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AUSTRALASIAN MUSLIM TIMES
www.amust.com.au ISSUE # 195
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Multicultural News & Views
FEBRUARY 2022; RAJAB 1443
National days with a difference: 26 January BOOMERANG PAGE 5
Pegasus spyware: Zionist and Hindutva alliance for worldwide spying
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Every citizen of the world is vulnerable and under the surveillance of those who control power. Using Pegasus spyware, corporations, governments, special interest groups, drug dealers, and organized crime mafia can easily spy on anyone who has a cell phone. Nothing is safe from those who have access to it. Pegasus is a spying software developed by the Israeli cyber-arms company the NSO Group that can be covertly installed on mobile phones and other devices running most versions of iOS and Android and has been widely used and abused by several governments The NSO Group has sold Pegasus for hundreds of millions of dollars to Saudi Arabia, UAE , Bahrain, Indian and Bangladeshi governments and many more countries where it has been used for surveillance of anti-regime activists, journalists, and political leaders from rival nations, with encouragement and mediation by the Israeli government. continued on page 2
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Thank you Archbishop Desmond Tutu UMMAH PAGE 16
Kazi Ali recognised with Order of Australia Zia Ahmad
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A veteran Muslim leader, Kazi Ali who has dedicated his life in serving the Muslim community in managing death and burial was recognised on Australia Day Wednesday 26 January 2022 for his services to the Islamic community. Mr Kazi Khalequzzaman Ali OAM of Bangladeshi origin migrated to Australia from UK in 1980 and has been involved ever since in serving Sydney’s Muslim community through various mosque associations and then heavily involved since 1983 in the development and management of Muslim cemeteries. Initially he worked with the veteran Muslim leader late Sheikh Mohammad Afif and the Lebanese Muslim Association to establish the Muslim section at the Rookwood cemetery and later established the Riverstone cemetery in 2003 by forming the Riverstone Muslim Cemetery Board (RMCB). Based on his encyclopaedic knowledge of Muslim burial in compliance with Australian government regulations, his highly developed people skills in bringing diverse community members together and his interfaith networking abilities, he collaborated closely with Mr Peter O’Meara, CEO of the Catholic Cemeteries & Crematoria Trust (CMCT) to establish the Muslim Lawn, dedicated Muslim cemetery within the Kemps Creek Memorial Park in Western Sydney. Kazi Ali signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Peter O’Meara in 2018 developing a close bond of understanding be-
tween the two based on mutual respect for their faiths, sharing of knowledge in burial and administration of cemeteries and the will to cooperate in developing further burial spaces in various parts of Sydney. The unique interfaith collaboration between the Muslim Cemeteries Board (MCB) headed by Kazi Ali and CMCT headed by Peter O’Meara has resulted in the successful establishment Muslim cemetery at Kemps Creek where a number of graves were sold in a very short time under the pre-purchase plan. Being a visionary, Kazi Ali realised the shortage of burial spaces for Muslim in
Sydney and has been collaborating with CMCT in developing many more cemeteries with facilities required for Muslim burials. While specialising in cemeteries and Muslim burials, Kazi Ali has been an active member of the Muslim community in Sydney involved in the establishment of a number of Islamic associations and mosques over the last 40 years including, Rooty Hills mosque, Parramatta mosque, Sefton Mosque and the Quaker Hills mosque. Born in 1950 into a respectable family in Comilla in East Pakistan, now Bangladesh, Kazi Ali completed his schooling in Dhaka from the Residential Model school and then obtained BSc degree from Dhaka University in 1970. Continued on page 3
Mr Kazi Khalequzzaman Ali OAM. (Photo: Zia Ahmad)
Australians dominate at Grand Slam tennis Mohamed Ainullah
Australian tennis superstar Ashleigh Barty won the Women’s Singles title while all Australian team of Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis won the Men’s Doubles title at the 110th Australian Open 2022 held in Melbourne from 17 to 30 January. Spaniard, Rafael Nadal claimed his record breaking 21st major title in Men’s Singles while the Czech pair Barbora Krejčíková and Kateřina Siniaková won the Women’s Double titles at the same event. Barty is the top ranked professional Tennis Singles player since the fellow Indigenous Australian Evonne Goolagong Cawley and is the only Australian women winning the Australian Open after 44 years since Goolagong won it last in December 1977. Previous to winning the Australian open now, Barty has been a three-time Grand Slam singles champion, and is the reigning champion at Wimbledon as well as a Grand
Slam doubles champion, having won the 2018 US Open with CoCo Vandeweghe. Born on 24 April 1996 in Ipswich, Queensland, Barty is a member of the Indigenous Australian Ngaragu people, the Aboriginal people of southern NSW and northeastern Victoria through her great-grandmother. She has two older sisters, Sara and Ali. She won her only junior Grand Slam title at Wimbledon at the age of 15 and became just the second Australian to win the girls’ singles event and the first Australian girl to win any junior Grand Slam singles title since Jelena Dokic at the 1998 US Open. Barty is the National Indigenous Tennis Ambassador for Tennis Australia. promoting more Indigenous participation in the sport of tennis. She strongly identifies with her heritage having said, “I’m a very proud Indigenous woman and I think that for me taking on this role is something very close to my heart. I’m very excited.”
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Current Australian Open tennis champion Ash Barty (right) holding her trophy with fellow indigenous tennis champion Evonne Goolagong Cawley. Dispose of this paper thoughtfully - PLEASE RECYCLE
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Pegasus spyware: Zionist and Hindutva Australians dominate at alliance for world-wide spying Continued from page 1 Let us not get involved in the false debate that Israel’s government does not own the Pegasis selling rights because a private Israeli company owns it. Or only governments can buy it. Before the evidence came into the limelight in January 2022, both the Indian and Israeli governments denied having any deal on Pegasus. Both lied to the world and, above all, their people. India’s Hindutva government used Pegasus to monitor everyone whose phone they could heck, including opposition leaders, foreign businesses, rulers, and social and religious leaders. Israel, in return, sold its deadly weapons, largely related to intelligence and spying worth over two billion dollars to India and got access to all the secretly collected data by the Indian government. Israel also sold Pegasus to many more countries countries including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Finland, Hungary, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Morocco, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Uganda, the United Arab Emirates, Bangladesh and the United States. Seven have Muslim majorities of the 17 countries owning the world’s most powerful spying software. The Pegasus spyware enables Israel to access intelligence collected by governing parties and individuals in the countries it has sold the spyware to while it claims that only governments can buy the software for use by its intelligence agencies. But the Zionist entity is an expert in misinformation and spreading lies. So it can cross any limits to serve its perverted interests. The emerging alliance between the world’s two most dangerous ideologies is a matter of concern for all. India’s current
Unholy alliance: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Grand Slam tennis
Thanasi Kokkinakis and Nick Kyrgios holding their trophy. rulers promote the Hindutva ideology that believes in the supremacy of upper-castes while Israel is under the control of Zionism that believes in the divine origin of Israel based on the Biblical assertion that God gave the ownership of the land to His chosen people. Jewish religious belief defined the land where Jewish religious law prevailed and excluded territory where it did not apply. According to the Book of Genesis, God first promised the land to Abraham’s descendants. The followers of replacement theology (or supersessionism) do not accept the Old Testament prophecies. But a view often repudiated by Christian Zionists and Evangelical Zionists claim that Israel has title to the land by divine right. The Hindutva ideology believes God bestowed India to upper castes with no rights to others whose only obligation is to serve the master race. Accordingly, Hindutva ideologues are intolerant of Christians, lower castes and Dalits, Adivasis, and women. In the disputed region of Kashmir, Hindutva ideology entails advancing a settler-colonial project that aims to transform
the demographics of the Muslim-majority region. Hindutva ideology rejects diversity as a social value instead of seeking an extreme form of homogeny. VD Savarkar, the godfather of Hindutva ideology, taught that Indians who identified as members of other religions were, rightly, Hindu, thereby seeking to deny individuals and social groups of agency and identity. These two ideologies are reminiscent of Hitler’s Nazi Germany that brought genocide and holocaust to millions of its nonArayan citizens. Moreover, both Zionism and Hindutva aim to eliminate Palestinians and non-upper castes. Therefore, their access to Pegasus and deadly weapons pose a threat to world security. Ironically, the rulers of seven countries with Muslim majority also own Pegasus and massive weaponry bought from Israel and other countries. The self-serving power elites of these countries do not realise that they are destroying their sovereignty and independence and promoting hateful ideologies by cooperating with the Zionist state.
Continued from page 1 She was recognised as the Female Sportsperson of the Year at the National Dreamtime Awards, that honours Indigenous Australians, in both 2017 and 2018 and was honoured as the Young Australian of the Year in 2020. Thanasi Kokkinakis and Nick Kyrgios defeated fellow Australian pair, Matthew Ebden and Max Purcell to win the Men’s Doubles title at the 2022 Australian Open and became the first all-Australian pair to win the title since Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde in 1997. The final marked the first all-Australian men’s doubles final at the Australian Open since 1980. Novak Djokovic and Naomi Osaka were the 2021 champions in Men’s Singles and Women’s Singles, respectively while Ivan Dodig and Filip Polášek won the double title in men’s and Elise Mertens and Aryna Sabalenka won the doubles titles for women in 2021. Djokovic was unable to participate in the tournament in 2022 after his visa was cancelled for being a “high profile unvaccinated individual” whose presence in Melbourne “may foster anti-vaccination sentiment.”
Muslim Lawn
KEMPS CREEK MEMORIAL PARK
Kemps Creek Memorial Park has a dedicated lawn for the Muslim community with peaceful rural vistas. Located only 25 minutes’ drive from Blacktown and 35 minutes from Auburn. › Single and double burial graves available › 3 year interest free payment plans available
Part of the local community For further information please contact:
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Call us on 02 9826 2273 from 8.30am-4pm www.kempscreekcemetery.com.au
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Kazi Ali recognised with Order of Australia Continued from page 1 He moved to London in 1970 to study Jute and Textile technology and later on worked there till 1980 when he performed Haj before migrating to Australia in 1981 initially working with the Sydney Morning Herald for a number of years and later at various financial institutions. In Sydney initially he lived with his brother in law Shamsuzzaman, a successful businessman in Waverton overlooking the Harbour bridge and Opera House. Shamsuzzaman passed away during an accident in 1985. While in UK, he got married at the age of 22 to Hosneara Zaman Ali (Munni) in 1973 and his eldest daughter Kishwar was born in 1975. Later on his second daughter Shakira was born in 1983 in Sydney. He currently lives with his family in Cherrybrook in north western Sydney and acknowledges the support of his wife Munni in keeping the family together while he was busy in his full time job and on call 24/7 for the community members during their time of death in the family and arrangement of funeral of their loved ones. While celebrating the award with his col-
Kazi Ali and Peter O’Meara sign an agreement that will give Muslims more burial space at Kemps Creek Cemetery.
leagues and friends on Saturday 29 January over lunch in Sydney, he thanked all those people who had send him messages of congratulations and wishes to acknowledge the following people who worked closely with
him during the past 40 years: • Sheikh Mohammad Afif (late) of Islamic Society of NSW (Surry Hill mosque) • Mr Ismail Adra (late) , President of Lebanese Muslim Association (LMA)
• Sheik Tajuddin al-Hilaly, former Grand Mufti of Australia • Imam Abdul Malik Mohammad Yusof (late) , Imam of Surry Hills mosque • Mr Neil Kadomi (late) Founder of Parramatta Mosque • Mr Aijaz Ahmed of Rooty Hills mosque • Dr Abdul Haque (late) of Riverstone Muslim Cemetery Board (RMCB) • Mr Anjum Alrafiqui of RMCB • Mr Ayob Bhayat of RMCB • Mr Ibrahim Mollah of RMCB • Mr Amin Elsaid of Lebanese Muslim Funeral Service • Dr Moinul Islam of Shapla Shaluk Lions Club • Mr Peter O’meara, CEO of the Catholic Cemeteries & Crematoria Trust (CMCT) • Ms Lauren Hardgrave of Catholic Cemeteries & Crematoria Trust (CMCT) • Mr Zia Ahmad, Editor-in-Chief, Australasian Muslim Times (AMUST) • Mr Asif Mullah of National Zakat Fund (NZF) • Mr Md Maroff Khan of Islamic Cooperative Finanacial Australia Limited (ICFAL) Zia Ahmad is the Editor-in-Chief of the Australasian Muslim Times AMUST.
