Issue 174 - May/Ramadan-Eid 2020

CENTREFOLD 16 - 17

AMUST

LIFESTYLE 18 - 23

UMMAH 24 - 25

EDUCATION 26 - 28

SOCIAL 29 - 31

AUSTRALASIAN MUSLIM TIMES

www.amust.com.au

Multicultural News & Views

ISSUE # 174

/

/

MAY 2020; RAMADAN/EID 1441

Recipes for Ramadan CENTREFOLD PAGES 16 - 17

PH: (02) 9158 3020

Storytelling and story listening

LIFESTYLE PAGE 18

/

Digital Newspaper Available

EMAIL: INFO@AMUST.COM.AU

/

$2 /

Domesticating Australian Stingless Bees

Launch of Primary School in Vanuatu

SOCIAL PAGE 29

UMMAH PAGE 17

Ramadan feasting under COVID-19

Turnbull attacks media bullies Malcolm Turnbull.

Mohamed Ainullah

Mehar Ahmad With COVID-19 family lockdowns, Ramadan 2020 will be different to any previous Ramadan, no congregational prayers at the mosque, no community Iftars, no night markets and no Eid festivals.

Under these circumstances, an innovative project Recipes for Ramadan, an initiative of Jane Jeffes, a former head of ABC Religion and Ethics, will provide invitation to virtual home Iftars, sharing in different families’ food, culture, stories and beliefs across the month of Ramadan and beyond in order to build a sense of community around Ramadan 2020.

As family lockdowns, online learning, vid-

eo calls and video conferencing and #stayathome go on, Muslim leaders and schools have identified growing concerns for the social and emotional connectedness of communities and ‘a need to break the current gloomy atmosphere’ specially during the special fasting month of Ramadan.

Jane Jeffes from Firefly Productions, being a passionate proponent of greater diversity in the media and having 30 years experience in film, tv, radio, online and print as producer and director in UK as well as Australia, has put together the project Recipes for Ramadan in partnership with Amity College, Unity Grammar and AMUST in order to celebrate Ramadan 2020 inspite of constraints due to COVID-19 lockdown.

Public awareness of Ramadan has grown

over recent years and public interest in food and its origins likewise. In 2020, with more than 50% of Australians born overseas or having one or more parents born overseas and 30% of us first generation Australians born overseas, the culture, the stories, the traditions and the food traditions we bring with us are central to Australia’s rich cultural tapestry and something to celebrate and share.

This project does that.

The participation of Australian-Muslim public figures from the Grand Mufti Dr Ibrahim Abu Mohamed to community leaders, politicians, business leaders, entertainers and sports people will add a role model dimension for a younger generation and celebrate the contribution of Australian-Muslims to Australian life. continued on page 4

The former prime minister of Australia Malcolm Turnbull has made scathing attacks on the Murdoch media empire who “routinely exploit and encourage intolerance and racial and religious animosities” on an international scale, in his new memoir, A Bigger Picture published on Monday 20 April 2020.

Mr Turnbull singled out 2GB shockjocks Alan Jones and Ray Hadley being full of “vanity and megalomania” who loved to berate and bully politicians like him who weren’t “in their pocket”.

He says that the News Corp campaign against his government was driven in part by the Murdoch’ concern that he could not be bought.

He also blamed News Corp newspapers for undermining his efforts to combat climate change and said that Murdochs are the “fiercest defenders of Trump” and “keenest promoters of Brexit”.

Mr Turnbull said that media outlets including Fox News must take much of the blame for the US being a divided, inward-turning nation today. continued on page 2

Witch-hunt of Shaoquett Moselmane condemned Zia Ahmad The disgraceful treatment of the Honourable Shaoquett Moselmane MLC by the Murdoch media led by 2GB shock jocks must be condemned and his witch-hunt by pro-Israel lobbyists because of his proactive support for justice to Palestinians and South Lebanese against Israeli aggression is appalling. The weak-kneed response of this onslaught against a colleague by the NSW Labor leader Jodi McKay MP is highly disappointing and shown to be a leader incapable of standing up for her colleagues and for what’s right.

The COVID-19 pandemic having its origins in China has led to the spread of conspiracy theories against China and racist stereotyping of Chinese people by bigoted people in many parts of the world including Australia.

While responsible political leaders have taken commendable action to contain the pandemic, some of them including President Trump continue to play the blame game in their anti-China stance.

Mr Moselmane had expressed the view in February that China has largely contained the pandemic with swift action most competently and criticised the xenophobia against Chinese people in Australia and elsewhere. continued on page 2

Proudly Printed in Australia by Spotpress Pty Ltd

Shaoquett Moselmane.

Dispose of this paper thoughtfully - PLEASE RECYCLE

AMUST

NEWS

NEWS 1-4

BOOMERANG 5-9

COMMUNITY 10 - 12

AUSTRALIA 13 - 15

Turnbull attacks media bullies

Witch-hunt of Shaoquett Moselmane condemned

Continued from page 1 He said that Australia is exposed to a “debased” media culture that allows News Corp co-chairman Rupert Murdoch to wield influence over national leaders.

Mr Turnbull tells of Mr Murdoch saying “we have to get rid of Malcolm” in the final days of his government in August 2018, taking this as proof the media boss was signing up to the “lunatic” agenda of former prime minister Tony Abbott.

He says he was attacked relentlessly by the company’s rightwing columnists and they gave a “powerful platform to a vindictive, vengeful enemy of my government”.

Mr Turnbull says he discussed the “vicious personal partisanship” of the Australian newspaper and Sky News with Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch many times but they minimised it by claiming the outlets were not influential because they had small audiences.

He claims that two senior journalists, the Australian’s editor-at-large Paul Kelly and its then national affairs editor, David Crowe, told him privately that the agenda at News Corp and Sky News was to “destroy” the Turnbull government.

Continued from page 1 His comments were mistranslated and misquoted and some commentators in the media created a storm, against his right to have an opinion, by bullying members of the Labor Party to ostracise him, resulting in his resignation from the position of Assistant President of the NSW Parliament’s Legislative Council earlier in March.

While responding to radio 2GB host, Alan Jones’ anti-China remarks, Dr Anthony Pun OAM and Dr Ka Sing Chua from the Chinese Community Council of Australia published a letter in the Age newspaper on 7 April saying “Jones has surpassed all extreme commentators in Australia for spreading hatred and racial stereotyping against China and Chinese Australians.”

“His flawed understanding of COVID-19 and his conclusions are so irresponsible and irrational, that it has attracted a cohort of viewers and encouraged their blatant racism including violence and public hate speech.

Jones has outdone even President Trump,” they wrote.

Dr Pun earlier wrote a letter to Ms McKay in support of Mr Moselmane saying, “we are indebted to the Hon Shaoquett Moselmane

MLC, who have shown empathy and compassion to our difficulties, particularly to racists taunts, racially vilification and hate speech. He has shown a deep understanding of the Chinese Australian community that has won our hearts and to be called a “good friend” of the community. We are aware of the recent media attempting to discredit him and saying that his remarks on China was inappropriate was unwarranted and simply wrong.”

Mr Bashir Sawalha, President of United Australian Palestinian Workers Association (UAPWA) has condemned the spiteful media attacks on Mr Moselmane and has also criticised the lack of support for him by Ms McKay. “We would also like to express our frustration with 2GB’s Hadley and SKY TV, who have blatantly crossed the line of professional integrity in journalism. We are particularly outraged by Hadley’s acts which we attribute to the resignation of a respected member of the Australian community,” Mr Sawalha wrote.

A number of community leaders have expressed their dismay at the media trial of Mr Moselmane being a victim of tall poppy

Rupert Murdoch.

Ray Hadley.

Alan Jones.

syndrome where he is considered to be an advocate of Multicultural Australia who is being bullied by the right wing commentators for expressing his views using his democratic right of freedom of speech.

Mr Moselmane, a member of the ALP since 1982, was elected to the Legislative Council of the NSW Parliament in December 2009.

He was earlier elected to Rockdale City Council in 1995 where he served a number of times as Deputy Mayor and was elected Mayor of Rockdale City Council on four separate occasions, from 2001 to 2002 -3, 2005 – 2006 and again in 2009.

He has a long-standing involvement with various communities including South Asian, Arabic, Greek , Italian , Macedonian, Chinese and many other multicultural communities.

Born in Konin, South Lebanon, Mr Moselmane grew up in Beirut until the age of 12 when he migrated to Australia with his family of 12.

He completed an Arts Degree in Government and Public Administration at the University of Sydney, then a Masters Degree in Politics at Macquarie University and finally completed his Law Degree at the University of New South Wales.

In 2012, Mr Moselmane established the Multicultural and Indigenous Media Awards.

In 2014, he established the National Indigenous Human Rights Awards, the first of its kind in Australia.

Mr Moselmane is the Chair of the Sydney Institute of Public and International Affairs, the Forum for Middle East Affairs , as well as the Kids-on-Wheels Alliance Inc, registered charity.

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:

2

AUSTRALASIAN MUSLIM TIMES

Kemps Creek Cemetery on 02 9826 2273 from 8.30am-4pm 230-260 Western Rd, Kemps Creek NSW 2178 www.kempscreekcemetery.com.au

WWW.AMUST.COM.AU

ISSUE 174 / MAY 2020

CENTREFOLD 16 - 17

LIFESTYLE 18 - 23

UMMAH 24 - 25

EDUCATION 26 - 28

SOCIAL 29 - 31

NEWS

AMUST

@AmityCollegeAU

MAY 2020 / ISSUE 174

WWW.AMUST.COM.AU

AUSTRALASIAN MUSLIM TIMES

3

AMUST

NEWS

NEWS 1-4

Ramadan feasting under COVID-19

Continued from page 1 A dedicated website (RecipesForRamadan.com) and social media (Instagram, Facebook and a YouTube channel) will gather together recipes, stories, photos and videos to make them accessible to a far wider audience and to connect with other food networks locally and around the world from Buzzfeed Tasty and chefs like Ottolenghi to some of Australia’s own acknowledged cooks and chefs.

The teaching staff at the schools see the project as a valuable way to promote connectedness at this challenging time, to enrich family and community life and celebrate the rich legacies of the school communities and wider Australian-Muslim community. With families together at home or communicating with older generations and extended family via video call platforms, the project is a feelgood distraction to unlock and share valuable parts of family stories they may never have explored before.

Ramadan started on Friday 24 April, the last day of NSW school holidays and will

BOOMERANG 5-9

COMMUNITY 10 - 12

AUSTRALIA 13 - 15

end on Saturday 23 May, four weeks into NSW Term 2.

The Recipes for Ramadan website was launched on the eve of the beginning of the month of Ramadan on Thursday 23 April 2020.The website includes project details, how to contribute, including conversation starters to guide participants, an instruction manual for people to shoot their videos at home, and an introduction to the holy month of Ramadan, fasting, sharing food and the Iftar tradition. AMUST will feature recipes and related stories across the month of Ramadan and we believe there will be other media interest too.

Longer-term aims of the project include a recipe book with stories and photos and possibly a documentary with footage and material which this Ramadan 2020 participants will have created, benefitting Muslim as well as the wider community in Australia and beyond.

Mehar Ahmad based in Sydney is a Public School Teacher and President of Seena Inc, Publishers of AMUST.

A Pandemic of Mercy!

Sukoon Quteifan ‘Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) reported: “I asked the Messenger of Allah (s) about pestilence and he said, “It is a punishment which Allah sends upon whomsoever He wills, but Allah has made it as a mercy to the believers. Anyone who remains in a town which is plagued with pestilence maintaining patience expecting the reward from Allah, and knowing that nothing will befall him other than what Allah has foreordained for him, he would receive a reward of Shaheed (Martyr)”. [Hadith: Al-Bukhari].

The word “Mercy” was my spark this time to create - what I consider as - an unusual cartoon that depicts the coronavirus positively contrary to the large number of coronavirus cartoons we see today.

As the word “Mercy” in the context of this hadith bears within itself the meaning of purification.

It surely brings to the mind today’s unexpected positive impacts of the pandemic on our environment causing the air

4

AUSTRALASIAN MUSLIM TIMES

WWW.AMUST.COM.AU

to be purer and water to be cleaner. Not forgetting to mention it also has a positive impact on humans too.

Saying that I would love to share with you one of my positive reflections as the result of the coronavirus outbreak; which is: acknowledging the gift of waking up every morning and cherishing the fact of being alive again after long hours of sleep. I now recite the Prophet’s (s) supplication of waking up every morning with so much contentment and appreciating each word of it: “All praise is due to Allah, who has given us life after our death, and unto Him is the resurrection.” (Hadith: AlBukhari) Have you thought of any little positive impacts on yourself?

Think of one positive impact and share it to inspire others :) 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. You can follow her on facebook @SukoonQuteifanArt.

ISSUE 174 / MAY 2020

CENTREFOLD 16 - 17

LIFESTYLE 18 - 23

UMMAH 24 - 25

EDUCATION 26 - 28

BOOMERANG

SOCIAL 29 - 31

Challenges and opportunities during Ramadan under COVID-19 Last year, it was a most social Ramadan I Muslims fondly await the arrival of the fasting month of Ramadan for a number had ever attended, bringing people together of reasons including spiritual renewal, and calls for understanding, tolerance and inculcating self discipline, developing community harmony against racism, prejuempathy for have nots and of course for dices and bigotry.

However this year, Ramadan is turning consuming special items of food during out to be a sombre affair, devoid of its conSuhoor and Iftars.

Although Ramadan fasting has substan- gregational and social aspects due to locktial health benefits, fasting during the sum- down and social distancing regulations.

Throughout the globe it will be the first mer periods in hot climates specially for time in people’s lifetime, not to be able the poor, who have to work outdoors in to offer congregational prayers harsh conditions and who live unand specially the Taraveeh der basic accommodation can be prayers together in mosques challenging. with fellow Muslims and Ramadan 1441H/2020CE not be able to break their is turning out to be unfast with neighbours, precedented, not only for Zia Ahmad family and friends of all Muslims but for all peofaiths. ple on the globe due to the Assalamu Ramadan, under lockworld wide lockdown unAlaikum down also is a great chalder COVID-19 pandemic lenge for people who live specially when compared to Greetings on day to day earnings with Ramadan last year. of Peace no food stocks at home and In the aftermath of the with out fridges and freezers at Christchurch mosques’ terrorist home to store food and restrictions on attack on Friday 15 March and the Sri Lankan terrorist attacks on Easter Sunday moving out of their homes in order to obon 21 April, the fasting month of Rama- tain meals for themselves and their family dan in May 2019 was a healing period that in many countries.

On the other hand, Ramadan under COVbrought diverse communities together in ID-19 provides an opportunity for people to empathy over sharing a meal.

I remember attending and reporting on a be more inward looking, strengthening their large number of Iftars at parliament house, relationship with their Creator in solitude as universities, churches, restaurants and at well as to spend quality time with their imfamily homes where our diverse commu- mediate family members.

Although there is no institution of priestnity leaders had meaningful conversations on the atrocities and providing support for hood in Islam, where our religion encourages direct relationship between wo/man the grieving communities.

EDITORIAL

AMUST

AMUST ISSUE # 174 FRIDAY 1 MAY 2020 8 RAMADAN 1441 News

and God without an intermediary, many Muslims have become dependent on their Imams, Sheikhs, Moulvies, Syeds, Ayatollah’s and Ulama in order to practice Islam in day to day life.

This COVID-19 lockdown specially during Ramadan provides an opportunity for us to gain knowledge first hand about or religion through the study of Quran and Hadith and through contemplation and reflection using the on-line modern technologies.

Reciprocally, due to the closure of mosques and restrictions on gatherings, practice of Ramadan this year provides an opportunity for Imams, sheikhs, scholars, activists and Muslim leaders to educate, lead in prayers and have Iftars with their own households and immediate family.

In Australia, being in the southern hemisphere and in winter, Ramadan 2020 is indeed an easy affair even during restrictions on movement, hardly a 12 hour fast, with no shortage of food and no restrictions on shopping and movement with members of our households.

Then again, wo/man is a social animal, and a number of organisations and institutions have come up with innovative ideas to socialise online, have virtual Iftars, teleconferences, zoom talks and discussions, not only with people in Australia but with a global audience, Muslims and people of other faiths and no faith.

As a demonstration of human resilience under adverse conditions, it will indeed be very interesting to share our experiences at the end of this month as to how we have coped with Ramadan 1441H/2020 CE.

1-4

- Ramadan feasting under COVID-19 - Moselmane witch-hunt condemned - Turnbull attacks media bullies

Boomerang

5-9

- Challenges and opportunities during Ramadan under COVID-19 - Coronavirus scapegoating in US

Community

10 - 12

- The importance of storytelling - Saadath Sultana Hussain - Australian Muslim Artists 2020

Australia

13 - 15

- Historic Anzac Day service - Play theatre games - Invitation to cook and eat together

Centrefold

16 - 17

- Recipes for Ramadan: After the first date, a special soup

Lifestyle

18 - 23

- Ramadan under COVID-19 in NZ - Sharing the pain as migrant children - Unity Grammar helping community

Ummah

24 - 25

- Education plummets in Afghanistan - Indian media communalises COVID-19 - Refugee rights during Ramadan

Education

26 - 28

- Aly Asir Al-Din: Australian Pioneer - This era’s loss of moral compass - How to apply for Uni in 2021

Social

29 - 31

- Domesticating native stingless bees - How a Hasidic Jew and Black Muslim became friends

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.

AMUST Team

Readers comments

necessities – and yes, home made burger will be much more economical, healthier and safer!

Zubeda Raihman

ates also need to be given a chance to follow the Delphic oracle’s command to “know thyself”, which must involve exposure to the great works of our and others’ cultures.”

Further, as being currently practised, staying and cooking/eating at home, enhancing family unity, gardening etc going back to our grandparents’ basic way of living probably is the great “new norm” which may prove to be beneficial for our community. At least there will not be a need for our youths to be exploited if the home can provide the basic

God bless the Dr I visited him when my dad was not well with my mum. He saw me when I was 5 I’m 30 now. I looked him up to pay him visit, so sorry for your loss. He is very much missed.

Esra

Re: Coronavirus pandemic and universities must remain true to their heritage and help them to learn how to think.” So Re: Late Mark Blows: Reflecits global impact COVID – 19 has changed many facet of that they are not only Job ready but, “Gradu- tions at the funeral service our “taken for granted” modus operandi. As we are aware, it is an unprecedented indictment of an invisible killer affecting the entire world population. Once this attacker is subdued, one can be certain normality will be restored, albeit, with changes such as meetings in cyberspace. This can be liberating as we can have the option of “Zooming in” without the need to travel to and fro thus saving time, money (eg. petrol, parking) and environment (eg. pollution). However, I do not think there will be a likelihood of Juma prayers in cyberspace for the basic reason it is congregational and most, if not all, the faithfuls will go back to their original mode of praying. This temporary provision of physical distancing is for our own greater good and it should be encouraged under the current circumstances. As per One of the Quranic references, (AL-Nisa:72) “O you who have believed , take your precaution.”

