Issue 141 August 2017 by AMUST

MUSLIM

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Multimedia News & Views

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AFL: Many cultures, one game Mobinah Ahmad The 2017 AFL Multicultural Festival, was held on Saturday 29 July at Cathy Freeman Park located at the Sydney Olympic Park attended by more than 15,000 people from diverse communities. The festival, presented by Australia Post and supported by Multicultural NSW delivered an extensive range of cultural performances and workshops that created a cultural whirlwind never seen before in Sydney. The AFL Multicultural Festival is centered around sports as a bridge connecting Western Sydney’s ethnically and culturally diverse populace with the mainstream Australian community sharing a passion for Australian Rules Football. Nickie Flambouras, AFL NSW/ACT Multicultural Programs Manager said, “Australia is a country that is multicultural and at the AFL we want to use sport as a way to connect with new and emerging communities arriving into our country.” The festival was held a few days after the AFL launched of the 2017 Toyota AFL Multicultural Round at Lachlan’s Old Government House in Parramatta on 25 July. The AFL Multicultural Festival was held in conjunction with the GIANTS vs. Fremantle Dockers showpiece game in the Toyota AFL Multicultural Round held at Spotless Stadium that the GIANTS won. The 2017 festival was headlined by internationally acclaimed hip hop artist and AFL Multicultural Ambassador, L-FRESH the LION. Continued on page 4

Performers from KUD Zambak, a traditional Bosnian & Herzegovinian group. Photo by Narelle Spangher.

Sultan and the Saint: Eid at Taronga Zoo Interfaith gathering at premiere

Zia Ahmad More than 500 Christians, Muslims and people of other faiths and no faith attended the Australian premiere of The Sultan and the Saint on 29 July 2017 at Western Sydney University’s Parramatta Campus. The Sultan and the Saint, a docudrama movie tells one of the great, lost stories from history, the meeting between St Francis of Assisi and the Sultan of Egypt, Malik Al-Kamil, in the midst of the conflict of the Fifth Crusade nearly 800 years ago. A simple Christian friar and a mighty Muslim leader changed world history by going deeper into their faiths –

beyond war and the angry rhetoric that some of their co-religionists were advocating – to find the central message of their religions: mercy, compassion and peace. The retelling of the story of their encounter comes at a similar moment of fear, hatred and demonisation of the other prevalent today. Journalist Hugh Riminton, MC for the premiere, with his extensive experience as a news reporter covering violent conflicts in various parts of the world, provided a personal insight into the importance of community relations and harmony.

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Continued on page 4 Read about the movie on our website at: http://tinyurl. com/ycyfsn6a

Mobinah Ahmad Almost 20,000 people joined ‘Eid at the Zoo’ festival at Sydney Taronga Zoo on Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 July 2017. The organisers, Crescent Wealth welcomed the community to a memorable experience for the second time after last year’s successful unique and unprecedented initiative. It was a magical feeling with beautiful blue skies overhead, the sound of children’s laughter ringing across grassy fields, tempting aromas of food tingling the senses, Muslims feeling welcome and at peace, and the sound of the Adhan echoing across the harbour, calling some to prayer and others to curiosity. One attendee said “This is my first time to the Zoo and it is such a wonderful time to visit it in celebration of Eid with the family.” The Muslim community appreciated the prayer facilities, availability of the large variety of halal food, 10% off discounted store goods, the Adhan playing on the loud speakers, and the comfortable feeling of other Muslims around enjoying Sydney’s prominent iconic attraction. Waleed Gouda, the General Manager of Crescent Wealth said, “Eid at Taronga in

Aisha Deane, 6 enjoying Eid at the Zoo. Photo by Devita Supardi. partnership with Crescent Wealth is about giving our community a memorable experience in a remarkable location. He further added, “Thank you everyone for coming and enjoying the weekend with us with the animals! Eid at the Zoo is a fantastic event that brought together the Muslim community to share in a unique festivity at one of Australia’s most iconic sites.” Continued on page 21

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NEWS Sultan and the Saint: Interfaith gathering at premiere NEWS 1-4

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Continued from page 1 Uncle Greg Simms, a Gadigal elder welcomed the audience and talked about inclusiveness for all Australians and support for the Muslim community. Professor Kevin Dunn named diverse organisations represented at this huge interfaith gathering welcoming them to Western Sydney University and warned against Islamophobia and racism, areas of his research. A response after the screening of the film was offered by Dr Mehmet Ozalp and Br Matthew Beckmann OFM. Dr Ozalp, Associate Professor of Islamic studies at Charles Sturt University commented on the dialogue encounter between Francis and Al-Malik, being the human touch that makes all the difference. “The experience of dialogue reminds us of one’s humanity and deep commitment to God, especially those of us who are committed to peace. It is a transforming and enriching experience,” Dr Mehmet Ozalp said. “In the end, if we stand for religion, whether Christians or Muslims, we must see our religion as a way of transforming ourselves for the better.” Br Matthew Beckmann OFM, a Francis-

can friar who teaches in the areas of Systematic Theology and Church History said that the film shows two people who go out to meet each other. “I don’t think that story works nearly as well unless you deal with two people who go out to meet each other, to actually look each other in the eye, to actually hear each other’s story, to listen with respect and to respond,” Br Matthew Beckman said. A vote of thanks was given by Rev Dr Patrick McInerney SSC, Director of the Columban Mission Institute and Coordinator of its Centre for Christian-Muslim Relations. “I thank everyone present, leaders and members of religious, civic and interfaith organisations, who attended this Australian premiere. You came here perhaps out of curiosity, out of interest, perhaps sceptical about Christian-Muslim relations, seeking inspiration, seeking hope for a better, more peaceful world. Whatever your motivation for coming, I hope you leave charged with responsibility to promote peace among the members of our respective religions,” Dr McInerney said. After the screening, the interfaith audience had an opportunity to mix with one another while enjoying a lavish spread of

multicultural food. The responses to the film included: “The film showed there can be a strong relationship provided there is a great belief in faith and a love of God and respect for all religions.” “People of love move beyond labels of Christian and Muslim to know each other as children of God.” “Differences between people/communities should be celebrated, not dividing. Interfaith dialogue is important for the enrichment of society and self.” “Face to face meeting and dialogue bring about human understanding thus removing stereotypes.”

“The gesture of the Sultan while in times of war to provide food to the starving enemy rather than killing them is a great example of compassion.” The screening was co-hosted by Affinity Intercultural Foundation, Catholic Diocese of Broken Bay, Columban Centre for Christian-Muslim Relations, Diocese of Parramatta, Franciscan Provincial Office Australia, Islamic Sciences and Research Academy (ISRA), Uniting Church in Australia, and Western Sydney University. For more information about the film, visit: SultanandTheSaintFilm.com

Br Matthew Beckmann OFM, Franciscan friar.

Dr Mehmet Ozalp, Associate Professor at Charles Sturt University.

Professor Kevin Dunn from Western Sydney University.

Rev Dr Patrick McInerney SSC, from the Columban Mission Institute.

AFL: Many cultures, one game

Photo by Narelle Spangher. Continued from page 1 The purpose behind the AFL Multicultural Festival was to bring together communities and increase their representation within the game, in a way that reflects Australia’s contemporary identity as a successful multicultural country. The festival provided an exceptional platform for lovers of art, culture and sport to experience an exciting cultural celebration and was designed to introduce new cultures to the game of Australian Rules Football and did so very successfully. An Australian artist of Sikh heritage,

Photo by Narelle Spangher. L-Fresh’s powerful lyrics advocate acceptance, understanding and respect amongst all members of society - irrespective of their differences. The AFL Multicultural Festival featured six hours of entertainment, including 500 performers from across 20 culturally diverse communities from 12 pm to 6 pm. In addition to the performances, the 2017 AFL Multicultural Festival featured an extensive array of cultural activation stands, food stalls and resource hubs that provided both informative and hands on experiences to all attendees.

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AFL General Manager of Inclusion and Social Policy, Tanya Hosch explained that the round was an important reminder to AFL fans and the wider Australian community about embracing cultural diversity within our migrant nation. “We see more than ever that the community level and grassroots football is starting to reflect the cultural diversity within our country, and the work we do through our Multicultural Programs – with our community inclusion partner Australia Post – needs to be credited,” Ms Hosch said. The attendees were able to free their mind

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and body with a Tai Chi activity and listened to the incredible voice of Kamahl, the Australian veteran singer with over 10 million record sales under his belt. The Riverside Theatre delivered the rendition of the multi award-winning musical, Miss Saigon, the second massively successful offering from the creators of Les Misérables, where a passionate, profound, and heart-wrenchingly honest, Miss Saigon depicts the tragic love story of a Vietnamese woman and her American lover during the Vietnam war.

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Hajj should not be politicised The rift between Saudi Arabia and Qatar is now leading towards accusation of politicisation of Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Makkah. Hajj is due to begin in early September this year and Saudi authorities are considered the custodians of Haramain, the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah, its access to pilgrims and administration of Hajj as well as issuing of entry visas. Qatar has accused Saudi Arabia of politicising the Hajj, by imposing restrictions on Qatari nationals planning to travel to Makkah for Hajj as part of its ongoing rift with Qatar. In a counter attack Saudi Arabia has accused the Qatari leadership of demand for internationalising the access to Makkah fly on commercial flights, which had been and Madinah, out of the administration of blocked from travelling from Saudi Arabia Saudi authorities. to Qatar, they were forced to use chartered Qatar’s National Human Rights Com- flights. mission (NHRC) has filed a complaint It also said Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of with the UN special rapporteur on free- Hajj and Umrah refused to communicate dom of belief and religion over the to Qatar and provide safety guaranrestrictions, which it said were tees to 20,000 registered Qatari in “stark violation of internapilgrims that led to the suspentional laws and agreements sion of registration. that guarantee the right to The Saudi restrictions worship.” are part of a boycott The NHRC has comlaunched on 5 June by plained that Qatari citSaudi Arabia, United Zia Ahmad izens have been told Arab Emirates, Bahrain they can only enter and Egypt, which saw Assalamu Saudi Arabia through the group sever diploAlaikum two airports, and that matic ties with Qatar and they must travel via impose a blockade. They Greetings Doha, capital of Qatar, to accuse Qatar of funding terbe allowed in. rorism, allegations Qatar has of Peace The NHCR also said that strongly denied. it will lodge a second complaint The four Arab states cut transagainst Saudi Arabia with UNESCO for port links with Qatar, and Saudi Arabia has subjecting Qatari nationals to harassment closed the peninsula’s only land border. and threats in Saudi territory. Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries During the month of Ramadan, the group that have cut ties to Qatar have reportedly claimed that officials in Saudi Arabia issued a list of demands to end this major forced Qataris who were visiting religious Gulf crisis, insisting that Qatar shut down sites to leave their hotel rooms. Unable to the Al Jazeera network, close a Turkish mil-

EDITORIAL

AMUST Issue # 141 Friday 4 August 2017; 11 Dhul Qa’dah 1438 News

An awesome lady indeed, Prof Gillian Triggs ! If only others in the various positions of Power would emulate her. Australia, Australians and Humanity would be richer for it. mal

Re: Sheikh Newscorp

- Hajj Should Not Be Politicised - History of Our First Nations People - Islam Firm on Eternal Values

Community

A Person is Either Your Brother in Faith, or Your Equal in Humanity said Imam Ali some 1400 hundred years ago. Would be a good antidote for proxy wars orchestrated by vested interest who exploits sectarian differences! mal

itary base under construction and scale down ties with Iran. According to the list, Qatar must refuse to naturalise citizens from the four countries namely Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and Egypt and “revoke Qatari citizenship for existing nationals where such citizenship violates those countries’ laws.” In the past Saudi Arabia had similar disputes with Iran regarding Hajj from time to time with restrictions on pilgrims and their movement. Due to the breakdown of talks on security and safety of Iranian pilgrims, Iran did not send any pilgrims at Hajj in the year 2016. Iran, in the past had called for the internationalisation of Haramain and its administration out of Saudi authorities. But it did not get much support from other Muslim states and the general Muslim masses. Moreover, Saudi Arabia has been restrained in the past in allowing fairly generous access to pilgrims for the religious ritual of Hajj considered one of the five pillars of Islam. Its aggressive restrictions on Qatari pilgrims performing their religious obligations, as a result of its political fallout with Qatar is unprecedented and uncalled for.

Re: Stop Dutton’s Immigration Laws It is sadly codified dog whistling masquerading as a serious requisite to entry and

YOUR SAY

This is what happens when Muslims break bread with Satan. Gary Dargan

I’d like to nominate Susan Carland or Tasneem Chopra. Gulhan

Send us your thoughts about news or current events to be published in the next issue of AMUST

Re: Dr Ibrahim Abu Mohammed: SBS World News

Email us at info@amust.com.au

This bloke makes a good point.

Matt C

He does... do all Christians Buddhists mormons etc apologise for acts of terror committed by extremist belonging to what-

ever ever religion. Terrorism is a criminal act committed by criminals not their religion. Just because someone say i am doing in the name of religion mean the religion is to blame. Naci Y

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Managing Editor: Zia Ahmad Graphic Designer: Rubinah Ahmad Chief Adviser: Dr Qazi Ashfaq Ahmad Multimedia Journalist: Mobinah Ahmad Multimedia Journalist: Yusra Hadi Multimedia Journalist: Zaynab Gul Sub-Editor: Mohammed Sinan Siyech Columnist: Dr Abul Jalaluddin (Finance) Columnist: Bilal Cleland (Victoria) Columnist: Manarul Islam (ACT) Columnist: Dr Daud Batchelor (Brisbane) Promotion: Dr Wali Bokhari Web Developer: Shadow Approved Multimedia: iMoby Productions Printers: Spotpress 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, Sakinah Ahmad, Anjum Rafiqi, Hasan Fazeel, Dr Quasim, Ismail Hossain, Hanif Bismi, Zohair Ahmad, Luqman Landy.

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Revising history of our First Nations People Bilal Cleland A team of archaeologists from several Australian universities, together with the Mirrar Aboriginal people, excavated the Madjedbebe rock shelter in Kakadu, near Jabiru in Australia’s Northern Territory. It came up with some surprising findings. They demonstrate that the earliest inhabitants were an innovative people who, amongst other developments, produced “the world’s oldest known edge-ground hatchets.” “We found evidence for the mixing of ochre with reflective powders made from ground mica to make a vibrant paint. Currently the oldest known rock art in the world is dated to 40,000 years ago in Sulawesi (a possible stepping stone to Australia). But the abundant ground ochre and use of mica indicates that artistic expression took place in the region much earlier. We also found new forms of stone tools such as edge ground hatchet heads (and even the grinding stones used to sharpen them), useful in cutting bark and wood, shaping wooden tools and extracting difficult to obtain foods from trees.” Radio carbon dating is limited to samples younger than 50,000 years ago, so the team had to rely on Optically Stimulated Luminescence to help us find the ages of the low-

er part of the site. Optically Stimulated Luminescence methods estimate the time elapsed since sand grains were last exposed to sunlight. “Australian archaeologists have been wary of OSL methods because often in the past OSL involved sand grains measured together in a little group, resulting in ages that were not very accurate.” To get more accurate measurements the team measured thousands of sand grains individually, rather than in a group. They also used another laboratory some samples to make sure their results were reliable. “The result is that we have a convincing age for the settlement of Madjedbebe, and Australia, of 65,000 years ago.” [July 20, 2017 The Conversation] The old narratives are misleading Not only has the old story of only 40,000 years of First Nations settlement been demolished. So has the old story we were told at school that the Aboriginal people were hunters and gatherers who made little impact upon the land. Bruce Pascoe, who is of Bunurong/Tasmanian heritage, in his “Dark Emu” first published in 2014, takes issue with this narrative. He researched the journals and diaries of the very earliest European explorers and colonists. What he found was most informative. “… as I read these early journals I came across repeated references to people building dams

Madjedbebe site custodian May Nango (right) with excavation leader Chris Clarkson. and wells, planting, irrigating and harvest- which walked ahead of their shepherds, ing seed, preserving the surplus and storing helped eliminate evidence of agriculture and it in houses, sheds or secure vessels, creat- its domesticates.” ing elaborate cemeteries and manipulating The eradication of villages, the murder the landscape – none of which fitted the of the occupants of the land, meant that all definition of hunter-gatherer.” traces of what had been were quickly elimiThe evidence of this society which exist- nated. “It is no wonder that after 1860 most ed at first contact with European colonists people saw no evidence of any prior comwas quickly eliminated. ““The archaeol- plex civilization.” ogist, Peter White, in his Agriculture: Was Pascoe gives an example of colonial forAustralia a Bystander? argues that de-pop- getting from Victoria. ““In Sunbury Victoulation by disease and the arrival of sheep, ria, in 1836 settlers…observed that people had worked their gardens so well and for so long that large earthern mounds were created during the process – but so little consideration was given to this land management that only a few years later Europeans couldn’t say who or what had created these prominent terraces.” We now know that the lie of Terra Nullius was a convenient creation of the colonists, but we have yet to fully appreciate the depth and complexity of the First Nations civilization which colonization destroyed.

