Crisis meeting called on
Thursday in response to
Mosque invasions
ICQ vice president, Ali Kadri,
addresses community concerns and
actions
Brisbane Radio
Interview
LATEST: Pillar Baptist
Church members charged after
Brisbane mosque
confrontations
Three self-styled Christian
"Baptists" have been charged
after allegedly trespassing
and verbally abusing
worshippers at Brisbane
mosques.
Logan Robertson, Steven
Albany and another man face
charges of public nuisance,
entering a premises with
intent and trespass, after
the incidents at the Kuraby
and Darra mosques on
Wednesday and Thursday.
Church behaviour
'unacceptable', say police
Acting Superintendent Craig
Morrow said it was possible
more charges could be laid.
"Investigations are still
ongoing. There's a lot of
video material and recorded
CCTV we need to go through
and inquiries we need to
make," he said.
"Every person has the right
to express their views, but
the matter in which they've
gone about that is not
acceptable."
"We hope by taking action
quickly like we have, and
assuring the community that
we won't tolerate this
behaviour that this will be
a deterrent in itself."
Acting Superintendent Morrow
said the trio was arrested
after searches were
conducted at properties in
the Bellbird Park, Redbank
and the greater Brisbane
area.
The group is due to face the
Holland Park Magistrates
Court on July 25.
It will be alleged a group
of men attended the Kuraby
Mosque on Wednesday around
12.30pm and disrupted
proceedings in the place of
worship.
It will further be alleged
the men caused a public
nuisance at the Darra Mosque
in Oxley on Thursday around
12pm.
Police intercepted a vehicle
in the vicinity where they
seized recording equipment
including video cameras and
mobile phones from the
group.
A 31-year-old Bellbird Park
man and a 29-year-old
Redbank man have both been
charged with two counts of
public nuisance and one
count each of enter premises
with intent and trespass.
They are due to appear in
the Holland Park Magistrates
Court on July 25.
Investigations into the
incidents are continuing.
MyPolice
Queensland Police News
In a statement, a spokesman
for Home Affairs Minister
Peter Dutton said the
Minister was "aware of this
matter and is looking into
the case".
The ABC has also seen
correspondence from a
constituent to Foreign
Minister Julie Bishop, sent
in November 2017, calling on
her office to inform Mr
Dutton about Mr Robertson's
church.
Ms Bishop's staff member
said the matter would be
raised with her.
ABC News
CATCH UP: Pillar Baptist
Church members invade
Brisbane mosques and Islamic
school
Pillar Baptist Church's Logan
Robertson (L) and Brisbane
Islamic leader Ali Kadri in an
argument outside Darra mosque on
Thursday.
Police were called after an
ugly confrontation broke out
at a Brisbane mosque between
activists describing
themselves as Christian
documentary makers and
Islamic leaders.
The group of at least four
activists, who were involved
in a similar incident at the
Kuraby mosque yesterday,
confronted worshippers at a
Darra mosque in Brisbane's
south-west just before
midday on Thursday.
Confrontation outside
Darra Mosque
When they were denied
access, a heated argument
broke out between
self-declared activist Logan
Robertson and Ali Kadri from
the Islamic Council of
Queensland.
Mr Kadri asked: "I'm trying
to talk to you in a nice
manner, why are you
responding in such an
aggressive manner?"
Mr Robertson replied:
"Because I hate the religion
of Islam. I don't hate
Muslims, I hate the
religion."
Police intervened and forced
the group to leave the
property.
Authorities said a group of
up to six men went to a
mosque at Kuraby yesterday
and harassed some of the
worshippers in the lead-up
to 1:00pm prayers.
Nobody was injured in the
incident.
Mr Kadri said a teenage boy
was verbally abused during
yesterday's incident and was
called a terrorist.
Confrontation inside
Kuraby Mosque
"Why did you abuse a
15-year-old Muslim kid
then?" Mr Kadri asked.
Mr Robertson replied: "We
didn't abuse him."
Mr Robertson, who said he
represented the Pillar
Baptist Church at Ipswich,
also claimed he was part of
a group making a film on
Islam.
"We're making a documentary
about your false religion
that's what we are trying to
do," Mr Robertson said.
"You are not a patriot, you
are a hateful hatemonger —
that's what you are, my
friend," Mr Kadri said.
"Despite you being a
hatemonger, I don't hate
you."
The Queensland Baptists said
Mr Robertson and his church
were not registered or
affiliated with their
association.
"Queensland Baptists do not
support or condone his
behaviour toward other
faiths as reported in the
media."
'What's next, will they
come into our houses?'
Mr Kadri said the men were
"extremists" and likened
them to "white ISIS [Islamic
State]".
"Unfortunately if we don't
rein these kind of people in
this country, then these
people in absence of law
will not only just harm
minorities like us.
"They are going to harm
their own people who don't
agree with them ... so to
me, he is an extremist," Mr
Kadri said.
"I think these kinds of
people are white ISIS."
Mr Kadri said security would
be increased at mosques
around the state and most of
them would now be locked at
night.
"I don't think there is any
justification for these kind
of things ... our mosques
are a peaceful
congregation," he said.
"Do we have to wait for
somebody to get killed
before we realise? This kind
of hatred has to be
addressed and condemned.
"Before, it was individuals
on the corner street ... now
they've actually come inside
a mosque — what's next, will
they come into our houses?"
Not long after the
confrontation inside the
Darra mosque, police stopped
the men on the side of a
road and confiscated their
camera equipment.
"We'll continue making our
documentary," Mr Robertson
said.
He told media he was not
racist.
"We've got Asians in our
church, there's Pacific
Islanders in our church —
there's all types of races
in our church. We're not
racist at all, it's about a
religion," he said.
Who is
Logan Robertson?
A self-proclaimed pastor of
the Pillar Baptist Church,
which opened at Goodna, west
of Brisbane, within the past
12 months.
It is not affiliated with
the mainstream Baptist
denomination.
The church declares it is
anti-abortion, anti-gay and
anti-Islam.
Mr Robertson posts sermons
on social media and also
released a "documentary"
critical of the Mormon
faith.
On the church's website, Mr
Robertson describes his
church as a "New Testament
Independent Fundamental
Baptist Church".
"Our Church is a friendly
group of believers who have
a strong desire for truthful
biblical preaching, that
isn't watered down or
compromised," the website
says.
In New Zealand, Mr Robertson
sparked controversy by
saying people in gay
marriages should be shot,
and that New Zealand Prime
Minister Jacinda Ardern
should "get in the kitchen
where women belong".
