A sold-out event was held
this week at Michael's
Oriental Restaurant to
celebrate Ms Janeth Deen and
her recent award of the
Order of Australia Medal
(OAM) and her contributions
to the community over the
years.
The function was organized
by the Muslim Charitable
Foundation (MCF) and guests
came from diverse
communities, and religious
and cultural organizations
with whom Janeth has played
a significant role.
Ms Janeth Deen was presented
with a flowers as she
entered the hall - the first
time, she said, that she was
ever given red roses.
Long time friend and
collaborator, Dr Mustafa
Ally was the Master of
Ceremonies, and there was a
strong line up of speakers
and performers who kept the
audience riveted to their
seats to the very end of the
night.
Shaikh Ahmed Abu Ghazaleh
started off the proceedings
with a Quran recitation and
sang a nasheed half-way
through the programme. Mr
Jade Carroll ably delivered
a heartfelt
Welcome-to-Country at short
notice.
There was speeches in praise
of Janeth from Chief
Superintendent Brian Swan,
Mr Graham Perrett MP, Mr Ali
Kadri and Mr Umesh Chandra.
The audience also got to
sing along to Harry
Belafonte's Kingston Town,
led by Dr Sadeq Mustapha.
Janeth's daughter, Shareen
Forsingdal, and her
triplets, Mia, Caelan and
Lars took everyone on a
journey through Janeth's her
early life growing up in
Queensland.
Dr Mustafa Ally presented
Janeth with a
compilation of her
achievements as
documented in the past 720
issues of Crescents
Community News (CCN).
Last Thursday, Member for
Stretton (ALP), Mr Duncan
Pegg MP, spoke in support of
the following motion in
Queensland Parliament:
That this House:
1. Acknowledge the
historic action of the
Holt government, with
bipartisan support from
the Australian Labor
Party, in initiating the
dismantling of the White
Australia Policy;
2. Recognise that since
1973, successive Labor
and Liberal/National
party governments have,
with bipartisan support,
pursued a racially
non-discriminatory
immigration policy to
the overwhelming
national, and
international, benefit
of Australia; and
3. Give its
unambiguous and
unqualified commitment
to the principle that,
whatever criteria are
applied by Australian
governments in
exercising their
sovereign right to
determine the
composition of the
immigration intake,
race, faith or ethnic
origin shall never,
explicitly or
implicitly, be among
them.
Mr Duncan PEGG MP, Member
for Stretton (ALP) (3.12
pm):
I rise to speak in favour of
the motion.
When we debate these issues
I think it is very important
to put them in context. I
want to speak about some of
the things that have
occurred in my electorate,
which is the most
multicultural in the state
and also has far and away
the biggest Muslim community
of any electorate in the
state.
To be frank, I do find it
difficult to speak about
these kinds of matters in
this place because I do find
them upsetting. I find some
of the things that have
occurred in my local area
very upsetting, but we need
to confront these issues now
more than ever in the
context of not only this
debate but also the racist
and bigoted speech that was
recently made by Fraser
Anning.
Back in 2001 the Kuraby
mosque, a place of worship
in my electorate, was set on
fire in a criminal act. It
was uninsured and the damage
was extensive. At this exact
same place of worship just
last month Logan Robertson
and five of his bigoted
cronies turned up
unannounced and started
harassing worshippers
including children.
Fortunately, these kinds of
incidents do not usually
happen at other places of
worship in other parts of
Queensland. It is this kind
of harassment that the
Muslim community in my local
area have had to put up
with. Unfortunately, it does
not begin and end with the
incidents I just mentioned.
Last year before school a
pig's head was thrown into
the grounds of the Islamic
College of Brisbane, which
is in my electorate. We do
have to seriously question
what kind of people would
target children in this way.
When reforms were introduced
in the last parliament to
debate petitions with more
than 10,000 signatures, a
proposed development in my
electorate, which included a
place of worship for the
Muslim community, came up
for debate. One would have
thought some big issues of
state significance might
have come up under this
provision, but no, the
leader of One Nation got up
in this place and spoke
about a development miles
away from his electorate
simply because it involved a
religion he did not like.
I certainly do not dispute
the right of people to have
their say in relation to
proposed developments and to
exercise their legal rights.
However, during this period
my community saw offensive
signs placed on one of the
main roads in my electorate
near one of the biggest
primary schools in
Queensland. We also saw
disgraceful and sickening
anonymous flyers letterboxed
to my community, and I
actually received them in my
own letterbox. I find all
these things upsetting and
difficult to talk about
here. However, I am not even
the target of these things.
If they make me upset, I can
only imagine what effect
these things have on people
who are the target of these
actions.
I went down to the Kuraby
mosque after the most recent
incident and the vast
majority of the community
saw the incident for what it
was: the foolish actions of
a small minority of people.
They put on a brave face and
they carry on but,
ultimately, these kinds of
incidents do tremendous
damage to community
cohesion. Unfortunately, it
seems there is always going
to be a small minority of
people in any community who
do the wrong thing.
I often hear it argued that
Muslim community leaders do
not condemn the actions of
people in their own
community who do the wrong
thing. The fact is—and the
reality is—they actually do
it all the time. I see them
do it all the time, but it
seems that, unfortunately,
there are some people who
simply do not want to
listen. Of course, members
of the Muslim community and
community leaders do not
just speak out; they open up
their places of worship,
they hold forums to engage
with the community and they
invite community members
into their homes to share
meals with their families.
Yet it seems to me that no
matter what members of the
Muslim community do, it is
never good enough for some
people.
