Imam Yusuf
Peer delivering his lecture at the AIIC.
This Eid a
number of venues in Brisbane made themselves
available for the morning Eid salaat.
The two
open-air school venues, the AIIC and the
Islamic College of Brisbane, will henceforth
both be playing hosts each Eid under the
banner of the Islamic Council of Queensland
(ICQ).
In the past
the two annual Eid prayers were alternated
between the two schools and Muslims from all
parts of Brisbane congregated to make it a
large contingent at the one venue.
This Eid, with
some mosques in the area deciding to "go it
alone", the attendance was somewhat
fractured and spilt. The Islamic College of
Brisbane in Karawatha drew the lion's share
of mussallees, leaving the other
venues to ponder over their quorums.
Little Sherrif Rajabu with
cousin Sania getting ready to enjoy the
day's festivities
Dr. Adam Stewart (left)
and fellow worshiper after exchanging
greetings at the end of the early morning
prayers
Here's
hoping..........
Here’s hoping your biryani was tasty
And your tandoori was plump,
And your roti and your dhal
Didn’t have a lump.
Here’s hoping your khulfi was delicious
And your samoosas took the prize,
And that your Eid-ul-Adha lunch
Stayed off your thighs!
(Adapted for the occasion by our Man-on-the-Mussallah)
Members of the local Muslim community
held a dinner at the Tandoori Village Restaurant last
Sunday in honour of the former Liberal Member of
Parliament for Moreton, Gary Hardgrave, in
recognition of the contributions that he and his
partner, Lorraine Ralph, had made to the
electorate and to the Muslim community in particular
during his eleven and half years stay in Parliament.
Attendees were effusive in their praise
of "Farouk Adam's Man" and for the rapport the former
Minister had established with the community.
There was bi-partisan support for the
occasion and even die-hard Labor supporters were hardly
reticent when their turn came to heaping eulogies on the
guests.
As someone on the night said: He was the
right man who happened to be in the wrong party!
An inscribed leather organizer was
presented to Hardgrave as a token of appreciation.
CCN also wishes Gary and Lorraine all the
very best for the future.
DIAC
Update
Senator the Hon Christopher Evans was
sworn in as the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship
on 3 December 2007. The Hon Laurie Ferguson MP was also
sworn in as the new Parliamentary Secretary for
Multicultural Affairs and Settlement Services.
The calendar aims to raise awareness of key cultural and
religious events, festivals and national days. The
calendar will allow users to locate
events by month, country or religion.
INTO
AND OUT OF AFRICA
1,400 Irish volunteers build 200 houses in a week in
South Africa
Damian O'Driscoll, one of
nearly 1,400 Irish volunteers, helped build
200 homes in a week in the Freedom Park
slum, shown on the back left.
FREEDOM PARK, South Africa: Mona Miller's
life will change this weekend.
For the first time, she will have a real roof, solid
walls and glass windows. Lights will come on at the
flick of a switch, water will flow from the tap and she
will enjoy the dignity of a toilet.
Miller will move into her first proper home thanks to a
building blitz by nearly 1,400 Irish volunteers, who
completed their mission Friday to build 200 houses in a
week in the depressing and dusty — and hopelessly
misnamed — Freedom Park slum.
"It's a solid home, not something that people can drive
though," says Miller, shuddering at the memory of the
drunk driver who rammed into her shack four years ago,
injuring her two young children in the sprawling Cape
Town suburb.
"I look forward to hearing the rain on the roof because
I will no longer have to get up and put buckets
underneath the holes. I'm going to close my doors and
sleep for a week," she grins, looking proudly at the
builders putting finishing touches to her new
mustard-colored house.
In the biggest ever project by foreign
volunteers in South Africa, the Irish bricklayers,
plasterers, painters and general helpers worked to make
a tiny dent in South Africa's chronic housing crisis.
The initiative, now in its fifth year, was organized by
Niall Mellon, a millionaire Irish entrepreneur who
bought a holiday home near Cape Town but could not
accept the squalor in the townships around the jewel in
South Africa's tourist crown.
