The
Islamic Society of Algester,
on behalf of the Islamic
Council of Queensland (ICQ),
has arranged for the opening
of the Mt Gravatt Cemetery
throughout the night of Nisf
Sha'ban (Shab-e-Barat).
The
access is through the
University road entrance and
security patrols will be
working throughout the night
until dawn.
For
safety and security reasons
there will be night lighting
provided by ICQ in the
Muslim burial sections (old
and new).
It is
requested the noise levels
be kept to a minimum and
that you drive slowly and
safely inside the cemetery
For more information contact
the coordinator, Hj Abdul
Rahman Deen, on 0418 738 432
On Tuesday, 24 April, the
Australian International
Islamic College held an
ANZAC Day commemoration
ceremony.
Students, parents and all
staff members showed their
respect to honour the
service and sacrifice of the
original ANZACs, and the
generations of Australian
servicemen and women who
have defended Australia’s
values and freedom, in wars,
conflict and peace
operations.
A special assembly was held
to mark the day. The college
was honoured to have a
special guest Mr. Peter Mapp
from the RSL – Darra.
Mr. Mapp gave the students a
short talk. The college
principal, Mrs. Banwa,
addressed the assembly and
spoke about the significance
of ANZAC Day.
The program included student
presentations honouring our
fallen heroes and signifying
the importance of ANZAC Day.
A range of poetry
recitations and role-plays
were performed by Primary
and Secondary students. The
program concluded by
acknowledging all the sorrow
and loss caused by war.
Members of AIIC student
council also visited ANZAC
Square on 23 April, to
participate in the ANZAC Day
Student Commemoration
Ceremony in the city.
The students observed the
ceremony, which concluded
with the wreath laying on
the ANZAC Memorial.
Members of AIIC student
council also visited ANZAC
Square on 23 April, to
participate in the ANZAC Day
Student Commemoration
Ceremony in the city.
The students observed the
ceremony, which concluded
with the wreath laying on
the ANZAC Memorial.
The Islamic College of
Brisbane (ICB) held their
annual ANZAC Day Service
during the week of
commemorations.
As well as ICB staff and
students, the service was
attended by pupils from
Padua College, Cr Kim Marx,
a representative from the
Australian Army and David
Forde from the Sunnybank RSL
Sub-branch.
ICB students performed the
Australian National Anthem
and choir members from
Woodridge State High school performed the New
Zealand National Anthem.
The service also got to hear
a Turkish perspective during
which the words of Turkey's
Mustafa Kemal Ataturk who
wrote in 1934 these famous
words that succeeded in
reaching out to the mothers
of his former enemies from
the Gallipoli conflict:
"Those heroes that shed
their blood and lost
their lives. You are now
lying in the soil of a
friendly country.
Therefore, rest in
peace. There is no
difference between the
Johnnies and the Mehmets
to us where they lie
side by side. Here in
this country of ours,
you, the mothers, who
sent their sons from far
away countries. Wipe
away your tears, your
sons are now lying in
our bosom and are in
peace. After having lost
their lives on this land
they have become our
sons as well”.
Mr Forde said, “As usual,
all involved at ICB are to
be congratulated for
delivering a very respectful
and moving service, where
the focus in on
commemoration and
remembering those who lost
their lives in a conflict to
which they were sent or
joined for a sense of
adventure, knowing little
about the cause or its
consequences."
"ANZAC Day is not about
championing or glorifying
war, it’s about
commemoration and
remembrance to those who
paid the ultimate price. Yes
it's very regrettable some
choose to exploit what it
means for political or other
agendas. But it's not their
day - it's all of ours.
There are very few winners
in war,” David Forde told
CCN.
Students of the ICB also
preformed official roles at
the main Sunnybank RSL
Sub-Branch Service in front
of 4,000 attendees.
ICB school captains Fos Geyrea
and Luqmaan Khan
flank
David Forde
At
the QPS/Muslim Reference
Group meeting held during
the week, Detective Senior
Constable, Kent Ellis, of
the Homicide Investigation
Unit gave the attendees an
update on the investigation
into the murder of Abdul
Basith Mohammed.
He said that his Unit was
currently waiting for the
reward poster to be
translated from English into
Urdu, after which the QPS
Media Unit will issue an
updated media release.
They will be making
available a multi-lingual
poster and media release in
Arabic, Hindi, Urdu and
English through the
Queensland Police Service
Media Unit. They will also
provide an updated link to
the media release and reward
poster as well as links to
the social media posts. A
quarter-of-a-million-dollar
reward has been offered to
help find the Brisbane
father and businessman’s
killer.
If you able to provide any
information on this case or
are able to assist in any
way you should call Crime
Stoppers.
Click on the thumbnail image
for more information.
Aspiring women leaders
graduate from Community
Leadership Program
20 April 2018: In
collaboration with the
Islamic Women’s Association
of Australia (IWAA), ECCQ
held a graduation on 19
April at the IWAA function
room in Springwood for the
participants who
successfully completed
ECCQ’s Community Leadership
Program.
The graduation was attended
by approximately 70 people,
including the participants
and their families, the Hon
Michael de Brenni, Member
for Springwood and Minister
for Housing and Public
Works, Minister for Digital
Technology and Minister for
Sport, ECCQ CEO Garry Page,
ECCQ Community Leadership
Program Manager Rose Brown
and IWAA Statewide
Coordinator and Program
Supervisor Dr Nora Amath
among others.
