Extracts from First Speech To Parliament - 20/2/2008
...........
Moreton is not all about business. It
also has the best multicultural food in Australia. We
have something to tickle your taste buds—whether it is
the African restaurants of the Moorooka, the Asian
cuisine of Sunny Bank or the Halal food of just about
anywhere in Moreton. I especially acknowledge the
representatives from the Chinese community who have
flown down here to see me today: Ni hao ni hao, Lewis,
Kenny and Jack. Xie xie xie xie ni. The Chinese diaspora
is committed, like so many other groups in Moreton, to a
harmonious, multicultural Australian society.
Just like the wonderfully warm
Islamic people, like Moreton’s varied churches and
community and environmental groups, they are dedicated
to understanding and tolerance. This is what makes
Moreton the best place in the world to live or to visit.
Contrary to earlier misguided statements, I do not see
an exhausted community. Instead, I see suburbs full of
people who are committed to getting on with and helping
their neighbours. I do not believe in any form of
racism.
..............
I do not believe in any form of
discrimination or segregation. The Australian sense of
the fair go is alive and well and living on the south
side of Brisbane and I will work hard to make sure that
unfair, racist accusations are never, ever again given
oxygen in my neighbourhood.
I stand here as somebody of Irish, French and Italian
heritage, representing an electorate where one in three
voters was born overseas. I wish to remind all
Australians that the price of harmony is hard work. Each
and every one of us must be eternally vigilant when it
comes to community relations.
We must knock on all our neighbours’
doors and offer a helping hand. We must build
understanding, trust and friendship, irrespective of
race, religion, age or political beliefs.
Thank you to the rest of the Moreton team: David Forde,
the most passionate Irishman in Australia, which is
saying something; Terry Wood from the ALP; the rest of
the ALP team, Dallas Elvery, Brad Hayes, the
irrepressible Kate Perry; and Braedan Hogan; all of the
union and Labor Party members; family and friends;
community leaders like Faisal Hatia, Father John
Scarriott and Mustafa Ally; the elected representatives
at the state level, Karen Struthers, Stephen Robertson,
Anna Bligh, Phil Reeves, Simon Finn, Ronan Lee, Judy
Spence and Gary Fenlon; Steve Griffiths, Helen Abrahams,
Gail Macpherson and Kevin Bianci from the Brisbane City
Council; and also to Craig Emerson, Tony Burke, Joseph
Ludwig and Claire Moore from the federal parliament.
These people all worked to restore
fairness in the workplace and install me in this
chamber, where the people are the boss.
I especially remind the other side of
the House of this fact: the people of Australia are our
bosses and they spoke very loudly and very clearly.
Following on from its recent purchase
of the adjoining property in Beenleigh Road, Kuraby
Mosque is settling on a second property within the
coming weeks (click on image on left to enlarge). The
intention is to accommodate the growing Madrassah
classes.
The trustees have made the following
appeal to CCN Readers:
Assalamualaikum Brothers and Sisters
in Islam,
Kuraby Masjid has changed over a very short period of
time. We have had an increase in the number of Musallis
and as our community has grown so have the number of
children that attend Madrassah at our Masjid. We started
infrastructure planning to accommodate and grow our
facilities so we could become a more complete centre of
learning.
Last
year through the generosity of the community we were
able to purchase the house next door to the Masjid (1412
Beenleigh Road). We also had a family generously donate
a home next door to the purchased property (1414
Beenleigh Road). Our intention has been to amalgamate
the two properties and make the houses on them available
for Madrassah.
As our plans for refurbishment were being put into place
we received rather unexpected news that the house
backing onto the corner of the Masjid (14 Besline
Street) had become available for sale. After much
discussion and debate we acted on this and were able to
secure this property for $361,000 excluding legal and
other costs. This left us in a rather awkward position
as we had only recently done a funding drive to purchase
the property next to the Masjid.
