BACK ISSUES

With the drought conditions impacting farmers across Australia, Mosques around the country have held special prayers (Salaat-ul-Istisqaa) to ask for rain.

The Council of Imams Queensland (CIQ) organized the prayers at the Australian International Islamic College (AIIC) on Sunday 19 August.

Muslim Charitable Foundation (MCF) volunteers collected funds for drought stricken farmers at the prayers.

           Post comment here

The 2018 awards winners were announced at the Queensland Multicultural Awards gala lunch, held on Sunday 19 August at the Hilton Hotel, Brisbane.

The Queensland Multicultural Awards recognise the valuable contributions of Queenslanders who support and promote a united, harmonious and inclusive Queensland community.

The 2018 theme was, ‘Building a prosperous, fair and harmonious Queensland’.

Sudanese-born Faiza El-Higzi, an active campaigner for human rights and cultural diversity within the Queensland community, won the Outstanding Individual Achiever Award for 2018.

Ms El-Higzi is described as a "‘bridge builder’ who strengthens community ties by creating spaces for conversations and interactions. Her work on community and government boards are important opportunities to bring attention to community issues and enable discussions that lead to positive outcomes for people from diverse cultural backgrounds."

Complete list of Winners

           Post comment here

President of the Islamic Council of Qld (ICQ), Ismail Cajee, thanked the Queensland Police Service (QPS) for their "professional support you provided in coordinating Eid al Adha (Eid of sacrifice) at the Islamic College of Brisbane on Wednesday 22nd August.

It is estimated more than 5000 people attended the special prayers and reports from ICQ coordinators confirm the day went without any incident, issues or traffic complaint.

Mr. Cajee made particular mention of the professionalism and efforts of  A/Senior Sgt Mark Pryer, OIC Calamvale Station and his staff including Sgt Atkins, S/C Danielle Bright and Constable’s Koh and Sheedy, as well as Sgt Magarry and Constable Koropatwa from Acacia Ridge Station, Constable’s Chand and Degn from Inala Station, and SBD PLOs Nasra Aden and Hamza Shale.

           Post comment here

Almost 200 people attended the annual evening of Jewish, Christian & Muslim Sacred Voices and Music at the ICD Griffith University on 23rd August.

For the first time children from bot the Muslim and Jewish faiths joined together to render a touching rendition of the national anthem. It was also the first time that the young Jewish children sang in public. The whole group received a resounding applause.

Students from Wisdom College sang a song about diversity and then a sacred song accompanied by Imam Ghazaleh.

The Jewish children than sang their Sacred song which was applauded by all as they were enthusiastic in their second only performance in public.
 

This was followed by the songs sung by the trainee priests from the Banyo Seminary and concluded with the rich voices of the elderly singers from the St James old boys choir some of whom were in their eighties and ninety.

The Muslims provided the hot meal, the Jews the desserts and the Christians the drinks.
 

A great time was held by all as the concert was followed by a sumptuous meal

           Post comment here

           Post comment here

A Q&A literary special from Melbourne. Five acclaimed novelists: John Marsden, Maxine Beneba Clarke, Sofie Laguna, Michael Mohammed Ahmad and Trent Dalton discuss reality, fiction and how and why they write about Australia.

SELECTED TRANSCRIPTS from the panel discussion of writers:

 

Q: Have any of the panellists ever felt uneasy, uncomfortable or unsafe when dining in a Melbourne restaurant?

TONY JONES
Mohammed, I know you don’t live here, but...

MICHAEL MOHAMMED AHMAD, THE LEBS, THE TRIBE, SWEATSHOP LITERACY MOVEMENT
No, I don’t live in Melbourne, but it doesn’t matter because, actually, my experience as an Arab Australian Muslim is that I don’t feel safe in Australia most of the time.

I want to add something to it. My name is both Michael and Mohammed. That’s kind of the condition of being a minority and living in Australia – that you have to live strategically between two identities all the time. And, you know, when somebody asks you your name, it should be the most immediate thing. It’s one of the first things you’re given when you’re born. And so the idea that you go into a restaurant in Australia and somebody takes your order and says to you, “What’s your name?” and you have to hesitate, you have to ask yourself, “Do I tell them my name is Mohammed?” is a tragedy. And it’s disgusting that our politicians and our government has let the demon of xenophobia bring us to this point.

Q: The tenure of Prime Minister Turnbull is once again the subject of intense speculation. If Peter Dutton were to become prime minister, do you believe that his actions and statements regarding African gangs and refugees would harm or help the Coalition at the next election? Is dog-whistle politics becoming a more or less successful tactic in Australian politics?

MICHAEL MOHAMMED AHMAD
I don’t know the answer to the question, “Will it be harmful or not?” because I still am not sure just how much the influence and the rise of white supremacy has infiltrated the minds of Australian citizens. But I will say this about Peter Dutton – that two years ago he made comments about Lebanese Australian Muslims, specifically second-generation Lebanese Australian Muslims. That’s me. He said that we’re a mistake, that it was a mistake for the Fraser government to allow our parents into this country. And I have to say that when I heard those comments...it was the first time that I probably felt extremely proud to call myself a Lebanese Australian Muslim. Because I thought to myself I would prefer to wake up every morning knowing I’m a mistake and doing everything I can to make this country the best place it can be than to be brought into this world intentionally and to mean nothing but to cause havoc and trouble and bigotry.

