A motion moved by Reverend Fred Nile to endorse International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism was passed in the NSW parliament on Wednesday 23 March 2022 with the support of the ruling coalition and the Labor opposition.
Mohamed Ainullah
There has been worldwide condemnation of endorsement and promotion of the propaganda film ‘The Kashmir Files’ by the Modi government where it has been granted tax-free status in many Indian states.
The film, while it presents a fictional story line carries propaganda aligned with Hindutva narratives promoting Islamophobia in order to justify oppression of Kashmiri Muslims and legitimise their impending genocide.
The IHRA definition is frequently used to equate criticism of Israel with hatred of Jews and even its author, Kenneth Stern, has expressed his concern about the “McCarthy-like” use of the IHRA definition which he says is being “weaponized to suppress, rather than answer, political speech.”
A large number of academics, journalists and intellectuals including Arabs and many Jews have, both in Australia as well as overseas rejected this definition of antisemitism saying that it protects the state of Israel against valid criticism for its discriminatory policies against non-Jews and the ongoing brutal oppression of the Palestinians in West Bank and Gaza.
NSW MLA Shaoquett Moselmane, while condemning all kinds of racism including antisemitism, passionately spoke against the motion saying, “the motion is no more than a tool pushed by Israel and its lobbyists around the world to silence criticism of Israel’s human rights violations. It is about silencing people of the Jewish faith and others who are critical of Israel’s apartheid practices.” continued on page 2
Sonny Bill Williams (SBW), heavyweight boxer and professional rugby league and rugby union star player has returned to boxing by knocking out Barry Hall in the first round within two minutes in a comeback professional fight on Wednesday 23 March 2022 in Sydney.
SBW, the New Zealand born Muslim revert, 36, married with four kids is a two-time Rugby World Cup and two-time NRL Premiership winner having played for New Zealand’s All Black as well as Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and Sydney Roosters. Retiring from football in March 2021, SBW has boxed professionally seven times, winning
all of his heavyweight bouts. He was the New Zealand Professional Boxing Association (NZPBA) Heavyweight Champion and World Boxing Association (WBA) International Heavyweight Champion.
Son of a Samoan father and half-Australian and half-New Zealander mother, SBW converted to Islam in 2009 while in France playing for Toulon, performing Umrah in 2018 and is an active member of the Muslim communities in both Australia as well as New Zealand.
He is an outspoken advocate for his faith combating Islamophobia and made a “tearful message of condolence” for the victims of the Christchurch mosque shootings and has denounced the treatment of the Uyghurs in China as well as oppression of Muslims elsewhere.
The film’s exclusive focus on violence of Muslims on Hindus with limited attention given to the overall history of human rights abuses in the state by Indian military, and the painting of all Muslims as active or passive participants in the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits has been seen as promoting Islamophobia.
continued on page 2
It is a political tool being used to deflect criticism of Israel as an apartheid State...
Multicultural media is a strong engagement lever
Shaoquett Moselmane speaking against Fred Nile’s motion for adopting IHRA definition of antisemitism at NSW Parliament on Wednesday 23 March 2022.
Continued from page 1
Theatres across India have witnessed anti-Muslim hate speech including calls for violence against Muslims in general, killing of Kashmiri Muslims and raping of Muslim women, incited by activists of the ruling party and related Hindutva organisations.
Several critics of the film have compared writer and director of The Kashmir Files, Vivek Agnihotri espousing hatred of Muslims, with Riefenstahl, a Nazi propagandist who did the same with Jews.
Anuj Kumar reviewing for the film for the Indian newspaper The Hindu described the film as being composed of “some facts, some half-truths, and plenty of distortions” with brutally intense visualisations and compelling performances, aimed at inciting hatred against Muslims.
Continued from page 1
A report published by Oxford University in 2021 on IHRA definition found that what is supposedly intended to protect Jews against antisemitism was twisted to protect the State of Israel against valid criticism. This definition conflates criticism of Israel, an apartheid State and settler colonial State, as being antisemitic.
“It is a political tool being used to deflect criticism of Israel as an apartheid State, which for the past 70 years has subjugated, oppressed and dehumanised the Palestinian people. Palestinians are made to walk on separate footpaths, drive on separate roads, eat in separate eateries and wait in long lines at checkpoints on their way home from
work or on their way to work, and the sole aim is to denigrate and humiliate them into submission,” Mr Shaoquett Moselmane further explained.
There has been great disappointment by the support for the motion by the Labor Party specially in Labor electorates in Western Sydney with the fear that now the Israeli lobby will try to get a bill passed based on this IHRA definition of antisemitism that will simply silence any one criticising Israel and advocating for restoration of human rights for the Palestinians and their self determination.
Watch/Read full speech of Mr Shaoquett Moselmane: https://qrco.de/amust2
Rahul Desai reviewing for Film Companion, called the work a “fantasy-revisionist” rant lacking in clarity, craft, and sense where every Muslim was a Nazi and every Hindu, a Jew; with an unconvincing screenplay and weak characters, it was propaganda that strove only to tune in with the Hindu nationalist mood of the nation rather than offer genuine empathy to the displaced victims.
A number of community organisations have raised the issue of the film’s promotion and viewing by Indian diplomatic missions in Australia and New Zealand.
Concern has been raised that the narrative promoted by the movie is sowing sentiments of distrust and anger that could incite violence towards Australians and New Zealanders of the Islamic faith.
Organisers for the screening of the Kashmir Files, including HSS, the overseas arm of RSS, have publicly shown that their event was held in cooperation with Indian Consulate General in Western Australia.
In an open letter to the Indian High Commissioner to Australia, President of the
Australian Federation of Islamic Councils (AFIC), Dr Rateb Jneid expressed extreme concern about the BJP government’s extreme rhetoric towards Islam and Muslims.
“The Kashmir Files is a distorted false narrative that uses hate and propaganda against Muslims. Nasty clips from the Kashmir Files are being shared on the internet and flagged by Hinduvta Watch where they chant and uphold that there shall be no Muslim any longer in India and that all Hindus should marry Muslim girls as a means of forced conversion to Hinduism. That is the effect that the movie has had on its viewership,” Dr Rateb Jneid wrote.
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A coalition of over 50 organisations, showing an amazing display of unity against oppression of Uyghurs, staged a day of action on Sunday 20 March 2022 holding rallies in four Australian state capitals. The Uyghur Muslims are a Turkic people native to East Turkestan (Xinjiang province), that have been widely oppressed by the Chinese authorities where millions have been imprisoned, tortured and made to renounce Islam.
The oppression of Uyghurs with at least two millions castrated into concentration camps together with the forced sterilisation of hundreds of thousands of Uyghur women has resulted in a wide-spread declaration of genocide.
Earlier on Friday 18 March, Imams around Australia spoke out during their Juma sermons to raise awareness of the
plight of Uyghur under oppression by the Chinese authorities.
The Stand4Uyghurs campaign started in the UK when a coalition of 50+ British Muslim organisations united to protest against the oppression of the Uyghur Muslims by Chinese government. They showed the Uyghur people that the Ummah stands with them, despite the betrayal by Muslim countries.
Sydney Town Hall turned blue with a 600 strong crowd chanting “No China! No! Let the Uyghurs go!”.
A line-up of speakers including Ahmed Bassal, Dalya Ayoub, Zulfia Erk, Sheikh Ibrahim Dadoun, Uthman Badar, Mehmet Celepci, Sumayyah Jurad, Sheikh Mahmoud Alazhari and Wissam Doureihi riled up the crowd with hard hitting point after point.
Melbourne brought up a passionate crowd of over 200 in front of Melbourne State Library, armed with creative placards attracting the attention of many passer-byers They were addressed by a number of speakers including Alim Osman, Adel Salman, Faz, Mai Saif, Chris Lwin and Mahad Barkad.
Adelaide Parliament House brought a crowd of over 100 and notably had a large turnout from the Adelaide Uyghur community where they were addressed by speakers including Nurmuhammad Majid, Ahmed Zreika, Mohammed Alsayed, Prof Mohamed Abdalla, Abduljalil Muhammad, Adila Yarmuhammad and Nasrullah Mehman.
Since Brisbane had already hosted a suc-
cessful protest in February a public forum and lunch was organised on Sunday 20 March at Slackscreek Mosque showcasing Uyghur culture, history and the current oppression of Uyghurs.
The Forum was attended by over 100 people and a strong line-up of speakers including Sujauddin Karimuddin, Meyasar Ablet, Sheikh AbdulSalam Alim, Hikmat Hasa-
noff, Yasun Rusul, Sheikh Akram Buksh and Habib Jamal.
The rallies had the successful outcome of highlighting the genocide of Uyghur Muslims in the Australian public space and seek the support of the Muslims Ummah for the oppressed Muslim minority in China whereby most Muslim states have maintained silence on the issue.
The third Islamophobia in Australia report was released on Tuesday 15 March 2022, the third anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks to once again highlight the ongoing threat to Muslim people in their everyday lives.
This report is based on incidents reported to the Islamophobia Register Australia by victims, proxies and witnesses during 2018 and 2019.
This includes 247 verified incidents (138 physical and 109 online). It follows 349 incidents in the second report (published in 2019) and 243 incidents in the first report (published in 2017).
Although the analysis of reported cases may not represent all incidents occurring across Australia, they remain a critical and valuable source for understanding manifestations of Islamophobia in the Australian context.
Men attacking women
The third report found perpetrators were predominantly men (74%), while victims were predominantly women (82%). Of the 103 victims, 85% were women wearing hijab, 15% were children and 15% were women with children.
A Queensland woman reported she was yelled at when walking past three young boys.
I was with my two small children and they started saying ‘let’s rip it [her hijab] off her head!’ I quickly got nervous and started pacing to get away with my children before the incident escalated. Alhamdullilah [thank God] we made it to safety before anything serious happened.
Another woman reported this comment after the Christchurch massacre:
I have had the father of my eldest daughter
friend say to me directly […] ‘the Muslims had it coming’. I was shocked and could only stare back in disbelief. The daughter of that gentleman would call me ‘ghost’ in front of myself and my daughter, referring to my hijab/scarf.
Perpetrators were overwhelmingly Anglo-Saxon (91%) and they were mostly aged in middle and late adulthood (57%). In contrast, victims tended to be in early and middle adulthood (61%).
In most cases, the victim was alone with the perpetrator (54%), and in one in five cases, there was an existing relationship between the perpetrator and victim such as a work (10%), school (5%) or social (3%) relationship.
According to the reported incidents, the perpetrator profile was diverse, ranging from homeless people to university staff and art gallery visitors. Some perpetrators carried out hate while in the presence of their own families, showing how socially acceptable this form of racism can be.
The location of incidents showed anti-Muslim harassment often happens in
crowds and busy public places (63%).
Since incidents were first logged in 2014, reports of anti-Muslim abuse have risen in areas with security guards and surveillance cameras – from 37% in the first report to 75% in the present report.
Incidents occurred in places including shopping centres, public transport, pools and playgrounds and education settings. This suggests there is no public space that is safe from Islamophobia.
The abuse Muslims suffer is centred on the unfounded and highly offensive idea that Muslims are “terrorists” and “killers” –this is despite Muslims suffering from white supremacist terrorism in the Christchurch attacks.
Unfortunately, in the wake of the Christchurch massacre, the Islamophobia Register Australia saw a spike in reporting of offline and online incidents. Reports of offline cases increased four fold – this included ten mosque vandalism cases.
Reports of online cases increased 18 fold within the two weeks of the attacks.
Especially in online platforms, sympathis-
ers with the Christchurch terrorist justified or glorified his attack, called for more deadly and bloody attacks on Muslims or declared their willingness to follow the Christchurch terrorist by killing Australian Muslims once a “civil war” starts in Australia.
Along with this hyper-violent rhetoric, we saw an escalation in xenophobic language, from telling people to “go home” to expressing supremacist conspiracies such about a “demographic invasion by Muslims”. These xenophobic attacks was the most popular form of online hate rhetoric (43%) after associating Muslims with terrorism (58%).
The Islamophobia report is yet more evidence of the abuse Muslims face in Australia – just for going about their lives.
Positive action from our political leaders is required to safeguard the dignity, equality and safety of every citizen and minority group, including Muslim Australians.
The increase in Islamophobia in the aftermath of the Christchurch attacks is not a coincidence. The incitement to violence on social media suggests the need for intense monitoring and strategic moves by counter-terrorism organisations.
Islamophobia is not a “Muslim” problem, it is a risk to our social cohesion. It requires national engagement if Australia is to live up to its multicultural legacy.
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.
Dr Derya Iner is a senior lecturer and research coordinator at the Centre for Islamic Studies and Civilisation, Charles Sturt University. She is the chief investigator of the Islamophobia in Australia Reports I (2017) and II (2019) and is also an executive board member of the Islamophobia Register Australia (IRA). She completed her PhD in Cultural Studies (major) and Gender Studies (minor) in Wisconsin-Madison (USA) in 2011.
Mass media that employs diverse means of media technologies to reach large audiences via mass communication has played a vital role in our modern society. Together with political, judicial and law enforcement agencies, media is one of the essential institutions of good governance in nation states. Books, journals, magazines and newspapers have traditionally fulfilled the role of dissemination of information and now increasingly broadcast media transmitting information electronically via films, radio, TV, internet, email, social media platforms have revolutionised this exchange of information.
One of the strengths of Western democracies has been freedom of media to provide information to the general population, providing check and balance on government institutions. However, the consolidation of large media empires in the hands of a few media barons with their own agendas and vested interests had its limitations for freedom of media.
On the other hand, control on mass media by authoritar ian regimes in a number of countries has limited flow of information to the general masses resulting in poor governance, corruption and oppression.
Journalists play a vital role to fulfil the human right of provid ing information with truthfulness, accuracy and responsibility. In a good society, Journalists must be provided with the opportunity to report facts and express their ideas and opinions on current affairs without fear or favour.
They also have the responsibility to reflect on diverse ideas and opinions of the population without any bias share their criticism and grievances working towards good governance.
Journalists must seek out truth and boldly raise awareness of injustice, corruption, persecution and abuse of power and wealth and promote corrective action in order to build an equitable, fair and just society.
Unfortunately in third world countries in general and many Muslim countries in particular, there have been limitation to media freedoms where the journalists had limited opportunities to freely disseminate informa-
tion.
A number of independent media institutions are not tolerated and journalist who wish to exercise their freedom to freely express facts and any criticism of authorities have been jailed, exiled and even killed.
A glaring case is that of Jamal Khashoggi, an inside Saudi journalist turned critic who commented on the policies pursued by the Saudi regime, who was killed inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on 2 October 2018. His body has yet to be found.
The UN human rights investigator Special Rapporteur Agnes Callamard leading the international inquiry into the murder of Saudi Journalist Jamal Khashoggi obtained conclusive evidence implicating the Saudi government for the crime, calling it “a brutal and premeditated killing, planned and perpetrated by officials of the state of Saudi Arabia”, in a statement released on Thursday 7 February 2019.
In a number of Muslim countries including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey, Syria, Bahrain, UAE, and Bangladesh, independent media institution have been either been closed or are not tolerated and journalists have been harassed, jailed or forced into exile.
Many of these exiled journalists have found refuge in Western countries where they have been trying to rebuild their lives by learning the local language, obtaining additional qualifications, improving their skills and trying to find jobs in their field, an uphill struggle indeed.
Multicultural and multilingual media institutions have developed in North America,
Turkish writer Hatice Cengiz (R), fiancée of Saudi journalist and dissident Jamal Khashoggi, poses next to a portrait of Khashoggi after unveiling it on the National Mall in Washington, DC., on October 1, 2021
UK, Europe and Australia providing the opportunities for a number of migrant journalists to serve their specific community as well as people in their home countries.
While mainstream media largely highlights negative news of wars, conflicts, crimes and assaults, community based media providing the good news, positive aspects of community life sharing news of community organisations and the good works that people are doing.
On the Australian media landscape, in addition to mainstream newspapers and other media outlets, there are a large number of ethnic and multilingual community newspapers representing the Australian multicultural community.
The Australasian Muslim Times, AMUST started its publication back in 1991 as a multilingual community newspaper Australasian Muslim Times, published on a weekly basis.
AMUST was rebranded in July 2014 becoming the voice of Australia’s diverse Muslim community. With a weekly email newsletter and a national print newspaper edition each month together with a dynamic website and social media presence, AMUST covers local, national and global news, opinions, community events, lifestyle and sport activities.
Having lived in Australia for more than half a century, I am proud to claim that this lucky country provides the best opportunity in terms of media freedoms where one can share their thoughts, express their ideas verbally and in writing without any fear or favour, unlike in many other parts of the world.
Readers comments
Before the vote of no confidence, it should be tested whether these defectors have the support of their own constituents. The members of parliament are there to represent the will of their own electorates. They are not there to decide on their own, when to betray the will of their own electorates, especial-
ly when their own material interests are not served! Before anything else, tt should be explored why Mr Khan is alleging the defectors as corrupt!
Dr Rashid Raashed
Re: Ding dong dell – secure your wellThank you for bringing this to our attention, I will be sharing this were I can
Paul x Paul Gapper
Re: Ukraine: Western hypocrisy and inaction exposedRussia/Syria in one month in (September 19 – October 18, 2016) killed approximately 446 civilians in Aleppo. Unlawful attacks.
The same Israel / Gaza. Unlawful attacks.
The cost of war – the cost of destroying Aleppo -all the homes, buildings, piles of wasted concrete burying history, memories, families and a city-soul. Who will rebuild Aleppo? Who will give back to Palestinians
HAVE YOUR SAY Email your thoughts or comment of current events to info@amust.com.au
News
AMUST
# 197
- Sonny Bill Williams returns to boxing
- The Kashmir Files
- IHRA definition of antisemitism
Boomerang
- Why freedom of Media is essential
- Compatibilaty of Islam & democracy
- Understanding AUKUS and QUAD
Community
- HAA: 30th anniversary
- Preston Mosque reopens
- Teens on Deen: Muslim Identity
Australia
- Adzra wins Peace award
- Sydney celebrates Holi
Lifestyle
11 - 19
20 - 25
- Ramadan Nights Lakemba returns
26 - 30
- Ramadan: Month of benefits
- Reflections on music
- IFAM Quran competition
Ummah
- No one expects war in thier city
- A black day in the history of India
Education
Social
31 - 33
- Why revelations in Ramadan
34 - 37
- AIIC: First Islamic School in Darwin
1 - 4 5 - 9 38 - 39 ISSUE
- Social spotlights
Disclaimer
The views and opinions expressed in articles, and Letters to the Editor, Website Comments are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of The Australasian Muslim Times.
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Human Appeal Australia congratulates you on the arrival of the blessed month of Ramadan. For 30 years we have worked together to aid the poor and needy. May Allah (SWT) bless you, your wealth, your health & your families.