As at today we have secured a loan for $300,000 and with
expected refurbishment costs of $40,000 for 1412 and
1414 Beenleigh Road we have a shortfall of $100,000.
Over the last three weeks we have done a door to door
fundraising drive and have managed to collect $55,000.
We now have a shortfall of $45,000 and a looming
settlement date of 28th of February.
On Friday we made a public announcement to raise
awareness of our funding shortfall. We have an urgent
need to secure the above funds to finalise our purchase.
If you have any questions or need any details please
feel free to call any of the trustees.
Moulana Ebrahim Bham, Secretary General of the
Council of Muslim Theologians, and Executive Member of
the National Religious Forum in South Africa
is scheduled to deliver lectures at the Kuraby,
Holland Park and Gold Coast Mosques through the week
starting Sunday 2 March.
Contact your local mosques to confirm
times and dates.
Muslims as a Minority Community: Lessons from South
Africa.
Q News The Muslim
Magazine
Diary - From Timbuktu to Vienna -
via Johannesburg and Istanbul by Affan Chowdhry
(extracts) Page 11
Q-News, Issue 367
July 2006
.........
Oh, by the way, I was in town to attend a conference on
Xenophobia, Racism and the Media. It was, again, an
opportunity to meet interesting media people. The
conference was professionally executed but the
recommendations, to be honest, were hardly
earth-shattering.
South Africa’s Muslims are a weird product of political
activism, social consciousness, sectarian madness and
extreme ostentatiousness. This is a country which has
produced more than its share of Muslim martyrs in the
anti-apartheid struggle. But it has also seen some of
its members seduced by the anti-Islamic ideology of race
superiority.
Today, the struggle for the heart and soul of South
African Islam is fierce: it is one between relevancy and
dogmatism, engagement or disengagement, clarity or
obscurantism. When it comes to Islam, there are so many
similarities between what is going on in Britain and
South Africa. But, alas, we do not have the likes of
Cassiem Khan and Na’eem Jeenah - two outstanding
young(ish) mujahids whose contributions in the field of
humanitarian work and the debate over freedom of
expression are exemplary.
It was a privilege to share platforms with the the
charming Mufti AK Hoosen (Channel Islam), the combative
Maulana Ebrahim Bham (Jamiatul Ulama, Transvaal) and the
superbly elegant and noble Ferial Haffeejee (Editor,
Mail and Guardian). The climate of tolerance, compassion
and dissident with which our media workshop was
conducted was splendid. And one never forgets the
generosity of the South Africans - especially that of my
dear friend Idris Khamisa.
Throughout the world, people turn to
Red Cross for assistance in times of disaster. Events
such as fires, floods or cyclones can be terrifying. Red
Cross volunteers are trained to provide emotional and
practical support to people who have been affected.
Here’s your chance to help when
disaster strikes.
Australian Red Cross Emergency Services is conducting
training in:
SUNNYBANK
Thursday 6th March 2008
Sunnybank RSL Hall
Gager St, Sunnybank
commencing at 9am - 4:30pm
(Back row l to r) (obscured and left inset) Mumtaz Jeevaji , Hassan Qourane, Ebrahim Paruk
(Front row l to r) Yusuf Hussein, Farouk Adam,
Mahomed Hanief Khatree, Sultan Deen, Shummis Rane
(Right inset) Naseem Abdul
Despite a poor turnout at the Muslim
Business Network (MBN) Annual General Meeting last
Sunday there were enough proxy votes to constitute a
forum for the purposes of electing five new members onto the
Executive.
The members elected as Directors on the night
were Naseem Abdul, Farouk Adam, Mumtaz
Jeevaji, Ebrahim Paruk and Sultan Deen.
The new committee met during the week
and constituted themselves into the following positions:
President: Mahomed Hanief
Khatree Vice-President: Naseem Abdul Secretary: Mumtaz Jeevaji Treasurer: Yusuf Hussein Committee Members: Hassan Quorane, Shummis Rane,
Farouk Adam, Ebrahim Paruk, Sultan Deen
At the Movies With
Madam Mumbai
Currently
showing at Garden City's Birch, Carroll & Coyle is
Jodhaa-Akbar.