Q: A week ago on Sky News, United Patriots Front’s Blair Cottrell, a man who has admitted to liking Hitler and been found guilty of violence against women, made comments about restoring Australia’s “traditional identity” and the need to protect the people of this country against foreign ideologies. And last week Senator Anning claimed that “the final solution to the immigration problem” should be a Muslim ban. Do you think that the media should censor this type of behaviour, or is it crossing the line of freedom of speech?

MICHAEL MOHAMMED AHMAD
It’s not new rhetoric. This is something that I’ve been hearing my entire life. I’m 32 years old and I’ve been an Australian for 32 years. And this kind of hysteria, the language – reinstate a white Australia policy, ban immigration from the Muslim world, ban people of colour – has a cyclical model. We hear it every couple of months. And every time the Muslim community hears it, there’s a script that we have to follow. We have to say, “Stop being racist towards us. Stop stereotyping us. Stop essentialising us. Don’t be afraid of us. We mean you no harm.” How does that work out for the Muslim community when we follow that script? How did it work out for our sister Yassmin Abdel-Magied? If anybody who knows her told you about her, they’d tell you she’s the nicest person you’ve ever met, and she was still treated like a member of ISIS. You see, that’s the point, that it makes no difference what kind of a Muslim you are – good Muslim, bad Muslim, ignorant Muslim, educated Muslim, moderate Muslim, radical Muslim... Still Muslim.

And so, at this point in time, I’m not interested anymore in reassuring bigots not to be afraid of me. My position is actually quite the opposite. My position now is this – if you’re a racist, if you’re a white supremacist, an imperialist, a colonialist, an Orientalist, and Islamophobe and a xenophobe, you SHOULD be afraid of me, because I stand in solidarity with the majority of the people on this planet, who will say no to you, and we are going to stop this bigotry and hatred that you’re spreading.

TONY JONES
Let’s be clear... Mohammed, in your case, you’re talking about with your pen or your typewriter, correct?

MICHAEL MOHAMMED AHMAD
Um... Because you’re worried that I’m implicating some kind of violent actions.

TONY JONES
No, I’m giving you the opportunity to say that you aren’t.

MICHAEL MOHAMMED AHMAD
Well, of course I’m not. But I’ve got to be dead honest – I always find it really cheap when I’m being... when there’s a concern that Muslims are inciting violence, because if you looked at the foreign policies of the West, they are the most violent people on the planet.

Q: Through John Marsden’s novel Tomorrow, When The War Began and the movie adaptation, have we raised a generation in fear of invasion?

TRENT DALTON
Yeah. That’s right. Through fiction, you can go so deep into humanity. And I’ve found this myself, like, writing a bloody book. And you realise these answers about your own life, about the lives of the people you love. And you find that truth through a completely adventurous, fantastical world.

TONY JONES
Mohammed, do you agree with that? I mean, you’ve chosen to delve into part of your own life with The Lebs, your novel, your recent novel. And it’s quite an extraordinary and visceral experience which you lived through.

MICHAEL MOHAMMED AHMAD
What’s the question?

TONY JONES
The question is, are you also using your experiences to tell us a story about Australia?

MICHAEL MOHAMMED AHMAD
Um... Look, I’ve got to...

TONY JONES
And I guess to change Australia, or perceptions about certain people in this country?

MICHAEL MOHAMMED AHMAD
The answer’s yes, but I don’t think there’s any literature in Australia that doesn’t do that. And so I would really like to answer the question from the audience member about the Tomorrow series. Because, you know, it is about 20 years old, and I remember growing up in the western suburbs of Sydney, where there was tremendous xenophobia towards Vietnamese Australian communities. And with all due respect, the language of the book and the implications in the book genuinely impacted and damaged the lives of a lot of the young people that I grew up around. And, you know, for me, reading, it’s not about the ability to put words together, it’s about the ability to pull words apart. And when I pulled the words apart in the Tomorrow series, I did interpret a paranoid, white nationalist fantasy about a group of coloured people illegally invading this country. And I always find that narrative deeply ironic, because that’s what the white population did to the Indigenous population.

Q: The artistic director of the Melbourne Writers Festival, Marieke Hardy, says that she wouldn’t invite Germaine Greer to speak at her discussions because she’s not interested in having debates that hurt people. This follows Germaine Greer being uninvited from the Brisbane Writers Festival. But isn’t the role of arts festivals to promote discussions and debates, even if they aren’t attractive or appealing to a lot of people, as long as they’re reflective of society?

MICHAEL MOHAMMED AHMAD
Was she not invited from Brisbane?

TONY JONES
Correct.

MICHAEL MOHAMMED AHMAD
OK. I would rather not talk about Germaine Greer, because we’ve said quite a bit about her already. I would like to talk, actually, more specifically about Bob Carr and his relationship to the Brisbane Writers Festival. Because, you know, when I was 13 years old, he was the Premier of New South Wales, and this was at the height of the demonisation of Arab and Muslim communities, specifically under the term Lebanese.

And I remember one time coming home from school and seeing Bob Carr on the news, and he was saying – when I was a boy, he was saying to me – “Obey the laws of the country or ship out of the country.” I knew that that comment was targeted at someone like me, a young Lebanese-Australian Muslim, because no matter how horrendous the crimes of white Australians may be, the politicians are never insinuating that the solution is to kick them out of their own country.

