Issue 120 November

MUSLIM

AUSTRALASIAN

Multimedia News & Views

ISSN: 1039-2300

Print Post Publication No. 100021354

Print edition published Monthly on first Friday with Website updates

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AMUST Issue # 120

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November 2015; Muharram 1437

Canada’s Seachange

Sabra Snaps Four Silvers

Trans-Pacific Partnership

Daawah Trip To Indonesia

BOOMERANG PAGE 3

COMMUNITY PAGE 7

AUSTRALIA PAGE 11

UMMAH PAGE 17

Cycling to help sick kids

$3,500. Finding it a humbling experience and one of the best things she had participated in, she signed up again in 2014, raising Tanya Kubitza, a school teacher and nearly $9000 with the generous support of mother of two has been cycling an aver- family, friends, students, parents and staff of age of 35 km every day during the month Al Siraat College as well as the wider local of October to raise awareness and funds community. for kids fighting cancer.

Tanya has raised $4,700, her contribuTanya, a keen mountain biker, supported tion towards the overall fundraising figure by her 8 year old daughter Mariam signed of $2.5 million so far, for the Great Cycle up for the Great Cycle Challenge setting a Challenge. riding goal of 1,061 km equivalent to riding Although the riding event was held from 1 the distance from her workplace, Al Siraat to 31 October, funds are still being donated College in Melbourne’s northern suburbs to until the end of November. the Children’s Medical Research Institute in “While the riding challenge has now Westmead, Sydney. finished for Mariam and I, a much harder The Great Cycle Challenge is one of challenge continues day after day for these the annual fundraisers conducted by the amazing kids and therefore our greatest Children’s Medical Research Institute thanks goes to all the children out there (CMRI) in Sydney. This year saw the event fighting cancer who have shown us what return in its third instalment and even bigger true courage really is,” Tanya said at the end yet. of the cycling challenge.

It kicked off on 1 October with over 8,000 “You bounce back from rounds of chemoriders from all walks of life across Austral- therapy still smiling and have inspired thouia and beyond who signed up to help raise sands of people across Australia and befunds and awareness for kids fighting can- yond.” Tanya added. cer.

Fundraising and riding goals were set in- Donations to help change little lives can still dividually by each rider and ranged from 1 be made until the end of November via Tankm to a few hundred km. Family, friends, ya & Mariam’s fundraising page: colleagues and local businesses sponsored www.greatcyclechallenge.com.au/Riders/ the cycling efforts via each rider’s individ- TanyaKubitza ual fundraising page.

Tanya signed up for the inaugural Great Read Tanya’s story in her own words Cycling Challenge in 2013 and raised on Page 12

$1.00

Zia Ahmad

The Great Cycle Challenge: Tanya Kubitza with her daughter Mariam.

Program to counter violent extremism Abu Anees NSW Premier Mike Baird last Tuesday 2 November revealed a comprehensive program to counter violent extremism (CVE) in the state of New South Wales.

The $47 million suite of measures has been developed by the NSW Government in response to the rise of violent extremism – measures that have been accelerated after the terrorist attack in Parramatta that cost the life of NSW Police Force worker Curtis Cheng.

“We are locked in a global struggle with cynical manipulators who exploit vulnerable young people and children to commit acts of terror,” Mr Baird said.

The Premier announced more counselling and support services to be provided to students in NSW schools and staff given access to additional training to assist schools in countering violent extremism.

Training will be available for counsellors and other school staff for the start of the

NSW Premier Mike Baird 2016 school year to ensure they have the skills to identify vulnerable young people, and help them access support programs.

Additionally, up to five Specialist School Support Teams costing around $15 million will work proactively with identified schools and respond to critical incidents, linking in with the efforts of community leaders and ensuring schools have the support they need.

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Along with measures to support schools, the package includes a range of programs designed to build community cohesion and maintain cultural harmony.

In addition to a $4 million program already announced and commencing this year, there will be a further $8 million directed at community resilience programs to be delivered by a range of organisations committed to youth engagement and community resilience.

Additionally, a Community Cohesion Ambassadors’ program will involve high-profile community leaders working within the community to promote social cohesion and cultural harmony.

A CVE training program for front-line NSW Government workers, such as Family and Community Services officers, will be established to ensure they too can respond to the needs of vulnerable individuals and families.

The NSW Government will also establish a support and advice telephone line, along with online services, for community and

family members seeking advice on how to best protect and support young people who may be exposed to violent extremist influences. The line will be managed through the NGO sector.

“CVE programs are not a substitute for strong law enforcement measures – they are a necessary complement, Mr Baird said.

There have been criticism of programs where teachers have been asked to report on tendency towards extremism in schools.

University of Sydney South Asia Study Group co-ordinator Hussain Nadim said the move was counterproductive.

“The entire idea and the entire issue of radicalisation, its roots are embedded in this very notion that kids, especially Muslim kids, feel isolated and aren’t able to integrate and having these programs run at the school level will not help countering that; it will only allow further isolation and further radicalisation of kids at the high school level,” he said.

Continued on page 3

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November 2015

BOOMERANG Canada seachange has lessons for us UMMAH 15 - 18

EDUCATION 19 - 20

TRAVEL 21

BUSINESS 22

SOCIAL 23

In the Canadian federal election held on en wrong.

19 October, the Liberal Party lead by Messrs Bush, Blair and Howard used Justin Trudeau won a landslide victory these tactics to get re-elected by duping the gaining 184 seats in the 338 seat parlia- electorate by exaggerating the fear from ment unseating the Conservative Par- terrorism, invasion by refugees and asylum ty government led by Stephen Harper seekers and using Muslims as the bogeywhich only obtained 99 seats. man.

The Liberal Party’s increase of 148 seats With the unfortunate refugee problem in from the previous election was the largest the Middle East and some movement ever numerical increase by a party in towards Europe the racist political a Canadian elections ever. parties are trying the same tactics EDITORIAL of vilifying Islam and demonizThe Liberal Party campaigned with the slogan of “Real ing Muslims in order to gain Assalamu Change”, for multiculturalism, votes.

Alaikum against fearmongering, respect Lesson #2 Greetings for all faiths and cultures and a Like Stephen Harper, Tony non-aggressive approach to war Abbott was also creating fear of Peace on terror. of the death cult, excessive alarm On the other hand the Conservaover radicalization and exaggerated tive Party fought on the slogans of “Safer risk from terrorist threat to Australia.

Canada”, security, fear of terrorism and in Well luckily he was ousted by his own party support of global war on terror. and we have a Prime Minister who is much The surprise win of the Liberal Party that more sensible than him. now includes 10 Muslim MPs (see report The Australian government should invest on page 15) demonstrates the intelligence its resources in building infrastructure and of the Canadian electorate that saw through bringing people together in order to create the fearmongering and xenophobia prop- a united, harmonious society than spendagated by the incumbent government and ing billions on security, legislating harsher therefore voted for a change to sensible and laws, monitoring people and invading their rational politics. privacy.

The tremendous seachange in Canadian Lesson #3 politics has a number of lessons for AusThe Australian Labor Party needs to tralia: search its soul and like the Canadian Liberal Lesson #1 Party needs to review its policies on various The theory that incumbent governments issues rather that copying the policies of the can get re-elected by creating a climate of Liberals so that the electorate can make a fear and insecurity has, this time been prov- distinction between Labor and Liberal. In

AMUST

AMUST Issue # 120 Friday 6 November 2015; 23 Muharram 1437 News .................................1 - 2 • Cycling to Help Sick Kids • Program to Counter Extremism Boomerang ..................... 3 - 5 • Geert Wilders alliance with ALA • Racism: Fun to laugh at

the long term this will give Labor electoral edge during elections.

Lesson #4 There should be an integrated approach to tackle terrorism, radicalization and rebellion amongst youth. Root causes that lead to these unwanted outcomes should be found and addressed. Peace with justice, an honest and neutral foreign policy without double standards and fair treatment of all Australians without vilification and demonization should be promoted.

Lesson #5 Muslim Australians must realize that Western Societies in general and Australia in particular is relatively the best place to live on the globe with equal opportunity to education, employment, residence with prosperity, security and peace.

Any differences, grievances and injustice must be addressed in a peaceful manner using freedom of thought and expression, democratic rights and recourse to law in our democratic society..

Z I Ahmad

Community ..................... 6 - 9 • Gould Sydney wins award • Sydney Remembers Imam Hussein

.

Australia ....................... 10 - 11 • Faithful March Together Lifestyle ...................... 12 - 14 • Inter-cultural Workshops • How is Married Life?

Ummah ........................ 15 - 18 • Palestinians Oppressed • It’s a Bipolar World Now Education ..................... 19 - 20 • A Role Model: Mohamed Khadra Travel .................................. 21 • The Retired Turkish Policeman Business ............................ 22 • Demand for Halal Rising Social .................................. 23 • Moby’s Friendship Theory

Ummah Legends al-Farghani Abu’l Abbas ibn Muhammad ibn Kathir al-Farghani was a multi-talented man with knowledge in philosophy, astronomy, and theoretical physics which extended to engineering in his later life. He was born in modern day Uzbekistan and lived under the patronage of al-Mamun, an Abbasid Caliph during the ninth century CE. Some of his accomplishments included: • Determining the diameter of the Earth as well as other planets • He wrote ‘Kitab fi al-Harakat al-Samawiya wa Jawami Ilm al-Nujum’ which was translated to Latin and widely studied in Europe from the 12th to the 17th century.

• According to Ibn Tughri Bridge, he supervised the construction of the Great Nilometer at al-Fustat, (Old Cairo) • Created the treatise for the famous astrolabe.

Courtesy of Ummah Legends: A journey to discover and celebrate the gems in Islamic history. Created by Peter Gould, Illustrated by Iman Ayoubi. www.ummahlegends. com

Program to counter violent extremism Continued from page 1 Dr Andrew Zammit, a counter-terrorism expert from University of Melbourne, who has been consulted by the federal government on deradicalisation in schools, said asking teachers to spot the signs of radicalisation was likely to be counter-productive.

“The false leads generated by teacher guesswork could divert attention from the small number of genuine threats. The distrust bred could inhibit cooperation in the cases where it is really needed.”

He recommended programs that encourage “critical thinking” among students rather than suspicion by teachers.

Last Sunday Hizb-ut-Tahrir organized a conference in Bankstown, Sydney attended by more than 500 people with the topic “Innocent until proven Muslim.”

Speakers criticised the atmosphere of fear and suspicion prevailing in the country as a

November 2015

result of exaggerated risks from radicalization and terrorism leading to the criminalization of the whole Muslim community.

Mr Uthman Badar, media representative of Hizb-ut-Tahrir, in a column published in the Sydney Morning Herald on 1 November titled “The Muslim is a tool for the cheap politics of fear”, wrote that “Deradicalisation” programs were meant to make Muslims less Islamic and an agenda for forced assimilation justified by exaggerated fears of a security threat.

Summary of CVE measures Support for schools · Provide additional training and support for the expanded school counsellor workforce the Government is providing NSW public schools · Establish up to five Specialist School Support Teams to be deployed to identified schools and work with them to develop

strategies based on their specific needs. · Develop additional resources for teachers and parents to identify and manage violent extremist behavior. · Enhance the case management framework for supporting school children at risk of engaging in violent extremism. · Expand the incident reporting system to ensure all NSW schools are reporting incidents of violent extremist behaviour so the NSW Police Force is informed of incidents of concern immediately.

Build community resilience and cohesion: · Develop a comprehensive package of community cohesion programs as an early and important preventative strategy. · Establish a Community Cohesion Ambassadors’ Program for community leaders to work with students in schools and the community. · Establish a Premier’s fund for social co-

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hesion initiatives for schools and local community organisations.

Support for community: · Establish a support and advice telephone line and online services for community and family members to seek advice on CVE. · Establish a CVE training program for front-line NSW Government workers, such as teachers and Family and Community Services officers.

Ensure all efforts are coordinated and based on best practice: · Establish a Premier’s CVE Expert Council of experts to provide advice on NSW approaches. · Establish a Committee of School Education Leaders to provide advice to both the CVE Council and the Minister on schools policies.

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BOOMERANG

Letters to the editor

Lessons from the Shahadah of in all days, is an outstanding sign of “a believer attaining God-conscience (taqwa) in Imam Hussain As a great symbol of uncompromising resistance to arrogance of Yazid, the revolution of Imam Hussain (r) must be remembered. This is a clear case where symbolic values of Islamic events take a great place in the causes of advancing Islam and the Qur’an.To see this in black and white, one needs to understand the Qur’an in its contextual meanings.

To honour the great sacrifice of Imam Hussain on the Day of Ashur’a and in fact,

his/her heart” The Qur’an 22:32.

But all the excessive practices to commemorate this sad day, such as beating the chests and bleeding the faces, makes the issue of resistance against modern tyrants, rather murky, confusing and dividing!

One would only be smart not to receive a diluted message from the blessed uprising of Imam Hussain (r).

Here is the relevant case study: Given their atheist past, Bashar al-Asad of Syria and his bedevilled father Hafiz al-Asad,

NEWS 1-2

BOOMERANG 3-5

COMMUNITY 6-9

would qualify to be much worse a despot and tyrant (taghut) than Yazid.

With the name “Islamic Republic”, Iran is duty bound to answer for its stand to protect the Muslim killers in Syria today!

With this question mark ahead of us all, global Muslim Ummah should come together, on the Day of Ashura’, to acknowledge the dearest sacrifice of Imam Hussain (r) and learn lessons from it.

Colouring the Day of Ashura thus, as relevant to Shi’ah Muslims only and not to Sunni Muslims, is grossly unjust, distorting and ignorant!

Dr R Raashed Sydney, NSW

Website comments HAVE YOUR SAY Palestinian doctor invents sim- where there is discipline and manners out of the Parramatta area. Both these Archbishops ple stethoscope Time and again I receive gloating posts from supporters of Zionist terrorism trumpeting the latest Israeli medical advance or how Israel is so generously providing health care for Palestinians who wouldn’t need such care if Israel hadn’t bombed them. This is a nice twist but it is disgusting that Israeli war crimes have forced Palestinian doctors to this level of ingenuity to provide an essential medical device as basic as a stethoscope.

Gazza

Eid Message from the Premier

It is up to Mike now to start building Islamic Schools in the Sydney area and in new housing development areas. No more of this nonsense I do not want it in my suburb. If you do not like it leave the suburb. Troubled youths will not settle down until they are in private schools. It is up to St Andrews or St Marys Cathederal to get these other troublesome youths into their exclusive schools free of charge that are in the City. Get them

run for cover at the sign of trouble instead of finding their voice and doing good. We have a good PM but two hopeless Archbishops. They should have gone to the Mosque to help out immediately.

About time

Controversy surrounding selective refugee intake policy

I am humbled by your exhortation. If only our world leaders in particular Australia do not play God in their decision making will your marginalised people have some hope.

Mal

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AUSTRALIA 10 - 11

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AMUST Team

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: Spotpress Pty Ltd Distributers: Wrapaway Transport Pty Ltd Distributers: Abul Fateh Siddiqui, Shujaat Siddiqui, Usaid Khalil, Aamir Ahmad, Ibrahim Khalil, Usman Siddiqui, Zahid Alam, Shahab Siddiqui, Mahmoud Jaame, Mateen Abbas, Rashid Idris, Kamrul Zaman, Sakinah Ahmad, Anjum Rafiqi, Hasan Fazeel, Dr Quasim, Ismail Hossain, Hanif Bismi, Zohair Ahmad.

Contact AMUST PO Box 111, Bonnyrigg (Sydney), NSW 2177 Australia.

Email: info@amust.com.au Ph:(02) 8006 2063; Fax: 9823 3626

The views and opinions expressed in articles, and Letters to the Editor, Website Comments are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of The Australasian Muslim Times.

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UMMAH 15 - 18

EDUCATION 19 - 20

TRAVEL 21

BUSINESS 22

BOOMERANG

SOCIAL 23

Geert Wilders alliance with ALA Bilal Cleland

Once again we are confronted with an anti-Muslim group struggling to make the headlines namely the Australian Liberty Alliance or ALA. They even invited the Dutch politician, who Anders Breivik, the Norwegian mass murderer deeply admired according to his manifesto “2083: A European Declaration of Independence.”

