Issue 181 - December 2020

LIFESTYLE 14 - 16

AMUST

UMMAH 17 - 18

EDUCATION 19 - 20

BUSINESS 21

SOCIAL 22 - 23

AUSTRALASIAN MUSLIM TIMES

www.amust.com.au ISSUE # 181

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Multicultural News & Views

DECEMBER 2020; RABI’UL AAKHIR 1442

Round Table: Is India becoming a fascist state?

NEWS PAGE 2

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ADF Warcrimes: Masking a broader problem?

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Muslim awards night celebrated nationally Mehar Ahmad The 14th Australian Muslim Achievement Awards (AMAA) were held this year simultaneously in four states of Australia still under COVID-19 restrictions on Saturday 28 November 2020.

The venue for the Sydney part of the event was the Culinary School in Punchbowl MC’d by Sara Saleh and Nazeem Hussain while the event in Melbourne was held at the Islamic Museum of Australia.

The annual event founded and hosted by Mission of Hope led by Ms Hanan Dover and its current President Ms Nasreen Hanifi recognises the outstanding contributions made by Australian Muslim men, women, organisations and businesses and celebrating their performance, achievements and success.

The Australian Muslim Achievement Awards raises the profile of Australian Muslims who are serving both the mainstream and Australian Muslim communities excelling in many areas of influence.

The diverse range of nominees, finalists and winners were selected through a strict criterion in each category by panels of judges from across Australia making the 2020 nominations most competitive in the 14year history of the awards.

Commenting at the large number of nominations and finalist, Ms Hanan Dover said, “Through meaningful and active participa-

Nazeem Hussain (right) presenting the Abyssinian of the Year award to Craig Foster. Photo: AMAA. tion our finalists have excelled in fostering the nation’s growth and wellbeing.”

“Australian Muslims strive consistently to acknowledge the traditional land owners of the nation in which we live, and maintain Australia’s ongoing commitment to multiculturalism,” she further added.

Diana Abdel-Rahman, winner of the Lifetime Achiever of the Year award. Photo AMAA.

AMAA is not limited to awarding Muslims only for their achievements. This year Abyssinian of the Year award went to Australia’s 40th Socceroo Captain and celebrated broadcaster Craig Foster.

Craig is also known for his human rights and refugee advocacy work where he suc-

cessfully initiated a global campaign #SaveHakeem to free Bahraini Muslim refugee and fellow footballer Hakeem al-Araibi from a Thai prison against severe pressure from the Bahrain government. continued on page 3

Call for further probes into atrocities committed by foreign forces in Afghanistan Zia Ahmad There are widespread calls for investigations into atrocities committed by foreign forces engaged in Afghanistan for almost two decades following Australia’s public release of a shocking report on Thursday 19 November 2020 alleging unlawful killings of civilians by elite Australian troops in Afghanistan. The US and European countries have been urged to follow Australia’s example and hold perpetrators of war crimes accountable.

Australian Defence Force chief Angus Campbell has released Brereton Inquiry report, which found Australian soldiers were involved in almost 60 alleged war crimes, including murders where at least 39 Afghans who enjoyed protection under the laws of war were unlawfully killed by Australian

soldiers, with two others subjected to cruel treatment, in 23 separate incidents, involving 25 members of the Special Operations Task Group.

The Australian report has been shrouded in secrecy for the last four years and has finally seen the light of the day. The report has made 143 recommendations including the need for a criminal investigation of 36 matters involving 19 individuals.

In a media release dated Thursday 19 November, the Australian National Imams Council (ANIC) stated that it is deeply concerned about, and shocked by, the findings of the inquiry which found that there was credible evidence of 23 incidents in which one or more non-combatants – or individuals who had been captured or injured – were unlawfully killed by Australian special forces soldiers. continued on page 4

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Round Table: Is India becoming a fascist state?

Zia Ahmad

Farmers are seen on Thursday 26 November amid tear gas fired by police to disperse and impede them from marching to Delhi.

While tens of thousands of Indian farmers marching on the capital New Delhi are currently being brutally fired upon by tear gas and water cannons, a global round table was held from the NSW Parliament yesterday, Thursday 26 November seeking to explore the question, “Is India becoming a fascist state?” in response to the rising authoritarian tendencies of the Modi government and human rights violations in India. The speakers at the event included eminent civil society activists, academics, journalists and politicians from Australia, India, Britain, and the US. The round table was organised by a broad international coalition comprising of the Australia based, The Humanism Project (THP) , the Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC) , Hindus for Human Rights, US and Amnesty International, Australia.

NSW MP David Shoebridge opened the round table with a commentary on the significance of the event saying, “the erosion of civil liberties, the aggression of police and the increasing politicisation of the judiciary means that people are now seriously asking, ‘Is India slipping towards fascism?

As a friend of India, Australia and Australian politicians should support those voices from India and the diaspora who commit to our shared values of democracy, liberty and rule of law.”

Greens Foreign Affairs spokesman and Federal Senator Janet Rice said, “Human rights are fundamental, and must be protected in all countries and for all people. Sadly in India, as in many countries around the world, people’s human rights are frequently not respected. We are particularly concerned at the impacts on religious minorities, political opposition groups, Indigenous peoples and other vulnerable communities. This

forum is an important opportunity to hear from human rights advocates and a range of voices from around the world.”

Former Senator Lee Rhiannon said, “I am often asked ‘Is the Modi government promoting a fascist vision for India?’ I understand why people ask this question. There has been an alarming decline in democratic and secular standards in India. Massive detention centres have been constructed for the millions deemed to be non-citizens under new laws. Minorities are being killed. In Kashmir, in addition to the unilateral abrogation of Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, the entire population of Kashmir has been deprived of their right to freedom of expression and opinion through protracted communication restrictions, in place for the past year. These actions are compounded by a censored media, continuing detention of political leaders and a compromised judicial system. This forum is timely. The global community needs to be informed.”

The roundtable was also addressed by a number of overseas speakers.

Mr Shaffaq Mohammed MBE, a British politician of Kashmiri heritage who served as a Liberal Democrat Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the Yorkshire &

The Humber region from 2019 to 2020 compared the fascism in Europe that led to the killing of around 6 millions of jews and the ideology of Hindutva targeting minorities in India specially Muslim Indians.

Mr Mohammed talked about the brutal lockdown now for more than a year imposed in Indian Administered Kashmir following the revocation of Article 370 & 35A in Aug 2019, that gave the region special status & autonomy.

In January 2020 Mohammed was the lead proposer of a resolution against the Indian Citizen Amendment Act that gained the support of the main 5 political groups that made up the 750 seat European parliament.

US Congress woman elect Ms Marie Newman who won election in Illinois’s 3rd congressional district to the United States House of Representatives as the Democratic nominee talked about the change in US and assured her full support to rights groups calling for accountability of the Indian government with respect to human rights in the country.

Ms Suchitra Vijayan, the founder and the Executive Director of The Polis Project who writes about war, conflict, foreign policy, politics, literature, and photography listed

the increasing fascist policies of the Modi government and its total control on judiciary, law enforcement and mass media in India in order to suppress any descent in the country.

Mr Raju Rajagopal, C0-founder of Hindus for Human Rights talked about the cooperation of civil society activists from Indian diaspora to coordinate their efforts on a global level fighting against Hindutva ideology and creating awareness of human rights abuses in India by the current Modi government amongst the international community.

Professor Anjali Arondekar, a professor of Feminist Studies, and Director, Center for South Asian Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz talked about the caste based politics in India and discrimination, oppression and marginalisation of low caste Indians and other minorities including Muslims by the current BJP government.

Mr Pieter Friedrich who specialises in analysis of historical and current affairs in South Asia and engages with issues such as human rights, supremacist political ideologies, ethno-nationalism, politicisation of religion, authoritarian government structures and policies, state-sponsored atrocities, and the need to unify around doctrines of liberty informed the audience of RSS and HSS influence on Indian American diaspora, its funding efforts towards re-election of Trump and in turn funding of Hindutva organisations by rich American Indians.

Mr Joel MacKay, a human rights campaigner at Amnesty International Australia talked about erosion of human rights in India since Modi came to power and intimidation, laws against funding and finally shutting down of rights organisations and arrest of their staff in India, in particular that of Amnesty International.

Watch the proceedings of the full Round Table here: https://fb.watch/1_US0Ymj9M/

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ISSUE 181 / DECEMBER 2020

LIFESTYLE 14 - 16

UMMAH 17 - 18

EDUCATION 19 - 20

BUSINESS 21

NEWS

SOCIAL 22 - 23

AMUST

Muslim awards night celebrated nationally Winners of Australian Muslim Achievement Award 2020 Diana Abdel-Rahman

Lifetime Achiever of the Year

Souhair Afiouny Woman of the Year

Osman Karolia Man of the Year

Mohamed Semra Youth of the Year

Nazeem Hussain with Nadia El-Mouelhy.

Dr Rakime Elmir Merhi Professional of the Year

Ophelia Haragli

Role Model of the Year

Abdul Abdullah

Creative Artist of the Year

Bachar Houli

Sportsperson of the Year

Shameema Kolia

Volunteer of the Year People’s Choice of the Year

Brothers In Need

Community Organisation of the Year

Osman Karolia with his wife.

Melbourne Lockdown Response in Suburban Towers by Australian Muslim Social Services Agency

Souhair Afiouny with Ophelia Haragli

Best New Community Project of the Year

Youth of the Year: Mohamed Semra from Victoria.

Albanian Australian Islamic Society - AAIS 50 Year Street Festival Event of the Year

Halal Certification Authority Business of the Year

Tender Loving Care Disability Services Business of the Year

Podium Magazine

Media Outlet of the Year Mission of Hope team Continued from page 1 While accepting the award, Craig talked about his dream of an Australian society saying, “Here is the dream. The dream is for a country where we are all equal. The dream is for a country where there is no discrimination, no prejudice, no bigotry. The dream is for a country where irrespective of your religion, your nationality, your ethnicity or your beliefs, we are all the same. Dream is for a country where the media does not unfairly attack minority communities and the dream is for a country where the leaders of Australia stand with all our minority communities and call out racism where we see it.”

Talking about the #SaveHakeem campaign, he said, “I said then many times and I continue to say to every Australians and people around the world we had over DECEMBER 2020 / ISSUE 181

Craig Foster

Abyssinian of the Year 30 million stepped forward to help Hakim Al-Arabi and not one of them asked what his religion was, not one of them asked from which country he came, not one of them asked whether he is refugee or not. We saw him as a human being and as a brother and that’s why we fought for him. And that is the dream for Australia.”

This years Lifetime Achievement Award was bestowed upon Canberra based high profile community leader, Diana Abdel-Rahman OAM. Talking about the change during the last 30 years and the achievements of the Muslim community, Diana said, “To receive a lifetime achievement award, I thought about the concept of life time and of course the achievements. What happens in receiving this type of an award is what we see along the way. The people that we meet and those

who are achieving and those successes along the way.”

“I have seen a time when being a Muslim for seeing to be exotic, Believe it. People didn’t know much about it. I also saw a time when Australia went to war overseas and that changed and I watched from 1990 onward a change in the faith, of the minority as we are and how we became and how we were treated. The challenge in the community has been enormous. I think to see today such an achievement here, now that we have persevered and we have succeeded,” Diana said.

Commenting on her activism based in the capital of Australia, she said, “I am an activist and wouldn’t shy away that I stood up there and fought for the voice for the voiceless. It is something that I read many many years ago about, if you have an opportunity

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to say something you must use your voice.

We stood there, in front of the Israeli embassy and we have said free free Palestine.

We have stood in front of the US embassy fighting for those overseas who do not have the voice, for the people of Afghanistan, of Kashmir, of Lebanon, of Palestine.

AMAA 2020 was sponsored by Tender Loving Care Disability Services (Platinum), The Culinary School (Gold), Acacia Design (Bronze), while the interstate event hosts were Islamic Museum of Australia, Muslim Youth of Western Australia and Islamic Care, Queensland.

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

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Shaoquett Moselmane fully exonerated Zia Ahmad The NSW MP Shaoquett Moselmane, who was the target of radio shock jocks earlier this year and a police raid under full lime light of the media in June, has been back at the parliament house and his membership of the Labor Party was restored on Thursday 12 November after he was absolved of being the target of any foreign influence plot.

“I am delighted to be back at Parliament serving the people of NSW,” Mr Moslemane said.

He further added, “I am ready to continue the fight for our underprivileged, our multicultural and Aboriginal communities and to work hand-in-hand with my Labor colleagues and our unions to fight for a fair wage structure and a safe work environment,” he said.

“I am also thrilled to be back in the party that I love most, the Australian Labor Party,” Mr Moslemane later added.

NSW Labor Opposition Leader, Jodi McKay called for the suspension to be lifted and that was promptly complied officially by the Labor Party on Thursday 12

Mr Shaoquett Moselmane in conversation with Mr Zia Ahmad, Editor-in-chief of AMUST in his office at NSW Parliament on Tuesday 9 November 2020.

November.

“I met with Mr Moselmane in my office and he has provided me with a record of the interview in his home during a police raid in June,” she said.

“This document states he is not a suspect in an investigation by Australian Federal Police,” Ms McKay concluded.

Mr Moselmane was suspended from the

party after AFP and ASIO raided his Sydney home and parliamentary office in June this year while seeking information relating to allegations of a foreign influence plot.

At the time, Ms McKay described reports that Mr Moselmane’s office had allegedly been infiltrated by Chinese government agents as “dreadfully concerning”.

Mr Moselmane has been critical of the

fact his close relationship with China has come under the microscope.

On his return to parliament in October, he read a statement in which he reaffirmed his position that he had done nothing wrong.

“To date, Mr President, I remain nonethe-wiser as to what this investigation is all about. I don’t know why it was necessary for my public humiliation, nor do I know who decided that it was necessary for the media to accompany the police raid into my home.”

He still has not received any explanation as to why he was targeted in a meticulously coordinated campaign by right wing radio shock jocks, Australian media, AFP, ASIO as well as by supporters of Israel and has been highly disappointed by his own Labor Party for not coming to his support against these concerted attacks.

Mr Moselmane acknowledged the support of grass root members of the multicultural community throughout the traumatic last few months that took a toll on him personally and on his family. He specially thanked members of the Australian Chinese, Arabic and Pakistani communities for their strong support.

Call for further probes into atrocities committed by foreign forces in Afghanistan Continued from page 1 The Australian Defence Force is looked upon to protect Australia and Australians.

In its overseas operations, it is expected to act in an exemplary manner and protect civilians.

According to ANIC Spokesperson, Bilal Rauf, “The standards of behaviour expected of the Defence Force have been severely breached and will cast a stain on the very standing of the institutions which

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are charged with a responsibility and trust to protect those who need such protection.

It is absolutely imperative that steps be taken to prosecute those who have engaged in the alleged crimes, including apparent war crimes, and also those higher in the hierarchy who have allowed such culture to develop over a period of time. The need to pursue and obtain justice swiftly is paramount. Anything less risks tainting and besmirching our standing as a country in advocating justice and human rights”.

AUSTRALASIAN MUSLIM TIMES

The Western coalition operating in Afghanistan for almost 20 years have largely neglected to investigate war crimes in Afghanistan and either have or are enacting laws to protect their soldiers committing atrocities in foreign wars.

The US government has been very protective of its soldiers committing war crimes in Afghanistan as well as in Iraq. Trump has issued a series of pardons for soldiers either accused, or convicted, of serious war crimes.

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Trump has also issued a series of executive orders that enact retaliatory measures, including sanctions, in response to the International Criminal Court’s authorisation of an investigation into the situation in Afghanistan, the scope of which includes crimes allegedly committed by US personnel.

The British government is championing the Overseas Operations (Service Personnel and Veterans) Bill, which would make it almost impossible to prosecute British soldiers.

ISSUE 181 / DECEMBER 2020

LIFESTYLE 14 - 16

UMMAH 17 - 18

EDUCATION 19 - 20

BUSINESS 21

BOOMERANG

SOCIAL 22 - 23

Israel gets away with murder behind the cloak of antisemitism While the notorious Israeli secret service Monday 30 November 2020, 122 Palestinian Mossad led by its director for the last five and Arab academics, journalists and intellecyears, Yossi Cohen is stealthily wheeling tuals have expressed their concerns about the and dealing with Arab autocrats coercing IHRA definition of antisemitism to be highly then into normalising relations with Isra- problematic: “In recent years, the fight against antiel, it keeps assassinating civilians all semitism has been increasingly inover the world that it considers a strumentalised by the Israeli govthreat to the Jewish state. ernment and its supporters in an On the other hand any criteffort to delegitimise the Palicism of Israel and its illegal estinian cause and silence deinternal and global activities Zia Ahmad fenders of Palestinian rights, specially with respect to the the letter states” human rights of the PalesAssalamu “The fight against antisemtinian people specially in reAlaikum itism must be deployed within cent years, has been gagged the frame of international law by invoking antisemitism.