Since the end of apartheid, the government has built
more than 2.4 million homes for needy families. But
millions still live in shacks, and protests about bad
living conditions and lack of services erupt almost
weekly.
"The difference here is that the scale of the problem is
such that nobody gets the chance to catch their breath
and see what's been achieved," comments Mellon.
Unfortunately, Mother Constance
Sibothos’s crèche in Delft, Cape Town missed out on a make over.
The crèche is one of the Outreach
Programmes supported by Al-Noor Orphanage in Woodstock.
The Al Noor Orphanage itself is also
struggling to effect repairs to their premises
especially in respect of burglar bars and toilet and
bathroom repairs.
But the Orphanage is lending support to
Mother Sibotho’s Creche.
Hasan Karimshah and Suraya
Hussein were married last week at a Nikah and Civil
ceremony by Imam Peer.
Hasan is the son of Shamene and
BashirKarimshah and is an operations
consultant for Flight Centre.
Suraya is the daughter of Zeenat
and YunusHussein and is a Nutritionist by
profession.
The reception was held at the Hope Island Golf Resort.
"Both Hasan and Suraya grew up in
Zimbabwe but came all the way to Australia to find each
other," said brother of the groom, Hussein.
Little
Mosque on the Prairie: Season 2 Episode 5
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
VIEWER COMMENTS
Yelduz from Calgary, Alberta writes: I just love this show; it is the very first time I
have seen muslims on tv who don't have a message the are
desperate to lay on everybody. Kinda reminds me of when
segregation was ebbing away in the southern states -
suddenly "black" people became ordinary people - I was
overjoyed about that. I cheer CBC very loudly for
presenting this show to the world at large; it is such a
Canadian attitude, and please may it go on, and on.
thank you for the opportunity to give this feedback.
Gina from Ottawa, Ontario writes: I like the show very much, mostly because what it
represents. At the very least tolerance and at best
acceptance. I am a Jewish Canadian, and I am proud that
such a show is produced in Canada. As a Jew who is
currently living overseas in a Catholic country, I laugh
when I watch it because I identify with some of the
experiences relayed in the show. I love that the mosque
and the church share premises and that the Imam and
Pastor are friends. It is nice to see muslims portrayed
as normal people, for "there but for the grace of god go
I". That you can conceive such a show and many others
find it funny and entertaining makes me hopeful.
Making Local News This Week
Southern Star, Saturday 19 December 2008
Legion
of Haqq for gamers
If you are Muslim and play Halo, you can
join up with competitive Muslim pros all over the world
by joining
www.legionofhaqq.com, and keep your gaming clean.
LegionofHaqq.com has a full community
functionality, with instant messaging and public forums
so you can communicate with your fellow Muslim gamers.
Registering is free.
From the site's FAQ:
Q - What does "Haqq" mean?
A - Haqq literally means "Truth". It also can mean
"Fair" and "Justice".
Q - How can I join Legion of Haqq?
A - After registering in our website, the Legio Shura
will examine whether you are eligible to join the XBOX
Live clan or just be a member of our site.
Q - Who is the "Legio Shura"?
A - The Legio Shura is the administrative senate of the
Legion. It consists of the elders of the council who
create the overall direction, judgement, and vision of
the Legion.
Q - It seems there is a spiritual sense
to Legion of Haqq. What faith is observed by the members
of the clan?
A - Islam. The majority of members in Legion of Haqq are
Musilm, who have been admitted into the clan due to
their moral character and skill level in Halo.
Q - Do I have to be Muslim to be in the clan?
A - Not necessarily. Good morality and conduct are the
main emphasis upon review for the clan.
Season's Greetings from IWAQ
Statement by Australian Church Leaders in Bethlehem
By Phil Smith
In December 2007 a delegation of nine
Australian Church leaders visited Jerusalem and the Holy
Land to:
meet with and express friendship and support for
Christians in Palestine and Israel;
meet with Jewish and Muslim faith leaders and
representatives of the Israeli Government and the
Palestinian Authority; and
help Australians more fully understand and respond to
the situation in Israel and Palestine.