What Breivik particularly admired was Wilders demand that the constitution be rewritten to outlaw the “fascist” Quran in the Netherlands.

At the secret launch of the Australian Liberty Alliance in Perth on Tuesday 20 October, Wilders warned of the dangers presented by some migrants.

He was more circumspect in Perth than in the Netherlands, only urging that we should close our borders to “those kinds of immigrants.” According to Calla Wahlquist “’Those kinds of immigrants’ are Muslims. Opposing Islam is the central tenet of Wilders’ Party for Freedom, which has been leading the polls in the Netherlands since August. It is also the key policy of the Australian Liberty Alliance (ALA), the new party that Wilders flew to Australia to launch.”

(Guardian 21 October).

Calling on Australia to stay strong and “stay Australian without the appeasement and giving in to multiculturalism,” Wilders believed that the new party would get a lot of support.

“That’s the hope of Debbie Robinson, the president of the ALA and newly announced 2017 Senate candidate for WA, who addressed the media before Wilders arrived.

With her were Kiralee Smith – the found-

er of Halal Choices, a group opposed to halal certification on the grounds that it funds Islamist extremism – who will stand as the ALA’s Senate candidate in NSW, and Bernard Gaynor, who will run in Queensland.

Both have built a public profile on the back of their opposition to Islam.”

The ALA has a very interesting website http://www.australianlibertyalliance.org. au/ in which it quite clearly proclaims “It is our core policy that all attempts to impose Islam’s theocracy and Sharia law on our liberal society must be stopped by democratic means, before the demographic, economic and sociopolitical realities make a peaceful solution impossible.”

The implied threat of recourse to “non-peaceful solutions” should be of concern to our national security authorities.

The booklet released by the Commonwealth Attorney-General’s Department “Preventing Violent Extremism and Radicalisation in Australia” (which can be easily downloaded) in the section “What is radicalization?” states: “However, when a person radicalizes to the point of justifying, promoting or threatening violence for their cause, both the community and governments have a responsibility to act. Those who radicalize and display threatening behavior, incite hatred or promote the use of violence for their cause require some form of intervention.”

The type of hysteria being incited by anti-Muslim bigotry has already led to a prominent NSW lawyer, being threatened by an avid Reclaim Australia supporter. The individual has been charged with threatening to slit the lawyer’s throat, kill her family and kill “your uncle which is now your husband.” (SMH 4 August 2015).

A Facebook post from a member of the Australian Defence League 3 October 16:29 contains the statement “I think its time for an eye for an eye. So let the Lone wolf at-

tacks start on Mosques and the Imams.”

Recently a young man, hyped up on neo-Nazi anti-Muslim anti-immigrant propaganda, murdered two Muslims in the industrial town of Trollhattan, Sweden.

Lavin Eskandar, a teaching assistant, placed himself in front of the killer to save the children behind him. Ahmed Hasan 15 from Somalia, was also slain. Police chief Niclas Hallgren said “We can confirm that this was a racially motivated hate crime partially because the man chose his victims based on the colour of their skin.”(BBC World News 24 October).

There is a clear and present danger to the security of the Muslim population in Australia from the rise of completely unchecked

Racism: Fun to laugh at Irfan Yusuf Alex, the 30 year old Greek-Australian boy, is handed a couple of books by his friend. Islam for Dummies is one title. A Qur’an translation is the other. They head into Alex’s parents’ house. Dinner is served and Alex’s father notices the books. In fury, he asks: “Who brought these mussalmanou book here?”

Was Alex’s friend recruiting for ISIL? We know similar books were packed by some Sydney boys who headed off to join the new caliphate. We also know that their (perhaps) equal and opposite, far-Right politicians like Geert Wilders and the newly formed Australian Liberty Alliance (ALA) which he recently launched in Perth, sound like dummies when they talk simplistically about the 14 centuries of theology, law, spirituality, philosophy, art, literature, civilisation, tradition etc etc known as “Islam”.

Tahir Abbas recently wrote for the 2015 Routledge Handbook on Islam in the West that a key aspect of phobia of Muslims is the idea that “that Muslims are monolithic, monocultural, and in many ways culturally, intellectually, and emotionally the opposite of the European self”. Or to quote ALA co-founder Debbie Robinson: “Islam is a problem … Why is Mr Wilders surrounded by 24-hour security? It is because the Islamic community have placed fatwas on his head because you cannot speak out against Islam. We have a problem with the Islamic community that we do not have with any other group.”

But if the comedic drama of Alex & Eve, directed by Peter Andriikis, is anything to go

November 2015

AMUST

religious hatred. The propensity for violence of these groups was illustrated by the request from the police in Cooma that an animal rights demonstration be cancelled due to threats for the United Patriots Front in that town. The UPF leader was issued with a family ticket from a grateful circus. (Age 23 October).

A similar blind eye from our national security bodies was cast upon the military training and terrorism of the Ustasha in Australia in the 1970s. Hopefully this sort of political bias will not be repeated.

Bilal Cleland is a keen reader, a prolific writer and a regular columnist of AMUST based in Melbourne.

Friendship Shawqi Baghdadi Shawqi Baghdadi was born in 1928 in Banias a city in Tartous Governorate in north western Syria, located 55 km south of Latakia and 35 km north of Tartous. It is famous for its citrus fruit orchards and its export of wood.

Translated by Anne Fairbairn AM

by, Hellenophobia is alive and well in Aussie Lebanese Muslim circles. As Islamophobia is among Greek Aussies. Which might explain why Eve, the Lebanese-Muslim lawyer, and Alex, the Greek Maths teacher, are finding it so hard to marry without causing their drama king and queen parents to die of cultural cardiac arrest.

This kind of intermarriage caper is now common among Greeks, though Fairfax film critic Paul Byrnes wonders: “Whether Muslim Australians will find it so, I don’t know”. You should get out more, Paul. I know plenty of Muslim girls, Lebanese and otherwise, who’ve married outside cultural and religious boundaries. Some faced parental backlash from parents and/or in-laws.

Some guys recited the shahada sentence in Arabic once and then forgot all about religion. Others took on the religion wholeheartedly. Still others just remained as they were. Once the kiddies popped out, all cul-

tural sins were forgiven.

Some years back I walked into the Imam Ali mosque in Lakemba. A young Anglo-looking bloke nervously sat up the front. The Sheikh was muttering some Arabic prayers into his ears. I asked someone what was going on.

“The sheikh is administering the shahada to this new brother before performing his marriage.”

“Gosh, who is the girl?”

“The Sheikh’s daughter. They met at Uni.” If only the parents of Eve and Alex could watch this serene atmosphere instead of making so much comedy for us. Racism hurts a lot but it’s also fun to laugh at. The ALA should get used to it.

Irfan Yusuf is a lawyer and an award-winning writer and reviewer. His first book, “Once Were Radicals: My Years As A Teenage Islamofascist”, was published in 2009.

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Is what is between us what is between two lovers?

When we meet are our hands moist?

Do our words dry up and do we stutter?

Do we blush profusely?

Do we repeat ourselves again and again?

Asking how are you where have you been?

Where?

Do the bells ring with the beat of our hearts?

It’s as if all happiness exists in the books we exchange.

Do we imagine the universe is like two eyes?

See only the two of us dancing down the Road?

Reflect when you take two steps.

Do you feel against our legs two soft winds?

Are your hands as you walk have become two wings?

And your breasts are two fiery opals?

Reflect …. Is this what’s happening to us?

What’s between us is still uncertain.

We are friends ad not wildly in love.

My friend …who nows? We may fall in love.

Watch for a spark when our eyes meet

Dr Anne Fairbairn AM is an accomplished poet and writer. She is passionate about First Nation peoples, Muslims and Arabic literature and culture. She is based in Sydney

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NEWS 1-2

BOOMERANG 3-5

COMMUNITY 6-9

AUSTRALIA 10 - 11

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Ghamidi Australian tour: a great success Suhail Bokhari Last month, a series of very successful events were conducted with a well-known Pakistani scholar, Javed Ahmad Ghamidi.

Mr Ghamidi is the founder-president of Al-Mawrid Institute of Islamic Sciences that was established to promote research and education on Islam.

The events were organized by the Australian chapter of Al-Mawrid as part of their campaign to educate people about Islam based on a fresh interpretation from its original sources – the Quran and the Sunnah.

The scholar embarked on a busy tour by visiting several cities including Adelaide, Canberra, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney.

In his various but similar events, Mr Ghamidi tried to clarify many misconceptions about Islam amongst Muslims. The audiences were considerably diverse with people

ranging from, Muslims and people of other faiths, professionals, academics, students and families.

Questions varied significantly from social issues involving family matters, mortgage and hijab to theological concepts amongst others.

Mr Ghamidi also pointed towards the need for Australian Muslims to preserve their values of understanding and following the peaceful message of Islam while also trying to integrate within the Australian society at large by contributing within their capacity to their particular fields of work and social life.

Mr Ghamidi also explained about his famous article that was published earlier this year, ‘Islam and the State: A Counter Narrative’.

He stressed that the Muslim community needs to tackle the narrative that has been endorsed by extremist organizations by not only condemning their acts in the name of Islam but also by advocating a ‘counter-narrative’ that is based on the true understanding of Islam.

He stressed that the religion had been hi-

Javed Ahmad Ghamidi (right) speaking in Sydney. jacked by certain groups through the promotion and implementation of their own interpretation that has nothing to do with Islam in the first place. The purpose of Islam, he emphasized, is purification through clarified knowledge and decent actions.

Mr Ghamidi acknowledged and appreciated the democratic values of Australia. He reiterated that these are not only compatible but actually upheld by Islam.

He also brought attention to the audience of the principles of humanity, equal treatment and ethical practices that were highly encouraged by the Prophet Muhammad (s) and the value he gave to education and complete disapproval of any sort of corruption in society.

The feedback from the audience was very encouraging as it was the first time many had the chance to see him personally, ask questions and interact with him directly. ‘He explains things how they are’, a true reflec-

tion of people’s feeling after the tour.

While some were impressed by his skillful control of the Urdu language, others managed to attend multiple sessions. The audience also availed the opportunity to buy Mr Ghamidi’s books including the renowned ‘Meezan’ and ‘Al-Bayan’ amongst others that were provided by Al-Mawrid Australia.

Al-Mawrid Australia concluded the events with a presentation of the global institute and their focus on research for the better understanding of Islam in the light of its original sources.

Videos of all the events will soon be available on Al-Mawrid Australia’s website at www.al-mawrid.org.au or Facebook page at tinyurl.com/almawridaupage.

Michelle Aleksandrovics of SBS radio “Living Black” while doing her welcome of the country mentioned the link between Australian native Aboriginals with Ghans, Pakistani’s who came to Australia during the nineteenth century.

Sydney’s literary personality, Saba Abdi selected a very sensitive layer of the story and beautifully narrated that chapter from Urdu Book. Her accent, dialogue delivery and reading style was sufficient to engage the audience fully till the end of the reading.

Arif Sadiq from Urdu International selected two traditional characters from the novel to compare the conflict of Indian subcontinent society while SBS Hindi language executive producer Kumud Mirani mesmerized the audience by narrating an emotional part of the English version of the book.

Dr Mohammad Ali praised the writing style of the fiction book shedding light on one of the main character of the novel and Uzma Gilani is household name of Pakistani

TV Drama industry, in her impressive style of reading, dialogue delivery and expressions, read and dramatized a significant part of the book.

Renowned journalist and author Ashraf Shad praised Rehan’s unique bilingual work as the first ever from an Australian Urdu writer.

A video was shown to highlight the book launch ceremonies of Islamabad Literature festival, Australia Day in Pakistan, Arts Council of Pakistan and many other functions held to acknowledge the book and the author earlier in the year.

The highly successful event that started on time and ended on time portrayed multicultural and multilingual Australia and a positive image of the migrant community in general and the South Asian community in particular.

Sohail Bukhari is the Social-coordinator for the South Asia Study Group at the University of Sydney and an active member of the community. He tweets at @SohailBukharii.

“Beyond the Dreams” book launch Zia Ahmad Rehan Alavi’s book “Beyond the Dreams” was launched on Saturday 3 October in a memorable literary gathering attended by poets, writers, academics, politicians, diplomats, media persons, indigenous leaders and a large contingent of family and friends of the author.

The Urdu version of the bilingual fiction “ Taabeer Ki Talash Mayn” was launched in Pakistan earlier this year (see AMUST October issue # 119 Page 8). This unique work

by Rehan Alavi is a celebration of literary contribution of migrant community and acknowledgment of diversity of Australia.

Chief guest at the event was Australian Federal government special envoy for citi-

zenship and community engagement, Philip Ruddock MP who highly appreciated the bilingual nature of the work from an Australian author of South Asian origin.

The Counsel General of Pakistan, Mr Abdul Aziz Uqali praised the author’s ability of original writing in two languages and agreed with famous writer Mustansar Husain Tarar comments that writing style does not reveal it as first Novel of Rehan Alavi.

A number of literary figures of Sydney presented their evaluation of the book and read passages from the book in an excellent dramatic way that was highly appreciated by the audience.

Talib Haider of Geo News anchor and poet Huma Mirza managed the programme as MC’s and introduced various speakers at the event. Huma read the reviews and comments on Rehan’s book by famous authors such as Amjad Islam Amjad, Mutansar Husam Tarar, Shams Ur Rehman Faruqi, Ashraf Shad and Dr Mohammad Ali.

The author Rehan Alavi with Mr Philip Ruddock MP.

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Australasian Muslim Times

Zia Ahmad is the Managing Editor of AMUST and is based in Sydney.

Audience at the “Beyond the Dreams” literary event in Sydney.

www.amust.com.au

November 2015

UMMAH 15 - 18

EDUCATION 19 - 20

TRAVEL 21

BUSINESS 22

COMMUNITY

SOCIAL 23

Sabra snaps four silvers

AMUST

Mobinah Ahmad

Ahmad Sabra, a professional photographer of nine years has won 4 silver awards in the Wedding category of the APPA’s, The Australian Professional Photography Awards. Ahmad Sabra is a photographer based in the Northern suburbs of Melbourne.

He shoots both in (analogue) film and digital. Primarily he identifies as a portrait photographer along with documentary work in Australia and overseas.

“I feel blessed to have my work recognised outside of the Muslim community and alongside some of the great photographers in Australia. I feel that our community is slowly beginning to understand that photographers don’t just click buttons, there is a thought process behind every image, and they now recognise that and are willing to pay for our art.”

Ahmad also entered the APPA’s last year into the photo journalism category and earned a silver award and a silver distinction award.

Ahmad’s style is described as structurally poignant. The images submitted this year were quite poetic and beautiful.

Each picture a story within themselves, Ahmad describes himself as an observer or visitor that captures moments as they happen. Ahmad chose the image because of the symmetry and lines which he finds pleasing.

“In two of the photos I photographed the couple approximately 5 metres apart. It symbolises that public affection is not encouraged in our culture”.

Ahmad and his wife Zahrah Habibullah runs a photography studio called Lahza, specialising in weddings and events.

In 2014, they launched an exhibition and book titled Hummus, Falafel, Refugees which was a culmination of imagery taken over a few years of refugees from a number of countries, documenting their stories and imagery of where they lived.

As a follow up to Hummus, Falafel, Refugees, Ahmad is currently on a month long trip to Lebanon, Egypt and Turkey documenting the stories of refugees in camps.

Growing up in the Middle East he remembers the Palestinian refugee camps and is

Ahmad’s top scoring silvers at this years AIPP Australian Professional Photography Awards, of the couple, Talha and Thahera on their wedding day. sympathetic to their hardship. bourne last year and was a finalist in this tional awards held annually.