Give generously by supporting our Ramadan projects this year. Let's relieve the suffering of our fellow brothers & sisters amongst the poor and refugees in numerous countries.
There is no doubt that the Enlightenment led to mass participatory democracy, freedom of expression, religious toleration and growing emphasis upon human rights. There was however a dark side, that of scientific racism and eugenics, promulgated with sincere respect for the betterment of a version of mankind.
Charles Darwin the darling of the enlightened elite, horrified the church.
What it was horrified about however was the notion of evolution, not that often ignored second part of the title of his work, “On the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life.”
His cousin, Francis Galton, became convinced that natural selection did not work quite so effectively with humans as with the animal kingdom, so it needed a helping hand through the science of eugenics.
This Fruit of the Enlightenment gained support for decades.
Galton in “Hereditary Genius” (1869) wrote on “The Comparative Worth of Different Races.”
“… we would expect, as a corollary of the evolution theory, that human families would differ from one another in hereditary ability.”
The conclusion is reached ” that the average standard of the negro race is two grades below our own”; that the Australian native is at least one grade below the African; that the Lowland Scot and the English North-Coun-
try man is “decidedly a fraction of a grade superior of the ordinary English.” [Eugenics Review 1951 April 43(1):20]
This notion of the hierarchy of races has a long life.
In 1935 “Non-Britishers in Australia: Influence on Population and Progress” had a foreword by the leading history scholar of the time, Ernest Scott.
“ The ideological basis of the “modern emphasis upon race is due largely to the writings of the French Count Gobineau. That philosopher contended: “The history of
mankind proves that the destinies of people are governed by a racial law. Neither irreligion, no immorality, no luxurious living, nor weakness of government causes the decadence of civilisations. If a nation goes down, the reason is that its blood, the race itself is deteriorating.”
In 2022 our Prime Minister, speaking outside St Andrews Ukrainian Church promised to allocate additional places to Australia’s current humanitarian refugee intake, to accommodate those fleeing the unfolding war in Ukraine.
No such offer was made to the 700,000 displaced Afghans. [11 March 2022 Independent Australia]
We all saw how African residents fleeing Ukraine were treated by Christian Poland.
“Its government … has warmly welcomed traumatised Ukrainians, just months after turning away Afghans…”
However there are other reasons why there has been such a difference between attitudes in the Western media towards Ukrainians and the brown skinned refugees:
Sonali Kolhatkar television and radio producer on Free Speech TV and Pacifica stations writes: “Welcoming those people fleeing wars that the West has fomented would be an admission of Western culpability. Not only do Ukrainian refugees offer palatable infusions of whiteness into European nations, but they also enable governments to express self-righteous outrage at Russia’s imperialist ambitions and violent militarism.” [8 March 2022 Independent Australia]
Alongside this we must place the dominant attitude of so many compatriots towards our First Nations people.
The ‘black armband view of history” decried by the white conservatives has just been illustrated by the outstanding work of the work of the team at the University of Newcastle’s Centre for the 21st Century Humanities, itself a fruit of the positive side of the Enlightenment. [https://c21ch.newcastle.edu.au/colonialmassacres/introduction. php]
It is becoming increasingly hard for the deniers of reality to smooth over this history.
Bilal Cleland is a keen reader, a prolific writer and a regular columnist of AMUST based in Melbourne.
Dr Daud Batchelor
As we face Federal elections before 21 May, it’s timely to review how political systems relate with Islam. This is a topic beyond the scope of a short article, so we’ll address just a few key aspects.
Some years ago, my research found that monarchial Muslim states displayed more Islamic political elements than in democratic systems.
Since then however, some monarchies (Saudi, UAE) have become authoritarian and arguably less Islamic. On the other hand, democratic countries, Indonesia, Tunisia and Malaysia, have topped in terms of Islamic Well-Being, evaluated from Objectives of Islamic law (Maqasid al-Shari’ah) perspectives.
Essential elements of an Islamic political system include: Rule of law; Justice (‘Adl); Social justice; Popular representation; Freedom of expression; and Decision-making by consultation (Shura’). Each can be justified Islamically, and each are elements of an ideal democracy. This will surprise Pauline Hanson, who claims incorrectly, that Islam and democracy are incompatible.
Mohammed Hashim Kamali, states that amongst Muslim scholars (himself, Rachid Ghannouchi, Yusuf al-Qaradawi), the view strengthens that a democratic system is acceptable to Islam.
“This is because democracy is about fundamental rights and liberties, rule of law,
representative government, and equality before the law.” Islam “takes affirmative positions on protecting/realizing people’s welfare and maslahah [benefit], consultative government committed to accountability, and justice.”
Sheikh Al-Qaradawi noted: “The essence of democracy is most definitely in agreement with the essence of Islam, provided we go back to original sources – Qur’an, Sunna, and acts of Rightly Guided caliphs.”
In a democracy, he says: “humanity found such practical approaches as elections, majority rule, multiparty systems, right of the minority to express opposition, and judicial independence.”
He states: “Among [negative] arguments advanced by [some] Islamists … is that democracy rests on majority opinion. Islam, … does not [necessarily] privilege one opinion over others simply because of the majority principle. This is true since Islam weighs an opinion to determine whether it is correct or incorrect [from Islamic principles].”
This verse is relevant: If you obeyed most of those on earth, they would lead you away from God’s Path.
(Quran 6:116)
There can however, be voting on matters of judgement open to differing opinions.
The majority principle is necessary to decide such disagreements, since a view held by two is ordinarily likely to be better than that held by one. Voting then, is valid to resolve such disagreements.
Allah holds absolute authority, so electoral democracy in a country aspiring to follow Islamic principles, does not authorize the people/government to change Islamic beliefs, devotional principles (‘ibadat), halal
and haram, or essentials of morality grounded in the Qur’an and Sunnah.
However, the Islamic doctrine of syariah-oriented policy (siyasah al-Shar’iyyah) enables authorities to address issues/problems through shariah-compliant ordinances. This represents a residual authority, which the government exercises on behalf of citizens.
In the Muslim world today, we are recovering our ethical-legal teachings/practices that were severely curtailed under colonialism and many aspects fell into disuse.
However, Islam is the vibrant religion of Truth relevant for all times, and once demonstrated and the fruits tasted, has power to attract afresh hearts and minds to adopt its precepts.
Australian Muslims often baulk to vote in elections, taking the view they cannot vote
for a party that may support un-Islamic policies.
However, such a stance may waste their vote, which could be used to elect a party that does most ‘good.’
The objection is overcome by the Islamic legal maxim of “Taking the lesser of two evils” (choosing the course resulting in less harm).
So, we do have a duty to examine party polices and make the best choice for the Muslim community, and indeed the country as a whole, from our Islamic perspective.
Its government … has warmly welcomed traumatised Ukrainians, just months after turning away Afghans…
“
This will surprise Pauline Hanson, who claims incorrectly, that Islam and democracy are incompatible.
“
“
The formation of AUKUS and India’s Quad Conundrum have become a heated discussion in the international forums lately.
The Quad concept was first floated in 2007 by Japanese ex-prime minister Shinzo Abe, possibly out of China fear. During the first decade of the 21st century, the Quad (Quadrilateral Security Dialogue) members (Australia, Japan, India, and the USA) were mesmerised to make economic connectivity with China, as such, the Quad idea went into hibernation despite some progress.
But after a decade, none but all Quad members turned into adversaries to China. When the USA started to realize that rising China posed a credible challenge to the USA’s global hegemony, especially in the Indo-Pacific region, the Quad idea again got started to reinvigorate after 2017. China remained at loggerheads with
all the Quad countries which became more evident during the Covid-19 pandemic.
It was too late to understand the Communist Party of China played the strategy so successfully that the Quad countries remained preoccupied to fight their respective old enemies, and at the same time, China, covertly, brought a chasm among the Quad countries.
India remained obsessed with Pakistan’s terrorist threats, and the USA remained engaged with North Korea and Iran over the nuclear threat. Moreover, the West saw the rise of some despotic leaders in the Middle East as their main threat that led AIPAC (America Israel Public Affairs Committee) to persuade the USA and its allies to attack Iraq in an unjust war in 2003. Even India didn’t allow Australia to participate in the Malabar Naval Exercise, which is considered as part of the Quad activity.
The USA was late to appreciate who the real enemy was. When Joe Biden came to power, he called in the first-ever Quad leaders’ level virtual summit in March 2021 that drew the world’s attention to Quad. Regrettably, the meeting outcome couldn’t give a clear direction of Quad’s
purpose. Quad members and strategic thinkers have shown mixed reactions over the success of Quad.
India was very happy to see the revitalization of Quad as it became a moral support for India to counter China. However, India’s continued relation with Russia and buying S-400 missile system from Russia despite the US’s warning, and also rise of extremism degrading the human rights within India, the USA, possibly, remained skeptical over the consensus action of Quad. China knew it well and planned her strategy accordingly to counter Quad.
Amidst these heightened uncertainties, on 15 September 2021, the USA announced a new alliance called AUKUS (Australia, the UK, the USA) that reverberated the whole world. It aroused huge discussion among the strategists where India appeared forlorn and desolate. The USA aimed to create credible deterrence that became evident as China has slammed AUKUS as “highly irresponsible” and said it could trigger a nuclear arms race.
The AUKUS members are all-weather-tested friends being the same family of Anglo-Saxon like Five-Eyes countries of intelligence alliance. The AUKUS countries will now have more confidence in sharing hi-tech equipment which the USA would not
share with India. Till now the USA shared nuclear-powered technology with the UK only. India is likely to watch the perplexing development of AUKUS from the sideline where the importance of Quad would be debilitating as a consequential result of the rise of AUKUS.
The USA’s grand strategy is to control and maintain its hegemony over the entire region of Indo-Pacific through Indo-Pacific Strategy (IPS) which has been challenged by rising China. China’s continued assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region mainly in the South China Sea would likely compel the USA to act as a bellwether of AUKUS at the same time maintaining the ties with allied littoral countries of the Indo-Pacific region, where India would have insignificant opportunity to contribute.
Kazi Haq is a retired Commodore from Bangladesh Navy and an electrical engineer. He served as Director in Prime Minister’s Office, National Parliament, and Managing Director of a dockyard. Kazi is the founding member of BIMRAD(Bangladesh Institute of Maritime Research and Development). He is now based in Sydney.
The USA’s grand strategy is to control and maintain its hegemony over the entire region of Indo-Pacific through Indo-Pacific Strategy (IPS) which has been challenged by rising China.
In the land of public relations, everybody aims for tremendous reach. Most of the time, that means mainstream media. However, communicators often forget that the type of audiences you reach matters – the old “quality versus quantity” debate.
As a communicator, it confuses me when others in my field palm off multicultural media as insignificant. This outdated contention does a great disservice to the Australian landscape and means that crucial audience segments are not being met with messages.
Multicultural media can achieve something that mainstream media cannot. It provides and caters to a range of diverse voices and communities, and those with different backgrounds – such as migrants who now mistrust mainstream news – are more likely to engage with media appropriately tailored to the unique aspects of their lives.
The global pandemic reminded us that culturally, linguistically, and religiously diverse communities don’t engage with –or trust – media in the same way as other audiences. Australia’s history of misrepresentation, racist and dangerous reporting has created widespread scepticism toward conventional news channels.
Examples are never far away: consider the racialising of Melbourne’s “African gang problem”, where the media have consistently targeted and vilified the South Sudanese community, eliciting an “Apology of the Year” recognition by ABC TV’s Media Watch. Such media efforts create a dangerous potential to tarnish communities, encourage further discrimination and violence, and disastrously impact social cohesion.
Multicultural media has often been labelled a small initiative, lacking the style of mainstream reporting – it is underfunded, and usually run on a volunteer basis. It’s seen as a “cute” service for nostalgic migrants, as a means of segregating people into cultural ghettos of communication, or simply tacked on as a “nice to have” on communications plans.
However, this is a gross misrepresentation of the powerful force that is multicultural and community-focused media.
Media that is community-focused and community-centric is developed in an appropriate, respectful, and impactful fashion. Through mediums like print, radio, videos and online news, community initiatives are translated to the right audiences.
Community initiatives employing these mediums are used to discuss problems, and offer solutions faced by diverse communities, with adequate consideration for their cultural, linguistic and religious backgrounds and values. Through an array of opportunities, multicultural media allows you to connect meaningfully and effectively with different groups in a way that mainstream media cannot, or will not.
So, the next time you are planning a communications campaign, consider the following.
1. Australia is a country rich in diversity and culture, it is an oversight to not cater towards the many communities within our country.
Australia has a long history of multiculturalism and is now home to Australians who identify with over 270 ancestries. Over 7 million people identify as coming from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Over one-quarter of Australia’s population was born overseas.
This rich, culturally diverse population is one of our greatest strengths in illustrating successful and harmonious multiculturalism. Australia has one of the highest numbers of migrants in the world and the highest immigration rates – accounting for 30 per cent of the world’s population, the greatest proportion among western countries.
Multicultural media dates back to the 1800s in Australia: the first non-English language newspaper published in Australia was a bi-lingual German newspaper. Subsequently, there were radio commercials in the 1900s that led to the foundation of the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS).
Their contemporary tagline, Six Billion Stories and Counting, reflects the value of SBS’s extraordinary efforts to the Australian multicultural media landscape for its cultural and creative diversity.
Today, the multicultural media landscape has expanded to over 100 community radio stations, in over 100 languages and media organisations from different cultural and religious groups, that broadcast news in print and online, in English and other languages.
2. Multicultural media is a tremendous opportunity for mindful and appropriate messaging.
Multicultural media channels have developed historically to become more mindful, influential, dynamic and pervasive in the Australian media landscape. It ensures that there is more authenticity in stories and media reporting.
Community-focused outlets and channels can facilitate a sense of belonging and social cohesion among first and subsequent generation migrants, and drive further connection between migrants of CALD backgrounds and other social groups, especially in their local communities.
Over time, multicultural media outlets
have taken matters and public affairs into their own hands, finding ways to tell their stories in their own words, empowering their community by speaking up for themselves.
Years ago, the narrative was only one viewpoint. Today, multiple viewpoints, perspectives and opinions are now shared across print, radio, video, and online, underscoring the importance of freedom of speech, and our privilege to have it in Australia.
By providing diverse and unique communities with trusted media, we can ensure that they don’t miss crucial information, while highlighting to the general Australian public that different cultures and communities face various issues – from systemic racism and discrimination – to limited access to vital resources.
3. Multicultural media fills in the gaps that mainstream media overlooks.
Through multicultural media, we are provided the opportunity to access untapped networks comprising organisations, initiatives and – most importantly – people. There are entire audiences rich in cultural diversity, background and history that aren’t consuming or appearing in mainstream news.
Incredible stories are getting missed, important audiences are being ignored, and your campaign efforts are lacking a more well-rounded, inclusive and holistic ap-
proach to communications.
Off the back of the pandemic, it is unsurprising that Australians are gradually becoming more selective in their news, turning away from mainstream sources. Globally, only one in two people trust the media, with this metric in Australia experiencing one of the biggest drops over the last year.
It’s thus undeniable that community-specific media wields a unique power. Its unbiased, sincere, nuanced and grassroots reporting means that more Australians will opt for such channels. It offers a significant and meaningful contribution to the Australian media landscape.
As multicultural media continues to expand rapidly, the quality and content of these outlets have been noticed nationally in the last decade.
The Australian government, in each state, has Multicultural Media Awards to showcase excellence in sharing stories and news in multicultural media outlets operating on limited budgets. The awards recognise the valuable contributions from multicultural media platforms that promote a united, harmonious and inclusive society.
Check out the winners of the NSW Premier’s Multicultural Communications Awards, the Victorian Multicultural Commission Awards, the Western Australian Multicultural Awards, and the Multicultural Queensland Awards.
As managing editor for AMUST News, Mobinah Ahmad was a finalist for the Young Journalist of the Year at the NSW Premier’s Multicultural Media Awards, along with AMUST News receiving Best Commentary of the Year, Photo of the Year, Media Outlet of the Year, Best Print Publication, Best Print Report, and Lifetime Achievement Award for their Editor-in-Chief.
If you need help with reaching multicultural media, government engagement, or assistance with a strategic communications strategy or PR outreach, contact Fifty Acres on 02 6281 7350 or visit fiftyacres.com.au/
This article was originally published by Pro Bono Australia: http://ow.ly/BVVE50IqNrw.
Mobinah Ahmad is an account director at Fifty Acres and the Managing Editor for AMUST News. She is based in Gold Coast, Australia.
This rich, culturally diverse population is one of our greatest strengths in illustrating successful and harmonious multiculturalism.
There are entire audiences rich in cultural diversity, background and history that aren’t consuming or appearing in mainstream news.
Alsu Kurlow
(HAA), the highly popular charity organisation celebrated its 30th Anniversary and hosted its 15th Year 12 Muslim Achievement Awards in five cities across Australia in February/ March 2022.
Imam Mufti Menk, the much-loved nasheed artist Mesut Kurtis – and comedian Preacher Moss participated in the celebratory occasion.
In conjunction with the 30th anniversary HAA hosted its 15th Year 12 Muslim Achievement Awards acknowledging the outstanding achievements of HSC students who received an ATAR of 90% and above, recognising their hard work and dedication.
Each student was awarded with a certificate of appreciation and valuable gift. Simultaneously on a national level in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth.
The events were successful in highlighting the achievements of Human Appeal’s 30 years as a charity organisation, and for celebrating the Year 12 Muslim Achievement for the 15th year. An incredible 396 students were awarded nationwide.
Starting with Adelaide on Saturday 26 February, 19 students were awarded at the Fulham Gardens, The Grand Ballroom. The ceremony began with acknowledging the traditional owners of the land and Quran recitation by Sheikh Riad Al Rifa’i.
Branch Manager of Human Appeal’s Adelaide office, Ali Kadir welcomed guests, acknowledging the high achievers and outlining the work Human Appeal Australia has been doing for the past 30 years, locally and overseas. The Hon. Jing Lee MLC, The Assistant Minister to the Premier of South Australia spoke on Ethics of Success. Followed by the event in Perth on Sunday 27 February in the prestigious Duxton Hotel. 30 students awarded accompanied by their families and a number of community leaders and dignitaries which included: Honourable Mayor of Gosnells Terresa Lynes; Cr. Sara Saberi – Councillor of Canning; Mr. Ibrahim Latheef Strategic Advisor WA Police Force; Mr. Abdullah Khan CEP and Executive Principle of AIC and Dr. Rateb Jneid-President of AFIC.
This night was truly a night of celebration where high achievers, community leaders, and politicians celebrated the achievement of amazing students
On Friday 4 March, another weekend of celebration started in Brisbane honouring 48 students. Despite heavy rain and wind, the event was well received by the attendees, where they were accompanied by an engaging program, led by the Masrur Alam and Nishat Siddique (students High Achievers) as the MC of the night.
