......a sometimes
self-deprecating and occasional tongue-in-cheek look at ourselves and
the world around us ......
Sunday, 29 March 2009
.Newsletter
0229
News you won't find on CNN!
From
the shelves of the Queensland Muslim Welfare
Association......
by Janeth Deen, President of
QMWA
Setting
up shop in the Parkland
Shopping Centre has been a
rich, rewarding experience
in many ways. Wilma and I
have been well accepted by
the local community who are
so happy we chose their area
to carry out our work. We
have met many of the people
from the one hundred and
sixty different
nationalities who make up
the community and have our
regular customers, many of
whom drop in to have a
friendly chat while looking
for goods that meet their
needs.
We have had a successful
month of trading and have
been able to pay our
expenses as well as bank
money into the welfare fund.
Our prices are not high,
which means our profits are
not large. We have given
away to needy people goods
to the value of what we have
sold.
One of the groups who have
benefited from our free
goods was a visiting
Cultural group of PNG men
who came to Brisbane from
visiting Adelaide for a
Cultural Choir and were
looking for school bags,
clothes and sporting
equipment for children in
need in Port Moresby. We
filled up two spare
suitcases with the required
goods and told them that
they were a gift from the
Muslim Community of
Brisbane. We also told them
they could have two shirts,
two T Shirts, a pair of
jeans, a pair of trousers
and a pair of shoes each for
themselves. The look of
thanks on their faces were
enough to melt the strongest
heart. The men wanted to
give a $20 donation to the
shop, but we told them they
may need it for the excess
luggage. They said they were
in a group and would not
have to pay excess luggage.
We told them to keep their
money as we know how hard it
was to come by in their part
of the world, and to accept
a copy of our free
English/Arabic Quran and to
read it when they can. They
said they would remember the
Muslims of Brisbane in their
prayers as they have never
been so well received by
such charitable people. We
told them that charity was
one of the Pillars of Islam.
We also told them that we
were just happy to know we
have helped the children of
Port Moresby in some little
way.
We have also befriended many
of the Samoan and Indigenous
people who are our regular
customers. These people call
in to see what we have to
offer and teach us a great
deal about the area and its
people.
The African people are from
many parts of the Continent
and are happy that we have
multi-cultural clothing. We
have sold most of the Muslim
wall hangings and given out
all the Qurans we have been
given and will InshaAllah,
replenish our stock.
Sisters and brothers in
Islam, thank you for your
generous donations. We
assure you that we have made
the right decision at such
an important time, while we
are in recession, to open
this Welfare shop. Your
donated goods have succeeded
in easing the burden this
recession has imposed on the
people who have come to our
shop for help, as well as
those who have purchased
your goods at such
reasonable prices.
The comments from the people
have been that they have
never been able to buy such
quality goods at the prices
we charge and we have plenty
of stock to replace what we
have sold or given away,
thanks to those who have
kept the donations of goods
coming in. The greatest
selling items, so far. have
been children's play
equipment, crockery -
especially large plates,
linen, handbags, shoes and
clothing.
I wish to apologise for not
answering my mobile when you
have tried to contact me. My
mobile went walkabouts and I
am in the process of getting
a new one. If you leave a
message on my answering
machine on 3344 5330, I will
get back to you as soon as I
am able to.
Shoes for Zambia
This week Madonna King on
612 ABC Brisbane
sent out a call on her
morning show for
donations of old shoes for
her 'Marching into Africa'
appeal. The shoes are to be
sent to the children and
parents of Livingstone,
Zambia.
Jenny Deen called Madonna
King and pledged, on behalf
of the Queensland Muslim
Welfare Assn Inc, sixty pair
of shoes.
Wilma Bothwell and Jenny
found one hundred and twenty
pairs of shoes on hand in
the Welfare shop kindly
donated by the Brisbane
Muslim community and
delivered them to the office
of the Mayor of Logan, Pam
Parker, who is collecting
the shoes in the Logan area
for the drive.
Logan was at the bottom of
the list amongst the donors
before the QMWA contribution
went in.
On Saturday some members of
the community brought in
excess of sixty more pairs
into the shop for the drive
which will take the donation
to in excess of one hundred
and eighty pairs.
This response has been a
great effort in such a short
time.