Within the AIPP, there are levels a memThe judging was extremely difficult this year’s Headon portrait prize. ber can earn from placing either silver or year and all of Ahmad’s entered images In giving advice to photographers wishgold in the annual awards, from Associate placed silver. ing to be recognised or commended for their to Grand Master, members can earn with the Ahmad has won numerous awards but work, Ahmad says to “Keep on shooting and accumulation of points that are accrued with most notable to date would be his portrait entering competitions. Be sure to seek prothe awards. of Mohammed from Gaza that was one of fessional development.”

This year, Ahmad made the first rank of the top 50 portraits of 2013 in the National Associateship which is an amazing achieve- Portrait Prize 2013.

To see more of Ahmad’s work, visit his ment to make in the first 2 years of memberHis other awards include: Finalist for website www.sabra-imagery.com.au/blog. ship into the Australian Institute of Profes- Soya Qantas Spirit of the Youth Awards for National Gallery Prize: sional Photography. www.portrait.gov.au/content/ahmad-sabra.

Photographers under 30, 2013 Emerging This current award was for the four sub- Artist Awards from Hume City Council, he Check www.lahza.com.au and the fb page mitted wedding images in the Australian won the documentary category at the Cenwww.facebook.com/lahzaphotography/ Institute of Professional Photography’s Na- tre of Contemporary Photography in Mel-

Gould Sydney wins marketing award Helen Tran Gould Sydney was announced as winner of the Small Business category for its 2015 Project Highlights at the Australian Multicultural Marketing Awards, held on 12 October at the Sydney Opera House.

The CEO of Multicultural NSW, Mr Harman, whose Agency have been delivering the Awards Program said: “The 26th Australian Multicultural Marketing Awards were a

great success and we congratulate all entries for both recognising the importance of equitable representation in marketing campaigns and promoting cultural diversity.”

2MFM were the public pick from the 20 finalists in the SBS People’s Choice for its campaign ‘Together Standing Against Extremism and Racism’.

The Islamic High Council was given a commendation Community Category for their Multicultural Mawlid Concert.

From left: Nick Farncomb, Peter Gould, Reuben Brand, Subhi Bora with their Small Business Award at the Australian Multicultural Marketing Awards.

November 2015

Minister for Multiulturalism Mr Ajaka with 2MFM President, Rafic Hussein & Program Manger Faten El Dana with their SBS People’s Choice Award.

www.amust.com.au

Australasian Muslim Times

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AMUST

COMMUNITY

Events Calendar AIM Conference 2015 Saturday 7 Nov, 2015 9:00AM - 3:00PM 921 Punchbowl Rd, Punchbowl, NSW www.fb.com/events/ 934882993225015

Muslim Teachers’ Association – Teachers’ Networking Event Saturday 7 Nov, 2015 9:00AM - 1:30PM 1/258 South Terrace, Bankstown, NSW www.muslimteachers .com.au

Theists & Atheists Discuss Good & Evil: A Moral Perspective Sunday 8 Nov, 2015 6:30PM The Westella Renaissance, Lidcombe, NSW www.fb.com/events/ 1624549491145272

NEWS 1-2

Sunday 8 Nov, 2015 6:00PM - 9:00PM 921 Punchbowl Rd, Punchbowl, NSW www.fb.com/events/ 466306206886768

Sydney Muslim Conference 2015 Sunday 29 Nov, 2015 9:00AM - 7:30PM Rosehill Gardens, James Ruse Drive, Rosehill, NSW www.fb.com/events/ 147960015553966

COMMUNITY 6-9

AUSTRALIA 10 - 11

Faith Community joins Toowoomba Mosque

LIFESTYLE 12 - 14

Professor Shahjahan Khan On 10 October, members of the wider community from all walks of life gathered at the Garden City Mosque, Toowoomba for Morning Tea to mark the unity of the people of Toowoomba.

In a media release, Executive Officer of Social Justice Commission, Dr Mark Copland termed the event as ‘People of Faith Stand in Unity with Toowoomba’s Muslim Community.’

Dr Copland said, “Bonds of trust and understanding have been nurtured and strengthened over the years. At the beginning of the Christian season of Lent, Muslims and Christians have come together.

At the end of the Holy Month of Ramadan Christians and Muslims have come together.

The 10th October has been set as a date to protest mosques in some parts of the world.

As Christians we felt it was important to be here to stand together at this time.”

There were representation from all major churches in Toowoomba such as Catholic (Fr Brian Sparkman, my contact and friend since 1994, and Dr Mark Copland), Anglican (Dr Jonathan Inkpin, Chair of Toowoomba Goodwill Committee, and Rev

Penny Jones), Uniting (Mrs Sharon Kirk), Lutheran (Rev Evan Reichelt), Toowoomba Churches Together (Rev Denise Harcourt) among others. Community leaders included Mr Matt Elipson, Mr Roberto Garcia, and Solicitor Brian Conrick.

The Vice Chancellor of University of Southern Queensland, Professor Jan Thomas also participated in the event and lent her support for the Muslim community.

The participants went inside the burned Mosque building and expresses their shock and horror by looking at the huge damage caused by the arson attack on the Mosque early this year.

Imam Abdul Kader, Dr Mark Copland, Fr Brian Sparkman, Police Officer Scott McGrath, and President of Islamic Society of Toowoomba, Professor Shahjahan Khan spoke at the gathering and condemned all kinds of violence and radicalism and invited the wider community to work together to make sure that the young generation is not mislead by any extremist group.

Professor Shahjahan Khan, based in Toowomba is a Professor of Statistics, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba and Vice President, Islamic Council of Queensland.

Sydney remembers Imam Hussein Fousiya Bismi

Build Punchbowl Mosque Dinner

BOOMERANG 3-5

A number of events were organized during the month of Muharram in memory of the martyrdom of Imam Hussein that included the 12th Sydney Ashura Walk and Imam Husain Peace Conference 2015.

The Ashura Walk from Hyde Park to the Royal Botanical Gardens by almost 5000 people was held on Saturday 24 October commemorating the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Mohammad (s) on 10 Muharram 61 AH, 680 CE in the city of Kerbala (in today’s Iraq).

The procession came together with mourners from different Muslim communities many wearing black carrying red flags and green banners chanting poetry against all forms of oppression. What was being promoted by this Ashura Walk is Imam Hussein’s stand for justice against suppression of freedom and terrorism.

Police guided the procession through traffic and everything went smoothly in full cooperation with the authorities peacefully.

Imam Hussein Peace Conference 2015 was held on 25 October commemorating Imam Hussein’s sacrifice and reiterating his message of stand for self-respect and righteousness.

This was organized by the Panjatan Welfare Association and Pakistan Australia Association and held at Wentworthville Community Centre, Sydney.

Speakers from different communities represented by a Christian reverend, Hindu solicitor, Sikh priest, poets and scholars came together to talk about how Imam Hussein unites various religious denominations to achieve harmony and peace with justice.

Those who presented were Iqbal Singh (Sikh Head Granth), Dr. Chandrika (solicitor) of Hindu religion, Dr Patrick McClerney (Christian priest), Sheikh Ejaz Hussein (Scholar from Norway), Solicitor Mr Ejaz Khan (main organizer), Dr Nighat Nasim (poet, writer and journalist ), Shafaq Jaffery (community activist and one of the main organisers) Khurram Murtaza (poet), Shams

Abbas (general Secretary Panjatan Centre) Mrs Tanveer Rizvi (ex principle of Pakistani school), Zafar Khan (poet), Shayan Rafique (poet).

Mahatma Gandhi has said “my faith is that the progress of Islam does not depend on the use of the sword by its believers but the result of the supreme sacrifice of Hussein the great saint. I leaned from Hussein how to achieve victory while being oppressed. “ Nelson Mandela said of Imam Hussein in these words: “I had spent more than 20 years in prison. Then one night I decided to surrender by signing all terms and conditions of the government. But suddenly I thought about Imam Hussein and Karbala movement and Imam Hussein gave me the strength to stand for right of freedom and liberation and I did.”

Imam Hussein inspires us to fight against injustice and bring about peace with justice.

Fousiya Bismi is a Sydney based Community activist, student of comparative religious studies, Legal advisor in family law and has a Bachelor degree in Australian Taxation Law and a Masters in Chemistry.

Australasian Conference on Islam 2015 – Radicalisation & Islamophobia Monday 30 Nov - Tuesday 1 Dec, 2015 Novotel Sydney Parramatta, 350 Church Street, Parramatta, NSW www.fb.com/events/ 1619159608336234

View more events online or add your own at www.amust.com.au/ calendar

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Australasian Muslim Times

www.amust.com.au

November 2015

UMMAH 15 - 18

EDUCATION 19 - 20

TRAVEL 21

BUSINESS 22

COMMUNITY

SOCIAL 23

AMUST

LaunchQ supports entrepreneurs Mobinah Ahmad LaunchQ Sydney held their successful presentation day event last weekend at UTS with 35 attendees, which included presenters, judges and members of the community.

LaunchQ is an exciting initiative of Malaysian-based seed stage investment firm Qeerad.

It is a popular training programs from Malaysia to Australia in order to empower Australian entrepreneurs.

Participants were in teams of 2-3 people and went through a 6 week program which began after an application process, with successful teams going on to the 3-stage training program.

Each stage involved an in-person workshop-style session that went for a full day (total of 3 days of training).

Between each in-person training program, each team was supported by an online (Skype) mentoring session to support the learning process and to further refine their ideas.

Each team had the same mentor throughout the program, with a total of 3 mentor sessions.

Managing Director of Qeerad, and one of the trainers at LaunchQ, Hassan Alsagoff said that “In line with Qeerad’s philosophy of being involved in ventures that put purpose before profit, we were very happy that each team put forward ideas with high social

Ummayn Team Asma Yusra, Abdulrahman Mawar and Husein Muhammad.

Photo by Baker Tamoury. impact potential.” and team, is an online marketplace to buy, There were five excellent presentations sell, and swap modest fashion.

by Ummayn, Circle, Food First, Hijab Swap Agent D’Marq: Asiya Rodrigo and team, and Agent D’Marq. connects upcoming designers with quality Ummayn was started up by husband and manufacturers. wife duo Asma and Abdulrahman and team, “Startups, tech, and innovation really have revolutionised the experience of learn- are the way of the future - and the present. ing tajweed online with their unique tapping There are countless startup-minded initiamethod. Circle by Hisham Krayem, Ramzy tives out there, however, the participation of Alamudi, Abir Hossain, connects graduates Muslims at such events are typically low. It with mentors. FoodFirst by Sarah Hossain is very important to provide opportunities to and team, connects busy people with home- the Australian Muslim community to refine made meals. Hijab Swap by Zulfiye Tufa their startup-thinking so that they may have

the knowledge, skills, and connections to succeed.” said Subhi Bora, the project manager for LaunchQ Sydney.

The Judges Choice awards: 1st place: Ummayn, $3000, 2nd place: Circle, $2000, 3rd place: FoodFirst, $1000. As well as the money, all winners received 2 books and a follow-up session with a trainer from LaunchQ. “We are in absolute shock and gratitude Alhamdulillah. We were in a room filled with great ideas and such supportive and creative teams that we look up to. What we took away from today was that Ummayn’s online platform that we had in our minds for a while now was validated - by both Muslim and non-Muslim mentors and judges. They saw a potential in us that I think we didn’t see in ourselves. This experience has been a real eye opener for us. We have learnt so much and are truly blessed to have been a part of the program” said Asma Yusra, co-founder of Ummayn.

Food First won the Team’s choice award, and Circle won the Trainers Chocie Award.

For more information about LaunchQ:Sydney, visit www.launch-q.com, and their Malaysian-based seed stage investment firm Qeerad www.qeerad.com.

Qeerad is a seed stage investment firm that helps startups bring great ideas to the market.

Their mission is to empower entrepreneurs to make proactive change in solving problems throughout the world with a sustainable business model.

Syrian appeal brings out generosity Rouba Issa With viral images of the war in Syria flooding her feed, Fatima Al-Sibai, a Psychologist based in Sydney, led an incredibly successful appeal to the Sydney multicultural community to donate items to Syrian refugees.

Fatima created and shared a Facebook page entitled “Syrian Refugee Crisis Appeal” to her circle of friends. By mid-afternoon it had been re-shared to reach over 4 thousand people and donations began to flood in.

The diversity of the Muslim community truly shined as people of all cultural groups got involved and donated generously to the appeal. The message that was spread out was to donate “New or As-New” items such as winter clothing, blankets, womens hygiene packs and schooling supplies for children.

Now with an overflowing garage, The Lebanese Muslim Association (LMA) made contact to assist, welcoming this project and

offering their site for sorting and storing.

The LMA continued to provide support by acting as a drop off point for deliveries and storing the sorted donations. Muslim Aid Australia (MAA) also came on board, assisting with the finance & marketing and even dedicating an account for monetary donations (see end of article for details).

When Fatima made a call for volunteers, she said “the response has been overwhelming, This level of kindness and generosity proves that humanity has not been lost.

The situation with the refugees is intense and people don’t know what to do. This project provides an opportunity for everyone to get involved. The Sydney community has embraced this project whole heartedly”.

In her pursuit for support, the hurdles that crossed her path did not deter her, instead it increased her motivation.

Fatima became inspired to start this initiative whilst on a spiritual retreat in Turkey.

An opportunity presented itself, and she took it, jumping feet first. IHH (Insani Yardim Vakfi), an organisation based in Turkey provides international humanitarian aid.

After a successful meeting with the organisation’s leaders, Fatima was provided

the opportunity to work with and provide psychological support to five refugee orphanages.

The orphanages housed children who had been exposed to unimaginable circumstances including, death of immediate family members, torture and sexual and violent abuse, the youngest being seven month old.

Fatima witnessed firsthand the conditions that the refugees lived in. The situation was dire; there were families living in abandoned apartment blocks that were half completed and not structurally safe.

She further witnessed the desperation of the community when a retired policeman opened up a makeshift shop every day to handout whatever little in donations he was given, while families lined up for hours.

Fatima realised that with the winter fast approaching, a difference needed to be made.

So what’s next for this amazing initiative? Whilst the container continues to be filled using donations made through Muslim Aid Australia, Fatima is concurrently planning to host an auction dinner to continue the momentum from project before she goes to Turkey to distribute the supplies.

“This will be an ongoing initiative” she said “to encourage more people to get involved, donate and be educated about the Syrian refugee plight and to be kept up to date on the progress” To donate to this Syrian Crisis Appeal, Muslim Aid Australia (CBA), BSB 062191, Account No. 1044 8216. For more info and to get involved please visit facebook. com/SyrianRefugeeCrisisAppeal.

Women in sport win AMUST Media Amna Karra Hassan was awarded the Contribution to the Community Award at the I Support Women in Sport Awards that took place this month. Amna is the operations manager at the Auburn Giants Australian Football Club.

“What an amazing night at the I Support Women in Sport Awards! Congratulations to Amna K-Hassan who won the Contribution to the community award! Was so inspiring to meet Past, present and future athletes and Olympians! My favorite Caroline Bucanan BMX gold medalist and Susie O’Neil!

Amazing athletes !” - Yash Kammoun, Football Development Officer, Auburn Giants.

Rouba Issa is a Sydney based AMUST contributor with a Bachelor of Arts (Media, Text and Writing) and is currently doing a Masters in Education.

November 2015

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Australasian Muslim Times

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AMUST

AUSTRALIA

NEWS 1-2

BOOMERANG 3-5

COMMUNITY 6-9

AUSTRALIA 10 - 11

LIFESTYLE 12 - 14

Faithful march together for refugees Philip Feinstein A huge turnout of over 4,000 at the rally on Sunday demonstrated the feelings of Sydney people regarding the current refugee situation. And despite the new Turnbull government showing some restraint towards their policies at Nauru, the atmosphere at the rally was one of anger and disdain.

The Sydney Town Hall was the venue for people of many backgrounds, all showing their unity and comradeship for one cause: Free the refugees. One of the many pleasing things at the rally was seeing people of different religions and backgrounds all mixing together. Many of the groups wore traditional colours of clothing from their background. Some had travelled from places as far afield as Wollongong and the Central Coast.

