BCEC OPEN DAY
We are excited to invite
everyone to our upcoming
Open Day! Saturday 25 July,
10am till 4pm. Come and meet
the committee, learn how you
can continue to support the
project, and find
inspiration in our vision
for this community centre.
$5 parking available nearby.
Melbourne's
Al-Taqwa College recorded 102nd
coronavirus case on Wednesday
Melbourne: More than 100
infected students and
teachers are linked to
Melbourne's Al-Taqwa
College.
All 300 staff and 2,000
students were asked to get
tested as close contacts.
It's now Victoria's second
biggest virus cluster, just
behind Cedar Meats abattoir.
The DAILY MAIL
The Australian Muslim
Advocacy Network (AMAN) has
written to the Executive
Director of the Daily
Mail referring the media to
the guidelines issued by the
Australian Press Council in
2004 in respect of the use
of religious terms in
headlines and the negative
social media it provoked.
Feroz M Ibrahim, Community
Volunteer and Advocate For
Interfaith Harmony, Chair,
Top End Walk Together
Commissioner For Oaths (NT),
said:
"Community volunteers at
Islamic Society of Darwin
continue to guide our
community members to follow
the NT Government guidelines
for the Friday congregation
prayer. May the Almighty
bless every one of our
Territorians enabling us to
maintain the Status-Quo and
also pray for every human
kind to be safe around the
globe and Beyond."
CONSTRUCTION is set to
resume on the new Garden
City mosque as coronavirus
restrictions ease.
Toowoomba Islamic Society
Professor Shahjahan Khan
said work on the interior of
the mosque would begin
shortly.
"We are finalising a
contractor for internal
fittings. Once that is in
place the work will start,"
Prof Khan said.
"The internal fittings
include the plastering of
the ceiling and walls,
electrical cabling and
fittings, the plumbing and
air conditioning.
"One of the conditions of
the contract is that work
progress will depend on our
fundraising success."
Prof Khan said the mosque's
progress had been affected
by the pandemic.
"We thought the fundraising
would be done earlier. but
the COVID-19 hasn't helped,
and we also had the
bushfires and the floods,"
Prof Khan said.
"We did do a social media
fundraising appeal during
Ramadan, and we are thankful
to the donors for their
generosity during this time.
"We are still working on
fundraising, as the money we
had to start with won't
cover internal fittings -
and then we have to do the
car parking and driveways."
Although he gave no end date
for the project, he said the
mosque was at the second
stage of three.
The mosque open day has been
rescheduled to November 14.
For more information on the
current fundraising appeal
click
here.
This report has gathered
the data and responses of
non-Black Muslims. The sole
purpose of which is to
unmask problems within the
UK Muslim community to
enable British Muslims to
unite as one Ummah. In
short, how do non-Black
Muslims perceive the issue
of anti-Black racism?
Summary
250 non-Black Muslims were
surveyed between 4th and 5th
June 2020.
The split of people surveyed
is as follows:
Gender: 60% female and
40% male
Age: 51% of people were
between the 20-23 age
bracket, 22% 23-25, 13%
18-20, 8% 25-30, 5%
16-18 and finally 1%
being above 30
Ethnicity: The bulk of
responses were from
people of South Asian
origin (49% Bangladeshi,
30% Pakistani and 13%
Indian). Arab, White and
Other made up the
remaining 8%.
Participants were asked 15
questions: 10 multiple
choice and 5 long answers.
Key findings:
98% of people believe
that racism exists
within the UK Muslim
community.
97% of people say that
the UK Muslim community
is not doing enough to
tackle the issue of
racism.
79% of people have never
attended a talk or
khutbah about black
people in Islam or on
the topic of racism.
82% of people have
witnessed anti-black
racism from their own
family and friends.
73% of people have never
heard directly from a
black Muslim about the
issues they face.
31% of people admitted
themselves to holding
anti-black prejudice
either past or present.
77% of people who
admitted having a racial
bias in the past said
that Islam and education
was the way they have
removed this from their
thinking.
This survey was shared
across social media
platforms and was entirely
anonymous.
Recommendations
The list of recommendations
that follow in this report
explains, in great detail,
how anti-blackness within
the UK Muslim community can
be tackled. After a thorough
analysis of each of the 250
responses, the
recommendations are as
follows:
A substantial increase
in Islamic lectures and
khutbahs around racism
and black Muslims in
Islam.
A conscious effort for
every non-black Muslim
to speak to black
Muslims and sensitively
ask about the
experiences they face
from within the Muslim
community.
Muslim organisations and
charities to seriously
look at their recruiting
structures, especially
at executive and board
level, to improve black
Muslim representation.
Mosques to take an
active role in calling
out transgressions that
involve anti-black
racism.
Mosques to create a more
welcoming environment
for black Muslims
through the recruitment
of black Imáms and the
onboarding of black
speakers.