A tribute to Kazi Khalequzzaman Ali OAM Jasim Ahmed The name Kazi Ali is almost synonymous with Muslim burial in Australia particularly in Sydney. You will be hard pressed to find a Muslim of certain age group who doesn’t know or has heard of Kazi Ali. Talking to Kazi himself you will get the impression that he knows everybody. Even though Kazi Ali does lot more than dealing with Muslim burial, people know him as a go to person for all burial related matters. Muslim burial is his job, voluntary and unpaid but he takes this more as 7 days rostered duty then a community service after work. Kazi does this un-glamourous work to help everybody, anybody, rich and poor, young and old, anyone facing distress of burying someone they love. Death is always a traumatic time for the surviving members of a family. Sometimes death involves more than just loss of life, family needing financial support, someone living alone with no family, death because of family violence, suicide, infectious disease, accidents to name a few. One thing in common in all deaths in the Muslim community, the body needs to be buried or repatriated, it must be done with care and respect, in compliance with Australian law and in accordance with Muslim traditions. No matter who the deceased is and what their personal circumstances are, Kazi Ali’s phone is always on to receive a call. He will get up at 2 am in the morning and call back the deceased family, hospital, police station or wherever the call came from; he will help with appropriate legal procedures required to release the dead body, call relevant funeral directors, diggers, arrange Muslim Imam to perform religious rituals, arrange burial sites and help with site supervision if necessary. If the deceased is a destitute individual or a person with no local relatives, he will liaise with their overseas relatives where possible, initiate fundraising or any measure that is necessary to perform the burial as soon as possible. Very often he will arrive at the burial site ahead of time to ensure everything goes smoothly causing no further heart ache to the grieving family. Kazi Ali, has been doing this for almost 40 years, without expecting to be paid for his effort. He is a practicing Muslim, not a faith leader, he does not preach religion, he does not judge the background of a deceased person, he simply offers help for another human being to receive his or her last rites as a member of the Islamic community. Born in 1950 Kazi Ali left Bangladesh FEBRUARY 2022 / ISSUE 195
when he was in his 20s to pursue higher education in the UK where he lived and worked for 10 years before migrating to Australia in 1981. Within a year he began his contribution to Muslim community by joining the Islamic society of New South Wales based at Surry Hills Mosque. He was subsequently elected as the president of the Mosque in 1983. During that time, he came to learn about an area of land within Rookwood cemetery being allocated to the Muslim community and decided to join the project charged with establishing the first Muslim cemetery. During this effort Kazi Ali met many members of Lebanese Muslim Association and many other dedicated Muslim volunteers. From that point, cemetery and burial became his work & passion. He made a commitment to learn everything around burial, the process, religious obligations and traditions, role of funeral homes and cemeteries, legal matters, health and safety aspects of a burial and so on. In a burial every detail counts, he learned to wash bodies, witnessed coroners court proceedings, studied ethnic traditions that may or may not be part of core Muslim traditions, most importantly he established credibility with people of the wider Muslim community. Burial became an everyday routine for Kazi Ali, building a following that went well beyond his Bangladeshi or South Asian origin, he became a known face throughout Muslim community, Shia, Sunni, and other denominations alike. Moving on from Rookwood, Kazi Ali used his network to establish Riverstone cemetery on a land that was allocated by the Blacktown council to the Muslim community. With the help of the community and close working relationship with Blacktown council, a Muslim only cemetery was built ground up with no professional cemetery operator. He established Riverstone Muslim Ceme-
tery Board (RMCB) to operate and maintain the cemetery on behalf of Blacktown council, a project he managed for 17 years until it was full and closed for burial. As Riverstone cemetery was coming to an end in 2017, Kazi Ali signed an MoU with Catholic Cemeteries & Crematoria Trust (CMCT) to set aside a zone for Muslim burial at Kemps Creek Memorial Park. For the last four years Kazi Ali and Muslim Cemeteries Board (renamed from RMCB) helped CMCT, design, plan, setting up and operate the Muslim Lawn at Kemps Creek. Over these years Kazi has built a relationship with the Catholic organisation based on common goals and mutual respect. He has also established links with a diverse variety of Muslim organisations and community groups to purchase plots at Kemps Creek. COVID-19 brought new challenges to all of us, Kazi Ali and his team continued to deal with burials adapting to new rules, social distancing and emergency ritual procedures. In the wake of lockdown Kazi Ali along with Lebanese Muslim Association and others played a vital role in convening a joint meeting to initiate a religious ruling of Muslim Burial that complies with national health and safety regulations. Sydney is quickly using up existing burial plots due to lack of new crown cemetery land, an issue NSW government is trying to address as its long-term strategy for the sector. CMCT has been working on two new cemetery development projects, one at Varroville and the other at Wallacia. Kazi Ali and MCB have been supporting CMCT during last few years leading to their DA with a view to establishing Muslim areas in both new cemeteries. The aim is to replicate Kemps Creek modus operandi at Varroville and Wallacia cemeteries that could deliver adequate Muslim burial plots to meet our requirements till the year 2050, possibly
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beyond. NSW Government recently proposed structural changes for crown cemeteries proposing to establish OneCrown abolishing all faith-based crown cemetery operators including Catholic Cemeteries. MCB joined a campaign to maintain CMCT as a separate entity alongside OneCrown. MCB saw no reason to support oneCrown as proposed, considering it as an unproven new public service that is yet to be defined, has limited experience in managing cemetery assets, promising little benefits, except, potential delays and uncertainty in development of Varroville and Wallacia cemeteries. Kazi Ali’s contribution to Muslim community does not end just with burials; he has been a significant contributor in formation of various local Islamic associations and mosques such as Sefton Mosque, Rooty Hill Mosque, Quakers Hill Mosque and Parramatta Mosque. Kazi is also an active social worker helping destitute and disadvantaged in the community, not just with burials but helping anyone experiencing distress and trauma. There are numerous incidences where he came forward to help women being mistreated, newlywed bride arrived in the country and being refused by their husbands, illegal immigrants being maltreated and worse. MCB in partnership with donor organizations provides free burial services to Muslim destitute, overseas students and visitors without local contacts. It lodged a request to Sydney coroners court to contact MCB with any unclaimed Muslim deceased body. MCB has now linked up with many Muslim organisations ready to provide financial assistance with burial and sending deceased body overseas to their loved ones, especially students. Unquestionably, Kazi Ali has made an enormous contribution to Muslim community here in Australia and continues to do so with vigour. Most importantly, for four decades he has provided an extensive service to the community helping people when they are extremely vulnerable with a death in the family. Unquestionably, he is a deserving candidate for the Order of Australia award, and as members of the Muslim community, we all congratulate him. Jasim Ahmed, a retired business executive came to Australia in mid-70’s and has known Kazi Ali for over 40 years. He has been involved with Muslim Cemeteries Board (MCB) and Catholic Cemeteries & Crematoria Trust (CMCT) helping navigate strategies towards addressing short and long-term Muslim burial needs.
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National days with a difference: 26 January
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Mr Hamid Ansari, 85, former Vice President of India and a veteran diplomat. Both Australia and India celebrate 26 the country is increasingly turning towards January as their most significant na- religious intolerance, bigotry, insecurity and tional days. curtailments of freedoms guaranteed by the Australia Day on 26 January marks the Constitution. 1788 landing of the First Fleet in Sydney and The speakers at the event included the folraising of the Union Flag by Arthur Philip lowing: and the commencement of the colonisation • Former Vice President of India Mohamof Australia by Britain, now termed as Inmed Hamid Ansari vasion Day by Indigenous Australians and • Former President of Mauritius Ameenah their increasingly vocal supporters. Gurib-Fakim In modern day Australia, however the • US Senator Ed Markey Australia Day is increasingly celebrated to • US Representative Jamie Raskin reflect its diverse society, acknowledgement • US Representative Jim McGovern of its First Peoples, the sense of com• US Representative Andy Levin munity, welcoming of new Aus• United States Commistralians and awards for excelsion on International Religious lence and services. Freedom Chair Nadine Maenza Although India gained its • Archbishop of Bangalore independence from Britain Peter Machado Zia Ahmad on 15 August 1947, Re• Amnesty International public Day on 26 January USA Asia Advocacy Director Assalamu 1950 marked the end of colCarolyn Nash Alaikum onisation of India by Britain • RFK Human Rights PresiGreetings and inauguration of the new dent Kerry Kennedy constitution of India as an indeMr Hamid Ansari, 85, former of Peace pendent country and a pluralistic, Vice President of India and a veteran multi-faith, multicultural and multiraIndian diplomat acknowledged the succial society. cess story that India has been as the largest deOn Wednesday 26 January 2022, in order mocracy for seven decades under its Constituto mark India’s Republic Day, Indian Amer- tion prescribing universal adult franchise with ican Muslim Council (IAMC) together with a comprehensive charter of rights and duties Hindus for Human Rights (HfHR) with sup- including the duty to protect the heritage of its port from 15 other Human Rights organisa- composite culture. tions co-hosted a US Congressional Briefing He went on to say “We are reckoned to be titled “”Protecting India’s Pluralist Consti- the largest democracy in the world and we tution” with speakers, while showing their are proud to be so. Ours is a vast land and love for India’s pluralistic society and Con- diverse land peopled by citizens of different stitution, expressed concerns for the way backgrounds, speaking different languages
EDITORIAL
Ummah
Assalam aliakum Sr Mobinah Sincere congratulations! Such hard work and effort and also recognition of the blessings and mercy of Allah – a good reminder to all, as you have rightly said ‘I imagine Allah will ask me: I gave you so many privileges, good mental and physical health, money, love, family, friends, education, country, so what did you do with it?’ I wish you all the best always. Nafeeza Ayesha Yusuf
Real Mt Sinai
I am a conservative Seventh day Adventist and have read quickly through your article about the REAL MT SIANI and want to say how well you have reasoned it out. Frankly many people miss several points. Firstly if the “traditional Mt Saini” is at the tip of the peninsular, then one has to ask a question. Where did they cross the Red Sea? FEBRUARY 2022 / ISSUE 195
the peninsular. Second where did they wander in the wilderness for 40 years? Moses was in Midian and saw the Great I AM in the burning bush IN MIDIAN and was told that he was to bring the children of Israel back to THAT MOUNTAIN in Midian. Thirdly, if they wandered in the wilderness for forty years in that region of the peninsular, it would have been easier to come directly across the top into the “promised land” instead of going south and coming in through Edom and across the Jordan . So I have known this for about 30 + years and simply wanted to thank you for using logic and reason to clarify the truth of the story! Owen T
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and professing different beliefs. Almost 20 percent of our people belong to religious minorities.” However he showed great concern at the increasing trend towards monopolisation of power and human right abuses under the BJP government led by Modi since 2016. “In recent years, we have experienced emergence of trends and practices that dispute the well established principle of civic nationalism, and interpose a new and imaginary practice of cultural nationalism. It seeks to present an electoral majority in the guise of a religious majority and monopolise political power. It wants to distinguish citizens on the basis of their faith, give vent to intolerance, insinuate otherness and promote disquiet and insecurity. Some of its recent manifestations are chilling, and reflect poorly on our claim to be governed by rule of law,” Mr Ansari said. He questioned, “Why have segments of opinion in a plural society with a long tradition of accommodation of diversity, decided to question it in favour of a unilateral and distorted reading of its past? That’s a question that has to be answered. These trends need to be contested, and contested legally and contested politically.” Mr Ansari is definitely concerned about the division and communal tensions that currently prevail in India, but he believes that the fraternity among people will surely come to the defence of the inclusive spirit of India and has been highly encouraged by the farmers protest and the initiative shown by Muslim women who led the anti-CAANRC protests.
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Smoke and mirrors: Afghans neglected in Australia’s humanitarian program Dr Abul Rizvi Far from holding out a helping hand to Afghans left stranded by the withdrawal of foreign troops, Australia has been even less generous than normal. Sometime around New Year’s Day, Immigration Minister Alex Hawke released his Department’s report on the 2020-21 Humanitarian Program – he would have received this report around five months earlier. But why the delay? Why release it around New Year’s Day and with no associated press release? That made it certain no one in the mainstream media would notice. The answer lies in the fact the 2020-21 Humanitarian Program was by far the smallest since records of a separate Humanitarian Program began in 1977-78. Since that time there has been no year in which we have had a Humanitarian Program of fewer than 9000 visas granted. The overall Humanitarian Program in 2020-21 was 5947 visas granted of which 4558 were to people who were offshore (see chart). The 4558 visas granted in the offshore Humanitarian Program was against the background of a ministerially approved 11,750 places – by far the biggest ever shortfall against planning levels. While we know the offshore Humanitarian Program had been ‘deprioritised’ with the onset of Covid-19, the department itself tries to explain the shortfall as follows:
“After the Minister’s interim approval on the specific composition of the program on 5 December 2020, the Department formally commenced processing of visa grants for the 2020–21 program”. In other words, almost half the year was over before the department could start offshore humanitarian visa processing. It should thus be of no surprise that only 4558 visas were granted and that the minister would want to hide the outcome from the Australian public. At Senate Estimates in October 2021, the Department of Home Affairs explained the delay in releasing the Humanitarian Program report as due to the need to undertake quality assurance checking.
That sounded like a contrived response at the time. Releasing the report around New Year’s Day confirms the contrived nature of that response. Allocation of places to Afghan citizens Under pressure to increase the Commonwealth’s commitment to assist Afghan refugees, Hawke announced on January 21 that he had allocated 15,000 places to Afghan citizens over the next four years. This comprises 10,000 places in the Humanitarian Program (around 2500 a year) and 5000 places in the Family Stream (around 1250 a year). This follows the government’s earlier announcement that it would allocate 3,000 places to Afghan citizens in the 2021-22 Hu-
manitarian Program. If 3000 places are delivered in 2021-22, that would mean the government would deliver little more than 2350 Humanitarian Program places a year to Afghan citizens in the subsequent three years. In 2016-17, just under 2000 Humanitarian Program places were delivered to Afghan citizens. Hardly a fitting response given Australia’s involvement in the Afghanistan War and the extent to which Australia’s army and other government officials relied on Afghan citizens for support during the war. The 5000 places in the family stream for Afghan citizens is against the background of a backlog of around 9000 partner applications that have sat unprocessed for many years – an action that is likely to be found to be unlawful if the Australian National Audit Office proceeds with an audit of partner visa processing. The fact Hawke is committing 5000 family stream places to Afghan citizens is little more than doing what the law already requires. Hawke’s Afghan announcement is yet another instance of playing smoke and mirrors. (Courtesy: Pearls and Irritations). Abul Rizvi PhD was a senior official in the Department of Immigration from the early 1990s to 2007 when he left as Deputy Secretary. He was awarded the Public Service Medal and the Centenary Medal for services to development and implementation of immigration policy, including the reshaping of Australia’s intake to focus on skilled migration, slow Australia’s rate of population ageing and boost Australia’s international education and tourism industries.
