Issue 108

MUSLIM

AUSTRALASIAN

Multimedia News & Views

ISSN: 1039-2300

Print Post No. PP 255003/01403

Print edition published Monthly on first Friday with Website updates

Tribute to Gough Whitlam BOOMERANG PAGE 5

Issue # 108

MEFF Eid Ul Adha Festival Collage MEFF PAGE 10-11

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Friday 7 November 2014; 13 Muharram 1436

Celebrating Ghulam Azam UMMAH PAGE 15

Brandis comes to town Zia Ahmad

The Federal Attorney General, Senator George Brandis fronted up to invited members of the Muslim Community on ABC TV Q&A program hosted by Tony Jones, aired live on Monday night 3 November from Bryan Brown Theatre located in the western Sydney suburb of Bankstown.

Unlike the usual Q&A episodes where several panellists sit on the stage, Senator Brandis was the sole panellist in this episode where Muslim academic, lawyers and community leaders as well as AFP Assistant Commissioner were relegated to sit with the audience.

Senator Brandis insisted that there was a problem within the Muslim community.

“There is a problem, and the problem is that there are people, a small handful of very wicked people, who target young Muslim men and try to ensnare them into going to the Middle East and lead them on a path of self destruction”.

Dr Abdalla, an Imam and academic commented that radicalisation was not a Muslim problem, but a complex human problem and needed strategic solutions.

Regarding double standards on foreign fighters legislation, he asked “Will the new legislation apply to Australian citizens joining foreign armies? In particular will Jewish Australians who go overseas to fight with the Israeli Defence Forces be subjected to the same penalties as Muslim youth fighting in Syria or Iraq?”

Senator Brandis replied that if you are a dual citizen and join the army of your second citizenship, then you will not be prosecuted under this bill. When some one commented that what if it was the Russian army,

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News .................................1 - 2 • State Persecution in Bangladesh • Indian Supreme Court on Fatwa • Qantas Fights Freedom Battle • Fleeing of Rohingya Muslims • Pakistan Clean Sweep Australia Boomerang ..................... 3 - 5 • Editorial: Terrorism Root Causes • Memory Lane: Fundamentalism Community ..................... 6 - 8 • ISOC Celebrates 45 Years • Fake Facebook Friendships Family .................................. 9 • Feelings: Sounds of Light 2008 • Peacemaker: Journey Among Arabs Australia ..................... 10 - 13 • Modi’s Visit to Australia • HECS Loans: Muslim Concerns Ummah ........................ 14 - 16 • Islamophobia in India • Chomsky: US Support for Israel

Cycling for charity: members of the Sydney Muslim Cyclists team in front of Lakemba Mosque during the National Mosque Open Day. Story & more photos Page 8

then Senator Brandis added it has to be the army of a “friendly” country. Tony Jones asked if Russia was not a friendly country, but Senator Brandis skipped the question.

In trying to justify the Tony Abbott’s divisive term of “Team Australia” he said, “Team Australia, from the mouth of Tony Abbott is a word on inclusion. “It’s his favourite collective noun, to address the word as team, which is certainly what he meant in that press conference.” He simply received

laughs from the audience on his comments.

In answer to Bilal Rauf, a lawyer, comments on the unprecedented Sydney raids, the Australian Federal Police assistance commissioner and national manager for counter terrorism Mr Gaughan “made no apologies” for the 800 police used in the raids on more than a dozen Sydney homes terrorising a large number of Muslim men, women and children very early in the morning for the sole purpose of finally arresting

Education .......................... 17 • Attributes of Allah - Part 3 Business ............................ 18 • Islamic Planner Calendar 2015 Social .................................. 19 • Online Identity vs Offline Identity only one person. He confirmed a sword seized during the raids was a “legitimate weapon” and not plastic, as reported widely by the media.

On a question from Lydia Shelly, a lawyer regarding the need for legislation on metadata retention, Senator Brandis clarified that it will only be used to prosecute serious crimes such as terrorism, paedophilia and drug dealing and not for illegally downloading movies and songs by individuals.

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NEWS

NEWS 1-2

State persecution in Bangladesh:

BOOMERANG 3-5

A veteran Islamic leader dies in prison while another is given a death sentence Zia Ahmad Professor Ghulam Azam, the veteran leader of Jamaat Islami of Bangladesh passed away on 23 October at the age of 91 in prison while current chief of Jamaat Islami, Motiur Rahman Nizami, 71 was handed down a death sentence on 29 October.

A number of Jamaat Islami, Bangladesh leaders are being tried by the special Bangladesh War Crimes Tribunal set up by the Awami League government for alleged crimes against humanity back in 1971.

The government has been criticised for using the tribunal to persecute opposition leaders and a number of human rights

Professor Ghulam Azam

Motiur Rahman Nizami

groups including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have issued statements against the tribunal for its failure to

adhere to due process of the law.

The defence has called it a politically motivated witch hunt.

Ghulam Azam fought for the restoration of Bengali as a state language and jointly formed Pakistan Democratic Alliance against Pakistani military dictatorships together with Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

He was ostracised for not supporting the breakup of Pakistan and was stripped of his citizenship, after the creation of Bangladesh, that was later restored by the supreme court.

He was succeeded by Motiur Rahman Nizami in 2000, as the chief of the Jamaat Islami party that formed the ruling coalition with Bangladesh Nationalist Party, and served as a minister from 2001-2006.

COMMUNITY 6-8

FAMILY 9

Qantas fights religious freedom battle Rev Peter Kurti Qantas isn’t just facing a commercial battle over business seats. It’s also facing a legal battle over religious freedom in a storm stirred up by its uniform policy.

Former Qantas employee, Georgina Sarikoudis, a member of the Greek Orthodox Church, says Qantas discriminated against her Christian faith because she was forced to remove a bracelet and a necklace with a crucifix on it.

Current Qantas uniform policy allows Muslim women to wear head scarfs but does not allow any jewellery to be worn over the uniform, and that includes crucifixes and religious bracelets.

Supreme Court of India lifts restrictions on ‘Fatwa’ AMUST Media In a significant judgement, a bench of three judges of the Supreme Court of India has overruled a high court order restraining issuance of ‘fatwa’ by Dar AlQuaza and Dar Al-Ifta in Bhopal.

The judgement is bound to have a far reaching effect as it would deter the Indian judiciary at various levels from interfering in the religious matters of Muslims. The order is expected to give relief to Muslims. It will also affect the legal position of fatwa in many other Muslim minority countries such as Australia.

In an earlier judgement in the case of Vishwa Lochan Madan, the Supreme Court had held: “In our opinion, one may not object to issuance of fatwa on a religious issue

or any other issue so long as it does not infringe upon the rights of individuals guaranteed under the law.”

The Supreme Court said the high court judgement shall be treated as substituted by the above law laid down by it.

The three-member bench comprised former Chief Justice M. Lodha, Justice Kurian Joseph and Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman.

“A fatwa is an opinion, only an expert is expected to give. It is not a decree, nor binding on the court or the State or the individual. It is not sanctioned under our constitutional scheme. But this does not mean that existence of Dar Al-Quaza or for that matter practice of issuing fatwas are themselves illegal,” the premier court clarified.

The judgement said it is informal justice delivery system with an objective of bring-

ing about amicable settlement between the parties. It is within the discretion of the persons concerned either to accept, ignore, or reject it. However, as the fatwa gets strength from the religion; it causes serious psychological impact on the person intending not to abide by that.

Huge surge in Rohingya Muslims fleeing Myanmar AMUST Media A growing sense of desperation is fuelling a mass exodus of Rohingya Muslims from western Myanmar, with the number who have fled by boat since communal violence broke out two years ago now topping 100,000, a leading expert said Saturday.

Chris Lewa, director of the nonprofit advocacy group Arakan Project, said there has been a huge surge since Oct. 15, with an average of 900 people per day piling into cargo ships parked off Rakhine state. Lewa, who has teams monitoring embarkation points, is considered the leading authority on the number of fleeing Rohingya.

But boats are now shoving off from more and more places, she said, and it’s becoming

increasingly difficult to keep track of how many are leaving. “The real number may be higher,” Lewa said.

The suppression of the Rohingya community has been going on for decades. Since 1982, these people have been denied citizen-

ship rights and have been considered illegal immigrants in their own homeland. Consequently, hatred, torture and killings have become a horrific daily reality for them.

Over the past two years, Buddhist mobs have reportedly killed hundreds of Rohingya Muslims.

The United Nations reported that the atrocities had also displaced almost 29,000 people, and labelled the Rohingya as one of the world’s most persecuted minorities.

The situation has been exacerbated by the fact that the government has done nothing to stop the continuing atrocities and has, instead, unwittingly contributed to them.

At the same time, many in the mainstream media have been silent. The world community knows very little, if anything at all, about the situation.

Test Cricket: Pakistan clean sweep Australia 2:0 AMUST Media Pakistan cricket team completely outplayed the Australians in the 2 match cricket series that ended on 3 November in the United Arab Emirates.

After 20 long years Pakistan have won a series against Australia and most convincingly in all departments of the game, specially in batting.

A number of records have been broken by the Pakistani batsmen, Younus Khan scoring three centuries back to back, the third one being a double century; Misbah-ul-Haq and Azhar Ali both scoring back to back centuries in the second test. Misbah also equaled the record of Viv Richards in scoring the fastest century thus becoming the new master blaster.

The Pakistani Bowler Zulfiqar Babar pro-

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Misbah-ul-Haq: Master blaster duced brilliant spells of bowling in the series to keep the Australian batsmen in check and took 5 wickets in the second innings of the second test.

Australasian Muslim Times

Younus Khan: Double century

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A Qantas spokeswoman emphasised that “our uniform standards don’t prohibit employees from wearing religious jewellery.

It’s simply worn under the uniform.”

Now Ms Sarikoudis wants to have her day in court to argue that Qantas has denied her right to demonstrate her faith and has violated her right to religious freedom.

Perhaps she was encouraged by what happened to British Airways which had a similar policy of not allowing jewellery to be worn over the uniform.

When BA told employee Nadia Edeida, a committed Christian, to remove her small, visible cross, she took her case all the way to the European Court of Human Rights.

The Court overruled the English courts and held that Ms Edeida’s right to “manifest” her religion was protected by the European Convention on Human Rights and that she was entitled to wear her cross at work.

But in striking a balance between the interests of the employer in maintaining a corporate image and those of the employee wishing to manifest their belief, the European Court went too far in favour of the employee.

Christians like Ms Sarikoudis are not required by their faith to wear a crucifix on a necklace. It is different for Sikh men who must wear a turban or Muslim women who cover their heads with the hijab.

At best, wearing a cross is a modest act of piety. At worst, a decoration.

On the face of it, Qantas’s position seems reasonable enough. After all, an employer is entitled to decide upon a uniform for its employees and set appropriate standards for how that uniform will be worn in the workplace.

Religious freedom is not about the freedom to do or wear whatever you want just because of your particular beliefs. Rather, religious freedom is fundamentally about freedom from coercion or indoctrination.

If Qantas had instructed Ms Sarikoudis to abandon her Christian faith as condition of employment, it would certainly have been guilty of discriminating against her.

But Qantas did no such thing. It simply implemented a uniform policy that applied equally to all employees.

When applied equally, the Qantas uniform policy had an unequal impact on some religious believers, such as Ms Sarikoudis.

But that’s a long way from saying that she has been discriminated against or that the policy is unjust. There is no absolute right to religious freedom.

Rev Peter Kurti is a Research Fellow at the Sydney based Centre for Independent Studies.

Friday 7 November 2014

AUSTRALIA 10 - 13

UMMAH 14 - 16

EDUCATION 17

BUSINESS 18

SOCIAL 19

Counter Terrorism Legislation - an update Lydia Shelly On 17 October 2014, the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security released their Advisory Report on the Counter-Terrorism Legislation Amendment (Foreign Fighters) Bill 2014.

This report took into consideration over 40 submissions made by organisations, such as the Muslim Legal Network, and their concerns about the Bill. A member of the Muslim Legal Network members attended Parliament House to present our submissions.

The Australian Government indicated that it would accept the recommendations in the Report; however the report largely supports the Bill. It is not a “significant watering down” as stated in various mainstream newspapers and it is with great disappointment that the Bill is being introduced with a degree of bipartisanship.

This is despite the fact that even members of those sitting on the Committee, such as Tanya Plibersek has stated that the time they had to review the Bill and the submissions was “very short”.

To give the Australian public 9 days to review and absorb the Bill, which is over 300 pages and which referenced over 20 key pieces of legislation is reckless and an abuse of process.

There has been no demonstrated need for in the new counter terrorism laws and we have had very little time to explore the ramifications this legislation will have on the civil liberties of Australians and the potential breaches of international law. Despite that, it is anticipated that the Bill will pass through parliament this week. To expect our government to engage in law making with proper regard for process and devoid of fear mongering should be a basic expectation of our government in a democratic society. It should not be a controversial expectation.

The Report has recommended the government clarify what the term “advocating terrorism” means and clarify the distinction

Friday 7 November 2014

MUSLIM

AUSTRALASIAN

Multimedia News & Views

Issue # 108

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TIME

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Friday 7 November 2014;

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13 Muharram 1436

Terrorism can best be eliminated by addressing its root causes

between the new proposed “Advocating terrorism” offence and incitement (which is currently a criminal offence). The Muslim Legal Network still holds grave concerns over legitimate speech being caught by this provision; for example this provision would criminalise the support shown to Nelson Mandela and the ANC during South Africa’s apartheid (Mandela was only removed from the USA Terrorism watch list in 2008) and Fretlin in Indonesia’s occupation of East Timor. Those supporting Palestinians right to self-defence against Israeli aggression, occupation or apartheid could potentially satisfy the elements of the offence. This provision seems to be directly from the pages of a George Orwell Novel.

The recommendations regarding the declared areas provisions include whole countries not being allowed to be designated as “no go zones” and that each declaration of a declared area should be open to being overturned by either house of parliament. Significantly it has reduced the “sunset clause” from the proposed ten years to 2 years after the next Federal election.

The alarming departure over the fundamental legal principles that form the bedrock of democracy that were enshrined in the magna carta over 800 years ago are still present. Principles such as the presumption of innocence and the burden of proof are reversed. This provision is not seen in any other country in the western world and Australia will be the first to introduce the concept into law.

The Muslim Legal Network will provide further information once the Bill is further debated in parliament.

Lydia Shelly is a Lawyer from Osborne Howell Lawyers, community activist and a member of the Muslim Legal Network.

Australian Government’s official list of terrorist organisations Abu Sayyaf Group Listed 14 November 2002, re-listed 5 November 2004, 3 November 2006, 1 November 2008, 29 October 2010 and 12 July 2013 Al-Qa’ida (AQ) Listed 21 October 2002, re-listed 1 September 2004, 26 August 2006, 8 August 2008, 22 July 2010 and 12 July 2013 Al-Qa’ida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) Listed 26 November 2010, re-listed 26 November 2013 Al-Qa’ida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) Listed 14 November 2002, re-listed 5 November 2004, 3 November 2006, 9 August 2008, 22 July 2010 and 12 July 2013 Al-Shabaab Listed 22 August 2009 and 18 August 2012 Ansar al-Islam Formerly known as Ansar al-Sunna—Listed 27 March 2003, re-listed 27 March 2005, 24 March 2007, 14 March 2009 and 9 March 2012 Boko Haram Listed 26 June 2014.

