Issue 110 by AMUST

MUSLIM

AUSTRALASIAN

January 2015; Rabi ul Awwal 1436

LIFESTYLE PAGE 9

AUSTRALIA PAGE 10

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FLIP OVER for JUL-DEC

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Australia Day

First day of Term 1

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Easter Saturday

Turn clock back 1 hour

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Last day of Term 1

Easter Friday

MAGHREB

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1436 1437 A.H

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News .................................1 - 2 • Massacre in Pakistan • Clash in Turkey Islamic Foundation for Education & Welfare

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Muslim Legal Network .............0426 845 306 www.muslimlegalnetwork.com

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IMPORTANT INFORMATION

NOTES

Public Islamic School Holiday Event Holidays

1. Prayer times relate to the Tuesday of the corresponding week in the same row. 2. Asr timing is for Shafi’i Juristic Method. 3. Islamic Dates start at Sunset the previous day.

4. Islamic dates are subject to the visibility of the new moon and variation can take place if this sighting of the crescent is done globally, regionally or locally.

5. Islamic dates in this calendar are based on the astronomically predicted sighting of the crescent in Sydney.

6. Predicted global Hijri dates and therefore the start of Ramadan, Eid ul Fitr & Eid ul Adha may occur a day earlier than given in this calendar.

Night of Bara’ah

5 23

12 30

13 1

Last day for MEFF Stall - Standard Fee

Mosques & Islamic Centres

Bonnyrigg Mosque 10-12 Bibbys Place Bonnyrigg 2177 Ph: 9823 4126

Boorooma Street Masjid Auburn Mosque (Charles Sturt Uni) 52 Park Rd Boorooma Street Auburn 2144 Wagga Wagga 2650 Ph: 9643 2703 Cabramatta Mosque Australian Islamic House 52 Water St 11 Dudley Road Cabrammatta West 2166 Ahl Al-Sunna Guildford 2161 Wal-Jamaah Association Ph: 9632 2008 Campbelltown Masjid 132 Haldon St (lakemba 10 Kingsclare St arcade top floor) Australian Islamic House Leumeah 2560 Lakemba 2195 Masjid Ph: 0411 276 860 2094 Camden Valley Way Albert Road Musalla Edmondson Park 2170 Central Coast Islamic Unit 4, 13 Albert Road Centre (Wyong Mosque) Strathfield 2135 Bangladesh Islamic 13A Howarth St Centre of NSW Wyong 2259 Arncliffe Mosque 11-13 Helen St Ph: 0433 770 504 3-5 Wollongong Road Sefton 2162 Arncliffe 2205 Ph: 9694 1432 Centre of Islamic Dawah Ph: 9597 4332 & Education Bankstown Masjid 45 Station St. Artarmon Musallah 30 Meredith St Tempe 2044 35 Hampdon Rd Bankstown 2200 Ph: 9591 1593 Artarmon 2064 Ph: 0433 776 186 Charmhaven Musallah Ashfield Musallah Bankstown Mosque 18 Pacific Hwy 1/27 Holden St 2 Winspear Ave Charmhaven 2263 Ashfield 2131 Bankstown 2200 Ph: 0439 315 99 Ph: 9708 1146 Auburn Gallipoli Mosque Chatswood Musallah 15-19 North Parade Belmore Mosque 1 Albert St. Auburn 2133 172B Burwood Rd Chatswood 2067 Ph: 9646 5972 Belmore 2192 Afghan Islamic Association (Blacktown Mosque) 15 Fourth Ave Blacktown 2148 Ph: 9676 7910

23 12

Ramadan Begins

7 25

14 2

Cringila Mosque 1 Bethlehem St Cringila 2502

Darul Imaan Mosque 12 Eden Street Wolli Creek 2205 Ph: 9740 3568 Dee Why Mosque 12 South Creek Rd Dee Why 2099 Ph: 9982 6102

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24 2 9

Last day of Term 2

15 3

Gosford – Greenview Road Musalla 13 Greenview road Gosford, 2250 Granville – Youth Association (GYA) Mosque 288 Clyde Street South Granville 2142

5:23 6:52 11:58 2:35 4:59 6:23 5:27 6:56 12:00 2:35 4:58 6:22 5:29 6:58 12:01 2:35 4:58 6:22 5:31 7:00 12:03 2:36 4:56 6:24 5:32 7:01 12:04 2:39 4:58 6:26

Hornsby Musallah Arncliffe 2205 373A Pacific Hwy Ph: 9567 7949 Asquith(Hornsby) 2077 Ph: 0414 507 255 Islamic society of Penshurst Illawarra Mosque 1 Bethlehem St. Cringila 2501 Ph: 0429 746 232 Imam Ali Mosque 65 Wangee Road Lakemba 2195 Ph: 9750 6833

447 Forrest Rd Penshurst 2222 Ph: 9580 3390

Kogarah Musallah 5 Queen Victoria St. Kogarah 2217

Marrickville Station Street Musallah 2 Station Street Marrickville 2204 Mascot Mosque 1215 Botany Rd Mascot 2020 Ph: 9662 4410

Mt. Druitt Mosque 52 Hythe St Granville Musallah Mt. Druitt 2770 3/23-25 South St Ph: 9832 2546 Granville 2142 Lakemba – Ernest Ph: 0402 342 486 Street Mosque Dural Iqama Musalla Imam Husain Islamic Newcastle Mosque 20 Ernest Street 937 Old Northern Rd 6 Metcalfe Street Green Valley Mosque Centre Lakemba 2195 Dural 2158 6 Lang Road Wallsend 2287 264 Wilson Rd Earlwood 2206 Green Valley 2168 Lakemba Mosque Erskine Street Darling Ph: 9607 4074 Ph: 9558 1114 North Sydney Musalah 65-67 Wangee Rd Harbour Musalla 165 Blue Point Rd Lakemba 2195 level 1, 56-60 Erskine St Guildford – Mountford Ingleburn Islamic North Sydney 2060 Ph: 9750 6833 Sydney 2000 Centre Ave Mosque 13-17 Eagleview Road Macquarie Fields Omar Masjid Wollongong 64 Mountford Avenue Erskineville Mosque Minto 2566 9 Foley Street Guildford 2161 (Musallah) – Islamic 13 John Street Gwynneville 2500 Education Centre Erskineville 2043 IPDC Centre Heatherbrae Musalla 50 Saywell Rd 117-119 Forrester 206 Pacific Highway Macquarie Fields 2564 Prospect Mosque Essence of Life Islamic Heatherbrae 2324 Road 420 Blacktown Rd Centre St Marys 2760 Macquarie University Prospect 2148 118 Montague St Hinchinbrook Mosque Musallah North Wollongong 2500 6 Wilson Road Islamic Malay Ground Floor, Bldg E3A Puncbowl Mosque Ph: 0406 175 202 Australian Association North Ryde 2109 27-29 Matthews Rd Hinchinbrook 2168 of NSW Punchbowl 2196 Ph: 9608 0492 Global Islamic Youth 16 Hamilton Street Centre (GIYC) Mosque Punchbowl – Catherine 265 George St Street AIDA Mosque To notify of changes or errors, email planner@ifew.com Liverpool 2170 1 Catherine Street For up-to-date information go to www.muslimvillage.com Punchbowl 2196

Quakers Hill Mosque 37 Douglas Road (cnr. Eastern Drive) Quakers Hill 2763

Ph: 9638 7788

Ryde Islamic Centre 3 Blaxland Road Ryde 2112 Quranic Society Mosque Sefton Mosque 42 Haldon St 11-13 Helen St Lakemba 2195 Sefton 2162 Ph: 9645 1313 Redfern – Regent St Musalla 161 Regent Street Redfern 2016 Redfern Mosque 328 Cleveland St Surry Hills 2010 Ph: 9698 4149

Smithfield Mosque 30 Bourke St. Smithfield 2164 Ph: 9609 2551

South Hurstville Musallah 18 Culwulla Street Hurstville 2220

Revesby – Mavis Street St. Clair – Banks Drive Musalla Musalla Unit 10, 9-11 Mavis Street 81 Banks Drive Revesby 2122 St. Clair 2759 Rockdale – Railway Parade Musalla 1st Floor, 89 Railway Parade Rockdale 2216 Rooty Hill Mosque 63 O'Brien Street Rooty Hill 2766 Ph: 9625 4716 Rydalmere Mosque 465 Victoria Rd Cnr Primrose Ave Rydalmere 2116

Surrey Street Darlinghurst Musalla 62 Surrey Street Darlinghurst 2010

Surry Hills Mosque 175-177 Commonwealth St Surry Hills 2010 Ph: 9281 0440 Ultimo – TAFE Prayer Room 19 Mary Ann Street Ultimo 2007

Uni Mosque UNSW 3rd Floor. Square House, UNSW Kensington 2052 Ph: 9385 5957 UNSW Musallah UNSW, rm 316, Lvl 3, Squarehouse Kensington 2032

Wallsend Mosque 6 Metcalf St Wallsend 2287 Ph: 0495 000 99 Warwick Farm Musalla Unit 6, 10-14 Hume Highway Warwick Farm 2170

USYD Musallah 319 Old Teachers College Sydney 2006

Wentworthville – Lower Mount Street Musalla 23 Lower Mount Street Wentworthville 2145

UTS Musallah Level 6, Gallery Function Centre (Tower Building 1). UTS, No. 1 Broadway Ultimo 2007

Wiley Park – Edge Street Musalla 11 Edge Street Wiley Park 2195 Ph: 9759 3218

UWS Hawkesbury Musalla UWS Hawkesbury Campus, Corner of Vines Drive & Londonderry Road Richmond 2753

Zetland Mosque 932 Bourke St Zetland 2017 Ph: 9319 6733

Advertising enquiries Shujaat Siddiqui 0418 204 251 Email: planner@ifew.com A Non-Profit Community Initiative by

Islamic Foundation for Education & Welfare www.ifew.com

Boomerang ..................... 3 - 5 • Editorial: Enough is Enough • CIA Torture Report

Zia Ahmad The Sydney based Islamic Sciences & Research Academy (ISRA) will be opening a branch in Melbourne at the beginning of 2015 academic year offering their popular courses in Islamic studies locally to the Melburnians. ISRA, in collaboration with Charles Sturt University established the Centre for Islamic Studies & Civilisations (CISAC) in 2009 to provide a platform for cooperation between Australian Muslims and educational institutions in Australia. Now in its fifth year of offering degree programmes, ISRA held its second graduation presentation on Saturday 13 December at The Waterview, Sydney Olympic Park awarding Graduate Diplomas, Bachelor and Masters degrees to the successful candidates. The formal event was also attended by ISRA and Charles Sturt University academics, community leaders and families of the graduates where, in addition to brief comments by staff, the graduates also shared their feelings from the stage. ISRA graduates this year were from a very diverse background in terms of ethnic background, language, professions, religious training and ages ranging from early 20’s to 80’s. Usama Qazi, a Hafiz Quran from Melbourne got his Bachelors degree in Islamic Studies and Mohammad Sahu Khan, a lawyer/prosecutor from Canberra obtained a Masters in Islamic Studies. Razia Ghaznavi a mother of five was awarded the degree of Masters of Islamic Studies with distinction and will be publishing a paper with her supervisor Dr Derya

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Issue # 110

Email: info@amust.com.au

SHA’ABAN

Print Post No. PP 255003/01403

Print edition published Monthly on first Friday with Website updates

www.amust.com.au

AMUST

RAMADAAN

Multimedia News & Views

ISSN: 1039-2300

TIME

Community ..................... 6 - 8 • Community Service Awards • Kashmir Fundraiser

Lifestyle ............................... 9 • “Schools Inspire 2014” Recap Australia ...................... 10 - 11 • Sharing Views on Islam • Message from NSW Police Ummah ............................... 12 • Three Episodes & Reactions • Media Scan

Successful candidates at the ISRA graduation presentation Story & more photos Page 7

Iner with prospects for commencing a PhD. Silma Ihram a well known community leader and a grandmother was awarded her third Masters degree warmly applauded by a large contingent of family and friends gathered for the occasion. Associate Professor Mehmet Ozalp, the Director of CISAC, while addressing each of the graduates announced the establishment of the Melbourne branch that will be headed by Zuleykha Keskin, the Course director. She will be replaced by Dr Salih Yucel, a Monah University academic. Dr Saleh Yucel who has degrees from

Photo by Mobinah Ahmad

the University of Ankara, the University of Sydney and Boston University will bring a combination of academic excellence and rich experience in community development gained from three continents. The honorary guest at the ISRA graduation ceremony, Dr Abu Ibrahim Muhammad, the Mufti of Australia in his keynote address while emphasising the combination of academic studies with faith based training for a healthy community, commended ISRA for the pioneering role it is playing for achieving these outcomes. continued on page 7

Education ........................... 13 • Attributes of Allah - Part 5 Travel .................................. 14 • Journey of a Lifetime - Istanbul Social .................................. 15 • #illridewithyou Overcomes Hate

