Senator SCARR (Queensland)
(19:40): Every day I am in
this place, I'm honoured to
represent my beautiful state
of Queensland. Nothing gives
me greater honour than when
I have the opportunity to
report to the Senate the
great work that
Queenslanders are doing to
help their fellow
Australians in need. I would
like to detail to the Senate
three remarkable events that
occurred recently in my home
state of Queensland.
First, on 18 July 2020, I
was honoured to accompany
members of the Rotary Club
of Archerfield as they
delivered their three
millionth litre of water to
the Granite Belt Water
Relief project in
Stanthorpe. Joining members
from the Rotary Club of
Archerfield were Mr Jitendra
Prasad, past district
governor, and other members
of Rotary Club Brisbane
International, members of
the Rotary Club of
Stanthorpe, and members of
the Rotary Club Brisbane
Taylor Bridge. All are great
Rotarians working together,
as they always do, to help
people in need, proving,
once again, that Rotary
connects the world. The
logistics involved in
delivering this three
million litres of water are
truly remarkable. I'm sure
Senator Sheldon, given his
background, would appreciate
this. Consider this: 125
trips totalling an aggregate
of 54,500 kilometres and
involving 1,068 hours.
Donations received in cash
or kind were over
one-quarter of a million
dollars.
The second remarkable thing
about this event is that a
leading role was played by
one Rotarian, an outstanding
Australian: Mr Sultan
Mohammed Deen, known as
George Deen, a past
president of the Archerfield
rotary club. George is a
long-time operator of prime
movers in Brisbane. He knew
that his fellow Australians
were in need out in
Stanthorpe. Perhaps what's
so remarkable about this is
that George was the one who
single-handedly undertook
nearly all of those trips
out to Stanthorpe. He's the
one who put in that
incredible effort of 125
trips for 54,500 kilometres
and 1,068 hours. So George
would do his own work and
then he would spend his time
actually carting water out
to Stanthorpe to help his
fellow Australians. He was
assisted by many members and
supporters of the Rotary
Club of Archerfield. His
fellow member, Abdul Rahman
Deen, known as Ray Deen,
also a member of the
Archerfield rotary club for
more than 30 years,
sponsored the registration
and insurance of the prime
mover and the water trailer.
Both George and Ray have
been members of Rotary for
over 33 years, providing
community service to the
broader Australian
community.
The third remarkable thing
occurred on 8 August 2020.
That was that the three
brothers—George and Ray Deen,
who I've spoken of, and
their brother who's known as
Happy Deen—collectively
celebrated their 50th
wedding anniversary. All
three brothers were married
on the same day, 8 August
1970. Sultan Mohammed Deen,
known as George, married
Kamrun Nisha Yusuf. Abdul
Rahman Deen, known as Ray,
married Samsum Nisha Fazil
and Habib Allah Deen, also
known as Happy, married
Badrul Nisha Yusuf. The
three couples were married
on the same day in 1970 at
the Holland Park Mosque.
Since that day in 1970,
these families have made an
outstanding contribution to
my home state of Queensland.
It is a great honour to pay
tribute to you in this
place.
Last weekend some of the
Muslim Crescent Scouts
joined 50 other scouts from
around south-east Brisbane
on an amazing sailing trip
around Moreton Bay.
They spent 6 hours sailing
around Moreton Bay Marine
Park on a 100 foot gaff
rigged Schooner, built
specifically for adventure
sailing and education.
It was an amazing experience
for all the scouts who
attended, as they learnt to
raise and lower the sails,
they got to take turns being
a skipper and steering the
boat and they took turns
sitting over the water on
the net on the front of the
boat.
It was a beautiful day and
the scouts enjoyed watching
dolphins, whales and turtles
swimming around in their
natural habitat in the bay.
It was an amazing day which
the scouts wont forget and
we look forward to our next
exciting adventure.
AMAN'S FINDINGS:
Online dehumanisation of Muslims made
Christchurch massacre possible
By Rita Jabri-Markwell
When Brenton Tarrant, a
radicalised Australian white
supremacist, committed the
Christchurch terror attack
in 2019, many claimed that
the history of racism in
Australian politics and
media was partly to blame
for his unspeakable crime.
To be sure, expressions of
racism and divisive
political rhetoric influence
the ways in which minorities
are perceived and treated by
majority populations. But
there has also been a
pervasive infiltration of
extremist ideology and
narratives into mainstream
public and political
discourse — channelled
primarily through social
media. Australia has played
a disproportionate role in
amplifying this extremist
content.
Internationally, research
into right-wing extremist
ideologies have tended to be
less concerned with the way
victim groups are targeted
and framed, and more focused
on the “outcome” that
extremists are seeking. But
I argue this frame is too
narrow and may help explain
why commonly targeted
communities continue to be
dehumanised at scale, not
least on social media.