ECCQ delivered the program
in collaboration with IWAA,
which ran from 8 February to
19 April, to 35 women from
different cultural and
linguistic backgrounds
including Afghani, Iraqi,
Syrian, Somalian, Ethiopian
and Sundanese. Topics
included volunteering,
mental health and self-care,
conflict resolution,
parenting between cultures,
legal rights and politics,
financial wellbeing and
storytelling. The program
also included excursions to
the Queensland Parliament
House and a storytelling
camp over a weekend in
Maroochydore.
Minister de Brenni told the
attendees that good
leadership comes from being
a good listener, having
vision, being honest,
knowing when to ask for help
and owning up to mistakes.
“Before making decisions,
listen,” he said. “There are
lots of people who are
smarter in my own community
and by listening to them I
can make decisions that are
better, fair and just.”
“I look forward to seeing
you all grow in your roles
and working with you.”
Mr Page, Ms Brown and IWAA
Settlement Services Officer
Beengul Ali also addressed
attendees, talked about
their own experiences and
congratulated the
participants.
“With pride, I would like to
acknowledge your commitment
and dedication to this
course, and your enthusiasm
and perseverance in breaking
barriers such as language,
access to services,
education and employment,”
said Ms Ali.
Mr Page said a key outcome
of this program is for
participants to make changes
in themselves and then in
their communities.
“This was definitely the
biggest community leadership
group we’ve ever had and we
hope we have built some
understanding within the
group,” he said.
Mr Page also acknowledged
the collaboration between
ECCQ and IWAA in delivering
the program, which began two
years ago.
“When we work together with
other organisations there
are extra benefits; we look
forward to continuing this
collaboration.”
Participants and new
community leaders also
shared their stories, their
experiences in the program
and hopes for the future.
One of the participants,
Ebtesam Chniker, who arrived
from Syria just 12 months
ago, said the program,
particularly the
storytelling camp, allowed
her to find peace within
herself.
For more information about
the program please contact
Rose Brown on 07 3844 9166
or by emailing
leadership@eccq.com.au.
The Westfield Garden City
shopping centre as agreed to
a request by Ms Laaiqah Ally
to allow a children’s
activity stall to be set up
at the Mall during this
year's Ramadan and Eid.
There are 12 sessions
available and volunteers are
being sought to facilitate
the activities (colouring
in, story time, etc.) and to
engage with parents.
Opinion by Ruby Hamad,
journalist and PhD candidate at UNSW
As the creators of the drama
sit back and count their
dollars, we should be wary of
what we accept as ‘reality’
Sonya and Hadil from My
Kitchen Rules have apologised
for the words that got them
kicked off the show but say
there is “more to the ‘scandal’
than meets the eye”.
Reality” television has done
it again. This week,
Australian Twitter ignited
with outrage after My
Kitchen Rules contestants
Sonya and Hadil, known as
“The Jordanians” on the
show, were unceremoniously
booted from the “dinner
table” and the program, for
“bullying” other
contestants.
We have a contradictory
relationship with “reality”
television. On the one hand,
we know it is highly
structured, selectively
edited and stringently cast.
On the other, we furiously
and slavishly follow the
drama, and much like the
contestants themselves, who
seem to get so used to the
camera they forget it is
there, we suspend disbelief
and go along for the ride,
imagining we are watching
real people.
One of the first things
scriptwriting students are
taught is to create
conflict. Without conflict
there is no drama and
without drama there is no
story. “Happily ever after”
is but one short line in a
long fairy tale.
Australia, please. We are
not witnessing real life. To
buy into this charade only
encourages producers and
writers to whip up ever more
dramatic and ethically
dubious situations for which
the participants can take
the fall.
Anyone who knows me, or
indeed follows my Twitter
feed, would likely know my
deep loathing for “reality”
television shows, precisely
for reasons such as this.
They trade in exploitation
and manipulation, setting
contestants up for public
disgrace on flimsy promises
of fleeting fame and
unlikely fortune, all while
absolving the program itself
of culpability because the
participants use their real
names.
Having missed the drama when
it aired, I spent last night
and this morning scouring
the media for references to
and clips of the show. And
look, I’m not gonna say the
women’s behaviour was
exemplary or even
acceptable. What I will say
is, nothing that happens
onscreen is inevitable or
beyond the control of the
show’s producers. Putting
the word “reality” in the
title does not excuse them
any more than an office
manager ignoring aggressive
behaviour in a regular
workplace excuses the office
manager.
Leaving the women – and the
bad guys on these shows are
almost always women – to
catfight it out while the
program’s executives bask in
the publicity and the
advertising revenue is at
least as, if not more,
unethical than any bullying
we see onscreen.
It’s theatre. It’s a stage.
And yet the creators of the
drama sit back, count their
dollars, and leave the
contestants to take all the
flak. What makes this
particular case even more
insidious is that the “evil
villains” just happened to
be Arab women. What a
remarkable coincidence.
Arabs have long been
represented onscreen in one
of two ways. As objects of
fear: the aggressors, the
threats that must be
neutralised (see Homeland
and 24), or as objects of
ridicule: bumbling, uncouth
fools who cannot be taken
seriously (see Fat Pizza and
Here Come The Habibs).
