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www.amust.com.au ISSUE # 159
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FEBRUARY 2019; JAMAADIYUL OULAA 1440
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Diversity of support at ‘Invasion Day’ rallies Mohamed Ainullah ‘Invasion Day’ rallies were held in all major cities of Australia on Saturday 26 January, the date marked for the celebration of Australia Day every year. Tens of thousands of people attended the protest rallies in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane and Perth. The number of people attending the rallies across the country was reported to be the largest yet for the alternative Australia Day protests. Australian National Day is celebrated on 26 January of each year due to the fact that the First Fleet of the British ships arrived at Sydney Cove on 26 January 1788. For an increasing number of Australians, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous this date marks the commencement of a long history of dispossession and trauma for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The rallies this year were attended by a diverse variety of Australians including Aboriginals, Muslims, Jews, Asians as well as those of European background. Protesters have been campaigning for a change of date for the celebration of the Australia National Day away from 26 January. Proposals for alternative dates include 1 January, the anniversary of the foundation of the Commonwealth of Australia, 25 April, the Anzac Day and 12 March when in 1913 Canberra was officially named Australia’s capital territory. continued on page 2
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Aisha Lemu: UK Born Nigerian UMMAH PAGE 20
Escalation in Israeli settler terrorism Abu Anees In the latest episode of the ongoing settler violence against Palestinian villagers, Hamdi Naasan 38, a father of four was shot and killed while more than 30 other Palestinians were wounded by armed Jewish settlers, from illegal Israeli settlements, raiding the village of Al-Mughayir in the West Bank on Saturday 26 January. While the Israeli army obstructed mourners by setting up roadblocks on highways and roads leading to the burial site, the funeral of Hamdi Naasan was attended by thousands of Palestinians. The UN’s Middle East envoy, Nikolay Mladenov termed the killing “shocking and unacceptable” and called on Israel to “put an end to settler violence and bring those responsible to justice.” There has been a marked escalation in terror attacks by armed groups of Israeli settlers against Palestinian civilians as a result of a culture of hate and atmosphere of incitement and violence against Palestinians, that the extremist Israeli government espouses and promotes with its apartheid policies. Earlier in October last year Aisha al-Rawbi, 47 was killed after being hit by a 2kg stone thrown by Israeli settlers in the West Bank. After a delay of three months, Israeli prosecutors have now charged a 16-year-old seminary student with manslaughter. Four other suspects arrested as part of the investigation have been released to house arrest. continued on page 2
Shahid Afridi Foundation launch in Sydney Zia Ahmad
Senator Mehreen Faruqi with Abdul Majid Yousfani, Consul General of Pakistan and Syed Atif Faheem, Country Director, SAF Australia. Proudly Printed in Australia by Spotpress Pty Ltd
The Shahid Afridi Foundation Australia chapter was inaugurated in Sydney on Sunday 13 January 2019 by Senator Mehreen Faruqi and Consul General of Pakistan, Abdul Majid Yousfani. The charitable organisation founded by explosive Pakistani batsman Shahid Afridi nicknamed ‘boom-boom’ is working towards improving the lives of the underprivileged through healthcare and education and by providing clean water in remote areas of Pakistan. The event held at The Connection in Rhodes was organised by Meri Pehchan Pakistan, a community organisation promoting a positive and soft image of Pakistan in Australia. Representatives from Pakistani business community, cricket fans of Shahid Afridi, volunteers and media personnel including members of Shahid Afridi Foundation (SAF), Australia chapter attended the launch ceremony.
Country Director SAF Australia, Mr Syed Atif Faheem, during his welcome address, briefed about projects that SAF is involved with in order to improve quality of life of underprivileged people in Pakistan. He also shared future plans of the organisation. A video message specifically for the Australian launch of SAF was shown that also included the various programs and achievements of SAF since its foundation in 2014. Senator Mehreen Faruqi, of Pakistani origin, representing Greens said that she identified with the aims of SAF working for the underprivileged and for social justice in uplifting the weaker sections of the society. “Health care and education are vital and it does not matter where you live. Living without a roof on your head, without food is very difficult. Poor children walking long distances to get the water deprives them of education,” she said. Senator Faruqi concluded, “I am very proud of Pakistanis who are working hard and supporting the basic human rights of people such as exemplified by SAF.” continued on page 11
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Diversity of support at Escalation in Israeli ‘Invasion Day’ rallies settler terrorism Continued from page 1 However, both major political parties, Labor and Liberal, have so far confirmed to maintain 26 January as the Australia Day for the time being. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has come out strongly against the idea of any move on the date. “I am not just going to not change it, I’m going to ensure it doesn’t get eroded. That’s our historical day and we need to work together, to come together on that day to ensure that we can make it an important day for all Australians,” he said. Some local councils have already tried moving the celebration, which is also the
date new citizens receive their Australian citizenship, from 26 January, out of respect for the wishes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. However, Scott Morrison announced potential measures which would ban councils from holding citizenship ceremonies on any day other than 26 January. “If you want to hold Australia Day ceremonies and be given that privilege, well, Australia Day is the day,” he said. The Opposition has accused the PM of playing politics with Australia’s national day and TV commentators questioned the Prime Minister on whether it was a big enough issue to require top-level decrees.
Hamdi Taleb Nasaan, 38, was shot and killed by Jewish settlers in the West Bank.
Continued from page 1 According to rights activists, Israel has been dragging its feet in cases of anti-Arab attacks by Israeli settlers in comparison to investigations into Palestinian attacks. Last Wednesday 23 January, Palestinians and activists attempted to block a newly opened road in the West Bank called “apartheid road”. The road has two separate lanes divided by an eight-meter-high concrete wall, one for Palestinians who reside in the West Bank, and the other for residents of illegal Jewish settlements in the West Bank. For Palestinians, who cannot access Jerusalem without hard-to-obtain permits from the Israeli military, the road is designed to lead them to an underpass that would eventually lead to the West Bank cities of Ramallah and Bethlehem - without having to drive through Jerusalem. For Israeli settlers, the road has granted them quicker and easier access to and from
the city. Israel has been emboldened since the election of Donald Trump as the US President who blindly supports Israel for all its illegal activities including the building of illegal settlements in the occupied territories. In 2018 the US government reduced its funding for aid and development projects to assist Palestinians by more than $US500 million. From 1 February 2019, no UN agencies or the US Agency for International Development will receive any US government money for projects that benefit Palestinians. The US move against humanitarian and development aid assistance to Palestine is part of the Trump-Kushner “deal of the century” for the Middle East. Both are backers of Israel’s takeover of Palestinian territory. Jared Kushner, US envoy to the Middle East is Trump’s son-in-law and special adviser to the President.
Muslim Lawn KEMPS CREEK CEMETERY
Kemps Creek Cemetery now has a dedicated Muslim Lawn, offering a peaceful rural cemetery to the Muslim community. Located only 25 minutes’ drive from Blacktown and 35 minutes from Auburn. › Single and double burial graves available › 3 year interest free payment plans available
Part of the local community For further information please contact:
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Kemps Creek Cemetery on 02 9826 2273 from 8.30am-4pm 230-260 Western Rd, Kemps Creek NSW 2178 www.kempscreekcemetery.com.au
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Screen time limits for all There has been much debate about how mindful of limiting screen time for their much screen time is safe for kids. children in order to safeguard their healthy Screen time includes watching TV development. programs, films or videos, gamBut it is not only children, we ing, and using a computer, all also need to limit screen time tablet, phone or any othfor ourselves to safeguard our er screen-based device physical and mental health for viewing, chatting or and social well being. messaging. In the good old days, it Zia Ahmad A recent Canadian was only the TV screen, that study that tracked 2,500 people would get addicted Assalamu toddlers concluded that to, watching whatever was Alaikum “letting a toddler spend shown on various channels. lots of time using screens These days, we have all Greetings may delay their developkinds of screen-based devices, of Peace ment of skills such as laneasily accessible and usable that guage and sociability.” can play havoc with our social life, if The researchers, however, did not we don’t discipline ourselves and limit on provide any guidelines, for children and our own screen time. parents, an appropriate level of screen We must give importance to those present time and did not recommend a cut-off for around us and limit our screen time, espechildren’s screen time overall. cially in the bedroom, at the dinner table I understand every parent needs to be and while driving.