A New Zealand Muslim group
reported a threat that
explicitly mentioned March
15 just weeks before the
Christchurch mosque
shootings that killed 51
people.
The Islamic Women's Council
(IWCNZ) revealed that it
warned police on February 21
last year about the Facebook
message sent two days
earlier, which threatened to
burn the Qur'an outside a
Hamilton mosque on March 15.
Police inquiries found the
man who sent the comment had
his location identified in
Christchurch – but he was
not deemed a threat.
The Islamic Women's Council
says it's one example of
many where if police and
government agencies had
listened to their warnings
and concerns over repeated
threats that the
Christchurch mosque
massacres would never have
happened.
The Muslim group made its
submission and
recommendations to the
Royal Commission of Inquiry
into the Christchurch Mosque
Attacks public.
"There were repeated major
public service delivery
failures in relation to
government dealings with and
responsibilities towards the
Muslim community in Aotearoa
New Zealand," Frances
Joychild, QC, who
represented IWCNZ before the
royal commission, said.
"It is likely that, but for
the failures (particularly
of the security services and
police), the horrific events
of March 15, 2019, might not
have occurred.
"If effective public service
delivery had occurred and
the requested structures and
support put in place, the
country would likely have
been in a far better
position to prevent or limit
the destruction caused by
the shooter."
Aliya Danzeisen, who leads
IWCNZ's government
engagement, says the group's
efforts to get the
government's attention prior
to March 15 were "extensive
and crossed several years"
covering both the past and
current governments.
"Evidence indicates that
public sector employees
were, at best, asleep on the
job and, at worst,
intentionally ignoring our
pleas and actively
undermining our work,"
Danzeisen said.
"If this can happen in the
most open and transparent
country in the world, all
communities are at risk.
People need to know IWCNZ's
story so that those involved
in government work never
allow this to occur on their
watch."
The Islamic Women's Council
lodged a 127-page submission
that highlights years of
rising Islamophobia in New
Zealand which increased in
the days leading up to the
March 15 tragedy.
On February 20, 2019 the
Facebook page of the Women's
Organisation of the Waikato
Muslim Association (WOWMA)
received hostile posts, with
one asking why they would
follow a religion where the
Prophet Mohamed "rapes young
women".
It went onto say there would
be a burning of the Qur'an
at the Hamilton mosque on
Friday, March 15, 2019 – the
day of the Christchurch
attack.
The message was blocked and
when reported to police, an
officer "did not seem to
take the matter too
seriously", saying the
individual was known to
police, suffered from a
mental illness and "would
likely not harm anyone".
Police said the man's
location indicated he was in
Christchurch.
Before March 15 last year,
New Zealand authorities had
enough intelligence to
warrant a coordinated
national strategy, the
Islamic Women's Council
says, which would have
alerted every mosque in the
country to a threat to one
mosque on Friday March 15,
2019 and for all mosques to
take extra security
measures.
"Whether or not the threat
was connected to the
Christchurch killer is
irrelevant," its submission
says.
If the mosque gunman had
been subjected to the same
scrutiny as "many Muslim
religious groups and
individuals who were having
trouble getting into the
country", he could have been
watched, the group says.
"This is not a situation
where SIS members can claim
to have been caught by
surprise. They were
appraised," the IWCNZ
submission states.
"The question is why did
they not take the warnings
of IWCNZ members seriously.
At the same time there were
terror attacks, hate crimes
and alt-right activity
occurring in other Muslim
minority countries. The
internet was flooded with
anti-Muslim rhetoric. Why
were IWCNZ warnings not
placed alongside world
events and action taken
accordingly?"
Dr Maysoon Salama, national
coordinator of IWCNZ and
whose son was killed on
March 15, said it was vital
that all government agencies
and services ensure they are
providing culturally and
religiously responsive
support to minorities and
ethnic groups.
"Government should be
looking at development of
long-term community building
initiatives, as well as
long-term support and
compensation for victims'
families," she said.
"Yes, there has been short
term assistance, but the
impact has been huge and
will require long recovery
time.
"There is clear need for
establishing an independent
Muslim Arbitration Tribunal
for the impacted families,
to deal with issues such as
inheritance. Such a legal
body or commission should be
well-resourced to understand
Islamic faith and laws."
Anjum Rahman, media
spokesperson for IWCNZ, says
their experience has been
mirrored by many
communities, and shows the
need for government to
change the way it works.
"The government must work to
empower communities. We
maintain that the structures
of these institutions, and
the systems and processes
used by people in them, are
discriminatory in design,"
Rahman said.
The Department of Local
Government, Racing and
Multicultural Affairs is
committed to supporting
Queensland’s multi-faith,
multicultural communities
and the benefits they
continue to bring to
Queensland.
The Unite Against Racism –
Call to Action Toolkit aims
to bring Queenslanders
together to promote positive
messages about diversity and
inclusion.