Also, this is the opportune time for the Universities to take heed of the advice from renowned academics, such as Professor Steven Schwartz, ex- vice chancellor of Macquarie University, who propounds that, “Rather than teach students what to think, MAY 2020 / ISSUE 174

Subscribe Yearly subscription

- 37 $10 Digital36Edition $30 Print Edition

Subscribe now at

amust.com.au/subscribe

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

Email us at info@amust.com.au

WWW.AMUST.COM.AU

Editor-in-Chief: Zia Ahmad Graphic Designer: Rubinah Ahmad Chief Adviser: Dr Qazi Ashfaq Ahmad OAM Multimedia Journalist: Mehar Ahmad Multimedia Journalist: Mobinah Ahmad Multimedia Journalist: Faseeha Hashmi Columnist: Dr Abul Jalaluddin (Finance) Columnist: Bilal Cleland (Victoria) Columnist: Manarul Islam (ACT) Columnist: Dr Daud Batchelor (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, 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, Luqman Landy.

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

Email: info@amust.com.au Ph:(02) 9158 3020

AUSTRALASIAN MUSLIM TIMES

5

AMUST

BOOMERANG

NEWS 1-4

BOOMERANG 5-9

COMMUNITY 10 - 12

AUSTRALIA 13 - 15

Experience Ramadan, Ramadan with the month those who pray for you. everyone waits for.

Spread joy and happiness this Ramadan by choosing Awaits you. any of our life-changing projects, and together, let’s continue spreading the spirit of humanity.

Iftar Meal

Zakat Al Fitr

Eid Gift & Clothing

Zakat Al Maal

Provides a complete Iftar to let the needy enjoy their Ramadan.

Compulsory Zakat that removes ones sins & provides food to the poor.

Gift a needy child on the day of Eid with a gift and new clothes.

Obligatory Zakat Al Maal providing relief to those in need.

10 per meal $

15 per person $

25

$

2.5%

per gift

COVID-19 Relief

Fidya (compensation)

Sponsor an Orphan

Income Generation

Provides food parcel locally to vulnerable people required to self-isolate.

A compulsory payment by those who can’t fast during Ramadan.

Sponsor an Orphan and be with the Prophet (pbuh) in Paradise.

Help needy families generate a sustainable income and rebuild their lives.

70

$

15 per day

$

50

$

600

$

per month

Sponsor a Family

Build a Water Well

Daily Bread Dist.

Sadaqa Jariyah

Provides a needy family with a food pack for the month of Ramadan.

Provide clean water solutions to the needy. This is a Sadaqa Jariya. from

Provide 100 needy families with bread loaves for a day.

Ongoing charity that benefits everyone involved.

Forever.

300 per family

$

450

$

150

$

200

$

per share

Give Happiness Today. Visit www.hai.org.au Call 1300 760 155 Westpac Bank Details: Human Appeal International Australia BSB: 032065 Acc: No. 328484

6

Sydney Office: 119 Haldon St, Lakemba NSW 2195 P 02 9750 3161

AUSTRALASIAN MUSLIM TIMES

Melbourne Office: 149 Sydney Rd, Coburg VIC 3058 P 03 8374 3000

Adelaide Office: 1/53 Henley Beach Rd, Mile End SA 5031 P 08 7200 2882

WWW.AMUST.COM.AU

Brisbane Office: 16 Queens Rd, Slacks Creek QLD 4127 P 07 3493 4222

Perth Office: 2/1397 Albany Hwy, Cannington WA 6107 P 08 6269 3556 ISSUE 174 / MAY 2020

CENTREFOLD 16 - 17

LIFESTYLE 18 - 23

UMMAH 24 - 25

EDUCATION 26 - 28

BOOMERANG

SOCIAL 29 - 31

AMUST

COVID-19: A slap in the face Bilal Cleland The coronavirus has delivered a major slap in the face to our complacency in the First World of prosperity and security.

We came to accept that the situation would remain constant, that the economy would just keep on growing, that wars would only occur in the Third World far away.

Overseas holidays were considered a right.

That changed in a flash.

Suddenly overseas travel ceased, swimming pools and cafes were closed, a clamour to close the schools broke out.

People went into lockdown and the news carried interminable accounts of rising infection rates and stunning death rates in China, Italy, Spain, the UK then the USA. Retirement homes became death traps and the UK did not even count the fatalities outside of hospitals.

The picture which quickly emerged, within a just a few weeks in fact, was that our

modern societies, particularly those in the prosperous West, have feet of clay.

The prosperity we assumed was in reality so shallow that as soon as businesses and factories began to shut, millions of people were left without means of support.

The unemployed formed infectious queues outside unemployment offices as families found that they were in many cases one week away from destitution.

While in Australia the right-wing government raced to follow the spending pattern of the Labor party in the last economic crisis, the erstwhile “leader” of the free market bloc, the USA, began to crumble under its inept leadership.

Nothing will ever be the s a m e after this.

Within the USA the status quo has been exposed as unacceptable in a society which claims

to be ‘democratic.’

Nicolas Davie in “Why Is the U.S. So Exceptionally Vulnerable to Covid-19?” suggests that the huge death rate is due to “The lack of a national, publicly-funded universal health system.”

It is also closely related to “the corruption of our political system by powerful commercial and class interests and the American “exceptionalism” that blinds us to what we can learn from other countries.” [27 March 2020, Common Dreams] Elise Gould, a senior economist at the E c o nomic Policy Institute in Washington, says that the coronavirus crisis has hit so badly because of rising i n e quality in the USA. “…it’s not just about wages.

It’s about health and working conditions and access to health insurance.

All of these things highlight that there’s two different societies in this country.“ [10

The Signs! A message for people to return to the right path Dr Daud Batchelor What is the deep significance of the global conavirus-19 pandemic and its attendant hardship with people sheltering at home? Surely, it is a message from The Almighty.

In 2000, the Australian FAMSY magazine Salam, published my article “Indonesia: Paradise in Waiting,” which highlighted crises facing the People of Pharaoh during Moses’s time (Quran 17:101).

I stressed that multiple crises had also appeared in Indonesia (1997-99) and people should “Take heed” - rampant corruption, economic collapse, dengue epidemics and major environmental impacts.

God sent nine signs warning Pharaoh’s people giving them chances (“if you remove the penalty, we shall truly believe”) but they broke their word “So … We drowned them in the sea, because they rejected Our signs and failed to take warning.”

Severe human rights abuses by the Indonesian army increased during the Achinese civil war until the devastating 2004 Tsunami – worst ever recorded - which killed 230,000 people mostly by drowning.

Many positive changes however followed, foremost being withdrawal of the armed forces from political involvement and transition to a successful democracy … culminating in Indonesia being assessed today as leading in Islamic Well-being (AMUST #173, April 2020).

Al-Quran states unequivocally: “Corruption has appeared on land and sea as an outcome of what men’s hands have earned: so, He will give them a taste of some of their deeds, that they may return (to the right path). (30:41) Multiple signs of corruption have appeared, and represent a divine warning for humanity to resolve these issues promptly.

A global environmental emergency reMAY 2020 / ISSUE 174

flects out-of-control climate change and mass wildlife extinctions.

The US, Australia and Gulf countries are worst culprits for human-induced carbon emissions per capita.

The massive scale of the recent Australian Bushfire catastrophe – 34 lives lost and a billion native animals dead - was largely consequent on climate change forewarned 15 years earlier by the CSIRO (AMUST #171, February 2020).

Hundreds of billions of locusts appeared since January devouring crops and impacting on East Africa, Iran and Pakistan - the worst plague in 25 years.

Decline of family and social values in the West results from pornography, immorality, promiscuity, materialism and individualism seeking self-satisfaction rather than the collective good.

Abuse of power and monetary clout by wealthy elites has led to hijacking of democratic governments.

Globalisation benefits but opens countries to tentacles of powerful agents seeking profits without ethics so threatening future livelihoods from AI and robots.

Leaders need to stand up to protect their own vulnerable citizens.

Many countries and peoples have been devastated – Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Somalia and a hand in Syria - by the US superpower, showing it turned to seeking its own selfish misguided interests.

Resultant refugee crisis is largest since World War II. The COVID-19 Pandemic has brought almost 200,000 deaths, stymied economic activity and changed lifestyles. The virus was spread by global travellers, though job-wise the poor and youth suffer disproportionately.

It is a test for those more able, to help the less fortunate.

The Coronavirus strongly attacked global capitalism’s centre, New York, perhaps a sign of moral turpitude of unrestrained capitalism, not least the promotion of consumptive attitudes at odds with conserving resources and maintaining the natural balance.

Apr 2020, Chris McGreal, Guardian] This inequality in the fake economic prosperity of the USA is hitting Afro-Americans with a vengeance.

“Earlier this week, officials in Chicago, Illinois were among the first to release a racial breakdown of the city’s 6,100 cases.

More than half were African American, despite the group only accounting for 30 percent of the city’s 2.7 million residents.

Seven in 10 patients who died from COVID-19 in the city were African American, officials said.

In New York, the epicentre of the pandemic in the US, the coronavirus is killing African Americans and Hispanics at twice the rate of white people, according to preliminary state data.” [10 April 2020, Coronavirus is disproportionately killing African Americans, Al Jazeera] However the situation in the UK is also bad, despite the hollowed out NHS. As Owen Jones wrote in “We’re about to learn a terrible lesson from coronavirus: inequality kills.”

“The coronavirus pandemic is about to collide with this engine of inequality…………

Britain’s army of precarious workers have nowhere to hide, including from employment that puts their health at risk.

Uber drivers, Deliveroo riders, cleaners: all in low-paid jobs, often with families to feed. Many will feel they have no choice but to keep working.” [14 March 2020, Guardian] Never has Said Nursi’s characterisation of Western society been so apt.

He summarises the major upheavals of the twentieth century, which could also occur in the twenty-first, in two phrases.

“One is “So long as I’m full, what is it to me if others dies of hunger,” and the other, “You struggle and labour so that I can live in ease and comfort.” [Vahide Islam in Modern Turkey page 160] The lesson is that inequality kills.

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

White Cloud On The Move And The Patch Of Blue Fazlul Huq

Farmer’s son trying to chase desert locusts away from their crops in Kenya.

Without restraining consumption in the US and China, environmental destruction is assured.

The pandemic forces many to self-isolate facilitating the wise to reflect on their lives and purpose.

It has a similar role to fasting and itikaf in Ramadan - high spiritual exercises that will benefit Muslims in understanding the reality of these strange times and need for self-purification and reform.

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.

WWW.AMUST.COM.AU

The patch of blue is witnessed to reside inside the body of cloud constantly on the move from right to the left.

Seen in the southern sky beyond the flock of gum trees that remain standing still by the side of the fire trail.

But while the words are being ascribed, The cover of cloud is seen to widen, Wanting to eat away the body of blue trapped within.

Although soon a new patch of blue covered with the mushroom cloud, Is seen to resurface from within the body of cloud.

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.

AUSTRALASIAN MUSLIM TIMES

7

AMUST

BOOMERANG

NEWS 1-4

BOOMERANG 5-9

COMMUNITY 10 - 12

AUSTRALIA 13 - 15

Coronavirus scapegoating in US and India Rabbi Allen Maller The impact of the economic shutdown in the US caused by COVID-19 produced over 10 million American workers applying for unemployment benefits. Economic distress frequently leads some people to look for scapegoats to blame. So it is not surprising that in the last six weeks over a 1,000 Asian-Americans have reported being exposed to incidents of bigotry by being blamed for the Coronavirus pandemic. They were all victims of Coronavirus scapegoating, so are Muslims in India.

The worst case of scapegoating did not even involve Asians at all. A 36 year old man planning to attack a hospital treating coronavirus cases in the US state of Missouri died after a shootout with the FBI. Officials said the man was motivated by racist and anti-government beliefs.

He had considered a range of targets before settling on the hospital because of the current coronavirus outbreak. The FBI said that this man had previously considered attacking a school with a large number of black students, but the school was closed due to the spread of the coronavirus. He then focused on killing Muslims or Jews but, the mosques and synagogues were closed due to the spread of the coronavirus.

So he decided that since all these obstacles were caused by COVID-19 he would punish the virus carrying people in the hospital.

This man is a sad example of a hate-filled person who is a scapegoater because he has many groups that he hates, and no rational reason to hate them except the reasons in his twisted mind.

8

Two weeks before the Indian lockdown began, between 8 March and 10 March, members of the Muslim missionary organization Tablighi Jamaat gathered from across India and Southeast Asia in Delhi for a long-scheduled meeting. Hundreds of these missionaries, then left Delhi to visit villages and towns around India to preach, some of them carrying the coronavirus with them.

Now a slew of fake videos are being shared showing Muslims plotting to spread the coronavirus, including one video allegedly capturing Muslim men intentionally sneezing on others to infect them, and some Hindu nationalist politicians are beginning the public scapegoating Muslim plot process.

Scapegoating refers to the human ten-

AUSTRALASIAN MUSLIM TIMES

dency to blame someone else for one’s own economic, social or personal problems, a process that often comes from feelings of prejudice toward the group that one is blaming.

Scapegoating serves as an opportunity to publicly vent one’s own frustrations, rage and hate, while ignoring one’s own failures or misdeeds and maintaining one’s positive self-image.

It is important for all members of minority groups to realise for themselves and teach others that the victims of hate filled scapegoaters are completely innocent of all responsibility for the problems that the scapegoater has. Do not ever let children fall for the hate virus that claims the victims somehow brought this hatred upon themselves.

WWW.AMUST.COM.AU

Seema Hinduja, a cyberbullying expert from Florida Atlantic University cautions that there will likely be an increase in cyberbullying and scapegoating among youth.

“When smart phones and social media became ubiquitous for students, cyber-bullying rates went up. In the midst of major crises where everyone is already on edge, scapegoating hostility toward others tends to escalate. Some of it will be mild, and some of it will be severe.”

The Coronavirus pandemic may be novel, but Jews have had a long and tragic history of being accused of spreading deadly viruses. During the Black Death which started in 1348, hundreds of Jewish communities in Western Europe were attacked, despite the intervention of Pope Clement VI, who pointed out that Jews were dying from the plague just like everyone else. Needless to say, all that Jewish blood did nothing to stop the plague As the plague swept across Europe, killing one third to one half the population, people had no scientific understanding of the disease and were looking for an explanation.

Jews were often taken as scapegoats and accusations spread that Jews, in league with the Devil, had caused the disease by deliberately poisoning wells.

Nothing like this happened in the Arab or Muslim world although the bubonic plague swept through it as well.

Allen S Maller is an ordained Reform Rabbi who retired in 2006 after 39 years as the Rabbi of Temple Akiba in Culver City, California. His web site is: www.rabbimaller. com. Rabbi Maller blogs in the Times of Israel. His book ‘Judaism and Islam as Synergistic Monotheisms: A Reform Rabbi’s Reflections on the Profound Connectedness of Islam and Judaism’ (31 articles previously published by Islamic web sites) is for sale ($15) on Amazon.

ISSUE 174 / MAY 2020

CENTREFOLD 16 - 17

LIFESTYLE 18 - 23

UMMAH 24 - 25

EDUCATION 26 - 28

COMMUNITY

SOCIAL 29 - 31

The importance of storytelling during lockdown

AMUST

THE GIFT OF STORYTELLING Mitch Ditkoff “It has been said that next to hunger and thirst our most basic human need is for storytelling.” – Kahlil Gibran While it’s true that the Coronavirus has brought some dark clouds into the lives of millions of people, each of those dark clouds also has a silver lining. And one of those silver linings is the undeniable fact that families now have more time to be together.

For some families, however, this extra time is good news/bad news. Theoretically speaking, having more time to be together sounds great. But practically speaking, it doesn’t always turn out that way.

Confined to a small space, with few breaks from each other, and the stresses that come from so many unknowns, it’s not uncommon for family members to get impatient

with each other or simply space out on TV, Netflix, and video games.

Is there an antidote to this phenomenon?

Yes, there is – and it’s thousands of years old – storytelling!

If you are a parent, one of your biggest responsibilities is to protect your children from harm. In many ways, of course, you are already doing this. (Hand sanitizers! Social distancing! Masks!). But physical health is only part of your job. The other part is to protect your children’s metaphysical health – their state of mind.

That’s where storytelling comes in.

Family storytelling (aka Wisdom Circles) has many benefits: it strengthens relationships, provides comfort, defuses anxiety, builds trust, entertains, imparts values, transmits wisdom, and gives everyone in your family a voice – especially the children.

That’s why I’m inviting you to create

COVID-19: Think globally, act locally Janelle Di Falco As we have entered into a worldwide pandemic due to Coronavirus disease, by looking through the lenses of Islam, we begin to uncover why the disease might have begun.

Starting in Wuhan one of China’s Provinces, conducted illegal transactions of wild animals. This includes killing the animals and trading them to different parts of China.

From an Islamic point of view, animals are the creations of Allah, just as humans are. It is forbidden to kill them, and keeping them alive is part of the worship of God. It is important to note, that we are referring to endangered species that must remain protected to maintain the balanced ecosystems.

From day one, God has created humans as a vicegerent on Earth (Khalifah fi al-ard) who carry out the mandate and is responsible for the prosperity of all creatures.

Interestingly, humans must protect and preserve the balanced ecosystem so as to not cause damage.

God says in the Qur’an: “There is not an animal that lives on the Earth nor a being that flies on its wings, but forms part of communities like you. Nothing have we omitted from the book, and they all shall be gathered to their Lord in the end.” (Qur’an 6:38) If we look back at China and for how many years illegal trade has been going on for, there comes a time where God shows the people something dramatic as a result of the crime that they do.

Reflecting on the people of Thamud, the tribe during the Prophet Salih (a), had become rebellious, Godless and arrogant.

Due to the constant rebellion and evil crimes that they regularly were involved in, allowed God to make the Earth, water and sky to also rebel against them.

It is unfortunate of the situation at hand, MAY 2020 / ISSUE 174

yet a powerful reminder to all of humanity of the responsibility us humans have on this Earth. Due to what has occurred globally around the world, we must protect and maintain the communities we live in and appreciate the blessings God has already given us.

In a hadith, the tradition of the Prophet Muhammad (s) has mentioned that “Jarir Ibn Abdullah (r) said: the Prophet (s) said: ‘Love every creature on Earth, and you shall be loved by God in heavens.”

The hadith asserts the instruction to care for creatures on Earth, including animals.

On the other hand, reflecting back on the origin of the disease in China, they have disrupted the balance that God has created.

God says: “Thus, we have made you a justly balanced community that you will be witnesses over the people and the messenger will be a witness over you.” (Qur’an, 2:143) When something is taken out of the balance as what happened with the endangered species in China, they are at risk of becoming extinct.

The habitats of these environments have been interrupted which then alters that ecological balance.

This event that will never be forgotten should make us never forget the oneness of God, and the worshipping of God as we never know when the day of judgement will come.

Stay safe, look after the environment in which we live in, wash hands and let’s help stop the Corona Virus disease spread.

“It is he who has made you his agents, inheritors of the Earth: he has raised you in ranks, some above others: that he may try you in the gifts he has given you: for thy Lord is quick in punishment: yet he is indeed oft-forgiving, most merciful.” (Qur’an, 6:165) Be patient, for this will pass.