Re: ‘Who Created God?’ Responding to Russel and Dawkins
It is really an excellent article. It opens my eyes and proves once again that how small I am and my knowledge is! Thank you very much. Anis A good write up and an eye opener. Good job done. Riaz
Re: Britain’s leading role in West African slavery
An avid reader in my youth my Christian conscience never recovered after I read that a famous British slave trading ship was named “Jesus.” Subsequently finding that many ideologues of the period were arguing that black people were not really human and finding that the famous anti-slavery campaigners of the evangelical community were opposed to the trade not the holding of slaves, I drifted from Anglicanism. Bilal Cleland Thanks for your valuable comment Br. Bilal. My own interest in the subject derives from having five of my own grandchildren who are also Afro-Americans with slave ancestors, who obviously survived their severe historical maltreatment. Dr Daud Batchelor I encourage anyone interested in this topic to visit the International Slavery Museum in Liverpool, UK. www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/ism/ The museum digs deep into the life of a slave and the economics of the slave trade, much of which enabled the powerful nations we have today. Manar Ahmad Dear Dr Batchelor, Are you trying to rewrite history or directly mislead any naïve reader? You have left out the Islamic slave trade into Morocco, The Ottoman Empire, the slave trade across the Sahara and the Red Sea and all the Islamic countries North East of Africa. FEBRUARY 2019 / ISSUE 159
Chris Morris
Dear Chris Morris. The historical account provided stands true and can be tested for anyone who wishes to conduct their own independent research and is by no means misleading. I clearly acknowledged that Muslims were separately involved in slavery and slave-trading, but differ markedly from the barbaric West European Atlantic trade, in that Islam required Muslims treat their slaves humanely as fellow humans, feed and clothe them as they themselves were fed and clothed, and it is not Islamically permissible to raid, kidnap and enslave free men and women who were not judged as criminals or who had not been taken in battle. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) strongly encouraged the manumission of slaves. The map accompanying my article on Britain’s leading role appropriately portrayed only the European West African (Atlantic) slave trade where Muslims chiefs were not significantly involved. Perhaps you are unaware of the major differences between European West African slavery and slavery in Muslim lands. The British view of slave-trading that certain races were not fully human (such as West Africans) was also exemplified by British colonial administrators who called Australia “Terra Nullius,” inferring that Australian Aborigines, who had occupied the land for 65,000 years, were less than human. Dr Daud Batchelor Yes, Br Daud, there is indeed a huge difference between slavery as practiced by Muslims and European slavery. While slavery was repugnant to Islamic world view, due to historical reasons, it was not absolutely abolished at the advent of Islam. It was continued as a solution to find a place for the prisoners of war, men or women in a Muslim society. However freeing of slaves, their compassionate treatment, their marriage with free Muslims was practiced in all Muslim societies and sharia ensured equal, legitimate inheritance of property by children from slave women. Moreover, slavery was not based on racism, where black, white, brown prisoners of war were all treated as slaves. That is the reason that many slaves, specially of Turkish origins rose to high ranks in Muslim caliphate/empires and even as rulers, we know as slave dynasties ruling in India, Iraq and Egypt for centuries. Of course admittedly some Muslims did get involved in black slave trade against Islamic teachings. On the other hand European slavery was based on racism exclusively for black people considering them less human in contrast to the Islamic world view with respect to slavery.. Zia Ahmad
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- Australia Day/Invasion Day - Qexit: Qatar’s resilience - Mehreen Faruqi misrepresented
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Re: The message of Mary: End unjust and exploitative ecoIt would appear your map is lacking these nomic system facts.
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Readers comments I received my first hard copy of the AMUST newspaper today. Just wanted to thank you for all your efforts into this much needed publication. In 2014 I decided never to pick up another newspaper after the nonsense, dumbed down propaganda and misinformation published in newspapers such as The Age, Herald Sun (which should be classified as a comic book btw), The Australian etc. Almost five years later and here I am enjoying a newspaper with my arvo coffee and actually smiling. Dr Mohammad Zahedi
AMUST ISSUE # 159 FRIDAY 1 FEBRUARY 2019 25 JAMAADIYUL OULAA 1440 - Diversity at ‘Invasion Day’ rallies - Escalation in Israeli settler terrorism - SAF launch in Sydney
EDITORIAL
Much needed publication
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This is an excellent piece which focuses attention upon the message of the Magnificat. I have always remembered this piece of Scripture since I was in the Anglican congregation in Hamilton, many decades before I knew of Islam. “He has scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart. He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and has exalted the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty.” I think there must have been Levellers in my family culture as I loved this from the beginning. Bilal Cleland This piece by brother Wilmot is timely. I have known him since for very long time and it is good to know that he is still active somewhere. Mohammed Hassan Khan
Re: Popular biscuits and margarine not halal?
Jazak Allah brother for a useful information, I just wanted to add one more ingredient which is widely used in drinks, ice creams and anything which is flavour based, that is “Natural Flavour” or “Flavour”, it is mostly Alcohol based. So, if any brother or sister see this ingredient then it is suggested to confirm before use. Also, as per law if alcohol is less than certain quantity, I think 0.5% or 0.05% by volume, it is not mentioned in ingredients. Hassan Isn’t Arnott’s Biscuits still safe to eat because if you eat these in large amounts, you won’t be intoxicated? Sara
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- American-Iranian journalist jailed - Aisha Lemu: Remembered - Democratic governance: An analysis
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Disclaimer The views and opinions expressed in articles, and Letters to the Editor, Website Comments are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of The Australasian Muslim Times.
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Editor-in-Chief: Zia Ahmad Graphic Designer: Rubinah Ahmad Chief Adviser: Dr Qazi Ashfaq Ahmad Multimedia Journalist: Mehar Ahmad Multimedia Journalist: Mobinah Ahmad Multimedia Journalist: Theresa Dyckman Sub-Editor: Aisha Mohsin Columnist: Dr Abul Jalaluddin (Finance) Columnist: Dr Ameer Ali (WA) Columnist: Bilal Cleland (Victoria) Columnist: Manarul Islam (ACT) Columnist: Dr Daud Batchelor (QLD) Columnist: Simon Harrison (QLD) Columnist: Zahid Jamil (NSW) Columnist: Shahjahan Khan (QLD) Columnist: Imam Malik Mujahid (USA) 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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Minor in
ISLAMIC STUDIES at the University of South Australia All courses are available fully online
The University of South Australia now offers a minor in Islamic Studies. This minor can be studied within any UniSA degree where the degree structure permits. Students enrolled at other universities may be able to take the minor or any of its courses as cross-institutional study.
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Introduction to Islam
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Dispelling anxiety – the psychology of Ibn Hazm Bilal Cleland Ibn Hazm of Andalusia, who died 2 years before that major event in British history, the conquest of Britain by William of Normandy in 1066, was one of the great thinkers of our Islamic past. His great-grandfather Hazm was a convert to Islam, one of the many Spaniards of that time who were drawn to the teachings of the Quran. Ibn Hazm became a prolific author, writing some 400 works, of which only 40 still exist. He was an enthusiastic literalist, rejecting Islamic interpretations based upon analogy, and frequently engaged in public debates with Jews and Christians who of course enjoyed their rights as People of the Book in Islamic Spain.
In his famous work In Pursuit of Virtue he wrote in paragraph 79 “Put your trust in a pious man, even if the religion that he practices is a different one from your own. Do not put your trust in anyone who scorns sacred things, even if he claims to belong to your own religion. As for the man who defies the commandments of the Almighty, do not ever trust him with anything you care greatly about.” This attitude of acceptance and toleration of ‘the other’ was not outstanding at the time in an Islamic community, but when we consider what happened in Spain after the Catholic “Reconquest” as it was called, it is stunning. The Ottoman Sultan Beyazit had to send ships to Spain to rescue Jews who risked being burnt alive under the Catholic monarchs and hundreds of thousands of Muslims were forced to flee, under the threat of death, to North Africa, leaving their property behind. Ibn Hazm’s depth of understanding of the human condition seems modern to us.
He wrote: “I have tried to find one goal which everyone would agree to be excellent and worthy of being striven after. I have found only one: to be free from anxiety. …Dispelling anxiety is a goal upon which all nations agree – from the time when the Almighty created the world until the day when this world will pass away and be followed by the Day of Judgement.” In answer to the question as to how this dispelling of anxiety might be achieved,
Murdoch Media Power ‘Rolling’ Australian Prime Ministers Dr Daud Batchelor Rupert Murdoch’s involvement in toppling Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull seems self-evident. Murdoch flew into Australia on 10 August. By August 24 Australia had a new PM, Scott Morrison. Murdoch had intimated to fellow magnate Kerry Stokes, that Turnbull should be replaced. Stokes called Turnbull warning him that Murdoch and NewsCorp were intent on removing him. Prior to this, NewsCorp commentators began warning Liberals to “stand against Turnbull’s global warming idiocy” and then promoted minority views in the coalition who saw big ‘C’ Conservative Peter Dutton as the solution - and PM candidate. No wonder the Edelman Barometer finds Australians’ trust in media at just 31%, 12 points below global and US averages. Unlike New Zealand, we don’t have a balanced press, but a Public largely beholden to the views of journalists ‘guided’ by selected editors under the influence of Murdoch and big business backers. Dangerously, Murdoch’s NewsCorp Australia, part of a US-listed global conglomerate, owns two-thirds of the print media in Australian capitals and Foxtel TV which broadcasts Murdoch’s Sky News. With NewsCorp, Australia has the most concentrated media ownership in the West and third most controlled worldwide after China and Egypt. Some believe social media dilutes Murdoch’s power, “however, because the electronic media is so denuded of journalists, Murdoch’s print media disproportionately impacts on the day’s agenda.” Murdoch has been amid much of Australia’s rolling leadership instability, which erodes public trust in Australia’s political process. Kevin Rudd was also ignominiously dropped as PM, and lost the 2013 federal election, for which he blames Murdoch and fake news. Rudd writes in his memoirs, “Murdoch is a political bully … who, for many years, hired bullies as editors.”
Malcolm Turnbull waves farewell as latest ousted Prime Minister in Canberra on August 24, 2018.
Bilal Cleland is a keen reader, a prolific writer and a regular columnist of AMUST based in Melbourne.
Where the hut has the thatched roof Fazlul Huq
ABC’s Media Watch concurred that Murdoch’s campaign was ‘character assassination’: “it’s clear it’s not politics or performance that Murdoch’s paper is attacking. It’s Rudd himself, whom they paint as a psychopath, a narcissist, a cheat ...” Rudd believed Murdoch’s ‘jihad’ against his government was partly because the NBN threatened Foxtel. Few may believe Labor won the 2016 elections but the Murdoch media was able, in this writer’s view, to engineer an additional 2-4% antagonism against the ALP, enough for the losing Coalition to govern. Witness now the NewsCorp anti-Labor media crescendo building in lead-up to the 2019 elections. Rudd describes Murdoch as “the greatest, most malignant cancer on our Australian democracy.” “Murdoch is not just a news organisation. Murdoch operates a political party, acting in pursuit of commercial interests, in addition to the relentless prosecution of his far-right ideological worldview.” A healthy Australian polity depends on citizens receiving unbiased news – so they can decide intelligently about the issues and
“Murdoch is
a political bully … who, for many years, hired bullies as editors.