Islam firm on eternal values ‘The West’ is discarding Dr Daud Batchelor Australian society has fractured into traditionalists upholding religious values, and self-styled ‘progressive’ reformists discarding them. Many traditionalists however, are open to reforms, while progressives are discarding together with bad policies many values basic to societal wellbeing – ‘throwing out baby with the bathwater’. The 2016 Census confirmed Australia is barely a Christian country with Christians falling from 88% of the population in 1966 to just 51%. Young adults frequently reported having no religion (39%) or affiliated with non-Christian religions (12%). Developing public policies on abortion, same-sex marriage, and euthanasia depart from traditional Christian positions that were underpinned by the Ten Commandments similar to Islamic Law. Islam’s role today is in upholding civilisational values as a beacon and the remaining succour for humanity otherwise heading towards disaster in increasingly individualistic societies. Following widespread abuse of children in its institutions, Christianity has become ineffective in preventing rejection of traditional values and is “perceived by more Australians ... as implausible, undesired or irrelevant”. Islam stands for submission to God’s commands; Respecting rule of law; Chastity before marriage, finding sexual fulfilment in marriage between man and woman; Importance of traditional families; Honouring parents; Respectable dressing; and Sacredness of personal property. These values are being challenged by ‘progressives’ today. Interestingly, there is no apparent conflict in these with the ‘Australian Values Statement’ requiring acceptance by non-citizens

August 2017

before being granted visas by Australian immigration. Islam emphasises good manners (adab), which enhance national harmony and knowledge transfer between teacher and student. The ‘Good Manners’ chart used in Queensland schools until the 1960s taught children personal conduct rules. Minimal teaching of ethical values today undoubtedly has negative societal consequences. Further, the separation of religion and state provided in Victorian schools a space for Marxist-led programmes indoctrinating children on gender fluidity that contradict religious teachings. Westernisation is definable as “the extension of rights to individuals as opposed to limitation of those rights in the collective interest”. Islam however, balances rights in order to protect vulnerable societal members, and consequently prohibits gambling and intoxicants. ‘Progressive ideology’ rejects religious teachings and enhances selfish individualism, both of which Islam opposes. Islam teaches that the self must be trained to submit to Truth’s Path not to unbridled egotism, desire and jealousy, which destroy wellbeing. Clearly, the demise of religious upbringing but prevalence of secular teachings lacking a coherent worldview is creating crises for young Australians – reported increases in child abuse, severe psychological distress and male youth online gambling addiction, while youth suicide is at a 10-year high. ‘Progressive’ ideology is “the crusade to liberate individuals from the Western tradition with its Christian moral straightjacket”. Negative outcomes above however, prove it to be ‘retrogressive’. In the so-called ‘Post-truth era’ today “All claims to truth are relative to the person making them. Consequently, there is no way to establish universal truth.” This erroneous view is strongly challenged by Islam.

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

Beauty in the Oddity 2 Fazlul Huq At a first look the odd shaped object would be seen to lack in elegance and more so from the far distance, But as you approach to be in its near field, You may witness more of the beauty made in symmetry and harmony, The Qur’an (10:35) teaches, “Is there any of your associates who guides to truth? Say: Allah guides to truth. Is He then Who guides to Truth more worthy to be followed, or he who himself does not go aright unless guided?” Tom Drake-Brockman highlighted the need for a new religious creed “of spiritual humanism, capable of reigniting the kind of self-belief values, ideals and common purpose the Western world so desperately needs”. That creed I argue is Islam standing on eternal values which continue to be valid throughout the millennia of human existence. Email your thoughts to daud.batchelor@ gmail.com Dr Daud Batchelor, holds an MA in Islamic and Other Civilisations and a Diploma in Islamic Studies from the International Islamic University Malaysia, PhD from University of Malaya, MSc from the University of London.

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Because what was obscure from the far distance would be no longer so! And now if you step back to heighten the distance, You may continue to witness its beauty and harmony, As if they eyes have gained in power and prowess, Enabled by the memories engraved in the tapestry of the mind and heart! 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 8300 compositions in Bengali and English and has also been involved in various community projects.

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Islamophobia in Australia Report Launch

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Zia Ahmad A comprehensive 100 page report on Islamophobia in Australia covering the period of 20142016 was launched on Monday 10 July in Melbourne and on Tuesday 11 July in Sydney. Some of the key highlights of the report included: • Australian Muslim women who ventured out on their own were almost three times more likely  to face harassment of an Islamophobic nature. • More than half of the female victims had their children with them at the time of the reported incident. • Most reported physical assaults occurred in NSW (60%) and VIC (26.7%). • 48% of offline attacks occurred in crowded spaces that were frequented daily – shopping centres, train stations and mosque surroundings were the most common. • Nobody intervened in 75% of the reported incidents. The Sydney launch of the report was held at the NSW Parliament House organised by the Islamophobia Register of Australia in partnership with the Centre for Islamic Studies and Civilisation, Charles Sturt University. The report was formally launched by Ms Lisa Annese, CEO of Diversity Council Australia. The audience were welcomed by Dr Mehmet Ozalp from ISRA while Ms Randa Abdel-Fattah, writer and researcher introduced the report to those present at the launch. Ms Mariam Veiszadeh, the founder of

Lisa Annese, CEO of Diversity Council Australia.

Dr Derya Iner, Senior Lecturer at Charles Sturt University.

From left: Tamana Daqiq, Randa Abdel-Fattah, Dr Mehmet Ozalp. Mariam Veiszadeh, Lisa Annese, Professor Linda Briskman, Dr Derya Iner and Associate Professor Clive Pearson. the Islamophobia Register highlighted the services provided by her organisation and announced that she was now vacating its Presidentship. Professor Linda Briskman from Western Sydney University provided a summary of the findings of the report while its main author and editor Dr Derya Iner highlighted the key findings. The report was compiled in partnership with Islamic Sciences & Research Academy of Australia (ISRA), the Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalization, Deakin University, the University of Western Australia, Diversity Council of Australia and Just Media Advocacy and was critically analysed by field-expert academics ranging from disciplines of sociology and theology to political sciences and criminology. “The Report offers a window into the types of religiously motivated Islamopho-

Mariam Veiszadeh, Founder of Islamophobia Register Australia.

bic incidents taking place out in suburban Australia and its release is especially timely as there is a continuing debate over the existence and the scale of Islamophobia in Australia” said Mariam Veiszadeh, Lawyer and President of the Islamophobia Register Australia. The principle researcher and editor of the report Dr Derya Iner, a Senior Lecturer at Charles Sturt University, said, “The report documents and analyses the present manifestations of Islamophobia in Australia both at an institutional and individual level and provides authentic and vigorous data by quoting from the victims, their proxies and witnesses.” The five key findings of the report included: • Women, especially those with Islamic head covering (79.6% of the female victims), have been the main targets of Islamophobia and more than 30% of the female victims had their children with them at the time of the reported incident. • 98% of perpetrators were identified as ethnically Anglo-Celtic, as indicated by the reporter and the typical perpetrator tended to be male. • Most reported physical assaults (Offline incidents) occurred in NSW (60%) and VIC (26.7%). • 48% of offline attacks occurred in crowded spaces that were frequented daily – shopping centres, train stations and mosque surroundings were the most

common. • Non-Muslims constituted about 25% of the witness reporters and nobody intervened in 75% of the reported incidents. The report captures and critically analyses with a rigorous and transparent methodology, 243 verified incidents reported to the Islamophobia Register Australia between September 2014 and December 2015. The report findings signify the circumstances under which anti-Muslim hate incidents exist, operate and affect Australian Muslims and illustrate specific characteristics of Islamophobia. A verification process was undertaken by a team of researchers in which reported incident details were verified and additional information was sought directly from the reporters who were classified according to whether they were the victims, witnesses or proxy reporters. The collated data was then further categorised for analysis in which they were classified and assessed according to the following characteristics – online or offline incident types and severity levels, locational features of the incidents, social context, vulnerability of victims, content of abuse and the impact of incidents on victims. A copy of the “Islamophobia in Australia” Charles Sturt University Report is now available online: https://goo.gl/Ne9QWi Zia Ahmad is the Managing Editor of the Australasian Muslim Times & is based in Sydney.

Dr Mehmet Ozalp, Associate Professor at Charles Sturt University.

Randa Abdel-Fattah speaking to the audience.

August 2017

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Australasian Muslim Times

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COMMUNITY

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BOOMERANG 5-7

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AUSTRALIA 16 - 19

IFAM’s Islamic Quiz competition 2017 at UWS Abdur Rahman Mukaddam The Children’s Islamic Quiz Competition 2017 was held on Sunday 23 July 10 am to 4 pm at the Western Sydney University, Bankstown Campus. The popular annual event, organised by the Islamic Forum for Australian Muslims (IFAM), had almost 200 students from Kindy to Year 10 registered for the competition. The aim of the event is to encourage our younger generation to learn about their religion in a fun filled exciting environment. By giving the opportunity to earn some fantastic prizes, including bicycles, technology equipment and a Umrah ticket, kids become highly motivated to learn Islam and implementing its teachings into their daily lives. The 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 introduced into Sydney last year, and it was an instant success with over 160 children taking part. The event started off with the recitation of the Quran, followed by a short introduction of IFAM and its goals to live in accordance with the teachings of Islam and endeavour to establish Islamic living in all spheres of

Quiz winners with IFAM officials and volunteers at the event. life. multiple-choice mark decided if they would The first section of the quiz was conduct- make it to the third and final round. ed with a ten-question multiple choice parThe third and final buzzer round of the ticipated by all attendees. quiz, the remaining participants battled it There was a break for lunch where the out against each other in groups of five, to children and parents enjoyed delicious biry- see who would get first, second and third ani and pani puri obtained from food stalls place in their respective age groups. set up at the venue. The program concluded with a photo sesThe second session consisted of oral ques- sion of the winners with IFAM officials and tions and answers, with each participant volunteer organisers and guests. given two questions, which along with the No one went home too disappointed, knowing that they would all receive a prize at the formal ceremony to be held in

September at Western Sydney University, Bankstown Campus. But best of all, through the Children’s Islamic Quiz, the participants gain something better than any prize, Islamic knowledge and implementation of good values in their daily lives. Abdur Rahman Mukaddam is a Year 9 student based in Sydney and is enthusiastically associated with IFAM Islamic Quiz program.

ICSOA organises Childhood obesity seminar Dr Habib Bhurawala The Indian crescent society of Australia (ICSOA) in partnership with Blacktown city libraries organised a free community health education seminar on childhood obesity prevention on Saturday 22 July 2017 at Max Webber Library, Blacktown, NSW. This event was organised as part of the “Make Healthy Normal” campaign by Blacktown City Council. The event was attended by Australians from a diverse background including representatives and office bearers of various community organisations. Cr Susai Benjamin, Cr Kathie Collins and Cr Moninder Singh were guests at this event. MC for the program was Mr Laurence McDonnell, manager of library services, Blacktown Libraries. He welcomed all guests to this event and gave a brief overview of various community health education programs organised by Blacktown libraries in the month of July 2017. This was followed by Cr Kathie Collins who emphasised the role of parents in managing childhood obesity and impact of the high rate of obesity and other chronic diseases in Western Sydney. Mr Abbas Raza Alvi, President of the Indian Crescent Society of Australia, welcomed everyone with a formal acknowledgement of traditional owners of the land

and provided an update of ICSOA activities, mission and future goals. He explained that the objective and purpose of ICSOA is to integrate and have a collective voice for Indian Muslims in Australia, representing them on Indian platforms in Australia as well as contribute towards the welfare of Muslims in India. Dr Habib Bhurawala, General Paediatrician and Head of Paediatric services at Nepean Hospital was the key note speaker at the event. He highlighted the ongoing burden of health diseases on Australian community despite advances in medical therapies and cost to the Australian economy. Dr Bhurawala mentioned that obesity, type 2 diabetes and heart disease related admissions and death rates in Western Sydney are higher than most other parts of Sydney. He quoted the latest research that one in 4 children in NSW is either overweight or obese and that most Australian children spend more than 2 hours on TV/smart phone/iPad devices every day which exceeds Australian recommendations for maximum screen time of 2 hours daily. Dr Bhurawala said that excessive time spent in front of TV/smart phone/digital device results in reduced time available for physical activities. He discussed various strategies such as reducing screen time, getting more active and the role of the whole family in tackling childhood obesity. He provided details of different community resources and programs available to families. Ms Reene Kennedy, paediatric and adult dietician was the second speaker at the event. She discussed the role of a healthy

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Keynote speaker Dr Habib Bhurawala at the ICSOA seminar. diet especially fruit and vegetables, using ing in cycle ways and arranged communiwater as the main drink instead of juices and ty health education seminars and requested soft drinks and balanced diet. community members to provide suggestions Interactive question answer session fol- and feedback so further improvements can lowed their talk. This session generated a lot be undertaken. of interest from the audience. One of the guests at this event, Cr Susai Dr Habib Bhurawala is the ICSOA Health Benjamin spoke on behalf of The Mayor of co-ordinator, based in Sydney and is a Blacktown Council and thanked speakers consultant general paediatrician currently and audience attending the event. He further working at Nepean & Blue Mountains hosadded that Blacktown City council is invest- pitals in Sydney.

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August 2017

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EDUCATION 27 - 29

COMMUNITY

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Mehdi Hasan on defeating extremism

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Zaynab Gul Well over a thousand people gathered in two separate events in Melbourne and Sydney on 12 and 13 July respectively to hear internationally acclaimed journalist and broadcaster, Mehdi Hasan, present a case for moderation and solidarity in the face of rising extremism. The topic for both events was titled “Defeating extremism with Mehdi Hasan: The future of the West in the age of Trump and terror.” The Sydney event attracted over 700 people and was held at the Western Sydney University, Parramatta Campus and also included a frank conversation between Mehdi Hasan and ABC presenter Stan Grant of Aboriginal ancestry from Wiradjuri. Earlier on the same day Mehdi Hasan met the movers and shakers in the Muslim community at a reception, held at the Sydney City offices of the Crescent Institute, the organisers of his Australian tour. This was Mehdi Hasan’s first appearance on Australian soil, where he tackled the issues of collective interdependence between Islamic extremists on one hand and right winged, anti-Islamic patriots on the other. Before flying back out of Australia Mehdi Hasan was interviewed by a number of news media organisations and also appeared at ABC’s Q & A program on Monday 17 July. Mehdi Hasan also met According to Hasan, the ability of terror organisations to be successful and gain strength relies on the fear that is fed to the people mainly through the media. “Let’s stop acting as though the biggest threat to our collective survival, to our civ-

Talal Yassine OAM, Managing Director of Crescent Wealth greets the audience of over 700 in Sydney. Photo by Photosphere.