He was rebuked by Baptist
Churches of New Zealand in
2014, who said he had never
been affiliated with their
denomination.
"The NZ Baptist churches
have been demeaned by his
vitriol, leaving many of our
Baptist church members and
pastors wrongly implicated
by Robertson's actions," the
church said.
New Zealand police
reportedly launched an
investigation into Mr
Robertson but dropped the
case on the basis there was
no evidence to suggest he
had committed any crimes.
ABC News
BREAKING NEWS: Baptist
pastor to be deported after
public nuisance charges
Self-proclaimed pastor of
the Pillar Baptist Church,
Logan Robertson,
charged with public nuisance
offences after allegedly
confronting Muslims at two
Brisbane mosques this week,
has had his visa cancelled.
Immigration Minister Peter
Dutton reviewed the case and
on Friday night the decision
was made to cancel
31-year-old Logan
Robertson's visa and send
him back to New Zealand.
A spokesman for Minister
Dutton said Mr Robertson was
on Saturday held in
immigration detention.
It will be alleged four men
disrupted proceedings inside
the Kuraby Mosque about
12.30pm on Wednesday and the
same men caused a
disturbance at the Darra
Mosque about midday on
Thursday.
Police said officers pulled
over a car near the Darra
Mosque on Thursday, seizing
cameras and phones from the
men, who the Islamic Council
of Queensland said claimed
to be with the media.
Brisbane
Times
Responding to
the above news, ICQ
Executive member, Fahim
Khondaker, posted on
Facebook:
I hope this
makes the
Muslim
community
feel like
they are
supported by
the justice
system and
the police
here in
Australia.
It is time
to own our
Australian
Muslim
identity. I
also hope
that people
see the
value in a
patient,
polite
response
that was led
by ICQ and
not one of
anger. I
think the
Queensland
Muslim
community
should be
very proud
of the
calmness and
unity with
which this
matter was
handled.
KURABY MOSQUE PRESS RELEASE:
Chief Superintendent Michael
Niland and Inspector Mark
Stewart from South Brisbane
district, attended a meeting
at Kuraby Mosque on Friday 6
July facilitated by Police
Liaison Officer Hamza Shale.
They assured the community
that they treated the
incidences at Kuraby Mosque
very seriously and they
would do everything in their
power to ensure these
individuals would be held to
account and that based on
the evidence thus far, the
QPS would be recommending to
the Immigration Minister
that visas of all non
Australian persons be
revoked and the rest would
be charged.
Inspector Mark Stewart has
been in regular contact with
Kuraby Mosque Trustees.
The Hon Alan Tudge MP,
Minister For Citizenship And
Multicultural Affairs,
recently announced the new
13 member Australian
Multicultural Council (AMC).
The AMC brings together
leaders from a diverse range
of business and civil
society backgrounds, who
will serve three-year terms
and will continue to advise
government on ways to
promote integration and
Australia’s shared values.
The AMC’s expert advisers
will help to guide policy,
develop engagement with and
help encourage migrant
participation in the broader
community.
The Australian Multicultural
Council members include:
Dr Sev Ozdowski AM, Chair*
Dr Bulent Hass Dellal AO,
Deputy Chair*
Mrs Charlotte Vidor*
Mr Vasan Srinivasan*
Ms Helena Kyriazopoulos*
Mr Abeselom Nega
Ms Anthea Hancocks Ms Leila Abukar
Mr Craig Foster
Ms Claudine Menegazzo
Mr Tsebin Tchen
Mr Jason Yeap OAM
Ms Marina Hogan
Good Muslim
Boy at Brisbane's QPAC: 12 Jul
to 4 Aug 2018
An irreverent but tender
memoir of a father, a son
and a question of faith
What does it mean to be a
good Muslim boy? You
probably shouldn’t gawk at
girls in bikinis or fake a
medical degree. If you must
be an actor, you shouldn’t
play a gay man on
television, or Saddam
Hussein in a post 9/11
American musical. And you
definitely, definitely
shouldn’t leave an arranged
bride at the altar.
Meet Osamah Sami. He’s done
all of the above.
Interesting, considering his
father is one of the leading
Islamic clerics in
Australia, having pulled his
family out of war-torn Iran
to settle in suburban
Melbourne. But when his
kindly and unorthodox dad
dies suddenly during a trip
to Iran, Osamah must grapple
with an inscrutable and
corrupt bureaucracy in his
fight to bring his father’s
body home to Australia – all
the while looking back on
his life in a haunting,
hilarious and
heart-wrenching
retrospective.
Osamah Sami’s memoir Good
Muslim Boy, upon which the
play is based, won a 2016
New South Wales Premier’s
Literary Award.
Director Janice Muller
Designer Romanie Harper
Lighting Designer Ben
Hughes
Sound Designer & Composer
Phil Slade
Cast includes Rodney Afif,
Nicole Nabout and
Osamah Sami.
Gallipoli Home: Aged Care
Complex next to Gallipoli Mosque
in Auburn, Sydney
The first facility in Sydney
dedicated to serving the
needs of elderly from Muslim
and culturally diverse
background commenced its
first intake from Monday 2
July 2018.
Gallipoli Home is an
upmarket 102-bed residential
complex located next to the
iconic Gallipoli Mosque on
11 Gelibolu Parade, close to
Auburn train station.
The uniquely designed
purpose built 3-level
building incorporates state
of the art facilities,
alongside a beautiful
aesthetic fusing of modern
architecture with
traditional Turkish, Arabic,
Indigenous, Australian, and
Islamic elements.
The first residents were
welcomed to their new home
on Monday 2 July 2018. The
facility will aim to
accommodate resident
admissions during the coming
year. Interested residents
and their families are
encouraged to come in for a
tour of the facilities and
discuss options with the
team.
From right: Dr Abdurrahman
Asaroglu with the first resident
of Gallipoli Home.
With regard to the funding
of the facility, Dr
Abdurrahman Asaroglu, The
Executive Director of
Gallipoli Home, advised,
“The total project cost is
$33 million; $10 million
from a Federal Government
grant, $20 million through
Shariah compliant finance
and the remaining $3 million
from the generous donations
of the community.
The facility is comprised of
three level of residential
suites built around a
central internal courtyard
with a garden which includes
a fountain. The underground
level consists of a car park
with 43 spaces and services
including industrial-size
kitchen, laundry and
amenities for staff.
