Issue 136 March 2017 by AMUST

MUSLIM

AUSTRALASIAN

Multimedia News & Views

ISSN: 1039-2300

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Print edition published Monthly on first Friday with Website updates

SUMSA Alumni Network Launch

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Issue # 136

How to Save AFIC from Destruction BOOMERANG PAGE 5

March 2017; Jamaadiyul Ukhraa 1438

Australia, Where’s the Love?

LIFESTYLE PAGE 14

Yassmin speaks her mind Manarul Islam Fresh from her highly publicised debate with Jacqui Lambie on ABC’s Q&A, inspirational community activist Yassmin Abdel-Magied, made her way south to share her thoughts with Canberra’s community. Yassmin, 26 is an Australian Muslim engineer of Sudanese-Egyptian background and an author, TV and radio presenter and a community activist on multiculturalism promoting diversity and inclusion in society. As part of the YWCA She Leads In-Conversation series, Ms Abdel-Magied was the focus of the question/answer/discussion event held at the University of Canberra’s Ann Harding Centre on 22 February. Facilitated by Dr Alice Williamson, cohost of the ABC podcast, Dear Science, the discussion covered a range of subjects, which included questions from the audience. Asked about her view about how to address bias, Yassmin drew parallels in her own industry with how work, health and safety has over time been culturally ingrained in the workforce and the same cultural change needs to occur from the top down with regards to discrimination and bias. Yassmin also made the point about intersectional bias, that is when more than one aspect of your life affected by discrimination, for, as an example, a black woman, and how it isn’t enough to address one type of bias at a time but all bias in parallel. On paying respect to the Ngunawal people, she said, “We always pay respect to the custodians of the land but . . . think of every great civilisation you have ever heard of the Aztecs, the Greeks . . . the First Nation of this land are all older than them . . . and that’s something we should really be proud of and appreciate.” On why she chose to be an engineer, she answered, “Making things and designing solutions to problems and having a tangible thing at the end of the day is so satisfying.” She constantly referred to her own parents

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Aspiring Leaders Umrah Tour TRAVEL PAGE 22

Judge blasts AFIC groups AMUST Media

Yassmin Abdel-Magied with her book “Yassmin’s Story”. for inspiring her and also supporting her moved to Brisbane when she was two. At through some of the recent tough times. the age of 16 she found the Youth Without On working on an offshore rig as a wom- Borders, an organisation focused on helping an, she said, “I thought it was something I young people to work for positive change in would do for just a little while . . . initially their communities. I saw it as an adventure . . . different rules Schooled at Islamic College of Brisbane operate on rig life. Half the time its figuring and John Paul College in Brisbane, Yassit out as literally there is no other woman min graduated in 2011 with a Bachelor of around.” Mechanical Engineering, first class honours On her ability to communicate across from the University of Queensland and then different groups, she explained, “The one worked as an engineer on an offshore oil rig. things that is universal . . . is the power of In 2012 she was named Young Leader of the story. By making it individual . . . to the Year in the Australian Financial Review broaden your ingroup is through empathy. and Westpac’s inaugural 100 Women of InEmpathy is through human connections, fluence Awards as well as an InStyle culturfriendship, getting to know each other be- al leader and a Marie Claire woman of the yond the surface as human beings.” future. During the event in Canberra Yassmin Yassmin was awarded Young Australian gave away signed copies of her book Yas- of the Year for Queensland in 2015 and dursmin’s Story, Who Do You Think I Am, ing the same year, she was named in the top her account of different perspectives about 100 most influential engineers in Australia growing up in Australia. by Engineers Australia. Born in Sudan, Yassmin and her parents

On Wednesday 22 February, Supreme Court Justice Robert McDougall expressed his sympathy towards the Muslim community which was facing attacks from racists and begots and blasted AFIC leadership for their infighting under these circumstances. “It seems to me that there are far more important things that AFIC can be focusing on, one of which is the rise, fuelled by populist politics and government policies, of anti-Muslim sentiment in this country,” he said. “It is something that I personally deplore,” He further added. A contesting former group of AFIC executive members have been accused of mafia-like tactics by occupying AFIC Zetland offices overnight, and locking out the current group of the executive members. The matter is now being contested by the two rival groups in court. The Australian Federation of Islamic Councils AFIC also known as Muslims Australia is considered the umbrella body of Muslims formed in 1963 as AFIS and restructured in 1976 as AFIC, comprising of 9 State Councils and over 100 Islamic Societies. Analysis Page 5: “How to save AFIC from self-destruction”.

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Talal Yassine and Zia Ahmad recognised on Sir Syed Day Mehar Ahmad The managing Director of Crescent Wealth, Mr Talal Yassine OAM was recognised with an award for his outstanding contribution to the community on Sir Syed Day held on Saturday 11 February at Granville Town Hall, Sydney. A second award was given to Mr Zia Ahmad, Managing Editor of the Australasian Muslim Times AMUST for his services in the field of mass media. Sir Syed Day is globally celebrated on the birth anniversary of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, founder of the Aligarh Movement that great-

ly contributed towards the modern education of Indians, Muslims in particular. The 24th Sir Syed Day was organised by the Aligarh Muslim University Alumni of Australia and was attended by academic, politicians, diplomats, business and community leaders. AMU Alumni of Australia was founded during the nineties and in addition to organising social events for its members, it runs a scholarship program in India funded from Australia for students with poor background giving them access to higher education. Continued with more photos on P8.

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Talal Yassine receiving his award from Mr S K Verma, Consul General of India. Dispose of this paper thoughtfully - PLEASE RECYCLE

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UMMAH 16 - 17

EDUCATION 18 - 19

TRAVEL 20 - 22

Launch of SUMSA Alumni Network Mehar Ahmad The Sydney University Muslim Students’ Association, SUMSA marked the official launch of the long awaited SUMSA Alumni Network on Saturday 25 February 2017 at LMA Function Hall in Lakemba, Sydney. The aim of the SUMSA Alumni Network is to enrich the Muslim community on campus through the provision and facilitation of strong networks, mentors, guides in their respective professional spheres, enhancing their transition into the workplace and ensuring the formation of a stronger, more interlinked community The event was organised to appreciate SUMSA Alumni immense legacies and contributions and invite them as continuing stakeholders in the SUMSA community. It was a time to recollect intimate memories, cherished moments and an opportunity to interact, network and share a rich array of accumulated experiences with past SUMSA prodigies of almost 45 years since the formation of SUMSA in 1972. It was a sold out event attended by past alumni, a large contingent of past SUMSA presidents, members and their families who after registration were led to their tables and handed showbags full of information brochures, copy of the Quran and SUMSA, 40 years and beyond booklet and a booklet on

NEWS

SOCIAL 23

the current activities and programs of SUMSA. One of the family tables seated three generations of the Ahmad family who had all studies at the University of Sydney and were alumni of SUMSA spanning over the last 45 years. This included Dr Qazi Ashfaq Ahmad, 88, founder president and Zia Ahmad, 64, founder treasurer of SUMSA back in 1972. The well organised program started by welcoming of alumni guests, families and current members of SUMSA by the MC, Mohammad Raad, president of SUMSA 2015. After the most beautiful recitation of Quran by Faisal Alsabbati, a student from Saudi Arabia, A heart warming speech on the prophetic vision was given by Sheikh Rami AlSharawneh, past president of SUMSA in 2004-2005 who completed Pharmacy and then went on to complete a Masters in Shariah and Islamic Studies from the University of Tripoli, Lebanon. The event was also addressed by Usthadah Umm Jamaluddin, a graduate from Madinah University, Muhammad Khodr, SUMSA president in 2001, who recited a beautiful Nasheed in Arabic and Asif Molla from National Zakat Foundation on financial legacy. A panel discussion titled Three Generation Legacies of Ilm & Daawah was held with four past presidents of SUMSA spanning 40 years namely Hajar Rafiq, Eman Dandan, Zia Ahmad and Tariq Shafei being the panelists moderated by Mohammad Raad.

When asked for advice for SUMSA members, Zia Ahmad who was member of SUMSA and president a number of times from 1972 until 2013 when he retired from the University of Sydney said, “You are very lucky to be at the University campus, you have the opportunity and radical energy to be activists and work to change the society for the better, involve yourselves in self education, spiritual development and daawah work. This energy may dissipate once you join the workforce, have family and settle down.” A short film on the current activities of SUMSA was shown together with a video message from a much loved past president of SUMSA, Dr Zeid ad-Dakkan who is now back in Saudi Arabia. Ibrahim Albaf, the Marketing Director of SUMSA laid out a Vision 2020 highlighting the strategies for SUMSA to provide much improved services to its members and enhance daawah work further on the campus in future. Hasan Tahir, the current president of SUMSA concluded the session thanking the guests and the SUMSA Shura and other members for working towards making the event a great success. A lavish dinner was arranged for all consisting of Lebanese cuisine. Mehar Ahmad is a school teacher based in Sydney and the President of Seena Incorporated, publishers of the Australasian Muslim Times.

AMUST

AMUST Issue # 136 Friday 3 March 2017; 4 Jamaadiyul Ukhraa 1438 News

1-4

- Launch of SUMSA Alumni Network - Anti-Halal Group Apologises

5-7

Boomerang

- No Compassion in Nazi Philosophy - Simple Lifestyle is Essential

8 - 11

Community

- Amity College’s Strong Year - Tennis Lessons for Muslim Women - Australia’s Biggest Halal Expo Ever!

Australia

12 - 13

- Rally for Refugees in NSW, ACT - Forgone Tax Revenue - IFAM Explains Islam at Festival

Lifestyle

14 - 15

- The Significance of Superficiality - Australia, Where’s the Love?

Ummah

16 - 17

- A Story of Hope in Afghanistan - Muslim Registry: Attack on America - Muslims Need to be Vocal

Education

18 - 19

- Your Muslim Name - Dawaah Work: Trends in Australia - Attributes of Allah - An-Nur

Travel

20 - 22

- Meet “Muzbnb”, faith-based homestay network for Muslims - Andalusia - Granada and the Alhambra

Social

- What is Sharia anyway? - Grand Mosque in Oman

AMUST Team

Hajar Rafiq (left) and Eman Dandan (right). From left: Mohammad Raad, Tariq Shafei and Zia Ahmad.

Anti-Halal WipeHero: Innovative group Waterless car cleaning apologises AMUST Media

AMUST Media A Supreme Court defamation case brought by halal certifier Mohamed El-Mouelhy against the far-right Q Society has been settled out of court, with the organisation, its board members and politician Kirralie Smith making an apology. Mr El-Mouelhy, chairman of the Halal Certification Authority, brought defamation action against the Q Society and Ms Smith in early 2015, over two YouTube videos she presented on halal certification. Mr El-Mouelhy alleged the videos - both of which named him - portrayed him as “part of a conspiracy to destroy Western civilisation from within”. Mr El-Mouelhy said now the legal action was over, it was time to focus on the heart of the matter - that halal certification is a reputable process which creates jobs in Australia. “This is the past now, I have forgiven them, and they will have to put that [settlement] notice on their websites and Facebook pages for a whole year in a prominent place,” Mr El-Mouelhy said.

March 2017

Two Sydney engineers are aiming to become “the Uber of car cleaners” after developing a waterless trade-secreted cleaning technology and enlisting a fleet of “wipe heroes” on scooters to provide an on-demand service to clean vehicles. Deputy Premier and Minister for Small Business, John Barilaro, said chemical engineer, Farid Mirmohseni and close friend, mechanical engineer, Reza Keshaverzi, began the tech Startup, WipeHero, which has received a $100,000 Building Partnerships (BP) grant from the private-sector-led, NSW Government-backed Jobs for NSW. The pair plans to take the business onto the international stage after inventing the biodegradable waterless cleaning product. The company’s smart waterless technology, combined with its online platform, allows WipeHero to service fleets and individual customers anywhere, at any time. WipeHero, which has offices in Sydney and Melbourne, has recently signed on major car companies, fleets and dealerships and plans to expand to the United States and the United Arab Emirates.

Managing Editor: Zia Ahmad Graphic Designer: Rubinah Ahmad Chief Adviser: Dr Qazi Ashfaq Ahmad Multimedia Journalist: Mobinah Ahmad Columnist: Dr Abul Jalaluddin (Finance) Columnist: Bilal Cleland (Victoria) Columnist: Manarul Islam (ACT) Columnist: Dr Daud Batchelor (Brisbane) Journalist: Yusra Hadi (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, Luqman Landy.

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Good news follows some bad news Readers Recently some tragic news items have The mainstream community raised been followed up by good news that $600,000 overnight to rebuild burned a Texstrengthens the belief in humanity, jus- as mosque while Jewish people in the town tice and peace. gave Muslims key to their synagogue in orDuring the aftermath of Trump’s Muslim der to offer their congregational prayers ban, it was Americans of all faiths, colour A crowd-funding project launched by and ethnicities who came out in large pro- Muslim activists raised more than $55,000 tests against this unjust act. in one day to repair a vandalised Jewish The American judiciary played its role in cemetery in St Louis. a brave manner in standing up to the execCanadians of all shades and colour conutive power of the American President in demned the attack on Quebec city mosque putting its foot down against the ad hock and came out in large numbers to support executive order signed by Trump. and reassure the Muslim community. The former US Ambassador to It was a brave white American Australia, Jeffrey Bleich attacked EDITORIAL who tried to save the life of an President Trump’s executive orIndian man, Srinivas KuchibAssalamu der on immigration and a pasjotla shot and killed by another sionate defence of refugees, white male shouting “get out of Alaikum warning that the “hottest places my country” in Kanasas and was Greetings in hell” are reserved for those badly injured in the process. of Peace who “maintain neutrality” in Muslims community has been times of “great moral crisis.” trying to hide and save Egyptian It is the Jews in US who are voicChristian Copts from terrorists in Siing their strong abhorrence of the Muslim nai in spite of intimidation and harassment. registry, recalling the Nazi era where they People of all faiths and no faith have ralwere the targets because of their faith. lied in support of refugees and asylum seek-

ers in Australia. It is in the nature of mass media that while news of bigotry, hate and racism travels fast, good news seldom gets the headlines. Similarly, in our contemporary age of social media, it’s the bigots and hate mongers who are most active on this platform while the great majority of peace loving compassionate people usually keep silent. However, this trend is changing and both independent channels of mass media largely free of vested interests and who do not have any agenda to grind feel their responsibility by becoming vehicles of understanding and peace by reporting positive stories in their news. Similarly, those who want to minimise conflict and develop understanding between diverse people need to become keyboard activists and come forward in pro-actively raising their voice against bigots, racists and war mongers. The theory of clash of civilisations has no legs to stand on. Z I Ahmad