Listen to Madonna King for
up to date tallies from the
different parts of Brisbane
during her daily sessions
this week.
Crescents and Lions Fund Raiser
Over 200 tickets have been
sold for tonight's (Sunday) Fund
Raising Harmony Day Dinner
being held at Michael's
Oriental Restaurant for the Milperra State School and
Matthew Holland.
The function will be
attended by, amongst other
dignitaries, Anna Bligh's
new Minister for
Disabilities and
Multicultural Affairs in her
very first public
engagement,
Annastacia Palaszczuk MP;
Cr. Graham
Quirk, Brisbane's Deputy
Mayor; Desley Scott,
State Member for
Woodridge, Julie Attwood
MP State Member for Mt
Ommaney and Parliamentary
Secretary to the Minister
for Disabilities and
Multicultural Affairs
and Crs. Milton Dick
and Steve Griffiths.
Amongst the two items to be
auctioned on the night is a
framed full text of the
historic apology to
Australia's Indigenous
people signed by Prime Minister
Kevin Rudd.
The occasion will also be
used to present a cheque of
$12 606.60 to Muslim Aid
Australia on behalf of the
Muslim Community of
Queensland for the victims
of Victoria's recent bush
fire.
Q & A
on ABC
Panellists Minister for
Communications, Stephen
Conroy; Shadow Minister for
Climate Change, Greg Hunt;
provocative columnist,
Andrew Bolt; and Muslim
sociologist, Susan
Carland appeared on
ABC's Q and A last week
fielding questions on
Internet filtering and the
perceptions of Muslims in
the community.
More Muslim women than
ever are in leading
positions in society, a fact
that is at worst
misrepresented and at best
under-reported. Britain’s
first Muslim Women Power
List aims to change all that
and recognise the women who
are making a difference
There are more than 100,000
Muslim women currently
working in Britain, yet many
feel misunderstood and
misrepresented. These women
share the ambitions and
challenges of all working
women: to succeed at a good
job and often to combine
marriage and motherhood with
a fulfilling career. Yet
searching for positive role
models can be unrewarding
work, and there has not,
until now, been a
professional social network
for working Muslim women.
With these issues in mind,
the Equality and Human
Rights Commission (EHRC), in
association with The Times
and Emel magazine, has
published the first annual
Muslim Women Power List, a
celebration of those who are
on the way to, or have
already reached, the top of
their chosen field. Any
British Muslim over the age
of 18 could apply or be
nominated. The aim was to
create a network of women
who could benefit from each
other’s experiences in the
workplace; women who have
shown strong leadership and
made a positive difference
to their own and others’
work. Working women are a
small percentage of the
adult female Muslim
population of 768,000, so
the value of positive role
models is all-important.
“There aren’t many groups I
can think of who are more
stereotyped, yet less
understood by the wider
community, than working
Muslim women,” says Trevor
Phillips, EHRC chairman. “I
hope this list will make the
rest of Britain sit up and
take note – many members of
the Muslim community are
making a valuable economic
and social contribution to
our future.”
What the list also shows is
that the idea of a
one-size-fits-all “Muslim
community”, or a commonality
of experience, is a myth.
Some women have supportive
families who encouraged
their aspirations; others
have parents who felt
strongly that they should
leave school at 16 and get
married. Some choose to wear
a headscarf, some don’t;
some attend mosque, others
consider their Muslim
identity to be more about
the way they conduct
themselves. Some talk about
“the Muslim community”,
others feel there is no such
thing. And, while some
remain conflicted about
being lumped together as
“Muslim women”, all agree
that it’s worth it if it
highlights and celebrates
the fact that not all Muslim
women are, as one put it,
“oppressed, repressed and
depressed”, but, rather,
active and successful in
business and society.
The Griffith University
Muslim Students Association
(GUMSA) will be hosting a
series of monthly seminars
with Dr. Mohammad Abdalla.
The public is invited to
attend.
The purpose of these
seminars is to create
awareness and understanding
amongst the Muslim and
non-Muslim community of
Brisbane on issues relevant
to us in our daily lives.
The seminars will touch on
the concept of Islamic
ethics among other things.
Dr. Mohamad Abdalla is the
director of the Griffith
Islamic Research Unit. He
holds a Bachelor's degree in
Science and a PhD in Islamic
Science, both from Griffith
University. He was born in
Libya and lived in Jordan
before coming to Australia.