Janelle Di Falco is a Bachelor/Honors Degree Graduate of Islamic Studies. She is in her final year of completing her Masters in Teaching. Janelle is also an Academic writer in Contemporary Islamic issues. She is based in Melbourne, Australia.

some special “storytelling time” with your family. But instead of merely reading stories from a book, I’m inviting you and your family to tell stories from your own lives. Memorable moments. Obstacles overcomes. Lessons learned. Cool experiences. You know, the good stuff.

Simply put, a Family Wisdom Circle is a chance for you and your loved ones to unplug from the world and simply BE together — no news, no video games, no TV, no internet, no bills, no dishes, no worries, no problems, no viruses — just sacred time, in each other’s company, to share from the heart.

Here’s what Tanya Kubitza, a Whittlesea resident, had to say about a Family Wisdom Circle she recently had in her home. Interested? If so, here are ten guidelines to make sure that your family Wisdom Circle is as good as possible.

1. Create a cozy space to meet, ideally in a circle.

2. Light some candles to create the meet-

ing-around-the-fire feeling 3. Decide on who plays the role of “facilitator.”

4. Let everyone know that storytelling is voluntary. No pressure!

5. Each storyteller gets five minutes to tell their story.

6. When people aren’t telling a story, their task is to listen.

7. Turn off the TV, cell phones, and devices.

8. At the end of each story, have a conversation — unpack it.

9. Cookies! Popcorn! Tea! Juice! Marshmellows!

10. At the end of the circle, ask your children to suggest topics for next time.

Mitch Ditkoff, is the President of Idea Champions, the Founder of Wisdom Circles, and the author of two books on the power of personal storytelling, Storytelling for the Revolution and Storytelling at Work. CONTACT: mditkoff@alsiraat.vic.edu.au

Ramadan Mubarak During these difficult times, I want to send my best wishes to everyone celebrating Ramadan.

I hope this month brings you peace, happines and prosperity.

Mark Dreyfus MP QC Shadow Attorney General Shadow Minister for Constitutional Reform Member for Isaacs Phone: 03 9580 4651 Email: mark.dreyfus.mp@aph.gov.au

WWW.AMUST.COM.AU

AUSTRALASIAN MUSLIM TIMES

9

AMUST

COMMUNITY

NEWS 1-4

BOOMERANG 5-9

COMMUNITY 10 - 12

AUSTRALIA 13 - 15

Simple steps to help stop the spread.

Cough or sneeze into your arm

Use a tissue

Bin the tissue

Wash your hands

Together we can help stop the spread and stay healthy.

For more information about Coronavirus (COVID-19) visit health.gov.au Authorised by the Australian Government, Canberra

10

AUSTRALASIAN MUSLIM TIMES

WWW.AMUST.COM.AU

ISSUE 174 / MAY 2020

CENTREFOLD 16 - 17

LIFESTYLE 18 - 23

UMMAH 24 - 25

EDUCATION 26 - 28

COMMUNITY

SOCIAL 29 - 31

AMUST

Saadath Sultana Hussain A lady ahead of her time Manarul Islam On Thursday afternoon 2 April, I came to know that Saadath Sultana Hussain, who I have had the pleasure and honour of calling Aunty for most of my life, passed away into the hereafter, aged 84, to be with her Maker (Al-Khaliq) and her beloved husband, Kazim Hussain, who had passed away in June last year.

This piece, whilst it cannot do her the justice she deserves, is to try to capture and share, shortly after her passing, a glimpse into her life and contribution with those who did not know her or, as I have learnt myself, didn’t know her enough.

I thank those who have provided me with their insights, including our families and friends, for this article.

Sultana Aunty, as those of my generation knew her, loved and was loved dearly.

She was born on 10 October 1935 in the famed city of Hyderabad, India, famous for its cuisine which, as I can attest, was demonstrated at every visit to the house of the Hussain’s!

The third child of five siblings, Sultana’s parents were Begum Fatema Sultana and MD Rahimullah, a Judge Advocate General and lawyer by profession. Unfortunately, her father died suddenly of a heart attack when she was just 12 years old, leaving her mother with the responsibility of raising and educating five young children. Given the circumstances, Sultana was able to complete her 10th class matriculation exams at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU).

In March 1955, Sultana married Kazim Hussain, her to-be life partner for almost 65 years. He was a Science graduate and held a Master’s in Physics from Osmania University, working as a scientific officer at the Government of India Laboratory, lecturer at medical colleges and as a physicist at the Cancer Hospital in Hyderabad.

They then, together with their four children, Zaki, Safinaz, Azra and Fahmi, all aged under five at the time, travelled to Africa in 1961 where Kazim pursued his career as a pioneering educator. Their fifth and last child, Gazi, was born in Nigeria.

As a mother, she put her five children first, taught them the value of hard work, independent religious commitment, and being active members of the community. During this time, she also took care of her mother-in-law. She led by example on how to undertake challenges in all walks of life and the importance of remembering Allah in all they did.

But it wasn’t just about supporting her husband and looking after her family.

Sultana was also an entrepreneur and despite not having any formal qualifications in business, she set up one of the first Indian restaurants in Zambia, which she managed for over four years, ran food stalls at agricultural shows, catered for events and developed a menu which was a unique blend of Indian food that catered for the local Zambian taste.

Indicative of her independence and self-reliance, at a time when Indian wives did not drive almost as a rule, she obtained her driver’s licence.

From the early 1960’s, Sultana and her husband brought the South Asian Muslim families together holding functions, dinners and religious gatherings, all the while ensuring that her children were involved and learnt how to deal with people from all walks of life. Her parties and functions which included arranging weddings, birthMAY 2020 / ISSUE 174

Saadath Sultana Hussain.

days, and Eid functions set the benchmark that to this day are followed by those communities. And she did this without event planners, facilities and rulebooks – a true trailblazer.

She became a trendsetter and a community leader. She supported her husband in his critical community work to set up foundational Islamic institutions, including the establishment of the first major mosque in Kitwe, Zambia in 1970.

This continued after their family’s move to Australia in 1973. Temporarily residing in Maroubra, Maribyrnong in Melbourne and Green Valley, before settling in 1974 in Bass Hill, an address well known by the fledgling but growing South Asian and Muslim communities at the time.

Our family, Mrs Jamal Ara Ahmad, Dr Ashfaq Ahmad and their children, who had settled in Sydney in 1971, became fast friends with the Hussain’s and my mother, Jamal Ara, was a constant companion of Sultana for many, many years.

As children, we would visit each other’s houses and embark on long road trips constantly, enjoying each other’s hospitality and company.

Our two families, with much support from others in the community, were heavily involved in the establishment of key Australian Islamic institutions.

Sultana continued to support her husband in his activities with the Islamic Council of NSW and Australian Federation of Islamic Councils (AFIC). She understood the importance of this work, as it was key to cementing the Islamic foundation for not only her children but Muslims new to Australia.

She heavily supported the hospitality aspect of the pioneering Muslim Youth Camps, from where many Australian community leaders emerged. This included designing and stitching a unique branded prayer hijab for girl participants and operating the kitchen that catered for meals for Muslim youth, a role she committed to for over 12 years.

Amid all this she also managed a catering and take-away business in Bass Hill!

In 1982, the family moved to Normanhurst, in the northwest of Sydney where they lived until very recently.

Her ability to adapt to changing circumstances was her strength, she accepted every challenge and actively encouraged all her children to play key roles in various community organisations, the results of which are apparent in the projects undertaken by the extended family to this day.

During the last few years, I have had the pleasure of reconnecting with Sultana Aunty a few times, especially through her visits to Canberra where her two daughters live.

Even in her delicate old age, she immediately brought joy to me personally and we would talk about the old times as friends, even though I was a child in those days.

Her infectious laughter, mischievous look and cheeky jokes brought out the child in all of us.

I have photos of the last time I saw her at Canberra Hospital with her daughter, Azra and my wife, Sumaiya – all of us grinning from ear to ear after she had made some remarks about my childhood. It is a private,

joyous yet, now, poignant moment that I will treasure forever.

Those who know her, genuinely and fondly recount stories of the support and advice she offered and of course mention how they were drawn to her magnetic personality.

They remember her for her loving, joyous nature and for how she joked with them regardless of who they were; they felt an instant attraction to her. She was always welcoming of all regardless of their background or ethnicity and on reflection she encapsulated the essence of being empathetic, compassionate and a believer in being inclusive and multicultural.

To us and to countless others be they relatives, friends or just acquaintances, she was a mother figure who touched people leaving them feeling happy and very special.

She leaves behind her five children; her sons- and daughters-in-law: Syed Raziuddin, Suhail, Rabiah, Ameena and Souha; 11 grandchildren: Farah, Saba, Ayesha, Sharaf, Sama, Aziza, Zareen, Sabreen, Adam, Aleeya and Zaid; and two great-grandchildren: Danyal and Amira. A family who lost their father, grandfather, great-grandfather last year and now their much-loved mother, grandmother and great-grandmother.

May Allah bless her, forgive any mistakes she may have made and give her loved ones the strength to persevere, remember her fondly, pray for her and continue to learn from the life she lived and loved. Ameen.

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

RAMADAN KAREEM To all Muslims around Australia, I wish you a peaceful and blessed Holy Month.

Ramadan Kareem ‫رمضان كريم‬ annealy.com Anne Aly anne.aly.mp@aph.gov.au

ANNE ALY MP LABOR MEMBER FOR COWAN

Authorised by A Aly, Shop 3, 168 Wanneroo Road, Madeley WA 6065. Australian Labor Party.

WWW.AMUST.COM.AU

AUSTRALASIAN MUSLIM TIMES

11

AMUST

COMMUNITY

HoS helps families with food hampers

AMUST Media On Tuesday 14 April, 10 amazing volunteers took the time out of their day to help House of Sakinah organise and pack food hampers.

Over the course of 8 hours they were able to provide 40+ families with essential groceries to provide support during these extremely tough times.

House of Sakinah gives thanks to Food Bank NSW for supporting them in this initiative.

House of Sakinah would like to especially thank the young volunteers for giving their time. It was heartening to see such dedication to support those in need.

If anyone is interested in taking part in future initiatives like this. Feel free to reach out to House of Sakinah through their facebook page at fb.com/HoSHouseofSakinah.

(Courtesy of House of Sakinah)

NEWS 1-4

BOOMERANG 5-9

COMMUNITY 10 - 12

AUSTRALIA 13 - 15

Register for Australian Muslim Artists 2020 Mei Nee Cheong Registrations are now open for the Islamic Museum of Australia’s Australian Muslim Artists 2020 exhibition, featuring a major prize sponsored by La Trobe University.

Held annually, the exhibition is an opportunity for emerging and established artists to showcase their work in a professional gallery setting.

Islamic Museum of Australia’s Founder, Moustafa Fahour OAM said he was looking forward to seeing the quality of work exhibited in 2020, following the introduction of an Art Prize in 2019 sponsored by La Trobe.

“We’re pleased to partner with La Trobe University again in 2020 as we did last year. They truly share the same values as the Museum around strengthening cultural awareness through education, research and the arts,” said Mr Fahour.

“Their support enables us to offer a $15,000 acquisitive art prize. The quality of work on display last year was certainly reflective of the revamped model for the exhibition and we expect 2020 will also be of a very high standard. Once again, we also look forward to seeing artists from all over the country submit their work for consideration,” Mr Farhour said.

La Trobe University Vice-Chancellor Professor John Dewar AO said the University was proud once again to partner with a museum that has such cultural significance to its own and the wider community.

“Our commitment as a major sponsor of the Australian Muslim Artists 2020 exhibition and prize reinforces our dedication to

transforming lives through education and connecting with diverse communities,” Professor Dewar said.

Last year’s AMA Art Prize was awarded to Sydney based Abdul Abdullah. As part of the prize, his exhibited work, You can call me troublesome, was acquired by La Trobe University and is now part of its art collection.

Registrations for Australian Muslim Artists are open now until 30 June 2020. The Art Prize winner will be announced at the exhibition’s official opening in August. Artists can learn more details and register online.

The Islamic Museum of Australia is located in Thornbury, in Melbourne’s north. It is

the only Islamic museum in the country and provides educational and cross-cultural experiences for all ages.

The Museum’s normal trading hours are 10am – 4pm, Monday to Saturday. The Museum is temporarily closed to the public due to the Covid-19 challenges and encourages guests to visit online at www.islamicmuseum.org.au Mei Nee Cheong is a marketing professional who has worked across the arts, arts education and travel. She is currently the Media and Marketing Manager at the Islamic Museum of Australia and is based in Melbourne, Australia.

I hope you all have a safe month of blessings and peaceful reflection and a lovely Eid-ul-Fitr with loved ones in these difficult times

MehreenFaruqi.org.au | fb.me/MehreenFaruqi Senator.Faruqi@aph.gov.au | 02 9211 1500 Authorised Mehreen Faruqi, The Greens, Parliament House, Canberra 2600

12

AUSTRALASIAN MUSLIM TIMES

WWW.AMUST.COM.AU

ISSUE 174 / MAY 2020

CENTREFOLD 16 - 17

LIFESTYLE 18 - 23

UMMAH 24 - 25

EDUCATION 26 - 28

AUSTRALIA

SOCIAL 29 - 31

AMUST

Australia remembers from home with historic Anzac Day service AMUST Media Australians across the country gathered in their homes on Saturday 25 April morning to commemorate Anzac Day 2020, with the Australian War Memorial’s special commemorative service broadcast to the nation.

While the traditional Dawn Service, National Ceremony and veterans’ march did not take place this year, a nationally-televised ceremony was held in the Commemorative Area and Hall of Memory of the Memorial from 5.30 am today. The commemorative service included a moving address from the Prime Minister of Australia, the Hon. Scott Morrison MP, a didgeridoo player and a small catafalque party.

Mr Matt Anderson, Director of the Australian War Memorial, said it was important to give Australians the opportunity to pause safely in their homes and reflect on the service and sacrifices of our defence forces, both past and present.

“In a time of profound change in our lives, we need to embrace some constants. Honouring the ANZACs is something we have Seaman Lynton Robbins, Royal Australian Navy, plays the didgeridoo during Anzac Day Commemorative Service at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, Saturday, April 25, 2020.

done every year, and we are richer for it,” Mr Anderson said.

“On the battlefield at Pozieres in 1916, a mortally wounded Australian asked Australia’s official war correspondent, Charles Bean, ‘Will they remember me in Australia?’ Will they remember me at home? This year, as every year, at home we will remember.

“This year marks the 105th anniversary of Gallipoli landing. More than a century has passed since the first Australians came ashore at Anzac Cove, yet we are so closely connected to them through a long line of servicemen and servicewomen who have followed. The legacy of those who served Australia in the past is carried on by those who continue to serve today,” he said.

Mr Anderson said that while Anzac Day 2020 is in many ways different to recent years, this year’s service was something of a return to early commemorations at the Memorial.

“The first Anzac Day ceremony held at the Memorial was in 1942, with restrictions over large gatherings due to the war. It was a small ceremony held in the Commemorative Area, which had yet to record the 102,000 names in bronze installed along what is now the Roll of Honour,” he said.

“The service held this morning and the grassroots movements to mark Anzac Day across the country – and around the world – demonstrate the resilience and determination of Australians to commemorate despite the challenges we’re facing this year. The fact that Australians chose their own ways to honour our ANZACs, past and present has, I think, added new meaning to the day.

“I would also like to acknowledge the incredible efforts of Memorial staff, and the ABC, to deliver the Anzac Day Commemorative Service. Under unique circumstances, the team has worked with great professionalism to ensure the Australian War Memorial is where it should be; at the centre of the nation’s official commemoration of active service.”

Meanwhile, the Department of Veterans’ Affairs is also encouraging Australians to join together by individually commemorating with a personal reflection at 11.30 am AEST – 4.30 am in Gallipoli – a time that broadly represents the landings at Gallipoli at dawn on 25 April 1915.

ABC and the Department of Veterans’ Affairs have produced a video and audio personal reflection piece, to help Australians

Ramadan message from Chris Hayes MP Chris Hayes MP As the beginning of Ramadan approaches, I extend my warmest wishes to Australian Muslims observing the Holy Month of Ramadan.

The sighting of the moon marks the beginning of this most sacred month in the Islamic calendar, with Muslims right around the world, coming together to commemorate the revelation of the Holy Quran to the Prophet Muhammad.

Ramadan is a time of fasting, prayer and charity, a time for remembering the less fortunate and a time for personal reflection and renewal. The principles of Ramadan support our way of life and are a timely reminder of the values we all share, including: kindness; honesty; compassion and the love of family.

MAY 2020 / ISSUE 174

Ramadan reminds us of the important contribution that Australian Muslims have made to our nation. I am proud of our Australian story, of modern Multicultural Australia and this is something for all of us to celebrate.

Normally, Ramadan is a time of social interaction, enjoying iftar with family, friends and the wider community and also being a great opportunity for inter-faith discussion, However, the unprecedented situation brought about by the Coronavirus pandemic, will mean that Ramadan will be observed very differently this year and will no doubt be an immensely challenging time for Australian Muslims.

To all Australian Muslims, I ask that your prayers be for peace, health and the wellbeing of our community, particularly in these difficult times. Ramadan Mubarak.

with their personal reflection at 11.30am.

This consists of the Ode, a minute’s silence and the Last Post.

A pre-recorded Last Post Ceremony was posted to the Memorial’s digital platforms at 4.55 pm. The ceremony featured the story of Private Thomas Anderson Whyte of the 10th Battalion AIF — who was killed during the landing at Gallipoli in 1915 — read by Ser-

geant Shelby Powell of the Royal Australian Air Force.

A range of content developed by the Memorial to encourage people to commemorate Anzac Day from home is available online at: www.awm.gov.au/Anzacathome/ Anzactv. AAP Images/Courtesy of the Australian War Memorial, Sean Davey).

Anzac Day Commemorative Service at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, Saturday, April 25, 2020.

THE AUSTRALIAN GREENS WISH YOU A SAFE AND BLESSED RAMADAN

May you have a Ramadan full of devotion & meaning.

Rama dan M ubarak

Mr Chris Hayes MP is the Federal Member for the NSW seat of Fowler and Chief Opposition Whip.

WWW.AMUST.COM.AU

ADAM BANDT

JANET RICE

Greens Leader

Senator for VIC

Authorised by J McColl, Australian Greens, Canberra ACT 2600

AUSTRALASIAN MUSLIM TIMES

13

AMUST

AUSTRALIA

NEWS 1-4

BOOMERANG 5-9

COMMUNITY 10 - 12

AUSTRALIA 13 - 15

Hate being stuck at home? Play Theatre Games Philip Feinstein Are you stranded inside your home because of the CORONA VIRUS pandemic? Tired of too much television? Visiting the fridge too often? Kids are stressed?

Here is a fabulous solution for both adults and kids: It’s called Theatre Games. This will amuse you and your kids, give you lots of laughs, and believe it or not, will even educate you with another skill.

Give it a try . . . .

Many of the games can even be played over the phone. And some can even be played solo, by yourself.

What are Theatre Games?

It is a type of acting where there are no rehearsals, no experience needed, and no hard and fast rules. In fact, there is only one rule: You must accept what the player before you said.