It was a profound privilege to visit Palestine and
Israel. We felt very welcome and safe, and greatly
appreciated the friendship and hospitality extended to
us. We consulted widely, visiting the Old City of
Jerusalem, West and East Jerusalem, Hebron, Jenin,
Ramallah, Bethlehem, and refugee camps where churches
are providing humanitarian support. We met with Jewish,
Christian and Muslim leaders, Israeli government and
Palestinian National Authority representatives, and
civic and human rights leaders.
We have been encouraged by international efforts toward
a just peace renewed at Annapolis, and by the desire for
negotiations between the Government of Israel and the
Palestinian National Authority.
We were distressed to hear Palestinians, both Christian
and Muslim, relate the suffering and fear experienced
daily by large numbers of their people. We saw and heard
evidence of systematic harassment, physical and
psychological oppression, widespread unemployment,
poverty, and economic deprivation, resulting directly or
indirectly from Israeli military occupation of the West
Bank. Their suffering compels us to respond, and we
assure Palestinians of our compassion and concern.
We visited Yad Vashem and laid a wreath in memory of the
victims of the Holocaust. We heard of Israeli grief and
pain resulting from violent attacks and continuing fear
of terrorist activity. We condemn all acts of terrorism
and assure Israelis of our compassion and concern.
We recognise the complex nature of the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We strongly affirm the
right of both Israel and Palestine to political
autonomy, security and self-determination. We join with
a large majority of the people of Palestine and Israel
in longing for a just and lasting peace. We understand
the reluctance to make concessions or to trust those who
are the source of fear and oppression, but the time for
courageous and inspiring leadership has come.
In the light of what we have seen and heard during this
visit, we support actions to enable Israel and Palestine
to negotiate just outcomes on borders, settlements,
water, refugees, prisoners, Jerusalem, and security.
We are particularly concerned by the imprisonment of
teenagers, mothers with dependent children, and those
detained without trial for long periods. We encountered
the debilitating effects on the Palestinian economy and
impacts on daily life of the segregated road system, the
proliferation of checkpoints and road blocks throughout
the West Bank, restrictions on movement of people and
goods, and the effective isolation of Palestinian
communities from one another. We were repeatedly told
that these matters stand in the way of a just peace.
We are heartened by important signs of hope in the face
of persistent difficulties. The emergence in Jerusalem
of the Council for Religious Institutions promises
greater understanding and cooperation among Jewish,
Christian and Muslim leaders and communities. Human
rights organisations in both Palestine and Israel
undertake significant and sometimes dangerous work with
courage and passion. Vibrant educational and cultural
initiatives are evident in oppressed communities and
refugee camps.
We ask Australian Churches to:
pray for a just and lasting peace for Jerusalem and the
Holy Land;
encourage the Australian Government to take more action
to support a just and lasting peace for Israel and
Palestine;
hear the stories of the suffering and oppression,
perseverance and hope of the people of the Holy Land;
sponsor aid and development projects in the West Bank
and Gaza;
support the status of Jerusalem as an open city for all
faiths and peoples;
encourage Australian Christians to visit the Holy Land
and foster relationships with Palestinian Christians;
build stronger relationships with Jewish and Muslim
communities in Australia.
Our common humanity and legitimate desires for security
and freedom can drive the peace process forward. We are
confident that a just and lasting peace for Palestine
and Israel can be realised.