How to save AFIC from self-destruction Professor Shahjahan Khan The Australian Federation of Islamic Councils (AFIC), the peak body of all Muslims in Australia, is in its deepest crisis since it came into existence as AFIS in 1963 and later restructured as AFIC in 1976. Actually, it is at the verge of collapse, if not demise, due to the total failure of its recent leaders, to manage AFIC as the national umbrella organisation of Australian Muslims and its once glorious Islamic schools. The ongoing infighting among its leaders is leading to numerous costly legal battles. Unprecedented lack of trust among the members and leaders of AFIC and universal despair in the Muslim community are some of the worst makings of its recent leaders. Incompetency of the leaders, irregularities in the system, allegation of self-interest, corruption and nepotism, failure to comply with government requirements in the schools, nonadherence to its constitution, and rampant removal of executive committee members and inappropriate appointments and reappointments have taken a huge toll on the operation, management and reputation of AFIC. AFIC has lost all credibility both within the Muslim community and at all levels of government. AFIC cannot regain its lost glory and reputation with the current team of incapable leaders with failed track record. They had lots of time to reform AFIC, but they had only caused further damage to AFIC and its schools over the years by deliberately stopping the reform process. They are the ones responsible for the failure of AFIC and now it is time for them to go. Who would have thought that the immediate past President of AFIC, who was forced to resign from his position last year, would forcefully occupy AFIC office in the darkness of night by breaking the locks, only to remove another President, who claims to have been appointed by his predecessor? I believe AFIC has not failed as yet, but its current leaders have totally failed. AFIC can be reformed and its glory could be revived through new and capable leaders having no link with those who are behind its current mess and destruction. There are still good qualified people among the grass root ranks of members of AFIC who have been unsuccessfully trying hard to reform AFIC, and are still willing to undertake the task if given the opportunity. Unfortunately, the current leaders of AFIC with vested interest have, so far, successfully prevented them to take the reform agenda any further. Some members of AFIC perceived its prob-

March 2017

lems years ago and alerted the leaders repeatedly in the Annual Congresses and attempted to reform AFIC through reviewing its old and out of date Constitution. To my knowledge three such initiatives led to the formation of AFIC Constitution Review Committee (CRC) in its Federal Congresses during the last 7 years. No surprisingly, none of these Committees were allowed to work under different excuses by the leaders who are determined to keep their control over AFIC no matter what. Although, I have been involved in moving motions to set up those Committees, I did not want to be a part of it except for the last one established in the 50th Congress of AFIC held in Canberra to make sure that the much needed review is completed. Once again, AFIC leaders cancelled the third Review Committee in the pretext of ‘politics’ even though the then General Secretary of AFIC was the head of the committee. During this Congress, I moved a motion to set up AFIC Constitution Review Committee. There was a long debate between the then President of “Muslims NSW” and me. At the end all delegates supported the motion, except one who voted against the motion. President of AFIC was not happy, he raised the issue cost, and asked the 9 State Council Presidents if they supported the motion, hoping that they would oppose it. Interestingly, every State Council President supported the motion. The Committee started its preliminary work and made significant progress within a short time, but AFIC leaders declared the Committee invalid as there was an alleged ‘unauthorised’ delegate in the Congress. Thus, AFIC President disbanded one of the most important committees of AFIC in its history having no regards to the Congress decision at all. If this third CRC was allowed to work, many believe, AFIC would not be in this crisis now. No amount of changes in the Executive Committee of AFIC including recycling through musical chairs of rampant appointment, sacking and re-appointment from the same cohort by the same leaders would be acceptable to the community, government and its members if the recent AFIC leaders and those associated with them are in control of AFIC. The whole group of old guards must go to give AFIC a real chance to survive and regain its lost glory. Attempts to proscription of members who speak out against the wrong doings, intimidation against those who try to reform AFIC, and threat of expulsion of Councils and Societies for not supporting the failed leaders would serve no purpose rather than inflicting further division and disunity among the AFIC members, and potentially wasting more AFIC money in the court proceedings. As part of the cleaning of AFIC there should

be a ‘white paper’ containing the true and factual state of AFIC including its schools, admin system, halal operations, bank accounts, and properties. Then all the organs of AFIC should be reformed to meet the professional and Islamic standards so that there is no room for nepotism, conflict of interest, financial gain, and full compliance of government regulations with transparency and accountability. One of the key problems with AFIC is its election system in which only 10 State Council Presidents and AFIC President vote for the election of the AFIC Executive Committee (EC). This is where the numbers game and manipulation start to keep the control of AFIC positions. I have suggested time and again to introduce voting of nearly 90 member Societies for the election of AFIC leadership positions in order to stop the manipulation. The provision of re-election on the EC is another problem. The current leaders always try to favour the Council Presidents that are on their side and disfavour or sack those who are not. My suggestion was to abolish re-election. Many years ago, I suggested to separate AFIC school business from AFIC as a community organisation, but the leaders did not pay any attention. If this was done then most likely AFIC would not lose its hard-built Schools. Another suggestion was to run AFIC businesses including Halal certification with employed specialists so that AFIC EC could effectively engage with the community matters and protect the interest of the Ummah, rather than preoccupied with its businesses. Australian Muslims, like rest of other fellow Australians, are hardworking and deserve respect to live with dignity. We have no right to put them down by failing to stand for them, and misrepresenting them at this difficult time locally and globally. All recent leaders of AFIC should agree to retire and hand over AFIC to a team of sincere members who have the qualification, skill, track record and community trust and respect to create a better inclusive and respectful AFIC to serve the Australian Muslim community. It would be foolish to believe that people who have destroyed AFIC could fix it regardless of the level of renewed rhetoric and promises. Grass root members of the Muslim community, especially the younger generation need to demand and proactively work out a roadmap to not only save but rebuild Australian Federation of Islamic Councils (AFIC), the umbrella body of Muslim Australians. Professor Shahjahan Khan is the former Vice President of the Islamic Council of Queensland, the Director of MCCA and Professor of Statistics, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, Queensland.

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comments “One Nation” silly policies

One Nation claims they are not racists, and, in all fairness, in view of the fact that Islam/Muslims are not a race, they are correct in that respect. But, some of One Nation’s policies on Islam appear to be self-defeating. They oppose the introduction of Sharia Law, not realising, it would seem, that it’s part of the Sharia for all Muslims to abide by the laws of the land in which they reside, and, beyond that, it is part of the Sharia for Muslims to pray, fast, and be charitable. So Muslims in Australia are already following the Sharia. Does One Nation really want to stop them from doing all of that? Curiously, they also want to stop Muslims politicians from being sworn in to Parliament using the Qur’an but, surely, it’s preferable to have all Members of Parliament sworn in, to uphold the Australian Constitution on something they believe in. Muslims swear on the Qur’an to show their sincerity about what they are swearing to, but, it seems, One Nation’s paranoia has no bounds. The most concerning One Nation policy, relating to Islam, however, is that they want Section 116, of the Australian Constitution, changed. According to Wikipedia, that Section of the Constitution “precludes the Commonwealth of Australia (i.e. the federal parliament) from making laws for establishing any religion, imposing any religious observance, or prohibiting the free exercise of any religion.” So, in effect, they want to give the Government the power to decide what religion people can/can’t/must follow! But, seeing as Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world, what are they going to do if Australia ever becomes a Muslim majority country? Do they really want to change the Section of the Constitution which, essentially, separates the state from the church/mosque? Well, it seems, they may have that possible contingency covered because, according to another One Nation policy, they also want to stop Muslim prisoners from having halal certified food! So, perhaps, after changing the Constitution, they will throw all Muslims in jail and starve them, for following a religion which, I assume, they would ban if given the opportunity! One Nation may not be racist, but they seem a little bit Nazi to me. Omar Abdur Rahman Kataning, WA

Re: How to save AFIC from self-destruction

Let us hope that AFIC does not degenerate to become like OIC whose members can only mutter, “ Oh I see ! “ whenever their Rome is burning. mal

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BOOMERANG

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No compassion in Nazi and racist philosophies Bilal Cleland The spread of anti-Islamic and anti-Muslim propaganda and the establishment of a myriad of anti-halal, Islamophobic organisations in Australia, as well as in the USA and Europe, give justifiable cause for concern to Muslims and all defenders of inclusive democracies. What is quite startling is that some of these self-proclaimed “Patriot” groups have individuals wearing swastikas in their public demonstrations and make strong supporting noises in favour of white supremacy. On 15 February we commemorated the Fall of Singapore to the Japanese invaders, when they were part of the Axis Powers attempt to assert world domination. Thousands of our Australian soldiers were captured and later worked to death as slaves on the Burma Railway. To the Japanese of the day, the swastika was a symbol of their ally. Hitler in Mein Kampf even allocated Aryan status to this Asian nation. Many of the younger generation are unaware of the nature of the Japanese and German Axis powers and the philosophy which guided them. The philosophy of the Nazis was summed up by Hitler in Mein Kampf: ‘A stronger race will drive out the weaker ones, for the vital urge in its ultimate form will break down the absurd barriers of the so-called humanity of individuals to make way for the humanity of Nature which destroys the weak to give their place to the strong.’

Compassion must be eradicated from the master race. The philosophy of these aggressors is in stark contrast to the Islamic message. The most frequently occurring word in the Qur’an is ‘ Compassion’. Each of its 114 chapters, with the exception of the 9th, begins with the invocation ‘In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful…’ Because God had created man in His image, compassion is an intrinsic part of the human spirit. The Quran is clear about the nature of national and ethnic differences. O humanity! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female and made you into nations and tribes that you may know each other (not that you may despise each other). Truly the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is (the one who is) the most righteous of you. And Allah has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things). [Surah 49 Hujuraath Ayah 13] Hitler thought very differently. He wrote that racial mixing was “… nothing else but to sin against the will of the eternal creator.” Indeed the ‘lower races’ were to be enslaved. “It is certain that the first culture of humanity was based less on the tamed animal than on the use of lower human beings. … For first the conquered warrior drew the plough-and only after him the horse.” The horrors which resulted from the perverted ideas of Adolf Hitler were reported in “The Scourge of the Swastika” published in 1954 and again in 2002. Written by Lord Russell of Liverpool it was compiled from the evidence given and the documents produced at various war-crimes trials, and from statements made by eye-witnesses of war crimes to competent war crime investigation commissions in the countries where they

were committed. “During the war, on the lowest computation, twelve million men, women and children from the invaded and occupied territories were done to death by the Germans. At a conservative estimate eight million of them perished in German concentration camps.” Jews, slave labourers no longer fit for work, many Russian prisoners of war, people rounded up as hostages, were taken into these camps where they were tortured and murdered. Vile medical experiments carried out on prisoners, many without any medical purpose, were carried out in camps like Dachau. The list of horrors is almost unbearable to read. Odette Sansom, an inmate of Ravensbruck, testified that she had heard living people being put into the crematoria alive. “The murder by the Germans of over five million European Jews constitutes the greatest crime in world history. That the

Simple lifestyle essential for successful leadership

March 2017

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

Unholy Alliance Fazlul Huq

Dr Salih Yucel History testifies that all great Muslim leaders and scholars had a simple lifestyle of the ordinary citizen. Some even lived a life in poverty. Umar ibn Abdu’l Aziz (682-720), Tariq ibn Ziyad (670-720), Nureddin Zangi (1118-1174), Saladin Ayyubi (1133-1197), all Ottoman Sultans from Osman Ghazi (d.1324) to Yavuz Sultan Salim (1470-1520) had a very simple life. They did not leave almost any inheritance similar to Four Rightly Guided Caliphs. Not just these leaders but also their top administrators followed their footsteps as well. Umar ibn Abdul Aziz after consulting with the great scholars of the time forbade trade and business for Muslim public servants including governors, military commanders, judges and their children. Later, this became part of Islamic law. Some may argue that Ottoman Sultans lived in Topkapi Palace. Yes, but when compared with palaces in Europe at that period, Topkapi Palace was much simpler in style from its establishment, and most of the palace was built after Yavuz Sultan Salim. In contrary to the Muslim leaders, while the European leaders were living in palaces during the so called Dark Ages; there were conflicts, civil wars, and poverty throughout their countries. When Islamic leaders preferred a simple life, Muslims lived in peace and prosperity. Islamic countries became a role model in all aspects of life for the rest of the world. On the contrary, when the leaders began living separately in luxurious palaces, then they neglected the people that they were meant to serve, and as a result, most of the population suffered for various reasons.

total Jewish population of Europe was not exterminated is due solely to the fact that the Nazis lost the war before they could bring their ‘final solution of the Jewish question’ to its conclusion.” [Ch VII the ’Final Solution’ of the Jewish question. The Scourge of the Swastika.] Such horrors are the fruits of notions of racial superiority and the denigration of those considered of “lower races.” Islam came to guide us away from such evil notions but we can see evidence of the resurrection of this ideology emerging around us. Human beings are able to learn from their experience so it is unlikely that such philosophies will regain authority in the 21st century.

When the terror determines to generate fear through unprovoked violence, Resulting in death and destruction,

Today almost all Muslim leaders live in palaces, and none of the Muslim countries is fully developed. In most of Muslim-majority countries, there is no real peace and economic prosperity. Again, most of the contemporary Muslim leaders or their children contrary to Islamic law, take advantage in engaging in business and trade. Is there any correlation between peace, economic prosperity, development of a country and leaders who live in palaces? According to Ibn Khaldun (1332-1406) who is considered father of sociology and history by the Western scholars, there is a relation. In the developed countries almost none of the presidents or prime ministers have luxurious lifestyles, but in developing countries, most of the rulers live in great luxury. It shows that the leaders of developed countries follow Islamic principles of the good governance while Muslim leaders follow a non-Islamic principles of corruption. The scholars use “mabda-muntaha” for above mentioned great Muslim leaders. It means that the day when a human comes into this world has nothing and dies without taking anything. Similarly, the day these leaders took position or office and the day they left or died, financially were same. By applying this, the leader becomes a public servant as mentioned in the saying of the Prophet Muhammed (s) “the master

of the people is the one who serves them” (Daylamî, Müsned, II, 324). Under public servant’s leadership, Islam flourished, peace is established and countries develop. In Islamic history, the leaders who lived in palaces are forgotten, but those who lived as ordinary citizens are remembered and honoured. Prophet Muhammed (s) states that “There are two groups in my ummah: the scholars and the rulers. If they are upright, the people will be upright; if they are corrupt, the people will be corrupt” (Kanzu’l-ummal). There is a proverb. The fish always stinks from the head downwards. For overcoming crises in most Muslim countries there is a need for leaders like Umar ibn Abdul Aziz and Saladin who lived simply, acted justly and did not leave any inheritance but only a little money which was sufficient for their funeral service. Dr Salih Yucel is an Associate Professor at the Centre for Islamic Studies and Civilisation, Charles Sturt University. He worked as an Imam at Redfern Mosque in Sydney between 1987-1992 and then as a Muslim chaplain at Harvard Medical Schools’ hospitals for seven years. Subsequently, he was lecturer and senior lecturer in Islamic Studies at Monash University. He completed Master of Theology at the University of Sydney in 1996 and his Doctorate at Boston University in 2007. For detail of his bio https://csu-au.academia.edu/SalihYucel

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Where the victims are more often the innocent, Those who make statements, To heighten the fear or take actions, That result in the death of innocent many, And blame a mighty faith based on Ignorance, falsity and lies, While the terror continues to grow, Some may see the course of events as being an unholy alliance, Whether intended or not! Because naivety and ignorance cannot be the leadership trait, Especially when the actors are on the global stage. So the wise ones say: “Learn from the mistakes and think laterally to find meaningful solution.”