It is directed and produced by Ashutosh Gowariker, the
director of the Academy Award-nominated Lagaan (2001).
It stars Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai
Bachchan in lead roles.
The film centers around the romance between the Muslim
Mughal Emperor Akbar, played by Hrithik Roshan and his
Hindu wife, Jodhabai, played by Aishwarya Rai,
Jodhaa Akbar is a sixteenth century love story about a
marriage of alliance that gave birth to true love
between a great Mughal emperor, Akbar, and a Rajput
princess, Jodhaa.
BHOPAL: The Madhya Pradesh government on Friday issued
orders to suspend the screening of the film Jodhaa Akbar
with immediate effect.
According to an official statement here, screening of
Jodhaa Akbar has been suspended in all cinemas across
the State due to “agitations and disruption of peace at
a few places.”
In the State Capital, the film was running in three
theatres — Jyoti, Sargam and Sangam. The afternoon show
had already commenced when the government issued orders
suspending the screening.
Later in the day, the film’s posters were removed as
word spread that the film had been “banned” in Madhya
Pradesh.
Living in a multicultural country exposes a person
not only to different cultures, but also to the accents
associated with those cultures. If you watch The
Simpsons, then you already know the Indian accent
through Apu. Being an Arab I pay special attention to
our accent, with the ultimate goal of deciphering what
we say and how we should say it. To my surprise, people
who have been here for over 10 years still have a heavy
accent, as if they didn't even try to adapt to the
culture. Here are some things which I think Arabs should
tackle first when trying to change their accents.
First, Don't let your tongue do too much work when it
doesn't have to. It's not RRRRR, it's R.
Rule number 1: R not RRRR
Second, this especially annoys me with "modern"
Arab-Canadians. As we know it's not cool to say Thawra
(revolution) in Arabic, but it is cool to say "Sawra."
Um Kalthoum's name is Um Kalsoum, and the list goes on
with any word containing A7rof Lathawaya (letters
containing the sound THis, leTHal etc). Sadly Arabs
continue this coolness into English. So we get people
who say:
What is zis? Zat over zere?
And the classic
Habby birzday to you, Habby birzday to you?.. you are
now sree years old!
Rule number 2: say THis, and say BirTHday, it's cool in
English to pronounce these sounds.
Habby Birthday reminded of the most common mistake for
us. There's the P, and there's the B. I know we don't
have P in Arabic, but that doesn't mean we can't try to
learn to pronounce it. For those who persist, just
imagine saying Pandora instead of Bandora (tomato), see,
it sounds odd.
Rule number 3: pay attention to your B and P, they can
make a difference.
Oh, and this word was especially popular during the
beginning of the war on Iraq. People would discuss the
war saying "they drobbed BOMBs on the airport" what's
wrong with that you ask? They pronounce the B at the end
of Bomb. For those who have that problem, imagine the
word was spelled Baum, and there, you have the perfect
accent for that word.
I cannot come up with any more rules at the moment, but
I'm sure there are more, which I may add later. I know
that this was a bit satirical, but I do not intend to
make fun of anyone here, I had many problems too. I am
trying to get a point across. We should try to improve
our accent, it's way a of submerging ourselves in the
culture. With a better accent, you can be more
convincing during interviews, you wouldn't get a bias
towards you in everyday life, your communication will
improve?
I hope that some of readers benefit from this, and I
hope some of them live around here. Be honest with me
now, do you notice the same problems with our accents?
Do you think that it's crucial to improve our accents?
Why YOU
need to come: AMARAH-MYServices-Brandon Road Bushcare
Group Clean Up Day
Are
you sick and tired of constantly being bombarded with
negative portrayals of Muslims in the mass media, and
the intolerant slurs and harassment that follows? Sick
and tired of the common misconception that Muslims are a
bunch of ‘unintegrated’ slackos, a burden and threat to
the Aussie way of life?