Mehmet Ozalp, Director of CISAC

Sydney Siege: The community comes together Abu Anees Flower tributes continue to grow at Sydney’s Martin Place in memory of Tori Johnson and Katrina Dawson, innocent victims of the Sydney Siege by the sole perpetrator Man Haron Monis who was himself shot and killed early Tuesday morning 16 December. The siege inside the Lindt café lasted for almost 16 hours while police restrained themselves and negotiated with the gunman hoping for a peaceful resolution without any loss of life. However they finally moved in when gunfire was heard from inside and the shoot out resulted in the death of three people including the gunman and injuries to a small number of hostages and a policeman. As it turned out, the perpetrator was a sole disturbed and deranged person with a history of violence and a long criminal record with no connection to a terrorist group. The long siege and the ensuing media circus beaming continually live footage of the

area to the world kept everyone’s attention to the unfolding drama. The social media went into a frenzy. The outcome, tragic as it has been, also had its positive effects. The police, politicians, community leaders and even the media showed restraint and responsibility in dealing with the situation and in maintaining calm hoping for a peaceful resolution. Right from the start of the siege Prime Minister Tony Abbott, NSW Premier Mike Baird and NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione showed exemplary leadership urging all Australians to come together at this time of national trauma and avoid any speculation and jumping prematurely to any conclusions. While the siege was into its very early stage, the Muslim community leadership got together promptly to condemn the perpetrator distancing itself from any justification that the gunman could have claimed for his evil act. continued on page 2

Silma Ihram (left) & Lydia Shelly laying flowers at Martin Place memorial

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NEWS

NEWS 1-2

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COMMUNITY 6-8

LIFESTYLE 9

Sydney Siege: The community comes together Abu Anees Continued from page 1 Nine hours into the siege, Muslims gathered at the main Sydney Mosque at Lakemba to pray for a peaceful resolution of the siege and safety of the hostages. They were promptly joined by a number of interfaith leaders from Christian and Jewish communities and politicians in solidarity so that the Muslim community is not blamed by Islamophobes for this evil act by an individual. The Lebanese Muslim Association issues

a media release on Monday 15 December with a lost of almost 50 Muslim organisations sharing its shock and horror with the fellow Sydneysiders for the hostage taking act. A second media release soon after the end of the siege stated “The Australian Muslim Community is deeply saddened to learn this morning of the tragic end to the siege with the loss of two innocent lives”. The Mufti of Australia spoke on behalf of the National Imam’s Council and released a statement “We are deeply saddened by the tragic end to the siege with the loss of

life. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of those killed and to the hostages who suffered the trauma of the siege. We commend the community for showing great strength and resilience in the face of the current challenges. We encourage all Muslims to continue to draw on their strength of faith to help sustain them through these times of difficulty in a calm, dignified and respectful manner”. The amazing phenomenon of support for Muslims has been via the social media #illridewithyou started by a couple of Austral-

ians Sir Tessa and Rachael Jacobs offering Muslim female commuters that they will accompany them to their destinations in order to support them. By the time the siege ended #illridewithyou went viral and became a global phenomenon where people all over the world, specifically from Australia, North America and Europe offered Muslims safety by accompanying them while travelling. The tragic Sydney siege has been a blow to terrorism, racism, hate and bigotry and has galvanized the international community to come together in support of each other.

World outrage at the Peshawar school massacre AMUST Media

Armed gunmen walked from class to class at an army school in the Pakistani city of Peshawar massacring 132 children and nine staff on Tuesday 16 December. More than 100 students and staff have been injured. The Pakistani Taliban reportedly have claimed the responsibility for the brutal assault. All seven attackers were killed during

the eight-hour siege at the school. Mass funerals and Janaza prayers for the victims have been offered throughout Pakistan organized by Jamaat Islami after the massacre. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif declared three days of mourning over the massacre, which has sparked national outrage. The massacre was widely condemned in Pakistan for its brutality. World leaders have also voiced disgust at the attack, which even the Afghan Taliban have criticised.

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chief Imran Khan, whose party rules Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, termed the attack as an act of “barbarism”. In the wake of the attack, Imran Khan postponed his plan to shut down the entire country that was planned for 18 December. Following the massacre, the Pakistan’s army has resumed air strikes at militants in the Khyber and North Waziristan areas. An offensive against the militants has been go-

ing on since June. Many schools in Pakistan closed as a mark of respect, with those remaining open holding special prayers. The victims are also being mourned globally with widespread condemnation of the act and its perpetrators and organisers. India’s parliament observed a minute’s silence in honour of the victims with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi offering his country’s “deepest condolences”.

Clash of Islamist groups is basis for 14 Dec operation in Turkey AMUST Media Turkish law enforcement officials are basing the 14 December crackdown throughout Turkey on a former police operation allegedly carried out by members of the Gülen movement against a rival Islamist movement. Since the rift between the Turkish government and its ally-turned-nemesis Fethullah Gülen, a US based Islamic scholar, pro-government media had been accusing the Gülen movement of “abusing” Islam. Similarly, pro-Gülen media has been slamming the government for acting “un-Islamically,” a term that the movement has also used against rival communities. Security sources speaking to daily Hürri-

KASHMIR FLOOD RELIEF REBUILDING their future schools schools healthcare  Worst natural disaster of the century  281 dead / 1000+ injured

Fethullah Gülen

Tayyip Erdoğan

yet explained the chronology of the case that is the focal point of the current crackdown, which has seen the arrests of dozens of people so far, including police chiefs and media figures.

Spain slams move to erase Islamic immunize

shelterpast of Cordoba Mosque

helprebuild rebuild 5500people villages affected affected  1.2 million

immunize

 5500 villages affected / 800 villages still submerged  6000 schools affected (public +private)  $ 16 billion in economic losses

education shelter schools

AMUST Media

healthcare schools healthcare

The regional government of southern Andalusia is protesting what it says are  stagnant water poses serious health hazards moves by the Catholic Church to downplay or eliminate references to the Islam all major hospitals affected ( loss @ $41 million) ic past of Cordoba’s ancient Mosque-Cathedral, one of Spain’s leading tourist  $ 350 million needed for immediate assistance attractions. The region’s tourism department says the All DONATIONS can be made via ONLINE transfer or BANK deposit to following account practice by church authorities who own the BSB:: 032 006 ACCOUNT NO :: 623993 complex of calling it simply “The Cordoba BANK NAME: Westpac ACCOUNT NAME: Australian Kashmiri Association Inc. and credit cards Cathedral” on its website, pamphlets and pay online at All Cheques should be posted to: P.O Box 1082 Stanhope Gardens, NSW 2768 www.kashmir.org.au/donations/ tickets could hurt tourism and confuse the 1 million-plus tourists who annually visit the And Payable to "Australian Kashmiri Association Inc," “mezquita” (mosque), as it is known popuAll donations sent to Kashmir based NGOs have GOI, FCRA approval larly. Cathedral officials deny the name-change, www.kashmir.org.au Australians for Revive Kashmir (ARK) is an initiative promoted by Australian Kashmiri Association Inc. saying the official title has been “The Cathe telecommunication lines not fully restored

Australasian Muslim Times

www.amust.com.au

dral of Santa Maria of Cordoba” since the 13th century, when the mosque was transformed into a cathedral.

January 2015

AUSTRALIA 10 - 11

UMMAH 12

EDUCATION 13

TRAVEL 14

SOCIAL 15

National security, community and family: maintaining the balance Chris Hayes, MP Australians are entitled to express concern about involvement in another international conflict. The memory of our previous venture into Iraq a mere decade ago still lingers, as does how that involvement has contributed to the human tragedy which is currently unfolding in the Middle East. The misguided and poorly planned coalition of the willing, which was opposed by the United Nations and most European states, led to the invasion of Iraq in 2003. That was largely responsible for creating the power vacuum impacting all levels of Iraq’s administration and bureaucracy, which has in turn contributed to the rise of terrorist groups such as ISIL. For the record, we should not—and should never— refer to them as the ‘Islamic State’ because, I think, that is offensive to anyone of faith, particularly those of the Muslim faith. We know that since 2003 more than 1.4 million Christians, Assyrians, Chaldean Catholics, Mandaeans, Yazidis and other minorities have fled their homeland or faced what could only be referred to as a genocide. Thousands of families are being driven from their homes, with innocent people being killed and women and girls being raped and forced into sexual servitude. The simple fact is that the international community has no choice. The international community must take action to support vulnerable communities and minorities, and therefore we should be committed to being in Iraq. It is for that very reason that Labor fully supports Australia’s contribution to the international humanitarian mission. That is why Labor also supports the military assistance and efforts to degrade ISIL and prevent further genocide. Particularly when the Iraqi government is requesting help from the international community to protect its people from further atrocities, it means it is time for Australia to act. Given the fact that we were part of the coalition of the willing, Australia holds a higher moral responsibility to lend assistance in this instance. I have the honour of representing the most multicultural community in the whole of Australia. The colour, the vibrancy and the diversity of my community is something that I have great pride in. My electorate also has a very high proportion of Muslim Australians, many of whom in recent weeks are certainly feeling stigmatised by the crimes and atrocities committed by ISIL. Over the past few weeks I have been visiting many members of the Islamic community in my electorate. I know Australian Muslims to be, in the main, good, honest and hardworking people. I also know how repulsed they are by the crimes and atrocities being committed by ISIL, particularly when it is being said that those crimes are being committed in the name of religion. One thing that is common at the various mosques and Islamic schools that I visit is that they are angry that their religion is being hijacked by extremists. We know that there are a number of Australians fighting alongside terrorist groups in Iraq and Syria. We understand that a lot of these people have left Australia against the wishes of their families and communities. Therefore, it is only right that Australia takes every effort to stop young people, for whatever reason, seeking to leave this country to fight with terrorist groups. The new national security laws give our law enforcement and intelligence services the ability, or a greater ability, to do that. Where there is credible evidence of these people intending to join terrorist groups, we should be intervening. We should not simply be preventing people exiting this country; we should make sure that we are doing enough to provide services to families and communities to ensure that ISIL’s cause is not embedded in their psyche that they need to join a terrorist organisation in order to make a difference.

January 2015

BOOMERANG

MUSLIM

AUSTRALASIAN

Multimedia News & Views

TIME

AMUST

Issue # 110 Friday 26 December 2014;

AMUST

www.amust.com.au

3 Rabbi ul Awwal 1436

Massacre in Pakistan: Enough is enough

One thing that we do have and celebrate in this country is our democracy. People are entitled to have views, but people are not entitled to take extreme views to the extent of working in concert with a terrorist organisation, an organisation that detests not only our free and democratic way of life but everything that we stand for. That is really what our new national security laws are intended to do: they are there to protect the freedom and our way of life. ISIL’s hatred is intolerable, and hence our renewed commitment in Iraq. But can I just say hatred in our own community, impacting on fellow Australians—in this case Muslim Australians—regardless of their religion or beliefs, is also intolerable. It is intolerable to our way of life. It is simply un-Australian. Muslim Australians who peacefully follow their religion, with a faith of peace, should not be associated in any way, in any of our communities, with the twisted ideology of ISIL. I say this not just as a member of parliament who represents a large Islamic community but also as someone who, like most here, shares a deep love of family. I am a father of three and, yesterday with the arrival of Arabella, a grandfather of seven, so family is really important to me. I understand how family structures develop and how we constantly stand by and support our families, particularly in times of need. Just as a bit of background, my daughter’s sister-in-law, Celeste, married this really lively young local bloke, Kenny Darwich, and over a period of time they have had two delightful children, Ayah and Zane. Being very close and at the same age as my grandchildren, Ayah and Zane have grown up calling me ‘pop’, and for all intents and purposes I see them as my grandchildren. Kenny and Celeste have raised their kids in a loving household, very active in sport and community affairs. They, like many people of faith, have favoured private religious based education for their children. Their children attend Amity College in Liverpool, which is an Islamic school. You see, Kenny and his family are Muslims. While my family have grown up in the Catholic religion and my children have attended Catholic schools, as I did, and I do attend mass on Sundays, under my roof there is no distinction between our two families. Sure, we make allowances for Ramadan, when we have our Sunday meals during that, and for Eid—as does Kenny. When we visited his place one time on Ash Wednesday, he made sure he did not serve us meat. We are conscious of each other’s religious beliefs. Kenny’s children, Aya and Zane, should be able to grow up like any other Australian kids. The fact that Kenny and his family follow their religion and practice their faith should not be the reason that anyone in our community would seek to associate them or others like them with the abhorrent crimes of ISIL. I wish to finish almost where I started. Australia cannot stand by while ISIL and its supporters perpetrate crimes of hatred and genocide against the innocent people of Iraq. Australia has a higher moral responsibility, given our initial involvement in Iraq in 2003, and I remind the House once more that the consequences of that engagement have largely set the path for the creation and development of an organisation such as ISIL. We do have a responsibility to degrade this organisation. We have that responsibility on behalf of humanity. Chris Hayes, MP is the federal member for Fowler (NSW) and Chief Opposition Whip. He has been a member of the Australian Labor Party since 1975.