One of the banners stated: ‘Grandmothers Against the Detention of Refugee Children’. And the strong Jewish contingent had a banner: ‘Jews for Refugees’. Robin Margo, a member of that group, said: “We are here because, with our people’s history, we believe very strongly in just and compassionate treatment for all refugees, no matter where they are fleeing from.” He pointed out that in custody in Australian Detention Centres are people from many countries including Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Sri Lanka and many others. And the vast majority of these desperate people would have

something positive to offer Australia.

“With the recent Moss Review finding evidence of sexual abuse inside the Nauru Detention Centre, the people here today are extremely concerned about the policies of the current government” said Ian Rintoul, one of the key organisers of the event. “The Australian government detention centres on both Nauru and Manus Island both need to be closed. And our message is for both the Liberal and Labour parties to act on this.”

Greens members for Newtown, Jenny Leong, gave a stern warning to the current government when she said: “We are all watching you very closely and you will be brought to account if the current attitude towards asylum seekers and refugees does not change.” She ended her account with the

masses joining in: “Free, free the refugees refugees are welcome here!”

An interesting comparison of refugees during the second world war was brought to the fore by Dr David Isaacs of Westmead Children’s Hospital and Sydney University.

He referred to the St Louis ‘Voyage of the Damned’ and how in 1939 that ship with refugees bound for America and Canada was turned back, resulting in the eventual deaths of many fleeing refugees. You would think as a nation that Australia would have learned from that. After all, we are supposed to be a civilised, decent and caring nation.

After the speeches at the Town Hall everyone marched down George Street to Belmore Park near Central Station. It was a great atmosphere with Jews, Muslims,

Christians and others all walking together as one under the common cause.

On arrival at Belmore Park, the Amnesty International spokesperson called for an end to secrecy surrounding Australia’s refugee laws. The crowd echoed this sentiment. And Australia was accused of breaking human rights by sending or threatening to send people back to their homeland.

The rally ended with a call to action for the public to contact their local ministers and voice their disapproval of the current situation.

And of course: “Free, free the refugees refugees are welcome here!”

Philip Feinstein is a Sydney based writer, musician and activist working for MUSIC FOR REFUGEES www.musicforrefugees.org

Malcolm Turnbull and Canberra rallies Australian diversity against refugee policy Dr Dennis Walker

Jumanah Husna

The core of Anglo-Saxon culture steers everyone to inclusion, brings everyone in.

Look at the English language itself. English is a composite language, Latin and Germanic and French and Arabic in its vocab at one and the same time. Milton wrote poems in Latin and Italian.

Dr Anne Fairbairn, long a friend of Arabs, has written the dense account of Malcolm Turnbull and his careers that Muslim and Arab Australians need, now that he is our national leader. She is a fine Celtic Australian, but her print-text at least (Australian Muslim Times October 2015 p. 18) did not mention that PM Malcolm is of Scottish descent.

The first fleet had two Gulf Arabs in it.

From the First Fleet, the small racist minority among Anglos here was very intolerant of Irish, Scots, Welsh and Cornish Australians the peoples whom the English conquered, keeping their cultures alive in Australia.

Still the same in 2014! Our England-born Prime Minister PM Abbott used the name of our multi-ethnic country to advise Scots to reject the statehood now very close to them.

“As a friend of Britain, as an observer from afar, it’s hard to see how the world would be helped by an independent Scotland”. Malcolm Turnbull had a different view of Scots nationalism.

In our new century, hard-Anglomorph Australian culture continues to despise Celts (Scots and Irish people) although muting the race-hate it bellowed out before 1945.

An example is the article “Clan Turnbull again at odds with Tony Abbott, this time over Scottish independence”, published by Tony Wright in _The Australian_ of 19 August 2014.

Wright’s article applied images from Scotland’s languages and history to shrink the Liberal Party’s Turnbull down to an amusing porcelain Celtic gnome in an Eng-

On Sunday 11 October 2015, over 3,000 Canberra residents gathered in the city to protest against the mistreatment of refugees by the Australian Government.

Tobias Dunn, a whistle-blower, worked at the Nauru detention camp. He explained the physical and emotional abuse he witnessed to the crowd; he saw children beaten by the guards.

“A place where every month two children are sexually abused, every week two children lose hope and self-harm, a place where every second day a child is assaulted… A place where almost half of the physical and sexual abuse is at the hands of commonwealth employees.”

Diana Abdul-Rahman, the ACTs Australian Muslim Voice president, spoke about her traumatic experience she witnessed first-hand whilst living in Lebanon with her

10

lish city garden of narrow dimensions.

“Malcolm the Turnbull rejoices in the knowledge that the very name Turnbull comes, at least in legend, from a wild act of courage that saved the life of the Scottish King Robert the Bruce, only a year after Bruce had led his forces to victory over the English at the Battle of Bannockburn during the First War of Scottish Independence in 1314.

Malcolm’s distant ancestor, a fellow named William of Rule, is credited with wrestling a charging bull and turning it away from Robert the Bruce in 1315”, hence the name and coat-of-arms of Malcolm’s “Turnbull” family, “a wild fighting mob from the Scottish borders”.

Was Malcolm Turnbull one more Scots mad-bull who must charge everything English again when he conducted the movement to abolish the English monarchy in Australia, Wright wondered.

When Scotland is independent, Scots- and Irish-Australians will cop less taunt-”humor” from those who distort the liberal, integrative essence of Anglo-Saxon culture to hint that Celts and Arabic-script ethnics ineluctably can never amount to much that is positive here in what is the country of all of us, Usturalia, Australia.

The majority of Australians and its Anglo-Saxons defend the diversity of Australia, and its good future as a new nation that will come. Usturalia! Usturalia! An Astrail!

daughter.

“I covered my daughter, who was only two years old at the time, with my body, just in case something happened,” she said.

John Minns, Unions ACT president, gave a powerful speech, which resulted in a loud applause from the Canberra crowd.

Among the crowd was Isabel Brown, an 18-year-old student who organised an alpine walk in order to bring awareness to the refugee situation. It was her way to get her voice heard by the public. The walk goes from Canberra to Victoria and lasts about two months.

“Because I’m just a small, 18-year-old girl, I don’t have that much of an effect on people. So I wanted to do something big and dramatic and difficult that would last a few months that would hopefully get people to listen. Maybe if they hear that ‘this girl is doing a massive walk across Australia, she must be so passionate about it. Maybe we’re doing something wrong, ’” she said Follow Isabel’s journey by liking her Facebook page – The Australian Alpine Refugee Walk www.fb.com/Awareness.Refugee.Walk

Dr Dennis Walker, is a researcher on Christians in Lebanon.

Australasian Muslim Times

www.amust.com.au

November 2015

UMMAH 15 - 18

EDUCATION 19 - 20

TRAVEL 21

BUSINESS 22

AUSTRALIA

SOCIAL 23

Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP):

AMUST

A trade relationship to create jobs and economic growth for Australia FINANCE Dr Abul Jalaluddin This historic TPP, the biggest global trade deal in two decades, will deliver enormous benefits to Australian businesses, farmers, manufacturers and service providers.

The first round of TPP negotiations was held at Melbourne in March 2010 and the deal has been concluded at Atlanta in October 2015. The TPP partners include Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, New Zealand, Singapore, the United States and Vietnam.

The TPP countries represent around 40% of global GDP. In 2014, around 33.3% of Australia’s total goods and services exports went to TPP countries. These countries represent 45% all outward Australian investments which were $1.1 trillion in 2014.

The TPP will slash barriers to Australian exports and eliminate 98% of all tariffs across everything from beef, dairy, wine, sugar, rice, horticulture and seafood through to manufactured goods, resources and energy. It provides good outcomes for Australian services including education, professional services, transport, financial services as well as access to government procurement markets in the region. The specific outcomes in

Quran exhibit at Flinders Uni Muslehuddin Chandio A Qur’an Exhibition was held at the Flinders University to educate the youth about the true teachings of the Qur’an.

The exhibition displayed the Qur’an in 35 different languages and handmade calligraphy. A variety of books were also available with a separate multimedia stall to provide access to the Holy Qur’an database.

The event, organized by AMSA attracted diverse people at the University with more than 200 guests attending, including the Vice Chancellor, Miss Nancy Cromer.

An information session was also held to provide an introduction of the Qur’an focusing on the perspective of social, national and international peace.

One of the guests, Adam praised the organisers with these words, “I feel as though what they are promoting here is more about truthfulness, justice and respect rather than invoking fear in other people.”

Muslehuddin Chandio is a student based in Adelaide.

various sectors are highlighted in what follows.

Services There will be major new commercial opportunities for mining equipment and oilfield services to Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, Mexico and Vietnam. Financial services to all TPP countries. Professional services to Malaysia. Education services to Brunei Darussalam, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru and Vietnam. Health, transport, aviation and telecommunication services to Malaysia and Vietnam. Hospitality and tourism services to Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru and Vietnam. New opportunities for government procurement markets in Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru and Vietnam.

Agriculture Improving beef exports to the US, Canada Japan and Vietnam. Increased level of sugar exports to the US, Canada, Japan, Peru and Malaysia. Rice to Japan and Mexico. Dairy products to the US, Canada, Japan and Mexico. Cereals to Canada, Japan and Mexico.

Wine exports to Canada, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru and Vietnam. Seafood exports to Canada, Japan, Mexico and Peru.

Manufacturing Manufacturing goods including iron & steel products, pharmaceuticals, machineries, mechanical & electrical appliances, automotive parts as well as paper & pa-

perboards exported to Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru and Vietnam. Exports of resources and energy products will be increased to Peru and Vietnam.

Investments The TPP framework will create investment opportunities for Australia. Australian investments into Canada below CA$1.5 billion will not be screened by Canadian authorities. Japan, Vietnam and Brunei Darussalam will only impose conditions on foreign investment on initial sale of interests or assets owned by the government. Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) will increase investment screening threshold from $252 million to $1,094 million, except investments in agricultural land and agribusi-

Dr Abul Jalaluddin is an Islamic Finance expert, Director of MCCA, taxation advisor and a regular columnist of AMUST. He is based in Sydney.

International Students Shine in NSW Awards Mobinah Ahmad The outstanding and invaluable contribution to communities made by the State’s international students was recognised at the 2015 NSW International Student Awards at the Sydney Opera House, organised by StudyNSW within the NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet.

“The NSW International Student Awards enables the State to showcase the excellence of our international students and to celebrate the array of global cultures making a difference in our classrooms and communities,” Mr Ayres said.

Minister for Trade, Tourism and Major Events Stuart Ayres officiated at the awards ceremony and congratulated the winners of four International Student of the Year awards. Winners included Dunya Alruhami, from Iraq, who won the Higher Education category, Zaki Haidari (Afghanistan) who took out Vocational Education and Training (VET) Award and Ms Samah Talal Abdulmawla, from Saudi Arabia was a finalist for the International Student of the Year (ELICOS).

“The benefits will continue long after to-

Samah Talal Abdulmawla, from Saudi Arabia (middle), a finalist for the International Student of the Year with other attendees. night’s winners and finalists have returned migrants, acting as interpreters, mentoring home; their presence here has strengthened new students, fundraising for a range of our links with the international community charities and training new swimmers in waand have no doubt created connections that ter and surf safety. will thrive over time.” said Mr Ayres.

For the full list of winners visit The finalists’ initiatives included gener- www.nsw.gov.au/internationalstudentawards ating social opportunities for isolated im-

Dunya Alruhami (Iraq) with Minister Ayres for Higher Education Award.

November 2015

nesses, for all TPP countries.

Concerns Raised A number of concerns have been raised on TPP and its clauses. These relate to copyright laws, food safety & labelling, medicines prices and Investor State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) which may allow foreign companies to sue Australia for loss of future profits due to government policies.

Australia will now undertake treaty-making process. The Joint Standing Committee on Treaties will review the TPP and then table it to the Parliament for enactment.

www.amust.com.au

Zaki Haidari (Afghanistan) for VET Award

Australasian Muslim Times

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LIFESTYLE

NEWS 1-2

BOOMERANG 3-5

COMMUNITY 6-9

AUSTRALIA 10 - 11

LIFESTYLE 12 - 14

The Great Cycle Challenge 2015 AMUST

Tanya Kubitza

The Great Cycle Challenge is one of the annual fundraiser s conducted by the Children’s Medical Research Institute (CMRI) in Sydney.

This year saw the event return in its third instalment and even bigger yet.

It kicked off on 1st October with over 8,000 riders from all walks of life across Australia and beyond signed up to help raise funds and awareness for kids fighting cancer. Entry is free and each rider raising more than $500 has been given a free jersey. Fundraising and riding goals are set individually by each rider and can range from 1 km to a few hundred km. Family, friends, colleagues and local businesses then sponsor the cycling efforts via each rider’s individual fundraising page.

Being a keen mountain biker, I signed up for the inaugurate Great Cycling Challenge in 2013 and raised $3,500. It was such a humbling experience and one of the best things I have participated in, so I didn’t hesitate to sign up again in 2014, raising nearly $9000 with the generous support of family, friends, students, parents and staff of Al Siraat College as well as the wider local community.

Donations were made from not only Australia but also Germany, the UK, Norway, Finland, Indonesia, the US and New Zealand. We organised a balloon race, icy pole and chocolate fundraisers on Eid and at Al Siraat and I was also invited to do a radio interview with the BBC German broadcast.

This year, my 8-year-old daughter Mari-

Tanya Kubitza: Mountain bike rider. am asked to join me in riding for kids fighting cancer and we have set our riding goal to 1,061 km which is equivalent to riding the distance from Al Siraat College in Melbourne’s Northern suburbs to the Children’s Medical Research Institute in Westmead, Sydney. This means I have been peddling an average 35 km every day throughout October. Being a full-time working mother of two, this has taken most of my free time during the week and on the weekends. We have been updating our supporters on our virtual progress on a weekly basis and arrived in time at the CMRI on 31st October when the riding part of the GCC officially came to an end.

Funds however can still be donated until the end of November when the final amount will be released by the CMRI. So far, the fundraising figure stands at over $2.5 million, the goal the event organizers had hoped for: What a fabulous amount and what a great achievement from everyone involved.

While I knew that topping last year’s amount would be hard, I did not expect for us to raise over $4,700 once again this year.

It is deeply humbling to see how generous our community is supporting this cause so close to my heart. I lost both my grandmothers to cancer when I was young, have seen one of my best friend’s mother lose the battle against lung cancer and know friends who have recently been tested for and diagnosed with cancer, having witnessed the toll this has taken not only on them but also their families and friends.

When I found out that Rebecca, my friend’s 5-year-old daughter (in Germany) has been hospitalised since the start of the year, signing up for this year’s GCC simply became a matter of “How can I NOT do it again?” My grandmothers lived fulfilled lives and could spend time with their family

Melbourne to Sydney equivalent cycling challenge. and loved ones, but seeing a child in hospital simply breaks my heart. There is so much pain and suffering involved for the family, sleepless hours waiting and praying and hoping against all odds. Rebecca’s mother has created a blog on Facebook and following her journey from being in a one month coma and on a ventilator for weeks, then recovering in baby steps just shatters your soul. Then I look at my own children, see them at school, playing with their friends, exploring the world around them. That life is robbed from cancer kids. They should be out there too, living a full life, laughing and playing and for their parents to see them grow up rather than fading away and trying to fight off this vicious disease. Still, it is incredible to witness the inner strength and courage these kids exhibit and it leaves me in awe. While their little bodies are so weak and fatigued, their will power and bravery are mind blowing. It takes a lot of heart to stay positive and keep getting up, battling chemo and cancer treatments for months. I told my daughters: “These kids are real life superheroes without a cape!”

I have spoken to my two daughters, aged nearly 12 and 8 years of age a lot about my commitment towards gravely ill children and try to make them understand that health is something we only seem to be taking seriously until it is suddenly taken away from us. My elder daughter was in hospital last year with pneumonia which came as a shock for us all. So my Year 3 grader Mariam, a member of our College’s Student Representative Council, decided that she would like to do whatever she can as a child to help other children less fortunate than her. While she is still quite young, she understands that making a difference does not depend on age. She loves bike riding and has put her legs to the test this month to give some hope back to

kids fighting cancer. Our neighbour Brooke also noticed Mariam being on her bike on a regular basis and has commented how “enthralled she is to see someone as young as Mariam taking a stand for other kids less fortunate than herself.” However, our challenge would have been nothing without the kind-hearted support from everyone who has so selflessly and generously contributed with their donations as well as their beautiful and encouraging words, comments and prayers.