Although seemingly
different, both of these
representations ultimately
serve the same purpose: to
degrade Arabs while
affirming western (yes, I
mean “white”) intellectual
and cultural superiority.
In Reel Bad Arabs, the late
professor Jack Sheehan
conducted a comprehensive
and damning study of the
representation of Arabs in
Hollywood. Analysing more
than 1,000 depictions of
Arab fictional screen
characters, he found Arabs
were routinely portrayed as
“heartless, brutal,
uncivilized, religious
fanatics through common
depictions of Arabs
kidnapping or raping a fair
maiden; expressing hatred
... and demonstrating a love
for wealth and power.” Sound
familiar?
Only 5% of Arab film roles –
12 characters in total –
portrayed Arabs as “normal,
human characters.”
Sonya and Hadil, who have
apologised to the public,
claim to have been “twisted
and provoked” by the
network. Nonetheless,
regardless of the women’s
personal responsibility, the
willingness of viewers to
heap all the blame on them
again speaks to our
preference for shaming and
isolating individuals,
rather than addressing the
deeper structures of power
that shape and define our
society.
Did My Kitchen Rules cast
these two women precisely
because they seemed cocky
and arrogant, making the
potential for fireworks too
good to pass up? Were the
women directed to play up
the aggression? Did the
women see it as “acting”?
These are questions we
should ask (I have reached
out to Sonya and Hadil but
at time of writing have not
received a reply,
unsurprising given their
status as Australia’s Most
Hated Brown Women This
Week).
No contestants have ever
been booted from My Kitchen
Rules in this way before but
pop culture does not exist
in a vacuum. When the
country seems to unite in
unanimous hatred and
revulsion at two Arab women,
even as Arabs are sorely
both under-represented and
misrepresented onscreen, and
when Arabs are largely
absent from the upper
echelons of power and from
the media (with one or two
exceptions), then incidents
like this are processed in
an outsized way.
“Shoutout to Sonya and
Hadil’s parents and
partners. You must be
proud,” one scathing tweet
said, only to be met with
the reply, “Pretty sure
they’re the same.” Invoking
and then perpetuating the
well-worn stereotypes of the
uncivilised Arab who must
either be subdued or ejected
from polite society, they
again prove to be
incompatible with our way of
life. They are unwelcome at
our dinner table.
That, perhaps, is the only
thing real about this
“reality” show.
UK: At the Home Affairs
select committee, The Sun’s
managing editor Paul
Clarkson was asked about
Islamophobia. His response?
“In the media, in the
mainstream media I don’t
believe it is an issue.”
This was after the new
Express editor-in-chief Gary
Jones admitted some of the
publication’s stories had
contributed to an
“Islamophobic sentiment”
within the media.
Your mole wonders whether
Paul Clarkson either doesn’t
read The Sun, or sees one of
the most-read papers in the
country as outside the
“mainstream media” – because
The Sun has been accused
multiple times of
Islamophobic coverage.
Last August, more than 100
MPs signed a letter of
protest over an opinion
piece in which columnist
Trevor Kavanagh said Britain
had to tackle a “Muslim
Problem”. And the paper had
to run a correction after
its infamous 2015 front
page: “1 in 5 Brit Muslims’
sympathy for jihadis”.
It also had to clarify a
story in June 2016 when it
implied officials had
determined a train crash had
been caused by a fasting
Muslim train driver (it
hadn’t), and in the same
year had to make clear
“Islam as a religion does no
support so-called ‘honour
killings’”, after it ran a
story referring to an
“Islamic honour attack”.
Perhaps Clarkson missed
these stories, or is, as
ever, not letting facts get
in the way.
"Our main objective is to
portray the right form or
image of Islam to the
community, in particular,
and to the country as a
whole. And it's in our best
interests that people are
not misled.
"When you have people who
have got the wrong
understanding and blowing
themselves up or inciting
hatred, then you have to
wonder: where did he or she
learn that particular brand
of Islam? Because it's
certainly not what Islam is
supposed to be. With the
likes of ISIS and Al-Qaeda,
their targets are often the
person who is unlearned. Or
else it's people who have
nothing to lose.
"You wouldn't do that if you
had plenty to live for. You
see bombings like Paris and
London, those guys are
losers. Their track
histories are they are
druggies or prostitution,
that sort of thing, and then
they want to be religious
all of a sudden."
Immigration New Zealand
earlier this year named
Invercargill as a new
refugee settlement location
because of its employment
opportunities. A group of
Colombians fleeing
paramilitary gangs will be
the first to be resettled in
the area, with more expected
from war-torn Syria.
It's a move that Mayor Tim
Shadbolt said had locals
raising fears about the city
becoming a resettlement
location.
"Some people are very wary
of it and think we may be
inheriting a lot of social
problems that are generated
when you come from a war
zone, but others are very
tolerant of it," Shadbolt
said.
While Abdul-Jabbar admits
that conservative
Southlanders are wary of
change, and can take time to
accept newcomers, he
believed it was "the best
place in New Zealand".
"If you conduct yourself
well, show people respect
and good manners, then
they're never going to be
angry at you," he says.
"And in the mosque, if you
are preaching the same, the
building blocks of society,
it's the same. Our job in
Southland is easier than in
most places.