Greetings and human rights. It should be While we must all fight of Peace part and parcel of the fight against against racism, antisemitism as all forms of racism and xenophobia, inwell as Islamophobia, these terms should not be invoked to justify oppression, cluding Islamophobia, and anti-Arab and anabuse by the rich and the powerful and for ti-Palestinian racism.”

“There is a huge difference between a conraising voice against injustice.

Increasingly the definition of antisemitism dition where Jews are singled out, oppressed by the International Holocaust Remem- and suppressed as a minority by antisemitic brance Alliance (IHRA), and the way this regimes or groups, and a condition where the definition has been applied, interpreted and self-determination of a Jewish population in deployed in several countries of Europe and Palestine/Israel has been implemented in the North America with laws being enacted ac- form of an ethnic exclusivist and territorially cordingly has led to gagging of any criticism expansionist state. As it currently exists, the state of Israel is based on uprooting the vast of Israel.

A letter, published in the Guardian on majority of the natives,Palestinians.”

AMUST ISSUE # 181 FRIDAY 4 DECEMBER 2020 18 RABI’UL AAKHIR 1442 News

- Israel getting away with murder - The making of a new America - ADF Warcrimes: Masking a problem

The same can be said for Nikki Hayley.

Another slave of America and Israel.

Burhan

- Islamic calligraphy workshop - WGS HSC celebration dinner - IWAA Sydney client engagement

Australia “To level the charge of antisemitism against anyone who regards the existing state of Israel as racist, notwithstanding the actual institutional and constitutional discrimination upon which it is based, amounts to granting Israel absolute impunity. Israel can thus deport its Palestinian citizens, or revoke their citizenship or deny them the right to vote, and still be immune from the accusation of racism.”

Treatment of Israel, as the holy cow who can not be touched in spite of all its excesses and its secret service that can get away with murder, by the rich and powerful supporters of Israel in Western capitals is immoral, unjust and illegal and must be challenged.

Do not expect much from Biden-Harris except continued support for Israel, footsies with the Saudis and their minions in the Gulf. There is room for hope however in the progressive leadership which is emerging in many of the big cities under Democrat leadership and the progressive nucleus developing in Congress.

A major defeat for the Republicans and their white supremacist supporters would be a major step in the right direction.

Bilal Cleland

Re: The beheading in France: An act of blasphemy in itself

When the Revolution of 1789 occurred the Catholic Church was deeply embedded in the Divine Right feudalism of the old regime.

Every supporter of the Rights of Man was an enemy of the Catholic Church. This anti-clericalism has continued into the modern era and now embraces Islam as well as the Church.

Secularism under the French model is always anti-religious.

Nowadays the Catholic Chirch is not targeted as it once was but the Muslims, “the other” from the former North African colonies have become the scapegoat, hence the vilification DECEMBER 2020 / ISSUE 181

Leader Jodi McKay and the Party had the decency and loyalty to stand by Shaoquett Moselmane’s fine reputation and professionalism.

Mr Moselmane has the courage of his convictions and dares give support to Palestine.. unlike 98% of federal and state politicians.

And a grand thanks to AMUST for standing

by Shaoquett..unlike the mainstream media.

Dr Vacy Vlazna

Re: Webinar on press freedom and democracy in Egypt and Re: Popular biscuits and margarine not halal?

Turkey

Australia is 26th in the world for press freedom. It’s not in the top 10 but it’s certainly nowhere as bad as Turkey, currently sitting at 154 globally. https://rsf.org/en/ranking Muhammad

Re: Do we have financial skills as a community?

Spot on Fahd. I second you when you say “I wish I’d learned earlier”. I think knowledge of Finance & Economics will also help people break from the modern slavery of 9-5.

Also, I wanted to point out that the Ayah 13:11 does not fit into the meaning of outward effort ( As you have mentioned “The balance comes from the expectation upon us to struggle to better ourselves”). The Ayah is referring to the state of heart where upon people would not accept truth and will commit kuffur (not accepting truth when it has revealed itself and no doubt is left).

Never the less, your point of our community requiring familiarity about Finance & Economics is what I agree & support.

Ahmed Shinwari

Re: Shaoquett Moselmane fully exonerated While this is a good news story, it is about

8 - 11

Community

Re: So why does Kamala Harris of Muhammad (saw) and Islam, down to the a situation that should never have happened burkini. Their cartoons are just stereotypes of and wouldn’t have happened if the Labor matter?

Please talk about Australia’s lack of press freedom before taking about Australian jkinrbakisgs locked up.. Talk about the thousands of refugees detained in detention centres and lack of coverage in the media. Talk about the lack of coverage in media of the Kashmiri citizens!

Ayse

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Boomerang

Readers comments the French imperial view of “the Arab.” They do not portray the Prophet but just their own imaginings.

To kill human beings because you feel affronted is not the Islamic way at all, rather the way of feudalists. It is evidence of ignorance and hate.

Bilal Cleland

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- Muslim awards night 2020 - Atrocities by foreign forces - Is India becoming a fascist state?

EDITORIAL

Non-white political leaders in America usually make every effort to mirror mainstream (i.e. White) issues and prejudices. Unlike Malcolm X and Martin L King who boldly went against ‘white’ tide of entrenched racism, we had the likes of Obama who did nothing significant for the Blacks or coloured, or the Middle East politics. Infact his unqualified support for the drones menacing the Afghan/Pakistan border run counter to our expectation from his pacifist oratory. Pictures of him walking the dog or attending a church was just pictorial effort to soften the edges of a coloured leader. With that grim view of America’s coloured leadership, Kamala Harris could still surprise us and more importantly surprise the Kashmiris, Palestinians and the Yemenis. Their end of the tunnel darkness could just be within sight with a Kamala Harris VP! mal

AMUST

This is very poor approach to get an outcome.

People need to stop cold calling multinationals and making conclusions and creating tension in the market place. Naming and shaming is not the way.

There is structured way to approach strategic issues with the right level of experts involved such matters to work a solution with manufacturers.

Manufacturers are there to serve Australian 1st and then a minority while remaining profitable and competitive, need to engage experts from consumer supply chain, brands and food processing to work out a way.

Bringing in Kosher is irrelevant and pointless.2 different demographics and markets.

These multinational have global operations and can import products from Muslim countries if there is enough business.

Matr

Re: ADF Warcrimes: Masking a broader problem?

Elias has struck a nerve. The vilification of Islam and Muslims by so many radical right politicians (not conservatives at all) has contributed to an atmosphere of bigotry in which hatred against Muslims can be freely expressed.

Bigots use the “freedom of speech” argument to defend their stance while ignoring the foundation of that freedom in the right to speak truth to powerr, not freedom to vilify the different or the vulnerable.

Such an atmosphere has no doubt influenced some of our troops and we can see the results in the Brereton Report.?

Bilal Cleland

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- Press freedom in Egypt and Turkey - Interfaith on the front lines

Lifestyle

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- IMA masterpieces online - Manage anxiety with Faith

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- Muslim Pro app: Selling data - Jamia: 100 years of excellence - Call for peace in Ethiopia

Education

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- Rahmani30: excellence in education - Love for Prophet Muhammad (s)

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Business - Know what your dollar does - Pay yourself first

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- Social Spotlight: Dear Nike - Top 6 memes - Top Tweets: #SolidaritywithPalestine

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 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.

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The making of a new America

AUSTRALIA 12 - 13

Slanting Hill Face And The Grey White House Of Worship

Dr Aslam Abdullah It was not supposed to come to this close. With 250,000 Covid deaths, the Muslim ban, racial attacks, and the deteriorating economic condition, Trump should have lost the Presidential race with a landslide. But Trump once again displayed his oratorial and charismatic magic, drew millions of his fans to pooling booths, and won states that pundits had predicted he would lose.

At the end, voters in Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Nevada collectively shut the White House doors for Trump. It was tense, and it appeared that Biden would be unable to climb the ladder of Presidency. But county after the county started building steps for him to walk in the Presidential office with Kamala Harris, the progeny of a multi-racial family.

Trump’s and Biden’s approach to voter participation was identical. Both focused on increasing votes in counties predominantly red or blue. Both succeeded in inspiring more Americans to use the ballot to express their opinion. Of the 239.2 million Americans eligible to vote, 159.8 million or 66.8% cast theirs, the highest since 1900. Biden secured more than 74 million, the highest any Presidential candidate ever got.

The election was not about religion; however, religious communities voted. Protestants are 26 percent of the voters, Catholics 22%, Other Christians 18%, others 8%, Jews 3%, Mormons 1%, Muslims, and Hindus under 1%.

In this election, 61% Protestants, 50% Catholics, 71% Mormons, and 51% Other Christians voted for Trump, while 68% Jews, 61% other religious groups, 64% Muslims and 59% Hindus voted for Biden.

COMMUNITY 8 - 11

Fazlul Huq

One report published by CAIR said that 70 percent of Muslims voted for Biden and 17 percent for Trump. The AP survey revealed that 64% of Muslims voted for Biden while 35% voted for Trump.

In Minnesota and Michigan, two Muslim congresspersons, Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, retained their Districts and played a pivotal role in Biden’s victory. Andre Carson, in Indiana, was the third Muslim to maintain his District.

In Michigan, he beat Trump by 150,000 votes. Clinton lost the state by 11,000 in 2016. In Minnesota, the victory margin for Biden was higher than in 2016.

The Muslim votes were crucial in all battleground states for Presidential, senate, and house races. They overwhelmingly voted for Biden. There were 110 Muslims who ran for various offices in different parts of the country. Over 50 of them won. Most of the winners were younger people representing several ethnic communities.

Biden’s victory is a victory of American

people and one hopes that in domestic and foreign affairs, Biden would reflect people’s aspirations. The US does not exist to patronise dictators, and human rights violators in India, Israel, Saudi Arabia, or any part of the world. The primary obligation of a US Administration is to serve Americans and not the state of Israel or the multinational corporations.

The country would expect Biden to take swift action on COVID-19, economy, immigration, environment and racial equality. He has the mandate, and he should use it for the good of all and not only for the well being of an elite or a part of the country.

Dr Aslam Abdullah is a resident scholar at Islamicity.org. He is also the editor of the Muslim Observer published from Detroit, MI, USA. He is based in the USA and is a trustee of the American Federation of Muslims of Indian Origin. He has taught at several colleges and universities in India, England, and the USA.

The slanting face of the hill is seen to have cover of green from scattered trees and body of the grass.As the ground in front too continues to fall and remains dressed in green although it remains emptied of shrubs and trees.

While the chapel from the distant past hued in grey and white is seen to have the chimney piercing the upper sky.

As it stays in place close to the edge of the foreground.

Dr Fazlul Huq was an Associate Professor in Discipline of Pathology in the School of Medical Sciences University of Sydney (just retired). Besides being a poet over 29,000 compositions, he used to lead Cancer Research Group focused on drug discovery and therapy. Dr Fazlul Huq is a retired academic and Editor-in-Chief Emanreserch Journal Of Angiotherapy.

He is also the poet “Jujube” at Allpoetry. com with over 35,000 compositions.

The eternal love for the Prophet by his companion Thawban Sukoon Quteifan I loved this story from the Sirah (Prophet’s life) so much that I want to tell the whole world about it! The story of his companion Thawban (r) and his infinite love for the Prophet Mohammad (s) that granted him the eternal company of the Prophet, in this world and also in the hereafter.

Thawban (r) was from Yemen. He was sold as a slave in the market.

The Prophet paid the necessary money and bought him. Then, he freed Thawban. However, Thawban warmed to the Messenger of Allah, who was a vast ocean of compassion, all of a sudden. He did not want to leave the Prophet. Noticing this, the Prophet made him the following offer: “Return to your family and live with them if you wish. Or, stay with us here with Ahl al-Bayt.”

This was an offer that Thawban (r) wanted very much. He decided to stay with the Messenger of Allah without thinking.

Thus, Thawban (r) attained the honour of serving the family of the Prophet. He was also the special servant of the Prophet. He was a clever, shrewd and an intelligent

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person. He fulfilled every order of the Prophet and performed his duties perfectly.

Thawban (r), was a lover of the Prophet who could not put up with being separated from him. He sometimes remained away from the Prophet due to some of his duties away.

Once, he came to the presence of the Messenger of Allah in a terrible state.

His face was pale, his body was weak and there was an expression of sorrow in his face. When the Prophet saw him like that, he asked him: “O Thawban! What has happened?

Are you ill?” Thawban (r) replied as follows: “O Messenger of Allah! I am not ill nor have I any pain. When we come to your presence, we look at your face, sit next to you and listen to you.

When I do not see you, my love toward you increases; I feel grievous until I rejoin you. Then, I remember the hereafter and fear that I will not be able to see you there. For, you will be in a higher station with the prophets in paradise and I will be in a lower position. I am worried that I will not be able to see you there.”

Prophet Mohammad (s) listened to Thawban (r) and was about to answer him when Jibril delivered the following revelation: “And whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger will be in the company of those blessed by Allah: the prophets, the people of truth, the martyrs,

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and the righteous—what honourable company!” [Quran, 4: 69].

When the revelation was completed, Thawban (r) was highly excited.

He felt like a child due to his happiness. He received the reward of his love towards the Messenger of Allah in the world; he also received the glad tiding of seeing his blessed face in paradise.

May Allah allow us all to be of those and increase our love for Him, His Messenger, and all that He loves and has commands us to love. May Allah

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also allow us to obey Him and His Messenger to the best of our ability and with the correct understanding. Ameen.

Sukoon Quteifan is a graphic designer and illustrator based in Sydney, Australia. She is the creator and the illustrator of “Sukoon Al Quloob - Peace of Hearts”, an Islamic Cartoons facebook page.

You can follow her on facebook @ SukoonQuteifanArt.

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ADF Warcrimes

Hazratullah witnessed his father being taken away after he received treatment from an Australian medic.(ABC News)

Masking a broader problem?

Elias Attia The 2020 Afghanistan Inquiry Report by the Inspector General of the ADF (“the Brereton report”) serves as a wake up call for all Australians. For Australian Muslims, the inquiry’s findings call for wider reflection regarding the murder and torture of their brothers in faith (in their name).

Specifically, they question whether a link exists between the timing of these atrocities, and a tide of heightened islamophobia and anti-refugee rhetoric back home.

The Brereton Inquiry should be viewed in the context of the ADF’s longstanding problem with bastardy, misogyny, racism and inclusion. A 2016 ADF academic survey of ADF personnel found “there is a very high level of agreement with the proposition that the Muslim religion promotes violence and terrorism”.

The same article foreshadowed the consequences of the ADF failing to address Islamophobia saying: “…hostility to Muslims in general could hamper the effectiveness of the ADF on deployment in the Greater Middle East in a number of ways. Most obviously, it could lead to ill-treatment of civilians.”

ADF personnel, including SAS members, are just as vulnerable to extremism pathways as anyone else. Since at least 2012, ADF and SAS personnel were known to participate in online and offline communities such as the

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Australian Defence League, Reclaim Australia and the Q Society.

This year, an Instagram account run by both current and former Australian SAS members was mocking the Brereton inquiry into war crimes allegations and insisting on the right to “Make Diggers Violent Again”.

Did the torture and killing of Muslims abroad start with the demonisation of Muslims back home?

The links between media coverage, a “fear of Muslims”, “crime” and “people smugglers” are broadly established through numerous academic papers.

Back in 2013 when some of the alleged SAS atrocities were taking place, Australia was phasing out the mandatory detention of refugee children in detention centres; there were calls for greater surveillance of Muslim communities and the immigration department had moved away from a focus on multiculturalism.

Engagement with Muslim communities by the media and the Federal Government was filtered through a lens of national security. SAS and Commando units traveling between home and Afghanistan were confronted with rhetoric of Afghan refugees and Muslims being elevated to a national security concern. Muslim leaders who rightly protested this rhetoric were squarely attacked for denying reality.

The Brereton inquiry itself has little to say about all this because it is apolitical. It does not address whether more could have been done to better assist returning soldiers, nor does it explore the countervailing political,

cultural and social trends in Australia at that time, or whether political rhetoric could impact on a soldier’s understanding of what Australia expects from them.

Significantly, it fails to mention the words Islam, Islamophobia, racism, Muslims, or Refugees. Meanwhile headcam footage from frontline soldiers clearly shows civilians were being denigrated shortly before they were killed.

Whereas the Brereton report found credible reports of murder and torture in relation to the 57 allegations it investigated, it represents the pointy end of an iceberg of bad behaviour.