This toolkit contains key
messages, links and hashtags
as well as ready-made assets
for use in print, digital
and social media channels to
encourage ‘a call to action’
to all Queenslanders to
stand together and reinforce
Queensland as a diverse,
harmonious and inclusive
place to live.
Toolkit resources
Resources have been
developed to enable
anti-racism messages to be
distributed through
appropriate channels
Contact Naseema via WhatsApp or SMS to order from South Africa and Australia +61475455409
Feeding the smaller villages and communities that the large organisations don't reach. These communities are usually left out and that's why I've been doing this for the last 10 years
For a long time it’s been
widely profitable for news
to tap into prejudice, but
as Facebook has been
learning in the past few
months, public tolerance for
this behaviour is now at an
all-time low.
We’re all aware that adding
the word ‘Islamic’ to a
headline will catapult the
number of clicks and shares
from certain audiences.
Include some other negative
element like terrorism, a
pandemic or conspiracy
theories about immigration,
and you’ve got yourself a
truly viral article.
The reality today is that
the majority of these
click-bait articles seem to
be generated by up and
coming journalists, trying
to make a name for
themselves. It would
probably only take one
friendship with a Muslim
person or family to help
them see the vulgarity of
this. There is enormous
potential to change things
through reaching out to
them.
Then there are the
ideological cultural
warriors who are unlikely to
change. These opinion
writers have become less
focused on Islam since the
obsessive, saturated media
coverage of ISIL and
Al-Qaeda has subsided. It’s
possible public tolerance
for this sort of reductive
and extreme thinking has
also decreased following
Christchurch. This group we
are best to not directly
engage with. But we can hold
their newspapers or
broadcasters to account.
There are other ways to
stoke prejudice these days
and sadly many targets, but
we must not become
complacent. The damage that
has been done is so
prolific, so engrained, so
even internalised in our
community, that it will take
both courage and
perseverance to repair.
In the past month, news
articles from the Daily
Mail and The
Australian emphasising
any Islamic connection to
community transmissions in
Victoria have stoked the
fires of prejudice. Sure
they don’t tell people
overtly to think that way,
but the decision to
emphasise the word
‘Islamic’, with images of
Muslims praying, at the
shops, which are all
immaterial to the story –
all point to a deliberate
form of dog-whistling.
It’s no mystery why only
some articles about
community transmission
emphasise race or religion
of the involved parties as a
central point. News services
will be increasingly hard
pressed to defend these
editorial decisions.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rita Jabri-Markwell
is a Lawyer and
Adviser to the
Australian Muslim
Advocacy Network (AMAN).
The views,
thoughts and opinions
expressed here are the
author’s alone and do not
necessarily reflect or
represent the views and
opinions of Crescents
Community News (CCN).
Do you want to inform and
get your opinion and
expertise out there into the
community?
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.
PLEASE
NOTE:
Due
to the
unprecedented
uncertainty
regarding
the
coronavirus
pandemic,
The
Muslim
News has
postponed
its
prestigious
annual
awards
ceremony
until
late UK
summer.
She has been
instrumental in the
firm’s expansion
into new areas, both
in the UK and
overseas.
Mariam’s work has
greatly contributed
to the success of
two high-profile
infrastructure
projects, the
award-winning
Paddington
Integrated Project
and Crossrail
Paddington Station.
Mariam was a 2017
finalist for the
Women in
Construction Awards
Best Woman Architect
and has been
nominated this year
for the Woman in
Rail award.
Her work with
non-governmental
organizations in
Tehran for the
promotion of women’s
education and
opportunity has also
been recognised.
London-based Mariam
is a co-founder of
Women at Weston
Williamson, a group
which aims to
redefine the
understanding of
women’s capabilities
and contributions in
the workplace and
shares her
experiences with
university students
as a mentor.
Seyyed Hossein Nasr is
University Professor of
Islamic Studies at George
Washington University. He
remains one of the most
influential Muslim scholars
in the world for his work on
Islamic tradition and
philosophy. He is the only
Muslim to be included in the
Library of Living
Philosophers and has written
over 50 books and over 500
articles.
Influence Background and career:
Nasr was born in Iran and
raised in a house of
scholars and physicians. He
was sent to school in the
USA, won a scholarship to
MIT for undergraduate
studies in physics and
obtained a doctorate in the
history of science and
philosophy from Harvard. He
returned to Iran in 1958
where he swiftly rose
through academic ranks to
become Vice-Chancellor of
Tehran University and then
President of Aryamehr
University. The 1979 Iranian
revolution forced Nasr to
leave Iran and so he settled
in the USA.
Reviver of Tradition:
Nasr’s work has covered the
most important areas of
contemporary Muslim thought
from classical Islamic
philosophy, Islamic science,
Sufism, and critique of
modernity to interfaith
relations, Islam–West
relations, and the
environmental crisis. Nasr
was the first Muslim scholar
ever to be invited to give
the prestigious Gifford
Lectures, which were later
published as Knowledge and
the Sacred. Nasr’s work has
been ahead of its time in
predicting the disastrous
consequences of the
environmental crisis. Books
such as The Encounter of Man
and Nature (1968) critique
the rise of a secular,
modern conception of nature
as inert matter to be
conquered by modern
technology, and attempt to
revive a sacred notion of
nature.