"We have a lot of doctors
and restaurants owners,
respected, well-mannered
people in town. You'd be
pretty hard pressed to
accuse your GP of being a
terrorist. It's good to know
the community, but it's more
important that the community
knows us."
After Abdul-Jabbar's Friday
sermon, the congregation
quickly disperses, back to
work or study. Little Talha
bursts from behind the
curtain, "Dad!" He's
desperate to return to the
farm and ride the two-wheel
motorbike.
Zamberi Matyounus shakes
hands with the men as they
leave. The white-bearded
Malaysian who has lived in
New Zealand for 35 years
acts as a mentor and advisor
to Abdul-Jabbar. The mosque
has become integral to the
lives of Southland Muslims,
he says.
"It's very important for our
religion that we are all
together," says Matyounus.
"Everyone, we are like
brothers, we respect each
other. Black, white, poor,
rich, no matter what you are
like, we are brothers."
Once everyone has left,
Abdul-Jabbar swaps his white
robe for his leather jacket
and tells Silvia and Talha
he'll see them at home. He
straddles the Harley and
phones back Brent the digger
driver.
It's been a productive
growing season and the
outlook is dry. "Everything
is looking good eh," he
says, firing up the
motorbike, flicking down his
visor and riding into the
high afternoon sun.
A
Shaykh in Florida by the
name of Shaykh Azhar Nasser
is currently winning at
Twitter! Not too long ago he
began tweeting the questions
posed to him alongside
responses to those
questions.
It’s probably worth stating
at this point that if you
don’t have a sense of
humour, please read no
further.
His Twitter feed is a great
reminder that religion
doesn’t always have to be
about punishment, hell and
brimstone and that sometimes
we need to take a moment to
stop and actually have some
fun!
I’m not entirely sure what
the straw was that broke the
camel’s back, so to speak,
but the Shaykh isn’t holding
back anymore. Ask him
questions at your peril!
Here is another of these tweets
(continued from
last week's CCN):
There are approximately 1.84
billion Muslims in the world
today, making up 24.38% of
the world’s population, or
just under one-quarter of
mankind. As well as being
citizens of their respective
countries, they also have a
sense of belonging to the ‘ummah’,
the worldwide Muslim
community.
The Muslim500 publication
sets out to ascertain the
influence some Muslims have
on this community, or on
behalf of the community.
Influence is: any person who
has the power (be it
cultural, ideological,
financial, political or
otherwise) to make a change
that will have a significant
impact on the Muslim world.
Note that the impact can be
either positive or negative,
depending on one’s point of
view of course.
17
"Extremist and militant
ideas and terrorism which
spread decay on Earth,
destroying human
civilisation, are not in any
way part of Islam, but are
enemy number one of Islam,
and Muslims are their first
victims."
As the Grand Mufti, Sheikh
Abdul-Aziz ibn Abdullah Aal
Al-Sheikh has the highest
position of religious
authority in the Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia. He is an
Islamic scholar based in
Makkah and has influence as
a leading cleric of the
expansive global movement of
Salafi Muslims.
Salafi Lineage: The
Aal Al-Sheikh family in
Saudi Arabia traditionally
controls the religious and
justice establishments. They
are descended from Muhammad
ibn Abdul Wahhab
(1703–1792), the founder of
Wahhabi and Salafi thought,
and for 250 years have been
closely associated and
intermarried with the ruling
Al-Saud family.
Head of Sunni
Jurisprudential Committees:
Sheikh Abdul-Aziz Aal
Al-Sheikh is chairman of the
Council of Senior Scholars,
a scientific consultative
commission composed of
leading Sunni specialist
scholars of Sharia (Islamic
law). He has been behind
fatwas that call for more
rights for women and
children.
Al-Sheikh is also chairman
of the Permanent Committee
for Islamic Research and
Fatwas (religious edicts), a
special committee designated
for the researching and
issuing of religious rulings
and edicts on jurisprudence,
the Hadith, and Aqida
(creed) for the Sunni world.
As head of the Presidency
for Scientific Research and
Religious Edicts (Dar al
Ifta), Al-Sheikh is often
the spokesperson for
controversial rulings issued
from the Kingdom. He is
recognized for his influence
in enforcing a distinct view
of Islamic tradition. In
2008, he publicly criticized
Muslim televangelists who
encouraged Muslims to
celebrate birthdays and
anniversaries—stressing,
instead, that only the two
occasions of ‘Eid and the
weekly Friday observations
are valid occasions to
celebrate. In this, and also
in his condemnation of
Turkish soap operas sweeping
the Arab World, Al-Sheikh
has stressed the importance
of eliminating distracting
practices. He is also
ardently opposed to the
practice of marrying off
very young girls to older
men, emphasizing its
incongruence with human
decency and Islamic
tradition.
Central Figure of Global
Salafi Movement: As
Grand Mufti of the Kingdom
of Saudi Arabia, Al-Sheikh
is the leading religious
figure of the Saudi-based
network of Salafi Muslims.
The rulings derived by
Al-Sheikh are based heavily
on a literal reading of the
Qur’an and emphasize the
need to strip away
innovative cultural
practices that have become a
part of Muslims’ lives. The
movement he leads is
characterized by an
authoritative stance on
Islamic religious practice.