For example, if I said “There is a lion in the tree”, you must accept that. You might then say “I never knew that lions climb trees”, or “I’m frightened – let’s run away”, or “That’s my pet lion”. And

then, whatever you say, must be accepted by the next player.

So, to summarise, you must never contradict or block what the previous player has said.

In Theatre Games there are a variety of different levels, some easy and some more complicated. But all fun!

It’s good to start with a special warm-up game called “Yes and . . . ” After one player says something, the next player continues the same story by starting with the words “Yes and . . . .”

Example: “ I had a dream last night that I would win a lot of money” Next player: “Yes and I thought I would use the money to buy a camel to ride in the desert” Then: “Yes and because I had ridden horses before so I thought it would be easy” Then: “Yes and I rode off with others following me” Then “Yes and . . . . .

And just keep going until the story has a nice or funny ending.

Now you’re in the mood to start . . . .

A golden rule is that players do NOT discuss beforehand what they will be doing or saying. As soon as one player starts, the other player(s) accept what was said, and join in the scene that was set by the first player.

“... there

is only one rule: You must accept what the player before you said.

“

ADVERTISEMENT

Here are some sample games that we played in my home: https://youtu.be/q0JQMTHkOdo By the way, all the players agreed for this video to be shown.

Below is a link to the PDF with over 50 games, starting with easy ones, then medium, and then challenging ones. Give it a go - they can be very funny. https://tinyurl.com/theatregames The names of some of the games are . . .

I AM A TREE; SHOPPING LIST; SPEAKING AS ONE; WALKING PUPPETS; FREEZE TAG; ONE WORD AT A TIME; FORTUNATLEY/UNFORTUNATLEY; AL-

PHABET IMPRO; STANDING, SITTING, LYING DOWN; HALVE THE TIME; I LOVE YOU; QUESTION GAME; STATUES; RECIPE GENRE BOOK; SPACE JUMP; NUMBER OF WORDS IN A SENTENCE; KNOCK – KNOCK; MUSICAL; POEM; CHANGE THE TV CHANNEL; RAP SCENE; TWO LINES EACH; TYPEWRITER STORY; ENDOWMENT GAMES And if you want any help, email me on philip@musicforrefugees.org Philip Feinstein is a Sydney based writer, musician and activist working for MUSIC FOR REFUGEES www.musicforrefugees.org

ADVERTISEMENT

Wishing you and your family a blessed Ramadan Gladys Berejiklian MP Premier of New South Wales

Authorised by Chris Stone, Liberal Party of Australia, NSW Division, Level 12, 100 William Street, East Sydney NSW 2011.

14

AUSTRALASIAN MUSLIM TIMES

WWW.AMUST.COM.AU

ISSUE 174 / MAY 2020

CENTREFOLD 16 - 17

LIFESTYLE 18 - 23

UMMAH 24 - 25

EDUCATION 26 - 28

AUSTRALIA

SOCIAL 29 - 31

AMUST

Recipes for Ramadan

A virtual iftar invitation to cook and eat together Jane Jeffes Food is about People and Places. Culture and Identity. Memory and inheritance. Who we are.

Where we came from.

What we love to share.

It transports us to other places and other worlds, or back in time to remind us of people and places we love.

Food is a special way to explore the world, exchange ideas, talk long into the night and make new acquaintances and lifelong friends.

We can dig deeper into our own world, discover more about the way our older relatives lived and cherish memories from childhood or we can discover something of someone else’s world. When we cook for others or we try their recipes, we give something of ourselves and get a taste of their world, all without leaving our own home.

Recipes for Ramadan – family recipes, stories photos and videos – aims to celebrate the diversity of Australian-Muslim heritage and culture explored through food. And against Grand Mufti of Australia Dr Ibrahim Abu Mohamed has a secret Ramadan soup recipe.

MAY 2020 / ISSUE 174

the background of COVID-19, it is an invitation to a virtual iftar to break the fast, share food and stories and gather around a virtual table. It needs hosts and cooks and guests, interested, engaged and if not exactly taking away a doggy-bag, taking away recipes and a #stayathome gift of friendship.

In the short weeks since Australia imposed stay at home regulations and community and extended family iftars were cancelled, Amity College, Unity Grammar, Together For Humanity, Gaza Children’s Fund, AMUST, Hazen Agency and I have collaborated to make this virtual iftar project a reality. Please join us.

After the first Date The world over, Muslims break their Ramadan fast with a date. But the meal on the table is very different if you come from Pakistan or Palestine, Syria or Somalia, Morocco or Malaysia, Iraq or Indonesia, Egypt or Eritrea, Bosnia or Bangladesh, Lebanon or Libya… The history is different. The inheritance and baggage we all bring with us is different.

Our culinary culture is different. Meals may be eaten with your fingers, or with bread, or chopsticks, a spoon, or a fork. Our family stories, conversations and concerns are also different.….

We hope Recipes for Ramadan, sharing recipes and stories of people and places, is an authentic way to invite others into the lives, homes, traditions and beliefs of Muslims from diverse geographic, racial and cultural backgrounds to share food, and personal and social history and culture, and the conversations and concerns which reflect ‘the lands from which we come’. And sometimes, in a 2020 context in Australia and beyond, how

the culture in the kitchen and at the table is changing too.

Over recent years, public interest in food and its origins has grown. So too awareness of Ramadan. With more than 50% of Australians born overseas or having one or more parents born overseas and 30% of us first generation Australians born overseas, the culture, stories, traditions and food traditions we bring are all integral to Australia’s rich cultural tapestry and something to be celebrated and shared.

Since AMUST announced this project on Friday 17 April, many people have expressed enthusiasm to contribute and to break their fast with other people’s Iftar recipes; numerous non-Muslims have said they would like to cook these recipes to acknowledge Ramadan and the Muslim community; all are keen to discover the flavours, scents, stories and personalities in others’ kitchens. My own family hopes to try lots of new recipes to get acquainted with people and places they haven’t yet had the privilege to get to know.

The first recipes were published on the website and by AMUST on Friday 24 April for the start of Ramadan. Please join us to celebrate and pay tribute to your own family history, traditions and food. To contribute, visit www.RecipesForRamadan.com.

To discover recipes, meet new people, hear their stories, share their past, follow RecipesFor Ramadan on Instagram and Facebook.

Share posts and invite family, friends, colleagues and students to visit, try recipes, meet new people and new places through food, and learn a little more about the ways Ramadan is experienced. Extend an invitation to a virtual Iftar and encourage everyone to enjoy and

WWW.AMUST.COM.AU

share what they find.

For further information about future plans, partner opportunities, intercultural initiatives and sponsorship opportunities, please contact jane@RecipesForRamadan.com Jane Jeffes is a producer and director and former head of ABC Religion & Ethics. A UK-Australian dual national she is based in Sydney, Australia.

AUSTRALASIAN MUSLIM TIMES

15

AMUST

CENTREFOLD

NEWS 1-4

BOOMERANG 5-9

COMMUNITY 10 - 12

AUSTRALIA 13 - 15

Tripoli’s king of food After the first date, a sp Salima Hawli Karolia Lebanese Stuffed Grape Leaves is my alltime favourite dish that I grew up eating and grew up helping my mum make! And it’s one of the things I would choose to serve as part of our virtual iftar. In Arabic, we call it “warak enab” which means leaves of grapes, and traditionally it’s stuffed with rice and meat or rice and veggies. The version I make comes from my family hometown, the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli, the country’s second largest city after Beirut.

Traditionally known as dolma, stuffed vegetables are a prized food from the Balkans to Central Asia and whilst every nation claims it as its own, I am sharing the Lebanese version that we refer to as ‘the King of Food’, made by my mum, her mum and many, many earlier generations of my family.

My parents came to Australia in 1970 as migrants and remained when civil war tore apart their homeland. They gave us many things we cherished including our prized traditional dishes. This dish was the food of celebration, served at only very special occasions; weddings, family arriving from overseas, pilgrims returning from hajj, special guests for a Ramadan iftar and of course the Eid celebration marking the end of the fasting month. Lebanon being a multifaith nation, warak enab was also a prized dish at Christmas, Orthodox Easter and the many feast days of the saints.

Growing up in Bankstown, Sydney, I, like most other young Lebanese girls, for years sat with the older ladies helping with the preparation, listening to stories of their childhoods. So this dish was also a journey into the history of my heritage and at 15, when you were finally invited to cook the dish, it was like a rite of passage, a sign that you had grown from a girl to a young woman.

My mum hails from the old Tripoli suburb of Abu Samra, an area used previously as a naval centre for the ancient Phoenicians and Greeks, a fort by the Arabs and the Crusader forces of the Knights Hospitalier with the Citadel of Raymond de Saint-Gilles in its shadow. My great grandmother gave her an old stone from that ancient land that was traditionally placed on top of the dish as it cooked. I still use that same stone, passed down to me from my mum as it was passed to her from h e r m u m a n d from many previous generations.

It has witnessed a great history from the ancient Phoenicians to my home in suburban Sydney and is an indelible link to my heritage.

I look forward to someday passing this stone on to my daughter, Sarah.

The recipe can be found at www.RecipesForRamadan.com. Eat with your hands and enjoy.

Salima Hawli Karolia is a mother of four and retail fashion manager. She has a background in marketing and is passionate about social justice/human rights and volunteer work.

Virtual iftar with the Dibs Jihad Dib The spirit, sounds and smells of Ramadan are easier to experience than to describe.

Through the month of Ramadan, the beautifully melodic recitation of the holy Quran is heard much more often. When physical distancing and social isolation is not an issue, homes are filled with family and extended friends and neighbours (including non-Muslims) as guests for the breaking of the fast (Iftar). It’s one of those things about Ramadan, in addition to the spiritual element, there is an enormous focus on socialisation and charity.

Years ago, few people knew what Ramadan was. There was a general understanding that Muslims didn’t eat or drink during the day. I was embarrassed as a kid having to explain to my schoolmates why I wasn’t eating or drinking at recess and lunch. How times change; today, Ramadan is better understood for what it is, a spiritual time that brings communities together with a focus on charity. Today, I don’t find myself having to explain Ramadan and the many messages of support, solidarity and unity I receive from non-Muslim friends lifts my spirits in-

credibly. Regardless of our faiths, messages of support highlight the strength there is in a shared respect and understanding for one another and the things individuals believe in.

My wife, Erin, was born in Perth to New Zealand parents. We met at university during one of our education lectures. Ramadan is incredibly special to both of us. We love cooking together as a family and where possible, inviting as many people as we can to our home. We live the spirit of Ramadan and instil that into our children. Erin has learned about Islam, Arabic and even my Mum’s cooking over the years. During Ramadan, Erin is our rock when we struggle, she is up early for pre-dawn breakfast, cooks most meals, is motivated to decorate and volunteer, leads us in making sure we adhere to the customs and always reminds us of the purpose of the month.

We love the idea of a virtual iftar and decided to share our recipes for Tomato Noodle Soup, Lebanese Style Rice, Dumplings in Goat Yoghurt (Shish Barak), Treet (also known as Meat Fatteh), Fattoush and Lebanese Pancakes (Atayef). Apart from Fattoush, for my family these dishes are all particularly associated with Ramadan. My mum taught us the recipes. She has her own measurement system developed over the years which makes it pretty stressful for us trying to replicate the meal but we hope whether you are Muslim or non-Muslim, you’ll give them a try. Join us virtually by checking out the video we had fun making of our home iftar. Find it at the website www.

RecipesForRamadan.com.

Ramadan Mubarak from our family to yours.

Jihad Dib is NSW Member for Lakemba, Shadow Minister for Skills and TAFE, Youth and Juvenile Justice, and Shadow Minister Assisting on Multiculturalism.

16

AUSTRALASIAN MUSLIM TIMES

Jane Jeffes I’ve been thinking about Recipes for Ramadan for a long time. Maybe since I first travelled to India as a student and my eyes were opened to many things including the relationship between food and culture and faith and geography and history.

It seemed then, as now, that so often the most intimate way to get to know someone was over food, sitting together and sharing stories. I worked regularly in India for a while and imagined if we moved from London, it would be to India. Instead it was Sydney.

Would Australia offer the same rich adventure? I wasn’t sure but having spent most of my working life in broadcasting and celebrating the diversity of a modern multicultural democracy, I was drawn to do the same here.

The first short film I made was for the Red Cross and NSW Law Week. Called Izeta’s Story, it told the story of Izeta and Fahir separated for three years during the war in the former Yuogslavia, Izeta with their youngest son, Fahir with their oldest boy.

It was harrowing and an honour that they shared it with me while we drank thick Bosnian coffee and ate Izeta’s homemade baclava in their new home in Western Sydney.

A special bond remains – and still nobody makes baclava like Izeta.

Later, making a feature length documentary called Silma’s School, I was privileged to spend the best part of a year with the teachers, Harira Ramadan Soup (Serves 6) I found this hearty chickpea and lentil soup in a book I bought years ago called Sacred Food – cooking for spiritual nourishment. It comes from Morocco not Egypt but from memory is similar. Close your eyes, breathe in the scent and imagine people breaking their fast in Marrakech, stopping at one of the special harira stalls set up in the marketplace as the sun goes down.

It’s incredibly simple and my family

students a n d c o m munity at Noor al Houda in the Sydney suburb of Strathfield. It was there, at HSC time, that I experienced my first Ramadan, my first Iftar dinner, my first fattoush and the best hummus.

Since then, I’ve made many Muslim friends, some long standing, some more fleeting, and I’ve been lucky to be invited to many iftar dinners, big can’t get enough.

Ingredients: • 1 cup / 250g chickpeas, soaked overnight, rinsed and drained* • 8 cups / 2 litres unsalted chicken or lamb broth or vegetable stock • 1/2cup / 125g red lentils • 1 onion, finely chopped • 2lbs / 1kg of tomatoes, skinned and chopped* • 1 teaspoon each of cinnamon, ginger, cumin, turmeric, and dried chillies • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Afghan Pomegranate Kafta Nasreen Hanafi Ingredients 1 kilo of beef mince 2x brown onions finely chopped Turmeric x 1 Tbsp Black pepper x 1 Tbsp Salt x 2 Tbsp Coriander 2x brown onions finely chopped Oil x 3 Tbsp Tomatoes x 3 blended 1 cup water Method 1. Place the mince, finely chopped

WWW.AMUST.COM.AU

onions, coriander, herbs and salt in a bowl and mix well with hands 2. Place the blended onions in a pan with oil and cook on high heat until the onions are caramelised well. The onions need to be brown in colour 3. Then add the blended tomatoes to the mix and add the water. Let it simmer on medium heat 4. Whilst the tomato mix is simmering, make the mince into semi long balls and place in the tomato mix. Continue to do this with the remainder of the mince. Let it simmer for about 20 minutes 5. Add pomegranate juice (sold at your local Afghani, Iranian or Pakistani grocery store) ISSUE 174 / MAY 2020

CENTREFOLD 16 - 17

LIFESTYLE 18 - 23

UMMAH 24 - 25

EDUCATION 26 - 28

CENTREFOLD

SOCIAL 29 - 31

AMUST

pecial Ramadan soup Samosa, the triangular

d

l

n

m

l

small, including on several occasions, MCing for the Grand Mufti of Australia and New Zealand, Dr Ibrahim Abu Mohammed.

This year with COVID-19 and social distancing, I’ll really miss those iftar get togethers so an idea I first conceived as a TV series and a book has taken flight as a community project with the involvement of Amity College, Unity

Grammar, Together for Humanity, Gaza Children’s Fund, Hazen Agency as production partners and AMUST as a community media partner.

It’s been a very tight turnaround but here we are in Ramadan 2020 and the website and social media will share recipes and stories each day to celebrate the rich diversity of Australian-Muslim culture, heritage and food from almost every corner of the world, and to offer a kind of virtual invitation to break the fast, try others’ recipes and hear others’ stories.

I’m so happy that friends I’ve made over the years want to contribute – from today’s students and teachers to well-known public figures, community leaders, politicians... some like Izeta, Silma, Mehar and Maha Abdo now grandmothers.

My sadness is that the Mufti is in isolation at home. Normally in Ramadan he would join people for breakfast before dawn and to break the fast in the evening.

He loves hosting and will be finding it hard.

He once promised me his ‘secret Ramadan soup recipe’ - served after that first date, a throwback to his upbringing in Egypt and a special feature of the iftars he hosts, bringing Muslims and non-Muslims together.

We haven’t managed to smuggle his soup recipe out so I offer my own, the first Ramadan soup I ever made, and dedicate it to him this Ramadan.

Ramadan Mubarak.

• To garnish: • Olive oil • Parsley, coriander/cilantro, finely chopped Method: Cook the chickpeas in the broth/stock for at least 2 hours, till tender. Don’t add salt or allow the liquid to come off the boil.

Add more boiling water to maintain the volume if needed.

When the chickpeas are perfectly soft, stir in the lentils, onion, tomatoes and spices, season with salt and pepper, bring

back to the boil and simmer for another 30 minutes until the lentils are mushy and the soup is satisfyingly thick. Finish with a swirl of olive oil and a generous handful of chopped parsley and coriander.

Serve the soup in deep bowls, with lemon quarters for squeezing and a bowl of red dates ‘to make the heart glad’. *Quick cheat’s version, use tinned tomatoes and tinned chickpeas to avoid soaking overnight.

and

wonder for Ramadan Mehar Ahmad Reflections on growing up I was born in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) and have very fond memories of my childhood of Ramadan, fasting and learning to cook from my dad.

My father, Ali Hussain Siddiqui was an entomologist and he worked in the Department of Plant Protection. He had a great passion of cooking.

I remember when he returned from USA after completing his Masters in 1962, he brought an electric oven and used to cook hunter beef, lamb roast, Haleem and many other food where I used to join him from a young age of 9 learning to cook from him and enjoy his cooking.

Mentioning Eid takes me back to the month of Ramadan in my childhood, when I started my fasting around the age of 7. As a little girl I was fascinated how my parents were fasting the whole day and as soon as we heard the Azan we broke our fast with dates, sharbat and samosa, Fasting only become mandatory after puberty around the age of 12 or 13 but most children start fasting at a much earlier age in order to emulate their parents.

History of Samosa Samosa is a popular entree appetiser served in households and restaurants during special occasions such as weddings, birthdays, anniversaries and of course during Ramadan.

A baked or fried pastry filled with savoury filling such as mincemeat, spiced potato or mincemeat and potato together, it takes different shapes such as triangular or moon shape according to the region it is made in South Asia.

Initially, I thought that Samosa originated in India, but later I found out that it actually

Beyza’s Ali Nazik from Gaziantep, Turkey Beyza Koca

Kousa from Egypt Ameena & Aisha Abdelraheem

recipe from Egypt. The lentil soup and Kunefa are also on the website.

Ramadan Mubarak Everyone!