Associate Professor Fazlul Huq is based in Sydney and leads the Biomedical Science Cancer Research Group in the School of Medical Sciences, Sydney Medical School. He is also an accomplished poet with over 1400 compositions in Bengali and English and has also been involved in various community projects.

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Amity College continues its strong academic tradition year after year

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Zia Ahmad

Amity College hosted its annual HSC and ATAR Awards Ceremony on Thursday 16 February to acknowledge and celebrate the outstanding achievements of the HSC graduating class of 2016. The awards ceremony included the giving away of generous prizes awarded to students who helped maintain a well-established tradition of academic excellence at the College. Amity College holds this ceremony with the attendance of its current Year 12 students every year in order to set high standards and provide an exceptional experience for them. High achievers at the HSC 2016 spoke at the event to inspire current Year 12 students sharing their very unique and fresh experiences. Top ATAR achievers Samia Jamal and Halil Ibrahim Aydogan presented their motivational and entertaining speeches and were commended by the audience for their dedication and discipline shown throughout 2016. The event was attended by a large number of guests including politicians, government officials and community leaders: • Mr Enver Yasar, representing Luke Foley, NSW Opposition Leader, • Ms Rania Haddad, representing Chris Hayes, Federal Member for Fowler,

HSC 2016 high achievers with ATAR 90+ recognised at the annual HSC and ATAR Awards Ceremony 2017. • Mr Ali Karnib, Deputy Mayor of LiverBelieving these to be the skills and values 2016. pool, developed and, most importantly, the friendThe awards included crystal trophies for • Mr Zeynel Abidin Haydardedeoglu, Ale- ships and relationships forged, Mr Erdogan every student, gift vouchers to 80+ ATAR vi Cultural Centre Community Leader, turned the attention of the students present achievers, tablets for 90+ ATAR achievers • Ms Sera Yilmaz, Councilor, Fairfield to their future, emphasising the importance and laptops for 95+ ATAR achievers. City Council of pursuing a meaningful life “with a strong In addition, Galaxy Foundation, awarded • Detective Inspector Dean Johnstone, sense of communal responsibility”. $3000-scholarships spanning three years to Acting Liverpool Commander of the Almost half of the students in the co- Halil Ibrahim Aydogan (99.20 ATAR) and NSW Police Force, hort achieved an ATAR of 80.00 or above Samia Jamal (99.30 ATAR). • Mr Imran Win, Director, Amity College and one-fifth achieved an ATAR of 90.00 Established in 1996, Amity College is a School Board or above, with three students attaining an leading independent and non-denominationDuring his address, Executive Principal ATAR of over 99.00. al school in Sydney’s south-west which proMr Deniz Erdogan quoted Einstein and said One student, Ayse Atalay, achieved an vides K-12 education. “true education is what remains after one exceptional state rank in the subject of has forgotten what he/she has learned in PDHPE, placing at an impressive 6th out Zia Ahmad is the Managing Editor of the Ausschool”. of 15,498 students who took the subject in tralasian Muslim Times & is based in Sydney.

Awards on Sir Syed Day by AMU Alumni Continued from page 1 The President of the AMU Alumni of Australia, Mr Zamir Khan while welcoming members, guests and families paid tribute to Sir Syed for his contribution towards education and highlighted the activities of the Alumni seeking support for its scholarship program that has a highly successful track record of almost a quarter of a century. The Chief Guest, Mr S K Verma, Consul General of India in Sydney during his address elaborated on the life and achievements Sir Syed Ahmad Khan and his Aligarh movement in the promotion of modern education amongst Indians. He recognised the contribution and long track record of Aligarh Muslim University as a peak institution of higher education in India for the last 150 years. He highly appreciated the various services in the field of education that the Alumni has rendered for the last 25 years since its foundation in Australia. The keynote speaker at the event, Mr Mansoor Mohammed, Director of Communications, PMI Sydney gave an audio-visual presentation on time management and warned the audience on the pitfalls of multitasking. Mr Talal Yassine while accepting the award from the Mr Verma, thanked the

From left: Zamir Khan, Zia Ahmad and Mr S K Verma, Consul General of India. Alumni for this recognition and said that he was delighted to be at this venue with fond memories from his school days since this used to be the assembly Hall for the Granville Boys High School that he attended.

Talal Yassine with Zafar Siddiqui, Guest of Honour at Sir Syed Day 2017.

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During his acceptance speech for the award, Mr Zia Ahmad emphasised that loyalty to one’s nation was an Islamic, Australian and universal value and to work towards properity, progress and security of the so-

cio-political surroundings one lives in was a duty. “Think globally and act locally”, he said. Mr Ahmad was the winner of Premier’s Multicultural Media Award 2016 in the category of Best Editorial/Commentory of the year. The entertainment at the event included a children’s dress parade, songs and dances by Alumni kids with exchange of gifts as well as poems sung by very popular Mr Khurshid Anwar and Mr Riaz Shah and his companion. The formal program ended with the usual tradition of Tarana recited from the stage by a team of the Alumni members joined in by the audience. Dinner was served by the popular Himalayan restaurant based in Granville. The event was sponsored by Crescent Wealth amongst others. A well documented Scholarship Report 2015-2016 was freely distributed at the event listing the names of donors and recipients of scholarships that the Alumni has established as well as a detailed audited financial report. There has been a steady progress in donations for Alumni’s Scholarship and infrastructure support for Indian educational institutions, indeed a great success story.

Alumni children performing at Sir Syed Day 2017.

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Free serve of tennis to Muslim women and girls Tanya Kubitza When it comes to tennis, Yvonne Fantin knows how to expertly serve a ball. The shorthaired blond has been playing tennis since she was a little girl and is the current Head Coach at Epping-based Topseed Tennis Academy, one of Melbourne’s fastest growth areas in the Northern suburbs. However, her free-of-charge program catering specifically for Muslim women and girls is proof that she is also stellar at serving the community. Her “Muslim Women and Girls Tennis Program” kicked off in early February 2017 and is running free of charge on a weekly basis for the duration of 45 minutes each. Yvonne advertised the free six lessons as “an inclusive program where women and girls can learn to play tennis in a culturally respectful environment”. Within days, the program was fully booked out and Yvonne forced to add people to a waiting list. Forty Muslim women and girls are regularly attending the lessons at the moment, with the majority being scarfed women in their twenties and up. Many have brought their daughters with them to introduce them to the sport. When asked what inspired her to cater specifically to Muslim women and girls, Yvonne states that she used to coach a group of Muslim girls in her regular classes but although they enjoyed it, most of them did not continue with tennis. “I thought about the reasons why, the barriers they faced and how I could create an environment to encourage more Muslim women and girls to participate”, Yvonne recalls. She developed the program to solely cater to the sensitivities and struggles with a capacity to make sport participation challenging to women and girls of the Muslim faith. “I wanted to increase the involvement of Muslim women and girls into tennis, without compromising their religious beliefs or cultural values. My aim is to introduce them

Yvonne Fantin with her tennis trainees. to tennis, so that it can be a sport they can play at a recreational level, or take it further and play professionally if they choose”, she said. As an outcome, Yvonne put together a program, where an all female coaching team has been educated on the unique needs required regarding Islam and women in sports. As fellow tennis coach Kate puts it: “We understand the dress code of Muslim women and encourage them to wear whatever they feel comfortable in to the sessions.” As current research shows, a negative body image is a hot topic and one of the biggest contributing factors from preventing women from being physically active. Thus, another of Yvonne’s aims for the Women and girls only program is to “help them feel more confident, improve their psychological wellbeing and promote physical health.” Yvonne applied for funding of the program which was being granted in last year’s

Tennis players: Mariam and friend. November, giving the program the final goahead. It is funded by Tennis Victoria, the State Government of Victoria and Topseed Tennis as part of the ACE (Accessible Community Equality) Inclusion and Diversity Program. What better way to measure the success of the program than by seeing the sweaty yet happy faces of its regular female participants. Twenty three year-old Khodijah, 23, has always been keen to try tennis but never got to do anything about it. When she heard about the program, she was interested right away: “I loved how all different Muslim women and their children could come, get along and participate in doing sport. It’s also great to see housewives out of the house and ladies participating in sports, which is encourages in Islam, as one should look after his/her God-given body.” Her 10-year-old cousin Mariam nods in agreement: “I absolutely love it. It’s been

great fun and we laugh a lot in between.” Next to them, Fatima, a mother of three boys, states: “I joined to have some me some me time. I met some lovely ladies in a pleasant environment without any judgement. It’s an excellent initiative and the trainers are wonderful.” Her sentiment is shared by Laila, 45, who has been inspired by the program to continue playing tennis after the program will have finished. “I want to keep going. It is a lot of fun and you can play comfortably covered,” she said. To find out more about the program or tennis in general, you are welcome to contact Yvonne Fantin via her homepage http:// www.topseedtennisacademy.com.au Tanya Kubitza is the Chair of the JCMA Membership Committee, Registrar and Marketing Manager of Melbourne based Al Siraat College. She is the captain of the cycling team Al Siraat.

IFAM launches Islamic Quiz program 2017 Abdul Rahman Following the great success in previous years, the Islamic Forum for Australian Muslims (IFAM) is set to host a bigger and better highly popular Islamic Quiz program in 2017. The launch event for the quiz program was organised on Saturday 19 February 10 am to 1 pm at the Himalaya Bankstown Emporium. Keynote guest speakers at the event included Mr Khal Asfour, the former mayor of Bankstown and Dr Jan Ali, lecturer in Islamic studies at Western Sydney University. The aim of the event was to encourage sponsors to pledge money to the cause, with many notable speakers emphasizing the importance of children learning about their religion and thereby implementing it into their

March 2017

daily lives. The tagline of the quiz is that “everyone is a winner, no one will go home empty handed”. What better way to earn prizes and learn about your religion at the same time. The Annual Children’s Islamic Quiz program was first initiated in Canberra by IFAM and has been running successfully there for 11 years. The Quiz was first hosted in Sydney last year and was an instant success with over 160 participants. IFAM aims to enlarge the quiz program in 2017 with the help of the sponsors to increase participation and improve outcomes. Following the recitation of Quran, Dr Kashif Aziz, Vice President of IFAM welcomed the guests and provided a short introduction of IFAM and its goals. This was followed by a short speech by the chief guest Mr Asfour, one of the foremost supporters of the Children’s Quiz initiative. He emphasized the importance of knowing and understanding your religion especially among young school age children.

Mr Khal Asfour. Mr Asfour emphasized that Children’s beliefs are shaped when they are still very young, which they carry with themselves throughout their life. This is why it is so important to teach young children the correct teachings of Islam so they can understand and implement that knowledge in their life until adulthood. He commended IFAM for this great initiative and said that initiatives such as the Islamic Quiz are an essential part of early childhood learning. Dr Jan Ali, lecturer at the Western Sydney University also reiterated the importance of children learning their religion at an early age and touched upon implications upon society if they do not know and practise their own religion. A number of other guest speakers as well as IFAM leaders spoke at the event on the

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Dr Jan Ali. topic of learning and teaching Islam to young people. The program finished with pledges of donations by the attendees at the event. To show your support and pledge money towards this worthwhile cause, or to enrol your children into the Islamic Quiz program, please contact Br Shafqat Ali on 0411244040. The ongoing support from the community is what allows these events to take place for the betterment of our children. The Children’s Islamic Quiz for 2017 will take place at on Sunday 23 July at a University campus with further details to be publicised widely. Abdul Rahman is a Year 9 student based in Sydney and is enthusiastically associated with IFAM Islamic Quiz program.

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Events Muslims feeding the needy in Calendar Sydney

Australian Muslim Artists Exhibition 2017 March, April, May, 2017 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM Islamic Museum of Australia 15A Anderson Rd, VIC Thornbury, Victoria islamicmuseum.org.au

Clean up Australia day Sunday 5 March, 2017 10:00 AM Campbell Hill Reserve Chester Hill NSW

NSW

https://goo.gl/0lKKUD

The Existence of God Sunday 5 March, 2017 9:30 AM - 1:30 PM Madina Rooms, 3rd Floor, Square House, UNSW NSW www.hikmahway.com

Morning Tea 2017 Thursday 16 March, 2017 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM Islamic Museum of Australia 15A Anderson Rd, VIC Thornbury, Victoria islamicmuseum.org.au

SAMAA Presents - Tahir Qawwal & Party Sunday 19 March, 2017 4:30 PM - 8:30 PM Bankstown Sports Club, 8 Greenfield Parade, NSW Bankstown, NSW Book your tickets: stickytickets.com.au/48679

IMA Gala Dinner Sunday 19 March, 2017 6:00 PM Mantra Bell City 215 Bell Street, VIC Preston, Victoria islamicmuseum.org.au

The Vicious circle of Islamophobia and Radicalisation Monday 20 March, 2017 8:00 PM ISRA Melbourne 250 Hume Hwy, VIC Somerton,Victoria https://goo.gl/CCZsNS

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

Yusra Hadi Several Muslim organisations in the suburbs of western Sydney have spared precious time serving the homeless in our community, a small part of humanity. Sydney- based Islamic organisation Muslims feeding the needy have formed a small group of Muslim volunteers to help the homeless and needy in Sydney by providing them with complementary food and drinks. The Four Muslim men who started the project in 2014 are continuously dedicating their Monday nights to help the homeless by sharing with them food and drinks. Every Monday afternoon, the MFN team travel around the suburbs of Western Sydney to pick up freshly made meals from families, friends and volunteers and make their way towards Sydney’s CBD and Belmore Park. Upon arrival, the team dress into their fluro vests, making a visible statement about Islam. Tanvir Alam explains all the reactions from the public so far has been positive. “We do it for the sake of Allah (god). We want to show people what Islam is really about; Islam is not about terror. Islam is about helping the needy and that’s what our project aims to do”, Tanvir said. The team unload their vehicle and walk around with backpacks in the streets of Sydney’s CBD where they hand out food

packages to the homeless. These packages include rice, Chicken and warm wraps. Muslims feeding the needy is a non-government organisation, purely based on voluntary work and community funding. There are various ways one can help, by cooking meals from home, by donating, or even by becoming a ‘MFNS’ volunteer. All

donations go strictly towards meeting the projects costs. This organisation isn’t the only one bringing goodness to the homeless community. Several other Muslim organisations including The White Coats and Brothers In Need are all on the same humanitarian mission.