Legacy: For Nasr, the
quest for knowledge,
specifically knowledge which
“liberates and delivers him
from the fetters and
limitations of earthly
existence,” has been and
continues to be the central
concern and determinant of
his intellectual life.
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
...continued from last
week's CCN
SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS TO AN
OLD PROBLEM
...continued from last
week's CCN
CONCLUSION
This paper outlines a
Muslim’s perspective on
Islamophobia from known
and respected Muslim
scholars. Their views
represent what I have
termed an ‘internal’
perspective, which
contrasts with the
‘external’ or
Orientalist counterpart.
In the treatment of this
phenomenon, I have noted
the internal or Islamic
perspective has
deep-seated reasons for
its existence, some of
which are historical,
but overall, are
predominantly
socio-political.
Not only does the
Western or Orientalist
perspective lack deeper
knowledge and
understanding of the
particularities of
Islam, but one finds the
media plays a
significant role in
disseminating
misconceptions about
Islam. The paper
attempts to merge the
two perspectives,
internal and external,
to provide a holistic
view of the phenomenon.
It is important to raise
awareness about Islamic
teachings by actively
correcting the image of
Islam using less
reactionary and emotive
approaches. Equally, it
is important to expose
the ideology behind
Islamophobia when it is
used for political aims.
This discourse fuels
terrorism and is used as
a pretext by extremist
groups to attack the
West. Despite attacks on
Islam as not being a
religion of peace,
advocating terrorism and
being incompatible with
Western ‘values’, Islam
will remain the world’s
most established
religion because it is
not just a conviction,
it is a way of life for
many Muslims today.
The West could benefit
from Islam now, just as
it benefited from it
during, for instance,
the heyday of Islamic
Spain.
Likewise, Muslims have
benefited from and been
supported by the West
and other faiths.
A notable and
much-quoted example is
the story of Al-Najashi
(Negus), the Christian
king of Abyssinia, who
supported and welcomed
the persecuted Meccan
migrants and who was
quoted as saying
“you’re welcome; your
Prophet is welcome. I
admit that he is the
Apostle about whom Jesus
had given the good news.
Live wherever you like
in my country.”
Islam and Christianity
or East and West do not
embody the much quoted
and divisive notion of
‘clash of
civilisations’; rather,
these two religions
should strive to find
harmony and continue to
build bridges of
understanding.
The inherent differences
are exacerbated by the
destructive terrorist
actions of individuals,
states or groups and
conflated by relentless
biased Western media
networks fuelling the
Islamophobic narrative.
While facing these
challenges in a rapidly
changing world,
especially the MENA
region, it is difficult
to predict whether
Islamophobia will cease
to exist.
Salaam,
Liverpool: Salah
and Mane, the
Muslims who
saved a club
by Khaled A.
Beydoun
There are
athletes who
excel on the
field, and then
there are 'auteurs',
whose imprint on
and off the
pitch charts
new,
transformative
courses for
audiences
worldwide.
Liverpool F.C. -
which claimed
its first
Premier League
title in 30
years last
weekend - boasts
two men of the
second, and
higher order:
Mohamed Salah
and Sadio Mane,
the two soccer
savants that
spearheaded
Liverpool's
historic
2019-2020
campaign.
Salah and Mane
are Muslims, and
unapologetically
so. The Arab and
Black Muslims
were thrust onto
a stage -
English football
- long tainted
by anti-Black
racism and
xenophobia. They
travelled
distinct
journeys
en-route to
Liverpool, and
encountered
challenges that
tested their
resolve upon
arrival. But
their faith
provided them
both with a
common path
toward not only
overcoming the
pitfalls that
foiled other
footballers, but
to transcend on
and off the
pitch.
Mohammed
walks
The Egyptian and
Senegalese
Muslims could
have easily
traded in their
Muslim
identities in
exchange for the
fast cars and
opulent
lifestyles
footballers in
England are
infamous for.
But in shunning
that path and
walking
diligently
behind their
faith's final
and foundational
Prophet,
Mohammed, Salah
and Mane lived
up to their club
slogan of
"you'll never
walk alone."
While, as one
journalist put
it, "Death,
plague and
economic
collapse stalked
the land,
puncturing
sport's ability
to pretend the
rest of the
world is simply
a subplot," the
world of Mohamed
Salah and Sadio
Mane illustrated
- all along -
how sport is one
of life's most
impactful
theatres.
The two
Liverpool
forwards, with
Mane flanking
the right side
of the pitch and
Salah dazzling
to the left,
spearheaded the
Club's rise to
the top of the
table. Liverpool
not only won the
championship,
but thoroughly
outclassed the
field with a
dominating 28
wins compared to
only two draws
and a single
loss, besting
runner ups
Manchester City
by a wide 23
point margin.