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FEBRUARY 2019 / ISSUE 159
he concluded: “You should therefore understand that there is only one objective to strive for, it is to dispel anxiety; and only one path leads to this, and that is the service of the most high God. Everything else is misguided and absurd.” This service to God was described in the following terms: “Do not use your energy except for a cause more noble than yourself. Such a cause cannot be found except in Almighty God Himself: to preach the truth, to defend womanhood, to repel humiliation which your Creator has not imposed upon you, to help the oppressed. Anyone who uses his energy for the sake of the vanities of the world is like someone who exchanges gemstones for gravel.” Preaching truth, defending womanhood and helping the oppressed have long been the marks of piety in Islamic consciousness. Although tribalism and worldly ambition eventually brought about the demise of Islamic civilization in Al Andalus, such understanding has never disappeared. Ibn Hazm found that such service to God could result in incarceration, and today it is even more likely to do so in the various dictatorships ruling much of the Muslim world.
merits of alternative actions and who to vote in. Well-being of the greatest number of citizens – not a privileged few – is the key test of a country’s governance. NewsCorp typically promotes policies favourable to Big Business. Conservative governments accept this, maintaining that profitable big businesses benefit all from ‘trickle down’ economics. Unfortunately, due to such governance, Australia faces many dysfunctions: first, abuse of the public’s trust and white-collar corruption in big banks, second, housing considered an investors’ play rather than facilitating family security, third, diminished wage rises, fourth, opposing environmental action on climate change and a viable national energy policy, fifth, attempting to emasculate the ABC, and finally, weakening the trade union movement. This writer supports former PM Rudd’s call for “a Royal Commission into the future of Australian media ownership, with particular reference to News Limited.” Given the frequent national leadership disruptions, the next incoming government should give this matter priority consideration. 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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Where the hut has the thatched roof with rustic look as the walls are made of timber so grown in age, As the four mighty trees with evergreen canopies would decorate the ambiance, When the hens hued in white, brown and black would poke on the grass close to the hut, As the pair of cows dressed in white and black would graze with the two goats and the flock of sheep, When a few deer would come from the bush to bind and bond with the farm animals, At the joy of the two children and their mum and dad. 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 12,000 compositions in Bengali and English and has also been involved in various community projects.
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Distinguished Achievers In 2018, over fifty percent of the Year 12 students achieved ATAR’s of 90 or above. Congratulations to all the students and the teachers for the outstanding results. We are all grateful to Allah SWT for another successful year at Al Noori Muslim School.
Sabrine Mouselmani ATAR: 99.45
Jumana Mohsin ATAR: 98.95
Yvanne Shalauddin ATAR: 98.15
Anas Mujtaba ATAR: 98.10
Khaled Dib ATAR: 97.90
Farah Azzahra ATAR: 97.65
Khaled Ayoubi ATAR: 97.55
Hiba Hallak ATAR: 97.40
Eaman Khair ATAR: 97.35
Hadjer Bensaidi ATAR: 96.95
Zinat Islam ATAR: 96.35
Maslia Mohammad ATAR: 96.35
Solaiman Hossain ATAR: 95.90
Ibrahim Belli ATAR: 95.50
Emaad Pao ATAR: 95.35
Mafrooha Segu Haris
ATAR: 95.35
Amany El-Wazzy ATAR: 94.80
Omar Tamer ATAR: 94.75
Iman Bint Talha ATAR: 94.70
Sabeera Zaman ATAR: 94.45
Uthman Merheb ATAR: 94.30
Fatima Trad ATAR: 93.65
Ansam Al-Taiff ATAR: 93.20
Zachariah El-Etri ATAR: 93.05
Zaima Saleh ATAR: 93.05
Aya Ayoubi ATAR: 92.85
Maha Hamed ATAR: 92.80
Jahid Aglodiya ATAR: 92.65
Hammaad Bhatti ATAR: 92.50
Maysam Najjar ATAR: 92.40
Amany El-Hayek ATAR: 91.60
Mahdi Chaalan ATAR: 91.55
Moussa Ashour ATAR: 91.40
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Zainab Ahsan ATAR: 91.30
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Muhammad Ali ATAR: 91.00
Ayah Salam ATAR: 90.80
Samaita Azmi ATAR: 90.60
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Ibrahim Yolbir ATAR: 90.15
Congratulations to the Class of 2018 ISSUE 159 / FEBRUARY 2019
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Kickstarting Startup Ummah Meetups 2019 Houssam Bizri Startup Ummah launched two events during the month of January 2019 in both Melbourne and Sydney. The events are part of a plan to keep the continuity of the conversation, networking and opportunities alive within the Islamic startup and entrepreneurial meetups by creating the first ever Islamic startup eco-system in Australia. The Melbourne event on Saturday 19 January at BlueStool Cafe was very well attended with positive feedback and the hunger to have more of this type of Melbournian casual cafe styled meetups to share ideas and to learn from one and another. The Sydney meetup on Friday 25 January,
held at Bankstown Library and Knowledge Centre, had a similar outcome with positive feedback and the high attendance which combined both local and international speakers for the evening. Houssam Bizri (Founder, Startup Ummah) explained the importance of such meetups and it’s not just a hype. There are great deep values by coming together as a community to share what and learn from one another on what works and what doesn’t; to network and build opportunities for others. Houssam’s vision is to have Startup Ummah focusing on a number of areas including women-entrepreneurship and teen-entrepreneurship to provide both women and teens with a gateway to be creative and to explore business opportunities. The first series of the meetups concentrated on Islamic Social Entrepreneurship by inviting both international speakers and local members of our community to share their
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Houssam Bizri speaking at the Sydney event. stories of entrepreneurship. Startup Ummah Sydney Meetup Fateh Ali, Co-Founder/CEO, CollabDeen presented online from Singapore to a live audience in Sydney. Fateh shared his entrepreneurship experiences and hustle of balancing between a fulltime corporate job and his own entrepreneur journey for 12 years and sharing how he quit JP Morgan to achieve his eight years old dream of CollabDeen as well talking about social technology Platform and how it’s going to be a sustainable model in itself. Mona Mahamed’s, Founder / CEO, CSS presentation resonated with many of the attendees. Mona’s passions for making a difference and helping people locally led her to found Community Support Services Incorporated in January 2018. Community Support Services is a social enterprise aiming to help vulnerable individuals from low socio-economic backgrounds, providing engaging programs and a platform for social cohesion, particularly for those from CALD nationalities. With over 30 volunteers contributing to Community Support Services Incorporated initiatives, Mona says “We hope to open avenues to train women and youth alike to become financially independent by providing pathways to get them into the workforce and to grow nationally or even internationally, touching as many people as possible, creating a positive ripple effect – thriving, not just surviving!”. Omar E Hamid Co-founder and CDO, LaunchGood was visiting Australia for few days and was invited to share his experiences as a designer who uses entrepreneurship for social good.
His focus is reviving a legacy of innovation and contribution in the global Muslim community to build an inspired future. Growing up in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, Omar founded a successful branding and web design agency in high school. Not long after, he helped launch two community-based startups, including the world’s largest faith-based crowdfunding platform, LaunchGood.com. During this time, Omar won an award, through the Stars of Science innovation program, for the design of the world’s first chair specifically designed for the Mosque, MySanda.com. Startup Ummah Melbourne Meetup The Melbourne meetup had a different vibe as it was held in one of the Cafes with lots of tasty food and good coffee. We thank everyone who made it to the firstof-its-kind, Muslim Entrepreneur Meetup. The event was a partnership with StartUp Ummah and Sistrv8! Houssam Bizri is an EDUpreneur. Director, Bizri Digital Academy and Founder Startup Ummah (http;//startupummah.com) Houssam is an award-winning Educational Designer with a demonstrated history of working in the higher education industry in the areas of online teaching and learning. Skilled EDUpreneur with a good track record in assisting StartUps and SME’s with online digital solutions, strategies and implementation. Houssam graduated with a degree in adult education (UTS), masters in Business and Technology (UNSW) and Masters in eLearning (UTS). He is a strong believer in lifelong learning. Startup Ummah Melbourne Meetup
Startup Ummah Sydney Meetup
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Vote online for 2019 Women of the Year AMUST Media
Professor Hala Zreiqat (left), winner of the 2018 NSW Premier’s Award for Woman of the Year with Premier Gladys Berejiklian. Photo © Salty Dingo.
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The people of NSW have the chance to recognise the contributions of women right across the State, with voting for the 2019 NSW Women of the Year Awards open now, closing on 15 February with winners to be announced on Thursday 7 March. Minister for Women Tanya Davies said that young female entrepreneurs, humanitarian ambassadors and cancer researchers are among the finalists who have been nominated for the Awards ahead of the inaugural NSW Women’s Week. “The Awards celebrate the extraordinary contributions of NSW women, and by casting a vote individuals not only help to recognise the finalists’ outstanding achievements, but also highlight their stories to inspire other women,” Mrs Davies said. “This year’s finalists are just a handful of the thousands of women who make a difference in our communities, and I urge everyone across NSW to show their support by viewing these remarkable stories online and submitting their vote.” Finalists are listed in the following 2019 Awards categories, which are now open to the public for online voting: • Community Hero Award, • Harvey Norman Young Woman of the Year Award, • Rex Airlines Regional Woman of the Year Award, • NSW Business Woman of the Year Award, and • First State Super Lifetime Achievement Award. To submit your vote, or read more about the finalists, visit: www.women.nsw.gov.au Voting closes on Friday 15 February, with winners to be announced at the 2019 NSW Women of the Year Awards at the International Convention Centre Sydney on Thursday 7 March.
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Shaza Rifi (left), winner of the 2018 Harvey Norman Young Woman of the Year Award with Minister for Women Tanya Davies. Photo © Salty Dingo.