SAMAA harbour cruise and upcoming Mehfil-e-Qawwali Zahid Jamil The South Asian Muslim Association of Australia (SAMAA) organised a four hour Sydney Harbour cruise on Sunday 12 Feb 2017 for community elders and their families. The cruise was a uniquely popular event and the chartered boat was full to its capacity. The guests were entertained with South Asian music and songs while cruising the beautiful Sydney Harbour. Singers at the cruise included Riyaz Shah, Priya Das, Malik Diwana while some elders joined the thrilling performances. Intercontinental menu for lunch was to much liking of the guests on the cruise. Mr Zahid Jamil requested elders to come forward in telling about their aged care needs to SAMAA so that appropriate services can be arranged. He said that there seems to be a cultural trend among our elders not to mention about their issues which makes it difficult to register them through MyAged Care and Aged Care Assessment processes. Many of our elders, thus, miss out on services which are available to them. The elders thoroughly enjoyed the cruise and demanded it to be repeated each year. South Asian Muslim Association of Australia Inc (SAMAA) is a public benevolent organisation providing a range of services to the community. SAMAA’s team of volunteers provide yeoman services, such as taking elders to their appointments with GPs and specialists, grocery shopping, social events, Mosques, etc. These volunteers also assist seniors, offering home cleaning, home cooking, delivery of home-cooked meals, laundry & general home chores. SAMAA actively engaged with relevant

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Government Bodies and Aged Care Agencies, bringing to their knowledge, the specific religious & cultural needs of our Muslim elders. SAMAA signed MoUs with leading service providers who agreed to provide cultural and religiously appropriate care to their elders. The leading service provider Uniting is currently the major partner of SAMAA in offering various professional aged care services. Social isolation is a real issue for many community elders. To overcome this, SAMAA not only sends its volunteers to spend some time with elders in their homes, but it also arranges for them social gatherings at picnics and cultural events, on a frequent regularity. The next major event, SAMAA is holding to entertain community elders and wider South Asian community is “Mehfil-e-Qawwali”. Qawwali is a form of Sufi devotional music popular in South Asia. It is part of a musical tradition that stretches back for more than 700 years. Originally performed mainly at Sufi shrines or dargahs throughout South Asia, it gained mainstream popularity and received international exposure through the work of the late Pakistani singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan as well other leading names such as Sabri Brothers, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Abida Parveen etc. Tahir Faridi, as he is popularly known, of

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Canadian origin, inspired by great Sufi tradition, established Fanna Fi Allah group. He and his companions travelled to sufi shrines of India and Pakistan and spent nearly 20 years in dedicated study with the masters of this classical art-form. The Fanna-Fi-Allah has now become a leading representation of Sufi Qawwali music in many Western countries. With their rich rhythmic grooves, soaring vocal melodies and the bright intensity of their live performances, Fanna-Fi-Allah urges us to lift our hearts in exaltation and devotion to the Divine. The Australian wing of the group will perform to entertain SAMAA community. The “Fanna-Fi-Allah Mehfil-e-Qawwali” will be held at 4.30 PM on Sunday, 19 March 2017 at Bankstown Sports Club Theatre. The tickets can be bought at www.stickytickets.com.au/48679 Zahid Jamil is an engineering post graduate and runs a financial planning practice based in Sydney. He heads South Asian Muslim Association of Australia, SAMAA: http://samaa.org.au ), a benevolent institution offering wide range of services to the community elders.

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Australia’s biggest halal expo ever! Yusra Hadi The Halal Expo Australia held its 3rd annual conference on the weekend 11 to 12 February at Rosehill Gardens, Sydney attracting thousands of visitors each day with the international exhibitors, speakers and global industry players. Despite the temperature reaching 45 degrees that weekend, people from all over NSW, Canberra, Newcastle, Wollongong and even interstate participants from Melbourne and Brisbane attended the event. The event most successfully showcased various aspects of Islam and defined a new dimension of Australian Muslims pertaining to Halal products and services. This year, the theme of the conference was ‘The Role of Halal in Culture, Trade and Economy’. The two-day conference defined a new image of Halal Expo Australia where over 90 local and international businesses showcased their products & services, at their beautifully decorated structured stands. The first day of the conference started at 10 am with an opening ceremony chaired by Dr Obaid Al Ketbi, the Ambassador of the United Arab Emirate. There were 7 sessions in total, 24 topics, 2 workshops and 1

special breakout session. 12 highly knowledgeable local and international speakers undertook different topics of their expertise during the event. A large food court was designed nearby the exhibition hall where 22 different halal ethnic foods were placed by local food caterers and restaurants offering a variety of delicious halal food and beverages for participants to indulge in. A number of rides and amusements were organised for children. However due to excessive heat, they were not operated until late afternoon on Sunday. The kids meanwhile took part in the workshops and activities on the day. Day two started with the recitation of Holy Quran by Mr Naseer Nazir. There were several sessions addressed in the conference: Islamic Investment & Finance, Halal Medicine & Treatment etc. The highpoint of the day was the special breakout session of Nabil bin Ameen Molla, the Secretary of General Gulf Standard Organisation, who presented a very inspiring speech on the importance of the halal market globally. He followed up the speech by a workshop on How technology transformed the landscape of the halal industry. Another workshop was organised by Halal Expo Australia on ‘understanding halal standards and its effect on your businesses’ which was professionally led by Mr Azlan Oppier. “What a great time we are having, I

Photo by ayeshaasimphotography.com couldn’t believe this kind of set-up as we It provided an opportunity for social harnever had before’ says one of the visitors. I mony and understanding between diverse have been taking part in the Islamic festivals group of people crossing the barriers of for last 20 years but never joined such a pro- faith, ethnicity, and culture. fessionally designed event like this before’ Members of the public, along with the insays one of the exhibitors”, Dr Priyakon, ternational guests praised the organisers for Director of the Halal Standard Institute of the informative exhibits, air-conditioned, Thailand commented. spacious and comfortable facilities of the The event successfully raised awareness Grand Pavilion Hall at the Rosehill Gardens of all things Halal, foods, products and ser- in the city of Sydney. vices within Muslims and non-Muslim communities. Yusra Hadi is a Sydney-based multimedia journalist.

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Visionaire Online: Transform your life with dua Gulhan Eryegit Yoldas If you’re reading this, know that you’ve been guided here for a reason. There are two things that happen when you take the plunge and sign up for Visionaire Online: 1. You make a conscious decision to change aspects of your life through powerful, structured dua and 2. You become infinitely more certain that your duas are heard and will manifest. For those who haven’t already experienced the intensity, clarity and strategy Visionaire Online offers, it goes for two weeks and is run by the Sheikh Muhammad Alshareef. It’s a program that attracts hundreds of Muslims from every corner of the globe, designed to redefine how you view and make dua. Now you may think this is a program best suited for reverts who’ve recently entered into Islam and aren’t familiar with how to make dua, I beg to differ. How many born-into-it Muslims have been repeating the same duas over and over for years and not seen them manifest? How

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many of us feel butterflies in our stomachs when we’re making dua? How many of us want so badly to change something in our lives? Perhaps, like me, you feel stuck, like you’re not doing what you’ve always envisaged for yourself. Or perhaps you have a strong desire to fill that nagging void in your life that can only be filled with the safe arrival of your first child, or by meeting your future spouse, or by getting that promotion. Was that a luxury holiday you wished you could take this year or was snowboarding always something you wanted to master? Did you want to build a multimillion dollar empire through property development or go to Hajj with your entire family? Visionaire Online is the answer to your prayers; giving you the tools to understand the role of dua in changing your life and the strategy to make powerful Duas. For those that are familiar with “The Secret”, I want to be clear that Islamically speaking, there is no “Secret” ladies and gentleman. We have a Most Generous, All-Powerful God who hears and sees everything. We don’t “Ask from the universe”. We ask from The One who “created” the uni-

verse and beyond. So if you’re ready to change your life this year, maybe you’re just as sceptical as I was before signing up, but do yourself a favour. Go in with an open heart, not mind. Listen to the YouTube testimonials (which quite frankly undersell this amazing experience). You will laugh, you will cry and when all is said and done you will know exactly what you need to do to live your dream life. Think you don’t have time for this? The program is designed, keeping in mind those that are extremely time poor; professionals, entrepreneurs or mums like me juggling multiple little ones. Live sessions are recorded and all other resources can be accessed as many times as you need, from your device, wherever you happen to be. Positions are limited so be sure to sign up to the mailing list to get in early. If you’re the super-social type, there are very few programs that so deeply connect Muslims from every continent in a social platform. The relationships you form with your Muslim brothers or sisters on the Visionaire program offers a sustainable support network of highly resourceful, like-minded people, dedicated to changing their lives through their dream duas.

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Sheikh Mohammad AlShareef, creator of Visionare Online. May Allah bless Sheikh Mohammad AlShareef and the crew at Visionaire Online for developing and running such an important program for the Ummah. May Allah manifest all their dream duas. For those who haven’t experienced Visionaire Online, your only regret will be not knowing about it sooner. http://www.visionaireonline.com/

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BOOMERANG 5-7

COMMUNITY 8 - 11

AUSTRALIA 12 - 13

LIFESTYLE 14 - 15

Sydney Hyde Park rally for refugees Philip Feinstein With Trump’s new ban on Muslims, the rally in support of refugees on Sunday 5 February in Sydney had extra significance. Hyde Park became the focal point where even the weather stayed dry and inviting. There were many speakers who got the crowd chanting appropriately: Rita Mallia, State President CFMEU NSW voiced her feelings of where society was going and where they should be headed. Dulce Munoz, a Mexican migrant representing Mums for Refugees, made clear points about the Trump situation and how we as a nation need to voice our disapproval. Then it was Ian Rintoul’s turn. Being the head of the Refugee Action Coalition, he knew full well the meaning of this large turnout. “Refugees are welcome here” was his chant for the day and the masses joined in. Ian pointed out the disappointment of action by our politicians and encouraged everyone to contact their local MP’s as soon

as possible. The huge crowd then marched to the American consulate voicing their affirmations all the way. Streets were closed off and by-standers took many photographs of the crowd and various banners going by. The ‘Jews for Refugees’ banner was a popular photographic target as the Jewish community also expressed their disdain at the current situation. One of the leading Jewish protesters, Philip Feinstein, made it clear when he said “We all need to express our sentiment that refugees are welcome here. After all, we came from a refugee background in the 1940’s and were made welcome . . . “ After a few impromptu speeches outside the American consulate, the crowd dispersed satisfied that they had made their point. But now for the big rally: On Sunday 9 April at 2pm in Hyde Park will be Palm Sunday Rally. This will be the march for Justice, Peace and Unity. And of course to show solidarity with refugees and asylum seekers. Philip Feinstein is a Sydney based writer, musician and activist working for MUSIC FOR REFUGEES www.musicforrefugees.org

Harmony Walk Festival 2017 in Blacktown Ernie Friedlander The latest Harmony Walk Festival was held on Sunday 19 February 2017 at Francis Park, Blacktown Showground. In addition to many organisations and communities supporting the event, there were two major sporting bodies, the NRL and the Australian Football Federation (AFL) as well as the Police Citizen Youth Club, which arranged local sporting events happening such as volleyball & basketball. Other very impressive performances included an Indigenous Didgeridoo player, Johnny Robinson who came down from Newcastle with his uncle, who danced mimicking native animals. There were other great performances, emphasizing our very cultural diversity – they included a very talented Senior Constable, Joel McMullen, who sang, Philippine Singers & Dancers, a South American group, (Amancer) students all under the age of 18 showcasing their

Indigenous Didgeridoo player, Johnny Robinson (right) Rabbi Zalman Kastar, Najla Turk and Ernie Friedlander. and his uncle at Harmony Walk 2017. rhythm. Furthermore, there was a variety of food Youth, Creating Chances, Together for HuAdding further success to the event was served, information stalls from the two main manity, One Love Mentoring and NSW Pothe actual Walk, two groups, going in oppo- Sporting bodies, the non -stop activities lice Services. site directions and eventually walking past commenced at 10 am and concluded at 5pm each other and shaking hand was very pow- – enjoyed by the many present. Ernie Friedlander OAM is the President of erful. This was going on to the music of “We Organisations which gave their support in- the Moving Forward Together Association are one – we are many – we are Australians cluded Multicultural NSW, Anglicare, Aus- based in Sydney. “. This is a principal message successfully tralian Bahaí, Philippine Council of NSW, executed. STARTTS, Blacktown Council, Blacktown

Rally for refugees, against Trump Manarul Islam

Canberrans bore one of the hottest days of summer to come together and rally support for the refugees. The rally, held on 11 February at Garema Place, included many speakers including prominent Muslim activist and community member Diana Abdel-Rahman who last year received the Order of Australia medal for multicultural community work. Other speakers included Sophie Singh from the Refugees Action Committe, Canberra, who had organised the event. Sophia Therese read a poem by Ravi Nagaveeran from his book “From Hell to Hell” which highlighted the personal plight of those seeking refuge. Particularly forceful was the speech by Dr Rick Kuhn, Honorary Associate Professor at the ANU School of Sociology who related the parallels the current attacks on Muslims with his own Jewish heritage. Videos of the speeches can be found at: https://goo.gl/YYwHdY

ANU Honorary A/Prof Dr Rick Kuhn.

Australasian Muslim Times

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March 2017

UMMAH 16 - 17

EDUCATION 18 - 19

TRAVEL 20 - 22

AUSTRALIA

SOCIAL 23

AMUST

Impact of How much tax revenue is foregone by the Government? Marriage Equality

FINANCE Dr Abul Jalaluddin Every financial year, Federal Government foregoes a significant amount of taxes from individuals and businesses as tax breaks which are treated as tax expenditures. These typically involve tax exemptions, deductions, offsets, concessional tax rates and deferral of tax liabilities. The government incurs tax expenditures in a number of large policy measures including superannuation, investment properties, principal places of residence, health, food, education, financial services, child care, small business income, non-profit hospitals and philanthropy. Capital gains tax (CGT) break on family homes (principal places of residence) and 50 per cent discount on investment properties is the largest tax expenditure accounting for $61.5 billion in 2016-17, far greater than superannuation tax concessions being $33.1 billion in the same year. Tax concession on superannuation is widely understood to be highly generous but tax break on properties turned out to be a greater impost on the federal budget, revealed by the Tax Expenditures Statement released in January 2017. Goods and Services Tax (GST) costs $18 billion to the budget outcomes in 2016-17. The large GST expenditures include fresh food ($6.9 billion), education ($4.5 billion) and health ($4 billion). Banking and financial services have no GST in them, costing the budget an amount of $3.4 billion. Health incurs substantial tax expenditures, totalling $8 billion in 2016-17. They

Manarul Islam

relate to medical and health services ($4 billion), Medicare levy exemption ($2 billion), non-profit hospitals and public ambulance ($1.5 billion) as well as residential care and community care ($1.2 billion). Additional tax expenditures include child care services and childcare assistance ($3 billion), redundancy payments ($2.6 billion), interest withholding tax on certain entities ($2.3 billion), family tax benefits ($2.2 billion), lower company tax and small business depreciation ($2.1 billion), local government bodies ($1.8 billion), health insurance rebate ($1.5 billion), aviation gasoline and turbine fuel ($1.3 billion), tax deductions on donations ($1.3 billion) and capital works on investment properties ($1.2 billion). The Tax Expenditure Statement was mandated to ensure that the tax breaks and cash expenditures in the budget receive the same scrutiny by the Australian politicians and public. Tax breaks on properties (family homes and rental real estates) cost the budget as much as the Age Pension and Pharmaceutical Benefits Schemes (PBS)

combined. Superannuation tax breaks cost the budget as much as Defence and Foreign Aid combined. A debate is being raised around the tax break afforded to family homes where no CGT is payable on the disposal of these properties. With this tax concession at law, it is not uncommon for taxpayers to sell principal places of residence, after renovating and improving them, for a handsome profit without any obligation to pay tax on the financial gains made. Only 50 per cent CGT is payable on investment properties disposed after 12 months of ownership. The tax break of $61.5 billion given to properties in 2016-17 could be utilised to wipe out the entire current budget deficit of $35.5 billion and spend the rest for offering higher level of services to improve living standards of all Australians.