Mehdi Hasan speaking at the Sydney event. Photo by Photosphere. ilisation is a small group of be-headers and hand-choppers out in the desert of Iraq and Syria,” said Hasan. “You’re much more likely as an Australian to be killed falling out of bed in the morning than by a terrorist later the day – that’s what the stats show.” Hasan said that the overrepresentation of Muslim terror related events in the media creates an unequal treatment towards the minority group that is then translated into Islamophobia on the streets. “The reality is that Muslims are covered by the media across the west in a way that other communities are not. They are held

to standards that are communities are not. We don’t need special treatment, just equal standards,” he said. The irony, Hasan argued, is that politicians such as Donald Trump and Pauline Hanson who publicly speak out against Islamic extremists by creating a blanket blame on all Muslims create more division that is then used in benefit by groups such as ISIS. “Anti-Muslim bigots have become recruiting sergeants for a group they claim they hate and profess they want to destroy. They are “ISIS’ useful idiots. It helps ISIS’ narrative of the West versus Islam.” In conversation with CNN journalist In-

digenous Affairs Editor at the ABC, Stan Grant, Hasan said that governance in the Middle East is a correlation with political violence. “ISIS was formed in countries like Iraq where there is no outlet for opposition or people’s voices to be heard.” Hasan spoke out against the view that the Middle East is the greatest representation of Muslims and encouraged looking beyond these geopolitical barriers. “It’s important that we develop our own leaders, our own models, our own governments without always having to turn back to our immigrant parent’s country of origin or towards the Middle East. “ Hasan praised the Australian political system as being the one of greatest potential as a leader to bring about international change because of the country’s overall stability. “Don’t buy into the derogatory and defamatory words of the right winged. Don’t buy into their divisive and hateful campaigns. The truth is, in the international scene, multiculturalism has been largely successful in Australia.” Throughout the event, Hasan emphasised the need for solidarity through the promotion of multiculturalism and diversity if extremism is to be defeated once and for all. “We need to embrace other marginalised communities, be there for them when they are under fire. We have to focus on what unites us and not what makes us different.” The events were successfully organised by the highly reputable pre-eminent professional networking and thought leadership organisation, Crescent Institute. Zaynab Gul is a university student studying Law and Media at UNSW.

Stan Grant speaks with Mehdi Hasan. Photo by Photosphere.

New IMA exhibit: Between Inscription & Gesture

AMUST Media The Islamic Museum of Australia opened their new exhibition on 26 July in Thornbury, Melbourne, titled “Between Inscription & Gesture.” The exhibits offer a unique insight into Melbourne’s urban graffiti culture tracing the intersections between tags with traditional Asian and Islamic calligraphy. If you’ve ever walked through one of Melbourne’s graffiti-covered laneways and wondered about the complex artistic discourse that lies both within and beyond the pieces, then this exhibition is an opportunity to shed light on the complex practices, tools and philosophies behind urban graffiti. Guest speakers of the exhibition launch included Cr Kim Le Cerf, Mayor of Darebin

August 2017

and Dr Lachlan MacDowall from the University of Melbourne. IMA Head Curator, Jake Carter said, “By exploring Melbourne’s exceptional graffiti culture, this exhibition seeks to highlight a calligraphic art form sharing many similarities with highly regarded traditions in Islamic and Asian cultures.” The exhibition hosts commissioned artworks by some of Melbourne’s most significant writers, alongside Arabic calligraphy and exemplary Chinese and Japanese calligraphy on loan from East & West Art and a photographic documentary, covering some of Melbourne’s most significant contributors to the street scene over the past twenty years. The exhibits of “Between Inscription & Gesture” will be on display from 27 July 2017 till 19 January 2018.

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Events Interfaith gathering calls for Calendar religious tolerance

Eid in the City 2017

Friday 4 August, 2017 5:00 PM - 10:00 PM Commune, 901 Bourke St, Waterloo

Khodr Saleh

NSW

https://goo.gl/XXYYeL

Dawah Masterclass Saturday 5 August, 2017 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM NSW UMA, 19 Enterprise Ave, Padstow www.uma.org.au/workshop

Islam and Pop Culture Saturday 5 August, 2017 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM NSW LMA, 71-75 Wangee Rd, Lakemba https://goo.gl/Kaz8nM

Mind Matters: A Mental Health Workshop

The Canterbury Bankstown Harmony Group 11th Interfaith Dinner drew a crowd of more than 200 community and religious leaders and people of diverse faith and cultural backgrounds, all with a message of religious tolerance, unity and respect. The Interfaith Dinner was held on Tuesday 18 July 2017 at Punchbowl Community Center with special guests, Hon Tony Burke MP and Dr Ibrahim Abu Mohamed, Grand Mufti of Australia. Muslims, Christian and others responded to the current atmosphere of heightened bigotry and pledged to work hand in hand together for respect and tolerance. The speakers emphasised the role that religious leaders, politicians and community leaders can play in promoting unity and dialogue, stressing the importance of confronting intolerance and extremism in society, working to transfer facts, remove misconceptions about religious beliefs, enhance opportunities for cooperation between different cultures and respect for diverse cultures. Pauline Gallagher, OAM and Ambassador of CB Harmony Group, opened the event by saying, “In every single one of us there is God, there is something holy and we must honour that in each other.” During his keynote speech at the symposium, Dr Ibrahim Abu Mohamed emphasised that cultural and religious values are an av-

enue for greater understanding among society and that Australia remains a pioneer in cultural harmony. He further added, “Together we will overcome all calls for intolerance, racism, hatred and unity. We can also build a bright future for our generations and make Australia a leader in the industry of love and peace.” Federal Shadow Minister for Multiculturalism, Hon Tony Burke emphasised Australia’s enjoyment of the benefits of reconciliation and tolerance on race and religion, and respect for freedom of expression and belief are most important features of the multicultural Australian society. The President of the CB Harmony Group, Karl Saleh closed the event, invoking the Australian value that guarantees rights for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. He stressed that tolerance, is a virtue and a supreme value, that helps to spread the culture of peace while rejecting hatred in our society and this is the most important aspects of all civilizations, cultures and religions. He further added, “I believe that Australia’s values of diversity and multiculturalism give hope to Australian multicultural community, and makes them more resilient in dealing with the pressures of racism.” Guests at the Interfaith Dinner includes: 1. The Hon Tony Burke, MP. Shadow Federal Minister for Multicultural 2. The Hon Jihad Dib, MP. Shadow NSW Minister for Education 3. The Hon Sophie Cotsis, MP. Shadow Minister for Multiculturalism

Saturday 12 August, 2017 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM Life Matters Academy, NSW 2/69 The Mall, Bankstown www.facebook.com/ events/1311034875661299/

Salat: Being Present to the Divine Presence Saturday 12 August, 2017 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM NSW LMA, 71-75 Wangee Rd, Lakemba https://goo.gl/fxYJcU

Intro to Islam

4. The Superintendent Dave Johnson, Campsie Local Commander 5. Pauline Gallagher OAM. Ambassador of CB Harmony Group 6. Dr Ibrahim Abu Mohamed: The Grand Mufti of Australia 7. Rev. Graeme Watkins: Lakemba Uniting Church 8. Rev. Heather Joyce Topp: Buddhist Council of NSW 9. Rev Fr Louis Ferkh, Superior of St Charbel’s Mission in Sydney 10. Sheikh Youssef Nabha: Imam of the Al Rahman Mosque Kingsgrove. 11. Rev. Dr Patric Mclnerney: Columban Mission Institute. 12. Sheikh Shady Suleiman Imam & President of IMAM council and United Muslims of Australia (UMA) 13. Mr Khaled Alameddine: General Manager of LMA Lebanese Muslim Ass. 14. Dr Zachariah Matthews: Imam of Punchbowl Mosque. 15. Sheikh Hassan Elsetohy: Muslim Aid Australia 16. Ashfaq Ahmad Chaudhary: IQRA Islamic Welfare Centre, Lakemba 17. Sheikh Abdul Goni Chowdhury: Islamic Practice and Dawah Circle (IPDC) Lakemba 18. Representative of United Muslim Women Association Inc. 19. Representative of Islamic Women’s Welfare Association 20. Principals and representatives from local schools

Pledging for harmony: Tony Burke MP surrounded by religious leaders.

Saturday 12 August, 2017 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM VIC 125 George St, Doncaster East benevolenceaustralia.org

Quarterly Convert Catchup Saturday 19 August, 2017 6:30 PM - 9:00 PM VIC 9 Green St, Doveton benevolenceaustralia.org

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

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August 2017

LIFESTYLE 20 - 23

UMMAH 24 - 26

EDUCATION 27 - 29

COMMUNITY

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Launch of MPA to empower Australian Muslims into employment Dr Amir Zayagh The new Muslim Professionals Association (MPA) was launched at Maurice Blackburn Lawyers in Melbourne on Wednesday 19 July 2017 with over a hundred industry and community leaders in attendance. At the time of increased angst and rise of Islamophobia, the launch of the MPA is a much-needed initiative to help eliminate the issues of unfairness in the workforce and unconscious bias. Research finds that although Australian Muslims are highly educated, institutionalised discrimination prevents Muslims from obtaining employment and leadership positions. MPA is an independent, not-for-profit organisation that aspires to be a portal for mentoring, support and networking for Australian Muslim professionals across all industries. MPA founder, its current President and an engineer, Nada Kalam, highlighted the “importance of career mentoring and the value of strong networks in assisting emerging professionals to advance their careers”. The launch inspired dozens of guests to register their support for MPA’s mentoring program which will connect emerging professionals with mentors in their field. The online professionals’ directory will also provide an opportunity for members to find and connect with like-minded professionals.

Making connections to help bridge employment gaps and inspire a new generation to aspire to pursue aspirational career opportunities. Unemployment rates within the Muslim stressed the importance of networking and community are more than twice the national encouraged guests to find an inspirational average. It is for this reason the MPA has mentor and sponsor, and utilise their netdeveloped an exclusive jobs portal which works to advance their careers. will share employment opportunities from Fellow guest speaker Almir Colan, Diemployers that promote diverse and inclu- rector of the Australian Centre for Islamic sive workplaces. Finance, shared his own story of arriving to Guests at the launch participated in a net- Australia as a refugee and the pivotal role working activity, gaining valuable connec- that mentors have played in advancing his tions with other professionals in a relaxed, career. Muslim-friendly environment. MPA was also pleased to provide a platSteve Walsh, Chairman of Maurice Black- form for the announcement of the Muslim burn Lawyers, warmly welcomed all guests Woman’s Williamson Scholarship by Richand reinforced Maurice Blackburn’s com- ard Dent, CEO of Leadership Victoria, in mitment to being the country’s leading so- partnership with the Islamic Council of Viccial justice law firm and a true champion in toria. the fight for fair. The Williamson Program is one of AusGuest speaker Rasha Abbas, Head of Aus- tralia’s most sought after leadership develtralian Division Project Delivery at ANZ, opment experience, and the Muslim Wom-

Nada Kalam, Founder & President of the Muslim Professionals Association. an’s scholarship is an incredible opportunity to foster and empower Muslim women into community leadership. Azmeena Hussain, a Senior Associate from Maurice Blackburn Lawyers, highlighted the need to for employers to support diversity as boards that do not “look and feel like the makeup of Australia will never reflect the views of the community”. The MPA membership fee of $50 is currently waived and members will have access to a wide range of benefits when registering. The launch of MPA is only the beginning of a journey that requires the support of individuals, businesses and organisations in order to develop and advance Muslim professionals and the community along with them. For more information or to register with MPA, please visit: muslimprofessionals.com.au/join-us. For more information on the Muslim Woman’s Williamson Scholarship, please visit: www.leadershipvictoria.org/programs/muslim-womens-initiative Dr Amir Zayegh based in Melbourne is the Secretary of the Muslim Professionals Association. He is a Paediatric Registrar and Deputy CRMO (Non Paediatric Trainee Support) at Royal Children’s Hospital as well as the Neonatal Fellow, Royal Women’s Hospital, Melbourne.

Sakinah holds seniors health session Arslah Khan

A Seniors’ Lunch for women, celebrating Eid and also incorporating a health session, was held on Wednesday 19 July at the Mount Druitt premises of ‘House of Sakinah’ Women Support Centre (HOS WSC). Around 22 ladies attended the lunch from diverse cultural backgrounds. Pick & Drop services were provided for some seniors to encourage participation. The event started off with the recitation of the Qur’an and its translation by Sumera Tariq, who also conducts regular Tajweed classes at the Centre. This was followed by a beautiful recitation of Naat by Yusra Thanvi. Guest speaker Ms Rabia Azizi, a prominent social worker from WASH House (Women’s Activities and Self Help) in Mount Druitt gave a lecture on the importance of healthy eating and maintaining a stress free life for seniors.

August 2017

Ms Azizi conducts groups in the first language of the participants and run in community settings. These programs are designed to target individuals from CALD background and are constructed to promote good health and wellbeing through verbal communication strategies rather than extra reading and writing. Lunch was then served to the participants, cooked and managed by volunteers. Ms Firdousi Obeidullah, Coordinator of HOS discussed the idea of having future courses to make these Sakinah for Seniors’ events more productive. All seniors were excited & looking forward to attending such sessions in near future from platform of HOS. The Sakinah for Seniors’ Lunch program is held on a monthly basis and provides a warm and friendly atmosphere especially targeting vulnerable elderly ladies who live alone and/or are on limited incomes. This program seeks to enhance the mental well-being of the elderly ladies, encouraging a sense of dignity, providing stimulating activities and linking them to other services HOS is a women’s centre based in Mt Druitt, Western Sydney providing a range of

Rabia Azizi (social worker) addressing the seniors and volunteers about stress management program. support services for women and was estab- 3 Carew Street, Mount Druitt, NSW 2770. lished in 2013 under the Auspices of Charity Phone: (02) 86646866 Australia International to cater for Muslim Email: wscsydney@gmail.com women in crisis situations and help develop networking among Muslim women. Arslah Khan is a volunteer worker at House Of Sakinah and is based in Sydney. House Of Sakinah Women Support Centre

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Australasian Muslim Times

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COMMUNITY

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BOOMERANG 5-7

COMMUNITY 9 - 15

AUSTRALIA 16 - 19

Sharing the joy of Eid with all children Maheen Imam On Saturday 1 July 2017, “Little Helpers on the Run” hosted a hugely successful Eid luncheon for children in foster care at the Woodstock Community Centre in Burwood, NSW. The event was specifically organised for 5-15 years old kids from Marist 180 and Red Cross clients to join the festivities of Eid that marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. The heritage venue was elaborately decorated with balloons and other party items and a huge number of presents were meticulously organised where each child got a number of Eid presents. The children from diverse background participated in many fun activities in the sun drenched grounds of the Centre joining competitive fun filled activities including henna art, jumping castle and water games. The kids were delighted to receive well packaged gifts from various invited guests including Mr Abdul Majid Yousfani, the Consul General of Pakistan in Sydney. Mr Yousfani highly commended the organisers of the event that brought some sparkle to the lives of so many children who were in need of some love and care. Other guests at the event included Ms

Abdul Majid Yousfani, the Consul General of Pakistan giving presents to Eesa (left) and Halimah (right). Ghana Bola, Community Engagement Officer-Marist 180, Mrs Mehar Ahmad, President of Seena Incorporated, Mr Khurram Jawaid, Director, Qartaba Homes, Mr Zia

Abdul Majid Yousfani with Ghana Bola, Community Engagement Officer-Marist 180 at the event.

Ahmad, Managing Editor, Australasian Muslim Times, Dr Wali Bokhari as well as a large team of volunteers who helped make the event a great success. Little Helpers on the Run with the motto “Together we can make the world a special place” is a not-for-profit organisation with a vision to engender a sense of social responsibility and compassion in our children. Conceived and founded in 2016 by its current Chairperson Dr Feryal Zehra, a specialist clinician with MBBS and MRCS and a researcher with a PhD in Surgery, Little Helpers on the Run has a vision to bring the community together and to engage children from privileged and underprivileged backgrounds to rebuild a fragmented society. The organisation’s main focus is to work together with the community to build a culture of respect, love and care and to support those in the community who need it most including disadvantaged children, our elderly, our homeless and our peers. Little Helpers on the Run is managed by a group of committed volunteers who provide guidance and create opportunities for children to participate in community outreach

programs with a focus on love and respect for all of society, particularly for our most vulnerable members, children and the elderly. Little Helpers on the Run has carried out a number of similar projects over the past year and was established with a mission to spread some love, care and kindness to everyone – regardless of who they are. Since being established, the organisation has completed over 65 kindness projects and brought joy to countless people of diverse faiths, ethnicity and cultural background. Little Helpers organises projects in partnership with not-for-profit organisations, schools and nursing homes and pay regular visits to nursing homes including Bupa, Opal care, St Vincent, Summit Care, Casa Mia, Scalabrini Village and many more. To find out more or to donate, please visit their website littlehelpersontherun.org.au Maheen Imam, based in Sydney is a content writer at Little Helpers on the Run and focuses on social media and nonprofit marketing.