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Shahid Afridi Foundation launch in Sydney
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The foundation also worked on the waners. ter shortage issues in the 2. CHARITY – villages of Khyber PakhStriving to generate tunkhwa by fixing simple There are great funds for deserving and hand pumps. vulnerable groups in orSAF’s mission and challenges der to elevate their movision are based on five Pakistan is facing rale and generate hope. core values that are fol3. ETERNITY – lowed throughout the or- in education, health Providing a source of ganization by each memhelp and sustenance for ber both seamlessly and and availability of life with the model of religiously. clean and safe water empowerment. 1. FAITH – Performing 4. COMMUNITY activities and pro– Engaging volunteers, grams in a way that builds faith amongst leaders of community, public figures and the public, donors and Corporate Partother non-profit organizations to develop
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Continued from page 1 The Consul General of Pakistan, Abdul Majid Yousfani thanked SAF for inviting him as the Chief guest and praised the efforts of Meri Pehchan, Pakistan for connecting Pakistan with the Australian community. “There are great challenges Pakistan is facing in education, health and availability of clean and safe water and your help in sharing the pain of people back home by providing support in these areas is highly appreciated,” Mr Yousfani said. He further added, “Atif, you are doing great work and I have attended a number of programs and events organised by you and we will continue to support such initiatives by your team.” The program included a trivia quiz on Shahid Afridi’s cricket achievements with prizes given to the winners as well as auction of Afridi’s signed memorabilia including cap, T-shirt and bat which were most competently snapped up by the audience. Shahid Khan Afridi is a former captain of the Pakistan national cricket team and feared batsman especially in the one day format of the game. Now a philanthropist extraordinaire, he leads SAF on a global level with the primary objective of establishing a healthy, stable and secure life for the underprivileged people in Pakistan, especially children. Similar to other Non-Profit organizations, Shahid Afridi Foundation (SAF) also has a simple vision to help the world enjoy peace and equality through the improvement of health and education. SAF aims to create a global alliance with other reputable foundations to serve people irrespective of any race, religion and origin. The first project of the foundation was successful development of a hospital in Tangi Banda Village of Kohat with the name of “Sahibzada Fazal Rehman Memorial and Charity Hospital”.
successful programs and plans that ultimately provide benefits to the deserving citizens. 5. EQUITY – Contributing to ensure fair and impartial practices in the belief that all humans should be treated equally in society, and in terms of access to healthcare, education, living standards and rights. Zia Ahmad is the Editor-in-Chief of the Australasian Muslim Times AMUST and is based in Sydney.
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Safety Patrol: George Green’s third Childhood Champions book released Mei Nee Cheong-Green A story about a young boy who learns the responsibility of road safety at school forms the basis of the new publication from the Childhood Champions children’s book series by Melbourne-based author George Green. The whole series follows the adventures of 8 year-old Ibrahim and his friends as they navigate their growing years in the hustle and bustle of New York City. Mr Green, himself a New Yorker, said the point of difference with these young Muslim characters is their collective cultural diversity. “I quite deliberately developed characters who, while they all live in New York City, come from places as far and wide as Malaysia, Puerto Rico and The Gambia,” Mr Green said. “This is a reflection of the cultural diversity amongst Muslims where I grew up and it’s mirrored in cities like Melbourne and Sydney, too,” he said. “But many Islamic children’s books are based on kids who live in Arab countries and although this is great, children from culturally diverse places such as New York City or Melbourne don’t necessarily relate to those characters. And while the book has only just been re-
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leased, Mr Green is already fielding requests from Muslim and non-Muslim schools, community and cultural centres to stage an author visit and book readings. “The characters are Muslim yes, but the messaging in the stories are for everyone – kindness, sharing, teamwork and a sense of personal safety are attributes we all want to instil in our children regardless of race or religion. “It’s great to be invited by schools and other educational institutions like the Islamic Museum who advocate for cultural diversity and inclusion, to speak to young people,” said Mr Green, who is also an accomplished youth motivational speaker. The Childhood Champions book series is targeted at 6-12 year olds and Mr Green has another five stories in the pipeline with plans to introduce a new Australian character. In the meantime Safety Patrol, together with the first two stories, No Ordinary Dayand The Projectare available online and through retailers including the Islamic Museum of Australia, HIYC bookstore and IBC.
George Green with his new children’s book Safety Patrol. Available online and through retailers including the Islamic Museum of Australia, HIYC bookstore and IBC.
characters are Muslim yes, but the messaging in the stories are for everyone
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Mei Nee Cheong is the Media and Marketing Manager at the Islamic Museum of Australia and is based in Melbourne, Australia.
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Islamic geometric workshops in Sydney T Gould For the first time in Australia, award-winning artist & sculptor, Adam Williamson, held a three-day series of workshops in Sydney from 13-16 December 2018 at the gorgeous Glacage café in Bankstown to sold-out crowds. Specialising in Islamic geometric patterns and hand-carving artworks, Adam’s works are produced using natural materials and traditional tools and techniques. Adam employs his drawing, ink, wood and stone working skills to design and build unique geometric shapes and patterns, which tessellate and multiply into perfectly balanced structures. Adam has previously worked for Westminster Abbey and Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, as well as being commissioned by HRH the Prince of Wales. Notably, he also carved the headstone for his friend, Martin Lings, globally-recognised scholar who passed away in 2005. Having run workshops across the globe, including in Morocco, Egypt, Spain and Turkey, Adam’s course in Sydney explored arabesque & Islamic design for both the novice and experienced artist. I would describe these workshops as: Inspiring – This workshop inspires people to learn and discover amazing new talents. Multicultural – Many people from different backgrounds can come from different parts of the world with different backgrounds and become friends. Relaxing – Over the past three days, I have seen many people feeling relaxed drawing and creating new things with a nice cup of coffee or tea. At the end of one of his sold-out workshops, I asked Adam, “What encouraged you to start being so interested and inspired by all of these amazing patterns?” Adam answered, “I became very interested with all these patterns when I was reading illuminated manuscripts, especially the Qu’ran. I was very inspired by all the beautiful designs and patterns.” Adam’s workshops were an amazing success and participants loved his teaching style. We hope that he will return to Sydney to run more courses in the future, Inshallah. Learn more: www.adamwilliamson.com Instagram @artofislamicpattern FEBRUARY 2019 / ISSUE 159
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Australia Day/Invasion Day controversy on 26 January AMUST
Dr Abul Jalaluddin Australia Day is celebrated every year on 26 January but this day has also been called Invasion Day by an increasing number of Australians, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous marking the commencement of a long history of dispossession and trauma for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Australian National Day is celebrated on 26 January of each year due to the fact that the First Fleet of the British ships arrived at Sydney Cove, which is in the vicinity of Circular Quay of today, on 26 January 1788. On the same day, Governor Arthur Phillip raised the British flag at Sydney Cove to formally proclaim the first British colony in New South Wales. The First Fleet consisted of 11 vessels under the command of Governor Phillip that departed from Portsmouth, England, on 13 May 1787 and arrived at Sydney Cove on 26 January 1788. The Fleet had over a thousand settlers including 778 convicts (586 men and 192 women). The first people to occupy the area now known as Sydney were Australian Aborigines who lived in and around Sydney for at least 30,000 years. The Aboriginal name for Sydney Cove or the Sydney area was Warrane, also War-ran, Warrang and Wee-rong. Prior to the arrival of the British, there were 4,000 to 8,000 native people in the Sydney area from as many as 29 different
clans. The principal language groups spoken were Darug, Guringai and Dharawal. The earliest Europeans to visit the area noted that the indigenous people were conducting activities such as camping and fishing, using trees for bark and food, collecting shells and cooking fish. Governor Phillip visited the Manly area of today between 21 and 23 January 1788 and was so impressed by the confident and manly behaviour of the local Aboriginal people of the Cannalgal and Kayimai clans who waded out to meet his boat in the North Harbour, that he gave the area the name of
“Manly.” Between 1788 and 1792 about 3,546 male and 766 female convicts were landed at Sydney, many of which were “professional criminals” with few of the skills required for the establishment of a colony. Many new arrivals were also sick or unfit for work and the conditions of healthy convicts only deteriorated with hard labour and poor sustenance in the settlement. The food situation reached crisis point in 1790 and the Second Fleet which finally arrived in June 1790 had lost a quarter of its “passengers” through sickness.
In 1838, 26 January as the Foundation Day was declared Australia’s first public holiday in New South Wales. By 1935, 26 January was known as Australia Day in all states except New South Wales, where it was called Anniversary Day. From 1946, 26 January was called Australia Day in all states and territories and since 1994 the Australia Day public holiday has been on 26 January across the nation. Since the arrival of the First Fleet 0n 26 January 1788, many Indigenous people were removed from their traditional lands, stolen from their families and stopped from practicing their language and culture. By celebrating the European settlement date, it ignores more than 60,000 years of pre-colonial history and 231 years of multicultural migration to Australia, the first of which being the British in 1788. Proposed alternative dates to replace 26 January include 1 January, the anniversary of the foundation of the Commonwealth of Australia, 25 April, the Anzac Day and 12 March as on this day in 1913 Canberra was officially named Australia’s capital territory. The majority from both the Australian political persuasions, Labor and Liberal, confirmed to maintain 26 January as the Australia Day and no change is expected in the foreseeable future. If the date is contemplated to be altered, there needs to be earnest debates to have it changed to any other day. No change of this national holiday should take place without an engaging public debate. Dr Abul Jalaluddin is an Islamic Finance expert, taxation advisor and a regular columnist for AMUST. He is based in Sydney.