Sydney Festival boycott justified, despite repetitive protests of Israel lobby Professor Stuart Rees OAM Opposition to such a boycott depends on lies about a movement that rejects racism and violence and is based on principles of international law. Protests against the Sydney Festival accepting financial sponsorship from the state of Israel have highlighted atrocities committed against Palestinians. The protesters have also shown the unexceptional nature of the Boycott Divestment Sanctions (BDS) movement for Palestinians’ freedoms, and have challenged the Trumpian notion that lies constantly repeated can become truths. If a country with massive economic, diplomatic and political power is allowed to foment it’s views unhindered and simultaneously browbeat others into accepting their story, international law will be irrelevant and human rights unattainable. But the withdrawal of over 40 artists from the Sydney Festival says that decades-long media accounts which have demonised Palestine and promoted the virtues of Israel have to end. Like a worn record played too many times, members of the Israel right or wrong lobby have sprung to the defence of the Sydney Festival organisers and of Israel policies. As self-important lobbyists, they repeat arguments used for years, but their claims are unfounded, repetitive and false. Advocacy of Israel’s virtues usually emerges in opposition to the alleged violence of Palestinians and the supposed sinister objectives of the BDS movement. Protesters against the Sydney Festival can
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easily refute such stories, starting with the notion, how dare anyone oppose Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East. If democracy is defined as giving equal rights to all citizens, Israel is no democracy. The August 2018 passing of the Jewish Nation State Law of the Jewish People makes no reference to Palestinians but asserts the exclusivity of Jewish rights in Israel. As if to guarantee those rights, the law insists, ‘The actualisation of the right of national self determination in the state of Israel is unique to the Jewish people.’ Lobbyists defending Israel as a democracy are incensed by the alternative depiction by Human Rights Watch and the Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem of Israel as an apartheid state, far removed from principles of equality and justice. The Human Rights Watch report, A Threshold Crossed , condemned Israel for committing crimes against humanity of apartheid and persecution of Palestinians. Israeli Jewish and Palestinian citizens live under entirely different civil and military laws. Nevertheless the lobby insists, ‘all Israelis, regardless of ethnic and religious background enjoy equal rights’; and a Sydney Morning Herald article of December 29, by Alex Ryvchin, co-chief executive officer of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, described the confrontations between Israel and Palestinians as merely ‘an
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ethnographic nationalist conflict playing out on the edge of the Mediterranean Sea.’ The reality is otherwise: a never-ending military occupation, a 15-year siege of Gaza, constant slaughter of Palestinian people, stealing their land plus the Israeli army’s current encouragement of gangs of settler thugs destroying property and driving people from their homes. Compare that state violence with the totally legitimate conduct of artists boycotting the Sydney Festival. Opposition to such a boycott depends on lies about BDS despite the movement’s rules that it is non-violent, outlaws racism and is based on principles of international law. In spite of those rules, it is easy for critics to repeat their lazy, kneejerk accusation that BDS is anti-Semitic and aims to remove the Jewish state. Any charge of anti-Semitism should be taken seriously. If so, why don’t politicians and the mainstream media give as much attention to the highly significant, September 2021 Sydney Statement on Anti-Palestinianism. This documents Israeli leaders speaking of their pride in killing Palestinians, wanting to ‘send Gaza back to the Middle Ages’ and insisting that all Palestinians including children, are terrorists. Artists’ boycott of the Sydney Festival makes the same protest against oppression and expresses the same basic humanitarianism as recorded in the Sydney anti-Pales-
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tinianism document. In similar spirit, some Australian Jewish citizens say they have been honoured and humbled to stand alongside their Palestinian colleagues and are echoing their calls. ‘We stand in solidarity with Palestine and Palestinians.’ Widespread support of the boycott of the Sydney Festival has so threatened supporters of Israeli oppression, that they want laws passed to outlaw such activities. Prominent among the advocates of anti-BDS legislation is a Labor rat in the ranks, the NSW shadow minister for the arts Walt Secord. Earlier this month, Secord called on the Arts Minister Ben Franklin to consider American-style anti-BDS legislation. So much for freedom of speech, and related human rights. Why and how is Secord a member of the ALP? Any proposal for an Australian imitation of US laws derives from the assumption that Israel must be treated as an exceptional state allowed to do what it likes, allowed to kill, destroy, ethnically cleanse and in the same breath produce a holier than thou image of a human rights respecting democracy. The success of the boycott of the Sydney Festival marks a potential turning point in history. But that outcome will only be realised if the atrocities committed against Palestinians are not obscured by political and media ignorance and indifference, or by the fog of false claims made by influential lobbyists for Israeli policies. (Courtesy: Pearls and Irritations). Emeritus Professor Stuart Rees OAM is a human rights activist, poet, novelist, and author of books on social justice. He is the recipient of the Jerusalem Peace Prize and the Founder Director of the Sydney Peace Foundation. ISSUE 195 / FEBRUARY 2022
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The reality behind the colonial myth Bilal Cleland Colonial settlements in North America, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, as well as the slave colonies of South America, were dominated for many decades, at the expense of the original inhabitants, by confident, well-armed invaders with their religious and political ideologies. Genocide, called “colonial wars,” was part of the established pattern. Since the Second World War colonialism has retreated but could still be see most starkly into the 1990s in apartheid South Africa and today in the colonial settler movement in Palestine. Nowadays the high priests of the image of Western Civilisation, funded by such sources of enlightenment as minerals and fossil fuel companies, tirelessly promote the myth of adherence to human rights, freedom of speech and democracy, as markers of the high point of human social evolution, which they claim to monopolise. Various vehicles of this school of thought declare the superiority of their way of life
over “the other” of primitive lifestyles and ethnicities found amongst the indigenous people of their own communities or in the “Third World.” No longer can they openly claim to be defending western civilisation from “cosmopolitanism” or racial miscegenation. Since the exposure of the Holocaust, that is no longer acceptable to civilised human beings. One of the most lauded ideological weapons of recent years was the Huntington Thesis, a useful ideological tool for White Protestant America against Islamic and Confucian bogey-men, but then it slanted against Christian Hispanics, exposing its real racist and bigoted nature. In the divided USA the reality is hitting the white colonists. “Since 1980 the share of the non-Hispanic white population has declined from 80% to 58%.” [ 24 January 2022 Crikey] The colonial settler assumption that the colonists are the real people who should decide the fate of their nations is a misconception which still has great tenacity. In Australia our Prime Minister once declared that the greatest event in our past was the arrival of the First Fleet, the day we celebrate still as our national day, 26 January. Even our school children know that this
marked the beginning of First Nations dispossession, based on the lie that Australia was an empty land, devoid of people, “Terra Nullius.” That they know it was the beginning of decades of frontier wars and genocide, right down to the modern day of the Stolen Generation, has horrified upholders of the colonial myth. There have even been ministerial assaults upon the academic curriculum of Australian History which allows reality to be investi-
Islamic well-being index 2021 of Muslim countries highlights Tunisia’s rise Dr Daud Batchelor The 2021 Islamic Well-Being Index for Muslim Countries places Indonesia first, Tunisia second and Malaysia third. This index is based on pre-pandemic data but updated since 2019 results were published in AMUST. The article, “Enhanced Islamic well-being Index (IWI 2.0-2021) for Muslim Countries” appears in “Islam and Civilisational Renewal” journal. https:// icrjournal.org/index.php/icr/article/ view/850/821 The improved Index stresses using the higher objectives of Shari’ah law (maqasid al-Shari‘ah) for key measurement fields, based on Abu-Hamid Ghazali’s view: “The objective of the Shari’ah is to produce well-being of all people, which lies in safeguarding their faith (iman), self (nafs), intellect (‘aql), posterity (nasl) and wealth (mal).” The significant rise of Tunisia since 2013 is striking endorsement of success of Tunisia’s Arab Spring movement led by Rachid Ghannouchi’s Islamist party and the ‘soft’ approach in promoting Islamic-minded civil society. Sadly, on 25 July 2021, President Kais Saied dismissed the government and froze Parliament in what has been described as a ‘self-coup.’ Turkish intelligence had earlier foiled a UAE coup attempt in Tunisia (AlWatan). First placegetter, Indonesia, world’s largest Muslim country, exhibited growing Islamic resurgence, reflecting its citizens’ moderate values/practices. Brookings Institution scholar Shadi Hamid’s comments in his 2016 book, “Islamic Exceptionalism” validate findings that Indonesia and Malaysia topped within first three rankings in both IWI 2013 and 2021: “Indonesia and Malaysia feature significantly more sharia ordinances than Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco or Lebanon.” While Indonesia and Malaysia are led by secular-based parties, they had to enact shari‘ah legislation to satisfy popular demands for “Islam playing a central role in law and governance.” This is realisation of what Abdul Rauf FEBRUARY 2022 / ISSUE 195
gated rather than repetitions of the old story told to generations of our children. Adherence to the colonial myths of white supremacy seem to be what fuels the resurgence of the reactionary right-wing, now making up some 50% of the workload of ASIO. Trying to use the anti-vaxxer movement as a recruiting ground, which is also being exploited by the conservative parties, the servants of the colonial myth are on the path to oblivion as surely as the dinosaurs. The tide of public opinion is turning against the celebration of the arrival of our convict slave fleet in Sydney Cove. “More than two-thirds of respondents aged 26 and under say they won’t be celebrating on 26 January, with just over 30 per cent saying they will. But more than 80 per cent of them support moving the date for the sake of improving relations with the Indigenous population, as do more than 70 per cent of those aged 27 to 41.” [22 January New Daily] The “black armband view of history” so deplored by PM John Howard of Tampa fame and his LNP colleagues is in fact the history bequeathed to us by our forebears with which we have yet to come to terms. Bilal Cleland is a keen reader, a prolific writer and a regular columnist of AMUST based in Melbourne.
A Tunisian security force member stands guard outside Parliament, July 31 2021 intended in his indexing to identify Muslim countries showing high concordance with Islamic law. The ‘Religion’ objective was reflected in ‘acts of worship’ in surveys conducted by Pew Center. Data for assessing four ‘non-Ibadat’ factors derives from UN, World Bank and published indices (e.g., Corruption Perceptions Index). Top countries within each maqasid field for 2021 are (first, second): Religion – Guinea-Bissau, Nigeria; Life – UAE, Brunei; Intellect – Albania, Kyrgyzstan; Family – Morocco, Tunisia; Wealth – Malaysia, UAE. The five IWI Indicators provide a way to spot problems, set targets, track trends, and identify best practice policies. Countries showing greatest improvement in IWI rankings were Lebanon and Turkey. Lebanon, however, declined since the 2020 explosion. Those that significantly worsened were Afghanistan, Nigeria, Chad and Iraq. In 2013 https://www.researchgate.net/ publication/284293648, I proposed Senegal, third placegetter, is worth visiting. In 2017, I visited Senegal and found Muslims there displayed strong God-consciousness. Senegal is blessed by the work of Sheikh Aamadu Bamba (1853-1927), founder of the Muridiyya brotherhood and Touba City, the leading pilgrimage site in West Africa. The finding that top countries in Religion (din) are often worst in non-Din indicators, applies to some West African countries with widespread corruption.
The hypothesis is presented that many leaders in these countries hold incorrect views that Islam comprises only ritual worship rather than that worship is comprehensive, covering everything a person says/ does seeking Allah’s pleasure. It’s not restricted to an individual’s direct relations with God but includes relationships with her/his spouse, relatives, business relations, humanity at large. It’s surmised that Islam’s role narrowed in West Africa as a survival response to depredations from the European slave trade and colonialism, which removed roles of Islamic law and ‘ulama’ in fields of finance, banking, justice (except family/personal law) and governance. I recommend all MMCs be facilitated to participate in surveys on religiosity and other fields to fill data gaps. We propose the IWI Index be prepared and highlights published annually. Results should shortly be accessible on the Index platform hosted by the International Institute of Advanced Islamic Studies (IAIS) Malaysia, God willing. Regarding my January 2022 article on Aboriginal society, I credit Fon Hodes for use of his photograph. Dr Daud Batchelor, holds an MA in Islamic and Other Civilisations and a Diploma in Islamic Studies from the International Islamic University Malaysia, PhD from University of Malaya, MSc from the University of London.
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Island made in the body of the ocean turned into parkland Fazlul Huq The island is held in place in body of the ocean not far from the coastline.As the island is seen to have made into highland, hills and mountains, and the endless plain turned into parkland. Where tufts of purple and green, brown and gold, blue and red, orange and pink shaped like the balls, are laid over the slanting face. That comes down onto low as it makes way from far back to the front. As the lonely dwelling placed on footplate of the rocky mountain has the dress code made into brown and pink with the chimney hued in near black.. 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.
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The Mindset Project: The mental health project with a difference
Maywand Hanifi, CEO of My Ability Care.
Nasreen Hanifi, Clinical Director of My Ability Care.
Nasreen Hanifi My Ability Care launched its new initiative called The Mindset Project on Monday 13 December 2021 at The Connection Precinct in Rhodes, Sydney gathering prominent people within and outside of the community to help support this new initiative. The launch had a line up of some great speakers discussing what mental health meant to them and what can we do to see changes for the better. Guest speakers were author, writers and women’s advocate Amani Haydar, Paralympian Jamie Richards, and youth advocate Anhaar Kareem. Spending nearly a decade and a half working across different fields, as a Psychologist, I have seen so many presenting issues that exists within specific cultural communities. Whilst there is abundant of services available, some of these people still lacked ability in accessing them. So, it made wonder why? I am not going to discuss statistics, we know the statistics and it is depressing, we know the problem, we have talked about the problem, and we have created campaigns against these significant issues, yet the call to action is very slow. Our time is running out because the World Health Organisation has predicted that by the year 2030 the major cause of illness around the world will be depression and anxiety, particularly amongst the youth. So, what are we going to do about it? We know that specific cultures have particular beliefs when it comes to mental health. There are significant number of taboos, stigmas, stereotypes and barriers that prevent CALD communities from accessing services. We don’t have enough CALD education to help mainstream organisations in helping those affected by mental health. I have spent the last decade and a half trying to break those barriers and I tell you what – it is extremely difficult. It is difficult trying to make families understand how and why their child is being affected by their trauma’s. It is difficult to treat a client around female genital mutilation when their culture dictates otherwise. It is also difficult to make a parent underFEBRUARY 2022 / ISSUE 195
Speakers at the Mindset Project launch. From left: Maywand Hanifi, Nasreen Hanifi, Mariam Latifi, Amani Hayder, Jamie Richards and Anhaar Kareem. stand why their child is now addicted to ice because of the physical abuse that occurred within the household and to make people understand that these taboos and stigmas affect people in a way that they may never be able to understand. Mental health is a subject we all, whoever we are, still instinctively avoid. At home, in the workplace and in our communities, it tends to be brushed under the carpet. And we all fear the unknown. Today in 2022, far too many in this country still feel as if they have to pretend they have something else wrong with them when they are struggling with depression, anxiety, trauma and suicide. People pretend they are OK, family and friends turn a blind eye and nothing happens until it is often too late. A change of culture has happened with illnesses that have previously been taboo, from cancer to aids and to other sexually transmitted diseases. But it hasn’t happened as much as it needs to with mental health. Many years ago, I met a young man at an event that was held for promoting education and awareness around drug and alcohol. This young man described his journey to me. About 10 years ago, his wife died of cancer and his marriage broke down soon after. He was made redundant from his job and therefore was no longer able to provide for his family. The embarrassment and community stigma prevented him from talking about this to anyone. He couldn’t sleep because of the stress,
the trauma, the loss of his wife, anxiety, depression and financial hardship and he did not know what to do. As he was walking home one day, someone he knew walked past and said he could provide something to help him sleep. This something was called heroin. Having experienced some use of drugs in the past, he became addicted to drugs and soon was deemed homeless. After living 10 years on the street addicted to drugs, he was able to seek some assistance but not from his own community because drugs was still considered taboo and men from good families don’t do drugs. I asked him what had happened. And he stated that if we lived in a culture where the trauma of bereavement and the need to get help for mental health problems were more clearly recognised, things could have been very different for him. Now, lets think what the outcome would have been for him if he wasn’t too embarrassed to seek services or the stigmas in his community did not exist? Unfortunately, this is the reality of a lot of people today. The Mindset Project is a grassroots initiative by My Ability Care that aims to smash taboos, alter perceptions, and create much needed dialogues about mental health especially within the cald community. We want to be at the forefront of developing a community that approaches mental health challenges with understanding, love and empathy. So, what makes the mindset project dif-
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ferent? The Mindset Project brings a cutting-edge, innovative approach to tackling challenging issues in a way that demystifies them, smashes taboos and catalyses the difficult but necessary journey towards transformative change. In a digital era, we want to create resources that help raise awareness and education. We want to shift conversations inside the home that is more pertinent to mental health where people feel comfortable to discuss these challenging issues rather than being shamed for it. The resources created will help people engage in conversations and discusses topics that they would normally not discuss with the hope that it will help break barriers to mental health. The take home message from the event is that: We all have a part to play in society in helping each other and those that are in dire need. Our responsibilities don’t finish at this event. We should reflect on what changes we can bring about within ourselves and inside our households to help break those barriers. Change starts from within and then it is disseminated across to other people and communities. Change is inevitable, it will happen but we shouldn’t have to wait decades to teach our communities about the importance of mental health and actions to help combat those stereotypes that prevent us from moving forward. Nasreen Hanifi is a qualified trained Psychologist with experience in government, not-for-profit and corporate sectors. With a passion and a Masters thesis focussed on drug and alcohol counselling, she is Director of Clinical Operations for drug and alcohol service Hayat House and a Consultant on South Western Sydney Local Health District’s Drug Health Services’ new drug and alcohol initiative, where she was previously Senior Clinician and Manager of the Community Counselling team. An Approved Counsellor with Victim Services NSW, she is also Clinical Director of private practice My Ability Care in Liverpool, NSW. She is actively involved in the Islamic community as President of Mission of Hope and in her spare time is a wife, mother, daughter, passionate and adventurous cook and doing a PhD on compassion, neuroscience and theology completing it at CISAC and CSU.
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Violence against women: the shadow pandemic Aishah Jacobs Since the outbreak of COVID-19, emerging data and reports from those on the front lines, have shown that all types of violence against women and girls, particularly domestic violence, has intensified. This is the Shadow Pandemic, growing amidst the COVID-19 crisis and we need a global collective effort to stop this! As COVID-19 cases continue to strain health services and essential services, such as domestic violence shelters and helplines, they have reached their full capacity. More needs to be done to prioritize addressing violence against women in COVID-19 responses and recovery efforts nation-wide. On 25 November 2021, Advocates For Dignity (AFD) partnered with Arise Foundation to host an online webinar called- ‘Violence Against Women: The Shadow Pandemic’. The webinar was moderated by Dr Maria Bhatti, Lecturer at Western Sydney University’s School of Law, and included a panel discussion followed by a Q&A segment. The panel was made up of special guests; Amani Haydar, award winning artist, advocate and author of ‘The Mother Wound’, Balawyin Jones, academic at La Trobe University Law School and Renata Field, Policy, Advocacy and Research Manage of Domestic Violence NSW.