Normally we would spend the first day of Ramadan at our Teta’s house with our family and all our favourite foods but like everyone else this year, we have to make it the best Ramadan ever at home. We rang our Teta and asked for her recipes and would like to invite you to a virtual Iftar with us to share our favourite dishes: lentil soup, Kousa (stuffed zucchini) and our favourite dessert Kunefa. This is her Ramadan Kousa

Ingredients and Method 1. Core the Kousa slowly 2. Soak the rice in water for 40 mins—1 hour (we used 200g of rice) 3. Drain the rice and put salt and pepper and 3tbs of oil then mix well 4. Mix the mince and rice together (we used 200g of mince) 5. Fill the kousa about 3/4 full 6. Boil tomato paste base with water for 7-10 mins 7. Put the stove on low heat and cook the kousa for 45mins –1hour

MAY 2020 / ISSUE 174

took i t s name from Sambosak, the little pies and pastries which originated in the Middle East and were introduced to the Indian sub-continent in the 14th century by travelling merchants .

Passing on the cooking skills and recipes As I mentioned earlier, I inherited my passion for cooking from my dad. I love trying new things and cooking for the family and friends as my dad did.

I haven’t written my recipes as yet. But it is is in the making. My youngest daughter, Rubinah hangs around the kitchen and writes the ingredients and the measurements while helping me with cooking. So basically she is writing my recipes and who knows one day I will come up with my own recipe book.

I have been cooking with daughters as my dad did with me. Rubinah has been helping me to make the Gulab jamun, a divine sweet and now she has become a pro in making this dish. I am now passing my passion of cooking to my grandson Eesa, 11, who is already a great cook in the making.

I am Australian with a Turkish background. My father is from Gaziantep in the South-East of Turkey. Known as the Paris of the East of Turkey and the best city for its economy, living standards and its food. Gaziantep is famous for its cuisine. It is included in UNESCO Cities of Gastronomy and actually the only city in the world named for its cuisine. Antep means delicious food, generous hosts and skilled, talented hosts and hostesses. As Gaziantep is at the border with Syria, you can see and taste the influences of Arab cuisine too.

In Gaziantep, iftar means not only sharing with your relatives but also sharing with your neighbours and with those in need. My father told me that he remembers at iftars in his youth, there would be hundreds of people sitting on their knees around sofras (sofra is a piece of cloth that you put on the ground to serve a meal instead of using a table). Young men and women are serving many dishes. So loud. Then when everyone is seated and has their plates, no one talks and everyone waits for the adhan (call to prayer) which tells us we can break the fast. And then come the sounds of spoons touching the plates, drinks pouring into glasses, eating, drinking and talking…..

In Ramadan 2020, it will be strange not to host different people too Iftar but my family is excited to extend an invitation to a virtual iftar in our home in Sydney and hopes people will enjoy our food and getting to know a little of our story. We will cook Ali Nazik kebab, a scrumptious Gaziantep specialty and one of our favourites. Alinazik is a delicious marriage of char-grilled smoked eggplant puree mixed with yoghurt and topped with

WWW.AMUST.COM.AU

tender lamb stew.

There are several beliefs about where the name Ali Nazik came from. One of them dates back to the 16th century Ottoman Empire and the reign of Yavuz Sultan Selim. On a trip to the city of Antep, (today’s Gaziantep in Turkey), the Sultan was greeted with this local delicacy of delicious eggplant and yoghurt mash with grilled lamb on top. Sultan Selim liked the dish so much and asked “Who’s ‘gentle hand’ (“Eli nazik” in Turkish) made this?” The story tells that the name, “Ali nazik,” has stuck since then. There is another story which claims the name was adopted from the old Ottoman Turkish language. In this language, “ala” meant “beautiful” and “nazik” meant “food.” Over the centuries, this turned to “Ali nazik” (In modern Turkish, “nazik” means “polite,” thus the phrase “polite Ali”).

The recipe we use can be found on the website www.RecipesForRamadan.com Beyza Koca, Former student at Amity College. Student, Bachelor of Science and Education at UNSW.

AUSTRALASIAN MUSLIM TIMES

17

AMUST

LIFESTYLE

NEWS 1-4

BOOMERANG 5-9

COMMUNITY 10 - 12

AUSTRALIA 13 - 15

There is no storytelling without story listening THE GIFT OF STORYTELLING Mitch Ditkoff When small children speak their first words, the reaction of their parents is fairly predictable. It begins with lavish praise, high fives, and the ritual calling of Grandma and Grandpa. Everyone is thrilled. The baby has spoken! But the first time the child listens? No response at all.

As a species, speaking is far more highly regarded than listening. The ability to express is primary. Listening is the booby prize, suitable only for people with nothing better to do than be on the receiving end of someone else’s monologue.

You know the expression “if a tree falls in a forest and there’s no one around to hear, did it really make a sound?” The same holds true with storytelling. If a story is told, but no one is listening, is it really a story? I don’t think so.

Simply put, story listening is in short supply these days. Besieged by an ever-increasing amount of emails, texts, tweets, robocalls, alerts, and advertising, most of us live in a state of total distraction. Goldfish have a longer attention span than we do. The average goldfish can focus on something for nine seconds. The average human being?

Eight.

Here are five ways to increase the odds of your stories being listened to: 1. Choose the time and place wisely: Instead of blurting out your story on-the-

fly, be mindful of the readiness of your audience to listen. If the people you want to share your story with are distracted, do not begin. Not only will your story fall on deaf ears, you will end up feeling diminished.

2. Get permission: Instead of robotically launching into your story, ask for permission. “Mind if I share a brief story with you that relates to what we’ve just been talking about?” Once the person you want to tell your story to gives you permission, the odds of being listened to increase dramatically.

3. Preview your story: Before launching into your narrative, provide the listener with some context, a preview of what’s to come. “This little story happened to me five years ago on a plane”, you might say.

Or “what I’m just about to share with you changed my life in just three minutes.”

4. Stay connected to your audience: Sometimes, storytellers end up in “air guitar” mode. Enamored by the sound of their own voice, they lose all connection to time and space. Fun for them, perhaps, but not the listener. Stay connected to your audience! Tune in! Make eye contact. Notice their body language. Adapt and adjust your storytelling to the subtle cues and feedback you are getting.

5. Go beyond the words: Communication experts tell us there are three elements

to any communication: Body language, voice dynamics, and words. Of these three elements, body language is the most important. It accounts for 55% of

the impact of what’s said. Voice dynamics is the second most important aspect and accounts for 38% of the impact. The words? Only 7%.

their This is your dinner tonight.

There are Muslims here in Australia that do not know where their next meal is coming from.

Help us continue to help those who need it locally.

Donate your Zakat & Sadaqah with NZF this Ramadan

nzf.org.au Help us support those On Your Doorstep Bank Transfer Name: NZF Inc. BSB: 062-196 Acc: 11378252

Online via PayPal or Credit Card www.nzf.org.au/pay

Over the Phone Call 1300 663 729 to pay over the phone or if you have any questions

All Donations over $2 are Tax Deductible.

18

AUSTRALASIAN MUSLIM TIMES

WWW.AMUST.COM.AU

ISSUE 174 / MAY 2020

CENTREFOLD 16 - 17

LIFESTYLE 18 - 23

UMMAH 24 - 25

EDUCATION 26 - 28

SOCIAL 29 - 31

Lock Down 2020: The Foundation Builder Jean M Khan Our “Lockdown” 2020 in New Zealand seems to me to be an ideal opportunity to “seize the day”; pluck the day (or, grasp the opportunity) Carpe de-em- Latin) while our workforce, schools and universities have come to an enforced standstill, in order to stem the flow of a particularly devious and unpleasant virus.

It could almost be termed as a “Germ War”. We all know that germs are invisible to the human eye.

Therefore, our (worldwide) Germ War has to be attacked in a different way.

Our last World War was World War II !!.

Instead of almost everyone being at home (as in this “Germ War”) our families were split up, for various (but necessary) reasons. It was a devastating, destructive war.

Today, however, in 2020, we have been given this chance to be thankful for so many things in our life, through the years since World War II. Therefore, instead of giving in to boredom, because of our present “Lockdown” why not inspect some of the “foundations” we have built and put into practice some positive ways of improving their status.

Example: 1: Having (almost) everyone at home is a time when you can show your

Love (not with hugs just at the moment!) but with physically helping around the very busy home in your “bubble”.

If you cannot physically help, please show you care by making things easier for those who care for you.

Example 2: Patch up old differences, by again showing you want to do this in a positive way. You seize the moment when you see the opportunity. All l people should be positive and not negative in approach.

Example 3: Essential workers - High on our list of people who need help are our essential workers.

They are required to work when most others are at home, in order that our country keeps moving in essential directions.

They are human also and need food, rest and some space. So it’s our duty to see that all this is also made easy for them.

In order that, together with our input and effort, New Zealand will, Hopefully, become clear of danger from this new, invasive, invisible enemy – CORONAVIRUS !!!!

If we approach all these efforts with Patience and Perseverance, we will never regret remaining together. We need one another in order to survive.

Jean M Khan, 88, is a great-grandmother, an elder in the community, New Zealand citizen, an immigrant to New Zealand since 1966 and a survivor of the Nazi bombing raids over Birmingham city and suburbs, UK– 940 and 1941.

Ramadan under COVID-19 in NZ

Tahir Nawaz For the first time in New Zealand’s history, mosques will be closed during the holy month of Ramadan due to COVID-19 affecting the practice of their faith for Kiwi Muslims.

Ramadan is the ninth and most holy month of the Islamic calendar. During Ramadan, Muslims do not eat or drink from dawn to dusk. Fasting is obligatory and one of the five pillars of Islam. Those exempt include young children, anyone who is sick, travellers, women who are pregnant, nursing or menstruating.

Ramadan is regarded as the best time of the year where Muslim’s not only stop eating and drinking but also strengthen their faith by self-reflection, extended prayers in the night (Taraweh), Zikir (Remembrance of Lord) and reciting the Quran.

However this year, Muslims will be performing their prayers at home within their bubbles (family circle) as required by the MAY 2020 / ISSUE 174

LIFESTYLE

AMUST

Studying during Ramadan

Umar Khan Balancing fasting, worship and study in Ramadan can be a challenge, especially for Year 11 and 12 students trying to push through content, assignments and exam revision. Here are a few tips to get you on track with your studies during the month of Ramadan.

Plan, Plan and Plan Planning is always important for students to help direct their focus and concentration at any time, but when your concentration levels are lower and wavering, it makes sense to make the most of your time.

List out all the homework, assignment and study you need to complete the following day. Organise these tasks according to priority and write down how long you are willing to dedicate to each task.

Finally, develop a timetable, including your tasks in order of priority, that works for your routine and commitments. Make sure to give yourselves breaks – you will need them.

In your breaks, rest up, read Qur’an or listen

to a beneficial talk.

Be realistic It is important to recognise your limitations. You can’t do as much work or study as you might have before Ramadan – your body just won’t be able to cope. Learn to adapt and set realistic goals of what you expect to complete in Ramadan.

Eat Well Even though you can’t eat for most of the day, it’s important that when you do, you eat healthy. Drink plenty of water between Iftar and Suhoor, to make sure you are not too dehydrated during the day. Dehydration will cause difficulty in concentrating whilst you attempt to study during the day.

Suhoor is an important Sunnah, but it also helps with energy levels during the day – so make sure to have a balanced and healthy Suhoor.

Sleep Well In your schedule, make sure to include short power naps. You will need these to keep up your energy levels during the day.

This will help you stay focussed and able to maximise your study time.

New Zealand government. This year, those who are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms are exempt from fasting coming under the category of being sick.

Sadly, family and friend gatherings will not take place, which in normal times is an essential part of Ramadan, to share blessings.

Iftar (daily communal fast breaking meals) will likewise not be able to take place. No congregational community tarawih prayers.

Distribution of charities (obligatory in Ramadan) will most likely go towards COVID 19 causes. Muslims will not be able to travel to Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah (lesser pilgrimage) that is highly popular during Ramadan.

It will indeed be a very different Ramadan in NZ this year.

Tahir Nawaz is Specializing in Muslim Affairs of New Zealand & Global Muslims.

He is Current President of International Muslim Association of New Zealand (IMAN).

He is also the Current council member for Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand (FIANZ) and previously served as First Vice President of FIANZ. WWW.AMUST.COM.AU

AUSTRALASIAN MUSLIM TIMES

19

AMUST

LIFESTYLE

NEWS 1-4

BOOMERANG 5-9

COMMUNITY 10 - 12

AUSTRALIA 13 - 15

Sharing the pain as migrant children Rania Ahmed Trauma is something most of us learn to live with. In my case, it started to show at 20 years of age when I discovered I had a condition, at the time called Generalized Anxiety Disorder.

The psychologist back then tried to tell me I’ve always had it and it peaked about now.

My parents never knew what that even is. “Is it an infection?”, my dad would ask.

My therapist was very gentle and accepting despite the rest of the world waiting for me to say yes to the proposal of my suiter.

It was a roller coaster which never ended. I was trying to heal but I had no time and needed to be quick otherwise I would grow older and alone.

I was born in 1979 in a middle-class home in the city of Cairo, Egypt. My childhood was all fun and games until we migrated to Australia in 1992, grade six I think it was.

Growing up here was different, in every way. Suddenly I had to grow up so quickly. I began to see thing I’ve never seen before and notice actions I didn’t recall

“It was

20

“

heartbreaking to be blamed for something you had no hand in, to be deprived of feeling sad because your parents would get sad.

happening previously, from my parents.

The fights started happening and I began to realize how incompatible they were. I started to panic, as an elevenyear-old, thinking that her family canvas was

AUSTRALASIAN MUSLIM TIMES

safe and tranquil, only to see how fuzzy the picture is now. Our family unit began to dismantle slowly and grow apart.

While, my mother was busy dreading the day we ever migrated because that made her unhappy, I began to slowly take the role of an

WWW.AMUST.COM.AU

adult. I was trusted by my dad with decision making and taking care of things.

I kept an eye on my brothers that was hard, as my mother wasn’t the wisest when it came to raising children, so naturally I took over.

As a result, I was exposed to many negative aspects of a married life before I was to see any positives.

It was hard being the eldest daughter at this time. Constantly being asked to be a role model for the younger siblings, while sorting out monthly fights with my parents, and settling into adolescence as a migrant.

Always being told that we were the reason for the migration, so we needed to live up to that sacrifice. The guilt accompanying us with every happy moment while our parents had lost their friends and family so we can have a better future, never left us.

Every high mark I achieved was to make them happy. My life revolved around them for a long time with no success or hope of them coming out of their depression and unhappiness.

Our house wasn’t the only miserable house, there were many, except they didn’t remind their children that they were the reason for their misery, every day.

It was heartbreaking to be blamed for something you had no hand in, to be deprived of feeling sad because your parents would get sad.

Freezing your tears so no one notices your pain while trying to heal the pain of others, is something many migrant children go through without ever speaking about it.

These series I’ve decided to write, are to tell you, you are not alone. Let us walk through this journey together.

Rania Ahmed is a Melbourne based writer and poet. Her aim is to change perspective via her and therefore inspire the change from within.

ISSUE 174 / MAY 2020

CENTREFOLD 16 - 17

LIFESTYLE 18 - 23

UMMAH 24 - 25

EDUCATION 26 - 28

LIFESTYLE

SOCIAL 29 - 31

AMUST

Unity Grammar helping the community in times of need Bonnie Senior Unity Grammar values a holistic, balanced approach to education so that we produce conscientious students with a concern for others who become responsible citizens. The college facilitates this through an established community service and volunteer program both locally and abroad.

Over the last few years this includes a number of local initiatives including distributing food and sleeping bags to the homeless community, caring for the environment, projects with the elderly and disabled as well as distributing generous food hampers prior to the start of Ramadan.

Whilst Covid 19 and its associated lockdown restrictions including not being able to use students has presented some challenges the community projects at Unity Grammar have not stopped. Staff and volunteers have ensured the path to goodness continues.

This includes staff and volunteers assisting the Exodus Foundation with preparing and serving hot meals to over 270 needy people, many of whom were homeless at their centre in Ashfield. This activity is usually done by our Yr. 10 students and on some instances, we invite independent schools from other faith groups to join us. This allows young people from diverse backgrounds to work together to help others.

More recently staff and volunteers distributed 82 generous food packages or hampers to needy families including the elderly, the disabled, widows with young families and

Open Window Dr Reginald Naulty

refugees on temporary visas who are not entitled to government assistance.

Many of the recipients are from other faith backgrounds as well as indigenous families and this initiative promotes goodwill between different communities and celebrates our shared humanity.

The food hampers are donated by families of the school and local supporters and prior to Covid 19 we usually collect over 250 hampers, packaged by Yr. 11/12 students who with the help of our alumni also assist with the distribution.

Unity Grammar is proud to be making a

difference to communities locally as well as abroad where our staff and alumni engage in sustainable long-term infrastructure projects in Cambodia.

Once the pandemic has passed, we look forward to our students and staff participating in these events again and until them we will continue our commitment to engage with local communities and assist where we can to help others.

Ramadan Kareem.

Bonnie the marketing co-ordinator for Unity Grammar College. She has been managing their marketing activities since May 2019.

Bewildered by the success of science our thinkers remain silent, leaving the crippling myth untold that science alone penetrates the unseen world.

Those whose prayers have reached the beyond should show their hand; it is a venture of courage but silence is damaging.

Withholding the holy disturbs the soul.

If we keep the window open the rekindling wind flows in.

Dr Reginald Naulty, originally from Adelaide, has taught at Charles Sturt University and has been a prolific writer since 1972.

Ramadan

- Anne Stanley

MAY 2020 / ISSUE 174

WWW.AMUST.COM.AU

AUSTRALASIAN MUSLIM TIMES

21

AMUST

LIFESTYLE

NEWS 1-4

BOOMERANG 5-9

COMMUNITY 10 - 12

AUSTRALIA 13 - 15

Support during the current pandemic!

Wassim Dabboussi With all the chaos going around right of the global pandemic right now, people are asking me: “what should I be doing for myself and everyone around me?”

People are afraid, rightfully so, however this is not serving our physical, mental or emotional health. Try not to fuel your own or other people’s fears by spreading and consuming too much information.

Make sure what you do share and consume is from rock-solid sources that provide helpful tips and a clear understanding of the virus.

COVID-19 has confronted us with the reality that we cannot always control events and behaviours around us. However, this is also a really important time to remember what we can control – one of those things is what we feed our minds.

You will feel more empowered if your aim is to really understand the virus and what can be done to limit the spread.

The collective consciousness is under attack right now – not just our physical health. Our mental health needs to be addressed also.

The reality is the psychological impacts will still be healing well after the virus passes, so don’t forget to take care of your and your loved ones’ mental health.

So what should I be doing to help others?

Here’s my top 5 tips: 1. Stay SAFE! Make sure you are safe from the virus by following all the department of health guidelines. Hygiene, hand-washing protection, and social distancing etc. You cannot help others if you become the risk. Put the oxygen mask on you first!

2. Get properly informed. We need to be informed about the situation but, we are inundated with so many messages, videos etc around the current crisis, it can become confusing. Find a source you trust and stick to it! Governments have good sites for updates, so does the World Health Organisation. Here’s my top four sources for you: i. Australian Government Whatsapp Channel — Atlassian developed it.

Feel free to check this out and share with as many people as you can (we want to test traffic before hard launch tomorrow). h t t p s : / / a u s . g o v. a u / whatsap ii.