Qexit: Qatar’s resilience against boycott CHANGING TIMES Simon Harrison By way of transparency, my relationship with Qatar dates back many years as I have worked, lived and laughed in a country that has been a good friend to me and my family. Therefore, I am saddened that we have entered the second year of the regional boycott. The boycott has economic, diplomatic and political facets and involves fellow GCC members Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE and Bahrain. I can only pray that a way will be found through the impasse. It may, therefore, be notable that at the opening ceremony of the recent annual general meeting of the GCC that Saudi Arabia’s King Salman stated that he wished the political and customs union of 6 member states to survive. At around the same time that King Salman was speaking so too was the Qatari ambassador to Australia, Mr Saad Abdulla Al-Shareef, at the Qatari Day Celebrations in Canberra. As the ambassador spoke to a crowded room of fellow ambassadors, government officials and friends of Qatar, my mind drifted to the stories I had heard from colleagues in Doha the previous month. These stories were of cross border family relationships being damaged as a result of the boycott, the loss of some 40 ports of entry etc but also remembrances of events like
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the Battle of Khafji in 1991 when Qataris sought to lay down their lives for their Saudi brothers, signifying the close brotherhood and sisterhood of Arab nations, there were many other such reminiscences of Arab connectivity’s. However, and in terms of the boycott, what I also heard in Doha was a deafening reaffirmation of national pride in Qatar and a determination to continue the pace of economic advancement not just for Qataris but for the rest of the world. This is not a nation in retreat by any stretch of the imagination. When perhaps lesser nations of a mere 2.6 million would quite easily turn inward in the face of such cumulative challenges Qatar has done the exact opposite and is actually advancing its global footprint apace. Here, I make no political comment in respect of the boycott – that is for greater mortals to consider – nor can I readily say what makes Qatar different from others who in similar circumstances would understandably capitulate to such imposts- it just is different. What I can do however is point to the increasing mass of evidence that Qatar isn’t just stepping up to these challenges its actually taking advantage of its situation with an even greater daily confidence since the Embargo began on 27 June 2017 and that Qatar is different! Qatar’s global engagement has always been a hallmark of this proud and accommodating nation, however I have to say that I have never before seen this level of engagement which has, since 2017, inured to make Qatar the second most competitive economy in the Arab world and has seen it move up to 30th in the World Economic Forums 2018 Global Competitiveness Report.
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In terms of its regional standing in the Arab World, Qatar has moved into first position in the Competitiveness Report. It has championed the 12 Pillars that comprise competitiveness which includes institutions, infrastructure, IT adoption, macroeconomic stability, health, skills, product and labor markets, business dynamism financial systems, market size and innovative capability – in short Qatar now ticks the box in every aspect of, and for , a successful economic platform . Notably, it is also now ranked 9th globally in terms of “efficiency of the legal framework in challenging regulations,” a major plank of a dynamic economy- although lets avoid the term “ disruptive” aka Trumpian economics – this instead is an enabling , and certain, economy. Qatar’s ambition to be in the world’s top
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10 most competitive economies by 2028 is far from a pipe dream but in fact is now entirely feasible even with the current boycott. In fact, as Qatar pulls out of OPEC and has had to renew old partnerships and develop new ones it may be setting an example for post UK Brexit and provide a few, respectful lessons for Mrs May: be bold, be confident and be proud. Simon Harrison is an international lawyer and Chairperson of the Australia Arab Chamber of Commerce and Industry (AACCI) Queensland, Regional Director of Pamada and a National Director OF AACCI and National President Australia Qatar Investment and Commerce Association. He is also an Honorary Consul for Tunisia in Australia. ISSUE 159 / FEBRUARY 2019
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Senator Faruqi: Daily Mail article misrepresented her view on Halal slaughter Mohamed Ainullah In a statement sent to AMUST, Senator Mehreen Faruqui has condemned a Daily Mail article by Stephen Johnson published on Wednesday 9 January as fake news implying that she opposed the halal slaughter of animals. She said that the article was false and completely misrepresented her views on the halal issue denying that she has called for the banning of halal meat. “I support the stunning of animals before slaughter and the majority of slaughterhouses in Australia, including Halal, already comply with this,” Senator Faruqi said. The article also implied that she abstained from consuming halal meat. Senator Faruqi clarified that the real reason she did not eat any kind of meat was that she was a vegetarian. The Daily Mail article was subsequently updated on Thursday 10 January incorporating statement from her spokesman Matt Hilton, “Senator Faruqi supports mandatory standards for slaughter to ensure all animals are rendered insensible and unable to feel pain prior to being killed.” A government guide on Halal certification in Australia states: “Halal is an Arabic word that means permitted or lawful in Islam. It is both an umbrella term used in relation to all food products, and a term that refers to a method of livestock slaughtering consistent with Is-
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lamic rites.” All foods are Halal unless they are Haram (which means prohibited or unlawful) Food products that are considered Haram include pork and its by-products, animals with fangs, Halal animals improperly slaughtered, lard, alcoholic drinks and foods contaminated with the aforementioned. Food certification organisations ensure that strict standards are met by producers or manufacturers before they are entitled to label their food with the relevant certification trade mark. The global Halal market has been estimated at 1.6 billion consumers and may be worth up to US$1.6 trillion per annum by 2018. Food certified as Halal by an Australian certifying organisation is able to compete in the overseas market and so create export opportunities. In Australia, certification schemes reflect a growing number of consumers to whom it is important that the food they eat complies with their religious beliefs. More broadly, though, certification gives confidence to a growing number of consumers who are concerned about the foods they eat and want more information about the ingredients contained in that food on the relevant packaging.” Mohamed Ainullah is an honorary Sub-Editor responsible for mediascan section of AMUST.
Sleep Dr Reginald Naulty Minds drift into sleep, beyond intelligible matter, past wood wind call and tree converse into a drifting zone where no tongues utter where thoughts and words and sense disperse, then minds flow on like silent water into still ponds where d reams rehearse. If these be a portal to a further state less gross than this which I shall enter, please accept my soul in that estate, though wash it well in heaven`s water, whether that be soothing balm or devastating. Let it be prepared for old reunions; may they be sociable and merry making open to life, and new horizons, one behind another, beckoning.
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Dr Reginald Naulty, originally from Adelaide, has taught at Charles Sturt University and has been a prolific writer since 1972.
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A creative way to engage with the Qur’an Dr Nada Ibrahim Qur’an Diaries is an innovative and creative way of interacting with the Qur’an and applying it to our daily lives assuming that each individual holds a key to unlock another’s’ understanding of interacting with the Qur’an in a profound and meaningful way. The program goes for 7 sessions (2.5 hours each weekly or fortnightly) and is about reflecting with Sura Baqarah in our lives using solo, paired, group activities and diary entries. It challenges individuals to look deep and deliberate on how to proactively apply themes discussed in daily lives. The images illustrate some of the outputs from the program that was offered in Adelaide and Brisbane in 2018. The activities in the first session include designing the shared Etiquettes of Quran Diaries which is a group agreement on how participants would work together, breaking the ice collaboration activities and reflection on sura fatiha. In the second session, we start with strength-based language activity and a group art activity where each group discusses and then designs an art that represents one of the four hearts discussed in verses 1-20; these reflections are then shared with the rest of the room where individuals can share any additional reflections. The next session explores verses 21-40 with activities for deeper reflection involving paired activity what is in a namefor verses 31-33, the solo activity of my tree of prohibition where each leaf represents an issue that individuals are struggling with in their lives that Allah has asked to stay away from
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Group activity: On four hearts.
Qur’an Diaries Etiquette.
thus pondering verse 35, shared reflection on the relationship between Adam and Shaitan, and reasons why is the first narrative story that of Banu Israel or people of Musa (a). The session on verses 41-60, identify in groups, themes that emerge from these verses such as “favours bestowed on the people of Banu Israel”, “things in which they disobeyed Allah”, “chronological timeline of events”, and so on and groups choose a creative way on how they would like to present their discussions. The session on verses 61-80 requires working in groups of 3/4 where individuals would plan and execute a role-play
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addressing either verses 58 & 61 or verses 67-73. Groups are also assigned the task of observing another group’s performance and providing feedback about the interpretative execution of the verses in live form. Similarly, the rest of the sessions each reflect on another lot of 20 verses each involving diary entries of reflections and crafting paired/group activities relevant to those verses designed for a deeper understanding and linking it to daily life. Qur’an Diaries also develops a trusted social support network where individuals can safely discuss their interactions with the Qur’an. After 7 sessions as participants, a facilitators training is offered for those who
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want to run their own groups. The program has been successfully offered in Adelaide and Brisbane between May to December 2018. Any expressions of interest in Qur’an Diaries can be directed to Nada.Ibrahim@ unisa.edu.au. Dr Nada Ibrahim is a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Islamic Thought & Education, University of South Australia with a PhD (Criminology), MEd (Guidance & Counselling) and BHSc (Psychology with an Islamic Psychology intersect).
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Streamlining money collections for mosque building Dr Ameer Ali Muslims all over the world have a penchant towards building mosques. Mosques are iconic markers of Muslim existence and Australia is no exception. There is a belief that if one builds a mosque for Allah, He, in turn, will build a house for that person in paradise. According to one estimate, there are over 370 mosques or Muslim places of worship in this country. As Muslim population increases through ‘controlled immigration’, conversion or natural rate, we may expect several more to appear in future. Even if Muslim population were to remain static, as they become more religious and regularise their prayers, size of congregations will grow, demanding roominess in existing mosques or new ones. Unlike in many other Western countries
Australia is unbelievably accommodative to religious beliefs even though it is ruled by secular government and constitution. Muslims must be thankful to fellow Australians for this accommodation. However, there is one issue that the community has to tackle head-on in relation to the financing of these mosques. There was a time, particularly in the last quarter of previous century, when donors from Muslim countries helped construction of mosques. Local Muslim philanthropy also contributed towards the cause. Now, with drying foreign assistance and thinning philanthropy, the burden of financing mosques has fallen on shoulders of the regular worshippers. Money is collected mostly through fundraising events and weekly collections on Fridays. The question is who are these collectors and whom are they accountable to? If a registered society does the collection then that society automatically comes under government rules and the executive committee of that society is required to maintain and show audited accounts. But, when individuals collect in the name
“The question
is who are these collectors and whom are they accountable to?
