Australia 18

SOCIAL 30 - 31 Concerns about racism in Western Sydney’s public hospitals

AMUST Media

Racism in Australia’s Healthcare System

On 28 June 2022, in a Guardian article titled Deadly combination’: unpicking race’s role in three separate tragedies, reporters Joe Hinchliffe and Jane Lee unpack the role played by race and cultural bias in the deaths of three children under hospital supervision.

In these cases several doctors have noted that all three occurred to families from the Indian subcontinent and spoke more broadly of a “deadly combination” of factors, including ethnicity and culture, that is being magnified in a healthcare system buckling under the immense pressure of the pandemic.

In the same article Race Discrimination Commissioner, Chin Tan, says systemic racism within the health sector is undermining access to services, diagnoses, treatment and care.

Individual healthcare workers “may be well intentioned”, Mr Tan says, but “unconscious bias or a lack of cultural understanding and sensitivity” means people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds are not always provided with appropriate care.

Venkata Chandra Lanka is one the parents quoted in the article. Venkata Chandra Lanka says “there is a different kind of racism in the picture here, where no one says anything to you but your concerns are ignored.”

Racism in Western Sydney public hospitals

Between 2018 and 2022, within Western Sydney Local Health District (WSLHD), similar concerns about being ignored, not being listened to and slow staff responses to rapid clinical deterioration have been repeatedly expressed following the death of 27 year of Sydney Dr. Malay Rana at Westmead Hospital in April 2015 , the death of 3 year old Sydney girl Caitlin Cruz at Westmead Hospital in October 2016 and the death of 21 year old Sydney woman Dua following a discharge from Blacktown Hospital in February this year .

Disturbingly, all of these deaths occurred in patients from a multicultural background.

Further, in the past decade, there have been several reports highlighting similar systemic concerns with poor communication, poor patient experiences, slow responses to rapidly deteriorating patients, poor standards of care and multiple avoidable deaths in hospitals within WSLHD.

In November 2012, an article in Canberra Times featured DAMNING internal reports into 85 deaths at WSLHD Hospitals over two years that had revealed that at least 49 of the patients did not receive adequate care. The reports identified poor communication, slow responses to rapidly deteriorating patients and poor standards of care as significant contributors to avoid deaths of these patients.

In May 2021, Bureau of Health Information figures released in a Sydney Morning Herald article showed that hospital emergency departments in Sydney’s west and south-west scored the lowest in NSW on a patient satisfaction survey, with Blacktown, Westmead and Liverpool hospitals among the under performers.

Community concerns about care in Western Sydney hospitals

Western Sydney is home to a large multicultural community. This disturbing pattern of being ignored, not being listened to, poor patient experiences, poor care and multiple avoidable deaths only reflect Race Discrimination Commissioner, Chin Tan concerns about systemic racism within the health sector undermining access to timely services, diagnoses, treatment.

On 12 October 2022, Dr Rateb Jneid, President of the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils (AFIC), wrote to WSLHD Community and Consumer Partnerships. (WSLHD - CCP) to highlight increasing community concerns about the quality and safety of healthcare in the district.

In his letter, Dr Jneid noted that AFIC has been privy to some troubling stories from consumers and carers about being inappropriately discharged home with life threatening conditions, carers not being heard, their concerns being disregarded and being verbally and physically abused by staff at WSLHD. AFIC awaits a response from WSLHD - CCP.

Western Sydney residents continue to be concerned about systemic racism within hospitals in Western Sydney undermining their timely access to timely services, diagnoses, treatment.

In light of the impending elections, AMUST will continue to feature a series of articles with interviews with political, community leaders and stakeholders within Western Sydney healthcare sector. These articles will seek to highlight the challenges faced by residents of Western Sydney in accessing high quality healthcare.

They will also explore potential solution to address them.

Canterbury-Bankstown Council support bid to stop anti-Palestinianism

AMUST Media

A packed council chambers erupted with applause on Tuesday 29 September before Canterbury-Bankstown Councillors received a standing ovation for unanimously supporting the Sydney Statement on Anti-Palestinianism.

The statement, supported by more than 65 community groups, was crafted by the Arab Australian Federation “in response to the incessant violations by Israel of the Palestinian people’s human, political, economic and national rights under international law, including their right to self-determination and nationhood.”

The move followed a motion by Councillor Christopher Cahill calling for the council’s support for the statement.

He pointed out that the Israeli occupation of Palestine has lasted more than 50 years and is a concern to residents of Canterbury-Bankstown, of diverse faiths and backgrounds.

“The statement quotes nonviolent means and international law to achieve a just and lasting peace between the parties,” Clr Cahill said.

Clr Khodr Saleh commended the council on its endorsement of the statement while addressing a packed gallery, “I’m very happy to be speaking in support of this motion today and congratulate the Canterbury-Bankstown City Council for adopting this Statement.

This statement also aims to support the legality of the defence of Palestine and the lives of Palestinians. It does this by pro-

NOVEMBER 2022 / ISSUE 204 Councillors of Canterbury-Bankstown Council supporting the bid to stop anti-Palestinianism.

tecting the people’s legitimate rights to expose the Zionist occupation and confront the oppressors without being without being silenced by fabricated accusations of anti-Semitism.