Hamas’s Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades Listed 9 November 2003, re-listed 5 June 2005, 7 October 2005, 10 September 2007, 8 September 2009 and 18 August 2012 Hizballah’s External Security Organisation (ESO) Listed 5 June 2003, re-listed 5 June 2005, 25 May 2007, 16 May 2009 and 10 May 2012 Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan Listed 11 April 2003, re-listed 11 April 2005, 31 March 2007, 14 March 2009 and 9 March 2012

BOOMERANG

Islamic State Formerly listed as Al-Qa’ida in Iraq - 2 March 2005, re-listed 17 February 2007, 1 November 2008, 29 October 2010, 12 July 2013. Formerly listed as Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant on 14 December 2013. Listed 11 July 2014 as Islamic State.

Jabhat al-Nusra Listed 28 June 2013 Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) Listed 11 April 2003, re-listed 11 April 2005, 31 March 2007, 14 March 2009 and 9 March 2012 Jamiat ul-Ansar Formerly known as Harakat Ul-Mujahideen—Listed 14 November 2002, re-listed 5 November 2004, 3 November 2006, 1 November 2008, 29 October 2010 and 12 July 2013 Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) Listed 27 October 2002, re-listed 1 September 2004, 26 August 2006, 9 August 2008, 22 July 2010 and 12 July 2013 Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) Listed 17 December 2005, re-listed 28 September 2007, 8 September 2009 and 18 August 2012 Lashkar-e Jhangvi (LeJ) Listed 11 April 2003, re-listed 11 April 2005, 31 March 2007, 14 March 2009 and 9 March 2012 Lashkar-e-Tayyiba Listed 9 November 2003, re-listed 5 June 2005, 7 October 2005, 8 September 2007, 8 September 2009 and 18 August 2012 Palestinian Islamic Jihad Listed 3 May 2004, re-listed 5 June 2005, 7 October 2005, 8 September 2007, 8 September 2009 and 18 August 2012

The vicious circle of terrorism and war on Oppression of Islamic political parties terror continues and now affects almost Egypt has been a classical case where everybody on the globe, from the theatres for more than a century, the highly popular of war in the Middle East to peaceful cit- Islamic movement Ikhwan-ul- Muslimoon ies in the West.

(Muslim Brotherhood) was oppressed for Since 9/11 terrorists attacks in US and in more than half a century where its highspite of the invasion and bombing of ly educated, professional and peacetwo of the most already impoverful leadership was assassinated, ished countries in the world name- EDITORIAL hanged, tortured imprisoned or ly Afghanistan and Iraq, at a great exiled. Finally when with free Assalamu military cost that resulted in the and fair democratic elections, deaths of hundreds of thousands it came to power, it was deAlaikum of people and now after 14 years posed by the Egyptian military Greetings of war on terror, the threat of terkilling thousand of its supportof Peace rorism has increased. It is amazing ers and imprisonment of tens of how our politicians suffering from thousands. tunnel vision have failed to effectively The other country matching Egypt address the threat of terrorism during these in its ruthlessness against the Islamic long years. They have not looked at the big movement to some extent, currently is picture, that prevention is better than cure, Bangladesh. The Awami League goveliminate the causes that lead to terrorism. ernment led by Sheikh Hasina who was One of the root causes of violence and re-elected earlier this year in polls boythereby terrorism is oppression, injustice cotted by the opposition parties (voter and lack of respect for human rights in the turnout 22%), is carrying out a politically Muslim World and till people in those coun- motivated witch hunt of the leadership of tries facilitated by the international com- the Jamaat Islami political party. The govmunity take responsibility to address these ernment has dug up the emotive issue of issues, we all will be victims to the on going the bloody split of Pakistan and creation phenomenon of terrorism. We all have high of Bangladesh back in 1971 by establishstakes to beat the scourge of international ing a special tribunal to try Jamaat’s aging terrorism since it potentially affects all of leadership. us, our children our neighbours and our daiThe political elites and military dictators ly living in fear of it. of Pakistan disfranchised and discriminatThe Muslim world suffers from internal ed against East Pakistanis and denied the oppression by its own ruling elites and ex- Bengali leader, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, ternal aggression by world powers leading the prime ministership of the country. This to extremism, intolerance and violence. eventually led to great resentment among One group based either on ethnicity, sect or Bengalis and with oppression and atrocilanguage is set upon other groups egged on ties committed by the Pakistani army and by external forces with devastating effect. with India using the opportunity to split This scenario is being staged in a number Pakistan, Bengalis opted to create an indeof countries particularly Iraq, Syria, Yemen, pendent state of Bangladesh.

Libya and Afghanistan.

The Jamaat initially campaigned against Largely Muslims want to live by Islam the breakup of Pakistan and are now bepeacefully with freedom with representative ing severely punished for their stand and rule. A number of Islamic movements have tried for war crimes. The Jamaat’s chief tried to establish democratic governments, till 2000, Professor Ghulam Azam, passed but have been prevented to do so by op- away on 23 October while serving a 90 pressive ruling elites in collaboration with year prison sentence and its chief since world powers. This has happened in the past 2000, Motiur Rahman Nizami was handed in Turkey, Algeria, Palestine, Syria, Iraq Af- a death sentence on 29 October. ghanistan and recently in Egypt. The leaderBangladesh like Egypt is a poor counship of these movement has been eliminated try but just like Egyptians, Banglashis are by killing, exile or imprisonment, thereby highly intelligent and creative people and leaving the followers to be leaderless some its sad to see their societies being at war of whom in desperation have resorted to with each other leading towards the path violence. to self destruction.

Prime Minister Giveth & Prime Minister Giveth Away

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Edward Gough Whitlam

Tony Abbott

Free university courses Universal healthcare Increased foreign aid Legislation against racial discrimination

New budget charging university fees Medicare co-payment Cuts to foreign aid “Western civilisation came to this country in 1788 and I’m proud of that…”

Australasian Muslim Times

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BOOMERANG

DJURINGA Anne Fairbairn

A star falls across the sky.

A man of the desert sighs ‘It is Gough’s heart.’

Over darkened spinifex to Baiami he chants his joy For his spirit place among the stars.

As star spirits leap and dance on the surface of Blackwater Creek, So in the brilliance above him, tonight Gough’s spirit is dancing.

This man is Djuringa touched, he will walk on in his dreaming, As the eastern fringe of the desert glows and stars fade.

Djuringa is an Aranda word meaning all that is sacred. The word encompasses all sacred symbolic objects including outcrops of stone, hills trees which are part of the landscape. These objects are believed to be transformed heroes of the Dreamtime. Myths and rites are also referred to as Djuringa as are the Dreamtime heroes themselves.

I gave Gough a copy of my book ‘Shadows of Our Dreaming’ in 1984.

NEWS 1

Letters to the editor Words not war

I felt very sad when I read this at “Save the Children Organisation” “Words not war.

Stop the military use of schools. Around the world, wars are being waged in school yards and classrooms. With no law to stop armed forces using education facilities as military bases, schools are being damaged and destroyed during the conflict” School children are experiencing horrific violence and losing their lives in conflicts.

Many are too scared to make the dangerous journey to school, or it no longer exists. Unable to access school, their right to education and a better future is threatened.

I have signed this petition, I thought I might share it with your newspaper. Your reader can sign the petition by going on their website.

Another thing I wrote on google (comment for a youtube video “Story of Stuff”).

“Proof, that Islam is the most environmentally friendly religion. We are told that you will be asked on the day of judgement

BOOMERANG 3-5

if you consumed, used or hoarded resources more then you needed. Islamic teachings emphasise conservation of water, prohibit wastage of food and control on one’s desires and moderate use of resources. Islam is the only solution for a sustainable economy and a sustainable and a peaceful world.”

Tahera Chaudhary Sydney, NSW.

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AUSTRALIA 14 - 15

UMMAH 16

EDUCATION 17

BUSINESS 18

BOOMERANG

SOCIAL 19

AMUST

Whitlam revolutionised Australia in a short time Bilal Cleland There are periods in history which can be seen as a watershed, a time after which things have changed forever. The First World War was one such watershed, we still live with its results. The election of the Whitlam government in 1972 was, for Australia, another watershed. After this things were different.

Before 1972 we lived in a closed country.

“Reds under the bed” dominated political discourse, “God Save the Queen” was our national anthem, the legacy of Robert Menzies dominated the land. The White Australia Policy was still part of us and although it was being whittled away, it still hung like a dark cloud over immigration policy.

That we had brought in lots of ‘blond, blueeyed’ former SS soldiers from the lands of the Third Reich was not yet an issue. They were racially acceptable.

Universities were out of bounds for most families unless you could get a scholarship, for they were shockingly expensive and loans were not easy to obtain.

State schools were starved of funds and badly run down. The gap between middle and working class families in school achievement was a national scandal which was largely ignored by those who ran the country, sure in the arrogance that they had been ‘born to rule.’ Very similar to some of those we see on the front bench today. It was not unusual to hear arguments from some types of ‘educational experts’ that school achievement reflected natural abilities and

that these just tended to be concentrated in the middle and upper classes. I clearly remember one ‘educational expert’ in the early 1970s advocating the breeding of ‘like with like’ to improve the intellectual level of the population. That was eugenics, the favourite policy of Adolf Hitler, but it did not raise the ire of those who heard him, apart from me.

The Liberal Party had taken Australia into the Vietnam War and introduced conscription for overseas service. This conscription was counter to long established policy and created great unrest. Over 500 young Australian lives were sacrificed to this Yellow Peril, Reds under the bed American enterprise. The Yellow Peril came up a lot at election time, with maps showing arrows pointing down towards Australia on the map from ‘yellow’ lands like China and Vietnam.

They were coming to get us! The Democratic Labor Party did most of this scaremongering and many of its members may have even believed their propaganda. They were very right-wing Roman Catholics. The leader of the Labor Party before Whitlam was also a Roman Catholic, but he rejected this brand of extremist politics.

Once elected in December 1972 Whitlam set about introducing Australia into the modern world. The imperial system of knights and dames was abolished and replaced by the Order of Australia. The White Australia Policy was put into the rubbish bin. The Australian Schools Commission was established to try to bring our whole education system to the level demanded by the times, with great emphasis upon establishing social equality. University fees were abolished. ‘Advance Australia Fair’ became the national anthem, to screams of terror from the ‘born to rule’ and the lunatic ‘reds under the beds’ discourse was ameliorated

Edward Gough Whitlam, 21st Prime Minister of Australia

by Whitlam’s recognition of the Peoples’ Republic of China. A universal health care system was established, also to howls of horror from the doctor lobby.

Whitlam dared to assert the national independence of Australia. The soldiers were withdrawn from Vietnam, conscription was ended. The cheeky fellow was also considering taking steps against the American spy base at Pine Gap. The American Embassy was in a state of panic and in 1973 Marshall Green was appointed American Ambassador to Australia by President Nixon. He had just happened to be appointed Ambassador to Indonesia shortly before the massacre of 500,000 leftists in the purge of 1965.

In an unprecedented method of dealing with the refusal of supply to the Whitlam government by the Senate, Governor Gener-

al Kerr dismissed the Prime Minister on 11 November 1975. This date will indeed live in infamy. It was a coup, our first coup since the ‘born to rule’ John Macarthur overthrew Governor Bligh. Whitlam later commented that he did not resist this dismissal as he could not be sure of the loyalty of the armed forces. He did not want to bring about chaos. A CIA operative was later jailed for revealing that the CIA had been involved in this dismissal and a film was made about it, “The Falcon and the Snowman.”

All of us who love democracy, hate racism and imperialism and want to build a multicultural Australia will always remember him. He was not a saint but he was better than any politician who has come after him.

When we look at the present crop we can but weep.

A tribute to Gough Whitlam, a true Australian visionary Anne Fairbairn Gough Whitlam was an Australian politician who was the 21st Prime Minister of Australia from 1972 to 1975. The Leader of the Labour Party from 1967 to 1977, Whitlam led Labour to power for the first time in 23 years at the 1972 election.

He was born on July 11, 1916 at Kew in Melbourne. He was educated at Mowbray House School, Canberra Grammar School and the University of Sydney.

He was very happily married to Margaret and had four children: Nicholas Whitlam, Tony Whitlam, Stephen Whitlam, Catherine Whitlam.

He died: October 21, 2014 at Elizabeth Bay, Sydney Gough Whitlam was Prime Minister of Australia for only 1071 days - however he nevertheless managed to sign off on a number of significant reforms, including universal healthcare, free university education, Indigenous land rights, no-fault divorce, diplomatic recognition of China and end of conscription.

Whitlam’s reforms were so wide-ranging that it’s easy to overlook some of his lesser known but no less significant achievements.

The Whitlam government had a heavy emphasis on sexual equality, pushing for equal pay for women, establishing the single mother’s benefit, and appointing a women’s adviser to the Prime Minister. He also was behind the granting independence to Papua New Guinea. Papua had been administered by the Australian government since 1906 and New Guinea since 1919. The Whitlam government started the process of decolonisation shortly after its election in 1973, with full independence for Papua New Guinea achieved just two years later on September 16, 1975.

He was the father of Aboriginal land

Friday 7 November 2014

rights in Australia He left the political scene decades ago, but Aborigines still — and always will acknowledge him as the father of land rights in Australia. The Rirratjingu clan of northeast Arnhem Land recently held a small smoking ceremony in his memory, led

by Yothu Yindi founder Wityana Marika, and grieved for the man who forced white law to recognise Australia’s first people.

The Aboriginal Land Rights Commission, also known as the Woodward Royal Commission, existed 1973 to 1974 with the purpose to inquire into appropriate ways to recognise Aboriginal land rights in the Northern Territory. The Commission was chaired by Justice Edward Woodward, who was appointed to the role by Gough Whitlam.

In 1972 at the launch of his party’s election campaign, Gough Whitlam, as Labor Opposition Leader, promised if elected to legislate for Aboriginal land rights in the Northern Territory of Australia. When elected, rather than introduce a national land rights law, the Whitlam Government chose instead to establish a precedent in the Commonwealth controlled Northern Territory.

Justice Woodward was appointed as Aboriginal Land Rights Commissioner in February 1973 to inquire into appropriate ways to recognise Aboriginal land rights in the Northern Territory. The Northern Land Council and Central Land Council were established in the same year to assist with the work of the Commission.

Woodward’s final report as Aboriginal Land Rights Commissioner, presented to the Australian Government in April 1974 was based on the land councils’ submissions.

The 1974 report found: That all Aboriginal reserve lands should be returned to the Aboriginal inhabitants That Aboriginal Australians had claim to other vacant crown land if they could prove traditional ties with the land That Aboriginal land and Aboriginal sacred sites were to be protected That Aboriginal land and Aboriginal land councils were to be set up to administer Ab-

original land That entry to Aboriginal land for mining or tourism would be subject to Aboriginal control That mining and other developments on Aboriginal land should proceed only with the permission of the Aboriginal land owners That if mining companies were allowed to go ahead and mine in Aboriginal lands, the mining companies would be required to pay royalties to the traditional land owners In 1976, the Fraser Government passed The Aboriginal Land Rights Act that allowed Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory to make claims on land to which they could prove traditional ties. The Land Rights Act is largely the product of Justice Woodward’s recommendations. At the time Whitlam came to power in 1972, Aborigines in northeast Arnhem Land were reeling from the 1971 Milirrpum v Nabalco case in the Northern Territory Supreme Court, which found that they had no sovereign rights to their land.