The qualitative analysis of
content from of Lee’s seed
sites that researchers
working for the Australian
Muslim Advocacy Network (AMAN)
conducted earlier this year
identified “dehumanisation”
as key effect, even though
efforts were clearly made on
these sites to avoid
blatantly dehumanising
language in order to
circumvent platform
moderation. Instead,
factually skewed stories of
heinous, deviant, and
offensive activity, as well
as the actions of overseas
terror groups, are
editorialised within an
overarching narrative about
demographic invasion and
moral subversion by “Islam”
— a term used as a proxy for
Muslims.
Posted by Hussain Baba on Tuesday, September 1, 2020
Topic: 'What was the purpose
and significance of Hijra'
In this show Imam Mohamed
Ali (Imam of the Gold Coast
Mosque and graduate from the
renowned Al Azhar university
in Egypt) will address
questions that you wish
answered.
After a rocky start, Natasha
Hill's whole life is now
dedicated to sport.
While other teenage girls
were going behind their
parents' backs to attend
parties and concerts,
Natasha Hill was sneaking
out of her family home to
play football.
The Lebanese-Indigenous
Australian, who is Muslim,
was living out her own Bend
it Like Beckham storyline,
hiding her boots and uniform
in her car, away from the
eyes of her disapproving
mum.
"At the time, I wasn't
wearing the headscarf, so I
was wearing shorts and [we
argued about] being
appropriately dressed, being
in public. So it wasn't
perceived well," reflects
the now-28-year-old.
"There was a time where one
of my relatives told me,
'Oh, go home and get
changed, don't come back
till you look like a lady.'
And I had just come back
from a football game."
But Natasha wasn't going to
be deterred that easily and
after a rocky start, her
whole life is now dedicated
to sport.
"That mindset has completely
switched now. So I'd say
mum's probably one of my
number one supporters,
always pushing and
encouraging me to keep
going, keep working with the
community," she said.
What's stopping girls and
women from playing?
There's been a huge push in
recent years to get more
girls and women playing
sport, but those from
diverse cultural backgrounds
are still less likely to get
involved.
Some of the obstacles they
may face include an
expectation to stay at home
and help look after their
family, particularly on
weekends.
They might not be able to
afford registration and
uniform fees, or have any
way of getting to and from
games.
Sometimes they and their
families just don't
understand how the sporting
system works in Australia,
or the language barriers can
feel overwhelming.
And often, the clubs and
organisations themselves
aren't sure how to cater for
different cultural groups.
Natasha can relate to many
of these issues.
She works full-time in sport
for development with
community organisations
Football United and Creating
Chances, and spends all her
free time volunteering as
president of the club she
founded, Punchbowl United
FC, in Sydney's south-west.
Like the region it sits in,
the club has a majority
Middle-Eastern Muslim
playing base, with 30 per
cent of them girls and
women.
While not all Muslim women
opt to wear the hijab, for
those that do, sporting
uniforms sometimes pose a
problem.
"We allow them to wear skins
under their shorts if
they've put on the headscarf
as well, and we've set up an
agreement with the
association where they're
allowed to wear tracksuit
pants," Natasha said.
Culture v religion: There's
a difference
A popular part of
Australia's sporting culture
is to head to the pub after
every game, to celebrate or
commiserate.
But for people who don't
drink, that can be another
reason to steer clear of
sport — unless they can find
like-minded teammates.
"So they've come to us
knowing that we're a safe
space and that we do have
those [shared] values,"
Natasha added.
But she's quick to point out
the religion in itself isn't
a barrier.
"Within the religion, it
promotes physical activity
and health. It's the culture
that has that taboo on it,"
she said.
"It's something that I'm
trying to push on in many
mindsets of others that
don't come from my
background. They've just got
to remember to differentiate
between culture and
religion."
Anyier Yuol came to
Australia as a South
Sudanese refugee when she
was 10 years old, and her
first introduction to sport
was at school, in the wildly
foreign form of cricket.
On 12th June 2020, Scott
Morrison infamously stated
that there was “no slavery
in Australia” (he later
apologised).
This short piece reflects on
that statement in light of
Australia’s colonial history
and its treatment of
Indigenous Australians. Were
laws which controlled the
day-to-day life of
Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander communities
tantamount to slavery? Let
us start by examining the
legal definition of slavery.
Slavery is defined in the
International Convention to
Suppress the Slave Trade and
Slavery of 1926 to mean 'the
status or condition of a
person over whom any or all
of the powers attaching to
the right of ownership are
exercised'.
“Ownership” in a very basic
sense and taking into
account its ordinary
meaning, includes, among
other things, the right to
exercise control.
From about 1840 till as late
as the 1970s, the right to
control every aspect of an
Indigenous person’s life was
enshrined in Australian law.
A law under which Indigenous
Australians suffered
extensively: their children
were forcibly taken from
them, their freedom of
movement restricted, curfews
imposed, wages withheld, and
they were stripped of the
autonomy to decide where
they lived and worked, or
with whom they socialised or
married.