Eminent Scholarship:
Grand Mufti Al-Sheikh is
recognized as a leading
contemporary scholar of
Islam. He has leveraged this
influence by openly speaking
out against Osama bin Laden
and Al-Qaeda as entities
that push a dangerous
ideological terrorism. He
spoke for the need for a
war—to be fought by
academics, the media,
religious leaders and even
parents—against deviant
thought that leads
overzealous Muslims toward
extremism and violence. He
has described DA’ISH as
‘evil’, and called them ‘the
number one enemy of Islam’.
ANOTHER FROM THE TOP 50
INFLUENTIAL MUSLIMS IN NEXT
WEEK'S CCN
By Jehan Jillani and
Heather Brady Photographs by Lynsey
Addario
A group of
Syrian refugees goes on a tour
of the Statue of Liberty and New
York City landmarks, including
the Museum of Natural History,
with Real New York tours.
Lynsey Addario talks about
her experience working
within these communities
across the U.S. during a
years-long reporting
project.
When Lynsey Addario moved to
India in 2000 and began
covering Muslim communities
throughout Asia, she was
introduced to nuanced views
of Islam and the people who
practice it. After returning
home to visit the U.S., she
saw the religion portrayed
in a generic,
one-dimensional way that
didn't capture what she
viewed elsewhere in the
world.
That disparity pushed her to
work with Muslim communities
across America in an effort
to tell their stories in a
broader way. Addario’s
images appear in the feature
story “How Muslims, Often
Misunderstood, Are Thriving
in America,” published in
the May 2018 issue of
National Geographic
magazine. She talked with us
about her experience
documenting these
communities and how it has
encouraged her to examine
her own faith.
JEHAN JILLANI: You
have been photographing the
Muslim world for over
eighteen years now. What
made you want to turn the
lens on this community
within your own country? And
what was it like covering
this topic?
LYNSEY ADDARIO: I
grew up in the United
States, but have been living
abroad since 2000, when I
moved to India, and started
covering life under the
Taliban in Afghanistan. That
was the first of many trips
all over the Muslim world–I
then moved from South Asia
to the Middle East to
Africa. Each one of these
trips introduced me to a
more nuanced view of
Islam—from the various
interpretations of the
religion to the diversity of
the people who practiced
Islam. And each time I would
return home to the U.S to
spend time with my family, I
would watch the news and
listen to surrounding
conversations, and would
almost inevitably see a very
one-dimensional view of the
religion, and Muslims in
general. It was surprising
to me, because there were
these sweeping
generalizations being made
about Muslims, as if
everyone was the same, and
it seemed extremely
ignorant. It is why I
decided to pitch this story
several years ago to show
the breadth and diversity
within the religion.
14 stages of
love according
to the Arabic
language
By Rayana Khalaf
Arabs are in a
league of our
own when it
comes to
romance. I mean,
just look at the
ways we express
love, we're
always ready to
sacrifice our
skin and bones
for the people
we love.
Over-the-top
demonstration of
love goes beyond
our everyday
conversation, as
it is rooted
deep within our
literature.
There is no
shortage of epic
and fiery poems
in Arab
literature,
brought to us by
the likes of Abu
Nawas and Nizar
Qabbani.
In these poems,
we see
variations of
words referring
to love, like "'oshk"
and "gharam"...
but contrary to
popular belief,
these words are
not synonymous.
They each refer
to a unique
degree of love.
Actually, there
are 14 degrees
of love in
Arabic language.
Here they are in
increasing order
of intensity:
To Build a More
Just Malaysia,
We Need a More
Complex
Understanding of
Islamic Legal
Theory
By Zainah Anwar
How do we
apply authentic
Islamic
principles to
solve the
problems we face
in multi-ethnic
and
multi-religious
Malaysia, to
ensure that
justice is done?
Zainah Anwar is a founding
member and former executive
director of Sisters in Islam,
and is currently the director
for Musawah, a global movement
for equality and justice in the
Muslim family.
So what we are
actually talking
about when we
dispute over
khalwat, moral
policing,
cross-dressing,
hudud and family
laws are
actually qanun
laws based on
fiqh, our human
understanding of
God's teachings.
They change with
time and
circumstance. We
are not talking
about Syari'ah.
We are
deliberating
over and
questioning the
role and
motivations of
human agency and
the
methodologies
used in drafting
and
implementation
of those laws
that have led to
injustice and
conflict of laws
in our
constitutional
democracy.
Perhaps the next
time some
self-appointed
soldier of God
tells declares
you don't have a
right to
question or have
a different
opinion, ask
him: What is it,
exactly, that
you are not
supposed to talk
about - Syari'ah,
fiqh, hokum or
qanun?
And which
category of laws
that shouldn't
be questioned?
Ibadat (rules
that regulate
the relationship
between humans
and God), where
there is little
room for
disputation, or
mu'amalat (rules
that regulate
the relationship
of humans with
one another)?
Much of the
debate that has
been going on in
Malaysia is
about mu'amalat
laws, where
jurists of over
1,000 years ago
have favoured
human reason,
human experience
and discretion
to serve the
well-being of
society,
depending on
time and place.
Consider the
famous example
of Imam Shafi'i
who changed his
legal rulings
when he moved
from Iraq to
Egypt, because
different
circumstances
and social
conditions
demanded it.
If we are
serious and
sincere about
wanting to use
Islam to build a
just Malaysian
society, and to
reform unjust
and
discriminatory
laws, we can
mine the Muslim
legal tradition,
packed with
juristic
concepts that
make reform
possible.