Archbishop Phillip Aspinall –
Primate, Anglican Church of Australia, and Archbishop of
Brisbane Revd Rod Benson – Ethicist, National Council,
Baptist Union of Australia Dr Kevin Bray – National Council, Churches of
Christ in Australia
Archbishop Francis Carroll – Roman
Catholic Archbishop emeritus, and Immediate Past
President of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference Revd Terence Corkin – Assembly General Secretary,
Uniting Church in Australia Lyndsay Farrall – Presiding Clerk, Australian
Yearly Meeting, Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) Revd Gregor Henderson – President, Uniting Church
in Australia Revd John Henderson – General Secretary, National
Council of Churches in Australia Revd Merrill Kitchen - National Council, Churches
of Christ in Australia
Jenny Horton of the Kenmore Rotary
Club who is on contract with the WHO in Pakistan helping
with eradicating Polio sent in her newsletter from which
we have taken some extracts.
Another Christmas in Pakistan
This year will be a unique year, when we
have a holiday over the Christmas period as EID ul Azha
falls on the 21st here and the 25th is a national
holiday for the birth and death of the founder of
Pakistan Quad-e-Azam.
Amazingly, yesterday I had to go and buy
some warm shawls, as I do not have anything warm. Living
in Karachi has been like living in Brisbane, tropical.
Now in Islamabad we are at the foothills of the
Himalayas and the wind from the snow definitely cools
the place down. All the trees have lost their leaves and
I have a heater on in my guest house room all night. Any
excuse to get new clothes made. I now need a heavier
fabric and long sleeves!
What does one do when
out of vegemite?
On Dec 30, I will be
returning to Australia having finished my contract here
in Pakistan.
Aussie Flag Flying High
This will for me be a sad
time as I leave a country that has challenged me in
every way and to leave the hands on field work that I
have enjoyed for the past years. I have made some really
good friends and am thankful that I have had the
opportunity to serve as part of this most incredible
program. I ask your prayers for Pakistan right now.
There are many problems
and I do not believe they will solve those issues in the
near future. It also is a challenging time for
polio eradication as this final milestone is being the
most difficult. I cannot tell you the anguish we
feel as a new case is announced by the lab.
It is a real sense of
frustration tied in with disappointment and
challenge. I can assure you our team here is
working long hours to “fill the gaps”.
I wish each of you a
Merry Christmas and pray for a time of love
and safety for all.
Thanks to each of you
for your commitment to the eradication of polio
globally and remember that it takes all of us to make
this happen.
I am in awe when I think
of those who have served this program in so
many capacities since it was first conceived and I
feel honoured to have met many of those
pioneering people who made this possible.
I can never think of
Polio Eradication without thinking of PRIP Sir
Clem Renouf, who told us “Rotary gives ordinary
people the opportunity to do extraordinary
things”. How true! Many Blessings and Happy
Christmas.
Mr. Mian Waqar, who
coordinates the Friday food at the Kuraby Mosque every
week, is collecting sadaqa and zakaat for
his Pakistan project. Call him on 0434141997 for more
information.
Islamic school's debut in HSC top 10
THE Sydney Islamic school
Malek Fahd has swept into the top 10 HSC
performers this year, joining James Ruse Agricultural
High, which has maintained first position for the 12th
consecutive year.
State selective schools hold seven positions in the
Herald's list of top HSC performers.
Although Malek Fahd Islamic School is not selective,
like some other private schools, it has been known to
encourage underperforming students to repeat a year or
consider another school.
Malek Fahd is ranked
ninth this year and was 15th last year.
Malek Fahd and Sydney
Boys' High are each ranked in the top five schools for
their performance in maths, but close to 40th in
English.
Malek Fahd, established
in 1989 with a $12 million gift from the Royal Family of
Saudi Arabia.
Malek Fahd at Greenacre
received $ 8,560,571 from the Australian government and
$ 3,560,571 from the NSW government in financial year
2005-06. That amount goes up every year. This school is
categorized as one of the poorest in Australia,
receiving the highest grants from Australian
governments.
The Australian Federation of Islamic
Councils operated Islamic College of Brisbane has also
followed in the tradition of Malek Fahd Islamic School
by being one of the top six schools in Queensland for
the second year running.
Muslim women in a
small town in southern India have come together to form
a community of elders or jamat, traditionally
dominated by men.
The women say their jamat
is already
making a difference
This is the first step
towards their ultimate goal, building a mosque
exclusively for women.
