From the
dusty bowl of Alexandra Township to the salubrious
Svoboda Park, Aussie Rules will be all the rage next
Sunday (15 July at 2pm) as Crescents of Brisbane
and the Brisbane Lions bring footy right to your
doorstep at the Kuraby Community Hall.
There will be ample opportunity for Moms,
Dads and the kids to come and try the BIG 5 Skills of
Footy – Kicking a Super Goal, Taking a Speccie, Using
your Hands to Create, Chase Tackling an Opponent and
even the Blind Turn.
So the next time a game comes on TV you
can get stuck right into the action with the rest of
your friends and family!
And wouldn't it be cool to know what your
work colleagues and neighbours were on about the next
time there's a discussion at the water cooler or over
the fence over the weekend's game!
Don't forget the BBQ and the chance to
win some autographed prizes and tickets to the
Lions/Carlton game on Sunday 22nd.
There is a tight programme set out for
the afternoon with many fun things happening starting
promptly at 2pm.
The
Islamic Council of Queensland is hosting a State
Conference at the Holland Park Mosque today (Sunday, 8
July) starting at 9am and ending around 3pm.
Representatives from Mosques all around
the State will be in attendance.
The main topics on the agenda are:
Formation of
an Imams Council of ICQ
Vision for the
future and establishment
of an ICQ office
Halal Certification
Virtual Islamic School
The
WP Virtual Islamic School is offering a course
on International and Interfaith Relations: Islamic
Perspectives which will start on July 21 and go on
to October 20.
Course Details: HP101
International and Interfaith Relations: Islamic
Perspectives
Classical theory of International relations (darul
harb, darul Islam, darul sulh, other aspects),
Basis of modern international relations in Islamic
perspective (justice, peaceful relations and keeping
agreements),
Classification of states/territories in present
circumstances,
Jihad and its implication,
Terrorism (definition, difference with Jihad,
provisions of Islam about killing of civilians and
innocents, its impact on Muslims and international
relations),
Misinterpretation of Quranic verses regarding war
and jihad,
Muslim and Non-Muslim relations,
Freedom of religion and issue of apostasy,
International relations in early Islam - battles
during the time of the Prophet,
Battles during the Khulafa-e乏ashidun,
Political
rationale of Prophet痴
external relations,
Action against Banu Qurayza,
Time and space factor in the Quran and Sunnah,
Reform of usul methodology.
Course Instructor: Prof. Abdullah al-Ahsan (Abdullah al-Ahsan is
professor at the Department of History and
Civilization, International Islamic University
Malaysia . Graduated from McGill University ,
Montreal , Canada , and the University of Michigan ,
Ann Arbor , Michigan , USA , Dr. Ahsan has
contributed many articles on the relationship
between contemporary Islamic and Western
civilizations. Two of his major books are: The
Organization of the Islamic Conference: Introduction
to and Islamic Political Institution (1988) and
Ummah or Nation: Identity Crisis in Contemporary
Muslim Society (1992). He is currently working on
Muslim Nations in Contemporary History and Rise and
Fall of Civilizations. ) SYED SERAJUL ISLAM is Professor and Chair of
the Department of Political Science at Lakehead
University, Canada. He received his Ph.D. from
McGill University and taught and lectured in many
countries ・McGill
University-Canada, IIUM-Malaysia, Dhaka University-Banglade
sh, and Singapore.
He was a visiting Fulbright Scholar in 1988 at the
University of Iowa, U.S.A. He has published 8 books
and nearly 70 articles in internationally refereed
journals. His areas of expertise is international
politics.
His recent book, The Politics of Islamic Identity in
Southeast Asia has drawn worldwide attention.
No tuition fee for the course.
The instructor will notify the lecture plan at the
beginning of the course. One lecture per week.
The instructors and teaching assistants will fix
their official schedule for discussion.
The Message Magazine
Articles on a wide range of Islamic
themes and topics by the United Muslims of Australia
available at
www.messagemagazine.com.au.
CCN Cut n' Paste
Column
Muslim TV
preacher reaches out to youth
As he leaves a press conference in
Egypt's swanky Intercontinental Hotel, the wildly
popular Muslim preacher Amr Khaled is mobbed
by a crush of admirers waving, giggling and snapping
his picture with their cell phones and digital
cameras. Unruffled and gracious, the 38-year-old
Egyptian grasps hands and kisses cheeks like a movie
star.
"I'm honored," he murmurs. "Bless you, thank you."