Not
surprisingly,
Salah and Mane
led the historic
run toward the
title, with the
"Egyptian King"
netting 17 goals
and the reigning
Africa Player of
the Year, Mane,
scoring 15.
These marks
placed Salah as
the
Premiership's
third highest
scorer, and Mane
as its sixth.
Every time they
scored, and they
did often, Salah
and Mane dropped
to their knees
and prostrated
in the ancient
Islamic custom.
The prayer,
penalised by
sports leagues
like the NFL,
became far more
than just a
common sight for
EPL viewers, but
one emulated by
Liverpool fans
of every faith,
inspiring a
change in the
culture at the
128-year old
football club:
This historic
season, like the
several before
it, witnessed a
steady erosion
of the
Islamophobia
that gripped
England, thanks
to Salah and
Mane's impact.
White men,
dressed in Devil
red that
professed
Christian or
other beliefs,
would regularly
explode in the
customary song:
"Mo Salah,
la, la, la, la,
La, la, la, la,
la, la, If he's
good enough for
you, He's good
enough for me,
If he scores
another few then
I'll be Muslim
too, If he's
good enough for
you, He's good
enough for me,
Then sitting in
a mosque is
where I wanna
be."
They sang the
refreshingly
original chant,
and sang it
again. In the
stands and at
pubs, inside
their living
rooms and
anywhere they
sat when Salah
put the ball in
the back of the
net.
The
juxtaposition
was surreal
against the
Islamophobia
fanned by Brexit
and Boris
Johnson. The
scenes inspired
by Salah were
magical.
Everyday
Englishmen,
women and young
people chanted,
"I'll be Muslim
too" and
revelled in the
thought of
"sitting in a
mosque."
The Muslim stars
were challenging
the Islamophobia
that gripped
England and the
world around it.
And the Mane and
"Salah Effect"
was not just
symbolic or
anecdotal, but
measurable. "Per
the Stanford
University
Immigration
Policy Lab,
Salah is
credited with
single handedly
reducing
Islamophobia and
hate crimes in
Liverpool since
he signed with
the club in June
2017."
Specifically,
the Stanford
University study
found that hate
crimes in the
metropolitan
Liverpool area
declined by 19
percent, and
anti-Muslim
comments
spiralled 50
percent since
Salah joined
Liverpool in
2017. Salah's
impact is
quantifiable,
and his
on-the-field
play and
off-the-field
presence is
changing hearts
and minds at a
time when
nativism has
been spiking in
England, and
Islamophobia
proliferating
across the
world.
Before helping
Liverpool claim
its coveted
Premiership
title, Salah
championed a new
culture of
acceptance among
football fans,
by simply being
authentically
and
uncompromisingly
Muslim.
A pillar of
humility
As he did for
Liverpool's
formidable
offense, Mane
complimented
Salah with a new
model of the
modern football
star. In
September of
2018, only hours
after scoring
the decisive
goal against
Leicester City,
Mane drove to
the mosque as he
always did.
There, he was
filmed filling
water buckets
and cleaning the
toilets inside
the bathroom -
where Muslim men
washed
themselves
before the
collective
prayer.
Unaware of the
camera phone
locked on him,
Mane
unassumingly
cleaned the
space alongside
others. The
video, showing
the footballer
cleaning the
floor and
toilets, later
went viral. It
instantly won
over millions of
fans, who lauded
Mane for his
"otherworldly
modesty" and, in
line with
Islamic
principles,
"holding himself
equal" despite
being a
millionaire
footballer.
This was
precisely who
Mane was, and
what Islam -
unfiltered and
untainted -
represents:
Modesty and
humility, and
towing a line
where each
person's foot
stands equal to
the one beside
it – regardless
of race or
class, status or
wealth.
In October of
2019, a year
after leading
Senegal to its
second World Cup
appearance, Mane
was keen on
giving his
country and its
people even
more. When asked
by a journalist
about his model
of modest
living, he
responded,
"Why would I
want 10
Ferraris, 20
diamond watches,
or two planes?
What will these
objects do for
me and for the
world? "I built
schools, a
stadium, we
provide clothes,
shoes, food for
people who are
in extreme
poverty."
Through his
philanthropy,
Mane embodies
the Prophetic
model that
holds, "He is
not a believer
whose stomach is
filled while the
neighbour to his
side goes
hungry." Like he
did on the field
of play, Mane
let his
world-class
actions do the
talking.
Salaam,
Liverpool
This is
Liverpool F.C.:
A curly-haired
Egyptian who
drops to his
knees in prayer
every time he
scores, and a
Black Senegalese
soccer giant
whose
unassailable
superpower is
his humility.
Champions, who
reject the
luxury cars and
glitz in order
to give their
"people a little
of what life has
given" them.