“I’d like to take this moment to send my thoughts & prayers to the victims of the flooding here in Queensland. Just yesterday I was with the Human Appeal team in Brisbane where we coordinated with local authorities to help clean the affected homes in the suburb of Oxley in Western Brisbane and provided food hampers to the victims of the floods. All of our success would not have been possible without the grace of Allah and then you, our beloved community. What made this a reality is the strong bonds we have built over the last 3 decades with our mosques, schools, community organizations and local businesses. However, most importantly it was thanks to you, our incredible donors and volunteers. Your sacrifice & generosity is highly appreciated and I ask that you may find the best of rewards in this life & the hereafter,” said Director of Human Appeal Australia Bashar Al-Jamal.
On Saturday 5 March 2022, the event took place in Melbourne at Ultima Function Centre and was attended by students, members of the community, politicians, school principals, businesses and family members. 86 Students were awarded certificates of recognition and
were gifted iPads.
The ceremony was opened with the amazing recitation of the Quran by Dr Hayssam Rifai Imam from the Australian Islamic Centre. All guests absolutely loved the performance and remarks of the Comedian Preacher Moss, amongst applause and laughter, the guests also sang along to much loved nasheeds with artist Mesut Kurtis’s unique talent shining through every performance.
The night was enjoyed and appreciated by many, with a parent of one of the awarded students writing to Human Appeal Australia to express the family’s gratitude “Thank you for organising and setting up a wonderful event. It was very humbling to reflect on the massive efforts Human Appeal Australia have
channelled so much towards helping the wider community locally and overseas.”
On Sunday 6 March guests and students enjoyed a wonderful celebration awards ceremony at the Waterview in Bicentennial Park, in Sydney, where an incredible 213 students were awarded on the night. Students were honoured for their hard work, awarded certificates of recognition and were gifted 9th generation iPads.
Human Appeal Australia would like to congratulate all the Year 12 students of 2021 for their success and wish them all the best in the near future.
Victoria’s first large-scale mosque, Omar bin Al-Khattab Mosque “Preston Mosque”, re-opened its doors on 30 March 2022 following a $6.5million renovation and expansion mostly funded by the community. The vibrant community hub welcomed the public back into the revitalised space in the lead-up to Ramadan.
Since 1976, Preston Mosque has been the beating heart of Melbourne’s Muslim community, typically serving up to 800 people per day across the five daily prayers, and over 1,500 during the Friday congregational prayer. The additional 1175sqm expansion will make room for a further 1000 worshippers, providing a new capacity well over 2,500 people in total, and making it Victoria’s largest modern Mosque, and one of the largest in all of Australia.
Environmental sustainability was a core focus and it will have 215 solar panels to generate over 97MWh in the first year, equating to over 102 tonnes of carbon offset.
The redevelopment has coincided with a surge in active Muslim worshippers and
community needs, with the Mosque estimating it welcomes over 30 different nationalities each week, while witnessing an estimated 20% percent increase in active participants – with a strong women component – since the beginning of the pandemic.
The Mosque is already well known for once being led and co-founded by the late Sheikh Fehmi Naji El-Imam, who was appointed as Grand Mufti of Australia from 2007 to 2011.
More than just a place of worship, Preston Mosque offers a wide variety of services for all community members, regardless of their faith or background. Services include a range of religious offerings such as Islamic Weddings, Islamic Funeral Services and Zakkat (almsgiving), as well as interfaith welfare events and community programs.
These programs include Mosque tours open to all, Youth Services and Games Room, Islamic Weekend School, Community Welfare Support, Educational Program and Speaker Series, Women’s Prayer Rooms, Community Groups and Dedicated Women’s Services and Community Recreational Spaces which include a café, library, and playground. Preston Mosque also hosts regular community festivals and events,
aimed at creating a sense of social integration and harmony amongst the community.
Islamic Society of Victoria President, Tarek Khodr said, “For as long as I can remember, Preston Mosque has been a hub for many things – a place of gathering, prayer and learning, and a place for all people. We’re excited to unveil the new redeveloped Preston Mosque, and to welcome our community back to celebrate Ramadan in this special place that means so much to so many.”
“The Mosque is much more than just a place of worship for many. It’s a place where new migrants can come and connect with work services, we run Domestic Violence programs and Mental Health education; this is a true 21st century Mosque.”
“We’re proud to be known as a central, safe and vibrant hub for Melbourne’s Muslim community, but we also pride ourselves on being a sanctuary for all. No matter your faith or background, Preston Mosque welcomes you, and hopes to educate and support through our comprehensive service offerings.”
The Independent Chair of the ISV Building Committee, Moustafa Fahour OAM, said, “Rebuilding one of Victoria’s first and most well-known Mosques was an honour, but it came with significant responsibility.”
“Our philosophy was focused on retaining the architectural elements of the mosque and its multicultural history in its original build, however accommodating for the growing needs and services of Muslims in Victoria.”
“The design leveraged its existing architectural element, while introducing traditional Quranic calligraphy across the
mosque, with Islamic geometric art, LED lighting, bronze featured elements inside, and the restoration of the original dome, wrapped in green cladding.”
While the much-needed expansion and redevelopment has brought the mosque into the 21st century, historical features like the original and striking 18-tonne dome and tall Minaret remain. Significant cultural references such as Islamic geometric patterns, traditional calligraphy, Islamic Art and carpets imported from Turkey can be seen throughout the mosque, as well as an Imam prayer area made from bronze.
To find out more about Preston Mosque, please visit The Islamic Society of Victoria: https://isv.org.au/
Mei Nee is a marketing professional who has worked across the arts, arts education and travel. She is currently the Media and Marketing Manager at the Islamic Museum of Australia and is based in Melbourne, Australia
A mesmerising, interactive light installation inspired by the medieval Islamic philosophy of illumination openend at Melbourne’s Islamic Museum of Australia on Thursday 24 March 2022.
Hayakal al Noor, Bodies of Light is the work of Sydney based media installation artist, Narjis Mirza.
The setting of the space in Hayakal al Noor is complete darkness, illuminated by a vivid projection of animated Arabic Huroof (letters), falling on translucent chiffon silk. The Arabic calligraphy is composed of the mysterious and isolated letters of the Quran that do not form words; they have an aesthetic and spiritual significance in Islamic traditions, and appear as small bodies of light.
Museum Founder and Director, Moustafa Fahour OAM said the installation is quite unlike any other visiting exhibition the Museum has previously hosted.
“From the minute you walk through the door, the Hayakal al Noor experience is enveloping. Our senses of sight, touch, sound and smell are immediately engaged,” said Mr Fahour.
“The Museum is thrilled to host the work
of a talented artist who is highly regarded in her field of work,” he said.
Artist Narjis Mirza says installation art is helpful in inducing a sense of wonder.
“My installation practice taps into many territories: it’s time based, space based, bodily based and has the potential of creating an experience that can be outside the body,” said Ms Mirza.
“In Hayakal al Noor, that which is seen is further intensified by sound and fragrance. The viewer may also feel the soft texture of the fabric as they walk through the space,” she said.
Islamic Museum of Australia Curator Dr Mahmoud Mohammed adds that the exhibition will appeal to a wide audience.
“Even without knowing the meaning of the words and Arabic letters, anyone who enters the space will be immersed in the serene atmosphere and meditative experience the exhibition offers,” said Dr Mohammed.
Hayakal al Noor is on display at the Museum from 24 March – 9 July 2022.
The Islamic Museum of Australia is located in Thornbury, in Melbourne’s north. It is the only Islamic museum in the country and provides educational and cross-cultural experiences for all ages. The Museum is open 10am – 4pm, Monday to Saturday.
An International Women’s Day event was organised on Sunday 6 March 2022 by House of Sakinah Women Support Centre (HOS) in conjunction with the celebration of 9 years of HOS since it was initiated by Charity Australia International (CAI) in 2013.
This event was just one of the many Courage after COVID programs, which included workshops held in February and March at various locations as a part of the Empowering and Supporting Local Communities
Grant by Multicultural NSW.
The Event served as a retreat for the many ladies attending after being isolated due to COVID so that they could enjoy and relax on this fun day full of food, stalls and many activities at the Glenwood Community Hub.
Highlights of the Women’s Day and its 9th Anniversary celebration was presented to the community, in terms of all the hard work being done by house of Sakinah in helping women who are in distress and victims of domestic violence needing crisis assistance. The presentation included testimonials and how over the years many types of cases have been taken care of by HOS
where women who needed financial assistance, crisis accommodation, and emotional and psychological support.
The event was also geared towards providing a platform to allow for small business owners in the community to flourish, especially as their businesses had suffered during the COVID lockdown. There was an amazing range of food stalls courtesy of Cafe Pyala in Parramatta, Mehfil Biryani in Auburn and Deap Sweets in Blacktown. There were also many other stalls like clothing, shoes, home-made jewellery and candles, henna and art stalls to ensure we support and give exposure to a range of businesses in the community.
They also had the honour of hosting Local MP Michelle Rowland who spoke about how
she appreciates the support services HOS are providing for the community members in need, as well as another esteemed guest Ms Sabrin Farooqui. She is the Founder and President of Cultural Diversity Network Incorporated – CDNI, and is a passionate community advocate for social justice and cultural diversity. She enlightened us with her words of wisdom about her experiences in the community during her many years of service.
House of Sakinah wishes to thank its many volunteers who met regularly on a weekly basis to make this day a success.
Since Ramadan last year, we’ve had the opportunity to launch our Real Talk series with a diverse range of individuals from the Australian Muslim community, active influential and quiet achievers alike.
With each episode, we’ve been able to dive into topics not normally discussed by our community, while openly addressing the scars we as Muslims are still learning to heal from today.
The purpose of Real Talk is to have honest conversations with real people, experts, and people of knowledge about real problems facing our generation which, if not healed, will haunt the generations we leave behind. We tend to connect a relevant NZF program as a theme for each episode.
Some of the most prominent and well received topics were based on our Healing Forward (Domestic Violence), New Beginnings (Drugs & Addiction), Smiling Minds (Mental Health Recovery) and Breaking Barriers (Muslims with special needs) programs to name a few.
Our most recent episode featured Raian Hoblos. We were extremely impressed by her passion for raising awareness and advocating for the needs of Deaf Muslims. As a Deaf Muslim herself, we knew she would be perfect to collaborate with, particularly for NZF’s Breaking Barriers program.
As one of our volunteers, Denise is an AUSLAN interpreter by profession, she was excited to network with Raian and get her ideas on where she thought we should start. We discussed how NZF could support the Deaf Muslims and we organised a Real Talk episode, for the purpose of raising awareness about the needs of Deaf Muslims, within the wider Muslim community.
In addition, we are currently working with Raian on other great initiatives for the Deaf community.
Tune in this Ramadan, we have an exciting range of Real Talk episodes lined up with an array of different topics and guests. Join the conversation about how we can strengthen our community here in Australia for the sake of Allah.
If you’d like to join us as a guest or collaborate on this initiative, contact us directly via info@nzf.org.au.
If you’d like to simply stay in touch and keep up to date with our latest Real Talk episodes tune into our Facebook Live sessions and follow us on our social media pages @nzfaus.
If you’re going through a difficult time and need help, please reach out to us at https://www.nzf.org.au/apply or call us on 1300 663 729.
If you would like to support Muslims in need locally and help us continue with these great initiatives, please feel free to donate directly at https://www.nzf.org.au/pay.
The Holy Month of Ramadan is a time of fasting, prayer and charity and is a reminder of the important contribution Australian Muslims make in our community. As we welcome the beginning of Ramadan this week, I wish all Muslims the very best for a Blessed Ramadan.
Teens on Deen, a Sydney based program for female teenagers about finding, creating, and developing their identity was hosted by the Islamic Sciences and Research Academy of Australia (ISRA) on Sunday 20 March 2022 at the Mercure Hotel in Hoxton Park.
Project managers, Baseerah Khalil and Toreen Sulaiman created this event to help female teenagers feel comfortable with their identity and give them a chance to relate to one another.
The girls were allocated to tables that had workbooks containing the event schedule and activities. Each table had a mentor to guide the girls through the different activities.
The event started off with a welcome note by Aisha Elmir, the MC, followed by a Quran recitation by Zahra Toufaili.
The first talk was given by Ameena Hijazi, called The 3 Who’s which focused on the
Islamic, ethnic and Australian identity within a Muslim’s life. She talked about how to embrace and differentiate them. In groups, the girls discussed and solved cultural, religious, and socially challenging scenarios that they might have experienced.
The girls then had a tea break with snacks offered by the hotel. They also used this time to socialise with each other and the mentors.
The second activity was about giving the girls an opportunity to voice their opinions, ideas, and concerns about social, physical, spiritual, emotional, and intellectual issues. They were given time to discuss amongst themselves and when they finished a microphone went around the room so that they could share their thoughts.
After that, there was a recitation of a poem by Asmaa Elmir about the strength of women.
The second talk called the ‘Invisible Influencer’ by Mobinah Ahmad was about how to manage and balance the use of social media. She explained that social media was the invisible influencer in the girls’ lives, and instead of it controlling the girls, they could control it by turning off notifications and only opening it when they wanted to.
The girls did an activity where they wrote a problem in their life on a piece of paper and a box went around the room for them to put their folded up paper anonymously. Mobinah went through some problems explaining how they could deal with them.
Lunch was provided by the hotel followed by Dhuhr prayer.
Then there was a poetry workshop that produced creative and beautifully written poems.
Following the recitation of some poems, the event finished with a closing note from Baseerah and Toreen, and reflections from the girls. One of the participant said that she felt very included and many girls were thankful for the opportunity that Baseerah and Toreen had created.
Zayna Siddiqui is an avid reader and a seeker of knowledge. She is passionate about helping others in need.
Wishing you all a month full of blessings and peaceful reflection with loved ones, friends and family
Dr Chelat Quasim, a well known community leader received the Volunteer of the Year Award 2022 from Mayor Cr Tony Bleasdale OAM at the Blacktown City Multicultural Awards Evening held on Friday 25 March at the Glenwood Community Hub in Western Sydney.
Blacktown Multicultural Policy and Strategy was adopted by Council in 2019. These awards recognise and celebrate the extraordinary contributions made and leadership shown by the residents from multicultural backgrounds, local multicultural service providers and businesses within Blacktown LGA.
Dr Quasim, resident of Blacktown City Council, was nominated for the award by Mr Abbas Raza Alvi, President, Indian Crescent Society of Australia Inc (ICSOA) for consideration as a senior who has been silently serving the Blacktown City community for the last three decades.
Dr Quasim (PhD in Chemistry), retired scientist and ardent researcher in Quran and Science for the last five decades, settled in Blacktown, NSW during the mid 1980’s.
Dr Quasim has been instrumental in inspiring and mentoring people from multicultural backgrounds in various community projects. For 35 years consistently and still ongoing, he has guided new migrants to help them to settle quickly and thus easily take active part in the large Australian community.
The award ceremony event was an interesting night filled with multicultural performances such as by Aboriginal Nulungu Dreaming, the ladies dance by the Blacktown Nepalese Community, Polish folk dance by Polish Song and Dance Ensemble Lajkonik, Pacific Island Performance by Mana at Heart and the African drummers from Ghana, each group livened up the evening with their stunning performances.
The first keynote speaker Om Dhungel consultant, Strength-Based Approach spoke of his personal experience as a refugee from Bhutan, his work in refugee settlement, community development and refugee support work. Second keynote speaker Pino Migliorino Chair and Managing Director, Cultural Perspectives Group spoke of his involvement in ethnic affairs and multicultural policy and how much he enjoys his work in the ethnic community of over 40 years across three sectors of government administration
The MC was Akano Amunda and the program started with Welcome to Country by Aboriginal elder Aunty Julie Clarke Jones, the introduction of the current board and newly elected Blacktown Council, and Mayoral welcome. Other chief guests included Councillor Carol Israel, Chair of the Multicultural Advisory Committee, Councillor Julie Griffiths JP, community leader Abbas Chelat and many others.,
Dinner was served in between the program – a buffet of scrumptious Afghan cuisine by caterer Tamim Hashimi followed by dessert of Indian and Lebanese sweets.
Dr Quasim was born at Tirur, Kerala State India in 1934 and obtained his tertiary education from University of Poona, India graduating with Bachelor of Science in Biology and Chemistry, Masters and Doctorate in Chemistry.
He was a research scientist at National Chemical Laboratory in the field of Medicinal Plants and Industrial chemicals from 1959-1972. He has 11 research publications in academic journals and four patents in Medicinal Chemistry.
He worked in Nigeria for 13 years as a science teacher and resource developer for science teachers of Kano State of Nigeria. He developed Islamic Religious Knowledge curriculum for HSC level (co-curricular activity). He published several science-related Quran articles in the early 1980s.
From 1986 he worked in Australia as an industrial chemist. For 20 years on weekends, he taught the holy Quran in different locations in Sydney. He organised and held science related discussions in community
A fundraising dinner was organised by Lakemba Islamic Centre at the Highline Venue in Bankstown on Sunday 13 March 2022.
Lakemba is a thriving multicultural suburb in southwest Sydney with a diverse large Muslim population.
Considering the urgent need of local residents for a community centre including the prayer facilities, Islamic Practice and Dawah Circle (IPDC), a renowned religious community organisation in Australia, initiated this centre about a decade ago.
Lakemba Islamic Centre (LIC) provides prayer facilities including the Juma and Eid prayer, study circles and learning activities for the children
It also offers Ramadan Iftars, Qur’an competition, Dawah activities, learning activities for new Muslims, participation in local community development and informal social work.
Although the centre was officially established in 2015, the organisation was not able to collect enough funds to pay back the loan taken for the construction cost. The COVID-19 situation also hindered the progress to some extent.
Therefore, the centre organised this fundraising dinner event that attracted enormous support from the Muslim communities in
Australia.
Hundreds of participants attended this event along with their friends and family members to support this valuable project in the heart of Lakemba.
The program was moderated by the coordinator of this fundraising dinner Mahmud Alam while Sheikh Shadi AlSuleiman, the President ANIC, Dr Rafiqul Islam, Central President of IPDC, Eng Monir Hossain, Central Deputy President of IPDC, Kamal Mahmud, State President of IPDC NSW, and Sheikh Abu Hurayra, Imam of the St Mary’s Masjid, were among the guests and dignitaries present at the event.
Several other community leaders, religious leaders and social workers were present helping to make the event successful. Participants in this fundraising dinner made a great number of commitments to support the LIC project.
centres which were well attended.
Dr Quasim provided free science and mathematics tuition based on past exam papers to Year 12 students from multicultural backgrounds and organised awards to be presented in front of large public gatherings such as the annual Multicultural Eid Festival and Fair (MEFF) held at Fairfield Showground to inspire young people to further their achievements in the best possible way to contribute to the larger Australian community both at individual and community level.