Sick and tired of being sick and tired?
Well, join the club.
Not of moaning,
groaning, ‘why-us?’ Maussies* - but join a dynamic group
of proactive local Maussies, challenging the negative
Muslim stereotype by displaying a visibly positive image
of the local Muslim community. Apart from being an act
of dawah, the Clean Up Day provides an awesome
opportunity for the Muslim community to showcase the
respectable Islamic principles of community service and
good neighbourliness.
Who should come?
Everybody and anybody. Muslims and residents of Runcorn,
Kuraby and surrounding areas are especially encouraged
to attend.
What do I need to bring?
An enthusiastic,
positive attitude and a huge smile
Gum boots or
appropriate comfortable footwear
Wear light,
comfortable clothing.
Gloves and garbage bags will be provided.
What’s in it for me?
An opportunity
to do your bit of breaking barriers, promoting
dialogue between local Muslims and non-Muslims
A cleaner
neighbourhood
Make new
friends, meet neighbours and of course, a free halal
sausage sizzle
COMPASS: THE NEW DAD (Australian Men: Pt 1)
Sunday 24 February at 22:05
Following the success of her
three-part dinner series with women, Geraldine Doogue
now turns her attention to Aussie men to find out what
matters to them and what doesn’t in the 21st century.
In episode 1: The New Dad, Geraldine
invites five men to the table to ask: What does it mean
to be a dad in today’s modern world?
Gone are the days when men brought
home the bacon and were the unquestioned head of the
household.
Today the role of dad can be anything
men choose to make it and in this episode we meet an
eclectic group of dads who’ve come together to bare
their souls about all things babies, bath-times and
bedlam!
A lively and profound addition to the
great Australian values debate.
Disabled Iraqi children
get wheelchairs, big smiles
ABAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Mothers cradle
children in their arms. Fathers smile softly at the
helpless bodies they hold. Other parents are bent over
from the weight of their teenage kids whose legs fall
limp, almost touching the ground. In the absence of
basic medical equipment, these parents do this every
day.
Khaled is a father of three. On this day, his young
daughter, Mariam, is getting fitted for her new
wheelchair. Her arms and legs are painfully thin, little
more than skin and bone. She's 7 years old, but looks
barely half that. She and both her siblings, a sister
and brother, suffer from varying degrees of polio. None
of them can walk.
Asked how he and his family cope, Khaled chokes up,
fighting back tears.
"I am sick of life -- what can I say to you?" he says
after a long pause.
One man, Brad Blauser, has vowed to try to make life a
little easier for these families by organizing the
distribution of wheelchairs, donated and paid for by his
charity, Wheelchairs for Iraqi Kids. He first came to
Iraq in 2004 as a civilian contractor. Struck by the
abject chaos surrounding him and seeing helpless
children scooting along the ground, he pledged to find a
way to help.
New Movie By Iranian Filmmaker Tells
Story of Christianity From Muslim Perspective
A new movie in Iran depicts the life of
Jesus from an Islamic perspective. "The Messiah," which
some consider as Iran's answer to Mel Gibson's "Passion
of the Christ," won an award at Rome's Religion Today
Film Festival for generating interfaith dialogue.
The movie will be adapted into a television series to be
shown on Iranian TV later this year.
Filmmaker Nader Talebzadeh spoke to ABC's Lara Setrakian
in Tehran.
LS: Why did you feel a movie showing Islam's take on
Jesus needed to be made?
A
woman has declared herself the oldest living person
after her birth certificate was uncovered, showing she
is 120.
Mariam Amash rises every morning at 5am, walks unaided,
and attributes her longevity to a diet rich in
vegetables.
"Yes, I am the oldest person in the world," she told the
BBC, with her family crowding around her.
"I eat, I drink, and I take showers. I hope to keep
going for another 10 years," she said.