What would Australian society be like if and when the marriage equality legislation is passed in Parliament, in effect allowing same-sex to be married? That was the question pondered and discussed in the latest of Forum Australia’s series of dinner and discussions in Canberra on Monday 27 February. Held at Golden King Restaurant in Phillip and MC’d by Veronica Wensing, the forum discussed this impact through various angles. Asmi Wood of the ANU College of Law looked at the legal implications and raised some interesting points. Dr Wayne Brighton, of the Public Issues Commission of the Anglican Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn provided the relational perspective. Chris Steel, Member of the ACT Legislative Assembly took on the implications for the broader society. In particular the implications to religious and the LGBT communities were discussed. Videos of the forum can be found at: https://goo.gl/pEF7d5

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

IFAM explains Islam to festival-goers Manarul Islam Those attending the National Multicultural Festival in Canberra in February this year had the opportunity to learn more about Islam. The Islamic Forum for Australian Muslims (IFAM) had once again set up a stall where both male and female members of IFAM ACT actively took part in this dawah (invitation to Islam) opportunity during the festival on 19 and 20 February. Through IFAM’s affiliation with WhyIslam, a dawah wing of the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA), the stall had a wide range of material that was distributed freely to the many who came to the stall. There was also a mehendi (henna) service for minimal cost that was very popular with the ladies. Quran recitation was particularly interesting for the public as for many it was the first time they had heard the Quran. According to Mr Khurram Ali Khan, President of IFAM ACT, the objectives of the stall was to address the public’s common questions about Islam, put forward the clear message of Quran, remove misconceptions and promote the real message of peace and harmony in Islam. “It was overall a very good experience, there were a spectrum of questions, ranging from naive, straight, logical to philosophical and metaphorical. Many people received us nicely,” he added. More information about IFAM ACT activities is available on their website: www.ifam.org.au

IFAM volunteer team in front of their stall at the National Multicultural Festival in Canberra.

Manarul Islam is an IT professional, community worker and AMUST correspondent based in Canberra.

March 2017

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Australasian Muslim Times

LIFESTYLE

NEWS 1-4

BOOMERANG 5-7

COMMUNITY 8 - 11

AUSTRALIA 12 - 13

LIFESTYLE 14 - 15

The significance of superficiality AMUST

MOBYDAYZE Mobinah Ahmad I found myself sitting at a round table full of people I knew of but can’t really say I know well enough. Whilst they engaged in the kind of small talk which I find deplorable: “What do you do?”, “Where are you from?”, “Where do you live?” and the pointless questions we ask one another to judge based on superficial information, I noticed something. No one was asking me those questions. I couldn’t figure out if it was a good thing or a bad thing. It’s good in the sense that I’m not having the same boring conversations over and over again with these people I met years ago but don’t know much about since our friendship is superficial and the conversations are quite mechanical. However I felt a little left out. Thanks to my friendship theory and perhaps the nature of how I interact with others, no one wanted to have that superficial, small talk chat with me. Because I make it clear that I prefer one to one deep connections with people. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll be able to live on despite the minimal rejection - but I did find it interesting and it made me think about how I am perceived by others and whether there is significance in being superficial? Small talk is safe. You know what you’re getting with set questions and set responses. Things like “Hows work?” “Yeah it’s good!”, “How are you?” “Yeah good thanks, and you?” “I’m good!”. Just once I would like to ask someone I’ve

met “How are you going?” and they respond with “I’m actually going through a tough time because…” or “Lately, I’ve been thinking about the concept of…”. The whole point of conversation is to learn about each other, so why do most people just say “I’m good” and cover up what is really happening in their lives. Fear of judgement or opening up? Who knows. There is definitely something safe in having superficial friendships - it means you get to spend time with someone without actually having to deal with whatever issues they’re having. I can see how that can apply to some people. But for me, it’s torture. As a person who likes to meet new people, hear different

experiences and better understand different points of views, superficial relationships seem really pointless to me. One of the main reasons for this, is because aside from being on a moral shaky ground, I associate superficiality to being fake, this being a negative characteristic. Up until now. Reflecting on the significance of superficiality and what benefits that can arise from it - I realise that there needs to be a balance of how we interact with others. We can’t speak deeply with absolutely everyone, there is a sense of security knowing that you can have a light and fun time with another person without the conversation getting too deep, where emotions and thought can be left behind, and you just have fun.

Having superficial conversations are primarily great for larger settings, and require a very minimal level of care and effort at the time. It means to be in the presence of others and not have a deep or meaningful connection through expression of thoughts and emotions. You can have a non-verbal connection with a superficial friend, if there’s a mutual understanding of simply having fun together. It’s also a great way to network efficiently - being able to accrue names in your contact list effortlessly through a social dance of words without feeling emotionally connected. And the best part, asking for a favour from this person isn’t considered rude, because in essence the best part of networking is that you can use someone without being their friend. This has never sat well with me, and I don’t even know if it’s ethical, but it seems to be the thing that everyone is doing. I need to feel emotionally connected to someone in order to continue a friendship with them and this is why I find the idea of using my networks to get something very difficult. There are many benefits to having superficial friends and networks, even though the ethics of it might be a bit strange, as long as the intention is sincere - then it is a very clever way to meet people. Perhaps one of my biggest shortcomings in achieving success with others is my lack of superficial connections, and there is some good in it. Mobinah Ahmad is a professional social media analyst and AMUST Multimedia Journalist based in Sydney.

Australia, where’s the love? Gulhan Eryegit Yoldas

It’s a good time to be a divorce lawyer in Australia this year. With more marriages falling apart than ever before, the next generation are beginning to question if getting married at all is even worth the trouble. In the age of disposable relationships, it’s never been so easy to call it quits. While divorce lawyers everywhere might be rubbing their hands in anticipation we need to remind ourselves the importance of marriage, and maintaining the stability of the core family unit, as a nation. Marriage is the beginning of family. If you want to look at how a community is doing you look at the families within that community. Is there justice and fairness in their homes? Is there equity and equality, peace and tranquillity? Are members of the family respectful to one another? Are the rights of every member of the family being fulfilled? If the answer is yes to all these questions then you have the building blocks of a peaceful, cohesive, resilient community built on mutual respect and compassion. This is the type of family demonstrated to us by our beloved Prophet Muhammad (S). However, if you answered no and there is injustice, abuse, violence, neglect and disturbance in the family home, these attributes directly reflect in interactions within the community and the effects are filtered down to future generations. According to Domestic Violence Statistics, every week in Australia a woman is being killed by a partner or former partner. One in four women experienced abuse by a current or former partner.” Additionally, the Australian Institute of Family Studies reports, “In the year 20142015, there were 208,111 Australian children suspected of being harmed or at risk of harm from abuse and/or neglect. Emotional

abuse was the most common type of substantiated child maltreatment in Australia (43% of all substantiations).” These are the building blocks of a dysfunctional, hostile society lacking in empathy and compassion. The statistics are distressing and we need to start investing heavily as a nation on building and preserving healthier marriages. How is it that the single most common reason people are divorcing in Australia is communication problems? The most vulnerable members of our community are suffering for it. Good marriages make good economic sense. In 2014-2015 Australia spent $4.3 billion dollars on child protection and family support services. The economic costs to society of violence against women and children was $8.1 billion dollars. That’s a lot of money and far too much pain and suffering. It’s worth noting that in a study which analysed Marriage Breakdown in Australia the

Australasian Muslim Times

results showed that “...living together before marriage, having children before marriage... increase the risk of marriage breakdown.” And, “Higher levels of religiosity and having children in marriage reduce the risk of marriage breakdown.” It’s no surprise the most important quality Islam encourages a person to look for in their future spouse is ‘religious commitment’. The reason for this is simple. If the person you marry is God-fearing, they will treat you kindly and justly and understand the repercussions of their actions should they mistreat you. This is irrespective of gender. Islam teaches us clearly that man and woman are equal in the eyes of God which form the foundation of equity and equality and eliminates the abuse which stems from a need to control others. Since alcohol is forbidden in Islam, a Muslim marriage should also have the added benefit of not having

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alcohol induced family violence. By being better Muslims we offer a framework of what a peaceful, resilient marriage looks like. We lead by example as we emulate the teachings of our Prophet Muhammad (S). For my brothers and sisters that are looking to get married or in the process of getting married or experiencing challenges in their marriage, I echo to you the words of Sheikh Yasir Qadhi “If you want something in your life and you aren’t praying tahajjud for it then in reality you don’t really want it.” May Allah bless us all with marriages brimming with peace and muhabbah and may it be a source of constant gratitude to Him. Gulhan Eryegit Yoldas has a background in marketing and has been involved in organising many intercultural events including the first Telstra Iftar Dinner in Melbourne.

March 2017

UMMAH 16 - 17

EDUCATION 18 - 19

TRAVEL 20 - 22

LIFESTYLE

SOCIAL 23

AMUST

The beginning of being single Marriage Bureau

Shafeen Mustaq

For the 1 or 2 people who haven’t heard my mother’s huge sigh of relief reverberating around the globe, I got married on the 22nd of March 2014. After 10 active years of dismissing proposals, arguing with my mother, looking for love, being despondent, being angry, being lost and finally being resigned to being single, I gave up. I gave up thinking that my single status is something that I could change. I gave up thinking that I was in charge of my destiny and I truly left it to God. This is easier said than done. I know because for the past 2 or 3 years I had been saying that I had ‘given up’ and that ‘God knew best’ but deep down I didn’t truly believe it, deep down I was still scrambling to control my relationships. Whether or not anyone else saw I was still desperately hoping that I could do something to change the course of my fate. This is not at all to negate my favourite hadith which encourages you to ‘have faith in Allah swt but tie your camel’ It did bring home to me that births, deaths and marriages are truly in the hands of God. simple hadith is so powerful. We are living in the greatest age if human intelligence and advancement and it’s so easy to forget that we are not our masters. That we are merely a speck in the greater infinite universe of God’s creation. When we lose sight of that bigger picture it becomes impossible to have blind faith in the fact that God will take care of me. And when that happens we scramble like crazy to dating sites, speed dating venues and our ‘bio datas’ do the rounds of aunties. But I digress. There is a lot I want to say on this subject – get it off my proverbial chest so to speak. The start of the beginning The moment you are born a Bengali/desi child, your parents begin to worry. They worry as you grow up, they worry as you start school, they worry when you get to university but none of that compares to the worry that begins when the first person casually mentions to them, ’She’s all grown up now! She’ll be getting married soon.’ And there goes a peaceful night’s sleep for the parents of a Bengali girl. From now till the day she says ‘I accept’ every waking moment is haunted by, What will happen to my daughter? Who will marry her? Is she educated enough? Pretty enough? Good enough? Talented enough? Religious enough? And it isn’t long before this worry and sometimes frustration finds its way, displaced or directly, to the child in question. And that my dears is when a girl truly be-

Seeker & Sought For

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

Seekers

comes a woman. It’s not when your body changes, it’s not when you begin to notice or like boys, but it’s when you start realising that you parents cannot sleep because they are so worried about you. And that brings with it.. Guilt. lots of guilt. The beginning Two things happen at this point. 1. The very select lucky few women on this planet find their prince charming (or their prince charming finds them) and they can happily dispel their parents anxiety and work towards their happily ever after. If that’s you. Pat yourself on the back. Good job. Now go away. Because for the rest of us your life is just as dreamlike and just as elusive as Jasmine and Aladdin and Elizabeth and Mr Darcy. We don’t hate you. We ARE genuinely happy for you. But seriously.. don’t tell us your life is hard ever again because what we go through, that you are spared from, is much harder. 2. The rest of us are primped, primed and positioned to an inch of our lives as we are dragged to dawats. Any remotely nice picture of us is tacked to a bio data which is a resume for marriage purposes listing your life history, hobbies that show what a good girl you are (gardening and knitting anyone?), your family tree and their respective occupations to show you come from good lineage. And the worst part of all of this is that every single family friend is now eligible to ask you, ‘When are you getting married?’. People will delight in projecting your life for the next five years including who you will marry, where you will live and more

often than not these ruminations from an overactive imagination become firm fast rumours doing a marathon around your respective social circle so the next time you are out you have to start every sentence with, ‘No I am not getting married. Where did you hear that from?’ If this is you, in the latter situation, please sit down with some chocolate and give yourself a hug. You will need it. This is only the beginning of a process which will define your womanhood. It will thrust you into the reality of social circles, it will enlighten you, quite harshly at times, to who your real friends are and it will teach you how to deal with unwanted attention, grief, guilt and depression. But know through all of your turbulent emotions, that your parents are doing this out of their love for you. A desi parent has no other avenue of showing you how much they care and trying to find you someone who will love you anywhere near as much as they do is their sole ambition in this elaborate and sometimes painful process. So strap yourself in, thicken your skin and buckle up for the ride. It gets harder before it gets easier. This is part 1. Part 2: ‘That ONE dude’ will be in the next issue. Shafeen is a Canberra-based writer on her blog www.shifs.wordpress.com.She is also a senior consultant at EY (Ernst & Young) in Canberra. She has published a book titled ‘Financial Empowerment of Women in Bangladesh Through Microedit’. This article was originally published on www.shifs.wordpress.com.

F1515: Female, 58, Bangladeshi Muslimah, Divorced. I have 3 son’s. One of them living in Australia. I take Islam seriously and try to practice my best. Currently I am living with my son. I am looking for a practising Muslim who is an Australian citizen, open-minded with good manners. F1510: Female, 58, Fijian Australian widow from Indian background, Administrative officer. I like to Travel watch soccer, cook, socialise and help people. I am looking for a down to earth, loving and caring person. Someone to be my life partner and is willing to accept my son (19 years) who also lives with me. 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. M1514: Male, 21, Bangladeshi, Hafiz of Quran. Currently doing Bachelor in Accounting. I have received 6 points in IELTS. I come from a very educated and well practising Muslim family. My sister is an Australian citizen and is a doctor. Looking for a Muslim girl who lives in Australia. M1513: Male, 30, Pakistani, Currently doing PhD research at Tohoku University, Japan. I enjoy travelling. I am seeking a practising Muslimah. M1512: Male, 57, divorced, Australian citizen from Arabic background. I have been in Australia for 35 years and work as a painter. I like playing and watching sports. I like travelling as well. I am seeking for a Muslimah from any nationality. M1511: Male, 37, divorced, Bangladeshi Australian, Masters in professional accounting. I am a practicing Muslim, interested in attending Islamic and Educational seminars and socialising with friends. I am seeking a practising Bangladeshi Muslimah who resides in Australia. 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.