He is a Malayalam and Hindi language interpreter for Western Health Sydney and during COVID lockdown has assisted health professionals with patients from Indian backgrounds.
Dr Quasim guides families on social issues with emphasis on moral values, health
and nutrition in community situations for the young, adult and elderly. He also inspires others to do the same and to continue the process.
During his last 50 years of academic service to raise awareness in the Quran and the scientific lessons that Quran teaches, Dr Quasim has experienced a noteworthy interest and raised awareness among both Muslims and non-Muslims.
Dr Quasim has a YouTube Channel called Science in Quran on which he runs social media campaigns with posters created on Quran and Science subjects for the last 12 years. His channel has over 25,000 subscribers around the world..
Fousiya Bismi, based in Sydney is a family law advisor, student of comparative religions and a community activist.
Joumana Eljamal
Sydney Community Connect Inc (SCCI) celebrated International Women’s Day with a dinner and awards, on Wednesday 16 March 2022 at The Lemnos By Clarence House in Belmore, in order to recognise high achievers in the community.
The main purpose of this event was to achieve several goals that align with SCCI’s vision and acknowledge women who have dedicated their time to social work, charity services and education being role models in various fields where they have had a lasting impact on the local Australian communities.
These extraordinary women were nom-
inated by the public and duly selected by a specified women’s committee.
It was a social evening where businesses, charities and the like, came together after a tragic year of COVID, embrace their achievements and continue to be inspired through invited speakers including local politicians and business leaders.
The evening also included a multicultural parade and allowed an opportunity for networking enabling women to reach out, exchange, and build relations to empower each other.
The event created a safe and enjoyable space to celebrate the diversity in the Australian community at large.
Joumana Menzalji El Jamal is the Director/ Chairperson of Sydney Community Connect SCCI and the Founder of Dusty Pink By Joumana, in the modest fashion industry.
Young Muslims Network Australia (YMNA), a project of Islamic Circle of Australia & New Zealand (iCAN) holds technology driven programs each year at different locations within Australia.
Despite being in the midst of a pandemic YMNA organised Robotics workshops at seven different locations across NSW: Auburn, Edmondson Park, Chester Hill, Rooty Hill, Wollongong, Quakers Hill and Mayfield.
The project aimed to give the youth a better understanding of new and emerging technologies in order to be better equipped within the rapidly progressing modern world.
Furthermore, it hoped to increase the interest of the kids in this field and hone their creativity and thinking skills in a unique way.
The program saw over 200 kids register
and participate in these workshops, with a team of over 50 volunteers assisting to bring the workshops into fruition at a highly professional level.
Each participant received a BBC microbit kit- a pocket-sized computer that introduces how software and hardware interact- and was awarded a certificate upon the completion of the workshop.
The content of these workshops was designed to produce an optimal learning experience, as it included theory, hands-on projects and even a glance at possible pathways in the robotics field.
The youth hence gained a unique, insightful learning experience under the guidance of professionals while enjoying refreshments and the company of each other.
Khaled Shaikh is an IT Professional. He has served the community as a volunteer/community worker for the last 12 years and is currently working for ICAN and YMNA as their NSW media representative.
It has been a while since the recent military conflict commenced between Russia and Ukraine.
Thousands of people from both sides have been the victims of this current war. This conflict not only has an impact on the threat of a regional crisis, but it can potentially be a disaster for the world that will cause many casualties among civilians and children.
Although, Russia’s war with Ukraine has become a hot topic of conversation around the world there are many other ongoing wars currently taking place, but only a few have caught the world’s attention. Most of these wars are in the Middle East, North West Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa, and also a major ongoing drug war in Mexico.
Amidst those ongoing conflicts in the world, the NSW Teachers Federation has recently announced the winner of the 2021 Sam Lewis Peace Award. This award is to educate students and create awareness in society about the importance of keeping peace and saving children as victims of war and terror.
The Grand Prize Winner
Cut Adzra (read: Tjoot Azra), an year 6 student from Gosford Public School has been chosen as the grand prize winner for the 2021 Sam Lewis Peace Award. Sam
Lewis Peace Award honours Sam Lewis, the former Federation President and activist for peace and public education.
In an exclusive interview, the grand prize winner, Adzra (what she liked to be called) showed her drawing named the runaway balloons depicting a little girl who does not have much belonging trying to escape the conflict from her village by hanging on the helium balloons hoping that the balloons will take her away to somewhere safe. In the background, the village was portrayed as being bombarded, destroying houses.
Adzra stated emphatically that the goal of her artwork is to remind adults that whenever they choose to fight, children will always be the unavoidable victims.
A similar message was also eloquently remarked by Sam Lewis at a UNESCO summit for peace many decades ago that the children are always the first casualties of conflict and war.
Adzra has successfully expressed her deep and meaningful feeling in this drawing.
According to Mrs Hayati (Adzra`s moth-
er) who accompanied her during the interview, Adzra is known as a cheerful and caring young kid among her friends.
Adzra is an active part of the community at the Ashabul Kahfi Islamic Centre and the Gosford Islamic Society, having grown up in a Muslim family and being surrounded by a diverse culture, she has a strong loving concern for others.
Sam Lewis Peace Award
The 2021 Sam Lewis Peace Award has a Grand Prize of $500 and other prizes from a $4000 pool which is open to students in NSW public schools and post-school educational sites. Carrying a competition theme “How is peace important for our future.”
Students in public education settings including all public schools, TAFE colleges, and other post-school sites are eligible to enter.
According to Mr Theo Bougatsas, the coordinator of the Sam Lewis Peace Award, the objective of this competition is to allow students in public schools to present their thoughts on peace in various artistic mediums promoting peace and friendship.
Mr Bougatsas said that the criteria to win this award is based on the individual’s work who best articulates the criteria of the competition in the most captivating, artistic way, capturing the audience’s attention and embracing the theme.
“This award’s selection committees were made up of elected members who represent teachers’ union members from all around NSW. There were over 80 submissions for the 2021 entry, and sadly, COVID and school closures played role in reducing capacity to advertise the competition for more students to participate,” said Mr Bougatsas during the interview.
The 2021 Sam Lewis Peace Award submission entry was closed in May of last year. Due to a lengthy selection procedure and numerous health constraints, the grand prize winner was only notified earlier this year.
Same’ s daughter was supposed to continue presenting this award to each winner. However, with a challenging series of lockdowns and health restrictions in NSW, the award was only handed to the school.
Well done Adzra! We hope that a wonderful message from your drawing will inspire people all across the world.
Dr Teuku Geumpana is the Head of Development for the Ashabul Kahfi Islamic Centre (AKIC) Sydney, the Chairman of International Webinar on Islamic Economic, Finance and Technology Australia (IEFTAR) and a lecture at the University of Newcastle Australia.
Marking the International Womens Day the NSW Local Women of the Year awards were announced by the NSW Government on Wednesday 9 March 2022 at the International Convention Centre (ICC), in Darling Harbour, Sydney. Mariam Latifi, an educator, published author and CEO of ‘Gift of Knowledge’ was chosen as the Londonderry Woman of the Year 2022, acknowledged by Ms Prue Car MLA as “a powerhouse community leader and activist.”
Mariam organises and leads the Elara Playkiddies Marsden Park Playgroup, offering support to parents in the Marsden Park and Melonba community and also volunteers with many community groups and organisations in her local community.
“Mariam is an outstanding role model for young women and I am proud to work alongside her for our community,” said Ms Prue Car, Londonderry MLA and Deputy Leader of the NSW Opposition.
The NSW Women of the Year Awards recognise and celebrate the outstanding contribution made by women across NSW. The NSW Local Women of the Year are chosen by Members of Parliament and are recognised for their contribution to their local community.
Nominated by Mr Jihad Dib MP, Joumana Eljamal also won the NSW Local Women of the Year for Lakemba.
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.
Jane Jeffes
Insha’Allah may this Ramadan be COVID-free so that the custom of shared iftars and communal celebration and prayer resume.
For many of us, the last two COVID-plagued years have been a blur with many events that should have been special occasions drawing together family and friends lost – from graduations to weddings to funerals – and life throwing up new and ‘unprecedented’ challenges.
The first lockdowns in March, April and May 2020 meant the first ever lockdown Ramadan – unprecedented in itself with no opportunity to share nightly iftars or special occasion iftars with extended family, friends, colleagues and the wider community.
So it was at the eleventh hour that a few community organisations and individuals banded together to create something they hoped would be a replacement iftar, an invitation to share food and to exchange stories of our lives virtually.
Whilst Zoom and Facetime became the new norm for connecting with our families and friends and for working and studying from home, Recipes for Ramadan also harnessed digital and social media to create and celebrate community and cultural diversity.
The simple idea was for Australian Muslims to share their family recipes, the sort of food they might present to guests at iftar that would start conversations about family history stretching back to the lands of their ancestors and unpacking a wider social and political history and a discovery of countries and cultures their guests may never have visited.
An opportunity to celebrate your family or a peak into someone else’s history. The project also hoped to increase understanding of Ramadan outside the Muslim community, the meaning and intention of fasting as an act of self-sacrifice and the significance of food as an act of hospitality and of charity.
And so the recipe-sharing and story-telling started. The dedicated website (www.recipesforramadan.com) now offers over 50 dishes and stories from more than 20 different cultural and geographic backgrounds – laid out alphabetically from Afghanistan to Turkey.
There’s home cooks and foodie influencers, family photos and professional ‘chop-andchat’ videos. Suggestions for suhoor, snacks and soups for iftar, national and family favourite dishes for dinner and mouth-watering sweet things too – all opportunities to try food from other countries, to hear other people’s stories, understand a little of the history of different places and to reflect on the things we inherit from our grandparents and those before them and how that contributes to who we are now.
One of the founding partners was Amity College which has its own established tradition of hosting a number of community and family iftars over Ramadan. Unable to do that, students, staff and parents contributed recipes from places as unexpected as Japan and Italy as well as Turkey and the Middle East.
In 2020 they co-hosted a Facebook Live Zoom Iftar with Unity Grammar and educational not for profit Together For Humanity, hosting students and families as well as other community partners, mayors, councillors, state MP and Shadow Minister for Education Jihad Dib and former Socceroo and human rights activist Craig Foster, eating apart but talking together. Proving it was possible to bring large numbers of people together for iftar even in the most challenging circumstances.
This year, we are all hoping that another COVID spike won’t prevent community iftars but in addition to hosting its usual program, Amity hopes to host a special iftar face to face, cooking up some of the recipes from the Recipes for Ramadan online ‘cookbook’, and sharing stories with special guests.
We are also delighted to welcome My Ability Care as a new community partner this year. Director Nasreen Hanifi and her mother Maryam contributed recipes and memories from Afghanistan in 2020 and last year shared their stories with ABC Radio’s Simon Marnie and a NSW-wide audience on his Sunday morning radio program.
My Ability Care has a deep understanding of the role of culture, of celebrating individual strengths and of the value of talking and confiding to combat loneliness, sharing the tough times as well as the good and we are exploring how storytelling and food can support that.
Mahboba’s Promise, the Australian aid organisation established by Mahboba Rawi OA some 25 years ago to support widows and orphans in Afghanistan, is also partnering to support a drive for more Afghan Australian stories.
With the horrendous events of last year and the arrival of many Afghans in recent months, it is crucial that we maintain a spotlight on the plight of those internally displaced and that we give the Australian public more opportunities to get to know more Afghan Australian stories.
Rahaf Ahmed and her team at Whiteflame are leading on social media with AMUST as founding community media partner and main-
Lakemba Ramadan nights, one of Sydney’s most popular and culturally diverse events will be returning after a two year absence. The spectacular month-long event is a vibrant, global food bazaar which appears from dusk to dawn, attracting more than 250,000 people, not only locals, but many others from around Australia and the world.
Councillor Khodr Saleh, the Chair of the Lakemba Ramadan Nights organising committee welcomes the return of the Lakemba Ramadan night at Haldon Street Lakemba after two years of absence due to the Covid 19 Pandemic. He hopes the celebration will
stream media including Guardian Australia running a second series of stories and recipes chosen from the Recipes for Ramadan repertoire.
The series will run every Saturday from the first day of Ramadan fasting on Saturday 2 April until the last Saturday on 30 April 30.
ABC Radio National’s Sunday program Soul Search will explore the significance of food in Ramadan and feature stories from Afghanistan and Bosnia on the first Sunday of Ramadan 6pm April 3). The hour long special will be repeated on Wednesday and Thursday and will be available on the RN website and wherever you get your podcasts.
Across my career, it’s been an enormous privilege for me to hear and help tell the stories of so many people from so many different places but for a reason that’s hard to put my finger on, this project has been special.
I am grateful that people have invited me into their lives and allowed me to tease out their stories and enabled me to learn about the places their families came from. It’s been a
return this year bigger and better.
“Despite the difficulties and challenges of the past two years, Haldon street will once again shine in the nights of the Holy month of Ramadan,” he said.
“We are working closely with police, transport, SES services, NSW Health, as well as local organisations and representatives to ensure it’s a safe event,” Mr Khodr added.
The manager of Lakemba travel Centre, Omar Yassin said “This event is important for our town centre, provide a big support for the shop keepers after two years of challenges.”
The Holy month of Ramadan for 2022 is starting on the evening of Friday 1 April lasting 30 days and ending at sundown on Sunday 2 May.
lesson in armchair travel, understanding recent history and the histories that contribute to what it is to be Australian in the 2020s.
At the end of last year, the project was awarded the NSW Premier’s Multicultural Communications Award for Best Use of Digital or Social Media. That award really is for the people who have shared their stories, their hospitality and their faith.
And with Australian Muslim family roots believed to stretch back into 183 countries and every corner of the globe, there’s obviously room for more!
May this year, 2022 be another year and another opportunity to explore stories of Australian Muslim culture and heritage – stories of people and places that can be unlocked in the conversation that opens up over good food. Ramadan Mubarak.
Jane Jeffes is a producer and director and former head of ABC Religion & Ethics. A UK-Australian dual national she is based in Sydney, Australia.
The Al Siraat College community received the devastating news that the greatly respected, beloved College Imam, Sheikh Waseem and his family have been unsuccessful in their application for residency in Australia.
Dean Mousad
Brothers In Need has launched their Cooking for a cause - Soup kitchen campaign to continue providing nutritious meals to some of the most disadvantaged people in our local community.
We do this by preparing and cooking freshly made meals and desserts in partnership with the Culinary School, located in Sydney, Australia. We then pack and distribute the delicious meals to those who would otherwise go without food.
Alhamdulillah, the food packs give these brothers and sisters the opportunity to eat the equivalent of a home-cooked meal just like the rest of us.
With our dedicated head chef Voula’s guidance 120 hot packs of food are cooked fresh and distributed to the hungry multiple times a month!
Through this project we are able to support people from the homeless community, those from low-income families, the unemployed, people from non-English speaking backgrounds, the elderly and refugees.
In line with Islamic tradition, it is most important to help those in need locally (after one takes care of themselves and family) and that’s what we do here at Brothers in Need.
So jump on board, lets go brothers and sisters, help us reach our target of 50,000 dollars by clicking that donate button today. Support the cause today by visiting: https://tinyurl.com/yfazasy7
Dean Mousad is the Co-founder/Managing Director of Brothers in Need, Co-founder/ Treasurer of Project Quran, a Teacher/Mentor at Alfirdaus College and a registered Counsellor with the Australian Counselling Association.
Their visa to stay in Australia is also now expired which means Sheikh Waseem and his family will face deportation.
Thousands of people have already signed a petition appealing to the Minister of Immigration to intervene and support their request for Sheikh Waseem and his family to stay in Australia and to continue serving the Al Siraat College community.
Some of the comments that are coming through on the petition reflect the positive impact Sheikh Waseem has had on countless Australians during his time here over the last two decades.
“I’m signing because Shaik Waseem is a gem of a person. He has always guided us in best possible ways in our highs and lows. He is an excellent example of what a leader should be. Moreover, he is very dear to our community.” (Kaunain Ziaulla, Australia)
“Let this family stay. Stop the cruelty of our government denying permanent residency to terrific future citizens.” Vicki Lilley of Canberra
“Sheikh Waseem is an inspiration to the community. He encourages people to be their best self. I said my testament of faith with him at Fawker Masjid probably 20
years ago. He made me feel relaxed and welcomed when I was so nervous. He is an asset to the whole Australian community at large.” (Luke Shaw, Fawkner, Australia)
Over the last 7 years Sheikh Waseem has been a Hifz and Quran teacher at Al Siraat. He leads prayers, including the Jumuah prayer, provides Islamic counselling to students and families and has made significant positive contributions towards the community during his time here in Australia.
It makes no sense to deport people that have a demonstrated history of exceptional character and good values, who give back so much.
Please sign and share the petition below:
www.change.org/ShkWaseemKhan
Gulhan Eryegit Yoldas is the president of Whittlesea Interfaith Network and Head of Community Engagement at Al Siraat College. Gulhan has four published books and a robust history of advocacy for gambling industry reform, Interfaith engagement, Muslim female leaders and mentoring young people to be spokespeople for their community.
Senator Penny Wong Labor Leader in the Senate Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs Senator for SA
Authorised by Paul Erickson, ALP, Canberra
Richard
MP Deputy Leader of the Australian Labor Party
Shadow Minister for National Reconstruction, Employment, Skills and Small Business
Shadow Minister for Science Federal Member for Corio
Deputy Labor Leader in the Senate, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Senator for NSW
Andrew Giles MP Shadow Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Member for Scullin
Federal Member for Cooper
Maria Vamvakinou MP
Federal Member for Calwell
Fazlul Huq
Mehar Ahmad
Holi, the Hindu festival of colour was celebrated in Sydney in a uniquely inclusive manner on Saturday 19 March 2022 at Reg Byrne Community Centre in Wentworthville.
The event celebrating unity in diversity was organised by Hindus for Human Rights Australia & New Zealand and supported by The Humanism Project, Turbans 4 Australia, NRI Affairs, Indian Crescent Society of Australia (ICSOA) and waaci.
In addition to Hindus representing all parts of multicultural India, the highly popu lar festival was attended by people of differ ent faiths, cultures, backgrounds and profes sions developing an understanding of Holi, appreciating its significance and celebrating its colour.
The condensed program, intensely short but sweet was highly enjoyed by houseful of guests enjoying speeches by a variety of speakers including politicians, represent atives of various faith, cultural performers and young dancers.
Virat Nehru, the incredibly funny and most competent MC started the program with an introduction cracking a few jokes about himself and later others.
The main force behind the event, the highly mercurial chief host Dr Shanti Raman welcomed the guests followed by acknowledgement to country, called Bhoomi in India.
Vivek Asri enlightened the audience with the socio-cultural significance of Holi and how it is celebrated by Hindus in India and the Indian diaspora.
Greens Senator David Shoebridge praised the organisers for this great initiative to share their celebration with others, of different faiths and cultures and his commitment towards Australia being a peaceful multicultural society safeguarding the rights of all.