When talking about how the increase of domestic and family violence against women has been coined ‘The Shadow Pandemic’’, Renata Field explained that the name depicted the silencing which is happening behind closed doors. “We know that more than 60% of victims do not report to police, so it is hard to know exactly how much domestic violence is actually happening in the community,”she said. “In the very first lockdown in China, there was a three-fold increase in domestic violence. We know that most people are not reaching out for help because they are kept in smaller, confined circles, and their networks and support systems are restricted during the pandemic,” she continued. Balawyn Jones then delved into the importance of understanding that the root cause of violence against women is gender inequality, and that it is prevalent in all communities, defeating the stereotype that domestic violence only occurs in lower socio-economic or disadvantaged communities. “However, we do know there are higher rates reported where people experience intersecting inequalities. For instance, women who have disabilities are two times more likely to experience domestic violence. Because domestic violence is about power and control,” she said. Balawyn also noted that victims from particular marginalized communities can also experience what is called the ‘double bind’, which is the compounding of barri-
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ers to access justice. “For example, Muslim women are less likely to report and access mainstream services because in addition to stigma and taboo in the community, they can face racism and Islamaphobia,” she continued. Amani, whose mother was murdered by her father in her own home, touched on the difficulties faced by victims when trying to escape violent relationships and how statistically, the post separation period is a very dangerous time for women, often leading to their murder. “My mother was murdered during the separation period, and had multiple stages throughout her marriage where she attempted to find the right opportunity to escape the relationship, and find the stability to continue without being dependent on my dad.” “My mum had already taken all the steps people assume a victim should take to leave a relationship. She was attacked in her own home, she had a job, and her independence.
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In writing ‘The Mother Wound’, I wanted to map out some of the subtle, insidious things about domestic violence and how difficult it can be for outsiders to understand,” Amani said. When asked about the taboos and stigmas surrounding violence against women, and how that impacts womens’ abilities to leave a relationship, Renata stated: “My frustration is our focus on the narrative of the victim staying when we should be questioning why people hurt others, and why society creates situations that enable that violence to happen.” Balawyn ended the webinar with an important message, inviting positive change for the future. “What we need is more men stepping up to be role models to what should be a healthy and positive masculinity, to create social and intergenerational change. I think that is an underdeveloped area.”
Webinar: ‘Remembering the Victims, Stop Genocide’ Advocates for Dignity (AFD) held a live webinar on Thursday 9 December 2021, titled, ‘Remembering the Victims, Stop Genocide’, to mark the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime. This day was also the 73rd anniversary of the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (the ‘Genocide Convention’), the first human rights treaty adopted by the General Assembly upon the formation of the United Nations. The Convention signifies the international community’s commitment to “never again” and provides the first international legal definition of “genocide,” widely adopted at national and international levels. The webinar explored the genocide of the Uyghur people in China, the crimes against humanity taking place in Turkey with potential genocidal characteristics and other global genocide cases. The webinar was moderated by Dr Eyal Mayroz, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Sydney. The panel was constituted by Prof Stuart Rees AM, Professor Emeritus at the University of Sydney, and Co-Founder Sydney University’s Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, Mr Noorahmad Abdulla, General Secretary of the East Turkestan Australian Association, and Dr Bulent Kenes, former academic of Fatih University and exiled Turkish journalist. The webinar was opened by the President of Advocates for Dignity, Mehmet Saral, who stated that the Genocide Convention signifies the international community’s commitment to “never again” and provides the first international legal definition of genocide, widely adopted at the national and international levels. Prof Rees began the panel discussion by referencing the history of genocides, re-
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counting that from the beginning of the 20th century, there was a huge momentum of mass murders and genocide that preceded the First World War, leading to the Second World War and continuing to this day. “There was almost a fascination with stigmatizing the other as grossly inferior and at worse, to be eliminated. The worst kind of stigmatization is to say that people do not exist, or are so inferior that they should be eliminated,” he said. He then explained that sovereignty is amongst one of the many political and bureaucratic obstacles of the Genocide convention. He said: “You only have to look at Australia who signed the convention immediately, and then took over 50 years to ratify it…the concern with sovereignty constantly hindered the ratification and therefore taking the convention seriously.” Mr Noorahmad Abdullah then introduced
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the topic of the Uyghur genocide by citing the history of the Uyghur ethnicity as one of the oldest ethnic groups in central Asia, with the term ’Uyghur’ meaning untitled and allied, and emerging from a political federation of Turkish groups in Central Asia. “What we have been seeing in the media about what the Uyghurs have been suffering in recent years is actually not new, we have seen this happen from the time the Chinese Communist Party took control over the region of East Turkestan, annexed it and renamed it Xinjiang. We have reports of continuous oppression, and now it has come to seven decades of China’s control over our region,” he said. Abdullah then mentioned the Xinjiang internment or ‘re-education’ camps were introduced in 2016. “The propaganda videos about these camps are alarmingly similar to those that was utilised in Germany during
“... what the
Uyghurs have been suffering in recent years is actually not new...
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Aishah Jacobs
the Holocaust,” he said. “While they attack the civilians, they have also commenced a broad attack on the elite of the Uyghur society; anyone who has power, influence in business or is an academic. These are the majorities in these camps, and we can see that it is not only the uneducated that are being held captive and ‘being re-educated’ in Chinese law and language. Most of these people are already highly educated.” He added that although the Chinese Communist Party continue to point to counterterrorism as the main reason behind the harsh treatment of the Uyghurs in East Turkestan, practices that are a normal part of Uyghur cultural life or anything that makes you appear outwardly Muslim are deemed characteristics of terrorism. Dr Bulent Kenes then introduced his book ‘A Genocide in the Making’, in which he integrated the Ten Stages Of Genocide, authored by Gregory Stanton, and applied this to the widespread prosecution of the members of the Gulen Movement in Turkey under Erdogan’s Regime. As a result, he found that the clear picture was that many of the crimes and acts that were listed in the Ten Stages have been carried out on different scales against the members of the Gulen movement, after the controversial coup attempt in 2016. “The widespread witch-hunt, systematic hate speech and ongoing persecution of the members of the Gulen movement, a social-religious group, have made conditions in Turkey right for a genocide. As such my book may be taken as an early warning. It is important that the international community and political organisations act without delay to develop measures to prevent a possible genocide.” The important theme of the panel discussion was summarised by Prof Rees who said: “Laws are made, and interventions occur only because of political pressure from the public. A major moral and political responsibility is to hear the voices of the people who are oppressed time and time again”. ISSUE 195 / FEBRUARY 2022
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NIKAH CEREMONY The Islamic wedding ceremony was conducted by Sheikh Ahmed Abdo who delivered a beautiful sermon providing the process and advice on a successful marriage based on love and mercy. The couple were separated by a flower wall until they were married. The ceremony was then conducted where both the bride and groom said “Qabool” (yes in Urdu) three times as part of their acceptance. They signed their marriage certificates, mahr acceptance, with their witnesses and their customised marital contract.
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THE HENNA RING This is an initiative taken by the groom as he applies it to his bride. As the henna ring fades in weeks to come, it will need to be re-applied. This serves as a reminder that for a marriage to last - it needs consistency and effort. Love and marriage does not last if it is neglected to fade away, taken for granted, forgotten about, without consistency or effort. Waseem will keep applying this henna ring to Mobinah as a promise to consistently make efforts to love one another in their marriage to ensure it lasts and stays strong throughout their lifetime inshallah.
THE POMEGRANATE TREE “In both of them are fruit and palm trees and pomegranates. So which of the favours of your Lord would you deny?” (Quran 55:68-69) Waseem told Mobinah he would like to plant a pomegranate tree together in her parent’s garden at Dar-ul-Islam The planting of this tree is a pledge of his love to her. Even though she is leaving her family home to live a life with him, her ancestral roots will always remain at Dar-ulIslam in Bonnyrigg, Sydney, Australia. It is also a promise to regularly go back
VENUE The wedding took place at the Dar-ul-Islam family mansion, Mobinah’s ancestral home where she grew up with her extended family in Bonnyrigg, Sydney, Australia.
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to the home, visit the tree and eat the fruit it bears for years to come. Mobinah’s family will maintain the tree as a symbol to provide the love, support, nourishment and protection the newlyweds need in their marriage from their family over time as it matures and bears fruit in the future Inshallah, by the will of Allah. The planting of the tree is with the intention to be together in the next life Inshallah, where Allah has mentioned pomegranate trees as a delicious reward in paradise. Planting a tree is an act of charity Mobinah and Waseem will start their marriage doing an act of sadaqah jariah, a charitable gift in Islam that will benefit others in this life and benefit the couple and their loved ones in the next. The more people take benefit of this pomegranate tree that Mobinah and Waseem have planted, the more reward they will get. Mobinah’s family will also be rewarded for maintaining this tree Inshallah. The Prophet Muhammad (s) said, “No Muslim plants a tree or sows a seed and then a bird, or a human, or an animal eats from it but that it is a charity for him.” (Hadith, Sahih Al Bukhari 2320).
THE FAMILY (left to right) Wali Bokhari, Zia Ahmad, Eesa Bokhari, Waseem Ahmad, Mobinah Ahmad, Saminah Ahmad, Mehar Ahmad, Rubinah Ahmad, Halimah Bokhari and Sakinah Ahmad. The Nikah ceremony was conducted in the grand front garden with an intimate gathering of loved ones surrounded by lush greenery and flowers.
The groom was escorted in a crimson redTesla driven by Wali Bokhari.
WHAT THEY WORE The bride wore an Indo-Western gown with detailed gold embroidery and her maternal grandmother and mother’s gold jewellery. The Groom wore a elegant ivory Sherwani from Junaid Jamshed. FEBRUARY 2022 / ISSUE 195
Waseem Ahmad and Mobinah Ahmad got married during a Nikah ceremony on Saturday 22 January 2022 at a COVID-safe garden Nikah ceremony held at Mobinah’s family residence Dar-ul-Islam in Bonnyrigg, Sydney attended by extended family members in person and many family and friends from all over the globe via Zoom. A Waleema was also held on Sunday 23 January by Waseem’s family in Pakistan joined by the married couple together with family and friends via Zoom. A wedding reception has been planned for Thursday 24 March 2022. ABOUT THE COUPLE Waseem is the son of the late Mr Muhammad Javed and Mrs Musarrat Javed while Mobinah is the daughter of Mr Ziaul Islam Ahmad and Mrs Mehar Ahmad and granddaughter of Dr Qazi Ashfaq Ahmad OAM and Mrs Jamal Are Ahmad. Waseem is a humble, ambitious and practising Muslim man. He is a chemical engineer with a Bachelors in Chemical Engineering and a Masters in Engineering Science currently completing his PhD in Environmental Science in Gold Coast. He is a deep thinker, loves philosophy and poetry of Allamah Iqbal. He enjoys jogging daily, fasting, research, hiking, traveling, meeting new people and trying new things. He loves cooking, and his specialty dish is biryani. Mobinah is an ambitious, intellectual and practising Muslim woman. She holds a Bachelor‘s degree in Science (Psychology) and Arts (Digital Media) and a Masters in Digital Communication and Culture, and a
Masters in Islamic Studies. She is planning to do a PhD in Islam and a social Media in the Australian digital context Inshallah. She is passionate about seeking knowledge, cooking, travelling, boxing, mentorship and public speaking. They both have a deep appreciation for seeking knowledge, Islam, planning and understanding of the self. THEIR STORY After being introduced by her mother, Mobinah and Waseem began speaking on Sunday, 7 November 2021 and after a series of emails, they exchanged their contacts. The two started their courtship discussing over 300 questions in a meticulous spreadsheet on 25 topics: religion, rights and responsibilities, goals, family, childhood, conflict resolution, finance and many more. Mobinah and Waseem developed an intellectual and religious connection over phone calls and the occasional video call in just over a month, restricted by border closure. As soon as borders opened, Waseem flew down to Sydney on Saturday 18 December 2021 where they discussed their interest in moving forward after meeting in person. They prayed Dhuhr, made dua and met Mobinah’s parents over lunch. The next day, Waseem visited Mobinah’s family residence Dar-ul-Islamand met with Dr Qazi Ashfaq Ahmad, Mobinah’s grandfather and family. After a delicious homecooked meal, Waseem and his mother formally proposed to Mobinah and her parents, asking for her hand in marriage. They accepted. The wedding plans began.
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The groom was gifted an Apple watch and iPhone 13 by his father in law, Ziaul Islam Ahmad, who is putting it on him.
DADA’S GIFT Dr Qazi Ashfaq Ahmad gifted his granddaughter and her new husband a beautiful customised Quran, and a heartfelt message with blessings and advice on their marital journey.
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Hammam…The ancient art of self-care Princess R Lakshman
The term ‘self-care’ has become a hashtag and trend in the last decade or so, but Hammam, the ancient and traditional art and practice of selfcare, has been popular in the Arab culture since the late 1400s where therapeutic bathhouses were commonly found in every town. Recently, I experienced this ancient practice in Sydney’s Moroccan Hammam and was immediately drawn to a sense of tranquillity that transcended the physical and journeyed me into a momentary escape where my mind and spirit tasted metaphysical bliss like never before. Visits to hammams (Arabic word meaning bathhouses) are a regular practice among women and men in the Arab culture where they experience, lying on a large slab of marble, a thorough cleanse of the body through perspiration that invigorates and opens the pores of the skin, followed by a thorough full body exfoliation polish using the traditional kese glove that rids the body off all dead skin, then a full body and hair mask using freshly prepared organic herbs and clay, next, a rosewater body wrap, followed by an invigorating shower, and then a
Joumana ElJamal awarded Citizen of the Year 2022
peaceful solitary soak in an oversized marble tub filled with viscous organic, aromatic pure oils and floating rose petals. The lights are dimmed, and one is left to experience this bath in silence and solitude while inhaling the aroma of roses, frankincense, jasmine, patchouli, among other exotic fragrances, all the while enjoying a
glass of fresh juice. Afterwards, a full body oil massage to fully relax the muscles, followed by a thorough shower. This experience truly alleviates all stresses from one’s mind and body and makes the soul smile. It made me realise that this ancient art of self-care is proof that self-care was never conceived as a selfish act in the times of our
Prophet (s), but today, for some unfortunate reason, self-care is no longer a priority in people’s busy, hectic, gadget-glued lives. The Western paradigm of celebrating love is usually confined to 14 February, but as Laila Abzaoui, owner of Moroccan Hammam, a women-only day spa in Sydney, aptly puts it, “Love shouldn’t be for one day and it shouldn’t be only about roses and chocolates. Love is to care for your body, mind, and soul. The Hammams are the way to connect with yourself by showing care and love for the body that God has given you. If you look after your body in this sunnah way, using the traditional fresh herbs and clay, then your mind will also be stress-free. Being stress-free means you can be a better person in your home and community.” Seems to me Laila has hit the nail on the head with how we perceive self-care and self-love. If we could just reframe the whole concept of self-care and remove the self-imposed guilt associated with caring for one’s own self, then we could potentially better appreciate self-care through the lens of our 15th century Arab ancestors who made these therapeutic baths a priority to experience wholistic bliss. Princess R. Lakshman is a writer, speaker, qualified clinical nutritionist, life coach and a counsellor. She is based in Sydney, Australia.
Mental health from a young CALD person’s perspective Anhaar Kareem
On 26 January 2022, the City of Canterbury Bankstown awarded Joumana Eljamal Citizen of the Year 2022 for her community work. Mrs Joumana Menzalji Eljamal is the owner of Dustypink, a popular women’s clothing store and chairperson of the non-profit organisation Sydney Community Connect Inc, a charity that raises funds and rallies support for those in need.