Tuesday 16 December has been a sad day. history of blood feud with the Pakistani Early morning the Sydney siege ended army are increasingly looking for soft tartragically with the death of two innocent gets, hence the school massacre. hostages as well as the death of the deThen there are politically motivated ranged gunman. criminals in the country who employ viIn Peshawar, Pakistan, almost 150 inolence in order to eliminate the opnocent people most of them students position resulting in target killing, were massacred mercilessly by EDITORIAL extortion, intimidation and vote killers who lost their life as well. rigging. Assalamu The Sydney siege was by a The rule of law does not exAlaikum lone criminal who somehow ist in Pakistan any more and dramatised the use of an Islamcorruption is widespread. Greetings ic symbol, the Shahadah flag The Peshawar school masof Peace to draw attention to himself. He sacre should open every Pakifailed to get any sympathy from any stani’s eyes. Killing of children one. means killing the future of the nation. Here in Australia we are fortunate to be Today it is children in Peshawar, next time living in a society where rule of law pre- it may be a school in Karachi. vails and human life is considered precious Let the Pakistani nation resolve, enough irrespective of race, ethnicity and religion. is enough. Zero tolerance for violence Hence the display of grief by all Australians against any body. Let life of every Pakiat the lost of life of two innocent victims to stani and for that matter every non-Pakiviolence. This episode has moved us all and stani be considered valuable. Let differhas galvanised us as Australians. ences be resolved by dialogue in order to In Pakistan, it seems that the value of life find solutions to the problems in Pakistan has become cheap. Pakistanis are killing and with its neighbours. others, are being killed by others and are An atmosphere of peace and harmony killing each other. A great majority of the in a nation can only lead to progress and victims happen to be innocent people who prosperity where citizens feel safe and are not involved in any violent acts. secure. A healthy civil society is one that There seems to be a vicious circle of vio- lives by the rule of law, justice and fair go lence feeding on itself in Pakistan. The US is for all its members living in harmony with directly involved in the killing of Pakistanis its neighbours. via its drone attacks in North Waziristan and Living in this global environment, the also bankrolls Pakistani army’s attacks on international community has a stake in Pathe tribal areas to flush out militants. kistan’s progress towards peace and harThe Pakistani Taliban who have a long mony.

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Letters to the editor Sydney Siege

The display of religious testimony by infamous goon at Martin Place to engage in most despicable act was utterly blasphemous which would leave him out of the religious fold, he claimed to belong to. As our hearts go out to those who suffered during those very disturbing hours for our nation, it is pleasing to see the community leaders on all sides coming out to pledge their faith to this nation and ensure that peace and harmony is maintained. Our great nation will stay great and such cowardly acts will not deter its people from the great values of freedom and love, we enjoy. Back in 2001, following twin tower attacks, I remember several world leaders and scholarly people pleading that the root cause of terrorism be identified and treated so as to restore peace to this planet. It is heart breaking that those in-charge did not heed to the words of wisdom, rather opted to further inflame matters. As a result, innocent people around the world keep paying the price. Our deepest sympathies and love are for the dear ones of two brave individuals who sacrificed their lives and for others who went through the terrible ordeal. Zahid Jamil Sydney, NSW

With the recent tragedy taking place in Sydney, I believe, as a caring nation, that we should take stock of what has happened. The travesty of people dying and suffering due to one persons idiotic thinking is something our government needs to thoroughly investigate. However, we should not let this one event cloud our judgement over newcomers to Australia. There is good and bad in every community and this one evil person does not make all Muslims bad. In getting things into perspective, I believe that Christians, Jews, Muslims and people of all faiths need to pull together at this difficult time. In keeping with the Christmas spirit, the Music for Refugees organisation has made it’s annual contribution of Christmas presents to all the children at Villawood Detention Centre. Philip Feinstein Sydney, NSW www.musicforrefugees.org The shocking history of ALP support for Likud policies, including Gillard’s foolish intention to vote with Palau and Micronesia on the recognition of Palestine, has alienated many people from that party. One of the major questions for the near fu-

Pete

10 December, 2014 Islamists have been successful in building the Islamophobia industry: it diverts attention from activities they would probably prefer not be noticed, such as promoting sharia law in the West, stealth jihad, and a push to implement a global Islamic caliphate, among many others. “Islamophobia” is a widely used yet vague and controversial term referring to anti-Muslim bigotry. In recent years, identifying, monitoring, reporting on, and working to ban Islamophobia worldwide has been a major focus of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). You need to stop playing the victim and stop participating in “taqiyya” and stop wanting to change the countries that you move to, only then will you be able to assimilate successfully into Western countries. I refuse to accept Islamaphobia as a word in the English language.

HAVE YOUR SAY

Australians loss on Justice, thus deliberately they are served with injustice. Moslems need Laws to protect them just like that of Laws that protect Jews and Sikhs. We need to be recognised (Moslems collectively) as a Race and a Law against Islamophobia, that is anything is against what Moslems do or practice is a form of Islamophobia, which would be classified as Racial Vilifications. I need the Moslems leaders to contact me to take the proper actions

Reply to Sam: Bilal Cleland Author

8 December, 2014 All religious communities in this country defend their rights and we all expect our governments at local, state and federal levels to respect those rights. The Muslim community engages with all other communities and in Victoria there are anti-vilification laws. There are strong anti-discrimination laws in all states as well. We have to ensure that they are implemented. Islamophobia is an increasing problem and it must be opposed by broad engagement with the community, so Islam is understood better, and by encouraging the Muslims to know their religion better. Hatred of “the other” is based on ignorance and we must strive to overcome that.

Reply to Pete: Bilal Cleland Author

11 December, 2014 The United Nations is not playing “taqiyah”. Annan calls for action to combat rising Islamophobia and anti-Semitism UN News Centre http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=9432&Cr=Islam&Cr1= 13 January 2004 – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today issued a strong call for action to address rising Islamophobia and anti-Semitism, warning that complacency in the face of intolerance amounts to complicity. Delivering the inaugural Robert Burns Memorial Lecture at UN Headquarters in New York, Mr. Annan criticized those who remain silent in the face of bigotry, saying “such passivity must not be allowed to masquerade as tolerance.” The Secretary-General noted that Islamophobia – a new word for an old phenomenon – is one of the most disturbing manifestations of bigotry today. Since the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks on the United

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Managing Editor: Zia Ahmad Graphic Designer: Rubinah Ahmad Chief Adviser: Dr Qazi Ashfaq Ahmad Journalist: Mobinah Ahmad Columnist: Dr Abul Jalaluddin (Finance) Columnist: Bilal Cleland (Victoria) Columnist: Manarul Islam (ACT) Columnist: Lydia Shelly (Sydney) Columnist: Anne Fairbairn (Sydney) Promotion: Dr Wali Bokhari Web Developer: Shadow Approved Multimedia: iMoby Productions Printers: MPD printing the news everyday Distributers: Wrapaway Transport Pty Ltd Distributers: Abul Fateh Siddiqui, Shujaat Siddiqui, Usaid Khalil, Aamir Ahmad, Ibrahim Khalil, Usman Siddiqui, Zahid Alam

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Kat

Anti-Halal hysteria: extremist threat piens) Race are protected under the Acts but not the Religion, in due course Moslem to a major Australian industry 6 December, 2014 Moslems (Muslims) Australians deserve what it has been dished to them, they are a bunch of cowards, and the leaders here are just like their leaders overseas. The Law in Australia section 119 of the Commonwealth constitution protect the right of religion practice this would apply for halal food and the second marriage of Moslems. The Australian Jews are very strong community they will defend them selves all the way to the High Court of Australia, they force Palpitations to enact Laws to protect them, unlike Moslems. The Jews have forced enacted Laws as follows;1. No one can make the German sign swash sticker 2. No one can be against the Jews (Anti-Jewish) 3. No one can be anti Semitic 4. No Politician can be against Israel in any way shape or form. 5. No one can deny that there was a Jewish Holocaust 6. The Politicians are forced to enact Laws against Moslems Yet pathetic Moslems Leaders are refusing to even assist me to enforce the existing Laws that Protect Moslems, the Laws that Judges refuses to accept. Judges refers to Moslems as religion and not members of the human race (Homo-sa-

ture, particularly if a far right government is re-elected in Israel, will be how to deal with the inevitable implosion of that entity. It will be very important for the Muslim population to protect, as in the past, the Jewish people. The degree of alienation imposed by Israeli policies makes that a real problem for the future. Yuri Avnery, Israeli peace activist wrote in “Muhammad’s sword” 23/09/06 “Every honest Jew who knows the history of his people cannot but feel a deep sense of gratitude to Islam, which has protected the Jews for fifty generations, while the Christian world persecuted the Jews and tried many times “by the sword” to get them to abandon their faith.” Hopefully that relationship can be re-established in the future. Bilal Cleland Melbourne, VIC

ALP for Palestine?

Website comments Sam

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7 December, 2014 why call us islamophobes, when we have every right to know what we eat and where the money that we spent goes! Oz is one of the most expensive countries when it comes to food and now Islam wants us to pay more? Why? To appease a minority? So that with halal cert they can bring in sharia law, as quiet and shady as the halal cert? Or is it just that you MOSLEMS look at us like dhimmis, as your foul prophet called anyone that does not agree with the utter rubbish he preached

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Reply to Kat: Bilal Cleland Author

8 December, 2014 Islamophobia is hatred of Islam based on ignorance and a sense of racial or cultural superiority. “When it comes to halal, ongoing campaigns against it are little more than anti-Islamic bullying,” Race Discrimination Commissioner Dr Soutphommasane told the Centre for Research in Education annual oration last Thursday in Adelaide. He clearly identified the source of much of this hysteria. The Race Discrimination Commissioner said that there has been a noticeable rise in anti-Muslim sentiment during recent months, “amid community anxiety about the threat of terrorism”. “Many Muslim communities have made clear to me their concerns about the safety of their members, especially women who wear visible Islamic dress such as headscarves.” He argued that anti-Muslim sentiment “should have no place in our society” and said that there is frequently a racial element to anti-Muslim feeling. [The Age November 14, 2014] How would the abolition of halal certification help our meat exports to the Muslim world? Brazil already far outstrips us. States, “many Muslims, particularly in the West, have found themselves the objects of suspicion, harassment and discrimination,” he said, adding that too many people see Islam “as a monolith, and as intrinsically opposed to the West.” ………………. The U.N. chief further expressed his rejection of generalizing negative typical stereotypes against any religion on the ground that some of followers committed some wrongdoing. He also said “no certain western categories are entitled to harass Muslims and discriminate against them while on the other hand, claim being the defenders of values of equality, justice, tolerance and human rights”. Post your own thoughts at www.amust.com.au

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CIA Torture Report: its implications for us all Bilal Cleland Earlier this month, the Senate of the United States released to the world the CIA torture report. Throughout the western world there has long been great respect for the USA, a longtime defender of democratic governance. That is not quite the position in many Muslim majority countries, where there is considerable suspicion of much of US policy, which has supported many dictatorial regimes. Some prominent Americans have warned that the release of the torture report could have terrible repercussions around the Muslim world. As Robert Fisk writes in The Independent 10 December 2014: “ All nonsense. The CIA’s depravities are not going to infuriate the Muslim world – because the Muslim world has been enraged about these crimes for years. They were the victims, for heaven’s sake. They were the witnesses. They knew the truth long before our masters admitted the truth to us. These poor men – and women, if we include

the female victims of rape at Abu Ghraib, whose pictures we were never allowed to see – came home, most of them, years ago, and told their families and friends all about the iniquities we inflicted upon them. Theirs was the only testament that counted. It was true.” He points out that what they are afraid of is the American people, who have been lied to by those who are supposed to keep them secure. The issue of torture is one which has long been settled in Islamic teaching, if not in what is practiced in Muslim majority countries. In a statement issued by all major US Islamic organisations in 2009, the position of Islam was clearly stated, in response to earlier revelations of American use of torture: “Our religious history is replete with stories demanding that we condemn abuse and torture. The Prophet Moses (AS) sacrificed his royal position to stop an act of torture. The Prophet Jesus (AS) was tortured in an exercise of the brutality of power. The Prophet Muhammad (SAS) forbade the mistreatment of prisoners. Husayn (AS), the Prophet’s grandson, was denied food and water, an act of torture, the abhorrence of which is now part of Muslim cultural mem-

ory. We are compelled to speak out against torture—just as we condemn acts of terrorism because of their immoral nature. We challenge our co-religionists to live to a higher standard and we challenge our fellow Americans to live to a higher standard. The torture of human beings at the behest of the American government must be condemned. Extraordinary rendition must be stopped. Simply because another country allows torture does not mean we should encourage and utilize the moral weakness of others. When we ratified the Convention Against Torture President Ronald Reagan said, “[We] clearly express United States opposition to torture, an abhorrent practice unfortunately still prevalent in the world today.” The violence of torture is the result of power without a moral compass; it is not a model that we as Americans and Muslims believe is one that should be emulated.” [http://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/ features/print/muslim_statement_against_ torture] Indeed even the torture of animals is forbidden. ”The Prophet (s) said, “Allah has cursed the one who inflicts pain upon animals.” [Sahih Al-Bukhari and Muslim] This inflic-

tion of pain may include: Killing of the animal for no reason or amputate an organ while the animal is still alive. Torturing the animal by exposing it to loud noises and fearful images. Tying the animal and shooting it dead or slaughter other animals as it watches. Many images of animal torture exist today like spearing a live bull, cutting the tails of dogs, killing animals in front of other animals, snipping ears or branding and burning the backs of cattle, tying the legs of horses permanently making them run according to racing regulation and locking up fierce animals from the wild into cages for humans to view as an amusement.