“Canterbury-Bankstown Community is the home of more than 129 nationalities where people in the local communities value freedom, peace and social justice. I believe the freedom of the Palestinian people is at the heart of the aspirations of our community,” Clr Saleh said.

He further added, “The commitment to support the rights of the Palestinian people, including self-determination and the establishment of an independent, sovereign Palestinian state is at the heart of the aspirations of our community.”

President of the Arab Australian Federation (AAF) Mr Eddie Zanariri commended the Council on its endorsement of the Statement.

“I call for the end of Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories. It’s called theft of the land. Can you imagine that you can be in your house one day and the next day you get told: ‘You’re leaving. remove yourself from the house, because tomorrow the bulldozers will come in and it will be gone. Where will you go? Who knows?” Clr Saleh said.

He concluded by saying, “Finally , I would like to commend all the efforts of those committed to this cause including the Hon Bob Carr, the Hon Shaoquett Moselmane, and the community organisations from all faith and the media which has made the Statement on anti-Palestinianism possible.

Artwork pays tribute to Palestine’s Shireen Abu Akleh

Fatima Killeen

An artwork by Fatima Killeen in the Australian Muslim Artist’s Art Prize 2022 on display at the Islamic Museum of Australia is an homage to the life and journalistic work of Shireen Abu Akleh who was murdered by Israeli troops in May 2022.

The plaster frieze artwork titled “Pledge to

Fatima Killeen working on her entry for the Australian Muslim Artists Art Prize for 2022. Fatima Killeen’s artwork “Pledge to the truth and homeland” 2022 paying homage to the Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.

the truth and homeland” is embedded with olive branches and a large key, the symbol of Al Awdeh meaning “the return.” The key refers to the many Palestinian homes destroyed by Israeli bulldozers.

Though the plaster surface has a wall-like durability, it reveals the fragility of a landscape where Palestinian towns have been replaced over the years by numerous Israeli settlements alongside the legitimised killing of Palestinian people with impunity as the ‘promised peace’ has decayed over decades.

The Palestinian house key has become a sacred symbol, laced as a keepsake into the threads of history and ingrained into the narrative of worries and hope for peace by generations of Palestinian women.

Shireen Abu Akleh reported for Al Jazeera for 25 years and was the voice of truth about the occupation in her homeland of Palestine. She was one of the most prominent and well-known names across the Arab world.

Abu Akleh exposed to the world the daily injustices suffered by Palestinians living in the occupied territories. Shireen Abu Akleh was shot and killed in a targeted attack by an Israeli sniper while covering a raid by the occupying regime in Jenin.

Abu Akleh’s tragic death and the subsequent violent disruption of her funeral procession by Israeli forces was broadcast by the Al Jazeera channel, clearly showing the pallbearers almost dropping her coffin to the ground after being attacked by Israeli police hitting them with batons while the entire world watched.

The outrageous violation of Shireen Abu Akleh’s funeral was cruel and lacked any kind of decency and human decorum.

The Australian Muslim Artist’s (AMA) exhibition in partnership with Latrobe University is on display at the Islamic Museum of Australia in Thornbury until 12 November 2022.

Fatima Killeen is an award-winning Moroccan artist with acquisitions at Australian War Memorial, ANU, Human Rights Commission, Islamic Museum of Australia, National Museum of Australia, La Trobe University.

How to overcome jealousy

Princess R Lakshman

Jealousy is a complex human emotion. Originating from the root Greek word, Zeal, meaning extreme passion or enthusiasm.

Jealousy manifests in the body when a person has thoughts of envy towards someone’s achievements, relationships, or material possessions. Jealousy usually creeps into the person in the form of fear, anger, or humiliation.

From an Islamic perspective, the story of brothers Qabil and Habil, sons of Adam (a), aptly depicts the manifestation and consequences of jealousy.

Why do we feel Jealousy? The underlying cause of jealousy is a lack of self-worth. If you lack love, respect, and trust in your own self and your abilities, your self-worth diminishes.

It makes sense then to be negatively affected by someone else’s joys and accomplishments. Your negative thought patterns (waswassah) will find ways to justify those feelings of jealousy in ways whereby you hold other people responsible for your own lack of self-worth.

Constant comparisons with other people in relation to their houses, cars, clothes, job status, education, and their children’s achievements only lead to a perpetuation of insecurities and inferiority complex.

Jealousy is a yearning for approval because somewhere deep in your subconscious mind there is a belief, toxic and unchallenged, that you are beneath others.

This negative perception of self convinces you that you are worth less than another and therefore you feel hurt, humiliated, fearful, and angry with your perceived inequality in worthiness.