The concept of trying to
enforce a White Australia
Policy or a ban on Muslims
is patently ridiculous. I
cannot see how we can ban a
religion or the beliefs of
thousands of people in my
electorate and indeed
hundreds of thousands of
their fellow Australians. We
cannot ban someone's faith
and we cannot ban what is in
someone's heart.
Members of the Muslim
community in my local area
are doctors, teachers,
businesspeople, police
officers and community
volunteers. They make a huge
contribution to my community
and they are our fellow
Australians. All of us in
this place need to come
together and stand up
against this racism, this
hatred, and work together to
build a better Queensland. I
call on all members to
support this motion.
The AFP’s Community Liaison
Team for QLD welcomes
Detective Sergeant Simone
Fryer as the new Team Leader
of the Community Liaison
Team (CLT). Simone comes to
the team with a wealth of
Policing and community
experience and is excited to
meet the community over the
coming months.
Previous CLT member Brother
Emir Cutuk will be returning
to his previous role but
hopefully we see him return
to the CLT sometime in the
future. Emir has done an
amazing job alongside QLD
communities and our
stakeholders over the past
couple of years and we
greatly appreciate his input
and achievements.
Since the QLD CLT’s
inception back in 2013 we’ve
been fortunate enough to
have developed great
relationships with so many
members of QLD’s culturally
and linguistically diverse
communities but in
particular the Muslim
community. We have been able
to deliver numerous projects
alongside community
encouraging youth and women
in particular to engage and
to speak up about matters
that concern them and their
families. Our projects have
often centered around sport,
art and employment and we
have some exciting ideas in
the pipeline.
Some of our favourite
activities over the years
have included the OXFAM
100km fundraising walk in
partnership with MAQ and two
community teams, Muslim
Youth Camps alongside Youth
Connect, Somali Ramadan Cup,
IWAA mosaic art project,
Kick Start Inala Football
Community Cup and of course
the numerous Mosque open
days, community events and
home Iftar dinners. To
everyone that has helped us,
engaged with us and felt
comfortable enough to share
your thoughts whether
complimentary or otherwise,
we sincerely thank you.
If you have any suggestions,
requests or even complaints
please don’t hesitate to
reach out. We are after all
your resource too.
Or email the following to
ensure someone from the team
receives your enquiry as we
may individually be away on
leave throughout the year:
CLTBO@afp.gov.au
For more information on the
role of the AFP's Community
Liaison Teams
click here.
After
completing the design works,
obtaining Council approval,
finding contractors and
signing contracts over the
past 3 years, and the hard
work put in by community
members, the rebuilding of
the Toowoomba Garden City
Mosque (vandalized by fire)
finally began on Monday, 27
August.
The commencement and
completion of the project
has been eagerly anticipated
by the local community.
The earthmoving will be
undertaken by Haji Sultan
Deen (centre) and the
construction by Nedzad
Izmirlic (left) of NI
Construction.
To celebrate Road Safety
Week, SBD police attended
the Islamic College of
Brisbane and presented to
year 11 and 12 students,
along with teaching staff.
"The police officers allowed
students to become familiar
with our ‘tools of the
trade’ and the police
vehicles were an absolute
hit," a spokesman told CCN.
"The majority of the
students are licence
holders, and this
opportunity to familiarise
themselves with policing has
been very beneficial," she
added.
The audience
member and senator had a tense
exchange on the panel show.
A Muslim woman has directly
challenged One Nation leader
Pauline Hanson over her
views on immigration.
In a tense exchange on
Monday night's episode of
Q&A, the woman, believed to
be called Khadija Fatima,
asked Ms Hanson how she
could be offended by recent
comparisons in the media
with Senator Fraser Anning,
given her past comments on
immigration.
In a controversial maiden
speech earlier this month,
Mr Anning appeared to praise
the White Australia Policy
and called for a ban on
Muslim immigration. Ms
Hanson said in the Senate
she was "appalled" by the
speech.
Ms Fatima said to Senator
Hanson: "You said that you
were deeply offended by the
comparisons made between you
and Fraser Anning after his
maiden speech".
"How will you justify this
when you yourself called for
an immigration ban in your
maiden speech, as well as
stating 'we are in danger of
being swamped by Asians'.
And then again in 2016, you
stated, 'we are in danger of
being swamped by Muslims'."
"If you're both on the same
page, why do you take so
much offence?"
Ms Hanson told the
questioner "[Mr] Fraser was
calling for a White
Australia Policy and I've
advocated you don't have to
be white to be Australian".
She said her concern was
that Muslims "have a
different ideology" and
don't always assimilate,
before detailing the global
rise in Islamic terrorism.
"I will call out how I see
it and a lot of other
Australians see it the same
way ... So I'm sorry, I'm
not out to offend people,
I'm here to protect
Australians, that we feel
safe on our streets and
don't want the problems
here".
Ms Fatima replied: "There
are people across different
religions who have different
ideologies. There are people
from different religions who
are [committing] violence in
different countries. Why
just focus on Muslims every
single time?"
"Our Sharia law says the
first law is to follow the
law of your country. Any
Muslim in this room will
tell you the same. I don't
know where you get your
beliefs from. Don't push it
on all the Muslims across
the world."
'I'm as much an Australian
as you are, Pauline," she
said, to applause from the
audience.
The all-Queensland panel
also featured Katter's
Australian Party leader Bob
Katter, who defended his
colleague Mr Anning.
"If you can find anywhere in
that speech where [he]
advocated White Australia
Policy, I'd be very curious
to find out where it is," he
said.
Ms Hanson also attracted a
reaction from the audience
after saying she did not
know the connotations around
the term "final solution",
which Mr Anning used in his
speech.
