported case, when a Muslim
mother with her three
children was severely
abused, the support from
surrounding people
discouraged the perpetrator,
who quickly left.
Here, the mother describes
the support she received
afterwards.
I was really upset and
crying and my kids were in
shock […] Everyone was
looking at us and the woman
from Donut King came over
and offered a seat, a cup of
tea and some drinks for my
kids.
Security moved us to the
management office soon after
that but not before a sister
who I happened to sit next
to said she had removed her
hijab and abaya because she
was tired of being harassed.
Another beautiful lady gave
me a much-needed hug and
some kind words only someone
who knows discrimination
could share and another
wanted to buy my kids
donuts. The staff in the
management were very kind
and gave my children
colouring in.
In another case, high school
students defended their
Muslim friend, whose name
was scribbled on a toilet
door, calling her a
terrorist.
Her friends scribbled over
it and wrote if u knew her u
wouldn’t say that about her.
The presence and behaviour
of the police is another key
factor. Victims reported
immense relief and trust in
Australia and its
institutions when they felt
police showed understanding,
even if the case couldn’t
lead to a criminal charge.
But police attended only
half of the 22% of the
incidents reported to them.
And in some cases, police
explained to victims how
there’s freedom of speech in
Australia and they can’t do
much.
In 11% of the cases where
police became involved, they
were constructive and
comforted the victim.
What you
can do if you experience
Islamophobia
First – stay strong and know
you’ve done nothing wrong
just for being a Muslim.
Remembering this can give
you the courage to call for
help from bystanders.
In the earlier case of the
Muslim mother with three
children, it was her firm
and loud response to the
abuser that attracted
attention and led to people
offering help.
Victims should also report
the cases to the police and
to the third-party reporting
platforms, such as
Islamophobia Register
Australia.
Even if the incident doesn’t
fall into a crime category,
it can still be helpful for
police to monitor the
perpetrator, while the
register can provide
advocacy and use the
reported incidents to raise
public awareness in its
reports.
And victims should seek
counselling from
organisations in every state
and territory designed to
help victims, such as Victim
Services in NSW. The
Australian Human Rights
Commission also receives
complaints and provides
advocacy services across
Australia.
The Islamophobia Register
Australia page provides
detailed information about
where to report and All
Together Now gives
instructive advice on
tackling racism.
Mosques and Muslim
organisations can also
provide a safe space for
victims to talk about their
experiences. Even if you
don’t feel the need for
counselling, discussing the
experience can help make
sense of it all in a
meaningful way.
Islamophobia in Australia is
a social problem that
affects a significant
portion of society.
Recognition of Islamophobia
does not diminish the
achievements of Australian
society and the success of
its multiculturalism.
It will merely highlight a
social problem that cannot
be ignored or downplayed any
longer.
Derya Iner, Senior Lecturer,
Charles Sturt University
Mehmet Ozalp Mehmet Ozalp,
Associate Professor in
Islamic Studies, Director of
The Centre for Islamic
Studies and Civilisation and
Executive Member of Public
and Contextual Theology,
Charles Sturt University
Zia Ahmad, AMUST
Editor-in-Chief and Rubinah
Ahmad, AMUST Multimedia
Technology Manager with their
awards.
The Australasian Muslim
Times AMUST won two awards
at the 2019 ‘Premier’s
Multicultural Communications
Awards’ (PMCA) at a Gala
Dinner event held in Sydney
on Tuesday 3 December 2019
in the Garden Ballroom,
Oatlands House.
AMUST was recognised as the
“Publication of the Year”
with the award received by
its Multimedia Technology
Manager, Rubinah Ahmad while
Zia Ahmad, Editor-in-Chief
received the award for “Best
Print Report” for his
reflections on the ground
from Christchurch soon after
the Mosques’ terrorist
attack in March 2019.
The annual NSW Premier’s
Multicultural Communications
Awards (PMCAs) recognise
excellence in the
multicultural media and
marketing industry where the
awards program celebrates
the achievements of
marketers, journalists,
editors and producers.
Green ReEntry housemates pray
together in the film 'The Honest
Struggle.'
Darrell Davis was 18 years
old when he was first sent
to prison.
By the time the former gang
chief was released in 2013,
after being found guilty of
murder, aggravated battery
and armed violence, he had
spent more than half of his
life on the inside. He had
also discovered a new
identity as a faithful
Muslim, taking on the name “Sadiq,”
Arabic for “honest,” as part
of his resolution to leave
behind his previous life of
violence.