The laws enacted by each
state and territory were
known as the “Protection
Acts” though their purpose
was to do anything but
protect. Rather, their
purpose was to control,
exploit and strip Indigenous
Australians of their basic
human rights and dignity.
Local police officers,
patronisingly known as
‘local protectors’, were
delegated the right to
exercise control over, and
make decisions which
impacted an Indigenous
person’s day-to-day affairs.
The control was extensive
and far-reaching and robbed
Indigenous people of the
right to make decisions of
even minor significance. For
example, an Indigenous
worker who wished to
purchase a pair of trousers
was required to seek
permission from their local
protector. The protector
would typically check the
balance of withheld wages,
and if sufficient funds were
held, the purchase would be
allowed, or disallowed, at
the protector’s discretion.
Premium prices were charged
for items, while fraud and
theft of monies was
widespread. Aboriginal and
Torres Straight Islanders
were kept unaware of details
around this process, some
not aware of their right to
a wage at all, but all were
acutely aware of the need to
seek permission. It was an
ignorance of convenience
which allowed the oppressor
to extract maximum benefit
from its regime of control.
Indigenous men and women
were often sent away to work
on remote farms with little
or no notice and with no
idea of where they were
going and when they would
return.
This policy of protection,
sought to eradicate
Indigenous heritage, culture
and language. Steeped in
racism, the laws were
prefaced on the assumption
that Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander people were
incapable of controlling
their own affairs. This
brief summary of history
serves to establish that
compelling arguments can be
made which affirm the
initial hypothesis. Even
today, the legacy of control
remains and is reflected in
disproportionately high
rates of incarceration and
deaths in custody, lower
life expectancy and
frustration associated with
feelings of
disenfranchisement and
disempowerment in Indigenous
communities.
Australia’s struggle with
its history of colonial
slavery remains and a Prime
Minister hastily denying its
existence is but a reminder
of the guilt the nation
bears for its wrongdoings.
In Australia, colonial
slavery was enshrined in law
and justified in policy.
Careless statements from
political leaders serve only
to fuel resentment. If
Australia is to achieve
reconciliation there must be
an acceptance of what has
ensued and willingness to
redress those wrongs. A
fundamental ingredient has
to be respect for the
hardships and irreversible
suffering of Indigenous
Australians, in the spirit
of true equality between all
people.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rehana
Seedat is a
commercial lawyer
having worked in
government, private
practice and
corporate roles for
large multinational
companies across
Australia, the UK
and India.
She
is Legal Counsel for
the Emergency
Services
Telecommunications
Authority in
Victoria.
She
is married, has two
sons and lives in
Melbourne.
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) or any
organizations the author may
be associated with.
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.
Professor
Hashim Ahmed
is an
internationally
renowned expert in
prostate cancer
diagnosis, imaging,
and biopsy as well
as minimally
invasive therapies
for prostate cancer.
He is a Professor
and Chair of Urology
at Imperial College
London — one of the
youngest chairs of a
surgical department
in Europe.
He is also Chair of
the National Cancer
Research Institute’s
Prostate Research
Group and Chair of
NHS England’s
Prostate Clinical
Group.
Hashim has pioneered
research that means
men suspected of
prostate cancer can
avoid invasive
biopsies and instead
have accurate MRI
scans.
He is recipient of
the British Medical
Journal Award for
Innovation (2015)
and has been awarded
the Health Services
Journal Award for
Innovation in both
2016 and 2018.
With over 200
peer-reviewed papers
to his name, Hashim
currently holds a
prestigious Wellcome
Trust fellowship and
leads a team of
twenty researchers.
Dr. Mohammed Bechari, born
in Morocco, is a leading
prolific and dynamic public
figure in the landscape of
European Islam. He heads a
variety of organisations
that seek to better
represent French and
European Muslims to wider
society as well as working
to empower their own
communities.
Influence Head of Organisations:
He is the Secretary General
of the UAE-based World
Muslim Communities Council,
president of the French
National Federation of
Muslims, one of the leading
entities organizing Islam in
France. He is also the
secretary general of the
Islamic European Conference,
a Europe-wide umbrella
organization that seeks to
be a single entity
representing European
Muslims at the European
level. Bechari is the
founder of the Avicenna
Institute in Lille and
member of King Abdullah bin
Abdulaziz International
Center for Interreligious
and Intercultural Dialogue (KAICIID)
in Vienna.
Scholar and Awards:
Bechari has written many
books and taken up visiting
professor posts at several
international universities.
He was awarded the King
Abdullah II Award for
Excellence of the First
Class as well as The Medal
of Sciences and Arts of the
First Class from the Arab
Republic of Egypt.