"I'm not going back to
'final solution'. I had no
idea what it meant to tell
you the truth. That was a
'please explain' moment,"
she said.
"I will say that I was
appalled by him referring to
White Australia Policy.
We're past that. They tried
to tag me with that years
ago, that I was wanting a
White Australia Policy."
Fellow panellist Larissa
Waters, former deputy leader
of the Greens, replied, "I
wonder why?"
The Project (Channel 10)
chatted to Yassmin
Abdel-Magied about the
Melbourne Writers Festival,
her thoughts on the current
state of Aussie politics and
getting offered a place on
an F1 team.
Labor frontbencher Ed Husic
and the Energy and Environment
Minister Josh Frydenberg in
Canberra.
Liberal cabinet minister
Josh Frydenberg and Labor
rising star Ed Husic have
long had each other's backs.
When Husic was criticised
for swearing his oath of
office on the Koran,
Frydenberg went on radio to
defend him. A few years
later, it was Husic's turn.
When others in his party
suggested Frydenberg had
questions to answer
regarding his citizenship,
Husic - publicly - told them
to pull their heads in.
Both men know a bit about
not fitting in.
Husic, the son of Bosnian
immigrants who moved to
Australia in the 1960s, and
Frydenberg, the son of
Jewish refugees fleeing the
horrors of the Holocaust,
have back stories many
Australians - but not many
politicians - can relate to.
When Katter's Australian
Party senator Fraser Anning
praised the White Australia
Policy and called for a
plebiscite as "the final
solution to the immigration
problem", both men knew they
would have to respond.
Neither knew the response
would come in the form of a
bipartisan repudiation of
Senator Anning's speech, a
rare moment of political and
parliamentary spontaneity
that saw the Coalition,
Labor, Greens and
independents come together
to condemn the speech and
speak in support of a
non-discriminatory
immigration program.
Husic's speech was widely
praised.
"There are often occasions I
can't believe I'm here.
There are probably
instances, with the way that
I carry on, where some of
you on that side and even on
my side probably agree with
that statement," Husic said
with the mix of
self-deprecation and clarity
he is known for.
"The reason why it's hard
for me to believe I'm here
is because my parents were a
product of poverty. I
visited my mum's place in
rural Bosnia and the house
that she grew up, which is
probably no bigger than this
area."
"There were eight people
crammed into that house, and
my dad's place wasn't much
different....They made it
here in the late sixties,
and Australia opened its
doors to allow us to have
the chance to be here."
At the end of the
off-the-cuff speech,
Frydenberg jumped up from
his seat on one side of the
chamber and moved towards
Husic. Husic was already on
his feet. The pair met in
the centre of the chamber
and embraced.
The image of Josh Frydenberg
and Ed Husic embracing in
Parliament was shared widely on
social media.
The image was widely shared
on social media, a joyful
exclamation mark that raised
the spirits of many who were
shocked and saddened
following Senator Anning's
speech.
"It was personal and it was
heart felt," Frydenberg said
of his friend's speech,
admitting he had wiped away
a tear or two as Anne Aly, a
Labor MP and the first
Muslim woman elected to
federal parliament, spoke of
her experiences.
Nazeem Hussain and Hanan
Dover were amongst 12
Australians joining 200
participants that were
invited to the 10th annual
Concordia Forum exclusive
retreat on 16-19 August 2018
at the Caux Palace Hotel in
Caux, Switzerland.
The Concordia Forum is a
global network of
cross-sector leaders from
Muslim backgrounds with
hundreds of people meeting
annually at exclusive
invitation-only retreats set
in Europe and North America
to synergise their talents.
Out of 35 submissions, only
12 applicants get selected
to present a project
delivered in TedX style in
the “Synergiser” session.
Psychologist Hanan Dover
from Sydney was selected for
a ‘Mindful Flourish’
presentation which is an
international online gateway
for mental health solutions
for Muslims.
Comedian Nazeem Hussain from
Melbourne presented at the
HalaLOL Comedy Night at the
event.
The retreat is filled with
networking, calligraphy
workshops, a comedy night,
art exhibitions,
presentations, and meetings.
Location for the retreat
changes each year,
previously being held in
Portugal in 2016 and Canada
in 2017.
The WAW awards celebrate the
quiet achievers through
nominations of Muslim women
who have contributed to
family and community or
promoted peace, human
rights, advanced arts,
education, STEM, public
health and environmental or
social justice.
NOMINEE NO. 2
Meet
Sareh Sal.
Sareh
is an experienced
educator who wants
to empower her
students, especially
females, with the
knowledge of what it
means to be a Muslim
female in Australia.
She wants her
students to use
their faith to
articulate and
exercise their
rights, and to
become more
confident in their
religious identity
as Australian
Muslims. She has
been in the
education industry
for over 17 years
with varying roles:
most recently, she
was a Principal of
an Islamic School in
the South Eastern
suburbs, and is
currently an
Education Advisor to
an Islamic School in
the Western suburbs.
While working full
time Sareh completed
a Master of Arts
majoring in Islamic
Studies, and then
enrolled to study a
Diploma of
Counselling.
During whatever is
left of her spare
time, Sareh not only
volunteers and
raises funds for
various charities
both locally and
internationally, she
also encourages
other women to get
involved in giving
back to those less
fortunate. To this
effect, she
co-founded the
charity group
Australian Muslim
Aid and Relief
Association (AMARA),
works with Community
Care Network, takes
part in in Speed
Date a Muslim
regularly, and is a
strong advocate for
social justice and
youth empowerment.
Power to you, Sareh.
Thank you for your
inspirational work
and leadership!