The following strategies may help you rewire your brain to transform thoughts of jealousy to thoughts of Shukr (gratitude) to Allah. 1. Become aware of how your body be-

haves when you feel jealousy. 2. Acknowledge that you are feeling this negative emotion called jealousy. 3. Express this feeling to someone you trust by saying these words: “I am experiencing feelings of jealousy towards….and I need to understand why.” The moment you express it verbally, you are no longer letting the emotion control you. You empower yourself to respond appropriately to this emotion rather than react mindlessly and be controlled by it. 4.Find a quiet moment to express gratitude to Allah. 5. Remind yourself about all of Allah’s favours by reading

Surah Rehman. 6. Spend a few minutes in meditation to listen to the following Shukr Meditation. https://mailchi.mp/f58109fc89a0/shukr

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

Jealousy with Positive affirmation

Other’s abilities

Other’s wealth I am unique. Allah has blessed every creation with their own unique abilities. I am enough because I am Allah’s creation.

Allah is Ar-Razak. Only Allah provides my sustenance.

Other’s physical beauty Allah has blessed my body with health and wellbeing. I am a beautiful creation of Allah.

Other’s accomplishments Allah knows my efforts. He rewards me for my efforts. I accept wholeheartedly whatever He has ordained for me to receive as payment for my services.

Other’s blessings Allah provides me with comfort and ease. I embrace Allah’s abundant blessings in my life.

Muslim woman in construction and loving it

Hana Kadouh

Being a young, Muslim, Australian-Lebanese woman in construction is not a common thing to see at all. So, often I get asked what it is like and if I’m treated a certain way for looking the way I do and being who I am.

I thought it would be insightful to share a number things that I have experienced while working on site in the construction industry: – I have been asked if I need my own room to pray in and offered help to secure a space – Colleagues have changed the location of lunch just to make sure I can eat with them (they insisted) – Subbies have told each other to stop swearing aloud the moment I walked past (I admit this gesture made me laugh a lot) – I was given the ability to alter my working hours to ensure I could break my fast at home during Ramadan – I get gifted chocolates instead of wine at Christmas (is this an oxymoron? I appreciate the sentiment nonetheless!)

Working in the construction industry isn’t always perfect, but at least the struggles have nothing to do with my ethnicity, religion, gender or age.

This is the environment that I think all construction companies should strive for.

The industry as a whole is making a positive shift in culture and Buildcorp and their subcontractors specifically do this exceptionally well.

I hope you’ve taken something away from this post and hope we can all contribute to that positive shift in construction.

The toxicity of ‘beauty standards’

Nesrin Khalifa

Body fitness and beauty; two factors that are unrelated, yet the majority of us believe they are.

In today’s society, ‘beauty standards’ have been causing many young people around the world to be insecure about themselves.

This often causes them to change their bodies, in unhealthy ways, to fit the criteria social media places regarding what’s ‘pretty’ and what’s not.

How do we solve this issue?

We must abandon the belief that not matching with the beauty standards means we’re ugly, and that we have to change ourselves to suit the images social media displays.

We can do this by helping young people embrace their bodies the way they are and inform them that there is no such thing as a ‘flawless’ figure.

Why is it crucial to resolve this matter?

This will remove the toxic thoughts that roams in every teenager’s mind, which will potentially lead to decreased mental health issues for young people.

Think about it this way, beauty standards change every while. For example, about 20 years ago, having the perfect body, for a lady, was having a skinny figure. But in 2022, it’s about being curvy with a small waist.

If these ‘beauty standards’ are changing every now and then, it means that it suits the new generations’ point of view.

So, the simple answer to the question, “who decides if I am pretty or not” is “society”.

This is done through social media displaying males and females in an ‘ideal’ image; contradicting 90% of the reality; that we all have different bodies and different frames.

The so-called ‘imperfections’ social media has convinced us that we all have are not really ‘imperfections’, they are called ‘differences.’

What is the healthy thinking of this subject?

If there is something that everyone should always have at the back of their head, regarding their body and weight, it’s whether they are healthy or not.

As long as you’re healthy, you don’t need to ever worry about your body image.

You don’t need to ever worry about the ‘beauty standards’ the social media represents.

And definitely, you don’t need to ever worry about if you look pretty or not; because Allah has chosen every single little detail of our looks to perfect us.

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.

Stolen Blessings: A book that tries to steal back

Soukina Kassir

Having grown up in unfavourable circumstances due to constant wars in Afghanistan, Trina Ehsan, was inspired to show the world the immense gravity and undeniable repercussions wars imprints on an individual’s life. She resorted to the power of the written word and Stolen Blessings was published in November 2021.

After witnessing her first draft book in Afghanistan University Library being burnt and bombed as a result of the war; the book which was the product of many years of hard work through war, bombings and pregnancy, Trina Ehsan did not call it a day.

Raising four children and continuing to lecture Mathematics at different institutes and schools in Russia and Kabul, Trina eventually migrated to Australia and published her first book in 2005.

Trina Ehsan also continued to teach and even ran her own day-care centre for several years before deciding to dedicate a book to help those in need in Afghanistan and hence Stolen Blessings was published.

“Stolen Blessings is an autobiography of what I went through but it is also an important message for today’s world,” Trina explains to me.

“It is an outcry echoing the pain, suffering, grief, agony, distress and hardship every parent, child and orphan living in civil unrest has had to witness,” Trina continues with a mixture of passion and bitterness.