Gough Whitlam was the son of a solicitor who became a leading public servant, his background was unusual for a Labor man when he joined the party in 1945. In those days, many of the leading Labor personalities were Irish Catholics from working class background. Whitlam, an intellectual from an intellectual family, had never had to toil for his wages in the dust and heat.

In 1927 the Whitlams were among the first public service families to settle permanently in Canberra. Gough Whitlam completed his education at Canberra schools and at the University of Sydney, where he graduated in Arts and Law. In 1941 he joined the RAAF. When he was discharged, his beliefs in progress and reform inspired him to join the Labor Party, although he had no intention of making a career in politics. He began to make a name as a successful barrister however impatience for national progress caused him to make a bid for a State Parliament seat in 1950 and, two years later, to win a by-election for the

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federal seat of Werriwa. He was to hold this seat, for more than 20 years and it gave him intimate knowledge of the needs and problems of Australian urban communities.

Whitlam entered Parliament at a time when successive Liberal-Country Party victories were shaking ‘old-style’ Labor to the roots. He was to encounter opposition from the old guard as he climbed steadily upward but, by 1967, he was leader of the Parliamentary Labor Party.

He backed his election campaign with an armoury of many promises of reform, including an end to conscription and withdrawal from Vietnam, equal opportunities for women, vastly increased funding for education and the arts, a harder line toward South Africa, recognition of Communist China, urban renewal, universal health insurance, revisions to the family law and improvements to public transport. He was to keep these and many other promises.

In 1972 Whitlam was the right man at the right time but after a while the ‘new’ Labor was bombarded by rocketing oil prices and it began to run out of financial fuel. Some members of Whitlam’s government, including Rex Connor and Jim Cairns, defied the Constitution in a secret attempt to raise a $2 billion overseas loan. The two men gave misleading answers to challenges from a revamped Opposition, led by Malcolm Fraser, and Whitlam was forced to demote them.

Whitlam, campaigned against a background of rising unemployment and Fraser, determined to force a dissolution of Parliament, contrived a Senate blockage of Labor’s 1975 budget.

Whitlam still thought he would ride out the storm and, on 11 November 1975, he tried to present a plan of action to Governor-General Sir John Kerr. But Kerr demanded: “Are you prepared to recommend a general election?” When Whitlam refused, Kerr said: “In that case, I have no alternative but to dismiss you.”

Kerr commissioned Fraser as caretaker Prime Minister and the coalition won a resounding victory in the December elections.

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50 years celebration of Muslim Student Movement in Australia

COMMUNITY 6-8

FAMILY 9

Amira Haruwarta This year marks the 50th anniversary of the formation of Muslim Student Movement in Australia and FAMSY will be marking it with a celebration planned for Sunday 30 November 2014 in Melbourne.

It all started with the formation of the first Muslim Students Association in Brisbane namely the Muslim Student Association (MSAQ) in 1964, then the nation body, the Australian Federation of Muslim Students Association (AFMSA), renamed Ittehad for a while and finally Federation of Australia n Muslim Students & Youth, Famsy.

MSAQ inspired the formation of other MSAs across Australia in Adelaide, Armidale, Hobart, Melbourne, Sydney and Newcastle. In 1968 the six pioneering MSAs formed a national body known as the Australian Federation of Muslim Student Associations (AFMSA). By 1981, AFMSA comprised of 13 university based MSAs across Australia.

‘The main aim for MSA and the national branch was to educate about Islam, provide services to Muslim students at the campus, and show to the society that we are not much different than other Australians’, said Dr Za-

MSAQ > AFMSA > FAMSY

Celebrating 50 Years The first executive committee members of MSAQ in 1964: (back row, left to right) Ahmed Aly Abdel Razk, Amin Mubarak Dalil, Inche Nick Hadi Hashim; (front row, left to right) Zakir Rahmani, Hasan Basri, Sabiha Shamsi, Mohammad Shahid Hamid Khan.

kir Rahmani, one of the founding members and first elected President of both MSAQ and AFMSA. The MSAs were pivotal in Australia for initiating several innovative programs.

AFMSA was the first Muslim organisation to hold annual conferences at a national level for Muslims in Australia from 1968 onwards offering lectures, workshops and discussions centered around Islamic topics.

ISOC celebrates 45 years of peace Zia Ahmad The Islamic Society of the University of NSW (ISOC) celebrated “45 years of Peace” marking its existence for almost half a decade. The event was held on Wednesday 22 October at Scientia Conference Centre at the University of NSW campus and attended by a large contingent of University staff including Professor Iain Martin, Deputy Vice Chancellor. Invited guests also included a large representation of community leaders and alumni of the University of New South Wales.

“We decided to organise this event mainly in order to express our gratitude to the various sections of the University’s administration who have facilitated ISOC to render the excellent services to Muslim Students at the campus”, said Mahmoud Jaame, UNSW Muslim Champlain and the veteran mover and shaker at the campus.

ISOC is one of the oldest and largest of

The organisation also established the first Muslim quarterly magazine ‘Light’, as well a newsletter named ‘Salam’.

The idea of study circles called usrah, also known as halaqa, was first introduced in 1975 by then AFMSA President, Khalid Yousuf, a student of medicine at the University of Melbourne. It was a way of motivating students improve one’s character and practice by attending regular student run

close knit study circles.

In 1983, a major change in the constitution and direction of AFMSA took place with the renaming of the organisation to Ittihad al Jamaat Al-Islamiah (Federation of Islamic groups), branching out from its university base. The organisation transformed itself again in 1991 as the Federation of Australian Muslim Students and Youth, FAMSY. Today almost every University in Australia has MSAs while FAMSY has chapters in New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and Victoria. It currently holds halaqa, camps, lectures and workshops catered towards Muslim Youth.

The special invitation only 50 Year Celebration Event will be held at Laila Reception in Melbourne on Sunday 30 November 2014. Those interested should contact: famsy50years@gmail.com for further information.

Muslim Student organisations at any of the Australian Universities Campuses. It was founded in 1969 with 15 members as the Muslim Students Association of UNSW and renamed ISOC in 1994 to represent both Muslim students as well as staff at the campus. It was also first of the MSAs granted a permanent Musallah by any Australian University authority, initially as a demountable called “Hut H” and later occupying the third floor of the Squire House.

ISOC during the early days was mainly run by overseas Muslim students providing basic religious services to the student community. Later as the number of local Muslim students increased at the campus, ISOC activities increased to include Daawah, socialization, sport, lectures by international speakers and interaction with all students and staff at the campus.

ISOC past presidents include a list of high achievers including Dr Naseerul Haq, Dr Fauzi Samad, Mohammad Lazky, Najm Ahmad, Dr Waleed Kadous and many more.

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Isabel Doyle Grad. Cert. Mig. Law MARN 1461161

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AUSTRALIA 10 - 13

UMMAH 14 - 16

EDUCATION 17

BUSINESS 18

COMMUNITY

SOCIAL 19

Fake facebook friendships MOBYDAYZE Mobinah Ahmad The term friend has the connotation that there is a significant connection between people that maintains a kind of relationship. In order to maintain this friendship, people have to care about each other and to be aware of what is going on in each other’s lives through direct conversation.

Our biological programming gives us the belief that trust is based upon a sharing of personal information, including talking about family, thoughts, desires etc. Friendships are based upon the mutual knowledge of each other’s lives.

However Social media in general and Facebook in particular have managed to completely redefine the concept of online friendship, whereby being Facebook “friends” with someone just means that there is a consensual connection between two users. The connection does not need

to be meaningful; it could even just be that both users are aware of each other’s basic existence. There is no sense of meaningful bond between users. Facebook provides ritualised ways of joining and opportunities for ritualised consumption of its content, but it also redefines the notion of friendship and provides a peculiar safety net for falling out of touch with friends.

This concept of digital friendship is based upon the realisation that users personal information is being broadcast to everyone who has consented to knowing them. Facebook has made the blatant assumption that all Facebook friends are real friends, which is most definitely not the case. The term “Friend” has completely been bastardised, and has become a primary concern for how

users share their personal information with others.

Most users keep being Facebook friends with people, not because they have any sort of significant connection, but rather having that connection may come in handy down the road. Therefore, this implies that we aren’t Facebook friends with our friends, but rather we are Facebook friends with people we might be able to use or who could help us. This idea is detrimental to having a real relationship with another user.

It is not only friendship that is being redefined, it is the whole notion of privacy.

Online technology looks at privacy as black or white, either users are public or they are private. Data is either exposed or not. Facebook’s aim is not for pre-existing friends to be connected, it is just to openly share personal information with anyone and everyone. Therefore totally altering the definition of friendship, making it extremely superficial. Having mutual friends with someone does not make you friends; Facebook encourages superficial friendship and excessive openness for their own personal gain.

MEKAR 2014, a great success Sarah Yusof & Yasmin Nor Azmi

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Event Calendar

SAT 08 NOVEMBER

The Revival in Forty Lessons Al Ghazzali Centre, 299 Belmore Rd, Riverwood Saturday 8 November, 12pm – 2pm Live Telecast for The Inner Dimensions of Purification Registration: http://seekers.nationbuilder.com/the_revival_telecast

SUN 09 NOVEMBER The Language of Prayer

Diversity Skills, Auburn Sunday 9 Nov, 9:30am – 3pm Instructors: Ustadh Abdul Hadi ShahIdil, Ustadh Abdulrahman Mawar For more information on registration, course and instructors please visit our website at www.sanadarabic. com. To register please visit www. sanadarabic.com/prayer

TUE 11 NOVEMBER Affinity Lecture Series: Contemporary Policing – Engaging Communities, Building Resilience.

The first event of MEKAR 2014’s Second Australia Tour was held On the 28 September 2014, at the RMIT Spiritual Centre, Melbourne. This marked the beginning of a tour across four main cities in Australia, Melbourne, Sydney, Perth and Brisbane.

Mencari Keredhaan Allah dan Rasul (MEKAR) means to Seek the Blessings of Allah and Rasul, a program which was initiated in 2013 by the Malaysian Youth Student Association. The program was the brainchild of the MEKAR president at the time, Rizuwan Zaz Wandy.

This year, with the theme “Purification of the Heart”, MEKAR Australia 2014 invited inspiring speakers from Malaysia including celebrities of a local Islamic television program in Malaysia, Ustaz Ahmad Husni and Ustaz Syed Abdul KadirAljoofree, popular writer and panel of various radio and television programs, Ustazah Fatimah Syarha, and a renowned former performer and celebrity Ummi Nazeera.

Ustaz Syed Abdul KadirAljoofree covered the first slot of the program with the title “So

MEKAR Melbourne

Friday 7 November 2014

Affinity Intercultural Foundation Suite 502, Level 5, 51-57 PItt Street, Sydney Tuesday 11 Nov, 8am – 9:30am Tickets: https://islamic-relief.com. au/4242/pak-tickets/

THU 27 NOVEMBER Rethinking Empowermentfrom peace in the home to peace in the world

MEKAR Sydney

which of the favors of the Lord would you deny?” while Ummi Nazeera touched on the topic of “Tips on how to be happy” in the second slot of MEKAR MELBOURNE. The speakers inspired many of the Malaysian Muslim youths in Melbourne to continuously practice the ways of improving oneself to be a better Muslims.

MEKAR PERTH and MKAR BRISBANE were held simultaneously 1-2 Oc-

tober 2014 at Dalkeith, Western Australia and University of Queensland, St Lucia respectively. In each city, the four speakers explained the meaning of hijrah, the turning point of the process and its importance. The speakers also described the challenges that one might face during the process of becoming a better Muslims.

“Every day when you look at the mirror, remind yourself the purpose of life, why you have been created here on earth. Once you understand the purpose of life, you will notice the change, the way you act and behave towards other people, all your time will be spend wisely, your heart will be at peace, calm and tranquil. These are the signs that your heart has been purified.” Advised Ustazah Fatimah Syarha.

MEKAR 2014 Australia tour marked its ending on 4 October 2014 at the University of New South Wales, Sydney with an extra special edition where celebration of Eid Ul Adha was held on the same day. After reciting the Takbir of Tashriq and performing Eid prayer in the morning, Ustaz Ahmad Husni spoke on “Stairway to Heaven” while Ustazah Fatimah Syarha talked on “Man in The Mirror” which touched on the different stages of a Muslim’s journey starting from before they were born to the life hereafter.

Many more issues were covered in the forum sessions with the title “Heart to Soul” where the speakers touched upon topics such as ways to improve the heart, marriage and relationships, as well as daily issues faced by a Muslims living in Australia.

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UTS: University of Technology, Sydney, 15 Broadway, Ultimo Thursday 27 November, 5:30pm Register via: http://www.eventbrite. com.au/e/rethinking-empowerment-uts-16-days-campaign-tickets-13545439775# Around 200 participants attended the MEKAR SYDNEY. The Director of MEKAR 2014, Arif Fitri said, “Alhamdulillah this program has definitely been an eye opener to many Muslims, contributing to a positive change in oneself and the community.

He thanked all the Malaysian student organizations of MEKAR committee in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth, Rakan Muda, Kementerian Belia dan Sukan, Education Malaysia Australia, Asas Gruppen Sdn Bhd, Takaful Ikhlas, Kelab UMNO NSW, and many others for supporting us.

This program could not have succeeded without all of you. Alhamdulillah all praise and thanks be to Allah.”He added.

Visit our website www.amust.com.au for the latest news and views

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Muslims Cycling for Charity raising tens of thousands of dollars Mobinah Ahmad The Great Cycle Challenge is a fundraiser for kids fighting cancer, conducted by the Children’s Medical Research Institute in Sydney. During the whole month of October riders will take to their bikes to clock in as many km as possible and raise funds for the sick.

Tanya Kubitza from Al Siraat College, Melbourne has contributed in raising an amazing $8782.55 with her colleagues Andrew Houghton and Syed Waqas Ahmad.

“Some very happy tears here right now in the office. I am still shaking my head in utter disbelieve, this has gone way beyond my expectations, subhanAllah! I can hardly describe how incredibly happy and grateful I am feeling. But of course, I won’t stop my fundraising efforts here and hope to keep going a bit further until the Challenge closes at the end of the month.” Tanya commented.

Tanya is a keen (off-road) mountain biker and signed up for the inaugurate Great Cycling Challenge in 2013. Her initial fundraising goal was $500 but after achieving that within a fortnight of having signed up, she topped up and ended up raising $3,500 for this worthy cause last year.

“It was a very humbling experience and one of the best things I have participated in, and thus I have been greatly looking forward to doing it again this year.” Tanya said.

She created the team Al Siraat after promoting it amongst staff, being aware that they have some cycling enthusiasts amongst her colleagues.

Being one of the top fundraiser’s last year, Tanya was also given the opportunity to sign up early and start raising funds from early August onwards. She is passionate to continue on initiatives in her efforts to raise more funds for such a worthy cause.

To raise funds for the School Team, she had organised a weekly icy pole sale during last year’s October along with two Ride2School days for which students donated gold coins.

This year, She wanted to try even harder and therefore set both a higher riding and fundraising goal.

Tanya’s biggest sponsor is her local Pizza shop, Mr Pizza, a small local Muslim business. She wanted to honour her biggest sponsor, “I would really like to thank him for all his help and support.”

The 2014 Sydney to Wollongong Bike Ride was held on Sunday 2 November to raise funds for people affected by Multiple Sclerosis (MS). MS is the most common disease of the central nervous system and

affects more than 23,000 Australians.

The team “Sydney Muslim Cyclists” is made up of 27 team members. Their goal was to reach $1000, however through their efforts and support from friends and family, they ex- Tanya Kubitza ceeded their target and have raised an amazing $11,115!