There was a musical interlude by the highly talented Kaavya Jaishanker followed by an informative talk by Mr Abbas Alvi on how he understood Holi as a Muslim and re-
Malcolm Hadden from Multicultural NSW highly appreciated the celebration of Holi with people of other faiths and hoped that this tradition will inspire others to do the same.
Jess Harrison, the Jewish representative highly enjoyed the colourful event and compared it with similar Jewish celebrations such as Purim.
The event was catered by Garma Garam with samosas, pakoras and masala chai enjoyed by all.
Mehar Ahmad based in Sydney is a Public School Teacher and President of Seena Inc, Publishers of the Australasian Muslim
The three women traveled a long distance through the forest and swamp land, desert terrain and the endless plain. To arrive on the shore of the mighty ocean so full of turmoil made from the heightened waves. When none of them felt competent to swim across the ocean infested with shark and other animals hostile to the earthlings. In the days that followed, one of the women stayed on the prayer mat day after day to find that the prayer did not enable her to cross the ocean. While the other two women resorted to build boat and the airplane. And once these were made, both were able to make onto other shore as they too prayed to the Source and the Constant as an act of submission. And as the woman who remained seated on the prayer mat, came to realise that the Creator needed not to intervene as the humans were given knowledge and intellect to make use of the forces of nature towards the advantage.
Dr Fazlul Huq is a retired academic and Editor-in-Chief Emanreserch Journal Of Angiotherapy. He is also the poet
E: stretton@parliament.qld.gov,au
T: 3414 3110 5/62 Pinelands Rd, Sunnybank Hills QLD 4109
/JamesMartin4Stretton@jamesmartinmp
I would like to wish the Muslim community a Ramadan Karim. Through fasting, prayer, patience and donations, the holy month of Ramadan is a time of worship and getting closer to Allah.
I would like to thank and congratulate the Muslim community, knowing well the great contributions the Islamic Community makes to the local area as well the community as a whole.
“God you are pardoning who loves pardoning (other’s), so pardon me”
On Sunday 20 March 2022, Sydney hosted two separate demonstrations with large numbers of people where peace and justice was the order of the day.
Sydney Town Hall hosted about a thousand people venting their anger towards the Federal Government for the way they treat refugees and asylum seekers. And just down the road at Martin Place, there was also a huge number of people, mainly Ukrainian, praying for peace and an end to the conflict brought on by the Russian government.
The Town Hall rally focussed on freeing the Medevac refugees, ending detention and closing the camps. It also focussed on permanent protection and not just temporary visas. On the delicate subject of resettling Afghans in Australia, Mustafa, an Afghan refugee on a temporary visa, reiterated the difficulties currently being faced by all Afghans.
In Afghanistan alone there are fears that 1 million children will die of acute starvation by the end of 2022, and 97% of their population will slip below the poverty line.
Michael Whaites of the NSW Nurses and Midwives Association spoke of difficulties that medical people have while trying to assist refugees and asylum seekers.
The demonstrators then marched down to Circular Quay with great fan-fare where they assembled opposite the ferry terminals.
Ian Rintoul, one of the key organisers, then addressed the rally, “We need to put pressure on the government to get rid of mandatory and indefinite detention,” he
said.
When questioned about how the Labour Party would approach things, he stated, ”Labour have made a few positive comments but they need to give us more positive steps to make a real difference.”
After many enthusiastic call-outs of “Let them be free!” the crowd disbursed leaving the Quay to its usual tranquil self.
Meanwhile at Martin Place, blue and yellow flags of the country of Ukraine were everywhere to be seen. The serious and sombre atmosphere could be felt all round. People spoke and reflected on the despair of their homeland and their bewilderment of why the Russians were attacking their normally peaceful cities.
Before the speeches began, a small group of musicians played the Ukrainian national anthem. This was followed by the Australian national anthem. There was not a dry eye to be seen anywhere.
“Australia is certainly doing the right
things to help with this conflict,” said Anton Bogdanovych, the main speaker at this Ukrainian rally. “We have a direct line to Minister Hawke and have a group that interacts with him all the time.”
While sharing this information he added, “I am pleased to say that today the Australian Prime Minister stated that Ukrainians coming here will have the right to work and earn money and will also have access to Medicare.”
The number of people fleeing their homes in Ukraine is now over 10 million. More than 3.5 million have fled the country as refugees and another 7 million are displaced within Ukraine.
Australia and Ukraine have enjoyed good diplomatic relations since 1942. Ukrainians could start arriving in Australia from this weekend with our government issuing 1,000 visas.
I learned that these Ukrainian demonstrations happen 2 or 3 times every week at
Martin Place. Hopefully more Australians will show their support.
On Sunday night at the Camelot Lounge in Marrickville there was a special Ukrainian concert. The music was amazing and featured some international stars like Balkan singer Nadya Golski, Mar’yana Sywak, and Ukrainian Larysa Kovalchuk with her bandura. Also performing was guitarist Steven Lalor and violinist Leo Novikov.
Once again the concert started with the Ukrainian national anthem followed by the Australian national anthem. A very emotional evening.
Thank you Yoran Hallis of Camelot Lounge for letting these amazing musicians use your premises at a time of great need.
Philip Feinstein is a Sydney based writer, musician and activist working for MUSIC FOR REFUGEES www.musicforrefugees.org
Mohammed Ali, founder, and President of the notfor-profit welfare organisation, HelpingACT, was awarded the Canberra Citizen of the Year 2022 by ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr in a ceremony at the historic Albert Hall on Tuesday 15 March 2022.
The Canberra Citizen of the Year award recognises a citizen who has made a major contribution to our community without expectation of remuneration or reward.
“Mohammed is an exemplary Canberran,
who has spent decades working for the good of the community,” Mr Barr explained.
In addition to his leading HelpingACT, “Mohammed embodies the spirit of the award through his work as a member of the ACT Refugee Asylum Seeker and Humanitarian Coordination Committee.”
Mohammed Ali is also a Board Member of Companion House, a not-for-profit which provides medical and counselling services to refugees who are victims of trauma and torture.
“HelpingACT provides food security to Canberrans, including refugees, international students, homeless individuals, as well as anyone else who needs assistance. During the COVID-19 lockdown in 2021, Mohammed and HelpingACT also supported families who were struggling to purchase food
Maqsood Al-Kabir
Have you started preparing for Ramadan? Stocking the pantry or making spiritual preparations? Or both?
The 15th day of the month of Shaban, in many cultures, is a special day in itself. Different countries have different ways of celebrating and each has a different name for it but in Bangladesh where I grew up, we call it ‘Shaab-e-Baraat’ and we think of this day as the gateway to Ramadan.
It’s a time when we commemorate and pray for our dead, for the forgiveness of their sins and for the forgiveness of our own wrongdoings. We believe that on the night of Shaab-e-Baraat, God writes the destinies of all men and women for the coming year by taking into account the deeds they committed in the past.
There is historical evidence that The Prophet Mohammad (s) used to fast in Shaban in preparation for Ramadan. When Usama bin Zaid asked ‘Why?’, he said “Shaban is a month between Rajab and Ramadan which many people neglect but it is a month in which an account of the deeds (of human beings) is presented before the Lord of the universe, so I wish that my deeds be presented at a time when I am in a state of fasting.”
The Prophet’s beloved youngest wife Aisha is also reported to have said that Prophet Muhammad (s) used to fast for most of Shaban and that he said, “In this month Allah prescribes the list of the persons dying this year. Therefore, I like that my death comes when I am in a state of fasting.”
As a Bangladeshi-born Australian, I have many fond memories of Shaab-e-Baraat and of the holy month of Ramadan.
This year Shaab-e-Baraat begins in the evening of Friday, March 18 and ends in the evening of Saturday, March 19 and after more than 25 years living in Australia, it has coincided with a rare opportunity for me to celebrate such a fond occasion with my family and loved ones in Dhaka. As a child and as an adolescent in Bangladesh, the way my middle class, academic family celebrated Shaab-e-Baraat taught me to be caring, sharing, forgiving and forbearing.
In the time I have been living in Australia, both my parents and two of my elder siblings have passed away so this year on this day of Shaab-e-Baraat, we will reflect and pay respect to them, visit their graves and offer Dou’aa with a grateful heart. We have also invited some orphan children to dine with us in our home, also offering them some financial help to continue their study of the holy Quran.
In a close-knit family with six siblings, we savoured great food for Shaab-e-Baraat in my childhood. This year my wife Shahnaz, her sister Shewly and I decided to prepare some very special and traditional Shaab-e-Baraat food for ourselves, also to be able to send to the extended family, relatives and our invited orphaned guests. This is the spirit that we are preparing for ourselves to observe a holy month of Ramadan.
Read the recipe: https://tinyurl.com/38xxj4p7
Maqsood Al-Kabir is a Sydney and Geneva-based human rights worker and an international development consultant.
and other items, or who were in isolation,” Mr Barr pointed out while announcing the award.
“Mohammed is an inspiration to everyone he works and volunteers with. He is remembered fondly by his previous colleagues and his tireless enthusiasm and energy to support Canberrans from all backgrounds and faiths is renowned.”
“Routinely giving up his free time to support these organisations, Mohammed is known for his generosity and willingness to help when ever needed.”
Mohammed Ali was accompanied to the ceremony by his wife Nasim, son Omair, dedicated HelpingACT volunteer and community worker, Samantha Kulkarni, and Manar as HelpingACT Secretary and friend.
While commenting on the award, Mohammed Ali said that he was “over the moon” and humbled for being selected for the award. However, he sees the award as a “a message of trust, a message of responsibility from the Canberra community.”
“Canberra is the best city, and it’s an affluent city where the people of Canberra can
help each other,” explains Mohammed Ali. Asked about a message for the Muslim community through AMUST, Mohammed Ali said:
“Being awarded this honour is not just an achievement for me but for the Muslim community as well. It shows that Muslims can and do contribute to the broader society and are being recognised by the mainstream community, government, and media. We always have been quiet givers and it should be acknowledged that that we are a community that adds much value to societal cohesion and welfare.”
“This award however was not possible without the work supported by the generous contributions of individuals and businesses in Canberra and wider Australia,” Mohammed Ali concluded.
To donate to HelpingACT, please visit their donation site: www.helpingact.org/ donate
Manarul Islam is an IT professional, community worker and AMUST correspondent based in Canberra.
Farid Ahmed
We welcome something that is beneficial. The month of Ramadan brings the highest degree of benefits.
Fasting in Ramadan is prescribed by Allah, and we welcome Ramadan to welcome Allah’s Mercy. We know that Allah’s Mercy envelops everything in His creations. Therefore, Ramadan is the month of Mercy for every human whether one believes in Him or not.
I would like to list few examples below about how Ramadan brings blessings for the mankind.
1. Rich or poor: Fasting month does not discriminate anyone from earning unlimited rewards from Allah whether one is rich or poor. Allah provides His Mercy is for all through the worships in this month.
2. Any nationality: In the prescription of fasting there is no room for nationalism to disadvantage for any nationality. Any-
one under the sky can gain Allah’s Mercy from it.
3. Forgiveness for all: Whoever will fast, pray and worship Allah will find the door of Allah’s forgiveness open. Male, female, old or young, anyone can gain from it.
4. Free for all: Allah did not put any restriction in believing in Him and joining His fasting month’s acts of worships. It is open for anyone without any fees, taxes, penalties, or paperwork.
5. Peace for all: The purpose of fasting is to learn self-control and righteousness (Taqwa). Honesty, generosity, kindness, unselfishness, loving, and best moral character makes homes, communities, countries peaceful. The absence of peace everywhere is due to the lack of righteousness and immorality.
6. Sharing joy for cohesive society: Providing Iftar for others, giving charity to the poor (Sadaqatul Fitr), sharing Eid gifts around, inviting non-Muslim friends, praying together in unity are Ramadan practices that help in building a cohesive society. It benefits everyone in the society directly or indirectly.
7. Happy homes: Domestic violence is a rising problem in many societies. Fasting program is to control anger and violent behaviour to make homes safe, peaceful and loving.
8. World economy: Muslims are living all around the world. Ramadan stimulates the spending that gives growth to businesses of all sorts. It contributes economic benefits for the entire mankind.
9. A merciful program: Allah is Merciful, and His fasting prescription comes with Mercy as well. Sick, weak, tired traveller, pregnant women, women in menstruation etc can break the fast and make up later without losing the rewards and Mercy from Allah.
10. No loss but only gains: In summary, Ramadan brings unity, positivity, best
moral character, and peace for all. It brings only gain in this life and in the next life.
The above examples shows how Ramadan is a blessing for mankind. Therefore, we must welcome it sincerely with our hearts and souls. Allah’s prescription of fasting in the Holy Quran is a Mercy for all. Allah commands:
“O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you: As it was prescribed to those before you that you may (Learn) self-control (Taqwa).” [Quran 2:183].
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.
In the prescription of fasting there is no room for nationalism to disadvantage for any nationality. Anyone under the sky can gain Allah’s Mercy from it.
Dr Mohammed Naushaduddin century, that elevated any sahih hadeeth to the level of any ayah of Quran.
When the mayor of New York city, Eric Adams, wanted to ban Drill Rap, one can understand the instincts of rulers for order and harm mitigation. He is not the first to recognise the ill effects of music.
Medieval Ulema, Islamic scholars, justified their regulation of music based on Kalaam methodology, a reasoning system for deriving laws called Usool al-Fiqh.
Since 10th century, inspired by Greek philosophers/truth seekers, this dialectic method was used for reaching complex truths.
Running a vast decentralised and diverse landmass, the Abbasid khalifs had accepted this way, the Shari’ah, in applying justice in their realm. Of course, the court in Baghdad acted as the High/Supreme Court of our times.
Understanding the regulation
In banning music, the Ulema referred to Quranic ayah that they inferred had alluded to music. They justified their opinion based on an understanding called Ta’weel of Quran.
Ta’weel was likely popularised by the Fatimid Ulema in the 10th century, to justify their ‘Alid rule over Egypt. Basically it gives an esteemed person an authority to interpret the Quran. Of course, their peers knew it was only an opinion, though specialised.
The Ulema also noted various ahadeeth revealing Prophet Mohammad (s) displeasure upon hearing string instruments – on more than one occasion.
Since these ahadeeth were deemed sahih by muhadithoon a few hundred years earlier, they were considered on par with any Quranic ayah.
This understanding was based on the rule, introduced by Imam Shafi’ in the early 9th
Then the other secondary methods of Usool al-Fiqh were utilised: ill-effects of music on young impressionable minds and society were proven beyond doubt.
Thus an authoritative ban on music, with some exceptions, was agreed upon by all the Madhahib. After 1258, when the Mongols killed the last Khalif in Baghdad, this ban was sealed by Taqleed, a practice where ‘following the precedent’ became a rule.
Left unused, the Fiqh App of Muslims went into sleep mode – for a very long time to come.
This all made sense then, especially if one were a Muslim. It was also expected that the rule will be stretched for exceptions.
Since Hudood laws could not be applied to music, as capital punishments were applicable to iron-clad Quranic ahkaam, the judges loosened the strings that bonded them to the believers.
A fundamental problem of proof was ‘definition of music’. One cannot ban a thing that cannot be defined, another dictum proclaimed.
Modernity: in the light of reasoning
In 1860’s British India, Sir Sayyid Ahmed Khan attempted to understand rules like these in the new light of Modernity. He failed, as did various reformers in the next 150 years. Even instincts need a framework to fit and flow easily. Modernity could not define music either.
More importantly, he and his fellow reformers could not improvise the Kalaam methodology for the new era, nor could they invent a new method of deriving rules that could satisfy all the domains of higher human notions.
The medieval rules, grounded in universalist humane concepts, outlasted them. Contradictions cropped up sooner than expected, and often enough.
Colonisation brought these problems to
the fore but frank bigotry procrastinated introspection. The beautiful tapestry of Fiqh was patched by ad-hoc rules for believers to retain some sense of coherence: music was banned in essence but condoned in numerous situations.
If Taqleed had legitimised Aurangzeb’s edict in 18th century Mughal India, by the end of 20th century, music was playing on the phone rings of urban Muslims.
In this interim, a thousand year understanding of the word contradiction got blurred.
21st century: in the light of science
Today, we can define music (the art of arranging sounds), and the sound itself (vibrations transmitted through solid/liquid/gas with frequencies capable of being detected by a human ear).
We also know that music production is not dependent on string or other physical instruments; it can be produced digitally using electricity.
Science unravels the truth, and helps clear confusion – even of a thousand year. There is virtue in accepting these understandings with humility.
Understanding the past
As to the Quran, we can see Ta’weel as medieval Ulema’s opinion – their best effort given their era and understanding. They are not ma’soom, and are liable to fail in their understanding.
Prophet Mohammad (s) displeasure on string instruments is based on ahadeeth which were deemed sahih, based on finite inclusion and exclusion criteria by the likes of Imam Bukhari and Imam Muslim.
These criteria were never claimed as having Allah’s promise of integrity. Thus these ahadeeth can be reconciled or relegated as da’ef.
As to secondary sources, they are considered as pros and cons in the larger debate of regulation.
Do you still want to consider music as haram?
Given Free Will, as agreed upon by all madhahib, one can still believe in the notion of music being haram. However, one cannot force such an idea upon others without due reasoning, set criteria, definition, etc.
The era of Taqleed is over, and leaders like the Taliban will have to understand the need for reason and persuasion in the service of humanity.
So, why is your local doctor worried about music?
If Eric Adams has a tough job ahead of him, I, as a medical practitioner have a long job ahead of me: improving health and scientific literacy of my patients.
I am hoping to use the old laws on music to help people understand how rules are derived, their complexity, their relationship to understanding of an era, and how we should accept change and practice best scientific methods.
It was disappointing to see people question the solid scientific opinion regarding the benefits of COVID vaccination. I am here to share the blame of not transmitting our understanding of statistics and other rules that govern the evidence based approach to a healthy and productive life.
Of course, I want religion to play its part in mental well-being of our lives.
Letting go when you haven’t received an apology is true forgiveness. This Ramadan, let us try and understand the meaning of True Forgiveness and how to cultivate a daily forgiveness practice.
Holding a grudge stems from yearning for instant justice.
It is vital to remember that praying for justice is better than holding a grudge. Forgiveness helps you unburden and move on with life with absolute faith in Allah’s judgment day when only and only Allah will be the judge of all and provide justice to all.
Allah promises us justice in the Holy Quran:
We shall set up scales of justice for the Day of Judgment, so that not a soul will be dealt with unjustly in the least, and if there be (no more than) the weight of a mustard seed, We will bring it (to account): and enough are
We to take account. (Quran 21:47)
True Forgiveness happens when you no longer blame a person or circumstance for how things are turning out in your life, and how you are responding to life.
