We can all agree Eid this
year was a little different.
Having hordes of people come
of over was replaced by a
game of coordinating them
and not letting them exceed
a number more than five.
Having to guess whether it
would be two or three kisses
was replaced by a 1.5 meter
gap. Having to iron and wear
new clothes replaced by
pyjamas. But perhaps the
most devastating was having
the curry after Eid Salah
replaced. The famous curry
after Eid Salah, the real
highlight of everyone’s Eid.
It’s irreplaceable.
Safe to say the Barakah of
Ramadan continued as the
Deen family decided they
will persist fulfilling
everyone’s Eid dream ever so
generously despite the tough
situation. Combined with the
efforts of Human Appeal and
community volunteers, they
decided to make food
packages that could be
picked up contact-free at
the Islamic College of
Brisbane.
The volunteers, masked,
gloved and ready to go,
witnessing morning light for
the first time since
quarantine began, gathered
at 8.30am to start packing
goodie bags filled with
curry, water bottles and
candy. Drive-through pick up
started at 10am where the
community had the added
bonus of being able to give
Sadaqah (charity) before
returning home and enjoying
the delicious meal with
their family.
It is truly amazing how the
Muslim community never
ceases to adapt during tough
times and still manage to
come together despite
something forcing us to be
apart. Inshallah this
generosity and determination
spreads to more of us and
always stays within us.
Although these were not the
most favourable conditions
for Eid, Alhamdulillah, it
was still an amazing one. We
can only make dua and pray
for things get better but
until then, we urge
community members to stay
safe. Eid Mubarak!
Last Saturday was the final
delivery of the iftar pack
program for this Ramadan.
Sisters With Helping Hands
and Brothers in Need’s
volunteers had spent the
whole of Ramadan organising,
packing and distributing
iftar packs for individuals
and families 4-5 times a
week.
The volunteers had mixed
emotions as we prepared the
final packs, as everyone was
going to miss the fun of
packing the packs each day.
Everyone enjoyed working
together to earn the rewards
of their efforts. Whether it
was making the food, packing
the packs or delivering the
food, everyone felt that
participating in the program
made their Ramadan feel more
blessed and special.
We cannot thank enough all
those who have supported the
program. Generous members of
the community donated money
to cover costs, cooked and
donated food, donated dates,
donated their time to help
make the packs and/or
deliver the packs to at
least 90 families on both
the north and south sides of
Brisbane.
7575 meals were delivered
throughout Ramadan from the
Sisters With Helping Hands
office and also on weekends
from the Australian
International Islamic
College.
Visitors to our office would
be shocked to see the number
of packs being prepared each
day and would be reduced to
tears after realising how
many families were in need
of support.
Visitors were always
impressed by the hard work
and dedication of the
volunteers who provided this
valuable program.
The volunteers would give up
3 hours a day to pack the
packs and then another 2
hours to deliver them. We
made 390 packs a day on
Wednesday’s and Friday’s and
500 packs a day on weekends.
Each pack would contain a
suhor pack of oats, honey,
milk, fruit and snacks, as
well as entrees, dates, hot
food pack and dessert for
each member of the family.
Each pack was packed for
each individual family, with
the number foods inside the
pack matching the number of
family members.
Every pack was delivered to
all 90+ family’s doors by 12
volunteer delivery drivers
who divided Brisbane up into
12 sections and each driver
delivered to a particular
area.
Packs were given for free to
individuals and families who
meet the requirements of
receiving a pack, which was
- that the no one in the
household was working or
receiving government
benefits.
The volunteers were deeply
touched by the messages of
gratitude they received from
the recipients throughout
Ramadan.
We enjoyed working together
with a variety of different
organisations and businesses
who helped to support the
packs.
At the end of Saturday’s
packing, Brothers in Need
gave all the volunteers a
present to thank them for
their hard work and a gift
voucher from Sam’s Pizza.
AND A HUGE THANK YOU
FROM THE RECIPIENTS
On behalf of all those
elderly and needy people who
had food delivered to them
during Ramadan we wish to
say thank you for the care,
sacrifice and dedication
given to us during our most
holy month.
Words alone cannot express
how wanted and cared for we
felt knowing our Muslim
brothers and sisters had our
welfare at heart.