“Success is
determination and hard work.
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In an Instagram post, Mrs Eljamal says, “Coming to Australia was a choice, success is determination and hard work. The result as a great achievement today, Citizen of the Year. Thank you to everyone who nominated me, to my family, to my Dustypink family, to my Sydney Community Connect family, my community, to everyone that believed in me and everyone who supported me during the year. A big thanks to Canterbury Bankstown City Council, to our mayor Mr Karl Asfour and the result is a great achievement. I’m so honoured. Do I deserve it? I think I do.”
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Seeking help is frowned upon, especially among my Arab Muslim community. I see culture and faith manipulated to antagonise sufferers of mental illness and delegitimise their conditions. An example of the lived experiences of young people from my community, is the story of Lina, who is a young muslim woman who was brave enough recently write in the ABC, regarding her journey of ‘separating mental health struggles from her ‘worth’ as a Muslim.’ Struggling with self-harm, stress and attempted suicide for several years, she was told that her mentally ill health was somehow her fault. The situation is obviously concerning, however, there are ways to build a better world from the standpoint of mental health. We need a greater focus on the mental health of young people in multicultural communities, with better access to culturally appro-
“Young people
need to be at the table when it comes to shaping changes that will affect youth.
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One in five young people in Australia experience mental health issues and half of mental health conditions will develop by the age of 14, the age that myself and many of my friends are. Devastatingly, one in 10 young people self-harm and one in 40 attempt suicide, with suicide continuing to be the leading cause of death for youth. While these statistics are already tragic enough, what has exacerbated issues among young people is undoubtedly the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of youth. According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, “young people have experienced high rates of psychological distress as a result of the pandemic.” Another risk factor is that 91% of vulnerable youth are on platforms such as Instagram and TikTok, with the prevalence of toxic and often triggering social media content. Research has shown that social media has accounted for higher rates of depression, anxiety and low self-esteem, among teenagers. Not only are young people at large affected by mental health issues, young people from CALD or migrant/refugee communities are at a unique risk. Trauma, language barriers and discrimination can affect the mental health of these communities. Research has found that, “More frequent experiences of racial discrimination were related to increased psychological distress.” These experiences of racism contribute negatively to mental health, however, despite the prominence of mentally ill health among multicultural communities, help is not accessible, with language and cultural barriers.
priate services. Another solution that is necessary, is for young people to take the lead in discussions around mental health. Young people need to be at the table when it comes to shaping changes that will affect youth. On a more micro level, what we can all do is be more careful with our language regarding mental health in front of young people. We need to lead by example for the next generation, to equip them with empathy and ensure they have the right perception of mental health. With the young people in our lives, we need to listen to their concerns and make them feel safe and supported. The issue is dire but together we can change it. If you or anyone you know needs help: • Lifeline on 13 11 14 • Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800 • Hayat Line on 1300 993 398 Anhaar Kareem is a 14 year old student and Western Sydney resident. She is an advocate, writer and speaker who is passionate about issues concerning young people. ISSUE 195 / FEBRUARY 2022
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Love and duty for a happy marriage Farid Ahmed Love in marriage Love is an intense affection towards husband and wife in marriage. Love is Allah’s creation, and not man-made. It is a divine gift from Allah for the happiness in marriage. Holy Quran describes: “And He (Allah) has placed love and mercy between your (hearts)” [Quran 30:21] Duty in marriage Duty is a moral or legal obligation. It is a responsibility in marriage on husband and wife. Duty comes from Allah as well as a guidance for happiness. Allah gifted love as a tool for happiness and added the guidance (Duties) how to use that tool effectively. For example, a gardener has a special tool gifted to him, and he needs the instruction of how to use it. For a happy marriage, spouses need the tool and instructions from the Creator, and He has given both. Allah has compared husband and wife as garments for one another in the Holy Quran: “They (Wives) are your garments, and you (Husbands) are their garments.”
[Quran2:187] In other words, their duty is to protect, comfort, care for one another as garments.
Love or duty for happy marriage? Is love alone enough for a happy marriage? Or duty is enough for a happy marriage? Some people shared this question with me. I heard arguments about it in married couples. For example, a spouse says to another spouse, “You don’t love me like before, so what is the point of staying in this marriage that does not make me happy?” Then another spouse answers, “Well, my love is less for you than before, but I do all my duties in marriage to keep our marriage happy?” So, is it love, or duty that makes the marriage happy?
“Love and duty
Love and Duty Love and duty together makes a marriage happy, not love alone or duty alone. The word “or” should be replaced by the word “and.” For example, from pure water, we cannot separate oxygen from hydrogen because together they make pure water. Similarly, love and duty together are necessary to make a marriage happy. Love inspires to be dutiful, and duties (Honesty, trustworthiness, truthfulness, kindness, dedication, unselfish support etc) increases love. Duty is the true expression
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together makes a marriage happy, not love alone or duty alone
of love in action. Therefore, love and duty are complimentary to one another. We should remember, the intensity of love and duty may go up and down like the mercury in the thermometer. Take it as an indicator to work harder to increase love and duty. Marriage is another test from Allah, and maintain happiness in it, and to achieve everlasting happiness in Paradise as a couple, constant efforts are required. If any time, the couple notice the low rating in love and duty, then they must work
together in fixing it. They must fix their shortcomings to reach Paradise for their eternal happiness in marriage. Holy Quran describes: “They and their wives will be in the (cool) shade of thick trees, resting on thrones (of dignity).” [Quran 36:56] Farid Ahmed is a survivor of Christchurch attack on 15 May 2019, a peace advocate, author of HUSNA’S Story and Quran teacher in Christchurch.
Escaping our own minds: A forgotten duty towards ourselves Kynaat Rais The moment your eyes open in the morning, that little voice in your head begins to remind you of all the errands you need to run for the day. This voice guides the day, dictating the choices we make. As Muslims, this voice persistently nags us even during prayer, reminding us of the duties we’re supposed to fulfill. But what about the duty we have towards ourselves and our own soul? The duty bestowed upon us by Allah, our Creator, to take care of ourselves? The overwhelming mercifulness of Allah allows us to fulfill this duty to ourselves through Salah or prayer, giving us an opportunity to be alone with Allah and our thoughts during this allocated time. As a Muslim, it is common knowledge that praying five times a day is Fard, an obligation in Islam. What we occasionally forget, is that this is not made fard upon us because Allah needs or requires our worship. In fact, it is us who need the prayer. In this fast-paced world we live in, we often focus on what we need or want to accomplish – looking into the future to optimise our lives to the fullest. We rarely get time to truly be aware and appreciate the present moment we are in. Put differently, some of us forget to practise mindfulness in our everyday lives. The notion of mindfulness has attracted immense attention, especially during these challenging COVID times. To be mindful is to be aware of the thoughts running through your head and to be intimate with them. It is through this careful consideration and acknowledgement of one’s thoughts, that one is able to control feelings of overwhelmingness, anxiety or anger – feelings we all experience at one point or another. FEBRUARY 2022 / ISSUE 195
All I know now Ateefah Sana Ur Rab
Mindfulness has been granted merit by many communities as well as scientific literature. Given its benefits, it is impossible to ignore the fact that as Muslims, we are given the opportunity to be mindful five times a day during prayers. When we pray, we isolate ourselves from the world, its duties and its worries. We stand with the firm belief that we are in front of the Creator, the One who has power of all things. The moment we say those first words ‘Allahu Akbar’ (Allah is the Greatest), all those overwhelming thoughts become miniscule, nothing that we couldn’t handle with the help of Allah. Saying Allahu Akbar and performing prayer alters our perspective on life. It redirects us to what we are truly required to work towards – the pleasure of Allah. Undoubtedly, thoughts may still linger in your mind during prayer, but making
the conscious effort to remind yourself that Allah is far greater than such thoughts, is what truly matters. Not only does this act of mindfulness help create a sense of serenity, it soothes the soul or the Nafs, drawing it closer to Allah, the Most Compassionate and the Most loving. Prophet Mohammad (s) said: “…Be mindful of Allah and you shall find Him with you.” [Hadith: At-Tirmidhi] Kynaat Rais is an active youth member of the Islamic Forum for Australian Muslims (IFAM) organisation. She is passionate for mental health and works with HeadSpace as a volunteer to help young people struggling with mental health. Kynaat is currently working towards completing her degree in psychology at the Australian National University.
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I did not know then, what it meant to falter Had no idea about wounds that could be made salter The finest tears were shed upon scuffed knees A lot was wrapped in closure with sorry and please Grass wasn’t greener, we just paid attention more There used to be pleasure, for nature was adored Along the lines of freedom, kindness did align Times whereby humbleness came first in line A lot had once been treasured, a lot is lost now My hearts grieves for all I’ve come to know now. Ateefah Sana Ur Rab is a published author and poet from Pakistan who highlights the obscured issues of the society in her writing to spread awareness.
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From a lens of 2021 - The year of my personality change and hope to bookshelves AMUST
Hena Jawaid It is a quite interesting that most of the young Muslims tend to refrain from the teachings and practices of faith in their lives. They find some of the (dominant) interpretations of belief quite restricting and unfathomable at times while they see the same aspects of religion in a different light. This antipathy towards creed is also due to various other factors besides insufficient knowledge, dogmatic style of preaching which sound controlling to teenagers and young adults (and they end up experiencing aversion towards their conviction), self -driven motives for context research and misinformation secondary to hearsay. It must be considered that men and individual starts reading, writing, understanding, and reflecting on scriptural text end related material (Prophet’s lives, stories and patterns of lives of Waliullah (Allah’s friends)) through the capacity of their intellectual and emotional reservoir. The output or outcome of scholastic research and rational understanding reflects one’s personality traits in it. For further clarification, we can say an individual whose personality is more driven by traits like agreeableness which include humility, responsive, thoughtful, and forgiving would emphasize more on loving our aspects of Ultimate Reality, nature, matters and dealings. On the other hand, a person with extraversion traits attends and highlight laws, jurisprudence, rules, regulations, and boundaries more. A person with later traits draws fear from events, statements, experiences and
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contemplation. Fear centered philosophies frequently reveal traits like dominant, compelling, and forceful. The lens of a personality creates a filter that sift religious teachings according to its natural tendencies. The regeneration and review of materials (scriptures, traditions, and transliteration) contains the depth of one’s emotional, intellectual, linguistic, and spiritual range. The psychological understanding outlines the fact that we all have natural shortcomings in our intellectual, psychological, and social aspects of self which prevent us to see the picture with a complete and holistic view. The perfect truth resides with One Superior Force. We can only see the reflection of matters according to our emotional and intellectual capacities. Unfortunately, with time, the component of love has been diminished vehemently and fear driven factors and forces are highlighted to the point that has shaped and colored religion into a set of dogma and policies only. This methodology precludes the essence of faith to sink into one’s heart and transforms character to improve ethical standards of living. Therefore, we do not observe changes in mindset and attitudes as the recent contents of religious thinking and preaching can only inform us about the rules but failed to touch the human soul which requires belonging, love and connection. Hena Jawaid is a mental health professional having trained in Pakistan and US completing 5 years of medicine and then 4 years training in psychiatry. She has contributed to international and national newspapers, magazines and scientific journals on professional and community issues and spends many hours volunteering for various NGOs.
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AMUST Media Our Australian Muslim community has seen many trials in the past three years alone following the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic through recessions, lockdowns and isolation. For many, remaining connected with the concept of a ‘community’ seemed almost far-fetched. Alhamdulillah, here at the National Zakat Foundation (NZF), our team did everything in our capacity with the blessings of Allah to provide the Muslim community with love, support and hope nationwide. This past year marks another successful cycle of change for us as we shift gears to establish a sustainable support system that empowers Muslims in Australia, beyond emergency aid, using the power of local Zakat. We’ve seen that time and time again, individuals and organisations alike, tried to launch programs in isolation, often with little or no impact. Due to this, we decided to strengthen our partnerships with notable community organisations and leaders to establish the NZF Community Programs. Some of these programs include–Healing Forward, a domestic violence prevention and intervention program, Brighter Futures, an orphan care and education program, and Zikkies Thrift Stores which provide quality household and personal items at affordable prices for the community. These programs have helped real Muslim families, men, women and children who have silently endured poverty, homeless-
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ness, debt, domestic violence, mental health issues, Islamophobia, and the disadvantages of being a migrant or refugee and more. Earlier in the year, we started the Real Talk live series in collaboration with our partners along with various community advocates who are passionate about creating change for Muslims in Australia and beyond. These series provided the speakers, supporters, and audience the opportunity to openly discuss real issues faced by Muslims. Each speaker brought with them wisdom, expertise and examples of how we can all collaboratively work together as part of the Ummah and really make a positive impact for a better future. Real Talk also triggered community-wide discussions on finding ways to help people in our communities and change their tomorrow for the better as individuals, leaders, and organisations. To compliment these long-sighted programs and initiatives, we had the opportunity to bring back our yearly Zakat Tour workshops throughout Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Perth at several mosques and community centres between lockdown periods. Here we were able to meet and teach many men and women about the obligation of Zakat in Islam, the Fiqh of Zakat, how they can apply it in their lives, and its holistic benefits on their personal lives and others’. Thank you to everyone who has supported NZF through this year’s journey. With your help and the help of Allah, NZF can assist more Muslims in need and change their tomorrow for the better.
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Ertugul Ghazi: Drama series has made history! Tariq Mirza Initially, I did not want to watch the drama Ertugul Ghazi because of its excessive length. But when I saw a few episodes by chance from this world-famous series, it was as if it had cast a spell upon me. For the next four months, I was so obsessed with the series that I stopped doing all other activities. Despite facing the barrier of two foreign languages, Turkish dialogue and English subtitles, nothing waived me from my interest of the series. Until this day, no film, drama or book has impressed me to the extent that this series has. Its credit goes to the writer of the drama series and the whole team who played a vital role in the creation of the play where the actors have shown the best essence of acting, the photographers have given the best proof of their skill. Furthermore, the cinematographers have filmed the natural landscapes and scenes of the drama in such a way that one gets completely enraptured. Birds flying in the sky, drifting clouds, starry, moonlit skies, beautiful valleys, dense forests, flowing waterfalls, lush plains and blue skies provide the viewer with the comfort of nature. There is constant interest and curiosity.
Sometimes this curiosity is so strong that even after watching several episodes, one does not want to cease watching it, despite the hundreds of episodes the series consists of. That is why it has caused a stir globally, well beyond the Turkish world. Significantly, the Ertugul Ghazi drama does not contain inappropriate content that is generally considered necessary for the success of any drama series or movie. Instead, religious and spiritual education is provided in the serial, which provides the viewer with not only knowledge but spiritual and moral guidance as well. Moreover, the history of the thirteenth century, the fall of the Seljuk rule, the savage madness of the Mongols, and above all, the way of life of the nomadic Turkmen tribes of that period, were also of great interest. As an Urdu writer, I know very well that it is a work of great skill to hold on to a long story in such a way that it does not seem to sway your interest and attention. Not only does the story continue, but there is no episode in which the curiosity wanes. It’s a masterpiece in every sense of the word. The writer of the series has described the circumstances, problems and psyche of the period, in such a way that no corner of thirst is left unfulfilled. This indicates the breadth of their knowledge and the quality of their expression. This series has also proved that big film
industries, famous actors and big budgets, are secondary. The real thing is quality which can be achieved even in a low budget production. What could be a greater success than this? This drama has set a new standard and trend for composers around the world. Let’s see who meets this standard in the future. Ertugul has made history that will always be remembered. Tariq Mirza is Sydney based journalist, short stories and travelogue writer, is author of four books. His articles regularly publishes in main esteem newspapers in Pakistan and worldwide. Tariq Mirza has earlier written wonderful Urdu books like Khushboo ka Safar which was a story of his European
travels, Safar e ishq, which documented his experiences of pilgrimage to Mecca, and Talash i raah, which was a collection of his short stories. (People still remember his afsana (short story) titled Chacha Taxi). The latest book Dunya Rang Rangeeli is based on Tariq’s New Zealand, Thailand and Japan travels and is published by esteemed Urdu publisher of Pakistan Sang e Meel Publications. Dunya Rang Rangeeli has been launched earlier in Japan and Europe . Tariq have been working for two decades in Australia along with some other friends for promotion of Urdu language and literature in Australia. Tariq is now an established travelogue writer and has earned his recognition through his beautiful writing.