And I’ve got to say that when I heard that comment, I remember feeling extremely silenced and disempowered by the comments, because I knew that my community, the Arab-Australian Muslim community, did not have the platform and the power to respond to that kind of bigotry. And so what I hope is that in this moment, where Bob Carr has been temporarily silenced by a writers’ festival, he is given the opportunity to reflect on what it’s like for most people from minorities in Australia most of the time.

TONY JONES
Mohammed, just talk about your book for a minute... So, The Lebs will be controversial in some people’s minds because it’s actually quite a visceral account of the lives of these young men at Punchbowl High when you were there.

So, you experienced it – effectively, it’s autobiographical. And they’re pretty abominable in the way they treat women – they call them either sluts or virgins – they offend a whole group of people, they’re anti-Semitic. They’re also funny. And I guess you’re calling on a kind of tradition here of The Sopranos and Mean Streets, Martin Scorsese films. So you’ve got these conflicted and conflicting and sometimes violent characters, but I guess the point is here, it’s your privilege as a writer to write about them because they’re real and we never get this perspective.

MICHAEL MOHAMMED AHMAD
Look, as a writer, I’m not interested in telling another positive story about Arabs and Muslims to counteract all the negative stories. My business as a writer is to represent the truth as I see it. And the truth of the experiences I had growing up is that we had a lot of antisocial behaviour in our community. Now, one of the main bits of rhetoric which you’re touching on, Tony, in my book, in The Lebs, is that it’s a confronting novel, and that’s usually the reaction that I get. People are offended. They’re confronted. That’s the words they use.

And that’s something that I can’t apologise for, because if you think it’s confronting to read a book about Lebs, you should have tried being a Leb in the year 2000, at the height of the media campaign, the political campaigns, around the September 11 attacks, the Skaf gang rapes, and the way they turned all of us into sexual predators, gangsters, and terrorist conspirators. And so I have to speak the truth to my reality of what it was like at that particular moment in time.

TONY JONES
You mentioned September 11, and I’m going to bring this up because, effectively, what happens – September 11 attacks occur, and some of your characters are watching and cheering as the towers go down.

MICHAEL MOHAMMED AHMAD
Yeah, I mean, look, it’s certainly true that, at the school that I went to, which was 95% Arab-Australian Muslim, even though it was a public school, it was a school that was surrounded by barbed wires and cameras, and our student body were under constant surveillance and pressure, and I do remember on the morning of the September 11 attacks that a lot of the young men were celebrating. I can’t deny that or sugar-coat that just to protect my community.

But here’s the part that you have to contextualise and that you have to keep in mind – what happens at the school that day, which I write about in my book, is there’s a young boy from a Palestinian background. The principal brings us all to the library and he tells us how disgusted he is with our behaviour in reaction to these events. Now, it just so happened that the school that morning had put the flag, the Australian flag, at half mast, And this young Palestinian boy put his hand up, waited for an hour to get to speak to the principal in front of the rest of the school, and here is what he said – he said, “I’ve been a student at this school since 1998. In that time, hundreds of thousands of Muslims and Arabs like us have been slaughtered because of foreign policies in the West. And never once did the school mourn or grieve or show us any respect or dignity. And today, the events of September 11 have taken place and you are going to mourn. But we don’t want to mourn selectively like this.”

Q: How can diversity and insight in literature be provided by writers if they are restricted only to write about their own culture and not able to express their an understanding and empathy of other cultures in their society?

TONY JONES
Mohammed, it’s an interesting one, isn’t it? You’re... Could anyone else, for example, write a book set in Punchbowl High? Because we know that SBS tried to do a TV series, which you’ve been very critical of, partly because they didn’t get the humour right.

MICHAEL MOHAMMED AHMAD
Well, to answer your question, no. No-one can do it like me, because you... I mean, this is the... Can I...? I’d like to try to answer the question.

TONY JONES
Sure, sure.

MICHAEL MOHAMMED AHMAD
And I think it will incidentally answer your question, too. It’s about cultural appropriation. The debate about cultural appropriation, the basis of the debate is, who is allowed to speak for who? And for me, as a teacher of creative writing, not just as a writer myself, but as someone who every single day works towards teaching other people how to write creatively, and how to read, I’m not interested in what one person has to say about another person. I’m especially not interested in what a person from a privileged position has to say about somebody who is not privileged. My work as a teacher of creative writing is to give marginalised people the tools, the resources, and the platform to speak for themselves.

TRENT DALTON
Can I just say something?

TONY JONES
Yes, go ahead.

TRENT DALTON
Would you not be touched or moved, at all, Mohammed, if I spent a year stepping into your world, wrote my arse off to write about it and try and connect? ‘Cause I feel that could be a way to solve some of the issues?

MICHAEL MOHAMMED AHMAD
It’s been done, and none of the issues have actually been solved. All the research in this area has already been done. You can’t pre-package our liberation and hand it to us. We have to go through that process ourselves. And here’s the thing about this question of me stepping into your shoes – the problem for me is that a lot of white Australian writers step into our shoes and it actually makes it difficult for us to step into our own shoes and speak for ourselves. And when it comes to Peter Dutton or any other politician making comments about the Lebanese-Australian Muslim community, I’m sorry, but I’m not interested in hearing what another white man has to say about me.


TONY JONES
OK, I just want to get Mohammed to answer that point. Could you write, for example, a novel inside Peter Dutton’s brain, from his perspective?

