Issue 208 - March 2023

Aftershocks continue after the massive earthquake in Turkey/Syria

Bipartisan support for faith groups: Chris Minns pledges $15 million

Aftershocks continue to rattle Southern Turkey after the massive earthquake on Monday 6 February in Turkey/Syria where the death toll has climbed to over 50,000 dead, over a hundred thousand injured and more than a million rendered homeless.

During a soccer match between Besiktas and Antalyaspor, fans threw thousands of soft toys onto the pitch to donate to children affected by the earthquakes with criticism of the relief efforts by the Turkish government for the victims of the earthquake.

Because the government does not allow freedom of assembly and expression, football games are seen as opportunities by crowds who’d like to chant protests.

The Turkish government has expanded a criminal probe into individuals responsible for buildings levelled by the deadly earthquake that has left millions without homes.

Turkish President Recep Erdogan has acknowledged the shortcomings of his government’s response to the disaster. He is due to face the elections after being 20 years in power on 14 May where calls have continued for the government to resign over its response to the disaster.

continued on page 25

Working together, Faith Communities have secured a multimillion dollar pledge from both the Coalition government as well as from NSW Labor for making religious institutions safe and secure for their congregations to meet, worship and preach with freedom.

NSW Labor Leader Chris Minns together with his leadership team met leaders and members of Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist communities on Monday 27 February in Parramatta to pledge $15 million grants program going towards the security of religious institutions.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet while addressing a similar forum in Parramatta last week on Wednesday 22 February had earlier pledged $10 million grants program for faith organisations to strengthen safety and security of places of worship, schools, community centres, and buildings with religious symbols.

During his address, Mr Minns also gave the assurance that if he wins government after the elections scheduled for Saturday 25 March, the Labor Government would make

religious vilification unlawful by amending the Anti-Discrimination Act within 100 days of taking office.

He was accompanied at the meeting by Deputy Leader and Shadow Minister for Education, Prue Car, treasury spokesman Daniel Mookhey, Jihad Dib, Shadow Minister for Energy and Climate Change, Julia Finf, Shadow Minister for Youth and Stephen Kamper, Shadow Minister for Multiculturalism.

The event was moderated by Bilal Rauf, spokesperson and advisor for the Australian National Imams Council (ANIC) who welcomed the Labor politicians, representatives of various faith groups and the general audience calling on the Labor leader for his address before taking up questions.

Mr Minns started his address by saying, “Tonight is the culmination of the journey my team and I have been on for the last 20 months, a journey which began when I became leader of the New South Wales Labor Party. It was my belief that New South Wales Labor needed to do better in our engagement with people of faith, that for too long we had focused on our differences and we’d forgotten the values and principles that we all share.” continued on page 3

Israeli settler terror in Palestine

There has been a dramatic escalation of Israeli settler terror with at least 300 attacks backed by the Israeli army on Sunday 26 February, including shootings and arson of more than 30 houses, over 100 cars, businesses, mosques and schools in a rampage through Palestinian villages in the Nablus area of the occupied West Bank.

Earlier, a Palestinian on the ground described it as, “It truly is an Israeli state-sponsored #pogrom in Huwara tonight. 20 Palestinian houses set on fire. Countless cars were burnt. Ambulances & firetrucks were attacked with stones. 98 reported injuries among Palestinians, including people who were stabbed or hit with metal rods. Palestinian officials say, in what has been described as a “pogrom”.”

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said in a statement, “Scenes of burning houses and cars, assault on citizens, preventing fire trucks from reaching burned houses and assaulting ambulances transporting patients and injured – all these crimes must face international intervention soon to hold the occupation authorities and stop them.”

continued on page 2

Multicultural Champions recognised at 2023 NSW Premier’s Harmony Dinner

Zia Ahmad

The Premier’s annual Harmony Dinner held on Thursday 23 February at Sydney’s International Convention Centre in Darling Harbour recognised the selflessness, care and passion of 16 individuals and community organisations, 12 of them receiving Premier’s Multicultural Community Medal and one Highly Commended award, while three new members were added to the Multicultural Honour Roll.

The Honour Roll is a permanent public record, which posthumously recognises the exemplary contribution by people in NSW that extends beyond their passing. One of

the 2023 Multicultural Honour Roll Inductees, who passed away last year, is Dr Qazi Ashfaq Ahmad OAM, a leader of the Muslim community in Australia for half a century who founded a number of community organisations and institutions and was a pioneer of interfaith dialogue.

The certificate of recognition for Dr Ahmad was received from the Premier by Dr Ahmad’s eldest son, Zia Ahmad and daughter-in-law Mehar Ahmad at the Harmony Dinner from the stage.

Premier Dominic Perrottet said each of those recognised and the Honour roll inductees showcased the very best of NSW’s rich multicultural society.

continued on page 3

Premier Dominic Perrottet with Mehar Ahmad and Zia Ahmad displaying Multicultural Honour Roll certificate for Late Dr Qazi Ashfaq Ahmad OAM. Photo: Salty Dingo 2023 BH.

Mohamed Ainullah

Mohamed Ainullah

Zia Ahmad

Israeli settler terror in Palestine

Continued from page 1

At least 390 Palestinians were injured in the settler rampage across the villages of Huwara, Zaatara, Burin and Asira al-Qibliya – all south of Nablus, the Palestinian Red Crescent said, adding that the majority were wounded from tear gas fired by the Israeli army as well as smoke inhalation from widespread fires set by the settlers.

The Ramallah-based Al Haq rights groups said the attack was the, “result of decades long impunity enjoyed by Israel & settlers for international crimes committed against Palestinians.”

Another Palestinian tweeted on the rampage, “The Israeli Military worked to secure tonight’s organised pogrom in Huwara. They escorted the mob of violent settlers, & shot at Palestinians who defend their homes & property. It is a night of state-sanctioned terrorism against defenseless Palestinians.”

Yet another one wrote, “The Israeli military knowingly secured the pogrom in Huwara tonight. They literally walked alongside the terrorists, and set up a perimeter to allow Jewish terrorist plenty of time to burn Palestinian homes and properties.”

A statement was issued by Bureau of the UN General Assembly’s Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People:

The Bureau of the United Nations General Assembly’s Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People condemns the Israeli forces’ raid in Nablus in the occupied West Bank that killed 11 Palestinians, including an elderly man and a minor, and injured 100 Palestinians to date.

The Bureau is deeply concerned by the deadly cycles of violence and the senseless loss of civilian lives, mainly Palestinians, which keep growing. The Bureau stresses the need for accountability for all illegal Is-

raeli policies and measures in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem.

The Bureau reiterates the need for a de-escalation of violence and a just and peaceful resolution of the conflict leading to the un-

Muslim

Israeli settlers, protected by Israeli forces, set fire to dozens of vehicles and homes belonging to Palestinians. More than 90 Palestinians were being treated for tear gas inhalation. [Hisham K. K. Abu Shaqra/Anadolu]

conditional end to Israel’s illegal occupation and establishing a two-State solution, with the achievement of the independence and sovereignty of the Palestinian State based on the 1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as capital, and the realization of the inalienable

rights of the Palestinian people, including to self-determination, and a just solution for the plight of the Palestine refugees in the context of their right of return, in line with United Nations resolutions, international law and bilateral agreements.

Bipartisan support for faith groups: Minns pledges $15 million

Continued from page 1

“Many people would not have made it through the pandemic without the help of faith groups and their charities, selfless commitments to organisations and people, regardless of their own personal circumstances, regardless of their own faiths.”

“Across every community, faith organizations helped our state get through the crisis. So the lesson from this is clear. New South Wales is served best when its faith communities and its government work together. So let me now discuss how New South Wales Labor will work with New South Wales faith communities if we are fortunate enough to form government.”

“We will establish a New South Wales Faith Affairs Council, a formal channel of communication between faith organisations and my government. The Council will give feedback on the priorities and trends within

faith communities. It will help coordinate the work done by faith based organizations during times of needs, such as the recent pandemic and of course, natural disasters.”

“We look forward to transitioning the current membership of the Religious Advisory Council over to our new Faith Council when and if we form government in 26 days time. Friends, we are meeting in Parramatta in the heart of a great and diverse community here in Western Sydney.”

Mr Minns also talked about tackling vilification and hate speech specially addressing Islamophobia and anti-semiticism and vowed that Islamophobic attack that took place on a Muslim women in Parramatta will never happen again.

“I’m referring to the New South Wales tradition of welcoming newcomers and embracing diversity. New South Wales is proudly multicultural and proudly multi-faith and I believe the government has a role to play, to support and defend this tradition defended against those who advocate hatred and even violence against our citizens.

“Just around the corner from where we meet tonight, a young woman named Rana Elmir was sitting in a cafe wearing the symbol of her faith, the hijab who was repeatedly punched and stomped on in an unprovoked attack. The man who attacked her spoke of his hatred for Muslims prior to hitting her.”

“We can’t allow this to happen. The most recent report on Islamophobia in Australia analyzed 247 verified incidents over a 24 month period. It found eight in ten victims were women and of these women 85% were wearing a hijab at the time.”

“The same report found the number of Is-

lamophobic incidents increased significantly after the mosque attacks in Christchurch. Reporting of physical incidents increased four times, while reporting of online cases increased 18 times within the two week period after that horrible attack in Christchurch, New Zealand.”

Concluding his address he assured the NSW Muslim community that they will be safe in this great Multicultural society and he will ensure that building of peace and harmony is given top priority.

The faith leaders have also secured a bipartisan commitment to be able to pray and preach on matters of sexuality under proposed laws banning so-called gay conversion therapy, after NSW Labor leader Chris Minns vowed to protect their rights under any new legislation. More photos pg 19.

Multicultural Champions recognised at 2023 NSW Premier’s Harmony Dinner

Continued from page 1

“Since 2012, the NSW Government has been celebrating the dedication of people who passionately serve their communities all to make our state a better place,” Mr Perrottet said.

He further added, “Each of the people and organisations we are honouring tonight show that while we all come from different backgrounds, we are all driven by the same goal of wanting to create a stronger future for NSW.”

Mahboba Rawi of Mahboba Promise was awarded the Settlement Services International NSW Human Rights Medal. Mahboba’s Promise is a non-profit organization that provides humanitarian aid and support to vulnerable individuals and communities in Afghanistan.

For the first time, the outstanding contribution of a community language teacher was also recognised with an inaugural medal, with Ms Odarka Brecko being awarded for more than 50 years of advocating for and supporting the maintenance of the Ukrainian language, culture and traditions. Her leadership in education and within the community has directly influenced more than 5,000 young people.

Minister for Multiculturalism Mark Coure echoed the Premier’s sentiment, adding that the Harmony Dinner was truly a celebration of the state’s greatest asset—its people.

“This is one of the biggest events of its kind in Australia, and I believe that is fitting given we have the strongest and most harmonious multicultural society,” Mr Coure said.

He further added, “Of course, we wouldn’t have the great state we do without the amazing contributions of the caring and selfless people we champion tonight.”

The Premier’s Harmony Dinner continues to celebrate the NSW Government’s commitment to a cohesive and inclusive society in which the cultures, languages and religions of all citizens are embraced.

The winners at the event.

Photo: Salty Dingo 2023 BH

NSW Premier Dominic Perrotet.

Photo: Salty Dingo 2023 BH

Late Dr Zeina Merhi’s daughter accepting her Honour Roll certificate from Mr Dominic Perrotet.

Photo: Salty Dingo 2023 BH

Mahboba Rawi (centre) with her Settlement Services International NSW Human Rights Medal. Photo: Salty Dingo 2023 BH

How my faith helped me after the loss of loved ones in the earthquake

The author of this moving reflection, Associate Professor Salih Yucel, based in Melbourne, lost six of his close relatives, including his sister Remziye Yucel and 19 distant kin, due to the catastrophic earthquake in Turkiye.

Dr Salih Yucel

I remember where I was when I got news of the earthquake. I was about to finish teaching the first day of an intensive week of the Islamic chaplaincy course at ISRA in Melbourne.