Denialism was evident both in how the ADF responded to early complaints of human rights atrocities in Afghanistan, but also in the words of the Chief of Defence General Angus Campbell when he said “We embarked on this inquiry with the hope that we would be able to report that the rumours of war crimes were without substance.”

Numerous sources, including an independent human rights commission in Afghanistan alerted the Australian government to these atrocities perhaps as early as 2008

and definitely by 2012. Now that the Brereton Inquiry has declared such atrocities are not just a rumour, we can finally move on to understanding and addressing its causes.

Redressing the wrongs perpetrated upon the victims is a start. But these atrocities did not occur in a vacuum, devoid of systemic problems affecting Australia.

In the absence of a full sociological inquiry, the Australian government must stop politicising refugee, migration, youth and health issues and turning them into questions of values, race and security.

It must engage constructively with CALD community representatives and partner with Muslim leaders in policy development frameworks. Bureaucracies and the ADF must reflect the cultural diversity of the real Australia.

Lastly, greater effort should be given to teach the public about Islam and showcase the success stories of Muslims.

Elias Attia is a solicitor who has worked as a research assistant and community development consultant addressing social issues in Sydney as well as in rural Australia.

Australian Values under the current federal government Bilal Cleland National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee [NAIDOC] Week this year was marked by government rejection of the Aboriginal and Torres Islander flags in the Senate chamber.

Meanwhile our first law officer, Christian Porter and the minister in charge of our Australian Values Statement, Alan Tudge, were the subjects of a Four Corners program on harassment accusations from female members of their staff.

The need for clear Australian Values Citizenship Minister Alan Tudge’s first major speech in March 2018, widely reported in regional newspapers, warned “Multicultural Australia at Risk.”

Fearing “ethnic separatism,” he stated that “Australia risks replicating ethnic unrest in Europe unless the government intervenes.”

He also claimed: “We have also got a general diminishing capacity or capability of the English language being spoken by new arrivals to this country over the last decade.”

[7 March 2018 Ararat Advertiser] This seems to be an echo of the 1939 ANA Congress in Warrnambool, worried about the entry of “aliens” in to the country, with their inclination to form enclaves and not speak English. [23 March 1939 Argus] The Requirement The Department of Home Affairs announced on 17 September 2020 that the updated Citizenship Test will comprise 20 DECEMBER 2020 / ISSUE 181

multiple-choice questions, including five questions on Australian values.

“A person will be required to correctly answer all five of the questions on Australian values, with a mark of at least 75 per cent overall, to pass the test.”

“From 30 October 2020, most new visa and citizenship applicants will be required to affirm the updated Australian Values Statement (AVS).”

Then on 30 October 2020 the Home Affairs website announced: “From today, new applicants for most visas will be required to sign or accept an updated Australian Values Statement, with a greater focus on values like freedom, respect, equality and the rule of law.”

The Reality Since 2013 Home Affairs has been promoting Australian values very much like those of 2020, including egalitarianism, mutual respect, rule of law, equality of opportunity.

The statements do not accord with reality.

Although we are one of the richest countries in the world per head of population “The number of children living in poverty had gone up considerably in the last decade.”

Alongside this we have the 40 companies, earning some $348 billion, which paid the least tax on the most income earned.

“The top tax rate paid by any of them was less than 4%. Sixteen of the 40 paid no tax at all. If the 40 had paid 25% tax …the tax take would have been nearly $27,000 for each of the three and a quarter million people living below the poverty line.” [15 October 2020 Ian Cunliffe Pearls and Irritations] So much for egalitarianism, mutual repect

and equality of opportunity.

As for the rule of law, Tudge chose to disobey an Administrative Appeals Tribunal decision on freeing a refugee and kept him in detention for an additional five days.

Federal Court Judge Justice Geoffrey Flick said that “the Minister has engaged in conduct which can only be described as criminal”.

The Attorney General Christian Porter defended Tudge, leaving him, as first law officer of the nation, open to the accusation that he had supported the right of ministers to break the law.

The in June Justice Flick had to threaten Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton with contempt of court, … over granting an Iranian refugee a protection visa.” [28 September 2020 Rashad Seedeen Independent Australia]

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The vilification directed by government members and their collaborators in the Senate towards Muslim Australians and towards First Nations people is also a matter of public record.

The AVS of “rule of law, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of association and equality of opportunity for all people in Australia” remains on paper so far as this ruling coalition is concerned.

By the way there are doubts about the eligibility of Tudge to even sit in parliament.

According to John Wren, he could be Canadian. [14 November 2020 Independent Australia] Bilal Cleland is a keen reader, a prolific writer and a regular columnist of AMUST based in Melbourne.

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Islamic calligraphy workshop by Fatima Killeen Artist Fatima Killeen (centre) with participants.

Amadu Barrie The 6th and final all female Islamic calligraphy workshop at the newly refurbished main hall of the Canberra Islamic Centre (CIC) ended on Thursday 19 November 2020. The first session started on 17 October.

The workshop was a collaboration effort between the CIC and calligrapher Ms Fatima Killeen, an artist from Casablanca, Morocco living and painting in the nation’s capital, Canberra.

In an interview with AMUST, Ms Fatima Killeen disclosed that she was drawn into calligraphy for several reasons including the fact that it’s the Holy Qur’an’s script and that she also found the Arabic script to represent a strong political statement.

She said “Arabic looks really political as a statement like in a news headline. I find that its loaded with meaning and remarkably interesting. I use it as a headline in newspaper in my work because I want to speak about the political devastation that is happening in the Arab and Muslim world”.

Workshop participant and former president of the CIC Executive Committee (EC) Mrs Azra Khan said she gained a lot from the calligraphy class as it develops her writing skills in the language of the Qur’an. She said “We read the Qur’an every day and yet we don’t know how to write it. Calligraphy adds to the reading we do regularly and thus helps us to better understand the Qur’an as

whole”.

Mrs Khan added that she will talk to the EC to work closely with Ms Fatima Killeen to continue to provide calligraphy lessons to the Canberra community and to ensure the CIC venue is made readily available for such.

Ms Fatima Killeen thanked both participants and organisers for the opportunity to provide the training to the CIC community. She concluded by saying “The calligraphy class provides an opportunity to bring the community together.” With a smile she added “As an artist I work on my own in a very lonely spot in my studio. But when you have contact with the community it gives it another level of closeness to meet with so many wonderful people”.

Fatima Killeen is a veteran in the art industry.

In 1988 she was accepted into the Corcoran School of Art in Washington DC where she studied painting and photography.

While at the Corcoran, she was awarded the Dean’s Merit Scholarship.

Ms Fatima Killeen came to Australia in 1994 and continued her bachelor’s degree in painting and printmaking at The Canberra School of Art (Australian National University). In 1997, she graduated with First Class Honours and three Graduation awards (VETA, Mallesons Acquisition Award & Megalo printmaking residency).

Since her graduation in 1997, she has taken part in group and solo exhibitions in Canberra, Sydney & Melbourne. The work “Stored Memories” was acquired by the Canberra Museum and Gallery in 1998.

During 2001, she received the Wattan Art Prize at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney.

She has received several art grants to assist in the production of new works. Her artworks have been acquired by the Australian War Memorial, the Australian National University, the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission and recently the National Museum of Australia.

Ms Fatima Killeen’s private collections

include works located in Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, Morocco, Singapore, Zimbabwe, Germany, Switzerland, Los Angeles, Ohio and Washington DC. Amadu Barrie is an ICT Systems Analyst with the Department of Human Services.

Nadra sets Australian record in power lifting

Quality Goods Store A store where you can purchase new and preloved goods at affordable prices, with all proceeds supporting charity.

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Nadra Jalaluddin, a Muslim hijabi athlete, from Sydney set a national record for powerlifting on Sunday 29 November at Adonis Gym, Campbelltown when she squatted 155kg and deadlifted 200kg with a total of 425kg.

Powerlifting is a strength sport that consists of three attempts at maximal weight on three lifts: squat, bench press, and deadlift.

As in the sport of Olympic weightlifting, it involves the athlete attempting a maximal weight single lift of a barbell loaded with weight plates.

Her journey began by going to gym to get fit and healthy. She continued to do weights and started to focus more on strength and

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maintenance. Her determination grew and she started competing since July 2019.

To achieve such a record requires great dedication. She trains 4 times a week at 2.5 hrs per session. All aspects of her daily routine needs to be controlled, which includes nutrition, sleeping habits and other actions throughout the day.

This discipline and determination transpires into other aspects of her life.

When asked on what positive impact this sport has had on her faith, she replied “It has given me more confidence. I am very noticeable because of my hijab. Not many people in this sport come across people like me.”

Her next goal is to compete in the state championships and also to go on to represent Australia.

Sakinah Bokhari is a high school teacher based in Sydney.

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Celebration Dinner marks end of tumultuous HSC 2020 Amira Rahman, the DUX of her class, with her parents and school executive staff.

Hajar Rafiq Western Grammar School celebrated the end of exams for its third batch of HSC students with an inaugural formal held on Tuesday 10 November at the Emporium Function Centre in Bankstown where the top performers of the class of 2020 were honoured in front of their parents and friends with an announcement of their academic and character-based achievements.

Mr Irfan Afzal, the school’s principal, warmly welcomed graduates and guests to the special event.

The celebration dinner came on the back of a graduation ceremony held in Term 3 that denied the presence of parents and guests due to COVID-19 restrictions.

In keeping with the Islamic ethos of the school, bouquets of fresh flowers were presented to the parents and carers in recognition of their noble position and contribution to the success of their children.

Amira Rahman was named the DUX of her class and was cheered on by her family including her younger brother Salman, who was particularly impressed by Dr Zachariah Matthew’s motivational speech.

Dr Zachariah, the deputy principal of the Plumpton-based school, spoke of being agents of change and urged the graduating class to not settle for an average life and instead be among the one percent who are change-makers in this world.

In his introductory advice, the head of the Islamic Studies Department, Shaykh Abdullah Hakeem, reminded the graduates and guests that at the centre of being a successful Muslim is dedication to the daily prayers.

Dr Zachariah Matthews, deputy principal, talking about becoming change agents.

The graduates responded to the parting advice by performing their last communal prayer with the school community following a melodious Maghrib adhan called by Laith Asad from year 10.

The function centre, popular venue in the Muslim community, delighted the guests with a choice of a delectably cooked lamb or grilled chicken on a bed of sweet chili rice.

Guests were widely impressed with the event with some describing the night as “im-

peccable” and “the best formal ever.”

Following the vote of thanks by the assistant principal, Zulqarnan Malik, families and guests took to the photo wall to capture their dazzling outfits and the memories of a social event to end a year marked with the challenges of a pandemic.

ple responded to the open day, and hoped it had helped educate the people of Toowoomba about Islam and their practices.

The speakers included Toowoomba Mayor, Cr Paul Antonio; Catholic Bishop Robert McGuckin; USQ Vice Chancellor, Professor Geraldine McKenzie; Multicultural Affairs Queensland’s Executive Director, Wayne Briscoe; CEO of Islamic Women Association Australia, Galila Abdelsalam OMA; Islamic Council of Queensland President, Habib Jamal; Fadlullah Wilmot of OHDS; Professor Shahjahan Khan and Imam Abdul Kader of Toowoomba Mosque.

Toowoomba is a lucky city to be united and to live in peace and harmony. The mosque is contributing towards that unity.

We are always open, participating and engaging with the community.

This year the food festival attracted crowds from across the town and neighbouring region including those from Brisbane and Gold Cost.

My key message in the formal session was that every human is a representative (khalifah) of Allah on earth, Allah breathed His spirit (rooh) to every human before birth,

He has created us as one nation (ummah) and honoured (karam) the children of Adam (pbuh), the different tribes and nations are only for the purpose of identity – thus Islam teaches unity of humankind regardless of gender, ethnicity, faith, profession or position.

Allah has bestowed dignity and respect for everyone uprooting all forms of discrimination and racism. Indeed, He has made Islam open to everyone of us, not just for Muslims, as the Qur’an is the guidance for mankind.

We’re all human beings, we all react similarly to the bad things and good things.

Sponsored by Queensland Government and Australian Federation of Islamic Councils (AFIC), the event was postponed in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hajar Rafiq is a high school teacher at an Islamic school in NSW.

Toowoomba food festival and Mosque open day Professor Shahjahan Khan Large crowds of all ages attended the 7th annual International Food Festival and Toowoomba Mosque open day on Saturday 14 November 2020.

The popular annual event not only entertained participants, but also educated them about Islam and Muslim community in Toowoomba.

This kind of community gathering removes the barriers, revitalise the common connection and clears misunderstanding. We believe that solutions to misunderstandings between community groups came down to just a few simple elements: food, friendship, fun and faith.

A lot of people do not know much about Islam. Many of them have a misunderstanding or questions, and we want to give them an opportunity to come here and meet us

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and talk to us and ask the questions so we can know and understand each other better.

There are misgivings, misconceptions, and misunderstandings everywhere so the more we can work to remove all the fear of the unknown and move closer to each other, respect each other better it is for our community and country.

One special feature of the day was a 100 year old, handwritten copy of the Qu’ran from Hasan Riza of Turkey, and provided

by Mr George Helon.

Guests were also given an inside tour of the mosque under reconstruction including design of the Mehrab and carpet.

This is our seventh festival here as we do it every year after the mosque was established, and we’ll continue to do that which is important.

Food stalls and activities for the children kept families busy, and presentations from community leaders and academics enlightened and educated attendees throughout the day.

Everyone was pleased with the way peo-

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Professor Shahjahan Khan is professor of Statistics at University of Southern Queensland, Australia. He is the former President of Islamic Countries Society of Statistical Sciences and Expatriate Fellow of Bangladesh Academy of Sciences.

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IWAA Sydney SETS community and client engagement

Sue Hamdoush Islamic Woman’s Association of Australia hosted their SETS Community Leaders & Clients Engagement lunch event on Thursday 5 November 2020 at Panorama House at Bulli Tops overlooking Wollongong addressed by Councillor Bilal ElHayek, Soofia Abbas and Loubna Hammoud.

This community consultation event was different to those of previous years as IWAA decided following a challenging year to combine the community leaders and clients

into the same event.

A community consultation is hosted twice a year to showcase the journey of the IWAA Sydney SETS program, to discuss future goals and to engage attendees to complete a feedback form on their expectations and recommendations for the program.

The lunch event was hosted by the Sydney Branch Manager Sue Hamdoush and speeches were given by Councillor Bilal El-Hayek of Canterbury Bankstown City Council, IWAA SETS Coordinators Soofia Abbas and Loubna Hammoud and well-being headteacher Lisa Fajou of Bankstown Senior College.

IWAA Settlement Engagement and Tran-

Islami Barta’s media studio launched in Sydney

iBarta studio inauguration Dr Faroque Amin Islami Barta website’s digital media studio was inaugurated on Sunday 1 November 2020 on the Masjid St Mary’s premises in Sydney. Islami Barta is a Bengali website that has been in circulation for the last three years publishing various types of Islamic contents on a regular basis.

Islami Barta is a project run by Pan Pacific Vision Inc which is supported the prominent Bengali Islamic community organisation in Australia, Islamic Practice and Dawah Circle (IPDC).

The organisers welcomed several guests and well-wishers in this occasion where the Imam of Masjid St Mary’s and the Chief Editor of Islami Barta website Muhammad Abdu Huraira presented a keynote speech titled as ‘Importance of Media in Islam’.

In his welcome speech, Dr Sadek Ahmed, the Chairman of Pan Pacific Vision, mentioned that the organisation has plans to utilise this studio with modern lighting and sound system to arrange and record Islamic digital contents such as talk show, discussion program, interview, question and an-

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swer session and so on.

Among other honourable guests present in this event, various community and media personalities such as Zia Ahmad, Managing Editor of the Australasian Muslim Times, Dr Naim Islam, Chairman of Charity Right Australia, Dr Rafiqul Islam, Central President of IPDC, Monir Hossain, Central Deputy President of IPDC, Abdul Goni, Former NSW President of IPDC, Dr Ataur Rahman, Secretary of Masjid St Mary’s, Muhammad Abdul Matin, Secretary of Sydney Press and Media Council, Abdullah Yousuf Shamim, Editor-in-Chief of Suprovat Sydney, Dr Faroque Amin, Editor of Suprovat Sydney, Naiem Abdullah, a renowned journalist and writer, Rashed Khan, a prominent community leader, have expressed their support for this project and discussed the role of new forms of media in this modern age.

In the concluding speech, Ertaz Ahmed, the CEO of Pan Pacific Vision Inc., thanked everyone and sought their continuous support for this noble project. Finally, Dr Sadek Ahmed formally inaugurated the studio. Pan Pacific Vision hopes that various community organisations and media personalities will collaborate with it to create and disseminate Islamic contents using this new studio.

sition Support (SETS) Program commenced on 1 January 2019 servicing clients in Sydney south west, Sydney inner south west and Sydney Parramatta regions. They provide free settlement support to improve social participation, economic well-being, independence, personal well-being and community connectedness to a range of visas.