Australian Government Health Department Coronavirus (COVID-19) current situation and case numbers tinyurl.com/ wwrcgof iii. World Health Organization Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Situation Dashboard tinyurl. com/tpr4rzc iv. Lastly, Here is a link to a YouTube video explaining the Science Behind the Virus. youtu.be/ddlRvqhGdPk 3. Limit news and take a break. Minimize your news consumption and, limit how

“Our mental

health needs to be addressed also.

much information you are consuming, make sure you are consuming what is relevant for you and those you are responsible for. This helps is important to guard our mental health because it empowers us with what we can do and prevents anxiety. These are two different distinctions’ that I think are important for us to have a balance of being informed (which is very important right now) and safeguarding our minds, raising our vibrancy and stay as positive as possible.

4. Writing down goals and reflections in a journal can really improve our outlook

and release stress.

5. Here are few questions you can start your day with to set you on the best possible trajectory for the day i. What can I control in my life today? ii. What am I grateful for about today? iii. What am I enthusiastic about today? iv. What are my 3 major goals/tasks today?

This type of education will get people to buy in to the severity of the crisis. Which I believe will be our strongest weapon against this threat!

“

Terri Butler MP

FEDERAL MEMBER FOR GRIFFITH

Wishing you, your family, and your friends a happy and peaceful Ramadan.

Office: 76 Old Cleveland Rd, Stones Corner, Qld Email: Terri.Butler.MP@aph.gov.au Phone: 07 3397 1674 www.terributlermp.com butler4griffith terributlermp Authorised by Terri Butler MP, Australian Labor Party, Stones Corner, Qld.

22

AUSTRALASIAN MUSLIM TIMES

WWW.AMUST.COM.AU

ISSUE 174 / MAY 2020

CENTREFOLD 16 - 17

LIFESTYLE 18 - 23

UMMAH 24 - 25

The dollar, no longer “in our hands”

Rida Ansary Since the rise of the global pandemic, there have many changes in our society, how it functions. But let us put social distancing and hygiene to the side for now and look at something we have been totally ignoring. Money.

Australia has included, among other measures to fight the Coronavirus, the preference for payment by card rather than by notes and coins.

There is a sudden fear that the handling of money between people may possibly spread the virus. However our groceries are touched more than our money is. It has to be scanned and placed in a bag. Our food has to be cooked and packaged. These enter our supply systems.

Why should the case of money be any different? Aren’t we meant to wash our hands after touching foreign surfaces regardless?

Furthermore, isn’t this making Australian dollar notes, which are legal tender and have been since 1966, unofficially illegal?

There is a push for the world to move to towards digital currency. The authorities have been devising a gradual shift to cashless banking.

Is the Coronavirus simply an excuse to speed up the process towards cashless economy?

The companies that are selling products online, helping themselves to our credit cards, are thriving while the small businesses and shops are struggling to get by, relying on the new Jobkeeper payment.

Should we be concerned?

Our money is moved around, between the hands of so many people and all we see amidst all this is a a few digits on our computer screens. Our bank details are broadcast to places all over the world due to online transfers and if we lose a few digits, we lose it.

After all, this money isn’t tangible. It can’t be seen or held; it is valueless. Fiat currency is the term for it.

Imagine a situation in which a person has a card in their bag and brushes past the counter with it on the way into the shop. Money is deducted from their account though they didn’t buy anything.

They won’t notice and even if they did, they couldn’t retrieve it. The Bank won’t take an ‘accident’ as an excuse.

The dollar, it seems is out of our hands.

Rida Ansary is a high school student in Sydney planning to study in the International Relations field. She is interested in matters relating to politics and how to improve the world.

MAY 2020 / ISSUE 174

EDUCATION 26 - 28

LIFESTYLE

SOCIAL 29 - 31

AMUST

Christian-Muslim Relations

Ramadan Message 2020 Dr Patrick Mclnerney This year, Ramadan will be like no other. No communal prayers in the mosques. No public gatherings in halls for iftar. Not even large family gatherings at home for iftar. You will pray and gather with just the immediate family. No communal tarawih prayers in the mosques at night. And at the end of Ramadan, no communal gatherings for Eid prayers, or for Eid celebrations. It will indeed be very strange for you.

I know, because we Christians have just celebrated our biggest feast, Easter, with similar restrictions: no communal liturgies, no public celebrations, everything done in the privacy of our homes, accessing prayer services through live-streaming, and meeting and greeting each other only by phone or Zoom or Skype.

My Muslim sisters and brothers, even though we will be physically distant from each other in the coming weeks, each isolated in our own home, I want to assure you that you are not alone. As Muslims, you belong to the ummah, so are linked to each other by the shared beliefs, pillars and communal spirit of Islam. But you are also linked to us, and we to you: believers - by our shared faith in the one God; and all of us - by our shared humanity.

We share your anxiety at this time of the coronavirus pandemic, as you share ours.

We share the stress of the disruption that this has brought to all our lives—I thank you for the food and provisions you deliver to the vulnerable and others who are isolated and in need at this troubled time—and together we share prayers and hopes that it will soon be over, in sha Allah! Besides, God watches over us all, giving protection, healing and mercy.

As an expression of connecting with you at this time, here is my commitment: • I will fast with you every day during

Ramadan.

• I will pray for you every day during Ramadan.

• I will break my fast at the same time as you, at maghrib, every evening during Ramadan.

• I will have an iftar at my home at the same time as you during Ramadan.

In this way, although physically isolated, we will remain socially and, especially, spiritually connected – stronger than ever – together!

I pray every blessing from Almighty God on you, your families, and your communities, during the blessed month of Ramadan: By the physical discipline of your fasting, the spiritual devotion of your hearts, and the

generosity of your almsgiving, may you find grace and favour in God’s eyes. Amen.

Ramadan Mubarak!

As a Christian, I deliberately address you as “sisters and brothers”. I follow Pope Francis and Sheikh Tayyeb who together wrote in the Document on Human Fraternity, “Faith leads a believer to see in the other a brother or sister to be supported and loved.” http://bit.ly/2Vf7u3e The video clip of this message on FB: tinyurl.com/ybbfnsra Rev Dr Patrick McInerney is the Director of the Columban Mission Institute and Coordinator of its Centre for Christian-Muslim Relations and is based in Sydney.

A crisis of values, interdependence and mutual prosperity Dr John Bellavance The Coronavirus has shown us that our health and economic system are fragile. We all feel insecure because this is affecting us personally. What will happen to my job and my savings? Let us hope that as a human race we can learn that we are dependant our planet and on each other.

There are at least three lessons to draw from the current crisis.

First, we are facing a crisis of values. Our sense of panic causes some of us to not see beyond our own immediate needs. Psychologists tell us that one third of patient who come for their help with mental health problems do so with issues of lack of meaning and purpose in their lives.

In time of struggle we need to find values and meaning that will sustains us. Yet, this is also an opportunity to renew our values. In this crisis we also see the kindness of people. Sometimes it takes a crisis for to realise that there is more to

life that groceries, jobs and economics.

Change is stressful and this is a good time to reflect on what is truly important in our lives.

When people lose their jobs they may feel irrelevant, but this is far from the truth. We are relevant because we can love. In the near future Artificial Intelligence (AI) will produce great doctors, drivers, and analysts to make the world a better place.

Will AI will replace human jobs? Will we become irrelevant? No, because we have our relationships. We will value love. In this time of crisis we are learning once more, to love. I have heard it said that there is only two things - fear and love. On the side of love, I add hope and taking responsibility, since these are acts of love. We need to decide. Let us look after our family and our extended family members. My neighbours and fellow man are also part of my extended family.

Second, this crisis has shown us how much we are interdependent on our little planet. The flow of people and goods is a real issue right now. This brings us to the realisation that we need each other across the globe.

The third lesson is the realisation that we rely on each other for our mutual prosperity. Values, interdependence and mutual prosperity brings

WWW.AMUST.COM.AU

us to the realisation that we are in this together and with this mindset – we can do better and we will get through this.

Once we are aligned with the right values, we can concentrate on the day. Fix what you can, make things better, and recognise each other’s needs. Our heightened knowledge of our fragility can separate us or it can bring us together.

Let us do one kind thing each day for someone else.

Dr John Bellavance has worked in the non-profit sector for 40 years. He has completed his PhD in 2018 at Monash University on the role of values in the use of Information Technologies. In Australia he is the national Vice-President of the Universal Peace Federation, which is an NGO in General Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.

AUSTRALASIAN MUSLIM TIMES

23

AMUST

UMMAH

Rain, Hail, Shine or COVID19 Serving the community doesn’t stop

Dean Mousad During this pandemic, Brothers in Need are still out at the forefront of helping many individuals in our society. From making sure our volunteers are safe to our beneficiaries, we are still moving forward, week in and week out.

Alhamdulillah, on Saturday 11 April, Brothers in Need had another successful evening in supporting members of our homeless community.

Gloves Masks Social Distancing Community Support Dean Mousad is the Co-founder/Director of Brothers in Need, Co-founder/treasurer of Project Quran and a teacher/mentor at Alfirdaus College.

NEWS 1-4

BOOMERANG 5-9

COMMUNITY 10 - 12

AUSTRALIA 13 - 15

Education plummets to zero in Afghanistan Emily Mays As the novel coronavirus spreads across the globe, an unmanageable outbreak in Afghanistan will likely cripple an already fragile healthcare and education system.

Several decades of conflict and political infighting has provoked an economically and politically unstable system in Afghanistan, with the country’s health and education structures being among the most acutely impacted. COVID-19 aside, the nation has some of the highest rates of diabetes, tuberculosis, heart disease and malnutrition in the world, which already significantly burdens the existing healthcare system.

Afghanistan’s neighbour, Iran has become a global epicenter for COVID-19, Neighbouring with over 80,000 confirmed cases and 5,000 reported deaths. As of April 20th, Afghanistan has reported just under 1,000 cases nationwide, and 32 deaths.

However, with over 200,000 Afghan refugees crossing the border back into Afghanistan from infected areas of Iran, the actual number of infected cases is likely much higher.

Due to a lack of preventative measures such as border disease control, quarantine processes and COVID-19 testing, it is difficult to predict the real and likely devastating extent of the virus in Afghanistan.

As a step to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the Afghan government has closed all schools and universities. Prior to the pandemic, the country’s education system had been devastated by more than three decades of conflict, with children in rural areas

Girls from Abdara Girls School in Panjshir Valley, Afghanistan. and girls disproportionately not attending school.

While enrolment rates have been steadily increasing over the past two decades, attendance continues to be far from ideal.

There are many hurdles Afghan children face that prevent them from going to school, including geographical barriers, poor sanitation facilities for girls, socio-cultural factors, armed conflict and the overarching incidence of extreme poverty. However, today children are facing one common barrier; with no physical school to attend, they are simply not receiving an education.

As attendance rates plummet to zero, the human rights of millions of Afghan school children are currently in the balance. With no official home-school alternative set up, children are being utilised as productive members of society.

At the extreme end, citizens are witnessing an increase in child beggars, a devastating occurrence that has been heightened

since schools closed. Not only do children on the streets pose a significant health threat to an entire population, it also highlights the reversal of steps forward made in the past two decades.

Education is not only a human right for all children, but an economic necessity.

Mahboba’s Promise is a not-for-profit organisation that has been working in Afghanistan since 1998. In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, they are working towards developing a home-school kit for students who are not receiving an education.

It is unknown when the novel coronavirus will spare the world, therefore it is imperative children in Afghanistan are adapting to the current situation and continue their learning from home.

The fasting month of Ramadan could not have come at a more urgent time.

Learn more about how you can give an Afghan child a home-school kit by visiting mahbobaspromise.org/ramadan-2020/

The community’s leading Not-forprofit sector lawyers • Birchgrove Legal assists community centres, charities, schools, and many other NFP organisations with their legal needs

24

• We provide legal support for constitution creation, organisational structure, litigation & more

Let us deal with the law so you can focus on your mission.

Call 1300 857 527

• We take the compliance and legal challenges away so organisations can focus on their crucial missions

birchgrovelegal.com.au

AUSTRALASIAN MUSLIM TIMES

WWW.AMUST.COM.AU

ISSUE 174 / MAY 2020

CENTREFOLD 16 - 17

LIFESTYLE 18 - 23

UMMAH 24 - 25

Investigate China for COVID-19 Christine Osbourne Bravo Marise Payne for calling out the necessity for an international investigation into China’s lack of transparency regarding the origin of Covid-19.

It’s artfulness is unacceptable and an explanation is critical lest the predicted Second Wave occur and equally to prepare against possible future pandemics.

Curious, for example that it was able to dispatch 58 million masks to Australia having swept us clean of protective equipment while saying nout about the disease already raging through Hubei province last year.

Due to the USS Roosvelt withdrawing from Indo-Pacific deployment, China is stepping up its machaevillan movements in the South China Sea. Last week a Chinese surveillance vessel sank a Vietnamese vessel fishing in waters around the disputed Paracel Islands .

Is it not suspicious that the Chinese are currently active in buying companies stricken by the virus: the latest being an expressed interest in Virgin Australia. What is illogical is that China itself holds the right to veto were such an inquiry raised by the UN Security Council so that outside this enfeebled body we need every nation to support Minister Payne’s call for international co-operation.

World economies from the biggest to the smallest have been impacted by Covid-19.

Some countries are so deeply in debt that they may never recover and tens of millions around the globe are now unemployed.

Xi Jinping must bear responsibility for the lies and cover-up coming out of Wuhan. We can’t bring back the dead but justice must be done on their behalf and compensation for the living is essential.

Christine Osborne is the author of many books on Islamic countries including The Gulf States and Oman. She is also the CEO of www.worldreligions.co.uk a multi faith library specialising in the mainstream faiths.

She has visited more than 30 Muslim majority countries.

EDUCATION 26 - 28

UMMAH

SOCIAL 29 - 31

AMUST

Indian mainstream media communalises COVID-19

Zahid Jamil It is absolutely bizarre the way the Indian media, backed by Hindu extremist forces, has grabbed yet another opportunity, that too during the COVID-19 pandemic, to target Muslims, demonise them and run hate campaign at the national level.

While Muslims had faced intimidation, harassment and multiple killings during the first term of Modi government, it has worsened during the second term. Over previous few months, protests against the controversial National Register of Citizenship (CAA) had caused mayhem in many parts of the country including the capital Delhi where serious communal riots took place at end of February.

The Tablighi Jamaat headquarters of Banglewali Masjid (Markaz) in Nizamuddin in New Delhi, a few km from the Indian Parliament, had held an annual congregation in mid March before the lockdown, attended by more than 2,000 delegates from across the nation and nearly 250 devotees from other countries including Indonesia and Malaysia.

Unfortunately, a few of these international visitors were asymptomatic carriers of Coronavirus infecting others at the gathering. As these attendees returned homes to various cities in India, some got sick and also became the source of spreading the virus in their families and neighbouring communities.

Well over half million foreigners, including people of Indian origin, arrive in India in each month. There were very few restrictions on arrivals when these few hundred foreign Tableeghi delegates arrived in Delhi early in March.

Government had not declared a ban on religious gatherings until 15 March when the programme at the Tablighi Markaz concluded.

Many major Hindu temples continued to operate till 20 March attracting thousands of devotees daily. The parliament continued to sit till 22 March.

The Indian government suddenly announced the countrywide lockdown on 24 March when more than a 1,000 attendees were still at the Markaz, a norm at the headquarters of the religious group. These people got stranded as the centre officials approached the police to vacate the dormitories. Repeated pleas with authorities and Delhi police for evacuation were turned down.

Many similar gatherings in Hindu places of worship were given clemency and the stranded people were helped and evacuated.

The major media channels engaged in anti-Muslim hate frenzy calling Tableeghi workers as Corona Jihadis who were spreading the virus in the country while the head of the Markaz Maulana Saad Khandalvi was called ‘Corona bomb’ who had violated the rules.

Hate mongers on social media taking their cue from TV and radio shock jocks started a storm of Islamophobic propaganda and fake news messages creating an atmosphere of intolerance within India and abroad against Indian Muslims.

According to TIME magazine, “Just during five days since March 28 till 3 April, tweets with the hashtag #CoronaJihad have appeared nearly 300,000 times and potentially seen by 165 million people on Twitter, according to data shared with TIME by Equality Labs, a digital human rights group. Equality Labs activists say that many of the posts are in clear violation of Twitter’s rules on hate speech and coronavirus.”

The Delhi police then booked the Tablighi Jamaat Chief Maulana Saad Khandalvi for culpable homicide not amounting to murder on 15 April 2020.

The Indian government has suffered major setbacks in implementing the nationwide lockdown. Millions of migrant workers came out on streets in all major cities across the country in an attempt to return to their home villages hundreds of kilometres away as they had lost their living due to lockdown.

Millions of poor people have no access to food and essential supplies. Such major issues have been ignored and not fully covered by the government controlled media.

As Ramadan begins, there may be more challenging times ahead as Muslims may be tempted to attend the congregational prayers during the holy month. With anti-Muslim propaganda combined with the past police brutality, Indian Muslims indeed feel insecure and concerned for their safety in their own country.

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

He also heads “Indian Minority Education Society of Australia” (IMESA) https://imesa.org.au/, a body engaged in educating poorest Muslim children in India. He moderates an Islamic website “Islamic Forum for Education and Research” isfer.info/

Refugee rights during Ramadan/COVID-19 Stephen Langford OT Ramadan is coming up. I think of the beautiful young woman, Mohsen, who explained something about Ramadan to me, what it was, the spiritual side of it. I remember her loveliness, but not exactly what she said.

She, or maybe her parents, were Indian-South African. Wherever she is I hope she is well and happy. Also, Mohammad, originally from Jakarta, who followed Ramadan. I like the way that people who fast during Ramadan do not make any kind of fuss about it. Non-Muslims would hardly know it is happening.

It is, in my experience, a modest and discrete thing, as far as the people I have worked with, nurses and doctors mostly, are concerned.

I remember one really funny occasion when I asked Mohammad, a nurse, if one had to go without sex for a whole month. “No! What are you thinking of, Stephen?! We are human too!!”

Thank you to all the Muslim people who have talked with me about Ramadan, when I have asked, including another Mohammad, originally from Iraq, who fixes my computer, a bit of a genius, up on Oxford St, Darlinghurst.

MAY 2020 / ISSUE 174

At this time I want to raise the situation of refugees being held hostage

by Australia. They are being held hostage in overcrowded camps like Villawood refugee prison.

My father, Henry Langford was a refugee from Austria many years ago.

He found refuge in New Zealand-Aotearoa.

Recently someone who had bought what had been my parents’ house in Karori, Wellington, contacted me. He sent me a link to an article published in 1939 in a Christchurch newspaper, about people collecting money for my dad, and his friend John Offenberger, who would be arriving the following year, as refugee students.

I had seen this article before. But seeing it again made me think. How different New Zealand was, even then, from Australia.

Even under close to ideal conditions for my father, life was not so easy. When his mother, Ella Loeb, finally made it to New Zealand, it was a hard transition. She had known him last

when he was not much more than a boy, 17 years old in 1938. Very unusual then, he went to see a psychiatrist to talk about it, to recast the relationship somehow.