I grew up in Adiyaman, one of the hardest hit areas by the recent earthquake. I quickly sent Whatsapp messages to my family members in Adiyaman. Slowly, responses started to trickle in.

I sent a text message to my beloved sister Remziye, but there was no response. I called her, but no one answered. Hoping my other family members had more information, I called my other sister in Istanbul.

What she said made me freeze in terror:

Remziye was struck underneath the rubble. I could not stop my tears while driving home. I turned to the news about the earth-

quake in Turkiye and Syria. After I while, I couldn’t even see the images through my tears. I could not continue to watch. My eyes, heart and soul were crying together.

I was told that my sister had her sahoor (breakfast) to prepare for her day of fasting, and then started performing her tahajjud (night prayers).

When she was about to finish her prayer, the deadliest earthquake hit. She was living on the second floor of a three-story building. The first two floors of the building were buried in the earth, and only the third floor was left barely standing.

I held onto every bit of hope and optimism for three days because I was informed that she made a noise underneath the rubble, a few hours after the first earthquake. As the hours passed, I received heartbreaking news of even more close relatives and distant kin underneath the rubble.

Last week, I experienced the saddest time in my life. I shed tears, particularly when I was alone. I thought about what Prophet Muhammed (s) did after the burial of his belloved wife Khadija, un-

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cle Hamza and six children.

How did his companions act after their loved ones were martyred after the battle of Uhud, I wondered. Did the Prophet and his companion give a break to their spiritual and teaching activities?

The answer was ‘no’.

I was aware that some of the great scholars did not quit teaching when their loved ones passed away. I could defer the Islamic Chaplaincy course but I decided not to do it for two reasons.

The first was a decision I made a long time ago: to take the Prophet, his companions and great scholars as my role models.

The second was a choice I made to keep myself busy with good deeds such as prayers, dhikr, dua, reading books and articles, helping my wife with housework and going on my regular walks for exercise.

I also allocated my emotions in a positive way, which supported me in my grief. I continued to teach and tried to provide emotional and spiritual support to relatives in Turkiye via phone.

I discovered that doing these good deeds really helped in difficult times. I could not express such a spiritually comforting experience in words.

I will never forget the support my family, students, the Muslim community and non-Muslim friends’ gave during this difficult time. Some shed tears while others sent their messages through emails or text messages.

Each of these messages became a source of spiritual strength and comfort. Some friends flew or drove from Sydney to Melbourne to stay just for an hour to offer their condolences. After they left, my wife and I agreed that their support resembled the Prophet companions’ altruism.

We both could not stop our tears of gratitude and prayed for them after they left.

Another thing that I find is that allocating emotions in a positive way during difficult time increases human compassion. I turned to sharing my sadness and hope with journalists, who shared it on their media platforms. A TV reporter burst into tears when she interviewed me.

When doing my daily walk, I saw two pigeons resting on my way. I changed my way, so as not to disturb them. I had read in the books that some scholars changed their ways while walking on the road so as not to step on the ants. When I did the same, I could not express the spiritual joy in my heart with words.

I also questioned why tens of thousands of people died in Turkiye and Syria. When an earthquake of the same magnitude happened in Japan, only a few hundred died.

Contemporary scholar Said Nursi (died 1960) shared his view of there being two types of shariah. The first, known as Islamic law, is based on the Qur’an and Sunnah. The second is the shariah of takwiniyya (the law of creation). Some may call it natural law.

When the second one is neglected, human beings suffer in this world. For example, some countries such as Turkiye, Pakistan, Iran, and Syria sit on one of the world’s most seismically active zones and have experienced several devastating earthquakes. If the buildings are not built according to the codes set by experts, the consequence will be the death of tens of thousands and the destruction of cities and towns.

One hundred five earthquakes have taken place in Turkiye in the last hundred years. Neither authorities nor most people have taken the necessary steps to reduce human loss and minimize the damage.

Sadly, most political parties including the ruling party in Turkiye are exploiting the emotions of victims of the earthquake for self-interest and trying to turn in more votes for the coming elections in May 2023. It is a time to leave differences behind and unite for a quick healing process. This reminded me of Said Nursi’s statement, “I take refuge in Allah from Satan and politics,” that politics revolves around self-interest.

Finally, human beings suffer due to the consequence of their actions. There are many lessons that humanity at large can learn from this earthquake.

May Allah have mercy on those who have passed away, help the victims suffering in the devastated cities, towns, and villages. I pray and hope for a speedy recovery and rebuilding process in Turkiye and Syria.

Dr Salih Yucel is an Associate Professor at the Centre for Islamic Studies and Civilisation, Charles Sturt University. He worked as an Imam at Redfern Mosque in Sydney between 1987-1992 and then as a Muslim chaplain at Harvard Medical Schools’ hospitals for seven years. He completed Master of Theology at the University of Sydney in 1996 and his Doctorate at Boston University in 2007. For detail of his bio https://csu-au. academia.edu/SalihYucel

Three story house of Sister Remziye Yucel after the earthquake, where the first two floors were buried in the earth with third floor barely standing. She passed away 70 hours after the earthquake under the rubble.

I sent a text message to my beloved sister Remziye, but there was no response.

I discovered that doing these good deeds really helped in difficult times.

Palestinians amidst occupation, oppression, violence & silence

The indigenous people of Palestine, largely disempowered, betrayed by the Arab regimes and ignored by the international community, have been suffering for a long time under the global might of Zionism.

The Israeli state touted as the only democracy in the Middle East is in fact an apartheid society having illegally occupied the Palestinian lands for more than half a century virtually enslaving its Palestinian population.

Israel is literally getting away with murder, keeping Gaza as open air prison and terrorising the Palestinians in West Bank under its occupation through settler violence, almost daily armed raids into houses in Palestinians towns and villages and killing any one who resists the occupa tion as well as bulldozing their family homes.

With its super-strong armed forces, no other country in the region has the courage to challenge its hegemony, power-black mailing the Gulf states, the glass houses as they are, into submission and constantly isolating and striking at regimes it considers a threat from time to time.

The global network of the Zionist lobby, particularly in centres of power in the West ensures that Israel’s illegal occupation, attacks and spying activities are not challenged and flouts any UN based res

olutions on a regular basis.

The supporters of Israel proactively targets any one who raises the issue of self determination of Palestinians, respect for their human rights and advocates for their freedom of movement and speech.

The Israel lobby does not tolerate any criticism of the Israeli state in mass media, social media, academic institutions or in public and actively monitors its critics demonising them as anti-semite. These supporters of Israel with resources for research, finance, influence in political and academic institutions have the strength to silence any one critical of Israel targeting any tweet, Facebook comment, press articles or media statement.

Every time Palestinians or a genuine critic of Israel take centre stage, the pro-Israel lobby sets out to silence them. An example of this is the latest campaign and attacks on the critically acclaimed, internationally-renowned Palestinian writers Susan Abulhawa and Mohammed El-Kurd who are participating in Adelaide Writers’ Week being held 4-9 March 2023.

Palestinian-Australian author Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah describes how Palestinian voices have been excluded from the coverage surrounding the invitation of the two prominent Palestinians to the Adelaide Writers’ Week, and also how Israel’s crimes against Palestinians are absent from the media storm.

“This runs deeper than allowing ‘two sides’ to comment. It constitutes a routine form of violence against a colonised people who are fighting both physical erasure in Palestine as well as from public discourse in the West. It is an erasure that dehumanises Palestinians who are never afforded the dignity of a cause; of motivation, trigger, provocation. Of a liberation struggle against a brutal colonising occupying apartheid regime and therefore a context for rage, anger, poetic artistic resistance.’’

Readers comments

Re: Jacinda Ardern: A role model for political leadership

Jacinda Arden is the woman for all seasons! She exemplifief the multiple “roles” women play on our societies, with empathy and sincererity for the humsn kind!

Zubeda

Re: Recipes for Ramadan and beyond Eid

Thanks for sharing this. It’s really amazing. Munna Hossen

Re: The mighty Pen: A lost heritage of Muslims

Congratulations on a very well written article! Keep up the good work.

Mustafa

Re: Identify Halal Meat in Regional Oz!

The anti-halal hysteria of the cookers has died down since 2015 but it has not vanished.

A few years ago Melbourne had only a few butchers we could use but nowadays there is a blossoming of halal foods and Muslim businesses. Coles is also halal aware but apparently it has not seeped into Woolworths

to the same extent.

There is no doubt though that matters have improved beyond my expectations. Great to witness.

Bilal Cleland

Re: Earthquake toll climbs dramatically: Call for prayers and donations

Really sad, and we must all urgently reach out to help our Muslim community as soon as possible. I am getting emails from various aid agencies for donations, and would like some opinion on which organization is most suited for specifically that region.

Perhaps AMUST can take a lead in compiling a list of region-specific aid agencies whenever such an emergency happens.

Asim

Re: How my faith helped me after the loss of loved ones in the earthquake

This was so inspiring to read, I actually felt the fulfilment and the mercy of your healing heart by following the prophet (s) and his companions steps. Jazak Allah khair May Allah accept them as martyrs happy in jannat al firdauos.

Sukoon Quteifan

News

- Bipartisan support for faith groups

- Multicultural Champions recognised

Boomerang

- Palestinians amidst occupation, oppression, violence & silence

- How my faith helped me

Community

9 - 15

- NSW Labor engages with Muslims

- AIMA promoting diverse blood supply

-Community support for Jihad Dib

Australia

- After the first date

16 - 19

- Exclusive interview with Chris Minns

Lifestyle

20 - 22

- Are you in a toxic relationship?

- So, my next patient is gay

- Showcasing Crossover stories

Ummah

- A tribute to Khalid Yusoff

23 - 27

- Turkish earthquakes & governence

Education

- LMA: 60 years and counting

28 - 29

- Amity College announces new school

Social

- Kitkat launches Ramadan chocolates

- Top Tweets: #Turkiye & #Syria

Disclaimer

The views and opinions expressed in articles, and Letters to the Editor, Website Comments are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of The Australasian Muslim Times.

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Susan Abulhawa and Mohammed El-Kurd speaking at Australia's Adelaide writers' festival

Release date for the latest

‘Islamophobia in Australia Report’

Sana Afiouni

The Islamophobia Register Australia (the ‘Register’) is to release its 4th Islamophobia in Australia report in Canberra at a launch event on Tuesday 21 March 21 2023 on Harmony Day (marking the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination).

The event aims to shed light on the nature and extent of Islamophobic incidents that are occurring in Australia, and touch upon the kinds of measures needed in order to help combat Islamophobia in Australia.

The Register is the leading organisation tracking and tackling incidents of Islamophobia within Australia.

Through the collection and analysis of incident data over the years, the Register has previously published 3 academic reports with the upcoming 4th report covering incidents between 2020-2021 as well as a compilation of incidents since its inception in 2014.

These reports have had an extensive impact both nationally and internationally in providing evidence on the reality of Islamophobia in Australia.

The launch event in Canberra will be kickstarted by the first hijab-wearing Muslim Senator, Fatima Payman, who will be giving the keynote address.

This will be followed by an impressive line-up of speakers including Minister Kylea Tink and Minister Sally Sitou.

Dr Derya Iner, the Register’s head of Research will also showcase the key findings of the 4th Islamophobia in Australia report.

Tune in on the 21 March at 7.30 am as the Register goes live from Canberra on Instagram as well as Facebook to launch the 4th Islamophobia in Australia report.

We will also be launching a social media campaign on Wednesday 15 March to mark the UN declared International Day to Combat Islamophobia and the 4th anniversary of the Christchurch Terror attack.

Look out for this campaign, which promises to be a powerful reminder of the importance of fighting Islamophobia. And please

share, share, share! We would love for you to help us make this campaign go viral on Wednesday 15 March.

The Register encourages both victims and witnesses to report Islamophobia that occurs anywhere across Australia to the Register, whether it be in real life or online. No incident is too small to report.

In fact, seemingly minor incidents can help to paint a very useful picture of the climate that Australian Muslims might find themselves in. It can also assist in overcoming feelings of isolation by highlighting the frequency of certain incidents and occurrences.