During the peak of COVID the SETS Sydney team continued their support to the community with a toy drive, gift hampers, fresh food and ready meals, supermarket vouchers, a blanket drive and meat parcels. They also continued with virtual and COVID safe workshops on respectful relationships, Australian culture, naplan support (years 3 & 5), public transport etiquette, school etiquette & manners and addiction control.

Almost 30 years ago, Galila Abdelsalam OAM founded The Islamic Women’s As-

sociation of Queensland (IWAQ) to assist Muslim women and families. She is passionate about educating, informing and supporting women which are struggling with many issues to settle in Australia.

Today IWAA, Islamic Woman’s Association of Australia, is specialising in Settlement, Aged Care, Disability, Respite and Community Development. They are serving communities Nationally with offices in Brisbane, Gold Coast, Toowoomba, Ipswich, Townsville, Sydney, Melbourne City, Dandenong and in Adelaide.

To find out more you can visit our website: iwaa.org.au; Facebook @IWAA Australia or Instagram IWAA_AUST Sue Hamdoush is the IWAA Sydney Branch Manager.

HelpingACT celebrates two years

Attendees of the HelpingACT lunch undertake the cake cutting ceremony to celebrate two years of helping those in need.

Manarul Islam HelpingACT, an organisation based in Australia’s capital, Canberra to help the homeless, vulnerable, refugees and others in need, celebrated two years of its operation on Saturday 21 November 2020 at a lunch event at the Taj Agra restaurant in Belconnen.

Dignitaries attending the event included the Pakistani High Commissioner to Australia, Mr Babar Amin, the CEO of Sydney Forex, Mr Munir Mohammad a longstanding supported and donor of HelpingACT and Dr Sue Packer, Senior Australian of the Year 2019 amongst others.

The program started with the President of HelpingACT, Mohammed Ali, presenting a slide show to attendees of HelpingACT’s services over the last two years.

This included a financial breakdown of how donor’s funds have been spent. Of particular note was the fact that only about 5%

Dr Faroque Amin works with Suprovat Sydney, a Bengali community newspaper published from Sydney, Australia.

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of the HelpingACT budget is spent on administration, which means that vast majority of donations and other revenues is spent directly serving those who need it.

The CEO of Sydney Forex, Munir Mohammad, who has been an active supporter of HelpingACT since its inception, said a few words of the importance of this work in the community and was presented with and award by the Vice President of HelpingACT, Dr Muhammed Aksu.

The Pakistani High Commissioner gave a speech on the role HelpingACT has played over the last two years and wished a bright future for the organisation.

There was a cake cutting ceremony before the sumptuous lunch served by the wonderful staff of Taj Agra.

Further photos of the event is below. For more information regarding HelpingACT visit their website www. HelpingACT.org or search for HelpingACT on Facebook or Instagram.

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

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Canberra joins world condemnation of Macron’s Islamophobia stance Amadu Barrie A rally was held on Friday afternoon 30 October 2020 in front of the the French Embassy in the nation’s capital and while condemning the killings in France, denounced French president Emmanuel Macron’s callous and cheap politics in supporting right wing islamophobia ideology and ongoing publications and displays of insulting cartoons of Prophet Muhammad (s).

The French President was roundly condemned by the speakers at the event.

In his opening statement, event organiser Mr Emad Soliman extended on behalf of the Muslim community his deepest condolence to the French people for murdered or injured victims in the attacks on the Notre Dame Church in the French city of Nice.

Mr Soliman described the French President’s statement as a political pandemic “more dangerous than COVID-19 that is fed by an ideological extremism”.

Another speaker, Ms Nehad Shaaban thanked the Prophet Muhammad (s) for being a hope and mercy from Allah for all of mankind. To the applause of the crowd, she said, “I love my Prophet (s) more than myself, my husband, my children and everything”.

Community leader, primary school teacher and Imam of the Sabah Al Ahmad Masjid and Islamic Education Centre, Sheikh Ada-

ma Konda also addressed the rally. “I am not here to talk about defending the prophets of Islam, Christianity or Judaism – all of who are the best teachers who taught us how to be human beings,” he said.

“Prophet Muhammad (s),” he went on to say, “is far beyond in need of anyone in this world to defend him”. He said the table of diplomacy has been turned into a “bully pulpit” and challenged President Macron to read the Qur’an to learn about the religion and its Prophet (s) or the works of French

poet, novelist and dramatist Victor Hugo who admired the noble messages of Islam and wrote poems about the religion and some of the followers of the Prophet Muhammad (s) like Omar bin Al-Khattab (r) and Ali bin Abi Talib (r).

Sheikh Konda reminded the French President how unfair it is for a leader like him to be without a vision for a united France by deliberately alienating some sectors of his society.

Canberra businessman Mr Ousmane

Bamanga read out an open letter on behalf of the Australian Muslims, addressed to the French people in French.

“While we support the French people at these difficult times of COVID-19 and the deaths in Nice, we would like to appeal to the consciousness of the French President Emmanuel Macron, to refrain from further provocative “Dog Whistle Politics”, Mr Bamanga said.

Mr Bamanga delivered a copy of the Open letter and a bouquet of flowers on the grounds of the embassy.

Challenges of Indian Muslim women Fasihuddin Khan India Crescent Society of Australia (ICSOA) based in Sydney organised a webinar on Sunday 22 November 2020 on the topic of “Status and challenges of Indian Muslim Women” attended by a worldwide audience from Indian diaspora and addressed by well known speakers from overseas and Australia: • Ms Tanya Pilbersek, Federal Member of Parliament from Australian Labor Party who has served as a Cabinet Minister in the Rudd and Gillard Governments. She was also Deputy Leader of the Labor Party and Deputy Leader of the Opposition.

• Ms Jodi McKay, State Member of the NSW Parliament and Leader of the Opposition in the Parliament of NSW. • Shama Mohamed, Spokesperson of Indian National Congress and a Dentist by Profession hailing from the southern Indian state of Kerala.

The webinar was planned and run by ICSOA Women subcommittee where the program was moderated by Mrs Iram Rasheed.

The program commenced with showcasing the ICSOA promo video was run by ICSOA followed by a welcome by Mr Fasihuddin Khan, ICSOA Secretary who also explained the objective and achievements of ICSOA since its formation in 2016.

President of ICSOA Mr Abbas Raza Alvi, acknowledged the custodian of land and shed light on the importance of topic and empowerment of women.

During her address, Ms Tanya Pilbersek emphasised the support for vulnerable members of our community including women, students and newly arrived.

Ms Jodi McKay praised the importance of Multiculturalism, celebration of several festivals and her participation. She offered DECEMBER 2020 / ISSUE 181

to talk on any issue related with women and commended the initiative of ICSOA to bring forward Women members of community.

Dr Shama Mohamed’s address was very interesting, impressive, and thought provoking, supported with statistics in education, economy, jobs, employment, domestic violence, and self-employment.

She started her address by invoking the first verses revealed from Holy Quran, ‘Iqra Bisme Rabbekal Lazi, Khalaq” saying while they were all about education, then why Muslims in general and women in particular are lacking in education well below national average.

Dr Shama Mohamed said that Muslim Women in India are economically impoverished, politically marginalised, and ed-

ucationally neglected and that in order to empower women, education should be promoted at every level that will instill confidence amongst them.

She strongly advised for the modernisation of Madrasa system and opening of more modern schools for Muslim. Another of her strong message was to educate Moulvis with modern educational skills, and train them for living Islam in our modern society since after all they are the one who connects people at grass root level.

She said that Islam is a religion, which is most tolerant, accommodative, non-discriminative and free from racial prejudice.

She reiterated that Islam is beyond “Hijab and Jihad’ only. As per her observation and reading, she said that women in general

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lacks respect, honour, and status in family, community, and society.

Dr Shama Mohamed said that most men do not treat their counterparts equally, though in Islam “Heaven is under the feet of women”. Women can empower themselves provided they have patience, resilience, self-confidence, and awareness.

Program was concluded with a vote of thanks by Dr Lenina Chennariyil.

Dr Fasihuddin Khan based in Sydney is an IT professional working at the University of New South Wales. He is currently Secretary of ICSOA and is a past President of AMU Alumni of Australia and is associated and served with a number of community, literary, social and educational organizations.

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Coal: People of faith protest that rail company is on the ‘Wrong Track’ Mark Delaney On Friday 13 Nov, ten people of faith peacefully protested against rail company Aurizon’s lack of transparency in their coal hauling operations.

“I’m here today because I can’t sit back while the future of my little boy is at risk” said Erin Kennedy, a Catholic, artist, teacher and mother from Logan.

She and nine other members of the faithbased group Faith in Climate Action blockaded Aurizon’s corporate headquarters in Brisbane on Friday by kneeling in prayer outside the doors.

The group was calling on Aurizon management to be more transparent about the climate-change-causing emissions from the thermal coal they haul in their multi million dollar business.

“Aurizon acknowledges the coal it hauls contributes to greenhouse gas emissions.

However, Aurizon’s recently released ‘Climate Strategy & Action Plan’ focuses almost entirely on its 1 million tonnes of emissions directly connected with its own operations such as running its locomotives (known as Scope 1 and 2 emissions). However, the report is virtually silent on the 250 million tonnes of emissions released when the thermal coal they haul is ultimately burnt (known as Scope 3 emissions).”, said

Photo by Malcolm Paterson

spokesperson and Christian, Mark Delaney, 53, of Fairfield in Brisbane.

“It’s a bit like having a tobacco factory with a ‘no smoking at work’ policy, or

a weapons factory with a ‘no bullying at work’ rule.”

“We’ve had talks with Aurizon management, and while they acknowledge the emis-

sions, they say they are not legally required to report on Scope 3 emissions, so won’t do so. Other companies like BHP are doing this already, so why can’t Aurizon?”, said Mr Delaney.

The group allowed employees of another company, based in the same building, to go to work as usual.

“Our gripe is with Aurizon only,” said Quaker Jason MacLeod of Inala. “We don’t want to inconvenience other workers, just make our point to Aurizon.”

“If you’re a person of faith concerned for the climate, please come and stand with us for our next protest.” said Mr MacLeod.

“I don’t like confrontation,” said Mr Delaney, who has lived and worked with the poor in India for almost 20 years and seen first-hand the impacts of climate change on the poor. “But I realise that, as a privileged person of faith, I have a responsibility to use my privilege to try to limit the climate change-induced suffering of the poor around the world. They are already facing unbearable temperatures, sea-level rise and more difficult farming conditions.”

Mr Delaney, Mr MacLeod and one other protester were arrested and taken to the Brisbane watch-house where they were later released on bail.

Further information contact: Mark Delaney 0435 175 382 Mark Delaney spent 17 years doing development work in predominantly Muslim slums in north India. He is co-author of “Low Carbon and Loving It.

Webinar on press freedom and democracy in Egypt and Turkey Meryem Aydogan Australian journalist Peter Greste who was jailed for more than a year in Egypt and Abdulhamid Biliciand, editor-in-chief of the highly popular Turkish newspaper Zaman, now living in exile, addressed the issue of press freedom, on ‘International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists’ marked on Monday 2 November 2020, facilitated by ABC Radio’s Andrew West and hosted by Mehmet Saral, President of Advocates For Dignity.

In the past decade, a significant number of journalists worldwide have endured harassment, intimidation, torture, arbitrary arrests and detention. According to the United Nations, approximately 1,200 journalists have been killed for reporting the news and bringing information to the public. Thus, 2 November has come to be known as the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists – to bring light to the global conviction rate for violent crimes against journalists and media workers.

On this significant day, and in recognition of the many journalists that have suffered at the hands of oppressive regimes for performing their duty as society’s watchdogs, Advocates for Dignity held it’s fourth live Webinar; ‘Why the end of Press Freedom equals the end of Democracy: Stories of Egypt and Turkey’.

The webinar was opened by President of Advocates for Dignity, Mr Mehmet Saral, who stated that disintegration of press freedom inevitably presents dangers to the proper functioning of law and judicial systems. Professor Peter Greste, the UNESCO Chair in Journal-

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ism and Communication at the University of Queensland, and Mr Abdulhamid Bilici, former editor-in-chief of Zaman Newspaper in Turkey, were the webinar’s special guests.

ABC Radio Host, Andrew West, who facilitated the program, described both speakers as being incredibly brave for standing against the might of governments, which is becoming increasingly difficult to do. He stated, “To do what Abdulhamid and Peter have done against authoritarian governments is an enormously impressive thing.”

Former BBC journalist Professor Greste, became most famous while working for Al Jazeerah – the role which resulted in his imprisonment in Egypt for over 400 days. Greste began working in Egypt at the end of 2013, following the Egyptian revolution of 2011.

Greste described this as a part of the ‘Sisification of Egypt’ – the phenomenon by which any opponent of Sisi’s rule is arrested or imprisoned, and news organisations which present such views are shut down. “We are seeing this in many countries, the way in which national security has been used as an excuse to come after uncomfortable journalism,” he said.

“Being held in detention was a teachable moment for other journalists. They were using us as a very clear message, that it doesn’t matter whether you are a foreigner or a local, if you give a platform to the Brotherhood’s ideas, then you are going to be targeted,” he continued.

Asked by Zia Ahmad, Editor-in-Chief of AMUST to comment on former Australian PM, Kevin Rudd’s petition for a Royal Commission into the influence of Murdoch Media empire on Australian democracy, Peter Greste replied that indeed the high concentration of media in Australia is of great concern and needs to be addressed.

Similarly, Abdulhamid Bilici was forced to leave Turkey, the country of his birth, into ex-

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ile in the United States after the Erdogan government overtook the Zaman newspaper on 5 March 2016.

Zaman was the largest newspaper in Turkey, which aimed to support the rise of democratic values in the country. It was affiliated with the Gulen movement by way of being established by individuals who had a relationship with the movement, but it did not champion the movement, nor was it used as a propaganda tool.

Bilici said, “2011-2012 was Turkey’s turning point into a one man regime which put Zaman into a difficult situation, as Erdogan did not like us being critical of his authoritarian policies and revealing the corruption that extended to his family members and fellow ministers.”

“We triggered Erdogan’s anger. This started by revoking our reporter’s press cards in Ankara, followed by calls to boycott our paper, cancelling advertisements, opening court cases against our reporters and columnists, and

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threatening to shut us down. If we accepted, I would not be in exile today and my reporters would not be in jail today,” he continued.

There are currently more than 140 journalists imprisoned in Turkey, from various backgrounds, news agencies and networks. This is one of the highest figures of imprisoned journalists in the world.

“When the oppression against media began in 2013, we recognised that this was the beginning of oppression against all government opposition. We asked lawyers, people in the judiciary and business men to unite with us and defend democracy, because we couldn’t do it alone”, Biliici said.

“Unfortunately Turkish society was not able to come together to defend democracy and Erdogan destroyed political voices in the media, one by one. In the last 5 years, with the destruction of free media, and the creation of mouthpiece media for the government, he now controls 95% of Turkish media.”

Abdulhamid Bilici.

Professor Peter Greste.

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Interfaith on the front lines Kim Chong The Abraham Conference this year was held, via Zoom due to COVID-19 restrictions, on Sunday 15 November where Jewish, Christians and Muslim frontline workers shared their stories of hardship and hope under these uncertain times.

More than 85 people joined a livestream on Zoom to hear three representatives of the Abrahamic traditions share stories of their work in healthcare during the pandemic. In addition, there were over 300 views on other media platforms.

The overarching theme that emerged from the event, as summarised by the conference’s moderator, former ABC broadcaster and author Rachael Kohn AO, was “an immense degree of hope”.

Grounded in the Jewish, Christian and Muslim traditions, hope is a powerful value and perspective, Rachael said, as it motivates us to serve human beings as they are – sacred and special. Examples of this hope in action flowed from the speakers’ stories.

The Jewish speaker, social worker Renata Ieremias of Jewish Care, reflected on how COVID-19 exacerbated existing complex and challenging experiences of her clients.

With the onset of the pandemic, people already suffering illness, poverty, disability, abuse, grief, trauma, loss and discrimination, were now met with unemployment and severe financial hardship, increased risks of domestic violence, homelessness, poor mental health, and isolation.

Renata and her 300 colleagues had to mobilise Jewish Care’s resources to respond to COVID as if it were a crisis centre. It brought to the fore just how vulnerable some members of the community are re-

Dr Daniel Flemming, Christian speaker.

Dr Haroon Kasim, Muslim speaker.

Ms Renata Iermias, Jewish speaker.

gardless of the pandemic.