MICHAEL MOHAMMED AHMAD
It’s actually a really interesting question. Here’s how I would answer it – and this is the most sincere thing I can say – that the debate about who is allowed to speak for who is fundamentally broken. Because of course you can speak for whoever you want. What I’m trying to understand as a scholar who’s been working in this particular area for the last 10 years, is actually, why would you want to do it? I have absolutely no desire to get into Peter Dutton’s head.

TONY JONES
I tell you… But, but, but, but...

MICHAEL MOHAMMED AHMAD
I want to answer. I’m gonna answer.

TONY JONES
OK, go ahead.

MICHAEL MOHAMMED AHMAD
Look, here’s the thing, right – this is the actual debate that’s going on. We need to be really transparent and honest about it. We don’t actually have a problem in Australia with Arab-Australians going to Indigenous communities and wanting to speak for Indigenous people. We don’t have a problem with Indigenous people coming to Bankstown to investigate and research Lebs. We have a problem in Australia where one cultural group – and it happens to be the dominant white cultural group – think they have a right to speak for everyone else.

TONY JONES
OK. I’ll just say one thing... if you do write that book about Peter Dutton, I’ll buy it. The next question is from Abby Thevarajah.

Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, as far-fetched as it may seem, has many similarities to modern-day society and what the future may look like. What are your thoughts on this, and how we can make changes now to prevent such a dystopian society from becoming our reality?

MICHAEL MOHAMMED AHMAD
I think writers... The first factor in being a writer is that there’s something that you have to get off your chest. Whether you’re conscious of it or not is irrelevant. But when I think about my writing and its relationship to children, because I have written from the perspectives of children, it’s an autobiographical version of myself.

But here’s the thing – I’m not too sure if we should get too romantic about how powerful and significant it is to speak from a child’s voice. I recognise the impact that literature from a child’s perspective can have, but my work, fundamentally, is an educator. And, you know, I draw from the philosophies of an important African-American cultural theorist, feminist, social activist and writer named bell hooks who talks about literacy. She says all steps towards freedom and justice in any culture are always dependent on mass-based literacy movements, because degrees of literacy determine how we see what we see. And so if we’re really serious, to me, about empowering children, our focus should be on making sure that every Australian child can read, write and think critically.

Q: What do you consider essential reading for young people today, which texts were formative for you when you were younger, and how have they shaped your work?

MICHAEL MOHAMMED AHMAD
It’s not what you read, it’s how you read.

TONY JONES
Hm, what do you mean by that?

MICHAEL MOHAMMED AHMAD
Um, OK, we live in extremely troubling times, where the rise of imperialist white supremacist capitalist patriarchy threatens the existence of all organised human life. And the only way we can counteract that as critical thinkers is to make sure that we are engaging in literature, in reading and writing, that is as diverse as the world that we want to see.

           Post comment here

At Durack on Saturday 3 August, the Australian International Islamic College held its annual fete, followed by another fete on Saturday 18 August at the Gold Coast campus in Carrara – we have been extremely busy! Both events were blessed with beautiful winter sunshine and wonderful support from members of the community.

Stall holders set up early for the expected crowds and from 11 am it was great to welcome family, friends and neighbours to our college. Throughout the day people arrived and enjoyed the formal welcome program, shopping, rides, games and food on offer.

At Durack, the fete formally opened with a Qu’ran recitation followed by the College’s Nasheed group singing the national anthem. Mariam Banwa (College Principal) and Imam Abdul Qudoos Azhari (College founder) addressed the many parents present. Our Year 4 students gave a presentation on the topic of ‘resilience’ which is part of the college-wide positive behaviour program ‘You Can Do It’.

The stalls were busy – everybody went home with something, ladies can never have enough scarves, children love eating sweet things, parents like time to rest and have a chat with friends and as for the food – it was possible to feed your whole family whatever their taste in food, be it Indonesian, Indian, Middle Eastern of just good old fish and chips. There was something for everyone and when heat of the day left and the sun went down, it was time to end such a successful day with a big bang – a firework display.

The support from the community was immense, the day was exhausting but very enjoyable and rewarding. We will be back next year and thank all our sponsors and the community for their continued support.

           Post comment here

           Post comment here

LAKEMBA: More than 30,000 Muslims braved freezing conditions this weekg as they converged on a suburban road in Lakemba to pray for rain.

Tens of thousands more joined the special “rain prayers” which were part of yearly Eid al-Adha celebrations, as mosques around the country conducted the prayers in solidarity with drought affected farmers.

Worshippers arrived on Wangee Road in Lakemba, from as early as 5am to secure their position, with proceedings beginning shortly after 7am. The long stretch of road was closed to traffic as attendees laid prayer rugs down.
 

Also known as the Festival of Sacrifice, Eid al-Adha honours the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son.

They wore parkas and beanies over their traditional garb, as the smell of falafels frying and “kaak” bread grilling over coals travelled along the street.

After the ceremony finished, the warm snacks were sold to families from stalls in front yards, with money collected being donated to help farmers around the country struggling with drought.

“It’s a really good thing,”

“This festival is always about family and friends and being together,” said Farah Elomari of Lakemba. She told The Australian that the special prayers for rain are “a really good thing”.

“Muslims do care about other Australians.”

“It’s our country too, and we care about it just as much as other Australians do.”