"He's so cultured and eloquent," says Egyptian
university student Aya Mahmoud Samy, 18, as she
gazes after him. "He speaks right to your heart and
makes religion so easy to understand."
"Everyone loves him," adds her 25-year-old sister
Mona, an interior designer. "It's because he's
moderate and his style is very modern."
A charismatic charmer who moves his audiences to
tears with stories about the life of the prophet
Muhammad and God's merciful love, the young "tele-Islamist"
with an engaging smile, smart mustache, chic suits
and open-collar shirts markets a trendy, self-help
Islam that has more in common with the likes of Dr.
Phil or Billy Graham than Osama bin Laden.
Although Khaled is a lay preacher and not a
religious scholar, he uses his television shows --
broadcast on Iqra, a Saudi-owned religious satellite
channel -- to speak out against terrorism and
despair. He emphasizes instead the importance of
personal piety, political reform, social activism
and coexistence with the West. His sermons promote
charity work and job creation as a means of fighting
extremism and despair among Arab and Muslim youth.
Already a super-celebrity across the Arab world,
Khaled is gaining popularity among Muslims in Europe
and the United States who tune into his "Life
Makers" and "In the Steps of the Prophet" or listen
to MP3 recordings of his lectures online at his Web
site, www.amrkhaled.net.
He has at various times joined forces with the
British government in promoting outreach to moderate
Muslim leaders following last July's terrorist
attacks on the London subway system; with the United
Nations and World Health Organization in campaigns
against drug and alcohol abuse; and even with Nike
to promote job creation in the Middle East -- all
part of his campaign to trigger a faith-based
renaissance throughout the Muslim world.
Khaled's latest proposal is a conference to promote
Muslim-Western understanding and tolerance. He wants
to hold the event in Denmark, where cartoons
lampooning Muhammad were published, igniting furious
protests across the globe. He plans to follow up
with a series of round-table discussions between
Western and Arab youth across Europe and hopes to
visit the United States for the first time this
summer.
"There are extremists everywhere, on both sides,
Muslim and Danish," Khaled told the recent press
conference, describing his new idea with the same
energized inflections and passionate gestures that
he uses on TV. "They're pushing us toward isolation.
Let me ask you, young Muslims: Do you want to
alienate the Muslim nation? What kind of world do
you want 25 years from now? Do you want Muslims
isolated from the world community, or do you want to
coexist with each other?"
As a moderate Muslim from Alexandria who grew up in
a secular, upper-middle-class household, Khaled says
he is proof that being religious does not have to
mean being old-fashioned or fanatical. Although he
is conservative on such matters as women's
traditional dress and sexual abstinence before
marriage, he favors a relaxed conversational style
of preaching that uses the colloquial slang of Cairo
youth.
"I speak their language," he said. "For a long time
no one spoke to the youth in this way."
Criticized as a lightweight by some intellectuals
and sheikhs, Khaled responds by citing his viewers'
responses. Thousands have joined in his campaigns to
collect clothes for the poor, boycott cigarettes and
alcohol, plant trees in pollution-plagued Arab
cities and write letters to record companies
decrying the exploitation of women's bodies in music
videos. Teenagers form clubs, wear T-shirts and
carry key chains bearing slogans from his TV
programs: "Together we make life" and "We are life
makers not life takers." His DVDs, CDs and tapes are
as popular as the albums of the hottest Arab pop
stars and often are sold in the same stores.
Khaled's success is not just a matter of style, but
of ideology, said Mohammed Hammam, the former head
of Iqra's youth programming and now a consultant on
Khaled's "Life Makers" program.
"The problem with Islamic TV shows was that they
used to have sheikhs, 60 or 70 years old, speaking
in a very monotonous way and sitting in a room with
books on the shelves -- very cheap books, in fact --
handing down their wisdom to the audience," Hammam
said in an interview. "This was the people's
perception of Islam. Amr Khaled managed to create a
new product. It's a concept he's building from
nowhere. He's trying to pass his enthusiasm through
people's souls in order to awaken them from this
long spiritual death."
"He makes us feel self-worth and see powers within
us that we might have misused," said Miriam Nasr El
Shenawi, a 22-year-old student at the American
University in Cairo. "Instead of sitting bored in
front of the TV, we can do something good for our
society. And he makes you more in love with God. He
makes you feel nothing's impossible -- that you can
solve your problems with the right attitude."
For Nashwa Awad, a 34-year-old Egyptian tour guide
and working mother, Khaled's programs are attractive
because his sermons defy the stereotype that Islam
represses women.