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of a proposed mosque, whom are they accountable to? Is there a mechanism to make them accountable? Earlier, when the national body, Australian Federation of Islamic Councils (AFIC) remained a strong, resourceful and prestigious apex body, that organisation through its state councils and member societies, exerted some control over mosques through financial assistance and systematic monitoring. Mosque administrators were accountable to AFIC, and AFIC in turn was accountable to the community and government. Today, AFIC’s reputation has crumbled through costly litigations and financial mismanagement and it has lost the confidence of the Muslim community. However, there is one organization, Australian National Imams Council (ANIC) that can fill the vacuum if that organization can restructure itself and expand its activities. We don’t need an ANIC and a Grand Mufti just to announce the beginning and
end of fasting. ANIC should get involved with what really matters to the community. Bringing mosques under proper management is one such activity. ANIC knows very well that mainstream media and powers behind it are not kind towards Muslims. There is a hidden agenda to restrict Muslims settling in this country and building mosques. Any financial scandal concerning mosques will be manna from heaven to this media and its backers. Prevention is better than cure. Will ANIC take up the challenge? Dr Ameer Ali is a Sri Lankan born Australian citizen. He is a retired academic and research fellow. He was a former president of AFIC and Head of Muslim Advisory Group under Howard Government. Ameer has authored more than fifty journal articles and is a regular contributor to newspapers and periodicals on Muslim affairs.
Sukoon Quteifan
The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) used to teach his Companions to say this Dua’a in the salaat before the ending salaam: “O Allah, join our hearts, mend our relationships, and guide us to the paths of peace. Bring us out of darkness into light and keep us away from manifest and concealed obscenities. Bless us in our ears, our eyes, our hearts, our spouses, and our offspring. Accept our repentance. Indeed, You are the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful. Make us grateful for Your blessings, so we receive them with due praise. And perfect them for us.” Sukoon Quteifan is a graphic designer and illustrator. She is the creator and the illustrator of “Sukoon Al Quloob - Peace of Hearts”, an Islamic Cartoons facebook page. Sukoon is based in Sydney, Australia. FEBRUARY 2019 / ISSUE 159
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Heal your heel pain Young Innovators: Parent Info Night on workshops
Dr Wissam Soubra Have you suffered or ever experienced pain at the heel region or bottom on the foot when you first get up in the morning, after an intensive exercise or when you stand after been seated for a while? You may be suffering from plantar fasciitis. What is plantar fasciitis? Plantar fascia is a band of connective tissue which supports the arch of the foot, it originates from the heel and extends to the toes. Plantar fasciitis or plantar fasciosis is a disorder of the plantar fascia ligament characterised by microtears. In the literature, plantar fasciosis has been described as painful heel syndrome, chronic plantar heel pain, heel spur syndrome, runner’s heel, and calcaneal periostitis. It is estimated that one in ten people suffer from plantar fasciitis during their lifetime. Risk Factors: 1. Being overweight plays a significant load on the plantar fascia and surrounding muscles and ligaments. 2. Sudden weight gain may lead to mechanical overload on the plantar fascia. 3. Certain sporting activities where significant force is placed on the heels. Sport such as running and aerobics Prevention: As excessive force on the plantar fascia ligament may cause a micro tear, hence reducing or removing the causative factors is paramount. These factors may include: 1. Making sure your footwear is not worn out. 2. Regular exercise to control healthy weight reduces excessive strain on the ligaments. Stretching the plantar fascia ligament on a regular base. 3. Warm up before and after sporting activity. 4. Refrain from an activity that causes pain. Diagnosis: To find out whether you have plantar fasciitis, your doctor may ask you questions about the duration and origin of the pain. Assessment may range from palpating the site of pain to be referred for an x-ray or an ultrasound of the heel and plantar foot are sometimes useful. Gait assessment may also be conducted to find other possible causative factors and or ruling out other medical conditions.
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Treatment: For acute plantar fasciosis, treatment may include: 1. Rest, ice, compression or taping of the foot in a low dye technique using a sports tape. Your podiatrist or physiotherapist can teach you on the technique when applying the sports tape. 2. Orthotics therapy to reduce the excessive load on the plantar fascia region and distribute our weight load to other regions has also been found to be beneficial in the healing process. Depending on the severity of the condition, orthoses may include custom or non-custom made. Your podiatrist or other health/medical professionals may provide you with the best information according to your condition and needs. 3. Stretching of the tight muscles such as the gastrocnemius and soleus which are situated at the back of your legs and strengthening the muscles associated with stabilising your foot and ankle joints such as tibialis posterior, tibialis anterior and peroneus longus muscles are of paramount importance in the long term healing process. 4. Medications, injections or surgical procedures may also be necessary where none of the above treatment methods had significantly helped. Your health care professionals will guide you through the best treatment options according to your needs. Since prevention is better than cure, regular exercise and seeking medical attention at the initial stages of pain is paramount, in preventing further possible long term complications. Dr Wissam Soubra’s love for academia enabled him to start teaching around five years ago at the university of technology Sydney. His has extensive experience working in primary health care as a Podiatrist. Dr Soubra has over 12 years’ experience providing accessible and equitable health care to marginalised populations, including patients with high risk conditions. An award winning, with extensive experience in biomechanics of the lower limb, this has enabled Dr Soubra to work with a great team of professionals and make a revolutionary change in how people think of Podiatric treatment and how they can make significant contributions to many lives around the globe.
AUSTRALASIAN MUSLIM TIMES
Sharmeen Ali Young Innovators launched their summer holidays workshop through a Parent Information Night on Friday 14 December 2018 at the Campbelltown Youth Centre (CYC). The program commenced with a brief introduction of Young Innovators and their aim and objectives. Young Innovators was founded on the 26 April 2017 with the aim to bring a passion driven, interactional learning approach to young children. Through collaboration with the children, the learning delivery aims made the students become smarter and productive learners where students were engaged through a series of workshops during the school holidays. During the launch, Shafqat Ali, the team coordinator went through a series of workshops explaining the purpose of each workshop that runs from 6 to 9 in the evening. He also highlighted that these workshops will bring a new kind of passion for learning and students will gain new knowledge by interacting with each other and through individual experiences. “This approach has no books, exams, assignments or homework as it is a student centred approach to learning,” Shafqat explained. The workshops include, Google for Study, Manage Your HSC Studies, Manage your Uni, Parents Info Night, Creative Imaging & Design Thinking, Game Programming, Get A Dream Job, Cyber Safety For You and Getting In Someone’s Heart. Google For Study is a workshop designed to teach students how to navigate the internet more efficiently in pursuit of enhanced effectiveness for research purposes in terms of being able to access relevant information required for their assignments. Manage Your HSC Studies is a workshop designed to teach students how to plan and manage their time more wisely in Year 12 to ensure students give themselves the best chance of succeeding in their HSC. Manage Your Uni is a workshop for students making the transition from high school into the first year of university and how students can adjust smoothly to university life. Creative Imaging & Design Thinking enables students to locate methods to think creatively by following Google’s “No Box” philosophy and stimulate their thought pro-
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cess. Game Programming provides students with opportunities to learn to code, create a game and verse their friends. Get A Dream Job aims to unravel the purpose in students lives by matching their core competencies to a similar job. Cyber Safety For You teaches students how to be safe internet users. Getting In Someone’s Heart is designed to equip students with social skills that will enable them to relate to any individual of any age group despite the student meeting unknown individuals. These workshops are affordable and students are encouraged to attend as they are a fun way of learning. For more information regarding these workshops go to the website at younginnovators.net.au/cycyin18.
Beauty around us Frazia Ali
When love touches thirsty lips of petals Then flowers find beautiful colors And then there is beauty around us When love drenches the earth Making beautiful green grasses grow And then there is beauty around us When love kindles in the heart Birds land on the tree of love And then there is beauty inside us When love enters closed eyes Making stars of wish shine And then there is beauty around us Frazia Ali is a Pakistani American Muslim single mother. She has two children and lives in San Ramon California, USA. She started writing poetry to spread peace and love through her writing. ISSUE 159 / FEBRUARY 2019
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American-Iranian journalist detained in US Mohamed Ainullah Marzieh Hashemi, journalist and anchor working for Iran’s English-language Press TV was arrested on Sunday 13 January by FBI and imprisoned for 10 days without charge with claims of mistreatment. After strong reaction in Iran and representations by the government officials through UN as well as worldwide rallies in 24 cities, she was released on 23 January 2019. The reason given later for her arrest was that she was held as a material witness for a federal investigation and following the testimony before a federal grand jury in Washington, she was released. Marzieh, 59 was born Melanie Franklin in New Orleans and is an American convert to Islam working with Iran’s state television for the last 25 years and is a dual citizen of both US and Iran. Her son, Hossein Hashemi, a research fellow at the University of Colorado in US said that she is an American citizen, lives in Tehran and comes back to the US usually once a year to see family, often scheduling
documentary work somewhere in the country as well. “It’s important to note that she is an American citizen, she’s a Muslim American citi-
zen, she is an African American, and she has certain particular kinds of views that make it difficult for us not to think in conspiratorial sorts of ways,” said Hossein Hashemi.
Hossein Hashemi with his mum Marzieh Hashemi.
Saudi billionaire Amoudi released
Media Scan Ainullah
She was detained upon arrival at St Louis Lambert International Airport last Sunday and transferred by the FBI to a detention facility in Washington, DC. The US officials have so far refused to provide any reasons for her apprehension either to her or her family. The FBI said in an email it had no comment on her arrest. According to Hossein, Marzieh had not been contacted by the FBI before she was arrested and would “absolutely” have been willing to cooperate with the agency. Press-TV reported that Marzieh informed family members of her ill-treatment in the prison facility. She described her hijab having had been removed against her will and that she is being treated as a criminal even though there are no charges against her. The prison officials have also denied her access to halal or vegetarian dietary options for the past few days, only serving her meals with meat which she has refused to eat. She mentioned that she had only been able to eat Pretzels and bread. Hashemi’s family members and media activists have launched a social media campaign with the hashtags #FreeMarziehHashemi and #Pray4MarziehHashemi in support of the detained journalist.