It may help you to know that you are not alone. The Register is here to support you in finding peace and assist in regaining a sense of control and agency.

Know your rights. Report to the Register.

Sana Afiouni is a recent graduate of The University of Sydney who studied a Bachelor of Political, Economic and Social Sciences. She is passionate about all things community development and interfaith dialogue as well as bridging the gap between Muslim & non-Muslim communities.

Social justice and its Prophetic roots

Bilal Cleland

From the earliest times the greatest minds, the most influential prophets and scholars, have re-iterated the basic values which underlie human civilisation. All of course based upon the recognition of the special place of human beings in Creation:

Islam renews the ancient Message of the Prophets regarding the favoured position of human beings.

“We have honoured the children of Adam; provided them with transport on land and sea; given them for sustenance things good and pure; and conferred on them special favours above a greater part of Creation.”

[Quran 17:70]

The rights of the poor, the vulnerable, “the other” in various guises, have long been emphasised. That they should not be oppressed or exploited is repeated time and again.

There seems to be an echo of this from what were most probably earlier prophets in the Egyptian Book of the Dead. Used from about 1700 BCE, at a time when the message had become muddled with polytheism, the moral injunctions stand out.

Many commentators have mentioned the similarity to the Ten Commandments revealed to Moses (a) but the great difference is of course the first two against polytheism and graven images.

The Book of the Dead states:

“Behold, I am come unto thee. ….I have not sinned against anyone. I have not mistreated people. I have not done evil instead of righteousness...

I have not laid violent hands on an orphan. I have not done what the God abominates...

I have not killed; I have not turned anyone over to a killer.

I have not caused anyone’s suffering . . . I have not copulated (illicitly); I have not been unchaste.

I have not increased nor diminished the measure, I have not diminished the palm; I have not encroached upon the fields.

I have not added to the balance weights; I have not tempered with the plumb bob of the balance.

I have not taken milk from a child’s

mouth; I have not driven small cattle from their herbage . I have not stopped (the flow of) water in its seasons; I have not built a dam against flowing water.” [5 Nov 2020 leonardolovari. com]

There are similar injunctions about respect and against exploitation in the Ten Commandments. [Exodus 20]

6. Honour your father and your mother

7. You shall not kill

8. You shalt not steal.

9. You shall not bear false witness.

10. You shall not covet your neighbour’s house. You shall not covet your neighbour’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbour.

These commandments were acknowledged in the Quran.

“Remember when we made a covenant with the children of Israel: You shall not serve any save God, and to be good to parents, and the near kinsman, and to orphans, and the needy, and speak good to all people, and perform the prayer, and pay the alms.” (Quran 2:83–84)

The Hebrew Bible is replete with prophetic statements on social justice.

God “upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry . . . watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the widow.” [Psalms 146:7-9]

“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.” [Proverbs 31:8-9]

Wealth and power accumulated through breaking these commandments was always seen as illegitimate. It of its nature involves oppression of the poor and can destroy its possessor. It can lead to the self-serving justification of injustice.

The Quran warns: “Woe to every slanderer backbiter. Who gathers wealth and counts it over. Thinking that his wealth has made him immortal. By no means. He will be thrown into the Crusher.” [Quran 104:1-4]

What may appear so delicious to the accumulator of wealth could be the very opposite.

Bilal Cleland is a keen reader, a prolific writer and a regular columnist of AMUST based in Melbourne.

A Watershed Moment: Will State discrimination remove the essential ethos of Australian religious schools?

Dr Daud Batchelor

Australia is losing its democratic representativity where different views could be held, including by religious minorities in their schools, who until now could pursue their teachings/practices and maintain their whole-of-school ethos/religious environment.

Indeed, this aligns with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: “everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion … to manifest his religion/belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.”

However, religious people are on the cusp of being severely discriminated against in having these rights removed by Federal/ State Labor governments.

It could mean end of authentic Islamic schooling in Australia.

Law reform/human rights commissioners are priming them to expand legislative protections to the LGBT minority, while trashing religious ethos in private schools (Shanahan, “Hellbent on trashing religious schools’ ethos,” Weekend Australian).

The 2017 Same-sex marriage survey indicated a sizeable 38% Australians opposed, who likely didn’t empathise with LGBT lifestyles.

Fast-track forward, the majority now seems to support legislation penalizing religious adherents (of this minority) for wishing to protect their schools’ ethos – a sad development in a country once proud of its diverse ethnic, cultural, religious society.

As Co-founder of one Islamic school, my

purpose working to establish it was to ensure an Islamic ethos would be inculcated to safeguard Muslims students living as a minority in Australia.

Dennis Fang in his TikTok blog clearly explained why Qatar found difficulty in accepting overt LGBT displays during the World Cup: “the moral framework of Islam and LGBT are diametrically opposed.”

While a Western liberal may identify with their own feelings and bodily urges, “In Islam … one doesn’t have sovereignty over their own bodies, for humans were created deliberately by God to fulfill a noble spiritual purpose serving God … In this framework, Allah created male and female with reproductive and social roles; thus fulfilling these purposes is honoring God. … So sex outside those purposes loses its meaning and legitimacy …”

He concluded: Although individualistic liberalism had become the defacto lingua franca of the new Western morality, it was improper to try to colonise everyone with such ideas.

Yaqeen Institute highlights, “One would have to reject Islamic guidance root and branch in order to incorporate this radical gender egalitarianism.”

For moral advice, the Muslim community refers to those knowledgeable – Australian Imams/scholars, who are virtually unanimous that LGBT practices are against Islamic teachings.

Consequently, an Islamic school would wish to build an environment free of such influences.

It should be able to turn-down applications from those applying to become students/staff, who overtly embrace LGBT outlooks.

Indicated legislative changes would inculcate LGBT practices on schoolgrounds,

affecting governance on gender identity, uniforms, toilets, sports, with heavy litigative threat on presenting Islam’s teachings on marriage/family.

In an Islamic school, if a school teacher/ student changes to exhibit LGBT behaviors they would be counselled and requested to reconcile.

The school would support Muslims who respect Islamic teachings, but struggle with same-sex attractions and/or gender dysphoria while struggling to live lives of virtue conforming with Islamic teachings.

However, if they wished to continue exhibiting this behavior, the caring solution is for them to join one of many schools accepting their outlook.

Islam contends that serious consequences of LGBT lifestyles will become apparent over time.

We see in collapse of the UK Tavistock Clinic and last Weekend Australian’s edito-

rial, multiple issues including serious harms arising from premature transgender transitions.

Do read Abigail Shrier’s remarkable book, “Irreversible Damage: Teenage Girls and the Transgender Craze.”

Facing such extremely serious threats, I highlight to politicians that voters will surely make their views known on the new legislation.

In the past two elections, Labor had swings against it in religious/multicultural seats in NSW, Victoria, Queensland. On this issue, any such swings could likely cause permanent changes in political allegiance.

Dr Daud Batchelor, holds an MA in Islamic and Other Civilisations and a Diploma in Islamic Studies from the International Islamic University Malaysia, PhD from University of Malaya, MSc from the University of London.

Accumulation of wealth through exploitation of child labour was once acceptable.

Tragedy in Turkey and Syria: Appeals need to follow ethical guidelines

Fadlullah Wilmot

There are a lot of ongoing appeals for support for the people of Turkey and Syria and as donors we have a right and a duty to ensure the organisation we are donating to is doing so in an ethical manner.

When a disaster strikes, the generosity of individuals is triggered by a concern for humanity. However, some disasters tend to receive more funds than others, and the role of the images and messaging used to depict such situations can be significant.

The intuitive view is that images and messages that portray the difficult plight of disaster-affected populations in as much vivid reality as possible will have the most significant impact, generating feelings of sympathy, pity and guilt, prompting charitable donations.

Often the more graphic and heart-rending the images, the greater the emotion, and thus willingness to donate. But how graphic is too graphic?

An individual who has lost autonomy, the essentials of life and some of the basic requirements of dignity (having a place to wash, dress, go to the toilet, deal with menstruation) will not want their situation broadcast far and wide.

Being unable to provide for oneself and one’s family, being forced to become dependent on the charitable assistance and altruism of another, for whatever reason, can erode the dignity and autonomy of individuals, families, communities and even sometimes States.

Being brought low in life is challenging enough without the situation being broadcast far and wide with all of its difficulties communicated, and often exaggerated,

merely to get some money.

Yet money is needed in order to deliver humanitarian assistance and this money primarily comes in the form of charitable donations from individuals who are moved by images and messaging depicting great need, or from donor governments who hope to attract public support for their provision of overseas aid.

For donors, such public support is more easily attracted at times of great disaster than it is for ongoing development assistance. For their part, humanitarian organisations need to elicit an emotional and immediate response in order to maximise donations, recognising that giving tends to be highest in the immediate aftermath of a disaster.

The Australian Council of International Development (ACFID) and the Irish Association of Non-Governmental Development Organisation (Dóchas) have adopted a Code of Conduct on Images and Messages. Disappointingly there are still many organisations including Muslim organisations who have yet to prioritise this aspect of fundraising.

• The appeal should accurately identify the organisation and clearly and accurately explain what donations will be used for.

• Information should include a portrayal of intended recipients, their situations, and potential solutions. Examples of how donations are being used may include provision of food, shelter, clean water, blankets, mosquito nets, sanitation and child protection or an explanation of a specific program.

• If the organisation mentions administration/donation ratios, they need to clearly state how they were determined including defining key terms such administration or fundraising etc. This allows donors to understand and compare how different agencies are operating. There is no such thing as zero admin.

• Good practice: Organisation Y informs its donors on its emergency appeals web-

page that there are administrative expenses for receiving and receipting donations for its international appeal. Final costs can only be estimated after the appeal has concluded. However, in previous emergency appeals, Organisation Y contained administrative costs to X% of total funds expensed. This is explained further in our annual report, available here

Messages, photos, videos, or commentaries when broadcasting live appeals should NOT portray women and men, boys, and girls as hopeless objects of pity:

1. The images and appeals should

• put a human face or a personal story on the impact of a disaster,

• present a message of potential change

• appeal on the basis of justice and common humanity rather than guilt

• emphasise the positives rather than the negatives.

• portray a balanced picture of the needs and accomplishments of local communities.

• Accurately represent the context, situation, proposed solutions

• Avoid omissions, exaggerations, mis-

leading visual portrayal and overstating the need or what a donor’s response may achieve

2. Images and messages used for fundraising should NOT:

• Be untruthful, exaggerated, or misleading

• Be used if they endanger the people they are portraying

• Be used only with the free, prior, and informed consent of the person/s portrayed, including children, their parents, or guardians

• Present people in a dehumanised manner

• Infringe child protection policies and in particular show children in a naked and/or sexualised manner

• Feature dead bodies or dying people

Fadlullah Wilmot formerly served at universities in Indonesia, Malaysia and Australia but after the tsunami in Aceh became involved in the humanitarian and development sector. He has worked in Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Solomon Islands, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Jordan, Lebanon, Sudan, Somalia, Afghanistan and Iraq.

Turkey and Syria Earthquake 2023. A devastating magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck the Turkish province of Kahramanmaras

NSW Labor engages with Muslim community ahead of state election

While meeting with Muslim community leaders and Imams on Tuesday 21 February at ANIC offices in Chullora, NSW ALP leader Chris Minns introduced new Labor candidates in a number of Western Sydney electorates assuring of better services for the community once in government.

The Australian National Imam’s Council (ANIC) have been organising a number of meet and greet events between various political parties and members of the Muslim community leading up to the NSW state elections scheduled for Saturday 25 March 2023.

The ANIC hosted dinner event that was attended by a large section of diverse Muslim community leaders and Imams from all areas of Sydney, Western Sydney in particular heard 5 minutes speeches from the candidates standing up for the NSW state election.

ANIC President, Imam Shadi Alsuleiman while welcoming all those present thanked Chris Minns MP for accepting the dinner invitation and engaging with the Muslim community.