She likes his emphasis on the importance of women's
leadership in the Arab world. Khaled tells his
television audiences that Muslim culture produced
great female poets, a woman founded the first
hospital, and Islam gave women the right to their
own money centuries before the West accepted that
idea. "He's not strict, and Islam is really like
that," Awad said.
"Women in the Arab world face very great oppression
and, unfortunately, this oppression is in the name
of Islam, but Islam is innocent," Khaled said. "This
injustice is due to old traditions and wrong ideas
that wear the guise of Islam. Who says a woman
cannot be a president of a state? Who says a woman
cannot be a judge? Who? Who says not allowing women
these rights are ideas or rules of Islam?
Unfortunately, some traditional sheikhs defend this
idea using flawed logic."
Despite his studiously apolitical discourse, Khaled
was forced to leave Egypt in 2002. He was attracting
crowds in the tens of thousands at Cairo's mosques,
and jittery Egyptian authorities, wary of his
popularity and growing influence, told him he either
had to stop preaching or leave.
Khaled moved to the United Kingdom with his wife and
young son Ali, but continued to beam his TV programs
into Egypt and the rest of the Arab world. Rather
than stifling him, the Egyptian ban helped Khaled's
popularity soar.
"The absence of Amr Khaled and other popular
preachers and their forced exile was not a smart
move on the part of the regime, which has a very
strong vested interest in maintaining influential,
moderate Islamic preachers," said Emad Shahin, a
political science professor at the American
University in Cairo. "The vacuum created by their
absence is now leading to a state of polarization
between the regime and the Islamists."
The Egyptian government seems to be reconsidering
its stance toward Khaled. Shortly after a string of
terrorist attacks on Egyptian soil last year, he was
allowed back into the country for the first time in
three years. Since then, he has visited regularly
and opened a new Cairo office for his British-based
charity Right Start, though he still cannot preach
in public.
He says the West must be willing to listen to the
majority of Muslims who, like him, are moderates,
but who nevertheless feel oppressed and
misunderstood.
"Bin Laden is saying he is talking on behalf of
Muslims," Khaled said. "Who asked him to talk on
behalf of us? Nobody. But now I'm talking on behalf
of millions. They asked me to carry their voice to
the world. So please, please listen to these people.
Right now the extremists are a minority, but if you
don't do anything, they will be a majority."
IFA
Youth's much awaited
SLP definitely
made a lasting impression for all the right reasons!
If you ask the more than 50 ladies who
attended, they will tell you the interactive
SLP is one you
don't want to miss, and we are just warming up!
The session held on Wednesday 4th
July, at Kuraby Masjid was one of a series for the year,
aimed at promoting Islamic education and discussion.
The new and improved SLP is headed by
Sister Nora Amath, a graduate of the
International Islamic
University in
Malaysia, who spoke on
The Muslim Woman and
her Rabb. The topic proved to be an
intriguing one with enthusiastic discussion and
conversation among the sisters.
Also in attendance was Sister
Farina
from the Logan Woman's
Group, who introduced the program's run at the
Woman's Wellbeing Clinic.
But don't worry if you did miss out on
the SLP kick off join us the
1st Wednesday of every month!
SLP Dates
4th July: The Muslim Woman and
her Lord 1 August: Muslim Woman and
Society, Part 1 5 September: Muslim Woman
and Society, Part 2
IFA
Youth would like to thank
all the ladies who attended session one, we hope you
enjoyed it as much as we did.
The Islamic Society of Algester will be
hosting the world famous Qari Sayyid Sadaaqat Ali
at the Algester Mosque on Wednesday evening after 7:20
pm.
Ladies also welcome to attend.
Qari Sayyid Sadaaqat Ali is a student of Shaikh
Abdul Baasit As-Samad (R) and will recite from the Holy
Quran.
For more details contact: Ml. M. Nawaaz Ashrafi on
32197415.
Gold Coast Mosque
Lecture
Abu Hamza one of Australia's
foremost speakers on Deen and founder of I1SNA (Islamic
Information & Services Network of Australia)
www.iisna.com will be
speaking on the topic of Marriage at the Gold Coast
Mosque on Friday 13 July at 6:40pm.
His message is for the young and the not
so young. Admission is free and dinner is included.
Winter Deen Fest!
Islamic Workshop
The Darul Uloom Brisbane is presenting an
"Islamic Intensive Course Winter 07" starting on July 28
over three weekends.
The course are open for both males and
females between the ages 14-25.