The first of these seminars
will be on Tuesday 31st
March between 2pm - 3pm at
Griffith University’s Nathan
Campus, Building N16_0.08.
The topic is: The Palestine
Issue
SBS
Dateline: Missing without trace
SBS PROMO: Since the 'War on
Terror' began, hundreds -
possibly thousands - of
Pakistanis have mysteriously
disappeared.
All over the country people
set off for the day, only to
never return home, or be
heard from again.
Sophie McNeill introduces us
to Amina Janjua, a
Pakistani housewife whose
husband disappeared after
setting out on a day trip to
Peshawar.
Shortly after he went
missing, Amina received a
message that he had been
picked up by the ISI,
Pakistan's feared
intelligence agency.
But after three and a half
years, there is still no
official explanation for his
disappearance.
Now this brave woman is
taking on the government,
and leading hundreds of
others in the fight to find
their missing loved ones.
The Australian Government
has introduced the Fresh
Ideas for Work and Family
grants program to support
Australian small businesses
to implement practices that
help employees balance their
work and family obligations
as well as improve employee
retention and productivity.
The program provides grants of $5,000 to $15,000 (GST
inclusive) to small businesses (fewer than 15 employees)
to help meet the set-up costs of family friendly
arrangements that suit the individual needs of the
business.
The grants will support a range of initiatives,
including:
. establishing rosters based on school terms and
alternative core hours, for example, 10am to 3pm;
. establishing quality part-time work or job-sharing
opportunities;
. developing workplace policies on unpaid leave for
carers and workers who have children with disability or
other special needs;
. providing facilities for employees with young children
such as family rooms; and
. setting up workplace mentoring.
The program is administered in funding rounds by the
Department of Education, Employment and Workplace
Relations and applications for the
current funding round close on 24 April 2009.
This is a good opportunity for brothers and sisters
involved in small business and non-profit organisations
to apply for the grant program.
Further information can be found at the following
website:
He was just 10 years old at
the time of his chance
encounter with namesake --
Imran Khan, a
Pakistani and world cricket
legend. “I was asked to
present him [Imran Khan]
with something on stage when
he visited my school because
we shared the same name. I
must have been 10 or 11
years at the time,” he told
the Mail & Guardian last
week.
South Africa’s new opening
batsman chuckles somewhat
shyly and says that he never
imagined to be the next
Imraan Khan to play Test
cricket. The Nashua Dolphins
star received a surprise
call-up for the Proteas’
final Test against the
rampant Aussies.
Khan, who becomes the second
South African of Indian
descent after Hashim Amla
to make the Test squad, has
been in magnificent form in
the domestic four-day
competition. It is this fine
run that prompted the
selectors to look to him in
the absence of an injured
Graeme Smith to salvage some
pride in a lost cause after
Australia took an
unassailable 2-0 lead in the
three-match series.
The best Khan can do on his
debut is to help avoid an
embarrassing whitewash.
Our Khan was a skinny
15-year-old when I met him
at an inter-high school
Durban derby back in 1999.
While I had barely made my
school’s first XI, Khan was
already being lauded as the
next best thing after peanut
butter, electric toasters
and Hashim Amla -- his elder
and more accomplished
teammate and captain.
I had heard his name
mentioned a few times before
our encounter. Every time my
school, Westville Boys’ High
School, and Durban High
School (DHS) locked horns, I
remember walking over to the
opposite field during the
lunch interval to watch the
junior teams battle it out.
I would invariably hear
“that boy Imraan was flaying
the attack once again” or
“Imraan made another
hundred.”
It seemed almost impossible
that a young lad could score
so many hundreds so
frequently. Khan scored
hundreds week in and week
out. Then one fine morning
he decided to turn his arm
over -- bowling quick off
spinners -- and suddenly he
began to bowl opposition out
as well.
Khan was schooled in his
formative years at Orient
Islamia, but it was his move
to DHS in his teenage years
that cultivated his primary
talent into a tangible
schoolboy cricketing genius.
Both Amla and Khan attended
South Africa’s premier
cricketing institution,
where the likes of Barry
Richards, Richard Snell and
Lance Klusener went to
school. It was not long
before DHS flaunted its
non-white, blue-eyed boys
and the future of South
African cricket in
cricketing circles.