Ethicist Dr Dan Fleming of St Vincent’s Health, which has its home in the tradition of Catholic Christianity, reflected on challenging ethical questions unique to the pandemic, namely the allocation of limited resources such as ventilators or ICU beds.

As COVID-19 rapidly spread throughout the world, stories emerged of critical medical resources being allocated to COVID-infected patients in accordance with age, wealth or a person’s “social worth”.

For St Vincent’s Health, whose ethical commitment is rooted in the equal dignity of all people, it became clear that they had to respond to this challenging dilemma with a rigorous framework upheld by this commitment.

Dan highlighted that a faith-based medical response to a public health crisis is a hopeful one, because it goes beyond utilitarian responses to healthcare to offer something “true, good and beautiful”, such as how to serve the homeless and ensure that nobody dies alone during this dark time.

The conference’s Muslim speaker, medical hospitalist Dr Haroon Kasim, spoke of how the religious value of empathy can help us to understand each other better and thereby create a more compassionate, inclusive

and diverse world.

He shared his own learning of empathy as a junior medical doctor through witnessing a specialist treat a particularly challenging hospital patient with a terminal illness.

Rather than simply offer the patient pain medication or empty reassurances, the specialist sat next to the patient, looked into her eyes and asked about her troubles. A tirade by the fearful patient ensued. The specialist listened.

Then the specialist addressed the patient by stating that he did not know how it feels to have a terminal illness but that he would help her in any way he could because she matters, and she matters till the last moment of her life.

The key to such empathy, learned Haroon, was an interpersonal connection of their humanity, spurred by the specialist’s humble acknowledgement of his limits in understanding his patient’s experience of dying. It was honest, relatable and gratuitous.

The lesson for Haroon was understanding the needs of his patients not through medical science but through empathy. “She was not a case,” said Haroon of the patient, “but a human first”.

An engaging Q&A followed, with Rachael Kohn posing questions to the three

speakers, including those posted in the chat by the live audience.

The conference ended with gratitude for all the frontline workers who are serving people in these challenging times, the hope that the pandemic will end soon, and the conviction that the works of faith and love must endure for a more compassionate future.

This year’s Abraham Conference Coordinating Committee consists of representatives from Affinity Intercultural Foundation; the Columban Centre for Christian-Muslim Relations; the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies; the Uniting Church in Australia, Synod of NSW & ACT; Australasian Muslim Times AMUST; the Diocese of Parramatta; the NSW Ecumenical Council; the Australian Egyptian Forum Council; and the Indian Crescent Society of Australia. Special thanks to Plus61J Media for hosting the zoom webinar.

The video, Abraham Conference 2020,’ Interfaith on the Frontlines’, is available to view at https://bit.ly/38Ir5CZ Kim Chong based in Sydney is Media & Community Liaison, Columban Centre for Christian-Muslim Relations.

Message from incoming President of Whittlesea Interfaith Network Gulhan Eryegit Yoldas I am very honoured, privileged and humbled to announce that I’ve been unanimously elected as the president for Whittlesea Interfaith Network. I’m also incredibly pleased to announce that my good friend and colleague Ms Tanya Kubitza has been unanimously elected as Vice President of Whittlesea Interfaith Network, making us the first Muslim women to be elected for both leadership positions.

I hope that through this platform we’re able to continue building on the good work of the outgoing president, Reverend Margaret Hartley and the entire previous executive teams, in building greater social cohesion and harmony in our community.

During the year ahead I hope to lead our team in forming new partnerships, with a focus on young people and our local indigenous community, as well as strengthening existing partnerships to deliver a robust calendar of events and programs.

Together with the newly elected executive team, we look forward to continuing a second year of the Interfaith Youth Forum project, taking a grassroots approach to countering racial and religious discrimination.

We look forward to using ethical storytelling to capture and share a collection of stories through the Women of Faith – Footsteps to Whittlesea program.

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Our aim is and has always been to establish platforms for greater interfaith dialogue as a pathway to greater social cohesion.

Together with our executive team and our partners, we look forward to driving the WIN team forward, in being able to reach a broader audience through a stronger social media presence and greater collaborations in the year ahead.

I’d like to thank Reverend Margaret Hartley for her diligent leadership and support over the year and for nominating me to have this opportunity to lead the Whittlesea Interfaith Network moving forward.

I’d like to also thank Mr Fazeel and Ms Rahat, founders of Al Siraat College, for their ongoing support and advocacy of Interfaith dialogue, as is reflected in our Sunnah. And also Mufti Aasim Rashid for his guidance and active support of many interfaith initiatives over the years.

We live in unprecedented times where interfaith dialogue and collaboration has never been more important to build communities where people approach one another with curiosity and compassion and treat one another with respect and friendship.

These are traits already prevalent within

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the Whittlesea Interfaith Network team who I’m incredibly honoured to now be given the opportunity to lead in serving our community.

Gulhan Eryegit Yoldas is the president of Whittlesea Interfaith Network, the Community Engagement Facilitator for Al Siraat College & a media advisor. Gulhan has three published books and a robust history of advocacy for gambling industry reform, Interfaith dialogue and media literacy.

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IMA brings the ‘Big Jihad’ and other masterpieces online Mei Nee Cheong Artefacts from the Islamic Museum of Australia collection can now be viewed online on Google Arts & Culture by people around the world. Audiences can also take a virtual step inside the multi-story minaret, built completely inside the museum, and listen to a call to prayer recorded by AFL player, Bachar Houli.

In just a few clicks, users will be able to take a tour inside Australia’s first Islamic museum, nestled in the backstreets of Melbourne’s inner north, and explore significant items from the museum’s growing collection, including: • Big Jihad, a bronze sculpture by acclaimed West Australian artist, Abdul-Rahman Abdullah. This work explores the meaning of jihad, which in Islam is the internal struggle with one’s ego or commanding self.

• The surfboards from Phillip George’s Inshallah series 2008. The boards were made in response to the 2005 Cronulla riots and fuse together two iconic traditions, namely Aussie beach culture and complex Islamic geometric art.

• Waleed Aly (2011) by Abdul Abdullah, shortlisted as a finalist for the 2011 Archibald Prize, making the artist the youngest ever finalist in one of Australia’s longest running and most prestigious art prizes.

• A Holy Quran, used by the Hon Ed Husic MP when he was sworn in as Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and Parliamentary Secretary for Broadband in 2013. Mr Husic was Australia’s first Muslim elected to federal parliament, and the first Muslim frontbencher.

In two new virtual exhibitions, Journeying to the Soul – Stories of Ramadan and Australian Muslim Artists (2020), audiences will be able to explore the works of some of Australia’s most talented Muslim artists with direct insights into their inspiration and work. Select artworks, including Blue Mosque and Field of Hope by artist and co-curator Beray Uzunbay, can also be viewed at home, using the app’s augmented reality feature.

Moustafa Fahour, Founder & Director of the Islamic Museum of Australia said,

Big Jihad, a bronze sculpture by acclaimed West Australian artist, AbdulRahman Abdullah.

“It is exciting to partner with Google Arts & Culture to bring the Islamic Museum of Australia to a wider audience. Google is a leader in digital technologies, that they have developed a platform for arts and cultural institutions like ours to reach a global audience is just brilliant. The museum is excited to have this opportunity to share our collections with a global audience.”

Ed Husic MP, Shadow Minister for Agriculture and Resources and Federal Member for Chifley said, “I am so impressed by the innovative thinking and technology used to launch this terrific project between Google Arts & Culture and the Islamic Museum of Australia. I have been a long-time supporter of Google, the Museum and digital innovation. This project not only provides a virtual experience for people during these challenging times, but it also allows many across the

Dr Reginald Naulty Purple mints exhale fragrance into the languid days, and small native bees hover in the scented air before descending into flowers.

Glorious green fields roll on to the low blue hills on the horizon, and all around is sunny and clear; spring is everywhere shared as the munificent sun pours radiance on new life and happiness.

Crickets sing in the night; the earth rejoices.

Our global health systems, that are struggling under the weight of the growing obesity epidemic, is a testament that our human bodies are not designed for a capitalist, consumerist, wasteful way of living.

We are, by design, made for moderation and balance, aligned with the seasons and cycles in nature.

A research conducted by The Obesity Collective in 2019 reports that “two thirds of Australian adults are either overweight

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

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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.

Intermittent fasting of Prophet David Gulhan Eryegit Yoldas

Spring

globe to view these incredible collections.

It has managed to embrace the future of the digital world whilst sharing an extraordinary cultural experience and I commend all of those involved in this terrific project.”

Ged Kearney MP, Federal Member for Cooper said: “I am so proud to have the Islamic Museum of Australia in my electorate – the first and only Islamic museum in Australia. The Museum plays a significant role in promoting a greater understanding of Islamic faith, heritage, history, and its significance and connection to Australia. I’m so thrilled that its partnership with Google Arts & Culture will provide a global audience who can learn about the contributions that Muslims and Islamic societies have brought to the world and more importantly Australia.”

Mel Silva, Managing Director of Google

Australia and New Zealand said, “It’s an honour to partner with the Islamic Museum of Australia, and to invite everyone around the world to learn, share in and be inspired by the cultural and artistic heritage of Islam in Australia. This Museum and collection holds significance for both Ed and Ged, and we truly appreciate their support of this project. You can now take a virtual tour on Google Arts & Culture – and hopefully this experience encourages more Australians to visit this hidden gem in Melbourne’s inner north too.”

About Islamic Museum of Australia The Islamic Museum of Australia is located in Thornbury, in Melbourne’s north. It is the only Islamic museum in the country and offers a unique learning experience for guests of all ages, sharing the arts, culture and history of Islam and Australian Muslims.

About Google Arts & Culture Google Arts & Culture puts the collections of more than 2,000 museums at your fingertips. It’s an immersive way to explore art, history and the wonders of the world, from Van Gogh’s bedroom paintings to the women’s rights movement and the Taj Mahal. The Google Arts & Culture app is free and available online for iOS and Android.

Our team has been an innovation partner for cultural institutions since 2011.

We develop technologies that help preserve and share culture and allow curators to create engaging exhibitions online and offline, inside museums. Read about our latest projects on the Google Keyword blog.

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or living with obesity.” It continues to state that Australia’s obesity epidemic has reached crisis point and is now costing the nation $11.8 billion dollars each year. Almost half of this goes towards direct health costs and sadly its estimated that by the next 10 years, 40% of Australia will be obese (1).

Imam Ghazali’s book Mysteries of Fasting looks at the physical and spiritual benefits of fasting from an Islamic perspective.

He mentions a very interesting Hadith from Sahih Al-Bukhari where the Prophet Muhammed (s) is reported to have said ... “The most excellent fasting is that of my brother David; he would fast one day and omit the other .” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Sawm: 56, 58, 59).(2) The narration is about a man who loved to fast asking Prophet Muhammed (s) for his advice on the best form of fasting. Prophet David’s (a) fast, of fasting on alternating days, sounds very much like what we identify today as intermittent fasting.

Fasting on alternating days and intermittent fasting is fast becoming the free and highly effective form of health care in recent times.

Intermittent fasting is where you cycle between periods of eating and periods of fasting. Various studies show that there are sustainable powerful benefits to intermittent fasting on our bodies and brains.(3)

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• Intermittent fasting drops insulin levels significantly and facilitates fat burning, most importantly burning belly fat.

• Intermittent fasting facilitates an increase in human growth hormone which has numerous health benefits including muscle gain and fat burning.

• Intermittent fasting induces the cellular repair process and removes more waste material from cells • Intermittent fasting has also demonstrated ability to protect against diseases and increasing longevity.

The ongoing increase in obesity statistics is also a reflection of the reform needed in the evidently ineffective “weight-loss industry,” particularly those that promise immediate and short term results.

As a public health issue that’s now costing taxpayers billions of dollars each year, more investment needs to be made towards promoting healthy lifestyle habits that are sustainable, affordable, accessible and inclusive.

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IMA grants for creative pursuits Mei Nee Cheong The Islamic Museum of Australia (IMA) Patron’s Fund has been established to support the academic and creative pursuits of Australians looking to further their knowledge in a field of study or creative practice that will contribute to the IMA’s mission.

The Fund, initiated with seed funding from Museum Patron Ahmed Fahour AO, will see an annual pool of $50,000 available for individual grants of up to $10,000.

Applications open Friday 1 January 2021 for 2021/22 funding.

Ahmed Fahour AO said he was thrilled to support such an important initiative.

“This grant will enable many people to take the next step with their career, whether it’s for academia or craft. I’m fortunate to be able to contribute to this and other important initiatives, including at La Trobe University where I support a scholarship focussed on gender diversity and social inclusion for underprivileged women,” said Mr Fahour.

The grant is open to individuals and their immediate family who have contributed to the Museum since its inception – this includes artists, volunteers and program facilitators.

IMA Chairperson Ms Azmeena Hussain said supporting individuals who support

the mission of the Islamic Museum is para- recipient of the 2020 Jim Stynes Communimount to the IMA’s long term strategy. ty Leadership award will donate a portion “The Patron’s Fund not only enables con- of his prize winnings to the IMA Patron’s tributors and future contributors to the Mu- Fund. seum to further their education, it ensures “It’s an honour and privilege to win the Museum takes critical measures this year’s Jim Stynes Commuto develop and maintain relanity Leadership Award, and tionships with individuals I’m so pleased to offer part who share our interests and of the prize to the Islamunderstand our vision,” ic Museum of Australia, said Ms Hussain. whose mission to edThe Museum is also ucate the wider comoffering the opportunity munity about Islam is for donors to contribalso deeply important ute to the Fund and will to me,” said Mr Houli. match all public donaThe Islamic Musetions dollar for dollar um of Australia is loover the next three years, cated in Thornbury, in capped at $300,000.

Melbourne’s north. It is “This is an exciting new inthe only Islamic museum itiative which we know will not in the country and provides only pique the interest of educational and potential applicants, butSamia Khan, The Need to Matter, 2020 cross-cultural expealso those who are seekriences for all ages. ing a meaningful way in which to support The Museum is currently closed in line with the community,” said Ms Hussain.

State Government directives relating to the “We certainly welcome the opportunity to Covid-19 pandemic, however a range of achear from other individuals or organisations tivities and programs are available online at interested in contributing to the Patron’s islamicmuseum.org.au.

Fund.”

More information about the IMA Patron’s Triple AFL premiership player Bachar Fund can be found at: Houli, who just played in his third winning islamicmuseum.org.au/ima-patrons-fund/ grand final is one of the first in line to offer a donation. Houli, recently announced as the

Game changing programs for a better future Ismail Davids The Muslim community in Australia has been in need of an efficient and sustainable support system that they can trust.

At National Zakat Foundation Australia, we believe that the need for Zakat distribution in Australia is one that is essential for empowering our Muslim community.

Real Muslim families, men and women have approached us with heart-breaking experiences of being kicked out of homes, enduring abusive relationships, experiencing sudden unemployment with inability to provide basic needs such as food, rent and education for their children – and the stories don’t stop there.

Since 2013, NZF has been primarily focused on local emergency relief and establishing a platform that can provide an endto-end welfare service for the Australian Muslim community through the pillar of Zakat. Over the years, this has involved the collection and distribution of Zakat, provision of educational resources, and raising awareness about the Islamic obligation of paying Zakat.

This year, as a global pandemic hits nations and their communities throughout the world, we have also seen the impact of its consequences here on the Muslim community in Australia. We as Muslims have become an integral part of this country and as we continue to mature in this community, we recognise that to truly allow our Muslim community to flourish we need to look beyond Zakat distribution, and address the underlying root causes of some of the issues that plague our community.

The need for step change Time and time again we see individuals and organisations alike, trying to launch programs in isolation, often with little or no impact. Today, within our community, there are a number of Muslim organisations, businesses, professionals and entrepreneurs on the rise, and we as the Australian Muslim community have an opportunity to connect and grow together by linking our services and initiatives for Muslims in need across DECEMBER 2020 / ISSUE 181

Australia.

Now that we have established a foundational Zakat collection & distribution framework in Australia over the last seven years, the time is right for NZF to embark on our next major initiative – long term community programs, in partnerships with other organisations and individuals, that we strongly believe will drive a much-needed step change in our community.

Throughout 2020, our teams at NZF have been working to build a number of community programs collaboratively with Muslim organisations from around the country and the support of our generous donors.

In addition to our existing* programs we have added more game-changing programs to service Muslims in Australia through four key areas – 1. Children and Youth 2. Community Welfare 3. Emergency Support 4. Education, Growth and Research There is absolutely no doubt that the Australian Muslim Community, like any other community, has fundamental areas of need that have long been ignored. If these hurdles are left unaddressed, our community will continue to be one that is constantly on the back-foot. At NZF, we aspire to empower Muslims to be at the forefront of the Australia community.

A proud, self-sustainable community, that enables Islam to flourish in society as a source of prosperity and harmony for all.