Cooking, packing and
delivering food whilst
fasting is a great sacrifice
especially when so many
hundreds of people all over
Brisbane were cared for.
Our thanks go to all the
organisations and
restaurants who were
involved and the people who
supplied the fruit.
To mention a few, Muslim
Charitable Foundation, Muslim
Aid Australia,
Brothers in Need, Sisters
With Helping Hands, Deen
Family, Hurricanes stars
Sports Club, Islamic Women’s
Assoc of Australia, Islamic
College of Brisbane, Islamic
Relief, Islamic Council of
Qld and Excellence in
Education, Australia
International Islamic
College, Brisbane Rotary
Club International, Sam's
Pizza, Heal the Mind,
Wellness Centre, Calamvale
Discount Fruits, Fussy
Fruits, Sitar Restaurant
Albion, Bosthan’s Catering
and BBQ Tonight.
In all 7,575 meals were
delivered by 17 volunteers 4
days a week.
Many of these Organisations
were also busy packing and
supplying food hampers to
the elderly and needy for
both the Muslim and wider
community.
Many of the volunteers were
working, fasting and
donating precious time to
carry out their work.
It is times like this which
is an international crisis
that we see our Muslim
charities and all levels of
government work together for
the benefit of all. We are
especially grateful for the
dedication and initiative
taken by our Muslim
volunteers.
Or at least the United
States, the proclaimed
pinnacle of the free world
that has been teetering on
the edge of state failure.
The state sanctioned murders
of Black men and women, the
escalation of white
supremacist gun-toting
movements, a President whose
character has defiled the
stature of public office, a
health system that cannot
save lives, a leader of the
‘free world’ that has
presided over more than
100,000 deaths, and now a
country that is on fire,
after a police officer,
emboldened by his badge and
whiteness, held his knee
into the neck of a unarmed,
unresisting Black man,
ignoring the pleas of
witnesses, continuing
despite the fluid pouring
from his mouth, the limpness
of his body, continuing
despite the cameras,
continuing because he can.
The tyranny did not begin
with the riots and the
looting.
It didn’t even begin with
the murder of George Floyd.
The social contract in the
US has been ripped to pieces
for some time.
In Australia, there is a
much greater decency in our
public discourse, a higher
standard about treating
people with dignity, as long
as those people are in sight
and not buried away. Hate
speech is not mainstream
like it is the US, India or
parts of Europe. This is a
precious quality that we
need to maintain.
However there have been some
worrying signs. Our
government has designed a
support package focused on
paperwork not humanity, as a
growing number of temporary
visa holders sleep in cars,
streets and homeless hostels
– even after the government
discovered their package was
$60 billion cheaper than
expected.
The social contract of care
in exchange for abiding by
and contributing to the
state, only applies to those
with papers – something that
was known before with our
treatment of asylum seekers,
but is now manifesting
amongst a broader spectrum
of humans amongst us. It
won’t be forgotten.
Our Government says it wants
to fight extremism, but the
only terror propaganda it
can see belongs to ISIL and
Al-Qaeda. There is a sinking
concern for those minorities
in the targeting line, that
white supremacist terror
propaganda is officially not
propaganda, it’s free
speech. With the images of
George Floyd in my mind, I
think of what that terrorist
said: “I want you in my
sights. I want your neck
under my boot.”
Given platforms and
governments fail to treat
this propaganda as terrorist
because it doesn’t come from
a listed organisation with a
logo, we can now ask
ourselves, how many officers
of the law have already been
radicalised? How many of
them believe that Black
people and Muslims deserve
what ‘they have coming to
them’?
And while the media stays
focused on COVID-19, a Bill
has been slipped into
Parliament that would
empower ASIO to track any
person in Australia without
a warrant, to forcibly
interrogate minors as young
as 14, to take away legal
representation if they are
proving too difficult.
This week is Reconciliation
Week – and a few days ago, a
major mining company Rio
Tinto, blew up one of the
most ancient cultural
heritage sites in the world…
and not even a whisper from
the nation’s leaders. The
Uluru Statement of the Heart
remains in the dust pile.
Cue the speech from our PM
and those after him about
all their regrets for ‘not
doing more’, and the
generous and nostalgic way
that media will forgive
them.
All these actions tell
citizens their worth.