Myanmar committed genocide against Rohingya: US law firm
An aerial view of a burned Rohingya village near Maungdaw in Myanmar’s northern Rakhine state in November 2017
Mohammed al-Amoudi, Saudi-Ethiopian billionaire was freed on Saturday 26 January by the Saudi government more than a year after he was detained under the controversial anti-corruption campaign. Amoudi who was born in Ethiopia to a Yemeni father and an Ethiopian mother, owns a broad portfolio of businesses in construction, energy, agriculture, mining, hotels, healthcare and manufacturing. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed made representations for Amoudi’s with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) during a trip to Riyadh last May.
Amoudi was detained at Riyadh’s Ritz-Carlton hotel in November 2017 along with dozens of princes, officials and businessmen after MBS launched his so-called “anti-corruption purge”. According to a Forbes report last year, his net worth was estimated to be $10.9bn. Forbes downgraded his net worth earlier this month to $1.2bn “due to a lack of clarity about which assets he still owns”. It is unclear how much, if any, of Amoudi’s wealth he may have handed over to the Saudis in exchange for his release.
Malaysia bans Israeli athletes, loses the tournament PM Mahathir Mohamed’s decision to ban Israeli athletes citing abuses against Palestinians has led to the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has stripping Malaysia of the right to host the 2019 World Para Swimming Championships scheduled for 29 July to 4 August in Kuching, Sarawak. The decision followed a statement by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad that Israelis are not welcome in Malaysia. “We feel that they are doing a lot of wrong things, but getting away with them because nobody dares to say anything against them,” he said during his visit to London. Mahathir has defended his statement saying it was his right to say anything about Israel’s action against the Palestinian people. FEBRUARY 2019 / ISSUE 159
An international law firm hired by the United StatesState Department to investigate 2017 military crackdown on the Rohingya in Myanmar, says it has found evidence of genocide, urging the international community to establish a criminal investigation into the atrocities and ensure justice for the victims. The Public International Law and Policy Group (PILPG) said that its findings, based on interviews with more than 1,000 Muslim-majority Rohingya who fled to Bangladesh as a result of the crackdown in Rakhine state, also found reasonable grounds to conclude that the army committed crimes against humanity and war crimes. “It is clear from our intense legal review that there is, in fact, a legal basis to conclude that the Rohingya were the victims of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide,” the PILPG’s Paul Williams told a press conference in Washington, DC. “As such, we believe there is sufficient basis to bring international criminal proceedings against the perpetrators of the violence and recommend that the international community pursue legal accountability for the atrocity crimes committed in Rakhine
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state against the Rohingya.” The lawyers’ report documented more than 13,000 instances of “grave human rights violations” in the crackdown. “The Rohingya who did make it to Bangladesh left behind a place of terror, violence, and destruction,” the report said. “Yet, despite the horrors they faced there, it is a place that the Rohingya refugees still unfailingly call their ‘homeland’.” Of the 1,024 Rohingya interviewed in the PILPG report, 20 percent told investigators that they had been physically wounded in the attacks. Nearly 70 percent said they had watched their homes or villages being destroyed, while 80 percent witnessed the killing of a family member, friend or personal acquaintance. “The scale and severity of the attacks and abuses – particularly the mass killings and accompanying brutality against children, women, pregnant women, the elderly, religious leaders, and persons fleeing into Bangladesh – suggest that, in the minds of the perpetrators, the goal was not just to expel, but also to exterminate the Rohingya,” the report said.
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Aisha Lemu: UK born Nigerian remembered AMUST
Zia Ahmad
Aisha Ahmed Lemu, British women who converted to Islam during her teens and settled in Nigeria devoting her life to Islamic education and training, passed away on 5 January 2019 at the age 79 in Minna, Nigeria. She was a prolific writer having published a large number of books on various aspects of Islam, developed a number of training programs for daawah workers and promoted empowerment of women on a global level. The President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari described late Aisha Lemu as “a repository of knowledge whose depth of scholarship was overwhelming and enviable.” President Buhari said that late Aisha Lemu “admirably dedicated her life to scholarship and moral uplifting of her society, producing massive literature on religious education during her remarkable life on earth.’’ Together with her husband Sheikh Ahmed Lemu and son Nooruddin Lemu, she developed a highly successful and popular “train the trainers” course for Islamic workers conducting it in various countries. Dr Qazi Ashfaq Ahmad, who served on a number of international Islamic bodies with Sheikh Lemu and Aisha Lemu, invited them to conduct their train the trainers course in Australia that was followed up by their son Nuruddin Lemu for a decade after the year 2001. Dr Ahmad said that he was saddened by the passing away of Aisha Lemu, who he compared with American Jewish convert to Islam, Maryam Jameelah who settled in Pakistan. “Aisha Lemu, teaming with her husband Sheikh Lemu and son Nuruddin Lemu working as a family will be remembered, by a large number of daawah workers all over the world, who pioneered systematic way of training people to propagate Islam effec-
tively in our contemporary society,” Dr Ahmad said. Aisha Lemu was born in Poole, Dorset, in 1940, as Bridget Aisha Honey. At the age of thirteen, she began to question her faith and began exploring other religions including Hinduism and Chinese Buddhism. She studied at the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), pursuing her interest in Chinese history, language and culture. While there, she met Muslims who gave her Islamic literature to read and she converted to Islam at the Islamic Cultural Centre in 1961, during her first year of study. She subsequently helped to found the Islamic Society at SOAS, becoming its first secretary, and also assisted in the formation of the Federation of Student Islamic Societies (FOSIS). After graduating from SOAS, Aisha studied for a postgraduate qualification to teach English as a foreign language and while doing so, she met her future husband, Sheikh Ahmed Lemu, a Nigerian, who had been studying at another college of the University of London and was involved in the Islamic activities around the institution. Having obtained her Postgraduate Certificate in Education, she moved to Kano in Nigeria in August 1966 to teach at the School for Arabic Studies there, where Sheikh Ahmed Lemu worked as headmaster. They married in April 1968, with Aisha becoming his second wife. She subsequently moved to Sokoto to take up the position of principal of the Government Girls College. Sheikh Ahmed Lemu was Grand Qadi of the Sharia Court of Appeal of the State of Niger when it was founded in 1976, and Aisha was principal of the Women’s Teachers College in Minna from then until 1978. The couple founded the Islamic Education Trust
(IET), which now operates in several Nigerian states has offices and a library, primary and secondary school and adult education centre for women. Aisha was a member of the Islamic Studies Panel, set up by the Nigerian Educational Research Council, which was to revise the national Islamic curriculum for different school levels. In 1985, Aisha founded the Federation of Muslim Women’s Associations in Nigeria (FOMWAN) with other Muslim women and was elected as its first national Amirah for four years. She served as a civil servant after this term of office.
rupt rulers Asif Zardari and Nawaz Sharif who ruled the country for more than a decade got elected by reputedly democratic means. Many similar examples can be cited from democracies around the world. Many ordinary voters make decisions without being given the factual information to make an informed decision. They are incited with emotions in election rallies, given false promises and manipulated through media campaigns. The value of a vote is the same whether it is being cast by the least educated, least experienced, most dishonest or the best educated and the most competent person. During parliamentary debates, constant opposition by rival parties and bureaucratic processes slow down decision making. According to economists, the lack of democratic participation in countries like China allows for unfettered economic growth. The 20th-century Italian thinkers Vilfredo Pareto and Gaetano Mosaca have argued that democracy was illusory, and served
only to mask the reality of elite rule. To them, elite oligarchy is the unbendable law of human nature, due largely to the apathy and division of the masses as opposed to the drive, initiative and unity of the elites. They went on to say that democratic institutions would do no more than shift the exercise of power from oppression to manipulation. Democracy also results in majority rule, which may create a biased atmosphere against minorities, resulting in a hostile environment among communities. At times, democracy does not offer political stability due to frequent changes of leadership within the governing political party as has happened in Australia during the past 10 years. Constant vehement protests by the opposition and harsh criticism from the popular media may force the sudden and unexpected change of policies which may not be in best interest of people or nation. In third world countries, elections are regularly rigged by the powerful, often inter-
Democratic governance: A critical analysis Zahid Jamil
Recent years have seen the election of a number of corrupt, mischievous, criminal and manipulative con men as leaders in many democracies. The parliaments in many democratic nations are filled by the elected members with corrupt and criminal records and inadequate qualifications who are given the task of running important portfolios. These leaders have looted their nations, built enormous wealth for their families, showed little empathy towards large sections of poor masses while working for the rich and in the interest of major corporations. The current President of the most powerful nation Donald Trump is accused of massive fraud against both the IRS (Internal Revenue Service) and the American people, with a record of corporate bankruptcies, tax avoidance, sexual immorality as well as regularly telling lies. The current Prime Minister Narendra Modi of the largest democracy, India, is accused of involvement in 2002 riots against Muslims during his rule in the State of Gujrat. He was banned from entering the US for 10 years on the ground of “severe violations of religious freedom”. Since becoming Prime Minister, he has served the purpose of the richest Indians and ran a politics of hate and division. In neighbouring Pakistan, extremely cor-
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fered by world powers thus making a mockery of democratic principles. Communist China has made tremendous economic growth not expected with its ideological principles, yet it failed to provide comfort to ordinary people in many ways. There is no freedom of speech and lately, large scale oppression of religious minorities, mainly of Muslims, is reported. Communism had lost its control in Russia but its parliamentary democracy is still weak and its political ideology is in the wilderness, not having a clear direction. Unfortunately, the majority of Muslim nations have also been unable to adopt the great rules of governance driven from Islamic principles. Many Muslim nations have opted Western inspired democracy with all its ills dominant in their political systems including corruption, lack of rule of law, nepotism, unruly environment and extreme enmity among political leaders. A few Muslim nations, including countries occupying the holy Islamic sites, are ruled by kingdoms who have become increasingly authoritarian, intolerant and enslaved themselves to major Western powers. Zahid Jamil is an engineering post graduate from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and runs a financial planning practice based in Sydney. He heads South Asian Muslim Association of Australia, SAMAA: http://samaa.org.au ), a benevolent institution offering wide range of services to the community elders. He also moderates an Islamic website “Islamic Forum for Education and Research” http://isfer.info/
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ISSUE 159 / FEBRUARY 2019
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Hawking’s black hole A rediscovery of Quran
AMUST
Kazi Miah Stephen Hawking, the most notable scientist of current time had glorified science by his distinctive works on the black hole. This paradigmatic scientist devoted his entire life to discover this incomprehensible cosmological object! When a critical investigation was carried out, I surprisingly uncovered that Hawking had profoundly discovered Quran in the Blackhole! As a Muslim, I pay a standing ovation to this honourable man for his invaluable work, though he was a fervent agnostic! Of all cosmological phenomena, black hole stands out as the most bizarre object! It’s a point in space where the gravitational pull is so strong that nothing, not even light can escape from it! It crushes and squashes an object to its eternal state! A process known as Stellar Nucleosynthesis [all elements of your body are made in distant stars by this process; earth or sun cannot manufacture them] takes place in the core of massive stars [25 -35 Solar Mass]. When such a star reaches the end of its life, its hydrogen fuel runs out in the fusion process of making helium! Now, this monster star begins burning helium in its core, fusing existing atoms into heavier elements! As burning progresses, the core swells in search of more fuel! The giant star has huge outer layers those have supermassive stockpiles of materials that intrinsically pinpoint an enormous gravitational pressure from all directions onto the centre! Due to this massive pressure, the core explodes igniting a completely new thermonuclear furnace of burning the newly made element, carbon! This may burn for million years. After carbon, it will be oxygen then magnesium and so on! Every time the processes of the burning of the core will cause an explosion at the end and will initiate a new nuclear furnace creating new sets of elements. Life of a star means the nuclear furnace in the core creating an outward pressure that can maintain equilibrium against the ever-collapsing gravitational compression due to the enormous stellar mass in the outer layers of the star! The Opposing force from within and from outer layers find the state of equilibrium to
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make the star ‘stable’ and it can continue for millions of years! This balance, however, finally is lost when the core is filled up with iron elements! Iron is the final stage of Stellar Nucleosynthesis! All other elements were able to add impact in the outward pressure of the star-core, but iron makes a total difference! Instead of releasing heat, iron core traps in all heats leaving no outward pressure to keep the star balance against the inward pressure from all directions of the star-outer! The core now is without defense! Billions upon billions of tons of matters fall from ten directions onto a single point at the core with extreme violent speed! In no time, a supermassive exposition occurs in the star core due to infinite force that collapses at the geometric center of the core! The energy of this explosion is so intense that the core and its mass instantly go out of existence creating a gravity-well! The explosion is called Supernovae Explosion; it creates a singularity into the stellar core! In that core – space, time and matter are folded into infinite curvature! Matter, energy and events are now lost and hidden forever!
