COMMUNITY

Dr Quasim is Volunteer of the Year 2022

Fousiya Bismi

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 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..

Dr Chelat Quasim (right) with his wife Ruqaiya (centre) and Councillor Julie Griffiths (left).

Fousiya Bismi, based in Sydney is a family law advisor, student of comparative religions and a community activist.

Support for Lakemba Islamic Centre in Sydney

Dr Faroque Amin

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

A moment of the LIC fundraising event

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.

RAMADANRAMADAN MUBARAKMUBARAK

Your Australian Greens MPs and Senators wish you and your family a time of love, blessings and peace.

JANET RICE

Senator for VIC ADAM BANDT

Greens Leader LIDIA THORPE

Senator for VIC

SCCI celebrates IWD with women’s achievements YMNA holds robotics workshops in Sydney

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 nominated 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.

Khaled Shaikh

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.

Transforming the lives of those in need locally.

Reviving the Pillar of Zakat in Australia since 2013

Adzra wins Sam Lewis Peace Award

Dr Teuku Aulia Geumpana

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 mother) 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.

Cut Adzra as the Grand Prize Winner of The Sam Lewis Peace Award showing her drawing and the winner certificate.

Mariam wins NSW Local Woman of the Year 2022 award

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.

Mariam Latifi (right) with Prue Car MP, Member for Londonderry.

AMUST Media

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.

Ramadan KaReem

“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.

Wishing you and your family a blessed and peaceful month

Ken Wyatt Minister for Indigenous Australians Member for Hasluck Scott Morrison Prime Minister

Linda Reynolds Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme Minister for Government Services Senator for Western Australia

Ramadan 2022: After the first date, then what?

Ramadan Nights Lakemba returns after two years

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 mainstream 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 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.

Councillor Khodr Saleh, Chair of the Lakemba Ramadan Nights organising committee at a shop at Haldon St, Lakemba.

AMUST Media

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 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.

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.

AMUST AUSTRALIA

Cooking for a cause: The Soup Kitchen

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.

Don’t deport Sheikh Waseem

Gulhan Eryegit Yoldas

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.

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.

Anthony Albanese MP

Leader of the Australian Labor Party

Senator Penny Wong

Labor Leader in the Senate Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs Senator for SA

RamadanRamadan

Richard Marles 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

Senator Kristina Keneally

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

Ged Kearney MP

Federal Member for Cooper