Ms Elomari walked to her family’s home after attending the prayers, where they had gathered to sell kaak from their driveway to passers by. They were donating the proceeds to be distributed to farmers.

“Everyone’s excited for it”, said Mohammad El-Mohamad of Auburb, Ms Elomari’s husband. “We play our role as Muslims here. Without farmers there’s no food for anyone.”

Sheik Yahya Safi, Imam at the Lakemba Mosque and leader of Tuesday mornings ceremony, told the crowd “we ask everyone to donate generously to help our farmers in their crisis” as he led the prayers. “It is our duty to help Australians, especially the farmers.”

The special rain prayers were part of a larger campaign being run by the Lebanese Muslim Association (LMA) “in support of our farmers and all those affected by the drought”, with 16 mosques across New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and Victoria taking part.

The campaign also includes a fundraising component, which will be collecting donations within different Muslim communities over a six week period. The funds collected will be given to partner charities to distribute to affected farmers.

           Post comment here

The claim
In his headline-grabbing first speech last week, Katter's Australian Party senator Fraser Anning made a number of claims relating to Muslim immigrants.

Among them was a claim that Muslims in Australia were overrepresented in crime rates, "vastly exceeding other immigrant groups".

"Muslims in NSW and Victoria are three times more likely than other groups to be convicted of crimes," he stated.

Is this correct? RMIT ABC Fact Check takes a look.

The verdict
Senator Anning's claim is baseless.

A slew of government departments and data collectors from both NSW and Victoria confirmed that they did not collect data categorising convicted criminals according to religious affiliation.

Indeed, experts said there was a dearth of data relating to the subject, which makes Senator Anning's claim unsustainable.

Is there any data?
Senator Anning's office did not respond by the time of publication to Fact Check's request for the source of his claim.

A variety of government departments and data collection agencies in both NSW and Victoria indicated that there was no available data on convictions that could be used to support the claim.

A spokesperson for the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR), which is a statistical and research agency embedded within the NSW Department of Justice, told Fact Check:

"As this data is not collected by the NSW Criminal Courts, BOCSAR could not provide any data on the religious affiliation of persons convicted by the courts."

ABC News: Marco Catalano Senator Fraser Anning says that Muslims are three times more likely than other groups to commit crimes. Victoria's Crime Statistics Agency indicated it did not collect data on convictions and referred Fact Check to the Sentencing Advisory Council.

In an email, the council told Fact Check:
"An offender's religious affiliation is not recorded by Victorian courts and so is not within any of the court data available to the Sentencing Advisory Council.
"Religious affiliation is not a relevant consideration for a court when sentencing an offender under Victorian law."

The Magistrates' Court of Victoria also told Fact Check it "does not capture religious affiliation data of accused persons" and could not confirm the validity of Senator Anning's claim.

Fact Check also approached the national research body on crime and justice, the Australian Institute of Criminology, which said it did not hold data on the religious affiliation of convicted criminals.

The prison population
While Senator Anning's claim related to convictions, past media reports have referred to an alleged overrepresentation of Muslims in the Victorian and NSW prison systems.

A 2015 report in The Australian stated that Muslims made up 9 per cent of prisoners, but just 3 per cent of the general population. In Victoria, 8 per cent of the prison population identified as Muslim (versus 2.2 per cent).

A spokesperson for Corrective Services NSW told Fact Check self-identifying Muslims made up 10.3 per cent of the prison population, which includes those held on remand but not yet convicted in July 2018.

Muslims made up 4 per cent of the general population of NSW at the time of the last census.

This comparison with the general population, however, does not show whether Muslims are more likely to be prisoners — or convicted of a crime — than "other groups", which Fact Check takes to mean other religious groups.

Corrections Victoria did not provide Fact Check with data relating to the religious affiliation of prisoners.

Dr Karen Gelb, a criminologist and lecturer at the University of Melbourne, suggested that religious affiliations reported by prisoners was an unreliable gauge in assessing Senator Anning's claim.

"With convictions, ideally you'd be getting that from court data," Dr Gelb said.
"Obviously not everyone ends up in prison, only a small minority of people [with convictions] are ending up in prison."

Given the focus of Senator Anning's claim relates to convictions and not prison sentences, Fact Check considers that data on the religious affiliations of prisoners is not relevant in checking the veracity of his claim.

What do the experts say?
Dr Gelb told Fact Check that as far as she was aware the Census of Population and Housing was the only place religious affiliation was officially recorded in Australia.

"And, of course, the census has nothing to do with crime," Dr Gelb said.
She added that for NSW data, the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research was the most reliable source.

"BOCSAR deals with police and courts and corrections ... so they are the absolute authority, and if they say they don't have anything, then, they don't have anything."

Dr Gelb had herself searched for evidence in a bid to assess the accuracy of Senator Anning's claim.

"As far as I can tell, [the claim] is baseless."

Dr Richard Evans, a lecturer of criminology at Deakin University, told Fact Check that, apart from Indigenous status, there was very little demographic data recorded in Australia, which made it difficult when researching crime in relation to different cultural and religious groups.

"The notion that anyone could definitively say that Muslims are overrepresented as offenders is just nonsense — there is no data along those lines."