The documentary “The Honest
Struggle,” directed by
four-time Emmy Award-winning
filmmaker Justin Mashouf,
follows Davis’ journey as he
returns to the South Side of
Chicago and builds a new
life after 24 years behind
bars.
“Islam saved my life,” Davis
tells Mashouf in the film,
explaining how he leaned on
his deen, or faith, to steer
clear of the influence of
former gang associates and
the temptations of easy
money to pay for the surgery
he needed soon after leaving
prison.
The film came out shortly
before a report by the civil
rights organization Muslim
Advocates found that Muslims
comprise 9% of state
prisoners, though they are
about 1% of the U.S.
population, and that they
often face serious religious
accommodation violations.
Like Davis, about 90% of
incarcerated Muslims in the
U.S. become Muslims while in
prison. But Davis is lucky:
Mashouf’s film begins as
Davis enters a program for
formerly incarcerated
Muslims in Chicago, run by
the nonprofit Inner-City
Muslim Action Network.
Called Green ReEntry, the
faith-based program provides
on-the-job training, with
participants rehabbing
foreclosed homes in the
South Side that will serve
as transitional housing for
more Muslim men leaving the
system.
Mashouf, 34, spoke to
Religion News Service about
working with Davis, changing
attitudes among U.S. Muslims
toward formerly incarcerated
people and how people of
faith can help make the
reentry process easier for
ex-prisoners returning home.
This interview has been
edited for clarity and
length.
Quotes “The suppression of ideas
and thought is a major sin,
and we will never allow
anyone to stifle freedom of
thought. In our religion
there is tolerance ,
morality and openness , and
the venerable Qur’an stands
for knowledge and thought.
These verses do not call for
sitting idly, unthinking, or
to go through life blindly.
It has never been, at any
time, against inquiry or the
seeking of knowledge.”
“We continue to stand
against injustice and
darkness and remain on the
side of justice, light and
harmony.”
Statistics
1650 CE the year Oman gained
independence from Portugal
971 thousand barrels of
crude oil produced daily.
Qaboos bin
Sa’id Aal Sa’id
Sultan of Oman
Sultan Qaboos bin Sa’id Al-Sa’id,
the 14th descend- ant of the
Al-Bu Sa’idi dynasty, is a
socially and politically
active monarch, who has
ruled for over 40 years as
Sultan. Sultan Qaboos has
revolutionized and
modernized Oman,
transforming it from a poor,
isolationist nation into a
land closely-linked with the
African continent and
devoted to economic develop-
ment, regional stability,
and religious tolerance.
Influence Leader of Omani
Sultanate: Sultan Qaboos
AlSa’id reigns over a
country strategically
situated in the Gulf region.
Oman has a stake in the
crude oil market due to the
Strait of Hormuz, which
connects the Gulf of Oman to
the Persian Gulf and the
Arabian Sea, producing over
970,000 barrels of crude oil
per day according to Oman’s
Oil and Gas Ministry.
Historically, Oman is
significant as one of the
only countries with a large
population of Ibadi Muslims
and as the most
authoritative state in the
Ibadi movement—one that is
recognized as one of the
oldest schools of Islamic
thought.
Beacon of Islam:
Sultan Qaboos has helped
build or restore thousands
of mosques at his personal
expense, the grandest being
the Sultan Qaboos Mosque,
which can accommodate up to
20,000 worshippers. The
Sultan is a discreet but
strong supporter of moderate
Islam and has created a
unique Islamic culture in
Oman that has carefully
combined the best of
traditional Islam with the
benefits of the modern
world. Sultan Qaboos has
promoted culturally-specific
Islamic dress, art,
architecture and education,
and is a keen advocate of
environmentalism. Qaboos has
also supported the
non-Muslim population
through the construction of
Catholic and Protestant
churches in the country as
well as Hindu temples.
Personal Leadership:
The Sultan has raised the
Omani standard of living by
building up Oman’s school
system, health care,
infrastructure, and economy.
He cites political
participation as one of his
major long-term goals.
Within the last two decades,
he has introduced political
reforms; including a
bicameral representative
body, a basic law, universal
suffrage, and a supreme
court. Moreover, despite
Oman’s relative lack of oil
and gas compared to other
Gulf States, the Sultan has
invested his country’s
wealth so that all citizens
are guaranteed free
education up to the doctoral
level (should they qualify);
free healthcare, free land,
soft loans for building
homes, jobs and social
security for the disabled,
orphans and widows.