Sydney Siege: The narrative must shift Randa Abdel-Fattah

The exploitation by media and some in our community of the events of the Lindt Cafe siege compel a different response. It’s an ISIS flag. No it’s not. It’s a flag with Islamic writing. Wait Islamic isn’t a language. Sydney is under siege. Well, actually a man has taken hostages in a chocolate cafe in Sydney. The police are working on the situation. No Ray Hadley is… no the police are… no Ray Hadley… Devices have been planted around the city. We’re not sure how we know this because no contact has been made with the gunman but let’s whip people into a frenzied panic anyway. People have evacuated nearby buildings… except for those who were taking selfies one hundred metres from the café and posting them on social media. The Daily Telegraph revealed yet again that it operates according to a different version of the English language when it referred to a single gunman as a ‘death cult’, ignoring important details like evidence. Anecdotal stories came through of Muslim women wearing hijab being abused in public because clearly the only way to fight extremism is with racism and bigotry. The leader of the Australian Defence League, an anti-Muslim organization, went to Martin Place to express his rage at Islam. Presumably this was in solidarity with the hostages who would clearly have been delighted to have their indescribable fear and terrifying experience exploited for the sake of scoring some Islamophobia points. Muslim organisations – weary, under-resourced, under pressure – were ready to condemn, to distance, to reassure because after 13 years of condemning, distancing, and reassuring, the Australian public seems to still be in doubt about Islam’s position on terrorism. Hostages escaped and the media helpfully publicized it just in case the gunman missed them. Various radio stations took emotional calls from people who were in the Lindt café – not in the café yesterday, or even the day before, but in the café ever, giving a whole new meaning to ‘insider account’. People around Australia were all feeling sick to the stomach, sucked into a vortex of fear at the thought that the IS threat had reached our country. To combat the fear among some Muslim women wearing hijab of being attacked in public, an #illridewithyou campaign was launched, quickly going viral and serving as a heartening antidote to the anger, fear and

January 2015

helplessness many felt. Like all Australians, Australian Muslims too worried about the fate of the hostages, about their friends and family in the city. They also contemplated (and in some cases experienced) the inevitable backlash, and the repercussions of condemning (but doesn’t this just feed the narrative that we are collectively responsible?) or not (but I don’t have the luxury of assuming people will perform basic logic and accept that, dare I say it, 1.6 billion Muslims might just happen to be a diverse bunch of people). Commentators and experts pontificated and speculated but nobody knew what the gunman wanted, who he was, or what his motives were. Then the experts in the US and UK woke up and we were condemned to hear their long distance theories. Of course, it was not surprising that the tragic events of yesterday would be interpreted and analysed through the war on terror narrative, even before any information about the gunman had come to light. Once that black flag was sighted, a hostage crisis metamorphosed into a crisis of terrorism, even if politicians, including Prime Minister Tony Abbott, and the police, were not adopting that language. In the end, the gunman was, according to various reports, a person well-known to the legal system and police, with suggestions that he suffered mental health issues. Despite his violent criminal history and serious charges of murder and sexual assault, he was in the community because he had been released on bail. There are many people asking the right questions, and while no-one can sensibly claim that this tragedy could have been foreseen and prevented, it is reasonable to ask why it is that, as a systemic issue, the system does not take crimes against women seriously enough? There is another issue though, too. And that is whether Australian Muslims will be entitled to grieve the deaths of the two hostages and the trauma suffered by the survivors in a way that does not make their empathy and grief contingent on condemning, apologizing and distancing themselves from the gunman. Some people will no doubt accuse me of insensitivity in raising Islamophobia at this time, assuming that I cannot simultaneously feel incomprehensible sorrow at the senseless death of two innocent people, and also care about how the narrative we allow to play out as a result of this crisis has far-reaching implications on matters of justice, anti-racism, asylum seeker demonizing and individual’s rights.

It is not polemical to say that a mark of honour to the lives of those lost is the capacity to step back and evaluate not only the moment, but what it says about our past and our future. Expectations that Muslim organisations must apologise or ‘explain’ and comment on the siege demonstrates that 13 years of press releases, press conferences and community activism have not sufficiently undermined the notion that Muslims bear collective responsibility for people who profess to act in the name of Islam. What is astonishing is that the gunman did not even make such an explicit declaration. The mere presence of the flag-that-was-notthe-IS flag was enough to squeeze the Islamic faith and Muslim community into the witness box. As a person straddling academia and activism, I am in a position to sympathise deeply with Muslim activists and organisations because they are caught in a double-bind, where to not speak is just as damaging as speaking. The chasm between philosophy, on the one hand, and policy, strategy and the complex, practical work of community leaders is wide. It is widened even more when a crisis is urgent and the public discourse has not shifted. The hope that you can ‘change the narrative’ may, in the immediate circumstances, seem noble and lofty, but too risky when the price to pay for not playing by the rules is too high. To even express sympathy and offer condolences becomes tainted. Do we offer as human beings, as fellow Australians, as

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Muslims? To think that these categories are neutral is dangerously naïve. For all those many Australians who have the decency to see such expressions for what they are – sincerely felt grief as fellow human beings – there are many divisive voices operating in the structures of power in this country that will use such gestures to reinforce the idea – even implicitly, even unintentionally if you will – that Muslims must take responsibility. I do not know what the answer is, or how to narrow that chasm, other than to say that we are all, in our own ways, trying to do so and that the burden is heavy. And for every organization or leader who acts one way, there are many who will have wished he or she had acted another. What I do know is that there are those in the Australian community (and, incidentally, media magnates too) who have already demonstrated a callous and vile capacity to exploit the horrors of the past 24 hours to further their Islamophobic agendas. The narrative must shift or we are condemned to a cycle which does little to illuminate the issues at hand, and denies Muslims their dignity as fellow citizens. We are all in this together. Racism does not stop when a Muslim woman is abused on public transport and anti-racism does not stop when you ‘ride with her’. The real work begins when we acknowledge that campaigns like ‘illridewithyou’ are necessary because racism exists, rather than necessary to prove it doesn’t. (Courtesy newmatilda.com, 16 Dec 2014)

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FAMSY’s 50th Year Anniversary Dinner Amira Haruwarta The Federation of Australian Muslim Students and Youth, FAMSY marked its 50th year of operation with a special anniversary dinner held on Sunday 30 November, at Laila Reception, Melbourne. The organisation began with the establishment of the Muslim Student Association of Queensland (MSAQ) in 1964 and the formation of the Australian Federation of Muslim Students Association (AFMSA) in 1968. More than 500 guests attended the event including a variety of community members, FAMSY alumni and current members, the Islamic Council of Victoria (ICV), Muslim Legal Network (MLN), World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY), Human Appeal International (HAI), Australian Islamic Mission (AIM) as well as representatives from Islamic organisations throughout Mel-

bourne. Guests were taken on a journey across the decades with an exploration of FAMSY’s past, its transformation through the years and its inclusive vision for the future. Guest speakers included Fadlullah Wilmot, former President and Secretary of AFMSA, Silma Ihram, former Secretary of AFMSA, Dr Seyed Sheriffdeen, former National President of FAMSY and Mohammad Helmy, former President of FAMSY Victoria. Honorary awards were presented to each speaker as well as long-term sponsors and supporters including MCCA, ICV, Newport Islamic Society, WAMY, HAI and AIM. Looking towards the next 50 years, FAMSY hopes to further expand and strengthen its operations amongst students and youth. The organisation intends to continually support and inspire Muslim youth by providing increased opportunities for youth to truly ‘learn by leading’.

Fadlullah Wilmot, former President

Silma Ihram, former secretary

Fowler Community Service Awards AMUST Media Chris Hayes MP, Federal Member for Fowler, held Community Service Awards on 17 December at Canley Heights RSL and Sports Club in recognition of the contribution of some of the most hardworking and dedicated members of the Fairfield and Liverpool Communities. More than 80 worthy recipients were nominated by a number of local organisations for their effort in helping the community in various capacities. In his opening address, Mr Hayes used the opportunity to outline the importance of our community sticking together in light of the tragic incident that occurred in Sydney CBD the previous night. “In this very difficult time it is more important than ever that we come together, support each other and acknowledge our

shared values, among which are the belief in peace and unity. “This is especially important in a multicultural area such as ours. “Today we recognise some of the most outstanding members of our community who serve as an example to the rest of us with their selflessness and dedication to helping others”, Mr Hayes said. Mrs Mehar Ahmad from the Australian MEFF Consortium, organisers of the Multicultural Eid Festival and Fair received the Community Services Award for her contribution towards peace and harmony in the community. Representatives from the following organisations also received various awards: Anglicare, Assyrian Universal Alliance, Australian Chinese Buddhist Society Mingyue Lay Temple, Australian Vietnamese Aged Care Services, Autism Advisory and

Support Service, Cabravale Senior Citizens Association, Cardinal Stepinac Village, Fairfield State Emergency Service (SES), Green Valley Public School, Lions Eye Institute Save Sight Foundation, Liverpool Meals on Wheels, Liverpool Women’s Health Centre, Mandaean Australian Community Cultural Club, Miller Technology High School, Multicultural Eid Festival & Fair, NSW Indo-China Chinese Association, Obilic Basketball Club, The Parks Community Network Inc, Phuoc Hue Temple, Quota International of Liverpool, St Sergius Aged Care, Vietnamese Australian Mutual Support Association and the Vietnamese Australian Welfare Association.

Chris Hayes with Mehar Ahmad

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Fowler Community Service Awards event attendees

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ISRA expanding into Melbourne Zia Ahmad Continued from page 1 While ISRA has a strong educational and research emphasis, it also focuses on community building and cooperation in religious, social, environmental and other major areas for Australia and the global society. ISRA courses prepare its students to get actively involved in dealing with issues facing the Australian society and, in the process, assist in the development of local religious and scholarly leaders. ISRA is a point of reference for Islamic education, resources and information services. It conducts pioneering research on social and religious issues of relevance to the Australian society and international community. ISRA develops and enriches the Australian Muslim identity through well grounded Islamic scholarly knowledge coupled with the awareness of contemporary issues and ideas facing Australia and the contemporary world. A/Prof Mehmet Ozalp related that ISRA and CISAC came into being with initial dialogue initiated by Mehmet Seral of Affinity Intercultural Association and the Charles Sturt University resulting in the signing of a MoU between them. Following the landmark national launch in Canberra, the Islamic Sciences & Research Academy of Australia was officially launched at historic Sydney’s Customs House on Tuesday, 23 March 2010. In collaboration with the City of Sydney Council, Affinity Intercultural Foundation and Living in Harmony Festival 2010, this inaugural program had key representations from the academia, religious, media, secular

and community sectors across New South Wales. From the Vice Chancellor of Charles Sturt University to the CEO of Jewish Board of Deputies to the President of the Buddhist Council of Australia, Imams and councillors and other community-based leaders, such a high and diverse calibre of guests were all acknowledged by the Master of Ceremonies, by name. ISRA is an organisation established by Australian Muslims for the people of Australia. ISRA is unique in a number of ways: 1. Members and volunteers of ISRA come from diverse ethnic backgrounds. 2. Men and women work together at all levels of the organisation. 3. English is spoken in meetings and programs. 4. Members and volunteers are mainly second generation Muslims. ISRA has recently revised, and improved all 3 course we have on offer, the Bachelor of Islamic Studies, Master of Islamic Studies and the Master of Arts (Classical Arabic). These revised courses will take effect in 2015 session 1. There are around 300 students currently enrolled at ISRA in various Diploma, Bachelors and Masters degrees in Islamic Studies and Arabic Language.

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Usama Qazi with academic staff

There will be a special information session Sat 17 January for those interested in ISRA courses. This will be a great opportunity to meet the Director of CISAC and other lecturers and understand what ISRA offers in face to face discussions, For further information and registration for the information session call ISRA by phone 9649 9040 or contact via email info@isra.org.au . Dr Derya Iner addressing the graduates

An engaging and interactive personal development course tailored for youth addressing contemporary challenges in today’s world

Razia Ghaznavi, awarded the degree of Masters of Islamic Studies with distinction

19-23 January 2015 Cost: Free

Silma Ihram, awarded her third Masters degree

January 2015

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Final Day: Blue Mountains Day Out! (Optional $35 pp)

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ISRA. Level 3,128-132 South Pde. Auburn NSW 2144 10am to 3pm each day

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Event Australians raise funds for Kashmir Calendar Flood Victims

THU 8 JANUARY THU 22 JANUARY Holiday Program: Acrobatics, Tricking, Ballet, Arts, Creative Writing

Bankstown Arts Centre, 5 Olympic Parade Bankstown, NSW Thu 8 & Thu 22 January, 9:30am 12:30pm 5-10 YRS and 11-15 YRS Australian Nasheed & Arts Academy www.nasheedarts.org.au Email: info@nasheedarts.org.au Phone: 0423 084 806

MON 19 JANUARY

Pillars of Success - Personal Development Program

ISRA, Level 3, 128-134 South Parade, Auburn, NSW Mon 19-23 January, 10am - 3pm An engaging and interactive personal development course tailored for 1635 year olds addressing contemporary challenges in today’s world. Morning tea & lunch provided. Cost: Free Ladies-only Course. Register via email at info@isra.org. au or ring us on (02) 9649 9040

Zia Ahmad

A fundraising dinner was held on Friday 12 December at Thornleigh Community Centre, Sydney in order to raise the awareness of the plight of Kashmiris suffering from the unprecedented floods during September in the valley of Kashmir. The event was organised by The Australian Kashmiri Association Incorporated who have established an ongoing project Australians for Revive Kashmir (ARK) focusing on providing immediate relief and long term assistance in rebuilding life in the valley of Kashmir. The dinner was attended by a large number of people of different backgrounds who were shown video clips of Kashmir in order to appreciate the magnitude of the disaster.