The residential suites are
comprised of 82 single rooms
with ensuites and 10 double
rooms with ensuite to
accommodate admission of
couples. The bedrooms,
amenities, communal, dining
and activity area are
generously proportioned.
Residential aged care
becomes a complex issue for
those Muslims who try to
observe their faith and to
be able to continue with a
lifestyle that follows the
tenets of Islam even when
they become old and frail.
Vice President of the Islamic
Council of Victoria Adel Salman.
TENSIONS between Victoria’s
peak Muslim and Jewish
groups over Middle Eastern
politics have got the state
government worried.
The government has
criticised the Islamic
Council of Victoria for
pulling out of a number of
joint events with the Jewish
Community Council of
Victoria.
These include the annual
Jewish Muslim comedy debate
and a long-held Ramadan
dinner. Issues such as US
President Donald Trump
moving his country’s Israel
embassy to Jerusalem have
also led to tensions.
JCCV president Jennifer
Huppert said her
organisation was concerned
that the ICV had cited
overseas issues for pulling
out of joint events.
“Our view is that our
relationship with the ICV
and other organisations
within the Muslim community
is very important for the
continuing wellbeing of the
Victorian community,” she
said.
Ms Huppert said the JCCV had
objected to a recent speech
by ICV vice-president Adel
Salman in which he appeared
to question Israel’s right
to exist.
“We’re open to meeting with
Adel and talking to him,”
she said.
“We still have the lines of
communication open with the
Islamic Council of Victoria,
and will continue to talk to
them and work together to
create, we hope, a
harmonious society in
Victoria.”
However, Ms Huppert said
there seemed to be elements
within the ICV which didn’t
“want to work with the
Jewish community that
perhaps are more radical”.
Mr Salman denied the ICV had
become radicalised, and
defended his strong
criticism of Israel’s
Palestinian policies at the
rally in May.
“It’s no secret that we
fundamentally disagree with
the JCCV’s very one-sided
support for Israel,” he
said.
Mr Salman said the ICV had
urged the JCCV to withdraw
its support for the recent
visit of US Jewish historian
Daniel Pipes — an alleged “Islamophobe”.
He said there were various
reasons for the ICV pulling
out of joint events, but the
Islamic body was keen to
keep communicating with the
JCCV and other Jewish groups
to foster harmony and social
cohesion.
Multicultural Affairs
Minister Robin Scott said
that Muslim communities had
made positive contributions
to the state but he was
disappointed that the ICV
had withdrawn from joint
initiatives with Jewish
groups.
“The relationship between
these communities is
important to Victoria’s
social cohesion, and we will
work with both groups to
resolve their issues,” he
said.
The work of anti-racism is
done by many in the
community. These profiles
highlight just a few of the
Australians who have stood
up against racism, and
spoken up for equality.
How would you describe
your work or advocacy on
anti-racism,
multiculturalism and
cultural diversity? Much of my work in this
space tends to be reactive.
I find myself constantly in
a state of having to
respond, debunk and disprove
assumptions about race,
faith and gender in the
context of social, political
and occupational
environments. This can take
the form of presentations,
keynote addresses,
workshops, panels or media
appearances. I am a strong
advocate for demanding a
platform for inclusion when
experiences of diversity in
gender and culture are being
tabled - and am quick to
call out the hypocrisy of
'diversity forums' which
when held, somehow exclude
the expertise of the very
communities they claim to be
advocating for. My mantra
has always been to own your
narrative before someone
else owns it for you.
How does cultural
diversity shape your life
(personal, work and
otherwise)? I see cultural diversity
increasingly as the norm in
the way a globalised world
evolves. I believe it can be
harnessed as an asset when
considering the breadth of
skills, views and learnings
that enrich traditional
learning behaviours in the
mainstream - which require
systems and people to be
adaptive in order to stay
competitive, and relevant.
Parochial thinking in a
progressive world, causes
regression.
What does
multiculturalism mean to
you? It means acceptance of
culturally diverse
backgrounds and perspectives
without exception or
qualification.
What moments in history
have made you feel proud as
an Australian? The 2008 National Apology
from PM Rudd, in the moment
that it was made.
When in 1968 at the Mexico
Olympics, Australian
sprinter, Peter Norman, wore
his Olympic Project for
Human Rights (OPHR) badge
for an organisation set up
to oppose racism in sport.
His actions were pioneering
in a climate that challenged
prejudice and so
controversial they ended his
career and sanctioned him
from further competition,
despite being a silver
medallist. He remains an
unsung hero of fighting
racism in this country and
deserves to be nationally
acknowledged.
Why is it important to
stand up against racism and
bigotry? Because the protections
against these actions are
fundamental to human rights.
If there is one thing
anyone can do to support
diversity or counter
prejudice, what would it be? Speak out against even
micro-racial aggressions.
Ignoring them makes you
complicit in a racist
discourse, which feed racist
attitudes, which elicit
racist behaviours, which
inform racist policy. From
little racisms, big ones
grow.
Do you have a favourite
story about people learning
about other cultures? That time I was welcomed
to Australia, though I’ve
been here for over forty
years. Or after a giving a
presentation, being
commended on my 'grasp of
the English language', by
complete strangers, to which
I've quipped: 'Yours isn't
too bad. Keep it up'.
What advice would you
give to your 13-year-old
self? Speak up. You were right.
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.
Sheikh Hamza Yusuf Hanson is
one of the most influential
Islamic figures in the
Western world. He is seen as
one of the foremost
authorities on Islam outside
of the Muslim world. He is a
co-founder of the Zaytuna
College in Berkeley,
California, the first and
only accredited Muslim
liberal arts college in the
USA.
Islamic Scholar:
Sheikh Hamza Yusuf Hanson
converted to Islam in 1977
when he was only 17 and
spent many years studying
Arabic, Islamic
jurisprudence and philosophy
with some of the Muslim
world’s most prominent and
well-respected teachers. His
popularity, and accordingly
his influence, stem from his
application of Islamic
knowledge being rooted in
the lived experience of
modern, western society. His
controversial Reviving the
Islamic Spirit conference
speech in 2016 which
critiqued aspects of the
Black Lives Matter movement
sparked an intra-Muslim
dialogue on the racial
struggle in America.
Speaker and Educator:
Sheikh Hamza is a much
sought after speaker. He has
given thousands of lectures
to public audiences and is
interviewed regularly by the
media. He spreads
traditional Sunni orthodoxy
in the West through his
popular speeches and his
teaching at short intense
study programmes such as
Deen Intensive, Rihla and
RIS.