Quiet Diplomatic Efforts:
Sultan Qaboos has long been
globally recognized for his
leadership in the Persian
Gulf region. Recently Oman
has been playing a quiet but
significant mediating role
in two key issues. October
2018 saw the Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
make an unannounced trip to
Oman, just a week after
Palestinian President
Mahmoud Abbas paid a
three-day visit. This June
saw Oman become the first
Gulf state to announce the
opening of an embassy in
Ramallah, Palestine. Oman is
also a key mediator between
the US and Iran.
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.....
Albanians also served with
the Australian military
forces. Hodo Hamit was a
farmer who migrated to
Australia in 1937, enlisted
in 1942, served in Darwin
and was discharged in 1944.
Estref Shemshedin enlisted
in 1942 in Shepparton,
served in Darwin with the
5th Battalion of the
Scottish Regiment and was
discharged in 1943.
Siran Zanel enlisted in
1942, served in Darwin and
was discharged in 1944.
Sherif (Jack) Reese migrated
to Australia in 1938, lived
in Shepparton, enlisted in
1942, was a member of the
82nd Air Squadron in Japan
and was discharged in 1947.
Mustafa (James) Sheriff
lived in Adelaide, enlisted
in the RAAF in 1942, served
in Papua New Guinea and was
discharged in 1947. For
serving in the Pacific,
Mustafa Sheriff was awarded
the Pacific Star medal.
Muharem (Mick) Perona came
to Australia in 1938, first
registered at Tatura,
Victoria, enlisted in 1942,
served with the Australian
Civil Construction Corps in
Darwin and was discharged in
1945.
The Mareeba Mosque, built by
Albanians and officially
opened in 1970 on Anzac Day,
has an inscription dedicated
to Australia’s fallen
servicemen and all
Australians who served.
Indian Prime
Minister Narendra Modi, center,
waves as Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) President Amit Shah, left,
looks on during a public meeting
in Ahmedabad, May 26, 2019.
Continued from
last week's CCN....
The rich in
Western
countries are
making their own
arrangements for
the coming
climate
calamity.
They’re building
bunkers and
stocking
reservoirs of
food and clean
water. In poor
countries—India,
despite being
the
fifth-largest
economy in the
world, is,
shamefully,
still a poor and
hungry
country—different
kinds of
arrangements are
being made. The
Indian
government’s
August 5, 2019,
annexation of
Kashmir has as
much to do with
the Indian
government’s
urgency to
secure access to
the five rivers
that run through
the state of
Jammu and
Kashmir as it
does with
anything else.
And the NRC,
which will
create a system
of tiered
citizenship in
which some
citizens have
more rights than
others, is also
a preparation
for a time when
resources become
scarce.
Citizenship, as
Hannah Arendt
famously said,
is the right to
have rights.
The dismantling
of the idea of
liberty,
fraternity, and
equality will
be—in fact
already is—the
first casualty
of the climate
crisis. I’m
going to try to
explain in some
detail how this
is happening.
And how, in
India, the
modern
management
system that
emerged to
handle this very
modern crisis
has its roots in
an odious,
dangerous
filament of our
history.
The violence of
inclusion and
the violence of
exclusion are
precursors of a
convulsion that
could alter the
foundations of
India—and
rearrange its
meaning and its
place in the
world. Our
Constitution
calls India a
“socialist
secular
democratic
republic.” We
use the word
“secular” in a
slightly
different sense
from the rest of
the world—for
us, it’s code
for a society in
which all
religions have
equal standing
in the eyes of
the law. In
practice, India
has been neither
secular nor
socialist. It
has always
functioned as an
upper-caste
Hindu state. But
the conceit of
secularism,
hypocritical
though it may
be, is the only
shard of
coherence that
makes India
possible. That
hypocrisy was
the best thing
we had. Without
it, India will
end.
In his May 2019
victory speech,
after his party
won a second
term, Modi
boasted that no
politicians from
any political
party had dared
to use the word
“secularism” in
their campaigns.
The tank of
secularism, Modi
said, was now
empty. So, it’s
official. India
is running on
empty. And we
are learning,
too late, to
cherish
hypocrisy.
Because with it
comes a vestige,
a pretence at
least, of
remembered
decency..
The hate factory:
inside a
far-right
Facebook network
In an exclusive
investigation
the Guardian has
uncovered a
network that’s
using rightwing
Facebook pages
in Australia and
overseas to
spread
misinformation
and hate around
the world. This
episode goes
behind the
investigation,
looking at how
this network
formed, and who
created this
‘hate factory’.