These Muslim men
emerged in
Liverpool, an
industrial
English city
once ravaged by
racial violence
and menaced
today by
neo-Nazis and
nativists
emboldened by
populist agendas
that mark
Muslims, like
Salah and Mane,
as targets.
But they stayed
the course. And
more
importantly,
stayed true to
who they are, as
Arab and Black
men, and as
Muslims. Salah
and Mane won
over a city and
a nation marred
by racism and
Islamophobia
with their play,
but will be
remembered too,
for their
transcendent
personas and
genuine
authenticity.
THE NEW ARAB
Khaled A.
Beydoun is a law professor
and author of the critically
acclaimed book, American
Islamophobia: Understanding
the Roots and Rise of Fear.
He sits on the United States
Commission for Civil Rights,
and is based out of Detroit.
Delicious Crispy Red
Snapper with Rhubarb from
London!
Lockdown Lab #7
Mohammad Tufael Chowdhury
Lockdown Lab
is a channel for
experimental cooking mixed
with discovering places,
culture and history. Cooking
with travel stories. This is
a 5-minute video to
re-imagine a traditional
Bengali fish dish by adding
an unusual ingredient from
the English garden.
Statement from Board of
Imams Victoria to locked
down Melbournians
Chair of the South
African Ministerial Advisory
Committee
for Covid-19 explains the
pandemic
Prof. Salim
S. Abdool Karim, M.B.,
Ch.B., Ph.D.
Centre for the AIDS
Programme of Research in
South Africa (CAPRISA),
Columbia University, New
York, NY
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.
High ranking Chinese officials blacklisted
over Uighur rights
Washington: The
United States has imposed
sanctions on the highest-ranking
Chinese official yet targeted
over alleged human rights abuses
against the Uighur Muslim
minority, a move likely to
further ratchet up tensions
between Washington and Beijing.
Washington blacklisted Xinjiang
region's Communist Party
Secretary Chen Quanguo, a member
of China's powerful Politburo,
and three other officials. The
highly anticipated action
followed months of Washington's
hostility toward Beijing over
China's handling of the novel
coronavirus outbreak and its
tightening grip on Hong Kong.
A senior administration official
who briefed reporters after the
announcements described Chen as
the highest-ranking Chinese
official ever sanctioned by the
US.
The blacklisting was "no joke",
he said. "Not only in terms of
symbolic and reputational
effect, but it does have real
meaning on a person's ability to
move around the world and
conduct business."
The Chinese embassy in
Washington did not respond to a
request for comment. But China
has denied mistreatment of
Uighur Muslims and says its
Xinjiang camps provide
vocational training and are
needed to fight extremism.
The sanctions were imposed under
the Global Magnitsky Act, which
allows the US government to
target human rights violators
worldwide by freezing any assets
they hold in the US, banning
their travel to the US and
prohibiting Americans from doing
business with them.
Sanctions were also imposed on
Zhu Hailun, a former deputy
party secretary and current
deputy secretary of regional
legislative body the Xinjiang's
People's Congress; Wang Mingshan,
the director and Communist Party
secretary of the Xinjiang Public
Security Bureau; and former
party secretary of the bureau
Huo Liujun.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
said Washington was also barring
Chen, Zhu, Wang and their
immediate families, as well as
other unnamed Chinese Communist
Party officials, from travelling
to the United States.
The main exile group the World
Uighur Congress welcomed the
move and called for the European
Union and other countries to
follow suit.
US Republican Senator Marco
Rubio, who sponsored legislation
signed by President Donald Trump
in June that calls for sanctions
over the repression of Uighurs,
said the move was "long overdue"
and that more steps were needed.
"For far too long, Chinese
officials have not been held
accountable for committing
atrocities that likely
constitute crimes against
humanity," Rubio said.
The Associated Press reported
last month that China was trying
to slash birth rates amongst
Uighurs with forced birth
control. China denounced the
report as fabricated.
When I was
19 years old and a first
year medical student, my
mother was in hospital with
end-stage heart failure.
I travelled 250 miles from
my university to visit my
mom. She was really ill. I
wasn’t sure whether I should
leave her & travel back to
medical school, or stay.
My mother said, "You must go
back. I want you to be a
doctor & help people. I will
be ok." Five days later, she
died.
Twenty years
later today, Farzana Hussain is
one of the few doctors who have
been declared as heroes in UK
for their extraordinary services
during the coronavirus pandemic.
A large billboard image of her
is displayed at Piccadilly
Lights in London.
Hagia Sophia: Turkey turns iconic Istanbul
museum into mosque
Turkish President
Erdogan announces first prayers at Hagia
Sophia after mosque ruling
TURKEY: The
world-famous Hagia Sophia museum
in Istanbul - originally founded
as a cathedral - has been turned
back into a mosque.
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip
Erdogan announced the decision
after a court annulled the
site's museum status.
Built 1,500 years ago as an
Orthodox Christian cathedral,
Hagia Sophia was converted into
a mosque after the Ottoman
conquest in 1453.