The guests were welcomed by Mrs Saba Abdi. Mr Masood Malik explained the objectives of the ARK project while Professor Abdul Qaiyoom Rafiqui gave a brief history of Kashmir and recounted his personal experience when the floods hit his house. Professor Amitabh Mattoo described his experience over direct link with Skype from Kashmir. Zia Hussain and Rohit Raina recited beautiful songs in the Kasmiri language in their melodious voices and the guests were treated with Kashmiri Qahwah and a sumptuous dinner. Mr Jeremy Johnson, a great supporter of Kashmir motivated the attendees to donate generously for the noble cause and also conducted auctions of Kashmiri handicrafts in order to raise funds for the victims of flood. The ongoing ARK project will continue to raise funds for the rebuilding of Kashmir and all Australians are urged to donate generously.

Guests at the Kashmir fundraising dinner

Kashmir: History, Floods and Relief Professor Abdul Qaiyum Rafiqi Kashmir is a region located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent. It includes the territory of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir and the Pakistani states of Gilgat and Azad Kashmir. The artificial line called the L.O.C – Line of Control – divides the state into two parts. The Indian side of the territory consists of three regions: Jammu, Ladakh and Kashmir. Of these three regions, the Valley of Kashmir has had a marked individuality as far as its history and culture is concerned. In fact, it is the only region in the Indian subcontinent, which has the distinction of possessing the uninterrupted series of records of its history and culture. In both ancient and medieval times, Kashmir enjoyed the reputation as the cradle of knowledge where students and scholars flocked from many parts of the world, including the Chinese pilgrim Hiuen Tsiang and the great Iranian saint and scholar Mir Saiyid Ali Hamadani. Apart from this, Kashmir has many other claims to fame. Because of its amazing landscape and scenic beauty, Kashmir has been called the Switzerland of Asia. In fact the splendor of the Valley is legendary. Kalidasa, the great Sanskrit poet and drama writer who flourished in the 5th Century AD was of the opinion that Kashmir is more beautiful than heaven, and the son of the soil, Kalhana, the author of the celebrated Rajatarangini, claimed Kashmir is the land of clear streams, lakes, green lush meadows and mighty mountains, “where the sun shines mildly”. The Mughal emperor Jahangir was so mesmerized by the beauty of Kashmir that he exclaimed: Agar firdous barr roye zamin ast; hamin asto, hamin asto, hamin ast. “If there is a heaven on earth it is thee, it

is thee, it is thee.” The 19th century Irish poet, Thomas Moore, wrote “who has not heard of the vale of Kashmir with its roses the brightest that the earth ever gave.” Sir Walter Lawrence, a British administrator and historian, described Kashmir as an Emerald set in pearls, “ where the air is cool and water sweet”. Because of its scenic beauty, topography, and climate, Kashmir is a very popular tourist destination. Tourism, in fact, plays an important role in its economy. However, agriculture and horticulture are the backbone of Kashmir’s economy. The tulip garden on the banks of the famous Dal Lake is a great attraction for tourists, and its products (the tulips) are in great demand in Europe/have found their way in the European markets. Kashmiri cherries, apricots and various varieties of apples are famous all over the Indian subcontinent and also in the Gulf countries. Besides this, the Kashmiri saffron is unique in its flavor and colour. Kashmir also enjoys fame all over the world for its handicrafts. Its woodcarving, papier mache, carpets, and shawls with needle work are considered a prized possession to this day. The climate of Kashmir is very pleasant during September and October and it is during these two months that the flowers are in full blossom, the green paddy fields turn golden yellow, and the fruits, especially apples and saffron are ready to be picked. Devastating Floods But this year as soon as the month of September set in, it started raining and during the intervening night of September 6-7, this beautiful land on earth, the abode of the Rishi saints who preached tolerance, human brotherhood, and non-violence was turned upside down. It was this night (as we later came to know) when the state government and its machinery were sleeping, but people in many areas were out “on the streets monitoring the misbehavior of the river Jhelum”, which runs through the Valley of Kashmir.

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There was no warning or information from the flood control department of the state government that the water in the river was rising above danger level and it had actually entered the localities of the uptown. Therefore, the people in my locality including myself, were unaware of the disaster that was unfolding in many parts of Kashmir. At about 7:30am, my elder brother called and asked that we shift to his place. I was surprised at this suggestion because the area in which he lives, Rawalpora, though a posh colony, is prone to flooding, whereas Karan-Nagar, where I live, in the heart of the city, had never witnessed any flooding, therefore, without thinking for a moment, I told my brother not to panic and that there was no possibility that the area would be flooded. I must confess, like the state government and its bureaucrats, I had no idea what was happening around the city. After half an hour, I came out of my house, to see what was happening outside. What I noticed was that the drainage system had collapsed and the water was flowing onto the main road. Unmindful of the slowly rising water level, I thought the overflow was because of the heavy rains and returned to my house and told my wife that there was nothing to worry about. Only ten minutes later, we were running for our lives to the second floor of the house. It appeared that the water was gushing out from the walls of our house. Within no time, all approaching roads were cut off and the water level was too high for any bravado to be attempted. Some people in our locality had moved to the second floor of the local mosque and any families had run to the safety of the second floor of a nearby commercial building. By Monday morning, the whole of Kashmir was underwater. In the city of Srinagar all residential and commercial structures, including the two main hospitals, Radio Kashmir and a local T.V. station were flooded. All communication services were down completely, causing panic everywhere. There

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Masood Malik introduces Australians for Revive Kashmir ARK project

Jeremy Johnson conducting auction to raise funds for Kashmir were thousands of families who remained helplessly unaware of the wellbeing of their kith and kin, including my son and daughter who had flashed a message to an Indian T.V. channel enquiring about our welfare with no success. It was only after ten days that they came to know through a family friend in Delhi that we were safe and alive. The state administration continued to be invisible but the valiant efforts of people from less affected areas saved thousands of lives. In fact, the local youth played a daring role in rescuing people from submerged houses to safety in private and makeshift boats. For days together, they also transported relief items to thousands of people in the flooded areas. The loss of lives was fortunately minimal, thanks to our youth. Before the floods, I was thinking that the social, cultural and political fabric of Kashmiri society had crumbled and that our younger generation was drifting away from the core values of our culture, and it appeared to me that Paradise on Earth had been lost forever. However, during the devastating floods in September, our youth exhibited remarkable resilience, extraordinary courage, determination, fellow feeling, and tolerance, the very same values that I thought they had lost. I was convinced that “Quom abhi zinda hai” - “this nation is still alive” and that we certainly will recover and revive Kashmir again. Having said this, the losses suffered are massive. Thousands of families have lost their homes and livelihood. Agriculture, horticulture and tourist infrastructure, the main stay of the Kashmiri economy, have been destroyed completely. To deal with such a situation needs a combined effort both at national and international level. I am sure our well-wishers and friends, all over the world, will join hands and provide all the possible help they can, in the rehabilitation of the homeless and also putting the economy of Kashmir back on wheels. Dr Rafiqi is a retired Professor of History from The University of Kashmir. He completed his Phd at The Australian National University in 1972 and has authored several books on history of Kashmir.

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“Schools Inspire 2014” – delivered in spectacular style! AMUST Media

The first ever Schools Inspire was a hit success. Opened by founder Alsu Kurlow with the words “It’s a dream come true”, the event with 100 performers and 250 guests Schools Inspire 2014 was definitely an ambitious, big event that was delivered with a great reception and inspired hearts everywhere. It certainly felt like a dream being realized to all those in attendance. This remarkable annual production, is the biggest event in Australia lead by Australian Muslim schools and community. All night the performances celebrated diversity together with other Non-Muslim performers & guests in a 4 hour show at the Bryan Brown Theatre, a professional stage in the heart of Bankstown NSW. The excitement of presenting the Schools Inspire event in two acts, the first for female only performers and guests was highly enjoyed and one of the nights highlights. The first Act was opened by VIP guest Um AbdulRaham of Daar Aisha college saying that she too had a dream for a similar event. A place where our children can revive the traditional arts of Islam and was very proud to see INSPIRE’s event. The female only performances were exceptionally moving and included singing, daff performance, contemporary dance, fashion parade, ballet, nasheed singing, tricking and martial arts and each was received with high acclaim from the audience .The hit of Act one was the entire cast singing to the song “Happy”. After a short intermission Act two also started with great excitement and included girls and boys performers, guests and fam-

January 2015

ily. Opened by another VIP guest Maha Abdo of Muslim Women Association with her support and understanding of what a difference such an event will make for our community. This Act was again full of great performances and lots of laughs with David Mitsak a wonderful spoken word poet from Australian Nasheed & Arts Academy. David along with Daff teacher, Anas Hidar trained students of Malek Fahd Islamic School, Hoxton Park for the event and also performed on the night. After an awards ceremony for the children the event ended with tremendous applause and enjoyment. The spectacular event is presented by INSPIRE INC a non for profit organisation focused on presenting this annual event to showcase the dedication and hard work of local young stage performers in a supportive inclusive environment. Schools Inspire was presented in collaboration with Australian Nasheeds & Arts Academy and its schools including: Malek Fahd Islamic School Hoxton Park, Al Fikr Home Education Support Centre, Sisters by Deen, Muslim Women Association and Invincible Worldwide. “This type of event is essential for our community. It’s a secure and safe place for our children to perform and it needs to grow and prosper into the future . And the feedback has been so wonderfully positive and supportive” said Alsu, the founder of ‘Inspire Inc’ after receiving feedback immediately on the night, facebook and direct messages from parents and guests. Some of the comments were as follows: “This year’s School Inspire, was very organised, impressive and professional. Each interactive performance kept the audience focused and highly entertained. The events team did a great job and ensured all house-

Poem “My name is Islam” recited by Stephanie Kurlow

Poem “Free the toes” by David Mitsak

keeping rules were applied, which created a comfortable environment for the viewers. Thank you, and looking forward to the next event!” She said. “Thank you for giving my daughter the opportunity to perform on stage. All the children and the whole entire performances was beautiful and very entertaining.” “I would just like to greatly thank you for the experience and joy you have given to my daughter. I was extremely proud and tearful of joy of all the effort that was put in up to till the night of the performance. Thank you. You have made my little girl so happy.” The Schools Inspire 2014 event was proudly sponsored and supported by the following generous organisations: Bryan Brown Theatre, Baraka Women, Crescent Wealth, Al Firdaus Qur’an College, SBS Radio, Bankstown Council, Daar Aisha, Malek Fahd Islamic School Hoxton Park, Muslim Women Association, Invincible Worldwide, Sisters by Deen, Australian Nasheed & Arts Academy, Three Princesses Florist and Australasian Muslim Times

It is only with the help of these wonderful sponsors that this event could be staged. INSPIRE thanks their sponsors for helping to introduce a new generation of Australian children of all faiths and background to the wider Australian Community. Alsu says her commitment to the future of the event will continue and is excited to have more children experience the joy of performing. “It’s a project I’ve always believed in and performance is a language anyone can understand. The primary mission of the ‘Schools Inspire’ is to encourage young people to aspire, to dream and exercise their right to express themselves creatively through arts no matter what their religion, race or background they belong. That’s the purpose of INSPIRE and I look forward to a long future of performing children.”

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For more information, please call 0416 136 133 Web http://www.schoolsinspire.org.au/ Email: info@schoolsinspire.org.au

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Labor for Palestine: It’s about time Professor Stuart Rees

It’s time for the ALP to ask itself serious questions about the situation in Israel and move to new policy platform, writes Stuart Rees Earlier this week a meeting was held in western Sydney to discuss whether the Federal Labor Party should support Palestinians’ rights to self-determination. In response to the unspeakable suffering of all Palestinians - Gazans, West Bankers, Arab citizens of Israel, and the 5 million refugees still served by the UN Refugee Works Association (UNRWA) - why would the ALP not take a stand for Palestine? But change from adherence to the Israeli narrative to fearless support for the Palestinian cause may not be easy. Questions to ALP members, which relate to the identity of a party which claims to promote social justice, might do the trick. Here are the questions. Key Questions How can you retain self-respect if you appear to collude with Israeli Government’s occupation of Palestinian lands? Do you have any sense of disbelief at the displacement and replacement polices which have been occurring since 1948, or at the blood bath of Operation Cast Lead which began on December 27, 2008? Surely the disproportionate use of force in the 2014 Operation Protective Edge in Gaza would affect your attitude? In that operation, over 2000 Palestinians were killed and 11,000 wounded. The non-combatant ratio of Palestinians to Israelis who lost their lives was approximately 600:1. Eighteen thousand housing units were destroyed, 24 medical facilities damaged and at least 16 health workers killed. Twenty-six schools were destroyed, 228 were damaged and another 31 schools left to serve as shelters for displaced people. Will you acknowledge the unnecessary Israeli deaths but also the massive imbalance in Israeli/Palestinian casualties, property destroyed and the means of livelihood lost? Since 2007, within Israel, at least 402 civilians and 58 security forces have died as a result of suicide bombing. UN figures also indicate that in Operation Protective Edge, the number of Palestinian children killed – approximately 500 – exceeds the total number of Israelis, civilians and soldiers, killed by Palestinians in rocket attacks and all other attacks over the past decade. Far away from the Middle East, Australians may become blasé about body counts, but how could you not protest the cruelty involved in control of the most precious life force – water? UN figures indicate that Israeli citizens receive 300 cubic meters of water per year, Palestinians 35-85 cubic metres. Israeli settlers on the West Bank are allotted 1,500 cubic metres and enjoy green lawns and swimming pools while Palestinians often get no water at all. Haaretz journalist Amira Hass warns there’s little point in arguing whether Israelis’ water consumption is four or only three times that of Palestinians. Instead she requests, “Open your eyes: the thick pipes of the Mekorot (Israel’s national water provider) are heading to the Jordan valley settlements, and a Palestinian tractor next to them transports a rusty tank of water from afar.” “In the summer, the faucets run dry in Hebron and never stop flowing in (settlements) Kiryat Arba and Beit Hadassah.” On 9 February 2014, B’Tselem, the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, reported that “over 90 per cent of water in the Gaza Strip is unfit for drinking. Wastewater treatment facilities have been damaged, sewage seeps into ground water and fills the sea.” Following massive floods across the Gaza Strip in early November 2014, the head of

Gaza’s water authority admitted, “The recent war destroyed everything in Gaza. Many sewage pipes and water networks are still buried under the rubble.”