           Post comment here

Venue: Brisbane City Hall

Mr Farouk Adam, Lord Mayor of Brisbane, Graham Quirk and Ms Janeth Deen

           Post comment here

           Post comment here

RICHMOND’S Bachar Houli and Essendon’s Adam Saad have tossed the coin alongside captains Jack Riewoldt and Dyson Heppell as a showing of solidarity for the Muslim community.

Houli and Saad accompanied Riewoldt — standing in for the injured Trent Cotchin — and Heppell to the centre of the ground for the coin toss.

The pair shook hands and embraced, evoking a quiet round of applause from members of the crowd before running back to their respective huddles.

Houli and Saad are both practicing Muslims and have come together with the support of their respective clubs.

In a statement released on Thursday, Essendon said the club was “standing in solidarity” with the community “in light of” Anning’s divisive comments.

The Bombers and the Tigers are proud to celebrate diversity in football and the broader Australian community and wish to emphasise this on the big stage in light of recent comments made in Federal Parliament.

Essendon is proud to provide a safe, inclusive environment for people from all walks of life and looks forward to standing in solidarity through two of the league’s greatest role models.

The Tigers also expressed their support for Houli and Saad.

“Both Richmond and Essendon celebrate and embrace diversity in our great game, through our players, staff, partners, members and supporters, and by extension, we celebrate the diversity of our country,” the Tigers said in a statement on Thursday night.

“(On Friday) both clubs will take the opportunity presented by the AFL’s Friday night centre stage to stand alongside these young men and their community, and remind everyone that our great game and our country values people of all cultures and communities.”

Anning’s speech — which contained racist sentiments, and a number of factually incorrect statements on immigration and Muslims — called for a plebiscite on eliminating immigration for all Muslims and non-English-speaking people, while it also referenced a ‘final solution.’

It has been condemned across Australia’s political parties and by the general public as racist, divisive and inaccurate.

           Post comment here

FOOTY Show co-host Sam Newman has torn the AFL administration to shreds in a controversial attack on Australia’s Muslim community.

The shockwaves of Senator Fraser Anning’s debut parliamentary speech last week in which he called for a ban on Muslim immigration and a return to the White Australia policy continued on Wednesday as Newman declared Australia’s Muslim community shares “no common values” with traditional Australian society.

Newman told his Sam, Mike and Thommo podcast this week he has concerns surrounding what he says is the Australian Muslim community’s failure to “nationalise” — creating a divided community.

“They don’t generally nationalise, they colonise,” Newman said.

“There are 600,000 Muslims in Australia, they share no common interest with what we’re on about.

“They have no common values, they preach to a different, deity, god.

“This has been a huge problem in Europe and it’s beginning to be a huge problem in America.”

Newman’s comments surrounds a decision from the Essendon Football Club and Richmond Football club to stage a display of multicultural inclusion last Friday night.

Bombers star Adam Saad and Bachar Houli embraced in a hug during the toss of the coin at the MCG before Richmond’s win over the Bombers.

The AFL reportedly supported the idea, but did not once link the display with Fraser Anning’s controversial speech.

Newman also described Saad and Houli as “fine young men” and “fine young “Muslims”.

Newman said the AFL is playing with fire with its insistence of “inserting itself” into Australia’s political debate.

He said the AFL has routinely put half of its fan base offside by taking a public stand on complex societal and political issues.

“When you insert yourself into the political arena to lecture people on their politics and to tell people what they should be thinking then you make a rod for your own back,” Newman said.

“Because you then invite people to disrespect the flag, the anthem and the nation by doing what the NFL do in America and that’s to sit down or take a knee and it shows that you aren’t patriotic and it becomes a hornet’s nest.

“Keep out of our minds... let people go to the games and not be lectured on politics by the AFL, the NRL the basketball or anyone else.

“People do not want to be told what they should think.

“They just need to put a game on and get the rules right and get it umpired properly and get a match review system that’s competent. That’s all they have to do. Keep out of our lives.”

           Post comment here

A Queensland Imam says his community is saddened by Bob Katter's comments praising Senator Fraser Anning's controversial maiden speech calling for a ban on Muslim immigration.

Benjamin Murat, a chartered accountant and Imam of a mosque at Mareeba, west of Cairns, said he was shocked by Mr Katter's views given the support he's shown the Muslim community in his electorate of Kennedy in the past.

"We don't understand it because we've been here for such a long time, our community has been here over 90 years," Mr Murat said.

"We've integrated well, we've assimilated well with the community. We have no issues with our community and I'm sure any other new Muslim migrants over a period of time would do the same."

He said Muslims living across the Atherton Tablelands, many of whom are descendants of those who settled in the region in the early 20th century and worked in the sugercane and tobacco industries, despaired at the comments.

 

"We just don't understand where this is coming from... It seems to be out of character for Bob," Mr Murat said.

"We still don't know why it's all happening and why Muslims have been isolated as such for some political agenda. Only Bob knows, we really don't know."

"Australia is a very, very nice place to be in. The security we enjoy, we give thanks to Allah every day. We give thanks to the community at large, we are working together, we have no cultural or racial issues."

Waseem Jappie, an Imam at Cairns mosque said Mr Katter had been "extremely helpful" to the community in the past.

He said when comments like Anning's were made, it was left to the Muslim community to "fix" the public's perception of them.

"It takes a bit of work but it's possible," he said.

"I think it's just misinformation. I am trying to assume the best of him (Katter)."
 

Mr Katter yesterday said he's sorry some voters feel hurt by his stance on Muslim immigration, but also said, "We've got to protect ourselves".