Sydney celebrates cultural diversity at Bankstown

Jihad Dib MP. AMUST Media The Islamic Charity Projects Association (ICPA) held the annual Eid-Fitr Festival organized by the Sydney Eid Festival committee, at Bankstown’s Paul Keating Park from Saturday 1 to Sunday 2 July, attracting a crowd estimated to be over ten thousand. The 2017 Eid-ul-Fitr Festival, broadcast live on the Muslim Community Radio 92.1FM, attracted Muslims and non-Muslims including politicians, community leaders, families and individuals as well as passers-by to this entertaining and enlightening event. This annual, culturally diverse event that

marked the end of the fasting month of Ramadan for Muslims, also celebrated social harmony and delivered a strong message against violence and anti-social behaviour. In his welcoming speech, ICPA President, Mr Mohammad Mehio made it known that the ICPA continues to work effectively to strengthen the ties among all individuals who have made Australia their homeland. The Hon Ray Williams, Minister for Multiculturalism gave tribute to the diverse and crucial contribution Australian Muslims have made to the Australian way-of-life. “It is an honour & great privilege to spend this afternoon in this wonderful festivity Eid here again in Bankstown representing my Premier, The Hon Gladys Berejiklian, to knowledge the end of Ramadan, a time of

Australasian Muslim Times

reflection for all Muslim,” he said. In his warm address, Mr. Paul Lynch Member for Liverpool Shadow Attorney General affirmed the Australianness of diversity. “I need to keep saying it, this is a great example of Multicultural NSW & Multicultural Australia,”, he said. On a similar tone, Mr Jihad Dib Member for Lakemba, Shadow Minister for Education thanked the ICPA and the Sheikhs and said: “This is not just an Islamic Event, it is an Australian Event. And I want to say to the young kids today to listen to the words of your elders, those who give you good advice. Eid Mubarak,” he said. Ms Julia Finn MP Member for Granville

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Ray Williams MP. congratulated the Muslims and conveyed her joy to the event of togetherness. “Eid Mubarak, it’s great to be here this afternoon, it’s a really beautiful afternoon and this is an essential Australian Celebration of Eid,” she said. The excitement reached its peak when 2MFM presenters of six live shows took the stage to draw the names of over 25 winners who entered the Live Show competitions on radio throughout Ramadan. The Eid Festival ended with a magnificent show of fireworks on Saturday and Sunday night, lighting up the region with colour and excitement, and keeping the crowd anxiously awaiting the next Festival of Eid-ul-Adha in two months.

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Family, feast and festivity at MEFF 2017 The 34th annual Multicultural Eid Festival & Fair (MEFF) welcomed tens of thousands of people from the Australian Multicultural community at Fairfield Showground on Sunday 9 July 2017 in Prairiewood, Sydney. As one of the most anticipated events on the multicultural calendar, MEFF is the first, the largest and the longest-running Eid Festival in Australia, serving the community for over 30 years. The event was a tremendous success with record crowds attending, around 130 interesting market and international food stalls, thrilling rides, entertainment and a life size baby dinosaur, Tarek the T-Rex! The life size animatronic baby dinosaur was a huge success as it walked around the showground astounding festival attendees. The Reception at MEFF 2017 as usual was attended by almost 150 invited guests at the Parkland Function Centre within the Fairfield Showground that included politicians, interfaith and community leaders, academics, businessmen as well as the past and present members of the MEFF Team. The Chief Guest at MEFF 2017 was The Hon Ray Williams, Minister for Multiculturalism and Minister for Disability Services who spoke at the reception as well as addressed thousands of people from the main stage. MEFF 2017 included the theme “Freedom of speech with freedom from vilification” in order to reflect upon two important values that we cherish as a society that has been debated during the past year. Mr Zia Ahmad, Trustee of MEFF and Managing Editor of the Australasian Muslim Times AMUST introduced the theme at the reception and requested the subsequent speakers to reflect on this topic. “Freedom of speech is a universal, Islamic and Australian value. International law in Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights enshrines the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. In Australia we pride ourselves for our freedom of speech in order to express, without fear or favour, what we think, feel

The procession to the main stage. and discuss,” Mr Ahmad pointed out. He further added, ” International human rights law also prohibits religious hatred and discrimination prohibiting any advocacy of religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence, as well as discrimination on the basis of religion. People have the right to have the freedom not to be vilified or demonised on the basis of their skin colour, gender or religion.” “A balance needs to be maintained between freedom of speech and freedom from being vilified, demonised and bullied. Freedom of speech needs to be exercised with responsibility without causing stress and trauma to others specially the vulnerable sections of our society, the minorities, the disable and the poor,” He concluded. A number of speakers at the reception congratulated MEFF organisers for their 34 year long track record of success as well as participated in a lively debate on the theme. The reception program was superbly MC’d by Dr Mahsheed Ansari from ISRA. Dr Mehmet Ozalp from CSU highlighted the upcoming launch of the report on Islam-

ophobia in Australia while Ms Hanan Dover, a clinical psychologist criticised passionately about vilification of outspoken Muslims specially women by the bigots in Australia. Mr Chris Hays MP, Federal Member for Fowler moderated that Australia is the most successful multicultural society and the need to look at our positive achievements. Ms Julia Finn MP, State Member for Granville pointed out the extreme elements in our society together with sensational media making life difficult for Muslims and other minorities. The Consul General of Pakistan Mr Abdul Majid Yousafani talked about the universal values of freedom of speech and multiculturalism that needs to be and is being adopted by all countries of the world. The guests at the reception later in the afternoon moved to the main stage in a procession led by the superb drummers team C’darz Entertainment. The President of MEFF Mr Ali Alsalami gave a welcome speech while Mr Williams and Senator Sam Dastyari addressed the crowds together with songs, dances and presentations by entertainment groups.

The stage showcased traditional children folk dances from India and Bosnia and cultural songs from Lebanon, Pakistan and so much more. The red-cross ‘blood-drop’ mascot, which came to MEFF encouraging blood donation accompanied the parade. The festival was turned into a multicultural marketplace selling traditional cultural dresses, jewellery, books, artworks and henna art – it was a great source of bargain shopping. MEFF offered ultimate entertainment with all types of thrilling rides for all ages . Children also enjoyed the Bubble soccer, dartboard, camel and pony rides. Festival attendees were thrilled to receive their free MEFF showbags with goodies inside and enjoyed the free Kids Art area with free pace-painting and balloon twisting. Families were getting in line to take great photos with Mickey & Minnie Mouse, Dora the Explorer, Kung Fu Panda and the animatronic Dinosaur! There was a fireshow at 7 pm followed by spectacular fireworks at 7.30 pm, and all the rides finished at 9 pm which allowed for families enough time to buy and take-away some food for home. MEFF 2017 was sponsored by KOI: King’s Own Institute as a Platinum sponsor with Shine Lawyers and NZF: National Zakat Foundation Australia being the Silver sponsors of the Event. MEFF was founded by Islamic Foundation for Education & Welfare IFEW and its Media Partner is Australasian Muslim Times, AMUST. The next Multicultural Eid Festival & Fair will be held next year on Sunday 8 July 2018, at the beginning of the school holidays at Fairfield Showground. Sign Up to the MEFF Email Newsletter on meff.com.au to be updated regarding Stall Bookings, Opening and Closing times, and various activities for MEFF 2018. MEFF is seeking sponsors for the next event to make it bigger and better than ever before! The Australian MEFF consortium is a non-profit community based organization managed by volunteers and brings cross-cultural and cross-religious dialogue and goodwill via an engaging festival.

Zia Ahmad, Trustee of MEFF and Managing Editor of AMUST.

The Hon Ray Williams, Minister for Multiculturalism and Minister for Disability Services

Dr Mehmet Ozalp, Associate Professor at Charles Sturt University.

Hanan Dover, Psychologist, Psych Central.

Chris Hayes MP, Federal Member for Fowler.

Guests at the MEFF Reception & Lunch.

Zia Ahmad

Julia Finn MP, State Member for Granville.

Check out more photos of the festival on page 16 and 17 August 2017

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Australasian Muslim Times

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The Multicultural Eid AMUST

The superb drummers, C’darz Entertainment. Photo by Photographik Illusion.

The spectacular fireworks display. Photo by

Beautiful necklaces were for sale at MEFF. Photo by Photographik Illusion.

Karate Performance by Extreme Martial Fitness. Photo by Peter Smith.

Photo by Peter Smith.

Australasian Muslim Times

“Oppana”, A traditional South Indian folk dance by the Australian Malayalee Islamic

Tarek the T-Rex. Photo by Photographik Illusion.

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Kung Fu Panda, Minnie Mouse and Dora the

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d Festival & Fair 2017

y Photographik Illusion.

AMUST

From left: Nick Lalich MP, Julia Finn MP, Minister Ray Williams MP, Dr Ashfaq Ahmad, Senator Sam Dastyari, Zia Ahmad, Mehar Ahmad. Photo by Photographik Illusion.

A traditional Bosnian folk dance by KUD Zambak . Photo by Peter Smith.

c Association . Photo by Peter Smith.

e Explorer. Photo by Photographik Illusion.

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The Ferris wheel. Photo by Peter Smith.

Mouth watering sweet treats. Photo by Peter Smith.

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Photo by Photographik Illusion.

Australasian Muslim Times

AUSTRALIA Tony Burke hosts Citizenship Forum in Lakemba NEWS 1-4

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Mobunah Ahmad Over 100 people spoke in opposition to the Government’s proposed citizenship changes at a Citizenship forum hosted by local MP The Hon Tony Burke on Tuesday 18 July at Lakemba Senior Citizens Community Hall in Sydney. The overwhelming level of interest emphasised the significance of holding such forums to listen to the community having their voices heard. Initially, the forum was going to be a small gathering where people would tell personal stories about the impact the Government’s changes to citizenship laws were having on the community. However from the start, the venue had run out of chairs as more than a hundred people found their way to Lakemba to object to the citizenship changes proposed by the Government. “Citizenship shouldn’t be about politics. It’s about who we are as a nation and the Government’s changes are about telling people from non-English speaking backgrounds that they are simply not welcome the way others are” said Tony Burke MP. Some of the people that attended were affected by the delays, including one person where the new law would mean he will be

Jihad Dib MP (left) and Tony Burke MP (right) speak to Atul (centre), one of the thousands of people affected by the citizenship laws. in Australia for 14 years before he will be new university level English test. eligible to apply for citizenship. Atul is one of the thousands of people Another told her story of having complet- affected by the recent proposed legislative ed the 500 hours of English language train- changes to citizenship. Having grown up ing provided by the Government but still in Fiji to parents of Indian heritage, Atul leaving her in a position where she would arrived in Australia as a student studying have absolutely no chance of passing the a Digital Media degree. Following that he

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completed both a Masters in Advertising and then a postgraduate law degree. He has called Australia home for 10 years and was excited to become a permanent resident in December 2016. His hopes of gaining citizenship at the end of this year have now been dashed by the Government’s changes. Tony Burke encouraged those present to make submissions to the Senate Inquiry before the deadline this Friday the 21 July and to sign the online petition on his website which he will present to Parliament when it resumes in August. “These changes are a direct attack on Australia as a modern multicultural nation. We need to organise and act quickly because I’m convinced we can win” said Tony Burke MP. Tony and other Labor MP’s will be holding these forums around the country over the next few months to consult with the community about the citizenship changes. If you know of anyone who would benefit from a community forum on this please let us know and we are happy to facilitate. Tony Burke is the Shadow Minister for the Environment and Water, Shadow Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Australia, Shadow Minister for the Arts and Member for Watson. Mobinah Ahmad is a professional social media analyst and AMUST Multimedia Journalist based in Sydney.

Learning about peace for Palestine and Israel Philip Feinstein In January this year, a group of 22 Australian Jewish and Christian community leaders sat around a table with Dr Rami Hamdallah, the Palestinian Prime Minister, in Ramallah. Later that day they shared dinner with members of a group of Israeli and Palestinian ex-fighters, Combatants for Peace that works across borders for an end to the Occupation and to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. http://cfpeace. org/ So, what brought the Australians to this part of the world and this kind of encounter? A few years ago, tensions emerged between Uniting Church and Jewish organisations in Australia—specifically related to their positions on Israel and the Palestinians. Israel /Palestine is a place of intense meaning for both Jews and Christians (as well as Muslims)—but in different ways. So, with care and some trepidation, the groups set up a dialogue. The purpose was not to debate or win each other over but to listen and learn about each other’s points of view—including the sometimes sharply differing opinions within each group. After two years of dialogue, the Uniting Church and Jewish community representatives decided to travel together to Israel and Palestine. The January 2017 visit was the result. The study tour did not include Catholics, Anglicans, Muslims or any other group besides Uniting Church and Jews—because of the particular history of the dialogue.

Dr Rami Hamdallah, Palestinian Prime Minister meeting Jewish-Uniting Church study tour. The group learned together first hand and with this, a deepening understanding of arately and together, along with many hunabout the land and its conflicts, spending the strong desire for a just and secure peace dreds of volunteers, to rehabilitate the Jorequal time in Israel and the West Bank and in the region, and the challenges that have dan River and on solutions to the inadequate hearing equally from Israelis and Palestin- stymied efforts so far. Political leaders and and unequal access to fresh water. http:// ians. The focus was to learn about efforts negotiators gave insight into the conflict, but ecopeaceme.org/ at peace-making, especially from grass- it was meetings with Israelis and PalestiniThe study tour was facilitated by Chrisroots NGOs meeting Ali Abu Awad from ans of different backgrounds, religions and tina Samara and Elisa Moed of ‘Breaking Roots and Gidon Bromberg from EcoPe- professions who were working creatively Bread Journeys’, a joint Palestinian-Israeli ace and others working to change the status for change that gave inspiration and a glim- tour company that is itself an example of coquo. The title of the tour was “Give Peace mer of hope. operation, despite obstacles. a Chance” —pro-Palestine, pro-Israel and For example, the group visited an educahttp://breakingbreadjourneys.com/ pro-peace. tion field centre near Jericho run by EcoPeThere were meetings and briefings with ace. EcoPeace has Palestinian, Israeli and Philip Feinstein is a Sydney based writer, muover 50 individuals and groups in Israel and Jordanian branches that employ over 100 sician and activist working for MUSIC FOR Palestine, visits to historical and holy sites, people who have worked successfully sep- REFUGEES www.musicforrefugees.org

Celebrating the magic of Multiculturall Australia AMUST Media NSW Labour hosted a multicultural night with Bill Shorten MP and Luke Foley MP on 15 July at Parra Villa in Parramatta in order to honour all of the mazing communities which enrich our nation. Recent events have led to a climate of division rather than cohesion, of fear

over faith. The event emphasised the significance of coming together to reject racism and discrimination and celebrate the unity in our diversity. With some brilliant cultural performances and delicious food, the event’s success primarily came from the special panel session with celebrity champions of modern multiculturalism. The panel session was hosted by Senator Sam Dastyari, with other panel

Australasian Muslim Times

speakers including: • Deng Thiak Adut, the 2017 NSW Australian of the Year, Lawyer, Refugee advocate and author of Songs of a War Boy, • Sabrina Houssami-Richardson, Miss World Australia, Miss World Asia-Pacific and Miss World Runner Up and • Arka Das, Actor in the Oscar nominated movie, Lion, and the ABC’s The Code, as Writer and Director.