East Jerusalem Violence The record of suffering grows. How would ALP members respond if they observed the hopelessness which Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem feel when faced with attacks from armed settlers? Admittedly there have been awful tit for tat killings, as in the recent fatal stabbings in a synagogue. This violence occurs in the context of incitement from settlement leaders, Jerusalem being cut off from the West Bank, more evictions, more house demolitions and excessive police brutality. Israeli author and human rights activist Jeff Halper calls the collective punishment involved in the demolition of people’s homes, ‘atavistic revenge.’ He emphasizes that the targeting and punishing of family members innocent of any crime constitutes a violation of Article 33 of the Geneva Convention relative to the ‘Protection Of Civilian Persons In Time Of War.’ What do party members know of the civil rights of Palestinians living on the West Bank and in an East Jerusalem almost completely surrounded by large Israeli settlements? Israeli leaders encourage Jews to attempt to worship in Moslem holy places and have given a green light to settlers to attack Palestinians and their property. Gershon Baskin writes, “The only real services that Palestinian neighbourhoods of East Jerusalem receive are those of Border Police arresting suspects, closing neighbourhoods as well as house demolitions and taxation.” He reminds us that 80 per cent of East Jerusalem Palestinians live under the poverty line. Hate speech in Israel and from leading members of the Knesset is an almost daily occurrence. A right wing settlers’ slogan reads, “A Jew is a blessed soul, an Arab is a son of a whore.” In response to the current discrimination, hate speech and violence in East Jerusalem, distinguished Palestinian lawyer Dianna Buttu comments, “This has been the most dehumanizing ordeal in my experience. All you hear about is the idea that Palestinians don’t value human life, ‘They have a culture of martyrdom’.” To add to these cruelties a Jewish Nation State Bill is in legal preparation as the right wing’s one-state solution which would include the annexation of the territories and the establishment of a Jewish apartheid State. Israeli journalist Gideon Levy writes that in the proposed new law, Palestinians will become formally, legally second class citizens. The architects of this new Israeli state must make sure at any price that it will not be democratic and egalitarian. Not Standing Alone In recognising Palestine as a state, Australian Labor is not being asked to go it alone, though there would be every reason for taking a leadership role irrespective of the attitude of other nations. Several European countries have already taken this stand. The Swedish Government

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proposes to extend full diplomatic recognition to the State of Palestine. By large majorities the Irish Parliament, the British House of Commons, the Spanish Parliament and the French National Assembly have voted to recognise the state of Parliament. The motion in the French Assembly invited “the French Government to recognise the state of Palestine in order to obtain a definitive settlement of the conflict.” Australian state Labor parties have also moved on this issue. A South Australian Labor resolution mirrors similar statements passed in Tasmania, NSW and Queensland. The South Australian resolution recognises peace in the Middle East will only be assured by the foundation of a Palestinian State based on 1967 borders with agreed land swaps and security guarantees for itself and Israel. “SA Labor welcomes the decision of the Palestinian Authority to commit to a demilitarised Palestine with the presence of international Peace keepers including US forces,” it says. Will the Labor Party leadership also heed the cues being given by significant Israeli citizens? In September 2014, 660 Israeli public figures called on the Danish Parliament to recognise the State of Palestine. “This would be no anti-Israel act,” they wrote, “it would help Israel’s future.” In November 2014, 106 ex-Israeli generals, senior police, and former heads of Mossad urged Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to negotiate with “moderate Arab states and with Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip”. Their letter refers to the Saudi backed peace proposal that was adopted unanimously by the Arab league in 2002. It offered full peace, diplomatic recognition, and “normal relations” between Arab states and Israel in return for Israel’s withdrawal to borders based on the pre-1967 armistice lines, with negotiated land swaps and a ‘just’ and mutually ‘agreed’ compromise solution to the Palestinian refugee problem. If Labor supports Palestine, will political leaders be sufficiently resilient to not bend in the face of the torrent of derision which always follows anyone who dares to criticise Israeli government policies? In response to an article of mine explaining why the world wide Boycott Divestment Sanctions (BDS) movement was neither racist nor anti-Semitic, one threatening let-

ter read, “Go hide in a tunnel… or stick a grenade up your arse like ur crocodile buddies”. One of those crocodile buddies was presumably Bob Carr who had identified and condemned the small group of largely Melbourne businessmen who supported Israel’s fundamentalist position on illegal colonies and who sought to veto any change in an Australian government’s attitude towards Israeli policies. Carr’s criticism prompted the usual howls of derision from the Israel right or wrong lobby. Melissa Parke MP received similar vitriol when she spoke in the House of Representatives about the merits of the BDS campaign. Labor politicians who have spoken in support of the rights of Palestinians know that the criticism they receive is nothing compared to the violence and humiliation meted out to Palestinians. They should know that some Israeli leaders are also dismayed by reactions to any criticism of the policies of their government. Quoted in The New Yorker, the current President of Israel Reuven Rivlin said, “It is time to honestly admit that Israel is sick, and it is our duty to treat this illness.” He also commented, “I must say that I’ve been horrified by this thuggishness that has permeated the national dialogue…I’m not asking if we’ve forgotten how to be Jewish but if we’ve forgotten how to be human.” From Change of Attitude to Policy? Beyond the symbolic importance of Labor recognising the state of Palestine, how might such a gesture be converted into a policy? Although one state already exists in Israel/ Palestine, and is about to be consolidated in the Jewish Nation State Bill, the ALP policy still envisages a two state solution. In which case a diplomatically sound elaboration of ‘Labor for Palestine’ could be to return to UN Resolution 242 adopted unanimously in 1967. Commitment to the terms of that resolution would require all the parties to cease military activities and return to borders existing before the 1967 war. The ALP needs to recognise that if they want to remain a friend of a democratic Israel, let alone find enough vestiges of humanity to support the Palestinians, they should be urging negotiations under UN auspices regarding the goals of Resolution 242. Those goals have much in common with the Arab Peace Plan and with ALP state branch resolutions. In the process of moving from a change of attitude to the crafting of a new policy, emotions will come into play. But it should not take much courage for Federal Labor to at last say, ‘We’ve had enough of cruelty as a government’s policy. We’ve had enough of indifference to international law. We object to violence from all sides but we have not forgotten about justice; and we will not be intimidated by the Israel lobby.’ In relation to a change of policy towards all Palestinians we want to re-craft Gough Whitlam’s unforgettable slogan: ‘It’s about time!’’ (Courtesy newmatilda.com, 11 Dec 2014)

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Sharing views on Islam and Australian Muslims Alice Oppen Hanan Dover addresses Christians of the Anglican Parish at Hunters Hills, Sydney in the Soundings Series of dialogues. On 30 November Soundings welcomed Hanan Dover, psychologist and founder of Mission of Hope, to share her knowledge of Islam and insights of Australian Muslims. Four degrees, and currently studying her fifth, she said with a smile, means that she is taken more seriously as a Muslim woman within her community. Hanan wears the hijab and explained that it is worn in worship towards God; the hijab did not start with Islam but was an extension of previous religions but was an historic covering a woman’s hair. As a primary schoolgirl, Hanan was reluctant to wear the hijab to school at first, but was strengthened in resolve by comments by her teacher who made racist remarks such as “are you wearing it to keep your brains together?” whilst she wore the hijab. Tenets of Islam Islam strives for peace as well as justice. She explained the basic tenets of Islam as the five Pillars namely the Shahadah, Salat, Saum, Zakat and Hajj. 1. Declaration of faith, the shahada, that there is only one God, the Prophet Mohammed has brought the final message (previous prophets included Abraham, Moses and Jesus). 2. The practice of prayer, salat, five times throughout the day. 3. Purification, zakat, by supporting the poor, in charity, donating a percentage of income. 4. The Fast of Ramadan during the day for a month stimulates reflection, also abstain from bad habits. 5. Pilgrimage, Hajj, to Mecca, in Saudi Ara-

bia once in a lifetime. The Quran and Hadith, sayings of the Prohet Mohammad (s) are the authentic sources used to derive religious rulings. The Quran is written in the classic Arab version, not colloquial Arabic or translations into other languages. Diversity within Islam Hanan Dover is the voice of young Australian Muslims, born in Australia and raised with both faith and multicultural understandings. She sees the Australian schooling system being central to understanding Islam in a reflective, and more intellectual view of the religion. Hanan has identified that hers is an intellectual jihad, wanting to add to the literature on the psychology of religion. Most of the research linking religion and psychology has been about Christianity and Judaism, and much work is needed, for example, on the disaffection which can be felt within a society which allows generic prejudice against Muslims. “The Muslim community” is made up of many communities from many cultures and lands of origin and languages, just as “the Christian community” is diverse, developed from cultural influences overseas and changes within Australia. Hanan remembered no issues here between the Sunnis (90%) and the Shiite (10%) until the Gulf War. Radicalisation — faith vs external influences As a psychologist and Muslim, Hanan Dover well understands the effects of prejudice here against Muslims, that feeling that, no matter what, you will still be seen as Muslim and linked to overseas conflict and fears of terrorism. She says, “There are more schools and mosques than ever, and active leadership of youth. The people who are going overseas are in a world most prob-

Left to right: Hanan Dover, Alice Oppen and the Rev’d Kimberly Sawyer ably influenced by preachers on Google and YouTube.” ISIS is a militant group claiming to be the central force of Islam, fighting in Syria and Iraq. Its actions have become a dominant news topic recently, and the problem is that in popular media all of Islam is affected by assumed identification with ISIS. In the media, the politics of an issue dictate the particular narrative. A reporter may not know whether dead people really were militants or civilians, but soldiers are reported as having killed militants because they cannot verify who they killed. While the white, religious, non- Muslim man beheaded his room mate in Oklahoma last month, he was conveniently given the mentally-ill card, a Muslim in Australia is not, he is often referred to as a “terrorist”. Hanan pointed out that since Sept 11,

NSW POLICE FORCE MEDIA RELEASE Message from Superintendent Peter Lennon APM Fairfield Local Area Commander Created at 11:15am, Tuesday 16 December 2014

The NSWPF are asking for calmness and continued positive communication amongst our communities - as Commissioner Scipione and Premier Baird have stated this incident should not change our lives, this is a time to come together, not be divided. Police and community leaders are united in peace and will not tolerate bias motivated violence or targeting. We must all monitor communities carefully for any extreme criticisms or serious concerns expressed in our communities, especially acts of retaliation, revenge or bias. We all should be focusing on calmness amongst our friends, workmates, families, men, women and children. Police will be present throughout our communities attending our shopping centres, schools, infrastructure sites and prayer houses over the coming days and weeks to show harmony and we are always available to assist. There will be zero tolerance to bias motivated crimes against any part of the community. All matters will be fully investigated, if offenders are identified they will be put before the Courts and the full force of the law will be applied. The NSWPF will work with communities to ensure their safety and ensure they can live their daily lives without the fear of violence. We would ask our community to advise us of any other ways we can reach out to our diverse communities to ensure the intent of NSWPF is heard far and wide. The NSWPF urge our community brothers and sisters to go about their daily activities, however, if they see or hear anything suspicious to contact their local Police or if urgent ring 000.

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Muslim leaders have condemned Muslims for committing a crime, rather than understanding the cultural forces of resentment. She explained that in this country understanding that ISIS cannot be identified with Australian Muslims must come from the top. When the Government doesn’t speak out, their unspoken message feeds Islamophobia. When they do, that concept “Team Australia” sounds a ‘them’ vs ‘us’ in many ears, and Australian Muslims feel distanced and unheard. The Government’s assumption seems to be that the modern face of terrorism is Islam. When a politician calls people “Muslim extremists”, they are not differentiating between the acts of “militants” and Islam as a religion. Questions probed at the extent of equality for women [a problematic area lingering in the Sydney Anglican Diocese]. There are Islamic theological schools for women, to prepare teachers for women who want to be taught by women. Assimilation was suggested, yet for many people religious observance of prayer and dress are essential [the Amish in the U.S. and Orthodox Judaism are parallels]. Special provisions to include Islamic law and privacy for women were questioned, and in answer Hanan referenced other diversities within Australia. Complexities reverberate in Hanan’s lively proclamation of her strongly Australian identity that is consistent with her lived experiences, voiced while wearing the visible hijab of faith. We were fortunate to hold such an interfaith exchange, conscious of shared religious precepts and our imperative to reach out to our neighbours and to help those in need. In how many places and times in the world could such a Sounding be possible? Our thanks go to Hanan Dover for her impassioned and intellectual gift of knowledge, and to Geoff Oddie for inspiring the session.