In 1934 it became a museum and
is now a Unesco World Heritage
site.
Islamists in Turkey long called
for it to be converted to a
mosque but secular opposition
members opposed the move. The
proposal prompted criticism from
religious and political leaders
worldwide.
Defending the decision,
President Erdogan stressed that
the country had exercised its
sovereign right in converting it
back to a mosque.
He told a press conference the
first Muslim prayers would be
held inside the building on 24
July.
"Like all our mosques, the doors
of Hagia Sophia will be wide
open to locals and foreigners,
Muslims and non-Muslims," he
added.
A change is coming to Hagia
Sophia, which has endured since
the 6th century, outlasting the
Byzantine empire and the Ottoman
era. Now, once again, it will be
a mosque. But Turkish officials
say Christian emblems, including
mosaics of the Virgin Mary which
adorn its soaring golden dome,
will not be removed.
Making changes at Hagia Sophia
is profoundly symbolic. It was
Kemal Ataturk, the founder of
modern Turkey, who decreed that
it should be a museum. President
Erdogan is now taking one more
step to dismantle Ataturk's
secular legacy, and remould
Turkey according to his vision.
The Turkish leader - who
presents himself as a modern day
conqueror - is making no
apologies for the change. He
says anyone who doesn't like it
- and plenty abroad don't - is
attacking Turkey's sovereignty.
Reclaiming Hagia Sophia plays
well with his base - religious
conservatives - and with Turkish
nationalists. Critics say he's
using the issue to distract
attention from the economic
damage done here by the Covid19
pandemic.
But many in the international
community argue that the
monument belongs to humanity -
not to Turkey - and should have
remained unchanged. They say it
was a bridge between two faiths,
and a symbol of co-existence.
Shortly after the announcement,
the first call to prayer was
recited at Hagia Sophia and was
broadcast on all of Turkey's
main news channels. The cultural
site's social media channels
have now been taken down.
What has the reaction been?
Unesco has said it "deeply
regrets" the decision to turn
the museum into a mosque and
called on the Turkish
authorities to "open a dialogue
without delay."
The organisation had urged
Turkey not to change its status
without discussion.
The head of the Eastern Orthodox
Church has condemned the move,
as has Greece - home to many
millions of Orthodox followers.
Culture Minister Lina Mendoni
said it was an "open provocation
to the civilised world".
"The nationalism displayed by
President Erdogan... takes his
country back six centuries," she
said in a statement.
The court ruling "absolutely
confirms that there is no
independent justice" in Turkey,
she added.
But the Council of State,
Turkey's top administrative
court, said in its ruling on
Friday: "It was concluded that
the settlement deed allocated it
as a mosque and its use outside
this character is not possible
legally."
"The cabinet decision in 1934
that ended its use as a mosque
and defined it as a museum did
not comply with laws," it said.
Princess R. Lakshman
is a writer, poet,
life coach, and
spiritual
counsellor. She
lives in Brisbane,
Australia. Her
website is
www.princesslakshman.com
If you wish to know
about a specific
topic with regards
to Self-Care and
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.
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
Happiness and
Joy…What’s the
Difference?
You may be familiar
with this common
adage “Pursuit of
Happiness”.
I’ve always wondered
why it is that we
must pursue
happiness. I used to
be one of those
people who worked
really hard at
pursuing happiness.
One wonderful day I
realised that as
ALLAH’s highest form
of creation I was
blessed with an
inherent, pure thing
known as JOY.
Once I realised
this, I embraced joy
and began to live
from it. I stopped
pursuing happiness.
It sounds bizarre.
Difference
Between Joy and
Happiness
The English
dictionary may
display both these
terms as synonyms,
however, society has
designed a paradigm
for human beings
which defines
happiness as
something that
results from the
fulfilment of
material and
physical desires. In
other words,
happiness, in
today’s world, is
circumstantial.
Joy, on the other
hand, is something
that we feel as our
“fitra” and is not
defined by physical
and material
desires. Joy is the
elation we feel when
we operate from our
inherent spiritual
virtues of kindness
and compassion.
Once you operate
from joy, the
pressures that
society places on
you vanishes – the
must-have-perfect-marriage,
the six-figure
salary, the mansion,
the perfect body
shape – none of
these material and
physical desires
will matter anymore.
Living from joy
makes you a joyful
being and spreads
joy to the rest of
the world. Instead
of striving for a
“perfect marriage”,
ask yourself if you
and your spouse
share a soulful
companionship
wherein you can be
in each other’s
company without
having the need to
distract yourself
with gadgets and
awkward silences.
Instead of the
six-figure salary,
ask yourself if you
love what you do for
work. Instead of the
mansion, ask
yourself if your
home is a space that
is spiritually
fulfilling. Instead
of obsessing over a
perfect body shape,
ask yourself if you
are using your body
and its energy to
spread goodness and
perform righteous
deeds.