He also announced his plans to engage with the Liberal party as well saying, “We need to extend the invitation to the Premier and the Liberal Party to come and meet with us. And you know, we are trying to meet with all, but we really appreciate that Chris views and his party has always been prompt in their response and the engagement with the Muslim community”

He further added, “So Chris, to you as a friend, you are a politician and we wish you all the best in the future and during and after the next 35 days. And as I mentioned to you, you are part of the family, so to speak.”

The Grand Mufti of Australia, Dr Ibrahim Abu Mohamad also thanked Chris Minns as well as all Labor politicians and community leaders for the dialogue in building a better NSW.

After greeting all present with Salam, Chris Minns thanked the Mufti and Sheikh Shadi for their kind words and referring to them as great friends.

“Thank you, everybody, Salaam Alaikum, Dr Abu Mohammed, thank you so much to Sheik Shady, who is a good friend of mine as we’ve come to rely on Sheikh Shadi, not just for advice about the community in West-

ern Sydney, but on the state of the economy, on what we can do for young people.

“On where he thinks Australia is going in the next ten years. On what he believes the weather will be tomorrow. On a whole range of issues, we rely on Sheikh Shadi for so much advice and counseling and I’m really privileged to call you my friend.”

“I think Sheikh Shadi said something really interesting, which was that after 2001 the Muslim community was on the periphery of the political debate in Australia, and since then there’s been a persistent and important engagement from all sides about the future of the country.”

“For Australians that have an Islamic background, we need to make sure that it’s not just a close relationship. I think that the responsibility of the political leadership in New South Wales is to celebrate and build up the Muslim community in New South Wales, not to be just tolerated but to be celebrated.”

“Under a Labor Government there won’t be a sense of anything other than full integration between our wonderful Muslim brothers and sisters that call Australia home, their family, their friends, their communities and the rest of Australia and that’s a commitment that I give to you, and it’s a commitment from everybody in the Parliamentary Labor Party.”

“We don’t just want to run an election, run an election campaign where we’re urging you not to vote for the Coalition. We want to run a political campaign where we’re asking you to support us because we’ve got the right policies to drive New South Wales forward and we believe that we do.”

“We’re committed to turning around the health system in this state to make sure that it’s serving you, the community and that means, yes, money and it does mean time and it does mean care and effort but largely it’s about a government that has empathy for the people that work in the health system and those that need it.”

“So if you think Labor has got the right ideas that the Government’s been in for too long and the team that I represent is energetic and ready for the task at hand, we’d love you to tell your communities about it.”

Mr Minns then went on to introduced the Labor candidates from various electorates who spoke on their views on the NSW state of politics relevant to their particular areas and communities. The formal event ended with Maghreb prayer followed by a lavish Lebanese dinner and further mingling.

Zia Ahmad

Under a Labor Government there won’t be a sense of anything other than full integration between our wonderful Muslim brothers and sisters that call Australia home...

Kylie WilkinsonCandidate for East Hills

Sameer Pandey - Candidate for Winston Hills

Charishma KaliyandaCandidate for Liverpool

Warren Kirby - Candidate for Riverstone

Ash Ambihaipahar - Candidate for Oatley

Mick Maroney - Candidate for Holsworthy

Nathan Haggarty - Candidate for Leppington

Donna Davis - Candidate for Paramatta

NSW Australian Labor Party leader Chris Minns (centre) addressing Muslim communiy leaders and imams at ANIC offices in Chullora on 21 February 2023.

AIMA promoting diversity in Australia’s blood supply

AMUST Media

The Australian Islamic Medical Association (AIMA) in collaboration with the Australian Red Cross Lifeblood, organised the 4th annual blood donation drive across mosques on Friday 24 February 2023.

Australian mosques located across six states and territories, including regional centres and capital cities commenced the blood drive on 1 December 2022 and will continue until 15 March 2023.

The need for blood donations is urgent, and Lifeblood requires 100,000 new donors this year to meet the growing demand for blood products. It is essential to have ethnic diversity in blood donors to match the multicultural backgrounds of Australian patients.

To address this demand, the Australian Islamic Medical Association (AIMA) organised the national blood donation drive, where congregants from various multicultural and ethnic communities were encouraged to donate blood at mosques around Australia.

The drive aimed to educate people about the importance of donating blood and to en-

courage them to become regular donors.

Omar Shareef, AIMA Queensland Vice-President, coordinated the blood drive with the Islamic Medical Association of Queensland (IMAQ) across the 10 participating mosques in Queensland.

He spoke to ABC Radio Brisbane about the drive’s significance.

“The congregations at the mosques have several different multicultural and ethnic communities, and some people from these different backgrounds don’t know what happens to the donations, and Lifeblood explains their purpose,” he said.

“We are also practising our gratitude behaviours of giving back to the community, which is emphasised significantly in Islamic teaching.”

“Giving blood can be a form of Zakat or charity, a form of giving back from what Allah has given.” Kamal Hamed, Shaykh at Rahma Mosque in Sydney said to SBS Radio. “In the past this was almost taboo, No one understood how to react by giving blood. But now I believe the majority of the Muslims have this understanding that it is permissible.”

Dr Muhammad Kahloon, President of AIMA, emphasised the importance of co-

Symposium on Iqbal’s contribution to contemporary thought

Hanif Bismi

A literary Sydney event titled “Fikr-e-Iqbal aur Asari Taqazay,” was organized on Friday 27 January 2023 by Urdu poet and author Mr Tariq Mehmood Mirza under the patronage of Pak Forum Australia (PFA) at Maharaj restaurant in Padstow to honor the Dr Allama Sir Mohamed Iqbal, a great revolutionary poet of Urdu and Persian and a philosopher.

The event was opened by Mr Akhtar Ali Mughal who welcomed the guests with formal commencement with the recitation of the Holy Quran by Dr Anas Nadvi spoke about Iqbal’s thoughts in the light of Quran.

The main speaker of the event was Mr Tariq Mirza who enlightened the audience with the life story of Iqbal, his journey from Lahore, Pakistan to Europe and back.

Dr Afzal Rizvi, the founder and president of Pak Literary Forum Australia, was the special guest speaker who spoke on Iqbal’s work, which continues to inspire genera-

tions. Dr Shabbir Haider, President, Urdu International Australia and a well known poet emphasised the significance of Iqbal’s poetry in inspiring a multitude of people from all walks of life.

The Chief Guest of the event, Deputy Counsel General of Pakistan, Ms Saima Jameel, highlighted the importance of such events and hoped that they would be conducted more often. She emphasized the need to raise awareness of Iqbal’s philosophy and ideas among young generations, not just on a particular day but every day. Ms Jameel also read out an Iqbal poem.

Engineer Shahid Javed, Dr Ayaz Ghani, and singer Ms Shahana Choudhary sang a selection of Iqbal’s well-known poems, and Mr Akhtar Ali Mughal served as the MC for the event.

A delicious Pakistani dinner was also served after the formal program ending a colourful and enlightening evening, celebrating the great achievements of Allama Iqbal.

Hanif Bismi is a Sydney based historian, political analyst, community activist and an Advisor to ARO.

hesion and giving back to the community through blood donations, especially in light of the growing diversity of the Australian population.

“We talk about cohesion and having a cohesive society. What better can be that than the blood to donate and to help others?” he said.

“It can save somebody’s young child. It can save a mother who is bleeding after the baby’s delivery. It can save somebody’s sole breadwinner. The best way to help the society, help the sick ones, help the needy ones. is to donate blood. Blood makes a difference, and that difference is between life and death.”

Dr Habib Bhurawala, AIMA Vice-President, stressed the importance of having a diverse population donate blood in Australia. He says, “We have to acknowledge that because of the growing diversity of the Australian population, there is a need to have a diverse population donating blood to match some of the rare blood types.”

Saad Qureshi, a 19-year-old donor, expressed his joy and fulfilment in donating plasma for the first time.

He said, “It’s like you can’t describe in words, but you can feel the feeling in your heart that you’re helping so many people, and my parents, they came as immigrants and now we’re part of a bigger community that helps Australia, helps our home.”

26-year-old Kiran Qayyum has been donating blood for six years and says it impacts many areas of her life.

She says, “Knowing that I’m eligible to

donate blood means that I can do this for my faith, but also, it’s something that will directly impact my community as well. It’s important that, you know, we give back in the community when we can because the next day it could be someone that we love who needs a blood donation.”

The successful blood donation drive by AIMA and the Australian Red Cross has received significant media coverage, including radio interviews in ACT, Townsville, Rockhampton, Gold Coast, and Newcastle, as well as on SBS TV.

AIMA was also awarded a Champion Shield by the Australian Red Cross for the Muslim community’s contribution to donating blood and saving lives.

The blood drive was held in mosques across various locations, including Mayfield Mosque, Newcastle Mosque, Rutherford Mosque, Taree mosque, Tamworth mosque, Port Macquarie mosque, Coffs Harbour mosque, Masjid Al Rahma, Masjid Bilal, Rooty Hill Masjid, Quakers Hill Masjid in NSW, Melbourne grand mosque, Virgin Mary Mosque, and Al Taqwa in Victoria, and Algester, Kuraby, Holland Park, Slacks Creek, Gold Coast, Toowoomba, Rockhampton, McKay, Townsville, and Cairns in Queensland.

By donating blood, people can make a significant impact on their communities and help those in need.

The need for blood donations doesn’t stop, and everyone is encouraged to donate regularly to save lives.

Learn more at aimamed.com.au

Al Rahma Masjid Guildford

Holland Park Mosque, Brisbane

Rooty Hill Mosque, Sydney

Encompass at the Canberra Islamic Centre

Fatima Killeen

The Canberra Islamic Centre (CIC) provides a podium for the artists’ community in Canberra. This year’s exhibition leading up to the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the National Multicultural Festival in February 2023 was titled Encompass, a theme that echoed the coming together of artistic diversity with local artists jointly exhibiting their artworks to celebrate and embrace their artistic talent and life experience.

All the artists in the exhibition come from different parts of the world, including Palestine, Morocco, Pakistan and Bangladesh but they all reside in Canberra. The exhibition encompassed both established as well as emerging artists.

The Encompass exhibition included seven women artists: Aneeta Bano, Maryam Hassan, Suheir Zeidan, Tahmina Ali, Tehmina Rahman, Farah Jabran Rao and Fatima Killeen.

Working as a painter and printmaker, my work is inspired by my culture as a migrant of Arab and Muslim descent living in Australia. Islamic design, Arabic calligraphy and Moroccan history with its Andalusian heritage all give identity to my work.

My artworks in Encompass communicate a cultural and spiritual perspective with a universal message of peace that speaks to a diverse population.

I used embossed paper for the Islamic arch as it remembers the human figure with

collage into sand and acrylic emulating tiles and segments of walls with a message in Arabic stating “The only conqueror is God”.

The hands on doors is a welcoming gesture to guests as the text in Arabic reads “Welcome to our home”. The use of lace within the work is a way of connecting the stories paying tribute to women’s skills.

Living in Canberra fills me with memories of Morocco and feelings of isolation from my family. Every now and then I feel as though I am somewhere between here and there.

My work is a search for balance between the intricacy of Islamic design and the openness of the Australian landscape. The conjunction of the two places creates a bundle of possibilities on which I build fragmented narratives.

Another work is a coll0graph print titled El Kanghar Uluru at dusk is inspired by the iconic Australian creature transposed in Arabic to the word Kangaroo on a background of Islamic pattern of Arab-Andalusian heritage (the mob of Kangaroos show up faithfully on the hills behind our home each day). The work is a celebration of beauty and aspects of generosity…..it is home, wherever that maybe.

Encompass exhibition was held on 10/11/12 February 2023 at Canberra Islamic Centre, 221 Clive Steel Avenue, Monash ACT.

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.

Preparing for disaster: The vital role of local organisations in community resilience

My mum answered on the second ring, fumbling to switch the call to speaker phone. The call was from dad’s sister in Turkey. We all stopped what we were doing and listened intently. I could tell mum was trying her best to mask the worry in her voice. “Tell me it’s good news. Please tell me you found them” There was silence, a prolonged moment of hesitation. Then my auntie’s shaky voice broke through the silence. “We found them, all four of them. They are all dead. My son, my beautiful son. I had to bury him today.”