On the other side of the
coin we see the way social
media is being mobilised by
oppressed people to share
their stories. We see
Twitter standing up to false
information. The first
Muslim woman in hijab was
appointed as a judge in the
UK. The Queensland
Parliament now has three
Indigenous members of
Parliament. We see pushback
on the white supremacy myth
that cultural diversity is a
weakness.
Social cohesion is our
greatest strength and it is
maintained by the universal
and equal application of
justice. We must keep
pushing for our institutions
to be universal and
unblinkered. Each and every
one of us may feel
unfettered rage and
hopelessness this week.
May Allah light the path for
a more sustainable course of
justice work, one that
empowers our youth to shape
institutions, build
relationships and hold those
in power truly accountable.
Ameen.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rita Jabri-Markwell
is a Lawyer and
Adviser to the
Australian Muslim
Advocacy Network (AMAN).
UNITED NATIONS - United
Nations (UN)
Secretary-General Antonio
Guterres told a virtual
meeting of Organization of
Islamic Cooperation (OIC)
member states at the United
Nations (UN) that countering
anti-Muslim hatred and
Islamophobia was his “top
priority”, saying he “fully
agreed” with the assessment
that it could pose a threat
to international peace and
security, according to
informed sources.
The UN chief was responding
to the comments from
Pakistan's Ambassador to the
UN, Munir Akram, who drew
his attention to the rising
cases of anti-Muslim
violence and Islamophobia in
India, and urged him to
adopt a more focused and
consistent system-wise
approach to fully tackle the
menace.
While voicing his concern
over the rise of
Islamophobia, the
secretary-general called for
fighting this phenomenon
collectively, the sources
said.
Guterres was speaking at the
meeting organized by OIC on
the theme of "COVID-19
Solidarity: Promoting
Co-Existence and Shared
Responsibility".
In his remarks, Ambassador
Akram raised concerns about
the alarming rise in
Islamophobia and
stigmatization of Muslims in
India in the wake of the
coronavirus pandemic.
He also highlighted the
oppressive measures imposed
in Indian Occupied Jammu and
Kashmir since August 5, last
year when New Delhi annexed
the disputed region in
violation of UN resolutions.
While terming these
developments a matter of
“grave concern”, Ambassador
Akram noted that such
vitriolic hate speech,
state-sponsored Islamophobia
and deliberate targeting of
Muslims in India was not
only a human rights
challenge but could also
endangered peace and
security in the region.
Earlier, the Permanent
Representative of the OIC
Observer Mission in New
York, Agshin Mehdiyev, also
noted the exploitation of
COVID19-related fears where
the public discourse had
been weaponsied against
Muslims by stoking
Islamophobia.
In this regard, he made
reference to the OIC’s
latest statements urging the
government of India to take
immediate steps to end
discriminatory treatment of
Muslims.
Earlier this week, Pakistan
had proposed the
establishment of a dedicated
OIC Working Group on
Islamophobia.
Several OIC countries
including Saudi Arabia,
Turkey, Iran, Azerbaijan,
Qatar, Malaysia and Egypt
welcomed Pakistan’s proposal
and need for a concerted OIC
position on Islamophobia at
the United Nations.
Zahra Fielding used to think
the hijab was oppressive. Now,
as a Muslim convert, she proudly
wears the headscarf. (Supplied:
Zahra Fielding)s
.....continued from last
week's CCN
Revealing faith and covering
skin
One of those players was Kim
Assikin, who lives in
Singapore.
"When we first started
messaging, there was an
instant connection with her.
I don't know why, or how,
but literally we'd finish
each other's sentences,"
says Zahra.
When Zahra and Kim's team
started getting serious
about their strategising,
they created a chat group in
Discord — a popular platform
among gamers — and shared
photos and bios about
themselves.
At first, Kim was hesitant.
She was the only
hijab-wearing gamer in the
team.
"I was a bit concerned — how
would my teammates look at
me, and then, will I be
judged because of my
religion?" she remembers
thinking.
But Kim decided to be honest
with her teammates. After
all, they'd unknowingly
helped her through a
difficult time.
"I had just lost my father,
before I started the game,
so connecting with them gave
me that peace, a little bit,
and took my mind off losing
my dad for a while," she
recalls.