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.
35
"The reasonable among us
must be heard and our voices
must come out clearer than
the voices of the
extremists."
Amr Khaled has been a
televangelist to the Islamic
world since 1998. He
communicates through his TV
shows and web campaigns
using Islamic ethics as a
way to inspire, foster
community development,
tolerance and inter-cultural
relations.
Popular Media Figure: Part
of Khaled’s influence
derives from the fact that
he appeals to the common
person. He holds a degree in
accounting, and has no
formal religious education;
wears suits and ties, and
has a clean-shaven face
except for a trimmed
moustache–everything you do
not expect from a Muslim
preacher. His everyman
appeal has led to immense
popularity. Khaled is
credited with the launch of
the first “Muslim reality TV
show” Mujaddidun on Dubai
Television. Khaled’s
speeches are published
online, and on best selling
cassettes and CDs. His
website is translated from
Arabic into nearly twenty
languages and it rivals
Oprah Winfrey’s in terms of
traffic. His videos have
racked up over 75 million
views on YouTube, and he
boasts 23.1 million likes on
Facebook.
Community Development:
Khaled’s goal is to
encourage community
development in the Muslim
world by its own people with
religious faith as the
guiding
inspiration–something he
believes should be linked to
interfaith dialogue,
tolerance and moderation.
The break up of communities
is something Khaled sees as
responsible for the malaise
in the Muslim World, and
something he believes puts
the future of young people
in jeopardy. One program he
has launched to realize this
objective of community
development is Life Makers,
which has a stated goal of
producing a renaissance for
the Arab and Muslim Worlds.
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.
Ibtihaj Muhammad has heard
the stereotypes about Muslim
women: they’re docile and
oppressed, wear nothing but
black, speak only Arabic and
aren’t allowed to play
sports.
“I speak English, I like
wearing bright colors, I’m
athletic and I’m on Team
USA.”
In the 2016 Olympics,
Muhammad became the first
Muslim-American to wear a
hijab in Olympic
competition, where she won a
bronze medal in the team
sabre event.
Muhammad now has her eye on
the World Fencing
Championships. In between
training, she runs a fashion
line and speaks about
tolerance and diversity. She
also has her own hijab-wearing,
Olympic-fencing Barbie doll.
Muhammad’s mission:
“To show that Muslim women
can be strong, athletic and
vocal -- and everything else
you think we can’t be.”
To Islam and the
West: How
Muslims are
Constructing a
New Identity
By Adis Duderija
Adis
Duderija
The last three
decades have
seen an
explosion of
interest, both
scholarly and
popular, in
Islam and
Muslims -
particularly
Muslims who
reside in
Western liberal
democracies.
Apart from
global
geo-political
events that have
contributed to
this phenomenon,
increased
numbers and a
more visible
presence of
Muslims in the
West, mostly due
to immigration,
have also
ensured that
discussions
pertaining to
Islam and Muslim
communities in
the West have
taken centre
stage in many
Western social
and political
contexts. And
these
discussions have
only grown in
intensity.
So what are the
major issues and
debates
surrounding this
"new," visible
and, for some,
problematic
presence of
Islam and
Muslims in the
West?
The presence of
Muslims in the
West is, of
course, nothing
new.
Centuries-long
Muslim presence
on the European
continent goes
back to the
eighth century
in the case of
the Iberian
Peninsula,
eleventh-century
Sicily and the
fourteenth
century in the
case of the
Balkans.
In the other
parts of the
West, Islam has
centuries-long
presence.
Interactions
between
Islam/Muslims
and the West
have been taking
place since the
early days of
Islam,
frequently in
the context of
military
conflict and, at
times, but not
always, in
situations
marked by
religious
intolerance.
Both
historically and
in recent
decades,
conceptions of
Islam and
Muslims in the
West have tended
not only to
emphasise their
foreignness, but
also their
collective
uniformity.
However, among
contemporary
Muslim
communities in
the West, a
number of
Islamic
orientations
operate with
very different
conceptions of
the normative
Islamic
tradition and
with very
different social
orientations
toward the
broader society,
ranging from
highly
participatory to
isolationist. In
my new book with
Halim Rane, we
try to correct
this presumption
of uniformity by
exploring some
of these
different these
Islamic
orientations in
the West and the
transnational
links associated
with them.
In contemporary
Western liberal
democracies,
Muslim
communities
constitute a new
immigrant
minority
religion and the
dynamics
surrounding
their identity
construction in
many important
ways resemble
those of other
communities
which have
operated in
similar
contexts. The
salience of
their religious
identity,
especially among
Western born or
raised Muslims,
at the expense
of other traits
- such as
ethnicity or
race - is one
important aspect
of this dynamic.
This is not,
however, to
imply that what
we term a
religion-based
identity is
necessarily
fundamentalist
in character.
Individualisation
or privatisation
of Muslim
identity is, in
fact, a major
characteristic
of Western
Muslim identity
(re)construction.
While there
exist
ultraorthodox
and highly
reactionary
types of Western
Muslim identity
that emphasise
its
distinctiveness
from the broader
society, there
are also types
of Western
Muslim
identities that
are very
comfortable with
the idea of
being a Muslim
and a Westerner.
The types of
Western Muslim
identity
construction, we
emphasise,
depend in part
on the
approaches to
the normative
Islamic
tradition
Western Muslims
adopt and the
kind of "Muslim
woman" construct
they endorse. In
which case,
emphasis on
distinction in
dress or what
could be termed
"Muslim
visibility" -
especially in
the form of the
hijab - tends to
contribute to a
sense of
"otherness" and
"foreignness"
between Western
Muslims and the
broader society.