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Rising Australian Dollar: Winners and Losers FINANCE Dr Abul Jalaluddin The exchange rate of the Australian dollar is in constant fluctuation. A high demand for Australian dollar usually leads to a high exchange rate which creates winners and losers in the economy. Recently, Australian dollar soared above US80 cents, to a high of US80.66 cents. Historically, the Australian dollar appreciated an all-time high of US110 cents in July 2011 and a record low of US48 cents in April 2001. This recent rise has created economic advantages to overseas travellers, online shoppers purchasing goods and services from international merchants, domestic shoppers of imported goods at Australian retail outlets, importers and investors in overseas assets including shares. The major disadvantaged economic sectors include export, tourism and education. The Manufacturing industry is a significant loser in rising Australian dollar, prompting alarm bells that export-exposed businesses will start losing to foreign com-

petitors. To this industry, the dollar value within the band of US60 cents to US70 cents will be great for business. An exchange rate of US80 cents and above is outside the comfort zone.

Australian manufacturing industry currently contributes around $100 billion annually to gross domestic product (GDP), employs around 900,000 Australians and contributes over 25 per cent of business

expenditure on research and development (R&D). Hence, a sluggishness in the manufacturing sector will have a negative impact on economic growth of Australia. The situation of soaring exchange rate is a two-edged sword for some exporters, one better and the other worse. The importation of raw materials are suddenly cheaper but if the dollar rises too high and for too long, overseas customers could start reconsidering their supply chain to cheaper international markets. Export of goods and services by generally high end Australian manufacturers is a dominant part of enterprise. Some manufacturers do 100 per cent export, some export regularly and some do the occasional export. When the Australian dollar was all time high in 2011, some manufacturing businesses had to pull out of the export markets altogether. The uncertainty arising from the rising dollar is now very much in the minds of the manufacturers today. If the dollar keeps on going in its current direction, there will be an adverse impact on exports and economic growth of Australia. . Dr Abul Jalaluddin is an Islamic Finance expert, Director of MCCA, taxation advisor and a regular columnist of AMUST. He is based in Sydney.

Chris Hayes hosts Fowler NDIS Forum Mehar Ahmad Mr Chris Hayes MP hosted the Fowler NDIS Forum on Tuesday 4 July at Cabramatta Bowling Club that was attended by a large number of people with disability, their carers as well as their family members. Mr Hayes took the initiative in order to provide the opportunity for residents to learn more about the National Disability Insurance Scheme, given the program is still in its infancy, since it was nationally rolled out on 1 July 2016. In his invitation to the forum, Mr Hayes said, “The community will have the chance to become better informed about the National Disability Insurance Scheme and what it involves.” He further added, “The NDIS program is relatively new, and I am confident that the forum will address many concerns that residents have, particularly when applying for the scheme.” Earlier on Saturday 1 July, Mr Ray Williams, NSW Minister for Multiculturalism and Minister for Disability Services had announced the rolling out of NDIS throughout NSW. “At last, people with disability throughout the State are at the centre of decision-making and are empowered to live the life they choose,” Mr Williams said. People living in the Illawarra Shoalhaven, Northern NSW, Mid North Coast, Sydney, South Eastern Sydney, Murrumbidgee, Western NSW and the Far West can now access the NDIS. Mr Williams said the NSW Government will also continue to provide information to people with disability, their families and carers to help them prepare for the NDIS. More than 54,000 people with disability have already joined the NDIS in NSW, with a further 60,000 expected to join in 2017-18. At the Fowler NDIS Forum, Mr Hayes while welcoming the large crowd acknowledged the fact that Fowler had a large population of people with disability and information for them to avail themselves of the NDIS needed to be available in user-friendly forums such as this. He said that there was concern amongst the users of NDIS and their carers of its delivery and therefore a Q&A session was organised in order for people to express their

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Chris Hayes MP, Federal Member for Fowler with Ms Ally O’Rourke, Assistant Director of Engagement NDIS NSW Central Region at the Fowler NDIS forum. grievances. pointing out that there were indeed teethMs Mary Hawkins, Director of Engage- ing problems during the implementation of ment, NDIS NSW Central Region during the NDIS and offered his services to make her presentation gave an account of the representations through his offices for peohistory of NDIS, services it provided and ple having difficulties in getting satisfactory issues it was tacking during its implemen- service through NDIS. tation in NSW. Many in the audience thanked Mr Hayes During the Q&A session, a number of for taking the initiative to organise such a disabled people, as well as parents of chil- forum and urged that this should continue dren with disability, aired their frustration in on a regular basis. dealing with NDIS agency, service providThe attendees at the forum were served ers and disability support coordinators. with morning tea at the start followed by a Ms Dawkins as well as Ms Ally O’Ro- light lunch at the end of the formal program. urke, Assistant Director of Engagement NDIS NSW Central Region attentively not- Mehar Ahmad is a school teacher based in ed people’s concerns and provided clarifica- Sydney and the President of Seena Incorpotions. rated, publishers of the Australasian MusMr Hayes moderated the discussion lim Times.

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LIFESTYLE Understanding technology behind on-line games NEWS 1-4

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When one of the participants was asked about the event, he said, “I had a great time and where the concept of nodes and networks was foreign, now I am able to understand and engage in conversation when the idea of IP and Networks is brought up.” This initiative like many others have been brought by Young Innovators as a stepping stone towards ensuring that the children of today are prepared for tomorrow and into the future. There is a gap evident in children’s knowledge, where they interact with technology but fail to understand the hardware or software that backs up its creation. Therefore, the professionals that exist within our community have been brought together and have volunteered their time to mentor children about a certain areas of Information Technology. By doing this the children have showcased a great deal of talent and are eager to continuously learn but lack the facilities or resources needed to soil the knowledge that is being sought for. It is with continued effort and determination by Young Innovators that such events will keep being released and brought to the children of the community to power them not only during the holidays but also during school term. If you are interested to learn more about the organization and its work or take part in the activities, workshops and programs. Please visit our site YoungInnovators.net.au and go to the Join Us section.

Sharmyn Kayani On 13 July 2017, a group of eager students attended a LAN (Local Area Network) Workshop conducted by the organization “Young Innovators.” Young Innovators Network is a newly established organization operated by leading community professionals who together “support passion based interaction and experience based learning for young minds.” During the last school holidays, they ran various workshops and activities including Robotics for Youth, Coding with JavaScript, Cyber Security for young Minds, LAN Party and many others. The LAN Workshop aimed to have the students understand and build their own computer networks and then play a set of action games. It is easy for one to see how this event proved to be a success, where a young person can simply spend hours in front of the computer or television to play numerous games without any material understanding how the game is powered or the logic behind the system that is powering such a display. After attending the workshop, they were able to learn about how nodes in a network interact, exchange and process information within a wired and wireless network and then as they spent time on their devices they were able to comprehend this logic visually. The mentor at the workshop, Akhtar Pirwani, is a remarkable individual who has a great deal of knowledge being a certified CISCO instructor. He structured the day so that it started at 6pm and lasted for three hours, where the

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students were introduced to the IP Protocol, the version and the application of the IP based networking. They were then able to have a hands on

experience of setting up a LAN (Local Area Network) through wired and wireless network which enables the participants to set up and play a variety of Action games.

Sharmyn Kayani based in Sydney is currently completing a Bachelors Degree in Computer Science and Technology at the University of Sydney and is an active member of Young Innovators. She has a passion for technology and how it can be used as a tool to empower the next generation.

Star Wars Terrarium Comedian to Watch:

Khaled Khalafalla

Zaynab Gul

Dubbed by The Age as the next “huge mainstream star”, Australian comedian Khaled Khalafalla is letting Loose and brought his stand-up show to Sydney on Friday 14 July at the Comedy Store. “To all my Sydney fans, you’re not going to be disappointed. This is my best show yet,” said Khalafalla in an exclusive interview with AMUST before the show. Starting off as a host for charity events who had an “addiction to making people laugh”, Khalafalla has performed for the likes of the Just For Laughs show and is now one of the seven most promising emerging artists of 2017 across the world. “One of the things that makes me different is that I’m a Muslim. It’s not that I’m specifically a Muslim comedian, it’s just that I am a Muslim and a comedian,” said Khalafalla. Khalafalla had a diverse upbringing; ethnically Egyptian, he moved from Saudi Arabia to different parts of New Zealand before settling in Melbourne, giving him a unique viewpoint that facilitates complex and yet appealing stand-up humour. “It’s about connect-

ing with people who are most like you at your call. It’s a mixture of people who unite with me in the struggle to balance being a Muslim and an Australian at the same time. The challenge is to not give precedence to one over the other, instead of knowing the value of having to be both at the same time.” Khaled was invited to entertain the Australian army troops whereby he accompanied them to their base in Afghanistan. His curiosity during the journey made it an important experience for him where he felt like he truly belonged for the first time as both an Australian and a Muslim. “When you’re in the entertainment industry, you don’t have a lot of opportunities to do things that have a deep and meaningful purpose. Over there, they were doing everything for a purpose and they found it difficult in the army to do mundane things, like entertainment.” “When we interacted, I felt like it was the first time I was entertaining for a purpose, and similarly they felt that their purpose was kind of entertaining .” Khalafalla continues to present his comedy as a reflection of himself, preferring to employ light hearted humour instead of making intense political statements.

Australasian Muslim Times

Asia Chaabou

I was having coffee at my local Flower Power when I saw their awesome terrarium display. When I got home I started looking at ideas for making one myself using cheaper materials; that’s where I stumbled upon terrariums that actually have small figurines, and depict a certain scene, then I thought: Star Wars! How cool would it be to replicate the forest moon of Endor, with lush green plants, or the desert planet, Tatooine, with succulents, sand complete with a C-3PO figurine. At the time Aldi had terrarium kits for sale

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for $20, and they even looked like a moon, score! So, with my terrarium kit purchased, I set out to source some Star Wars figurines, first, I tried Ebay; but I wasn’t sure about the size (you need really small figurines). Then, I looked in my local department shops (Target, Big W, etc) and I finally found a small Micro Machines set in The Reject Shop for $5 (Big W had them for $10). It came with a few vehicles, and two characters; I got Luke Skywalker, and Darth Vader, and my son got a Clone Wars set with Obi-Wan, and General Grievous. Asia Chaabou, mother of three currently from Chipping Norton, Studying a BA in Linguistics and English and also doing a Diploma in Childcare. Hobbies are reading, art, baking, and ordering off Iherb.

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5Pillars board game by Gould Sydney.

Islam-Inspired Design at Gould Sydney Subhi Bora Peter Gould (peter-gould.com) is a celebrated designer, creative entrepreneur and artist. His innovative, award-winning work is highly sought after globally and it has touched millions with positive, inspirational creative projects. He has won several awards, launched his own apps & games, created popular online platforms, teaches workshops internationally, and has work published in several books. His journey toward exploring the world of Islamic creativity began in 2002 when he embraced Islam while studying graphic design. He travelled to cities with deep historical and artistic connection to Islamic tradition, which inspired him to create a

series of personal artistic projects resulting in a fusion of classical Islamic design elements and his signature vibrant, fresh graphic style. With an interest in contributing to the space of contemporary Islamic creativity, Peter started Gould Sydney (www.gould. sydney), a branding and design studio specialising in building brands, creative projects, events, and initiatives particularly in the space of the Islamic economy. Gould Sydney is a unique influence behind many of the brands that have helped define the role and reach of modern Islamic brands. The founder of Hadith of the Day says, “Peter and his creative team have been our strategic design partners for over 5 years. We started working together when our content was reaching 2-3 million people

per week and now with his creative direction we are reaching over 30 million people per week.” In 2016, Peter joined Dubai-based Zileej (zileej.com) as Chief Creative Officer to develop a new generation of lifestyle brands, products and creative experiences for Muslims. One of these brands is 5Pillars which is a series of games that are also Islamic educational tools for the whole family to enjoy.

Incorporating the best elements of classic boardgames, trivia, charades, and technology, the 5Pillars games provide thousands of learning opportunities for people of various levels of Islamic knowledge. Peter says, “my hope for Zileej is to help set new standards in imaginative, fun, creative products and brands for Muslims, that will inspire a new generation of entrepreneurs. It’s a truly exciting space to be a part of.”

Gould Sydney Team

Eid at Taronga Zoo Continued from page 1 The event was a celebration of multiculturalism and family that brought tears of happiness to the eyes of visitors. Over seven thousand tickets were sold in a week prior to the event and more than double are estimated to have attended the event over the weekend. Guests from all faiths and cultural backgrounds attended the event. The positive feedback was overwhelming from a large number of guests, Taronga Zoo staff, volunteers and stall holders. “I’ve been a Zoo friend member for over 30 years, and my friend here has volunteered for Taronga Zoo for about the same. Eid at

Taronga Zoo, thanks to Crescent Wealth is a dream come true!” “The vibe is just amazing, everyone is happy to be here, it’s a beautiful day for Eid with animals.” “It was brilliant, I absolutely loved it!” “Every 10 metres I bump into an old friend, we hug and laugh together. That is Eid at the Zoo,” said Mohammed who came last year, and we loved it so much that he was back again this year! To register your interest for future special events by Crescent Wealth, go to www.crescentwealth.com.au/eidattaronga and complete the questionnaire.

Photo by Glenn Leahy, Coast Pictures. www.coast-pictures.com.au

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Photography Pixel Studio Productions.

The story of how we met is actually very serendipitous. My mother

describes it like this: “It was a cool crisp afternoon in Chicago in October of 2013. Aminah Sallam, a focused freshman pre-med at the University of Chicago had been up for hours studying for her mid-terms exams. Her friends persuaded her to take a break and go with them downtown to have lunch. While at the restaurant, a sense of sickness unexpectedly overcame Aminah and she excused herself to get some fresh air outside. Aminah had never felt like that before and decided it would probably be best to get some rest at home. She excused herself from the group and walked toward the bus stop… Yusef Al-Jarani was a Junior at the University of Chicago, studying political Science with dreams of becoming a Lawyer. He was a go getter — always studying just like Aminah, but had decided that day to also take a break and go to visit a friend who lived downtown. After his visit, he decided to take the bus back home and started walking toward the very same bus stop where Aminah was waiting. When Yusef got to the stop, he noticed that Aminah appeared to be in some distress as she was rummaging through her backpack looking for something. He introduced himself and asked if she needed some help. Aminah explained that she somehow had misplaced her bus ticket and needed to get home because she was not feeling very well. The chivalrous and good-natured Yusef offered to help and they boarded the bus together. After a few minutes, the bus made it to Aminah’s stop, and, to her surprise, Yusef also got off the bus. They realized that they lived in the same dorm at the University but had never met each other up until that day. In an even stranger twist of fate, they later found out that they lived on the same floor and only a few doors down the hall from each other! As they say, the rest is history..”

Aminah + Yusef

The Modest Bride We love the story of Aminah and Yusef, and their journey of planning their wedding because it’s proof that some people are fated to be, but also because it shows some of the specific cultural issues that Muslim brides/couples have to face when planning their weddings. It made us laugh, it made us nod our head in agreement, but mostly, it showed us that when two people who are true friends are supported by family who love them, a truly beautiful celebration of their love will take place. This one is definitely worth reading till the end…

The proposal was actually pretty anticlimactic/uneventful. From the moment we met we knew were meant to be together— for the both of us it was a very strong feeling and it felt very obvious that the universe had pushed us to meet for a reason. We both told our parents immediately and at first mine especially were skeptical. After a year of getting to know each other, my parents invited Yusef to meet them at our home in New York City.

Their first meeting was hilarious (Yusef was worried that asking to leave would be rude and my parents were worried that telling him to leave would be rude so he stayed eating dinner, drinking tea and talking with my family until 2 am at which point my sister was like “CAN THIS BE OVER PLEASE?”) but my parents fell in love with Yusef after that. The wedding planning process was absolutely INSANE. Not only were Yusef and I living in separate states, we were both living in a separate state from where we were planning to have the wedding. I was inter-

Australasian Muslim Times

viewing for medical schools which, in the US, is an extremely intense and time consuming process—any time I received an interview I had to drop everything and fly to the school. God bless my mother—she orchestrated most of the wedding and is the MOST detail oriented person you will ever meet. Most of our planning was done over a 2 week period during which our winter break overlapped. Thankfully we were able to do much of the heavy lifting during that period so for the remaining 6 months leading up to the wedding we just had to deal with all the small details that go into wedding planning. Planning the wedding was difficult from this respect because I am Egyptian, my husband is Libyan, and we are both born and raised in America. So there were so many different facets of our culture and religion that we wanted to incorporate. We had a mixed henna party before the wedding where we did much of the cultural traditions. For the wedding, we went with a more Western vibe. Unlike most Muslim weddings, we chose to have our religious ceremony outside a mosque in front of all our

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friends and family. It was extremely difficult to find a Sheikh able to perform a nice ceremony that was very progressive, but fortunately one of my dad’s close friends, Sheikh Shaker ElSayyed, was willing to fly out from Virginia to perform the ceremony!