"So, [I thought], 'I don't
want to lie to these people,
I'm sure they can accept me
the way I am.'"
Continued in next week's
CCN: 'I thought the hijab
was a sign of oppression'
UK's
Muslim News readers
nominated
illustrious men,
women, children and
initiatives deemed
worthy of
short-listing for a
Muslim News Award
for Excellence. The
nominees were
short-listed by an
independent panel of
judges who reviewed,
deliberated and
mused over the list.
Over
the next weeks, CCN
presents a
shortlisted
candidate who will
be treated to a gala
evening in the
presence of their
peers and other
renowned guests,
when the finalists
are announced for
the [15] coveted
Awards for
Excellence.
PLESE
NOTE:
Due
to the
unprecedented
uncertainty
regarding
the
coronavirus
pandemic,
The
Muslim
News has
postponed
its
prestigious
annual
awards
ceremony
until
late UK
summer.
Qaisra Shahraz
FRSA is an
award-winning
novelist,
scriptwriter, peace
ambassador,
community activist,
humanitarian, and
educationist.
Qaisra is the
founding director of
Muslim Arts and
Culture Festival and
adviser to various
charities and
journals.
In 2016, she gained
national recognition
by winning the
prestigious National
Diversity Lifetime
Achiever Award for
services to
literature,
education, gender,
and interfaith
relationships.
Her name has been
included at the top
of lists of
influential women
and in 2018 Qaisra
was included in the
Muslim Power 100
list.
Qaisra is a trustee
of Manchester
Multi-Faith Centre,
Co-chair of Faith
Network 4
Manchester, Co-chair
of We Stand
Together, and
executive member of
Manchester’s
Muslim–Jewish Forum.
To improve community
relationships, she
has hosted annual
international
twinning events with
Muslim and Jewish
communities in
schools,
universities,
synagogues, and
mosques in Greater
Manchester.
Sheikh Mahmud Ustaosmanoglu,
also known as Sheikh Mahmud
Effendi, is one of the most
popular Islamic teachers in
Turkey today. He emphasizes
the Sunnah and is well-known
for having revived many of
the Sunnah practices.
Influence Life: Sheikh Effendi
became a Hafiz (one who has
memorized the Qur’an) at the
tender age of 6. He then
started studying Arabic and
Persian at first, and then
went on to study the Islamic
Sciences. Sheikh Effendi was
appointed imam of the Ismail
Agha mosque in Istanbul in
1954, where he remained
until he retired in 1996.
Preaching: He began
delivering spiritual and
ethic guidance from 1960
following the death of his
Shaikh Ali Haydar Efendi. He
devoted three weeks per-year
to teach people across
Turkey and made several
missionary and educational
tours in several countries,
including Uzbekistan, India,
Germany and the United
States. He has a Qur’an
tafsir named Ruhu’l Furkan
in Turkish.
Students: He has
millions of followers and
has established various
religious, social and
charity organisations such
as the Marifet Association,
the Federation of Marifet
Associations and Ahle Sunnah
wal Jamaah Confederation.
Although he himself has
moved to the suburbs of
Istanbul, his stronghold is
still the Fateh area where
his followers are easily
recognised by their
traditional dress. He
emphasises service to
humanity on the basis of
sincerity. Despite being
confined to a wheelchair and
unable to give talks, he is
still sought out for his
blessings by people ranging
from the layman to the
highest powers in the land.
ABSTRACT
Islamophobia has been a
recurrent socio-political
narrative for some time now,
and it has been exacerbated
since the aftermath of 9/11.
Despite the plethora of
studies on the subject,
little is known about Muslim
scholars’ perception of this
phenomenon. This is due
primarily to the language
barrier since the Arabic
language is the code for
their discourse.
It is essential to consider
both Islamic and Western
perspectives to understand
the problem thoroughly and
suggest solutions, as
relying on one approach is
both biased and
uncompromising. Accordingly,
the purpose of this paper is
threefold:
First, it explains how
Islamophobia should be
defined contextually. It
frames its arguments within
three contexts: a historical
setting (Meccan and Madinah
period), Islam in the Arab
world, and Islam in the
West.
Second, the paper
demonstrates how a Muslim’s
perspective contrasts with
the Western narrative. It
critically challenges some
of the arguments put forward
in social sciences and
intellectual discourses and
adopts an unapologetic and
non-defensive approach in
the treatment of
Islamophobia.