See More at amust.com.au/ listing_types/seekers/

Placing/Responding to a notice 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

March 2017

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Australasian Muslim Times

UMMAH

NEWS 1-4

BOOMERANG 5-7

COMMUNITY 8 - 11

AUSTRALIA 12 - 13

LIFESTYLE 14 - 15

A story of Hope in Afghanistan AMUST

Mahboba Rawi Arezu is a baby girl born to a young newlywed couple in Afghanistan. Before she had even come into the world, tragedy hit Arezu’s family hard. Her father wanted to provide for his pregnant wife but could not find a job in Afghanistan. He instead had to smuggle himself into Iran for work. On the border, he was shot by Iranian soldiers and bled to death. He was buried right there. He was an orphan himself and the same fate befell his unborn child. The man’s young wife was still pregnant with Arezu when the shocking news reached home. Already the woman had it rough, eating only a small piece of bread each day to nourish herself and her baby. The news depressed her. She lived with her father, a cobbler who wasn’t making enough money to take care of his family. It was at this difficult time that Arezu was finally born. She weighed less than one kilogram but she had the most beautiful big eyes. The family couldn’t keep Arezu. They realized that the baby would not survive the winter. They had no coal to warm their home and did not have enough food to feed everyone in the family. So they decided to find someone who could take care of Arezu and raise her properly. A friend mentioned that there was an orphanage called Mahboba’s Promise Hope House in Kabul that could help. The family took Arezu there. I tried to convince them to keep the baby because I wanted to see mother and child stay together. Sadly, the mother was too weak and sick and said that she would not be able to take care of her daughter. So I finally said to them that I would take the baby and raise her as my own child in Hope House.

Arezu is a baby girl, who had become the youngest orphan of Hope House. The next day, the family brought Arezu back to Mahboba’s Promise. She was a beautiful baby, but she hadn’t tasted her mother’s milk. She had no clothes, no diaper, and hadn’t been washed in four days. The other orphans at Mahboba’s Promise Hope House washed Arezu and fed her and took turns to hold her and play with her.

Mahboba Rawi with Arezu.

Arezu had become the youngest orphan of Hope House, and the youngest child Mahboba’s Promise had ever taken care of. From the tragic circumstances she had been born into, she would now have a safe, welcoming place to call her home. To find out more about Mahboba’s Promise activities in Afghanistan and how you can

help orphans, visit www.mahbobaspromise. org or call +61 2 9887 1665. Mahboba Rawi is currently in Afghanistan on one of her regular visits, and here, she shares how the country’s severe winter is tragically affecting underprivileged families.

Muslim registry: an attack on Accessible America Abdul Malik Mujahid They say immigrants fall in love with America because of opportunity. I fell in love with it because of accessibility. As a young father, moving to America wasn’t something I was considering when I first visited Chicago. In Pakistan, I had a fancier car, a nicer home, and a solid support network of extended family and friends. My wife and I were happy, and looked forward to a good future for our children. But walking around Chicago, I kept noticing that the sidewalks would sometimes become small, smoothly paved ramps. I couldn’t understand why, until I asked one of my friends who had been living in the city for a few years. It’s to give access to those in a wheelchair, he explained. It’s so they can cross streets and get up on sidewalks easily. I was stunned. This was something I would never have thought of. But in that moment, it encapsulated everything America stands for to me: Access. Access not just to all kinds of educational and employment opportunities. That a nation would care enough to build a way for some of its most vulnerable citizens to have access to basic mobility reflected something far greater than just being the proverbial “land of opportunity”. It meant that its promise to citizens of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”, the three unalienable rights outlined in its

Declaration of Independence, truly extended to all Americans. I was well aware that historically, this right was not always a given. Slavery, sexism, and supremacist beliefs about other races and ethnic groups had blocked the promise. Yet, Americans who believed in this idea, of access and equality, fought for it. And they won. This is what the One America Registry is all about. It is a response to President Donald Trump’s threat to establish a registry of all American Muslims. Sound Vision, along with our coalition of 50 other organizations, invites all Americans to register. The aim is to oppose policies and programs which seek to divide us. President Trump’s proposed Muslim registry targets all American Muslims. It is similar to one that was created for Japanese-Americans during WWII. Seventy-five years ago this month, an Executive Order was passed which made Japanese-Americans enemies of the state. They

Australasian Muslim Times

were shipped off to internment camps. They lost their livelihoods, their properties, and in a number of cases, their lives. The registry stripped these Americans of their rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It was unconstitutional and unjust. This is something our nation acknowledged in 1988 under another Republican President, Ronald Reagan. He signed the Civil Liberties Act to compensate more than 100,000 Americans of Japanese descent who were incarcerated in the internment camps. The legislation offered a formal apology and financial compensation to each surviving victim. Such is the promise and beauty of America. Access and equality are an ideal we continually strive for. And even as we struggle, there is always hope that we will win that coveted access to our Declaration’s promise. American Muslims are as concerned about the security of our nation as our neighbors. However, moves like the recent Muslim ban do not keep us safe. Such policies pave the way to a legal regime which not only harms our safety, interests, and stature globally, but

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undermines our values domestically. If the Muslim Ban was illogical, a Muslim registry is outright unconstitutional, and un-American. American Muslims are deeply grateful for the support from our neighbors against the Muslim ban, as well as the many activists, lawyers, and leaders, both Democratic and Republican, who have spoken out. Now we are asking everyone to join the One America Registry and our 10 Minutes a day campaign to uphold American values. Once you register you will receive information about how to use your ten minutes for an action item. Our first request is that you start by calling your representative and demand that they preempt the threat of the Muslim Registry. We are calling upon all Americans to meet their congressperson during a “National Congressional Meet up week” February 18 to 26. Please ask your Congressperson to stand up for American values by prohibiting the creation of any registry that classifies people on the basis of religion, race, or national origin. I never thought that decades after my first trip to America, now as an American grandfather of American-born Muslim children, I would be fighting for their continued access to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. But as I learned on the sidewalk that day so many years ago, America is about access and equality for all. It is my duty as their grandfather and as a fellow citizen, to ensure that it stays that way for every single American. Imam Abdul Malik Mujahid is president of Sound Vision and chair of Burma Task Force USA. Tweet @MalikMujahid.

March 2017

UMMAH 16 - 17

EDUCATION 18 - 19

TRAVEL 20 - 22

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SOCIAL 23

AMUST

Muslims in the West need to be vocal Professor Kamran Siddiqui

The recent attempt for a travel ban in the United States on people from seven Muslim majority countries and the terrorist attack on a Muslim mosque in Quebec City are deplorable acts that are unacceptable in any civilized society and must be condemned. The solidarity shown by the people of United States and Canada with Muslims in this difficult time is a commendable act, which strengthens the faith in humanity and evidently proves why these societies deserved to be called civilized. Muslim communities are going through tough times and their future in these societies depends on how they handle this situation and emerge from it. There is no question there are issues within Muslim communities living in the West that include an increase in radicalization, especially among youth, integration with local communities, and respecting the social norms of the society and its secular values. One approach is to play victim’s role, claim their innocence and hold others responsible for creating this hostile environment that had led to these terrible acts. This approach, however, will lead Muslims into the state of denial and move them away from self-correction, which will amplify these issues and put Muslims on a collision course with everyone else. The other approach is to consider these incidents as a self-check to identify the problems within the Muslim community and take corrective actions to eliminate the root causes. If such problems are not identified, acknowledged and corrected at an ear-

ly stage then they may lead to more serious problems in the future. One of the root causes of these problems is that Muslims in the West live under the influence of multi-faceted geopolitical conflicts in the Muslim world. Muslims view these conflicts with a monochromatic lens as a conspiracy of West against Islam. This sentiment is sustained through prayer sermons, which highlights the global Muslim sufferings. This has led to the development of biased attitude toward other communities and consequently the self-isolationism. This is a major obstacle in their integration into the society and a source of religious extremism. The other root cause is the lack of acknowledgement of values and expectations of a secular and pluralistic society. In a secular society, religion is a personal matter and the practicing of religious rituals is restricted to the private lives. In the public sphere, every person is equal in the eyes of the state, irrespective of race, religion and gender. However, Muslims often demand religious preference in public affairs. The follower of every religion considers his/her religion to be the only true religion and Muslims are no exceptions. However, in a pluralistic society one must respect other religions and maintain secular social norms equally with all its citizens. If Islamophobia is unacceptable on one side, then hatred towards Jews due to the Palestine-Israel conflict is also inappropriate. The solidarity with Muslim community shown during these incidents confirmed that the people of Canada and U.S. consider Muslims living there to be part of their societies. However, it is also necessary for Muslim

Intimidation at Indian Universities by nationalists On Monday 27 February Students in Delhi protested at the city’s police headquarters after attacks at Delhi University campus carried out by nationalist student group ABVP, an affiliate of the far-right Hindu organisation Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), that is inked to Prime Minister Modi’s BJP party Amnesty International India said there was a “growing threat to freedom of expression on Indian university campuses”.

Prime Minister Trudeau at the memorial prayer for the victims of the Quebec Islamic Cultural Centre shooting. community to reciprocate this feeling and respect to their gesture or the sentiment of a demonstrate their sense of belonging to common Canadian by reminding them that these countries. Through their actions, they they are Algerian and Tunisian first and then must defy the allegations that Muslims liv- Canadian. There is no doubt the vast majority of ing in the West lack their allegiance towards the country in which they live as rightful Muslims live peacefully in Western countries and fulfil their responsibilities as memcitizens. While the tragedy in Quebec City pro- bers of Western society but they need to vided an opportunity for the Muslim com- become more vocal to negate the inappromunity to bridge any mistrust that exists, priate actions of a small fraction that tends unfortunately the Arab-Muslim community to alienate the community. Instead of turning a blind eye, they must failed to demonstrate their allegiance to the land when the coffins of three victims were acknowledge the issues and take corrective actions. They should demonstrate they bewrapped in Algerian and Tunisian flags. The prime minister of Canada, the pre- long here and become an integral part of its mier of Quebec, and mayors of Montreal social mosaic, and share respect for other and Quebec City were all present at communities to keep these societies safe the funeral prayers to pay re- and prosperous for future generations. spect to the victims, who for Professor Kamran Siddiqui is an engineerthem were Canadians. But the Arab-Muslim ing professor at the University of Western community showed no Ontario, Canada. (Courtesy Toronto Star)

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“Universities are supposed to be safe spaces for debate and discussion. But the events at Ramjas College are a shameful reminder of how intimidation and threats continue to restrict free speech on university campuses,” Aakar Patel, head of Amnesty International India, said in a statement.

Threat of four famines

Oxfam is warning an unprecedented four famines could be declared in 2017, in South Sudan, Somalia, Nigeria and Yemen, due to a catastrophic failure by the global community to uphold its obligations to the most vulnerable of people. Oxfam is calling on donors, including the Australian Government, to take immediate action to help up to 20 million people now at risk of starvation. In Somalia, 2.9 million people face acute food security ‘crisis’ and ‘emergency’ levels. This could tip into famine if the AprilJune rains fail, their ability to buy food declines and people do not receive humanitarian support.

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In Nigeria, over 5 million people are in food crisis, and this is projected to reach 5.7 million by June 2017. There is a strong likelihood that at least 400,000 people could already be experiencing famine-like conditions and that this could rise to up to 800,000 over the course of 2017 if humanitarian assistance cannot be delivered. In South Sudan, 100,000 people are facing starvation now and a further 1 million people are classified as being on the brink of famine in Unity State. In Yemen, over 7 million people are just one step away from famine, and an extra 10 million people are severely hungry. This is largest hunger emergency in the world. The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) is reporting that wheat stocks for the country will run out in April.

Turkey reverses headscarf ban A ban on female army officers in Turkey wearing the Muslim headscarf has been lifted by the government in February 2017. Over the past decade the ban has been removed for schools, universities, the civil service and in August for the police. In 2010, Turkey’s universities abandoned an official ban on Muslim headscarves. Three years later, women were allowed

to wear headscarves in state institutions with the exception of the judiciary, military and police. That year, four MPs wore headscarves in parliament A ban on policewomen wearing the Islamic headscarf was lifted in 2016 Wearing headscarves in public institutions was banned in the 1980s.

FECCA expresses concerns over discretionary powers on immigration The Federation of Ethnic Communities Council of Australia, FECCA opposes any proposal to allow for broad, discretionary ministerial powers to review, restrict or cancel visas for people based on membership of a particular community. Chairperson of FECCA, Joe Caputo said: ‘The expansion of ministerial discretion to allow a visa to be refused or revoked on the

March 2017

basis of nationality or residency threatens the integrity of our immigration system.’ FECCA is concerned about the powers to be granted to the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection in proposed amendments to the Migration Act that allow the minister to “identify any group of people based on a shared common characteristic or circumstance,” and review their visa status.

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Australasian Muslim Times

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EDUCATION

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BOOMERANG 5-7

COMMUNITY 8 - 11

AUSTRALIA 12 - 13

LIFESTYLE 14 - 15

Your Muslim name: change or not to change? Metin Bozdas Personal names appear to play an important role in a society. Most Muslims who come from the Middle East tend to use or already have Arabic or Islamic names, which may have roots in the Arabic language. However, there’s a growing number of Muslims in the Western world, who either reverted to Islam or were born there to Muslim parents and have English names. They do not have to change their names to Middle-Eastern names, because they represent their father’s or family name. “..Call them by [the names of] their fathers; it is more just in the sight of Allah” (Quran, 33:5). Given that Muslims living in the West are overwhelmed and challenged by issues such as Islamophobia, lack of employment, poverty and access to education due to factors beyond their control (i.e. effects of colonialisation, excessive capitalism and non-ethical, selfish and immoral behaviour of individu-

als), a peaceful jihad (struggle) may arise within every Muslim living in the Western world to co-exist with other religious faiths. As a Muslim minority group this approach may result in presenting a beneficial, even a more balanced and fair view of Islam. As Muslims, we rely on divine revelation (Quran) and the saying and actions (Sunnah) of Prophet Mohammad (s) for guidance on moral, ethical and personal issues, when faced with solving personal issues or dilemmas in the contemporary world. One size fits all approach in providing guidance by Islamic Scholars or religious authorities may be problematic. Therefore, it may be prudent to ask what would the Prophet’s (s), advise on issues that are highly personal and contextual given the circumstances at the time. For example, use of a name that is more conducive to self-improvement and gaining better employment may be preferable for Muslims as long as Islamic principles are upheld as well. Islam encourages naming with good optimistic names that do not conflict with Islamic principles. If something is not classified as haram (prohibited) then it is halal (permitted). Retaining a name that does not identify

itself with or contain anything Islamically forbidden may be permissible. It is according to sunnah (the examples of the Prophet’s life what he said, did, implemented, how he implemented), to change a bad name (whether it is an Arabic name or any other language) immediately, and it is permissible according to sunnah to exchange a name for a better one. Therefore, Muslims have a responsibility to the Sunnah of the Prophet, where they are encouraged to choose the best of names given under the circumstances. The Prophet had people with the names Abdul-Ka’bah and Abdul-Uzzah change their names upon accepting Islam. If the original name does not comprise or imply anything forbidden in Islam, then he or she is permitted to retain it (such as the name John, George or Rose for example). However, it is always preferable to change to an Islamic name if it is more beneficial to do so. Muslim names can be from any country of origin as long as it has a good meaning behind it. Since Islam is spreading in the West, if a European has a name like John Smith or Justin Green, that wouldn’t be a problem because the meaning is good but the language is different.