The issues
pertaining to
gender have also
come into the
focus in the
context of
discussions
surrounding
Islam and Muslim
communities in
the West. One of
the most
sensitive and
controversial
debates relates
to the various
responses
elicited by
Western Muslim
organisations to
the
ever-increasing
demands by
certain sections
of Western
Muslim
communities for
the recognition
and
accommodation of
female religious
authority -
defined both as
scholarly
authority to
engage in
interpretation
of normative
texts, and the
legitimacy of
assuming
religious
leadership and
representation
of Muslim
communities,
including in
mosques.
This new-found
gender
consciousness
has given rise
to activist and
scholarly-based
forms of gender
jihad, which has
resulted in the
emergence of
scholarly
literature that
produces
non-patriarchal
interpretations
of Islam and is
affirmative of
female religious
authority. But
these
developments
have also forced
some of the main
Islamic
organisations in
the West to
confront this
issue of gender
directly and
make certain
accommodations
in this respect.
Alternative
initiatives have
also sprung up
that bypass
existing power
structures and
have
materialised in
form of women
only/inclusive
or women-lead
mosques.
Minority fiqh is
another issue
that has come to
the fore of the
discussions on
Islam and Muslim
communities in
the West over
the last few
decades.
Minority fiqh is
an approach to
Islamic
jurisprudence
developed in the
1990s by an
Iraqi-born
American Muslim
scholar, Taha
Al-Alwani. It is
premised on the
idea that new
Islamic
jurisprudence
needs to be
developed -
rather than
relying on
existing
classical
jurisprudence
whose contours
were more or
less finalised
in the twelfth
and thirteenth
centuries - for
Muslims living
in the West that
reflects the new
context in which
they find
themselves.
In our book, we
are most
interested in
demonstrating
the contested
nature of the
concept of
minority fiqh by
analysing the
differences
between two
leading
theoretical
approaches to
the discourse of
minority fiqh -
the wasati and
the salafi. The
former is
associated with
scholars such as
the "Global
Mufti," Yusuf
Al-Qaradawi,
whereas the
latter is
associated with
the religious
establishment in
Saudi Arabia. We
argue that the
wasati approach,
unlike the
salafi, to
minority fiqh
has far more
potential to
contribute to
the meaningful
and lasting
integration of
Western Muslims.
This is so
because the
wasati approach
explicitly
encourages
Muslims in the
West to be
proactive
citizens in
their respective
societies and to
engage in
electoral
politics.
This gives rise
to the
possibility of a
distinctly
Western Islam -
conceived not
merely as a
political-juristic
construct (as
per minority
fiqh discourse)
but as a
fully-fledged
philosophical
and cultural
system or
worldview, akin
to South-East
Asian or African
Islam. In our
book, we
identify some
grounds and
developments
that might
assist in the
emergence of
such a system or
worldview -
focussing
particularly on
ideas of Tariq
Ramadan and
Basam Tibi.
While some of
these
developments
continue to
provoke concerns
about the future
of the
relationship
between Muslims
and non-Muslims
in the West,
many of these
developments
point to
successful
transformations
and fruitful
exchanges of
ideas. Given the
nature of the
present
socio-political
context -
characterised as
it is both by
the rise of
right-wing
politics in
Western liberal
democracies and
the continued
threat of
terrorism,
including
home-grown
terrorism - it
is likely that
many of the
issues we
identify will
continue to hold
a great deal of
relevance for
the foreseeable
future.
Adis Duderija
is Lecturer in
the Study of
Islam and
Society in the
School of
Languages and
Social Science,
Griffith
University. He
is the co-author
(with Halim Rane)
of Islam and
Muslims in the
West: Major
Issues and
Debates - see
the CCN Book
Club below.
Eid Mubarak!
Sophie and I send our best
wishes to Muslims in Canada and
around the world as they
celebrate Eid al-Adha.
How Islam Spread to
Russia
KJ VIDS
Can Science be used to
disprove God?
OnePath
Network
The reason
why science can never be
used to disprove God.
The beginning of a series of
conversations with Dr.
Mohamed Ghilan exploring a
range of topics involving
science, faith, activism,
and education.
Dr. Mohamed Ghilan is a
student of knowledge who has
a Ph.D. in neuroscience. He
has previously given
lectures on the biography of
the Prophet Muhammed ﷺ,
Fundamentalism in Islam,
Islam and science, the
message of Islam, Jesus in
the Qur’an, in addition to
others. He has also taught
an introductory course on
Islamic Jurisprudence
according to the Maliki
School as well as an
introductory course on
Islamic Theology.
In this first episode, Dr.
Mohamed Ghilan puts forth
his argument that science
cannot be used to disprove
religion because it involves
a separate paradigm.
Ghilan also sheds light on
the myth that most
scientists are atheists,
citing a study by the Pew
Research Centre which
determined only
approximately 17% of
scientists consider them
atheists. Historically
speaking many renowned
scientists were also
believers in a greater
supreme being.
PLEASE
NOTE
It is the usual policy of CCN to
include notices of events, video links and articles that
some readers may find interesting or relevant. Such notices
are often posted as received. Including such messages/links
or providing the details of such events does not necessarily
imply endorsement or agreement by CCN of the contents
therein.
KENYA: Kenya’s most senior military
woman, Brigadier Fatuma Ahmed, has
become Major General, becoming not only
the first Muslim woman but also the
first woman to occupy the rank in
Kenya’s history.
Ahmed was also the first woman in
Kenya’s military to attain the rank of
Brigadier in August 2015.