My first cousin. His wife. And their daughters, 5 and 7. A whole family wiped out. Just like that. I tell myself I need to be brave for my parents, but the tears begin to fall as I try to comprehend what has happened.

Since the 7.8 magnitude earthquakes hit Turkey and Syria, we have had the Turkish news on right around the clock. The death toll is close to 50,000 but my uncle says that double that amount is more accurate.

No matter where we are watching from, the atrocities have left us all feeling shocked and helpless, which is why the success stories of people who are found alive are so important. Our compassion has resulted in aid and support on a global scale, for those who have

lost their homes and family members in the rubble.

A natural disaster of this magnitude requires extensive support. Local organisations

are the key enablers that determine how quickly, and effectively international aid can be received and redirected to the most relevant areas. There is the immediate response.

But then there are long term needs for shelter, health, clean water, sanitation, and hygiene. There is also the need for psycho-social support for the different traumas the population has experienced. It is critical to ensure that there are frameworks in place locally for the various areas of assistance and aid that are required, along with the right level of governance.

We have seen tremendous efforts reflecting this amazing teamwork in New Zealand, with the Christchurch floods; London with the Grenfell fires; and now in Turkey with the earthquakes. Local organisations play a critical role in the process of recovery, and they need to be prepared, should disaster strike.

So, what would we do if there was a local disaster here in Australia? A raging bushfire, a devastating flood, an earthquake? National Zakat Foundation is one of our key local organisations in Australia.

At NZF we recognise the need to regularly assess how ready we are as a community to handle such disasters. This is why we network and will continue to collaborate with as many leaders and organisations in our community, to ensure that we are putting in place as strong, a support framework as we can.

NZF is there for you and our community here in Australia.

To learn more visit NZF at www.nzf.org.au

Denise Il is a writer at National Zakat Foundation Australia, and is based in Victoria.

El Kanghar - Uluru at dusk 2023collograph - Fatima Killeen

Denise Il

Canberra delegation returns after Arabic studies and Umrah trip

A group of 18 including 15 students sent to Saudi Arabia by ACT Muslims Australia Inc (ACTMA) recently returned home after successfully completing a three-week intensive study of the Arabic language at the Islamic University of Madinah.

As part of the trip, the group was also able to perform multiple Umrah and visitations to significant historically rich Islamic sites and while three of the group members that were under-twelve years did not qualify for the study program but were able to perform the Umrah.

According to CEO of ACTMA, Yusuf Mansuri, “The key goal for the Islamic study trip to Madinah was to foster a sense of identity, heightened spiritual awareness, and to ignite the fire that fuels the thirst for knowledge, curiosity and wisdom. It was a trip of a lifetime – learning in the city of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) at the premier Islamic institution, being close to the scholars and building lasting relationships.”

He further added, “Alhamdulillah, the students achieved all of them and their experience was beyond their expectations. The university reciprocated very well; the course was fantastic, the group felt very welcome with great customer service, the skills of the lecturers were great, and they took their time to teach to understand, the interaction was quite pleasant and fruitful, and the course flow was great”.

Mr Mansuri concluded by saying, “The MoU between the Islamic university of Madinah and ACTMA has been strengthened by this visit and the expectation is to have a long-lasting relationship with bi/annual study trips to the Islamic University of Madinah.”

The group was led by ACTMA Youth Portfolio Director, Amadu Barrie. Mr Barrie echoed his CEO’s remarks and added that he will work with his team to implement the positive feedback received from the group on improving some areas of the program for example the selection of flights and accommodation.

“Overall, I am very pleased with the outcome of the program and the opportunity assigned to me by ACTMA to serve our youth in this capacity. Alhamdulillah, I was able to bring my family of five along; wife and chil-

dren including my 10-year-old son, Ali who was able to perform 3 umrahs for himself, his late grandmother and dad’s elder brother. Like everyone on the group my wife and two teenage daughters also had an amazing experience together with their friends in the best environment imaginable on planet earth.”

ACTMA volunteer and sisters’ team leader

Marwa Taha said she was impressed with the positive behaviour displayed by the girls and that the program and the Umrah performed helped nourished her soul and educated herself.

Student Alhaji Mohamed Kamara said the program gives a good guide on how to improve in learning Arabic communication and

suggested that “students should at least know the Arabic alphabets prior to undertaking the university course.”

A certificate award ceremony was held at the office of the CEO of the university student program Dr Badr Alharbi on the final day of class on 12 January 2023 in which all students were issued with a certificate of attendance while others also received certificates of course completion.

ACTMA, through its Youth Portfolio leader Amadu Barrie also used the occasion to issue on behalf of the organisation certificates of appreciation to the university’s course coordinators, lecturers, and student bus driver assigned to the group by the university. The university warmly appreciated the gesture.

The recognised female students’ lecturers were Bayan Al-Juhani, Lama Al-Otaybi, Nadia Khaled Salem Alharbi and Fatima Obaid Abdullah Alharbi.

The male staff recipients include Dr Bader Alharbi, Dr Salman A AlJabri, Dr Muhammad AlHarithi, Sheikh Rayan Humaidi and bus driver Hani Hamood Alharbi.

ACTMA certificates of appreciation were also issued to the group’s local guides and those who contributed in other forms to making the trip a remarkably successful one.

The two local guides were Mr Chernor Sadu Jalloh and Dr Ahmad Wurie Umar Bah both students at the Islamic University of Madinah with Dr Bah also lecturing the subject of Aqeedah (Creed) at the university.

Speaking on behalf of the local guides, Jalloh said “It was our pleasure for being with the ACTMA group to give our support in achieving their objective and on behalf of my brother Dr Ahmad Bah I would like to thank the organisers of this program that allows youths to play their role in Islam”.

He concluded by saying “God willing, we will always be here to support you whenever you need us”.

Amongst the places visited by the group during the trip include the Al-Ghamamah, Bilal, Quba, Qiblatain and Khandaq mosques and the King Fahd Complex for the Printing of the Holy Qur’an in Madinah, Badr, Khaybar, Arafat and Cave Thaur.

The group left Australia on 19 December 2022 and returned on 19 January this year.

ACTMA is a non-profit organisation created to help the Muslim youth, sisters, elderly and the deceased of the ACT and regions.

Amadu Barrie

Amadu Barrie is an ICT Systems Analyst with the Department of Human Services.

Sisters inside the King Fahad Qur’an printing complex

Standing in front of the Arafah hill during a tour of Arafah.

Amal and Ali standing on the rocks of Marwah after completing their Saee (walk) between Safa and Marwah. Saee is one of the integral rites of Hajj and Umrah.

Ali Talib getting tested by one of the Sheikhs running Qur’an halaqas (circles) in Masjid Nabawe.

Standing in front of one of the doors of Masjid Nabawe

Group travelling on the student bus that was provided by the Islamic University of Madinah.

BIC project’s Da’wah Centre Visit by Shaykh Waleed Basyouni

With Brisbane as his first stop on his lecture tour of Australia, Shaykh Waleed Basyouni , PhD, stepped off the plane and headed straight to the Brisbane Islamic Centre (BIC) to see, at first hand, the construction currently being undertaken on the site.

As one of the most important leaders of the da‘wah in the West, Shaykh Waleed was particularly keen on the plans for a Community Centre as an intrinsic part of the Masjid project, and to offer his own personal insight and knowledge gained from his years of experience as an active member of a number of Islamic organizations and Islamic Societies such as NAIF, and as Director of the Texas Da‘wah Convention.

He graduated with a Bachelor in Islamic Sciences from Al-Imam Muhammad University (KSA), did his Master’s in Islamic Theology, World Religions and Modern Religious Sects from Al-Imam Muhammad University, and achieved a Doctorate in Theology from the Graduate Theological Foundation in Indiana.

Standing in front of the recently constructed perimeter walls shaping the foundation for the Mosque and the forecourt area, Shaykh Waleed said that he was pleasantly surprised to witness the birth of such a grandiose and ambitious project. With the scaffolding to the Community Centre now removed, the Shaykh could clearly see the

300-undercover car park in full view.

Speaking on the role of a Dawah Centre, as proposed in the BIC project, Shaykh Waleed said it would become a place where the community could come together to learn about their religion, share their faith, and participate in dawah activities.

“These Centres play a crucial role in spreading the message of Islam and promoting understanding and harmony among

Punchbowl Boys HS Hamper Initiative with Brothers In Need

Dean Mousad

Brothers in Need, a Muslim not-for-profit organisation that primarily distributes food to the needy, has partnered with Punchbowl Boys High School for an exciting new initiative aimed at helping those most vulnerable in our community.

With approximately 120,000 people in Australia affected by homelessness and the unemployment rate in Sydney spiking to between 3.8-4.2% due to COVID, natural disasters, and current-day record inflation,

we all have a shared responsibility to extend assistance to those in need.

The PBHS Community Hamper Program will see the enthusiastic students of Punchbowl Boys’ High School team up with Brothers in Need to pack hampers for local community members who need it most. Brothers in Need’s work can be found at brothersinneed.org.au, or by calling 1300 007 433.

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.

different communities. They offer a wide range of services and programs, including religious education, community events, and outreach activities.”

His advice to the BIC organizing committee was to seek out the services of an Imam from conception to construction, and to engage with the project, the administrators, and the community throughout the development of the project. He also explained some

of the principles he adopted for his successful Clear Lake Islamic Centre project in Houston, Texas.

BIC should, he said, see itself as a part of the larger Brisbane area and aim to improve the well-being of all people in the community, and commit to providing excellent services to Brisbane and its surrounding areas. Rather than getting directly involved, the BIC should cooperate with other organizations on positive causes that meet Islamic norms and act as a platform to support existing expertise and services.

The Shaykh could see that the Centre’s mission was to provide an environment that was fun, safe and family friendly, while also committing to reviving the authentic teachings of the Quran and Sunnah in the lives of Muslims today.

Focus now is on completing the foundations for the Masjid.

How you can help build the BIC: Donations Brisbane Islamic construction Fund Suncorp Bank BSB: 484799 ACC: 480458040

For overseas transfers: Swift Code METWAU4B WEBSITE: https://bic.org.au/

Dr Mustafa Ally OAM is the co-founder and Chair of Australian Muslim Advocacy Network (AMAN) , foundation member of Queensland Muslim Inc. (QMI), and founder and former Editor-in-Chief of Crescents Community News (CCN).

Dr Mustafa Ally OAM

Shaykh Waleed Basyouni inspects a 3D-designed model of the Masjid project.

Punchbowl Boys Highschool is running a food drive to prepare hampers for the needy.

Shaykh Waleed on a tour of the BIC project.

“BIC is setting a firm foundation for the future of the Muslim community,” says Shaykh

Waleed.

Empowering education: MWA’s Hearts 2 Minds tutoring program

Yasmeen Ghamraoui

Hearts 2 Minds tutoring was launched by Muslim Women Australia (MWA) in July 2022 during the third school term in order to provide free tutoring assistance to school-aged students who could not access this further educational assistance due to financial hardship.

MWA identified the need to provide this important program on Monday nights during the school term.

MWA had approximately 20 students who attend the program on a weekly basis to seek assistance in their education and boost their confidence across all subjects. This service is another way MWA continues to support its clients in addition to the domestic violence and homelessness support provided to women and families from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

Structure of the Program

Students had the opportunity to work in small groups with a regular tutor to help them strengthen their academic literacy. Tutors assisted their students with their school homework, assessments, and exam preparation. Albeit this service was not limited to educational support; tutors worked with the students to improve their confidence in areas such as acquiring English as a Second Language (ESL).

MWA had a team of fifteen dedicated volunteers who guided students through their assessments and supported them in their pursuit for knowledge. MWA is sincerely grateful and appreciative to those who provided their time and energy over the past six months and left a positive impact on the hearts of the Hearts 2 Minds students.