However, for Muslims living in the West it may be advisable to name children with names that can be translated to Arabic like names such as Sarah, Maria, Adam etc. Whilst the term, ‘When in Rome do as the Romans do’ may be seen as undesirable by some, the Prophet (s) has subscribed to the view of moderation and obeying the existing laws and customs of the land, as long as Islamic principles are also upheld. The prophet (s) always lead by example and obeyed the divine revelation of ‘There is no compulsion in religion’ (Quran, 2:256). Moreover, given the large population of Muslims living in religiously diverse nations such as Australia, Canada, France, and UK, simply appearing to be Muslim by name should be contrasted with benefits of reaching a higher level of consciousness and spirituality in Islam, especially in a contemporary modern political environment where Islamophobia is prevalent in certain sections of society.

I am happy to announce that there is a similar surge happening right now, that may be related to recent explicit Islamophobic events, such as the comments about Islam made by Donald Trump, his “Muslim Ban”, and the domino effect of comment and conversation around them. In simple terms, more and more people are investigating Islam as a result of the hateful views of some popular world figures - which leads to a spike in the number of people realising that Islam is the true religion of God, and deciding to make it their way of life. This trend is only visible to those in the field, but sharing it widely is a good way to

remind ourselves that Allah is the best of planners, and there is wisdom in everything that He allows to happen. We may question why Allah apparently does not intervene in certain scenarios, but we should have complete trust that Allah will accomplish His purpose, and we should concentrate on seeking HIs pleasure by participating in Daawah.

Metin Bozdas, JP, CPA, FIPA, LLB is a Sydney based Lawyer with the Norwest Law Group.

Daawah work: Trends in Australia Ahmed Bassal There are various groups and organisations around Australia who have taken on a very special task, Daawah, of being the ones to aid the transition of human beings towards Islam. They are the people who make themselves available to teach people about Islam, help them to take their “Shahada” and enter Islam, and then help them to learn to function as practising Muslims. They play a very important part in the value-chain of “Daawah”. There are others who come before them, those who give general lectures about Islam to large groups, or make those lectures available online. Those who write and distribute books and pamphlets also come earlier in the process. Later in the value-chain, are the local Imams and Sheikhs, and those brothers and sisters working to provide regular classes, activities, and social gatherings for all Muslims.

The individuals and organisations who provide that key transition service, helping people transition from non-Muslim to Muslim, are able to see something that no one else can - and that is trends in reversions to Islam. As amazing as it sounds, there are visible trends in the volume of people becoming Muslim that may be connected to world events. Many brothers and sisters in the Daawah world have noticed and commented on these trends. For example, after the September 11 attacks, there was a surge in the number of reverts.

Ahmed Bassal, MBA is the General Manager of OnePath Network and is based in Sydney.

Treating children with kindness, love and affection Mohammad Hassan Bakhtiari Children need to be treated with love, justice and kindness which are the best food for their development as good human beings. Parental affection is one of the rights of children that is not limited to a specific period. Those, who from early childhood, receive sufficient amount of affection from their parents are likely to have a pleasant disposition in life. In accordance with Mental Health America (MHA) guidelines, love and affection help children to feel secure regardless of accomplishments. This builds their confidence and self-esteem. Children whose parents treated them with affection and nurturing from a young age often have better brain development. Children with affectionate mothers have a larger hippocampus, which is a part of the brain that controls one’s memory, learning capabilities and responses to stress.

It is notable that the Prophet Mohammad (s) loved children greatly. He would allow his grandsons to ride his shoulders even during his prayers. He would offer ‘salaam’ to children, play and cut jokes with them in walkways. (Bihar al-Anwar, V 43, P 285). The Prophet (s) has asserted: “Love children and be kind to them.” (Wasa’il ashShi‘ah, V 5, P 126) Conversely, act of unkindness towards children has been denounced in Islamic thoughts and most of cultures. The Prophet (s) is quoted elsewhere as saying, “He who does not have affection for children and does not respect the elderly is

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not one of us.” (Majmu‘ah al-Warram, V 1, P 34) On the other hand, receiving equal treatment is one of the essential rights of children over their parents. As it is mentioned in surah An-Nahl (verse 90) that God commands (people) to maintain justice, and kindness with their relatives. The innate traits of the children will find expression and they will learn to be just and fair from the example set to them by their parents. If the parents are ignorant of the need for justice, so will be their children. The Prophet (s) said, “Observe justice

among your children just as you would like that they render justice among you.”( Makarim al-Akhlaq, V.6, P 49). The children who had been the victims of injustice from their parents will carry rancor for them in their minds. It is possible that they will turn rebellious and disobedient. The Prophet (s) declared: “Keep justice for all your children in your mind even when some of them are away. If you desire treatment of love, kindness and justice from your children, then give them similar treatment.”(Makarim al-Akhlaq, V 71, P 252). The scholars agree that it is prescribed in Islam to treat children fairly when it comes to gift-giving; they should not single out one or some of them and not give gifts to others. The Prophet(s) said: “Observe equality between your children when giving gifts.” ( Al-Sunan al-Kubra, V 6, P 294) As a final not in this article, tenderness, love, and affection towards children would be possible only in an environment of justice and equality. Mohammad Hassan Bakhtiari, based in Tehran has a Masters degree in international relations and is an expert in International Relations and Knowledge Management.

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AMUST

The 99 Divine attributes of Allah Part 31 - Attribute 93

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 93. An -Nur - The Light Allah is The Light (the source and bestower of luminosity and enlightenment) of the heavens and the earth1. The example of His light (His guidance in the heart of a believing servant) is like a niche arch within which is a lamp (a burning wick, the essence of a lamp)2 ; the lamp within a glass; the glass as if it were a pearly (white) star lit from (the oil of) a blessed olive tree3, neither of the east nor of the west, whose oil would almost glow even if untouched by fire. Light upon light4. Allah guides to His light whom He wills5. And Allah presents examples for the people, and Allah is Knowing of all things6. (Such niches are) in houses (or mosques) which Allah has ordered to be erected and that His name be praised therein; exalting Him within them in the morning and the evenings7, By people whom neither commerce nor sale distracts from the remembrance of Allah and performance of prayers and giving of Zakaah. They fear a Day in which the hearts and eyes will (fearfully) turnabout. That Allah may reward them (according to) the best of what they did and increase them of His bounty. And Allah gives provision to whom He Wills without account (i.e. limit)8. But those who disbelieved their deeds9 are like a mirage in a lowland which a thirsty one thinks is water until, when he comes to it, he finds it is nothing but finds Allah before him, and He will pay him in full his due; and Allah is swift in account10. Or (they are) like darkness’s within an unfathomable sea which is covered by waves, upon which are waves over which are clouds - darkness’s, some of them upon others. When one puts out his hand (therein), he can hardly see it and he to whom Allah has not granted light- for him there is no light11. Do you not see that Allah is exalted by whomever is within the heavens and the earth and (by) the birds with wings spread (in flight)? Each (of them) has known his (means of) prayer and exalting (Him), and Allah is Knowing of what they do12. And to Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth, and to Allah is the destination. (An-Nur,24:35-42) 1. It is a spiritual admonition to the original hypocrites who were bent upon indulging in creating various trials and tribulations on the Islamic Society. Apparently these were associated with the Muslim believers but in reality the worldliness had made them blind. So in spite of claiming their affirmation of belief, they were totally deprived of the “Light” that was spreading across the world by the Prophet through the word of Allah, the Qur’an. These verses indirectly aims to address them. Firstly the aim is to admonish them. Secondly, it is to expose distinctly the difference between belief and hypocrisy. Thirdly it is to warn the hypocrites precisely that the praise of Allah is referred to the believers or meant only for the specific believers who have adopted true belief in order to fulfil Allah’s demand. Allah, ‘being the Light of the heavens and the earth’ specifically means that Allah is the Light of the whole Universe as the worlds of the heavens and the earth are used for the whole universe. 2. “LIGHT” in the universe is like the ‘enlightenment’ by virtue of which the entities are manifested. It is the one which

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exposes itself and manifests other entities. In human perception the real comprehension of light and enlightenment is the one which is used for qualifying Allah (God), never in the essence of any ray of light which travels at the speed of 186,000 miles per seconds and activates the mental vision through the eye curtains. This present characteristics of light does not constitute the perception for which human mind has been using words. These words are with respect to their fundamental perception and not according to the material agencies. For example we humans use the word ‘to see’. It does not mean that Allah, like the humans and animals, sees through an organ like eye. Similarly it is short-sightedness about the word light or enlightenment to feel that it is something like a ray of light emerging from a shining entity to reflect on the retina of eyes. So Allah, for the word Light/Enlightenment is not limited but it is the main true means of expression. The remaining in this world is nothing except darkness. Other entities emanating luminosity is given by the single abstract ‘Light’ of Allah. No other thing contains with them any other luminosity to show their charm and expertise. The word ‘Light’ has also been used for knowledge, as contrary to it, ignorance or stupidity are expressed by the word darkness. So Allah is the ‘Enlightenment’ of the universe as the direct awareness of true reality can be attained from the Word of Allah. Without His benevolence, nothing can be achieved except ignorance, misgivings and degradations. 3. Blessed Olive Tree: ‘Neither of the East nor of the West’ reflects to the Light of Allah as the Blessed one having plenty advantages and pleasures. Thus it is referred as structure and the highest part in an open land having sunshine from morning to evening. The olive oil from the tree grown as such place generates very soothing and present illumination. The metaphor about the olive oil has been mentioned in the Quran to remind to show the peculiarity and the climax of the intensity of illumination as in that period when the Quran was revealed the best stuff for luminosity was the wicks soaked in the best type of oil for the best performance of the illumination both related with intensity, fragrance and soothness. So the personality of Allah has been expressed according to the custom of the era at the time of the revelation of the Quran. The next metaphor ‘whose oil would almost glow even if untouched by fire’ is also to make the reader realise a very sensitive, brilliant and soothing illumination which satisfies the human beings in that era. Perhaps this explanation to the present society and culture may allow some classical literary figure to make similar types of metaphors. So imagine a source of peculiar illumination which is so soothing and so brilliant to make everything nice and clear. 4. Light Upon Light : This verse number 35 is a charming parable. ‘Lamp’ is the simile for the Beingness (Entity) of Allah and the arch ‘(niche)’ is used for the universe and the ‘chandelier’ refers to the curtain under which Allah has hidden Himself from the vision of the creatures in such a way that this curtain is portrayed not as a hindrance but rather as the extreme manifestation of Allah. The creature is unable to see Allah because the curtain is extremely transparent and the (‘light’) surpassing the curtain is so intense and expansive that the visions having limited luminosity are unable to realise it. 5. The absolute ‘enlightenment’ of Allah is lighting the whole universe but its realisation is not available to every being. Allah is the only One who bestows upon

who He wishes to grace this realisation and gain advantage of it for one’s own benefit. Otherwise just as day and night are not differentiable to a blind person a vision-less person may be acquainted with the lights of the suns, moons and stars but cannot perceive the ‘Light of Allah’. 6. It has two interpretations. Firstly Allah knows well with what example and absolute reality can be made clear to humans in the most convincing way. Secondly Allah knows well who deserves most for gaining the benefits from the realisation of this absolute reality and who does not. Only then the one who deserves its realisation Allah marks distinctly that they earnestly need and desire it passionately. 7. Some commentators have interpreted such homes as the mosques and some have considered the family dwellings to exalt Allah within them for supplicating Allah in the morning and in the evening. It is to consider the dwellings has a place for real worship of Allah as Allah desires to make one’s personal family life as the most pious one. Islam is not a religion like other concocted religions; rather it is a sincere world view to be fully elevated in one’s personal life and family living as well. 8. In the verses no 37 and 38 the human characteristics have been disclosed by Allah for the realisation of absolute Light of Allah in order to utilise it for one’s own and family benefits. Allah bestows the previous grace of the love and desire to those who earnestly cultivate His love and enjoyment of its engagement and His full consciousness, the craving for His rewards and the desire to save oneself and family members from His wrath. Further such a person is not lost in mere worldliness, rather His remembrance is always kindled in his heart. One does not intend to indulge in the tonelessness, rather he adopts this elevation and practice towards which his Master and Creator guides him. He is not useful only for the benefit of the short-living worldly life, rather he is fully interested in the eternal life in the Hereafter. Keeping all these factors, it is decided by Allah that the selected person is bestowed upon having the involvement with the Light of Allah. And when Allah decides to bestow upon them there is no limit or end of His generosity . 9. This person is the one who refused to accept the directive of Allah with sincere heart that has been conveyed to him through His prophets beforehand and now through the last prophet of Allah Muhammad (pbuh) for practice and learning. The previous verses depict that the recipients of the Light of Allah are

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the true sincere and pious believers. Now those are mentioned who totally rejected to believe the only true prophet and his followers who only mean to preserve the light. Hence these are the desires either through their tongues or through their hearts or even through both of them. 10. In this category the persons have been denied who together with having blasphemy and hypocrisy are performing some virtues as well and believe the Hereafter to some extent. Then they are engrossed with misinterpretations. Then until the fulfilling of the obedience and the loyalty to the prophet with the true belief and the virtues of the believers their deeds shall be useful for them in the Hereafter. As an allegory they are informed that all your such deeds are nothing but a mirage; as the thirsty person by seeing the glittering in the desert at a distance imagines a fresh pool of water awaiting for them. Similarly you also are proceeding to your death on fast reliance of your deeds. But alas! Just like the observer of the mirage arriving near the pool does not find any presence of water, you shall observe after death not to have anything for your benefit there; rather Allah is present there to take the full account of your exhibited fake virtues with your blasphemy and hypocrisy. 11. In this category the conditions of all these infidels and hypocrites together with the persons performing apparent virtues are mentioned. It has been narrated about them that the whole life is spent in defamation and jahiliyah (Ignorance) irrespective of themselves being very expert, educated and successful achievers in the present life. Their example is of a person who is trapped in a place which is totally dark not having ray of any light across them. 12. This is the end of the passage which commenced with ‘Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth.’ It is again emphasized in conclusion that there is no other genuine absolute enlightenment other than that of Allah and all the manifestations are only due to His Enlightenment. Anyone who is not being bestowed upon by Allah with enlightenment will be totally engrossed in the darkness of vision. Hence however much a person boasts about his/her smartness and intelligence, without the vision not received from Allah, there is no correct vision with him/her to live righteously in this world. Continued in AMUST issue #137 April

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Meet “Muzbnb”, faith-based homestay network for Muslim travellers WAYFARER’S COMPASS

Sana Gillani Last year, a friend of mine shared her experiences in a Daily Life article about the challenges of engaging with the sharing economy as a Brown Muslim Woman. Although I have been fortunate enough not to have experienced such discrimination, I don’t doubt that it’s present. Her story made me think about how with disruptive technologies such as Airbnb and Uber, consumers were able to stick it to the big companies and find more affordable alternatives to get around, but how it’s a new and uncertain space where other consumer rights may not be protected. With the Muslim travel market proving to be an increasingly lucrative one, currently estimated to be worth USD126 billion (Crescentrating.com), Muslim entrepreneurs and Start-ups are keen to service the needs of their community. I spoke to Hadi Shakuur, CEO from one such Startup, “Muzbnb”, an exciting new homestay network targeted towards servicing Muslim travellers. Here’s what he had to say about their work… Can you tell me a little bit about how Muzbnb came about, and what it aims to achieve? Muzbnb was born out of a desire to create something innovative to serve our community. It is a faith-based homestay network started by a group of entrepreneurs in Washington, D.C. These are trying times for Muslims in the US and abroad and this company can serve as a beacon of light and hope that we (Muslims) are still here, still creating, still thinking about the sanctity of faith – not just ours, but faith in general. We’ve heard stories from my Muslim brothers and sisters of discrimination and difficulty they have faced when traveling.