The ceremony structure was the first of its kind in our community—I walked down the aisle, we had a reading of the Quran to open things up, the Sheikh gave a sweet and funny speech about marriage, we did the formal contract signing with our fathers in front of everyone, and then Yusef and I read our own, personal vows before exchanging rings. It was kind of a fusion of Islamic and Western traditions.

For the reception, we had a traditional arab Zaffe entrance, and danced a lot of Dabke, but my sister also played a piece on the piano, my mom read a beautiful poem that she wrote in Arabic, and Yusef performed a rap for everyone! It was truly a fusion ceremony from all respects. My dress is the first thing I bought for the wedding. All things considered, finding my dress was actually a very easy process. Because I wear the hijab, and we were having a mixed wedding, I knew up front that I would need a long sleeve, modest dress. Of course, when I said this to the sales clerks, they started bringing me these horrifying, baggy, unflattering lace dresses that looked like they were meant for a much older bride. The second I tried the dress on (it was only the third or fourth dress I tried) I knew it was the ONE. After that, I became obsessed with creating a wedding that matched the dress seamlessly. The only problem with the dress was that

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Marriage Bureau

it was mostly see through. Thankfully, they were able to add additional appliques to cover the plunging bodice and line the dress with a very light, nude fabric so it wasn’t obvious that it was lined, but it was obvious enough that I was still covered.

For both of us, marriage is a very religious concept - it is a union made before God—and as such I think we both had this very strong feeling that after getting married it was our job to help each other be the best Muslims we can.

Seeker & Sought For

That means praying together every day, reading more Quran and just learning together how to best practice our religion and positively affect those around us. More than that, I think the most significant part of marriage for us is having an equal partner to go through life with. We both have very competitive ambitions, and knowing that we both have a partner to lean on in the good times and bad, and that we both have someone to help us reach and celebrate our goals (and commiserate with us in our failures) is the greatest perk of marriage. The entire day was so magical!! From beginning to end it was beautiful and unfortunately it flew by so quickly. Some memorable moments include our first look—I was a little nervous leading up to it but the moment I saw him for the first time that day I felt so calm and at peace.

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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.

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Overall Our wedding was truly special because of all the love from our families that went into planning it. We had friends fly in from all over

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the country to attend, and family fly in from all over the world, and that is really what made the day so special—having all the people we love in the same place for what will be the only time in our lives. My only gripe is that the day went by too quickly—I wish it could have lasted longer.

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

A Generous Baby Shower Modest Life

I’ve always had two thoughts and emotions about baby showers. I’ve felt somewhat uneasy about them, what with the fanfare, extravagance that seems to be the trend these days and potentially lots of unwanted gifts, but I’ve also loved the concept of gathering a budding mother’s closest female friends and family to initiate her into motherhood- or if it’s not for a first baby, having them around to share wisdoms, celebrate the start of new life and simply to shower her with love. Our dear friend Sana was expecting her first baby (she’s since given birth) and asked me to aid her in running a flower crown workshop for her baby shower.

The day focussed on giving, generosity and creating beauty- a perfect focus for celebrating a woman on the cusp of motherhood, me- focus to be on collecting gifts. ative activity where you get to go home Although this is a well-intentioned tradi- having learned new skills and something thinks. Read on to be inspired by Sana’s baby shower with a difference…

The Inspiration “Once pregnant, a few of my friends expressed interest in assisting to host a baby shower for me. I don’t mind attending baby showers and participating in the usual activities that go along with them, but I personally felt like doing something different. I wanted the focus of the gathering to be on bonding with my friends in a final farewell to child-free life. I also didn’t want the

tion with much generosity expressed, I felt like channelling this generosity to those more in need than me. I decided to ask for a gift of donations towards maternity charity causes by the CARE charity which would benefit pregnant women, infants and new mothers in regions facing poverty and instability. This was a great success and we managed to raise a significant amount of funds towards this cause.” The Planning “I chose to make the event an afternoon tea, and to centre it on a cre-

to show for it. Keeping within the “baby” theme of growth and new life, I was inspired to hold a flower crown workshop.” Flower Crowns “After following a few online tutorials and guides, I ordered the materials we’d need (floral tape, floral wire etc.) and my friends went to the flower markets on the morning of the event to purchase a selection of flowers which would light up our home and be used for the crowns. The activity was a grand success. Saltanat (my friend who ran the workshop) did an excellent job of engaging the guests and get-

ting their creative juices flowing. Everybody appreciated the opportunity to make a beautiful crown with their friends. We also prepared DIY seed packets as party favours. We created hanging leaf garlands to decorate the space with, as well. I also got an old cork board, painted the base of a tree on it and asked guests to pin on a leaf with their pre-baby well wishes and words of advice for me and my husband.

I don’t believe baby showers need to be an exhaustive and extravagant affair. As in my case, it can be simplified by harnessing the skills and generosity of friends and family.

I had friends prepare sweets for me on the day, run the flower crown workshop and assist in creating the decorations. Unless you use a registry, collecting gifts in an unstructured manner can lead to excess and wastage, which I wanted to avoid.” Sana, thank you so much for sharing your lovely baby shower with us! It truly was a beautiful day and I was honoured to play a small part in it…

August 2017

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Taken: Support for Hostages AMUST

An Islamic Inspired Collaboration to Facilitate the Freedom of People taken Hostage because of their Nationality, Race or Beliefs

Top 10 Countries with the Most Hostages Taken 2015

Jim Azam Nicholls While all Muslims cannot be obliged to apologise for acts of terror committed in the name of Islam, Muslims can be supported in taking steps to address actions impacting the good reputation of Islam. One subset of terror correlating to the Islamic world is hostage-taking. According to the US State Department, hostage-taking accounted for 12,189 recorded acts of terror in 2015 exceeding all other types of terror. The majority of those taken hostage are Muslim. While it is not always helpful to judge the actions of those engaging in hostage-taking; it is required we address the impact their actions have on perceptions of Islam. Our response to hostage-taking has been muted. This is surprising given Muslims are the most charitable of people. A positive action would be to channel our collective effort into supporting hostages and their families. Surprisingly, we have never achieved this, then again, neither has anyone. The response is reflective of the deafening silence that accompanies the media’s self-censorship and a recognition among politicians they are powerless against nonstate entities operating as captors in far flung places where the rule of law has been ceded. Former Deputy to the United Nations Giandomenico Picco summed this situation up when he stated, “the first thing you think as a politician is I can get hurt if I don’t play it right – so the best approach is to do as little as possible, to say almost nothing, and to leave no trace of anything”. The Report of the Australian Senate Select Committee on Responses to Kidnapping acknowledged “the Government must accept its limitations and assist others more suited to the task”. Typically, any vacuum resulting from political inertia is filled by inter-governmental or not-for-profit organ-

Source: RAND Database isations; not so hostage-taking. The abdication of Government and respectable entities has created perfect conditions to sustain a thriving underground of insurance speculators and spooks with names such as Control Risks - who will send a shadowy gallery of ex-special force operatives to buy the freedom of wealthy corporate clients. The fundamentals of the market apply to this business, the greater the rewards the more people get in on the game. The losers in this scam are the doctors, nurses and teachers taken captive while providing aid to Muslims and whose only value is a perception their capture will generate publicity. Except there is no publicity which means hostages are eventually released damaged or dead. It is better for everyone, if the cloak and dagger deals characteristic of mercenaries are conducted within an ethical not-forprofit framework. This is where the TAKEN project kicks in, a Muslim led initiative to assist people held hostage because of their nationality, race or beliefs as leverage for political, ideological and/or material advancement for the purposes of funding the

hostage-takers objectives. The impetus for action can be found in the Holy Qur’an. The Qur’an requires those taken hostage be released by grace or ransom . The Qur’an does not condone the ill-treatment or killing of hostages; rather it requires Muslims deal kindly and equitably with people who have not taken up arms against Muslims or expelled Muslims from their homes. The corollary of the requirement to treat hostages with respect is a duty on those Muslims who are able, to act on the hostage’s behalf to ensure their wellbeing and negotiate their release. The Qur’an is clear, “Allah loves the doers of good … whoever saves the life of one, it shall be as if he saved the life of mankind”. This is the direction TAKEN follows; seeking justice and fairness for all who have not fought or oppressed Muslims. We have a duty to secure the hostages well-being and release. TAKEN is an advocacy and rights-based response to the hostage crisis inspired within the Islamic tradition. Its key objective is to campaign for the safety and wellbeing of hostages and their families. TAKEN presents an opportunity

for Muslims to make a real difference and fulfil their obligations towards Allah and their fellow human beings. TAKEN embodies Muslim values, its actions an illustration to humanity of the requirement on all Muslims to do good. TAKEN is looking for people wanting to make a significant difference, who can contribute knowledge, skills and resources to setting-up and running the organisation and building something meaningful. The full version of this paper is available from the author jim-nicholls@hotmail.com Jim Azam Nicholls, BA, MA, BSocWk, a Professional Social Worker and Policy Advisor was brought up in the United Kingdom and now living in Brisbane, Australia. As a Senior British Political Advisor, Jim played a pivotal role in a variety of policy areas including, food, agriculture, transport and European affairs. In 2014 Jim converted to Islam and is motivated in reconciling individuals, groups and nations and dedicated to the pursuit of mercy, justice and compassion.

Role of NGO’s in Afghanistan’s transformation Kyle Byrnes Afghanistan entered its planned decade of transformation in 2015 following a UN-led decade of transition from prior governmental rule. The aims of this transformation period are to make advances in development be Afghan-led and owned, where it is desired Afghans will be responsible for creating sustainable change from the outcomes of the UN-led transition. This transformation inevitably faces momentous issues, and as past experience has shown a complete, instantaneous withdrawal of international aid will create further instability. Afghanistan has shown progress in some areas, including minor gains in infrastructure, basic education, and health services. The major stumbling blocks to a successful, sustainable move from UN-led to Afghan-led development are a lack of grassroots development programs, widespread public sector corruption, and a resultant lack of foreign investment to develop Afghanistan’s natural resources and drive employment growth. Widespread public corruption, in practice and outside perception, is a major issue in turning away foreign investors, and misus-

ing aid flows. In Transparency International’s 2015 corruption perception index, an index constructed from surveys and expert assessments of a nation’s perceived levels of corruption, Afghanistan was ranked at 169 – ahead of only seven other countries. A negative outcome of corruption is that foreign aid inflows to a nation’s government for distribution is that, due to a largely unregulated system, the results created may pale in comparison to the monetary figure invested. The question then becomes; how can

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international aid be utilised to efficiently create sustainable development in Afghanistan? While the current Afghan government has taken steps towards transparency, the goal of reconstructing Afghanistan relies heavily on the willingness of the international community to implement development programs. Non-Governmental Organisations are able to target specific developmental areas in particular communities, and personally ensure that their finances are efficiently placed towards improving their communities.

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Such is the goal of Mahboba’s Promise. By keeping clear development goals, to service the women and children of Afghanistan through improving access to education, livelihood training, and improving health services, and minimising all costs external to program implementation, Mahboba’s Promise is able to effectively and reliably assist local Afghan communities in their development. The governance of Mahboba’s Promise, completely open about where our funds go with the option for donors to dictate on which program their pledge is spent, is a model which needs to be adhered to in the implementation of foreign aid in Afghanistan. While the public sector of Afghanistan attempts to address its problems with corruption, NGO’s have the ability to bridge the gap of development programs by adopting the Mahboba’s Promise model of international aid – complete transparency in all operations. Through international aid operations akin to Mahboba’s Promise, not only will communities in Afghanistan see real and sustainable development, but the standards and expectations of aid ventures in Afghanistan are heightened – with pressure to meet these standards falling on relevant public sector offices. To find out more about Mahboba’s Promise, visit our website at www.mahbobaspromise.org or call on 02 98871665.

August 2017

UMMAH Nawaz Sharif disqualified Turkish court frees opposition journalists to be PM of Pakistan LIFESTYLE 20 - 23

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A Turkish court has ordered that seven of 17 staff members from the opposition newspaper Cumhuriyet be freed from jail while their trial continues. The seven must report to authorities until the next hearing on 11 September. The journalists and managers are being held on charges of aiding a terrorist organisation. A number of others remain in custody. Arrest warrants are out for two more who have

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fled the country. Supporters say the charges are political. The seven people who have been released are Musa Kart, Bulent Utku, Turan Gunay, Onder Çelik, Kemal Gungor, Hakan Karasinir and Guray Oz. They have been released under judicial supervision. If found guilty, the defendants could face sentences of up to 43 years in jail.

The Supreme Court in Pakistan disqualified PM Nawaz Sharif from holding the office of Prime Minister on Friday 28 July 2017. Following the ruling Nawaz Sharif has vacated the office and announced that his younger brother, Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif, will be his successor. Last year, leaked documents known as the Panama Papers that focused on a shadowy law firm that provided financial services to some of the world’s ultra-wealthy revealed that three of Sharif’s children owned offshore assets the PM had not disclosed. These included apartments in London’s upmarket Mayfair area. Moreover the PM had not reported income he received from a family firm in the United Arab Emirates adding to the allega-

tion of corruption suggested by the Panama revelations. Meanwhile a meeting of opposition parties on Monday 31 July ended without the parties’ consensus on a single candidate for the prime minister’s post. The PML-N’s nominee, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, who is currently facing a Rs220 billion corruption inquiry being carried out by the National Accountability Bureau, submitted his nomination papers to NA Secretary Jawad Rafiq Malik on Monday. Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) put forward Awami Muslim League (AML) leader Sheikh Rashid’s name while Pakistan Peoples Party backed Khursheed Shah and Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) suggested the name of Sahibzada Tariqullah.

Muslims of all ages Media pray at Al-Aqsa Thousands of Palestinians have re-entered al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem, after Israeli authorities lifted an age restriction it had placed earlier last month. The Islamic Waqf religious authority that administers the compound announced that all gates would be opened to Palestinians of all ages. Earlier in the day, Israeli police prevented access to the holy shrine for men under the age of 50, and closed some of the compound’s gates. The announcement came just a few hours before Friday prayers began. Thousands of men prayed in the streets and just outside the compound’s gates. According to religious officials, 10,000 worshippers made their way inside al-Aqsa Mosque compound for noon prayers. Small protests against these restrictions broke out after prayers in different towns and cities in the occupied West Bank. Police fired water cannon and tear gas at protesters in Bethlehem, and there was a high police presence near al-Aqsa Mosque compound. In Bethlehem, approximately 200 Palestinians held prayers in front of the Separation Wall. Israelis fired live rounds, rubber bullets and tear gas at the crowd, the Red Crescent said. In an act of civil disobedience, Palestin-

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ians have held prayers day and night outside al-Aqsa Mosque compound for the past two weeks in protest at Israel’s increased surveillance measures and obstacles to free movement at the entrances and gates. On Thursday 27 July, Palestinians made their way inside the compound for the first time in 13 days after the Israeli government removed newly installed security cameras and metal detectors. In more than 12 days of protests, Israeli forces wounded more than 1,000 Palestinians during clashes, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent. Palestinians view al-Aqsa Mosque compound as more than just a religious site, Ahmad Buderi, a Jerusalem affairs commentator, said. “It is a place where we meet, a place where we bury our dead people, a place where we get married,” he told Al Jazeera. “It is our social place. It is where we play football in the afternoons.” Palestinians knew that they would bear the responsibility of protecting the mosque, Buderi said, adding that the Arab and Islamic world can do nothing. “The Palestinians joined together, and forgot about their political and social differences, and that’s how we won,” he said.