Advisor: He advises
on Islamic Studies to
several US universities, and
is also on the board of
advisors of George Russell’s
One Nation, a national
philanthropic initiative
that promotes pluralism and
inclusion in America.
ANOTHER FROM THE TOP 50
INFLUENTIAL MUSLIMS IN NEXT
WEEK'S CCN
CNN spent a year
interviewing more than 100
American Muslims, asking who
they think are the most
influential Muslims in their
fields. We sought nominees
for whom religion is part of
their public identity, but
other than that, we let
American Muslims do most of
the talking.
Growing up in suburban
Chicago, Eboo Patel
dutifully attended worship
services with his family.
“But the real religion in
our family was American
achievement,” he says. That
meant good grades,
prestigious internships and,
eventually, a lucrative
career.
But after earning a
doctorate from Oxford
University on a Rhodes
scholarship, Patel told his
family he wanted to try
public service. Fifteen
years later, Patel says his
Interfaith Youth Core is one
of the largest
inter-religious
organizations in North
America, with an $8.5
million budget and 45-person
staff who train thousands of
students on nearly 500
college campuses.
The author of three books,
Patel was also a member of
President Obama’s Advisory
Council on Faith-based and
Neighborhood Partnerships.
What other Muslims say about
Patel:
“When he started, a lot of
what Eboo was doing was
groundbreaking. Interfaith
work was foreign to many
Muslims in America. Now it’s
common."
OPINION
by Nabil Mouline,
historian of the
Saudi clergy and
monarchy.
A
candlelight
vigil
support
the
victims
and
their
relatives
of a
series
attacks
at
churches
in
Surabaya,
East
Java.
The speed and
magnitude of
change in Saudi
Arabia has
accelerated
considerably
after the
consecration of
Crown Prince
Mohammed bin
Salman. To
legitimize his
ascent, fulfill
his absolutist
ambitions and
face various
internal and
external
challenges,
Prince Mohammed
has presented
and positioned
himself as the
champion of
“modernization.”
Several of the
crown prince’s
statements and
initiatives —
calling for a
moderate Islam,
authorizing
women to drive,
reopening
cinemas — have
been interpreted
as his desire to
break the
historic pact
between the
House of Saud
and the Wahhabi
religious
establishment.
In the mid-18th
century, the
Saud embraced
Muhammad ibn Abd
al-Wahhab, a
revivalist
preacher who
advocated a
narrow reading
of the Quran and
the Hadith and
attacked any
deviations from
or accretions to
the original
practice. People
who deviated
from the Wahhabi
doctrine were
excluded from
Islam, and jihad
was considered
the only way to
bring them back
to the right
path.
The compact with
Wahhab and his
disciples helped
the Saud to
legitimize an
expansionist
policy and
create a durable
state in the
early 20th
century. The
Saudi monarchy
monopolized
political and
military action;
the Wahhabi
clerics took
charge of the
religious, legal
and social
spheres.
Prince Mohammed
is unlikely to
pull off a break
with the Wahhabi
religious
establishment
because the
clerics have
proved to be
resilient and
have displayed a
great capacity
to adapt to
transitions and
vagaries of
power. Attempts
to marginalize
the clerics date
back to the
early 20th
century.
The
New York Times
Only
Few Know Of The
Cham Muslims –
Vietnam’s
Isolated Islamic
Community
By Simone
Doenvang, a
convert from
Denmark. She has
been traveling
in Asia and the
Middle East, and
has in the past
worked in
advertising in
Dubai and
Pakistan, and
within marketing
and copywriting
in Vietnam.
While traveling in the
Mekong Delta region of Vietnam, I was
surprised to find Muslims in an isolated
village near the Cambodian border on the
Mekong River Bank. Arriving by a small
boat, the group I was traveling with got
off on a narrow, half rotten, wooden
bridge one by one. Following the group,
we were met by barefoot children who
were trying to sell us snacks and
followed us into the village.
A group of men were sitting nearby
wearing “Batik Lungi”, long shirts with
a knot in their waist and white skull
caps. They were all discussing something
with an elder in white robes and turban.
The houses were built on 2 to 3 meter
wood or concrete stilts to prevent
flooding from the Mekong River entering
the houses. Beneath one of them at the
entrance of the village, waved fabrics
were setup for display, while hijab
wearing women were demonstrating the
waving techniques of the Cham people and
showing off their tribe patterns.
From the 2nd to the 17th century, the
lands of South Vietnam belonged to the
Cham Kingdom, ethnical decent from the
Malay Polynesians. The prosperity in the
Kingdom primarily came from maritime
slave and sandalwood trades, which might
have affected the beginning of the
Islamic conversion that started all the
way back in the 11th century. Officially
the Cham King converted in the 17th
century and spread the Islamic teachings
to his people in the southern regions,
before the Vietnamese dynasty conquered
the land in the same century. The
invasion and defeat might explain why
Islamic teaching didn’t reach the Cham
people in the more centralized regions
of Vietnam, which today predominantly
are Hindu or Buddhist. After the
invasion of the South, most Cham Muslims
fled to Cambodia and landed in what is
called “Kampong Cham” literally
translated to “Port of the Cham”, or to
Terengganu in Malaysia. Fragments
remained near the Mekong River in
Vietnam.
The Muslim population in Vietnam is
estimated to be around 65.000 citizens,
where the majority are the Cham Muslims.
The second largest group are ethnical
Vietnamese converts, and though Islam is
slowly rising in the country, the Cham
Muslims feel disconnected with the
ethnical Vietnamese, as fragments of
resentment between the once ruler and
then conquer is still felt on both
sides.
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.
UK: The UK’s national fraud and
cybercrime reporting centre is warning
Muslims to be alert to fraudsters
targeting pilgrims to Makkah out of
hundreds of thousands of pounds.
The warning by Action Fraud comes in
time for Hajj which is expected to see
25,000 Muslims from the UK travel to
Saudi Arabia in August.
British Muslims have lost almost a
million pounds to hajj-related frauds in
the past five years and in 2017, the
average reported loss per victim stood
at a staggering Ł5,869.
According to a report by Action Fraud,
‘Between 1 January 2017 and 31 December
2017 there were 17 reports of
Hajj-related fraud made to Action Fraud,
marking a 143 per cent increase on the
previous year’s reporting figures.
Hotspots for recorded offending were
London, the West Midlands and
Manchester.’
Police believe that the official figures
of victims are “just the tip of the
iceberg” as many people are too
embarrassed or ashamed to report the
crime.