"Surely someone should be talking about our immigration policy that is bankrupting us and drowning our values," he told the ABC.

Liberal National MP Warren Entsch, whose electorate neighbours Mr Katter's, said the Labor party should stop helping him with its preferences.

"Quite frankly, I think he's almost certifiable," Mr Entsch has told Fairfax Media.

"He only stays in the parliament because of support of the Labor Party. We should all be putting them (KAP) last."

Labor's chief tactician Tony Burke has already said the party would reconsider giving its preferences to Mr Katter.

"We've always put One Nation last ... because of the racist element of that party," Mr Burke said.

"All the reasons that lead us to put One Nation last need to be applied to any party playing the same racist, divisive games ... I think it's pretty clear where we're headed."

           Post comment here

A religious leader accused of illegal land clearing on a rural property used for religious prayer has claimed a Western Sydney council is infringing on his group's religious freedoms by pursuing him over the allegations.

Hawkesbury City Council has launched civil action against Dr Mustapha Kara-Ali and Diaa Kara-Ali in the Land and Environment Court, alleging they carried out illegal land clearing, earthworks and built gates, fences and driveways without seeking any of the relevant development approvals at a property in Colo, in Sydney's north west.

Mustapha Kara-Ali, a former member of then Prime Minister John Howard's Muslim Community Reference Group and past postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University, is the Imam of religious guild Diwan Al Dawla.

A letter he wrote to a council staff member, filed in the court documents, says the members of the guild live "separated from secular lifestyles to pursue a religious mode of worship and an ascetic lifestyle under an oath of self-sacrifice and dedication to the purposes of Diwan Al Dawla".

The Colo property was owned by the members of Diwan Al Dawla and used "for the carrying out of religious activities of devotion, self-discipline, ritual baptism, inter-community prayers, contemplation and religious study," the letter said.

A council compliance officer visited the property in October last year following an anonymous complaint to find land clearing, including a number of large native trees and the removal of metal waste, according to court documents.

Over the following months, more complaints were made and council staff returned several times to find people clearing vegetation, knocking down trees and that a main gate, driveways and a boat ramp on the river bank had been built, the documents state.

The Council also issued a $8,000 fine for pollution or potential pollution caused by failed sediment erosion fencing.

The property is actually owned by Southern Chariot Stud, of which Diaa Kara-Ali is the director.

But Diaa Kara-Ali's correspondence, filed to the court, states the Stud owns it in trust for Diwan Al Dawla, and that Mustapha Kara-Ali is responsible for all works being undertaken.

The conflict between council and the Kara-Alis came to a head last month when three council officers visited the property to provide them with court papers.

A dashcam video tendered to the court shows a man, standing beside Mustapha Kara-Ali, spitting on council staff and attempting to throw a large rock, which hits the fence and then falls to the ground.

"Both men were repeatedly yelling obscenities from the other side of the gate, calling out 'you dogs, I step on your cross'," one of the council staff alleged in an affidavit.

"The unknown male person said 'I spit on you'. He then lunged his head forward towards me and spat at me."

Religious charity 'not required to comply' with law
 

When the council wrote to Mustapha Kara-Ali directing him to remove a boat ramp and retaining walls at the property, he responded by claiming his organisation was exempt from Australian law because it was classed as a basic religious charity.

"The Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) Act 2012 stipulates that when it is carrying out religious activities that are related to the practice, study, teaching or propagation of its religious beliefs, or other activities ancillary to them … Diwan Al Dawla, as a basic religious charity is not required to comply with Australian laws," he wrote.

"As the Imam of Diwan Al Dawla and its spiritual leader, I, therefore, ask the Hawkesbury City Council to revoke its letter … on the basis that its demands infringe upon our religious freedom and tamper with our mode of worship in contravention of our ACNC status as a Basic Religious Charity."

An ACNC spokesperson said basic religious charities did not have to comply with the ACNC Governance Standards.

"However, the exemption of basic religious charities from complying with the Governance Standards does not mean that they do not have to comply with Australian laws," the spokesperson said.

"A registered charity cannot have a purpose of engaging in or promoting unlawful activity — this can be grounds for revocation of charity status."

Source: ABC News

           Post comment here

Position: Front Desk Administrator
Job type: Temporary Part-time 20hrs/week (minimum) - (until end of December 2018)
Location: IWAA Office: 11 Watland St, Springwood, QLD
Reports to: Office Manager and IWAA Director
Commencement date: Immediate start
 

IWAA
The Islamic Women’s Association of Australia Inc. (IWAA) established over 25 years ago, is a not-for-profit organisation aiming at providing a wide range of services to the community in Queensland, New South Wales and Melbourne. IWAA receives funding from the three levels of government to provide aged care services, disability and settlement services. IWAA is also involved in a range of other community activities.
 

Position Objectives
The Front Desk Administrator is responsible for providing effective service at front desk including administration duties for IWAA to best serve the organisation’s office staff, members, clients and visitors.
 