Muzbnb allows Muslims to host and book homes that can accommodate their Islamic needs while travelling. We hope Muzbnb can help alleviate some of those issues when traveling. Our goal is simple: to encourage travel, adventure, and the building of a global community where Muslims feel comfortable and accepted while traveling. Muzbnb allows Muslims the ability to host and book homes that are accommodating to their Islamic needs for leisure or business travel anywhere in the world. What will be the advantages of your customers opting to book through Muzbnb over other peer-to-peer booking sites? Aside from the typical amenities you may find in one of our homes such as wifi, stocked kitchens, complimentary breakfast, and personalized city tours — we also have search filters that highlight homes that are: • Close to Mosques or halal eateries, • Stocked with Qurans or Islamic litera-

The Muzbnb team, from left to right: CEO Hadi Shakuur, Chief Networking Officer Muhammad Oda, Chief Product Officer Irfan Aziz and Director of Communications, Attia Nasar. Photo Courtesy: Muzbnb.

ture, Equipped with dedicated prayer spaces, Alcohol-free + Drug-free, Safe for women traveling alone, Child-friendly, and much more! We want Muslims to feel comfortable and accepted while traveling. Guests can also expect to experience a non-Islamophobic stay — feeling completely welcome from check-in to check-out! • • • •

Do you project that there will be a considerable amount of properties available globally, outside Muzbnb home base of the US? Absolutely! Muzbnb is not limited to the US. This company is meant to be for people globally. People in the U.S., U.A.E., Indonesia, Malaysia, London, Canada, Scotland, Singapore, Kuwait, Egypt, Nigeria, South Africa, China, Saudi Arabia, Denmark, and Italy have all expressed interest in listing their homes. More people in other countries have expressed interest in renting homes. Are you excited about the development of services available for a growing Muslim travel market? How do you foresee the landscape changing for Muslim travellers? We are extremely excited about the future of Muslim travel. Apart from Muzbnb, we are seeing companies beginning to cater exclusively to this niche community. More and more restaurants are carrying halal meat. Out of our necessity we are seeing a growth in “Halal activities.” There are also more blogs and guides like Wayfarer, helping guide and encourage those seeking halal adventures. I think we are just beginning and the market of accessible “halal” resources will only increase. As for challenges, Muslims have particular things to consider when traveling, like:

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

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• Where to offer Prayer, • Where to find Halal food, • Finding religiously acceptable events/activities, and finally • Locating Muslim friendly lodging. We hope Muzbnb can be a source of comfort when traveling and take care of some of these things allowing Muslims to travel and explore freely. When is Muzbnb scheduled to be fully operational and running? I’m keen to book my first getaway (or even offer a spare room) through your service! We will completely launch by (Northern Hemisphere) summer and estimate that we can get a few hundred homes listed this summer to rent. Finally, can you tell us about the individuals that form the Muzbnb team? What seems to be the common driving force in working for this start-up? • Hadi Shakuur, CEO • Muhammad Oda, Chief Networking Officer • Irfan Aziz, Chief Product Officer • Attia Nasar, Director of Communications We are all driven to empower our Muslim Community. We want to create something that is impactful and valuable. A travel platform focusing on this population is not only necessary and timely, but integral to positive community building. If you’d like to find out more about Muzbnb and how you can get involved with their services, visit their website www.muzbnb.com, and stay updated with their Facebook page. www.fb.com/muzbnb/ Wayfarer’s Compass is a Muslim Travel Hub created by Sana Gillani. The original full article was posted on www.wayfarerscompass.com.

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TRAVEL 20 - 22

TRAVEL

SOCIAL 23

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Andalusia - Granada and the Alhambra No trip to Spain would be complete until you visit the Alhambra in Granada. Originally a red fort (Qalat Al-Hamra) built on Roman fortifications, it was transformed to become the royal palace by the

last Emirs of Moorish Spain. Finally taken over by the Christians it became the Royal Court of Ferdinand and Isabella and most famously was where Columbus received royal endorsement for his expedition to find an eastern route to India. The architecture is awe-inspiring, leading it to be listed as a UNESCO World Heritage

The mihrab in the masjid of Alhambra.

the ornate artwork over the entrances.

Manarul Islam

Garden courtyard.

The main reflective pool of the Alhambrah.

March 2017

Site. It follows the usual Andalusian architecture of openness letting air and light freely enter every room. In particular the whole building as well as the surrounding Generalife (gardens surrounding the buildings) all follow the theme of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Paradise on Earthâ&#x20AC;? with streams of water, reflecting pools and

The detailed mosaic throughout the hallways and rooms.

fountains. If planning a trip be sure to book ahead especially during the peak Spring and Autumn times and use a guide otherwise you will miss out on a lot of detail. This is part two. Read part one here: http://tinyurl.com/h9x9efn

One of many splendid and ornate archways.

The detailed wooden ceilings were throughout both the Alhambra & the Mosque in Cordoba.

When in Granada, make sure you take a road trip up to Sierra Nevada - a 30 minute drive.

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AMUST

TRAVEL

NEWS 1-4

BOOMERANG 5-7

AUSTRALIA 12 - 13

COMMUNITY 8 - 11

LIFESTYLE 14 - 15

Aspiring leaders Umrah tour 2017 Zachariah Matthews Human Appeal International Australia (HAIA) in conjunction with Deen Academy (DA) hosted a group of young Muslim Australians for its third annual Aspiring Leaders Umrah Tour of four countries namely Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Turkey and UAE. The tour took place from 3 to 22 February 2017, comprising of fifteen participants from Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and for the first-time Brisbane. The group of young university students and graduates were led and mentored by Bashar Al-Jamal, director of HAIA and Dr Zac Matthews from DA. The journey commenced with undertaking the minor pilgrimage (umrah) in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Little equates to the spiritual enrichment gained from worshippers dressed in ceremonial clothing visiting Islam’s holiest mosque, the Kaba, performing rituals of spiritual cleansing as taught by Prophet Abraham (a) and the final Messenger of God, Muhammad (s). Tour members spent valuable moments connecting with the Almighty and reconciling their personal affairs with the Sublime. The most physically demanding event of the stay in Mecca was climbing the 600 steps of the Mount of Light to reach the Cave of Hira where the Prophet first received Divine revelation from the Archangel Gabriel. The City of Light, Medina, the Prophet’s city, where his mosque and grave are located was the second stop of the tour. Standing at the very place where the profound message flourished left an indelible mark on all. Several museums and exhibitions were visited both historical cities including

Tour group on Jeddah Airport on the way to performing the minor pilgrimage (Umrah). They also attended an inspiring awards the needs of humanity. Special acknowledgAssalaamu-alayka Ayyuhan-Nabiy (The Prophet’s Project), the Holy Mosques, Nine- ceremony at an Orphan Centre, met with the ment goes to A&H Travel for supporting the Conservation of the Holy Quran Society in 2017 tour. ty-Nine Names of God, etc. The group also attended a lecture on the Amman as well as the Australian AmbassaTour group members from various cities Prophet’s leadership by Dr Ammara from dor to Jordan, Mr Miles Armitage. are listed below. The tour group also visited historical ruins Taiba University in Medina. They also visSydney: Bashar Al-Jamal, Dr Zac Matited in the two cities the historical sites of at Jerash, Um Qais, Ajloun, Petra and spent thews (group leaders), Abdullah Al-Jamal, the night camping in the desert at Wadi Raihan Hossain, Mohamed Mhajer, Zafar Arafat, Mina, Quba, and Qiblatain. After renewing spiritual and emotional Rum. The group also attended a lecture on Mohamed Rizvi, Sandy Muchtarudin, Abconnections at Islam’s holiest of places, the the importance of the Quranic message by dulsamed Sari. Melbourne: Walid Al-Kantour then moved on to Jordan. The group Prof Zaghloul El-Naggar. tar, Ismail Al-Lahham, Abdur-Rahmaan From Jordan, the group travelled to Istan- Balla, Mohammad Chehnah, Rabeea Elvisited a distribution centre and personally assisted with HAIA’s Winter Aid Appeal bul in Turkey, equally rich in history bridg- laz. Adelaide: Hussein Mahmud, Asyraaf handing out gas cookers, blankets, mattress- ing the East and West. The group’s first stop Shahrizan. Brisbane: Furqan Ahmed, Ali es and food packs to more than sixty Syrian was to pray at the famous Fatih mosque, fol- Rane. lowed by Sultan Ahmet, Abu Ayyub Al-Anrefugee families. The provisions were estimated to last sari and other significant places. Dr Zachariah Matthews is the Executive DiThe tour group was fortunate to be hosted rector of Just Media Advocacy, Director of about three weeks in the cold winter. Witnessing first-hand the dire plight of refugees by the Grand-Mufti of Istanbul, Prof Hasan Deen Academy and a Human Appeal Leadwas gut-wrenching and taught an invaluable Yilmaz as well as the Mufti of Ayup, Dr ership Alumni. lesson about the important need to care for Muammer Ayan. Another highlight was a visit to TRT others. World hosted by former Sydney ABC journalist Mohammed Taha. Other visits included a breath-taking ferry ride on the Bosphorus Strait, shopping at the Grand Bazaar and eating delicious broad beans outside the Suleimeniyeh mosque. The group also attended a workshop on managing public opinion by Dr Nasir Al-Mani` from Anadolu Leadership and Management Training. From Istanbul, the tour moved to Dubai. The group visited the HAI offices in Ajman where presentations about its orphan program and various other humanitarian projects were outlined. The group also participated in a workshop on leadership conducted by former Sydney-sider Ahmed Elshrif and did some site-seeing in Dubai before returning to Australia. The overwhelming feedback from participants was that the tour was “a trip of a lifetime” that they would never forget on their twitter.com/amust_au journey of personal development to serve Visiting the Jerash Roman ruins in Jordan.

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UMMAH 16 - 17

EDUCATION 18 - 19

TOP 6 Muslim Memes

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VIDEOS To Watch

Tweets

@yassmin_a Yassmin Abdel-Magied went toe-totoe with Senator Jackie Lambie ‘discussing’ Sharia law on QandA. This exchange sparked a myriad of points of view of those who supported and were against both speakers. Yassmin Abdel-Magied has received an unfair barrage of insulting comments and criticism from all sides, but she takes it like a hero.

What is Sharia anyway?

After a ‘bit’ of a tiff with Jackie Lambie, Yassmin Abdel-Magied breaks down what Sharia actually means. She said “Firstly, lets get rid of the word ‘Law’. Sharia is not a system of laws like the Australian legal system. Sharia is about a Muslim’s personal relationship with their God. A Proper implementation of Sharia does not force anyone to follow it’s rules and there is no parallel legal system. Infact, (Muslims are) religiously obligated to follow Australian law. She touches on the basic principles of Sharia, such as justice, equality, and it’s dynamic and fluid, and open to interpretation. Yassmin then talks about the misinterpretations – the difference between religion and culture, traditional hijab, patriarchy, polticis of particular countries. She said “I follow Sharia, and my interpretation of that means I must also fight for people’s human rights. Like any belief system, religious or otherwise, its supremely complex and Muslims disagree on a lot of the issues. It’s about justice and equality.” Produced by JUNKEE. Yassmin Abdel-Magied is a mechanical engineer and petrol head with a passion for social justice and terrible puns, she tweets @ yassmin_a. Video: wp.me/p4ICdM-2Ak

How Muslims Should Deal with Homosexuality

Dr Yasir Qadhi explains how a Muslim should deal with urges of homosexuality and how we are expected to deal with this controversial topic. “We need to be very clear that what is forbidden in our religion is the action of intimacy outside of marriage. What is not forbidden, the sharia does not forbid feelings of the heart. What your heart lusts after, ie your sexual persuasion – the sharia will not punish you based on feelings of the heart.” If a person is gay, this does not mean they are any less of a Muslim, in fact, if they battle such urges, they may be a better Muslim because the their urges may be more difficult. If they act upon their urges, then we as Muslims should encourage them to repent, and make dua to make it easy for them. There’s no point being harsh, mean, nasty or cruel as we don’t want them to leave the faith. Everyone commits sins, and as long as they want repentance and forgiveness, they should be welcomed. The line is drawn at somebody who wants to spread this a pro-gay Muslim idea, then we would kindly ask them not to do it at the mosque, and to preach elsewhere. Produced by ONEPATH NETWORK. Video: wp.me/p4ICdM-2Ak

Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque in Oman

Mosques from around the world Quietly imposing from the outside, this glorious piece of modern Islamic architecture was a gift to the nation from Sultan Qaboos to mark his 30th year of reign. It was in 1992, that Sultan Qaboos decided, that his country of Oman should have a Grand Mosque. Construction commenced in 1995 and took six years and four months. The main prayer hall is breathtakingly rich and holds the world’s second largest hand-woven carpet and chandelier. A major feature of the design of the prayer carpet which covers the floor of the prayer hall is that it contains 1,700,000,000 knots, weighs 21 tonnes and took four years to produce, bringing together the classical Persian Tabriz, Kashan and Isfahan design traditions. 28 colors in varying shades were used, the majority obtained from traditional veg-

March 2017

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etable dyes. It is the second largest single piece carpet in the world. This hand-woven carpet was produced by Iran Carpet Company (ICC) at the order of the Diwan of the Royal Court of Sultanate. The carpet measures over 70 × 60 meters, and covers the 4,343 square meter area of the praying hall. The chandelier above the praying hall is 14 meters tall and was manufactured from Italy. The Mosque, which can accommodate 20,000 worshippers, including 750 women in a private musalla (prayer hall), is an active place of worship, particularly for Friday prayers. 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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