We need to take a deeper look at why people are jobless, why Muslim orphans get bounced around the system, why Muslim refugees struggle to integrate with our community, and more.

Our aim is to create a revolutionary platform across the country, that will allow community leaders, service providers, like minded organisations and individuals to connect and provide a range of welfare & empowerment services for our Muslim community.

This platform will empower us, as a community, to tackle foundational issues that are crippling us, at the grass roots level. We believe this is a monumental step forward for our community, and through this platform,

we will be empowered to complete the pieces of the puzzle to give our community the necessary foundations set up our future generations for success.

Over the coming months we will elaborate more on the progress of these programs.

However, for now we will be launching the following programs: Yateem (Orphans), Healing Forward (Domestic Violence), and Muslims with Special Needs.

If you are interested in being a part of these programs, or know an organisation that is already doing some work in these areas please visit us at www.nzf.org.au/programs to find out how we can work together.

You can also contact me directly via email at ismail.davids@nzf.org.au to be a part of these programs in the following capacities – Service Partner (provide specific services for the program), Program Partner (as individual or through your company/organisation), and even as a donor of Zakat or Sadaqah.

If you would like to know more about any of these programs for yourself or someone who is in need of these services, please contact our teams at 1300 663 729 to find out how we can help you today.

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Muhammad (s) The Perfect Man Dawoud Ould Mohameden There was once a man, To whom Allah revealed the Qur’an.

He was perfect, With the highest respect.

He embodied honesty, For its the best policy.

His heart was clean, It could be seen, A scar on his chest, It’s what made him the best.

He was born an orphan, And an Arabian.

But he was poor and bare, The Bedouin women were coming for childcare.

To raise them tough and strong, The children will remember them lifelong.

But the boy was taken last, Because he was an outcast.

A lucky woman called Haleema got him, The boy’s ‘baraka’ was not at all dim, When the old donkey went fast, Haleema was aghast!

Grass grew where the boy crawled, Haleema was enthralled.

Khadijah was a wealthy and noble woman of business, She heard of the man of trustworthiness.

She sent him to Ash Sham for trade, Khadijah saw that his honesty did not fade.

So, they got married, Their life was the best, For the man was honest One day he ran from the mountain, And he came home shouting, Zammilooni! Zammilooni!

Cover me! cover me!

Khadijah was scared for him, She asked, why was his face filled with grim?

He answered, a man came into the cave, He repeated, ‘Read, Read’ so you will be saved, He squeezed me, till I thought I was going to die, I can’t read is what was my reply Then the man recited the words of Allah.

No one is like him you cannot find, Honesty, trustworthy, compassionate, and kind, All in one soul all of it combined.

Muhammad (s) climbed a mountain, His companions were frightened.

And called upon Mecca for all to hear, “If I tell you an army was coming would you fear?”

“Yes, yes we will!” They all cried.

“Well I am a prophet proclaimed by Allah” He said loudly for those near and far.

He is Muhammad (s), the best of all men. .

Dawoud Ould Mohameden is a year 6 and 2020 school captain of the Islamic School of Canberra. Dawoud is very passionate about poetry. He also loves camping, sailing, canoeing, soccer and is a member of the Lake Tuggeranong Sea Scouts in Canberra.

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Manage Anxiety with Faith Princess R. Lakshman Anxiety is often a feeling of “Exaggerated” reality or “Imagined” reality. When we overthink something and make it seem larger than it is, we are “Exaggerating” reality. When we overthink things and start adding visuals in our mind of things that we fear may happen but are not happening, we are “Imagining” a reality which is false at that moment in time.

Anxiety puts the body through stress.

Stress triggers the brain to release stress hormones, mainly Cortisol, in the body. As this hormone increases in the body, the physical reaction of the body is to feel overwhelmed.

Feeling overwhelmed results in the following symptoms for most people: • Heart palpitations • Sweaty palms • Dry mouth

• Fatigue • Worry (constant) • Fear of going outdoors or interaction with people Manage Anxiety 1. Acknowledge and admit that you have feelings of Anxiety.

Tell someone you can trust that this is how you have been feeling. Once you acknowledge and admit it to yourself and someone you trust, the next steps of managing anxiety becomes easier.

2. Avoid caffeine and nicotine 3. Drink at least 2 litres of water daily 4. Get at least 8 hours sleep 5. Eat wholesome, fresh food with more protein and fewer carbohydrates 6. Do some physical activity for 30 minutes

daily

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Sit quietly for at least five minutes daily and breathe deeply, being completely aware of each breath 8. Use this positive affirmation: “Every day in every way, I am better and better.

Thank you, Allah.”

T h o u g h t Switch Helps Overcome Anxiety A daily practice of Thought Switch technique helps overcome anxiety. When we suffer from anxiety our thoughts begin to control us to the extent where we begin to believe them to be real. For example, fear of a job interview, fear of new parenthood, fear of a new relationship and so on.

You can control your thoughts. Here is how to practice Thought Switch to change a

fearful thought to a faithful thought.

1. Every time a fearful thought occurs in your mind, become aware of it.

2. Feel the fear. Fear is never a pleasant thought.

3. The moment you are aware of this unpleasantness, immediately start imagining a happy and joyful outcome of your situation in your mind.

4. The mind is not able to differentiate between what is real and what is imagined.

It will entertain any thought you plant in it. In the cinema of your mind, play a joyful movie, not a sad one. Be the hero/ heroine, not the villain or victim.

5. Consciously choose only happy, positive and joyful mental images and thoughts.

6. Repeat this daily in order to form a habit of only positive thoughts.

Princess R. Lakshman is a writer, speaker, qualified clinical nutritionist, life coach and a counsellor. She is based in Sydney, Australia.

Why a dedicated crisis line for Muslim Australians?

Hanan Dover For over 17 years Mission of Hope have been hosting conferences and seminars related to mental health issues that are experienced by individuals of Muslim faith and have discussed relevant unique and culturally-specific factors that are important to Muslims and have advocated why religiously and culturally competent interventions are needed for better mental health outcomes.

Mission of Hope have achieved similar service provision outcomes, for example currently providing a culturally-appropriate drug and alcohol counselling service, Hayat House.

Often, we get asked why a dedicated Muslim crisis line is needed to service our diverse Muslim community in Australia when there are mainstream services available.

Hayat Line is not in competition with mainstream crisis line services but after many consultations with Muslim mental health professionals indicating that many of their clients will not contact mainstream services in times of emotional crisis, this initiative is a significantly welcomed alternative for people of Muslim faith.

Over 10 years a number of mental health clinicians at Mission of Hope devised a unique initiative running a 24-hour crisis line for the Australian Muslim community for 18 months where at the time it was called ‘Amal Line’, Amal meaning ‘hope’ in a number of different languages.

We were happy with the service delivery but the lack of funding to continue servicing the line meant that we could not continue the service. Not forgetting to mention running a 24-hour line was too charismatic to sustain in terms of volunteers who were all mental health workers.

Fast forward 2020 and we now have Hayat Line where we have renamed and redesigned the crisis line service that is entirely funded by the generosity of the Muslim community.

Anecdotally, when Muslim mental health clinicians get together and network discussing urgent mental health needs of our community, a crisis line is always top 3 of the hierarchy of needs.

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We recognised that not everyone will have supports around them in times of need whether it’s because of isolation, experiencing emotional pain, geographical obstacles, or experiencing mental illness so having a dedicated crisis line that is free and confidential is an important service supporting individuals in distress through connection, compassion, rahma, nasihah and hope.

Hayat Line is providing a culturally responsive and culturally sensitive service where the mental health professionals answering the calls would have a level of competent understanding of a Muslim caller’s background, ethnicity, and religious belief systems.

Hayat Line counsellors can incorporate cultural and religious sensitivity into their responses to accommodate and respect differences in opinions, values, and attitudes of callers within the Muslim community.

Muslims also have a cultural disadvantage when accessing mainstream mental health services and resources especially in terms of addressing their spiritual and religious identities.

Muslims require culturally and religiously specific services to address issues pertaining to their vulnerable disadvantages related to: identity, stigma, stress, victims of Islamophobia, atrisk behaviours, unemployment, mental health issues, isolation, loneliness, suicidal, death and dying, anxiety, depressed and can also feel alienated from their own community and the wider mainstream society.

Muslims can also face challenging psychosocial and personal concerns such as, but not limited to: • Depression • Anxiety • Stress • Substance abuse • Trauma and abuse • Domestic Violence • Suicidal thoughts or attempts, and self-harm behaviour Hayat Line is important because: • this crisis lines provides a service to people in our community and particularly to persons at risk of suicide or thinking about suicide • because we offer non-sectarian, non-judgemental and confidential emotional support in times of personal and emotional crisis when individuals may feel unable to cope with the challenges in their lives.

• because we can refer you to services that you may not know that are available to help you

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in times of crisis or emotional distress • because people struggling need regular contact, social supports, and caring that is commonly met by family and friends or even work colleagues is ideally met by other people around them, such as parents, siblings, friends, teachers and colleagues • to help alleviate the distress experienced by a person and can reduce the intensity of such feelings to enable problem-solving and practical actions to be considered in response to personal problems • because it gives individuals from our community a sense of belonging, a sense of connection • because often those who are suicidal do not seek help from face-to-face health services or support from friends or family members • because it removes the barrier of stigma surrounding suicide and mental health problems that could prevent a person from seeking help in other ways • Hayat line is confidential and you can remain anonymous The service has been uniquely tailored to Muslims right from when the crisis call is made. When you first call Hayat Line, you will get an automated greeting. A counsellor does not come on the line immediately. After dialling 1300 993 398 you will hear the following automated message: “Assalam Alaymum. You have reached Hayat Line. If you are in emotional distress or suicidal crisis or are concerned about someone who might be, we’re here to help. Hayat line is a crisis line for brief intervention only. If this is a medical emergency hang up now and call triple 000. Please remain on the line while we direct your call to the nearest crisis centre in our network.”

If you call outside of Hayat Line hours of Monday to Friday 9am-5pm you will only receive a message recording.

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Hayat Line is: • a free and confidential crisis support line for Muslims in Australia.

• aimed at helping those who are experiencing a personal crisis and distress.

• giving individuals access to emotional support for suicide prevention.

• is committed to empowering Muslim Australians to be heard and supported through connection, compassion, rahma, nasihah and hope • Australia’s first crisis line for Muslims that is entirely community funded.

• operating initially from Monday to Friday 9am-5pm weekdays with the intention to expand its operational hours to weekends and designated after hour times.

Why Mission of Hope is a trusted mental health service for Muslims?

Mission of Hope have extensive professional and community-based experience networks and their executive committee is also made up of experienced mental health specialists.

Our organisation strengths and experience in mental health makes us unique in the way we operate.

We are dedicated to the delivery of mental health services in a manner that addresses the needs of the diverse Muslim community in Australia.

Hayat Line 1300 993 398 Crisis Nasihah. Hope. Referral.

Hayat Line Clinical Director: Hanan Dover Clinical and Forensic Psychologist (Founder, Mission of Hope) www.missionofhope.org.au Hanan Dover is a Clinical and Forensic Psychologist at www.psychcentral.com.au and the Founder of www.missionofhope.org.au . She is a lover of coffee, proud mother of three young adult daughters and twice divorced.

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UMMAH 17 - 18

EDUCATION 19 - 20

BUSINESS 21

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Muslim Pro App: selling information to get paid Dr Aslam Abdullah What incentives have Muslim Pro App not to sell the personal information of their users?

Why would Muslim institutions not disclose the information about their members to intelligence agencies for a price?

When you trust someone without safeguarding your interests and taking every possible caution, you pay the price. Ninety-eight million people who downloaded the prayer time table app will now face the consequences for decades.

Did the US military buy any data from companies serving Christian evangelists?

Did they buy data from Hindu Americans collecting information on their fellow Hindus? Did they buy data on Jews with dual citizenship from Jewish groups?

But when it comes to Muslims they spend millions to buy information on how we pray, when we pray, what mosque we go to, what sermons we listen to, what lectures we tune to, and what speakers we listen to? They do it despite the fact that the constitution gives every religious community the freedom to practice their faith peacefully.

Why? Because the power elites still view us as enemies. Enemies to whom? Christianity, Judaism, or atheism and liberalism.

Regardless, we are still an enemy in the eyes of power elites.

Our problem is that we do not want to understand the reality and talk straight with them.

They first raise dust from their feet, then complain they cannot see. Who told us to trust web groups that collect personal data?

Who convinced us that the information we share with banks, realtors, educational institutions, departmental stores, car rentals or airlines, etc, is safe? Why would intelligence agencies not buy them? Why would big marketing groups not avail them?

The only weapon against deception and wrongdoing is one’s moral compass built in the frame of accountability to the divine.

Nothing can prevent you from selling your soul, religion, country, or even family if you do not have it.

It is not the first time the US military or intelligence agencies have bought the data from Muslim groups. In the early eighties, someone in the World Muslim League, known as Rabitah-al-Alamal-Islami (Rabitah) and the World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY), sold the data about Muslim organisations and leaders who attended its conferences to the US intelligence bidders.

The information got shared with Israel and other agencies later. In fact, the intelligence officers were present in their conferences.

In Pakistan and India, selected Islamic group members, as reported, regularly share information with their intelligence agencies of their activities, foreign and local. Tablighi Jamaat is an example.

The recruits from ISI, RAW, the two main intelligence groups from India and Pakistan, provide detailed information to their bosses regularly. The bosses share this information with Israel, Russia, or the CIA, depending on the nature of their relations.

During the 1980s, a well-known Muslim clergy in England worked closely with MI5 and linked the secret service and the Tablighi Jamaat visiting eastern Europe and Russia.

From the 1980s till the 1990s, Muslim organisations, mostly from Pakistan, UK, and Europe, worked closely with the CIA, MI5, ISI, and RAW in Afghanistan’s jihad.

Of course, it was not voluntary work. They received millions from intelligence and other groups under different pretexts.

In India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and countries in the Muslim world, several people working in Islamic institutions and parties secretly provide information to agencies directly or indirectly.

Intelligence agencies spend an undisclosed amount of money on collecting this kind of information on Muslims. They recruit people for the collection, analysis,

production, dissemination, or use of information.

The information relates to a foreign country, a government, political group, party, military force, movement, or other association, or it may relate to the defence, foreign policy, national security, or related policies of their nations.

They include Activities taken to counter similar activities directed against the United States.

They use the information to launch covert and clandestine activities affecting their nations’ relations with a foreign govt, political group, party, military force, movement, or other association.

They recruit agents for collecting, analysis, production, dissemination, or information about persons’ activities within their countries or nationals abroad.

They also run covert or clandestine activities directed against persons within their borders or abroad, who threaten the power elites’ interests.

The intelligence agencies have a considerable budget, secret, and manifest. For instance, no one, not even the House or Senate intelligence committee members except those who are part of the political elites, knows the exact budget.

For instance, the CIA’s manifest funding for 2020 for National and Military Intelligence Programs is 86 billion dollars, while the Defence spending is about 760 billion.

How much is unknown. Not many Americans are privy to that.

They purchase individuals and agents. In the US, intelligence agencies collect infor-

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mation about Muslims through their operatives in several organisations and institutions. Sometimes these recruits play the role of sting operators by inciting Muslims and provoking them to say or do illegal acts.

Now the information purchased by the US military from Muslim Pro App will become available to countries working closely with the US where Saudi Arabia, Israel, Egypt, Sudan, UAE etc will have access to that data to determine Muslims’ religious and political profile.

Based on their information, these countries will recruit many of them for their intelligence work. The data collected will come back to the CIA to suggest policy experts’ ideas about their political action. It is an unending process that will continue.

The only precaution one take is to keep one’s privacy intact. Social media is the worst place to share your personal information, and intelligence agencies recruit to collect much of the data from these platforms.

Please don’t trust any social media forum when it says that the data is safe. No, it is not secure. They sell it to the highest bidder.

If they refuse, the intelligence agencies have the power to coerce them to share it.

Dr Aslam Abdullah is a resident scholar at Islamicity.org. He is also the editor of the Muslim Observer published from Detroit, MI, USA. He is based in the USA and is a trustee of the American Federation of Muslims of Indian Origin. He has taught at several colleges and universities in India, England, and the USA.

Rebuilding Afghanistan one book at a time Banafsheh Serov The gunmetal clouds hang low in the sky. A cold wind whips at the doors and shutters of the school. Oblivious to the darkening weather, the children line the entrance to the newly built Children and Youth Library, jostling for a look at the workers adding the finishing touches.

Pressing their faces against the window pane, they point at the tables, chairs, and new carpets covering the bare floors. A current of excitement ripples through them as a sealed pack of books is carried in, opened and the titles arranged on a bookshelf.