Trina then extends to illustrate that her book reflects how wars have led to the longing to be accepted by other cultures and countries; and hence, the demise of culture and the slaughter of inner peace.

Trina Ehsan proudly declares that all profit gained from the selling of Stolen Blessings will be used to help disadvantaged Afghani people gain access to water.

“It is the least I can do to help the Afghani people back in my country: to use the power of the written word and to raise awareness of what greed, money and power has stolen from us; and perhaps, raise a bit of financial aid too..,” Mrs Ehsan concludes.

To donate or purchase the book Stolen Blessings, email

Trina_ehsan@hotmail.com.

Soukina Kassir (Juelliet) is a mum of two, an image consultant and a former instructor (in Lebanon). Charity and non profit work has always been a passion of hers.

Trina Ehsan displaying her new book Stolen Blessings at the Spill the Beans Annual General Meeting.

When cancer uproots families

Bakhtiar Alam

Aslam and Abu Bakar are two of our recent clients who come from very different backgrounds. Aslam is on a student visa while Abu Bakar is an asylum seeker.

Both are married – Aslam has a young family with a wife and two young children while Abu Bakar has a slightly larger and older family with a wife and four children, mostly in their teens.

However, there was one common aspect in both of their lives: their wives were the ones who helped look after the kids and keep the family together. And it was their wives who were both diagnosed with cancer which disrupted their lives completely.

With limited or no access to government benefits due to the nature of their visas, suddenly Aslam and Abu Bakar were faced with the choice of having to work to earn money or making the time to not only look after their wives but also the rest of the family.

Their Australian dream was crushed.

Stress levels increased by the day.

There was no light at the end of the tunnel.

Until Alhamdulillah, they discovered NZF, and our team were able to provide them with the necessary funding to continue taking care of their families while re-adjusting their priorities to allow them to work.

After a few months, they were able to re-structure their lives so they could be self-sustainable.

Without your support, many families like Aslam’s and Abu Bakar’s would be broken when hit with sudden challenges, often leading to negative consequences such as children requiring foster care.

By being able to assist them in their time of need, we are able to help keep families together, which in turn contributes towards protecting our faith & community.

Annually, NZF partners with Dreem Fitness to run the ‘Fitness for Cancer’ Challenge in October via the Launchgood platform to fundraise.

We raise funds for our ‘Caring Connections’ Program, which is designed to assist and support Muslims who are ill, are caring for a sick family member, and families who have lost a loved one.

Our goal is to help them reconnect with themselves, their loved ones, and have a good quality of life with the help of the Muslim community.

For more information, visit www.launchgood.com/nzfau or follow our social media pages @nzfaus.

Spring

Dr Reginald Naulty

The dreary rain has gone the triumphant sun has come; on the branch white blossoms smile at every passing bird and fly, and honey eaters have their fill while cats observe them, keeping still. And suburban gardens grandly bask while luxuriating trees give camouflaging bark to motionless birds, whose dispassionate regard appraise the scattered shade about the yard, And all is warm, wonderful, welcome and glad.

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

AMUST

LIFESTYLE Tackling parental stress: Psychological and Islamic view

Janelle Di Falco

As a registered and qualified counsellor and psychotherapist, I have seen and researched cases where parents have an enormous amount of stress built up and blame their children as a result.

When digging deeper, however, we have found that the root cause of parental stress is due to emotional wounds that are yet to be healed.

These emotional wounds vary, however, common cases are a result of financial stress, in-law problems, spousal conflict, or perhaps their environmental stressors that are exacerbated with children.

One way to consider parental stress is to think of stress as a good thing as we need a certain amount of stress in order to take action on things that may need to be addressed.

When stress becomes too much or overwhelming, this is when we need to avoid the stress of it becoming too much. Too much stress can impact our functioning in daily life.

To deal with the overwhelming stress is to take a deep breath and focus on each of the muscle groups in our body. Tensing each muscle at a time and then releasing it. Taking breaths in between can assist with our nervous system which is what needs to be calm.

When our nervous system is calm, we will be able to deal with the stressors at a rational level. For example, you could have an infant screaming and at first, it may stress you especially if you’re thinking of all the financial stress you may have and then all you hear is your screaming child and it all just becomes too much.

However, when we have calmed our nervous system, picking up the screaming baby will be in a more relaxed state. The baby will calm down and then at a rational level dealing with the financial stress will be more tolerable.

When we can deal with minor stressors in a calm manner, it will help us to deal with the major stressors or the root cause of how the stress began. For example, if the root cause is financial stress then again the screaming baby or even receiving a phone call over again in your day will feel super overwhelming.

On an Islamic level, I like to use this famous dua (supplication) for dealing with stress. ‘My Lord, indeed I am for whatever good you send down to me, in need.’ (Quran 28:24)

I like to reframe the minor stressors now as the things I needed in order to really deal with my actual stress as in the case of mentioning the financial stress.

A huge reason psychologically as to why we feel we cannot deal with our minor stress is due to pressure in our bodies. At that moment our bodies or our brain is trying so hard to focus on just surviving the stress.

So, to actually work on what is stressing us and find solutions to resolve it would be impractical at this point. Hence, it is crucial to engage in those relaxation techniques the moment our stress becomes too much.