My daughters and I also flew to Sydney in September 2014 and met event managers Nermeen Yacoub and Greg Johnson at the CMRI. We saw first- hand how money raised in events like the GCC are used to fund much needed cancer research. Leading scientist and researcher Dr. Hamish Campbell explained to us how said funds had indeed enabled his research team to make a number of vital discoveries, including a test that will help identify some of the most aggressive types of cancers.

While the riding challenge has now finished for Mariam and I, a much harder challenge continues day after day for these amazing kids. Thus, our greatest thanks goes to all the children out there fighting cancer who have shown us what true courage really is. You bounce back from rounds of chemotherapy still smiling and have inspired thousands of people across Australia and beyond. Thank you for letting us be part of your journey and for touching our hearts.

Donations to help change little lives can still be made until the end of November via Tanya&Mariam’s fundraising page: www.greatcyclechallenge.com.au/Riders/ TanyaKubitza Tanya Kubitza is a keen bike rider, fundraiser and a school teacher based in Melbourne.

Cultural workshop breaks down barriers Alsu Kurlow Around 50 students from Mount Sinai Jewish School and Arkana Muslim School, came together on 24 October at Bankstown Arts Centre for a cultural exchange workshop to celebrate the diversity and similarities between the students of the two faiths.

The students took part in a series of activities that included learning how to interview one another and develop a short video using an iPad. Students prepared interview questions, which allowed them to ask and learn about each other’s family, culture, food and festivals, which they later captured on video.

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Besides film making, the students learnt about their new friends and were pleasantly surprised at how much they had in common.

Several students said that the highlight of the day included bonding with one another, making new friends and eating together.

The event was organized by “Together for Humanity” and “Australian Nasheed and Arts Academy” both of which are multi-faith community organisations seeing beyond the historic conflicts while encouraging appreciation of cultural and religious diversity among communities in Sydney.

The foundation of the inter-faith programs was established by the two extraordinary principals at both schools.

The Filmmaking Workshop was designed to break down barriers between different faiths and move toward common ground.

Alsu Kurlow is the Founder of Inspire Performing And Creative Arts Australia Inc, a not for profit organisation

Australasian Muslim Times

www.amust.com.au

November 2015

UMMAH 15 - 18

EDUCATION 19 - 20

TRAVEL 21

BUSINESS 22

LIFESTYLE

SOCIAL 23

How is Married Life?

Zeynab Gamieldien | Love Haqtually

As a newcomer to the world of matrimony, I’ve suddenly found myself catapulted to the other side of the fence. All those times I flippantly asked people ‘so, how’s married life?’ have come back to haunt me, for I now know that there is no real answer to that question.

Most people are just being polite when they ask and so I hesitate to bore them with any more than a ‘good, alhamdulillah’, but for anyone who’s interested in something a bit less generic, here’s a slightly longer, more honest answer to that question: Married life = super speed change For the average Australian couple, the transition towards married life is a slow, leisurely one. There might be a few years of dating, followed by a few years of cohabiting, followed by a long engagement and a subsequent wedding.

In contrast, Muslim couples have to adjust to so many things changing all at once.

There’s the move out of the parental home and safety net, the moving into a new home with a new partner, the adjusting to another person’s favourite brand of toothpaste and

washing powder and clothing line pegs.

Digesting all of these changes simultaneously is a monumental, challenging, weird and wonderful task.

Married life = compromise Before I got married, I had a relatively large amount of freedom and autonomy. My money was mine to spend on as many ice cream tubs as I pleased.

My time was mine to spend as I pleased. If I felt like going out for burgers at 11pm with the girls, that’s exactly what I did, and if I felt like sleeping in until 12pm on a Sunday (and I always did), then that’s exactly what I did.

It’s a terribly clichéd thing to say, but

Muslim couples “have to adjust to so many things changing all at once”

married life really does entail a great deal of communication and compromise. Sure, you can still sleep in until 12pm, but that means dumping all the sock folding onto your partner, and who wants to be married to a constant sock dumper?

Married life= learning about yourself as

much as learning about your spouse A lovely married friend of mine once told me that she hadn’t known just how mean she could be until she got married. It was hard to believe, given how lovely she is, but I can certainly appreciate what she meant. Marriage forces you into unprecedented levels of proximity with another human being, and in doing so, you are forced to hold a great big mirror up to yourself.

Flaws, bumps and shortcomings are amplified in close proximity. There’s simply no hiding them, folks.

Married life = heaps of fun Enough with the boring adult stuff about compromise and communication and patience. Marriage is certainly all those things, but something few people prepared me for is just how much fun you can have with your spouse.

Every night can be a slumber party, you can bore them with all the details about your day at work no one else listens to and there’s always someone to split dessert with. If ever you needed an incentive to get married, you have it right there.

Zeynab is an Australian lawyer, social inquirer, traveller and chronic human observer. She created Love Haqtually as a space for Muslims (and anyone interested) to discuss relationships, love, the weirdness of being a Muslim in the 21st century.

Asiful Zeynab weds

Zamirul and Shireen Islam announce the marriage of their son, Asiful Islam (25 years) to Zeynab Gamieldien (25 years), daughter of Mohamed Akram Gamieldien and Yasmin Gamieldien. Asiful is an occupation engineer and Zeynab is a lawyer.

Their wedding was held on Saturday 3 October at Le Beach Hut, Dolls Point.

Hilly meets Willy

Rouba Issa

Hilly Awad and his daughter Amira Awad were out on their usual weekly fishing trip.

Little did that anticipate that morning as they rode out 10km into the sea that they would end up saving a whale.

November 2015

Hilly Awad a Sydney father who resides in Punchbowl loves to fish and his young daughter shares his passion.

“Amira is in her element when she’s fishing,” Hilly proudly say of his daughter, they go out fishing together one to two times a week.

The eventful day began while they were out at sea. As they were fishing their aerial broke and Amira then caught sight of a fin in the water.

Father and daughter then heard the distressed sound of an animal, which Amira initially thought was a dolphin coming from the side of the boat.

Peering over they saw a whale caught up in a net, tangled and in distress.

Then began the tricky rescue mission.

Miles out to sea Hilly knew he couldn’t wait for help to come hence he undertook the rescue by himself.

Amira filmed her father cut the net that was digging deeply into the flesh of the whale. The whale swam away from the net unharmed and now free.

AMUST

Marriage Bureau

Seeker & Sought For

An initiative by the Islamic Foundation for Education and Welfare (IFEW)

Seekers

F159: Female, 27 medical doctor, Indian residing in Saudi Arabia.

I apply Islam in my day-to-day life. I have performed Hajj twice and Umrah numerous times. I am soft spoken, humble and well cultured. I respect elders and very adjusting by nature. I am seeking for a life partner who is an educated and practicing Muslim.

F158: Female, age 35, an Australian from Bangladesh An accountant working as a finance manager. Enjoys reading books, likes cooking and loves to travel. Seeking for an educated and practicing Muslim who comes from a good family.

F157: Female, 23, New Zealand-Indian, Engineer I enjoy reading books, learning more about Islam, exercise, cooking, watching tennis and socialising with friends.

I am a practicing Muslimah and enjoy attending community Islamic events.

I work for a multinational company. I am seeking an educated, honest, caring, loving, upright and religiously compatible life partner who is committed to grow with me to achieve our dreams of fulfilling life together.

F155: Female, 29. Sri Lankan Indian (Bahrain), Pharmacist I enjoy spending time with family, reading books, cooking Arab dishes. I read the Quran and pray 5 times a day.

I’m looking for a Muslim man, aged between 30-35 yeas old, who is cultured, open-minded and who has high respect in family values.

M156: Male 58 divorced Pakistani Australian. I have been in Australia for 30 years and worked in IT and now I am retired. I am seeking for a Sunni muslimah widow or divorced from any culture.

M154: Male, 42. Pakistani Australian, Accountant I come from a respectable family, I have been brought up with traditional Pakistani culture. I am a Sunni Muslim. I like reading Islamic Books, attending Islamic seminars and meeting friends of a similar background. I also like watching movies, listening to music and watching various sports. I am looking for a Sunni Muslim Pakistani woman who is educated and comes from a respectable family background.

M153: Male, 32, Sri Lankan Australian, Engineer. I’m an engineer and revert to Islam. I have high emaan. My hobbies are fitness, reading, learning Arabic, engineering, modern history, cafés and restaurants, innovation. I’m looking for a devout practicing Muslim (Sunni) sister from any cultural background. Ideally a sister with very high emaan.

See More at www.amust.com.au/seekers Placing/Responding a notice Hilly Awad and his daughter Amira Awad with the baby whale they had rescued.

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If you would like to place or respond to a notice, fill out the matrimonial form at: www.amust.com.au/marriage-bureau All information is held in strict confidence

Australasian Muslim Times

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LIFESTYLE

NEWS 1-2

BOOMERANG 3-5

COMMUNITY 6-9

AUSTRALIA 10 - 11

LIFESTYLE 12 - 14

Goodbye incredible Indonesia AMUST

MOBYDAYZE Mobinah Ahmad This is part 6 of the Australia-Indonesia Muslim Exchange Program series Read previous parts at http://goo.gl/yfYJzT While I was away, the rest of the group went to the MTSN13 school, which conducts teacher exchanges with Australia.

Tasneem said “These kids’ eagerness to engage and learn was abundant. One of the warmest welcomes I’ve known - a school of bright, courteous and smiling faces. Following the visit, we were simultaneously hit with multiple IG ‘folbak’ requests from students here, revealing a social media savyness that belied their wide eyed expressions.” They were treated like celebrities by the students, each one having their own hardcore instant fans, looks amazing.

That same day, we stopped for lunch at a local street stand. Even though it was hot and humid, I was craving Nasi Goreng, so I ordered Nasi Tehur, fried rice with rice and satay. It was my shout!

After speaking with the Australian Embassy about how we hadn’t seen what the young people of Jakarta really get upto, they quickly arranged something special for us.

They had arranged a visit to AKJ, the Arts Institute of Jakarta. It was awesome to meet young artists and see their work!

We had the privilege to meet fashion designers, painters, sculptors, musicians - this was the kind of young, fresh, bold identity of Jakarta we were looking for. I got to meet Cika (chee-ka), a second year Arts student.

Cika was wearing her own design, a blend between a Military Jacket and a Kimono.

I asked her whether there were any religious restrictions on the way students are asked to design, she said “No, we have freedom to do whatever we want. But we do not forget our traditions.”

We came across an artist who was putting dots onto paper, making an incredible scenic artwork. Sarah pointed out that she was practicing her pointillism technique.

Sarah said she couldn’t imagine how much patience and discipline it requires from the artist.

We visited the Jakarta arts precinct in Cikini. We watched young girls learn traditional Balinese dancing whilst their proud parents observed.It was amazing to see incredible artistic expression through tradi-

tional music and dance. What a great way to end out trip! It feels so sad that our journey is almost ending.

After a wonderful time checking out the art school, we invited some of the students from the Art Institute to join us for dinner that evening. It was a chance to connect with them and get to know them better over a delicious dinner at Warung Daun.

We had Lamb satay, chilli king prawn, corn potato fritters and watermelon-strawberry mocktails.

The next day, Kota Tua is the Old Town, where you see a lot of Dutch influence when they colonised Indonesia. They have a square which reminded me of the plaza mayor in Madrid Spain with performers, music players, cartoonists etc.

I went to the Oude Bataviasche Museum, which provided a great view of the square and the Stadhuis Museum. It was quite a spectacle, watching friends and families enjoy their morning, couples ride two-person bicycles and performers attracting the crowds, people selling food and drinks.

We left the square and went to a puppet show organised just for us. It began with a musical performance by a elderly husband and wife duo. The woman sang as the man played a traditional Indonesian wind instrument.

We then got to watch a traditional puppet show based on the story of Rama and Sita.

The indonesians have a slightly different version than the indian story I was told, it was fascinating nonetheless. We were given a lesson afterwards about the traditional and intricate nature of puppet making. Each puppet takes a very long time to make. It’s made of cow hide, and the holes are individually made by tools. A lot of work go into these beautiful puppets.

Tasneem summarised how we were all feeling at the end of the trip “So much love and respect for these people, who’ve proved to be ideal travel companions. We ate and journeyed our way through Java, living and learning the whole time. Boundless laughs, quirks and wisdoms flounced about. Happy to have forged memories with such fine souls.”

We had a safe flight home. I can’t believe how unbelievably lucky I was to of gone on such an amazing experience. Thank you to the Australia Indonesia Institute Muslim Exchange Program for providing me with such a wonderful opportunity.

Mobinah Ahmad is a social media analyst and AMUST Multimedia Journalist based in Sydney.

All about the bees and love!

THE MODEST BRIDE

Saltanat Bora

I have always loved arranging flowers, gifting bouquets and of course, receiving flowers. Until recently, making money from arranging flowers had always been an acceptable source of income for me.

This changed however, when a friend posted an article on her Facebook page that explored how the floral industry uses a cocktail of pesticides and how it was contributing to the decline of bees.

I think that as citizens and members of this planet, every single one of us has a responsibility to protect, maintain and sustain the environment. Being in the wedding industry has only further reinforced this sense of duty.

Why is it that our weddings have thousands of flowers on show? The reason why growers use pesticides is to meet the demand for perfect, bug-free flowers. Do you really need to have that floral arch and table centrepiece with towering globes of roses?

That floral chandelier? The bride and groom table dripping with peonies, lilies, and more roses? All for ONE wedding?

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To me it seems innately egotistical to demand that your “one special day” has to be flooded with flowers, which ironically, kill

Australasian Muslim Times

the one species it needs to sustain it.

There are alternatives.

Search for florists that use organic flowers (just do a google search). Get creative in how you think about wedding decor. I know a blogger (Young House Love) who used lemons in glass vases as centrepiec-

es. Another bride used wildflowers from an obliging field.

Each and every one of us have the responsibility to be scrupulous in everything that we do. We need to question our intentions and our choices and their impact.

Your wedding day should not be an exemption simply because we have been brainwashed to think that it is the ‘one day’ that is ‘all about you’.

We accept this without even thinking about it, and use it to justify every extravagance. In the end, is it really about you, or is it about showing your ‘perfect’ love to everyone else? In the film ‘The Secret life of Walter Mitty’, one line struck me as profound: “Beautiful things don’t ask for attention.”

There is humility even in love. It is not something to be cheaply displayed for the world to see, it does not seek attention.

It revels in the purer realm of quiet intimacy, where knowledge of the other’s love is recognised, acknowledged, protected, and there, celebrated.

This article was originally published on www.themodestbride.com.au

www.amust.com.au

November 2015

UMMAH 15 - 18

EDUCATION 19 - 20

TRAVEL 21

BUSINESS 22

UMMAH

SOCIAL 23

AMUST

Canadian Muslim MPs make history AMUST Media In an unprecedented victory for the Canadian Muslim community, many Canadian Muslims emerged victorious in the country’s 2015 general elections, defying prejudice and stereotype faced by the religious minority in the country.

At least 10 Muslim candidates from very diverse backgrounds, including four women, won last months election that is expected to spell a sea-change in Canadian politics following the sweeping victory of Liberals.

The Liberals were elected in 185 districts, with Justin Trudeau winning his Montreal district. The party needed 170 to gain a majority. The Conservatives were next with 97, followed by the New Democrats at 28 and Bloc Quebecois with nine.

Maryam Monsef Monsef, an Afghani Canadian, became the first female MP in the history of Peterborough, after defeating Conservative candidate Michael Skinner and NDP candidate Dave Nickle.