How much harder is it for refugees now, who Australia tries to destroy, who Dutton (and the rest of them, and I include members of both major parties) seem to set out to demonise and destroy?

My dad had Jewish ancestry. I would like to see Jewish people defend the refugees of today.

I would also like to see Muslim people defend the refugees of today.

It is no secret that most refugees today are being persecuted for political gain, partly because they are Muslims. Worse still, many refugees have come from countries destabilised, even attacked, by the United States with Australian collusion.

Despite the continuing COVID-19 lockdown and Ramadan, I believe we should, with precautions, still protest, still demonstrate our

WWW.AMUST.COM.AU

determination that the Refugee Convention that Australia signed in 1954, be adhered to.

I will be on the steps of Sydney Town Hall every Friday from 4.30 pm, with placards and banners wearing a mask with my dog, Elf, will be with me. I have been questioned by the police regularly but I will continue, and I have been doing the weekly protest for two years, until it becomes impossible.

It is our right to protest against injustice, an implied right of free political speech, under the Australian Constitution. Please join me.

Let us all remember, the many who have died because we failed to protect their rights... they tried to seek sanctuary here... especially: Reza Barati, actually murdered by an Australian-paid guard on Manus Island, Sayed Ibrahim Hussein, Hamid Kehazaei, killed because of a simple infection left untreated. Omid Masoumali, what his parents wrote from Tehran is so sad. His name means ‘Hope’. Rakib Khan, Kamil Hussain, Faisal Ishak Ahmed, Hamed Shamshiripoor, Rajeev Rajendran, Jahangir, Salim Kyawning, and Fariborz Karami.

These are just some of the people killed by Australia’s rotten, cruel, abusive and racist ‘deterrence’ policy.

AUSTRALASIAN MUSLIM TIMES

25

AMUST

EDUCATION

NEWS 1-4

BOOMERANG 5-9

COMMUNITY 10 - 12

AUSTRALIA 13 - 15

Aly Asir Al-Din: A pioneer of Islam in Australia Dr Dennis Walker The following article was carried by the Liwa’ al-Islam, an Arabic journal of Islamic studies edited by Salah al-Din Samman, and associated with al-Azhar University.

The Egyptian journal carried a rear-section of es-

says and news about Islam in English, mainly written by Indian Muslims who included some who had made a home in Australia.

I purchased the fragile issue of Liwa’ al-Islam from a stall in Cairo: unfortunately the front Arabic page had fallen off so that it is impossible from my text alone to reconstruct its date of publication. However, it came out after World War II in the era of King Faruq.

The article eloquently hammers home the universal relevance of the message of Al-

Qur’an al-Karim, but in its second half sees nothing positive in Christianity or other religions or ideologies other than Islam. This narrowness of vision and in the language it uses run against the nuanced teachings of Islam about Christianity.

Nonetheless, the article is worth republishing, I believe, as an authentic argument for the truths in Islam, as a period piece, and as evidence that the articulation of Islam in Australia goes back considerably earlier than commonly supposed.

The style of English that Aly Asir Al-Din employed was of a native-speaker level: it neither stumbled into Indianisms/Pakistani idioms nor did it lapse into the “chichi” [“sheeshee”] affected overfluency of Salman Rushdie, more English than the English ever tried to be.

Dr Dennis Patrick Walker is a researcher at Monash Asia Institute, Monash University and is based in Melbourne.

The thing all men are seeking Late Aly Asir Al-Din (Australia) In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

This is not a defence of Islam, for, in spite of all the lies that have been written about it, Islam being the truth needs no defence.

It is not an attempt at proselytising, for Islam, being the truth, will still exist when all its followers are dead.

It is but a fulfilling of the laws of charity in Islam, which teach us that to lead a blind man across the street. to direct a stranger on his way, to give water to the thirsty is as much Charity as to give food to the hungry -- to each one his need.

Perhaps now as never before in the History of the World, mankind is crying aloud in its need for the truth of Religion.

The World War has shattered the Self-complacencies of the Western man and his worn-out, timechanged creeds. No longer can any educated, thinking man find consolations in the complexities and con-

tradictions of the Bible. In despair he turns to what he calls Atheism -- but what is in fact Agnosticism -or needing something more tangible he clutches, like a drowning man, at the straws of many” isms”, “osophies “, which are in themselves no creed, no answer to, but a begging of the question, “What is truth?”

Islam is the truth from God the Lord of the Worlds, therefore, as we are told to desire for our brothers that which we desire for ourselves, we being Muslims, believe the saying of the last Prophet, Muhammad, that every child is born, a Muslim ( which is to say that he is born with truth in his soul) and that his parents make him a Christian, a Jew or a fire-Worshipper. We being Muslims wish to put before you the Truth which your spirits secretly know and will recognise if you will but allow them.

And what is this Truth? Simply that God is One, Indivisible, in all places at all times --- “Nearer to you than the vein of your neck”, as the Holy Quran says. The All-wise, the Giver of all things, the Gracious, the

Merciful, the Just, the All-knowing, the Creator, the Unbegotten, the Begetter-of-No-child, the Beautiful, the Incomparable, the Truth, the One, and that Muhammad (s) is the Prophet and Apostle of God. Do not think that we deny the Lord Jesus (a), Moses (s), or any of the other Prophets of God. No! All of them are revered by us as Prophets sent by God to the World: all we say is that which all educated Westerners already know --- that in the course of time their teachings have been changed by translation, by Political schemings and Ecclesiastical alteration until the Divine Truth has become almost lost to the World.

And so at the Appointed Day came the Lord Mohammad (s), and once more God gave through His chosen Prophet the Truth to Mankind. This time Perfect and Complete and, through the Holy Quran, Unchangeable either by priests, Political Men or Translators, until the end of time, We therefore shall set forth for you in coming issues what Islam is.

Do not think we are trying to force you to become Muslims. We only

place before your hungry souls, food.

Does the starving man refuse the meat placed before him simply because some ignorant fool tells him it is poisoned? No! a thousand times no! He is starving, First, before foolishly throwing it away, he will examine it and if he find that it is good he will eat and rejoice and give thanks to God the All-Provider.

Well! You men and women of the West are crying for food: your hearts reject the food they have been offered -- the Creeds you know.

Then we out of compassion and love (Believe us! For in what else is our gain?) we offer you food --Truth: The teachings of Islam.

Examine it for yourselves: do not be misled by ignorant fools and throw it away untasted. Examine it for yourselves and if you find it good eat, and give praise to God, the Most Gracious, Most Merciful Without Whose Will nothing is written, nothing is spoken.

This era’s loss of moral compass Shifa L Mustapha I recently wrote about why suffering is allowed (AMUST Issue#172, March 2020), and I have to say that at that point it was merely a whisper at that time. We truly did not understand the complexity nor the extent of the suffering which was about to be poured out upon the world.

Since then nations have been brought to their knees as millions succumb to this plague-like virus with thousands dying in countries across the globe. Unbelievably people are still killing each other and wars, though tempered are still ongoing while hatred and racism have not diminished.

Very few have stopped to think of the incongruity of it all – a microbe so tiny that it is invisible has been unleashed upon the high and the mighty; the lowly and the poor.

This plague does not distinguish between classes or castes. It is impervious to religions, and those of scholarly educated backgrounds are not immune. All are helpless.

So we do what we can to prevent cross infection and with the world we wait for this scourge to abate knowing that only Allah has the key as to whether we shall live or die in this way. We, incidentally, are supremely blessed, for those who have no belief, no God upon Whom they can lean, are deeply anguished.

So while many are fearful of loss of life, there are those who are fearful of pecuniary loss, those who are fighting to keep their

26

fortunes safe. Of course there are those who have lost jobs and are facing a bleak future, this will be noted more as we slide deeper into recession.

Let’s face it, people need to be able to pay their rents, look after their families and put food on the table. It is one area that needs to be addressed, and as we ask Allah for His blessings, perhaps we should be thinking of sharing those blessings at this time.

Herd Immunity and the economy However, let us look at those in privileged, even powerful roles who cannot wait to get everyone back out working so that the “economy” will not suffer more than it has already. Those who, when speaking of the deaths of their own countrymen, have little sympathy and in fact are speaking of the possibility of thousands more who will die once this step is taken.

We have heard those who speak of “herd immunity” – letting infection spread to all, with those who are strong developing immunity. What they do not say is that those who do not have immunity will most likely die. As we see thousands of deaths in Italy, Spain, United States and Britain, to name a few, we note that these people did not have the ability to gain immunity, either through age, or some underlying illness in most instances. People to some are merely numbers.

Should we kill our old people On 6 April an article by Mitchell Zimmerman was published in Informed Comment under the heading: “Should we kill our old people to avoid a recession.” In it he quot-

AUSTRALASIAN MUSLIM TIMES

ed US Republican Lieutenant General Dan Patrick who proclaimed on Fox News that “lots of senior citizens would be willing – or should be, anyway – to sacrifice their lives to Coronavirus in order to save the economy for their grandchildren.” In this it was noted that it was not spoken of as “human sacrifice” but the adopting of policies likely to kill millions in order to propitiate Donald Trump.

In case you think that is only in America, on 7 April former Liberal MP Alexander Downer stated on Twitter: “We either save avoidable deaths and destroy society or accept avoidable deaths and save society. The moral dilemma of our time” On Sunrise 7, 7 April: COVID-19 Infection Plan: “The Government is reportedly considering a plan to slowly infect every Australian with COVID-19 so we build immunity without overwhelming the health system.”

Then following that up the Sydney Morning Herald business market had the headline: “We’ve mortgaged our children’s future to protect health of “aging” parents”.

Mantra of the Wealthy We do not hear these words from those who prize their elders. We do not hear them from immigrants. We do not hear them from those who are poor and in need. We do not hear them from those who have empathy and caring hearts. We do not hear them from those who believe in Allah and the Hereafter… be they Muslim, Christian or Jew. We hear them from those who seek power and guard their wealth. They may make a

WWW.AMUST.COM.AU

profession of religious faith, but their hollow words and their actions bespeak only self-interest and life other than their own is valueless.

I do not need to tell you as Muslims that the lives of our parents are a trust to us; that we must honour them and care for them.

However, as I found, it is our privilege, and an honour to give back to them, a blessing to us which lasts forever.

“My Lord hath decreed that ye worship none but Him, and that ye be kind to parents: Whether one or both of them attain old age in thy life. Say not to them a word of contempt, nor repel them but address them in terms of honour…. And out of kindness lower to them the wing of humility and say, ‘My Lord! Bestow on them Thy Mercy even as they cherished me in childhood. Your Lord knoweth best what is in your hearts…”

(Qur’an 17: 23-25.

As this Ramadan comes to us with its blessings, may we all, with one voice, ask for healing of the nations; for light to show the way; for love to warm our days; and for the opportunity to help those who come within our spheres, whether it be our parents, or perhaps even someone else’s parents.

Let us remember that Allah is closer to us than our jugular veins, and with Him is forgiveness, mercy and sustenance.

Let us not be overcome with fear either of the virus which exists, or of those who trumpet loudly. Our Lord is Lord of all… we will not fear… Amen.

Shifa Mustapha is a writer and community worker based in Brisbane.

ISSUE 174 / MAY 2020

CENTREFOLD 16 - 17

LIFESTYLE 18 - 23

UMMAH 24 - 25

EDUCATION 26 - 28

EDUCATION

SOCIAL 29 - 31

How to apply for Uni in 2021

AMUST

Step by step guide Umar Khan Universities Admissions Centre (UAC) is the place to go if you are a Year 12 student looking to apply for university entrance in 2021. It might seem early, but it is prudent to get started with your application now.

To start, head to https://www.uac.edu.au/.

On their website there is information on various courses offered by universities, their start dates and information on prerequisites and academic requirements. Be sure to check these out to help inform your choice of university course.

To start an application, click the ‘Apply or Log in’ tab on the top right of the homepage. From the drop-down menu, select undergraduate application.

Read the information, then click “Start” to begin your undergraduate application.

Select your citizenship status, and click Yes to the next question as you will be completing Year 12 this year.

For HSC students, enter your Year 12 student number and UAC pin, which would have been emailed to you by UAC. For IB students, use your personal code and birth date as your pin (e.g. 1st of May is 0105).

You will then be taken to the personal details page. Some details may have already been added; ensure that they are correct and fill out any remaining fields.

When entering your email, ensure that you enter a personal email, as this email will be

the main way UAC will contact you. Your school email may expire, so it is important that you use a personal email account.

When you click next at the bottom of the page, a UAC application number will be generated. Your UAC application number and PIN will be emailed to you. Keep them safe as you will need them to update your application in the future or whenever you contact UAC. After clicking continue, you will be directed to the qualifications page. Your Year 12 qualification would have already been added. You have the option to add other qualifications such as employment experience and online open courses, though they most likely won’t apply to you. Don’t add employment experience unless you’ve worked full time for 1 year or more.

The next step in the application is the selection of your courses. The course preferences page is where you can choose up to 5 courses you’d like to apply for. You can always update this list later. Click ‘Search for Courses’ to get started. First, select an institution (you can select all or simply select the institutions you are interested in).

Then search your course by using the six digit course code or course name to refine your search.

Select the start date for your course choices to add them to the preference list. Once you are done, you can review your choices.

Put your preferences in order of what you most like to do, as they will be considered in order. When you are done, save your changes to continue.

Now, you need to review your application to ensure that all details are correct. Click the pencil icon, to edit any details. Once you are finished, click the ‘Submit’ button, read through the Declaration, and click the box to agree with the terms.

Now, you need to make the payment, either through PayPal or Credit Card, or if you choose to pay later through POSTbillpay or BPay. If you choose to pay later, UAC must receive your payment before any offers can be made.

Once you pay, your application is complete. Now, you can manage your application using your UAC application number and pin, apply for Educational Access Scheme (EAS) if eligible or upload documents. It is recommended that you download the confirmation package to ensure that all your details are correct.

You can manage and edit your application whenever you like using your UAC application number and PIN by going to Under-

Wilful writing: A student’s guide Gina Dabboussi How you can use your time in the Covid-19 Quarantine to help yourself and others.

The world finds itself in a very unfamiliar period of time. And there are going to be 2 types of students.

• The Netflix (Non-Students) • The Non-Netflix Students My guess is the Non-Netflix students are those being more productive and finding ways to help themselves and others through this challenging time.

Here are 3 tips for students who need to get through and possibly make it out of this with a purpose that will be for the greater good.

1. Use a journal or book that really appeals to you.

It may sound silly to some, but if you find yourself a book that you can really just reflect in and scribe your thoughts in, it will keep you motivated.

I have to admit, it was the cover that really caught my eye. What made it even more mind boggling was that I reached for it, flipped through it and actually got more excited each time I turned the page.

My 14 year old son who has so many of my qualities reminded me of myself when I was 14. We both found parts of the journal hilarious and thought it would be so much fun.

I bought it! The ‘Wreck This Journal’ MAY 2020 / ISSUE 174

has actually his outlet of enjoyment. It reaches out to him and encourages him to write without fear of making mistakes.

With time and habit, he will (hopefully) become more comfortable and write without hesitation when he really does need to write. Interested in the Wreck this Journal, click on the link below. Wreck This Journal 2. Use tools that mean a lot to you I love pens! I collect them and yes, I will take the free pens at every conference, seminar or event that I attend. My favourite pen? My Swarovski pen that was gifted to me several years ago from a colleague. Nobody is allowed to use that pen and I have a little rule for myself use this only for my journaling!

Ask yourself the question?

What is it that I need to use that will get me motivated?

It could very well be the paper and how smoothly pens write on the paper you like. Or the app on a particular device that helps you get started. A word of warning though, if you choose to use a device, train yourself not to be distracted by notifications.

3. Write one small thing everyday You will have days where you could

write pages and pages. Then there will be days where you will sit for hours doing anything you can other than actually write. And not even get the first word on the page.

My tip - start with, ‘I have no clue what to write so I am going to start with what I did today’....start with this and you will start to delve into the thoughts you had throughout the day.

If it’s an assignment or task that you’re trying to get done, it will eventually come out on that paper and then you just need to sift through all the irrelevant information to find what your whole point or argument is going to be in your assignment.

Anyone who tries to tell me they have wasted their time writing all that other stuff.

Well, you’re saying this to the wrong person.

Our thoughts on paper are one of the most productive ways to move forward and evaluate ourselves. And this rule applies to anyone for anything they may be trying to achieve.

Gina Dabboussi has a passion for teaching and loves to see growth in students on a daily basis. She aims to help teenagers through the most challenging years of their lives.

WWW.AMUST.COM.AU

graduate Application from the drop-down menu. From here you can track correspondence, change your pin or download your confirmation package.

Make sure to check the UAC website for up to date key dates such as Offer Round Dates.

What is the UCAT ANZ? Umar Khan The University Clinical Aptitude Test or UCAT has replaced the UMAT (Undergraduate Medical and Health Sciences Admissions Test) for entry into medical school in Australia and New Zealand.

The test is an established and renowned admissions test used around the world, particularly in the UK, where it was previously known as UKCAT. The UCAT in Australia and New Zealand is known as the UCAT ANZ. Unlike its predecessor, the UCAT ANZ is a 2-hour computer-based test available at various Pearson VUE centres in the month of July.

This is a shift from the 3-hour paper based UMAT which was held only one day in July.

Availability of test centres and their timings may vary between centres. To see all test centre locations and their availability visit the UCAT ANZ website https://www. ucat.edu.au/ucat-anz/registration-booking/ test-centre-locations/ The UCAT is necessary for most undergraduate medicine and dentistry courses, however it is important that you check the specific university’s website to confirm which test is required for admission.

For application into medicine in 2021, the following courses require the UCAT. UCAT registrations have already opened and will close on the 11 May at 11:59 AEST. The late booking deadline is the 18 May at 11:59 AEST and will incur a late booking fee.

The test itself contains five, separately timed subtests: • Verbal Reasoning • Decision Making • Quantitate Reasoning • Abstract Reasoning • Situational Judgement Test In regards to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, UCAT ANZ and Person VUE expect testing to go ahead in 2020, thus far.

Booking and registrations are still open, so candidates should proceed as normal under the current timeline. A decision regarding the situation will be made closer to July and communicated to all registered candidates according to UCAT ANZ. It is important to get familiar with the test’s subtests and the timings of each subtest as well. Therefore, it is imperative to get studying before your test day.

Happy studying!

AUSTRALASIAN MUSLIM TIMES

27

AMUST

EDUCATION

NEWS 1-4

BOOMERANG 5-9

COMMUNITY 10 - 12

AUSTRALIA 13 - 15

Coronavirus in the “Risk Society” Dr Jan A Ali Coronavirus is a new respiratory infectious disease which in recent months and weeks has claimed over 200 000 human lives across the globe.

It has put extraordinary strain on the health system of many developing and developed countries as well as on the health professionals including microbiologists and virologists.

Modern medicine, epidemiology, and biomedical science are under tremendous pressure to frantically find a cure or develop a vaccine as the modern secular globalised world comes to grips with what might be called once-in-a-century global natural disaster.

Given its depth and scale, the Coronavirus has clearly revealed our vulnerability to medical diseases despite remarkable advances made in medical science and clinical medicine in the last hundred or so years.