A jamat has traditionally almost always consisted
of men, who meet in mosques to adjudicate on family
matters.
At present women are not represented in jamats
and are allowed to pray inside the mosques only on
special days.
In the small town of Pudukottai in the southern Indian
state of Tamil Nadu, a big revolution is underway.
In a two-storey, red-brick house, a group of Muslim
women are sitting together, discussing plans to build
India's first women's mosque.
Daud Sharifa is the head of Steps, a women's development
organisation, and she is leading the campaign for the
mosque.
An unassuming woman in her late 30s, she sits
cross-legged on the floor, addressing a couple of dozen
women.
"A mosque is not just for prayer, it's also a community
centre," she says.
"A Muslim woman has no space, she's confined to the
kitchen, the bedroom and the delivery room. And if a
woman petitions the jamat, she's not allowed to
appear before it.
For many Americans, his Muslim roots
make Barack a Bad Guy
There
is something in 'rock star' Democratic presidential
candidate Barack Obama's life story that is not
an appropriate target in polite society, but won't quite
go away, and is absolutely certain to come trumpeting
into view when the race gets rough.
The elephant in the room is the Muslim bit. Obama's
middle name is Hussein, as in Saddam Hussein. We know
that; so what? Well, there are an awful lot of Americans
who fervently believe the nation belongs to God, as in
the fellow you find in Church. And in their 'war of
civilisations', the Muslims are the Bad Guys.
Obama, says PR man Robert Gibbs, happens to have had a
dad from Kenya, so Islam and Hussein are just part of
the family legacy. "Senator Obama has never been a
Muslim, was not raised a Muslim and is a committed
Christian who attends the United Church of Christ in
Chicago."
Clear? The Los Angeles Times sent a
reporter to Jakarta in Indonesia where Obama's mum, Ann
Dunham, took him with husband number two, Lolo Soetoro,
when he was six. His name then was Barry Soetoro, and he
stayed until he was 10 years old.
"Barry was a Muslim. He went to the mosque," revealed
boyhood buddy Zulfin Adi. His primary school teacher
said he was registered as a Muslim and so he attended
Koranic religious class.
Americans have nightmares about fervent young men who
grew up in Muslim religious schools. At the very least,
and however unfairly, this is dynamite material for
Republicans as new national opinion polls show Obama
cutting Hillary Clinton's lead to single digits.
Obama is hurriedly shifting ground. Now he was a Muslim;
but never a "practising Muslim".
KING
Abdullah of Saudi Arabia pardoned a teenage girl
sentenced to six months in jail and 200 lashes after
being gang raped.
The girl, who was 18 at
the time she was raped, was attacked at knifepoint by
seven men after she was found in a car with a male
companion who was not a relative, in breach of strict
Saudi law.
....and
now a word from this week's sponsor.......Tommarco's
Shop 6, Le Metro, 8 Station Road,
Indooroopilly
Closed (Xmas Day) open 11am for lunch Boxing Day.
Trading as normal all other days.
Mention CCN when you place your order and you can claim
a 5% discount
Kareema's Keep Fit Column
Q: Salaams Kareema, a while ago you
gave my husband and I some tips on team training and you
asked us to keep you updated on our progress. Well, we
haven't looked back since and are still challenging each
other daily!! My next goal is to strengthen and tone my
arms.
Any suggestions?
A: Great team work guys!! It's all about
enjoying the challenge and achieving your goals.
Boxing is an inexpensive and great form of exercise for
duos (like yourselves) and will definitely strengthen
and tone your arms.
Invest in a pair of boxing gloves and
pads, be consistent and reap the rewards.
After your warm-up, alternate between
punching and holding the pads, paying special attention
to your posture and technique.
A good idea would be to punch for a few
minutes, followed by a jog, then punch again.
This will give your arms some time to
recover while you're still doing some cardio.
Add in a few push-ups in between and
challenge (and strengthen) your arms even more.