The 30-year-old MP co-founded the Red Pashmina Campaign that raised over $150,000 for women and girls in Afghanistan. She is also the co-recipient of the Peterborough YMCA’s Peace Medallion.

The Trent University graduate became the youngest-ever MP. Ahmed Hussein The National President of the Canadian Somali Congress was elected for the Liberals in York South-Weston, becoming Canada’s first Somali Canadian MP. Hussein, who earned his BA (History) from York University and his Law Degree from the University of Ottawa, was recognized in 2014 by Toronto Star as one of ten individuals who have made substantial contributions the community.

The Somali-born lawyer and activist has emerged as a powerful community leader after co-founding the Regent Park Community Council in 2002, as well as sourcing $500 million revitalization project of Regent Park.

Omar Alghabra The mechanical engineer MBA graduate was elected for the Liberals in Mississauga Centre. Serving as the Member of Parliament for Mississaug-Erindale from 2006 to 2008, Alghabra offered his constituents a strong voice on both local and national issues like the Liberal Critic for Natural Resources, as well as Citizenship and Immigration.

Currently, the Muslim MP is a distinguished visiting fellow within the Faculty

Top row from left: Maryam Monsef, Ahmed Hussein with Justin Trudeau, Omar Alghabra, Iqra Khalid, Majid Jowhari Bottom row from left: Yasmin Ratansi, Arif Virani, Salma Zahid, Ali Ehsassi, Marwan Tabbara of Engineering and Architectural Science at Ryerson University.

Iqra Khalid The Liberal MP won a hard-fought battle to unseat Conservative incumbent Bob Dechert in Mississauga-Erin-Mills riding, considered a stronghold for the Conservatives. Khalid, a young Pakistani-Canadian woman, graduated from York University in 2007, with a double major in Criminology and Professional Writing.

The legal professional with the City of Mississauga has held numerous volunteer positions including President of the Pakistani Student Association, Media Relations Ambassador for the York University Student Alumni, Communication Coordinator for the Council for the Advancement of Muslim Professionals, and a Director on the Board for Breaking Free Foundation.

Majid Jowhari The Muslim businessman was elected for the Liberals in Richmond Hill, becoming the country’s first Iranian Canadian MP. Jowhari holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from Ryerson University, and an MBA from York University’s Schulich School of Business.

The Liberal MP is actively involved in the local community, serving as a member in the Richmond Hill Chamber of Commerce, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario, the Iranian Canadian Network, the Iranian Canadian Congress, Parya Trillium, and Mohandes.

Turkey’s AK Party wins back majority in snap election The Justice and Development Party (AK Party) is set to lead Turkey in its own rights after last Sunday’s general elections with 49.4 percent of the votes, while 98.9 percent of the votes have been counted.

The AK Party is followed by the centre-left Republican People’s Party (CHP) with 25.4 of the votes, far-right Nationalist Action Party (MHP) with 11.9 percent and the pro-Kurdish left-wing Peoples’ Demcoratic Party (HDP) with 10.7 percent.

AK Party is predicted to claim 316 seats in the 550-seat parliament, chased by CHP with 134 seats, HDP with 59 seats and MHP with 41 seats. Parties need to secure 276 seats to govern the country alone.

More than 54 million people were registered to vote at some 175,000 stations. The participation rate stood at 86.1 percent.

Addressing AK Party supporters in his hometown Konya, Prime Minister and AK Party leader Ahmet Davutoglu said that all 78 million people of Turkey would be embraced, whether or not they voted for the party.

“We are here to plant seeds of love. There is no rival or enemy on this land. There is only affection,” he said.

November 2015

Yasmin Ratansi Ratansi, who served Don Valley East in the House of Commons from 2004 to 2011, was elected for the Liberals in the same riding. Being an MP for Don Valley East, she served in the House of Commons as Chair of Government Operations, Chair of the Standing Committee on the Status of Women and Deputy Whip and Vice Chair of Procedures and House Affairs.

The Vice Chair of GOPAC (Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption) served as Board Member of CAMH, Chairperson AIB and International consultant in the areas of Gender Budgeting, Governance, Transparency and Accountability.

Arif Virani The Muslim rights activist was elected for the Liberal in Parkdale-High Park. Being fluent in English, French, and Hindi, Arif has worked as an analyst with the Canadian Human Rights Commission in Ottawa, an investigator at la Commission des droits de la personne et droits de la jeunesse in Montreal, and as an Assistant Trial Attorney prosecuting genocide at the UN’s International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.

Coming to Canada as Ugandan Asian refugee, Arif earned an Honors BA in History and Political Science from McGill University, and completed his LL.B at the University of Toronto.

Salma Zahid The recipient of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal was elected for the Liberals in

Media Scan

Supporters of the AK Party say it changed the decades-long secularist military and bureaucracy-powered politics of Turkey, freeing the religiously conservative parts of the society and converted an ailing economy plagued by chronic inflation into a growing and stable one.

Scarborough Centre. Zahid, a Pakistani-Canadian mother of two, is senior advisor to the Government of Ontario in numerous portfolios ranging from Health and Long Term Care, Infrastructure, Citizenship and Immigration, and Tourism to Culture and Sports.

The mother of two holds a Masters in Educational Management and Administration from the University of London’s Institute of Education, and an MBA from Quaid e Azam University in Pakistan.

Ali Ehsassi Ehsassi, an active member of the Liberal Party for several decades, was elected for the Liberals in Willowdale.

Holding a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto and a Master’s of Science from the London School of Economics, Ehsassi is a lawyer by trade. He also obtained his LL.B. from Osgoode Hall Law School, and his LL.M. at Georgetown University Law Center.

Marwan Tabbara The Lebanese Canadian politician was elected for the Liberal in Kitchener South Hespeler. The Liberal party volunteer earned a Political Science degree from the University of Guelph.

Tabbara currently hold two jobs, a field supervisor for Q2 management and supervising production operations of Pepsico food manufacturing facility.

(Courtesy Forum ESLAM Pacific)

Australian walks in support of Palestine

John Salisbury walked from Wollongong to Macquarie Pass last month on his 300 kms plus heroic trek to deliver RECOGNISE PALESTINE petitions to the Australian government in Canberra.

The Australian government is very much pro-Israel either voting against or abstaining on UN Resolutions on Palestine.

This remarkable man walked for his mission- step by step - to address Australia’s appalling stand on Palestine.

“I will carry with me a petition asking our elected representatives to formally recognise the state of Palestine. Over 130 countries have formally recognised Palestine. Recently Pope Francis did included The Vatican in their number. Why not Australia?”, John said earlier regarding his mission.

John made his grand entry onto the forecourt of Parliament House at 3pm on 13 October in company with Marcelo, Tareq and

Ainullah

Ahmet Davutoglu, PM of Turkey.

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John Salisbury, (right) with Craig Laundy MP. Bishop Browing who joined John for his trek in Bungendore ... oops, the Bish’ was not part of the trek. Enthusiastic reception from MPs Craig Laundy, Melissa Parkes, Adam Brandt, Laurie Ferguson & Lee Rhiannon.

Support and contact John on jtlsalisbury@hotmail.com and www.fb.com/events/1502063896781959/

Australasian Muslim Times

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UMMAH

NEWS 1-2

BOOMERANG 3-5

COMMUNITY 6-9

AUSTRALIA 10 - 11

LIFESTYLE 12 - 14

Palestinians oppressed in their own country AMUST

John Wight

The desperate acts of violence that have erupted over the past few weeks in Jerusalem and across the occupied West Bank – mostly in the form of random stabbings and acts of violence against any Israeli anywhere – do not denote evil on the part of those responsible; instead, such desperate acts reveal the extent of the despair which the Palestinians have endured and continue to endure as a direct result of their oppression. Theirs is an extreme but understandable response to the brutal negation of their dignity, rights, even humanity at the hands of a state that has never viewed them as anything other than an inconvenient fly in the milk of their pure ethno and religiocentric state to be crushed and crushed repeatedly.

The wanton, systemic, and systematic cruelty endured by an entire people follows the egregious logic of the campaign of ethnic cleansing that gave birth to Israel in 1948. It describes a moral sickness that, if anything, has grown increasingly acute in the decades since.

A Third Intifada is incontrovertible evidence of the abject failure of the international community to impose a just settlement for a people whose abandonment is a crime, consigned to a fate akin to the Australian aborigines and Native Americans, with the

best they have long been expected to expect life on a reservation.

The Palestinians’ stubborn refusal to accept such a fate, even in the face of brutal and unremitting pressure to break, describes a level of sustained tenacity that has been Herculean in scope. For as ugly as their resistance has been, it is nothing when compared to the oppression that has given rise to it.

Terrorism and terrorist are the most value-laden words in our language today. We use them to identify the violence of those we revile and whose cause we consider unworthy and unjust. As such there is not such thing as a Palestinian terrorist or Palestinian terrorism. What there is, and in abundance, is Palestinian desperation and Palestinian despair. Attacks carried out against Israeli civilians are an awful thing; however for a people who’ve been consistently denied their own humanity they have become the only thing left by which to command the attention of an international community whose silence is a lethal weapon in the hands of their oppressor.

BDS is the greatest and most effective weapon in the arsenal of international solidarity with the Palestinians. From small and marginal beginnings in 2005, BDS has grown exponentially to the point where it now strikes fear in the breast of Israel and is the only international lifeline that the people of Gaza and living throughout the

Who was the Mufti of Palestine?

Palestinian youth held at gunpoint in his own country while Israelis watch.

West Bank have to hold on to. Its continuing growth and effectiveness is therefore a non-negotiable condition of the struggle against both Israel’s intransigence and the West’s hypocrisy, without which the status quo would have ended a long time since.

We have passed the stage where objectivity is an acceptable response to apartheid, ethnic cleansing, and the monument to injustice erected in the name of exceptionalism. The cause of the Palestinian people is the cause of humanity in our time.

The rotten soul of the Western political establishment is never more exposed than when it comes to the issue of Palestine. It is here where the hypocrisy, double standards, and political cowardice that is its truth is at its most extreme.

Bad enough that the Palestinian people have been forced to endure a decades-long negation of their human, natural, and national rights; the injustice they have suffered is compounded tenfold by the complicity of the West in denying their rightful status as an oppressed people struggling against a cruel and vindictive oppressor. Stripped of all of the embroidery and obfuscation that

has been allowed to distort the contours of this struggle, here lies the root of the issue and the biblical suffering that has and continues to flow from it.

In this regard we must give thanks to Malcolm X for washing the bullshit from our eyes: “If you aren’t careful the newspapers will have you hating the people being oppressed, and loving the people doing the oppressing.”

Make no mistake, the political mainstream and its media echo chamber know exactly what is going on in Palestine, and they are well aware of its root cause. Yet, regardless, they continue to provide Israel with their unstinting and unwavering support. Even more, they genuflect at the feet of this apartheid state.

John Wight is the author of a politically incorrect and irreverent Hollywood memoir – Dreams That Die – published by Zero Books. He’s also written five novels, which are available as Kindle eBooks. You can follow him on Twitter at @JohnWight1 (Courtesy Counterpunch)

Bilal Cleland

Mohammad Amin al-Husseini was a student of Rashid Rida in Cairo for two years after completing school in Palestine, but never took up Islamic studies again.

In 1921 the British mandatory authorities appointed him as mufti of Jerusalem and then the head of the Islamic Supreme Council which had been created by the mandatory authorities.

Barely twenty-six, lacking the requisite religious education (muftis were expected to be well-versed sharia scholars, since the supreme responsibility of issuing fatwas fell to them), convicted in absentia to ten years in prison by the mandatory authorities for his role in the 1920 riots and then granted amnesty, Husseini was not even one of the three leading candidates, elected by the representatives of Palestinian Islam, from whom, according to the usual Ottoman procedure, the mufti was supposed to be chosen.

His only qualification was that he belonged to a leading Palestinian family and was the late mufti’s brother.

By an irony of history, the young Husseini owed his appointment to the very Zionist British high commissioner for Palestine, Herbert Samuel, who had been one of the architects of the 1917 Balfour Declaration.

The 1936-39 Arab Revolt in Palestine was an expression of opposition to the British intention to grant part of Palestine to the Zionists and the increasing flow of European Jewish immigrant into the area. The British plan for partition was publicly opposed by the Nazi regime.

This apparently impressed the Mufti who became a friend of the Third Reich. The Mufti was blamed by the British for the revolt. He managed to escape capture and fled to Lebanon then Iraq.

His May 1941 call for a “jihad “against the British, had practically no effect. Both Germany and Italy asked him to help recruit Muslims to fight the Allies. This failed. An

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Mohammad Amin al-Husseini.

Axis victory was quite possible in the early stages of the war but by 1942 only 130 men were in the Wehrmacht’s Arab unit.

The Italian effort was even worse. Of 250 Arab POWs, captured from the 9000 Palestinians serving with the British forces, transferred by Germany to Rome, only 18 agreed to serve and of these only 8 ultimately remained.

More successful with non-Arab Muslims, he helped set up two SS units in Bosnia in 1943. Eager to fight the traditional Serbian enemy, these troops went on strike when the Germans made an agreement with the Chetniks. It was the only case of SS units going on strike. They took no part in the anti-Jewish operations in the region. Many were put in prison camps, others were sent for re-training to France where they attempted to join the Partisans. By 1944 those in Bosnia had mainly joined the Yugoslav Partisans.

The religious leadership in Bosnia did not co-operate with the Mufti and remained true to the Quran. “… the Bosnian Muslim clerics issued three declarations publicly denouncing Croat-Nazi collaborationist measures against Jews and Serbs: that of Sarajevo in October 1941, of Mostar in 1941, and of Banja Luka on November 12, 1941”.

Reference: Achcar, Gilbert. The Arabs and the Holocaust. The Arab-Israeli war of Narratives. Metropolitan Books, Henry Holt and Coy. NY.2009

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November 2015

UMMAH 15 - 18

EDUCATION 19 - 20

TRAVEL 21

BUSINESS 22

UMMAH

SOCIAL 23

AMUST

“I am also your mother” - Mahboba

why are you sad? Your mother is gone, but she would not wish for you to be like this.

Here, you have another in front of you, I am also your mother,” she said pointing at her chest.

The girl was crouched down and was looking up, and as she began to move my mum put out her arms and embraced her.

She began to cry a deep shuddering sob; the heaving in her breath had within it a strong sense of release. The whole time my mum held her, stroking her head, reassuring her that she would always have someone to help her and after a few minutes she began to calm down.

After that moment there was a clear difference in the way she held herself, that deep grief which permeated across her face, her actions and her speech was lifted, she would always respond with far stronger clarity, her speech was no longer beaten. She ended up staying with Farida for another two weeks, and when the time came for Eid, my mum took her, her little brother and Farida to buy new clothes.

Sourosh Cina We stayed in the house of my mother’s uncle while we were in Afghanistan.

The house of Kaka Haji who is the same uncle that has worked with my mum for many years, and runs the Hazrat Ali orphanage.

On an adjoining structure within the yard of the house stays a widow called AwghanGul. She is one of those on the sponsorship program, and she acts as the caretaker of the home in my uncle’s absence, receiving a salary and staying within the same residence.

AwghanGul has a young daughter, perhaps 16, called Farida. They helped around a lot in the house while we were there.

One day I saw that there was another young girl, around 14 who began to stay with them, along with a younger boy. The girl, who one could tell from a single glance, possessed a deep sadness, a grief plastered across her face. She possessed the shy tendency so typical of Afghan girls, yet at the same time evidenced a strong character, abrupt and direct in her speech and expression. My mum asked who she was, and Farida said it was her cousin. Her mother had passed in the recent months, and she

Mahboba Rawi with Afghan girl. had been unable to recover, undergoing a fierce depression. Upon the most recent visit to her house, Farida was speaking to her, and her cousin said that she wished she had gone with her mum, that the value of her existence had all but evaporated. Farida then brought her to her house, in the hope

that a change of atmosphere and some work would help.