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Three episodes of shootings and siege: three different reactions Dr Javed Jamil Within a period of around 24 hours, three different episodes of shootings and siege were reported in the world media. But the reactions to each one of them by the police and the reporting in the media were in sharp contrast to one another. The first was the takeover of a Café in Sydney, second was a hostage taking episode in Belgium and third was a shooting at Pennsylvania in the US. The media coverage of the Sydney episode continued in the international media throughout the whole period of the drama with a deadly end leaving 3 people dead, and has continued since then with live reports on various aspects of the incident – the responses of the family members and Australians, the possible fallout and the memorials. Belgium incident received international coverage for several hours till there was a suspicion of the hostage takers being “Islamists” but as soon as it became clear that the crisis had nothing to do with Muslims, the coverage abruptly stopped. When this writer tried to find out the latest position through Internet, he could not find the latest situation, with one website giving the last report as follows: “Live coverage finished Our live coverage of the Belgium hostage incident has now concluded. Four gunmen took a man hostage in an apartment in the Belgian city of Ghent earlier today. Officials said there was no initial evidence linking the assault to a jihadist organisation.” http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/worldnews/belgium-hostage-drama-recap-updates-4813568 The Pennsylvania incident leading to the killing of the six was hardly reported in the world media with albeit a very brief coverage. Mass shootings in the US have become by far common than the terrorist attacks, but US media hardly scrutinise what is turning so many Americans into serial killers. Though BBC reported about the identity

of the culprit as follows: “Montgomery County police are seeking the suspected gunman, whom they named as Bradley William Stone, 35. They say he may be armed and dangerous and told residents to remain indoors. The suspect killed his ex-wife Nicole Stone, her mother, her grandmother, her sister, her sister’s husband and 14 year old daughter.” There was also a news item about GM Switch deaths which have consumed the lives of 48 people. The news, of course attracted the little attention. The three episodes ended very differently. The lone gunman who killed six in Pennsylvania is still absconding and the police have not been able to catch hold of him. The fate of the Belgium hostage takers is still not known, but it is clear that no extraordinary efforts have been made by the police to take hold of them, and the most likely course of action will be a few years’ imprisonment for them. GM switch victims would of course receive some compensation in dollars, and there is no likelihood of the persons responsible facing any criminal charges of murder. The Sydney episode ended up with the killing of the lone gunman together with the death of two hostages and injuries to several others including a policeman. This sums up how the world powers and the international media is bent upon turning the Muslim community all over the world as suspects in the eyes of the authorities as well as the fellow countrymen. If Sydney lone culprit had not been a Muslim, the most likely course of event would have been a silent and peaceful end to the drama. As the reports have suggested, the “terrorist” was no member of any terrorist organization, and had a long history of criminal tendencies. He was like the many shooters in the US. It is also not yet clear if the two other persons were shot by him or by the Police. In case, they were killed not by him but by the shots fired by the police, it would also prove the inaptness of the authorities

in dealing with a situation where a solitary gunman aged 50 with a shotgun, kept the hostages under his control for more than 18 hours. But the Sydney drama provided an opportunity for Islamophobes to spread hatred against Muslims in general, and the organizations they think dangerous. This overreaction every time there is suspicion of “Islamists” involved, helps their political agenda and the global game plan to perpetuate hegemony in the world. They always need a villain, and the latest villain is ISIS and they are using it to vilify Islam and demonise Muslims. They forget to tell the world that ISIS is their own creation, and its members were considered “freedom fighters” till they were fighting the Syrian regime. Their “brutalities” were never highlighted then, and their killings were never counted as “terrorist” deaths. They were the recipients of the Western money and weapons, and their threats were downplayed. As soon as Assad regime succeeded in finishing the West-supported revolt, and ISIS moved in Iraq, they became the most dangerous terrorist organization of the world. While debating the events, Australian government would also better reconsider its strategy of going along with the US, come what may, as if it is not an independent

nation capable of taking its own decisions. It should realize that by becoming part of America’s war on terror, it has in fact aggravated the chances of greater violence, and if it sends its planes to bomb other nations, more likely than not it would have to face its ugly repercussions. It should convince its Boss and its allies that if peace has to prevail in the world, they will have to reassess their own role in the genesis of violence, and they will have to give up their attitude of ruthless domination over other nations. How long will the sordid categorization on the basis of political motives continue? How long will the killings of the millions of innocent human beings go without any attention, and a few deaths reported day and night, just because the former are committed by the “International Guardians of Peace” and the latter by their enemies? How long will the people of the world take in recognizing the truth that every single act of violence against an innocent is to be condemned, irrespective of the identity of the victim, the identity of the killers, the place of the killing and the motive and the method of killing? How long will the denizens of the world know that the Muslim World is more the wronged than the it is the wrong-doer? How long will West take to realize that if it wants peace to prevail, the best policy would be non-interference in the affairs of other countries?

Arakan Muslims’ two years of despair in Myanmar camps

Online ventures target global Muslim consumer market

Media Scan Ainullah

Prophet’s Mosque German expansion work goes Chancellor apace calls for unity In a race against time, over 6,000 individuals, from engineers to construction workers, are pooling their efforts to complete the expansion of the Prophet’s Mosque. That huge work force is supervised by the committee of expropriation, which is part of the project initiated by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah to expand the mosque and develop the surrounding areas. The team is preparing the infrastructure in the eastern and western sides of the mosque and have already removed more than 100 properties in the central area, including the Ansar market, Awqaf building and the old children’s hospital, while work is under way to remove the King Abdulaziz Library and a number of major hotels. The total space of expropriated property is estimated at 12.5 hectares, with compensations reaching a total value of SR25 billion.

Police officer, Pennsylvania, USA

against anti-Islam forces

Alarmed by the growing popularity of an anti-Islam movement in Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel and other government leaders have appealed to the public to stay away from it and not to “become tools” in the hands of the organisers of such events. “There is freedom of demonstration in Germany, but there is no place for spreading hatred and slander against people who come to us from other countries,” Merkel said at a news conference here on Monday. Therefore, everyone should be careful not to become tools in the hands of the organisers of such events, she said. More than 10,000 people had demonstrated in eastern Germany against “criminal asylum seekers” and the “Islamisation” of the country, in the latest show of strength of a growing far-right populist movement on Monday. Organised by a right-wing group called ‘Patriotic Europeans Against Islamisation of the West Pegida’, the movement began in the eastern German city of Dresden in September by staging demonstrations every Monday to protest against the government.

Australasian Muslim Times

Scrawny chickens and mangy dogs mingle with raggedly clothed children and exhausted adults on the dusty paths through Da Paing camp near the capital of Myanmar’s Rakhine state. Nobody wears shoes. Nearby are a dozen simple longhouses arranged in rows where families live in cramped quarters. A salty breeze blowing in from the Bay of Bengal provides a brief respite from the blazing sun but there is little around that exudes anything but destitution. “Everything is not okay here,” Ba Sein, 52, a member of the managing committee for the camp, told The Anadolu Agency. Holding 7,000 inhabitants from the Arakan Muslim minority (Rohingya), Da Phaing is one of several squalid enclosures for Internally Displaced People outside Sittwe in northwestern Myanmar.

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Dr Javed Jamil is an India based medical professional, thinker and writer. He can be contacted at doctorforu123@yahoo.com.

From travel guides to shopping portals, new Internet ventures aim to capitalise on the growing “Muslim lifestyle” market, which is expanding beyond food to include areas such as tourism, fashion and credit cards. Excluding food, where “halal” dietary restrictions must be followed, most of the world’s 1.6 billion Muslims are content to buy the bulk of their goods and services from conventional suppliers. A growing minority, however, want to certify more areas of their consumption as religiously permissible - a trend that appears partly due to rising incomes in majority-Muslim areas of the Gulf and southeast Asia, as well as to expanding choices for consumers. In some ways, the trend resembles the surge of consumption of luxury goods in emerging markets, as newly affluent consumers seek to express their identities partly through what they buy. For example, Muslim consumers may want to stay in Islam-friendly hotels that ban alcohol, wear fashions that have been specifically designed to meet Muslim ideas of modesty, and use medicines that have been screened to exclude alcohol or gelatine made with banned animal products.

January 2015

AUSTRALIA 10 - 11

UMMAH 12

EDUCATION 13

TRAVEL 14

EDUCATION

SOCIAL 15

AMUST

The 99 Divine attributes of Allah Part 5 - Attributes 25-31 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 previous parts at www.amust.com.au/category/education/beyondthe-box/ Part 5 – Attributes 25 to 31 of Allah 25. Al-Mudhill – The Dishonourer “Say, ‘O Allah, Owner of Sovereignty; You bestow sovereignty to whom You will and take it away from whom You will. You exalt whom You will and You dishonour whom You will. In Your hand (allegorically) is all good. Indeed, You are over all things competent’.” “You cause the night to enter the day, and You cause the day to enter the night and You bring the living out of the dead and You bring the dead out of the living. And You give provision to whom You wish without limit or measure.” (Quran: Āl-e-‘Imrān, 3:26, 27) A believer, in one spectacle observes the performance of the disbelievers and finds them flourishing and prosperous in the world. And, one the other side, the believer looks one’s own plight of scarcities and calamities. This gets him encompassed with wishful expectation. Get reminded! The Prophet and his companions had been facing this situation during the revelation of these two verses. Marvellously Allah presents His directives through His Prophet to the human beings as His verdicts. 26. As-Samī’ – The All-Hearer “Indeed, Allah chose Adam and Noah and the family of Abraham and the family of ‘Imrān1 over the worlds. “Descendants, some of them from others. And Allah hears all and knows all.” “(Remember!) When the wife of ‘Imran2 said, ‘My Rabb (The Sustainer)! I have pledged to You what is in my womb, consecrated (for Your service), so accept this from me. Indeed, You are the All-Hearer the All-Knower’3.” (Quran: Āl-e-‘Imrān, 3:33-35) 1. ‘Imrān was the name of the father of Moses and Aaron which is named ‘Amram’ in the Bible. 2. There is a common misunderstanding about the followers of Christianity that they are not monotheists as they assign divinity and the sonship of Allah to Jesus. The verse number 33 removes this misunderstanding in the Quran. So Islam and Christianity have the same Islamic view Al-Deen (Weltanschauung). It declares that all these mentioned Prophets in AlQuran were human beings, born of the predecessor ones; none was God (Allah). Rather Allah selected all these special persons as His messengers for the propagation of Truth and sound moral dealings for the human beings to believe and act upon. 3. “The wife of ‘Imrān: Here ‘Imrān should not be considered as the one who was the father of Moses and Aaron. According to Evangelic scriptures the father of Mary was Joachim. Thus the mother of Mary belonged to a separate clan comprised of Zachariah. So the mother of Mary and that of Zachariah were cousins in the same clan (Luke, 1:5, 35, 36). 4. The mother of Mary supplicates this prayer to Allah with the full belief that Allah hears the prayers of His servants (all the human beings) and is fully aware of their sincerity and intention.

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27. Al-Basīr – The All-Seeing “This is the established practice of Allah in the past and never will you find any change in the practice of Allah.” “And it is He Who has withheld their hands from you and your hands from them in the valley of Makkah (through the peace Treaty of Hudaibiyah) after He caused you to overcome them. And ever is Allah, of what you act, Seeing2.” “It was they who dishonoured the truth and disband you from the Sacred Mosque and prevented your offering for reaching its place of sacrifice. And had there not been believing men and believing women (in Makkah) whom you might have unknowingly trampled underfoot and thus become guilty. Allah may admit to His mercy whom He will. Had the believers stood apart from them (the disbelievers), we would certainly have punished the disbelievers among them with painful punishment.” (Quran: Al-Fath, 48:23-25) Practice (Sunnah) of Allah: this eternal divine practice is the absolute truth that Allah dishonours the disbelievers having battle with the Prophets of Allah and supports His Prophets with tremendous help. Allah was seeing and watching how believers became determined to sacrifice their honour, prestige and life for the path of Allah with complete sincerity and devotion. Allah was also watching the high-handedness of the disbeliever. Hence the situation demanded that the disbelievers have been dishonoured and destroyed ultimately through the believers. But there was His Wisdom and Foresightedness that Allah withheld their hands as well as the hands of the believers. 28. Al-Hakam – The Arbitrator “The Jews say, ‘The Christians are not on the right track’ and the Christians say, ‘The Jews are not on the right track’; although they both read the Scriptures (Torah or Gospel) 1. Thus those who have no knowledge (the pagan Arabs) 2 say accordingly as they like. Allah will arbitrate in their differences on the day of Judgement. “And who are more unjust than those who prevent people from the name of Allah (God) being mentioned (praised) in His Masājid (places of worship) and strive towards their destruction 3. It is not proper for people to enter except with His fear (consciousness) for them there is disgrace in this world and great punishment in the Hereafter.” (Quran: Al-Baqarah, 2:113, 114) 1. After the arrival of the Prophet in Madinah, the majority of Madinans honoured and respected him as the saviour of the Madinan people enabling all of the different groups to become united as one plural society of different cultures and creed. These included the pagans, the Jews and Christians, the Ansar (Madinan Helper Believers), and the Muhajireen (Madinan Immigrant Believers). This situation was not in the interest of the Bani Israil Jews and Christians dominating over the Madinans as their leaders and superiors, being further incited by the Madinan pagans leaders and the Quraish pagans who used to stay during their train journeys through Madinah. The Quran declares that the actual relationship between the Jews and Christians, in spite of having the same divine religion (Islam) under the Prophets Moses (a) and Jesus (a), are bent upon destroying the message of Islam just because the present Prophet was not from the progeny of Bani Israil but from the cousin-race Bani Ismail. Jews and Christians are not united together as they attack each other for going astray.

