......a sometimes
self-deprecating and occasional tongue-in-cheek look at ourselves and
the world around us ......
Sunday, 18 January 2009
.Newsletter
0219
News you won't find on CNN!
Gaza
Wheelchair Appeal
Plans
to ship a container load of wheelchairs and crutches was
this week initiated by local Brisbane businessman Mr.
Ismail Cajee for the people of Gaza who are in dire
need of medical aid supplies.
This project is supported by overseas manufacturers who
have subsidized the cost of manufacturing especially for
this appeal.
The recent success that Human Appeal International has
had in getting hospital beds through the border to Gaza
has given impetus to this campaign.
A 1x20 foot container
consisting of 120 wheelchairs and about 1500 crutches
are ready and waiting to leave China (direct from the
manufacturer). This container is booked to leave China
on 5 February.
The cost of each wheelchair is around AU$70.00 and the
cost for each pair of crutches is around AU$12.00.
The total cost of the first container is around $30 000
including shipping costs.
Mr. Cajee told CCN that if they were successful with
this appeal through the collection of donations, and the
container reaches the people of Gaza than he hoped to
repeat this exercise as there was confirmed continued
support from all parties involved.
Local businessman and a
tireless and passionate worker for the community Mr.
Farouk Adam is leading the drive to raise the funds
and said he was overwhelmed by the support for the
project with donations coming in from around the country
and overseas.
To make a donation you can
deposit the money into the Kuraby Mosque Charity
Account:
Account name : Islamic Charitable Trust Fund
BSB/Acc Number : 064162 / 10311340
Institution : Commonwealth Bank
Very Important: Your Donation MUST BE accompanied by the
reference word GAZA in order for your money to be
directed to the correct fund raising appeal.
Progress details of this appeal will be posted on the
notice boards of the Kuraby Mosque.
Rudd
Petitioned in his Home Town
On Thursday, some 2000
signed petitions were dropped off at the Brisbane
offices of the Australian Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, by
the Brisbane-based Justice of Peace committee calling on
his Government to act on the deteriorating situation in
the Gaza.
The Age: The troubles in Gaza knocked on Prime
Minister Kevin Rudd's door on Thursday as children
delivered nearly 2,000 letters asking him to intervene
to stop the killing.
The children, all Australian-born and of Palestinian
descent, were backed by a vocal but orderly group of
demonstrators outside Mr Rudd's Brisbane electorate
office.
The letters and petitions call for an end to Australian
support of Israel, including cutting all economic,
diplomatic, cultural and political ties.
One of the protesters, Ibrahim, 14, told the
demonstrators that Israel was a bully "and should stop
being cowardly".
A protest organiser, Mr Abdalla, said the issue of
Israel's invasion of Gaza was a humanitarian catastrophe
rather than a political issue.
"The Palestinians have collectively and democratically
elected Hamas, and for that they're being collectively
punished," he said.
"International law is being violated every day and
Australia is doing nothing."
His comments were refuted by Mr Rudd's office.
Mr Abdalla said that by not condemning Israel, the Prime
Minister compared unfavourably with former Labor foreign
minister Doc Evatt, who helped found the United Nations
and, as president of the General Assembly, was
instrumental in the formulation of the landmark
Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948.
"Tragically (Mr Rudd has) not lived up to the example of
Dr Evatt," he said.
He said Israel had "spat in the face of the
international community" by ignoring UN resolutions.
"Faced with the daily images of civilians slaughtered by
Israel, of Israeli warplanes dropping white phosphorous
and cluster bombs on one of the most densely populated
areas of the world, contravening the Geneva Convention
and breaching many other international laws, how can
Kevin Rudd and his government say not one word against
Israel?" Mr Abdalla said.
He said the demonstrations would continue this weekend
... and into the future.
Justice for Palestine has
intensified its commitment to be a voice for the victims
of Gaza on the streets of Brisbane. This commitment
includes speak outs for the people of Gaza at
5:00pm on Friday 23rd January in Brisbane
Square as well as another rally in Queen's
Park at 12 noon on Saturday 24th January.
See the
CCN Facebook for more details and related stories.
The Rally at Queen's Park
yesterday (Saturday 17 January) attracted over 300
protesters who took to the streets of the CBD after
listening to speeches at the Park.
Mareeba
Muslims Raise Funds for Gaza
Report by CCN's Regional
Reporter
The plight of the
Palestinians suffering in Gaza was heard by a group of
compassionate girls in Far North Queensland.
The young ladies decided
to hold a community fundraising evening to raise
awareness and money for the Gaza Relief.
The small Mareeba Islamic
Community rallied behind the cause and turned out in
force for a hastily, but well organised dinner.