Dedicated volunteers tutoring high school students at the MWA Lakemba office.

With what was supposed to be a trial program for Term 3, MWA had the privilege of having the Hearts 2 Mind program continue for Term 4 and now again in 2023.

MWA is looking forward to hosting the Hearts 2 Minds tutoring service to children in need in a sustainable and continuous way. If you are interested in volunteering for the Hearts 2 Mind tutoring program, please call or SMS on 0416 089 202 or email info@ mwa.org.au

Volunteer Testimonial

“Being part of the Hearts 2 Minds program was one of the best experiences of my life. Helping my wonderful students

with their learning journey was indeed a privilege. The warm, nurturing & friendly environment at MWA inspired me to put my best foot forward as a teacher. Not only does Hearts to Minds meet children’s needs academically, it provides them with opportunities for social growth through extracurricular activities making it a true school experience. I’m so glad I got to be a part of this amazing experience with my students.

“– Sidrah Mujeeb

Yasmeen Ghamraoui is the Project Officer at Muslim Women Australia, based in Lakemba, Sydney.

Allah Willing I Am Willing

Fazlul Huq

When time is up to say goodbye and moment is right to close the eyes.

Soul is bidden to part the cage and Angels paged to carry the shroud.

Body is doomed to turn to dust and gate is opened to let it pass.

Visitants long to hear the chant: “Allah willing, I am willing, Allah willing, I am willing”. Inspire me Lord to give thanks for the favors You have bestowed on me and on my parents and to truly say:

“My prayers and my devotions, my life and my death are all for my God, The Lord of the Universes Who have no peer.”

Dr Fazlul Huq is a retired academic and Editor-in-Chief Emanreserch Journal Of Angiotherapy. He is also the poet “Jujube” at Allpoetry. com with over 35,000 compositions.

Pakistani community celebrates culture and heritage at National Multicultural Festival

Shafqat Ali

The National Multicultural Festival, celebrating the cultural diversity of the Australian population, was held in the CPD of Canberra, ACT from Friday 17 February to Sunday 19 February

2023. Over 100 Pakistani members participated in the cultural parade, holding flags and chanting national songs. The kids wore cultural dresses and marched through the streets of Canberra. Food stalls and stages showcased performances from local and international artists.

Miss Shafaq Jafery, president of APWA, took her team to set up a stall to promote the Pakistani community and their culture. They also took part in the parade. Shafqat Ali, president of Young Innovators of Australia, and his team came from Sydney to promote and support the community. Munawar Rafeeq from OSS Imports donated Pakistani food products to the community to introduce them to try products in Pakistan.

The festival, attracting over 200,000 visitors each year, is a national event and an excellent opportunity to experience the vibrant and diverse cultural scene in Canberra and to celebrate the multiculturalism that makes Australia such a unique and interesting place. Multiple stalls were set up to promote Pakistani handicrafts, clothes, and other items. Workshops, cultural talks, and exhibitions offered visitors the opportunity to learn more about different cultures and traditions.

Miss Asiya Mahar played a great role in the coordination of different community groups. Sujahir Ul Islam covered the whole event on

behalf of PakOz, going live while the event was occurring and taking many videos and pictures along the way.

Multicultural events allow us to celebrate the diverse cultures, traditions, and backgrounds that make up our country. They allow us to showcase and learn about different customs, beliefs, and ways of life. These events help to build understanding and em-

pathy among diverse communities. When we come together and learn about each other’s cultures, we can better appreciate our differences and find common ground. In these events, people can learn about the history, traditions, and values of different cultures, as well as provide opportunities to learn new skills and try new things.

The event was well supported by the Pa-

kistan High Commissioner, Mr Zahid Hafiz Chaudhri, and his team.

Clips and live streams can be seen on the PakAussie Facebook page: https://www. facebook.com/PakAussie/

Shafqat Ali is the Founder/President of Young Innovators Australia. He is a Trainer, Youth Mentor, Author and Consultant.

Community support dinner for Jihad Dib

A support dinner was held on Monday 6 February in honour of Jihad Dib MP, current state member for Lakemba at Himalaya Function Hall in Granville attended by the local member Julia Finn MP as well as a large section of multicultural community leaders. The event was hosted by Pakistan Mission International headed by Shakil Ahmad.

The NSW state election will be held on Saturday 25 March 2023 and since the seat of Lakemba has been abolished, Jihad will be standing for the seat of Bankstown.

The lavish dinner was attended by representatives of diverse organisations representing all shades of Muslim ethnic groups and covered by a range of multicultural media.

Mr Shakil Ahmad during his welcome speech outlined the objectives of Pakistan Mission International (PMI) and appealed for collaboration between various communities to collaborate on issues of common interest including inter-faith harmony, cross-cultural joint ventures, human rights and problems faced by migrants.

Mr Ahmad highlighted the significant role played by Jihad Dib in politics and as a role model for Muslim politicians, assuring him with full community support and wishing both Mr Dib as well as Ms Julia Finn for success in the upcoming state election.

Mr Keyser Trad, CEO of AFIC during his address praised Jihad Dib for raising his voice in the interest of the Muslim community and for the people in his electorate as well as in defence of Palestinian rights with full support of Julia Finn.

The Consul General of Turkey, Mr Bilal Aksoy passed his condolences for the death of over 100 people in the terrorist attack in Peshawar and then gave the latest report on the major earthquake that took place on the same day.

Ms Julia Finn thanked PMI for the initiative to bring the community leaders together and appealed for support from the audience during the upcoming election.

Ramiz Ahmad, a business-law student at UTS representing youth asked for the senior community members to embrace social media and face the challenges in this dramatically growing space to counter Islamophobia and hate.

Mr Jihad Dib during his keynote address thanked PMI for organising the event and greatly appreciated the overwhelming support he has received by the community over the years he has been in parliament.

Mr Dib talked about the tough times during the bushfires, the floods and COVID-19 lockdown specially in the Western Sydney LGA’s and the great resilience shown by the community in coping with tough times.

He praised Muslim aid organisations for helping Australians at large in Sydney as well as in remote areas during the tough times personally accompanying aid teams that brought people together as well as appreciation by the mainstream community of efforts by Muslim individuals to help all Australians.

The formal program ended with the presentation of calligraphy artwork by Mrs Ahmad to Jihad Dib as well as Julia Finn, group photos and dinner.

Zia Ahmad

Chris Minns visits Marsden Park Masjid

Usman Malik

NSW Labour leader Chris Minns visited Marsden Park Masjid on Sunday, 26 February 2023, meeting with Muslim families in the area. The event was hosted by IFAM Riverstone and Marden Park Chapters and was attended by many members of the local Muslim community.

Mr Minns was accompanied by local Labor leadership including Warren Kirby, Labour candidate for NSW parliament from Riverstone and Ms Aisha Amjad, a dynamic Labor leader working tirelessly with local communities.

During his speech, Minns expressed his delight at seeing the Muslim communities of the area and highlighted his long-standing relationship with various Muslim communities across NSW.

He praised IFAM for their efforts in the

areas for charitable work and women’s support.

Minns also shared his thoughts on improving the lives of people in NSW once in government.

He talked about his strong desire to advance the overall health and education system of NSW, which he believes is not

working as well as it did during the previous Labor government’s tenure.

He also praised the local Muslim community for their hard work and positive contribution to the Australian economy.

He said that he was well aware of various Muslim needs and had always worked for betterment of the communities. Wheth-

er it was about any Islamic centre, mosque, school or cemetry where Muslim communities could fulfil their particular rituals or duties, he was always in support of that and would continue to help in the establishment of those.

Warren Kirby, the Labor candidate for NSW parliament from Riverstone constituency, also spoke at the event. He expressed his satisfaction with his relationship with the local Muslim population and his desire to continue supporting the community’s various initiatives and works.

IFAM President of Riverstone and Marsden Park, Wajahat Rana, and IFAM Vice President of Australia Dr Kashif Aziz also spoke at the event, expressing their pleasure at the Labor leadership’s visit and their commitment to continuing to support the Australian Labor Party.

The event was concluded with lunch and discussions on various topics of community interest.

Usman Malik is the MGM of IFAM. He is based in Sydney.

Memories of Gaziantep, Turkey

Beyza Koca is an alumni of Amity College in Sydney’s west. Her family come from Gaziantep, the epicentre of the earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria last month. Tens of thousands of people have died and hundreds of thousands been displaced. Beyza’s family survived. Many of their friends have not. Below is an edited version of the story she contributed to Recipes for Ramadan in 2020.

Beyza Koca

I am Australian with a Turkish background. For our special occasions, my dad becomes our Masterchef and does most of the shopping. My mum and I help him with the preparation and organising in the kitchen.

My father is from Gaziantep. It’s known as the Paris of South East Turkey and the best city for its economy, living standards and food. It is included in UNESCO Cities of Gastronomy and the only city in the world named for its cuisine. Antep means delicious food and generous, skilled and talented hosts and hostesses. As Gaziantep is at the border with Syria, you can see and taste the influences of Arab cuisine too.

My father told me that he remembers at iftars in his youth, there would be hundreds of people sitting on their knees around sofras (sofra is a piece of cloth that you put on the ground to serve a meal instead of using a table). Young men and women are serving many dishes and it’s so loud. Then when everyone is seated and has their plates, no one talks and everyone waits for the Adhan (the call to prayer) which tells us we can break the fast. And then come the sounds of spoons touching the plates, drinks pouring into glasses, eating, drinking and talking…

Our Ramadan is always characterised by the theme of giving and giving in as many ways as we can. In Gaziantep, iftar means not only sharing with your relatives but also sharing with your neighbours and with those in need. Next to maximising our Zakat, my

family strives to host as many guests as possible during Ramadan. We like to host intercultural iftar dinners at our house in Sydney. We hope you will enjoy trying our food and getting to know a little of our story.

When my father was about 5 years old, my Dede (grandfather) went to Germany to work. At that time, many Turkish people went to Germany for work. They were called Gastarbeiter. My father studied the first 2 years of his primary education in Koln (Cologne) and had his first experiences tasting national and international food in Germany.

My grandparents had friends from different parts of Turkey who all loved to cook cuisines unique to their cities, plus German cuisine and some other European cuisines too. After they moved back to Gaziantep, my father really got into Gaziantep cuisine

and learning to cook.

He came to Australia in 1995 to study at Wollongong University, finished his Bachelor of Mathematics and Master of Education at La Trobe University, became a teacher and settled in Australia. My parents met in Istanbul. I was born in Melbourne and we moved to Sydney in 2015 when I was 13 years old.

We used to go to Turkey every second year to visit our relatives and many of my memories of Gaziantep are based around food. Stuffed dolma, eggplant kebab, onion kebap, lahmacun, yuvalama, cigkofte, baklava, kunefe and much more…

Ali Nazik kebab is a scrumptious Gaziantep specialty and one of our favourites. There are different beliefs about where the name Ali Nazik came from. One of them dates back to the 16th century Ottoman Em-

pire and the reign of Yavuz Sultan Selim. Visiting the city of Antep (today’s Gaziantep), the Sultan was greeted with this local delicacy of delicious eggplant and yoghurt mash with grilled lamb on top. Sultan Selim liked the dish so much and asked “Whose ‘gentle hand’ (“Eli nazik” in Turkish) made this?”

The story goes that the name “Ali Nazik” has stuck since then. Another story claims the name was adopted from the old Ottoman Turkish language. In this language, “ala” meant “beautiful” and “nazik” meant “food.” Over the centuries, this turned to “Ali Nazik”. In modern Turkish, “nazik” means “polite,” thus the phrase “polite Ali”.

My grandparents and most of my aunts and uncles live in the same apartment building. It is 16 storeys high and for a long time, it was the tallest building in Gaziantep. You could see most of the city and a big park with beautiful playgrounds, walking trails and cafes. With the elevator in our apartment building we used to go up and down the levels to visit my cousins and play with them. At night, we used to go out to that park as a whole family and stay there till late at night, eating delicious foods, snacks both sweet and savoury.