True Forgiveness happens when you no longer need an apology because you have decided to have a new perspective of the situation – the perspective that lets you be free from carrying a grudge or resentment of any kind whatsoever.
Forgiveness does not mean you need to start having dinner parties with that person or start re-connecting. No.
Forgiveness is to not let their past behaviours affect your present life. Forgiveness gives you freedom. Forgiveness is for your benefit alone.
Steps to practise daily forgiveness
1. Think of the person who has hurt you, the person you need to forgive.
2. Now think of this person in a child form as if they were a little girl or little boy.
3. Now, in your mind, say to this child: “I forgive you; you did what you did because someone hurt you too. I forgive you.”
4. Now imagine this person back in the adult form and in your mind, say to him/
her: “I forgive you. You have no power over me. Your words and your actions have no power over me. I release you from my mind. I forgive you. Allah guide you to the path of love and peace.”
5. Sometimes we feel guilty for something we have done, and we find it difficult to forgive ourselves. Try practising this affirmation to yourself : I forgive myself and set myself free. I seek refuge in Allah’s mercy.
The following is a poem from my new book, The Soul Speaks:
Forgive
Even when it hurts
Even when you know you were right
Even when the acts committed against you were heinous
Forgive
Not because you condone those acts
Not because you are doing someone a favour
Forgive
Because you are hurting
Because you know you are right
Because it is now time to heal
Because someone else’s acts have weighed you down for far too long
Forgive
Unburden, release, let go Forgive And Heal
Islamic Forum for Australian Muslims (IFAM) arranges several activities to promote Islamic teachings and understanding in young kids aimed at making them more attached to Allah’s book and Prophet Mohammad’s (s) Sunnah.
It is also intended that they have better Quranic recitation and try to beautify it’s Qirat. For this purpose Quran Qirat competitions are held in Marsden Park Masjid
annually. A similar event was held in February 2022 at Marsden Park Masjid where more than 85 kids participated along with their parents.
The participants were elegantly dressed up, had jubilant smiles on their faces and delivered Quranic recitation with their best abilities. The Kids had done good preparation and practice and parents were still motivating them to perform better on the stage. proving that Parents were keenly interested in their kids development in Islamic education.
For this event participants were arranged in eight different categories based on their ages and gender. It included girls and boys with ages from 5- 15 years kept in different groups.
With the viewpoint that kids had a fair competition the category of Huffaz was kept separate too.
It was a blessed and spiritual event when we all saw our kids reciting Al-Quran-AlHakeem with their best voices, beautiful styles and excellent Tajweed.
An expert panel of judges was formed to analyse individual’s performance. Although winners were nominated and awarded with trophies, however all the participating kids got medals so they feel better.
Imam of Bankstown Masjid, Maulana Ali Akbar Nadvi, an expert on sciences of the Quran, specially Tajveed was in charge of judges panel. He helped in finalizing all the resultsand then announced winners. He described his feelings to be extreme-
ly happy to be a part of this gathering and and admired kids energy and enthusiasm. He thanked parents for bringing their kids in this competition and paying attention to their Islamic education.
Maulana Nadvi praised IFAM for organising such events which essentially promotes Kids attachments to Quran and would opens their hearts for its understanding.
IFAM has always put focus on Islamic learning activities of youth and kids so that they can face the challenges of wider multi cultural societies in a reasonable way. It was aimed at keeping their identity and values intact and to present Islam in a better way.
Jahida El-Assaad
As children and adolescents navigate their journey to adulthood, those with mentors are more likely to engage, volunteer, and lead. But, with one in three young people reaching age 19 without ever having a mentor of any kind, more must be done to meet the needs of young people.
This mentoring gap has consequences to young people, their communities, and our country. The presence or absence of a consistent, caring adult could mean the difference between a young person thriving as a student or dropping out, contributing as a citizen or engaging in unproductive behaviour, pursuing one’s dreams or disengaging from society.
Fatherlessness is also a growing problem in Australia and the Western world. Com-
pared to 40 years ago, two and a half times as many children live without the presence of a father at home, which puts more children at risk for having fewer adult, male role models in their lives.
The benefits of mentoring can be seen across many facets of an individual’s life, including better attendance and attitude toward school, less use of drugs and alcohol, improved social skills and interactions with peers, more trusting relationships, better communication with parents, and an increased chance of continuing on to higher education.
The team at Metamorphosis Coaching comprises of both a male and female mentor, Faz Rana and Jahida El-Assaad. They are a team of husband and wife, two teachers, a father and mother who are passionate about supporting both teenagers and their parents to form strong, positive relationships.
Jahida aims to coach and mentor young girls and women about the importance of self-love, self-worth, self-forgiveness, self-awareness and to break the toxic gen-
erational cycles and to support mothers in raising children from a conscious parenting perspective.
She endeavours to educate females on setting healthy boundaries, unlearn toxic patterns of thinking and behaving and empower them to break free from any limiting beliefs to live a fulfilling, purposeful life.
Faz aims to be the mentor and role model to hold young people accountable, boost their self-esteem and to give them a sense of purpose and direction. Most of his work will involve addressing ‘toxic masculinity’ and the gender stereotypes of being ‘masculine’.
By helping young men and boys understand that they don’t need to conform to archaic, aggressive stereotypes of masculinity, we can reduce antisocial behaviour, mental health struggles, suicides, gender-based crimes and domestic violence.
Through a unique and inspirational process
Faz intends to equip boys with the tools and opportunities needed to prepare them to become great men.
To find out more and keep up to date with upcoming workshops and programs visit www.metamorphosiscoaches.com or find us on Instagram @metamorphosiscoaches.au
Jahida El-Assaad is a teacher, youth mentor and personal development coach. She aims to coach and mentor young girls and women about the importance of self-love, self-worth, self-forgiveness, self-awareness and to break the toxic generational cycles and support mothers in raising children from a conscious parenting perspective. She facilitates many workshops for women and young girls and also coaches clients 1 on 1.
For me, that first night of suhoor in Ramadan is always magical. In my family, I wake up and prepare a Turkish breakfast that’s, eggs, sucuk, tomatoes, cucumber, cheese, and olives. And of course, brewed Turkish tea. It is my ritual to prepare the table first, then wake my kids.
I like the idea of suhoor feeling like a treat, a special gift shared between us while the rest of the world sleeps. That first night is filled with both humble awareness of the missed opportunities for rewards over the past year and the glowing hope of the opportunities for the year to come, starting with the perfection of Ramadan.
This blessed month is a strange juxtaposition of the most intimate moments between us and our Lord, while simultaneously focusing on the outer relationships with those around us. A month of sincerity, honouring the rules of fasting that nobody but Allah can verify; while also about the rights of others, outer deeds of kindness, giving and sharing to those around us. It is about turning back to Allah, but also, about uniting us all together. But it is not like that for all of us within our ummah. The first few Ramadan’s after I got divorced were extremely difficult. I remember feeling lost, like my kids and I no longer fit into the Muslim community.
I was no longer being invited to iftars as couples or families because it was awkward for everyone, and I could not invite people to
my house for iftar because I could not afford it. I cried most of that month.
One of my friends from university has been a Muslim for 8 years. I remember Sally explaining her first few Ramadan’s as a new Muslim. She told me she would wake up alone in the middle of the night for suhoor.
She had to keep her Islam away from her parents because she was afraid of their reaction. In those early hours, she would just have a few slices of bread from the packet and a glass of water. Sal did not have a lot of support. She told me that even though she was excited for discovering Islam, she felt lonely and confused.
Sometimes, such essential parts of our deen are weighed down by our personal circumstances. Particularly when others cannot understand our struggle, we can lose sight of the bigger picture. As a result, the purpose and passion of vital acts of worship can be lost.
But we have come a long way.
Organisations like the National Zakat Foundation can restore some of those voids when it really matters. They have partnerships with other service providers within the community, so if they cannot provide the support we need, they can put us onto those who can.
Contact them this Ramadan. Do not struggle emotionally, financially, and spiritually. Let NZF lighten that burden, so we can go back to focusing on what Allah wants from us.
Contact- www.nzf.org.au or 1300663729
How to raise awareness of mental health we need to contemplate our lifestyle patterns. The soaring competition with each other to achieve the upper echelon of society has led to a sharp rise in mental illness.
For awareness of mental health and better mental health, we need to determine how we handle this notorious phenomenon of intense competition. The trapping of success, power, fame, and money has plagued humankind and civilization.
Have we questioned ourselves that flaunting our status, money, and lifestyle could have dire effects on people’s mental health, emotional psychological and social health, especially those who are living below the poverty line and people who are trying to recuperate from their traumatic experiences of life?
This is high time we needed to understand the emotional and physical wellness of every individual. Raising awareness of mental health, let us start building positive habits for our mental health as mental health is important and pivotal for our emotional wellbeing.
1. Limit the use of social media
One of the blessings of our contemporary era is the use of smartphones that has an array of maverick applications designed to make our lives easier and smarter, however, the flip side is different, getting yourselves indulged in social media could lead to mental illness, depression, social anxiety and negativity, hence, raising awareness of mental health becomes imperative.
Infinite Clicks and scrolls through different profiles of celebrities, Instagrammers, Influencers, travelers, and your friends on social medium give you a subliminal message of self-comparison with these individuals giving rise to mental disorders and mental health problems.
Furthermore, rampant cyberbullying on social media is one of the significant drawbacks of digital social networking that can severely impact your mental health conditions. Remember, our wellbeing comes first. Start building positive habits from today.
If we are mentally fit we can crack our goals. Let us limit our use of social networks to keep ourselves away from mental illness. Stuff a healthy dinner with your family with a cell phone-free meal and enjoy a deeppeaceful sleep with screen-free nights.
Restricting the use of social media is one
of the best positive habits of the contemporary era.
2. Stop complaining
Raising awareness of mental health becomes imperative when we look around people complaining. Continuous complaining about life is the warning sign that you are under intense mental illness and cannot handle stress.
Life is not a bed of roses, but one can make it a beautiful flower by living a stressfree life. Do not expect others to appreciate you and make you joyful, live your life. Make a daily routine for positive life and eliminate the word complaint from your dictionary.
3. Practice compassion
When it comes to mental health, the question is, how to raise awareness for mental health? Being compassionate to others is the epitome of virtue and it contributes to good mental health.
Sympathetic behavior helps to boost satisfaction. We need to create a more caring, more compassionate society. Compassion is the feeling that gives you happiness, contentment, and motivation.
Moreover, when we endeavor hard to mitigate the sufferings of deprived fellows with kindness, it brings the true essence of happiness and satisfaction and gives us neverending emotional psychological and social
health benefits.
The question is how one can be empathetic to others? Let us understand the scenario. We live in a heterogeneous environment where many classes are deprived of happiness, money, partner, child, and love.
For instance, if we have any childless couple in our social circle, we need to be vigilant in expressing our happiness and posting our pictures on social media that could trigger sadness, mental disorders, and tears amongst these deprived classes.
4. Spend quality time with family
Adopting a daily routine for positive life is pivotal for healthy wellbeing. Spending ample time with your family nurtures your mental health and soul, but family bonds were almost at the brink of extinction before the pandemic.
People were busy and glued with their hectic work patterns and lifestyle, and all of a sudden COVID-19 intervened and altered this scenario.
The intervention of COVID-19 in our lives made us realize the significance of the family relationship and its positive effects on our mental health conditions. Have a healthy and funny chit-chat session with your family, at least at a dinner table.
Don’t leave your elderly parents and grandparents alone. Live with them at least call them regularly and visit at least twice a week. These are some of the best positive
habits which we should induct into our daily routine for positive life.
Remember! there are many facets and experiences of life we can learn from our grandparents and embed them in our lives. Take them out for a beautiful walk in nature. Why not go to exercise together? We all know that workouts and exercise are good for health, but when it is done with your loved ones it boosts your positive emotions, mental vitality and enhances your energy levels.
Don’t forget that mental health and fitness are important at every stage of life.
5. Learn to forgive
Forgiveness is intrinsic to human nature, and it brings positive effects on your mental health. Health includes our emotional wellbeing, and forgiveness gives you a real sense of contentment and happiness. The best medicine for your angry soul is to forgive others.
Forgiveness is not a sign of weakness, but it shows great courage. Forgiveness is the sign of the best positive habit in ones’ life. Lingering on past events will only contribute to mental illness, and you will digress from your actual goal of life.
Practice forgiving others and move on. When we initiate building positive habits, we should adopt the act of forgiveness to leverage ourselves.
6. Live simple life
Take a detour from a luxurious and extravagant lifestyle to an austere lifestyle. Make your wardrobe simple with a limited amount of high-end fashion brands.
We need to alter our eating styles. Venomous addiction to fast food can lead to an impaired nervous system. It is a warning sign of deteriorating mental health conditions.
By taking austerity measures, we can have a tension-free mind and better self-care, and one of the greatest benefits is that we can grow spiritually. Humans are always in a deep quench for happiness, and simplicity can bring it. By living an austere lifestyle, we are raising awareness of mental health for happiness-deprived souls.
Upshot
The upshot of the discussion is that our mental health and fitness are highly dependent on the habits we adopt. It is imperative that we induct healthy lifestyle practices from early childhood and adolescence because a healthy society leads to a flourished nation.
Shafaq Farooqui is an IELTS facilitator and trainer at Yousuf’s institute of English Language in Karachi , Pakistan.
Rabia Rasul
A couple of weeks ago
I had the pleasure of watching Australia’s longest-serving High Court judge speak about his experiences at university.
Michael Kirby is Australia’s leading expert on international law and is one of the most intelligent and respected legal minds that this nation has ever produced. He used his time on the bench to challenge the operation of the law and toward the latter part of his career was known as ‘The Great Dissenter’.
While it is hard to overlook the many accolades that he has spent his career achieving including honorary degrees from 12 Australian universities, the most impressive part of his character is his perspective on society and justice.
Justice Kirby’s presentation focused on his journey through law school, and he be-
rated his younger self for not questioning the world around him.
As a law student hoping to pursue a path of advocacy, it was this comment that stuck with me the most. As a young person, much of my time is spent understanding the world around me, finding ways to coexist within the societal frameworks and thereby accept the status quo.
Like many young people I have this belief that conformity leads to success, that the faster I accept the way the world works the faster I can do things on my own terms.
Why? Because as a university student I don’t feel qualified enough to question the inner workings of society particularly when I haven’t experienced all it has to offer.
But I think it’s time that I start questioning the world and ask the deep probing questions about institutions, policy, and the law, about the very foundations of society. Mere acceptance is no longer enough, in this everchanging world where social injustice is rampant, it’s time to question why the world is the way it is.
Contrary to popular belief conforming to
the unwritten rules of society won’t lead to success but challenging it will, it will make you think beyond what you already know. While I am no expert on the subject matter, I think that the faster you learn to question the world, the more insight you gain and the
easier it is to address social inequality.
Wednesday 6 April 6 is the 30th anniversary of the start of the Bosnian War, part of the breakup of the former Yugoslavia which caused bitter fighting, indiscriminate shelling of cities and towns, ethnic cleansing and systematic mass rape.
Some 100,000 people died and over 2.2 million people were displaced. It was the biggest refugee crisis Europe had experienced since WW2 and the Siege of Sarajevo and the Srebrenica massacre became iconic of the conflict.
Izeta Zecevic is a survivor. I met her in 2002, making a film about women as victims of war as part of a project for the International Red Cross and NSW Law Week. We were both quite new in Australia and became friends.
I’ve always remembered the traditional Bosnian baclava and thick dark Bosnian coffee she made me while she told me her story but I remember more vividly what she went through during the war in Bosnia and I have worried about her and other survivors from Bosnia and so many other places as we’ve watched the horrors of what is happening in Ukraine unfold.
Unexpected terrors which remind me daily of Izeta telling me “No one ever expects war to come to their city.”
Working through Izeta’s story with her for Recipes for Ramadan has reminded me what that war was about and why we need to remember.
Bosnia has never recovered and neither have many of its people. We shouldn’t expect that Ukraine or other places that have been violated and scarred in similar ways will either. The present is still haunted by the past.
Izeta is originally from Doboj in central Bosnia. Doboj was heavily shelled, ordinary civilians were killed and hundreds were wounded and maimed. All the mosques were destroyed, and homes were looted and destroyed too.
People were detained and subjected to inhumane conditions, beatings, torture and forced labour. Ordinary civilians were killed and women raped. There were mass executions in
the city’s prison and in the military barracks in a local village, and a school was used as a rape camp… The violence and fighting went on for three years.
“When I see people fleeing in Ukraine with children and plastic bags, leaving their husbands, my soul is crying,” she told me recently. “Watching Ukraine reawakens many old traumas. I am worried for many Bosnians here who are still struggling and need support and I am worried by renewed nationalism in Serbia. My soul cries for Ukraine and for Bosnia.”
Before the war Izeta worked in a bank. Her husband Fahir was a journalist. They had two teenage sons. She never imagined war would come to her city or that she and her younger son would be separated from her husband and oldest son for two and a half years, not knowing if they were safe and for long periods not knowing where or how they were.
“It is hard to describe the feelings you have when you lose everything in one day… Becoming a refugee is something no-one plans for in their lifetime and for everyone it is a hard time. I say ‘hard’ but it is so much more. You lose family members, friends, home, wealth, your homeland. And there are a thousand questions you ask yourself. Why has it happened to us and why do we never know what awaits us tomorrow? In one second, life changes. The only way I can describe it is to say it’s like how sunny days can turn stormy in moments. The sky becomes black and the lightning is terrifying. That’s the only way I can describe in a simple sentence the day we had to leave our home under cannon and bombshells… and then we were separated.”
Izeta considers herself and her family the lucky ones. She learnt English in Australia and worked for 15 years for a number of Migrant Resource Centres and agencies, supporting migrant women and families from refugee backgrounds including asylum seekers living in the community.
A Justice of the Peace, she is the secretary at Auburn Small Community Organisation Network (ASCON) and continues to run the Bosnian Senior and Disability Association which she founded and chairs. The group meets weekly and includes many widows and
The Biden administration has finally declared that Myanmar’s military has committed genocide against the Rohingya minority. The US Sectary of State, Antony Blinken indicated at the Holocaust Museum that there is “a clear intent behind these mass atrocities – the intent to destroy Rohingya, in whole or in part.” The evidence is now clear.
AFIC notes that a genocide de termination does not automati cally give rise to punitive US action. The US State Department has formally used the term six times to describe massacres in Bosnia, Rwanda, Iraq and Darfur, Daesh’s attacks on Yazidis and other mi norities, and, over China’s abuses of Uighurs and other Muslims. Ad ditional funding for the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar was also announced.