A major coup for the
organisers however, was the attendance of Brisbane local
Dr Mohamad Abdalla. The religious identity was quite
eager to speak at the function and arrived with five
other Brisbane locals to assist the Mareeba community in
their fundraising efforts.
The entertaining talk was not a political statement, but
a balanced account of the history of the Gaza area, and
our responsibilities as caring Muslims. The underlying
statement throughout the talk was the idea that it was
not a Muslims against Jews war but indeed a human
catastrophe. He also congratulated the community for
keeping their hearts alive to the difficulties facing
their fellow Muslims.
The Mareeba Mosque is one of the oldest in Queensland
and the Islamic Community there although relatively
small, has a major Albanian influence.
Approximately 150 people
attended the function and the organisers made Islamic
art work, and t shirts to help raise money. Also on sale
was Islamic CDs and clothing, and there was a long line
up of children for quick mendhi decorations.
With all food and drinks
donated by locals, over $4000 was raised on the evening
and all money raised will be sent to Human Appeal
International.
Tea
with Amla
The South African
cricket team flew into Brisbane on Monday
for the 20/20 against Australia.
Local fans and
expatriates caught up with the Natal batting
star Hashim Amla, and team managers
Goolam Rajah and Mohammed Moosajee.
Unveiling Islamophobia on 4BC
Courier
Mail: A BRISBANE radio announcer's controversial
call for a ban on the wearing of Islamic hijabs has been
backed by the Retailers Association.
The peak national body has called for all hijabs,
helmets and hoodies to be banned in shops and banks for
security purposes.
Brisbane radio presenter Michael Smith (pictured
right) angered listeners after calling for Muslim
women who wear a hijab to be fined.
The 4BC drive presenter, a former Victorian policeman,
said on Wednesday that wearing the hijab or burka posed
a security risk because it obscured the face, making it
difficult to identify the wearer in the instance of a
crime.
Smith said it should be made an offence.
The radio station may have to explain why it should keep
its licence after Smith was accused of making
anti-Islamic comments on air.
Retailers Association executive director Scott Driscoll
said it had been a long accepted practice to require
customers to remove helmets and other identity obscuring
headwear when entering a shop or bank.
"Retailers should not have to fear any form of
retribution or backlash for requiring the removal of any
obscuring headwear, including hijabs, as a condition of
entry," Mr Driscoll said.
"This is about ensuring a more safe and secure retail
environment for all and being able to readily identify
any and all perpetrators of armed hold-ups or shop
theft."
Islamic Council of Queensland president Suliman Sabdia
said he was disappointed by Smith's remarks.
"He has every right to say it but we do say he displays
intolerance, and a complete lack of understanding of the
Muslim code of conduct," Mr Sabdia said.
Smith called for Muslim women who wear an Islamic hijab
in public to be fined for offensive behaviour.
He made the remarks on-air and on the 4BC website,
saying: "Any reasonable person would find this
offensive."
Under the Commercial Radio Code of Practice, a licensee
must not broadcast a program likely to incite hatred
against or vilify any person or group on the basis of
age, ethnicity, nationality, race, gender, sexual
preference, religion, or disability.
Christine Donnelly from the Australian Communications
and Media Authority said Smith's comments could be a
breach of the Code of Practice.
4BC general manager David McDonald said Smith's remarks
were not intended to be anti-religion or anti-Muslim.
Audios of interviews on
4BC
Silma Ihram (The new principal of the Australian
International Islamic College (Durack))
This
year the ECCQ's Strengthening Ethnic Community
Associations (SECA) project will be conducting a series
of workshops on “Project Management” for community
associations.
These workshops will be
held bi-monthly beginning in February (see details by
clicking on image).
The regular workshops on
“Effective Leadership of a Community Association” will
continue.
As a part of their ongoing initiatives to support the
development and efficient functioning of community
associations, SECA is also interested in meeting members
of the new and emerging ethnic communities to learn more
about their associations, activities, achievements,
challenges and future plans.
It is very keen to hear
their stories, share their successes, and explore
opportunities to provide support and forge partnerships.
Email Sharon Malebogo
Orapeleng at
seca@eccq.com.au or call 3844 9166 for more
information.
Australia-Indonesia Muslim Exchange
Applications are invited
from young Australian Muslim leaders to travel to
Indonesia in the first half of 2009 under the
Australia-Indonesia Muslim Leaders Exchange.
The Exchange was established by the Australia-Indonesia
Institute in 2002 to enable young Muslim leaders in
Australia and Indonesia to visit each others' countries
for approximately two weeks to meet Muslims and
non-Muslims, to exchange views and to share experiences.