Boarding and lodging will be provided for
inter-state students.
Fees to cover the cost of the course is
$50. For more information, call 3392 1310 or 0402 207
594.
The final date for enrolment is Friday
July 20th.
Ahmed Abdullah Azhari, Mohammed Trad and
Mohammed Abdul Rahman Azhari will be conducting the
programme.
Workshop topics will include Islamic
Jurisprudence; The life of the Prophet (PBUH);
Essentials of belief and practice; and Islamic history
and civilizations.
Kareema's Keep Fit
Column
Q:
What can I do to encourage my child to be more active? I
am concerned as he/she seems to be gaining weight
rapidly.
A: BE POSITIVE. TAKE CHARGE. GET
INVOLVED.
Follow my KISS principle - KEEP IT SIMPLE and SAFE!
Being active can be fun - especially if you are
involved. Parental role modeling is a great way to teach
kids that being active is not a chore! If mum or dad is
involved, then the kids are going to show an interest
too... They love nothing more than spending time with
mum and dad (while they're young) - so make it count!
Think HEALTHY HABITS - teach them the skills to build a
healthy lifestyle... Play some backyard games, eg.
running, skipping, ballgames, etc; go for a walk or
cycle in the park, the list goes on...
Incorporate physical activity into
everything you do and be CONSISTENT!
Let them get involved in the kitchen too. They are more
likely to eat healthy if they had a hand in the cooking
process!
REMEMBER: small steps = big results!
Start making changes slowly and reap the rewards almost
immediately...
All questions sent in
are published here anonymously and without any
references to the author of the question.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bridge-to-Brisbane Sunday 5 August
2007
The Gold Coast 7.5km
walk last Sunday was a great day out.
Even better news - we've
got another one coming up!!!
Week 1 of
our 4 week Bridge to Brisbane training program:
Please note that the
following program is suitable for beginners. For the
more competitive or serious athlete,
intensity, duration and
frequency of exercises need to be increased!
REMEMBER: NUTRITION IS JUST AS IMPORTANT AS YOUR
TRAINING REGIME. SO START EATING HEALTHIER TODAY AND
DON'T FORGET TO DRINK YOUR WATER!
GET READY,
GET SET, GET MOVING!!!
LETS TRAIN
SMART GUYS, NOT HARD..
DAY 1:
If you did the Gold
Coast walk last week and felt ok, you should be able to
do a 5k jog today!
If not, aim for a 7k
walk!! CHOOSE YOUR OPTION!
REMEMBER TO STRETCH
AFTER EVERY WORKOUT!
Healthy Tip: Always keep your body hydrated - carry a
bottle of water with you daily!
DAY 2:
Take a dip.. Try some laps in a heated pool if possible
(either swimming or walking). This will have
a soothing effect on our
tired leg muscles and should prepare them for our next
workout.
DAY 3:
Straight back into it....
Try some leg strengthening exercises : - Do some
stair-climbing (about 20 stairs - 3 times up AND down)
-
Lunges (15 repetitions - 3 times, alternating the legs)
ALWAYS ENSURE GOOD
POSTURE AND TECHNIQUE - TUMMY IN, SHOULDERS BACK AND
DOWN, BACK STRAIGHT!
DAY 4:
Relax and recover - Do an activity that you enjoy (low
impact). Include your stretching routine.
DAY 5:
Try some activities in the park. Walk / jog for a
minimum of 45 mins: (walk 5 mins. at a moderate pace,
jog 10 mins, walk
briskly for 5 mins, jog 10 mins, 5 mins. moderate or
brisk walk (depending on how you feel), 5 min. jog and
5min. cool down / slow pace.
DAY 6:
Rest your legs and opt for some upper-body strength and
resistance training (push-ups, chin-ups, sit-ups,etc.).
ENSURE GOOD POSTURE AND
TECHNIQUE (refer day 3).
DAY 7: Take a well earned rest - RELAX AND
RECOVER...
PLEASE NOTE: The above
training program assumes a healthy participant. Those
with medical conditions,
injuries or who are not
physically active, need to seek clearance from their GP
before starting any form of exercise.
Glasgow Terror
condemned by Australian Muslim Doctors
The Australian Muslim Doctors Association
strongly condemns last week’s heinous attacks in the
U.K. AMDA finds it inconceivable that some members of
the medical profession would be so callous and ruthless
to be involved in such reprehensible acts of violence.
Founding member of AMDA, Dr Mahmoud Khan said
today, “We are all deeply shocked and relieved that the
planned attacks were foiled and there were minimal
casualties. Muslims in Australia must rally to condemn
these atrocities and fight this scourge of terrorism.”