There are
maslaha (public
interest),
ikhtilaf
(differences of
opinion),
istihsan
(choosing the
best opinion in
the interest of
equity and
justice),
istislah
(choosing the
best opinion in
the interest of
public good)
and, oh yes, the
much bandied
maqasid al-syariah
- the objectives
of syari'ah to
preserve life,
faith, progeny,
property and
intellect.
How do we apply
these principles
to solve the
problems and
contestations we
face in the
context of
twenty-first
century
multi-ethnic and
multi-religious
Malaysia, to
ensure that
justice is done?
Although they
are seemingly
the only thing
most people know
about the
Shariah, in a
typical book of
fiqh less than
2% of the book
is devoted to
the hudud crimes
and their
punishments.
Read more in
"Stoning and
Hand
Cutting—Understanding
the Hudud and
the Shariah in
Islam" by Dr.
Jonathan Brown
here.
Uniting Muslims and Hindus in
India ...through food
AJ+
Women in Hijab
The Deen Show
"What every person
needs to know about Muslim women
in Hijab that will shock some
Christians"
Deaf friendly restaurant in
Sydney
Channel 7:
SUNRISE
This restaurant is Australia’s
first deaf-friendly eatery with
mandatory sign-language training
for its waitstaff.
Saudi Arabia lifts 35-year
ban on cinemas
ITV News
Cosmic Calendar in holy Quran
No Clash with Clare Forestier
The cosmic
calendar scale in Quran, just
continues condensing itself to
accommodate the increasing age
of the cosmos.
Documentary
Film On Zamzam The Blessed Water
| Makkah | Holy Water
PLEASE
NOTE
It is the usual policy of CCN to
include notices of events, video links and articles that
some readers may find interesting or relevant. Such notices
are often posted as received. Including such messages/links
or providing the details of such events does not necessarily
imply endorsement or agreement by CCN of the contents
therein.
Muhammad Khalid Masud (Editor),
Armando Salvatore, Martin van Bruinessen
DESCRIPTION
Recent events have
focused attention on the perceived differences
and tensions between the Muslim world and the
modern West.
As a major strand of
Western public discourse has it, Islam appears
resistant to internal development and remains
inherently pre-modern.
However Muslim
societies have experienced most of the same
structural changes that have impacted upon all
societies: massive urbanisation, mass education,
dramatically increased communication, the
emergence of new types of institutions and
associations, some measure of political
mobilisation, and major transformations of the
economy.
These developments
are accompanied by a wide range of social
movements and by complex and varied religious
and ideological debates.
This textbook is a
pioneering study providing an introduction to
and overview of the debates and questions that
have emerged regarding Islam and modernity.
Key issues are
selected to give readers an understanding of the
complexity of the phenomenon from a variety of
disciplinary perspectives.
The various
manifestations of modernity in Muslim life
discussed include social change and the
transformation of political and religious
institutions, gender politics, changing legal
regimes, devotional practices and forms of
religious association, shifts in religious
authority, and modern developments in Muslim
religious thought.
KB says:
Sharing Raeesa Khatree's recipe from her The
Great Australian Bake Off appearance.
This lemon and
poppyseed sponge topped with cream cheese and
strawberries has an eye-catching Union Jack
topper.
Lemon and poppy seed sponge cake
Recipe by Raeesa Khatree
from The Great Australian
Bake Off
Ingredients
Method
Jaconde almond
sponge cake outer
paste
35g salted butter
35g icing sugar
1 large egg white
30g cake flour
10g cornflour
Americolor gel in
white, red, royal
blue and navy blue
Lemon and poppy
seed sponge cake
5 eggs
2 cups castor sugar
300ml oil
1 tsp vanilla bean
paste
2 cups + 3
tablespoons sifted
flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarb soda
1 tsp cream of
tartar
200ml buttermilk
4 lemons – for
finely grated zest
and juice
Ľ to ˝ cup fine
poppy seeds
1 block (270grams)
cream cheese
Lemon simple
syrup
Ľ cup caster sugar
˝ cup lemon juice
Filling and Icing
for cake
250g salted butter
250g cream cheese –
room temperature
700g icing mixture
2 tbsp lemon juice
and zest
Decorative
Ľ cup icing sugar
3 punnets fresh
strawberries – used
in filling and for
decor
Lemon zest- thick
For the lemon and
poppy seed sponge
cake:
1. Using a stand
mixer, whisk eggs
and castor sugar
very well till
fluffy and white.
Add lemon zest. Add
oil and beat mixture
for few more
minutes, then add
the vanilla. Sift
flour, baking
powder, cream of
tartar and bicarb.
Add lemon juice to
warm milk.
2. Alternatively,
very gently, fold
flour mixture and
milk mixture into
egg mixture using
the figure 8 motion
to incorporate air
into mixture. Pour
into 3 x 8-inch
(20cm) round cake
pans. Bake in a
pre-heated oven at
180°C for 30-35
minutes.
For the syrup:
1. Place castor
sugar and lemon
juice in a saucepan
and boil together.
Add a few
tablespoons of water
if necessary.
For the
decorative paste for
outer cake layer:
1. Preheat the oven
to 180°C, using a
large baking tray
(25cm x 38cm) grease
with spray oil, then
place template on
tray and line with
baking paper.