One of the team members, Ahmed Kilani (raised $1795 +) said “I am riding with the Sydney Muslim Cyclists group and we would like you to help us raise funds for people with MS (one of my close family members has MS), as well as use this as a good daawa opportunity. We are riding 90kms Inshaallah so as well as your generous donations, we also ask for your duas that we are able to complete the ride and survive” Team members for Sydney Muslim Cyclists include Sam Halbouni, Ahmed Kilani, Bass Adasi, Mehmet Saral, Naimul Alam, Issam Eid, Marouf Raza, Osman Karolia, Mohamed Abdel-Ghani, Wassim Zoabi, Bashir Baba, Ismail Sirdah, Muhamed Al Babbili, Mohamad El Ahmed, Adam Dabboussi, Mohsen Saleh, Samer el masri Eahab Arja, Bilal Jagger, Sammy Abdel-Rehim, Ahmad Mourad, Ozan amir, Stephen Awwad, Muhammad Khodr, Ahmed Masri, Taha Marabani and Mohamed Badra.

Cycling team Al Siraat, Melbourne

Tanya Kubitza with the research group at the Children’s Medical Institute, Sydney

The Mr Pizza team supporting Tanya Kubitza. Mr Pizza, Epping & Thomastown, Melbourne

Budding cyclists: Sakinah & Faiza, Sydney

Harmony Walk 2014: Moving together in peace Mobinah Ahmad On a scorching hot summers day the 3rd annual Harmony walk was held at Cathedral Square, St Mary’s Cathedral, Sydney. Celebrating cultural and religious diversity in Australia, the event brought together members of the Australian multicultural community striving for social inclusion harmony and peace.

The day was a great success with participants in bright orange t-shirts eating Turkish gozleme and enjoying cultural entertainment. Kids were also able to throw a football with NRL Ambassador Hazem El Masri as he facilitated sporting activities.

The chair of the organising committee, Ernie Friedlander aims to remove barriers and unite people in our multicultural community.

He said “Too many people think that conflict and violence is part of human nature, and that some groups of people are more inclined to this violence than others. But we need to help people realise that this not the case..., we should never stereotype any group of people.”

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The program started with a performances by Reddam House School and Koosha Hooshmand. The Master of Ceremony, Ricardo Concalves from SBS introduced Ernie Friedlander OAM, as he did the formal welcome to all those attending.

Supporters for the event included Senator Concetta Fiorravanti Wells, Leader of the Opposition John Robertson, Hakan Harman, CEO Multicultural Australia, Tim Soutphommasane, Australian Human Rights Commissioner, Hugh Riminton, Journalist and Foreign Correspondant, Stepan Kerkyasharian, President of the Anti Discrimination Board, Hazem El Masri NRL Ambassador, the Marrickville Multifaith Roundtable group leader Father John Peace. Also attending were Rabbi Zalman Kastel and Father Patrick McInerney.

Harmony Day is an initiative of the Alfred Dreyfus Anti-Defamation Unit of B’nai B’rith, with the purpose of building an inclusive society by moving forward together.

Australian MEFF Consortium, organisers of the Multicultural Eid Festival & Fair is one of the supporters of this event.

Australasian Muslim Times

Ernie Friedlander, Chair of the Harmony Walk organising committee

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NRL Ambassador Hazem El Masri, throwing footballs with kids

Friday 7 November 2014

FAMILY Sounds of Light coming to your city in November AUSTRALIA 10 - 13

UMMAH 14 - 16

EDUCATION 17

Zia Ahmad The Sound of Light Concert is being organised in all the major cities of Australia, this year: Melbourne Friday 14 November, Sydney Saturday 15 November, Adelaide Sunday 16 November and Perth Monday 17 November.

The performers this year will include internationally renowned entertainers, Maher Zain, Imam Siraj Wahaj, Preacher Moss and Raef.

Sound of Light concert is a shariah compliant family entertainment for all Australians and is organised by Human Appeal International, Australia and sponsored by a large number of businesses, organisations and institutions.

Sound of Light in the past was held in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and now in 2014. It has been a mega event attracted a total audience of more than 30,000 so far.

This event attracts mostly young people who identify themselves as Australian Muslims rather than as Lebanese, Egyptians, Indians or Indonesians, concerned about the global Ummah in general and trying to help the orphans overseas.

The last Sound of Light concert in 2011 included artists from various backgrounds specially the budding ones from Europe, North America and Australia. Although these artists were from different backgrounds, they identified themselves first and foremost as Muslims and sang in two most important languages Arabic and English. At the same time it was great to see that these artists also sang in each others ethnic lan-

BUSINESS 18

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AMUST

guages as well bringing about the sharing of each others heritage and culture. It was great to see Maher Zain (Swedish-Lebanese) singing in Arabic, English as well as Urdu; Irfan Makki (Canadian-Pakistani) singing in English, Urdu as well as Arabic; Gulf Echo Band (Saudi) and Meshari Al-Aradah singing in Arabic as well as English; and last but not the least Azhar Usman (Indian-American) making such good fun of Lebanese-Australian men without offending them.

But the highlight the event was the talented play by the orphans from Gaza (Palestine) and the singing by the blind lovely little girl Sumaiyah that moved so many people to tears and motivated them with a

great outcome of support pledge for 500 orphans for 3 million dollars within half an hour. It also created the awareness among Australian Muslims present of the plight of the orphans in general and hardship of life in besieged Gaza in particular and showed us the practical way how we in Australia can bring about changes.

My extended family thoroughly enjoyed the night in the form of entertainment, meeting a great number of families and friends, increased our awareness of belonging to a great Ummah and Alhamdolillah had the honour of contributing to this great charitable cause that Human Appeal is performing.

This was a great achievement and a fantastic success story.

Last Sunday afternoon 29 June 2008 we went to the Sound of Light concert, Acer Arena, Sydney Olympic Park, organised

by Human Appeal International to raise money in support of orphans. There were a variety of International and local presenters of various backgrounds from South Africa, Middle East, USA as well as Australia presenting Sharia Compliant entertainment. Well the details of the concert is another story.

My mind has been in a super-active racing mode during the concert as well as after that with lots of thought and reflection that I would like to share primarily with my family members and additionally with close friends and fellow Islamic activists.

Arriving at the venue I first met a few Egyptian and Lebanese friends whom I have not seen for decades. They warmly introduced me to their grown up children and this triggered my thoughts. Oh, Sydney, we have come a long way. The last

thirty five years of living in Sydney started crossing my mind like a movie. Where were we and where are we today. What have we lost and what have we gained. Well, philosophically, I am a “glass half full” person and here is my story.

Throughout the concert tears ran down my face, easy to hide because of the dim lightening in the arena. These were tears of joy and thanksgiving. Small is beautiful but big is awesome. I was overwhelmed by the atmosphere created by the huge crowd of old and young, females and males ethnically diverse Sydneysiders displaying their loyalty to Islam as a way of life and solidarity with Muslims. This was a representation of my Ummah, my community and my tribe that we had nurtured over the last thirty five years. I felt very proud and at the same time humbled by the atmosphere created at the gathering.

Next morning, I got up very early with a complete sleep of only five hours and again

HAI CEO Bashar Al-Jamal with orphans

My feelings after the Sound of Light concert 2008

tears would not stop during the Tahajjud prayers and while making my morning tea and afterwards. Again tears of joy, but more of thanks to Allah. Where were we thirty five years ago in Sydney, in Quranic terms and of the Makkan period terminology, about to fall in a deep pit with an uncertain Islamic future in a new city with no community, no viable organisation, no mosques, no Imams, no leadership, no vision, no halal outlets of food or entertainment, poor finance, lack of jobs and the Almighty saved us providing us with a large community, mosques everywhere, shariah compliant avenues for food, entertainment and gathering, innovative projects and opportunities, financial strength and job opportunities and most of all a great opportunity to live Islam in Sydney with a great hope for future with the evidence shown by our younger generation that Muslims are going to live in Australia as Muslims and flag bearers of Islam down under.

Peacemaker: An Australian Jewish girl’s journey among Arabs Philip Fienstein Young Australian Jewish woman Shifra Waks experienced something that most Australians probably just dream about.

The 23 year old lived onand-off in both Syria and Palestine for 4 years with Arab families, experiencing their cultures and way of life. At age 18 Shifra decided that she wanted to learn Arabic, which she calls an exotic language, to add to her language base of English, French, Italian, Spanish and Chinese. Her mother, Sheree, encouraged her to move to the Middle East to learn the language first hand as well as experiencing the culture - what better way than living with the people.

Her adventure began in Syria in 2009 at the University in Damascus, but she soon based herself in Saraqib, north Syria, near the ancient site of Elba, where she remained for 7 months living with two different families. And although she shared her Jewish background with some friends, she found no bitterness towards her. She found the Syrian people accepting of different religions and very open to having guests from other belief systems. She always shared a room with the sisters and was treated as part of the family.

Regarding the food, she commented “The Syrian food is amongst the best in the Arab world!”

Shifra also spent some time travelling Syria and was most impressed with the coastal area of Lattakia (Al-Ladhiqiyah). She also visited Aleppo and Homs - “they have the best cakes there” she says. Shifra is still in contact with many Syrians and is very concerned for her friends’ safety.

After a break from the Middle East she returned and went to Palestine in 2011. Basing herself with families in Hebron, Shifra started working with Partners for Sustainable Development (www.psdpal.org) with the women’s centre in the branch in Dura and

Friday 7 November 2014

then in Hebron . Her volunteer work there included teaching English to kids, as well as translating documents and emails from Arabic.

Shifra found wearing the different Arabic clothing very comfortable with the Hijab with Niqab covering and the Thoba dress in Syria, to more casual western clothing in Hebron. “I felt safe and protected with the convenience of wearing the Hijab, Niqab and Thoba when outside of the home” she stated.

The following year her next visit to Palestine took her to Ramallah, renowned for its religiously relaxed atmosphere and known as the New York of the Middle East. Shifra found the many clubs and other social places quite an eye-opener. This time round she volunteered to work for the organisation One Voice Palestine (www.onevoicemovement.org/mission) which promotes the twostate solution. During her time in Ramallah she stayed in various housing situations including renting from Sulaiman Khatib, a well known personality who came to Australia as part of the ‘Peace Team’ to play AFL Aussie Rules for the Palestine-Israel team in August 2011.

The third and last trip for Shifra in 2013 lead her to East Jerusalem, where she was working as a volunteer for Grassroots Jerusalem (www.grassrootsalquds.net).

She stayed at an Arabic hostel and again mainly associated with Arab friends as she was keen to practice her Arabic - they all knew that she was Jewish. Shifra was closely connected with the Project Tiyul-Rihla group (www.tiyul-rihla.org), a joint initiative to bring Israelis and Palestinians together for travel and other events.

“There was often great dialogue in this group which made it a good learning curve for everyone concerned” she said. “But I do feel that very little has really changed from my first visit until now, which is a great shame. I believe that the politicians on both sides need to wake up - the blame game does not work.”

When quizzed about her future after

Shifra (centre) with Muslim friends in Hebron

Shifra (second from left) with a Syrian family

everything that she had experienced, Shifra said: “I can definitely see myself working in the Middle East where I can make good use of my current studies in International Public Health. I particularly want to work with Palestinian women and children, or with refugees”.

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FOOTNOTE: Shifra has a sister Miriam who sings in various languages including Arabic. Miriam visited her sister in Hebron and tested her Arabic singing with local people.

She was received with great acclaim. Miriam is currently based in New York.

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Multicultural Eid Ul Adh An amazing range of cultural traditional clothing sold at great prices.

Beautiful pieces of brooches, rings, earrings.

One of the biggest highlights of the festival is the stage performances. Performers from a variety of cultural and religious backgrounds performed beautiful songs, traditional dances and interesting speeches.

Malek Fahd, Hoxton Park Year 5 students presented a beautiful Nasheed (Islamic song) as well as leading the Australian Anthem in the Main Ceremony. They were dressed in multicolour cultural dresses. Pictured: Sha-

heen Khalil, Bushra Abdi, Mishal Hanan, Fatima Shaikh, Nabiha Imran Rajput, Samiha Emran, Mahwish Rizvi, Taskeen Rizvi, Talal Shahid, Hamna Yousaf, Zuha Aslam, Jihan Alsaqi, Lamia Ahmed.

Stunning jewellery from different cultures.

Tarek the T-Rex was in full force at the festival, making regular appearances through out the day. Attendees had the pleasure of seeing the 4m in length and 2m in height creature as he maneuvered through the crowds of people. It was a great occasion to the public to

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interact with a live animatronic dinosaur for the very first time.

Tarek the T-Rex’s amazing stage show gave festival attendees a chance to pet the baby T-Rex and take some photos. Children were thrilled at the performance by the friendly dinosaur as he gave a mighty roar and posed for photos.

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ha Festival & Fair 2014

An incredible New Zealand Traditional Dance by Aroha Pasifika had performers between the ages of 11 and 20 years old. The boys did the traditional dance of their past ancestors and astounded the crowd. Their performance added to the diverse cultural atmosphere of the festival.

The festival also offers the best in providing sumptuous international food covering a number of different traditional dishes from around the world.

Foods include Doner Kebab, Gozleme, Butter Chicken, Tandoori Chicken, Vegetarian Food, Waffles, Seekh Kebab, Pluto Pup, Salads, Falafel, Hotdogs, Burgers, Fried

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Calamari, Falafel Rolls, Curries, Samosas.

Snowcone, Icecream, Fairyfloss, Fro-yo, Sugar Cane Juice, Corn in a Cup, Chip on a Stick, Slushies, Chocolate Fondue, Coconut Drinks & More!

As one attendee said “I just love the festival food. MEFF is where I find such a diverse range of stalls, it’s Awesome!”

Mohsen Shahinpour & Soumayyeh Avvali, are international marketing and advertising experts from Tehran, Iran. They held an international workshop to key members in the MEFF Management Committee in creating an online strategy.

Stage performances reflected the spiritual nature of the Eid Ul Adha festival. Australian International Academy, Strathfield

performed a HAJJ Display where a video was presented as students went around the Kaabah.

The festival welcomes people of all cultures and religions and provides a platform for celebrating Australian Multiculturalism in peace and harmony.

The Hon Michelle Rowland, Shadow Minister for Citizenship & Multiculturalism gave a great speech. “On behalf of the Federal Parliamentary Labor Party, we congratulate all who worked so tirelessly to make the festival a success, and wish everyone attending a joyous and memorable day.”

The Hon John Robertson, Shadow Minister for Western Sydney for Blacktown, gave a moving speech “Know that Labor will always stand with the Muslim community in the cause of a society free from racism and discrimination..”

Friday 7 November 2014

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Book Review: “In the Company of Cowards: Bush, Howard and Injustice at Guantanamo” Bilal Cleland The frontispiece of Mori’s book includes the words of that great eighteenth century battler for human rights, Thomas Paine.

“He that would make his own liberty secure, must guard even his enemy from oppression; for if he violates this duty, he establishes a precedent that will reach unto himself.”

Thomas Paine, an opponent of monarchism, slavery, imperialism and a friend of democracy, was a Deist, he believed in One God and rejected Pauline Christianity.

Denounced as an atheist at the time, he was anything but. He participated in the American Revolution then the French Revolution, during which he was imprisoned for opposing the execution of the king.

Michael Mori, an American marine for 28 years, during which time he served as a Prosecutor, Defence Counsel and Military Judge, remained true to the democratic ideals espoused by Thomas Paine. He is also proud of his Massachusetts background, which may also help to explain his stand for justice.