So talented were these two
boys, even the dreaded
T-word -- transformation --
didn’t seem such a daunting
prospect after all. But
their trajectories differed
after school.
Amla joined the Dolphins by
the time he completed high
school and thrived in the
middle order. He was
appointed captain and given
a fairy-tale entry into Test
cricket in 2004 when he was
selected as the first South
African of Indian origin to
represent the Proteas in a
Test match against (aptly or
ironically) India in the
bullring of Eden Gardens.
Whereas Amla’s run in
first-class cricket has been
compelling, Khan’s journey
has been anything but
charming by comparison. As a
youngster he demonstrated
immense powers of
concentration to bat
regularly for long periods
of time, but at first-class
level it seemed as if he
abandoned his formula.
The lofted drive was almost
always taken at mid-off, the
buoyant push to the testing
out-swinger almost always
fell to second slip, after a
few tight spells bowlers
would invariably entice him
to hit the self-destruct
button and waft at a
marginally wide one. Khan’s
career is marked by careless
shot
selection, an inability to
weather out a difficult
session of play or to pick a
timely assault.
Since making his first-class
debut for the Dolphins in
2003-04 as an off-spinner
who could bat, his career
has been a little more than
a line of jagged
stop-starts, packed with
unfulfilled promises and
derelict potential.
While Khan has tasted
relative success in the
four-day competition --
averaging in the
mid-thirties for most of the
past five seasons -- his
enthusiasm to dominate often
resulted in him looking out
of his depth as a reliable
opener. Worse still, his
once much-lauded off-spin --
a plus point for any South
African cricketer -- became
an abandoned project. But it
all changed in 2008.
After being selected for the
South African emerging
players’ tour of Australia
and scoring the most runs,
Khan suddenly turned on the
mettle.
The 2008-09 first-class
season has seen the more
patient cricketer in him
blossom to become the top
batsman, with more than 800
runs at an average of more
than 60. Khan’s tally of
five centuries for the
season leaves him just one
short of the South African
record for most first-class
centuries in a season,
presently held by Barry
Richards, Mike Procter and
Peter Kirsten. It seems his
penchant for breaking
records is back.
He says it was just a case
of a few technical
adjustments to his game.
“There is probably a lot
more discipline in my game.
I used to get a lot of
starts and then throw it
away, but I am trying really
hard not to make those
mistakes once I get in.”
Dolphins manager Jay Naidoo
agrees. “I think he is older
and understands his game
better, which happens to all
players as they mature. At
SuperSport Series level he
has done well previously,
but he has a tendency of
scoring seventies or
eighties and then getting
out. This season he has
turned those numbers into
three figures,” says Naidoo.
While his batting has always
been attractive, the returns
were rather less flattering
for a man of his talent. In
fact, after promising so
much, he suddenly seemed
doomed to wither away at
first-class level.
With the Proteas in the
middle of an opening batsman
crisis, Khan knows this
surge in batting form
couldn’t have come at a more
opportune time.
“There was no other
opportunity and it just so
happens I’ve been scoring
runs. Now is probably the
right time,” he says.
On Sunday 29th March from
12noon, the
Dream Centre Christian
Church is hosting a fun
filled Aussie BBQ day for
the directors and families
of the proposed Gold Coast
Muslim school, and all
Carrara residents.
Everyone is invited to go
along to support this
community event and speak
with local government
representatives "to help
them understand the
importance of education in
Islam to Muslims and the
purpose for building the
Islamic School."
The early morning warning of a
pending Tsunami has Suva in crisis earlier today, the
city broke down as thousands of Fijians rushed from
their places of work and gathered at the city's
foreshore to get a first hand glimpse of the massive
wave. Roads were blocked all around the capital as
people from as far away as Nausori rushed to the sea
waiting for disaster to strike. Mr Singh of Lami said
'we have been waiting here from 7am this morning, we had
to get here early to get a good view right up front' he
pointed at several children in the sea swimming and
proudly told us they were his children, 'they are gonna
ride the wave when it comes' he said.