Victims have lost between Ł1,000 and
Ł33,000 each, Action Fraud says. Many
are duped by bogus travel agents and
tour operators, who request payment by
bank transfer, then vanish. Such
payments are not protected by the
Consumer Credit Act.
Detective Sergeant Kevin Ives, from the
City of London Police, said: “Many
victims will have saved for years to be
able to afford to travel to Saudi Arabia
and as a result will be absolutely
devastated when they find out that they
have in fact been conned by fraudsters.
“Hajj fraud continues to destroy the
dreams people have of making a once in a
lifetime pilgrimage to Mecca, which is
why, together with our industry
partners, we are raising awareness of
this crime.
“Be sure to conduct your own research
into the travel company you are thinking
of using and make sure it is really a
member of ABTA [Association of British
Travel Agents] by checking online and is
ATOL [Air Travel Organisers’ Licensing]
protected and is not just using false
logos. You should also get everything in
writing and, if you think you have
become a victim, report it to Action
Fraud.”
Chief Executive of ABTA, Mark Tanzer,
said fraudsters target Muslim pilgrims
“as very large sums of money are at
stake” with many people using their life
savings for the once-in-a-lifetime trip.
“ABTA members selling to the Muslim
community have reported to us that
fraudsters rely on the fact that some
pilgrims may not be aware of the strict
regulations governing package travel, or
the benefits of booking through
companies who belong to a recognised
trade body, like ABTA. This kind of
fraud is particularly despicable as
pilgrims may never again be in the
position to fulfil this religious duty,”
said Tanzer.
The National Fraud Intelligence Bureau
said the average victim of
travel-related fraud was conned out of
about Ł1,500. However, Abta says
individual cases of haj-fraud are often
five or six times this amount.
Travel arrangements that are sold in the
UK with flights and accommodation must
have an Atol certificate, which
financially protects travellers. .
The Nigerian imam who saved Christians from
Muslim gunmen
Christians
say they would have died had it
not been for the bravery of the
Muslim cleric (centre)
NIGERIA: When an imam in
Nigeria saw hundreds of desperate,
frightened families running into his
village last Saturday, he decided to
risk his life to save theirs.
They were fleeing from a neighbouring
village - a mainly Christian community.
They say they came under attack at about
15:00 (14:00 GMT) from about 300
well-armed men - suspected cattle
herders, who are mostly Muslims - who
started shooting sporadically and
burning down their homes.
Some of those who managed to escape ran
towards the mainly Muslim neighbourhood
nearby where the imam lived, arriving
over the next hour.
The cleric immediately came to their
aid, hiding in total 262 men, women and
children in his home and mosque.
"I first took the women to my personal
house to hide them. Then I took the men
to the mosque," the imam told BBC
Pidgin.
Winners
of The Muslim News Awards for Excellence
2018
UK: Sixteenth The Muslim
News Awards for Excellence 2018 Gala
awards was held on 23 April in London to
celebrate British Muslim contributions
to the society. Guest of Honour Rt Hon
David Lidington, Chancellor of Duchy of
Lancaster & Minister at Cabinet Office.
Ahmed J Versi Editor of The Muslim News
& founder of the awards welcomed the
guests.
Imams Hasan & Husayn CHILDREN’S AWARD
for excellence
Winner: Ishal Mahmud, Student, St
Swithun’s School
Alija Izetbegovic award for GOOD
CITIZENSHIP
Winner: Nazim Ali, Careers Adviser,
Prospects Services Limited
Sankore University award for excellence
in EDUCATION
Winner: Mashood A Baderin Professor
of Law, SOAS, University of London
Al Biruni award for excellence in
COMMUNITY RELATIONS
Winner: Mfa Zaman Safe & Save
Fazlur Rahman Khan award for excellence
in ENGINEERING, SCIENCE, OR TECHNOLOGY
Winner: Dr Sheraz Gul, Head of Drug
Discovery, Fraunhofer Institute
Annemarie Schimmel award for CHAMPIONING
A MUSLIM CAUSE
Winner: Grassroots
Ibn Sina award for HEALTH
Winner: Dr Amina Jindani, Honorary
Senior Lecturer, St George’s University
of London
Ibn Battuta Award for Excellence in the
MEDIA
Winner: Mars Elkins-El Brogy, Head of
Video Production, London Evening
Standard/The Independent
Iman wa Amal SPECIAL AWARD
Winner: Dr Fayyaz Afzal OBE, District
Judge, Ministry of Justice
Malcolm X YOUNG PERSON’S Award for
excellence
Winner: Maryam Ali, Level 2 Cricket
Coach
Faezeh Hashemi award for excellence in
SPORT
Winner: Saba Nasim BEM BCA,
Solicitor/ECB Level 2 Cricket Coach
Uthman Dan Fodio Award for excellence in
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
Winner: Islamic Relief & Approachable
Parenting
Alhambra award for excellence in ARTS
Winner: Ruh Al-Alam, Artist &
Creative Entrepreneur, Visual Dhikr &
Archetype
Ummul Mu’minin Khadijah award for
excellence in ENTERPRISE
Winner: Shezad Nawab, MBE,
Entrepreneur
Editors LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT award
Winner: Dr Sabhiha Saleem
Two men targeted a 19-year-old woman,
inflicting injuries upon her with a sharp
object and calling her a “filthy Arab.”
This
screen grab taken from Google
Maps shows the Chateau (Castle)
Street in Anderlues town near
the Belgian capital Brussels.
(Google Maps)
BELGIUM: A Muslim woman,
whose name has not been made public, was
brutally assaulted in what appears to be
a hate crime carried out by two racist
men in Anderlues town near Brussels on
Monday, Belgian media reported.
The 19-year-old woman was walking alone
in an alley around 2100 GMT (11 pm
local) when two unnamed assailants stood
in her way, according to Belgium’s
official news agency Belga.
The men took off her headscarf and tore
apart her shirt, exposing her upper
body.
As she tried to escape, the two men
hurled racial slurs at the victim,
calling her a “filthy Arab” before
knocking her to the ground.
Then, the attackers used a sharp object
to cut her body, including her torso,
stomach and legs, in the shape of a
cross, the Belga said.
The men fled after the incident.
The police is yet to reveal details
about the health condition of the woman.
The local police have launched an
investigation into the attack.
In a crowd, but on my own
Surrounded, yet alone
Socialising, wiling time,
With a pasted, hollow smile
What I really think,
I keep within
What I see and feel,
I don’t reveal
Not because I’m not free
To lift my mask of bland
conformity,
It’s just that I’m afraid
My thoughts won’t resonate
With the lilting chatter.