Rethink your zakat – beyond charity AMUST Media As Muslims, we all know the five pillars of Islam and incorporate it into our lives on a regular basis. We pray atleast five times a day and fast 30 days a year, and when it comes to Zakat – we only need to do it once a year. Why is Zakat obligated as a pillar of Islam? How is Zakat different to Sadaqah? And why does Allah mention Zakat along with Salat 28 times in the Quran? When people think of Zakat, most people associate it primarily with the poor and needy. The general thought process revolves around validating if people are really in need of Zakat, if the cause is Zakat eligible and belongs to one of the eight categories of recipients stipulated in the Quran, whether or not they are the most deserving or if there are other causes that you believe deserve your Zakat more, etc. Unfortunately, most people look at Zakat the other way around. They look at Zakat primarily from the perspective of those that receive Zakat, and not from the perspective of themselves, the payer of Zakat. Allah promises – “And whatever you give for interest to increase within the wealth of people will not increase with Allah. But what you give in zakāh, desiring the face [i.e., approval] of Allah – those are the multipliers” (Quran 30:39). Zakat is an act of worship that many simplify as charity and interchange with Sadaqah – but it is much more than that. The root word of Zakat literally means growth and ‘to purify’. As Zakat is given to those in less fortunate circumstances from the wealth of those
Tears are precious if they are accepted by someone
“Zakat is an act of
worship that many simplify as charity and interchange with Sadaqah – but it is much more than that.
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Frazia Ali
who are in better circumstances, wealth re-distributed promotes growth within us and our wealth like the pruning of a plant, while growing our communities. Beyond that, Zakat reinforces the Islamic values of love, kindness, compassion and generosity in us as individuals, which is built into the core of our religion. This act of giving through Zakat also fosters continual care for our brothers and sisters – reaping the rewards in this world and the hereafter as payers of Zakat. Allah reminds us in the Quran, “Your wealth and your children are but a trial, and Allah has with Him a great reward” (Quran 64:15).
The five pillars of Islam can be seen as tests for various aspects we are meant to embody as Muslims – both the visible and the invisible. Zakat, however, tests both sides as giving away a part of our wealth tests our love for worldly life and our ego in some respects. Zakat or Sadaqah is inherently difficult for us as humans because of our internal struggles and love for worldly pleasures – and Allah is aware of that. For you to have given away even a small portion of your wealth requires the ability to continually purify your intentions and give wholeheartedly, to have trust in Allah and that He will place His Barakah in your wealth and life.
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People see me as a crazy person But this crazy person can understand Feelings of hearts How you are and how I am There are tears in my eyes If you will pay attention to them Then they are pearls Otherwise they are just water But if they are accepted by Allah Then they become diamonds Frazia Ali is a Pakistani American Muslim single mother. She has two children and lives in San Ramon California, USA. She started writing poetry to spread peace and love through her writing.
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Thank you Archbishop Desmond Tutu Abdul Malik Mujahid All his life he struggled. Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu was born in the apartheid state of South Africa on 7 October 1931, but died as a free and equal citizen on 26 December 2021 at the age of 90. He received his Nobel Peace Prize in 1984, nine years before Nelson Mandela and Frederik Willem de Klerk received their joint Nobel Peace Prize. Obituaries have rightly noted his struggle against apartheid, but his struggle as a fierce advocate against oppression internationally did not come into much light specially when he took on various causes, including advocating against the genocide of Muslims in Central African Republic at the hands of Christians, the genocide of Rohingyas at the hands of Burmese Buddhists, and the suffering of Palestinian Muslims and Christians under apartheid in Israel. What is uniquely amazing to me is that he kept announcing his retirement but then also kept working for justice. He retired in 1996 from his duties as an Archbishop and then announced his retirement from public life in 2010. I explain here a bit about his peace justice activism, which I was connected with. He was already retired for three years when he, along with Nelson Media, addressed the Parliament of the World’s Religions in 1999 in Cape Town, South Africa. Later, I had the honor of serving as the Chair of the Parliament while he was on our international advisory board. Archbishop Desmond Tutu was the first world leader who spoke about the genocide of Muslims in the Central African Republic. It was April 2014 when he issued a statement that
“The country stands on the brink of genocide; some would say it has already commenced.” No one else spoke up. It took the United States envoy to the United Nations, Samantha Power, another eleven months to publicly note that almost every mosque in the Central African Republic has been destroyed. Well, two mosques out of the 432 actually survived. I spoke to one surviving Imam
who told me that it is the so-called peacemaking French military that visits each Muslim home, disarming them and leaving them defenseless so that when the Christian militia comes in, they can freely kill men and “[haul] away cattle and women.” Masjids in Chicago sponsored a Justice For All delegation to visit the Central African Republic. I emailed the findings to all Muslim leaders in the United States and all
Muslim embassies. Only one Muslim leader responded with a 2-line note. Amidst the silence of the Muslim world, what Tutu did was prophetic. Archbishop Tutu was also the first world leader to use the term genocide to describe the persecution faced by the Rohingya in Burma. This enabled me to recruit six other Nobel Peace Laureates to sign a statement I wrote saying “What Rohingyas are facing is a textbook case of genocide in which an entire indigenous community is being systematically wiped out by the Burmese government.” This was in 2015 before the Burmese military unleashed its final solution in 2017. Speaking up for Palestinians and criticising the apartheid state of Israel is never easy. But Tutu would not give up. Long before the Human Rights Watch and B’tSelem (the Israeli human rights organization) called Israel an apartheid state, Desmond Tutu was naming it as such. He, of course, knew what apartheid looked like firsthand. Tutu likened Palestinians’ conditions and their struggle to those of Black South Africans under apartheid. He supported and endorsed the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) to pressure Israel to end apartheid, a technique similar to those wielded by the South African anti-apartheid struggle. Tutu defended the boycotting of Israel, saying that those who continue to do business with Israel “are contributing to the perpetuation of a profoundly unjust status quo.” “Those who contribute to Israel’s temporary isolation,” meanwhile, “are saying that Israelis and Palestinians are equally entitled to dignity and peace.” Thank you, Desmand Tutu. Imam Abdul Malik Mujahid is president of Sound Vision. He leads Burma Task Force as well as Save Uighur Campaign.
Muslim Americans observe 26 January as a day of fasting Dr Aslam Abdullah On Wednesday 26 January 2022, the day India celebrated the 72nd anniversary of its constitution, Muslim Americans of Indian origin fasted and prayed in solidarity with Muslims, Dalits and other minorities facing the threats of genocide from Hindutva extremists. The call to seek divine intervention came from the American Federation of Muslims of Indian Origin (AFMI). Several families participated in a collective prayer offered after the community in Los Angeles broke its fast. Expressing his gratitude to God, Dr Iqbal Ahmed and his wife Dr Razia Ahmed, told the participants that their family spent the day fasting and praying together for the safety of Muslims. “It was a sober moment for all of us, and we are grateful to God for this opportunity,” Dr Razia said. During his opening remarks, Saeed Patel, the President of AFMI said that our spirituality is our strength and a source of inspiration to stand for justice and peace. Prominent Muslim Americans of Indian origin including Dr Nakadar, founder of AFMI, Dr Ahmadullah Siddiqi, Secretary of the World Council of Muslims for Interfaith Relations, and Dr Sanaullah Khan, the past President of AFMI, talked about strategies needed to counter the genocide threats. Fasting helps people develop compassion for the victims of injustice and inspires us to seek divine help in our endeavors to help them. A principal tenet of Ramadan fasting is
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to have empathy for the poor. The practice of not eating food allows the fasting person to internalize the plight of those who do not have access to necessities in life. Muslims of India face the threats of genocide from a groups who have the backing of the religious and political elites of the majority community. The President of Genocide Watch considers the situation in India
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precarious and fears that the BJP-led country is closer to engineering mass bloodshed of minorities. Muslims of India believe in the legitimacy of the Indian constitution framed by one of the great legal minds of India, Dr Baba Sahib Ambedkar, and celebrate it as one of the best political documents in the world.
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ISSUE 195 / FEBRUARY 2022
UMMAH 16 - 17
EDUCATION 18 - 20
BUSINESS 21
UMMAH
SOCIAL 22 - 23
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Hashir Faruqi: A pioneering Muslim journalist Dr Aslam Abdullah Mohammed Hashir Faruqi who founded Impact International newsmagazine in 1970 in London to promote a genuine understanding of Islam and Muslims to the English reading audience worldwide passed away on Tuesday 11 January 2022. He was 92. With his demise, the world not only lost an eminent journalist, thinker, humanist, and a voice of reason but also a truthful writer paving the way for robust Muslim journalism with his sacrifices and backbreaking work. Against all odds, he worked tirelessly to raise human rights issues, writing against injustices and violations of human dignity, urging Muslims to stand peacefully for the weak and the marginalized people. With almost no resources, sitting in a dilapidated two-room London office, Faruqi, trained initially as a scientist, worked hours and hours to give voice to a community that was baffled by the negative stereotyped image in the West. Born in Eastern Uttar Pradesh, India in January 1930, Faruqi joined the Pakistan Movement and formed a Muslim Student Union at Kanpur Agricultural College to mobilise the youth to cause a new state, ensuring equality and justice for all. He was an entomologist. In the 1960s, he moved to London and decided to become the voice of the newly arriving Muslim immigrants, initiating starting an English language newspaper, a project many contemporary Muslims thought was impossible to accomplish in a highly competitive world. It took him ten years to achieve his dream. He was a regular contributor to the weekly meetings of the London Islamic Center. He also contributed a column in the Muslim, the monthly magazine of the Federation of Student Islamic Societies in the UK and EIRE.
Hashir Faruqi (Right) with Prince Charles (left) and Dr Manazir Ahsan (centre) at Islamic Foundation, UK, July 2003. During the Iranian Revolution, he was in the news as he was a hostage in the Iranian embassy siege in 1980. People remember his efforts to end the siege peacefully. In 2003, he was the among Muslims who organized the Prince of Wales visit to Islamic Foundation Markfield, and presented a token of appreciation to the Royal visitor on behalf of the community. The Muslim News awarded him the Editor’s lifetime achievement award in 2013. Describing his work, Ahmed Versi, editor of the Muslim News, said: “He is our connection from the world we inhabit too now to a Muslim world that began its uncertain journey in the midst of decolonization, war, and new modern identities.” Once launched, Impact became a voice of honest journalism, truth, and fair and balanced reporting. With meager resources and the help of a few dedicated supporters such as Saleem Siddiqi, he proved that dreams could come true on the wings of sincerity and humility. The wages were minimum, the task was huge, but the team under Faruqi burned the midnight oil and worked for late hours, often neglecting their families to
publish the magazine regularly. The Impact became a source of honest writing in the Muslim world. Newspapers published in India, Pakistan, Turkey, the Middle East, and Africa began borrowing its articles, inspiring younger people to start their English-language publications in their region. Moreover, his writings proved that Muslims could write their own stories and discern between facts and fiction. During his long tenure as Editor-in-chief of the magazine, he trained several Muslim youths in Muslim journalism. Be fair, bold, and balanced in your writing. Never compromise on facts. Always stand for human dignity. Don’t ever yield to propaganda, and serve your God through serving humanity. These were the principles he always advocated those who sought his advice. Commenting on his demise, the world-renowned expert on Muslim media, Dr. Ahmadullah Siddiqi, Professor emeritus of Media Studies at Western Illinois University, Macomb, Illinois, wrote the following. “A person who always inspired me and countless others by his sincerity, hard work,
and high-quality journalism.” Syed Ubaidur Rehman, a prominent Indian author who recently compiled a biography of India’s Muslim Freedom Fighters, wrote. “He was such a selfless person. His death is a massive loss for the Muslim ummah. Once I walked into his office near Finsbury Street uninvited. He welcomed a youth like me with open arms, showering his blessing like an elder who knew me for ages and didn’t allow me to leave without sharing sumptuous lunch with him. He continued to write to me without me regularly responding to his emails. His death will be unforgettable, especially for those who yearned to see credible Muslim media. Before Aljazeera and other new-age media, Impact was a torchbearer for enthusiasts of the Muslim press.” Mohammad Ghazali Khan, one of the British journalists trained by Faruqi, said in his post on Facebook: “One of the pillars of Muslim journalism in Britain, Muhammad Hashir Faruqi, died in London today. I worked with him for more than eight years. Not only was he my teacher in practical journalism, but he also did many personal favors to me.” Dr Syed Saeed, the former prominent of the Islamic Society of North America and a well-recognized Muslim American leader, wrote: “We worked together on many issues, and I invited him multiple times to our conventions.” Faruqi left behind him three sons, Ausaf, Rafay, and Irfan, and a daughter, Sadia, and all the editions of the Impact. His wife, Fakhira Begum, passed away a few years ago. The following website has his writings: www.salaam.co.uk/impact-internation/ 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.
Warning against the genocide of Muslims in India Dr Aslam Abdullah Genocide experts and US State Department officials warn of an imminent genocide of Muslims and other minorities in four Indian states, Uttar Pardesh, Uttrakhand, Tripur, and Assam, if the international community does not restrain the Hindu nationalist led Modi government. Speaking at a webinar organized by the US-based Justice for all held on 9 January 2022, titled ‘Save India from Fascism,’ Dr Gregory H. Stanton urged listeners to act before it was too late. Standon is a former Research Professor in Genocide Studies and Prevention at George Mason University in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, and is best known for his work in genocide studies. He is the founder and President of Genocide Watch, the founder and director of the Cambodian Genocide Project, and the Chair of the Alliance Against Genocide. From 2007 to 2009, he was the President of International Association of the Genocide Scholars. ‘Justice for All’ focuses on the rising trend of Islamophobia worldwide. Explaining the reasons for the Webinar, Imam Malik Mujahid said that documentation, mobilization, and grassroots actions were keys to responding to the impending genocide of Muslims by Hindu religious leaders in India. Imam Abdul Malik Mujahid is the founder of Justice For All and one of the 500 Most Influential Muslims in the world eight times in a row. He is Chair Emeritus of the Parliament of the World’s Religions. In her remarks, Nadine Maenza, comFEBRUARY 2022 / ISSUE 195
missioner of USCIRF, expressed her deep concerns over the persecution of Christians and minorities in India and promised to issue reports on the ground reality in India. Nadine is a noted speaker, writer, and policy expert with more than two decades of experience advocating for working families and a champion for international religious freedom. Nadine is also the President of Patriot Voices, where she provides her expertise to shape the organization’s particular emphasis on public policies that support working families. Drawing on her extensive network and coalition-building experiences, she has helped build unique coalitions on issues such as paid family leave, health care, tax reform, and international religious freedom.