I miss those days. Although living standards here in Australia are well above Turkey and Gaziantep, I’ve always wanted to live there. It may be because of the strong family ties and level of engagement amongst them – but the food is also a factor. Maybe one day I will return to my grandfather’s home to live.

Beyza Koca (right) & Family during Iftar (Credit: Beyza Koca)

After the first date: Ramadan recipes and stories for all

Jane Jeffes

When the sun sets on a day’s fast, Muslims around the world reach for a date… or three.

It’s a tradition that follows the example of the Prophet Mohammad (s) who the Hadith record breaking his own fasts with three ripe dates and water before prayer. High in sugar, dates help restore low blood sugar levels and reduce your chances of headaches or dizziness.

If you know, you know. But these aren’t things that everybody knows. Nor does everyone necessarily know that the month of Ramadan commemorates the time that the Angel Gabriel dictated the Quran to the Prophet Mohammad (s) as Allah’s Messenger.

Or that fasting is an exercise in self-discipline to increase compassion for those less fortunate; or that it is an important time for giving alms and undertaking acts of charity, the sharing of food after fasting being part of that. Or that for centuries, the date tree has been a symbol of hospitality and peace. Or indeed, that if you are invited to iftar, after that first date the food on the table may be very different depending where your hosts’ families originally came from.

When we started Recipes for Ramadan in the first Covid lockdown of 2020, we had three key intentions: to share food and

stories just as we might at face-to-face iftars with our families, extended families, neighbours, colleagues and communities; to explain the beliefs and practice of Ramadan a little to non-Muslims; and to explore the rich diversity of Australian Muslim culture and heritage.

It was to be an invitation to connect with people, places and events we may otherwise have no experience of, and to help us understand the complex histories that we bring with us, histories which necessarily feed into the modern Australian story. Anthony Bourdain, the New York chef and TV presenter, would have called it an invitation to ‘parts unknown’, to ‘eat someone else’s food and walk in their shoes’.

Since that first lockdown in Ramadan in 2020, with contributions from Australian Muslims from different walks of life, we have published 63 recipes and stories from 21 countries via a dedicated website, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. Others in the pipeline for this year include Fiji, Russia, Myanmar and Saudi Arabia.

Many of the people and their stories have lodged in my memory and affections. In 2020, one recipe and family story centred on Gaziantep in South East Turkey. I’d never heard of Gaziantep before but helping tease out the story and trying the food, I felt I’d got to know the place and the people in some small way.

I hadn’t travelled there but the food, the story, the place and the people stayed with me and that sense of connection became significant last month when the earthquake hit.

A taste of Gaziantep

The recipe for Ali Nazik, Gaziantep’s famous marriage of chargrilled eggplant puree and tender lamb.

Beyza Koca

Ingredients:

Eggplant & Yogurt Puree

• 4 medium size purple eggplants

• 2 cups plain or strained yogurt

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 3 cloves of garlic crushed

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Lamb Meat Topping

• 500 gr chunks of lamb meat

• 2 tbsp butter

• 1 onion finely chopped

• 1 tbsp red pepper paste/tapenade

• 1 tbsp tomato paste

• 1 tbsp red pepper flakes

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 3 tbsp water

• 1 teaspoon salt

Method

1. Wash and dry the eggplants. Pierce them a few times with a fork to vent during roasting. (It is very important to vent the eggplants during roasting.)

2. Chop the lamb meat into small and bite-sized cubes. In a cast iron pan, melt the butter, add the lamb cubes and sauté with finely chopped onion until tender.

3. Once the lamb meat is tender; add the olive oil, tomato paste, pepper paste, salt, pepper flakes and 3 tbsp of water. Close the pan lid and let the lamb meat simmer gently at low heat for additional 5 minutes.

4. During this time your eggplants should be already roasted. Remove the roasted eggplants from grill and peel their burnt skin.

5. After you peel the roasted eggplants, chop them very well on a plate and set aside.

Gaziantep was close to the epicentre and I felt people I knew and cared about, a place I knew and cared about, were affected. This sense of connection was what we hoped, and continue to hope, people will gain from the project.

As we prepare for Ramadan 2023, we have chosen to share Beyza Koca’s story and recipe from Gaziantep first. At this tragic time, it is one we are sure you will also connect with.

Over the next couple of months, we also plan to share other recipes and stories in AMUST’s Friday newsletters and April and May papers and Guardian Australia will also once again publish a series in its Saturday Lifestyle section, starting on Saturday 18 March 18 ahead of Ramadan.

The whole collection can be found at www.recipesforramadan.com. And via our socials @recipesforramadan on Instagram, @recipesforramadanau on Facebook and YouTube @recipesforramadan13. We’d love to hear from you. Do post your photos and tag @AMUST and @RecipesforRamadan.

Recipes For Ramadan was the winner of the NSW Premier’s Multicultural Communications Award for Best Use of Social and Digital Media.

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.

6. In a bowl, combine yogurt, salt, ground black pepper and olive oil. Add the chopped eggplants and combine the mix very well. This mix (puree) will be the base layer of your Ali Nazik Kebab.

7. Spoon the cooked meat cubes over the top of this puree and drizzle the pan juices over the cooked meat cubes.

8. Sit and enjoy.

Are calls to cancel two Palestinian writers from Adelaide Writers’ Week justified?

Dr Denis Muller

The organisers of the 2023 Adelaide Writers’ Week, which starts on March 4, are under pressure to withdraw invitations to two Palestinian writers: one for her views about Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and the other for his views on Israel and Zionism.

South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas has condemned both authors. “I completely abhor the comments that have been made … they don’t accord with SA’s value system,” he said. “I’ve got to be frank, I’m surprised they are being facilitated at Adelaide Writers’ Week. I won’t be going along to hear them speak.”

Each case raises issues about freedom of speech and the phenomenon of “cancel culture”, but the cases are not identical.

The cases against Susan Abulhawa and Mohammed El-Kurd

The first concerns Susan Abulhawa, a Palestinian American writer who has published a series of novels, including a bestseller, Mornings in Jenin, based on the hardships of Palestinians in their continuing confrontation with Israel.

The second concerns Mohammed ElKurd, a Palestinian writer and poet who lives in East Jerusalem and whose appearance at Harvard University in October last year generated protests from some pro-Israel students who criticised his rhetoric as antisemitic.

Of the two, Abulhawa’s case is more straightforward. The objections to her, raised principally by Ukrainian voices in Australia, are fundamentally political.

They arise from tweets she has published saying Zelenskyy would rather drag the world into a third world war than give up his ambitions for Ukraine to join NATO, and describing him as far more dangerous than his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

She has also written tweets declaring: “DeNazify Ukraine”.

Extreme views

The president of the Association of Ukrainians in South Australia, Frank Fursenko, describes these views as “extremist” and says they contradict what most people feel about Ukraine’s position.

There is no question they are extreme views: they certainly contradict the Western world’s view of what is happening in

Ukraine, and play into Putin’s propaganda about supposedly wanting to rid Ukraine of neo-Nazism.

However, none of that justifies silencing her. Her remarks are reported to be distressing to Ukrainians and doubtless would outrage much popular opinion, both here and in other countries broadly opposed to Putin’s invasion.

But they are essentially political, and in a liberal democracy the bar is set high if silencing political speech is to be justified.

Distress and outrage fall well short. The bar is generally set at the level where the speech does, or is likely to do, objective harm: intimidation, humiliation, vilification, incitement.

It is true the Racial Discrimination Act sets a lower bar by including the more subjective tests of insult and offence, but we are not talking about race speech here.

Grossly offensive, but antisemitic?

El-Kurd’s case is more complex: some of what he has tweeted has been denounced by the Anti-Defamation League as antisemitic.

In particular, the league has objected to his accusing Zionists of eating the organs of Palestinians and of lusting for Palestinian blood, and to his comparison of the State of Israel to the Nazi regime.

Some of what Mohammed El Kurd has tweeted has been denounced by the Anti-Defamation League as antisemitic.

By any objective test, these accusations

are grossly offensive to a reasonable person of ordinary sensibilities, and civilised societies are rightly vigilant to challenge speech that creates any equivalence with the Holocaust.

However, are they antisemitic? The Anti-Defamation League says they are, and the league’s point of view must be respected.

But a counterview is that El-Kurd’s comments are directed at Zionists and at the State of Israel specifically, rather than at Jews as a people, and that therefore they are political in nature rather than racist.

This is a distinction on which people of goodwill can differ.

Fact vs opinion

Louise Adler, the director of Adelaide Writers Week, is the daughter of Holocaust survivors. She has drawn a different distinction – between the authors’ tweets and their published works.

This is a distinction based on proportionality. Should what an author says in a tweet be given the same weight as what they say in a substantial work of literature? She argues it should not.

A further distinction is between fact and opinion. No one is disputing the fact the Holocaust happened: it is a question of whether referencing the Nazis in a critique of Israel or Zionism amounts to antisemitism. No one is disputing the fact that Russia invaded Ukraine; the issue instead hinges on competing opinions about Zelenskyy’s strategy

in response.

This distinction between statements of fact and statements of opinion is an important one, and it affects the criticism of both Abulhawa and El-Kurd.

Calls to cancel ‘unjustified’

The SA opposition leader, John Gardner, has fallen into this trap with his opportunistic call on the festival organisers to cancel both writers. He compared Abulhawa’s tweets to spreading vaccine misinformation. That is nonsense. Both speakers have engaged in tweets that are clearly polemical. But they are comments, not assertions of fact. Misinformation is a statement of erroneous fact.

Liberal democracies tolerate political opinions – however extreme, distressing or offensive – that fall short of violating the harm principle.

For that reason, as well as for considerations of proportionality, the calls to cancel Abulhawa and El-Kurd are unjustified.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article https:// theconversation.com/are-calls-to-cancel-two-palestinian-writers-from-adelaide-writers-week-justified-200165

Dr Denis Muller is a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Advancing Journalism, The University of Melbourne.

Minister of Education acknowledges Daniya Syed’s talent and hard work for HSC showcase

AMUST Media

Daniya’s Syed, a resident of Western Sydney was acknowledged on 2 February 2023 at the Syemore Centre by Minister of Education, Sarah Mitchell MLC while receiving certificates of recognition for the selection of two major projects for the 2022 HSC Showcase Launch, a remarkable achievement and a testament to her hard work, dedication, and creativity in the fields of Design & Technology and Visual Arts.

Being selected as one of the few students across the state to have two major projects (ARTEXPRESS and SHAPE 2022) exhibited in museums and art galleries is a sig-

nificant recognition of Daniya’s talent and skills. The fact that her works will be showcased in multiple locations is also a fantastic opportunity to reach a wider audience and gain exposure.

ARTEXPRESS exhibition is being held at Western Plains Cultural Centre and Mudgee Arts Precinct along with the SHAPE exhibition at Powerhouse Museum, Ultimo Sydney. It’s an excellent encouragement to continue pursuing her passion and further her studies in the field.

She was interviewed by 7NEWS is a fantastic opportunity to share her story and inspire others who may have similar aspirations. Daniya’s success is a testament that with hard work and dedication, anything is possible.

From left: Mohammed ElKurd, Louise Adler and Susan Abulhawa.

AMUST interviews NSW Labor leader Chris Minns

This exclusive interview was conducted on Wednesday 22 February 2023, with NSW Australian Labor Party leader Mr Chris Minns, discussing various issues affecting Western Sydney, including the state of hospitals, housing, equitable treatment during COVID lockdowns, support for multicultural communities and media, and addressing discrimination based on faith.

There has been great concern in the state of the hospitals in Western Sydney specially at Blacktown Hospital with substandard medical as well as nursing standards. How is Labor going to address this for Western Sydney residents?

Chris Minns: That’s a good question. So what we’re going to do is invest in the people that help us. So that means introducing safe staffing levels. So emergency department sets 1 nurse to every 3 patients in New South Wales.

Public hospitals are going to return 600 beds to Western Sydney because the Government has been cutting beds from New South Wales hospitals.