Key Duties & Responsibilities
1. To provide administrative support and technical information to the IWAA team (including taking incoming calls, mailing, filing, taking minutes etc).
2. To assist with administration for the Senior Administrator and/or IWAA Director.
3. To coordinate implementation of IWAA events and activities - arrange bookings, organise invitations, flyers etc.
4. To assist in maintaining an auditing system for internal administration procedures (including stocktaking, ordering, lending of IWAA equipment, archiving, etc).
5. To maintain an updated list of IWAA members.
6. To assist in the compilation of a volunteer database and where necessary mobilise the volunteer taskforce.
7. To assist in the compilation of Client/carer, staff and IWAA newsletters and website.
8. To ensure the operation of equipment by completing preventive maintenance requirements; calling for repairs; maintaining equipment inventories; evaluating new equipment and techniques
 

Essential Selection Criteria:
1. Experience and/or interest and willingness to work in culturally and linguistically diverse community service environment
2. Excellent interpersonal skills including effective personal and telephone communication techniques as well as the ability to initiate written correspondence as required.
3. Demonstrated administration skills including the preparation and production of documents, maintenance of organisational records and operation of office equipment
4. Computer skills including proficiency in Microsoft Office word processing spreadsheet and database. Experience in Desktop publishing desirable.
5. Ability to prioritise tasks, manage own area of work responsibility without supervision and utilise effective time management
6. Ability to demonstrate an enthusiastic and flexible attitude and make a positive contribution to the team environment
 

Desirable Selection Criteria:
1. Ability to communicate in a second language
2. Background in personal management
 

Mandatory Requirements
1. As an absolute condition of employment, employees are required upon hiring to produce a valid Police Clearance Certificate and signed Statutory Declaration (overseas criminal history clearance).
2. Open current driver’s licence and access to a vehicle
 

Submitting your application:
Send your application to the HR Manager including:

 VERY IMPORTANT: A cover letter addressing the Essential Selection Criteria
 resume (or CV)
 contact details of two referees

By email: hr@iwaa.org.au
By mail: PO BOX 412, UNDERWOOD QLD 4119
By fax: (07) 3208 6933

Applications that have NOT addressed the essential selection criteria will NOT be considered.

VACANCY FOR RESIDENT IMAM

ISLAMIC SOCIETY OF DARRA
219 DOUGLAS ST, OXLEY, QLD

 

The Islamic Society of Darra invites applications from suitably qualified persons for the position of an Imam for its Mosque at Oxley, Brisbane. The applicant should preferably be a Qu’ran Hafiz and must have a good command of written and spoken English. Ability to speak Urdu and Arabic will be an advantage.

Duties will include, inter-alia, leading daily prayers and running the madrassah classes at the Mosque.

Further information can be obtained from Mohammed Yusuf, email: mybne@hotmail.com or Mobile 0413 038 610.

Written applications together  with a CV should be sent to :

The Secretary, Islamic  Society of Darra, P.O. Box 333, Inala, Qld 4077 by 15 September 2018.
 

           Post comment here

NOMINEE NO.1

To be continued in CCN next week...

Source: Australasian Muslim Times

           Post comment here

Mackay

82 year old fourth generation Australian, her family came to Australia in the 1800s, around the time of the Afghan Cameleers.

TO BE CONTINUED IN NEXT WEEK'S CCN....

Source: Facebook Page

           Post comment here

ANOTHER FROM THE TOP 50 INFLUENTIAL MUSLIMS IN NEXT WEEK'S CCN

           Post comment here

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.

Source: CNN

Continued from last week's CCN......

Hasan Minhaj says his faith doesn’t inform his comedy, exactly, but growing up Muslim in California offered a unique perspective on American life.

“I had the whole course of my life to think back on all these situations where I was on the sidelines, whether it was, like, not being able to eat pepperoni pizza all the way up to (President Trump’s) travel ban.”

After several years at “The Daily Show,” a popular stand-up special, and a star-making set at the White House Correspondents Dinner in 2017, Minhaj just inked a deal with Netflix to host his own weekly talk show.

What other Muslims say about Minhaj: “It’s a big thing for a Muslim-American to be on cable TV every night, especially a show as popular as ‘The Daily Show.’”
 

           Post comment here

           Post comment here

           Post comment here

Would you like to see the cover of your favourite book on our book shelves below?

Then simply email the title and author to admin@ccnonline.com.au

CCN's Bookshelf

CCN's favourite books »

           Post comment here

Baba Ganoush

INGREDIENTS

METHOD

Topping
2 tab lemon juice
2 tsp olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and bake eggplant for 30 minutes, or until outside is crisp and inside is soft. Allow to cool for 20 minutes.

2. Cut open eggplant and scoop out the flesh into colander and allow to drain for 10 minutes.
   Removing the excess liquid helps to eliminate a bitter flavour.

3. Place eggplant flesh in a medium bowl. Add remaining ingredients and mash together. You can also use a food processor and pulse for about 2 minutes.

4. Place in serving bowl and top with lemon juice and olive oil. Add other garnish like chilli flakes according to your taste.

5. Serve with warm or toasted pita, flatbread or Turkish bread and a great accompaniment to lamb

           Post comment here

 

Jallalludin’s wife got so mad at her husband, she packed his bags and told him to get out.

As he walked to the door she yelled, “I hope you die a long, slow, painful death.”

Jallalludin turned around and said, “So, you want me to stay?”

           Post comment here

           Post comment here

PLEASE NOTE

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, except for Lailatul Mehraj, Lailatul Bhahraat and Lailatul Qadr – these dates refer to the commencement of the event starting in the evening of the corresponding day.

           Post comment here

           Post comment here

Disclaimer

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

           Post comment here

Write For Us

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.

           Post comment here