“No doubt, there has been a need for global action to investigate and to prosecute Military abuse of power and war crimes. We welcome this long overdue Declaration and thank President Biden’s administration for their courage in confronting the Myanmar military junta. Most Australians would like to see Prime Minister Morrison officially backing this declaration. We acknowledge the work of Rohingya advocates such as the Honourable
Philip Ruddock and the human rights organisations who have bravely exposed the genocide. Their work will help save lives and hopefully bring justice and peaceful coexistence. This declaration would not have been possible without their tireless work, we are grateful to them. The world cannot afford to repeat history in the way the Holocaust has occurred ever again,” said AFIC President, Dr Rateb Jneid. AFIC also agrees with the US Council of Muslim Organizations’s (USCMO) request, in calling world community leaders to adopt the following actions:
1. Ramp up economic sanctions on Myanmar’s military government and officers
2. Press for a UN Security Council resolution referring the Myanmar military’s alleged crimes against the Rohingya and other peoples to the ICC, and take it to the general assembly in case of Chinese or Russian vetoes
3. Continue the investigation into Myanmar’s full government – including not only its military but also its civilian leadership – at the time of the Rohingya genocide
4. Secure the full return, with reparations, of the nearly 1 million Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh and other countries, and the restoration to their homes of at least 559,000 internally displaced Rohingya in Myanmar.
At least 281,000 people have entered Poland from Ukraine.
victims of the war in Bosnia. Many are still haunted by the past.
For 30 years, Izeta says, many Bosnian people have tried to correct the idea that the war in Bosnia was a civil war or a war of religion between religious groups.
“Not dissimilar to Ukraine now, we see it –the world sees it – as an act of aggression and genocide by Bosnian Serbs and Serbia who wouldn’t accept Bosnia as an independent country. Politicians stirred up ethnic hatred which led to ethnic cleansing of people who had no way to defend themselves.”
Bosnia had been multicultural for centuries and Orthodox and Catholic churches and mosques existed side by side. People of different religions lived as neighbours and families with more than 500,000 mixed marriages before the war: Muslim-Catholic, Muslim-Orthodox, Catholic-Orthodox.
In the capital city of Sarajevo, every day at 12:00 noon you could hear the ezan call to prayer from mosques and the bells from Catholic and Orthodox churches and Jewish synagogues.
As Izeta calls it “A religious orchestra respecting differences together – something no-
where else in the world.”
To read more of Izeta’s story, to be reminded of events that led to the Bosnian war and the fears now of growing Serb nationalism ahead of elections in October, go to https://recipesforramadan.com/recipes/izetas-bosnian-baklava/ where you will also find Izeta’s recipe for her baclava.
“The baklava is really much more than our favourite sweet pastry. Always when I prepare this sweet, my memory goes to days when we were happy and enjoyed our time with friends. It is linked in our hearts, Fahir’s and mine, to events and people and to the memories of where friendships started and can never be lost because the baklava connects me to people I hold dear in Bosnia and in Australia.”
You can also hear Izeta on ABC Radio National’s Soul Search on RN at 6-7pm on Sunday April 3. Repeated Wednesday April 6 at 11pm and Thursday April 7 at 12pm. https:// www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/ soul-search/.
Listen live, stream later or listen free on your mobile device on the ABC Listen app, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or your favourite podcast app.
Rabbi Allen Maller
More than 18 million people, three times higher than official records suggest, have probably died because of COVID-19, say researchers. Their report comes two years to the day from when the World Health Organization first declared the pandemic.
The COVID-19 excess mortality team at the US’s Washington University studied 191 countries and territories for what they call the true global death figure.
They could not count the extra victims of coronavirus scapegoating, like the millions of Muslims in India.
Scapegoating refers to the human tendency to blame someone else for one’s own economic, social or personal problems, a process that traditionally resulted in men blaming women for failing to have male children.
Scapegoating serves as an opportunity to publicly vent one’s own frustrations, rage and hate, while ignoring one’s own failures or misdeeds and maintaining one’s positive self-image.
It is important for all members of minority groups to realize for themselves and teach others that the victims of hate filled scapegoaters are completely innocent of all responsibility for the problems that the scapegoater has.
Do not ever let children fall for the hate virus that claims the victims somehow brought this hatred upon themselves.
The Coronavirus pandemic may be novel, but Jews have had a long and tragic history of being accused of spreading deadly viruses. During the Black Death which started in 1348, hundreds of Jewish communities in Western Europe were attacked, despite the intervention of Pope Clement VI, who pointed out
that Jews were dying from the plague just like everyone else.
Needless to say, all that Jewish blood did nothing to stop the plague.
As the plague swept across Europe, killing one third to one half the population, people had no scientific understanding of the disease and were looking for an explanation. Jews were often taken as scapegoats and accusations spread that Jews, in league with the Devil, had caused the disease by deliberately poisoning wells.
Nothing like this happened in the Arab or Muslim world although the bubonic plague swept through it as well.
But Muslims in India have also being scapegoated for spreading COVID-19.
Two weeks before the Indian lockdown began, between 8 March and 10 March 2020, members of the Muslim missionary organisation Tablighi Jamaat gathered from across India and Southeast Asia in Delhi for a long-scheduled meeting.
Hundreds of these missionaries, then left Delhi to visit villages and towns around India to preach, mostly to Muslims, and some of them unknowingly carried the coronavirus with them.
Now a slew of fake videos were being shared showing Muslims plotting to spread the coronavirus, including one video allegedly capturing Muslim men intentionally sneezing on others to infect them, and sadly some Hindu nationalist politicians began the public
scapegoating Muslim plot process. The independent and free media must expose all scapegoating where ever it occurs on the globe.
Allen S Maller is an ordained Reform Rabbi who retired in 2006 after 39 years as the Rabbi of Temple Akiba in Culver City, California. His web site is: www.rabbimaller.com. Rabbi Maller blogs in the Times of Israel. His book ‘Judaism and Islam as Synergistic Monotheisms: A Reform Rabbi’s Reflections on the Profound Connectedness of Islam and Judaism’ (31 articles previously published by Islamic web sites) is for sale ($15) on Amazon.
19 March 1940 was a black day in the history of the Indian subcontinent when a large number of Khaksars were killed in cold blood. These Khaksar martyrs laid the foundation for the end of British rule in the subcontinent and seven years later, the long British Raj came to an end.
This piece is written to remember Allama Mashriqi’s son and Khaksar followers, who were mercilessly killed or injured on 19 March and to show how the Khaksar Tehrik’s role was suppressed in the freedom movement.
By the late 1930s, the British had become increasingly aware that Allama Mashriqi - along with his private army known as the Khaksar Tehrik - were planning to overturn British rule by June 1940.
In order to protect their own rule, the British decided to arrest Mashriqi and crush the Tehrik; accordingly, the British rulers signaled to Punjab Premier Sir Sikander Hayat Khan (also a member of the Working Committee of the All-India Muslim League) to take drastic measures to suppress Mashriqi’s Khaksar Tehrik.
On February 28, 1940, Sir Sikander imposed restrictions on the party.
On March 19, 1940, 313 Khaksars marched in Lahore in protest of the restrictions on the Tehrik. The police, under the command of British officers, arrived on the scene and acted arrogantly towards the Khaksars, ordering them to stop the protest.
The Khaksars brushed aside the order and continued marching. This was an unprecedented action under British rule - a group of Indians dared to ignore the order of senior British officers. The Khaksars’ courage came from Mashriqi, who taught them to always maintain their self-respect, courage, and pride.
British Senior Superintendent of Police, Donald Gainsford, was shocked by the Khaksars’ defiance and could not accept the insult, so he slapped Khaksar Inayat Shah. This resulted in a “serious clash” between the two sides.
The Deputy Superintendent of Police P C D Beaty ordered the police to open fire and they began indiscriminately shooting at the Khaksars. According to the district police register maintained by the moharir (record keeper), 1,620 rounds had been issued to the police at the start of the day and only 1,213 were returned, meaning 407 bullets were fired.
A large number of Khaksars were injured and over 200 killed (though officially reported figures were lower). The cruelty was no less than that seen at the infamous Jallianwala Bagh tragedy in April of 1919.
On the same day as the Khaksar massacre, police and the military raided the Khaksar Headquarters and Mashriqi’s house (adjacent to the headquarters) in Icchra, Lahore.
The police arrested the Khaksars and Mashriqi’s two sons. Mashriqi’s third son, Ehsanullah Khan Aslam, was badly injured by police and later died on May 31, 1940 (Aslam’s funeral was among the largest in the Indian sub-continent’s history, with over 50,000 mourners attending).
In the evening, Mashriqi, who was in Delhi at the time, was also arrested (please see my other published works for additional details on this tragedy).
In the aftermath of the massacre, “Lahore was placed virtually under emergency laws.”
Amatullah Tasneem
My Darling Daughter: The love I have for you is so special so rare .. You’re the most special gifts, out of all that Allah gave..
I wouldn’t ever trade that beautiful smile on your face.. Or allow anyone to steal that inner charm away.. You’re just perfect the way you were made.
My Beloved daughter there’s also something else I would like to share:
-It’s okay to cry and still be brave.. -It’s okay to stumble, and still walk away..
The army began patrolling the streets and a curfew along with Section 144 (prohibiting gatherings of more than 5 people) were imposed.
Processions and protests were banned and the telephones of Khaksar leaders were disconnected. The public’s anger was also censored - nothing could be published without the consent of the authorities.
For example, the Khaksars were not reported as martyrs. News about the incident on radio and print media in India and across many countries largely followed the British Government’s propaganda and attempted to justify the Government’s actions.
In India, the entire nation was shaken by the merciless killing of the Khaksars, who had done nothing wrong. In fact, a key tenet of the Khaksar Tehrik’s ideology was social service to people from all faiths (Muslims, Hindus, Christians, Parsis, Jews, Sikhs etc).
As such the public respected and loved the Khaksars. Journalist Muhammad Saeed wrote in his book A Lahore Memoir, “Lahore lay under a pall of gloom owing to a colossal tragedy that had occurred two days earlier.”
It was under this backdrop that the All-India Muslim League held a Session from March 22-24, 1940. The purpose of the Session was to pass the Lahore Resolution (later known as the Pakistan Resolution).
This resolution was supported behind the scenes by the British; one example of this support is the fact that the Government lifted Section 144 (imposed a few days prior) to allow the Session to proceed. Tens of thousands of people, including aggrieved and angry Khaksars, showed up to the Session to protest and voice their anger at the Government.
The people demanded an independent inquiry into the Khaksar tragedy, the release of Mashriqi, his sons and the Khaksars, the removal of the ban on the Khaksar Tehrik, compensation for the families of the martyred and injured Khaksars (many of whom were extremely poor), and the ejection of Sir Sikander from the Muslim League.
The venue was filled with pro-Khaksar banners and echoed with chants and slogans such as Allama Mashriqi Zindabad, Khaksar Zindabad, and Sikander Murdabad (death to Sikander). Sensing the emotions of the charged crowd and fearing the disruption of the session, the Muslim League passed a Khaksar Resolution (moved by M A Jinnah) along with the Pakistan Resolution.
The Khaksar tragedy on 19 March left behind remarkable stories of Khaksar bravery and heroism, which reflect the training Mashriqi inculcated. For example, Khaksar Sher Zaman recounted a story in his book (Khaksar Tehrik Ki Jiddo Juhad Volume 2) of
Khaksar Mansoor Zaigham.
Zaigham was hit by bullets on 19 March, but he did not let the Khaksar Tehrik’s flag fall to the ground. As he was taking his last breaths, another Khaksar came forward to take over the flag and kept it upright.
Journalist, Muhammad Saeed, also wrote in his book A Lahore Memoir:
“There was a fruit shop at the corner of the street opening upon Naugaza’s grave. A middle-aged man managed it. He had fled during the slaughter and what made the tragedy unbearably poignant for him was that on return, he noticed a one-anna coin on his seat. A wounded Khaksar had dragged himself up to the shop and lifted an orange in order to quench his thirst. But his end came too soon and he died before he could strip the peel from it. Nevertheless, he had managed to pull the coin out of his blood-drenched pocket and leave it for the vendor to collect.”
Despite these stories of heroism, there is still no monument in Lahore to the Khaksar tragedy on 19 March. The Minar-e-Pakistan also only references the Pakistan Resolution, but does not mention the Khaksar Resolution that was passed alongside it.
The Khaksars who laid their lives for the freedom of the Indian subcontinent (now Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan) deserve to be honored and remembered. Monuments alone are not enough, the subject also needs to be included in the educational curriculum, as the history books remain distorted.
Museums should include the Khaksar Resolution and information about Allama Mashriqi and the Khaksars, along with Mashriqi’s murdered son, Ehsanullah Khan Aslam. Throughout the course of the freedom movement, hundreds of Khaksars were killed or injured in different cities of India and thousands were arrested or brutally tortured and harassed.
Freedom of the Indian sub-continent would not have been possible without the sacrifices of Mashriqi, his family, and the Khaksars.
To close, I received a touching message last year from a grandson of Senior Superintendent Gainsford (one of the police officers responsible for the firing on the Khaksars on 19 March). I am grateful to the grandson for sending such a nice note and am reproducing it here (with consent):
“Dear Sir,
I am emailing you because I read an article that you wrote in which I discovered something I didn’t not know, and that fills me with shame.
My grandfather was Superintendent D Gainsford who was responsible for the massacre on March 19th.
I don’t know what I expect to get from this reaching out, except to offer my deepest sorrow and shame that my grandfather played such a part in this awful piece of history.
I remember him as a kindly man, with extensive injuries to his face I believe from being struck by a spade carried by one of the protesters.
From one grandchild to another, from one side of history to the other, I send my brotherly love.”
Gestures of goodwill such as this one
-It’s okay to err, but never go astray..
-It’s okay to fail, but know success is few steps away..
-It’s okay to be messy or heartbroken or feel overwhelmed or betrayed..
-It’s okay not to feel okay, even if things around seem safe.. I promise to always love you no matter what comes our way.. Also my daughter please be aware .. This might be uneasy but I still need to say.. There might come a time, I may not be there… So I want you to embrace whatever comes your way .. with courage, hope, perseverance and faith. Never allow Dunya to occupy much space. Your Heart is Sacred, and you choose what stays!
Anytime you feel uncertain or a trail hits your way .. remember to humble yourself, seek forgiveness and bow down to prostrate.
I’d like to end by asking forgiveness for the mistakes I made, for the times I vented and the times I failed. Despite of all that I know you deeply love me and yearn for my tender care.
I can’t tell you how proud I’m to be your Mother and your best Mate!
Forever yours, Mum
Amatullah Tasneeem is a Life Coach, NLP Practioner and Mindful Stretch Instructor. She runs Mindful Stretch sessions, Halaqas and Courses for women. She is also a Poet and loves to inspire people through poetry.
should hopefully bring some relief to the families of the March 19th Khaksar martyrs along with their supporters and sympathizers. Previously, British Royals, Prime Ministers, and others had acknowledged another historical massacre known as the Jallianwala Bagh (Amritsar) incident, which took place in 1919. I request the Government of U.K. to do the same for the Khaksar massacre.
Nasim Yousaf, a grandson and biographer of Allama Mashriqi, is a researcher based in the USA. His books are available in world-famous libraries across many countries, including at Cambridge, Columbia, Cornell, Harvard, Library of Congress, McGill, National Library of Australia, Oxford, Princeton, and Yale.
Freedom of the Indian sub-continent would not have been possible without the sacrifices of Mashriqi, his family, and the Khaksars.
Rabbi Allen Maller or a “son of God” like Jesus? Ezra was a good target to attack because he is specifically mentioned in the Quran as ‘Uzair:
This coming Ramadan will be very special spiritually because the Muslim holy month of Ramadan; the Jewish week long holiday of Passover; and the Christian Holy Days of Good Friday and Easter Sunday will all be celebrated in the one month of April 2022.
Muslims will observe the holy month of Ramadan beginning Saturday 2 April 2; Jews will be celebrating Passover from Friday 15 April until Friday 22 April; and Christians will mark Good Friday and Easter on Friday 15 April and Sunday 17 April.
This is a very rare occurrence in the solar calendar but in the lunar calendar revelation happens all the time in the month of Ramadan.
A Hadith declares that Ramadan was when the three Abrahamic Religions received their Books of revelation. This Hadith, cited by ibn Kathir in elucidating Qur’an 2:185; states that Ramadan is a very special month because this one month in the Islamic lunar calendar was the same month when four of God’s books of revelations were sent down to four special Prophets: Abraham (a), Moses (a), Jesus (a) and Muhammad (s).
Ibn Kathir states: Imam Ahmad reported Wathilah bin Al-Asqa` said that Allah’s Messenger said: “The Suhuf (Pages) of Ibrahim were revealed during the first night of Ramadan. The Torah was revealed during the sixth night of Ramadan. The Injil was revealed during the thirteenth night of Ramadan and Allah revealed the Qur’an on the twenty-fourth night of Ramadan.” (Ahmad 4:107 and Musnad 177025).
So Ramadan’s revelation roots should stimulate Imams, Rabbis, Priests and Ministers to include in their sermons during Ramadan some positive thoughts that offer insight into each others’ Sacred Scriptures.
Religions differ because the circumstances of each nation receiving them differ. Where sacred Scriptures differ they do not nullify each other; they only cast additional light on each other.
Take for example, the prophet and priest Ezra. Was he a prophet and priest like Ezekiel,
The Jews call “Uzair a son of Allah, and the Christians call the Messiah a son of Allah. That is a saying from their mouth; (thus) they only imitate what the unbelievers of old used to say (pagans believed their many gods had many divine or semi-divine children). Allah’s curse be on them: how they are deluded away from the Truth!” [Quran 9:30]
Now there are a half dozen different places in the Qur’an where the Christians claim that Jesus is the “son of God” is refuted and denied. For example, “Jesus son of Mary, did you ever say to people, ‘Worship me and my mother as gods beside Allah?’ and he will answer, ‘How could I say what I had no right to say?” [Quran, 5:116] Also, “The Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, was no more than a Messenger of Allah…do not say “Trinity.” Stop saying that.” [Quran, 4:171]
And general statements like: “Those who say, ‘Allah has begotten a son’ have no knowledge about it, nor did their forefathers; this is a monstrous word that comes from their mouths. They utter nothing but a lie.” [Quran, 18:4,5 Also see Quran 5:72-75, and 19:30.]
Indeed, the verse that follows 9:30 (above) specifically applies to Jesus: “They take their priests (ahbar) and their monks to be their Lords in derogation of Allah, and (take as their Lord) the Messiah, the son of Mary; yet they were commanded to worship but One God: there is no god but He. Praise and glory to Him: (Far is He) from having the partners they associate (with Him).” [Quran, 9:31]
So how shall we understand the Quran’s statement: “The Jews call ‘Uzair a son of Allah”?
Al-Tabari and Abdallah ibn Ubayd state that only one Jew (Pinhas) viewed Uzayr as a “son of God.” Ibn Abbas and Qurtubi say only four Jews, whose names they record, believed Uzayr as a “son of God.” Ibn Hazm said that just a small group of Jews in Yemen worshipped ʿUzayr as a “son of God” in some remote period.