As a former Unitarian, I am well aware of the proud history of Boston Massachusetts and its Unitarian Minister, Theodore Parker. He too stood up for justice, in opposition to the Fugitive Slave Act and took part in rousing opposition top slave kidnappings by the authorities in the streets of Boston. His history has had a profound effect upon Massachusetts and the whole USA. It is from this democratic background that Michael Mori emerged to defend Australian citizen, David Hicks, wrongfully locked up in disgusting medieval conditions at Guantanamo Bay. Mori seems to have believed that his attitude towards democracy and civil rights

was shared by the Bush Administration. He assumed that proper legal process was well established in the United States and that basic human rights would be respected.

He learnt a lot through defending Hicks and then in the years that followed as the military cowards tried to give him pay-back for his courageous role. One great benefit of that narrow vengeful attitude is that he is now living and working in Melbourne as a Social Justice Consultant at Shine Lawyers.

As he says in the beginning, he does not try to explain why Hicks was in Afghanistan. He has left that up to Hick’s book. “I try to address how an Australian was left by the Australian government at Guantanamo Bay (GTMO) to face made-up charges before an illegal United States Military Commission.”(p.xi) This book is worth reading for an explanation.

Howard’s Australia does not come out well in this case. Its response smells of political cowardice of the meanest type. In the beginning of the saga, Alexander Downer said that the Australian attitude would be the same as that of Britain. However when Britain insisted upon international standards for the Military Commissions and had 5 British citizens repatriated to the UK, to be released a few days later, Australia did nothing. As Mori comments “It seemed as if Howard was going to allow the US to do to Hicks what Australia could not do, and what Britain had not permitted.”

With the Bush USA departing from international norms in the treatment of political prisoners, Hicks was held for three months in a wire cage, like a dog kennel, in Camp X-Ray at Guantanamo. Mori relates how Hicks was chained hand and foot when being interviewed and how he was tossed like baggage into a transport van. He had to sign a statement that he had not been mistreated to get out of GTMO, but this was not a reflection of reality.

When Mamdouh Habib, the other Australian in Guantanamo, was released in 2005 Attorney General Ruddock was asked why nothing had been done for Hicks. He replied that Hicks was facing three terrorism related charges under American law, which was not true.

The Military Commission had been stopped, the federal court action had been stopped and the charges against him were invalid. As Mori concluded, the Australians were leaving Hicks locked up “for political reasons, pure and simple.”

Australian public opinion by this time had begun to wake up to the injustice being done. Bob Brown, leader of the Greens, said that the Howard government had “devalued Australian citizenship” and that David Hicks had effectively been a political prisoner of the Howard government at the leisure of the Bush administration. He insisted that he should be brought home immediately.

In chapter 23, “Desperation” Mori records

what he had realized about the Howard government.

“But what was truly horrifying about the Australian government’s position was that they were not pushed to it by the Americans.

It was my impression now that the United States wanted to wash its hands of Hicks, and send him out of GTMO at the first opportunity. It was the Australians, on the other hand, who were insisting that Hicks stay locked away – based on the position that he had not violated any Australian law. It went to Howard’s very integrity. He measured his actions by their political weight. Soon he would pay the ultimate political price.”

By the time he visited Australia in 2006, Mori noticed that there had been a major shift in public opinion. A Newspoll showed that 67% of Liberal voters wanted Hicks returned to Australia. Members of the coalition government were raising the issue in the party room.

The Law Council presented Ruddock with a legal opinion which held that Australian officials might be complicit in war crimes against David Hicks.

Pressure on Howard mounted. A charge was laid against Hicks for providing material support to terrorism. Australian legal experts declared that this charge was invalid. The absurd attempted murder charge was dropped. As the campaign to free Hicks from Guantanamo became more successful, Mori came under personal attack.

A political deal was eventually worked out. Hicks pleaded guilty to the invalid charge and he was returned to serve a few months in an Australian prison. In the subsequent election, Howard lost his majority in parliament and his own seat.

Mori’s book is a valuable study in military maneuvering and cowardly politics and reveals very clearly the political opportunism of both the Bush and Howard governments.

Hopefully Michael Mori will make a major contribution to our civil life in Australia in the years ahead. Americans like him are more than welcome.

Narendra Modi’s visit to Australia Zahid Jamil The leaders of major world economies will converge in Brisbane for the G20 meeting on 15 November. A few of these leaders are not seen favourably in the West as they do not pass the credentials of being democratically elected leaders. They include leaders of communist China, controversial Russia, royals of Saudi Arabia and leaders of a few Muslim countries. However one of the most controversial leaders will be the Prime Minister of India, despite being elected to the office by the largest democracy in the world.

The current Indian PM, Mr Narendra Modi was denied a diplomatic visa to US for more than 10 years, then the Chief Minister of the state of Gujarat. In addition, the B1/ B2 visa that had previously been granted to him was also revoked. This was under a section which makes any foreign government official who was responsible or “directly carried out, at any time, particularly severe violations of religious freedom” ineligible for the visa to enter USA. Interestingly Narendra Modi is the only person ever denied a visa to the U.S. under this provision. The backdrop of this decision was the massacre of more than 1000 people, mostly Muslims, during his rule in the Indian state of Gujarat in 2002. Many international human right agencies blamed his administration for failing to act to prevent the riots. Indian courts gave Modi clearance, however many, both

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at home and overseas, see it with suspicion and have questioned the independence of Indian legal system in this case.

On the other hand, Modi is highly regarded for his economic policies. Many admire him for creating an environment of high economic growth in Gujarat during his 13 years rule. However, this achievement is also surrounded by many controversies.

Many opponents including Arvind Kejriwal who is regarded as the prominent reformist in Indian politics, have criticised Modi for failing to make a significant positive impact upon the human development of the state.

They blame him for favouring big industrialists and exploiting poor farmers and small business. Indian media, backed by the major corporations, turned Modi into a great hero during elections early this year.

Extreme right wing within the BJP successfully launched him as the Prime Ministerial candidate of the party ignoring senior political stalwarts.

BJP achieved a landslide victory and swearing in of Modi as Prime Minister cre-

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ated great excitement in Indian stock markets. Major world economies looked for an opportunity to grab market share in India’s future growth and prepared to roll out the red carpet for the new Indian PM. They suddenly forgot about his past record. His recent US visit is proving to be the catalyst in economic ties between the two largest democracies.

Australia does not want to leave this opportunity and has been keen to grant rousing reception to India’s new Prime Minister. He will be the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Australia in 28 years and the first Indian leader ever to address the Australian parliament.

While Tony Abbott is willing to shirtfront the Russian leader Vladimir Putin for his adventures in Ukraine, he has no reservations in embracing the Indian leader and offering him the podium at the Nation’s Parliament.

During a visit to India in September, Tony Abbot signed a nuclear safeguards agreement with Narendra Modi in New Delhi, overturning a longstanding ban on uranium

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exports to the subcontinent. The agreement is controversial as India has refused to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty despite possessing an arsenal of atomic weapons. The India-Australia relationship is rapidly moving beyond the mutual fondness and rivalry on cricket grounds.

A decade ago, India wasn’t in the top ten destinations for Australian exports. Today India is Australia’s fifth largest exporter partner. India accounts for $A11.4 billion or 3.6% of Australian exports which is expected to grow exponentially in coming years.

Despite being a major emerging economy, India continues to suffer from bureaucratic deficiencies of a third world country. As an embarrassment for the Narendra Modi government, even allowing for the short time it has been in office, India dropped two places to stand 142nd out of 189 countries ranked by the World Bank for ease of doing business in its annual report released a few days back.

Indian diaspora in Australia has grown significantly over the past 10 years. Australia became a favourite destination in India after US and European economies suffered heavily during global financial crisis. Australian economy continued to grow during this period due to China’s boom. This diaspora is planning huge reception for Modi as was done by American Indians a few weeks ago.

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HECS loan in budget 2014-15: A concern for Muslim tertiary students FINANCE Dr. Abul Jalaluddin Currently, Higher Education Contribution Scheme (HECS) or Higher Education Loan Program (HELP) is indexed to Consumer Price Index (CPI) and no rate of interest is charged on the loan. The measures in the Budget 201415 charge an interest rate rather than indexation which is a concern to many university students from an Islamic background.

This apprehension is compounded by the deregulation of fees proposed in the Budget 2014-15. Some estimates suggest that annual fees of $30,000 and beyond will become the norm for students in Australia. Industry experts believe that certain university degrees could cost $100,000 and in some cases up to $200,000 as tertiary institutions are allowed to set their own tuition fees from 1 January 2016. Like in the US, Australian students may graduate with a debt like a mortgage.

HECS/HELP is a loan facility for Australian tertiary students to finance fees for their education. The eligibility for this facility includes studying in a Commonwealth supported place; being an Australian citizen or permanent humanitarian visa holder; being enrolled with a provider by the census date as well as satisfying the residency requirements which is to be in Australia during the

course of the study and undertaking at least one unit of study in a semester.

The scheme provides a discount facility if fees are paid up- front to the institutions of higher learning. The eligible students are entitled to receive a 10% discount on any upfront payment of $500 or more. Students have the option to access 100% fees from HECS/HELP and not having to make any upfront payment for their education. Those who use the scheme loan will be required to pay their debts as compulsory repayments through the tax system when they earn above the minimum threshold.

Instead of charging a rate of interest, the accumulated HECS/HELP debt is subject to indexation by a CPI. The indexation is applied on 1 June each year using March quarter CPI over the accumulated debts in the last 11 months to maintain its real value by adjusting it in line with changes in the cost of living. Hence, no rate of interest is currently charged on HECS/HELP debts.

The Budget 2014-15 proposes to charge a rate of interest equivalent to the Treasury 10 year bond rate which hovers around 6%.

From 1 June 2016, this arrangement will apply to all HECS/HELP debts including those incurred by former students, continuing students and new students. The rate of interest will apply while the student is still studying and will continue to be applied each year until the student has repaid the debt in full.

If a student is unable to work for any reason or unemployed for a period, the interest will continue to be charged and the debt will continue to grow.

Under the proposed budget measures, the Government will allocate 20% of additional revenue from interest charges to a new Commonwealth Scholarship program to support cost of living, fee exemptions and tutorial assistance. There will be no option for upfront fee payment to receive 10% discount.

In addition to undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, the Commonwealth subsidies will be available to students undertaking a diploma, advance diploma or associated degree course to acquire skills for employment and regional industries.

The existing indexed loan facility is con-

Learning through interfaith dialogue Dr Herman Roborgh On Thursday 18th September 2014, I attended an interfaith event in Melbourne that was advertised as follows: “A Christian-Muslim Discussion. Is Muhammad (s) the Prophet in the Bible?” Venue: Melbourne City Conference Centre.

The speakers were from two faith traditions, Christian and Muslim. The purpose of the discussion was to demonstrate whether or not Muhammad was a Prophet by appealing to the authority of the Bible. The Christian speaker tried to show by quoting verses directly from the Old and the New Testaments that Muhammad was not a prophet. The Muslim speaker, on the other hand, tried to show that Muhammad was a genuine prophet according to criteria to be found in the Bible. By reflecting on the way these two speakers interacted with each other, I would like to suggest another approach that may open greater possibilities for understanding the particular character of each faith tradition. I will begin by providing a glimpse of the method that was adopted in this discussion.

The Muslim speaker’s arguments were as follows: Jesus never called himself God. Therefore Jesus is only a prophet.

Jesus told those who called him “Lord, Lord” (Matt. 7. 21-23) that he did not know them. In other words, Jesus did not allow himself to be called Lord. This means that Jesus refused to be considered divine because he was a prophet.

Jesus said that the “Spirit of Truth” will “lead you to the complete truth (John 16.

13).” Muhammad has, indeed, led his community to the complete truth. Hence, Muhammad was a genuine prophet.

St John’s Gospel uses the pronoun “he” for the Spirit of Truth, thereby referring to the person of the Prophet Muhammad.

The letter of St John provides a criterion

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by which to discern a true prophet from a false one (1 John 4. 1-3). Since the Qur’an fulfils this criterion by acclaiming Jesus, the Qur’an must be true.

Jesus was sent only to the lost sheep of the House of Israel (Matt. 15. 24) and Jesus sent out his disciples to the lost sheep of the House of Israel (Matt. 10. 5-6). Muhammad, however, came for all mankind and was, therefore, the last prophet.

Jesus did not consider himself divine because he said, “Why do you call me good?

No one is good but God alone (Mark 10.

18).” Hence, Jesus was only a prophet.

These are only some of the arguments brought forward by the Muslim speaker.

The Christian speaker’s arguments were as follows: There are several incidents in the Gospel where Jesus is worshipped.

Jesus said, “You call me Master and Lord, and rightly; so I am (John 13.13).”

The Spirit of Truth is the Holy Spirit. The pronoun “he” refers to the Holy Spirit.

When the reference to the lost sheep of the House of Israel is seen in the light of the whole Gospel, it becomes clear that Jesus’ teaching was also universal. The Gospel of Matthew, for example, ends with Jesus telling his disciples to go and teach all nations (cf. Mat. 28. 19-20). The Christian speaker had many other arguments as well.

The discussion could have gone on, back and forth, for much longer. Each speaker was trying to defend his own position and negate the statements of the other. I came away from the discussion feeling that it was rather futile because there was nothing to be gained from insisting on one’s own beliefs and practices without being willing to enter into the faith perspective of the other. What was to be gained from trying to prove that Muhammad was or was not a prophet according to the Bible? Would the existence of such a proof affect the lives or the faith of Muslims and Christians? Besides, for every argument there was a counter argument.

Neither party in this discussion showed any willingness to modify his opinion by learning something from the faith tradition of the other. Each party was only seeking to es-

tablish the superiority of their own tradition over and above that of the other. Is this the purpose of interfaith dialogue?

The approach adopted in this discussion reminded me of the exclusivist approach of the theology of religions, which considers the beliefs and practices of another faith tradition as material for analysis simply from one’s own point of view. At best, those who adopt this approach to interfaith dialogue listen to the views of the other party as one would listen to information without expecting that the knowledge gained from the exchange would be of much significance for oneself. It is to listen in a disengaged way.

Yet even scientists, historians and philologists become personally involved in the process of research and are willing to allow the results of their research to modify their own previous understanding of the subject matter. Why should the study of religions be any different?

Many would argue that the purpose of interfaith dialogue is to obtain greater understanding and appreciation of another faith tradition. They would say that mutual understanding would, hopefully, foster peace in the world. But it is not factual knowledge or information alone that leads to peace.

Such information can also provoke tension.

For example, the assertion by both Muslims and Christians that their own religious tradition is the final and perfect expression of truth may open up a wider gap between these two communities and lead to tension or even conflict. One’s response to knowledge or information about another faith tradition is the key that will determine whether or not interfaith dialogue or discussions about religion will contribute to peace and harmony in the world.

Those engaged in the “Christian-Muslim Discussion” I attended in Melbourne recently considered each other as potential rivals.

An alternative response would be to allow the faith tradition of the other side to enrich one’s own religious experience. In this case, the goal of the discussion would be to enable the other faith tradition to deepen one’s own religious self-understanding. In such an interfaith discussion, the participants would

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ducive to Muslim faith and life style as no interest based loan transaction is involved to pursue academic degrees. Many Muslims are reluctant to achieve skills and qualifications on interest and use them to earn a livelihood for the rest of their lives. Although consultations are in progress to reduce the rate of interest, the current CPI indexation method of financing is working, highly affordable to get a good education, safeguarding students from large mortgage like debts and hence, this should be retained.

attempt to see the subject matter from the point of view of the other. They would be prepared to accept that even the same word (e.g. prophet) can be used differently in each faith tradition. They would not be threatened by the different meanings given to the same word.