Third, the paper discusses
the variables that affect
Islamophobia, such as
Western media and terrorism
(including state terrorism).
Finally, the paper proposes
some approaches to
mitigating the situation.
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
ISLAMOPHOBIA: A MUSLIM’S
PERSPECTIVE
...continued from last
week's CCN
Further, Ben Tamsuk
argues, in keeping with
the aim of globalised
empowerment without
borders, Islamophobia
has been used as a tool
to enhance sectarian
violence. Its purpose is
to create a ‘new Middle
East.’
The strategy is: first,
propagate the view that
we live in a world where
the clash of
civilisations is the
norm. Second, present
Islam as threatening the
principles of secular
society. Third, create
an illusory clash
between ‘a humanitarian
West’ and ‘a jihadist
Islam.’
Other strategies include
using the military for
pre-emptive strikes. The
West knows well that
solidarity can only be
put asunder from the
inside through sectarian
violence.
Finally, Ben Tamsuk
offers some practical
and objective solutions
to the problem. There is
a need for a new
discourse where we
collectively distance
ourselves from soiling
Islam’s name.46 He sees
that Muslims are caught
between the past that
will not let go and the
desire to free
themselves from a
situation controlled by
the West.
He argues one must renew
an existential dialogue
between the religions to
break up established
concepts as promoted by
Orientalists,
colonialism and
evangelism, and break
away from the
traditional crusades. In
a significant statement,
Ben Tamsuk states:
it must be underlined
that [all] religions
unite humanity
regardless of colour,
race, language, and
traditions. And that
what is actually
dividing humanity is
spreading poverty,
economic
marginalization,
political and military
occupation, and not the
belief system; no matter
how strong and powerful
it is.
Ben Tamsuk points out
that the West has been
hostile towards Islam
since the end of the two
World Wars in the
twentieth century and
the Cold War.
What is more
questionable is his
claim that the West is
behind terrorist groups
like Islamic State and
Al-Qaeda.
The West’s ideology is
to divide, rule and
foster religious
tension. Each Muslim
sect is convinced it is
the only one on the
right path.
The West, according to
Ben Tamsuk, paints Islam
as a blind faith, rigid
and unchangeable, which
implies Islam cannot
interact with the
‘Other,’ is the perfect
incubator for
international terrorism
and embodies the
rhetoric of the ‘clash
of civilisations.’
These false notions
cause growing Western
hostility towards Muslim
immigrants, which is
expressed by isolating
them, excluding them
from public space, and
not recognising their
efforts in the
development and progress
of society.
Lockdown Lab
is a channel for
experimental cooking. This
is cooking with travel
stories. This is a 4-minute
take on a delicious twist to
boring scrambled eggs,
cooked with a green tinge!
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.
Eid prayer allowed in two Holy Mosques in
Mecca, Medina without worshippers
Preserving
'great ritual' associated with
the holy occasion amid COVID-19
SAUDI ARABIA: Saudi King
Salman Bin Abdul Aziz approved the
performance of the Eid Al Fitr prayer on
Sunday in the two Holy Mosques in Mecca
and Medina.
No worshippers were allowed to attend
the prayers in both sites as part of
restrictions in place against the novel
coronavirus, head of the presidency
responsible for affairs of the two
mosques Abdul Rahman Al Sudeis added.
“This decision reflects keenness of the
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to
keep this great ritual for Muslims amid
this pandemic that has hit the whole
world,” he said.
Saudi Arabia has suspended congregation
prayers in its mosques as part of strict
precautions to curb the spread of the
virus.
Muezzins of mosques across the kingdom
were allowed to pronounce Eid takbeers
via loudspeakers but without performing
the prayer due to the anti-virus
precautions. .
Muslim woman becomes one of the first
hijab-wearing judges in UK
Raffia
Arshad, 40, wants ‘to make sure
that the sound of diversity is
heard loud and clear’
UK: Raffia Arshad, 40,
started dreaming of a career in law when
she was just 11 – but grew up
questioning if there would be ‘people
who looked like me’ and if a
working-class woman from an ethnic
minority background could make it in
that world.
Nearly 30 years later,
she is not only a successful barrister,
but was appointed a Deputy District
Judge on the Midlands circuit last week.