All questions sent in are published here
anonymously and without any references to the author of
the question.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The
Culinary Corner
RECIPE
SPAGHETTI WITH SPICY MEATBALLS
Ingredients
45 ml milk - 0.50 slice bread, crust removed - 250 g
beef mince - 1 small onion, finely chopped - 2 ml
parsley, finely chopped - 1 egg, lightly beaten - 60 ml
grated Parmesan cheese - 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 2 fresh red chillies, finely chopped - salt and
freshly ground black pepper - 65 ml oil - 410 g canned,
whole peeled tomatoes - 45 ml fresh basil, chopped - 200
g spaghetti.
Method:
Put the milk and bread in a small saucepan and place
over low heat. When the bread has absorbed the milk,
remove from heat and mash with a fork to cool. Combine
mince, onion, parsley, egg, Parmesan cheese, garlic,
half the chilli, bread mixture and plenty of salt and
black pepper in a large bowl. Gently mix with your
hands, and then shape into small balls. Heat oil in a
large frying pan over medium heat and add meatballs.
Brown meatballs on all sides, turning carefully. Drain
off any excess oil. Add tomatoes, remaining chilli,
basil, salt and pepper. Bring a large saucepan of water
to the boil; add spaghetti and cook, according to
instructions, until al dente. To serve, spoon spaghetti
into a bowl and top with the meatballs and sauce.
Source: SANHA Halaal
e-Bulletin 20. Send an email to
helpline@sanha.org.za to subscribe.
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 Inbox
Hello to the whole CCN team,
First of all thanks so much for your great
newsletter. I really look forward to hearing all the
news, events and fitness tips each week. I’m
especially pleased to hear what Mula Nasruddin is
doing. I grew up hearing Hodja stories from a book
given to us by a family friend. I also work as a
storyteller so I sometimes tell them as well. (No,
sorry, I don’t tell seven in a row!)
I’m writing to invite all CCN readers to our free
community stories event (the outcome of the
project you included in
CCN 0157).
As well as checking out the stories music and
food will be available (both Halal and vegetarian
options included).
This is a
congratulation message to Sister Sahar Ghazag, her
daughters and her new husband Brother Mustafa Ali
from the Gold Coast for their new bundle of joy that
will join us inshallah in 7 months time. May Allah (SWT)
make this pregnancy easy for you Ameen!!!!
Please if you can publish this in this Sunday's CCN
it would be great.
Wasallam Fatim
The CCN Chuckle
Mula Nasruddin and
his wife find a man with only a head and no body resting
on the pavement.
Feeling very sorry
to see the man in such a state, Mula Nasruddin invites
him into a nearby Boost Juice shop for a drink.
The man orders a
wheatgrass shooter with extra zinc, guarana, ginseng and
vitamin E, and while waiting for his order explains to
Mula Nasruddin how tough it has been being born with
just a head.
The juice booster
arrives and the man takes a sip.
Suddenly he sprouts
a body.
The man takes
another sip and, lo and behold, out shoots a hand.
Another sip and out
comes the other hand.
Each time he takes
a sip of the booster a limb springs out until suddenly he
has a complete body.
Beside himself with
joy, the man jumps around excitedly, runs into the
street and is hit by a ten tonne truck and is killed
instantly.
Mula Nasruddin
turns to his wife and says, "He should have quit while
he was ahead!"
Here’s hoping your lahm mashwi was tasty
And your shish taouk was plump,
And your pita and your harissa
Didn’t have a lump.
Here’s hoping your agee was delicious
And your baba ghannouj took the prize,
And that your Eid-ul-Adha lunch
Stayed off your thighs!
Write For Us
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.
meet with and express friendship and support for
Christians in Palestine and Israel; 
pray for a just and lasting peace for Jerusalem and the
Holy Land; 
There
is something in 'rock star' Democratic presidential
candidate Barack Obama's life story that is not
an appropriate target in polite society, but won't quite
go away, and is absolutely certain to come trumpeting
into view when the race gets rough. 