Outspoken: Bechari
has been outspoken against
those who would incite
hatred and violence. He has
included not only dai’sh in
this category but also any
Imams who preach hatred in
French mosques. He has been
keen to win Islam back from
the distorted image
portrayed by terrorists. He
has voiced his beliefs
against dai’sh and Al-Qaeda
who promote terrorism and
have distorted the image of
Islam worldwide. During an
interview on Dubai TV in
2016, he went as far as
saying that Imams who incite
and “Preach hatred in the
Mosques” should be deported.
Covid-19 has us
staycationing!
What a
turnaround that
is. All my bears
and I love
travelling, the
thrill of the
flight, the
excitement of
seeing a new
place for the
first time.
However, like so
much of our
lives, those
types of
adventures have
been shelved for
the time being.
We spent a good
part of the week
going to Wales
and ended our
week by the
seaside on the
outskirts of
Bournemouth,
where I chose to
wear a burkini.
Initially, I
stuck out like a
sore thumb but
the feeling wore
off as the day
progressed. Me
wanting to swim
with my
daughters
trumped the
awkwardness.
That initial
discomfort
unsettled me. If
I am choosing to
live my life by
values, why am I
wary of it in
public? Is a
principle only
of value when
others around me
share it?
I paid a visit
to a lady who
has been a
saving grace in
my family’s
story. She and
her late husband
have always been
there for us;
when we had a
messy divorce
within the
family when the
home that we
were renting
became too
expensive for
us, they opened
up their home
for us.
This was done
without any
qualms from
either of the
two families.
This support was
expected and
given whenever
it was needed.
All these years
later we have a
rich meaningful
relationship and
her unwavering
support in our
times of need
have left a
mark. That
unconditional
giving up of
‘space’ is
unfathomable
today.
Quite often when
we think of
hosting an
individual or a
whole family
there is always
this
overwhelming
feeling of
claustrophobia.
Have our houses
and as a result,
our minds
obsessed with
the idea of
self, unable to
think of
supporting
another
individual or
another family?
Will our future
selves be
blessed with the
same richness
that we find in
assisting our
loved ones
through moments
of weakness?
In a mosque
setting
(pre-Covid-19 of
course) we would
quite often take
a plate of food
to share at a
communal iftar
during Ramadan.
Back when we
were growing up,
it was rude to
even fathom
taking your own
food before you
offered it to
others. However,
that has changed
today. If I were
to take a bowl
of salad (which
I love) I would
ensure that my
plate had some
of it before I
passed it down.
What does that
action tell my
child? Make sure
you serve
yourself before
you serve
others? Is that
the value that
will dictate and
determine our
actions?
Serving our
self-interest is
not a bad thing.
But we have to
understand that
serving others
is serving
yourself. It is
allowing
yourself to
experience the
depth and the
wealth of
understanding
another’s
vulnerability.
Perhaps that is
a value that we
can choose to
pursue.
#ConvertStories | Am I Muslim, Ghanian, or American? How I Learned To Be All Three
Sh. Abdullah Oduro describes his early life growing up detached from his Ghanian roots, and how he found Islam. Follow along with us as he recounts his journey to connect with his culture, and how his spiritual journey inspired it all.
❗️Yaqeen Basics™, a resource for new and renewed Muslims, is coming soon! Sign up for updates here: https://bit.ly/3jTyHp7
Sh. Abdullah Oduro describes
his early life growing up
detached from his Ghanian
roots, and how he found
Islam. Follow along with us
as he recounts his journey
to connect with his culture,
and how his spiritual
journey inspired it all.
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.
Riots in Sweden after far-right activists
burn copy of Quran
Unrest in Malmo city after copy
of Muslim holy book is burned
during a far-right rally in a
mainly immigrant district.
SWEDEN: At least 10 people were arrested
in southern Sweden and several police
officers injured in violence triggered
by an illegal protest where a copy of
the Quran was burned.
Protesters in Malmo city threw stones at
police and burned tyres on the streets
late on Friday, with violence escalating
as the night wore on, according to
police and local media.
The demonstration of about 300 people
was connected to a rally earlier on
Friday in which far-right activists
burned a copy of the Muslim holy book in
Rosengard, a largely migrant
neighbourhood, police spokesman Rickard
Lundqvist told Swedish tabloid,
Expressen.
Anti-Muslim Danish politician Rasmus
Paludan was expected to attend that
rally, but was stopped by the police at
the Swedish-Danish border, police said.
Between 10 and 20 protesters were
arrested late on Friday for the violence
and "have all been released," police
spokesman Patric Fors told AFP news
agency.
The violence had subsided by Saturday
morning. "It's not right," Malmo
resident Shahed told the SVT public
broadcaster. "But it wouldn't have
happened if they hadn't burned the
Quran."
How Facebook threatens vulnerable Muslim
communities
The social media platform
has been used to incite and condone
violence against adherents of the
Islamic faith, from Myanmar to Kashmir
to Palestine
The social media giant Facebook poses an
existential threat to vulnerable Muslim
communities.