Finding other ways to respond to stress is also significant. Relaxation techniques may be one. Other sensory inputs is another as it is another way our bodies need to respond to stress. This is in order to go back to that rational state in our minds to deal with as mentioned before again in regards to those major root causes of stress.

Islamically, we can discuss a sensory input such as the use of the mesbaha (Islamic) beads. They can assist an individual in feeling relaxed in their bodies through the use of touch and feel grounded on a psychological level.

Simultaneously in an Islamic sense, reminding ourselves of saying Allahu Akbar (Allah is the Most Great) with every movement of the beads. There are two things at this moment occurring as a way to respond to stress.

Janelle Di Falco is a Qualified and Registered Counsellor and Psychotherapist. She additionally advocates and educates in Mental health, She is based in Melbourne, Australia. Contact: jaecounselling8@gmail.com

When you hear Muslim, think human… not terrorist

Sidra Ghanawi

As-Salammu Alaikum. When translated, the Arabic greeting used by almost 2 billion Muslims out of 8 billion global citizens around the world simply means “peace be upon you.” But, can I be honest, trying to keep the peace is getting pretty exhausting as of late.

Despite Islam’s purpose and message of peace, Muslims in multicultural Australia continue to be met with unprovoked hostility to this day. According to the 2021 Social Cohesion Report conducted by the Scanlon Institute, 32% of Australians indicate negative views towards Muslims in 2019. That’s almost 9 million people, let’s unpack that, shall we?

Technically, a developed society like Australia, is one that grows and adapts to changes and patterns over time. Hence, a developed society should be progressive, for lack of a better word. But riddle me this, would a developed society really create a Facebook page dedicated to boycotting an entire religion’s beliefs about diet and food consumption? Would a developed society gather to violently riot against the mere existence and settling of a people?

Whilst Australia is a multicultural society, it clearly doesn’t mean it is an accepting one. The two should not be mutually exclusive, but sadly, it appears that way.

In 2019, an Australian Christian man shot and killed Muslim worshippers at a mosque in Christchurch, NZ. At the time, media and news outlets claimed the Christchurch shooter was a “troubled young man,” and – get this – a “model fitness instructor.” In fact, an entire biographical article was dedicated to Tarrant’s life before the shooting. Without sufficient context, anyone would assume he was the victim.

In 2021, an Australian Muslim man crashed into several pedestrians. Despite the man’s faith, ethnicity and political beliefs being irrelevant to the crime, all three were scrutinised by the media. The man was investigated for links to terrorism and terrorist motives even though his actions were a result of mental illness and drug abuse.

Now, in no way am I defending this man, or his horrendous actions! But there is something to be said when the police – the very people meant to protect us – automatically peg Muslims as terrorists and yet do any other groups hold this label? I think we all know the answer to that and that’s where we diminish from a ‘progressive society of inclusion’ that falls short of ‘all for one and one for all.’

You want to hear something ironic? After the Christchurch massacre, with over 51 victims, 40% of online posts included threats to kill Muslims, 55% of which were threatening mass killing according to the Islamophobia Register Australia. Evidently, no action was taken to hold these people accountable. As alarming as it is, it doesn’t come as a surprise to me, and I’m sure for many of you.

Alas, it seems the rest of society are allowed to devalue Muslims. The Islamophobia Register Australia, Scanlon Foundation Research Institute (SFRI) and countless institutions have found that the vilification of Muslims is at an all-time high.

Of course, we must consider that hate crimes are severely underreported due to both a lack of understanding what constitutes a hate crime, and fear. Hence, the Islamophobia Register highlighted that this is merely the “tip of the iceberg.” If that is the case, does that mean Muslims are tolerating this behaviour to be accepted? Is this progression?

We get it…one Muslim taints an entire community. Now we are all terrorists. When plainly we all know there is always a black sheep in each community. So why can’t the same understanding be given to Muslims. Muslims are the largest minority in Australia, making up 3.2% of the population, and we have worked tirelessly to “earn” our place in the Australian society.

But why must we prove ourselves in order to be simply acknowledged? We are held to a higher standard. What would happen if the rest of the population were held to the same standards. If they were, could this lead us all down the golden path of acceptance?

Sidra Ghanawi is a Psychology major and is based in Sydney, Australia.

The Australian Muslim Human Library

Lola Taleb

“You know that feeling when you walk past a fellow human being and you gaze at each other momentarily? You may wonder what their story is, why the lines on their face are where they are or why they are dressed the way they are.

Our curiosity is justifiable, because without it we’re in the dark, we can’t learn anything about the world or each other. It is the nature of being human.

It is why we’ve made the advancements we’ve made in civilisation, in technology and in medicine. Our curiosity prompts us to ask, explore, learn and grow.

It is this wonderful inbuilt curiosity we have that led people to the Australian Muslim Human Library events in Sydney on Tuesday 6 September at The Bryan Brown Theatre and again on Thursday 8 September at Shepherd’s Bay.

It was a great opportunity for open discussion between Muslims and non-Muslims to build an understanding of the unknown.