After a day or so when she had become accustomed to all of us, my mum approached her in the kitchen, and just so typical in her fashion, so warm and all-encompassing with such simplicity asked her “What’s wrong,

Sourosh Cina is the son of Mahboba Rawi, Founder of the Australia aid and development charity, Mahboba’s Promise. After a recent visit to Afghanistan, Sourosh has written some reflections of his mother’s work For more information about the work of Mahboba’s Promise visit www.mahbobaspromise.org. .

My daawah and education visit to Indonesia Dr Omar Najjarine I made my daawah trip on my own expense to Indonesia last month, invited, accompanied and hosted by Luqman Hakim Landy, an Australian Muslim revert who has been serving the people of Indonesia through his JIMS Foundation in the field of daawah and education for more than 15 years.

When we met earlier in Sydney, Luqman had briefed me of his project running under JIMS foundation involving the establishment and management of 150 Islamic schools in poor and remote areas of Indonesia with around 15,000 students served by more than 1000 teachers.

I was proud to learn that this huge daawah and education programme in Indonesia was largely run with the support of Australians through their charitable donations and sadaqa.

A number of Australian Muslim community leaders had in the past paid visits to these schools as well to gain first hand insight into the programme including two muftis namely Sheikh Tajuddin al Hilaly from Sydney and Imam Fehmi Imam from Melbourne Normally when we go on holidays as tourists visiting countries like Indonesia, we

November 2015

only see the rich high life of society staying in hotels, visiting tourist attractions and meeting rich and famous. We generally miss out on reality, meeting the great majority of real people, how they live and sustain themselves.

This was my first trip to Indonesia, motivated solely for daawah purposes and I had no idea of what to expect and how I will feel after the trip.

While in Indonesia, we visited around 10 schools over 4 days in remote areas in the state of Banten on the main island Java.

Each school was a trip and a track through concrete roads, tar and dirt roads, some schools were about 2-3 hours apart in very remote areas.

There are many experiences I can talk about, however maybe it’s best to mention the first experience.

Our first JIMS school, we visited was named Al Mubashireen which was a boarding school for male as well as female students. The students were extremely excited to have a visitor from overseas.

The school was home to a large, partially built Masjid in the middle of the school where the students had gathered, well dressed and well presented.

I conducted a daawah presentation was conducted to the students on the importance of daawah and seeking knowledge, which was translated into to their language. After the presentation, we mixed with the children, visiting their classrooms.

The classrooms were very simple, made up of wooden chairs and tables and a single old style blackboard. The dorms that housed the students were also basic and students slept on floor.

In spite of living simply, I saw the students very happy, smiling all the time as if to thank Allah for the opportunity provided for them being able to learn and study.

After school hours, while I was walking through the school, I heard a beautiful recitation of the Quran coming from one of the rooms. I walked up to the window and saw a student alone in the corner, practicing his recitation and memorization of Quran. It was a great experience to see the dedication of this young child towards Quranic study.

While travelling through the remote villages and meeting local people I observed that these people lived a very simple but happy lives not expecting much. They were only concerned with learning and practicing

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Islam, working for simple income and live happily with their family.

My take home conclusion was that living a simple life is much easier than becoming too ambitious and living a complex life that becomes difficult to sustain.

Its not every day you can see the results of your charity for the sake of Allah.. The trip was an amazing experience for me and benefited me greatly, understanding the way different people live and go about their lives.

My advice will be for all Australians to support this cause of daawah and education as well as to pay a visit to these schools to get first hand experience of a different, but simple lifestyle.

Dr Omar Najjarine is a Sydney based daawah worker, speaker and Khateeb. Professionally he is a Podiatrist with clinics at Parramatta, Greenacre and Bankstown.

Australasian Muslim Times

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UMMAH

NEWS 1-2

BOOMERANG 3-5

COMMUNITY 6-9

AUSTRALIA 10 - 11

LIFESTYLE 12 - 14

It’s a bipolar world now AMUST

Javed Jamil For many decades, the world continued to be unipolar with America remaining unchallenged in its hegemony of the world. The whole of West, willingly or unwillingly, bowed to its diktats.

It had become so unipolar that “international “almost always meant Western, or more specifically, American.

American opinion was always right. It was changing regimes at will. The Islamic World was the worst sufferer.

Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Egypt – all succumbed to its bombs. Syria was the only remaining country in the Arab World, which had refused to fall. It had the backing only of Iran, which has been a thorn in American and Israeli eyes since its Islamic Revolution, and a tacit one of Russia.

America with the help of Western and Arab allies decided to export heavily armed rebellion into Syria. Syrian Government under Assad was held responsible for all the bloodshed that followed, and he was presented to the world as a cruel dictator killing its own people.

While American interventions did take hardly any time to succeed in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Egypt, all the Western and Arab wealth, money and West-trained fighters failed to topple Assad.

With the entry of Hezbolalh around two years back, things changed fast in favour of Assad. The ISIS which had the backing of West till then, even if they did not want it

to seize power, slipped to Iraq occupying a large area.

Within no time, ISIS was declared the most dangerous terrorist organisation of the world. But it was an enemy only in Iraq. It was still a close military if not a political ally in Syria. Two years of apparent campaign by the West yielded hardly any results as far as the strength of ISIS was concerned.

West would not act against it till Assad was removed.

With West-Iran nuclear treaty, things took a quick turn. Instead of coming close to Washington, Tehran chose to isolate it.

European delegation, political and business, started pouring in Tehran. Europe saw in it an opportunity to come out of its Economic Crisis.

It was time for Moscow to enter the scene with a bang. It had the backing of Iran, and the two were confident of keeping Europe away. Taking advantage of Western campaign against ISIS, it started its military mission in Syria with air bombardment.

Within two months, ISIS has been hit hard beyond repair. Now, the international media seems to have gone silent on the cruelty of ISIS. While striking targets in Syria, Putin has shown hardly any respect for American concerns. The world is not today what it was two months back.

Politics almost always means selfishness at its worst. Every country without an exception acts only in its own interest with hardly any care for justice. This was true of America, and this is true also for Russia. Russia seems to have vowed to regain its lost prestige. Over a period of time, if its successes continue, it will also start looking for ways to have its share of the world. But

a two polar world can perhaps bring more balance to the world. We can hardly hope for an ideal world without poles.

Muslim World, in recent decades, has unfortunately been part of one block or the other. It has now to learn to make its strategy independent of the designs of the world powers. Its dealings should be purely based on its own interests, with the difference that its interests must never cross the rule of justice enshrined in Islamic principles.

If West had shown respect towards Islam and Islamic World, and instead of trying to subdue them had developed a two way relationship based on mutual respect and non-intervention, it would not have become

as unpopular in the Islamic World as it has in the last two decades.

Hopefully, it will learn lessons from its past mistakes and will help the Middle East in becoming peaceful and prosperous.

Hopefully it will stop boasting itself as the “civilised” world even when the facts prove otherwise.

sonal connection with others goes a long way.

2. Join and support coalitions. Join hands with those who stand against discrimination, racism, poverty, war, and terrorism.

These allies have been standing with us for years.

3. Demand that our tax money be used to save lives, not take them. More than 2 million people have died as a result of the U.S.-led war on terrorism, according to the Washington, DC-based, Nobel Peace Prize-winning organization Physicians For Human Rights.

Build the Future 1. Develop relationships with the leaders of tomorrow. It will take some time before things start getting better. So invest in relationships with those you can influence in a positive way.

2. College-aged folks are the most open-minded when it comes to peace and justice. Invest in internships for younger

people. Engage them in civic leadership and social justice causes so that they can make a real difference in the world.

3. Adopt a Muslim Students’ Association for funding and career guidance.

Change, social or political, requires careful thinking, planning, and implementation. It also requires us to commit to work toward its success for the long haul. Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, understood this. He remained in Makkah 13 years before making a strategic move to Madinah for better prospects.

The Prophet’s success was the result of deep faith, optimism, hope, and grassroots activism. As followers of his path, do we not owe him and our faith at least this much to stand up against ISIS, Sisi, and the nexus of war-terrorism-hate, which are all abusing the vision of our faith and our Prophet?

Dr Javed Jamil is India based thinker and writer with over a dozen books. Read more about him at http://www.worldmuslimpedia. com/dr-javed-jamil.

Facebook: hwww.fb.com/javedjamil2015.

He can be contacted at doctorforu123@ yahoo.com or +91-8130340339.

What Muslims can do to reverse War-Torture-Terror-Hate Cycle Abdul Malik Mujahid It’s amazing how much ISIS & Egyptian leader Sisi have in common.

Both kill.

Both torture.

Both are corrupt.

Both are illegitimate.

Both emerged from chaos.

Both force their opinion on others.

Both violate freedom of speech.

Both violate almost all human rights.

Both eliminate their opposition.

Both curb freedom of religion.

Both give a bad name to Islam.

Both claim to strive for stability.

Both operate above the law.

Both use religion for power.

This is where the comparison ends. The differences between the two are also ironic.

One claims to be secular, the other claims to be religious.

One is bombed by America, the other is aided by America.

The torture machines of Sisi-type regimes actually create ISIS and their likes.

It is no secret that many of the ISIS leaders are former inmates of the American-run Abu Ghraib torture machine.

War, hate, and terrorism are a connected phenomena. War and hate breed more terrorism. And they feed off of each other.

It is only until people of conscience begin working together at a grassroots level that we can end this cycle of death, destruction, and dysfunction. It is not impossible. But it requires commitment and patience, as well as goodwill that transcends the hate extremists of any stripe feed off of to stay in power to the detriment of others.

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What can I do?

Become an informed citizen 1. Read alternative media to enhance your knowledge base. There is a lot more to the world than our narrow, American/Eurocentric worldview.

2. Engage journalists with appreciation and critical feedback for more objective coverage of ISIS, Sisi, and extremism generally.

3. Recognize that the Pentagon-funded research project on terrorism led by Professor Robert Pape has established that there is a direct connection between political and military occupation and terrorism.

Buy his books and give them out as gifts to opinion makers (journalists, editors, media pundits, politicians, etc.).

Become an active citizen 1. Become a better neighbor, as our faith teaches us to. All surveys indicate that those who know a Muslim have a better opinion of Islam and Muslims. Your per-

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Abdul Malik Mujahid is chair of the Parliament of the World’s Religions and the President of Sound Vision Foundation in USA.

November 2015

UMMAH 15 - 18

EDUCATION 19 - 20

TRAVEL 21

BUSINESS 22

EDUCATION

SOCIAL 23

AMUST

The 99 Divine attributes of Allah Part 15 - Attributes 61 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.goo.gl/L1wvP2

61. Namūto wa Nahyā – The Causer of Death and Life This [Qur’an] is enlightenment for mankind and guidance and mercy for a people who are certain [in faith]1.

Or do those who commit evils think we will make them like those who have believed and done righteous deeds - [make them] equal in their life and their death? Evil is that which they judge (i.e. assume)2.

And Allah created the heavens and earth in truth3 and so that every soul may be recompensed for what it has earned, and they will not be wronged.

Have you seen he who has taken as his god his [own] desire4,5 and Allah has sent him astray due to knowledge6 and has set a seal upon his hearing and his heart and put over his vision a veil? So who will guide him after Allah? Then will you not be reminded?6,7 And they say: “There is not but our worldly life; we die and live, and nothing destroys us except time.” And they have of that no knowledge; they are only assuming.8,9 And when Our verses are recited to them as clear evidences, their argument is only that they say, “Bring [back] our forefathers,

if you should be truthful.”10 Say, “ Allah causes you to live, then causes you to die11; then He will assemble you for the Day of Resurrection, about which there is no doubt12a, but most of the people do not know.”12b And to Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and13 the earth. And the Day the Hour appears – the Day the falsifiers will lose14”.

(Al-Jāthiyah 45:20-27) 1. Al-Kitab (Al-Quran) and the Ad- Deen (Al-Islam) offer the guidance and enlightenment to the human beings to differentiate between the Truth and the Falsehood.

But only those people respond who believe in the truth and these two are the benevolence only for them after elaborating about the oneness of God. 2. The next message elaborates the belief of Resurrection (the Ākhirah). Ethical arguments have been provided for the evidence of the truth of Resurrection. The difference in truth vs falsehood and good vs bad ethical actions logically demands that the outcome of the two types of people should not be same; Rather the good receive the final good outcome while the bad receive final bad outcomes. If such is not the case, it would point to the injustice of God. What a great injustice to be impeached upon Allah!

3. This passage points to the creation of earth’s and the heaven for purposes beyond survival, relaxation and recreation.

That the world is more than the concept

In the name of Allah – The most Gracious – The most Merciful.

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of all humans (good and bad) ending up as useless entities without having a differentiating outcome.

4,5. This reinforces that without the appropriate recompense for the actions carried out in this world, it would be a great tribulation and injustice. Any kind of shortness in the recompense for actions is unfair.

6,7. The adoption of self-ego as god means to become the blind servant of one’s own wishes. A person starts doing whatever he wants to perform whether God has approve or not. This also leads polytheism.

8,9. These words mean that such a person, in spite of being knowledgeable, has been thrown in this world with falsehood and a stray path. Hence, he is now behaving as servant of his self-ego. Another interpretation is that because of being involved in self-ego he is immersed in senseless situation.

10. The Quran repeats this phrase for the believers at many places. All these show that they have destroyed and degraded themselves to such an extent that they can never be upgraded in future.

11. This verse declares very clearly that the denial of Resurrection and the Next Life is done by only those people who are the slaves of self- ego and who consider the belief in Resurrection as a great hindrance. Then when they deny resurrection totally their self-loving mentality gains speed and momentum. Hence this is the proof to declare the denial of

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believing in Ākhirah is tremendously harmful for human ethics. The only thing that can keep ourselves responsible and sensible person is the firm belief of the accounting of one’s deeds on the day of his Resurrection.

12a. There is no certain scientific knowledge about life other than this one. At the most what a sensible person can safely and responsibly can say “We don’t know there is any life after death or not?” But we can never say that we are sure with certainty that there is no life after this life.

12b. Their insistence on death as the design of aging is replied by Allah that neither you will receive life by chance nor you die and leave life by chance. Both the giving of life and taking of life are totally under the control of God. There is one God only who gives as well as takes life from you.

13. The reply to their demand of calling ancestors is totally denied by Allah that now onward this separate demand will be fulfilled only by one method that is by calling all human beings at one place at one time.

14. The ignorance and their lack of proper thinking and comprehension are the reasons for the denial of Akhirah. Actually the event of Akhirah to arrive in future is more sensible than its non-existence.

Thus, there is no doubt about the Resurrection.

Usaid Khalil

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LIFESTYLE 12 - 14

A role model: Mohamed Khadra AMUST

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Professor Mohamed Khadra received the University of Sydney Alumni Award 2015 last month for Professional Achievement in recognition of his outstanding contributions and varied career as a professor, surgeon, urologist, author and playwright.

Following a highly unique career path, Mohamed first studied medicine before undertaking a Master of Education at the University of Sydney in 1994, continuing with a PhD on the neurophysiology of the bladder in 1999.

A fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons since 1995 and winner of the Prostate Cancer Foundation Inaugural Fellowship in 1997, Mohamed went on to found the School of Rural Health at the University of New South Wales. Administering medical care in Western NSW, he served as the director of the School of Rural Health between 1999 and 2001.

“The idea was to train doctors in rural Australia so that they would stay and serve the community. We had to rethink the way medical education was delivered knowing that we could not simply replicate what was

happening in the big tertiary institutions in the city. The result was a patient-centred model of education which continues to this day.”

In 2002, Mohamed was appointed Pro Vice Chancellor for Health, Design and Science at the University of Canberra. He then founded and became the CEO of the Institute of Technology Australia, a private university with a social justice cause. The institution supported more than 1000 students from lowsocio-economic countries, including Kenya, to achieve tertiary degrees.

After this role a new chapter of Mohamed’s distinguished career emerged.

While Professor of Surgery at the University of Sydney, he published his first book, Making the Cut (2009). It was quickly followed

by The Patient (2010) and Terminal Decline (2010). Non-fiction with an autobiographical edge, one of his books drew on his own experience of making the transition from doctor to patient.