This assessment is based on how Facebook
has failed to prevent its platform from
being used to incite mob violence
against adherents of the Islamic faith.
Palestinian and Kashmiri human rights
activists have long complained of having
their accounts suspended or permanently
deleted after posting videos of Indian
and Israeli soldiers carrying out human
rights violations.
"Facebook has now turned into a beast,
and not what it originally intended,"
said Yanghee Lee, a UN investigator who
in 2018 described the social media
platform as a vehicle for inciting
"acrimony, dissension and conflict" and
driving the Rohingya Muslim genocide in
Myanmar.
Defying 'community standards'
A recent investigation by the Wall
Street Journal has revealed that when it
comes to the safety and wellbeing of
vulnerable Muslim minorities, Facebook
not only puts profits and politics
before social and moral responsibility,
but also before its stated user policies
or what it calls "community standards" -
as evidenced by how it refused to punish
a right-wing Indian politician for
advocating violence against Muslims
because doing so would be bad for the
company's business.
"We do not allow hate speech on Facebook
because it creates an environment of
intimidation and exclusion and in some
cases may promote real-world violence,"
reads the site's hate-speech policy. "We
define hate speech as a direct attack on
people based on what we call protected
characteristics - race, ethnicity,
national origin, religious affiliation,
sexual orientation, caste, sex, gender,
gender identity, and serious disease or
disability."
Non-Muslims who live close to Muslims are
less likely to be Islamophobic, study shows
The most recent
Islamophobia in Australia report shows
Muslims continue to be the targets of
hostility and violence.
The September 11 terrorist attacks in
2001 propelled them to this unenviable
position. More recently, Islamic State
has reinforced Western fears of and
antipathy towards Islam and Muslims.
Our new study finds non-Muslim
Australians living in areas with high
numbers of Muslims are less Islamophobic
than the general populations of Sydney
and Melbourne. This suggests living
side-by-side could be an antidote to
Islamophobia.
What is Islamophobia?
Islamophobia refers to indiscriminate
negative attitudes or emotions directed
at Islam or Muslims.
Australians typically know very little
about Muslims and their faith. As a
result, they tend to lump together this
vastly diverse group as backward,
gender-oppressive and violent.
The “religious visibility” of some
Muslims exacerbates this issue. We see
Muslim women wearing hijabs or face
veils, and quickly - as well as wrongly
- conclude all Muslims are traditional
and far too serious about their religion
for our modern and secular standards.
Just like any other large population
group, Muslims come from a variety of
ethno-cultural and socio-economic
backgrounds. As sociologist Riaz Hassan
noted in 2018, 37% of Australian Muslims
are born here, and the rest come from
183 different countries.
Islamophobia in Sydney and
Melbourne
In the 2016 Census, more than 600,000
people identified as Muslims, with about
three-quarters living in Sydney and
Melbourne. They tend to be concentrated
in specific suburbs, where they are also
visible through ethnic businesses,
schools and places of worship.
Our study examined Islamophobia in the
top ten Muslim suburbs of Sydney and
Melbourne, in comparison with the rest
of the two metropolitan areas. The
proportion of Muslim residents in the
selected areas ranged from 59% in
Lakemba, NSW, to 30% in Dandenong,
Victoria, according to census data.
We surveyed 1,020 people - half in the
target areas and half in the greater
metropolitan areas of Sydney and
Melbourne.
Respondents were given a series of
statements, such as, “the number of
Muslims in Australia is too high,” “I am
worried about Muslims forming enclaves
in Sydney or Melbourne” and “I dislike
seeing Muslim women with their hair
covered”.
They were asked to agree or disagree on
a five-point scale, which produced their
“Islamophobia score” from one (no
prejudice) to five (high prejudice).
Living close by is key
Our study found non-Muslims living in
Muslim areas were less Islamophobic than
the general populations of Sydney and
Melbourne, scoring 2.31 compared to
2.80. This adds evidence to the “contact
theory”, which states that usually, but
not always, contact between people of
different backgrounds reduces
inter-group prejudice.
......
We can’t be complacent
Compared to many other Western
countries, Australia is not the worst
place to be a minority Muslim. A 2015
survey found only about 10% of
Australian respondents were highly
Islamophobic.
However, we should not be complacent,
especially after last year’s
Christchurch mosques terrorist attacks,
perpetrated by an Australian.
Our study shows
when non-Muslims interact with Muslims,
they are less likely to be Islamophobic.
It suggests an important way to combat
Islamophobia is to have more rather than
fewer Muslims among us and to learn more
about their religion and way of life.
Saudi Arabia starts national database in
ongoing efforts to develop arts and culture
SAUDI ARABIA: Saudi Arabia’s
Ministry of Culture has started
a database to inform its work of
designing strategic cultural
projects.
The database will be built in
stages through an e-platform.