For the past eighteen months, the children have been watching with giddy anticipation the construction of the 284m2 library above their school. Through the heat of summer and bitter cold of winter, men, young and old, and from all walks of life, have travelled from surrounding villages to help build the library. Working alongside their parents and teachers, the children helped where they could, mixing sand, fetching water and carrying equipment.

The first of its kind in Afghanistan, the Children and Youth library in the remote Afghan region of Panjshir Valley is part of a joint collaboration between Mahboba’s Promise and Make A Mark Australia DECEMBER 2020 / ISSUE 181

(MAMA).

Four decades of war and instability has had a devastating effect on the literacy rate, with only 36% of the population able to read and write. During this period, the children have been the most vulnerable. A third of Afghan children are unable to attend school and are at an increased risk of child labour, recruitment by armed groups, early marriage, and other forms of exploitation.

The development of the Children and Youth Library is a significant addition to the educational resources available to the children and community. The library is stocked with 4000 titles, a large 70-inch screen TV for watching movies, and games including chess, Rubiks cubes, and Karambol (a traditional Afghan game akin to snooker).

A museum houses glass cases filled with antique objects from the region including a hundred-year-old cooking pot. A computer lab has 9 laptops and 4 desktop computers, which is particularly popular with the teenagers.

The children’s long wait is finally over on the 13th of October, 2020 when the library opens its doors and welcomes its first visitors. The children swarm the rows of neatly stacked books written in Dari and Pashtu.

Shoulders press against one another, they crowd the tables, their faces lit with the joy of having access to a secure environment to read, play games, explore, watch movies and meet friends.

Mahboba’s Promise and the MAMA foundation understand that the acquisition of a

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good education is the key to breaking the poverty cycle. Fostering a reading culture will allow the younger generation reach their full potential through education and economic independence.

Since opening its doors, the library has been operating daily between 9am-3pm. A librarian has been appointed and plans are being made to revive cultural programs which have been driven into oblivion due to war and instability.

Continued International support is integral in arming Afghan youth with essential skills to be self-sufficient. Programs such as the Children and Youth Library have restored hope and dignity, resulting in more productive workers, healthier and better educated individuals, and ultimately, more prosperous communities.

In the words of a library committee member, ‘this is not the end. It is the beginning. A lighthouse in the form of a library has been built in the mountains of Afghanistan, sure to draw thousands upon thousands of children, youth and young adults every year.’

To learn more about Mahboba’s Promise current projects, please visit: https://mahbobaspromise.org/projects-2/ Mahboba’s Promise would like to acknowledge AMUST as a media partner and thank them for helping to create awareness of the charity.

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Jamia: 100 years of excellence Zahid Alam The Jamia Alumni Associations all over the world as well as in Australia marked Centenary Celebrations for Jamia Millia Islamia on Saturday 31 October mainly through local gatherings connected through online webinars.

The International webinar celebrating program was attended by 300+ Jamiaites all across the world uniting all the chapters of Jamia Alumni on one platform online.

The JMI Alumni of Australia organised the centenary celebration broadcast live from Darling Harbour, Sydney with participants from all over Australia as well as India that was addressed by the Vice Chancellor Professor Najma Akhtar.

Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) is a Central University located in New Delhi, India was originally established in Aligarh, UP on 29 October, 1920 by Mohammad Ali Jauhar, Hakim Ajmal Khan, Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari, Abdul Majeed Khwaja, and Dr Zakir Hussain under the presidentship of Maulana Mahmud Hasan Deobandi. It moved to Delhi in 1935.

It was conceived as an independent national institution that would offer progressive education to students from all communities, particularly Muslims and was supported by Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore who felt that Jamia Millia Islamia could shape lives of hundreds and thousands of students on the basis of a shared culture and worldview.

In 2020, Jamia Millia Islamia was ranked No 1 among all central universities in the country in rankings released by Ministry of Education.

In 2019-20 the university was the centre of the Citizenship Amendment Act protests popularly known as the Shaheen Bagh movement led mainly by Muslim women after the act was passed by the BJP Hindu Nationalist government led by PM Modi.

On 13 December 2019, Delhi Police tried to forcefully dismiss the protest of students and threw tear gas inside the campus on students to control their agitation. On 15 December 2019, police entered the campus on the pretext of trying to catch the mob that

destroyed public peace outside the university campus. Many students sustained injuries because of the police brutality and it sparked protests in several other universities.

This was later followed up by riots leading to the killing, injury and destruction of mainly Muslim lives and properties in Delhi.

The international celebration program was started with Tilawat e Quran by a Jamiate Tehseen Ahmed by the global Tarana, Jamia anthem. The uniqueness of the Tarana was created by the collaboration of most of the alumni chapters across the world.

The program followed talks with eminent speakers well connected with Jamia. Prof Mohammad Talib from the University of Oxford shared the thoughts and well connected the Tarana theme with the history of Jamia Millia Islamia from the 1920s.

Prof Syed Syedain shared her childhood memories and highlighted Jamia students’ contributions in the past and the sacrifice made by Jamia students to safeguard the Indian constitution during the Shaheen Bagh movement.

The third eminent speakers from the program Prof Zoya Hasan (Professor Emeritus, JNU) and wife of former Vice-Chancellor Prof Mushirul Hasan and daughter of Mohammad Khaleeq Siddiqui, who is always remembered in Jamia for writing the marvelous Tarana.

She highlighted the attachment of the young generation to Jamia Millia Islamia.

She donated 1.5 crore rupees to Jamia Millia Islamia for creating an endowment fund for her late husband.

Prof Gopinathan Ravindaran (Vice-Chancellor, Kannur University) shared his memories and time spent at the Jamia Campus.

A call for peace amid current conflict in Ethiopia Simon Weldemichael The members of the United Eritrean Australian Movement for Justice express their shock at the alarming recent developments in the Horn of Africa, particularly in Ethiopia. We are saddened to learn that as of the 4th of November, the political conflict in Ethiopia has escalated into an open civil war between the Federal Government of Ethiopia and the Tigray Regional Government.

This has come despite numerous calls for peace by many concerned members of the public, civic organisations, international agencies, and political parties, both within and outside Ethiopia. We are deeply concerned that this will lead to unnecessary deaths and destruction in a region that has already seen decades of conflict, drought and poverty.

We are also deeply concerned that the

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belligerent actions of the Eritrean President are contributing to the dangerous situation in Ethiopia. His unhinged behaviour and reckless actions could drag Eritrea into this tragic conflict, risking a regional conflict reminiscent of the 1998-2000 border war between Eritrea and Ethiopia.

The conflict claimed the lives of more than a hundred thousand people, and hundreds of thousands more were displaced. The region cannot afford further bloodshed, and yet the political crisis in Ethiopia has been escalating, with the Eritrean President adding fuel to the already volatile situation.

This is evident given: · The President openly declared that he would not idly sit by, but would actively work to influence developments in Ethiopia. · The President has already taken sides in this conflict, as shown by his provocative rhetoric and a relationship with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed that lacks transparency. · Despite declaring in 2018 that borders were no longer important to him, the President has recently brought back the issue of occupied territories to justify his interference in another country’s internal conflict.

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It must be noted that for over two years, President Isaias Afwerki and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed have not shown any interest in implementing the outcome of the Algiers’ Agreement, which awarded Badime, the flash point of the 1998-2000 border war, to Eritrea. · In recent days, there have been large troop movements inside Eritrea. This includes the mobilisation of new high school and college graduates to military camps last week, and massive round ups of other recruits.

We therefore call up on: · The International Community and the Australian Government in particular to send a clear message to the Eritrean President to stop meddling in a conflict that could drag Eritrea into another war. · All Eritreans inside Eritrea and the Diaspora to reject, and loudly express their disapproval of, Eritrea’s involvement in this war in any form. The Eritrean people have

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already suffered enough due to unnecessary war and dictatorial rule. · The Eritrean Defence Forces to reject all orders to be involved in this conflict. Under the brutal dictatorship, members of the defence forces have endured a prolonged stalemate in the border conflict with Ethiopia. Tragic as it is, the current Ethiopian conflict is an internal affair of a sovereign country in which Eritrea should never take sides or interfere.

The conflict in Ethiopia has the potential to destabilise the entire Horn of Africa. The United Eritrean Australian Movement for Justice, therefore hopes that both parties cease hostilities, de-escalate the tense situation, and resolve their differences peacefully in order to bring peace and prosperity to the neighbourly Ethiopian people.

Simon Weldemichael is from the Eritrean Community and he is based in Sydney Australia.

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LIFESTYLE 14 - 16

UMMAH 17 - 18

EDUCATION 19 - 20

BUSINESS 21

EDUCATION

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Rahmani30: Program of excellence for Indian Muslims Zahid Alam Rahmani Program of Excellence is a decade old educational initiative to raise the hopes of the Muslim community in India through the achievement of excellence in education demonstrating ‘Yes, we can”.

Mohammad Wali Rahmani, a six-term member of the legislative assembly and the then speaker of the house, established this Rahmani Program of Excellence, also known as Rahmani30.

This initiative fashions itself as affirmative action for the minority Muslim community seeking to create equity in education for the minority community.

The program was established in the wake of the Sachar Committee Report, which was tabled in the parliament in late 2006 and was commissioned by the then Prime Minister Mr Manmohan Singh.

This extensive report highlighted that the systemic discrimination against the Muslim minority had pushed it lower than even than the scheduled castes and tribes in educational achievements in particular.

According to the report Muslim minority is at the bottom rung of the ladder when it comes to access to early childhood education, all forms of schooling, sanitary living conditions, clean drinking water, credits and banking facilities etc.

Specifically, the report mentioned that the Muslim minority has the highest level of dropout rates at all levels of schooling where only 17% of students around the age

of 17 complete tenth grade education, only 3.4% of students earn bachelors degree, and are only scarcely represented in the premier educational institutions.

The committee also assessed the civil services appointments and found that the community that makes up of around 15% of the population is represented by about 3% of the bureaucracy.

The release of the report forced a reckoning in the Muslim minority about their declined state leading to hopelessness, fear, and despair.

In 2008, Maulana Wali Rahmani launched several educational initiatives including Rahmani Program of Excellence with the goal to uplift the spirit of the Muslim minority community and to instil hope that success can be achieved by changing the mindset towards the achievement of excellence in education and development of the moral leadership capacity.

The mantra of Rahmani Program of Excellence has been a keen focus on achievement of excellence in efforts leading to successful educational outcomes. The initiative is providing thought leadership, methodology, processes, and tools to other education entrepreneurs to emulate its success to create equity in the opportunities for students to join the premier universities and Institutes of National Importance.

The successes of this initiative in the world’s toughest undergraduate examination known as the Joint Entrance Examination Advanced for the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology institutions has sparked a new thought process in the community about the way it can become successful in the new context.

This debate has shifted the responsibility back to the community with a strategic re-

liance upon the government where needed.

Rahmani Program of Excellence seeks to build moral leadership capacity in successive generations and it is trying to do so by cultivating mentored leadership via experiential learning with the resources pooling from the community, nurturing young minds to be successful in high impact educational fields, and building enthusiasm, developing aspirations, and creating hope through the demonstration of consistent successes.

Just this year about 88% of its students qualified the National Engineering Examination (JEE), and 37% qualified the world’s toughest undergraduate entrance examination for the Indian Institute of Technology.

In the Medical entrance examination 100% of its students were successful leading to about 60 MBBS admissions in the prestigious and tax payer funded seats in medical colleges.

Many of its students will be joining Institutes of National Importance, a group of a handful of

universities out of 950 universities upon which more than half of the higher education budget of India is spent while training a mere 3% of the higher education students.

Institutes of National Importance (INI) have a proven record of accomplishment, excellence in education, premier research facilities, international academic collaboration, highly subsidised fee structure, excellent campus placement, along with lucrative salaries upon graduation.

Rahmani30 remains exclusively focused on premier organisations like the INI for ensuring the long-term success of its students.

Zahid Alam is a Project Manager in Telstra and AMUST correspondent based in Sydney. He immigrated to Australia in 2005.

He holds a Masters of Engineering Management degree from the University of Technology Sydney and a diploma in Electronics Engineering from Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India.

Our love of Prophet Muhammed (s) Dr Misbah Khan Recent situation in France related to the vilification of Prophet Muhammed (s) is highly unjustified, though some might justify this in the name of freedom of speech. We do understand human rights and freedom in speeches but it can only be accepted up to a certain limit as long it does not hurt others.

As it is an important and sensitive issue, I have tried to highlight the lessons of Islam for such a situation and how it can be managed by all the parties well.

Islam and Obeying Prophet Muhammed (s) Islam is a religion where we believe Tauhid is the main message which is believing in oneness of God in every aspect and we have to surrender to Him. The second part is believing that Prophet Muhammed (s) is the servant and messenger of Allah. As a result, it clarifies that a Muslim follows the Quran and guidance of the prophet. The best speech is the word of Allah and best guidance is the path shown by Prophet Muhammed (s), as mentioned by Abdullah Ibn Masud (r) (Hadith: al-Bukhari 6098).

Following the Quran and Sunnah, pleases Allah, and provide us success in this world and hereafter. Allah told us to follow the Prophet in many places in the Quran 5:92; 4:80 and 24:63.

We must remember that Prophet Muhammed (s) is closer to the believers than their own selves (Quran 33:6). He wanted all the believers to go to Jannah (see the HaDECEMBER 2020 / ISSUE 181

dith below); of course, this was true for all other prophets.

“The likeness of me and you is that of a man who lit a fire and grasshoppers and moths started falling into it, and he tried to push them away. I am seizing your waistbands and trying to pull you away from the Fire but you are trying to get away from me.” (Hadith: Muslim, 2285; Bukhaari, 3427).

Love for Prophet Muhammad (s): Being a True Believer We love Prophet Muhammed (s) more than our lives as suggested in the following Hadith. Another famous Hadith can be seen in al-Bukhari, 6257, and Sahabah loved him more than their lives (see Hadith in Muslim, 2325).

Let me remind ourselves the Ayah from Surah Tawbah (verse 24) where Allah emphasised that we must love Allah and His messenger more than any worldly things and our lives.

It was narrated that Anas said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “No one of you truly believes until I am dearer to him than his father, his son, his own self and all the people.” (Hadith, alBukhaari, 15; Muslim, 44).

Many famous non-Muslim scholars respected Prophet Muhammed (s) for his generosity, personality and contributions to the humanity. For example, Michael Hart considered him as the most influential person in the history in his famous book.

George Bernard Shaw, Thomas Carlyle, Goethe, Mahatma Gandhi, etc and many renowned people considered Prophet Muhammed (s) as the ideal person and discussed his contributions.

It’s worth mentioning that we respect and love all the Prophets and Books of Allah (see the verse 285 of Surah al-Baqarah).

people of Taif and Makkah even though they tortured and ridiculed him; he did not take any revenge and forgave them and prayed for their guidance.

Allah mentioned the great characteristics of the Prophet in the Quran: “Indeed in the Messenger of Allah you have an excellent example to follow for whoever hopes in Allah and the last day and remembers Allah much” [Quran 33:21] “And We (God) have not sent you (Muhammad) except as a mercy for mankind” [Quran 21:107] Prophet Muhammad (s) had a mission of mercy, forgiveness, equality, tolerance, gentleness and humbleness, and he showed the path to his companions and mankind (see Hadiths in al-Bukhaari, 6136; al-Bukhari and Muslim, Book 6, hadith 893; and Muslim, 2594).

Mockery to Prophet Muhammed (s): Prophet Muhammad (s) was sent to the whole mankind and he showed mercy to the

Dr Misbah Khan is a Civil Engineer and is based in Sydney, Australia

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Ali Kadri, new CEO of Islamic College of Brisbane Dr Daud Batchelor Ali Kadri, well-known media spokesperson for the Islamic Council of Queensland (ICQ), has been appointed CEO of the Islamic College of Brisbane (ICB), Queensland’s largest Islamic school.

Muslim parents put a high value on their children’s education.

This writer was surprised to read in the 2012 Courier-Mail Schools Guide that ICB rated higher than his own GPS school, Anglican Grammar.

Indeed, ICB performed well with NAPLAN results for independent schools. In 2019, ICB rated seventh in Queensland.

ICB has an excellent sports program. In 2018, ICB’s futsal team came first in Australasia.

Founded in 1995 by Brisbane-based community members, ICB was taken over by Australian Federation of Islamic Councils (AFIC) in 1998 (AMUST Issue#180, November 2020).

From 2012 to 2016 serious Federal government concerns were raised relating to financial irregularities with transfers between ICB and AFIC. Kadri, together with former ICQ President, Ismail Cajee, negotiated in 2016,

transfer of ICB management to a Queensland-based Board.

At Dr Ray Barrett’s retirement, Abdul Shariff was appointed Principal.