“For me, the experience of having cancer and surviving it certainly gave me an insight into the health system. It motivated me to make a difference by alerting people to the simple truth that at the heart of this mammoth health system there is a patient, a human being, with fears and anxieties who

deserves our compassion and our competence.”

His passion for writing led on to another career avenue, co-writing a play with renowned playwright David Williamson (Don’s Party; The Club) after meeting him at the Brisbane Writers’ Centre. Their play, At any cost?, was performed at the Ensemble Theatre in Kirribilli.

Today, Mohamed serves as Head of Urology at Nepean Hospital and Professor and Head of Surgery at the University of Sydney. His is also a member of the Board of the Faculty of Engineering and IT at the University and the Bureau of Health Information in the NSW Department of Health. His fourth book, Honour, Duty, Courage, which honours the humanitarian work of doctors and nurses who serve in the military, was published this year.

(Courtesy University of Sydney Alumni Awards).

Note: Before taking up medicine Mohamed spent two years, during the early 80’s studying dentistry at the University of Sydney and was the President of Sydney University Muslim Students Association (SUMSA),

Professor Mohamed Khadra Public Relation Officer of the Australian Federation of Muslim Students Association (AFMSA) and a member of Senior Usrah (Islamic Unity Forum).

Professor Khadra is the author of four books: “Honour, Duty, Courage”, “Terminal Decline”, “The Patient” and “Making the Cut”.

Al Saleh Mosque Mosques from around the world The Al Saleh Mosque in Sana’a, Yemen is the largest and most modern Mosque in the capital city. The Mosque was inaugurated in November 2008, and is named after Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

It can hold up to 40,000 worshippers and cost nearly $60 million to build.

The Mosque was built in a Yemeni architectural style and includes wooden roofs, 15 wooden doors which are 22.86 meters in height and include engraved copper patterns as well as 6 large minarets, 4 of which are 160 meters in height. It is surrounded by sprawling gardens. The Mosque combines traditional Islamic elements of domes, minarets, arches, carved mihrab, and bands of incised and gold-leaf calligraphy, and blends it with uniquely Yemeni architectural aspects.

Inside the main hall which can hold up to 13000 worshippers, a mammoth Bohemian glass chandelier is suspended from the central dome, the carved doors are of Burmese teak, the coffered inlaid ceiling is American oak, and the carpet which was woven in Turkey is made of New Zealand lambswool. An additional 31,000 worshippers can be accommodated outside, while a large women’s prayer hall is located upstairs.

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Mosques from around the world is a facebook page that shares information, pictures, and experiences of mosques from around the world. www.fb.com/mosquesfromaroundtheworld

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November 2015

UMMAH 15 - 18

EDUCATION 19 - 20

TRAVEL 21

BUSINESS 22

TRAVEL

SOCIAL 23

The retired Turkish policeman Fatima Al-Sibai | Stories from Syria Have you ever walked away from a 7 month old baby you felt needed you and the love you could give him? I’m not a mother but that hurt was so real to me as I had to let him go after holding him for two hours and hand him over to carers that did their best to fill the void only a mother can fill.

Every morning before I arrived at the Syrian orphanages and every afternoon leaving the children, I passed by a very run down shop with a man who sat behind the counter always with his head down almost invisible as he was surrounded by swarms of people.

The shop caught my interest as every day people would line the streets outside this shop with yellow papers in their hands from dawn to dusk. Just waiting. The hot summer conditions having no effect on their patience.

Curiosity will eat at you until it is fulfilled.

There were so many people on the road I had to squeeze my way through. People were guarded, almost territorial, not much information was being released.

As though I presented as a threat to their

survival. Through pieces of information gathered through various conversations, I put together that the shop front was run by a retired policeman who gave up his time to distribute donations to the Syrian refugees provided to him by the surrounding Turkish community.

People stood in these lines until the aid ran out, which on some days was as early as midday. The situation was so desperate that they would begin to line up about 1am and wait for the shop to open by 9am. For something that was not guaranteed.

This is the day in the life of a refugee family, a day of uncertainty.

Never knowing where the next donation was coming from or knowing when the next food parcel would arrive.

In an area absent of playgrounds, green parks and spacious backyards where children are free to explore their world in a safe and stable environment, they were surrounded by a destitute land built on piles of rocks and rubble left over from abandoned buildings.

Somewhere beneath the rubble a deflated soccer ball is found and kicked around by a group of young children which progressively becomes larger as hours pass.

This illustrated that the children’s imagination was very much alive. Even a destitute land and a flat ball could not discourage the

innocent spirit of these children.

In the adjacent city to this one, a woman with four children resided in a run-down home. Her husband passing away as a casualty of war, meant that she now became the breadwinner of the family in a city that held onto traditions.

Unable to find sustainable work, she was held upright by the community who on occasion would get together and pull out every

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dollar from their pockets to reach the rental payments of her home.

Acts of altruism are what kept this community banded together...

This is Part 2 of a series. Fatima Al-Sibai travelled to Turkey for one month to be a Syrian refugee aid volunteer living on the border of Turkey and Syria. She brings with her stories of her vivid experiences.

Wayfaring around Kuala Lumpur WAYFERER’S COMPASS Sana Gillani This is my second trip to KL, the first trip being part of my honeymoon in 2014. My husband is Singaporean-Malay and has family connections in Malaysia. Being our second trip, we aren’t as pressured to fit in all the typical tourist activities and have enjoyed more casual exploration of the city.

Being hosted by family has been the ultimate blessing. It reinforces my belief that a traveller should strive to develop local connections wherever they travel.

It facilitates greater appreciation of richness of cultures and can liberate you from some of the boring consumerist aspects of being a tourist.

In the last few days, I have found the much needed relaxation and retreat I have been af-

Although I am not “Malay, I felt more ‘nor-

mal’ and comfortable in my Muslim, hijabified, South-Asian skin than I do in my hometown of Sydney.”

ter when planning these travels. There is so much wisdom in organising personal or familial retreats from your busy schedule.

Provided you have the privilege and opportunity to do so, there is nothing quite like having the space to refocus, rejuvenate and reflect on where you are heading in life, especially in environments you feel closer to Allah.

Given the current political tension surrounding Muslims in western countries, it was incredibly refreshing to walk out of the airport, see the bustling KL central full with a vibrant Muslim culture.

Although I am not Malay, I felt more ‘normal’ and comfortable in my Muslim, hijabified, South-Asian skin than I do in my hometown of Sydney. I admired the beauti-

November 2015

ful, confident Malay women with their unmatched style.

I just wanted to go up to them and become their friends, connect with people who share similar religious and cultural values.

Waking up the morning after my arrival to pre-fajr Quran recitals as well as the athan softly wafting across from local masjids, was incredibly soothing.

Highlights of the trip so far: • Visiting Masjid Putra in Putrajaya – A rose tinted mosque located in KL’s government district, next to the Malaysian Prime Minister’s office.

• Going to a local “Pasar Tani” – an open market held once weekly across the city for fresh produce straight from the farm, along with the most authentic food stalls featuring your favourite Malay culinary delights and a fantastic assortment of tropical sweets and beverages.

• Discovering the café, “Mukha” – shown to us by our family here, this café is an excellent concept café blending Malay/ Arab influenced coffee and beverages, topped off with a selection of Islamic books for sale and a youthful hipster ambience. We thought it was a great way of reaching out and making Islam accessible. One of the owners of the café is a descendent of the Habaib from Yemen, which explained their inclusive approach.

• Meeting Ustadh Masood Yusuf – Originally from Guyana, he teaches Shafi’i fiqh and is undertaking post-grad studies in KL. We engaged in fruitful discussion around seeking sacred knowledge and obtained advice on dealing with community issues.

• Last, but not least, getting some errands done at a fraction of the price we would in Australia, i.e. dentist appointments, purchasing glasses and other shopping/ self-care needs.

This article was original published on www. wayfererscompass.com.au Wayferer’s Compass is a Muslim Travel Hub created by Sana Gillani. This article was originaly posted on www.wayfererscompass.com.

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AMUST

BUSINESS

NEWS 1-2

BOOMERANG 3-5

COMMUNITY 6-9

AUSTRALIA 10 - 11

LIFESTYLE 12 - 14

Demand for halal products rising AMUST Media Doha: The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are set play more crucial role in the fast growing halal market in coming years, according to a report by the International Trade Centre. The halal food and beverage market, spread across various countries and cultures, was estimated to be around $1.37 trillion at the end of 2014.

“Given that the GCC, both as a collective and among individual members, is actively pursuing a more prominent role in the halal ecosystem, we can expect to see the GCC becoming more influential in the halal market in the coming years,” said ‘Halal Goes

Global’ report released recently by the International Trade Centre in Doha during a conference. “Significantly, the GCC with food and beverage expenditure of $93bn, represents 21 percent of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) total and is generally viewed as the key market in the region,” said the report.

Halal food has been around for more than 1,400 years, but only in recent decades have halal products gained global prominence.

The demand for halal products and services is set to rise due to rise in Muslim population.

“The global Muslim population exceeds 1.6bn, is growing at twice the rate of the non-Muslim world and is expected to reach 2.2bn by 2030. It is therefore not surprising

that the market for halal products and services is attracting more attention,” said the report.

Traditionally, halal was referred only to meat and poultry, specifically with reference to the method of slaughter. More recently, this has grown to include non-meat foods such as dairy, baked goods, snacks, confectionery, ready-made meals and other processed food and beverage products.

“From a business perspective, the halal market undoubtedly offers a range of compelling opportunities. As many traditional markets reach saturation, the emergence of a new market, based on halal values and principles, is in effect creating a new commercial paradigm,” said the report. “This is strongly led by the food and beverage sec-

tor, and has more recently expanded into the pharmaceutical, cosmetic and personal-care sectors, driven by increasing consumer awareness and an entrepreneurial eye for new market opportunities,” added the report.

The halal market is now catching the attention of companies. The potential for this new market sector was highlighted in AT Kearney’s 2008 report ‘Addressing the Muslim market - can you afford not to?’, which pointed out that ‘Muslims are the fastest growing consumer segment in the world. Any company that is not considering how to serve them is missing a significant opportunity to affect both its top and bottom line growth.

(Courtesy of The Peninsula)

AMUST Classifieds Charity Organisations

Services

Buy/Sell/Trade

Halal Food

National Zakat Foundation (NZF) Are you a Muslim here in Australia • struggling to make ends meet or know someone who is • need help to calculate your Zakat • pay your Zakat or Sadaqah?

SAMAA South Asian Muslim Association of Australia (SAMAA) aims to provide care to the elderly of South Asian Muslim Community.

Phone: (02) 9543 9769 Website: www.samaa.org.au

Hygienic Spray (for toilet) Shattaf Tahara Spray. Stainless steel hose.

Including free installation with diverter/ connector. Long distance charges apply Phone: 0418 204 251 Email: sasdqi@gmail.com

Fujiyama Japanese cuisine 100% Halal Japanese made by chefs with 12 years experience in Japan. Contact our team today for catering enquiries big or small.

Phone: 0490 402 164 Website: www.facebook.com/ FujiyamaJapaneseCuisine

Contact NZF on 1300 663 729 or info@nzf.org.au today!

NZF is the premier Zakat institution for the Australian Muslim community, serving Zakat payers and receivers locally since 2013.

Australian Relief Organisation (ARO) Our mission is to help people from all races, ages, religions, and social statuses in order to spread kindness around the world and to create and follow social support models.

Phone: (02) 8065 8469 Website: www.aro.org.au

UAK Design Design and construction. Architectural & structural plans, Renovation & Extensions, Project Management, Duplex, Granny Flat.

Phone: 0411 081 624 Email: info@uakdesign.com.au

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Great Wall Kitchen Great Wall Kitchen makes great Indian style Halal Chinese food. We are located at 154 Haldon Street, NSW. Phone: (02) 9759 9531 Website: www.facebook.com/gwkhalal

Halal Square Australia’s favourite online guide to restaurants and eateries offering halal food, halal groceries and restaurant reviews.

Covering all major capital cities in Australia Website: www.halalsquare.com.au

Human Appeal International Human Appeal International (HAI) works on a number of charitable causes, specialising in areas from Social and Educational Development to Health Care and Emergency Relief.

Phone: 1300 760 155 Website: www.humanappeal.org.au Islamic Relief Australia Islamic Relief Australia promotes sustainable economic and social development by working with local communities to eradicate poverty, illiteracy and disease.

Phone: 1300 308 554 Website: www.islamic-relief.com.au

Multicultural Eid Festival & Fair MEFF provides stallholders the opportunity to sell or promote to the Muslim community. Stall bookings open on Monday 20 May 2015 Phone: (02) 9823 2063 Website: www.meff.com.au

NEWSPAPER ADVERTISING

ONLINE ADVERTISING

AMUST is circulated among all Australians but specifically targets the Muslim population of Australia. It is distributed to a variety of communities, different faith groups and government bodies within Australia.

AMUST lets you reach thousands of people all over the world with its website and email newsletter advertising. AMUST also has a strong online presence that includes social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+

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Find out more at www.amust.com.au/advertising or call (02) 8003 2063

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Homebush Halal Meats A halal butcher in Ashfield, provides you with the best and freshest halal meats in the area. We stock lamb, beef, goat, poultry and game meat.

Phone: (02) 9799 7049 Website: www.homebushhalalmeats.com.au

November 2015

UMMAH 15 - 18

EDUCATION 19 - 20

TRAVEL 21

TOP 5

BUSINESS 22

TOP 5

Muslim Memes

#SOCIAL TOP 4

SOCIAL 23

VIDEOS

To Watch

Instagram Accounts

AMUST

Facebook Pages to Like

@TheModestBride amust.au

Aamer Rahman Looks at WSU’s Re-brand To Rip Into Its Administration

@LahzaPhotography

amust.au

Aamer Rahman was invited by the student union to do a comedy show at the Western Sydney University.

“The University administration was extremely apprehensive about my performances and demanded extra security at all events.

I can only assume because they were worried about too many brown kids getting together in the same place and having some fun on their own campuses.

The university has a huge working class POC demographic (lots of Arabs and Muslims) and is currently trying to re-brand itself as slightly less ‘ethnic’ in an effort to attract international students.

One of the students actually managed to get me a copy of their official branding book…”

Sydney Cycling Sisters This page is dedicated to providing a safe environment for sisters who love and enjoy a good bike ride to ride together all over Sydney.

Video: https://youtu.be/5Bg90nkRL3c

@TheGirlBeneathTheHeadscarf Moby’s Friendship Theory

Love it or Hate it, this theory is here to stay. Like the page to keep up to date with all ideas that relate to navigating the world of friendship.

amust.au

Moby’s Friendship goes viral @Inayahc

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amust.au

@TwiceTheStyle

theory

If you’re on Facebook, at one time or another you’ve probably thought to yourself, “Are all my friends on here real-life friends?” Well one young woman who’s also shared that thought decided to actually categorise her friends based on a questionnaire to see how many of them really did meet the standard of a true friend.

Unhappy with the way she was navigating through friendships, Mobinah Ahmad began to categorise her “friends” into six groups as a way of managing expectations.

Mobinah was invited to appear on the comedic American court show podcast Judge John Hodgkin to debate her theory with a friend who felt it was alienating her from other people.

As a result her theory is now being shared around the world.

“From there it just went viral”, she says.

“I started discovering that it was helping people. Some people really needed it. (…)

“It feels great to know there’s someone else out there in a totally different culture really likes the theory and uses it,” she says.

“I think everyone already has a social hierarchy in their head. Who they’re closer to, who they call on if they had a problem.”

Coming of Faith

Authentic, unapologetic, full technicolor — the realest in life, culture, humor, entertainment, news, beauty....basically, everything.

Video: http://goo.gl/lZ24nu

Upworthy

At best, things online are usually either awesome or meaningful, but everything on Upworthy.com has a little of both.

November 2015

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Australasian Muslim Times

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As one community, there’s nothing we can’t do.

Sana is one of thousands of Australians who have chosen to join Crescent Wealth’s Islamic Super.

Together we are building a stronger community and a better world through ethical investing.

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Australasian Muslim Times

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November 2015