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Multicultural media is a strong engagement lever, not a gimmick

Mobinah Ahmad

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 This outdated contention does a great disservice to the Australian landscape and means that crucial audience segments are not being met with messages.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 me-“dia 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 There are was a bi-lingual German newspaper. Subsequently, entire there were radio commercials in the 1900s that led audiences to the foundation of the Special Broadcasting Serrich in cultural vice (SBS). Their contemporary diversity, tagline, Six Billion Stories and Counting, rebackground flects the value of SBS’s extraordinary efforts to and history the Australian multicultural media landscape for that aren’t its cultural and creative diversity. consuming or Today, the multicultural media landscape has exappearing in panded to over 100 community radio stations, in mainstream over 100 languages and media organisations from news. “ 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 This rich, culturally diverse Awards, the Victorian Multicultural Commission Awards, the population is one Western Australian Multicultural Awards, of our greatest and the Multicultural Queensland Awards. strengths in As managing editor for AMUST News, illustrating successful and Mobinah Ahmad was a finalist for the Young Journalist of the Year harmonious at the NSW Premier’s Multicultural Media “ multiculturalism. 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.

HAA hosts 30th Anniversary and 15th Muslim Achievement Awards

Alsu Kurlow Sydney.

Human Appeal Australia (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.

Adelaide.

Brisbane.

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.

Alsu Kurlow is the Community Care Events Coordinator for Human Appeal Australia.

Melbourne.

Preston Mosque reopens after $6.5million redevelopment

Mei Nee Cheong

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/

Immersive installation at Islamic Museum

Narjis Mirza, Hayakal al Noor, Bodies of Light 2021, Blackbox theater, AUT, Auckland. Photograph by Stephan Marks

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

Mei Nee Cheong

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

APRIL 2022 / ISSUE 197

Wishing you and your family The blessings of the Holy Month of

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.

Ramadan

The Hon. Shaoquett Moselmane MLC

HOS hosts International Womens Day & ‘Courage after COVID’ workshops

Zumra Thanvi

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

Hand made candle stall at IWD Event.

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.

Zumra Thanvi is an Public Relations Coordinator at House of Sakinah- Women’s Support Centre based in Mount Druitt, Sydney.

MP Michelle Rowland and Guest Speaker Sabrin Farooqui.

. NZF: Real People, Real Issues, Real Talk

The HOS team with MP Michelle Rowland.

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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.

Host- Faraz Nomani Guests- Katie (AUSLAN Interpreter) Raian Hoblos (Advocate) & Ayman Khoder (Advocate)

Ameera Syed

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.

TONY BURKE MP

MEMBER FOR WATSON

HON TONY BURKE MP

FEDERAL MEMBER FOR WATSON

Office: Shop 29/1 Broadway Punchbowl 2196 Phone: (02) 9750 9088 Email: tony.burke.mp@aph.gov.au www.tonyburke.com.au @Tony_Burke Tony Burke MP

AUSTRALIA 20 - 25 Teens on Deen: My Muslim Identity

Zayna Siddiqui

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