Since 2002, 74 young Indonesian Muslim leaders have
visited Australia and 23 young Australian Muslims
leaders have travelled to Indonesia.
All costs are covered for the visit to Indonesia.
Applications are due by 13 February 2009. Applicants
should be between 21 and 40, and an active member of the
Muslim community in Australia.
The Australia-Indonesia Institute (AII) supports a range
of people-to-people exchanges aimed at promoting greater
mutual awareness. The Muslim Leaders Exchange Program is
intended to raise the level of informed opinion about
Islam in both countries, increase awareness about the
diversity of cultures and faiths in Australia and
Indonesia, and encourage the development of links
between Australian and Indonesian Muslims.
The Exchange is managed by the Islamic Council of
Victoria with the support of the Asia Institute,
University of Melbourne.
Ladies
of ALL ages! Have you always wanted to swim, but never
found the right facility or program available?
The Islamic Women’s Association of Queensland has
successfully been conducting regular swimming lessons
for Muslim girls and women since October and are
continually receiving new swimmers to participate in the
program.
You’re never too young or old to take part in this rare
opportunity, as we have seen from our swimmers.
Whether you are suffering from back pain, joint pain,
the strains of pregnancy or simply the heat of summer,
this program is for you and we are encouraging ALL
Muslim women to participate.
Our registered swimming instructor has vast knowledge in
swim safety and has done a wonderful job of introducing
our registered swimmers to the water and getting them to
confidently swim for the first time in their lives, an
essential skill in which many Muslim women have
regretfully ignored, until now.
This program isn’t just for beginners, though. Women of
all levels are participating in this program and are
enjoying the benefits of exercise, relaxation/relief and
refreshment.
The program runs twice a week with hour long classes 3
times a day, making it easy for women to take time off
to refresh and unwind.
If all that doesn’t convince you that our swimming
program will benefit you, then perhaps this will...
Did you know that swimming is not only fun but can also
dramatically improve lung capacity, blood pressure,
muscle tone, posture, general physical appearance,
ability to relax and the overall physical and mental
well-being of all swimmers.
If you would like to know
more about the Islamic Women’s Association of
Queensland’s swimming program, then make contact with
one of their friendly office staff or the program
coordinator: Mareym Elshemy through
maryam_elshemy@y7mail.com.
Matt
Groening defends Simpsons over Muslim plot
The Simpsons creator Matt
Groening has defended a controversial storyline in the
comedy cartoon which sees Homer Simpson accuse his
Muslim neighbours of terrorism.
In a forthcoming episode of the long-running show, dad
Homer Simpson convinces friends that a Middle Eastern
family is plotting to blow up a shopping mall.
But he is proved wrong when it turns out the family's
father, Amid, works in demolition.
When the Simpsons have their Muslim neighbours over for
dinner, Homer shows his ignorance of Islam, calling
Allah "Oliver" and holy book The Koran "The Corona".
A spokesperson for Britain's The Islamic Cultural Centre
& The London Central Mosque slammed the episode, telling
UK newspaper the Daily Star, "I hope Muslims take no
notice of the show."
But Groening has come out in defence of the episode,
saying, "Cartoons deal in stereotypes. We try to be
sensitive."
Gunshot
victim who 'didn't fear anything' buried
Outside
Auburn Mosque
HE SURVIVED the bloody Bosnian
massacres and was hit by shrapnel at the age of six, but
fate could not protect Edin "Boz" Smajovic from
the shot that pierced his heart.
Smajovic was shot once after he and another man stormed
into Macarthur Auto Centre in Campbelltown and fired at
its owner. The ethnic Bosnian 23-year-old, a member of
the Picton chapter of the Rebels Motorcycle Club, was
buried at Riverstone Cemetery.
"For him, [being a Rebel] was big stuff and that's what
probably killed him. He didn't fear [anything]," said
the president of the Australian Bosnian and
Herzegovinian Cultural Association, Hasan Alijagic.
More than 300 members of the Rebels - including their
high-profile national president, Alex Vella -
arrived at Auburn Gallipoli Mosque to pay their
respects.
Cavalcade of Harleys and cars proceed to
the Cemetery
As the heavily tattooed Rebels - thick beards, mohawks,
and draped in heavy gold and silver jewellery - milled
around in the sweltering afternoon heat, the metal
coffin, draped in a green cloth with golden Koranic
script, was taken into the mosque and a traditional
Islamic service began.
About 150 club members remained outside the packed
mosque, seeking shelter under the shade of trees.
Hundreds of Harley-Davidson motorcycles and other muscle
bikes stood in double rows along an entire street block.