In this episode
of the Full
Story podcast we
looked at the
investigation of
a shadowy group
that used some
of Facebook’s
largest
far-right pages
to create a
commercial
enterprise that
harvests
anti-Islamic
hate for profit
and influences
politics across
the globe. After
listening to
this episode,
read the full
investigation,
Inside the hate
factory: how
Facebook fuels
far-right
profit.
In this
episode, MFO has come out
with a fantastic book called
“Finding Home” based on 6
refugee families who left
their homeland and settled
in Australia.
These are very special
stories of each family who
went thru hardships and
struggles to get to
Australia.
All proceeds from this book
will go towards Charity. You
can purchase on online from
www.mfo.org.au or visit
MFO shop.
Multicultural Queensland
Month 2019
MAQ
As we draw toward the end
of 2019, we've been
reflecting on the year that
was and the work that has
been done to bring
Queensland closer together.
This year's Multicultural
Queensland Month was one of
our biggest celebrations yet
and this is just a handful
of the many highlights. It
shows the hard work and
dedication from everyone as
we strive to be more
inclusive, harmonious and
united.
Thank you, for showing your
support and contributing to
an amazing year and we’re
looking forward to 2020.
Mo Salah quizzed by
Liverpool women U9s
LIVERPOOL
FC
We gave Liverpool Women U9s
the chance to ask Mohamed
Salah anything they wanted.
The cheeky girls grilled the
Egyptian King on everything
from his FIFA 20 ratings to
his love of cats, he even
attempts some Fortnite dance
moves. Enjoy the latest
episode of Kop Kids, brought
to you by Joie.
Jummah
at Masjidul Quds (Cape Town,
South Africa)
by Prof
Adam Habib
The
Balance between Taking and
Giving
Defending
Boris
Middle East
Eye
An audience
member on BBC Question Time
challenged the author of the
bestseller ‘We Need to Talk
About Kevin’ after she
defended Boris Johnson’s
burka comments.
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.
The Senegalese
Sufi saint who inspired a banking system
based on generosity
Pilgrims
line up
to enter
the tomb
of
Cheikh
Amadou
Bamba,
founder
of the
Mouride
brotherhood,
in Touba.
The best leaders
seek no
followers, no
power, and no
titles. Yet they
attract people
anyway,
precisely
because they
reject
conventions and
have a unique
message. That’s
true of Amadou
Bamba Mbacke, a
Senegalese Sufi
poet, mystic,
and peaceful
resistor who
lived from 1853
to 1927, and is
now celebrated
every July 28 in
New York.
Bamba, as he’s
affectionately
known in Senegal
and beyond, is a
mystic of mythic
proportions. The
lore about the
peaceful warrior
who preached
hard work is
grounded in
history and
steeped in
magic, yet he
continues to
have a very
practical effect
on the millions
of followers of
his Sufi sect,
the Mourides.
They do business
internationally—from
New York to
Paris to
Tokyo—and are
known as
“Islam’s
mystical
entrepreneurs.”
....continued from last
week's CCN.....
The business
mystic
The French
authorities
finally realized
Bamba wasn’t a
typical enemy
when they saw
the effect of
his teachings on
Mouride farmers.
The colony was
promoting the
growth of
groundnuts for
export, and the
spiritually
inclined growers
helped the
mission to
succeed.
They were
mystics who did
business, which
worked out
economically for
the French. In
1916, Bamba was
named as a
consultant to
the colonizer’s
committee on
Muslim affairs.
In 1919, he was
recognized with
France’s highest
award for
military or
civil
contributions,
the Legion of
Honor.
At that time, he
had about 70,000
followers,
according to
French
estimates. By
the 1950s, the
Mourides
numbered
300,000. By
their own count,
now over one
third of the 11
million
Senegalese are
Mourides, and
many work around
the world.
The Mouride work
ethic makes
Bamba’s
followers
particularly
adaptable
immigrants. They
have a vast
network of
businesses,
their own
banking system
based on trust
and generosity,
and believe in
discipline and
self-reliance—the
time abroad is
viewed as a
spiritual
journey. “Work
and don’t
complain much.
That’s the only
doctrine [we]
have.” Moustapha
Diao, a Mouride
living in New
York, told
Reuters in 2007.
Mouride
businesses
abroad
contribute
significantly to
the Senegalese
economy.
Followers send
money home. But
they also enrich
the communities
they live in—the
Senegalese have
numerous
enterprises in
Harlem, for
example. Their
presence is so
strong that
parts of Harlem
are known as
“petit Senegal.”