The crowd had turned ugly by 9am
when it because apparent that the Tsunami would not hit
Fiji. Mrs Vulakoro said 'why tell us its coming when its
not, the kids are so disappointed, we took them out of
school for this, we have waited hours and nothing has
happened, why get us all excited over nothing'. By 11am
the capitol was a city deserted, Civil Servants have all
gone home, most of the shops have closed for the day. A
distraught Suva shop owner who didn't want to be named
said he was resting his hopes on this Tsunami, 'all it
had to do was destroy my shop, i could claim on the
insurance and everything would have been alright, its a
real blow to the retailers'.
Contentious Afghan 'Pop Idol' final
Afghanistan's very own Pop
Idol drew to its conclusion
this week, but in
Afghanistan you risk your
life to take part.
The final of Afghan Star was
watched by millions, who
phoned in to vote for their
favourite.
Now in season four, it is
more than just a television
talent show. Once upon a
time music was outlawed by
the Taliban, so now the show
has found itself the target
of religious extremists.
A British film crew followed
the progress of last year's
series - their documentary,
also called Afghan Star,
premiered in London during
the week.
Muslim converts reflected
and shared their experiences
during the first
introductory class to Islam
held at Griffith University.
Drawn from different backgrounds
and places, the converts listened to advice from Imam
Uzair Akbar of Holland Park Mosque and Imam Akram Buksh
of Kuraby Mosque and Dr. Mohammed Abdullah.
Questions were asked by curious
students to speakers about their new faith but there
were other non-Muslim students wanting to know more
about the religion.
Course convenor, Dr. Daud Batchelor
said most Muslims by birth have an Islamic upbringing
through madrassas , unlike new converts who know
little about Islamic prayers and regulations because of
their past lives.
Dr. Batchelor compared new Muslims
to foreigners arriving in Queensland who are required to
know road laws to avoid accidents when they drive.
‘The information they need to know
[from this course] would otherwise take them many years
to acquire’, he said.
Rami Ahmed Ravichandra who was
previously Hindu said ‘Islam is vast yet beautiful and
easy to comprehend’.
When Mr Ravichandra became Muslim
he was ostracised by some of his friends but encouraged
the class by saying ‘the moment people found out I
became Muslim I had free dinner everywhere’.
Australian convert, Muhammad
‘Aussie’ Bell said he felt like a minority in Australia
because he was an Australian Muslim convert but meeting
others like himself at the course was encouraging.
Mr Bell said being a convert is
challenging because Muslims differ in certain aspects of
the faith which creates confusion for him.
Irish convert Hanna Mangal said she
read Islamic texts to broaden her knowledge but would
clarify with an Imam on various interpretations.
‘I love Islam and if you
love something, it’s not hard [learning it], she said.
Muslim
teacher refused position at Christian college
A MUSLIM student teacher has
labelled a Christian school
in Wyndham discriminatory
for refusing her a position
based on her religion.
But Heathdale Christian
College is standing by its
decision, saying that as a
faith-based school it
expects its teachers,
including student ones, to
support its Christian
perspective, the Wyndham
Leader reports.
Mother-of-two Rachida Dahlal,
35, has complained to the
Equal Opportunity Commission
on the grounds of
discrimination, prejudice
and unequal employment
opportunities.
The Hoppers Crossing college
where she wanted to do a
placement said it would not
have been in its, or Mrs
Dahlal’s, best interests.
Mrs Dahlal said she chose
Heathdale because it was the
closest to her home and her
sons’ childcare centre and
also one of few schools in
Wyndham offering both her
specialty subjects of
mathematics and French.
“I am Muslim, wear a head
scarf, and respect all
fellow humans regardless of
their beliefs, race, or
cultural background,” she
said.
Socialists,
Jews and Christians joined
Muslims yesterday in a
Melbourne city protest march
over RMIT student demands
for more dedicated Muslim
prayer rooms rather than
more multifaith facilities.
The Age reports the RMIT
Islamic Society has been
seeking Muslim only prayer
rooms for 16 months, since
extensions at the university
in late 2007 closed the
rooms it had used for 14
years.
RMIT promised replacement
prayer rooms, and built
handsome ones with ablution
facilities and Koranic
quotes on the wall in the
multifaith centre, RMIT
Islamic Society president
Mohamed Elrafihi said
yesterday.
He said the society was then
informed the rooms would be
"multifaith", available to
the Muslims Monday to
Friday, 11.30am-5pm and by
appointment.