Zahir Adil, a Boston-based director of Save India from Fascism Project, urged Hindus and other religious groups to come forward to defeat forces calling for Muslim genocide in India. Hena Zuberi, the Director of Justice For All, who oversees Justice For All’s campaigns, urged the audience to join advocacy efforts on Capitol Hill to stop the Rohingya, Muslim Indian, and Uyghur genocide. She hosts the Justice For All Now Show, a talk show on Peace and Justice. Thousands of people from across the globe participated in the Webinar. The pro-genocide groups tried to disrupt the Webinar several times through their IT cell in India and the US by hacking the system but failed. They were keen to get hold of the partici-
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pants’ internet ID list to harass them later. However, the firewalls around the Webinar prevented them from getting into success. IT experts say that Hindu fascist supporters in Google, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Youtube might have contributed to the increased efforts to disrupt the Webinar. Among Hindu Americans, many individuals, Temples, and organizations owe their allegiance to the unwritten constitution of RSS and the BJP and regularly fund militant groups and religious leaders in India. The Webinar was in response to the policies of the Modi government and the recent Hindu religious conferences calling for a genocide of Muslims in India. Hindu priests have given a target of killing a minimum of two million Muslims and have pledged millions of dollars to the executioners of the killing. Experts believe that Hindu Americans may finance the genocide in India through their financial network of laundering US dollars to India. One hundred US dollars are equivalent to 7,500 Indian Rupees. During his presentation, Dr Stenton questioned the media policy of using ethnic cleansing over genocide. What is happening in India is the final stage before launching a full-scale genocide led by mobs under the government’s protection. The involvement of India’s Prime Minister Modi in the Gujarat genocide in 2002 offers a model to Hindu mobs to repeat the murders, he explained. All the panelists urged the audience to actively stand for the persecuted minorities in India and petition Congress to defend human rights.
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Hajara: An ideal role model AMUST
Farid Ahmed Pilgrims in Haj perform a ritual that consists of run between Mount Safa and Marwa. They follow the running of an ideal role model for mankind, the honorable Hajara (a), the remarkable lady who was the wife of another role model for mankind, Prophet Ibrahim (a), and the loving mother of another role model for mankind, Prophet Ismail (a). Allah kept her exemplary action alive forever in the Haj. Allah says in the Holy Quran, “Look! (The two mountains) SAFA and MARWA are among the Symbols of Allah. So, if those who visit the House in the (Haj) season or at other times, should go around them” [Quran 2:158] Allah guided Prophet Ibrahim (a) to leave his beloved wife and child alone in the desert under a tree where there was no shelter, no people, alone in the wilderness. Hajara (a) played the devoted role as a mother.
She was a bold, courageous, positive, and loving mother who took responsibility to provide and protect her dear child. Every mother has something to learn from her. Hajara was very strong in her faith. When she realised that her husband had to go for other duties far away from her and the child by Allah’s commands, she simply said, radeeto billah (I am pleased with Allah’s guardianship). It shows how knowledgeable she was in deen and how strong her faith in Allah was. She was facing an unthinkable challenge in her life with her
child, but her faith made her resilience to be at peace without panic. Every man and woman have something to learn from her. When she and her child were suffering with extreme thirst, and there was no water around, she did not choose to wail or sitting and doing nothing. She was determined to find a way. She was not a person who would give up. She was a person
who chose to make harder effort to overcome the challenge. She did multiple tasks of looking after her baby, running around to find water, and praying to Allah for help. She did not give up until Allah sent angel Jibril (a) to hit the ground from where sprang water that to this day Muslim pilgrims drink from and is known as Zamzam Allah made her and her family blessed. We remember them many times in our Salah (Prayer) when we say, “Allahumma baarik a’laa Muhammad, wa a’laa aali Muhammad, kamaa baarakta a’laa Ibraheem, wa a’laa aali Ibrahimm. O Allah, bless on Muhammad (s) and his family, as you blessed Ibrahim (a) and his family.”
Why we love Australia Day Md Abdullah Yousuf Australia Day is a day for all of us to reflect, respect and celebrate. It is the official national day of Australia. Observed annually on 26 January, it marks the 1788 landing of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove and raising of the Union Flag by Arthur Phillip following days of exploration of Port Jackson in New South Wales. In modern day Australia Australia, celebrations aim to reflect the diverse society and landscape of the nation and are marked by community and family events, reflections on Australian history, official community awards and citizenship ceremonies welcoming new members to the Australian community. Australia Day we celebrate all the things we love about Australia: land, sense of fair go, lifestyle, democracy, the freedoms we enjoy but particularly our people. Australia Day is about acknowledging and celebrating the contribution that every Australian makes to our contemporary and dynamic nation. From our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people – who have been here for more than 65,000 years – to those who have lived here for generations, to those who have come from all corners of the globe to call Australia home. This is our home and this is our country now. Our first generation born and grown up in this country breathing Australian air adopting Australian culture and are Aussies now. They are not going back where they came from. The meaning and significance of Australia Day has evolved and been contested over time, and not all states have celebrated the same date as their date of historical significance. Unofficially, or historically, the date has also been variously named Anniversary
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Day, Foundation Day and ANA Day. The date of 26 January 1788 marked the proclamation of British sovereignty over the eastern seaboard of Australia (then known as New Holland). Although it was not known as Australia Day until over a century later, records of celebrations on 26 January date back to 1808, with the first official celebration of the formation of New South Wales held in 1818. On New Year’s Day 1901, the British colonies of Australia formed a federation, marking the birth of modern Australia. A national day of unity and celebration was looked for. It was not until 1935 that all Australian states and territories adopted use of the term “Australia Day” to mark the date, and not until 1994 that the date was consistently marked by a public holiday on that day by all states and territories. In contemporary Australia Australia Day is also marked by the presentation of the Australian of the Year Awards on Australia
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Day Eve, announcement of the Australia Day Honours list. With community festivals, concerts and citizenship ceremonies, the day is celebrated in large and small communities and cities around the nation. Australia Day has become the biggest annual civic event in Australia. For many people, Australia Day is about celebrating the values, freedoms and pastimes of this country. It’s a time for BBQs in the backyard, having a beer with mates, and proudly flying the Australian flag. On the surface, Australia Day seems to be about unifying all people who call Australia home, and yet ironically it’s a divisive day for many. Although celebrations originally focused on the anniversary of the British occupation of New South Wales, since 1979, the federal government has promoted an Australia Day that is less British and more Australian in the hope of unifying Australia’s increasingly diverse population.
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Community Youth & Citizen Development organisation Inc (CYCDO), a nonprofit organisation, went to some of Australia’s iconic venues and collected some native Australian’s speeches. CYCDO also made a survey regarding Australia Day. The survey reflected negative and positive views of Australians about Australia Day. My personal view is, we need to work very hard with the National Australia Day Council and with all other groups to establish reflect, respect and celebrate this great land. Please watch our video on this subject: www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDqQZL30o8s Md Abdullah Yousuf Editor in Chief Suprovat Sydney. The Only Bangladesh Community Newspaper in Australia Senior Vice President, Sydney Press & Media Council Incorporated.
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UMMAH 16 - 17
EDUCATION 18 - 20
BUSINESS 21
EDUCATION
SOCIAL 22 - 23
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The stories of our beginning according to science and the Quran Dr Asrar Talukder Disclaimer: I read Quran in the light of science, philosophy, ethics, and public policy. This is not a theological discussion, but some rational thinking shaped by the Quran. Our atheist friends had been angry with law (ie Sharia) giver God. They went against creator God. Creation without creator appeared going against the common sense. They asked science to explain and got the famous theory of evolution in return. The problem is that evolution cannot happen out of nothing. It had needed someone and some processes to create life in the first place to begin with. For the believers, the problem remained as divisive as ever. The main point of contention between religion and evolution theory is whether the chronological appearances of different species are the results of the transformation of one species into another or simply the will of God, who created all species independently. We must understand that the evolution theory talks about our anatomical and biological bodies. While religions talk mainly
about our mental and spiritual realities. The fossil records tell us that around 200,000 to 150,000 years ago, our species appeared on earth at some corner of the horn of Africa. They had nothing special from other species of our ‘Homo family’ except their distinctive human anatomy. Then between 100,000 to 70,000 years ago, for some unknown (to science) reasons, something happened. Our species acquired two capabilities: • mental faculty • ability to talk These two capabilities enabled them to cooperate at a large scale and become mas-
ter of the world. The recent scientific studies also tell us that our language is very different than the communication systems of all other animals. As such, our language had had no evolutionary history. As if, it had been something taught to our species. The Quran tells us the stories of Adam (a) who was the first man and the first prophet on earth. Accordingly: • Adam (a) was first and foremost a learning creature (refer to Quran 2: 31-33). • He had been taught speech (refer to Quran 55: 3-4) • He had been also taught by the pen (refer
to Quran 96: 4). Can it be that the event of our species acquiring mental faculties and language described in the science and the creation of Adam (a) described in the Quran is the same event? In the Quran, Allah said: “Was there a period when man was not even worthy of a mention?” (Quran 76: 1). Some classical interpretations refer this period of “not worthy of mention” as the human gestational period when he or she was not a complete person. However, the pregnancy is only nine month long. The word for the time span mentioned in the verse is supposed to be very long at a scale of hundreds of thousands of years. Some other interpretations refer this period as the past period when the humankind had yet been created. Can it be that the time span between the first biological appearance of our species and the appearance of mental faculty and language in our species (by Adam (a)) is referred in the above-mentioned verse? Allah knows the best. Read full version: https://tinyurl.com/2swmeypb Dr Asrar Talukder is a marine geologist and a passionate community activist. He is based in Perth, Australia.
The synergy of the Qur’an and the Torah Rabbi Allen Maller As the Qur’an is the last of the four surviving Abrahamic scriptures (Torah, Psalms, Gospels and Qur’an), it often refers to events and personalities in the distant past. The Qur’an states that it is a perfect copy of a pre-historic book preserved on tablets in heaven (85:21-22). As the Torah, Psalms and the Hebrew Prophets are the first of the four surviving Abrahamic books of revelation they often refers to future events leading to the Messianic Age of world wide peace and justice. The Book of Exodus marks the transitions from the family narratives of Genesis to the national ethnic narratives of the rest of the Torah and the history books of Judges, Prophet Samuel and the post David and Solomon prophets. The first chapter of Genesis starts out with God’s creation of material nature. But chapters two to three speak poetically about the nature of all human feelings of loneliness, desire, temptation, and morality. With the introduction of Prophet Abraham the Hebrew, we see the beginnings of the three Abrahamic Religions; Judaism, Christianity and Islam. There are hundreds of millions of people today who have two, three or more self-identities. This was also true even 3,600 years ago; although to a much lesser extent than today. For example, Prophet Abraham is called a Muslim in the Arabic Qur’an; and in the Hebrew Bible he is called a Hebrew [speaker] and a Babylonian immigrant who crossed the Jordan River. The term ivri (the Hebrew) first appears in the Torah, when Prophet Abraham is called “the Hebrew: “And it was told to Abram the Hebrew” (Genesis 14:13) And Prophet Joseph uses the name as both a geographical and an socio-ethnic class term: “I was kidnapped from the land of the ivrim” (Genesis 40:15), and “The Egyptians could not eat with the ivrim, since that would be an abomination” (Gen. 43:32) FEBRUARY 2022 / ISSUE 195
The three Abrahamic religions; Christianity, Islam, and Judaism, are closer to each other than each of them is to any non-Abrahamic religion. Yet each of the three religions is unique; and each relates to the other two in its own unique way. There could be no Christians before the birth of Jesus; and although there have been many hanif Muslim monotheists, they could not be members of the Muslim Ummah prior to the revelation of the Qur’an to Prophet Muhammad (s). Judaism is unique as the Hebrew people actually proceeded the Jewish religion. Thus the Qur’an 3.67 states: Abraham was not a Jew, nor a Christian; but he was one pure of faith and a muslim (who submitted to the one God with a sound heart). He was never of those who associate partners with God.” Abraham could not be a Jew or a Christian, as both the Torah and Gospel were revealed centuries after Abraham. Historically, Ju-
daism and Christianity are the names given to the religions revealed to Prophet Moses and Prophet Jesus respectively, for their own faithful followers. The Christian community and the Muslim Ummah were formed by those individuals who became faithful believers in the Gospel or the Qur’an. But the Banu Israel-the Jewish People only received the Torah after many generations of oppression in Egypt, when the Jewish People escaped and stood at Mount Sinai and received the Torah from Prophets Moses and Aaron. This is why the history of the people of Israel makes up such a large place in the Hebrew Bible. Indeed, the name “Israel” is mentioned 2,319 individual times in the Hebrew Bible as the historical experiences of the nation of Israel (the descendants of Jacob/Israel) is the central focus of most of the books in the Hebrew Scriptures; with the major exception of the Book of Job; which some rabbis thought
was written by a non-Jewish saint or prophet. The word Muslim is a religious identity term that refers to faithful monotheistic believers like Jews and Unitarian Christians. The word Hebrew is a linguistic, geographical and ethnic identity term like German the language, Germany the homeland and Germans the people. The word descendent is a biological inherited birth identity term like nobility or tribe. Prophet Abraham’s grandson Prophet Jacob, whose name is changed to Israel, becomes the name the People of Israel, who in the book of Exodus, were delivered from Egyptian oppression. Prophet Jacob receives the name Israel that will become the name of the Jewish nation for the next 3,500 years and this is the name used by both the Christian New Testament and the Muslim Qur’an. During the 12-13 centuries between Prophet Moses and Prophet Jesus the People of Israel were the only ongoing monotheistic community. Not every Jew was faithful to the teachings of the Torah, but enough were so that Judaism never died out; and the covenant between God and People of Israel remained an ongoing partnership. Jews still believe that we can help fulfill the 2700 year old vision of Prophet Isaiah: “In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians will go to Egypt, and the Egyptians to Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship together. In that day Israel will join a three-party alliance with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing upon the heart. The LORD of Hosts will bless them saying, “Blessed be Egypt My people, Assyria My handiwork, and Israel My inheritance.”… (Isaiah 19:23-5) May the new year bring all of us closer to this wonderful prophetic vision. 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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God’s will is religious pluralism AMUST
Rabbi Allen Maller Most college students have at one time or another asked, ‘If there is only one God why are there so many religions?’ A good question that I as a Rabbi have often been asked. This is my answer. The Qur’an declares that Allah could have made all of us monotheists, a single religious community, but (didn’t) in order to test our commitment to the religion that each of us have been given by God. “If Allah had so willed, He would have made you a single people, but (God’s plan is) to test you in what He has given you: so compete in all virtues as in a race. The goal of you all is to (please) Allah who will show you on judgment day) the truth of the matters in which you dispute.” (Qur’an 5:48) This means that religious pluralism is the will of God. Yet for centuries many believers in one God have chided and depreciated each other’s religions, and some believers have even resorted to forced conversions, expulsions and inquisitions. Monotheists all pray to the same God, and all prophets of monotheistic faiths are inspired by the same God. So how did this intolerance come about, and how can we eliminate religious intolerance from the Abrahamic religions. Greek philosophy, with its requirement that truth must be unchanging and universal, influenced most teachers of sacred scripture during Medieval times to believe that religion was a zero sum game; the more truth I find in your scripture the less truth there is in mine. Instead of understanding differing texts as complementary, they made them contradictory and declared the other religion’s sacred text to be false. If religion is to promote peace in our pluralistic world we must reject the zero sum game ideology and develop the pluralistic teachings that already exist within our sacred scriptures. After all “all prophets are brothers. They have the same farther (God) but different mothers (mother tongues, motherlands and unique historical circumstances that account for all the differences in their scriptures). “Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah’s Apostle said, “Both in this world and in the Here-