The first stage is to build a
data inventory of arts and
culture workers that would also
open a line of communication
between the ministry and
industry stakeholders.
“The Ministry lays effective
communication with the employees
of the Saudi cultural sector as
a basis for designing its
strategic projects, based on its
belief in the importance of
enhancing the effectiveness of
the cultural community and
enabling it to play its
important roles to serve the
Saudi culture and to achieve one
of the main pillars of Saudi
Vision 2030, which is building a
vibrant society,” said SPA.
The target sectors are music,
books and publishing,
literature, theatre and the
performing arts, fashion, visual
arts, museums, libraries,
architecture and design arts,
heritage, language and
translation, films, and culinary
arts.
There has been a surge in arts
and culture activities in Saudi
Arabia in the last few years.
This week, the sixth Saudi Film
Festival opened, albeit online
due to ongoing pandemic social
distancing restrictions.
In July, the Ministry of Culture
moved forward with several
policy-making initiatives,
including the formation of
boards of directors for several
committees including film,
theatre and the performing arts,
and visual arts.
This Is What
America Looks Like: My Journey from Refugee to Congresswoman
by
Ilhan Omar
DESCRIPTION
Ilhan Omar was eight years
old when war broke out in
Somalia. The youngest of
seven children, her mother
had died while Ilhan was
still a little girl.
She was being raised by her
father and grandfather when
armed gunmen attacked their
compound and the family
decided to flee Mogadishu.
They ended up in a refugee
camp in Kenya, where Ilhan
says she came to understand
the deep meaning of hunger
and death. Four years later,
after a painstaking vetting
process, her family achieved
refugee status and arrived
in Arlington, Virginia.
Aged twelve, penniless,
speaking only Somali and
having missed out on years
of schooling, Ilhan rolled
up her sleeves, determined
to find her American dream.
Faced with the many
challenges of being a Muslim
refugee, she questioned
stereotypes and built
bridges with her classmates
and in her community.
In under two decades she
became a grassroots
organizer, graduated from
college and was elected to
congress with a
record-breaking turnout by
the people of
Minnesota—ready to keep
pushing boundaries and
restore moral clarity as she
sees it in Washington D.C.
REVIEW
Ilhan
Omar is feisty. You
can see it on the
first page and that
same fire powers the
book through to the
very end. She is a
survivor and refuses
to be a victim.
The book begins with
her fighting a bully
in her classroom who
is a lot than her.
She ends up in the
school backyard
pummelling the boy.
Standing up to those
that are unjust
seems to fuel this
woman, ‘My strength
doesn’t come from a
lack of fear but
from an overpowering
sense of moral
outrage.’ (p260).
In a full circle,
towards the end of
the book sees her
taking on another
big bully who just
happens to be the
President of the
United States.
Bullies don’t seem
to daunt Omar.
Her journey goes
from running through
the streets of
Mogadishu, fleeing
the civil war in
Somalia to the
Utange refugee camp
(on the border with
Kenya) and her first
impressions of
America are sadly
utopic from a
child’s perspective.
As a Congresswoman
she is still trying
to create an America
that she wished to
see when she first
stepped into the
country.
Talking about the
American dream, she
says, ‘We are not
living up to the
ideals we export to
the rest of the
world. In our
country, we’ve
normalized
inequalities and
hardships to the
point that we don’t
even recognize them
as such.’(p262)
Omar is a marked
woman because of her
hijab. In the US
Congress, which is
dominated by white
men, she addresses
her decision to wear
a headscarf by
writing, ‘I need to
cover pieces of
myself to preserve
who I am and feel
whole. I’m centred
by the hijab,
because it connects
me to a whole set of
internally held
beliefs.’ (p 119)
The downside of
having a very visual
display of faith is
that every action
she takes is
attributed to her
faith, and so she
writes, ‘And yet, I
also rail against
having every action
I take reduced to a
social construct
stemming from my
religion, stripping
me of the
complexities of
multidimensional
thought.’ (p245)
I enjoyed the book.
The whole process of
getting to a place
of power and
retaining power is a
fascinating story.
How businessmen are
movers and shakers
within a community,
how the mother of
her campaign manager
allows Omar to see
how she would be
viewed in a district
that might not view
her as her own were
all fascinating
anecdotes in this
biography.
In a true survivor
fashion, she dwells
on the steps that
she took after all
the low points (that
she chooses to
mention) in her
life.
When her marriage
broke down, she
applied for a
four-year university
degree and with
indomitable
determination
completed it while
raising two small
kids.
Changing her degree
from nutrition to
political science,
she discovered a
passion for
community organizing
and the journeys to
the House of
Representatives and
on to the US Senate
seem to be a
relentless roller
coaster journey that
doesn’t seem to faze
this protagonist.
Her driving force is
‘to help all those
who feel small feel
large; to make loud
those who think they
are voiceless. To
me, that is the
American dream.’