How to Cultivate
Joy in Your Life
Living authentically
and being true to
yourself helps you
to be true to
others. “Fake it
till you make it”
may not be the most
authentic approach
to living joyfully.
Rather, a daily
practice of
experiencing joy in
small things can
make every moment of
your life be a
joyful experience.
• Smile more
• Laugh out loud
• Write a
heartfelt note
to someone
special to thank
them for being
in your life
(handwrite it,
it’s more
personal)
• Breathe deep
full in-breaths
and exhale
slowly
• Do a fun
activity that
moves your body
and makes you
sweat
• Spend a few
minutes daily to
connect with
nature
• Say out loud
to yourself –
five things
about yourself
that you are
grateful for
• Do something
nice for someone
without their
knowledge
• Cook a
wholesome meal
for yourself and
your family
• Hug your loved
ones often and
tell them you
love them
• Perform an act
of kindness for
a stranger
• Visualise
yourself in
Jannah
If you feel confused
about whether you
are pursuing
material and
physical happiness
or whether you are
living joyfully, the
one question you
need to ask yourself
is “Is what I’m
pursuing pleasing
ALLAH or pleasing
people?”
Choose to please
ALLAH and ONLY
ALLAH. Do what feels
right. Listen to
your heart…it knows.
When you please
people, you fall in
the trap of material
and physical
desires…temporary
happiness. But when
you choose to please
ALLAH you experience
joy.
Always remember,
you are not your
experiences. You are
the FORCE that
overcomes them.
Ibtihaj Muhammad, S.K. Ali,
and Hatem Aly (Illustrator)
DESCRIPTION
A powerful, vibrantly
illustrated story about the
first day of school--and two
sisters on one's first day
of hijab--by Olympic
medalist and social justice
activist Ibtihaj Muhammad.
With her new backpack and
light-up shoes, Faizah knows
the first day of school is
going to be special.
It's the start of a brand
new year and, best of all,
it's her older sister
Asiya's first day of
hijab--a hijab of beautiful
blue fabric, like the ocean
waving to the sky.
But not everyone sees hijab
as beautiful, and in the
face of hurtful, confusing
words, Faizah will find new
ways to be strong.
Paired with Hatem Aly's
beautiful, whimsical art,
Olympic medalist Ibtihaj
Muhammad and Morris Award
finalist S.K. Ali bring
readers an uplifting,
universal story of new
experiences, the unbreakable
bond between siblings, and
of being proud of who you
are.
Q:
Dear Kareema, any tips on staying motivated and
strong during these challenging times?
I’ve decided not to return to the gym so I have
my work cut out for me.
A:
Surround yourself with a support
network or family and friends who are just as
keen as you to keep or get fit.
Maybe enlist the help of a personal trainer or
set up regular workout dates with your buddies.
Keep it simple, keep the workouts fun &
challenging and reward yourself for your efforts
and results.
Restore the property of the
orphans to them [when they
reach their age], nor
substitute [your] worthless
things for [their] good
ones; and do not devour
their substance [by mixing
it up] with your own. For
this is indeed a great sin.
The first person to hear of
Muhammad’s prophethood and
accept it was Khadijah, who
can be said to have
converted immediately upon
his return from the cave.
He soon began to invite
those closest to him to this
new religion.
His closest companion, Abu
Bakr, his young cousin,
‘Ali, and his house-servant,
Zayd, all respected and
trusted Muhammad, and thus
immediately accepted him as
a prophet.
They began to inform those
closest to them, and slowly
the number of people who
accepted Muhammad began to
grow.
The first attempts at
proselytizing were covert.
Mecca was, after all, a
polytheistic society, and
the idea of one God
replacing the numerous idols
in the Ka’ba would no doubt
be seen as a threat.
Thus, the early months and
years of Islam were marked
by the development of a
secret, hidden group,
fearful of society’s
reaction to them, but
submitting to the ideas of
this new religion.
They were called Muslims,
meaning “submitters”.
The word Islam itself, from
which Muslim derives,
denotes submission to God
and His will.
Accompanied
by me
with
Aboriginal
Elders
and
complete
cultural
experience.
We
will get
to know
each
other.
Prayer
facilities
bring
your own
prayer
mat.
I
did this
cruise
last
year and
saw SO
many
whales.
Totally
recommended
nothing
like it
in
Australia.
I've
been on
six
other
cruises
for
whale
watching
and
nothing
comes
close to
this
experience.
See the
whales
the
Indigenous
way.
Speak
their
language.
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
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..
Share your
thoughts, feelings and ambitions for our community through CCN.
If there is
someone you know who would like to subscribe to CCN please
encourage them to enter their details
here.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
Haji
Sultan Deen has been
delivering potable water to
Stanthorpe and the Lockyer
Valley since September 2019.
.jpg)
Towards
Demystifying Islamophobia: 
%20factsheet.png)
High ranking Chinese officials blacklisted
over Uighur rights
.png)
post comments on
our Wall