Mr Elrafihi said the Muslims
had no objection to other
faiths, but RMIT had reneged
on its promise and it had
become a justice issue.
Representatives of other
faith and political groups
agreed, voicing their
support at a rally preceding
the march.
Islamic Council of Victoria
spokesman Nazeem Hussain
said Muslims had lost faith
in the RMIT process.
"There's a feeling of
betrayal," he said.
Acting vice-chancellor for
students Maddy McMaster said
RMIT had eight dedicated
Muslim prayer rooms on its
various campuses, had
offered a ninth, and also
had two multifaith rooms.
"We ... believe what we have
provided is adequate."
A
FAULTLINE
through
the most
powerful
Muslim
organisation
in the
country
deepened
last
night as
a
breakaway
faction
of the
Lebanese
Muslim
Association
voted to
sack its
executive.
The
meeting
of young
MLA
members,
labelled
the
"Taliban
of
Lakemba"
by
controversial
Sheik
Taj Din
al-Hilali,
was held
outside
Bankstown
Town
Hall in
west
Sydney
after
the
group
was
reportedly
shut out
of the
venue
due to
security
concerns.
The 54
association
members
at the
meeting
voted
unanimously
in
favour
of
motions
of no
confidence
in the
board's
six
executive
office-holders.
"All we
are
asking
is for a
fair
vote in
April,"
Bilal
Alameddine
said.
"From
today
there
will
basically
be two
boards
directing
what
goes on
in the (Lakemba)
Mosque:
nine on
our side
and six
on their
side."
Members
said
that,
while
the no
confidence
motions
named
the
board's
six
office-holders,
no one
was
singled
out --
rather
it was a
vote of
no
confidence
in the
executive
amid
concerns
the vote
for the
new
board at
the
annual
general
meeting
next
month
would be
rigged.
The
power
struggle
is
mainly
between
the
younger
generation
and the
old
guard,
with
tensions
escalating
in
recent
years.
LMA
president
Shawky
Kassir
said the
executive
would
not
accept
the
vote, as
the
executive
was
accepted
by the
majority
of the
organisation's
400
members.
"There
is only
one
legitimate
board,"
Mr
Kassir
said.
"Irrelevant
of its
outcome,
the
meeting
was not
legal.
"They go
and meet
wherever
they
want and
whenever
they
want --
any
decision
outside
the
proper
procedure
of the
LMA
constitutional
law will
not be
accepted
by the
members
and
everybody
around
the
mosque."
One
senior
Muslim
said the
younger
group
were
"crazy
and will
stop at
nothing".
The LMA
board
had
previously
sent a
letter
to the
members
attempting
to
cancel
the
meeting,
and
failed
in an
attempt
to get
an
injunction
in the
Supreme
Court to
stop the
meeting
going
ahead.
Mr
Alameddine,
who
strenuously
denied
claims
the
group
had
Taliban
ideology,
said the
cancelled
venue
booking
was
another
example
of the
"political
games"
being
played
by the
board.
"The
council
asked
the
police
for a
risk
assessment
over the
meeting
and the
police
said
there
was no
risk,
but the
council
still
cancelled
the
meeting
because
of
security
concerns,"
he said.
"We are
not
radicals."
Bankstown
City
Council
could
not be
contacted
at the
time of
going to
publication.
Trouble
was
expected
at the
Lakemba
Mosque
last
Friday
after
confrontations
last
week
between
supporters
of Sheik
Hilali
and his
rivals,
but a
guest
imam
from
Lebanon
gave the
sermon
instead
of Sheik
Hilali.
Several
scuffles
have
broken
out
during
prayer
times
after
the Nine
Network's
A
Current
Affair
played
security
video
footage
of Sheik
Hilali
kicking
in a
door in
his own
mosque
before
calling
in the
police
to
report
an act
of
vandalism.
The
Muslim
youths
believe
Sheik
Hilali
staged
the
vandalism
to frame
them and
gain
public
support.
Sheik
Hilali
has
denied
the
allegations
and says
there is
more
CCTV
footage
that
proves
there
was a
break-in.
Terry Holdbrooks stood watch over prisoners
at Gitmo. What he saw made him adopt their faith.