The global outbreak of Coronavirus also underscores how easily and swiftly a biological and epidemiological problem can transform into a social, economic, and political crisis and become a universal existential threat.

In an attempt to combat Coronavirus the most common strategy employed by various states worldwide has been a public health approach erroneously called the “social distancing” rather than “physical distancing” or “distant socialising”.

The public health approach has involved boosting the capacity of health clinics and hospitals, applying stringent quarantine measures to infected patients, campaigning for enhancing physical hygiene such as regular hand washing and practicing proper coughing and sneezing etiquettes, and dramatically increasing the rate of Coronavirus testing.

However, the public health approach has gone beyond this encouraging the general population to wear masks in public, which has caused frenzied purchasing of masks worldwide, public parks and beaches have been made off-limits except for exercising, recreational driving in private motor vehicles is prohibited, home confinement for even unaffected individuals has been made mandatory, and country borders are closed, despite the lack of scientific evidence of their efficacy in terms of cause-and-effect.

The consequences of the Coronavirus are multidimensional but in this piece I will concentrate on the social aspect; an aspect medical experts and political leaders have grossly neglected.

One of the most serious consequences of the Coronavirus outbreak is the rise of “social bewilderment” among individuals around the world. It is making citizens

28

even from societies without a confirmed outbreak, confused because whilst they may enjoy the rare intimacy in a fast-paced modern capitalism with loved ones during the “lockdown” they are at the same time unable to socialise with colleagues and friends in a face-to-face manner that they are so used to and can’t feel the sense of freedom they have always taken for granted.

People, particularly younger generation, feel trapped and disappointed as they are unable to fathom their society’s vulnerability to a global natural disaster and its inability to face what the German sociologist Ulrich Beck calls hazards and insecurities of a risk society (Beck, 1992).

Modernisation has created a risk society which is part of our daily life now. Modernisation has brought about huge transformation in our society and in our social interaction with many unintended and unanticipated side-effects making citizens vulnerable to risks or existential threat. Our social space is no longer fixed, although we may yearn for its fixity, and has become very fluid conflating both public and private spheres into one.

The Coronavirus outbreak reveals that risk society leads to a blurring of the public and private spaces particularly for younger generation and to an unshielded society.

Usually, people from lower socio-economic class, single parent families, women, and people with disability suffer disproportionate harm from epidemics, pandemics, and social and natural disasters (Marshall et al., 2020) but in the case of Coronavirus, people from practically all walks of life and across a broad age spectrum feel at risk.

It is for this reason that large government investments must be made not only to study risks in the society but protect the health system from the vulnerabilities that it currently suffers. Instead of funding space exploration, space war, weapons of mass destruction, and boarder protection financial investments needs to be made in medical research, health clinics, and hospitals to cement personal security of the citizens and creation of a secure and safer social space for individuals to experience.

The outbreak of Coronavirus and its concomitant health, economic, and social effects will no doubt be recorded in the pages of modern human history (late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries) as the mother of all disasters because of its uniqueness.

It is for the first time in modern human history that a disaster has highlighted so clearly and in the most dramatic fashion the fragility of human biological life despite the advancements made in various areas of human life including men travelling to the moon.

The Coronavirus has made the world feel so vulnerable to hazards making people, particularly the rich as the poor have no say in the matter, plea for a “sterile society” which is hazard-proof as their quest for eter-

AUSTRALASIAN MUSLIM TIMES

nity continues.

To secure our social space, transform the “risk society”, and overcome hazards we have to collectively engage in a new biological, social, and spiritual/religious dialogue with the environment and its other inhabitants and, of course, among ourselves.

We need to teach ourselves that life on the planet earth is not eternal, that economic structure of our society is only one aspect of life - not all of life - and the zero-sum approach to living is unpalatable, that politics is not about empowering politicians but em-

powering the people, that the social is more about people coming together to cohere and for mutual exchange, and that family is the most crucial institution upon which the society rests.

We need economists and economic rationalists to take a step back and make way for a new interdisciplinary approach in which anthropologists, sociologists, philosophers, as well as health workers, medical professionals, virologists, and epidemiologists can cooperate with each other to change human attitude towards the environment, transform human behaviour, and help us mitigate if not eliminate the “risk” and improve our biological, mental, spiritual, and social resilience and divert us from excessive material pursuit of happiness.

Dr Jan A. Ali is a Senior Lecturer in Islam and Modernity in the School of Humanities and Communication Arts at Western Sydney University. He is a Sociologist of Religion specializing in Islam with a research focus on existential Islam.

One fate one humanity

Lessons from the pandemic Dr Mohd Ali The Coronavirus pandemic has spread in more than 210 countries and disrupted social and economic life across the globe. It has changed our working, playing and learning style: schools are closed, online homework is given and parents are asked to supervise their kids, offices are shutdown, sports leagues have been cancelled, and many people have been asked to work from home.

Lockdown is imposed on more than 3.5 billion people around the world. Faith groups are invited to present their point of view; medical experts are busy day and night all over the world to identify the effective treatment. Financial advisors are busy suggesting several measures to overcome the economic crisis caused by COVID-19.

There is a need to work collectively, suggested by various heads of governments.

Mass media is a powerful force shaping our views.

Prayers are being offered by religious leaders regularly and words of support offered to the people of the world; everyone has doubled down on prayers in recent weeks to ease worries over the virus. We have been observing the interactions between religious and scientific communities.

While some of us may regard religion and science at odds in our culture, the fact is that many communities rely on their religious leaders to guide their attitudes about scientific findings. Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish and civic leaders from all over the world are doing whatever they can do to save humanity from a common enemy.

This particular enemy does not see any division in humanity. It is destroying humanity without any discrimination.

Some people think one of the best things religious leaders can do is to align with scientists, physicians and other experts on how Coronavirus pandemic can be controlled.

For them religious leaders and scientific communities should join together in pursuing wholeness and healing of the world.

COVID-19 pandemic has impacted religious and non-religious communities in various ways, the cancellation of the worship services as well as the cancellation of pilgrimages and festivals. Churches, mosques, and temples have been locked. General Secretary of the World Council of Churches announced that, “This situation calls on our

WWW.AMUST.COM.AU

solidarity and accountability, mindfulness, care and wisdom... [as well as] for our signs of faith, hope and love”.

Muslims are advised to return back to Allah for guidance and forgiveness. We are told Coronavirus is a reminder to us for all of our sins. Regardless of social and financial positions, we are subject to Coronavirus. No boundary line of any country can stop it. Allah controls everything; He alone can relieve us from Coronavirus and other difficulties caused by it. We must return to Him and seek His protection.

We benefit from water, sunlight, air, fruits, rice, wheat, vegetables which are same then why do we have different perspectives on life? Why did we divide humanity into nations and put restrictions on the movement of people whereas humanity seems to be one? Why did we produce nuclear weapons of mass destruction? If one virus can destroy us and our powerful economies, then why are we divided? Why are our technologies, at some point, unable to protect us?

Why did the Indian prime minister, Modi, ban a medicine for export and why did his American counterpart Trump, threaten him?

I am sure we would be able to control sooner or later the COVID-19 Pandemic.

We humans are capable of doing it.

But can we be able to control our various perspectives, differences, enmities, divisions, greed and lust for power? Would we be able to protect people around the world with the same spirit of collective fighting against COVID-19 or will our sense of nation and pride will stop us.

Would we be able to treat every nation, weak or powerful, equally and bury our sense of pride of being superior? Is the notion of national interest above and higher than the interest of humanity? Can humanity be divided permanently into nations? Are not the nations and tribes for the sake of introduction and cooperation?

Let us come forward at a time when we are locked downed in our houses about our mode of thinking, epistemologies and methodologies and share with one another and make sure with certainty and authenticity that we are able to think ethically and scientifically and also capable of saving humanity from self destruction and allow it to live in peace, free from diseases, weapons and wars.

Dr Mohd Ali is currently working in International Islamic University Malaysia as Professor in the Department of Usul al-Din and Comparative religion. His area of specialization is modern and contemporary Islamic thought along with the comparative study of the modern Western philosophical thought and ideologies.

ISSUE 174 / MAY 2020

CENTREFOLD 16 - 17

LIFESTYLE 18 - 23

UMMAH 24 - 25

EDUCATION 26 - 28

#SOCIAL

SOCIAL 29 - 31

AMUST

Domesticating Australian native stingless Bees Eesa Bokhari Did you know that Bees were here, when the dinosaurs walked planet earth?

Did you know that Bees evolved from hunting wasps?

Did you know that most of the workers & foragers in the hive are female bees?

Bees in general evolved from a hunting wasp millions of years ago. Hunting wasps would stalk and kill insects and bring them to their nest to feed their larvae.

As the hunting wasps were collecting their food they were accidentally rubbing pollen from flowers onto their fur.

Thousands of years later some of these wasps started purposely collecting pollen because it was much easier than hunting insects.

These are what we call BEES! The Australian Native Bees are a subspecies that do not have stings and are therefore harmless. Native bees mainly live in northern

and eastern coastal areas in Australia. They live mainly in Northern NSW & Queensland because they need warm temperatures so they can live.

Bzzzzz, Bzzzzz, the hive has awoken now and all the foragers start to fly out of the hive and look for pollen on flowers they like.

Bzzzz, the Queen has awoken her role today is to lay eggs for the colony so the hive thrives.

Bzzzzzz, the worker bees are now helping to seal up the hive using propulus which is made with honey, pollen and beeswax so the bad guys can’t get in.

Native bees have natural enemies which are mainly the Phorid fly and Native Australian beetles. The Phorid fly flies to the entrance of the hive and pretends to be a native bee and the native bees think that these copycat flies are one of their own, but they’re not.

Later when phorid flies sneak into the hive they lay eggs everywhere and as their larvae hatch they eat all of the food and destroy the hive from the inside.

The Australian native beetle also destroys the hive by eating all the food supply, eating the native bee’s eggs and then destroying the structure of the hive physically.

Did you know that Native bees do better in

Switching to earth friendly Eid toys Gulhan Eryegit Yoldas This Eid when picking out toys for your children, your nephews, nieces or grandkids ask yourself one question “Will this toy outlive us all?”

The truth is most toys made by the big brands these days are made mostly from durable plastics that are likely to remain intact long after we, and our great grandchildren, have decomposed into the ground. Some toys will decompose in about a thousand years and others much longer.

A few months ago in December, Mattel, the manufacturer of Barbie products and a range of other well known brands, “announced its goal to achieve 100% recycled, recyclable or bio-based plastics materials in both its products and packaging by 2030” (1). Currently 58 million barbie dolls continue to be sold each year, with over 90% eventually ending up in landfill.

With such a devastating impact on the environment it’s disappointing that there isn’t currently a well marketed buy back system that encourages people to return plastic toys to be recycled and reused and not left to stay perfectly intact in landfill for generations. Children’s toys currently form a large and growing global market worth $90.4bn in 2018 (2).

Most standard recycling plants in Australia won’t accept plastic toys. “Because toys are made from many different materials – plastics, metal, glass, computer components, and more – they are incredibly difficult to recycle and in many cases are not accepted by recycling f a c i l i - ties.” (3) There a r e certainl y m a n y lessons we’ve learnt as a global MAY 2020 / ISSUE 174

Bees closing up the brood cells in Eesa’s Australian native bee hive. urban areas in comparison to the bush. This is because in the bush, eucalypts, flower in some seasons - not all year round.

Overall there is not as much pollen being found in the bush in comparison to urban areas with the abundance of flowers in all seasons.

Today Australian native stingless bees are being domesticated as pets and produce rare precious honey.

I just started my domestic pet project in order to produce honey from Australian native

stingless bees during COVID-19 lockdown at my Nani house and its great fun looking after them, researching their behaviour and hopefully harvesting honey from them in a few months time.

Eesa Bokhari is 11 years old and goes to Trinity Grammar Prep School. He is passionate about conserving Australian Native Stingless Bees.

community from this COVID-19 pandemic.

One of these lessons is that, given certain conditions are met, sustainable living can happen almost over night on a global scale.

All the planes can suddenly be grounded, the ocean liners can be docked and the smog and pollution can clear away as earth’s natural systems begin to repair humanities prolonged and persistent destruction and abuse of its resources.

So is the answer simply to shift from buying plastic toys to cutting down more trees to produce more “eco-friendly” biodegradable wooden toys? Certainly not. Apart from adopting more sustainable, ‘earth-friendly’ lifestyle changes, the key challenge for humanity in the post-COVID-19 world is simply to consume less.

Buy less. Eat less. Spend less. Reconsider your impact and challenge the consumerist narrative. Less is more.

Let’s not forget that Allah tells humanity in Surah Baqarah in the noble Quran that he has entrusted all humans as the custodians of the Earth, as successors, the khala’ifa.

It is incumbent upon us to care for our environment and the planet which has been entrusted to us.

And [mention, O Muhammad], when your Lord said to the angels, “Indeed, I will make upon the earth a successive authority (Khalifah).” (Qur’an 2:30) Gulhan Eryegit Yoldas is on the advisory board for ECCV Gambling Harm project, in the advisory group for Whittlesea Interfaith Network and currently works as the Community Engagement Facilitator for Al Siraat College. Gulhan has a robust history of advocacy for gambling industry reform and Interfaith dialogue. She is passionate about developing Muslim youth as spokespeople for their communities.

WWW.AMUST.COM.AU

AUSTRALASIAN MUSLIM TIMES

29

AMUST

#SOCIAL

NEWS 1-4

BOOMERANG 5-9

COMMUNITY 10 - 12

AUSTRALIA 13 - 15

Social Spotlights Asylum Seekers Centre @asylumseekerscentre Less than two months after his release from immigration detention, Hazara asylum seeker Noor is in the frontline fight against coronavirus, working as an emergency support worker.

The Sydney Morning Herald @sydneymorningherald

Arab News

On the first day of Ramadan, Auburn Gallipoli Mosque General Manager Ergun Genel prays alone due to social distancing rules to contain the coronavirus at the mosque in western Sydney.

This year Ramadan begins in the evening of Thursday, 23 April and ends in the evening of Saturday, 23 May. Photo: Kate Geraghty

@TheArabNews Painting by Saudi artist @_elnabila captures moment of emptiness, stillness and contemplation at Makkah’s Grand Mosque amid the Kingdom’s #coronavirus lockdown

RedFish @Redfishstream

Lighthouse Community Support @lighthousecommunitysupport On 12 April, Lighthouse was proud to have come of age with the support of so many, who wanted to give back to community.

We are truly grateful to The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, UBelong here, our local member Mr Jihad Dib, Clr. Bilal El-Hayek - Deputy Mayor of the City of Canterbury Bankstown, The GWS Giants and our wonderful partner Mountaha HHand.

Also a massive Thank You to Fettayleh Smallgoods for donating all the meat.

30

AUSTRALASIAN MUSLIM TIMES

We delivered 70 double hampers to a variety of communities, including Ramadan Hampers, to those isolated and as part of our partnership with Punchbowl Public School and Riverwood Public School.

Thank you to all the amazing volunteers, who are truly family.

We are truly humbled by all the support, that allows us to achieve the best outcomes for all communities.

If anyone sincerely requires support, please inbox us.

WWW.AMUST.COM.AU

This Syrian female chef fled to Portugal 4 years ago and is now cooking free meals for healthcare workers on the frontline against the coronavirus.

Ramia Abdalghani and her husband Alan Ghumim, who own a Syrian restaurant in Lisbon, have been offering free food to hospitals since mid-March.

Hungry healthcare workers only have to phone the restaurant, say how much food they need, and Ramia and Alan get to work. They make everything from the popular Daoud Basha, a spiced meatball dish, to creamy hummus.

The two of them had felt at home as soon as they found refuge in Portugal, so when the coronavirus hit, they wanted to do their bit to help their new community, Alan explained. “When you flee a war, you feel the disaster but you also realize who is there for you,” he said. “So in all things we do here in Portugal we try to give back to the people who welcomed us with open arms.”

Portugal recently granted all immigrants and asylum seekers full citizenship for during the pandemic so they can have full access to the country’s healthcare.

(Photo by Nuno Delicado/Reuters) ISSUE 174 / MAY 2020

CENTREFOLD 16 - 17

LIFESTYLE 18 - 23

TOP 6 Muslim Memes

UMMAH 24 - 25

EDUCATION 26 - 28

#SOCIAL

SOCIAL 29 - 31

Uyghur Refugees TOP 8 Tweets COVID-19 Emergency Support

AMUST

#teachersrock The hashtag #teachersrock was trending on Sunday 26 April with Celebrities and Public Figures sending support messages and videos to teachers who start Term 2 of school amidst the coronavirus pandemic.

and aren’t eligible for government support.

This campaign will give relief to single mothers who had to leave their husbands unjustly held in concentration camps in China, widows, and orphaned children.

Together we can make a difference. Please share the link with at least 1-3 people: www.LaunchGood.com/Uyghur-Covid19

Subhi Bora Take action to support Uyghur refugees this Ramadan.

There are thousands of Uyghur refugees who are in desperate need due to the impact of COVID-19.

They’ve lost their income

Subhi is passionate about supporting and amplifying the Uyghur cause.

How a Hasidic Jew & Black Muslim man became friends Youssef Kromah We were sitting beside each other on what would be a ten hour plane ride from Moscow, Russia to JFK, New York. I had on my vibrant, West African style, boxed kufi as I am accustomed to wearing, a pair of wooden dhikr beads wrapped around my wrist, an unruly Philly beard and my Quran open to Surah Baqara memorizing in a soft tone.

He had on his yamaka cap topped with a slick barsalino top hat, two short payots (curls) blending into his beard, black ropes hanging by each waist side and his Torah open reciting in Hebrew in an almost similar, melodic tone.

Every now and then I would catch him stealing glances over at my Quran and I too would steal glances at his Torah.

I’ve always been fascinated by the similarities between the Abrahamic faiths, particularly Judaism and Islam. After some time he finally asked me what I was reading and I told him ironically I was on the section of Baqarah that talked about the Children of Israel and chronicles of Pharaoh and Musa. His face turned bright red and he turned slightly in silence. I thought I offended him but a few seconds later he turned back with tears in his eyes and informed me that he was actually reading about the same thing earlier in the day in his Torah and how he always wished to learn Arabic and read the Quran.

MAY 2020 / ISSUE 174

He also disclosed to me that he was a student Rabi and had spent the last four years studying Jewish law in preparation to be a Rabbi. I told him I too was a law student at Al-Azhar and we connected right away.

We talked about religion, spirituality, comparative law, fashion, sports, travels and family. At some point I fell asleep and missed my meal. When I woke up I learned that he had asked the flight attendant to save me a kosher meal and offered me some fruit for dessert.

Once we landed in JFK we exchanged contacts and he asked me to tailor him a suit. (Currently in the works now.) It was a really transformative experience and I learned the beauty of humanity when we lead with love.

WWW.AMUST.COM.AU

AUSTRALASIAN MUSLIM TIMES

31

NEWS 1-4

32

AUSTRALASIAN MUSLIM TIMES

WWW.AMUST.COM.AU

BOOMERANG 5-9

COMMUNITY 10 - 12

AUSTRALIA 13 - 15

ISSUE 174 / MAY 2020