Ainullah

Indian military veterans have condemned the targeting of Muslims and low-caste Dalits over suspicions of beef consumption and cattle slaughter in an open letter

Geelani accuses NIA of witch hunt, threatens legal action The Kashmiri leader, Hurriyat chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani has accused the Indian National Intelligence Agency of harrassment and intimidation by raiding houses and businesses of his family members, lawyers and colleagues. Denying reports of having unauthorised, illegal or disproportionate property, the Hurriyat Chairman said his daughters are married and his two sons Dr Naeem Gilani and Naseem Gilani have no illegal assets. A Hurriet statement denied “reports of NIA about properties allegedly amassed”

August 2017

Indian veterans decry targeting of minorities

by Syed Ali Shah Geelani and other leadership and said it was considering the details and will come up with the actual figures to make people and the world community aware about the “misinformation campaign and malicious propaganda of Indian authorities”. The statement also said that Syed Ali Shah Geelani had called an emergency press conference at his Hyderpora residence to refute the allegations, but the police and the state administration prevented media from entering his residence.

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to Narendra Modi, India’s prime minister. The letter sent to Modi and state chief ministers over the weekend and released on Monday 31 July spoke of a climate of fear and intimidation perpetuated by Hindu cow-protection vigilante groups in the country. “What is happening in our country today strikes at all that the armed forces, and indeed what our constitution, stands for,” the letter signed by 114 veterans and sent by email said. “We are witness to unprecedented attacks on society at large by the relentless vigilantism of self-appointed protectors of Hinduism.” The Not In My Name campaign was launched across India in June to protest against the wave of attacks on Muslims by mobs. According to data analytic website India Spend, 97 percent of attacks related to cow vigilantism since 2010 were reported after the BJP came to power in 2014.

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Why many young American Muslims plan to leave US Abdul Malik Mujahid I met an American six-grader who wanted to leave the United States. I was speaking about fighting Islamophobia in Columbus, Ohio mosque earlier this year, when a father pulled me aside, asking me to speak to his son in private. The boy told me he wanted to leave the U.S., but that he still hopes to come back after four years. No doubt he was anticipating that President Donald Trump wouldn’t be serving a second term. When his father asked him not share his plans in the school, the child told him that all of the kids at school already knew that Muslims and Latinos would have to leave the country. This is a child, an American, born and raised in this country. He has never lived anywhere else in the world. And he isn’t alone. According to a survey by the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding, 20 percent of all Muslims under the age of 30 plan to leave the United States. Forty-two percent of Muslims surveyed report bullying of their school-aged children. That’s four times the likelihood for the general public.

But all of that comes from just a handful of bigoted people, and we can more or less ignore it. When a mosque is burned down or a Muslim attacked, we can count on the FBI and on law enforcement to come to our aid against the extremists and bigots. However, now, with the Supreme Court decision instituting Muslim Ban 3.0 at the end of June, America has crossed a major line. Islamophobia is no longer just coming from bigots. It is now the law of the land. The first step to legalizing Islamophobia in America has been taken. Of course, there have been other laws targeting Muslims in the past, such as the approval for secret evidence under former President Bill Clinton. How can one defend himself or herself in a court when the evidence against him or her is secret? This is absolutely un-American. Another example is the law of indefinite detentions, signed by former President Barack Obama. These laws are aimed at Muslims, but were a stealth operation. None of their authors specifically named Muslims before, during, or after their passing and implementation. These un-American laws are still the laws of the land, although former President George W. Bush spoke against secret evidence during his first election campaign in 2000, and Presi-

dent Obama promised never to implement it in his administration. But the Muslim Bans 1, 2, and 3.0 are different. From the start, the intent of these laws was declared by the authors, their promoters, and by President Trump himself, to ban Muslims. President Trump has been explicit about this legislation’s goal both during and after his presidential campaign. Now, for the first time since the Supreme Court’s decision to single out Japanese-Americans for internment during WWII, this order allows discrimination on the basis of national origin and religion. The Islamophobia that was once the preserve of bigots and white supremacists is

now written into the very law of the land. The Supreme Court has given license to official Islamophobia in America. This signals a dangerous and backward trend for our nation. It reverses established legal and cultural norms, violates ideals of respect for basic human dignity, and threatens the human and civil rights of every American. All Americans should ponder seriously the course our country is taking. This is not just for Muslim Americans in particular, but for all Americans, whose rights and dignity are at stake by this decision. Imam Abdul Malik Mujahid is president of Sound Vision and chair of Burma Task Force USA. Tweet @MalikMujahid.

Climate of fear for Muslims in India Zahid Jamil

A few days before Eid-ulFitr in June 2017, a mob of 20 Hindu men fatally stabbed Junaid Khan, a Muslim teenager, and seriously injured his three companions on a train near in the North Indian state of Haryana. More than 200 onlookers in the train compartment and on the railway platform watched the incident without coming forward to challenge the killers, with a few even encouraging the assaulters. They accused the teenage Muslim boys of eating beef, an act considered sacrilegious by sections of the nation’s Hindu majority. This attack was part of an increasing trend that began with the death of Mohammad Akhlaq in Oct 2015. He was killed on suspicion of keeping beef in his home, located in a village not far from the capital. These are not isolated incidents. The escalating trend of cow slaughter-related vigilantism since the election of Hindu Nationalist party BJP in 2014 has been described as “unprecedented” by Human Rights Watch. Members of the Hindu extremist group, the Rashtriya Swayam Sevak (RSS) have been emboldened by the fact that Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister is also one of its members. They have targeted Muslims and Dalits (Low Caste Hindus), marginalizing and even killing them, with the accusation of cow slaughter frequently featuring as a reason. Dalits are targeted as they are responsible for disposing cattle carcasses and skins on account of working in the leather industry.

Despite the lip-service given to the protection of cows, the treatment meted out to cows are almost as bad as that offered to marginalized communities. They are left by their owners once they cease milking and become useless. Cows moving around or sitting right in the middle of roads is a common sight in Indian urban areas. They are a major traffic hazard, at times causing accidents and injuries to the passengers in vehicles. These millions of cows are forced to eat food leftovers along with the plastic bags, eventually dying of related sicknesses. Even milk which is forced out of these ageing cows is found to be highly contaminated. Yet, this very same animal is being used as a sacred symbol to ignite the passions of the illiterate masses by political opportunists. Since Modi came to power, India’s minorities including Muslims, Christians and Dal-

its have been facing harassment and threats at unprecedented levels. Hindu Extremist groups, mainly represented by upper caste Hindus, have been renewing old controversies to question the patriotism of Muslims, in particular. They accused Muslim youth of marrying Hindu girls in the name of ‘love jihad’, blaming Muslims for insulting the nation by not singing the national song ‘Vande Mataram’ or accusing them of supporting Pakistan, to name a few. Even liberal Muslims such as film stars and sports personalities have not been spared. In March 2017, Modi and his Party chief Amit Shah elected a highly controversial Hindu leader Yogi Aditayanath as the Chief Minister of India’s most populous state of Uttar Pradesh, following a resounding victory of their party in State Assembly elections. His very first target was the meat industry

People protesting the recent attacks against Muslims in New Delhi, India.

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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: samaa. org.au), a benevolent institution offering wide range of services to the community elders.

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which had employed millions of Muslims across the state. The old-fashioned abattoirs and small meat hawkers and shops were forced to close down, as these were mostly without documents and declared illegal. On the political front, the opposition parties are in a disarray with no dominant leader and with low chances of challenging the BJP in coming years. The opposition parties along with human right groups do organise street and social media protests against the horrible incidents. However, they seem to lose steam soon and have little impact on Hindu vigilantes. Speaking to friends and relatives in many parts of India, Muslims are demoralised. They are concerned about their safety as any minor incident can become violent. Many fear large scale violence may erupt in some sensitive areas. While communal tensions have gripped parts of India numerous times since independence, never before have Muslims felt so helpless. Indian Muslims at large have become one the worst performing socioeconomic groups in the nation. They have been subdued in the tide of rising Hindu extremism and have exercised patience to the humiliation and threats, they faced on daily basis over the past couple of years. A nation which aspires to become a technical, industrial and financial power, is now showing signs of witnessing religious riots in many parts due to Hindu extremism, causing it to lose its international image.

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The 99 Divine attributes of Allah Part 36 - Attribute 98

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 98. Ar-Rashid - The Only Guide to the Path Indeed, the criminals will be in the punishment of Hell, abiding eternally. It will not be allowed to subside for them, and they, therein, are in despair. And We did not wrong them, but it was they who were the wrongdoers.1 And they will call, “O Malik, let your Lord put an end to us!” He will say, “Indeed, you will remain.” We had certainly brought you the truth, but most of you, to the truth, were averse.2 Or have they devised [some] affair? But indeed, We are devising [a plan]. Or do they think that We hear not their secrets and their private conversations? Yes, [We do], and Our messengers are with them recording.3 Say, [O Muhammad], “If the Most Merciful had a son, then I would be the first of [his] worshippers.”4 Exalted is the Lord of the heavens and the earth, Lord of the Throne, above what they describe. So leave them to converse vainly and amuse themselves until they meet their Day which they are promised. And it is Allah who is [the only] deity in the heaven, and on the earth [the only] deity. And He is the Wise, the Knowing.5 And blessed is He to whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth and whatever is between them and with whom is knowledge of the Hour and to whom you will be returned.6 And those they invoke besides Him do not possess [power of] intercession;7 but only those who testify to the truth [can benefit], and they know.8 And if you asked them who created them, they would surely say, “Allah.” So how are they deluded?9 And [ Allah acknowledges] his saying, “O my Lord, indeed these are a people who do not believe.”10 So turn aside from them and say, “Peace.” But they are going to know.11 (Az- Zukhruf,43:74-89) God (Allah) endows His created beings with Divine wisdom showing the Path of True faith enabling them the message through

Himself. Almighty God (Allah) is the One who guides and directs His servants (True believers) towards things of benefit to them away from them which would bring them honour. He is the One who inspires their hearts with God (Allah) — consciousness and makes them pertinent and subservient to His commands. Ar-Rashid carries the essence of AlHakim (The most Wise). Almighty God (Allah) is Ar-Rasheed in all His actions, sayings and directions. All His legislation is correct, stable and wise. 1. The Arabic word ‘Malik’ is used here for the Custodian of Hell. 2. We had disclosed the reality very explicitly to you but you were more interested and absorbed in stories and parables. The truth was much abhorrent to you. Why do you get upset now after seeing the outcome of your foolish performance and engagement? This phase may either be informed to you through the Hell Custodian or this may be the final outcome by Allah. 3. It refers to the discussions and issues raised by the Quraish Chiefs in their secret meetings while debating drastic decisions against the Prophet. 4. Convey to them, Oh Prophet! “My refusal is one considering one the progeny of God; not denial of worshipping the one whom you consider as God’s progeny is carried on by me just as my stubbornness and abstinence. Never! I categorically refuse it because of the fact that Allah has no son nor daughter. Actually all your beliefs come against the clear reality, otherwise I am such an obedient servant of God (Allah) that if really such would have been possible, I would have bowed down to Him even before you”. 5. God of human and earth are not different and separate ones; rather there is one and only one God (Allah) for the whole universe. The administration and actual wisdom and the content of the whole universal system is carried out only by Him and He fully knows the total reality of all the truth and realities. 6. His Beingness is far above High, Elevated and Exalted than anyone else because His partner and shareholder in the control and working of this universe, all the ones who assist in the heavens or the earth are definitely His servants and subordinates to Him. 7. Being given the permission of choice of any idea or action by God (Allah), you

may foolishly adapt any other being as your guardian or deity but after leaving this world you are going to be dealt with only by the One and Supreme God (Allah) who is going to decide about your future life. 8. This verse has been interpreted in the following three ways: i. One of those who has been aspired as deity by some who have knowledge as well as those who have proved as the ones capable of giving recommendation. ii. The persons having the permission of recommendation to God (Allah) are those who have the testimonials to have evidence of recommendation previously. iii. Those who claim that the ones who have been considered as deities have the power of recommendation and have already the approval of God to get their recommendation approved are wrong as he cannot prove any evidence for his claim on the basis of firm knowledge. Thus the following two basic principles can be deduced from this verse: Firstly, the evidence of truth is never trustworthy without knowledge of pious people though such a person may be considered capable only by other people. For example, in this world anyone offering the evidence for being Muslim by words as a believer Muslim but such a person will not be considered as believers according to Allah unless he/she has uttered La Illaha Illalallah (There is no Deity except Allah) with his/her final intellect and

knowledge. Secondly, according to the law of evidence knowledge is essential to give evidence. It means that if a person, in the previous example, who is giving evidence does not have full knowledge of the person being a believer is not considered reliable. 9. This verse explicitly means : If the polytheist had asked who has given birth to them, they shall definitely say God ‘Allah’. Then if you asked them who has created your deities, they will again say God ‘Allah’. Thus they befool themselves. 10. The Arabic letter ‘wa’ should not be taken in a conjunctive sense as it is connected with the pronouns. If taken in this verse it is best considered referring to the prophet. Then the meaning of the verse is, ‘Oh Rabb (Lord/ Nourisher)! these are people who never believe’. How strange is it that on one side they admit that only God (Allah) is the Creator of deities and on the other hand they insist on worshipping an assisted being for God (Allah). 11. Hence, therefore you should neither curse them for their taunting style nor respond to them harshly on their foolish arguments. Just ignore and depart from them. Allah (God) would decide about their future Himself alone.. Continued in AMUST issue #142 September.

Impact of cultural festivals on society Mohammad Hassan Bakhtiari Cultural festivals often serve to fulfil specific intention, especially in regard to commemoration or thanksgiving. Some cultural festivals offer a sense of belonging for spiritual, religious, social, or geographical groups, contributing to group solidarity. In contrast with the past, active participation of diverse people in festivals as social events have positive cultural, social, economic, and environmental impact on the community. In accordance with the research of (Page & Connell, 2012; Ziakas, 2013), community participation is increasing in cultural festivals in our diverse societies. Cultural festivals are the symbol of synergy, cooperation and team work. Planning and conducting cultural festivals involving members of the community, yields a number of personal and social benefits to individuals

August 2017

and communities. According to cross-sectional study in Japan, participation in social events provides positive psychological states including better self-regard, a sense of belonging, and a purpose in life for those who participate. Positive psychological states have a strong impact on mental health, and have a protective effect against a deterioration in psycho and physical function. Different studies have shown the socio-cultural consequences of events, as cultural festivals are relevant to boosting cultural pride, social engagement and communication, awareness of the culture, and new knowledge for the community. Community cultural festivals provide members of a community with opportunities to engage in socialization, entertainment and the establishment of social networks, which can contribute to the enhancement of community sodality and the structure of social capital within a community. Furthermore, Ziakas (2013) mentioned that the participation of people in festivals is crucial for the enhancement of social networks and creation of social capital.

She argued “social capital is a concept that encompasses features of social life (networks, norms and trust) that enable participants to act together more effectively to follow common goals. Additionally, the consequences of it are co-ordination and cooperation for mutual benefits.” Foundation of involvement in social events as organizer, executive, volunteer, invitee and regular visitor brings togetherness in community. Co-operation is the process of groups of organisms working or acting together for common or mutual aim and benefits. In Islamic thought, cooperation is essential for human survival and for human progress. As it is recommended in surah AlMa’idah (verse 2) that human should cooperate in righteousness. Also, the prophet (s) said: “Verily, the believers are like a structure, each one strengthening the other.” (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 467) A structure takes shape when each brick is placed in its precise position in a planned way cemented with one another. Similarly, a society comes into existence when individu-

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als becomes a united in social cohesion. Indeed the Multicultural Eid Festival & Fair, MEFF with a long highly successful track record is an icon of Muslim unity with the opportunity for hosts, guests, and visitors with different faiths and cultures in order to bring about togetherness, cooperation harmony and peace in the Australian Multicultural society. Mohammad Hassan Bakhtiari, based in Tehran has a Masters degree in international relations and is an expert in International Relations and Knowledge Management.