Speaking to Metro.co.uk, the
mum-of-three says she now wants ‘to make
sure the sound of diversity is heard
loud and clear’.
She said: ‘It’s
definitely bigger than me, I know this
is not about me. It’s important for all
women, not just Muslim women, but it is
particularly important for Muslim women.
‘It’s odd because it’s
something I’ve been working towards for
a number of years and I always imagined
I’d be absolutely ecstatic when I found
out.
‘I was happy, but the
happiness I’ve had from other people
sharing this is far greater. ‘I’ve had
so many emails from people, men and
women. It’s the ones from women that
stand out, saying that they wear a hijab
and they thought they wouldn’t even be
able to become a barrister, let alone a
judge.’
Although Raffia is a powerhouse with a
17-year career behind her, she says she
still encounters discrimination and
prejudice ‘sometimes on a daily basis’.
The Midlands-based judge,
who grew up in West Yorkshire,
experienced one of the most profound
moments of her working life when she was
advised by her own family member to not
wear her hijab to an interview for a
scholarship at the Inns of Court School
of Law in 2001.
Her chances of success
would dramatically decrease if she wore
it, her relative warned her – but Raffia
refused to bow to pressure.
She said: ‘I decided that
I was going to wear my headscarf because
for me it’s so important to accept the
person for who they are and if I had to
become a different person to pursue my
profession, it’s not something I wanted.
‘So I did, and I
succeeded in the interview. I was given
a considerable scholarship. I think that
was probably one of the most profound
first steps in my career. It was a solid
“yes, you can do this”.’
After training in London,
Raffia was called in 2002 and received
pupilage in Nottingham, joining St
Mary’s Family Law Chambers in 2004. For
the past 15 years, she has practiced in
private law children, forced marriage,
female genital mutilation and any cases
with Islamic law issues, and has become
the author of a leading text in Islamic
Family Law.
But while her success speaks for itself,
she says she still sometimes gets
mistaken for a client or interpreter
when walking into a courtroom. She told
Metro.co.uk: ‘Recently, an usher asked:
“Are you a client?” “No I’m not.”
“You must be the
interpreter?”
“No I’m not.”
“Are you here on work
experience?”
“No, I’m actually the
barrister”.’
‘I have nothing against
the usher who said that, but it reflects
that as a society, even for somebody who
works in the courts, there is still this
prejudicial view that professionals at
the top end don’t look like me.’
She added: ‘I think one
of the things that holds women back is
Imposter Syndrome. There are many times
I’ve been in a courtroom and I suddenly
think: “Am I good enough?”’
With discrimination rife
in some parts of society, Raffia
believes that young Muslims will be
inspired to follow their dreams if they
see more people who look like them in
every profession.
Princess R. Lakshman
is a writer, poet,
life coach, and
spiritual
counsellor. She
lives in Brisbane,
Australia. Her
website is
www.princesslakshman.com
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Clarity of Mind,
please text or email
me. If you wish to
have a FREE one hour
Finding Clarity
telephone session,
contact me on
0451977786
DOWNLOAD
Muslimah
Reflections - my new
ebook of poetry and
affirmations
DOWNLOAD The
Ultimate Self-Care
Guide For Muslimahs
WATCH VIDEOS
from Muslimah
Mind Matters YouTube
Channel.
DOWNLOAD
Muslimah
Meditation Moments -
audio files for
self-awareness
meditation.
If you wish to know
about a specific
topic with regards
to Self-Care and
Clarity of Mind,
please text or email
me or visit
www.muslimahmindmatters.com.
If you wish to have
a FREE one hour
Finding Clarity
telephone session,
contact me on
0451977786.
Silence…the first
step towards
awareness
We often voice our
supplications to
ALLAH, but rarely do
we practise silence
to hear HIS answers
to our questions
because we are
caught up in
reacting to
circumstances.
We behave similarly
with other people as
well. Have you
noticed how we talk
more and listen
less? We sometimes
ask people how they
are, however, we do
not spend time in
silence to listen to
their response. We
either walk right
past them or busy
ourselves with other
chores or we start
talking about
ourselves.
Sometimes, when
another person is
speaking, instead of
listening to them
attentively, we
start formulating a
reply to their words
to make a point.