after, I am the nearest of all people to Jesus, son of Mary. Prophets are paternal brothers; their mothers are different, but their religion is one.” (Bukhari, Book #55, Hadith #652) Prophets are brothers in faith, having different mothers. Their religion however; is one“. (Muslim, Book #030, Hadith #5836) I am a Reform Rabbi who first became interested in Islam when I studied it at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem 60+ years ago. I have continued my study of Islam off and on for many years and for some time I have considered myself to be a Reform Rabbi who is a faithful Jew submitting to the will of God, because I am faithful to the covenant that God made with Abraham the Hebrew, and I submit to the commandments that God made with the people of Israel at Mount Sinai; and I believe that Jewish spiritual leaders should modify Jewish tradition as social and historical circumstances change and develop. I also believe we should not make religion difficult for people to practice. These are lessons that Prophet Muhammad (s) taught 12 centuries before the rise of Reform Judaism in the early 19th century. In many ways statements in the Qur’an about Orthodox Jewish beliefs and Ahadith relating Muhammad’s (s) comments about Orthodox Judaism, and religion in general, prefigure the thinking of Reform Rabbis some 12-13 centuries later. I could have written this essay about religious pluralism by using quotes only from the Hebrew Scriptures, such as: “In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and peoples will stream to it. Many nations will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in His paths. Torah will go out from Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He will judge between many peoples and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide.” “They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. Everyone will sit under their own vine and under their own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid, for the Lord God has spo-
ken. All the nations will walk in the name of their gods, and we (Jews) will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever.” (Micah 4:1-5) Or I could have used a pragmatic argument like an eleventh century BCE Jewish leader named Jephthah offered when he tried to avoid a war by appealing to an invading king as follows: “Do you not hold what Chemosh, your God, has given you? So we will hold on to all that Adonai, our God, has given us.” (Judges11:24) Jephthah does not believe in Chemosh, nor does he think that Chemosh is just another name for the Holy One of Israel. He knows that the One God of Israel does not allow Jews to have any other God. But Jephthah recognizes the king’s religious beliefs and wants the king to equally recognize Israel’s. Thus, Adonai the One God of Israel, is the only God for Jews; but others can have a different view of God that they submit to, as long as this God leads them to practice virtue. As the Qur’an declares, “For every community We have appointed a whole system of worship which they are to observe. So do not let them draw you into disputes concerning the matter, but continue to call people to your Lord.,..God will judge between (all of) you on the Day of Resurrection about what you used to differ”. (Quran 22:67 & 69)
I choose to use Qur’an and Hadith to illustrate that all religions, as well as my own, have statements proclaiming and endorsing religious pluralism. They also have other statements that appear to claim religious exclusivity. These opposing views are the will of God, so that we may be tested. Choosing between good and evil is a moral choice that even agnostics and atheists can do. Believers should believe in all God’s words (plural), but if we value kindness, humility and peace we are obligated to choose to understand the seemingly exclusive statements in the context of the accepting statements. This is the will of God so that believers may be tested in their commitment to kindness, humility and peace. “We have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], the Book in truth, confirming that which preceded it of the Scripture, and as a criterion over it. So judge between them by what Allah has revealed and do not follow their inclinations away from what has come to you of the truth. To each of you We prescribed a law and a method. Had Allah willed, He would have made you one nation [united in religion], but [He intended] to test you in what He has given you; so compete to [do all that is] good. To Allah is your return all together, and He will [then] inform you concerning that over which you used to differ.” (Quran 5:48)
Importance of Allah’s attributes/names Dr Misbah Khan 1. Invoking Allah by His Attributes: Knowing Allah’s attributes or names is important in Islam. We should ask of Allah by His most beautiful names. Allah says in the Quran: “And (all) the most beautiful names belong to Allah, so call on Him by them” [alA’raaf 7:180] Allah responses when we call upon Him [see al-Baqarah 2: 186]. Allah likes and responses when we ask Allah by His greatest names, as mentioned the following Sahih hadith. “It was narrated from Anas (r) that he was sitting with the Messenger of Allah (s), and a man was praying then he said in supplication: O Allah, I ask You by virtue of the fact that all praise is due to You; there is no god but You alone, and You have no partner or associate, the Bestower, the Originator of the heavens and the earth, the Possessor of majesty and honour, O Ever-Living, O Sustainer. The Prophet (s) said: “He has asked Allah by His greatest name which, if He is called upon thereby He answers and if He is asked thereby He gives.” (Tirmidhi, 3544; Abu Dawood, 1495; Nasaa’i, 1300 and Ibn
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Maajah, 3858)
2. Memorising Allah’s attributes/names: Allah has beautiful names and we should try to memorise them for using in our prayers effectively. Bukhari (2736) and Muslim (2677) narrated from Abu Hurayrah (r) that the Messenger of Allah (s) said: “Allah has ninety-nine names, one hundred less one. Whoever learns them will enter Paradise.” Many prominent scholars, like Ibn Hazm,
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Ibn Taymiyah, Al-Khattaabi, Al-Nawawi and Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on them), mentioned that the names of Allah are not limited to a certain number based on the Sahih hadith below. Prophet (s) said: “O Allah, I am Your slave, son of Your slave. I ask You by every name belonging to You which You have named Yourself with, or revealed in Your Book, or You taught to any of Your creation, or You have preserved in the knowledge of the Unseen with You.”
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3. Complete Belief of Allah’s attributes: Finally, we have to believe all the attributes of Allah. We believe Allah’s names the way it says in the Quran and in that which is proven from the Messenger of Allah (s). We do not misinterpret (interpreting them in a way other than they appear to mean), distort any meaning or deny the divine names and attributes. Dr Misbah Khan is a Civil Engineer and is based in Sydney, Australia
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EDUCATION 18 - 20
BUSINESS 21
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Suprovat Sydney: A platform to rejuvenate Md Abdullah Yousuf You may start your day in a calmer way by using the Bengali expression “Suprovat,” which means “Good Morning.” We all know that a pleasant morning is made up of various things, but it is enjoyed by the majority of people. This was validated in 2018 by a highly scientific Twitter poll. Since 2009, the “Suprovat Sydney,” Australia’s most popular Bangladeshi community publication, has been seeking to transmit this inner tranquilly via the use of this oneof-a-kind phrase as well as all of its resources. Suprovat Sydney is the only reputable Bangladeshi community newspaper in Australia (www.suprovatsydney.com.au) The editor in chief of Suprovat Sydney, Abdullah Yousuf Shamim, always has a vision of bringing inner peace to multicultural Australian society through assuring harmony. That was one of the main motives he consented to assume the responsibility of publishing this community newspaper in the first place. “It is a universal reality that 100 years ago, none of us were here, and 100 years from now, none of us will exist in this planet,” Abdullah adds, “However, we must do a lot of good things in a short period of time to guarantee peace and harmony in our multicultural community.” Perhaps it was the initial impetus for the Australian Bangladeshi community newspaper “Suprovat Sydney” to begin publication in 2009.” The articles in this newspaper have always stressed the need to appreciate various cultures. Suprovat Sydney’s whole team has been working to build a bridge of friendship amongst diverse ethnic groups in this heterogeneous culture. As a result, the Suprovat Sydney family has been working together on the same platform to strengthen the community, improve the lives of future generations, and transform Australia into the safest nation on this planet. Since its inception, Suprovat Sydney has been working with members of the community and other federal and state authorities to deliver better services to the community. Suprovat Sydney is also regarded as the community’s voice because of its originality and constancy in vision and mission. Its goals, approaches, and publications are likewise distinctive from several perspectives. Suprovat Sydney is Australia’s first community newspaper with an “International Standard Serial Number” (ISSN). This ISSN is assigned to authorised Australian serial publications produced in Australia by Australian publishers. Suprovat Sydney is also the first Bangladeshi community newspaper in Australia to declare that its publication is devoid of plagiarised content. As a result, Suprovat Sydney has earned the trust of its stakeholders as a credible leader in its cohort, and it has marched on with that banner of honour for more than a decade. Suprovat Sydney has over 60,000 fans and hosts Readers’ Forums in different places across the globe. It includes contributions from authors from all across the world. In February 2015, Suprovat Sydney released its first edited book, “Suprovat Sahitya Samagrah 01,” with the permission of its regular authors. Dr Anisuzzaman, an educationist, unveiled the book’s cover during the Dhaka Ekushe Book Fair in February 2015.
The book ‘Suprovat Sahitya Samagrah 01′ was dedicated to every Bangladeshi man and woman who tries to protect this language in honour of International Mother Language Day. Following the Dhaka Ekhushe Book Fair, the book received a lot of positive feedback in Kolkata Book Fair. Suprovat Sydney hosts special seminars to enhance awareness of the many sorts of social awareness that everyone in society enjoys. These sessions are organised in collaboration with the local police and city council authorities. The Suprovat Sydney team has been recognised by the local government administration for their efforts on many occasions. Suprovat Sydney also offers a variety of community services, which are advertised in the newspaper on a regular basis to encourage community members to seek them out. It includes, but is not limited to, services of justice of the peace (JP), advice on VISA, employment, rental, and student admission, immigration for new settlers, advice on Shariah by appropriate Muslim scholars, assistance with Islamic funerals and burial services, marriage commemorations, any kind of legal advice through appropriate solicitors, advice on proper halal food, providing a list of male and female Bengali-speaking doctors, various legal help for international students, advice on proper halal food, various legal help for international students. Moreover, Suprovat Sydney also provides advice on unfair dismissal through proper personnel, advice on workers’ compensation, legal advice on medical negligence, and advice on victim’s compensation. Suprovat Sydney just finished professional development workshops in July 2021. The free seminars hosted by Suprovat Sydney, which were primarily supported by the Multicultural NSW, drew over 100 attendees from 75 different organisations. The Editor in Chief of Suprovat Sydney, Abdullah Yousuf Shamim, was the driving factor behind this successful series of seminars. Six sessions were held between Sunday, July 11 and Friday, July 30. After the first advertisement, the free workshop’s registration limit was rapidly filled. The excitement of the participants astounded the organizers. In such a short length of time, the personal biographies of all of the notable keynote speakers enthralled all of the attendees. The speakers’ speeches fascinated all of the guests. The participants have sent numerous emails and letters of congratulations to Suprovat Sydney. These are all only a flavor of the source of Suprovat Sydney Team’s inspiration to work for the community. Suprovat’s journey, however, was not always easy. On its journey to success, the team had to go through a lot of ups and downs. Suprovat Sydney community members and well-wishers were astonished to learn that about a decade ago, one of Australia’s leading printed media published a malicious fake piece about the Editor in Chief, Abdullah. The whole process of the defamation action was not smooth at all. Abdullah fought back, spending hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal expenses. As a result, the Suprovat Sydney team obtained the expertise necessary to comprehend the community’s sentiments and what precisely has to be done to assist them with their needs. They
“Since its
inception, Suprovat Sydney has been working with members of the community and other federal and state authorities to deliver better services to the community.
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believe that they have already obtained enough experience in order to become the community’s voice. Suprovat Sydney has a number of distinctive features that the Australian Bangladeshi community is aware of. Even after being badly hit by the pandemic, it is today the only Bengali community newspaper that continues to publish in a printed form. These printed versions are given on a regular basis across Australia’s different states. For more than a decade, this newspaper has covered local community news, including several investigative reports on the community. Suprovat Sydney has its own YouTube channel where it broadcasts local and politi-
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cal news together with online edition that receives an average of 2,000 visits every day. Suprovat Sydney really feels proud for all of its family members as like as the rest of the community. All of them are really in amity who wants to utter their slogan together for good: Suprovat Sydney is the podium to rejuvenate; Unbelievably focused and we’re the great! Promised to abolish clash, fight and hate; Righteous platform – we’re resolute to set. Our pledge is to turn into the best mate; Vivacious friends to open heaven’s gate; Advising community not to rely on fateThe Suprovat Family is here to invigorate.
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BOOMERANG 5-7
COMMUNITY 8-9
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Social Spotlights
Unity Grammar
@UnityGrammar
Unity Grammar started its new year with a Friday khutba (sermon) delivered by our school captain Ibrahim Zoabi on Ihsan. Ibrahim described that Ihsan is the process of taking one’s inner faith and showing it in both deed and action so that we strive toward excellence in all that we do and worship the Almighty as if we see Him. Ihsan drives our commitment to integrity, sincerity, honesty, social responsibility, work ethic and worship. A wonderful and meaningful topic to lay the foundation for the year ahead!
Afghan Community Support Association of NSW Australia (ACSA)
@ACSANSW
Congratulations to Sara Wardak and her family! Sara Wardak achieved a 99.55 ATAR and graduated from Baulkham Hills High School, where she was Vice Captain, in 2021. She will be studying a Bachelor of Science/Bachelor of Laws combined degree at the University of Sydney in 2022, with multiple scholarships. In 2020, Sara was selected as one of the top 23 Biology students in Australia and subsequently attended the Australian Science Olympiads Summer School in ANU, Canberra. She was awarded with the Macquarie University Leaders and Achievers Award in Year 11, and the University of Sydney Leadership Award in Year 12, on account of her extensive leadership and volunteering experience as SRC member for several years and leader of the charity volunteering group Outreach. Her experiences in debating, public speaking and Mock Trial influenced her decision to pursue a career in the law in the future In Sha Allah. Sara jan your community is proud of you. ACSA celebrates achievements of our HSC achievers with our community. If you have scored high ATAR or gained academic achievements at school or university, please reach us so we recognize your hard work in the community and celebrate together.
Brothers In Need
@brothersinneed.org
Monthly BBQ for our Homeless with the St George Illawarra Dragons This evening we were joined by our good friend Steve Dabliz and the St George Illawarra Dragons junior sides (under 17s and under 19s), for our monthly BBQ at Martin Place. The youngsters were wonderful in helping us provide food, drink, sanitary and clothing items for members of our Homeless Community. We would like to thank Steve and the team, plus the legends at House Of Sadaqa - who funded the BBQ, and the brothers at IMAN Foundation - who travelled from Wollongong to cook up the delicious meat! Tonight was a beautiful outing and we can’t wait to collaborate in the future again, Insha’Allah. Thank you #Legends! Join us on our journey to continue helping those around us locally https://brothersinneed.org.au/donate/
IFAM
@IfamAustralia Family Brunch 2022 hosted by Islamic Forum for Australian Muslims (Perth) today at Burswood Park. More than 100 adults and 50 children attended the brunch to make this social event memorable. Br. Abdullah Khan delivered an amazing talk on Challenges of Parenting in The West after Zuhr prayers (in congregation). One dish lunch was followed by tug of war for kids and adults. Children kept themselves busy in soccer and earned prizes in Islamic quiz hosted by Br. Ayaz. Thank you everyone for making today’s event successful. Insha Allah IFAM will host more family events soon.
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Minaret College
@MinaretCollege
APAN
@AustraliaPalestine AdvocacyNetwork Palestinians are enjoying a winter wonderland in Al-Quds (Jerusalem) today after a rare storm blanketed parts of the occupied West Bank with snow.
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Foundation First Day Across three campuses, today our graduates of 2034 (InshaAllah) walked through the gate for their first day at school. With crisp shirts and ironed dresses it was a perfect day for photos to capture the special day. May Allah (swt) protect and guide them throughout the many years to come. Ameen.
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