And I’d rather not
interrupt,
Only to be dubbed
A spoiler of fun,
Boring stick in the mud
And yet,
All the floating and
flitting
Leaves my mind spinning
I follow the shifts –
From holiday planning,
weight-loss techniques, to
gossip,
Work routines, new
restaurants, to fashion
tips,
Feeling slightly sick…
To what end?
Where are these frothy
conversations going?
In all the verbal to-ing and
fro-ing,
Where is the quest for
meaning,
Divine purpose and being?
Perhaps you’ve been there
too
Torn between melting in the
stew
Or changing the essential
flavour
And risking censure
And maybe like me,
You always give in
To the desire to fit in
If only…
We could forego our
obsession
With self-preservation
And show a little more
courage
To lead the conversation
A Childhood in the Middle East, 1978-1984: A Graphic
Memoir
by
Riad Sattouf
Description
Sattouf has described his
complicated depiction of his father as “a
dreamer full of bluster, driven by impotent fury
at the West; a secularist who can’t quite free
himself from superstition; a man who wants to
give orders but whose lot is to follow them.”
According to the New Yorker of all sources, The
Arab of the Future books “have drawn controversy
in France for their harsh portrayal of a
traditional Muslim society plagued by everyday
violence and bigotry, which some critics
perceive as pandering to anti-Arab prejudices.
Sattouf insists that his project should be taken
as a portrait of his own childhood and family,
not of Syria or the Arab world at large.”
The Arab of the
Future, the #1 French best-seller, tells the
unforgettable story of Riad Sattouf's childhood,
spent in the shadows of 3 dictators—Muammar
Gaddafi, Hafez al-Assad, and his father
In striking, virtuoso graphic style that
captures both the immediacy of childhood and the
fervor of political idealism, Riad Sattouf
recounts his nomadic childhood growing up in
rural France, Gaddafi's Libya, and Assad's
Syria--but always under the roof of his father,
a Syrian Pan-Arabist who drags his family along
in his pursuit of grandiose dreams for the Arab
nation.
Riad, delicate and wide-eyed, follows in the
trail of his mismatched parents; his mother, a
bookish French student, is as modest as his
father is flamboyant. Venturing first to the
Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab State and
then joining the family tribe in Homs, Syria,
they hold fast to the vision of the paradise
that always lies just around the corner. And
hold they do, though food is scarce, children
kill dogs for sport, and with locks banned, the
Sattoufs come home one day to discover another
family occupying their apartment. The ultimate
outsider, Riad, with his flowing blond hair, is
called the ultimate insult… Jewish. And in no
time at all, his father has come up with yet
another grand plan, moving from building a new
people to building his own great palace.
Brimming with life and dark humour, The Arab of
the Future reveals the truth and texture of one
eccentric family in an absurd Middle East, and
also introduces a master cartoonist in a work
destined to stand alongside Maus and Persepolis.
KB says:
My guest chef this week is Yasmin Tar suggests
making use of fresh guava which has a fairly dense texture with
a strong flavour but a mild taste. The fruit's
taste is like a combination of pear and
strawberry. Unfortunately the fresh guava is not
readily available hence her use of the canned
variety.
Guava Dessert
INGREDIENTS & METHOD
1 tin condensed milk
1 big tin nestle
cream
1 big tin canned
guavas in syrup -
drained
Grated rose falooda
/ jelly (see below)
Method
Whisk nestle cream
and condensed milk.
Grate guavas and add
grated jelly.
Mix all together and
spoon into serving
bowls,
Decorate with a
piece of jelly cut
into flower shape
and serve chilled.
Water Falooda
1 litre water
1˝ tsp agar agar (falooda
powder)
˝ cup sugar
A drizzle of Rose
syrup
Method
Boil water, sugar
and agar agar powder
together for 15
mins. Remove from
heat and add the
rose syrup. pour
into a tray and
leave to set.
Grate ľ of the
falooda to add to
the desert and cut
out shapes from the
remaining Ľ to
decorate the desert.
(optional)
Or if time does not
permit, simply use
the cherry or
raspberry boxed
jelly.
Do you have a recipe to share with CCN
readers?
Send in your favourite recipe to me at
admin@ccnonline.com.au and be my "guest chef" for the week.
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:
Do I Stay Or
Leave?
Thinking back to
that Mother’s Day
afternoon in 2011, I
don’t exactly
remember whether it
was the electric
cord that he
strangled me with
that triggered the
warrior in me or the
one solid punch on
my head where I was
housing a golf-ball
sized brain tumour.
What I do recall
vividly is when I
saw my tiny
seven-year-old
daughter from the
corner of my eye,
shivering with fear
and screaming at the
top of her lungs
“Papa, let her go,
please, let her go!”
was when the moment
of truth hit me like
a ton of
bricks...Was this
the legacy I was
leaving for my
daughter? This was
not about her father
being violent to her
mother...this was
about her parents
mentally torturing
her, abusing her in
a way that may never
heal. Astaghfirullah.
Being in a toxic
relationship brings
about death. Death
to peace, love,
light, joy and
abundance. It slowly
sucks life out of
you until you start
mirroring toxicity
in your thoughts,
words and deeds. Not
all toxic
relationships are
physically violent.
Emotional torture,
insults,
money-control,
spying (hacking into
social media
accounts, or
checking phone
messages), constant
accusations are some
of many signs of a
toxic relationship.
What happened in
2011 to me was not a
one-off incident. It
started when I began
dating him back in
2001. All these
little things and
signs that I chose
to dismiss because a
part of me convinced
me of two things;
one, that I deserved
them - taking blame,
making excuses for
his violence. And
two, that I could
change him if I
tried harder. These
two reasons were a
clear indication
that I lacked
self-worth,
self-respect,
self-love,
self-compassion and
gratitude to ALLAH
for the beautiful
life that HE had
blessed me with
where instead of
choosing love,
light, peace and
joy, I was choosing
toxicity and
perpetuating it
further. When
motherhood happened,
the excuse to stay
became even more
ridiculous: I’m
staying because my
child needs a
complete family, she
needs both parents.
It’s not fun sharing
this truth with my
readers. However,
self-transformation
is only possible
when there is
self-reflection and
awareness of
patterns of
thinking.
Self-sabotaging
thought patterns
that trap you into
staying on in toxic
relationships
(marriages,
friendships and
business
partnerships) only
bring about
darkness, ill
health, resentment
and fear.