At a swearing-in ceremony of new Kenya
Defense Forces (KDF) top commanders at
State House, Nairobi, Uhuru Kenyatta,
told Ahmed she was a role model to many
women in Kenya.
“Major General, let me begin by saying
that it is my pride and joy today to
witness the unveiling of the first
Kenyan woman as a major general in the
history of our country,” he said.
“I am looking to you and counting on you
to be a positive role model for other
women in this Republic and to show and
to prove to them that there is no limit
for Kenyan women and that everything is
possible.”
Maj General Fatuma Ahmed thanked the
President for the opportunity saying it
is an honour to all women in the
country. “I am very happy with this new
appointment because it shows that the
President values the contribution of
women to the development of our great
nation,” Ahmed said.
The President also announced that she
will be the new Assistant Chief of the
Defense Forces in charge of personnel
and logistics.
She was commissioned as a second
Lieutenant in 1985 and later posted to
the Air Force.
Brigadier Ahmed, who is a graduate of
the prestigious National Defence College
and the Institute of Diplomacy and
International Studies, has also served
as a battalion second-in-command, in
addition to other positions in the
administration.
She also holds a diploma in management
from Strathmore University.
The swearing-in ceremony was attended by
Defence Cabinet Secretary Amb Raychelle
Omamo, Chief of Defence Forces General
Samson Mwathethe, and the retiring
commanders.
China Declared Islam a Contagious
Disease – and Quarantined 1 Million Muslims
Chinese police patrol as Muslims
leave the Id Kah Mosque after
the morning prayer in China’s
Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous
Region.
CHINA: China is among the most
ethnically homogeneous large countries
in the world, with Han Chinese
accounting for 91 percent of its
population. The ruling Communist Party
considers China’s homogeneity and social
cohesion to be pillars of its strength
(and, also, potent rationalizations for
discrimination against ethnic minorities
and authoritarian rule).
But the territory of Xinjiang, in
northwest China, is home to a large
population of Uighurs, a predominantly
Muslim, Turkic ethnic group. The Chinese
government has long worried that the
Uighurs will attempt to establish an
independent homeland in the region,
which they commonly call East Turkestan.
In 2009, ethnic riots in Xinjiang
claimed hundreds of lives; since then,
individual Uighur nationalists have
carried out multiple terrorist attacks.
So, to combat the impression that
Uighurs have any cause for wanting their
own separate state — let alone for
deploying violence to achieve it — Xi
Jinping’s government has decided to
declare Islam a contagious “ideological
illness,” and quarantine 1 million
Uighurs in reeducation camps, according
to an estimate from the United Nations.
In interviews, former inmates from these
camps say that they were made to
renounce their faith, sing Communist
Party songs, consume pork, and drink
alcohol; other reports suggest some of
the truly “ideologically sick” have been
tortured and killed.
At first, Beijing was content to reserve
its concentration camps for suspected
radicals. But, as the Atlantic’s Sigal
Samuel explains, they eventually decided
that the Uighurs’ ideological malady was
so destructive and contagious, it was
best to quarantine them
prophylactically, upon the slightest
apparent symptom (like, say, the
appearance of a long beard on an Uighur
male’s face).
To the West, China insists that its
reeducation camps are mere vocational
schools. But, as Samuel notes, Beijing
offers a more forthright account of its
intentions to its Chinese constituents.
Here’s how the Communist Party explained
its policy in an official recording:
Members of the
public who have been chosen for
reeducation have been infected by an
ideological illness. They have been
infected with religious extremism
and violent terrorist ideology, and
therefore they must seek treatment
from a hospital as an inpatient.
… There is always a risk that the
illness will manifest itself at any
moment, which would cause serious
harm to the public. That is why they
must be admitted to a reeducation
hospital in time to treat and
cleanse the virus from their brain
and restore their normal mind …
Being infected by religious
extremism and violent terrorist
ideology and not seeking treatment
is like being infected by a disease
that has not been treated in time,
or like taking toxic drugs … There
is no guarantee that it will not
trigger and affect you in the
future.
Having gone through reeducation and
recovered from the ideological
disease doesn’t mean that one is
permanently cured … So, after
completing the reeducation process
in the hospital and returning home …
they must remain vigilant, empower
themselves with the correct
knowledge, strengthen their
ideological studies, and actively
attend various public activities to
bolster their immune system.
Islam and Muslims in the West Major Issues and Debates
by
Adis Duderija and Halim Rane
Description
This book analyzes the
development of Islam and Muslim communities in
the West, including influences from abroad,
relations with the state and society, and
internal community dynamics.
The project examines the
emergence of Islam in the West in relation to
the place of Muslim communities as part of the
social fabric of Western societies.
It provides an overview of the
major issues and debates that have arisen over
the last three to four decades surrounding the
presence of new Muslim communities residing in
Western liberal democracies.
As such, the volume is an ideal
text for courses focusing on Islam and Muslim
communities in the West.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Adis Duderija is
Lecturer in the Study of Islam and Society in
the School of Languages and Social Science,
Griffith University, Australia.
Halim Rane is
Associate Professor of Islam-West Relations in
the School of Humanities, Languages and Social
Science, Griffith University, Australia.
KB says:
A great recipe to try out on Father’s Day
Masala Pan Fried Fillet Steak
With Buttery
Mash and Mushroom sauce
1 500g Thickly
sliced beef fillet
steaks
1-tab white vinegar
1 tab lemon juice
1 heaped tsp crushed
garlic
1 tsp crushed cumin
1 tsp salt
1 tsp barbeque or
steak and chops
spice
1 tsp crushed red
chillies
1 tsp chilli powder
½ tsp turmeric
powder
½ tsp white pepper
Marinate the steak
and set aside for a
few hours.