A black hole is born! Ever since a black hole is born, it can continue to grow by absorbing matters from its surroundings. This includes all stellar objects, all nearby stars, interstellar matters and so on! ‘Black hole would grow by the influx of materials, at which stage, gravity would tear apart nearby stars and then suck in the gas’. ‘Some are so massive that they collapse under the force of their own gravity into a super dense black hole’! A black hole is a place in the cosmos where stellar objects fall in ruins! Stars and all stellar objects die in the blackholes! This phenomenon is depicted in the Quran [56:75] – [I] swear by the place where the stars fall in ruins! The word que is a verb – means ‘to destroy’, when you add [ma] as a prefix, it denotes the place & time of destruction! Allah the Exulted is swearing in the name of that place where the stars plunge in destruction! There is no other prescient in the cosmos at whence the stars can collapse and get ruined! This is only the black hole; there is no other candidate in the cosmos to fit into this description! The verse 56:76 is far more interesting! It says, ‘certainly it’s an oath of highest signif-
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icance if you did know’! – The conjunction used Lou is curiously interesting. In Arabic, ‘In’ ‘Is’ and ‘Lao’ – all mean ‘if’; but Lao is only applicable where the action is beyond the capacity or possibility and means of the subject! The proposition – ‘if you did know’ in fact indicates – you will never know! As light cannot escape the black hole, literally it allows no information to come out. Thus, the inside of a black hole is never knowable! It’s a cosmic limit! Thanks to Stephen Hawking! He discovered Quran that revealed the black hole phenomenon in a most economical manner some 1400 years ago! Read full article on AMUST website at https://bit.ly/2MASPfJ. Kazi Miah is a retired Major from the Bangladesh Army; He served in two UN engagements as Planner and in Key Coordinating Position in the Mission HQ; He obtained a Diploma from US Army. He did his Masters from the University of Sydney; Kazi Miah is a published author of 3 Major works; He is currently working as an Operations Manager in a Production Company based in Sydney.
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Sharing the plight of Burundian refugees in Africa Philip Feinstein After meeting many Burundian refugees in Sydney, I spent a month from 19 November to 14 December in East Africa visiting camps of Burundian refugees in Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya learning of their plight and trying to help with the situation. There was a huge conflict resulting in hundreds of thousands of people escaping the violence. In 1994 there was large conflict in Rwanda between the Hutu’s and Tutsi’s resulting in a huge genocide. Once again it is the same battlefield. The Genocide Museum in Kigali depicts that catastrophe as well as others that have happened in the past, like Pol Pot in Cambodia and the Holocaust in Germany. As always, lots of music instruments were taken for the refugees. We also brought computers, solar lights and thousands of pencils for the kids. Being refugees, there is very little schooling happening for their children. Having been to Sydney’s Villawood De-
tention Centre hundreds of times before, I feel qualified enough to recognise how much tougher the Burundian refugees have it. They sleep 5/6 people to a room. No prepared food like in Villawood. No toilet or kitchen – all amenities are far away and shared. There are no lawns or roads other than sand tracks. But the worst thing is lack of water. The people have to walk large distances and then carry it back. And it is very rough terrain. I am contacting some Israeli companies who specialise in water supplies for assistance. On the medical side there is only one doctor per 40,000 people. Furthermore many of the medical equipment and supplies are old. They desperately need help in this area. My mission at the start was to get people involved with music. But as my journey continued I realised that my function would grow. And it did, with both positives and negatives. I was introduced to a couple of amazing bands. And coming from Africa, I knew the amazing music that Africans can make. (I had to leave South Africa in 1972 when Apartheid was happening) After seeing these great bands playing live, I made contact with a radio station in Australia who
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Medard and Philip sporting the new Burundi T-shirts with flag. is now playing their music. One of the medical centres in a camp had an unusual way of showing people where the footpath was: It was lined with Heineken beer bottles to direct people to the medical centre. Two points here: 1) I intend to congratulate Heineken on allowing their bottles to show the way; and 2) I will suggest to them that they can be of real value if they pay for a floor inside the medical centre. Currently it is just loose
sand. Back in Australia I am now faced with the task of looking for educational books, medical supplies and other necessities including donated watering systems. For a more detailed description of my journey, see the Facebook page of Music for Refugees Australia.
Suraya Daly
Saudi Arabia with a base in Malaysia, where my half siblings call home. My father and I strengthened our bond over the simplest of activities, which mean the most. These activities include being woken up at 8 am every day where he comes into my room to tell me what the agenda was for breakfast – whether we were going out for some laidback Roti Canai (a Malaysian staple breakfast of a flat, round South Asian bread with dips such as curry or dahl), Nasi Lemak (another Malaysian staple of coconut rice, chilli paste, anchovies and egg), or some home-cooking; exploring one of Kuala Lumpur’s many outer suburbs multi-story grand shopping centres; or sitting in his beautifully-decorated lounge room having tea where we mull over the year that has been with highlights from our respective professions. An enjoyable variation in the trip was when my father and other relatives went on a holiday within a holiday to the coastal town of Port Dickson, which is just over an hour’s travel by car from Kuala Lumpur. We spent three days and two nights there, where we spent quality time, doing the simple things like cooking together, visiting other relatives nearby, checking out the farmers markets and completing our checklist of Malaysian delicacies to eat, having dinner out and swimming at the beach. My most recent trip to Malaysia was one where I did a lot less shopping and sightseeing. Interestingly, it has been the most meaningful one by far, where I spent quality time with as many close relatives as possible.
Philip Feinstein is a Sydney based writer, musician and activist working for MUSIC FOR REFUGEES www.musicforrefugees.org
Back to the motherland: More than a holiday A trip back to the motherland is always truly meaningful to me, teaching invaluable lessons which have continued to mould me to this day. Among the lessons learned through the trips are that of humility, gratitude, selflessness, respect and togetherness. My most recent trip in January 2019 to Malaysia was no different. After more than a year since my last trip due to work commitments back in 2018, there had been plenty of changes both back in Malaysia and in my life in Brisbane. Many admirable qualities are demonstrated in the everyday Malaysians’ way of carrying themselves, particularly from what I see in those close to me during the trip such as my cousins and half-siblings. The utmost respect is always shown to those elder to them no matter how educated one is or high one’s position is in the workforce. They share with anything and everything. They make sure everyone is included and looked after at all times. They put the needs of everyone else before themselves. From what I observed, these characteristics of the everyday Malaysian were displayed in day-to-day activities and during special occasions or events. My trips to Malaysia thus far have always been very much a family affair. I was born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s capital city, but I’ve spent most of my life in Australia, so everyone from my aunties, uncles, grandmother, and cousins are all happily living in Malaysia. I play catch-ups for most of my trip there, but as a traveller, I fit in as much sightseeing, exploring, and touristing as possible. Part of my trip was to spend time with my old man who, like me, also took leave and decided to start the new year 2019 with a trip back to the motherland. My father works in
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Suraya Daly is a graduate of the Queensland University of Technology in the qualifications of the Graduate Certificate in Creative Industries and a Bachelor of Journalism. She works in start-up business development and has a passion for writing, where she would often hone her creativity by contributing articles which can be found on her blog on www. surayaspeaks.wordpress.com. For enquiries, please reach out to suraya.daly@gmail.com ISSUE 159 / FEBRUARY 2019
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