After the service, as the coffin was driven to
Riverstone Cemetery, a procession of Rebels members
riding two abreast followed, riding without their
helmets, a funeral tradition known as "dipping the lid".
At the cemetery more than 400 people crowded around as
Smajovic's body was removed from the coffin and placed
in the ground.
Portugal's Cardinal Jose Policarpo has warned
young women in the predominantly Catholic nation against
marrying Muslims.
"The advice that I give to young
Portuguese girls is – be careful with relationships,
think twice about marrying Muslims," the patriarch of
Lisbon said.
"It is getting into a pile of troubles, that not even
Allah knows where would end."
Policarpo made the statement at a gathering on Tuesday
evening in a well-known casino that organises meetings
of public figures with paying guests. His comments were
repeated on several television stations on Wednesday.
VATICAN CITY: Religious leaders must
work to prevent fanaticism, promote
dialogue and stem violence, Catholic
and Muslim representatives said.
Two dozen members of a dialogue
sponsored by the Vatican and the
World Islamic Call Society met late
last year at the Vatican to discuss
"the responsibilities of religious
leaders, especially in times of
crisis".
Pope Benedict XVI met briefly with
the participants.
In their final statement, the
participants said religious leaders
had a special responsibility toward
young people.
Religious leaders must work to
ensure the young "do not fall victim
to religious fanaticism and
radicalism" by providing them with a
sound education and helping them
become "bridge builders and
peacemakers", the statement said.
A 20-year old semiliterate Afghan woman
has taken on the Indian Army after being
ditched by one of its officers who
married her under false pretences during
a posting in her home town of Kabul
three years ago.
Sabra Khan's
persistence has resulted in a
preliminary military court ruling that
Major Chandrasekhar Pant of the Army
Medical Corps be charged with bigamy and
converting to Islam without prior
official permission.
"I don't want him back in my life,"
Khan said. "He tried to buy me out of
the marriage. I threw the offer back at
him, telling him that money cannot buy
my love or my forgiveness.
"Now I want him punished."
The 40-year old Indian officer
married Khan after he offered to convert
from a Hindu to a Muslim, changing his
name to Himmat Khan.
But just a fortnight after the
wedding Pant returned home,
Bayern Munich winger
Franck Ribery
(pictured left) and teammate
Hamit Altintop
made a pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca after a
friendly in Saudi Arabia.
The club's Web site published a photo of the two players
wearing the white robes of pilgrims as they rejoined the
team at the airport in Jeddah before returning to
Germany.
Ribery, who is French, converted to Islam in 2006
assuming the name Bilal, and Altintop is a Turk.
Afghanistan fielding
cricket World Cup dream
A place in the 2011 World Cup would be one way of giving
the people of war-torn Afghanistan some joy and solace,
says the country's cricket captain Nowroz Mangal.
"Playing in the 2011 World Cup is a dream for us and we
know what it would mean to our people. For us cricket is
not just a sport, it is much more," he said.
Despite their inexperience, Afghanistan have already won
the International Cricket Council (ICC) world division
league four and five tournaments in New Jersey and
Tanzania last year.
PARIS: Judicial officials say Paris
prosecutors have opened an investigation into
allegations of violence against three youths of north
African origin by suspected members of a hardline
pro-Israel group.
The violence allegedly took place on Thursday outside a
Paris high school where suspected members of the Jewish
Defence League were handing out leaflets.
The anti-racism group MRAP wants French authorities to
punish those responsible and ban the "far-right" league
that is "banned in Israel itself."
The officials spoke on Tuesday, a day after the interior
minister reported a "very clear increase" in
anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim attacks in France since the
start of new Middle East violence.
Broke and with time on his hands, Naziru
Hausawa, an unemployed biology graduate,
decided to introduce his own blend of
rap and hip hop to the most conservative
city in Nigeria's Muslim north, Kano,
where authorities wage war against
immoral western culture.
That was six years ago. Now Hausawa, 28,
is the proud owner of the Golden Goose
recording studio, thus named because of
the amount of money it brings in.
Some 60 studios, recording home-made rap
and hip hop, have sprung up since 2002
in Kano, Nigeria's northern commercial
capital, and have turned out 50 albums
and hundreds of singles.
I’m emailing you to ask if you would like to be in a
new music video I’m making with a friend of mine.
It’s called Earth Anthem, and it’s a fun celebration
of what it means to be part of the human family. It
will be released on Youtube to promote ideas of
unity and sharing between people of diverse
cultures.
The quick 2 hour video shoot involves a
multicultural / family outdoor scene. I believe you
can bring a wonderful spirit to the scene.