Army specialist
Terry Holdbrooks had been a guard at Guantánamo for
about six months the night he had his life-altering
conversation with detainee 590, a Moroccan also
known as "the General." This was early 2004, about
halfway through Holdbrooks's stint at Guantánamo
with the 463rd Military Police Company. Until then,
he'd spent most of his day shifts just doing his
duty. He'd escort prisoners to interrogations or
walk up and down the cellblock making sure they
weren't passing notes. But the midnight shifts were
slow. "The only thing you really had to do was mop
the center floor," he says. So Holdbrooks began
spending part of the night sitting cross-legged on
the ground, talking to detainees through the metal
mesh of their cell doors.
He developed a strong relationship with the General,
whose real name is Ahmed Errachidi. Their late-night
conversations led Holdbrooks to be more skeptical
about the prison, he says, and made him think harder
about his own life. Soon, Holdbrooks was ordering
books on Arabic and Islam. During an evening talk
with Errachidi in early 2004, the conversation
turned to the shahada, the one-line statement of
faith that marks the single requirement for
converting to Islam ("There is no God but God and
Muhammad is his prophet"). Holdbrooks pushed a pen
and an index card through the mesh, and asked
Errachidi to write out the shahada in English and
transliterated Arabic. He then uttered the words
aloud and, there on the floor of Guantánamo's Camp
Delta, became a Muslim.
India's election
authorities have reprimanded the grandson of former
premier Indira Gandhi for making "highly derogatory"
remarks against Muslims while on the campaign trail.
The Election Commission also told the main
opposition Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) to drop Varun Gandhi as a candidate for the
elections, which start on April 16.
The Gandhi grandson has been at the centre of a
political storm since recordings appeared of an
election rally during which he delivered what has
been branded an anti-Muslim hate speech.
The election commission said late Sunday it
"condemned and censured" him over the remarks,
reported to have included a vow that his BJP would
"cut the head of Muslims."
ACCES Services has a
vacancy for a support worker. The role, amongst
other duties, entails assisting and supporting the
Muslim Employment Workers to assess clients’ needs
and organising a service plan with them.
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.
Q: Dear Kareema, does using a
hula-hoop have any advantages? I love watching my
daughter use it, she has so much fun and seems to work
up quite a sweat!
A: Spinning the hoop isn't just kid's play! As well
as working your abs, hips, thighs and lower back
muscles, hula-hooping
can burn around 420kj in 10 minutes of continuous use.
So be sure to give it a go.
Why not join your daughter and have a few mini timed
challenges going..
Fit tip: The heavier and larger the diameter, the easier
it is to keep the hoop in motion!
All questions sent in are published here anonymously and
without any references to the author of the question.
KB's Culinary Corner
PUMPKIN FRITTERS
Ingredients
• 2 cups cooked pumpkin
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• ¼ cup sugar
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp cinnamon or nutmeg
• 2 cups self-raising flour
• oil for deep frying
• cinnamon sugar as required
1. Beat pumpkin, eggs and sugar
2. Add salt, spice (cinnamon or nutmeg) and
fold in flour
3. Mix lightly
4. Heat oil and fry teaspoonsful until
puffed and golden
5. Drain on absorbent paper
Roll in cinnamon sugar and serve warm
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
Mula Nasruddin and
his wife been married for more than 60 years.
They shared
everything.
They talked about
everything.
They kept no secrets
from each other except that his wife had a shoebox in
the top of her closet that she had cautioned Mula Nasruddin
never to open or ask her about.
For all of these years, Mula Nasruddin never thought
about the box, but one day his dear wife got very sick
and the doctor said she would not recover.
In trying to sort
out their affairs, the Mula Nasruddin took down the
shoebox and took it to his wife's bedside.
She agreed that it
was time that he should know what was in the box.
When he opened it, he found two crocheted dolls and a
stack of money totaling $25,000.
Mula Nasruddin asked
her about the contents.
"When we were to be
married," she said," my grandmother told me the secret
of a happy marriage was to never argue. She told me that
if I ever got angry with you, I should just keep quiet
and crochet a doll."
Mula Nasruddin was so moved; he had to fight back tears.
Only two precious
dolls were in the box.
She had only been
angry with him two times in all those years of living
and loving.
He almost burst with
happiness.
"Honey," Mula Nasruddin
said, "that explains the doll, but what about all of
this money? Where did it come from?"
"Oh," she said,
"That's the money I made from selling the dolls."
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.
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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.