Before you know it,
you become addicted
to this toxicity and
fear propels you to
find excuses to
remain stuck in this
stagnant existence.
ALLAH created you to
live your life to
your full potential
and worship HIM. How
can you do that if
you are stuck in
existing in such
toxicity?
Know the
difference between
merely existing and
actually living.
Where are you in
your life right now?
How do you feel
about your growth?
How is your
relationship helping
you grow? Is it
helping you grow? If
not, why not?
So, Stay Or Leave?
No one can make you
leave. You need to
decide that for
yourself. People
sometimes say things
like, “If it’s that
bad, just leave.”
Well, it’s not that
simple...because you
need to understand
that in order to
leave a toxic
relationship, you
need to first and
foremost become
aware that you are
in fact choosing to
remain in the
toxicity.
Choice is the
most fundamental and
crucial part of
decision-making.
You can CHOOSE to:
•
Fight and argue
daily OR be in a
peaceful,
soulful
companionship
• Fear being
yourself OR feel
the freedom to
be who you are
and live your
purpose
• Feel useless,
hopeless,
anxious and
depressed OR
feel positive,
light, loving
and joyful
• Cry alone and
blame others or
self OR cry it
out to a trusted
professional to
guide you
• Retaliate with
violence and
aggression OR
realise your
self-worth and
rise above these
toxic
behavioural
choices
• Continue
making excuses
for this toxic
situation OR
take action to
do something to
change your life
for the better
• Continue being
ignorant about
your rights OR
find the right
people to help
you understand
your rights
• Remain in this
prison till you
die OR walk out
of this prison
NOW because you
actually can.
In
Shaa ALLAH, next
week we will explore
the topic:
Accept, Release,
Move On
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.
3rd Annual Australian
Islamic Schooling
Conference:
Islamic Schooling Renewal
– A Focus on Pedagogy
Tuesday 10 and Wednesday
11 July 2018
Adelaide
Pedagogy can be defined in
many ways, narrowly as a way
of teaching or a methodology
of instruction, and more
broadly as a framework for
conceptualising what is
meant by approaches to
schooling. A critical
reflection on pedagogy
within the field of Islamic
schooling is timely as we
move beyond the
establishment phase and
embrace an era characterised
by renewal.
If one considers the
provocation that pedagogy is
never politically neutral, a
unique lens for exploration
exists in the field of
Islamic schooling given the
complex politics of Muslims
and Islam in popular
Australian media as well as
in other contemporary
Western contexts and the
intersection with
contemporary schooling
contexts, sometimes
criticised as neoliberal.
How much progress has been
made in the area of pedagogy
within Islamic schooling?
What is an Islamic pedagogy
and what does it offer to
the field of Islamic
schooling? Are our current
pedagogies responsive to the
educational context and the
needs of Australian Muslim
students? How does
pedagogical practice in
Islamic schools align with
AITSL teacher standards? How
equipped is the field of
Islamic schooling to manage
necessary pedagogical
renewal?
These are just some of the
questions that Islamic
Schooling Renewal – A Focus
on Pedagogy will tackle over
two conference days, as it
examines pedagogy and
Islamic schooling for Muslim
students from a
whole-of-life and
whole-of-community
perspective.
With an impressive line-up
of international and
national speakers from
specialist disciplines and
diverse sectors, Islamic
Schooling Renewal – A Focus
on Pedagogy is sure to offer
valuable and practical
insights into the future of
pedagogy in Islamic
schooling in the West.
The conference will
critically explore pedagogy
and Islamic schooling for
Muslim students from a
whole-of-life and
whole-of-community
perspective.
Topics and themes of
presentations will include
the following but not
limited to:
• Conceptualisations of
pedagogy in Islamic
schooling
• Pedagogy – theory and
praxis
• Pedagogical leadership
• Politics and pedagogy
• Pedagogy, identity and
citizenship
• Critical pedagogical
perspectives
• Culturally Responsive
Pedagogy
• Professional learning
communities – pedagogical
conversations
• Pedagogy and implications
for curriculum and
assessment
• Professional learning and
teacher education
The 3rd Annual Australian
Islamic Schooling
Conference: Islamic
Schooling Renewal – A Focus
on Pedagogy will be held on
Tuesday 10 and Wednesday
11 July 2018 in
Adelaide, South Australia,
for more information please
contact
cite@unisa.edu.au or 08
8302 6919
Noura Erakat is a human
rights attorney and an
Assistant Professor at
George Mason University,
whose research interests
include humanitarian law,
refugee law, national
security law, and critical
race theory.
Noura is a Co-Founding
Editor of Jadaliyya e-zine
and an Editorial Committee
member of the Journal of
Palestine Studies. Prior to
joining GMU's faculty, she
served as Legal Counsel for
a Congressional Subcommittee
in the House of
Representatives, as a Legal
Advocate for the Badil
Resource Center for
Palestinian Refugee and
Residency Rights, and as the
national grassroots
organizer and legal advocate
at the US Campaign to End
the Israeli Occupation. She
is a Co-Founding Board
Member of the DC Palestinian
Film and Arts Festival and
is a Board member of the
Institute for Policy
Studies.
A powerful spokesperson for
the Palestinian cause,
Noura’s media appearances
include CNN, MSNBC, Fox
News, PBS NewsHour, BBC
World Service, NPR,
Democracy Now!, and Al
Jazeera. She has published
in the Nation, the New York
Times, the Los Angeles
Review of Books, Huffington
Post, Jezebel, IntlLawGrrls,
The Hill, and Foreign
Policy, among others.
Noura is the author of
Justice for Some: Law As
Politics in the Question of
Palestine (forthcoming
Stanford University Press,
2019).
Palestinian-American human
rights attorney Noura Erakat
is the guest speaker for the
2018 Edward Said Memorial
Lecture, an annual public
lecture to honour the memory
of groundbreaking
Palestinian scholar,
courageous advocate,
passionate critic and an
unfailing humanist - the
late Edward Said.
She will be touring several
capital cities - so check
details for your city below.
Bookings are essential!
⚬ ADELAIDE
Edward Said Memorial
Lecture: Anti-Blackness,
Settler-Colonialism and the
Question of Palestine
> Details:
Adelaide Town Hall
Saturday 14 July at 5.30pm
> NB: If you aren't in one
of these key cities, then
please make sure you are
following APAN - Australia
Palestine Advocacy Network -
for an announcement of a
Facebook live event with
Noura Erekat!