And right
nearby, at
Columbia
University, the
Senegalese
professor of
philosophy
Souleymane
Bachir Diagne
teaches US
students about
Sufism and
Islam.
US House approves Uighur Act calling for
sanctions on China's senior officials
A facility believed to be a
‘re-education camp’ where mostly
Muslim ethnic minorities are
detained in Xinjiang.
US: The US House of
Representatives has overwhelmingly
approved a bill that would require the
Trump administration to toughen its
response to China’s crackdown on its
Muslim minority in Xinjiang, drawing
swift condemnation from Beijing.
The Uighur Act of 2019 is a stronger
version of a bill that angered Beijing
when it passed the Senate in September.
It calls on the president, Donald Trump,
to impose sanctions for the first time
on a member of China’s powerful
politburo even as he seeks a trade deal
with Beijing.
Last week Trump signed into law
legislation supporting anti-government
protesters in Hong Kong despite angry
objections from China.
China considers banning 'odious' US
politicians over Xinjiang criticism The
Uighur bill, which passed by 407-1 in
the Democratic-controlled House,
requires the president to condemn abuses
against Muslims and call for the closure
of mass detention camps in the
north-western region of Xinjiang
.
A Word Thrice
Uttered: Stories on Life's Realities
by
Parveen Talha
Description
A Word Thrice
Uttered: Stories on Life’s
Realities is a collection of
short stories portraying the
diverse realities of life
through the protagonists –
children, women, men, animals,
even super-naturals.
Parveen Talha’s earlier book
Fida-e-Lucknow (a collection of
short stories published by
Niyogi Books), steeped in the
textures and flavours of
Lucknow, brought alive the city
and its people for her readers.
In this collection, she has
widened her canvas and made it
more colourful, with characters
from Lucknow and its adjoining
towns and villages, playing
vibrant roles on a stage
shifting through time and space,
portraying the rich history of
the Ganga-Jamuni Tehzeeb.
Her stories open
many unknown pages of history,
and bring back forgotten
memories of folklore, of not
only Lucknow but the whole of
Awadh. With the bygone era, the
present times also come alive.
Review
A Word Thrice
Uttered is a collection of short
nostalgic love stories. It is
not the type of love that has
you singing at the rainbows, but
the gut-wrenching sort that
makes you cry and marvel at the
light in the darkest corners of
human existence. The stories
emotional impact is a testament
to Talha’s ability to write well
Talha doesn’t take time to paint
the scene, there are no starters
or contexts offered in the story
and you get right into it. They
are all set in the vicinity of
Lahore around the time of
independence, and you get the
sense that she is writing for an
audience that is familiar to
that setting, as she assumes you
know them. Talha does, however,
take time to explore the
characters and how they feel.
She uses the stories to touch –
not delve – into the injustices
that we find in our communities.
In the story A Word Thrice
Uttered, Talha talks about the
unexpected strengths of a woman
plagued with bad luck, who
leaves her husband after being
divorced and finds a job
straight away in an orphanage
that her disabled child was to.
This tale touches upon the
stigma of divorce and disability
in our societies.
In a String of Bela Flowers, it
talks about the lure of the West
that compels racism between our
own and the stigma of having
loved a woman with darker skin.
It is a tale of ghosts who haunt
their loved ones and how that
hurt and love never disappears.
Unusually there are also love
stories of families and their
animals. The story of Rustam the
horse, who was separated from
the family that owned him and he
died when his mother died
hundreds of miles away. There is
the story of Sona and Tiger, a
cow and a dog who couldn’t live
without each other. These are
stories of a love that
transcends boundaries.
This book was written for a
specific Lahori audience, and
the underlying theme of love in
unexpected places is one that
resonates with many, however,
her lack of physical description
or relevant images explaining
the setting of the story would
have made this book accessible
to many more.
This book — although a work of
fiction — is an amalgamation of
many stories. The harsh
realities that some of these
tales are referring to bring a
lump into my throat.
Read the book if you are looking
for a glimmer of light in the
darkness.
Post
9/11 there sprouted a host
of sometimes confusing
activities that confirmed
the new term of
“Islamophobia” really was
taking hold. Countries such
as the US began to take
specific and often quite
randomly targeted measures
to monitor the movements and
activities of Muslims,
particularly through the
escalation of security
procedures for people
arriving from overseas,
something which continues to
this day and which I remain
a victim of myself.