Australasian Muslim Times

EDUCATION Islamic Schooling Conference focuses on Curriculum NEWS 1-4

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BOOMERANG 5-7

COMMUNITY 9 - 15

AUSTRALIA 16 - 19

Mohamad Abdalla & Dylan Chown Educators, policy makers and thought leaders gathered on 11 and 12 July for the second Annual Australian Islamic Schooling Conference held at picturesque Yurebilla, known also as MT Lofty in Adelaide Hills. The theme explored at the conference was that of curriculum in Islamic schooling. These now whole-offield gatherings hosted by the Centre for Islamic Thought and Education (CITE) aim to assist in the transition from the establishment phase in the field of Islamic schooling to an exciting phase of renewal, bolstering the momentum needed to forge best practice across the sector. So far, the response to our call for renewal has witnessed the gathering of minds from Australia, the USA, Canada, the Sultanate of Oman, Indonesia, Singapore, Canada and from around Australia. The two-day learning and networking fest was a stunning success with many delegates expressing how insightful and motivating the plenary session presentations and panel discussions were. A defining moment on this path toward renewal was of course the first annual Islamic schooling conference in 2016, where more than 220 stakeholders gathered in Melbourne. From this watershed event, a 10-year roadmap was proposed to shape and operationalise the process of renewal. Top of the agenda list was to explore the theme of curriculum renewal in Islamic schooling which was realised across these inspiring two days. Representatives from Islamic schools all around the country were in attendance including from Western Australia: Australian Islamic College; From South Australia: Garden College; From Queensland: Islamic College of Brisbane, Australian International Islamic College - Durack and the Gold Coast; From New South Wales: Al Noori College, Arkana College, Unity Grammar, Irfan College, Australian International Academy, Australian Islamic College of Sydney; From Victoria: Al Siraat College, Ilim College, Minaret College, East Preston Islamic College; From Australian Capital Territory: Islamic School of Canberra. Keynote speaker on day one, Dr Nadeem Memon (Director of Education at Abu Dhabi University Knowledge Group), beautifully encapsulated the intent and mantra of curriculum efforts as well as renewal broadly with his challenge to delegates, “Acknowledge the past…Critique the present…Be part of the future”. Dr Seema Imam (Co-Chair of the National College of Education, at National Louis University), keynote speaker on day two emphasised the need for ongoing collaboration on curriculum. She shared that, “No one

From left: Mr Muhammad Abdullah; Dr Nadeem Memon; Mr Dylan Chown; Prof Seema Imam; Prof Mohamad Abdalla, Dr Ibrahima Diallo; Dr Muhammad Zuhdi; Lester-Irabinna Rigney; Ms Aynur Simsirel. person can write curriculum”. Ms Aynur Simsirel (Principal Advisor, Independent Schools of Victoria), offered a passionate plea that “Educational leaders need to discover their heroes in the classroom (teachers)…[as] they are transforming classrooms and holding the sector on their shoulders…they are in every Islamic school”. Dr Nadeem Memon presentation titled Re/Mapping Islamic School Curriculum questioned the spiral curriculum model and put forth a case for consideration of a mastery model. Professor Seema Imam in her key note address helped connect theory and practice and would share lessons and insights from the integration efforts in the North American Context. Dr Deborah Price, (Senior Lecturer at UniSA) presented an informative session on Australian Curriculum: Overview and Future Directions. Mr Dylan Chown (Director Islamic Education, CITE, UniSA), presented on Islamic World View and the National Curriculum: Can they be reconciled? Ms Aynur Simsirel explored as to what is happening in the field under the topic of Curriculum in Australian Islamic Schools: Trends and Future Prospects. Dr Peter Jones presented on Teaching Islam as part of the curriculum in an Islamic School in Australia. His findings were note-

Professor Seema Imam.

Dr Nadeem Memon and Professor Mohamad Abdalla.

Australasian Muslim Times

worthy and offered a great deal to the conference dialogue. Dr Tasneema Ghazi (IQRA’ International Educational Foundation presented Islamic Education Curriculum: the USA experience while Dr Muhammad Zuhdi, (Vice Dean for Academic Affairs at the Faculty of Education, State Islamic University (UIN) Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta) presented on the Tahfizh Curriculum: A Sociological Approach. Dr Anke Iman Bouzenita and Dr Mohsin al-Salimi (Sultan Qaboos University), presented on, The Islamic Education Curriculum in the Sultanate of Oman - Integrating diversity. Renowned and respected Aboriginal Educator Professor Lester-Irabinna Rigney (UniSA), presented on Culturally Responsive Pedagogies. He posed the critical question of, what is a culturally responsive teacher? Ms Nadia Selim (PhD Candidate, CITE, UniSA), and Associate Professor Angela Scarino, presented on a very well received topic, What would an Islamic school Arabic curriculum look like? Dr Ibrahima Diallo (UniSA), presented on Islamic community schools (Madrassahs) in Australia: a case of a contextually responsive curriculum. Prof Mohamad Abdalla (Director of CITE, UniSA) presented on National Islamic studies curriculum: Process, expectations, quality control. His presentation extended the push for the National Islamic Studies

Professor Lester-Irabinna Rigney.

project. The delegates at the second Annual Australian Islamic Schooling Conference heard from experts both inside of and as well as colleagues across sectors and in partnership with Islamic schooling, and were reminded of the breadth and the agility of the Australian Curriculum. Key take-away points included, collaboration is essential, ‘we cannot go it alone with curriculum’; a recognition that our focus must move to enactment of curriculum; that we acknowledge loudly and proudly that culture and religion are not deficits; equally that we acknowledge that research is essential for renewal. Some important questions that emerged from the conference included: What would be overarching aims and objectives for Islamic schooling in Australia? Can we articulate terms of reference to an Islamic worldview? How can we move forward in Arabic studies and Islamic studies? What mechanisms and processes do we have in place for collaboration (processes)? How do we take this back to our individual schools? A major outcome of the conference was the formation of a steering committee to undertake much vaunted national consultation process that tackles the design, development and roll out of a National Islamic Studies Curriculum. Additional outcomes include the call for a collaborative process to post overarching aims and objectives for Islamic schooling in Australia. Read full version of the article on AMUST website. Professor Mohamad Abdalla is the Director of the Centre for Islamic Thought and Education (CITE) and one of Australia’s most prominent and respected Muslim leaders, combining the roles of an academic scholar, public intellectual, community leader and commentator. Dylan Chown is a Research Fellow and the Program Director for Islamic Education in the Centre for Islamic Thought and Education (CITE) in the School of Education, University of South Australia.

Mohammed A Helal ,Board Chair, Arkana College.

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August 2017

LIFESTYLE 20 - 23

UMMAH 24 - 26

EDUCATION 27 - 29

EDUCATION

SOCIAL 30 - 31

What about Arabic? Nadia Selim

The Quran, entirely in God’s voice (kalamullah), stipulates that, “We have sent it down as an Arabic Quran so that you [people] may understand” (12:2) and therefore the sacrosanct nature of Arabic in Muslim hearts has held strong for centuries. Guided by Allah’s commandments to the Prophet Muhammad (s) to “read”, Muslims of the early Islamic civilisation were extremely dispositioned to seek knowledge even if it were in China and to spare no effort in advancing the cause of Arabic literacy. The efforts of Muslims to transform these teachings into a way of life fashioned a significant body of written knowledge and solidified Arabic’s position as a lingua franca of the Muslim civilisation for hundreds of years. It also led the rise of the translation movement that lasted for three hundred years, which rendered the ancient knowledge of the Greeks, Indians and Persians into Arabic. In these efforts, Muslim leaders were devoted to equipping Muslims with Arabic, especially the recently converted, in what is considered one of the earliest grassroots literacy campaign. At the root of this success was an inherently flexible and progressive educational

framework, supported by the government and bureaucrats alike. For example, Ghislaine Lydon notes the renowned scholar Ibn Khaldun (14th century) identified that in Muslim Spain, West Africa, and Morocco students acquired Arabic literacy through the mastering of whole words, whereas in Cairo and other parts of the Middle East this was done by learning individual letters of the alphabet. To some extent, the rise of the Ottoman Empire cost Arabic its position as a Muslim lingua franca. Its position has been further weakened by various factors, that include, the rise of English as a lingua franca; the translation of religious texts; nationalism

and globalism. Therefore, the success of Arabic literacy has become less evident in recent times among both Arab and non-Arab Muslims. However, most concerning is an emergent disinterest in, and ambivalence to, Arabic and its role in Islamic education. Today non-Arab Muslims are less inclined to learn Arabic than in the past. Primarily, there seems to be a misconception among many Muslims that learning of Arabic is the responsibility of the religious elite. This is particularly common among women and could not be any further from the truth. However, there also seems to be mis-

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placement of values. While the difficulties of learning a language could be a deterrent, the reality is that many Muslims learn English and go to great lengths to do so, due to a perceived value in engaging in this activity. Iranian research found that high school girls believed that learning English would grant them social mobility that Arabic would not. Similarly, Nigerian research found that Nigerian parents placed more value on learning English or French than Arabic and that society looked down on Arabic teaching professionals. We know this to be true in other societies, in fact, to echo the sentiments of Sheikh Hamza Yusuf, many Muslims speak English better than the Queen, but what about the King’s Arabic? However, most concerning is that this disinterest in Arabic is being normalised. In fact, many societies and Islamic educational institutions pay little attention to the “key to the Quran” and are more concerned with promulgating rudimentary literacy, or recitation without comprehension, than with genuine language learning. Therefore, the absence of curricula, resources, trained teachers, research and quality control in Islamic educational settings have become common place. The normalisation of this disinterest in Arabic has its core an ambivalence to the role it plays in shaping the worldview of a Muslim. Since, perceptions of the world are greatly influenced by language; loss of Arabic literacy is one of the biggest threats to contemporary Islamic civilisation. Nadia Selim based in Adelaide is a PhD candidate at the Centre for Islamic Thought & Education (CITE), University of South Australia.

Innovative ways for learning and teaching Shafqat Ali In December 2012, one of my employees who came from a migrant family got sick and he sent his younger brother to help out in the office. I was apprehensive to deal with a person who had no experience of IT work but it turned to be a blessing in disguise. After working with him for a few hours, I learnt that he was quite talented but less than average in his class grades. He was moving into year 10 at school. To cut the long story short, I negotiated with his family, school and education board to let him complete his studies while working at our office. He then completed his HSC before his elder brother, finished a diploma in IT Networking and is now studying his Bachelor in Information Technology in WSU. In this journey, he also earned enough to fund his education and save a bit for the family. Now, at the age of 19, he is not only study-

ing but also working as a Tech Lab Manager at Notebook Solutions. This is one of the stories of 260+ work placement students whom I mentored. It is quite obvious that the schooling system the student came from was not able to fully realize his potential. Thus, it behooves us to have a closer look at the modern Australian education system which was invented 150 years ago. While over the years, it improved only marginally there have been massive technological improvements and jumps in the last 40 years, since computers & the Internet came around. It did not take long to become the information era. Some observers would say that the knowledge and innovation Era is the next logical step in this progression. However, we wonder if our education system is ready for it? Unfortunately, our education system is not matching up with the needs due to its slow response. It is a great start to putting laptops, iPads, into the classrooms but these measures are superficial. It will not work until we evolve the whole teaching approach. The emphasis should be on learning and

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not teaching. Previously, everything was about information. The teacher had information and students would need to know that information which was stored in their notebooks and sometimes in their head. A lot of emphasis was put on memorizing information which needed simplification. The whole challenge was to contain that information and then convey and use them. It wasn’t complex like what we have now. We used to do to different things. Most of the things were manual. There was no global village concept previously and even national borders were irrelevant 50 years ago. It was passive learning but active teaching. In the current era, as the world became complex, the quantity and complexity of the information increased exponentially. Information is not ‘on’ but ‘under’ our fingertips with touchscreens becoming a potent gateway to the internet .To read a book, we do not really need to go to the library but rather look it up online due to the digitalization of the library. Thus, in a world where the role of books is seemingly decreasing in importance, we need a learning approach where learners should be on driving seat, letting their passions fuels their journey. It requires a form

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of teaching called ‘Active Learning and Passive Teaching’ where the teacher’s role should be that of a facilitator who: 1. Identifies the student’s passion through a series of fun based learning activities, 2. Fuels the passion of the student by encouraging them and supplying learning resources, 3. Improves and gives them new skills by giving them real life assignments and projects which can be done at school, home or even by communities. This is what we do in our Young Innovators Network, where our pool of passionate teachers mentor children who do not excel in our “over systemized” schools. We run learning activities which complement the gap left by schools. If you have such a child or if you are interested to know about our activities, workshops and programs, visit our site: YoungInnovators.net.au and go to the ‘Join us’ section. Shafqat Ali based in Sydney is the Training Manager at Notebook Solutions, Campbelltown and a mentor with Young Innovators Network.

Australasian Muslim Times

AMUST

#SOCIAL

NEWS 1-4

BOOMERANG 5-7

COMMUNITY 9 - 15

AUSTRALIA 16 - 19

Amar Hadid Channel 10 The Project

Khaled Khalafalla The Comedy Store

Amar hadid is an 18 year old skateboarder, hoping to represent Australian at the Tokyo Olympics. She says “Why wouldn’t you pursue something you love?” She talks about her passion for the sport and how it’s changing where more women are interested in skating.

Upcoming professional comedian, Khaled Khalafalla held a show in Sydney at the Comedy Store in July. Described as divisive, cheeky and Australia’s most charismatic comedian, Khaled is definitely a comedian to look out for. His presence is strengthening very quickly.

Mariam Veiszadeh Mentor Walks

Haweya Ismail Channel 7 Today Tonight

Mariam has joined Mentor Walks as an established Environmental Science Student, Haweya Ismail’s achiever in Australia’s diverse professional communi- skincare business, Mud & Mask was featured on ty. She is a mentor for emerging female leaders look- Channel 7’s Today tonight, describing the benefits of ing for guidance as they launch new ventures. Qasil and the benefits of natural ingredients.

Australasian Muslim Times

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August 2017

LIFESTYLE 20 - 23

UMMAH 24 - 26

EDUCATION 27 - 29

TOP 8

SOCIAL 30 - 31

Muslim Memes

TOP 9 Tweets #qanda

#SOCIAL VIDEO

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To Watch

Mehdi Hasan on Q&A Receiving almost 2 million views, a video excerpt of ABC’s Q&A shows a man positing a question to the panellist, Mehdi Hassan about Muslims taking over Australia, sharia law and Sunni and Shias at “each other’s throats. Mehdi gave a brilliant response. The man asks “In view of the fact that, in Australia, Muslim couples have a much birth right than the rest of it, is it not possible that in a couple of generations, Australia can have a Muslim majority, who vote in Sharia Law? Further, if so, is it not possible that sects could develop, sects – Sunni’s and Shias who begin bombing and shooting each other and turning currently the best country in the world, like another war-torn middle eastern country. This is not Islamophobia, this is Sharia law phobia.” Mehdi’s response “I think there was a lot more than Sharia law in there. First off, I know Malcolm Turnball said over the weekend that Australian law takes precedence over the laws of Mathematics in this country, but I’m no mathematician – no, there’s no way that Muslims are going to form a majority in Australia in the next generation or two. I believe it’s 600,000 in the recent census out of 24 million Australians, so you don’t have to worry about Muslims coming in and taking over Australia.” Mehdi Hassan then asks the man is he was aware of the differences between Sunnis and Shias? The man said “Vaguely, I know that they are at each-other’s throats.” Mehdi quickly responds with “That’s not true, I’m Shia and my best friend is Sunni. Today, a lot of sectarian divisions in the Middle East are geopolitical, pushed by Muslims, a lot of them are pushed by foreign wars and foreign occupations, I’m sorry to say. So you don’t have to worry. I have many friends who are shia, many friends who are Sunni. We’re not all at each other’s throats. Please don’t believe everything you read about us. Come and talk to us. Meet us. Make Sunni and Shia friends, And then you’ll see that you don’t have to worry about Sharia law or Sunnis and Shias.” More applause ensued. He ended with this important point “And let me just say one thing, because we’re talking about this in a way as if a Muslim majority would be the worst thing in the world. I don’t think Australia will have a Muslim majority but having spent the week here, with a lot of Australian Muslims. There are some amazing Australian Muslims: working in the Prime Minister’s office, they’re doing great work in your country, they’re doing great work in every Western country.” https://www.facebook.com/themuslimvibe/videos/891886560966346/

August 2017

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