Since the Jews of Yemen, who have lived there since the third or fourth century CE, do
A couple of weeks ago, Australia has been faced with severe, in some days non-stop, heavy rain, that led to the flooding of shops, houses, cars and even some suburbs as a whole. As Muslims, should we think of it positively, or negatively?
It is undeniable that this flood has caused mild to drastic damages, but what many don’t notice is the concealed message Allah has behind this natural disaster.
Allah states in surat Al Baqarah “…and it may be that you dislike a thing which is good for you and that you like a thing which is bad for you. Allah knows but you do not know.” [Quran 2:216]
Here, in this verse, Allah clearly tells us that some of the things He has written for us to happen, may appear harmful to us, but in reality, they have a hidden wisdom in which we might not understand until later. Sometimes even never.
As Muslims, we have to keep in mind that everything we face takes place for a reason, and has a purpose. In this case, Allah reminds us of how grateful we should be for a stable environment; with neither too much rain, nor too little of it.
Allah reminds us to remember Him and thank Him for something we might see as
simple because we have just gotten used to it. He reminds us that He is in control of every single matter on earth, and in less than an hour, He can change the climate to make a natural disaster that we have no control of, whatsoever.
Culturally, we think of rain as a blessing, in rare cases, we know it’s a sign of Allah’s anger because of something we might have done that went against His orders.
So was this continuously-flooding rain a blessing or a punishment?
Abu Huraira reported: The Prophet (s) said, “there are no omens, but the best of it is optimism.”
From this we can deduce that it is best to think of any calamity we face, as something to remind us of Allah; this includes the flooding that occurred. Because sometimes the loss of something can be worth the remembrance of Allah.
Nesrin Khalifa is a 15-year-old student in Al-Noori Muslim School. She is a passionate writer, public speaker and debater who loves to advocate about various matters that interest her and the Australian Muslim community.
have an old tradition not to name their children Ezra, so perhaps there was such a small heretical sect in Yemen that later generations wanted to forget about.
But most Christians to this day, proudly proclaim that they do indeed worship Jesus, as “the Son of God.” Jews however, have always vehemently denied that they worship any partner or other deity except the one and only God.
So how can we understand the difference between the two seemingly parallel statements in ayah 9:30?
There is a Sunan Al-Tirmidhi hadith which says that the Jews worship their Rabbis. One of the Companions said that this is not true. Then Muhammad (s) said that they accept what their Rabbis say over the word of God; so in this way they worship them. This hadith provides an important clue.
Christians actually do venerate and pray to both Jesus and his mother Mary; but only a small minority of Jews figuratively venerate their rabbis as Muhammad says because, “They accept what their Rabbi’s say over the word of God, so in this way they worship them.”
This hadith is correct. Orthodox Jews do believe in both a written Torah and an oral (unwritten) Torah which first started being passed down over 3,200 years ago. They often observe Judaism according to the rabbinic interpretation of this oral Torah in the same way that Muslims use hadith to understand and apply verses in the Qur’an to the Sha’riah .
For example, the Torah states that the new Jewish year starts: “On the first day of the seventh month you shall have a holy convocation. You shall not do any ordinary work. It is a day for you to blow ram horns.” (Torah, Numbers 29:1)
This one-day holy day, was turned into a two-day holy day some 17-18 centuries ago, when most Jews lived outside the Land of Israel and could not be sure exactly when the lunar new year calendar began. A similar issue exists for Muslims in determining the start of Ramadan, which is why in some years two different days mark the beginning of Ramadan in various parts of the world.
Thus, different circumstances produce different rituals and legal systems, but basic theology can differ only in small and unessential details. As the sage of Konya, Jalal al-Din al-Rumi, says, “Ritual prayer might differ in every religion, but [monotheistic] belief never changes.” (Fihi Mafih 49)
So we should emphasise our common beliefs and respect our particular differences because, “To each among you, We have prescribed a law and a clear way. If Allah willed, He would have made you one nation, but (He didn’t in order to) test you in what He has given you; so strive (compete) as in a race to do good deeds. You all will return to Allah; then He will inform you about that in which you used to differ.” [Quran, 5:48]
If we all can live up to the ideal that religious pluralism as the will of God. we will 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]
Shaza Illyaas a unique Quranic experience, through interactive activities, talks and crash courses before, during and after Ramadan!
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Yes, that’s right, Ramadan is on its way inshaAllah! The month that is filled with opportunities to connect with the Quran and better ourselves for the sake of Allah. We definitely do not want to miss the opportunity to reap as many good deeds as we can!
To assist you in this journey of making the most during Ramadan, Wartaqi Academy has created events to immerse you in
Some of these exciting events include: Daily recitation tracking system, Surah AlKahf crash course and Surah Al-Asr crash course. We also got amazing daily social media content and booklets that will help you stay organised and consistent during this blessed month!
The Quran and Ramadan go together. Ramadan is the month of the Qur’an and the month where deeds are multiplied many times over, so why miss this opportunity to reconnect with the Qur’an?
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Shaza Illyaas is the Marketing Lead of Wartaqi Academy.
Zia Ahmad
The first Islamic school in the Northern Territory opened its doors in March 2022 with 35 primary school students with plans to expand rapidly during the next few years.
The Darwin school is part of the Queensland based Australian International Islamic College (AIIC) that runs a number of Islamic schools at various campuses.
The campus sits on a 50-acre block at Berrimah, an industrial suburb in Darwin’s east, with several semi-permanent structures acting as classrooms.
The inauguration of the school named Australian International Islamic College, NT was held earlier in the year on 22 January 2022 in the presence of government ministers, officials and educationists.
In addition to teachers and parents, the invited guests at the inauguration included Honourable Ms Eva Lawler, Minister for Infrastructure and planning, Honourable Lord Mayor of Darwin Mr Kon Vatskalis, Honourable Lord Mayor of Palmerston Ms Athina Pascoe-Bell, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly Hon Ms Ngaree Ah Kit, Former Education Minister Honourable Syd Steirling, Acting Assistant Commissioner of Police Mr Sachin Sharma, and the Indonesian Consulate Mr Gulfan Afero,
The founder of AIIC Sheikh Abdul Quddoos Al Azhari, The National Grand Mufti of Australia gave a detailed account of the development of various campuses of the schools.
“From its humble beginning with 20 children at our Woolloongabba Campus in 2002, The Australian International Islamic College has seen miraculous transformation and growth to establish our main campus in Durack in 2005, our third campus at the Gold Coast in 2009, our fourth in Logan in 2021 and today, 2022, in Darwin, the first place that I worked when I first came to Australia three decades ago,” Sheikh Azhari said.
“This project of establishing an Islamic school in Darwin has been in the planning for many years, when I first came to Darwin in the early eighties, it was my dream and aspiration, today, this dream has, Alhamdulillah, become a reality for me, for the 3000 strong NT territory Muslims and for the people of Darwin,
Sheikh Azhari further added.”
AIIC has established four International schools in Tamil Nadu, South India recognised by Central Board Secondary Education in Delhi.
AIIC also has sister schools in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore. all sharing curriculum ideas and experience in order to provide best education for their students.
AIIC has been faithfully teaching the Australian curriculum from Kindy to year 12 with the support of the Australian government and the dedication of teachers, parents and students, delivering excellence in education.
The AIIC ensures that the teachers hold up to date statutory registrations and continue to professionally develop to so that they can deliver the best quality education in a safe, caring and respectful environment that encourages student curiosity, learning and achievement.
Sheikh Abdul Quddoos Al Azhari, appointed by the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils (AFIC) last year as The National Grand Mufti of Australia has been a veteran community leader and Islamic educationist for almost four decades.
Originally from India, he obtained Bachelor of Arts in Arabic Studies, Bakiyathus Salilath Arabic College, Vellore in 1974, Master of Arts in Arabic and Islamic Studies from Darul Uloom University, Deoband, India in 1975 , Master of Art in History, Culture and
Civilisation from Al Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt in 1977, Certificate in ESL Teaching English as a Second Language from Massey University, New Zealand in 1983, Advanced English from Darwin Institute of Technology in 1986 and Graduate Diploma in Education from Northern Territory University, Darwin in 1990.
He has been involved in community as Imam, teacher, mentor, educationist in India, Egypt, Fiji, New Zealand and in various states of Australia at various stages in his life.
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.
When a baby is born, he or she is completely helpless. Nevertheless, the baby is a consumer. So much so that having a baby is becoming more of less affordable categories in the West.
As a family and society, our responsibility is to make the baby a contributor when he or she is grown up. Therefore, we need to give him/her two things: skills for work and moral values for behavior.
Before, things were easy. Someone would get the skills from fields and factories, and morality from religions. In the world of growing Godlessness, the question arose, from where would we get morality, guidance, and consolation?
The response was, “we will get it from culture”. The scriptures were replaced by the culture and education. The problem is that the science and education can explain why someone is sad but can’t provide the consolation.
To make ourselves busy with business, we went to the market, where we found ginormous number of things to make our life easy and comfortable. We could buy anything and everything if only we had money, which took us to another market – the labor market. Where we would sell our toil for money with the hope that enough comfort would bring us happiness.
Our consuming power became the driver of our progress. As a nation, we are measured by how much we produce of the goods
and services. As an individual my worth is how much comfort I can buy. Alas, comfort is costly. We need to work harder and longer to maintain it.
But the deception of the century is that the comfort has not brought us happiness and tranquillity, rather their pursuits left us with full of anxiety for job insecurity and low esteem. We need a healthy break from our consumerism. We need the fasting from our very essentials to think how can we live with less materials.
As such, Muslim month of fasting could be and should be a great opportunity, at least for the Muslims. It consists of staying away from the three most elemental things of life: food, drink, and intimacy during the daytime. Life cannot live without them for long. However, our indulgences for them make our life burdensome. Where is the line between the needs and indulgence depends on our consciousness?
“O you who have believed! Fasting is prescribed for you—as it was for those before you—so perhaps you will become God-conscious” (Quran 2: 183).
In the Quran, the purpose of the fasting is described as to develop the human consciousness of God. It is a month-long obligatory practice to develop the habit of conscious behavior.
Ironically for the majority people in the Muslim world, the month of fasting has become the time for maximum culinary indulgence. This is the unwanted outcome when we de-link our rituals from its rationales.
If we don’t stop it now, like Christmas our fasting will be soon taken over by the consumerism and marketing.
Read full version:
https://qrco.de/amust1
Dr Asrar Talukder is a marine geologist and a passionate community activist. He is based in Perth, Australia.
Misbah Khan
1. Islamic Knowledge: Seeking knowledge is the best of deeds when intention is sound. Everyone should seek of Islamic knowledge as much as he needs to carry out his religious duties.
Islam is the religion of knowledge.
The first ayah of the Quran says us to Read (al-Alaq 96:1). Allah says that Himself, the angels and scholars witness to His Oneness (al Imran 3:18). A knowledgeable person fears Allah as he understands Allah’s signs (Fatir 35:28). The scholars occupy a noble status in Islam (al-Mujadilah 58:11).
Allah says: “Say: ‘are those who know equal to those who know not?’ It is only men of understanding who will remember (i.e., get a lesson from Allah’s signs and verses).” [Quran 39:9]
Having proper Islamic knowledge is a blessing from Allah. The Prophet (s) said: “When Allah wishes good for a person, He makes him understand the religion.”
(Bukhari 69)
2. Benefits of learning and sharing Allah’s Messages (Knowledge):
Appropriate knowledge of Quran and Sunnah and their implementation help us being in the right path and ensure pleasures of Allah. Moreover, people may be benefitted from a person who propagates the true message of Allah.
A lengthy hadith reveals the superiority of the scholars, which is like the superiority of the moon over all other heavenly bodies. It says that gaining knowledge is earning a Prophetic share and seeking knowledge is a way to Paradise. Angels and living crea-
tions (like fishes) pray for forgiveness of the scholars (Tirmidhi 2606).
The Prophet (s) said, “Whoever follows a path in the pursuit of knowledge, Allah will make a path to Paradise easy for him.”
(Bukhari, Kitab al-ilm, 10)
Sharing beneficial knowledge and Allah’s messages bring great benefits, we know that a person gets the reward for this even after his death (Muslim 1631).
The Prophet (s) said, “Whoever calls people to right guidance will have a reward like that of those who follow him, without it detracting from their reward in the slightest.”
(Muslim 2674)
3. Striving to gain Knowledge:
We must try our best to learn Islamic knowledge, mainly Quran to understand Allah’s messages, Hadith, Aqeedah and Shariah. Reading Quran, learning and teaching it, are among the best deeds.
The Prophet (s) said: “There should be no jealousy except between two people, a man to whom Allah has given (knowledge of) the Quran, so he recites it night and day, and a man to whom Allah has given wealth, so he spends it (in good deeds) night and day.”
(Muslim 815)
All the great scholars provided tremendous effort in learning Allah’s messages (Quran and Hadiths) and did extensive researches for our benefits. They are rewarded and so do all the knowledge seekers. We should pray to Allah for increasing our knowledge.
Our intention would be acquiring the correct knowledge from Quran and Hadiths, teaching that to people, and seeking reward with Allah. We would do this for the sake of Allah.
Dr Misbah Khan is a Civil Engineer and is based in Sydney, Australia
@mehreenfaruqi
As the anniversary of the brutal Christchurch attacks, March 15th remains a painful reminder for us here in Australia and for Muslims across the world of the very real and violent consequences of anti-Muslim hatred. For the United Nations to unanimously recognise this as the International Day to Combat Islamophobia is an important acknowledgement of Islamophobia the world over.
Australia must follow the UN’s lead and actually address the foundations of anti-Muslim racism and white supremacy in this country.
Tile by Islamophobia Register Australia.
@Media Diversity Australia
Last night (15 March) MDA summer intern Zahra Al Hilaly was named the 2022 Western Australia Young Multicultural Person of the Year!
“This award isn’t for me alone, but for every multicultural & First Nations person in WA who continue to preserve and speak up, despite the ongoing discrimination”
@UnityGrammar
If vou want to focus more on Allah in your prayers, focus more on Him outside your prayers - Yasmin Mogahed
A huge thank you to Yasmin Mogahed and her husband Qasim Rafique. Ustatha Yasmin’s address to students and staff was inspiring as it was captivating. Her advice on identity and preparing for Ramadan was invaluable. Br Qasim’s insights with school leaders as a community counsellor and mentor on Islamic education and Islamic schooling in North America and the UK was much appreciated.
We wish them a safe journey home and look forward to them returning to Australia and Unity Grammar soon Insha’Allah.
IlmFeed
@IlmFeed
This is Eldin Bajric. He is a young man from Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. There’s a reason behind the joy on his face.
He has successfully learned how to recite the Noble Qur’an.
In the photo, he is accompanied by two of his teachers, Muamer ef. Mrkonja and Emin ef. Bakal. They taught him for two months, coming to Eldin’s house. Neither the student nor the teachers regretted the effort.
@MuslimWomens AssociationSA
Jihad Dib MP@jihaddib_mp
I met Maha at the @sydneycommunityconnect #IWD function. She said that because she sees me in Parliament, she now dreams of breaking glass ceilings too. I told her to keep the dream alive and that I can’t wait to listen to her first speech in Parliament. Don’t underestimate the impact you have on others without even realising it - If you can see it, you can be it!
And here is the joy, here is their success.
As a gift, Eldin received the Qur’an from his teacher with this message: “To my brother, on the occasion of the beginning of the recitation of the Qur’an and the completion of the Sufara (Arabic alphabet), from a brother who loves you very much. You are my life and one of my most beautiful life stories. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to be on the path that leads to Jannah, to be with you and make your beautiful smile happy ... “
Shared by: Nedim Botić
We visited the Art Gallery of SA with our Foundation Skills students for a lesson! This time, the students were given a private tour through the Islamic collection exhibition by a gallery guide.
The exhibition displayed Islamic art from across the centuries and the world, extending from Morocco to Australia Our students had a particular focus on the Mosque glass lamp made sometime between 1875 –1950 as they had been learning about it in their lessons.
The excursion was filled with questions and chatter; it was great to see the students confidently converse in English with others .
Zuleyha Keskin
Don’t try and “copy and paste” someone else’s “getting the most out of Ramadan” plans, it won’t work, or it won’t work as well as a tailored plan.
After all, you wouldn’t copy and paste someone else’s physical health plan, mental health plan, fitness plan, nutrition plan, weight loss plan and so on. Surely you have noticed that all these plans are tailored to the needs of the individual. They are never copied and pasted from one person to another. It could potentially be disastrous if it was.
No doubt each plan is based on fundamental principles. For example, for a weight loss plan, one of the principles would be to make sure that the calories consumed are less than calories burnt. But there would different strategies to apply this principle.
For a fitness plan, getting the heart to be healthy is important, but there are different strategies that may be used to achieve that. The condition of the heart is also carefully taken into consideration when deciding on a fitness plan.
I don’t think our spiritual heart is any different; each and every one of us would have a different plan (with the same principles) to get our spiritual heart into a health state. And remember, the very faculty we are working on in Ramadan, is the spiritual heart.
So with Ramadan, there would be certain principles you would be working on such as getting close to Allah and, reading and connecting with the Qur’an. Unfortunately, there are no spiritual doctors to advise you on what would work for you.
You need to work this out for yourself. This is why self-awareness is so important. Where are you now?
How much can you push yourself? What would work for you?
Here are my recommendations:
• Preparing for Ramadan is important, especially the mental preparation. Ask yourself what would work for you. Should you attend a workshop? Should you start talking more about Ramadan with friends and family, and discuss what it means to you? Should you reminisce on the beauty of previous Ramadan’s (and fasting experiences) to increase your anticipation for Ramadan.
• Connecting with the Quran is a key part of Ramadan. Ask yourself what would work for you. Should you join a Quran reading group during Ramadan? Should you listen to a podcast explaining the meaning of the Qur’an? Should you allocate a certain timeslot after each prayer to read Qur’an? Should you keep a reflective journal and write in it after reading the Qur’an or the translation of the Qur’an?
• Salat is a key part of Ramadan. Ask yourself what would work for you. Should you create a masjid like space in your home to help you focus on your prayers? Should you commit to praying at least 1 of your prayers a day if you normally do not pray? Should you focus on the purpose of salat to ensure you have a stronger connection with salat?
• Ultimately, connection with Allah is what Ramadan is about. Ask yourself what would work for you, in addition to what was mentioned above. Should you read about the names of Allah and how you connect with Allah through them? Should you make more dua, so you are conversing with Allah more often? Should you do more dhikr (remembrance of Allah)?
I cannot emphasise enough that you should not copy and paste what others are planning for Ramadan. You can get ideas from others, so please take note of what they are proposing, but ask yourself, “would this work for me?” Keep searching and pondering on how you will make the most of Ramadan this year.