Participants in the interfaith discussion I attended last month did not take note of the different way Muslims and Christians understand the nature of a prophet. But each separate faith tradition can be understood correctly only by respecting its unique and specific history and character. The quality of the discussion would have improved greatly if each of the speakers had openly acknowledged the presuppositions that each of them brought to the discussion. Instead of inquiring into the meaning and reasons for the way each faith tradition understands the nature of a prophet, for example, the speakers became locked in a defensive position about two quite different ways of understanding the concept of prophet.

A better approach to interfaith discussion would be to recognise and acknowledge the understanding that the different speakers bring to the discussion because of what they have inherited from their own particular faith tradition. A discussion along these lines would help each participant to grow in self-knowledge by listening to the views of the other faith tradition. This approach to interfaith dialogue focuses on the other as the goal of understanding and recognises the other as the source of new insights. For it is only by venturing into a world of religious difference that one gains deeper insight and understanding into one’s own faith tradition.

In order for this to happen, each speaker must be willing to move beyond the established patterns of their own faith tradition and listen respectfully to different views.

One is not expected to renounce one’s own faith tradition but to become more aware of its profound depth and mystery.

Herman Roborgh spent many years working in Indonesia and Pakistan as a missionary. After completing his PhD in Islamic Studies from Aligarh Muslim University in India,he returned to Australia where he is engaged in various projects connected with interfaith dialogue. He lives in Melbourne and can be contacted at <herman. roborgh@yahoo.com>

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Rise of Islamophobia in Modi’s India Javed Jamil

Prime Minister, Narendra Modi of India is soon to embark on another tour, this time to Down Under and several countries in the vicinity including Fiji. After much publicised tours of Japan and the United States, the tour of Australia will be another attempt by his supporters to restructure his image as a no nonsense diplomat who means business, and one who is ready to bury his past for the sake of the future. But the past still continues to haunt him. And his case is not helped by a new wave of Indian version of Islamophobia, which has engulfed the nation since his rise as the head of BJP government.

If Narendra Modi’s rise on the Indian national political scene in the last General Elections was dramatic, his tenure as Prime Minister since then has been no less dramatic. There is little doubt that Modi is a man of words as well as actions. This is another matter that his words and actions have many a time proved to bring disaster. Modi won the elections on the basis of Corporate and Communal agenda. In one of my articles just after the elections I had commented that he will work on his communal agenda in the first three years and will revert to the communal agenda in the next two years. Subsequent events have indicated that the division was in fact to be horizontal, not vertical, with the top brass of BJP and the Cabinet working on the Corporate Agenda and the provincial and district level cadres implementing the communal agenda.

India too is going Western in terms of spreading Islamophobia. In particular, the Hindutva lobbies in the country feel that without uniting Hindus behind them, they cannot monopolise the country. They are convinced that only an Islamophobic campaign can produce the desired results. India is therefore being given a daily dose of poison. Hindutva Brigade seems to have gone amok. It appears that they are in a hurry, considering the fact that BJP is in power, and they feel that it is right time to take their agenda of hatred to hilt. It is also likely that their campaign has received a thrust because Hindus are facing the worst internal crisis of the last century in the form of Sai-Shankarachraya confrontation. It is also understandable that they are concerned about the decrease in the population of Hindu females on account of ever increasing female infanticide. What is however deplorable is that they are trying to use Islamophobia as the

Narendra Modi, PM of India pivot of all their efforts. And they are on the warpath against Muslims even despite the fact that Muslims are neutral on all the issues they have been highlighting in recent months.

Till now, it appeared that the central government is concentrating on the developmental issues, and the communal statements from regional leaders may be apart of their strategy to corner Modi. But with the continuing silence of the Prime Minister, it signals ominous times ahead. The statement by Menaka Gandhi was particularly dangerous, as in one go, she had put a question mark on the very survival of the meat industry and the patriotism of the Muslim community.

Linking the meat industry to terrorism was too clever a move to have been masterminded by her alone. Sakshi Maharaj’s comments linking terrorism to Madrasas were an additional hint to the strategy of linking terrorism to Muslims, particularly the community of meat businessmen. They forget that terrorism in India is a massive problem, and the major portion of Indian terrorism has nothing to do with Muslims. As I have detailed in some of my articles, out of more than 40000 deaths in terrorist attacks in last twenty years, the alleged killings by “Muslim terrorists” do not number more than 1500. Terrorism in India is primarily a Hindu problem with Naxalites, Maoists, Sikhs and Ulfa activists being among the major culprits. Elsewhere in the subcontinent, Tamil terrorism in Sri Lanka killed more than one hundred thousands. Linking Madrasas to terrorism is another exampling of blaming and throttling Muslims for what are primarily Hindu problems. Madrasas are certainly giving bigger lessons of peace than any other educational institutions of the country.

Even Prime Minster Modi, in his interview with Farid Zakariyah, admitted that “Indian Muslims lie for this country and die for this country”. The question by Zakariyah telling that “despite Muslims being 170 million in the country, they have not joined the international groups like al-Qaedah” was a reminder to the nation that linking terrorism to Indian Muslims, Islam or Madrasas would have no takers.

Jama Masjid, Delhi, India Another example of the domestic Islamophobia is what they call “Love Jihad”. They seem to argue that “love jihad” is part of international conspiracy to reduce the size of Hindu population. The truth on the other hand is that Muslims cannot support such an adventure because it will harm them more than Hindus. If four hundred thousands of Muslim boys have married Hindu girls, for example, as claimed, it means that four hundred thousands of Muslim girls have been denied married life. Further, Hindu girls would obviously marry good Muslim boys; if well educated Muslim boys marry Hindu girls, who will marry educated Muslim girls?

The biggest propaganda tool in the hands of the forces spreading Islamophobia in India is the issue of “forced conversion”. If the media reports and the statements emanating from the Saffron Brigade are believed, it would appear that the conversion in India is a one way affair, with Hindus converting to Islam. Whatever the reasons of the conversion, the picture which is presented for public consumption is of a large-scale conspiracy, most likely a part of the global effort, aimed at converting Hindus to Islam so that the demography of the country tilts in favour of Muslims. The fact that even if any conversion to Islam is taking place in the country, it is not only very low in magnitude but is also voluntary in most cases is conveniently forgotten. What however is not being debated at all in the mainstream media is that if any forced conversion is taking place in India, it is the conversion of Muslims and Christians to Hinduism. In most cases, such conversions take place under compulsion

or as a result of lucrative offers. To make it look technically correct considering the fact that Hinduism does not permit conversion, the term “Re-conversion” is used. The way things are looking, Re-conversion can soon become a national campaign.

There are two views in the country on the role of Prime Minister Modi behind this ominous rise in Islamophobia. There are a few who think that Modi would not tolerate this, and certain lobbies of Hindutva are promoting this only because they do not want Modi to become too big to control. The larger section believes that this has the backing of Modi. They argue that without Modi’s support BJP leaders could not have embarked upon such a flagrant communal polarisation.

Recent bye-elections and the Assembly elections in Maharashtra and Haryana have however sounded an alarm to the Hindutva lobby. During bye-elections, the communal agenda was in full swing but this did not help BJP, which lost majority of seats.

BJP did not stir the communal agenda in the latest Assembly elections, and this time they have won in both the states. BJP might have learned its lesson. Communal Agenda cannot keep any political party in power for long. In the long run, India will continue to be ruled by Secular politics. Hopefully, Modi has understood it better than others.

If he really wants to fulfil his ambition of rising as a leader of international repute, he will have to prove that a lot of water has flown down the Ganga since the Gujarat Riots. Hopefully, the power game, which is a much stronger engine than anything else, would change him for the better.

Muslim Community police contact exposed as a spy AMUST Media The identities of two undercover police officers in UK have been revealed who fathered children with campaigners from groups they had been sent to infiltrate.

One of them is Bob Lambert, who established close working relationships with many Muslim community activists in the years following the 7/7 attacks on London.

From 1980 to 2008 Lambert was a police officer in London, with service in Special Branch where he was head of the Muslim Contact Unit.

Lambert was instrumental in removing Abu Hamza from Finsbury Park mosque with the help of several prominent members of the British Muslim community, many of whom continued to praise him and have ties with him after he was exposed as a former police spy.

Lambert was also heavily involved in working with “south London salafis” supposedly countering al Qaeda, as he himself outlined in a book.

His philosophy was to work with prominent members of the Muslim community who had “street credibility” in order to

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counter the supposedly violent message of radicalism.

The Met had tried to keep secret the identities of the two undercover officers, Bob Lambert and Jim Boyling, since a group of women launched a lawsuit three years ago.

The women are suing the Met saying they have suffered intense emotional trauma and pain after learning they had been deceived into forming long-term relationships with undercover police officers.

Lambert had sexual relationships with four women while he infiltrated animal rights and environmental groups between 1984 and 1988. He fathered a son with one campaigner but abandoned both of them when the child was an infant.

He had a 18-month relationship with another woman, Belinda Harvey, while pretending to be a left-wing campaigner called Bob Robinson.

He was a member of Scotland Yard’s controversial undercover unit, the Special Demonstration Squad, that infiltrated hundreds of political groups between 1968 and 2008.

The women’s lawsuit continues as the Met is rejecting their claims that the force

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was legally responsible for the trauma experienced by them.

In a legal filing at the high court, the Met denied that Lambert and Boyling were authorised by their supervisors to form the relationships with the women or that “intimate and sexual relationships were started as a deliberate tactic” to gather intelligence about campaigners.

The Met said that the pair “violated explicit guidance” from their managers that undercover officers should not have longterm, or “emotionally committed” relationships during their deployments.

The Met said that the two men started the relationships “because of mutual attraction and genuine personal feelings”.

Harvey said she was “very upset” by the Met’s stance, adding that her relationship with Lambert was “a total violation of me and my life”.

She said: “How can a relationship be genuine when it is based on a massive web of lies? He pretended to be a man with noble ideals and political commitments, when in reality he was a police officer spying on our friendship network.

“He pretended he was committed to the

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future when he always knew he would go back to his real job and wife and kids. That doesn’t show genuine feelings; it is abuse and I would never have consented to such a relationship had I known.”

Wistrich said that the confirmation of the pair’s identities did not “go far enough. It is mealy mouthed, offensive and lacking in any acknowledgment of the huge abuse of power and harm caused to my clients”.

Lambert is now working as a lecturer in Terrorism Studies at the University of St Andrews and and a senior lecturer at London Metropolitan University.

Friday 7 November 2014

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My grandfather: Celebrating the life of Professor Ghulam Azam Abu Aisha On Saturday 1st Muharram 1436 (Oct 25th 2014), hundreds of thousands of well-wishers converged on the streets of Dhaka to bid farewell to one of the most recognizable faces of Islam in Bangladesh, Professor Ghulam Azam.

In this short piece, I would like to present an insider’s perspective into my beloved grandfather’s household. Though I live abroad now, for some years of my childhood and youth, I was honored to live under the same roof as this illustrious Islamic scholar and remarkably influential da‘iya.

His life My grandfather was born in 1922 into a scholarly family with a lineage in which every one of his known forefathers was an Islamic scholar. However, his father, the Qadhi of Dhaka of his day, recognizing that Islamic scholarship had now become institutionally marginalized, and that graduating from traditional Islamic seminaries no longer provided careers for individuals who could shape and influence society, opted to send his son to a conventional educational institute, while providing him with a very thorough grounding in the Shari‘a sciences.

Thus when he eventually made it to Dhaka University, he enrolled in the Arabic program only to find that his knowledge of Arabic was beyond anything the University had to offer.

At University, he also became politically active and was a major force in the Bengali language movement that campaigned to have Bengali recognized as an official language in what was then East Pakistan, shortly after the independence of Pakistan.

Early in his career, my grandfather was also a member of the Tabligh Jamaat movement, which he would later leave for the more politically active Jamaat Islami, though he always maintained the spiritual values instilled in him from his time with the former group.

His character My grandfather was a very softly-spoken man, remarkably for someone known for powerful oratory. Possessed of a kind-heart, he had an ever present smile. He particularly loved young children, and went out of his way to play and make conversation with them. He would often say that little children are like lamps that bring life to homes. I have many fond memories of his affection and kindness to me as a child, and to the many other children in my extended family who loved to rest in his arms, or indeed, enjoy his enthusiastically playing with them!

But he was also concerned with his grandchildren’s Islamic education. I remember one Ramadan, during which he was in his annual i‘itikaf, when he organized nightly lessons for all his grandchildren in the masjid frequented by the family. At other times, I remember him taking the time to teach me how to pray as a young child. Despite leading the largest Islamic political movement in Bangladesh, constantly traveling, lecturing, and meeting with people, he did not neglect his household, but rather gave as much time to us as was humanly possible.

This was only possible due to his very disciplined lifestyle. He ate moderately, exercised regularly, and generally lived a remarkably ascetic lifestyle for a personage of his stature. When he was home, I never saw him miss the iqama in the mosque. Even in old age, he hired a personal assistant to arrive at his home so that he could walk assisted to the mosque well before the beginning of the jama‘a prayers. He closely followed a timetable that would allow him to sleep shortly after Isha prayers so that he (and my grandmother) would be able to wake up before Fajr to pray tahajjud prayers each night.

There was never a time that I passed their room late at night, except that I saw them both in prayer—a practice they have had for decades.

Friday 7 November 2014

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AMUST

Youngest minister in Sweden: A Muslim A 27-year-old Bosnian Muslim immigrant was named the new Swedish minister of education last month, setting a role model for young, active Muslims who can reach the top in Western democracies.

Born in 1987 in Bosnia, Aida Hadzialic, the Swedish politician is now the youngest person ever to serve as a minister in Sweden.

Hadzialic was five years old when her family fled from war in Bosnia-Herzegovina. A law graduate from the University of Lund, Hadzialic became the deputy mayor of the Swedish city Halmstad at the age of 23.

Women ministers in Indonesia Professor Ghulam Azam, veteran chief of Jamaat Islami, Bangladesh Recent persecution as a political prisoner Of course, recent years had been particularly difficult for my grandparents. Driven primarily by political calculation, the current Awami League government of Bangladesh has targeted the main opposition parties in an effort to hold on to power. Jamaat Islami, the Islamic political party that my grandfather had led, for decades, had played the role of kingmaker in the first two elections of the 2000s. So long as the Jamaat was in play, Awami League could not dethrone the coalition government. To counter them, Awami League resorted to dredging up the emotive issue of the bloody birth of Bangladesh in the 1971 Liberation War. Jamaat had openly campaigned against secession which was strongly backed by India at the time. India had been at war with Pakistan just six years earlier, and was enthusiastic about the prospect of what would have been the secession of East Pakistan from Pakistan. As it turned out, West Pakistan used indiscriminate and brutal force against East Pakistan’s population to bring them to heel precipitating a civil war whose conclusion can only be described as the Liberation of Bangladesh from the oppression of the then illegitimate government of West Pakistan and its military.

During the war, while he campaigned publicly against the breaking up of a united Pakistan, he was very sharp in his criticism of the military in his interactions with the Pakistani authorities. In one instance, when some members of the Pakistani political and military leadership tried to meet with him, he so vehemently rebuked them for their extreme and gratuitous brutality that the people present feared he would be killed by them. He was not one to fear for his life when speaking truth to power—the highest form of jihad.