For some of us, we’ve never had a conversation or even met a Muslim person. Generally speaking, what we know is what we’ve been told by others or the media.

Hence, it’s easy to have solid stereotypes and misconceptions about a religious section of the community that we know very little about, lurking in the back of our heads. But how do we grow or transform into unified, harmonious communities if we sit in our own enclaves and don’t bother exploring? Discovery, enlightenment, understanding, empathy and hope can only arise from that wonderful curiosity. Building bridges between people takes guts and continual effort. There are times in life where we have to get out of our comfort zones, let our guard down, challenge our perceptions and unravel the knots, one by one.

I was lucky enough to be a part of the Australian Muslim Human Library event, and let me tell you, the conversations had on the night were nothing short of extraordinary.

There’s joy, laughter, tears and hope in every one of us. We’re all human with different stories, interesting stories that touch our hearts and challenge our minds.

I do hope other Australian cities get the chance to experience this wonderful concept of opening up to a pure stranger, only to realise that our similarities outweigh anything else we thought in the past.

The most beautiful thing about Australian society is our cultural diversity, so start a conversation today and open a door to the world we live in.”

Even newborn babies remember 9/11

Anum Sikandar & Derya Iner

A survey carried out between 2020-2021 among 188 number of Sydneysiders, for PhD research at Western Sydney University (Sikandar 2022) found that majority of the participants (27%) mentioned 9/11 as the most significant terrorist attack.

This was followed by Lindt Café Siege 2014 (26%) and the Manchester Arena bombings in 2017 (19%). The last two examples are due to the recency effect, a tendency of humankind to remember the recent events.

Personal ties with the incident also made it more memorable. Lindt Café Siege taking place in the homeland and London bombings including victims from Australia made these attacks significant for many Australians.

Despite being neither recent nor directly connected to Australia, 9/11 attacks still stand out as the most outstanding terrorist attack. Bombing of the twin towers which was broadcasted repeatedly in all corners of the world is entrenched in everyone’s memory.

The surprising fact here is that almost half of the survey participants (15%) who mentioned 9/11 as the top terrorist attack were either babies or unborn at the time of the 9/11 (i.e., 18-21years old cohort).

Undoubtedly, 9/11 attacks were a bigscale terrorist attack with the killing of 2996 people. Yet, it was not the only big-scale terrorist attack of the 21st century. The Camp Speicher massacre by ISIS killed 1700 people in Iraq in 2014. Baga massacre by Boko Haram killed more than 2000 people in Nigeria in 2015.

Yet, they are not recognised and even known by many people despite their recency effect. Nor were Muslims recognised as the prime victims of these big-scale terror attacks.

Whose memory, is it?

Selective prevalence and displacement have shaped the content and direction of knowledge in the context of 9/11. Whose memory is 9/11 terrorism? Certainly not that of toddlers and unborn children. Yet, they immediately recall 9/11 as the most significant terrorist attack of the century.

A collective memory is created through American political and media discourse with the start of War on Terror Era, the global counter-terrorism campaign by the US, which legitimised wars in Afghanistan and Iraq while increasing military expenditure and military-assistance for allied countries.

For instance, the collective memory of the same young cohort on 9/11 attacks is completely different for Muslims. It is the kick start of heightened Islamophobia and hyper-surveillance.

Beyond remembering 9/11 terrorist attacks, majority of the participants in the above mentioned survey indicated the close connection between terrorism and jihad (86%) and the role of media (84%), which interchangeably and repeatedly used Islamic terms like jihad and sharia with terrorism, ISIS and Al Qaeda.

Around the 21st anniversary of the 9/11, it is time to question the roots of our knowledge and memories and reset our prior knowledge and memories by starting and conscious consumption of the imposed information and images.

It is especially needed for the newborn and unborn babies of 9/11 who deserves to start a new age cleaned from the destructive imprints of 9/11.

Anum Sikandar is a PhD Researcher at Western Sydney University and works as a Research Integrity and Ethics Officer at USYD.

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).

Being Uyghur is not a crime: Taking my two brothers is

These testimonies are the stories of Uyghurs and Falun Gong Practitioners affected by the Chinese Communist Party’s attempts to commit genocide against them and other minorities. Their families and friends are at risk of forced organ harvesting. Many have pledged to never source an organ from China if they ever needed one.

END TRANSPLANT ABUSE IN CHINA mum warned me to cease contact for fear of being sent to prison. Horigul Yusuf I wanted to talk to my brothers, but mum told me that they were not around to speak with me. She told me that they went to a I, Horigul Yusuf, write this statement as school (a re-education camp). I could hear a Uyghur currently living in Australia. I the fear and concern in my Mum’s voice, but have grave concerns for the safety and she didn’t say much and hung up on me. whereabouts of my family members in I have great concerns for my two brothers, East Turkistan. namely, Abdulahad Yusuf and Abdulsamad

I came to Australia with my children at the Yusuf. My brother Abdulahad was born on end of 2005 to re-unite with my husband. the 16 April 1974, and my brother AbdulI have maintained phone contact with my samad was born on the 4 April 1972. They parents and my brothers and sisters since have three children each. my arrival. I was always grateful I had the I am concerned for the well-being of their means to hear their voices and check their children as they do not have their fathers to well-being. support them.