Heat 4-tab butter or
ghee in a pan and
fry on medium to
high at least 5 min
on each side.
Best results are
achieved when fried
just before dinner
and served
Mushroom sauce
3 heaped tab butter
3-tab cake flour
Braise in a sauce
pan till light
golden
Add in 2 cups milk
and keep whisking
till it boils and
thickens
Add 2 tab. cream and
continue to stir
gently
Season with salt and
pepper
Lastly add in 1 cup
of sautéed mushrooms
and pour the sauce
over the steak.
Serve with buttery
mash (see below) and
peas.
Buttery mash
3 medium to large
potatoes
Peel and chop up
into chunks
Add to a pot and add
water just
sufficient to boil
till soft and water
burns out.
Add in 4-tab butter
¼ cup milk
1 tsp. fine salt
½ tsp pepper
A dollop of cream
and mash well
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 try
and understand the
meaning of
True Forgiveness
and how to cultivate
a Daily Forgiveness
Practice.
Before we proceed
further, let us
imagine four
scenarios:
Scenario One
Your friend borrows
a piece of clothing
from you. When your
friend returns it to
you, you notice an
irreparable rip in
the fabric.
Initially, it
bothers you and you
let your friend know
how you feel. Your
friend apologises
and you decide to
let it be in the
past and move on.
You accept the
apology and forgive.
Scenario Two
Your friend borrows
a piece of clothing
from you. Again,
upon return, you
notice an
irreparable rip.
When asked about it,
your friend
dismisses it and
does not accept any
responsibility. Your
friend apologises
for the
inconvenience
without accepting
the responsibility
of the rip. Again,
you decide to let it
go and accept the
indirect apology.
Scenario Three
You confide in a
friend and later
find out that the
friend accidentally
let it slip in a
group conversation.
You feel hurt and
tell your friend you
are disappointed by
the event. Your
friend realises and
apologises. Even
though you are hurt
and find it
difficult to forget
the incident, you
decide to accept
your friend’s
apology.
Scenario Four
You confide in a
friend and later
find out that the
friend intentionally
told another person
and now the secret
has been passed
around in a group of
other people. You
tell your friend you
feel deeply hurt and
betrayed. You demand
an apology. There is
NO APOLOGY. Your
friendship is ruined
as a result. You
lose trust in other
people of that group
and you begin
avoiding gatherings
where any of these
people are. Every
time your former
friend’s name is
mentioned you feel
anger and hurt.
Now, in the first
three scenarios, it
was easier to let go
of the hurt and
carry on with life
as well as maintain
your friendship. In
the last scenario,
however, you did not
let go.
Why? Because there
was NO APOLOGY. You
became deeply
affected and
restricted your life
because of another
person’s actions -
you let that person
affect you and your
decisions.
LETTING GO WHEN YOU
HAVEN’T RECEIVED AN
APOLOGY IS TRUE
FORGIVENESS
True Forgiveness
happens when you can
no longer feel a
person’s or
incident’s control
over your response
to life’s
situations. True
Forgiveness happens
when you no longer
blame a person or
circumstance for how
things are turning
out in your life.
True Forgiveness
happens when you no
longer NEED an
apology because you
have decided to have
a NEW PERSPECTIVE of
the situation - the
perspective that
lets you be FREE
from carrying a
grudge or resentment
of any kind
whatsoever.
Forgiveness does NOT
mean you need to
start having dinner
parties with that
person or start
re-connecting. NO.
Forgiveness is to
NOT LET THEIR PAST
BEHAVIOUR AFFECT
YOUR PRESENT LIFE.
Four Steps to
Practise Daily
Forgiveness
Forgiveness gives
you freedom.
Forgiveness is for
your benefit alone.
There are four steps
to practise daily
forgiveness.
Cultivate a
forgiving attitude
by practising these
four steps daily.
Step 1 - Think of
the person who has
hurt you, the person
you need to forgive.
Step 2 - Now think
of this person in a
child form as if
they were a little
girl or little boy.
Step 3 - Now, in
your mind, say to
this child : “I
forgive you; you did
what you because
someone hurt you
too. I forgive you”.
Step 4 - Now imagine
this person back in
the adult form and
in your mind, say to
him/her: “I forgive
you. You have no
power over me. Your
words and your
actions have no
power over me. I
release you from my
mind. I forgive you.
ALLAH guide you to
the path of love and
peace.”
Forgiving
Yourself
Sometimes we feel
guilty for something
we have done and we
find it difficult to
forgive ourselves.
Try practising this
affirmation to
yourself. Close your
eyes and say: “I
forgive myself and
set myself free. I
seek refuge in
ALLAH’s mercy.”
Next week, In Shaa
Allah, we will
explore the meaning
of Silence and
strategies to
practice moments of
Silence daily in
your life so that
you are able to
“hear” the answers
to your prayers. We
often voice our
supplications to
ALLAH, but rarely do
we practise silence
to hear HIS answers
to our questions
because we are
caught up in
reacting to
circumstances.
If you wish to know about
a specific topic
with regards to
Self-Care and
Clarity of Mind,
please email me on
info@healingwordstherapy.com.
If you wish to have
a FREE one hour
Clarity Coaching
phone session,
contact me on
0451977786
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.
Whoever works righteousness,
man or woman, and has Faith,
verily, to him We will give
a new Life, a life that is
good and pure, and We will
bestow on such their reward
according to the best of
their actions.
A thousand
years ago, one boy with a
dream of becoming a great
warrior is abducted with his
sister and taken to a land
far away from home. Thrown
into a world where greed and
injustice rule all, Bilal
finds the courage to raise
his voice and make a change.