According to her birth certificate,
issued by the Ottoman Empire authorities, she was born
near her current home in the village of Jisr az-Zarka in
1888.
A devout Muslim, she has made the haj
pilgrimage to Mecca five times - most recently in 1990,
when she was only 102.
Amash has 10 children, 120 grandchildren,
250 great-grandchildren, and 30
great-great-grandchildren. Her newest
great-granddaughter is just one week old.
She attended the celebrations for the new
baby, blessing her according to traditional Muslim
custom.
Amash lives in the Arab village of Jisr az-Zarka near
Hadera in northern Israel, surrounded by many of her
family.
"She rises every morning around five for
prayers," said one of her grandsons, Majid Amash, 46, an
engineer.
"She then goes for a walk and then spends
most of her day with the family. She recognises all of
us." But he said his grandmother's long-term memory is
fuzzy.
The world's oldest resident has one piece
of cautionary advice for younger generations.
"They drink too much Arak," she said,
referring to a popular Arabic alcoholic drink that is
forbidden to devout Muslims.
JEDDAH, 21 February 2008 — Custodian of
the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah has ordered the
implementation of the Makkah-Jeddah-Madinah railway
project using Saudi local funds, Transport Minister Dr.
Jabara Al-Seraisry announced yesterday.
He said the royal directive would speed up the
implementation of the project known as Makkah-Madinah
Rail Link (MMRL), which is estimated to cost SR20
billion ($5.33 billion) and bring about revolutionary
changes in the transportation of pilgrims between the
two holy cities.
The minister said the MMRL, designed to operate trains
with a speed of over 300 km per hour, would reduce
travel time between Jeddah and Makkah to 30 minutes and
between Jeddah and Madinah to not more than two hours.
The MMRL includes the construction of approximately 500
km of new high-speed electrified railway lines between
Jeddah and Makkah and between Jeddah and Madinah.
Railway lines will be equipped with modern signaling and
telecommunications systems.
“We have already finalized the route for the rail
project and identified the locations for stations in
Makkah, Jeddah and Madinah,” the Saudi Press Agency
quoted the minister as saying. He said the project would
improve the quality of public transport in the Kingdom.
An informed source told Arab News that
special committees are currently surveying the land
along the route to implement the project. The committees
will also estimate the money to be paid to land owners
in compensation after land acquisition.
MMRL will have stations at Jeddah Islamic Port, King
Abdul Aziz International Airport and King Abdullah
Economic City in Rabigh, the source said, adding that it
would pass by the eastern border of Jeddah.
The opportunity for a position of Counsellor /
Advocate exists now at IWSS.
It is a fixed term
locum for six months in the Sexual Assault Program
at Immigrant Women’s Support Service.
Some of the attractive
opportunities in this job include:
o To work in a dynamic team and organisation where
broader understandings of working with women from
non-English speaking backgrounds will enrich your
professional experiences;
o The position is remunerated at SACS Level 5.2 with
salary sacrifice;
o The position is for 15 hours per week;
o IWSS has above Award conditions in place for
staff; and
o IWSS maintains a supportive, professional learning
environment where opportunities for further
professional development and training are afforded.
Potentially interested
women need to present an Expression of Interest
considering the following:
• Provide a copy of your most recent Resume;
• Provide the names of two referees who can be
contacted;
• A letter of no more than three pages addressing
the Position Description’s Selection Criteria
(Please note that you are not required to complete
the Selection Criteria individually); and
• Closing date for this Expression of Interest is
Monday 3rd of March 2008.
Using our book
club you can see what books we at CCN have
on our shelves, what we are reading and even
what we and others think of them.
You can even
create your own book shelf, find out what
your fellow CCN readers are reading, get and
give recommendations for what to read next,
create book lists, and even share your
opinion on a book with us.
Come see the
books we have selected and see if we have
any in common.
Then pick our
next book so we can all keep on reading.