(p261)
We sure could use
more dream makers in
our current world
set up.
Q: Dear
Kareema, I’ve been idle during the colder months
and need to get back into fitness. I won’t be
returning to the gym so need some direction
please?
A:
Make small active lifestyle changes and you’ll
find over time it will have a huge impact on
your overall health and fitness.
Take up simple
moderate exercise and build from there.
The aim is to get moving and keep challenging
yourself as you go.
Muhammad’s new political and
social order in Medina came
to be codified in a text
known as the Constitution of
Medina.
The Constitution detailed
that, under Muhammad’s
authority, Medina would
operate as a state based on
Islamic law.
The Umma was to operate as
one political unit.
Furthermore, Muhammad would
act as the city’s ultimate
arbitrator.
Old Arab customs regarding
revenge and honour in the
face of injustice were
eliminated in favour of a
structured justice system
based on Islamic law.
The Constitution gave the
oasis’s Jews freedom to
practice their religion, but
they had to recognize the
political authority of
Muhammad over the city and
join the common defense in
the case of an attack from
Quraysh.
Muhammad’s nascent political
entity in Medina would serve
as the model Islamic state
for centuries of Muslim
governments, particularly
with regards to the
treatment of non-Muslim
minorities.
The nature of the continuing
revelations changed to match
the change in circumstances
for the Muslim community.
Verses and chapters revealed
to Muhammad in Medina tended
to be longer than the ones
from Mecca, detailing things
such as forms of worship,
taxation, inheritance, and
relations between Muslims
and non-Muslims.
The Quran provided the
generalities of how a Muslim
society should operate, and
where necessary, Muhammad
explained the precise
details.
His words and actions, known
as the hadith, were a vital
source of guidance and law,
second only to God’s
revelation itself.
But the Quran was not only
concerned with law and
social order.
Many of the Medinese verses
described the stories of
earlier prophets.
Stories of Noah, Abraham,
Moses, David and Jesus were
all described in great
detail to Muhammad’s
followers, making very clear
that Muhammad was simply the
last in a long line of
prophets, and that his
message is no different from
theirs.
Much of this was aimed at
the Jewish community of
Medina.
On the surface, they shared
much in common with the
Muslims.
They were both monotheistic
in a land known for
polytheism, they both
revered the same prophets,
and early on in Muhammad’s
prophethood, they both
prayed towards Jerusalem.
As a result, some of
Medina’s Jews accepted
Muhammad as a prophet and
converted to Islam.
Jewish scriptures speak of a
Messiah, and to them,
Muhammad was that promised
man.
But many more rejected
Muhammad. Judaism is unique,
in that belief and ethnicity
were tied to the concept of
a Chosen People.
Muhammad’s message of
egalitarianism and the unity
of all Muslims regardless of
ethnicity challenged some of
the main ideas the Jews
believed in.
Some probably genuinely
believed he was a prophet,
but the fact that he was not
a Hebrew was problematic for
those who followed Jewish
theology strictly.
The divide between a Jewish
community that believed
themselves to be specially
chosen by God and a Muslim
community that advocated the
unity of all people would
develop into serious
tensions between the two
faith groups.
Ahmad Totonji’s 35
Principles for Success in
Life and Work
continued from last week's CCN.....
1 Godliness
ALWAYS FOCUS ON ALLAH, so
that you may always live in
adherence to His will, for
the aim and hope of the
believer is to proceed with
the guidance of Allah (the
Most High). This is what my
father (may Allah rest his
soul) advised me.
I learned to enjoy the
quietude of early Fajr time
(the first of the five daily
prayers) despite the
difficulty of waking up so
early. Whoever is able to
wake up lives the beauty of
the morning air, and is
filled with motivation, and
thus overflows with the
power of giving, which is
one of the aspects of the
importance of Fajr prayer.
I do not know
God-consciousness
theoretically, and nor do I
know any Islamic value
divorced from the essence of
the human soul. Through the
passage of human life I
learned Islamic values, and
only then was it possible
for me to understand the
importance of the value of
faith and its effect on
human life.
Believers must be exemplars
who satisfy their Creator
and be an example to others
in terms of how to connect
to the modern world with all
its challenges and
conditions. In this way the
believer manifests both the
pursuit of God’s acceptance
of him as well as being
God’s vicegerent on earth.
Even if one of us spent half
a century studying the
Qur’an theoretically, the
result of such a study would
be of hardly any benefit if
the study were divorced from
actual human emotions and
the exigencies of life, and
removed from the reality of
submission and true humility
before God. The true value
of the Qur’an is in its
ability to change people’s
lives.
As we head into warmer months, it is imperative to carry out a household pest treatment and general tidy up around the house. Did you know, pests can cause thousands of dollars of damages to your home and assets. More scary is that most insurance premiums do not cover these damages. Why risk it, get a full home pest treatment today! All pest treatments during Spring will receive FREE rodent inspection and treatment (valued over $79).