For those interested, here are the details: When: 2:45pm, Saturday 17th January. (The
shoot will go for about 2 (maximum 2½) hours.
Refreshments/snacks will be provided for everyone.) Where: Ekibin Park, Corner of Pine Street and
Juliette St, Greenslopes (meet at the blue marquee,
near the carpark.) Bring: You, in your most colourful / ethnic
clothes and an instrument if you have one
***Please bring your children!! – We have some tiny
pianos and xylophones for them to play.
Be excellent, Aaron.
P.S. Any questions please call me on 0404 897 688
CCN
Readers' Book Club:
You are what you read!
This week
CCN
recommends
Palestine
Peace Not Apartheid by
Jimmy Carter
In this book
Carter argues that "Israel's
continued control and
colonization of Palestinian
land have been the primary
obstacles to a comprehensive
peace agreement in the
Middle East."
Palestine Peace Not
Apartheid was a New York
Times Best Seller.
During his time in the White
House, the 39th president of
the United States (1977 to
1981), helped negotiate the
Camp David Accords, which
secured a lasting peace
between Israel and Egypt. I
In 2002, he was awarded the
Nobel Peace Prize.
"A provocative and all too
accurate diagnosis of why
the Israeli-Palestinian
impasse still festers
twenty-five years after
[Carter] left the White
House....Timely and
refreshing for its candor."
- Philip C. Wilcox, Jr.,
National Catholic Reporter
Would you like to see the cover of
your favourite book on our book shelves below?
Using the book
club you can see what books fellow CCN
readers have on their shelves, what they are
reading and even what they, and others,
think of them.
All questions sent in are published here anonymously and
without any references to the author of the question.
KB's Culinary Corner
ALMOND APPLE PUDDING
Ingredients
4 - 5 granny Smith apples - 1 teaspoon
ground cinnamon - ¼ cup brown sugar. Method
• Peel and core the apples
• Slice them thickly and place in a 1 litre
oven proof pudding dish
• Mix the cinnamon and the sugar and
sprinkle over the apples
Topping
125g butter or margarine - ¾ cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs - 1 cup self-raising flour - ½
teaspoon almond essence - ¼ cup milk - 2
tablespoon flaked almonds (for decoration)
Method
• Cream butter and sugar
• Beat in eggs
• Add flour, essence and milk
• Spread the mixture over the apples
• Sprinkle flaked almonds over
• Bake at 180 degrees C for about 35 minutes
• The apples will be tender and the sponge
well risen and golden brown
• Dredge with icing sugar and serve with ice
cream
Do you have a recipe
to share with CCN readers? Send in your favourite recipe to
ccn@crescentsofbrisbane.org and be our "guest chef" for
the week.
The CCN Chuckle
Once, the people of
the city invited Mula Nasruddin to deliver a speech.
When he got on the
minbar (pulpit), he found the audience was not very
enthusiastic, so he asked "Do you know what I am going
to say?"
The audience replied
"NO", so he announced
"I have no desire to
speak to people who don't even know what I will be
talking about" and he left.
The people felt
embarrassed and called him back again the next day.
This time when he
asked the same question, the people replied "YES"
So Mula Nasruddin
said, "Well, since you already know what I am going to
say, I won't waste any more of your time" and he left.
Now the people were
really perplexed.
They decided to try
one more time and once again invited the Mula to speak
the following week.
Once again he asked
the same question - "Do you know what I am going to
say?"
Now the people were
prepared and so half of them answered "YES" while the
other half replied "NO".
So Mula Nasruddin
said "The half who know what I am going to say, tell it
to the other half" and he left!
University of Queensland,
323 Hawken Drive,
St. Lucia
Every Monday
Event: Weekly Learning Circle: Sharh
Riyad-us-Saliheen (An Explanation of
'Gardens of the Righteous'
Venue: Prayer Room, University of Queensland
Time: 6.45pm to 7.30pm
Every Friday
Subject:
Fiqh Made Easy
Venue:
Room E215 Building 1 (Forgan Smith),
University of Queensland
Time: 6.30pm to 7.35pm
Every Friday
Subject:
Tafseer al Qur'an (Explanation of the
Qur'an)
Venue: Room E215 Building 1 (Forgan Smith),
University of Queensland
Time: 7.45pm to 9pm
Sunnah Inspirations is a
non-profit organisation to cater for Muslim
social support and supplying information to
Muslims and non-Muslims. They have
been doing various activities around
Australia, and have organised Da'wah
information stalls at various universities
in Brisbane. More info can be found on
their website above.
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
ccn@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.
Ladies
of ALL ages! Have you always wanted to swim, but never
found the right facility or program available? 
Catch
Crescents
Community News at