THE BIG RIDE
AUSTRALIA for PALESTINE
Cycle from Brisbane to Byron
Bay on the 10-12 August and
raise money for children’s
education in Hebron and help
spread understanding and
awareness about the
Palestinian plight with our
local community.
Riders from all backgrounds
and faiths take part because
they want to be a beacon of
hope for the people of
Palestine showing that all
over the world there is
support for the Palestinian
cause and an aim to bring
about peace in the region.
There is something for
riders of all levels of
fitness with a free family
city ride and community
event on the Friday night
and then the two day main
event cycling from Logan to
Byron Bay. You can sign up
for one, two or all three
days. Remember your sign up
costs include: accommodation
(Saturday), food, jersey,
support vehicles, insurance,
stickers, flag and
wristband. Sunday includes
bus back to Gold Coast or
Brisbane.
Secure a spot at the Harvard
Club of Australia 2018 Program
for Leaders by submitting a
world-changing idea to The
Crescent Institute
As a part of our commitment
to build a more thoughtful,
well-connected Australia,
the Crescent Institute has
created the inaugural, 2018
Future Makers Challenge,
where your ideas could
change the world.
CI giving away two fully
paid scholarships to the
Harvard Club of Australia
and is looking for
professionals to submit
ideas that may change the
world, and the two best
ideas will win the
scholarship.
Are you a manager or
executive with
responsibility for strategy,
leadership, and
organisational performance?
Do you dream of making the
world a better place?
CI is calling on innovators,
entrepreneurs, and social
change leaders,
country-wide, to submit your
most original,
world-changing idea. With
the potential for the best
submissions to be presented
to a select panel of
Australia's industry
leaders, and angel investors
- and the ultimate reward of
all expenses paid attendance
at the
Harvard Club of Australia's
2018 Program for Leaders
in late July.
The most ingenious ideas
will be voted on, with
shortlisted applicants
announced on Thursday 12
July 2018 to present to
an esteemed panel on
Wednesday 18 July 2018.
The challenge includes two
divisions for corporate and
non-profit submissions,
promoting the Crescent
Institute's aim to encourage
learning in leadership
throughout all sectors of
Australia.
Key dates
Submit your idea online
before 5PM (Sydney-time)
Wednesday 11 July 2018.
Shortlisted applicants
announced on or before
Thursday 12 July 2018.
Judging will take place on
Wednesday 18 July 2018.
Good luck, and we look
forward to your
world-changing ideas.
ISLAM 101
New Muslim Care (NMC) are proud to
be working in alliance with Sisters Support Services
(SSS) and National Zakat Foundation (NZF) to
support new Muslims with the Islam 101: The Foundations
courses.
Through collaboration we are strengthening our
organisations and sharing resources in order to continue
to provide much needed services to the community.
Our aim is to offer continuous support to new Muslims
through Islamic workshops, classes and social avenues
and enable a more seamless transition successfully to an
Islamic way of life Insha'Allah.
Sessions for brothers are envisaged for the near future.
In collaboration with Qld Police Service,
Muslimah Mind Matters and Sisters Support Services are
facilitating FOUR x 1 Day SHE live events (Free) for
Muslimahs in Brisbane.
Book FREE tickets for the first of the four events
on 11th July, especially for Mothers and Daughters.
A small group of sisters have
established the
Hurricane Stars Club,
the first sports and recreation association
specifically catering for Muslim females in
Brisbane. All classes and activities for
males and females over 10 years old will be
kept separately as males-only and
females-only classes.
The organisation is an
incorporation of 3 previous clubs that have
been operating for the past 2 and a half
years ; The Young Muslims club, that
organised social and educational activities
for primary-school-aged children. The Teens
Club, that organised fun activities with an
Islamic-based session for teenage girls and
boys done separately and also the Ladies
swimming program that has offered
ladies-only swimming lessons, aqua-aerobics
and mums-and-bubs learn-to-swim classes for
the past 18 months.
All of these programs will
continue and are still organised by the same
ladies who founded these programs. Being
registered as an official not-for-profit
sports and recreation association allows us
to be eligible for government sporting
programs. It has allowed us to be eligible
to accept the Queensland Government’s ‘Get
Started’ $150 vouchers for our swimming
program for children aged 5-17 years old.
Children aged from 5-to-17-years old will
receive $150 off the cost of swimming
lessons if they register for our swimming
program.
We have also added a new
Female Fitness program, sponsored by the
Logan City Council. We offer ladies only
fitness classes and aqua-aerobics classes
for only $2 per class. Mums are welcome and
encouraged to bring their children aged 3
years old and under to the class with them
while they do a 45-minutes-class. We have
created a teen girls fitness program, which
will be a hijab-friendly fitness opportunity
for teenage girls to get fit and active. We
offer a variety of activities both indoors
and outdoors on a regular basis.
Please like our Facebook page
- hurricane stars club, for all the latest
updates. We look forward to offering many
more exciting and fun programs and
activities for the community in shaa'Allah
in the future.
On 31 December 2017 the only
Islamic childcare centre in the whole of Brisbane had to
unfortunately close its doors due to the Department of
Transport requiring it for their future expansion. To
date they are still in the process of securing new
premises to continue serving this very important need of
the community and the wait continues….
In the interim the need is
still there. The question most Muslims would be asking
themselves is “Where do I send my child so that he/she
can learn, grow and develop in an Islamic environment,
and establish a sound Islamic foundation?”
Msasa Montessori is a private home based learning centre
for 3-5 year olds. The focus is an Islamic based
learning environment alongside the Montessori method of
teaching. Children will be taught their basic duas,
surahs, tasbeehs, stories of the Prophets will be read
and enacted, and Inshallah their love for Allah and His
Noble Prophet Muhammed S.A.W will develop. Supported by
the Montessori method of teaching they will develop
their independence and will utilise equipment which will
enable them to develop and grow.
Montessori is a method of education based on
self-directed activity, hands-on learning and
collaborative play. The Montessori materials cover
developmental activities designed to meet the needs of
children in five curriculum areas:
Practical life skills, Sensorial activities,
Mathematics, Language and Cultural Studies.
By providing such an
environment, the children will develop a strong sense of
wellbeing and identity as Muslims and they will become
confident and involved learners with the ability to
communicate effectively and with confidence.
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
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Only
Few Know Of The
Cham Muslims –
Vietnam’s
Isolated Islamic
Community
Be alert of Hajj fraud, pilgrims warned 
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7
August 2011