2. These words are used for the polytheists of the Quraish. They are unacquainted with the Scriptures and the Prophets. They have started taking the side of the Bani Israil in being against the Prophet who was from their own tribe and of a most reputable family. Allah is declaring to the people that this attitude is going to be dealt with by Himself on the Day of Resurrection in the Court of Allah. The Prophet is directed not to bother about their present opposition. Rather, he has to continue his mission of conveying the message of true Islam with patience and tolerance. 3. It refers to the persons craving for the attainment of Paradise, who perform the evil actions of destroying the workshop places of the rival religions just because of having enmity and hatred against the Believers. History has already proved (before the revelation of the Quran) that the terrible and deadly wars between the Jews and Christians occurred for the possession and usage of the Holy Temples of Jerusalem and is still going on. According to the Quran teaching of Allah to the Believers, it is a heinous sin to kill any person or to destroy any place of worship. Unfortunately, history repeats itself. Muslims also started destroying the Christians and the tragedy of the long crusade wars is the clear proof of the disobedience to Allah. Even the present hatred and terrorist activities among the three purely monotheistic religions (Islam, Christianity and Judaism) is still prevalent, which should immediately be stopped by the advocates of these religions. 29. Al-‘Adl – The Judge “Should I seek a judge other than Allah, when He is the One Who has revealed this Book (the Quran) with full details1. Thus whom we gave the Book earlier, know very well that it is revealed to you from your Rabb (the Sustainer); so you should not be of those who have doubts.” “The words of your Rabb have been fulfilled with credibility and justice; there is no way to change His words. He is the Hearer, the Knower2.” (Quran: Al-An’ām, 6:113, 114, 115) The addressee is the Prophet but the message is directed to the believers. Allah has revealed the realities in His Books. He has completely made clear that the believers shall have to work hard for the establishment of truth. Then why shall the believers seek some other being to remove the present situation or exhibit some miracle to compel the disbelievers to get transformed into the

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believers? Then the ones who have the knowledge of divine revelations and comprehend the role of the Prophets of Allah would confirm that whatever has been revealed in the Quran is the eternal reality. 30. Al-Laţīf – The Perfect Resourceful 31. Al-Khabīr – The All-Acquainted “That is Allah, Your Rabb (the Sustainer), there is no deity but Him, the Creator of all things. So worship him; He is the Disposer of everything.” “No vision can grasp Him1 while he grasps all visions and He is the Perfect Resourceful, the All-Acquainted.” “Now there have come to you clear insights from your Rabb (the Sustainer), to open your eyes. Therefore whoever opens his eyes, it is for (the benefit of) his own soul and whoever will remain blind, it is to his own (loss). And say2, ‘I am not a keeper over you’3.” (Quran: Al-An’ām, 6:102, 103, 104) Allah cannot be seen by the humans in their living in this world. The people of Paradise will be able to see Allah on the day of Resurrection: “(Some) faces, that Day, shall be radiant, looking at their Rabb.” (Quran: Al-Qiyamah, 75: 22, 23 This sentence is the words of Allah declared by the Prophet as the presenter. It is just like Surah al-Fatiha the words of Allah which are presented by the believers in the prayer. At many places in the Qur’an the presenters are changed sometimes as the Prophet, sometimes as the believers, as the People of the books, as the disbelievers and polytheists, as the Quraish, as the Arabs and humans. Similarly the addressees are frequently changed sometimes as the Angel conveying the revelation to the Prophet, the group of Angels, the Prophets and the believers. In all the events of the addressees and presenters, each and every word in the Qur’an is only the Holy, Noble words of Allah. The Prophet is directed by Allah to make clear to the disbelievers that the task assigned to him by Allah is the main task of the Prophet in this world. In other words it means: ‘my task is only to present the admonition before you in the form of warnings’. At the moment you are not fulfilling the order of Allah because of neglect as you are blind to comprehend and believe about the life after death where all your ideas and actions are to be accounted for. If you sincerely pay full attention to the message conveyed in the Qur’an and change your lifestyle and start believing in the absolute Truth, and you will achieve the tiding of eternal Jannah in the Hereafter. Continued in AMUST issue #111

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AMUST

TRAVEL

NEWS 1-2

BOOMERANG 3-5

COMMUNITY 6-8

LIFESTYLE 9

Journey of a lifetime: Part 1 Istanbul Hasan Fazeel It wasn’t just a regular flight departing from Australia. It was my first flight in almost 3 years for vacations. And I promised to myself that I will get the most out of it. My re-union with the family for Eid-ulAdha, the excitement of Eid-ul-Adha related activities - the animal slaughter, preparing meat for mouth-watering dishes, various BBQ gatherings, this was all on the agenda. But the major excitement of my vacations were the trip to Istanbul and Jerusalem. I spent a little over 2 weeks in Karachi, Pakistan and by every passing day the excitement level was getting up. The Turkish Airline flight gave me the first taste of what I was about to experience in Istanbul – great food and a warm welcome. By the time I reached my hotel in Sultan-Ahmet (old city Istanbul) I was hearing the Adhan for Jumma prayer coming out from the huge speakers of the Blue Mosque. I rushed through the check-in process and ran towards the Blue Mosque which was almost 2-3 minutes’ walk away from my hotel but I only recall covering the distance in 2-3 seconds and the mesmerising Blue Mosque was standing tall in front of me. During the prayer timings only Muslims are allowed to enter inside the Mosque, once I stepped inside the Mosque railing of the Mosque, I found myself standing in the middle of hundreds of year’s old garden and tall trees. There are 2 directions from which you can enter the Mosque railing, side facing Hagia Sophia and the one facing Hippodrome (few fragments of the original structure still survives to the day). To enter inside the Mosque I had to walk through a small path way through the garden that lead to the stairs of the Mosque. I chose to enter from the Hippodrome direction and first I entered into a courtyard with a beautiful fountain right in the centre of it. My eyes captured the panorama of the multi storey Mosque and the courtyard and took me back in time in a split of a second and I could imagine walking through the scholars and students chatting while I went to enter the Mosque. At the entrance of the building I had to pull out a plastic bag available at the entrance to put my shoes in and then go inside. Ground level is majorly for men only while a small section is reserved for females. Level 1 is a female only section of the Mosque. In Turkish culture, the Moazzin’s place for calling for prayers is on the right hand side of the

Mimbar and the Wa’az is given from the left hand side of the Mimbar. On a bright sunny Friday, the filtered sunlight was entering in the Mosque via colourful window glass and making the great Islamic architecture clearly visible for the soothing of my eyes. As much as I wanted to capture that beauty in the camera I decided to concentrate over the Wa’az, Jumma khutba and my prayer and left it for some other time during tourist visiting hours. I guess I made the right choice, the pictures I took later on didn’t do 1% justice to what I could see from my bare eyes. It was a proud feeling to pray Jumma in the Blue Mosque, once the power centre of the last Caliphate system. At the end of the prayers, I could only raise hands with the Imam and hundreds praying and cried for the Muslim Ummah. The next stop was a 2 hours Bosphorous cruise. I boarded the cruise from a jetty about 1Km away from the old city centre. You are introduced to the ride with the information that this jetty is at the fort wall which was built to protect the city. The ride starts from the Marmara Sea and takes you towards the Black sea. You can see the Asian and European sides of the city, and the legendary Bosphorus Bridge, once the 4th longest suspension bridge in the world. The timings of the cruise ride is very carefully set by the operators, they plan the trip in a way that you can see the sun set on your way back to the Old City. You see the shades of blue, orange, yellow mixing together and the reflecting light from standing tall Blue Mosque and Topkapi Palace; a scene which can only be seen and experienced in the cool breeze of free Marmara Sea. Grand Bazaar is one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world. I was one of amongst 300,000 – 400,000 daily visitors on one warm day. This market is consisted of about 61 streets, shops all around in the narrow streets selling local goods to all branded stuff. Spice Bazaar is another kind of its own market, not far away from Grand Bazaar. You think of a spice in the world and you will find it there. A very good place to buy cheap authentic Turkish sweets. One section to visit in the old city of Sultan-Ahmet is the section that has Hagia Sophia and Topkapi stand shoulder to shoulder next to the Shore of Marmara Sea. Hagia Sophia, once a church more than 1500 years ago, turned into a mosque 500 years ago and finally turned into a museum about 70 years now. Another example of great Islam-

The author in front of Grand Bazaar

Blue Mosque, Istanbul ic architecture. You can visit the section that contains the ruins of the original building and you promptly think about the greatness of ALLAH, that every rise has to fall except ALLAH and I could see the proof lying in my feet in the form of the ruins. The Hadith slated on one of the entrances of Hagia Sophia; predicting the conquering of Constantinople Empire makes you to again exalt the great Prophet Mohammad (PBUH). The next stop of great Topkapi museum. The Museum is a nice place to see but the section I loved and want to mention is the Islamic section. You have to line up to enter the Islamic section because MASHA ALLAH so many Muslims are visiting the place and its always full, and need people to come out before more people can get it. The beautiful recitation of Quran and the way the layout is designed. First you see the old Kaaba door, lock and key of the Kaaba door, piece of Qiswa (Kaaba cover) and then you enter into a room and you have goose bumps all over your body, you heart is filled with emotion and you are trying to keep your eyes clean of the salty water so you can see all the collectibles. You see: 1. Hazrat Moosa’s stick (Subhan Allah), the stick that became a Python, the stick that cut river into halves. 2. Hazrat Yousha’s Amama and bowl

3. Hazrat Omer and Hazrat Abu Bakar’s swords 4. Hazrat Ali’s sword, the sword that won many battler of Islam, the sword that won Khyber Fort 5. The sword of Hazrat Khalid Bin Waleed, aaah!! This is the point where you finally cry. The sword of the great man who was The Sword of ALLAH Rabbul Izzat. The Sword that won each and every battle for Islam, the sword that tasted so much blood in search of Shahadat. But ALLAH’s sword could go into sheath but could not be broken. Then you enter another section that has items and belongings of the greatest man this universe have ever seen or will ever see, Prophet Mohammad (PBUH). Few of the items you can see are: 1. His clothes 2. His teeth which were broken in the war of Auhad 3. Piece of his hairs from beard and head 4. His stamp 5. Hazrat Aisha’s (Razi Allah Taala Anhum) shirt Other noticeable sections on the palace are kitchen, Harem, Office, etc. Next, Part 2 Jerusalem in AMUST issue # 111, February 2014.

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January 2015

AUSTRALIA 10 - 11

UMMAH 12

EDUCATION 13

TRAVEL 14

#SOCIAL

SOCIAL 15

#illridewithyou overcomes hate

AMUST

The amazing phenomenon of support for Muslims has been via the social media #illridewithyou started by a couple of Australians “Sir Tessa” and Rachael Jacobs offering Muslim female commuters that they will accompany them to their destinations in order to support them. By the time the Sydney siege ended #illridewithyou went viral and became a global phenomenon where people all over the world, specifically from Australia, North America and Europe offered Muslims safety by accompanying them while travelling.

The facebook post that inspired the campaign

The start of the twitter hashtag

What did you say? Client walks in and stares for a full 5 minutes before approaching myself a veiled employee. ‘Hello’ he says rather intrepidly. ‘Hello can I help you?’ I answer back smiling to relieve his obvious discomfort. ‘Good thankyou’ he says, adding ‘Can I ask you a question?’ ‘Of course go ahead’ I reply. ‘Can you hear with that on’? (referring to

January 2015

my hijab) I’m sure I misheard him after our dialogue, so I reply ‘I beg your pardon can you repeat please?’ I’ve drawn the attention of my co-worker who is watching from her section with some interest. He leans forward and raises his voice and repeats ‘Can you her with that on’? Its been a long day so I reply ‘I’m sorry

I cant hear you asking with this on can you repeat yourself’? He raises his voice and yells ‘Can You Hear With THAT ON’? My co-worker has her eyes glued to the scenario and can’t move. I look the client straight in the eyes and raise my hand in a slight ‘stop’ position after wincing slightly at his loud voice. ‘Yes of course I can hear what your saying. It’s called a hijab, what can I do for you?’ He looks at me blankly not registering my comment at all and says ‘I didn’t know you can’t hear me, maybe I’ll come back later’

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‘Ok thankyou, for coming in have a nice day?’ I reply slightly bemused. ‘No worries’ He says ‘You too’ and turns around and leaves. In retrospect the mind controls your perception of events, for example when you walk on or off an escalator you expect to have a jolt. This jolt is still experienced even when the escalator is not working. Similarly in this mans mind a veiled women cannot assist a man as she is need of assistance to release her chains imposed on her by an oppressive culture. Alhamdulillah he could have been impolite but was merely easily put off. N.E.

Australasian Muslim Times

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January 2015