Inspired by the true story
of Bilal ibn Rabah
Radhiallahu ‘anhu, this is a
tale of a real hero who
earned his remembrance in
time and history.
Bilal: A New
Breed of Hero debuted at the
Dubai International Film
Festival in 2015,
won ‘Most inspiring
animation’ in Cannes during
its animation showcase and
was shortlisted for last
year’s Oscars.
And it is now
coming to Brisbane thanks to
the Hurricane Stars Club and
Human Appeal International!
Bilal, is a
universal story about
humanity and courage – that
everyone, despite their
background or religious
affiliation, can enjoy and
learn from.
Be a part of this historical
moment, as the tale of a
legendary man from Islamic
history hits Brisbane for
the first time.
Limited
tickets available for
Brisbane’s only screening of
the movie and don’t miss out
on this amazing opportunity!
Come along
and enjoy this rare
opportunity to go out for a
family movie night to see an
Islamic film.
100% of ALL
money raise goes to charity.
To fund projects for the
local Brisbane Muslim
community and at the Islamic
College of Brisbane.
The film is
being shown in the
Multipurpose Hall of the
Islamic College of Brisbane
45 Acacia Road Karawatha.
Gates open at
5pm and a variety of halal
food is available to
purchase for dinner before
the movie starts at 6.30pm.
Food
available for purchase will
be-
Burgers
Sausage sizzle
Hot
chips
Bosthans catering
tuckshop
Popcorn
Fairy
floss
Cadbury chocolates
Dessert stall
Cold
drinks
Hot
drinks
One4kids Zaky
merchandise
Children 3 years old and
under free for movie entry.
Gold coin donation per car
at the gates for parking.
All of the Islamic College
of Brisbane grounds are off
limits except for the
multipurpose hall.
Thank you to our sponsor
Human Appeal International.
A lot of
people are doing it tough
right now, but instead of
standing up against big
corporations and a morally
corrupt banking industry,
politicians are turning us
against one another, blaming
migrants of non-European
backgrounds when they should
be blaming our broken
economic and political
systems.
The
government has been pushing
massive tax cuts for big
corporations and cutting
basic services, while
simultaneously whipping up
fears about immigration,
scapegoating migrants for
everything from traffic
congestion to crime rates.
Racism and
anti-immigrant rhetoric is
on the rise in mainstream
discourse, and we need to
stand up against it.
Everyone
seems happy to condemn
isolated examples of overt
racism on public transport.
But when racists like Tony
Abbott and Andrew Bolt make
similar comments in
parliament or in the
mainstream media, they are
rewarded with more coverage.
All this
happens against a backdrop
of ongoing colonial racism
against First Nations
peoples - the theft of land,
wages and children, and the
continued rejection of
Aboriginal sovereignty.
In the next
few months, the federal
government will try to
change citizenship and
immigration laws. If passed,
these changes will:
- Make
the English language
tests and ‘Australian
Values’ tests even
stricter
- Require
permanent residents to
have lived here for 4
years before becoming
citizens, when it’s
already very difficult
and can take many years
just to get permanent
residency
- Require
citizenship applicants
to ‘prove they have
integrated’
- Make it
harder to reunite with
elderly parents and
disabled relatives, even
after you become a
citizen
- Make it
harder to have overseas
educational
qualifications
recognised in Australia
- Make it
harder for asylum
seekers to be accepted
as refugees
- Give
the Immigration Minister
stronger powers to
deport people and reject
visa applications
without going through
fair processes
Without
strong public opposition to
these changes,
anti-immigrant policies will
become the new normal, and
refugees will continue to
languish in offshore
concentration camps.
Please join
us at a positive,
family-friendly public rally
to say no to racism and
imperialism, and yes to
unity and multiculturalism.
This will be
a short rally and march,
featuring poets and
performing artists but not
too many speeches. After the
poetry, we'll be marching
down Adelaide St to the
Immigration Department
building, then back up to
King George Square.
We want to
remind politicians of all
parties that racist policies
and messages are a
vote-loser, not a
vote-winner, and remind
broader society that with
the exception of Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander
people, everyone on this
continent has come from
somewhere else.
Multiculturalism should be
celebrated and encouraged,
not undermined.
This event is
taking place on stolen land.
We acknowledge the Jagera
and Turrbul peoples, and pay
respects to their elders
past and present.
Sovereignty was never ceded,
and the struggle against
racism and anti-immigrant
xenophobia is fundamentally
a struggle for
decolonisation and justice
for First Nations peoples.
Queensland
Police Service (QPS) is
organising a recruiting
seminar specifically
targeting people from
non-English speaking
background to join QPS.
This seminar will be held at
the Darra Mosque on Sunday
9th September 2018 at
10.30am and is designed to
educate/encourage members of
the community in the
recruiting process in QPS.
To be eligible for this
program, you must:
Be born in a non-English
speaking country or a child
of someone born a
Non-English speaking
country.
Be a permanent resident or
citizen of Australia
Be 18 years of age or older.
You must have successfully
completed Year 12 OR have
three years of full-time
paid employment (or the
part-time equivalent) since
leaving high school.
FREE event, light lunch and
refreshments provided.
Join us for a night of fun,
games and prizes. Ladies
enjoy dressing in your
finest and enjoy a girls
night out with your
favourite person. Mothers
and daughters of all ages
are welcome. Weather you are
a 30 years old with your 60
year old mother or with your
10 year old daughter, or
both.
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.
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
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.
Kenya’s first Muslim woman Major
General 
post comments on
our Wall
7
August 2011