Assemble all
ingredients for
decorative paste.
Cream the butter and
icing sugar with
k-beater in a stand
mixer. Add egg white
and whisk until
incorporated.
2. Whisk in cake
flour and cornflour
until just combined.
3. Divide mixture
into half and colour
one half red. Leave
other half white.
Spoon red mixture
into a disposable
piping bag with
attached round small
nozzle and pipe over
design as per
template below
baking paper (double
the recipe if more
batter is required).
4. Place in freezer
for 10 minutes, then
remove and pipe
white pattern for
flag over. Then
place back in
freezer while
preparing the
Jaconde sponge.
For the Jaconde
almond sponge:
1. Assemble
ingredients and melt
butter and keep
aside to cool. Mix
together the almond
meal, icing sugar,
plain flour and
cornflour in bowl of
stand mixer. Whisk
in eggs one at a
time. Beat on medium
for 5 minutes to
incorporate air into
mixture. In a
separate bowl, whisk
together the egg
whites and sugar
until glossy and
firm but not dry.
2. Fold the egg
white mixture into
the almond mixture
and then fold in
cooled, melted
butter and dark blue
gel colour.
3. Remove baking
tray from freezer
and pour blue almond
batter over the
decorative patterns,
tilting the tray for
the batter to spread
evenly or use offset
spatula to spread
it. Tap tray a few
times to remove air
bubbles.
4. Bake on 180°C for
7-8 minutes or until
golden.
5. Let the sponge
cool for a few
minutes and then
invert it onto a
baking paper or
cling sprinkled with
icing sugar. Pull
off baking paper or
silpat and trim any
crispy edges.
6. Cut sponge in
half horizontally so
each piece will be
placed around cake,
over icing.
For the cream
cheese filling and
icing:
1. Using a stand
mixer, cream butter
well, then add cream
cheese and lemon
zest. Slowly add
icing mixture and
lemon juice. Add a
pinch of salt and
whip for a few
minutes until creamy
and ready to pipe.
Remove 2 cups of
icing and place in
another bowl.
2. Add chopped
strawberries to
icing to create
filling between
layers. Reserve
remainder for top
and sides of cake.
To assemble:
1. Once cakes have
been cooled in
freezer, remove and
start stacking on an
8-inch cake board.
Place a little icing
on base and place
first layer of cake.
Lightly brush cake
with lemon syrup.
2. Top with filling
that has strawberry
pieces, then top
with another layer
of cake and repeat.
Cover sides of cake
with icing and
carefully place
jaconde layer around
cake like a collar.
Pipe icing on top of
cake to create a
neat border.
3. Cut whole
strawberries with
petal shape and
place on piped
rosettes.
Welcome to my weekly
column on
Self-Care and
Clarity of Mind.
If you’re taking
time out to read
this, pat yourself
on the back because
you have shown
commitment to taking
care of your mind
and body.
Today, In Shaa
ALLAH, we will
explore the topic:
What You Feed
Your Mind Determines
What You Feed Your
Body
For years I used
food for comfort.
Any emotional
occurrence such as
happiness, sadness,
anger, guilt,
frustration, and
more, would be my
cue to hit the
pantry and finish a
whole packet of
crisps or an entire
family-size
chocolate bar (the
giant Toblerone from
Airport Duty
Free?...Oh
boy...Don’t even get
me started on that
story!).
Every Monday morning
I would decide to
eat healthy and
every Monday lunch
time I would decide
to postpone the
healthy-eating
commitment to next
Monday. That was my
pattern. Apart from
the weight gain, I
was also feeling
lousy about my
sugar-addiction.
Yes, sugar is poison
and yes, sugar
addiction is very
real and detrimental
to mental and
physical wellbeing.
And I was tired of
feeling lousy about
myself, my weight,
my lack of energy
and my irritability.
This had to stop.
I was aware of my
pattern. As Oprah
says, when you know
better, you do
better. I had to
find out why I had
this pattern and
address the elephant
that incessantly
roamed the jungle of
my mind. I sat
myself down with my
journal and fiercely
wrote. It took three
hours for me to
trace my pattern
back to an incident
that happened when I
was around five
years old. It took
another few hours to
link my eating
pattern with my
life’s major
incidents where I
had to make choices
that affected my
wellbeing. Most of
those choices were
harmful for my
wellbeing and when I
connected the dots
between my dietary
pattern and those
lifestyle choices
and how my mental
state was back then,
everything became
crystal clear.
A paradigm shift,
which I now call my
Gut-Shift, revealed
to me that for me to
make better choices
in life, stay strong
in my imaan and
nourish my soul with
love, light, peace
and joy, I must
first and foremost,
nourish my mind with
the right mental
foods so that I
could then choose
better foods and
beverages to nourish
my physical self. If
my essential self,
my soul and my mind,
was starving, how
was I ever going to
choose the right
foods for my body?
How To Feed Your
Mind And Body
Good thoughts, good
words, good deeds. I
had to heal from my
emotional eating
pattern one thought
at a time. The
following are
strategies to feed
you mind, process
your emotions and
then choose the
right foods to
manage your
emotions:
In Shaa ALLAH, next
week we will explore
the topic:
Your Child Is NOT
You...Parent Your
Inner Child Before
You Parent Your
Child
DOWNLOAD
Muslimah Reflections
- my new ebook of
poetry and
affirmations
DOWNLOAD The
Ultimate Self-Care
Guide For Muslimahs
WATCH VIDEOS
from Muslimah Mind
Matters YouTube
Channel.