Despite this, because of Jamaat’s campaigning against secession, the current ruling party in Bangladesh began a concerted PR campaign in the 2000s to brand the organization and its leaders traitors. By 2009, the campaign had succeeded in attracting a large youthful demographic, consisting of people who were not even alive during the war, to vote in the present ruling party.

This gave them the opportunity to establish a highly politicized tribunal for trying ‘war crimes’ the evidence for which is so thin that it has frequently been a cause of embarrassment for those supporting it.

The tribunal, which was in and of itself a potential force for good as a kind of “truth and reconciliation commission,” has been repeatedly criticized by innumerable international bodies. These include Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, and the Bar Human Rights Committee of England and Wales, to name but a few. The politically motivated nature of the tribunal has been recognized by all independent observers who have taken the time to study it.

However, Bangladesh’s relative geopolitical insignificance has left its domestic happen-

ings as little more than a blip in the international news cycle, most of which is simply taken in by the narrative that is pushed by the largely anti-Islamic media outlets in Bangladesh. Thus my grandfather’s ludicrous conviction, which was castigated in a detailed report by Human Rights Watch, made barely a ripple in the international community. And now before the appeals process could begin to show the world the complete lack of any evidentiary basis for such a conviction, he passes from this world bearing this defamatory conviction.

His martyrdom and legacy The Prophet [saw] likens the believers in their mutual affection and love for one another to a single body. “If part of it is in pain, the rest of it suffers in fever and sleeplessness.” The concerns of the Muslims are many in our times. My grandfather’s passing is a single death that pales in comparison to the hundreds and thousands that have passed in Syria and elsewhere in the Muslim world in recent years. But it is important that we give our great scholars and leaders their due to the extent that we can.

It was with great sadness that our family learnt that my grandfather had died in prison.

His condition had become critical weeks ago, but the government, which had imprisoned him for his political views, showed no clemency despite repeated calls from international leaders and institutions that he be released on compassionate grounds. He breathed his last at 10:10 pm on Thursday night (i.e. the night of Jum‘a) on the eve of the Islamic New Year, in the presence of only a handful of his family members.

Yet, my grandfather had expressed his desire for martyrdom in an interview he gave shortly before his arrest in January 2012.

He was not wanting in experience—he had spent many years of his career as a political prisoner. In the end, it seems that Allah blessed him by granting him what he wished for, even if his family would have liked him to be at home in their care.

My grandfather left many written works, most of them in Bengali, including many short works that were oriented towards the everyday needs of Muslims in their worship and their religious activism. But perhaps more importantly, he touched the hearts of millions in Bangladesh and around the world as someone who drew them closer to Allah, and instilled in them a desire to realize a society in which the word of Allah would be the most high.

May Allah accept him as a martyr in his path, forgive him all his shortcomings, and enter him into paradise without reckoning.

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The newly elected Indonesian President Joko Widodo unveiled his first cabinet last month that contains eight women including new Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, the first ever Indonesian woman to hold the post.

Now 23.5% of Indonesian cabinet members are women compared to 5.2% in Australia.

This reflects the electoral power of women at the ballot box and the continuing development of Indonesian democracy where women played a vital role in bringing the democratically elected president Jokowi to power in Indonesia.

Taliban leader clears misconceptions

In an interview in Johannesburg with Karen Jayes of Cage Africa, Mullah Abdul Salam Zaeef, a founding member of Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and a former Afghan Ambassador to Pakistan has accused foreign intelligence agencies for perpetrating a number of bombings against civilian targets to keep Afghanistan destabilised.

He said that since the US invasion and occupation of Afghanistan in 2001, the country’s media landscape, with the help of US funding, has seen the establishment of plethora of TV channels, radio stations and newspapers, which reinforces an aggressive neo-liberal agenda.

Media Scan Ainullah

Kashmiris still suffering after floods

According to official figures, 282 people lost their lives and 403 were injured due to the devastating floods in the valley of Kasmir. More than 559 bridges, 4,350 miles of roads and hundreds of irrigation canals were heavily affected.

In Srinagar alone, 91,000 houses were damaged. In a press conference held last month, Jammu and Kashmir’s chief secretary, Muhammad Iqbal Khanday, said that a preliminary assessment suggests the floods have cost the state $16.3 billion.

The deluge swept away vital government installations. The administrative, security, health and educational infrastructure were under water. The Kashmir government could do little but look to the Indian army and the federal government to bail it out.

On a visit to Kashmir last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced additional central government funding for the state: $28.5 million for the renovation of six major hospitals and $93 million for rebuilding damaged homes.

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US supports Israel violating its own laws Noam Chomsky

Many of the world’s problems are so intractable that it’s hard to think of ways even to take steps towards mitigating them. The Israel-Palestine conflict is not one of these. On the contrary, the general outlines of a diplomatic solution have been clear for at least 40 years. Not the end of the road -- nothing ever is -- but a significant step forward. And the obstacles to a resolution are also quite clear.

The basic outlines were presented here in a resolution brought to the U.N. Security Council in January 1976. It called for a two-state settlement on the internationally recognized border and now I’m quoting “with guarantees for the rights of both states to exist in peace and security within secure and recognized borders.” The resolution was brought by the three major Arab states: Egypt, Jordan, Syria, sometimes called the “confrontation states.” Israel refused to attend the session. The resolution was vetoed by the United States. A U.S. veto typically is a double veto: The veto, the resolution is not implemented, and the event is vetoed from history, so you have to look hard to find the record, but it is there. That has set the pattern that has continued since. The most recent US veto was in February 2011,that’s President Obama, when his administration vetoed a resolution calling for implementation of official US policy opposition to expansion of settlements. And it’s worth bearing in mind that expansion of settlements is not really the issue; it’s the settlements, unquestionably illegal, along with the infrastructure projects supporting them.

For a long time, there has been an overwhelming international consensus in support of a settlement along these general lines. The pattern that was set in January 1976 continues to the present. Israel rejects a settlement of these terms and for many years has been devoting extensive resources to ensuring that it will not be implemented, with the unremitting and decisive support of the United States military, economic, diplomatic and indeed ideological by establishing how the conflict is viewed and interpreted in the United States and within its broad sphere of influence.

There’s no time here to review the record, but its general character is revealed by a look at what has happened in Gaza in the past decade, carrying forward a long history of earlier crimes. Last August, August 26th, a ceasefire was reached between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. And the question on all our minds is: What are the prospects for the future? Well, one reasonable way to try to answer that question is to look at the record. And here, too, there is a definite pattern: A ceasefire is reached; Israel disregards it and continues its steady assault on Gaza, including continued siege, intermittent acts of violence, more settlement and development projects, often violence in the West Bank; Hamas observes the ceasefire, as Israel officially recognizes, until some Israeli escalation elicits a Hamas response, which leads to another exercise of “mowing the lawn,” in Israeli parlance, each episode more fierce and destructive than the last.

The first of the series was the Agreement on Movement and Access in November 2005. I’ll give a close paraphrase of it. It called for a crossing between Gaza and Egypt at Rafah for the export of goods and the transit of people, continuous operation of crossings between Israel and Gaza for the import and export of goods and the transit of people, reduction of obstacles to movement within the West Bank, bus and truck convoys between the West Bank and Gaza, the building of a seaport in Gaza, the reopening of the airport in Gaza that Israel had recently destroyed. These are essentially the terms of successive ceasefires, including the one just reached a few weeks ago.

The timing of the November 2005 agreement is significant. This was the moment of Israel’s disengagement, as it’s called, from Gaza, the removal of several thousand Israeli settlers from Gaza. Now, this is depicted

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as a noble effort to seek peace and development, but the reality is rather different. The reality was described, very quickly, by the Israeli official who was in charge of negotiating and implementing the ceasefire, Dov Weissglas, close confidant of then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. As he explained to the Israeli press, the goal of the disengagement, I’m quoting him, was “the freezing of the peace process,” so as to “prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state” and to ensure that diplomacy “has been removed indefinitely from our agenda.”

The Oslo Accords, 20 years ago, established that Gaza and the West Bank are an indivisible territorial unity, whose integrity cannot be broken up. For 20 years, the United States and Israel have been dedicated to separate Gaza and the West Bank in violation of the accords that they had accepted.

And a look at the map explains why. Gaza offers the only access to the outside world of Palestine. If Gaza is separated from the West Bank, whatever autonomy might ultimately be granted in the West Bank would be imprisoned -- Israel on one side, a hostile Jordan, ally of Israel, on the other side, and in addition, one of Israel’s slow and steady U.S.-backed policies is to take over the Jordan Valley, about a third of the West Bank, much of the arable land, which would essentially imprison the rest even more tightly, if Gaza is separated from the West Bank. Now, that’s the major geostrategic reason for the Israeli insistence, with U.S. backing, on separating the two in violation of the Oslo agreements and the series of ceasefires that have been reached since November 2005.

Well, the November 2005 agreement lasted for a few weeks. In January 2006, a very important event took place: the first full, free election in the Arab world, carefully monitored, recognized to be free and fair. It had one flaw. It came out the wrong way: Hamas won the Parliament, control of the Parliament. The U.S. and Israel didn’t want that. You may recall, at that period, the slogan on everyone’s lips was “democracy promotion.” The highest U.S. commitment in the world was democracy promotion. Here was a good test. Democracy: Election came out the wrong way; the U.S. instantly decided, along with Israel, to punish the Palestinians for the crime of voting the wrong way; a harsh siege was instituted, other punishments; violence increased; the United States immediately began to organize a military coup to overthrow the unacceptable government. That’s quite familiar practice, I won’t go through the record. The European Union, to its shame and discredit, went along with this. There was an immediate Israeli escalation. That was the end of the November agreement, followed by major Israeli onslaughts.

In 2007, a year later, Hamas committed even a greater crime than winning a fair election: It preempted the planned military coup and took over Gaza. That’s described in the West, in the United States, most of the West, as Hamas’s taking over Gaza by force -- which is not false, but something is omitted. The force was preempting a planned military coup to overthrow the elected government. Now, that was a serious crime. It’s

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bad enough to vote the wrong way in a free election, but to preempt a U.S.-planned military coup is far more serious. The attack on Gaza increased substantially at that point, major Israeli onslaughts. Finally, in January 2008, another ceasefire was reached.

Terms were pretty much the same as those that I quoted. Israel publicly rejected the ceasefire, said that it would not abide by it.

Hamas observed the ceasefire, as Israel officially recognizes, despite Israel’s refusal to do so.

Now, that continued until November 4th, 2008. On November 4th, which was the day of the US election, Israeli forces invaded Gaza, killed half a dozen Hamas militants.

That led to Qassam rockets attacking Israel, huge Israeli response, lots of killings -- all Palestinians, as usual. By the end of December, couple of weeks later, Hamas offered to renew the ceasefire. The Israeli Cabinet considered it and rejected it. That was Cast Lead, which was a horrible operation, so much so that it caused a very substantial international reaction, investigations by a United Nations commission, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch. In the middle of the assault, incidentally, was carefully timed to end immediately before President Obama’s inauguration. The attack was timed to end immediately before the inauguration, so he therefore could respond to the questions by saying, “Well, now is not the time to look at the past, let’s look forward to the future.” Diplomats know very well that that’s a standard slogan for those who are engaged in serious crime: “Let’s forget about the past, let’s look forward to a glorious future.” Well, that was right in the middle of the assault.

The Security Council did pass a resolution unanimously, US abstaining calling for an immediate ceasefire with the usual terms.

That was January 8th, 2009. It was never observed, and it broke down completely with the next major episode of “mowing the lawn” in November 2012. Now, you can get a good sense of what was going on by looking at the casualty figures for the year 2012.

Seventy-nine people were killed, 78 of them Palestinians, the usual story.

After the November assault, there was a ceasefire reached with the usual terms. I’ll describe what happened next by quoting a leading specialist, Nathan Thrall. He’s a leading Middle East analyst for the International Crisis Group. As he writes, Israel recognized that Hamas was observing the terms of the ceasefire, and “therefore saw little incentive” in doing the same. The military attacks on Gaza increased, along with more stringent restrictions on imports. Exports were blocked. Exit permits were blocked.

That continued until April 2014, when Palestinians committed another crime: Gaza-based Hamas and West Bank-based Palestinian Authority signed a unity agreement. Israel was infuriated -- infuriated even more when the world mostly supported it.

Even the United States gave weak, but actual, support. Several reasons for the Israeli reaction. One is that unity between Gaza and the West Bank, between the two movements, would threaten the long-standing policies of separating the two, for the rea-

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sons that I mentioned. Another reason was that a unity government undermines one of the pretexts for Israel’s refusal to participate in negotiations seriously -- namely, how can we negotiate with an entity that is internally divided? Well, if they’re unified, that pretext disappears. Israel was infuriated. It launched major assaults on the Palestinians in the West Bank, primarily targeting Hamas. Hundreds of people arrested, mostly Hamas members.

That finally elicited a Hamas response.

Then came Operation Protective Edge, the one which was just completed, and more brutal and destructive even the ones that preceded it.

The pattern is very clear. And so far, at least, it appears to be continuing. The latest ceasefire was reached on August 26th. It was followed at once by Israel’s greatest land grab in 30 years, almost a thousand acres in the Gush Etzion area near what’s called Jerusalem, Greater Jerusalem, about five times the size of anything that Jerusalem ever was, taken over by Israel, annexed in violation of Security Council orders. The U.S. State Department informed the Israeli Embassy that Israeli I’m quoting it now “Israeli activity in Gush Etzion undermines American efforts to protect Israel at the United Nations,” and urged that Israel shouldn’t provide ammunition for “those at the [United Nations] who would interpret [Israel’s] position as hardening.” Actually, that warning was given 47 years ago, in September 1967, at the time of Israel’s first colonization, illegal colonization, of Gush Etzion. Israeli historian Gershom Gorenberg recently reminded us of this. Little has changed since, in the last 47 years, apart from the scale of the crimes, which continue, without a break, with constant U.S. support.

Well, as for the prospects, there is a conventional picture. It’s repeated constantly on all sides, Israel, Palestine, independent commentators, diplomats. The picture that’s presented is that there are two alternatives: either the two-state settlement, which represents an overwhelming international consensus, virtually everyone, and if that fails, there will have to be one state -- Israel will take over the West Bank, the Palestinians will hand over the keys, as it’s sometimes said. Palestinians often have favored that.

They say then they will be able to carry out a civil rights struggle, maybe modeled on the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa, fight for civil rights within the whole one state controlled by Israel. Now, Israelis criticize that on the grounds of what is called “the demographic problem,” the fact that there will be too many non-Jews in a Jewish state, in fact, pretty soon a majority. Those are the alternatives that are presented, overwhelmingly, hardly an exception.

Israel is taking over what they call Jerusalem, as I mentioned, a huge area, maybe five times the area of historic Jerusalem, Greater Jerusalem, big area in the West Bank, includes many Arab villages being dispossessed, destroyed, bringing settlers in. All of this is doubly illegal.

All the settlements are illegal, as determined by the Security Council, advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice.

But the Jerusalem settlements are doubly illegal, because they’re also in violation of explicit Security Council orders going back to 1968, with the U.S. actually voting for them at that time, barring any change in the status of Jerusalem. But it continues. That’s Greater Jerusalem.

Now, that’s the picture that’s emerging.