Things took a turn for the worse. I last I was also advised that my dad passed spoke with my parents on 22 October 2017. away, but my brothers were not able to atIt was a short and sharp conversation. My tend his funeral.

I demand justice for my innocent brothers. I want to able to talk to my family again. It has been five years and it has negatively affected me and my children greatly. My family in East Turkistan is only a phone call away, yet I am not able to hear their voices.

We have done nothing wrong, and our only crime is we are Uyghur.

The International Coalition to End Transplant Abuse in China (ETAC), Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation (VOC), China Aid and supporting organizations are asking for your help to raise awareness of forced organ harvesting from prisoners of conscience in China and mobilize a global movement to end this transplant abuse.

Take the pledge: endtransplantabuse.org/pledge

Mr Zubair Sayed with members of the Afghanistan cricket team in Perth. Reception for Afghan cricket team in Perth

AMUST Media

The President of the Islamic Council of WA Zubair Sayed welcomed the Afghan and English cricket teams at Forest Chase in the city of Perth on Friday 21 October before their Cricket Mens T20 qualifying match.

The event was attended by WA Minister Mr Bill Johnson, Lord Mayor of Perth, Afghan diplomats and community leaders.

Mr Sayed, of Afghan origins himself, praised the Afghanistan cricket team who have grown from their humble beginnings into a world class cricket team who qualified for the super 12 competition in T20 tournament being held in Australia.

Although Afghanistan lost the match, Mr Sayed had the honour of presenting the trophy to the English team after the match at the cricket ground.

AUSTRALIA 18 - 21 True love for Prophet Muhammad (s)

Farid Ahmed

Muslims must have true love for Holy Prophet Muhammad (s).

Love is a huge part in Islamic faith. It is a divine gift from loving Allah, and it needs to be practiced properly. On the Day of Judgment, Allah will question about his gifts, and blessings. Holy Quran states:

“Then, shall you be questioned that Day about the joy (that you indulged in!)” [AlQuran 102:8]

Why must I love Allah’s Messenger, and how much should I love? These two questions are very important for a believer who has Imaan (Islamic Faith). To find the answer, let us see what Allah’s Messenger (s) said:

“No one can be a true believer until I am

Nobel Peace Prize 2022 recipients

Sadia Shareef

Human rights advocates in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus, Ales Bialiatski, Memorial, and The Ukrainian Centre for Civil Liberties were the recipients of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize 2022.

The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to these three winners, for their hard work in uncovering war crimes, the violations of human rights, and the misuse of power.

Since 1901, many have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. It has been awarded yearly to those who deserve the highest level of recognition. For their tremendous efforts in statesmanship, political activism, promoting peace and shedding light on the truth.

Ales Bialiaski, a Belarusian human rights activist, is one of the three winners of the Nobel Peace Prize 2022. Mr Bialiski is also the founder of the Human Rights Centre named ‘Viasna’, founded in 1996. Viasna is a non-governmental human rights organisation, created to help individuals and their families who were arrested during anti-government demonstrations. Mr Bialiaski is currently being held in prison without trial.

Accompanying Mr Bialiaski is Memorial, an International Human Rights Organisation founded on 28 January 1987, during the fall of the Soviet Union. Memorial has spent over 30 years attaining justice. For those people who were imprisoned, killed, or persecuted during the soviet era.

Unfortunately, Memorial was shut down by authorities earlier this year.

The third recipient of the Nobel peace prize is The Ukrainian Center For Civil Liberties (CCL). The Ukrainian Centre For Civil Liberties is Ukraine’s leading human rights organisation, founded in 2007. After the invasion of Ukraine, the CCL has put much effort into documenting and identifying Russian war crimes against civilians in Ukraine.

All three winners of the Nobel Peace Prize 2022 showed great devotion to encouraging peace and exposing the truth. Hopefully, this award will be presented to many more deserving individuals and organisations who have made outstanding contributions in making the world a better place. more loved by him than his father, child or all other humans.” [Muttafaqun Alaih]

“No one can be a true believer” is the answer to the first question. True love for Allah’s Messenger is therefore a basic requirement for Imaan (Islamic faith). Besides, the love for Allah’s Messenger must be more than any creation of Allah.

Love comes from the heart, and the faith in Allah and on His Messenger also settles in the heart. That’s why, without true love for Allah and HIS Messenger there is no true love at all. Imaan with true love is sincere, and free from any impurity.

How should I love Allah’s Messenger? What is the way Allah has recommended for me to love His Messenger 24 hours a day, and 7 days a week? The answer is in the Holy Quran: Allah says: (O Prophet) Say,

“If you love Allah, follow me: Allah will love you, and forgive you for your sins: And Allah is Often Forgiving, the Most Merciful. Say “Obey Allah and HIS Messenger.” [AlQuran 3:31-32]

Here, we find the answer from Allah. True love for Allah’s Messenger is to obey his teachings in every second, hour and day. We also find answers for another two obvious questions in this verse. One question is, if I don’t obey the teachings of Allah’s Messenger every second, then what will I lose?