Practising daily
moments of silence
can calm us and make
us attentive to
people and things
around us. Silence
does not mean we
need to be away from
the noise. It means
that even in the
midst of noise we
are still able to
hear and listen to
our inner voice and
keep calm.
30-seconds of
Daily Practice of
Silence
1. After Fajr Salah,
DO NOT GO BACK TO
BED.
2. Sit in silence on
your prayer mat or
go outside in nature
3. Straighten your
back and let your
upper body feel tall
4. Breathe in slowly
and deeply, so that
you feel your belly
expanding
5. Hold for a few
seconds
6. Breathe out
slowly
7. Repeat for 10
long, deep breaths
in and 10 long, deep
breaths out
Women, generally,
are shallow
breathers. Repeating
long, deep
in-breaths and
out-breaths supplies
oxygen to all the
organs in your body.
This abundant supply
of oxygen energises
your mind and calms
your nervous system.
Practising moments
of silence, whether
for 30 seconds or 30
minutes a day will
transform your
physical, emotional
and mental health.
Do try it. Find Clarity with
Silence
If there is an issue
that is bothering
you, ask ALLAH’s
guidance to find
answers to your
questions. With each
in-breath and
out-breath, submit
to ALLAH’s wisdom
and HIS PLANS for
you. Let go.
Total submission to
ALLAH will enable
you to feel calm and
joyful. It will
bring clarity to
your mind and enable
you to make
decisions mindfully.
In doing so, you
will live a life of
love, compassion,
kindness and service
to all of ALLAH’s
creation, including
yourself.
Always remember,
you are not your
experiences. You are
the FORCE that
overcomes them.
FREE
E-Book Muslimah
Mind Matters - The
Ultimate Self-Care
Guide For Muslimah
click here.
Muslimah Mind
Matters now has a
blog site.
Please visit this
link and follow the
website to get your
latest articles on
self-care and mind
wellness from
Princess R. Lakshman
(Sister Iqra)
https://muslimahmindmatters.wordpress.com
Muslimah Mind
Matters blog site
advocates self-care
and clarity of mind
for Muslim women.
Princess R. Lakshman
is a writer, mind
wellness coach,
narrative therapist,
soon-to-qualified
clinical
nutritionist,
speaker, and
workshop
facilitator.
To suggest topics
for blogs, email
info@princesslakshman.com
Lost Islamic
History: Reclaiming Muslim Civilisation from the Past?
by
Firas Alkhateeb
DESCRIPTION
The Book of Naseeb tells the
story of an idealistic
heroin dealer who dreams of
fitting the victims of war
in Afghanistan with
artificial limbs.
In this breathtaking first
novel, Khaled Nurul Hakim
chronicles the hero's
struggle for redemption
through the backstreets and
motorway service stations of
modern Britain to the desert
and mountains of a fictional
borderland.
Written in an exhilarating,
incantatory blend of street
argot and Quranic-inspired
language, The Book of Naseeb
charts an epic journey like
no other.
REVIEW
I always get excited
when I see Muslim authors
writing works for fiction,
as I feel it is one of the
greatest unexplored realms.
Any work of fiction allows
the author to stretch their
imagination and our sense of
reality. This book takes
both to its extreme, as it
is a very bizarre read.
The settings in The Book of
Naseeb range from the
streets of Birmingham,
barzakh (the stage between
this world and Hereafter) to
the Swat Valley.
It is about a man called
Naseeb, a drug dealer who
dreams of redeeming himself
by selling prosthetics to
war-torn areas and how the
angels in the heaven view
him and his thoughts as he
navigates family tensions
and harsh realities of life.
This book is both surreal,
profound and on second
reading a bit funny.
When he wakes up and
realizes he is in the
‘hereafter,’ he says, ‘–
What do mean, this is
Barzakh? You saying there’s
no Embassy? There’s a
British embassy in every
piss-pot on the planet.
You can probably find one in
Hell. ‘194 the line had me
chuckling in middle of a
Naseebs’ dire prospects.’
The first third of this book
is written in misspelt
English, which was difficult
to read and even harder to
decipher (the plot).
No doubt the purposeful use
of street dialects and the
usage of Qur’anic texts hint
at a deeper meaning and a
style that is unfamiliar to
me. But I found it difficult
to get past the colloquial
in the first part of the
book.