It’s taking shape before our eyes. It has so far worked very well. If it continues, Israel will not face a demographic problem. When these regions are integrated slowly into Israel, actually, the proportion of Jews in Greater Israel will increase. There are very few Palestinians there. Those who are there are being dispossessed, kicked out. That’s what’s taking shape before our eyes. I think that’s the realistic alternative to a two-state settlement. And there’s every reason to expect it to continue as long as the United States supports it.

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AMUST

The 99 Divine attributes of Allah Part 3 - Attributes 8-15 of Allah BEYOND THE BOX Dr Q Ashfaq Ahmad This issue continues the series exclusive to AMUST on the 99 divine attributes of Allah.

Read Part 1 & 2 at www.amust.com.au/category/education/beyondthe-box/ Part 3 - Attributes 8-15 of Allah 8. Al-Aziz – The Exalted with Might The Arabic word Al-Aziz means the All Powerful, exalted in Might and highly Dominant. No one can come in front against Him. No one can challenge His decisions.

All the creatures are helpless and subdued under Him. No single individual or group can ever revoke or eliminate His decisions and decrees.

The word Al-Aziz has been mostly used in Al-Quran associated with another qualifying attribute: Al-Hakeem (The Wise), AlĀlim (The Knower), Al-Raheem (The Munificent), etc. The necessity of the qualifying attributes is that if Al-Aziz is mentioned by itself it may be considered as One unjust, aggressive or tyrant as being the attribute of power and might.

9. Al-Jabbar – The Compeller Al-Jabbar is the Arabic word derived from the infinitive Jabr meaning to repair or fix any situation by using power or to repair a system by force. In Arabic language the word Jabr is also used sometimes for cruel people with impure means.

The word Jabbar is used for Allah because He Has the power and capability to establish and maintain the system of equality and to execute His plan and will with force and determinism. The word Jabbar also connotes the concept of honour and high ranking. For example Jabbar is also used for the straight dates-palm, very tall in height, tree from which it is not easy to pluck the dates.

Hence a very lofty grandeur performance is also termed as the Jabbar’s action.

10. Al-Mutakabbir – The Supreme This Arabic word is used in two senses; the first is the usage for a person not only superior but also conveys that superiority. It is also used for a person who is superior and therefore he normally behaves as a superior by virtue of his nature but not artificially.

For human or devil, any creature, the idea of one considering himself or herself as the great one and always to boast in front of others is considered a very evil action.

Contrary to this, Allah is really the Supreme Being; definitely Allah deserves to

be the real Supreme Being as everything in the universe is really low and inferior being in comparison to Him. Hence for Allah to be superior and to behave Himself as being Superior is a fact and thus it is not any defect. Rather it is a very true and appropriate attribute.

11. Al-Khāliq – The Creator; 12. Al-Bārī’ – The Originator; 13. Al-Mușawwir – The Fashioner “He is Allah – The Creator (11), the Originator (12), the Fashioner (13). He is the Mighty, the Wise.”

(Quran: Al-Hashr, 59:24) The universe from the initial intention to its final form is totally commanded and executed by Allah alone. Neither did toit come in existence by itself nor was it born by chance. Even more, there is no one else that had been involved, except Allah, in its outcome from the start to now nor will be till the end.

The Creation Process of Allah has been narrated here in three different stages in sequence. a) First stage is Al-khalq (the appraisal or planning), Allah being Al-Khaliq (The Creator).

Allah intends and then plans for what He intends.

Example: A professional architect initiates a mental image for a particular structure required for specific functions with conditions. Having this in mind, he then prepares a professional architectural drawing on paper. Thus the first step of appraisal and planning is presented.

Then it is handed over to the professional engineer. b) Second stage is Al-bara’ (to expose), Allah being Al-Bārī’ (The Originator).

Allah brings a thing from nothing to existence.

Example: The selected professional engineer then originates a full detailed design of the structure with technical specifications and different sections for the whole structure work. The engineer also provides the detail of the construction method through the drawings and plates. c) Third stages is Al-tașweer (the identity), Allah being the Al-Mușawwir (The Fashioner).

Allah gives form to a thing and accomplishes the last complete work.

Example: The selected project builder then erects the structure and decorates the final aesthetical form.

There is no similarity between the performance of Allah and that of the humans. All the performance of humans are extracted from the precedent works or plan while the performance of Allah is unique and His own individual inventions and accomplishment.

Whatever humans produce are the manifestations and use of the elements/matter created by Allah. The human refabricates the existing combination of elements while Allah has created these very elements from which He has created this world.

14. Al-Ghaffār – The Perpetual Forgiver “But I am the Perpetual Forgiver for the one who turns in repentance and believes and acts righteously and then continues in guidance.” (Quran: Tāhā, 20:82) There are four conditions for having forgiveness from Allah: a) Withdrawal from disobedience, non-belief, polytheism and infidelity b) True belief in Allah, the Prophets, the Scriptures and the Resurrection c) Righteous deeds according to the directives of Allah and His last Prophet d) Consistent leading to the right way together with avoiding the wrong path 15. Al-Qahhar – The Predominant “O Prophet: ‘I am only a warner. There is not any deity except Allah the One, The Pre-

dominant, The Rabb (Sustainer) of the heavens and the earth the Exalted in the Might, the Perpetual Forgiver’.”

(Quran: Sād, 38:65) The pagans in Arabia used to respond to the Prophet: “How strange it is that you preach only for one god while there are many gods”.

The above verdict given in the Quran by Allah is the Reality together with its evidence.

It emphasises that the real deity is the only One Allah as He is the Omnipotent Overall Dominant. He is the Rabb (Sustainer and Owner) of all the heavens and earth.

Each and everything in this world belongs to Him. Other than Him, there is no being (whom the pagans consider deities) who is not subjugated and the possessed ones by Him. How can the subordinates be considered as partners to Him. Allah is the only One Who is the Exalted in the Might and the perpetual Forgiver for all the inhabitant in this universe.

Continued in AMUST issue #109

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Use of marketing knowledge to serve humanity AMUST

Namibia from the 1982, but sometimes the marketing secret? product did not have reach to local markets.

Well, they have a specific target and it But Coca cola noticed that local people were achieves this by matching product with buying large quantities and then selling in lifestyle. While it is true that Coca cola is a faraway villages. In 1990 they decided to global company but they tune in to the local Mohsen Shahin Pour and Somayyeh Avvali train the locals, give them small loans and sensitivity. Their universal slogan alludes establish them as distribution points then to general happiness but then Coke takes people in every field of economy. I think these local entrepreneurs employed sellers. it further and has made the slogan local. It if we can showcase such ideas with experts These sellers use bicycle or pushcarts to sell takes the guesswork out of what makes peodelivering fantastic presentations and work- their products. Now there are 3000 centers ple happy. For instance they go the places shops to financial, property and business in Africa which have 15,000 employees. In like Latin America and notice that happiness alendar 2015. This Calendar has been printed for the so by Islamic Foundation for they Education Welfareis (IFEW), doing innovative Tanzania and Uganda have 90 & percent related towhich familyhas life been while in the South leaders andlast finddecade out thatorwhat hasthe made Coca cola universally available, and then of Coca cola being sold without a shop front. Africa happiness is related to social respect.

This information tells us that governments Therefore using this consumer psycholoperhaps we can use the same method for Planner Calendar which has Islamic dates and prayer times along with contact numbers of mosques, websites and othergykey information and NGOs need to tap the resident entreprehow would we improve on health and demaking accessible public goods and servicmall. When I travel and meet mothers in some es. If we analyse this what we could learn neurship talent because local know-how is velopment marketing? We have all heard of would help in saving people’s lives. This is essential on how to reach inaccessible plac- some of these messages: “What should you remote places, I am really surprised by why I invested time studying about Coke. es to make that connection and recognize do so that you don’t get HIV”. the commonality of our mutual wants and A study has found that 1.5 million children We can learn 3 strategies from Coca cola: exactly what motivates people in that place needs. They want the same things that we to bring about change. die because of lack of sanitation caused by They take real time data and immediately d3V2lLZTg/preview?pli=1 want for our children. They want their use that feedback and implement it for their The government of Ethiopia noticed that open-air toilets. Someone found a solution: children grow up healthy and have a suc- products. many people lived far away from clinics. just provide toilets for people to use. When cessful life. But I also see lots of poverty They had more than one-day’s travel to this was done, it was discovered that instead They tap local entrepreneurship. and lack of access to opportunities.

They do incredible advertising and mar- the nearest clinic which would be difficult the locals used the new toilets to keep their In one there werefree people who lived s and they arestudy distributed of charge through organisations, departments, business in dire situations such as government in an emergency. livestock or for stocking outlets, grain! shops special keting.mailouts to individual and community in houses where the floor was not sealed and So how did marketing solve the probLet’s start with data. Coca cola has a clear The study compared this situation in Ethiwas just soil, they didn’t have drinking wa- policy. They study the feedback and when opia to Kerala State of India which had a lem? The trick was to introduce a toilet as a he booking will be you to promote business. ter andform electricity.

Butvery they useful had onefor thing they find out your something they use in their similar system. They trained 35000 local modern trendy convenience. In some parts that really surprised me.

They had “Coca details. products and markets. So from these sales health workers who give direct care to peo- of India toilets are now advertised as an atcola”. figures they can estimate number of Sprite, ple. Utilising local talent, this increased the tractive dowry for marriage. Prospective In developing countries one particularly Fanta or Coke sales in similar third world efficiency so that instead of one employee brides no longer accept proposals where notices that Coca cola is all over the place. countries whether it is being sold from a for 300,000 people; this ratio was brought the groom’s house has no indoor toilet. This This is amazing. Coca cola’s success stops local store, a supermarket or a pushcart. down to one employee for 2500 people. is creative marketing. If we can learn from have an advert in 2015 you and makes you tocalendar. think.

Now we consider how we can put this into creative people in every sector we will make Therefore if sales start to drop, you can find How do they reach Coca cola to these out where the problem is. Using data is like effect to bring about positive change in peo- a future that happiness will be universally remote places? And if this is possible, why ten pin-bowling in the dark and you don’t ple’s lives. In Ethiopia from 2000 to 2008 available as a Coca Cola. mail it to us asap. cannot governments and NGOs do the same know which one of them goes down until this change helped to decrease the death rate for getting essential services there? I am the light comes back up and you see the re- of children by 25 percent. And now 100,000 Mohsen Shahin Pour (international advernot -the firstwill person to askby this7 question but I sult. Thus using the real-time data turns on children are healthier because of implement- tising expert) and Somayyeh Avvali (interesigned) this be due November. think we can learn many things from this. If the lights. ing better living conditions. The third factor national business management expert) are Coca Cola sells 1.5 billion bottles/cans daily What is the second thing that makes Coke of Coca cola success is marketing. Small based in Iran and visited Australia to attend worldwide this means there is something we sales great? entrepreneurs sell to gain profits and so it’s the Multicultural Eiduladha Festival & Fair can learn from them. obvious that Coca cola relies on marketing on Sunday 12 October 2014.

They are successful at tapping the local hly appreciated.

There are creative people and innovative entrepreneur talent. Coca cola has been in for selling their products. So what is their

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Online identity vs offline identity Mobinah Ahmad

The factors determine how we express our online identity and how close is it to the offline one? Personal identity is dependent on socio-cultural components and how one chooses to express themselves. These components include appearance, age, gender, job, economic status, politics, moral values, education, personality, family, friends and passions. We are shaped by culture and beliefs of how we are perceived by others and ourselves.

Identity is a combination of our innate and natural thoughts as well as the social construction by society. Our Identity has different facets, a front-stage and backstage. The front-stage is the identity we project to those around us, and is altered accordingly to how we want the other person to perceive us and the backstage is who we are when we are not in the presence of others. What we present on the front-stage is based upon the backstage, that our true identity is manipulated to suit the people we interact with to form a multiple identity and therefore our identity generally speaking is sourced upon the different facets we project. Identity is a complex, fluid and ever-evolving component to human beings, it is not fixed nor stable.

The Internet has become so relevant and resourceful that the term cyberspace was coined in the early 80s in order to understand the ‘reality’ of the world behind the Internet, an illustrative representation of data. This is to say, that human beings have become so involved with cyberspace, that it encourages this need to create alternate online identities, even multiple identities.

In cyberspace, there are a variety of claims created about the type of identity one may hold. These certain claims give a sense of anonymity when interacting online, upon expressing personal opinions and beliefs.

Sherry Turkle wrote Cyberspace And Identity, where it was suggested that we use a multi-distributed system when on-

Friday 7 November 2014

line, where we are engaged in email, chat windows and networking sites all at one time. Multiple identities give the freedom of a consequence-free distributed version of how one can present themselves. These online identities can be an expansion of a person’s real identity or a completely different identity. The former point alludes to the fact that we can present a better version of ourselves through intelligence, morality, wit and charm. The latter point is so simple and easy to do because offline signifiers such as gender, age, skin colour are not obvious online and therefore can be fabricated. Factors that determine online personality depend upon offline personality (social restrictions), others that you interact with online and offline (strangers/friends and family), desires and expressive freedom.

The fact that an online conversation is relatively not constrained by time makes it incredibly different to a real life conversation. Time is ample when looking to create a response or suggest an idea. Also, the fact that the magnitude of the online audience was significantly higher I felt that I was able to express myself without directing it at any-

one in particular. This would be attributed to the concept of the distance between me and my audience. In the real world, most of our conversation is with a limited offline audience (unless I just randomly stand on a soap box and yell out my views), and if the topic were not relevant, I would be seen as strange for just randomly giving an opinion on a topic. Shirky who wrote Here Comes Everybody: The Power Of Organizing Without Organizations, reflects on this point as well, that there is a different between communication media and broadcast media, saying that the distinction was a function of technology rather than a deep truth about human nature.

Communication Media was like a tube, the message being directed to a particular person whilst Broadcast Media was like amplifying a one-way message from one person to a number of receivers.

As previously mentioned, a person can have multiple identities. Facebook gives its users the ability to see their own identity, summarized in profile information, photos and expressed through status updates and notes. The ability to see your own summarized version of yourself through: interests,

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likes, dislikes, academic level, political views etc is put onto a platform to be evaluated. The way in which others evaluate our online identity is based upon how others also evaluate. Essentially Facebook users want to look good, they want a positive summary upon their identity, so that they are more liked. They would fine tune, a careful construction of the positive qualities of their identity, to self-present in a appropriate manner.

Cheung, who wrote Identity Construction And Self-Presentation On Personal Homepages: Emancipatory Potentials And Reality Constraints, mentioned that we require thought and use caution when constructing our online identities. Before we post a status or choose to openly interact with others on Facebook, there is some degree of thought put into it, because essentially we know that we are going to be evaluated.

Facebook is operated in the paradigm of (dis)approval. Our ability to alter the information about ourselves (photos, comments, profile information) responds to a sense of need for validation from friends. It is easy to manipulate profile information to give others the illusion of being someone else.

Having a lot of personal information on Facebook gives others the opportunity to get to know each other better which constructs the way in which users socially network.

Our Online Identities can be commented on, judged and be the subject of discussion between those we interact with, just as our offline identity can be.

Which identity is deserving to spend more time to groom: online or offline? Rejection of offline groomed identity is more intense but not as widespread as the rejection online. We groom the identity that is more valued, most time spent on shaping. We are able to cycle through different versions of ourselves as we change from online to offline. Online identities have no sense of time constraints, providing research and response times before communicating again with others. You are essentially judged upon how you prefer to structure your online persona.

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