With the school growing exponentially, an important challenge for the CEO is moving from a small-school to a large-school management style.

School numbers are 1276, but plans are to open with 1,500 students in January. The aim is to further increase size while enhancing education quality.

Once current maximum of 1680 students is reached, the school will consider further onsite building or additional campuses.

Another challenge is the increasing ethnic diversity, together with varying individual needs and parents’ religious outlooks.

The key is “What does it mean to be an Islamic school?” This needs to reflect, not only Islamic studies content, but an Islamic ‘ethos’.

Kadri highlights that a developing focus is to enhance Islamic ethos in everything done at the school.

Islamic pedagogists, Dr Mohamad Abdalla and Dylan Chown of University of South Australia, are engaged to conduct research and develop strategies to infuse Islamic values at ICB, and pilot a new curriculum for Islamic studies. It is envisaged the strategies will be incorporated in the next 5-year strategic plan, commencing 2022.

Whereas before, the school had a narrow subject choice for matriculation, alternative

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pathways are now available to university and in pursuing careers. Subjects have been increased to almost 20, including trade apprenticeships.

An example of inculcating Islamic ethos, is promoting shura’ consultation between relevant parties. Ali says, “I will lead by example.”

Recently, there was an opportunity to review operations of the school tuck-shop.

Students were asked to provide input and 30-40% responded. This facilitated changes in what food items were sold to the children’s benefit.

He cited another shura example. Due to building zone height restrictions, the new 5-storey high-school building foundation was dug deep resulting in an 8-m high face.

Seeking suggestions, a senior girl proposed making it a rock-climbing face, which is being considered.

This construction provided opportunities for students to gain apprenticeship training in plumbing and painting. It is envisaged the new building will be ready for 2021 school opening.

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When the CEO is down on energy he enters the schoolyard and engages the children, which he finds highly energising.

As 2020 is the school’s 25th jubilee year, Kadri and Staff are planning massive celebrations, which were put on hold due to the pandemic. Stay tuned as ICB may still hold the event before year-end.

Correction: In the ICB article in the last AMUST edition (#180), it was stated incorrectly that Islamic Council of Queensland controls it. Actually, the School Board comprises the following private individuals: Ismail Cajee, Ali Kadri, Junaid Qadri, Ray Barrett, Janeth Deen, Shahid Bharadia, Rabiul Alam and Lyla Moshmosh.

The Muslim community is encouraged to grant them support to discharge their amanah to Allah and the community.

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.

Islam’s 99 Names, Judaism’s 70 Names and Hajar’s New Name Rabbi Allen Maller While Prophet Abraham was not the first prophet on earth, he was the first prophet whose descendants were the Jewish Prophets who came to Banu Israel over a period of 1500 years from Prophet Issac to Prophet Jesus.

As the Qur’an states: “Say: we believe in God and in what has been revealed to us, and what was revealed to Abraham, Isma’il: Isaac, Jacob and The Tribes, and in (the Books) given to Moses, Jesus and the Prophets, from their Lord: We make no distinction between one and another, among them, and to God do we bow our will.” (3:84) Judaism was the religion designed by God for Banu Israel-the Jewish People- and Islam was the religion designed by God for all the earth’s polytheists. As the Qur’an states: “Indeed, the believers, Jews, Christians, and Sabians—whoever truly believes in God and the Last Day and does good will have their reward with their Lord. And there will be no fear for them, nor will they grieve.”

(Quran 2:62) Since Judaism was the religion designed

by God for Banu Israel-the Jewish Peoplemany of the 70 names for God, especially those used in the Hebrew Bible, connect God with Banu Israel, who were the only ongoing monotheistic religious community in the world during Biblical times.

For example: The Holy One of Israel (Isaiah 1:4, 5:19), and The Shepherd of Israel (Psalm 80:2) and God of Abraham, God of Isaac, and God of Jacob (Exodus 3:15).

The Zabur of David added more ‘person-

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al experience’ names for God like: Elohai Yishi = the God of my redemption (Psalm 27:9), Elohei chasdi = the God of my mercy (Psalm 59:11), Elohim misgabi = God, my high tower (Psalm 59:17), Elohei Yisheinu = God of our salvation (Psalm 65:6), and Elohei Tehilati = the God of my praise (Psalm 109:1).

The Rabbis, who created most of the synagogue prayers after the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple in 70CE also used names like: Guardian of Israel (Shomer Yisrael), Shield of Abraham (Magein Avraham), and Rock of Isaac (Tsur Yitschak).

But the rabbis also used less specific to Judaism names of God such as: HaRahaman-The Merciful One, Shemayim-The Heavenly One, and Oshe HaShalom- The

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Peacemaker, that are similar to some of the 99 names of Allah in the Islamic tradition.

One Biblical name for God that is not yet part of either of the traditional 70 or 99 names of God is the name used by Prophet Abraham’s Egyptian wife Hagar, the mother of Prophet Ishmael. It is a special ‘personal experience’ name for God that she alone used when the God of Prophet Abraham responded to her and her son Prophet Ismail’s need: El-Ro’ee.

El Ro’ee means A Self-reflecting God or A God Who Sees (literally mirrors) Me. “Then she (Hagar) called the name of YHVH, who spoke to her, ‘El Ro’ee’, ‘You are a God who sees me’; for she said, ‘Have I even remained alive here after seeing Him?’ Therefore the well was called Beer-laHai-roee;

the well of the Living One (Al-Hayy in Arabic) who sees me.” (Genesis 16:13-14) Neither Sarah nor Hagar/Ha-jar are mentioned by name in the Qur’an, but the story of Hagar’s exile from Abraham’s home is traditionally understood to be referred to in a line from Prophet Ibrāhīm’s prayer in the Qur’an (14:37): “I have settled some of my family in a barren valley near your Sacred House.”

Muslim tradition relates that when Hā-jar ran out of water, and Ismāil her child, began to die; Hā-jar panicked and ran between two nearby hills, Al-Safa and Al-Marwah repeatedly searching for water.

After her seventh run, Ismā’īl hit the ground with his heel and caused a miraculous well to spring out of the ground called the Zamzum Well. It is located a few meters from the Kaaba in Mecca.

Perhaps this previously unique Torah name of God, El Ro’ee or Hai Ro’ee; which are Hagar’s ‘personal experience’ names for God, meaning A Self-reflecting God or A Living God Who Sees Me, and the name for the well ‘Beer-laHai-ro’ee’ the well of the Self-reflecting living God; can help bring Christians, Jews and Muslims to see themselves in the eyes of each other better, and thus come closer together in the future.

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 website 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.

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ISSUE 181 / DECEMBER 2020

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UMMAH 17 - 18

EDUCATION 19 - 20

BUSINESS 21

BUSINESS

SOCIAL 22 - 23

AMUST

Money habits series 1 and 2 Know what your Pay yourself first dollar does

Fahd Dameer There are 5 fundamental financial qualities that the rich and financially successful individual have and I am going to touch on the first fundamental.

This is extremely important because the main reason injustice and oppression occurs today is that money talks and those with good intentions usually have shallow pockets.

As a result, the possibility to make meaningful change is limited.

Some may say, we live in the age of social media and everything is interconnected.

While this may be true to some extent, someone always has to pay their bills and no matter how true a cause, the need to keep a roof over their heads will have people return from the streets to a cubicle in an office or 9 to 5 job.

If you’re someone who wants to make change, influence society in a meaningful manner. Remember that change starts with us and by applying the financial habits of the successful we can better our lives and those of others.

Let’s get straight into it.

Fundamental 1 - Know what your every dollar does In other words, you need to track your money.

When I ask a friend, a family member or relative or even myself in my early years, the following: What percentage of your income did you spend on living expenses, entertainment and investment last month?

The most common answer is “why do you want to know?” or “it doesn’t matter”, “not sure, maybe X”.

It’s often a mix of deflection with the underlying truth being that the answer is not known because it wasn’t tracked.

You could be an executive sitting behind the desk in a bank, or even a high-flying pro-

ject manager.

Truth is more money doesn’t make one more financially responsible, it often makes spending freely easier and tracking it gets pushed to the not important category.

A survey in Australia found almost • one-third (30 per cent) of Australians don’t set a budget, • just under a quarter (24 per cent) aren’t saving any money at all, and • almost one in five (18 per cent) are living pay cheque to pay cheque.

That’s almost ¾ of Australian citizens, one step from falling off a financial cliff. And now we have the COVID situation.

You can figure out how most of those stories might go.

The rich and financially successful people say, the road to success is to start with one simple step: Budget your expenses and track your expenses.

The way my father thought me to budget my money was to follow 2 simple steps.

1. Write down your expected income, in your case it is your salary, then it into four chunks: a. 50% goes towards your living expenses (includes mortgage/rent) b. 10% goes to entertainment c. 30% goes into shares d. 10% goes into a rainy-day account, that has no card linked to it.

2. The second step is to diligently track my spending. The more detailed I was, the better decisions I was able to make.

Here is my current separation of chunks taken further and set up as different bank accounts.

This sets a clear delineation of your money and what role it serves you.

We cover all these topics and share how we do it ourselves at Tabarruk This is not financial advice. Please view our disclaimer at https://tabarr.uk/disclaimer/

Fahd Dameer At any point in your life, if you want to improve or change something be it your weight, health or wealth, the underpinning factor in common is discipline.

If we are not disciplined enough to put one foot in front of the other, we rarely see results, say with fitness or health.

The same principle applies to wealth.

Regardless of whether you have a low income or high income, your future depends on how much discipline you’re willing to embrace in order to start saving and investing in your future.

Discipline is extremely important because saving takes a lot of discipline, investing takes even more discipline because you need to be in control of your actions, when your emotions like fear and loss of fear scream at you to act.

How do you start you may wonder?

I started in earnest, when my father asked me: Do not need to have the latest phone or gadget, if the one you have is working just fine Do you really need a new car?

Tight fists in my youth, have lead me to have financial security in my 30’s Research shows that: 1. 75% of Australians do not have savings to cope with a crisis.

2. 75% of Australians who lost their job,

have reduced income are struggling due to COVI19.

3. Of this 75% the average savings they had in their bank account was $7,000.

4. 10% have less than $100 in their savings This will only get worse in the next 3-4 years as the new phenomenon of buy now pay later changes the consumer purchase landscape in Australia and the world.

How do you start saving or investing?

Same way Marco Polo travelled the world.

Take the first step.

The best first step is to pay yourself first.

For example, every time you get paid by your employer for your services, you could put that money into a savings account but how you choose to pay yourself is up to you.

Only you know your personal circumstances.

What this does, even if you spend every single dollar of your pay cheque, you will still have an amount that you have set aside which will gets saved automatically.

This habit over a sustained period allows you to start the next steps. Saving and growing your money by making it work for you.

Things like: • Cut down your costs • Increase your income • Invest your money in a Halal and Ethical Manner with a long term view We cover all these topics and share how we do it ourselves at Tabarruk This is not financial advice. Please view our disclaimer at https://tabarr.uk/disclaimer/

Fahd Dameer is the co-founder along with Moin Zaman, of Tabarruk, a website that teaches halal investing on the ASX share market in Australia.

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Social Spotlights

Craig Foster @fozzfootball

Swim Sisters @swimsistersquad Dear Nike Your recent campaign was brilliant. It tugged at the heartstrings. It’s what we are all about, enabling opportunities for all women to experience the universal joy of swimming. The visuals were stunning and powerful juxtoposing a Muslim mother teaching her daughter to swim, alongside water sports and ocean swimming defying stereotypes and overcoming obstacles to swimming which many Muslim women experience.

In the heat of the moment, we shared the post onto our story.

But we can’t turn a blind eye to the fact that you, Nike are complicit in China’s slave labour.

Uyghur Muslim women are not free to swim because they are locked up in internment camps in what is described as the largest scale incarceration of people based on religion since the Holocaust.

More than a million Uyghurs, Kazakhs and other Muslim ethnic minorities are thought to be detained in what the Communist Party calls vocational education centres but which are referred to by the UN as “re-education camps”.

The Chinese government has facilitated the mass transfer of Uyghur and other ethnic minority citizens from the far west region of Xinjiang to factories across the country. Under conditions that strongly suggest forced labour, Uyghurs are working in factories that are in the supply chains of at least 82 well-known global brands in the technology, clothing and automotive sectors, including Apple, BMW, Gap, Huawei, Nike, Samsung, Sony and Volkswagen.

This The Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI)‘s report Uyghurs for sale: ‘Re-education’, forced labor and surveillance beyond Xinjiang estimates that more than 80,000 Uyghurs were transferred out of Xinjiang to work in factories across China between 2017 and 2019, and some of them were sent directly from detention camps.

Until this is an issue addressed by Nike, we cannot be swept away by powerful marketing campaigns like this & boycott all products produced by Nike Sportswear.

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Good to catch up with a great human and champion athlete of multiple sports speaking out for marginalised people Sonny Bill Williams ahead of our visit for Amnesty International Australia to Parliament House, Canberra tomorrow for #GameOver to call for the resettlement to NZ of the remaining 290 people offshore as well as another legend, Ricky Stuart Sonny has been to refugee camps in Lebanon to see what people go through first hand, and uses his notoriety to help others where he can we’ll highlight the ongoing suffering of hundreds offshore tomorrow and advocate for the end to the pain for all involved.

Brothers In Need @brothersinneed.org Thank you to Br. Abdul and the team from Masco Group for being absolute champions by assisting us with our monthly BBQ at Martin Place tonight

Unity Grammar @UnityGrammar

Muslim Women Australia @MuslimWomenAustralia This evening’s Love and Faith event at MWA was indeed a much needed evening of inspiration and upliftment, celebrating the life of the Prophet Muhammad (s) through nasheed (song), stories, poetry, and sisterhood. Beautiful heartfelt Nasheeds by the inspiring @ munshidaat_noor.al.iman, thank you for singing your hearts out and connecting hearts and souls! And thank you for the heart and soul soothing poetry @ nimahnawwab joining us from Saudi Arabia.

Celebrating online and in person, thank you to everyone who was able to join us, no matter where you were in the world!

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Recycle - Save the Planet and feed the homeless and the vulnerable!

From small conversations big things happen!

Following a Zoom meeting with students from our Yr 9 commerce class and Dean Mousad from Brothers In Need we will now recycle our plastic bottles and tin cans to feed the homeless and the elderly in Sydney and Brisbane through the Return and Earn Scheme! This is in addition to our homeless run initiative with Brothers in Need at Martin Place where our students and alumni provide hot and packaged food as well as food items to the homeless community of Sydney.

Together we can ALL make a difference!

This initiative is managed by our Yr 12 service prefects Feros Jida and Layla Hussein

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UMMAH 17 - 18

EDUCATION 19 - 20

TOP 6 Muslim Memes

BUSINESS 21

#SOCIAL

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AMUST

TOP 7

SHARED SNAPS

Tweets

#SolidaritywithPalestine

Shirley Downward Inspiration : Yesterday Ibrahim Omer was sworn in as a Member of the Parliament of Aotearoa/New Zealand becoming the second refugee and the first of African origin to sit in the house. As a fine example of multiculturalism in action he choose to speak his oath in Teo Reo Maori and Arabic. Ibrahim’s settlement journey has followed the initial pathway of so many refugees , working 80 hrs a week as a cleaner. He became a student at Victoria University -Wellington enabling his work within the union movement and political involvement. His election was a heartwarming source of inspiration for many in the Eritrean diaspora across the world and for those of us who remain committed to the success of refugees.

Osama Abou Hajar Life could be very hard sometimes but #never_give_up - 2011: Starting Electrical Engineering course at Aleppo University.

- 2013: Leaving Syria after 3 Years of hard life under the war.

- 2013: being a refugee in Lebanon and working to help my family.

- 2014: Arriving in Ireland with ZERO ENGLISH and facing a brand new life.

- 2015: Starting a programming course at DBS With poor English.

- 2016: Starting my Software Engineering degree at Institute of Technology, Carlow -2019/20: survive the COVID-19 and complete my final year exams - 2020: Got Graduated with Bsc Hons Degree in software development Engineering.

-2020/21: I joined Ericsson , to work on one of the most interesting projects in the world 5G. It may look only a number for you, but they are lives of experiences.

Thanks to everyone who was a part of this journey.

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Not All Disabilities Are Visible Join us in celebrating the

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITY

Speakers

Sunday 6 December 2020 | 11am 9 Killeen St, Auburn, NSW

Dr Samiha Makkouk Al-Dhaibi

Ahmad Dandan

Julia Finn MP

Councillor Ola Hamed

Nasim Zereka

Ziyad Serhan

Sponsors Everyone is welcome!

Register: seena3.eventbrite.com www.seena.org.au | info@seena.org.au 24

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ISSUE 181 / DECEMBER 2020