The answer is, I will lose everything, meaning, I will lose Allah’s love, and Allah’s forgiveness. Another question is, if I follow the teachings of Allah’s Messenger 24/7 for my true love for him, then what am I going to gain? The answer is, I will gain everything, meaning, I will gain Allah’s love and His forgiveness.

In conclusion, how will I know whether I have true love for Allah’s Messenger or not? The answer is easy? If I follow Holy Prophet’s teachings every day like in speaking, manner, in character, in prayers, in worships, in dealings, in human rights, in business, in family, in neighbourhood, in justice and fairness, in kindness and compassion etc, then I have true love for Allah’s Messenger.

If not, I am not yet a true Muslim, and I need to improve myself.

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.

Saudi mining showcase in Sydney at IMARC

Jane Jeffes

The International Mining and Resources Conference (IMARC) was held from Wednesday 2 to Friday 4 November 2022 at Sydney’s International Conference Centre in Darling Harbour attended by some 7,500 delegates and more than 470 companies and organisations where global mining leaders connected with technology, finance, and the future.

On 1 January 2020, just ahead of the COVID-19 pandemic, the first Saudi Ministry for Industry and Mineral Resources opened as its own dedicated ministry.

This week has seen its Minister, Bandar bin Ibrahim Al-Khorayef, and Vice Minister Khalid S Al-Modaifer visit Australia in an official capacity as part of the Kingdom’s involvement in IMARC together with the message that Saudi Arabia is open for business and for tourism.

The ministers hosted an impressive pavilion in the Expo, a Saudi Mining Showcase, private sector roundtable and a Saudi Night dinner organised by Rahaf Ahmed and her local agency White Flame.

The Ministry believes that Saudi Arabia is an important trading partner for Australia in the Middle East and that there is significant potential for economic ties to grow particularly in the areas of agriculture, mining services, education and construction with many opportunities arising and existing and potential collaborations including Food and Beverages Processing as well as Mining, Monitoring and Evaluation, Petroleum, Coal, Chemicals, Aluminum, Rubber, Fertilizers and Metals.

Across the week, the Saudi delegation aimed to enhance cooperation in the industrial, mining and critical minerals sectors and supply chains and to expand cooperation in innovation and R&D. They also introduced and promoted Saudi products and explored increased collaboration on export and import between Australian Made and Saudi Made.

Meetings were held with state and federal ministers, the Australian Trade and Investment Commission, Australian Stock Exchange, Australian Made and the heads of Australian and international investment and mining companies. They also visited the halal food processing facility of Fettaylah, Australia’s leading provider of quality halal meats.

The new Ministry is part of a national industrial strategy to diversify the country’s economic base in line with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030. A key part of that strategy is to exploit the Kingdom’s mineral wealth to transform the country into a leading industrial and mining powerhouse and make mining the third pillar of the national industry.

Since the launch of Vision 2030 in 2016, the Kingdom has issued 145 licenses and attracted US$8 billion from foreign direct investment and the goal now is for the mining and mineral production sector to attract further investments worth $32 billion with the aim of increasing the contribution of the mining sector to the Saudi GDP to a target of 64 billion US dollars by 2030.

As part of the strategy to accelerate exploration, Minister Al-Khorayef announced a range of mining and exploration investment, collaboration and licence opportunities including five new copper, zinc, silver and lead ore collaborations between the Ministry and Australian and other international companies.

With the Kingdom’s national industrial strategy largely built on the role of the private sector creating an agile and competitive sustainable industrial economy, he said the role of government is to provide the right environment for strategic international partnerships with the private sector to thrive and take the lead – similar to that which the Kingdom has with the United States – with the overall goal being to cultivate innovation and know-how, to grow the industrial base and unlock international trade and build world class supply chains.

The Kingdom was positioned as a highly attractive market for international investment with the availability of capital and high purchasing power; stable political and monetary policies; an evolving regulatory environment determined to ensure transparency and ease of conducting business; an abundance of natural and energy resources waiting to be exploited and the country’s regional leadership and geographic position in the middle of the world making Saudi Arabia an ideal place for investment and exports.

Saudi Arabia and Australia have a long-standing and friendly relationship underpinned by commercial ties, shared membership of the G20, and Australia’s engagement with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) head-quartered in Riyadh and Jeddah and last year, more than 3,110 Saudi students studying in Australia and larger numbers pre-Covid.

On a lighter note, the Ministers hosted a colourful Saudi Night at the Hyatt Regency Hotel. The Najdi Ardha, a welcome dance traditionally performed by men at official events and weddings, was led by the ministers and beautifully made videos drew out cultures and passions shared by Saudia Arabia and a myriad of countries around the world. One simple short speech made by Minister Al-Khorayef set up a video unveiling the Kingdom’s attractions for visitor and an invitation to visit Saudi Arabia:

“Our country is open now for tourism. We are proud of our culture and heritage, of being the heart of the Islamic world and mostly of our people who will be honoured to welcome you to our shores, mountains and deserts. I would love to welcome you as a visitor and tourist.”

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.