For more information please phone 0410 045 884 or visit our website: www.amgpest.com.au.
The
Global Muslim Women’s
Conference
is a series of virtual
events focused on showcasing
and celebrating Muslim women
from all walks of life. It
provides an opportunity to
listen and speak to one
another on a local, national
and international level.
The virtual conference
provides a space to connect
and focus on significant
topics affecting the Muslim
woman. Its aim is to create
meaningful dialogue by
sharing unique skills,
knowledge, by unlocking
strengths and talents to
create collective progress.
The Islamic Council
of Queensland (ICQ) encourages
Muslims to participate in activities
that benefit charitable causes.
One such activity in
September is Tour de Kids, a cycling
event that raises funds for the
Starlight Children’s Foundation
which helps children with leukaemia.
We are already aware of some Muslims
participating in the event in
September and it would be great if
more Muslims joined the effort.
More information is available
here including registration.
The Academy Alive annual
Queensland tour is only 5 WEEKS AWAY!!
Our team is working hard on bringing you the
BEST tour yet, and we are counting down until we
get to meet all our beautiful brothers and
sisters around the state.
We are also excited to share that our production
crew will be travelling with us, and putting
together some amazing Live events, to showcase
the Muslim communities in regional areas of
Queensland.
We will be starting our journey on the 24th of
September, making our way north all the way up
to Cairns. A timetable for the full tour will be
released soon.
If there is anything you’d like to see us do
during our tour, please reach out to Academy
Alive and let us know!
JazakAllah.
The
Academy Alive scholars are getting ready for
their annual Queensland Tour!
With the intention of connecting with our Muslim
brothers and sisters in regional Queensland,
Sheikh Ikraam Buksh and Sheikh Luqman Najib will
be driving from Brisbane, through to North
Queensland with several stops along the way.
We are so excited for this tour! To keep up to
date with the tour schedule and details,
please sign up here.
Please share this information with anyone you
know in regional Queensland, as we would love to
meet them and connect with our brothers and
sisters all around Queensland.
The Academy Alive
crew has been so excited for the
upcoming Queensland tour; they have
been camping in their garages.
Do you want to be
part of the Academy Alive Journey?
Be there with us every step of the
way as we connect with our Muslim
community living in regional areas
of Australia.
We have got a surprise for you!
👀🤫 . . . . We have been so excited for the upcoming Queensland tour; we
have been practicing our camping skills in our garages. ⛺️⛺️⛺️ Do you want
to be part of the Academy Alive journey? Be there with us every step of the
way as we connect with our Muslim communities living in regional areas.
https://qldtour2020.academyalive.com/register #QLDtour #Relationships
#Health #Finance #leadership
As restrictions ease, the Hurricane Stars Club
Inc is restarting it's programs in August
inshallah. We want to ensure we are providing
effective services for the community to support
and engage men, women and children with the
programs they need.
Please assist us in
this process by completing two short surveys
that will only take 5 minutes. Have your say and
help us to provide the most beneficial programs
for the community.
World Wellness Group are
pleased to announce the launch of
Multicultural Connect Line. A culturally
tailored service to help link community
members to supports to help with stress,
worry and practical issues that the
covid-19 pandemic has brought to our
lives.
This initiative is funded through the
Queensland Health covid-19 Immediate Support Measures.
Please give the helpline a
ring on 1300 079 020 or visit our website
www.worldwellnessgroup.org.au (new site
launching soon!) to find out more about the
suite of services offered at World Wellness
Group.
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.
This is the Southport
Masjid in the heart of
the Gold Coast Australia
where Muslims make up
less than 5%.
Southport
Masjid is the second
masjid on the Gold
Coast. It was
established to
accommodate the growing
Muslim community. It is
situated less than 10
minutes from Cavill
Avenue, Surfers
Paradise, making it a
prime location to also
serve the needs of
Muslim tourists. There
is ample parking and
easy access.
Because of COVID we
cannot fundraise
traditionally putting
the masjid in grave risk
of immediate
foreclosure.
Help us pay for the
masjid before it is
forced to close.
We are in desperate and
urgent need of the
masjid to save our
community.
From protest to piety,
from hate to love, from
loneliness to community,
from ignorance to
guidance, from church to
masjid, from dunya to
akhira.
With your help, our
desperation will turn to
hope. Fight alongside us
to save the masjid!
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.
Rehana
Seedat is a
commercial lawyer
having worked in
government, private
practice and
corporate roles for
large multinational
companies across
Australia, the UK
and India. 
Professor
Hashim Ahmed
is an
internationally
renowned expert in
prostate cancer
diagnosis, imaging,
and biopsy as well
as minimally
invasive therapies
for prostate cancer.
Riots in Sweden after far-right activists
burn copy of Quran
Saudi Arabia starts national database in
ongoing efforts to develop arts and culture
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