The style of writing is bit
Kafka ‘ish as the
protagonist moves from one
scene to another in a
breakneck speed with a lot
of dialogue, and very little
explanation of where it is
all leading to.
The book bizarrely ends with
Naseeb holding what he
thinks is a baby, whose
mother he had earlier helped
and who had run away into
the desert when they had
come upon the baby. He looks
down at the acquired baby,
and it turns out to be a
bomb and he’s facing a
military entourage, the
thing/baby blows up and the
book ends there.
The Book of Naseeb was
initially written as a
script for a movie that
never got made, and Hakim
then spent a few years
converting it into a novel.
Having read the book, I am
not sure how much of the
text he has changed.
It’s a book that is worth
reading in a book club
setting as it means
different things to
different people. A
collection of eyes and
readers would allow one to
get a better sense of the
book and what the author
intends for us to get at.
Had I not been assigned this
book, I would not have
ploughed through it.
[CCN EDITOR] While our resident chef is unfortunately
otherwise indisposed, here is a local Brisbane
blogger's recipe book that will come in handy
for Eid and Ramadan 2021, insha'Allah.
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.
Glorify the name of your
Guardian-Lord, Most High,
Who has created and further,
given order and proportion;
who has ordained laws, and
granted guidance.
In a tribal, nomadic society
like this, artistic
expression becomes
difficult.
The resources and time
necessary to complete great
sculptures and paintings
like the ancient
civilizations of Egypt and
Greece were almost
non-existent.
Yet the natural human desire
to search for beauty could
not be extinguished by the
desert sands. Instead it
took on a new form:
language.
Perhaps more than any other
language in the world,
Arabic itself is a form of
artistic expression.
Word and sentence structure
is fluid, creating many
different ways for a person
to express the same idea.
Poetry thus naturally became
the de facto art of Arabia;
long, epic poems glorifying
tribes and heroism in war
were their greatest works of
art.
The finest poets were
revered celebrities in every
way.
Their words were memorized
by the masses and repeated
for generations.
The seven most magnificent
pre-Islamic poems were known
as the mu’allaqat, meaning
“the hanging ones”.
They were so called because
they were hung on the walls
of the Ka’ba in Mecca, or
alternatively because they
were hung in the hearts of
all Arabs due to their
reverence for the poetic
medium. Despite being an
advanced literary society,
writing was rare in the
Arabian Peninsula.
While a written form of the
language did exist by the
500s, it was rarely learned.
Memorization was enough for
the Arabs, who were capable
of learning poems that were
thousands of lines long by
heart so they could repeat
them to future generations.
Memorization would prove to
be a vital skill once Islam
arrived in the peninsula in
the 600s.
Alhamdulillah, over many years
I have worked with many non-Muslims who have
always asked me about Muslims & Islam, and I
have shared as much and as best as I could
within my understanding and knowledge.
Alhamdulillah I have watch them develop a
beautiful understanding of our practices, to the
extent I have seen them explain and clarify
misconceptions to others.
Once again during this past Ramadan, much was
discussed over our staff iftar dinner meeting.
So I decided to document some of this basic
Islamic information in a simple to read and
understand website and share with my staff and
colleagues.
It’s intended to be as simple as can be, whilst
still providing a good overview, including some
multi-faith interviews which I found very
valuable even to me as a Muslim.
Feel free to use and share if you feel
appropriate.
I have also shared some of the beautiful Quran
recitations and supplications with English
translation.
DR MOHAMMED IQBAL SULTAN
MFS JANAZA
Muslim Funeral Services guidelines adopted on
dealing with Janazas during this pandemic.
This includes the Covid and non-Covid Janazas, for
burials in South East Queensland.
Alhamdulillah, only for Brisbane
residents are we so fortunate to have the ability to
access Islamic Education on a variety of different
platforms.
With registrations CLOSING SOON there are limited spots
remaining until classes are at full capacity 2020 with
both Full – Time and Part – Time close to capacity.
“The Quran Alive course is the culmination of over 14
years of research and development. Our Academy Alive
scholars have tailored, refined and systemised our
unique curriculum, producing world class standards of
education to suit all learning styles."
View some of our success stories of our students of
2019. 2020 could be your year!
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
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