Oddly, countries such as
Britain suddenly began to
recognize Muslims for their
contributions to society,
convening patronising and
vacuous commissions to write
reports on the good things
Muslims are doing for the
nation, supported by some
Muslims who caved in to the
lure of the recognition this
might bring them.
I quickly accepted that we
would have to live with
added border checks for a
while due to the heightened
terrorism risk in Western
countries. But the
celebratory aspects of
recognizing Muslims’
contributions appeared to me
to be politically-motivated
and shallow. Their falseness
worried me, as though even
the moderate leaders of our
society were now wondering
“is there really something
wrong with them?”
Things were definitely not
right for me. After 9/11 I
had begun to feel foreign in
my own home town of London.
Matters got significantly
worse post the harrowing 7/7
attacks of July 2005 in our
nation’s capital. When
outdoors, particularly on
trains or in ‘planes, I felt
under scrutiny, sensing and
sometimes imagining
anonymous stares and stolen
looks, accentuated when I
was alone or carrying a bag.
But the suspicion wasn’t
just a figment of my
imagination, although I am
sure paranoia took over at
times.
During these years I was
questioned, detained,
interrogated or physically
searched by security police
and border officials in
London, New York, San
Francisco, Milan, Jersey,
Boston, Madrid, Brussels,
Dallas, Cairo and Paris, and
refused entry visas to
Australia and India without
attending special interviews
at the embassy. Perhaps with
not the best timing, I was
learning Arabic at the time
as a way to understand my
faith better and connect
more in the Middle East.
Over the years I had grown
sick and tired of the idiocy
of reciting prayers in
Arabic but not understanding
a word. Attending a wedding
in Istanbul, I decided to
add to the trip a coastal
journey across southern
Turkey, Syria and Lebanon
with an objective to immerse
myself into the culture of
the Levant.
This trip was my first
chance to “go live” with
Arabic. I was excited. I
kept a daily journal through
the trip, shared as a
regular weblog with friends.
Wherever I went in remote
parts of southern Turkey and
northern Syria, I was
welcomed. Despite being a
strange foreigner, weirdly I
felt more at home here than
in post 9/11 Britain at the
time, or indeed in
Bangladesh where I spent
much time as a child being
made to feel on the outside.
The unguarded way in which
this curious Muslim from
Europe was embraced
contrasted to the suspicion
of my fellow citizens on the
streets of London.
What these people gave me in
an instant was something
that the British and
Bangladeshi sides in my life
hadn’t been able to give me:
plain and unconditional
acceptance. Based around
these thoughts, I eagerly
drafted out the first cut of
Border Crossings, typing
away during solitary
evenings in hotels, after
meals with my laptop on the
table in noise-filled,
atmospheric brasseries, and
during overnight flights as
I zig-zagged across the
world on an endless run of
business trips..
Even though racial prejudice
remained in society, in a
country as generally liberal
as the UK it carried a
guilty conscience with it.
But the pillorying of Islam
and its followers became all
but legitimized in many
Western countries, helped
along by some of its leading
thinkers and writers, and
encouraged by many
influential leaders. Some
commentators began to draw
parallels between how
Muslims were being grouped
to how Germany began to
classify Jews in the 1930s.
No kind
of calamity can occur,
except by the leave of
Allah: and if anyone
believes in Allah, [Allah]
guides his heart [aright]:
for Allah knows all things.
Australian
International
Islamic College
along with Al-Noor
Institute have
planned an
intensive
program for the
youth during the
school holidays.
This is an
excellent
opportunity to
occupy our
youngsters while
gaining
beneficial and
practical
knowledge about
Islamic topics
taught in a fun,
easy to
understand
format. It is
not only good
for our youth,
but for our
wider community
as well.
Topics for the
junior alim
group include:
Quranic
vocabulary,
Akhlaq of Nabi,
Basic tajweed.
Quran
memorisation,
Wudu and Salah
and concluded
with a fitness
session. Younger
ages from 5
years old will
learn basic duas,
some surahs,
Islamic manners,
Wudu & Salah and
more.
For more
information
contact the
numbers on the
flyer.
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!
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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here.
The Senegalese
Sufi saint who inspired a banking system
based on generosity
Post
9/11 there sprouted a host
of sometimes confusing
activities that confirmed
the new term of
“Islamophobia” really was
taking hold. Countries such
as the US began to take
specific and often quite
randomly targeted measures
to monitor the movements and
activities of Muslims,
particularly through the
escalation of security
procedures for people
arriving from overseas,
something which continues to
this day and which I remain
a victim of myself.
post comments on
our Wall
7
August 2011