Q: Dear Kareema, my mum has just been diagnosed with
Osteoporosis and I was wondering if you could give us
some ideas on bone strengthening exercises as we now
have the task of getting mum fitter and stronger for a
better quality of life.
A: Osteoporosis is a condition in which the bones become
fragile and brittle, leading to a higher risk of
fracture than in normal bones.
Women are at greater risk as we generally have less bone
stock than men do to begin with.
Hence one of my favourite sayings: “let’s put some bone
in the bank!” – meaning strengthen your bones for a
better / stronger future.
Ladies, I cannot stress enough how important
weight-bearing (body weight) exercises are, complimented
with a diet high in calcium.
Following are some examples of bone strengthening
exercises:
Weight-bearing (body weight) exercises:
- Walking, push-ups, triceps dips, squats, lunges,
step-ups, etc. (basically anything involving holding up
or supporting your own body weight.
Using light weights (dumbbells):
- Straight arm raises, shoulder presses, upright rows,
etc.
Using resistance bands:
This is a safer option (than using the dumbbells) for
your mum as the bands are lightweight.
- bicep curls, shoulders and back can also be
strengthened using these.
Indoor cycling and using a fitball will also be
beneficial for your mum.
PLEASE ENSURE THAT CLEARANCE IS SOUGHT FROM YOUR GP
BEFORE STARTING ANY FORM OF EXERCISE!
Mix together:
4 ½ cups flour
¼ teaspoon salt
1 pkt instant dry yeast
Mix together and warm:
½ cup soft butter
½ cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup + 2 Tablespoon milk
¼ cup + 2 Tbls water
Combine warmed liquid mixture into flour mixture to form
soft sticky dough. A little extra flour would be needed.
Leave to rise until double in size.
Fillings:
¼ cup soft butter X 2
Mix together:
½ cup brown sugar X2
2 Tablespoon Brown sugar X 2
Method:
Allow dough to rise. Punch down and divide into 2.
Roll out +- 25cm X 35cm rectangles. Spread soft butter
onto rolled out dough then sprinkle with sugar mixture.
Roll up as per Swiss roll and cut into 2cm slices each.
Place into non stick baking tray and bake at 180 deg
until done.
Topping:
½ block cream cheese
½ cup soft butter
1 ¾ cup icing sugar
Beat together for ½ hour until soft
Spread topping as soon as cinnabons come out of oven.
Sprinkle with flake or sliced pecan nuts.
Enjoy!
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
Dear CCN,
A'slaamu'aleikom.
My Muslim name is Ibrahim Abdullah, I took Shehada
in May 2007
I am a trainee Tutor in, "English as a Second
Language" (TESL) at Logan TAFE. I also act, in a
voluntary capacity, as a Tutor, in basic I.T., and
Conversational English.
I have been approached by the co-ordinators with a
proposition for extending English classes, off
Campus, into the wider Muslim Community, on the
Southside.
Basically, what is required is a room, and a minimum
of 20 students. The Department will provide teaching
and Tutorial Staff. The cost to the student would
depend on the individual student's status. For many
the course would be either free of charge or at
minimal cost, ($1 - $5) per session.
There are both male and female teachers, and tutors,
available.
If you are interested in this idea, please do not
hesitate to contact me, and I will provide further
details.
Phone : (07) 32082307
Mobile : 0422438800
Email rojuan46@optusnet.com.au
W'salaam
Ibrahim
Dear CCN,
Assalaam Alaikum,
I read and watched the
clips from your previous article regarding female
circumcision. I think this information I'm sending
you is valuable information regarding this delicate
topic.
Thorough researched
articles should be published as some delicate topics
like this could be interpreted in the wrong way by
readers.
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.
Last
year through the generosity of the community we were
able to purchase the house next door to the Masjid (1412
Beenleigh Road). We also had a family generously donate
a home next door to the purchased property (1414
Beenleigh Road). Our intention has been to amalgamate
the two properties and make the houses on them available
for Madrassah.
Shaima
Khan
Workshop for Muslim Males looking for Work