The entire global Islamic medical fraternity would
condemn such breaches of the fundamental oath to
preserve and protect all life. The law must be applied
to its full force when dealing with such acts of
barbarism .
Dr Khan stated, “Whilst it may be true that many people
believe that the US and its allies had created chaos and
mayhem by the invasion of Iraq, no-one has the right to
take reprisals in such a brutal manner. The attacks
against governments which have given immigrants safety
and sanctuary is not only an act of cowardice but an act
of treason.”
AMDA fails to understand that the very people trained to
save lives would become so driven by hate as to embark
in such outrageous behaviour to cause mass casualties.
“Our organization is dedicated to saving lives wherever
it is needed and to educating our community about the
dangers of extremism and violent acts in the name of
religion.” Dr Khan added.
AMDA contact details: Dr Mahmood Khan on
0411116555 and AMDA Media Officer on 0412 318045
Mexico's telecoms tycoon Carlos Slim
has overtaken Bill Gates to become the world's richest
person, according to a respected Mexican financial
website.
Mr Slim is now worth $67.8bn (£33.6bn),
above Microsoft founder Mr Gates' $59.2bn, Sentido Comun
says.
It said Mr Slim's wealth has rocketed into top place
after the recent 27% surge in the share price of his
largest company, America Movil.
He has a 33% stake in the firm, Latin
America's largest mobile phone network.
Mr Slim, whose business interests are based in Mexico
City, is the 67-year-old son of Lebanese immigrants.
LAMB CURRY
Ingredients
1kg Lamb cut into small pieces 1 tsp crushed Jeeru - 1
tbls Oil 1 tsp red chilli powder, fine - 1 tblsp freshly
grated garlic 1 tsp crushed chillies - 1 tblsp freshly
grated ginger 2 tsps crushed coriander seeds - 2/3 green
chillies sliced ½ tsp turmeric - 1 tsp salt or to taste
2 medium onion chopped - 4/5 tblsps ghee 1 tblsp tomato
paste/puree - Corinder leaves, spring onion to garnish A
few cardamom pods, cloves, stick cinnamon.
Method
1. Marinate the lamb with oil, garlic, ginger, green
chillies and salt for about two hours.
2. Sauté onions, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and cumin
seeds in ghee until brown.
3. Stir in chillie powder, crushed chillies, coriander
seeds and turmeric and braise for 1 minute.
4. Add meat and braise well, lower the heat and cook
till the meat is tender.
5. Stir in tomatoes and tomato paste/puree. Simmer for
about 10 minutes.
6. Adjust salt to taste.
7. Garnish and serve with rice and Butter Naan.
COOKING TIP
If a grater is not handy, cut ginger or garlic into
small bits. Crush with the back of a steel or wooden
ladle. It will easily crush.
Source: Radio Islam Newsletter -
Thursday, 05 July 2007
Do you have a recipe to share with
CCN readers?
Send in your favourite recipe to
theteam@crescentsofbrisbane.org and who
knows, you could be our "guest chef" for a future
edition of CCN.
The CCN Chuckle
Mula
Nasruddin arrived at the immigration barrier in
Australia
The officer in
charge asked: ‘Where are you from?'
Nasruddin said: ‘Grrrrrrrr… the east.'
‘Name?'
‘ssssssssssssss, Nasrrrrrrrrrgrrruddin!'
‘Have you an
impediment in your speech?'
‘Wheeeeee-eee-no!'
‘Then why do you
talk like that?'
‘Pip-pip-pip – I
grr – learnt my English by radio!'
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
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 send an e-mail to theteam@crescentsofbrisbane.org with the words “Subscribe Me” in the subject line.
Disclaimer
Articles and opinions appearing in this newsletter do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Crescents of Brisbane team, CCN, its Editor or its Sponsors, particularly if they eventually turn out to be libelous, 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 either CCN or Crescents of Brisbane Inc.
The
Islamic Council of Queensland is hosting a State
Conference at the Holland Park Mosque today (Sunday, 8
July) starting at 9am and ending around 3pm.
Formation of
an Imams Council of ICQ
Classical theory of International relations (darul
harb, darul Islam, darul sulh, other aspects),
No tuition fee for the course. 
Q:
What can I do to encourage my child to be more active? I
am concerned as he/she seems to be gaining weight
rapidly.
Mula
Nasruddin arrived at the immigration barrier in
Australia