DOWNLOAD
Muslimah Meditation
Moments - audio
files for
self-awareness
meditation.
If you wish to know
about a specific
topic with regards
to Self-Care and
Clarity of Mind,
please text or email
me or visit
www.muslimahmindmatters.com.
If you wish to have
a FREE one hour
Finding Clarity
telephone session,
contact me on
0451977786.
Jallalludin and his
wife were in a terrible accident where the Jallalludin's
face was severely burned.
The doctor told Jallalludin that they couldn't graft any
skin from his body because he was too skinny.
So his wife offered to donate some of her own skin.
However, the only
skin on her body that the doctor felt was suitable would
have to come from her buttocks.
Jallalludin and his wife agreed that they would tell no
one about where the skin came from, and they requested
that the doctor also honour their secret.
After all, this was a very delicate matter. After the
surgery was completed, everyone was astounded at Jallalludin's
new face.
He looked more handsome than he ever had before! All his
friends and relatives just went on and on about his
youthful beauty!
One day, he was alone with his wife, and he was overcome
with emotion at her sacrifice.
He said, 'Dear, I just want to thank you for everything
you did for me. How can I possibly repay you?'
'My habibi,' she replied, 'I get all the thanks I need
every time I see your mother kiss you on the cheek.
Registrations are now open
for the Future Enterprising
Muslims!
The program aims to provide
business support, training
and mentoring to Muslim
women to help them
commercialize and
operationalise an idea into
a successful small business
in Ipswich.
The participants will be
provided with mentoring and
one on one skills to assist
them to establish their own
business. Participants will
also be able to
commercialise a business
idea, price and value it,
and be given step by step
guidance and ongoing
mentoring (from mainstream
businesses) to establish and
operationalise a business.
At the end of the 12 week
course participants will
have developed a simple
business and marketing plan,
set up an ABN, registered
their company, set up a
website and Facebook page;
set up accounting systems
and business processes , set
up weekly and monthly cash
flow and other simple book
keeping tasks and will have
established a customer base
and be working on their
business.
Ongoing mentoring and
support will be provided
through the Ipswich Chamber
of Commerce, and individual
business mentors selected to
be part of this program.
The main facilitator is
Christine Mudavanhu who also
resides and owns a business
in Ipswich.
There are only 8 places
available so participants
will need to register asap.
If you have any questions,
please do not hesitate to
contact Nora Amath at
nora.cams@iwaa.org.au.
Are you looking at starting your own
business? Do you have a business idea that you would
like to explore with a professional?
This interactive, practical
experience that provides you with tools to start or
grow your business!
Workshop 1: Thinking like an
Entrepreneur Workshop 2: The Entrepreneurship
Journey Workshop 3: Branding and Design Workshop 4:
Communication and Pitching
Fiji is reeling from the
impact of a tropical cyclone
that has killed at least
four people and caused major
flooding, according to local
media.
The recent floods in Fiji
have created havoc and
devastation. Many lives and
homes have been destroyed
and substantial damage to
crops and animals have
occurred.
In these times of calamity
the people of Fiji need your
immediate help and
generosity to rebuild their
lives again by providing
food, clothing and shelter.
Fiji Humanitarian Relief
Foundation has been
established in Brisbane to
collect funds to help the
affected and needy people in
Fiji.
All money collected will go
towards funding of rations,
educational needs of
affected students and
rebuilding of homes.
Your generosity towards this
worthy cause will be highly
appreciated.
Alhaamdulilah,
the main structure is
already completed. Next is
the external and internal
deco & fittings. The
external wooden claddings
are going up on the wall.
The driveway into the
basement carpark is getting
completed.
We still need donations to
complete the project. Please
donate generously during
these auspicious months.
InshaaAllah, with your
support, we hope to expedite
soon the project.
The donations details are
shown below.
MUSLIM AID AUSTRALIA in
SYRIA
MAA is delivering essential hot
meals and medicines to those
affected by the #Ghouta emergency
crisis.
Check out the images above to
see your donations in action.
1. All Islamic Event dates given above are supplied by
the Council of Imams QLD (CIQ) and are provided as a guide and are
tentative and subject to the sighting of the moon.
2. The Islamic date changes to the next day starting in
the evenings after maghrib. Therefore, exceptfor Lailatul
Mehraj,
Lailatul Bhahraat
and
Lailatul Qadr – these dates refer to the commencement of the event
starting in the evening of the corresponding day.
HikmahWay offers online and
in-person Islamic courses to
equip Muslims of today with
the knowledge, understanding
and wisdom to lead balanced,
wholesome and beneficial
lives.
Articles and
opinions appearing in this newsletter do not necessarily
reflect the opinions of the CCN Team, its Editor or its
Sponsors, particularly if they eventually turn out to be
libellous, 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 CCN
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 us..
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 enter their details
here.
A
Shaykh in Florida by the
name of Shaykh Azhar Nasser
is currently winning at
Twitter! Not too long ago he
began tweeting the questions
posed to him alongside
responses to those
questions.
Those
were the days... 
post comments on
our Wall
7
August 2011