And we need to make sure that we’re keeping pace with the health crisis in the state. There are many issues affecting the health system, but you can’t just put your head in the sand and say that it’s too hard and it’s also a Commonwealth Government problem.

We need to make sure that this government, this election isn’t about passing and Labor is committed to turning around the performance of our hospital system.

There is a strong concern re housing in Sydney. Guardian newspaper has reported this morning that NSW Government has initiated fast-track rezoning in the wrong places. There is land in Marsden Park area where growth areas needs rezoning. What initiatives can you take if Labor comes to power?

Chris Minns: Yes, absolutely. I hear what you’re saying. We need to make sure that there’s infrastructure in place to keep pace with the growing population, particularly in Western Sydney.

I have been to too many suburbs and too many communities where people have been waiting desperately for the infrastructure that hasn’t arrived. So we need to make sure that there’s fairness in Sydney. We’re going to start with Western Sydney.

We want to make sure that particularly fast growing parts of Western Sydney believe that they’ve got a government that’s looking out for them. And I think that to say that a community or electorate is away from Macquarie Street with townhouses, there’s a tendency to believe that.

People particularly in South Western Sydney LGA’s were made to suffer re restriction of movement during COVID lockdowns. This kind of discrimination based on areas of residence were perceived to be

highly resentful. How is Labor going to be equitable regarding these matters in future?

Chris Minns: So I think there’s a tendency to believe that they’re not getting the kind of support they need from the government. And I’m going to make sure that if we are elected on the 25th of March, we represent everybody equally and there’s real fairness.

Second point here is the current government has a real history of pork barreling were they. Money into their own electricity, expensive other tax payers in the state. I think that’s fair. Those

multicultural media for dissemination of information to reach into the multicultural communities?

Chris Minns: The leading reason is because during COVID, we really relied on multicultural candidates to make sure and in particular ethnic media stories about vaccinations and restrictions that were in place to keep people safe.

Yes. To make sure that you’ve got the ability to push out public policy messages, because in many cases, government departments don’t have translation services and they’re not providing infor

are concerned about discrimination in New South Wales and no one should be discriminated against on the basis of their race or their religion.

We’ve been we’ve been well-served by waves of immigration from countries around the world that those of Islamic faith have made their home in Australia.

They’re proving to be wonderful Australians starting businesses, starting families, paying taxes, growing the economy and adding to the wonderful culture, a multicultural culture that we have in Australia.

So we’re so glad that waves of immigrants have chosen Australia as it made us better and we’ve all got an obligation to make sure that discrimination doesn’t take hold in the country because we’ve got a great place in Australia and we don’t have the problems that many countries around the world do, despite the fact that people come to this place from hundreds and hundreds of different countries and have many, many different races and religions.

The last question is, how confident do you feel to win the state election on Saturday 25 March?

Chris Minns: Look, you know, we’re very hungry about the next election, but we’re very humbled to, I think it will be close. But we’re going to work hard on behalf of the people of New South Wales and look, fingers crossed.

Thank you very much for your time and we will be wishing you for a successful outcome and we will be praying for you as well. Thank you.

Chris Minns: I need those prayers. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

There were a couple of more questions that could not be answered due to the shortage of time and therefore a Labor spokesperson later provided the answers:

There has been very late preselection of candidates both by Labor and Liberals. Indecision for the seat of Cabramatta has been of great concern where Tu Le seems to be ignored again as she was during the federal election last year in the seat of Fowler. Any update on this?

Preselection of candidates is a matter for NSW Labor.

Oppression of Palestinians by the state of Israel is rife and any criticism of atrocities committed by Israel is being defended by accusing these criticisms being anti-semitic according to definition being pushed by IHRA . This is being perceived as gagging any criticism of Israel. What are your views on it?

There is bipartisan support for the IHRA in NSW. I will leave events in Israel for the Federal Government to comment on. But I will say that in NSW there is a great deal of cooperation and understanding between people of different faiths. NSW has Muslims, Jews, Christians, Hindus and people of many other faiths living together in harmony.

No one should be discriminated against on the basis of their race or their religion.

“ ”

Zia Ahmad

Mr Chris Minns.

Faith groups meet Chris Minns.

Faith groups meet Chris Minns.

Are you in a toxic relationship?

Suicide: Look for the signs

Being in a toxic relationship brings about death. Death to peace, love, light, joy and abundance. It slowly sucks life out of you until you start mirroring toxicity in your thoughts, words and deeds.

Not all toxic relationships are physically violent. Emotional torture, insults, money-control, spying (hacking into social media accounts, or checking phone messages), and constant accusations are some of many signs of a toxic relationship.

In my personal experience of a toxic marriage I ignored all these toxic behaviours because a part of me convinced me of two things; one, that I deserved them – taking blame, making excuses for his violence. And two, that I could change him if I tried harder.

These two reasons were a clear indication that I lacked self-worth, self-respect, selflove, self-compassion and gratitude to Allah for the beautiful life that He had blessed me with where instead of choosing love, light, peace and joy, I was choosing toxicity and perpetuating it further.

When parenthood happens, the excuse to stay becomes even more ridiculous: convincing yourself to stay because your child needs a complete family, both parents.

It’s not fun sharing this truth with my read-

ers. However, self-transformation is only possible when there is self-reflection and awareness of patterns of thinking. Self-sabotaging thought patterns that trap you into staying on in toxic relationships (marriages, friendships and business partnerships) only bring about darkness, ill health, resentment and fear.

Before you know it, you become addicted to this toxicity and fear propels you to find excuses to remain stuck in this stagnant existence.

Allah created you to live your life to your full potential and worship Him. Know the difference between merely existing and actually living.

So, ask yourself…Where are you in your life right now? How do you feel about your growth? How is your relationship helping you grow? Is it helping you grow? If not, why not?

No one can make you leave. You need to decide that for yourself. People sometimes say things like, “If it’s that bad, just leave.” But, it’s not that simple…because you need to understand that in order to leave a toxic relationship, you need to first and foremost become aware that you are in fact living in one. Choice is the most fundamental and crucial part of decision-making.

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

Identify which side of this box your life resembles most and then make the right choice.

Daily fights and arguments

Fearful of being and expressing yourself

Feeling useless, hopeless, anxious and depressed

Crying alone and blaming others or self

Retaliating with violence and aggression

Making excuses for this toxic situation

Being ignorant about your rights

Peaceful, soulful companionship

Freedom to be who you are and live your purpose

Feeling positive, light, loving and joyful

Cry it out to a trusted professional to guide you

Realising your self-worth and rising above these toxic behavioural choices

Take action to do something to change your life for the better

Finding the right people to help you understand your rights

But following the increase in “intihar” in Australia over recent years, surely it’s time that we as a community started talking more openly about this disturbing increase in the number of people taking their own lives –and what we can do to prevent it.

The increase in Australia’s national suicide rate has been quite alarming since COVID became a part of our lives in early 2020.

People becoming isolated, being forced to work remotely – or being faced with the prospect of losing their families, their homes and/or their jobs/businesses after being financially impacted by COVID – these are all circumstances that can lead to negative thoughts that trigger an individual into taking the saddest and most drastic action of all.

Of course, these ‘new’ triggers for depression and similar issues are on top of the many other pre-existing reasons why people take their own lives including marriage breakdown and its many devastating consequences.

Australian Bureau of Statistics figures reveal that sadly, 8.6 Australians suicide every day (more than twice the national road toll), while 75 percent of Australian suicide victims are male.

Currently, suicide is the number one cause of death for Australians aged between 15 and 44, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

Another sobering statistic is that 40% of Australians personally know somebody who has taken their own life.

And within our very own community over the past six months alone, an alarming number of young Muslim males in particular have taken their own lives.

So surely, rather than avoiding the question, we as a community should be asking ourselves both why is this happening – and what can we do about it?

There is a school of thought that if you identify that a male may be struggling mentally – be it your father, your son, your brother, your friend or your work, sport or study colleague – that if you reach out to him by asking “are you okay?”, then you’ve done your bit.

But in many cases, the “okay” question

merely scratches the surface.

Many men are too shy, too embarrassed or too proud to ‘open up’ about their feelings – especially young, fit, healthy males who give the outward impression of not only being “okay” but being indestructible…when sometimes nothing could be further from the truth.

So make no mistake, suicide is on the increase and it’s one of the hugest issues currently facing society as the pressure cooker of life in the 2020’s has never been more intense.

The “R U OK Day” initiative was founded in 2009 by Sydneysider Gavin Larkin, whose father had taken his own life 14 years earlier.

Held annually on 8 September, R U OK Day inspires everyday Australians like you and me – not just medical experts and other professionals – to look out for ‘the signs’.

By initiating a conversation with a friend or family member who appears to be struggling mentally and by letting them know that they are not alone, you are taking an action that is not only caring and responsible but is also a gesture that may not only change their life, it may even save their life.

Allah says: “Whoever saves a life, it is as though he had saved the lives of all mankind.” (Qur’an 5 : 32).

While the Prophet Muhammad (s) said: “A Muslim who relieves a Muslim from the plight of distress, Allah relieves him from one of the plights of his distress on The Day of Resurrection.”

Please be mindful that 8 September comes just once a year but the pressures of life affect people every day.

We need to show our concern for our brothers and sisters who appear to be displaying ‘the signs’ – stress, anxiety or trauma – and in this way, we can make it R U Okay every day.

• If you or somebody you know is experiencing a mental health crisis requiring urgent care (for example, they are at risk of harming themselves or others), call Emergency on 000.

The following services are available 24/7 if counseling is required:

• Lifeline Australia 13 11 14

• Kids Helpline 1800 551 800

• MensLine Australia 1300 789 978

• Beyond Blue 1300 224 636

• Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467

• NSW Mental Health Access Line 1800 011 511

• Veterans & Veterans’ Families Counselling Service 1800 011 046

Princess R Lakshman

The topic of suicide is one which is rarely raised publicly within the Muslim community and indeed it is a subject which many consider to be taboo.

John Mahoney

John Mahoney is a Content Writer with over 30 years experience and is based in Sydney, Australia.

So, my next patient is gay

Dr Mohammed Naushaduddin

A typical day in my clinic. A not so routine situation.

I was raised in a religious environment in India – a multicultural country with healthy respect for others, and equally skeptic of other’s claims.

Gays are a rare minority in India. You thought God made them that way; and they lived their life the best they can. To us, the gays were like the Paris sans Muslims in some media (‘Emily in Paris’ or children’s cartoon ‘Miraculous’ comes to mind). Aloofness to deliberate amnesia, depending on situations.

When I worked in Emergency Department in Australia, I dealt with the medical issues at hand. Patients were treated and handed over to the inpatient team or discharged home to their GP.

Now, in the community, gay patients are my patients. Privilege of trust brings in shared responsibility, so I wanted to understand the issue.

Muslim perspective

Quran mentions gays in the context of Israiliyaat: these are the stories of the Biblical generations, specifically of Prophet Lut (Lot, in Latin) – a minor prophet but a nephew of Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham): ayah 26:165-166, 27:54-55, 29:28-29, etc.

Though a rare hadith calls for capital punishment, scholarly consensus is certainly against normalcy of same sex orientation. This is because the Ulema believes in the primacy of Quran and Sunnah, and the only valid source of truth.

Assimilation has been one of the primary goals of humanity-nurturing religions. Doctors also prescribe conformity in many domains of our practice; so does the legislature and executive of nations. This is one of the efficient ways of dealing with uncertainly, and associated fears.

Medical perspective

Scientific evidence points to lack of choice among homosexuals. And, there is more than one way to be intimate with the same sex. This is often a reflection of an innate urge to share life with a companion.

One of the core responsibilities of doctors is to respect consent and choice. And where there is scientific evidence, there is no room for cynicism. This simple.

People whose choices change on whims, we do get concerned about their mental health. The best remedy is specialist consults rather than sparring community. This easy.

A very few people are completely asexual: having no interest in any sex. It is fascinating to speak to them. Can you imagine the wonderful pursuits one can take when not driven by a constant need for conjugal union? It is ok if you disagree.

Despite being specialists in human behaviour, clinicians gets stumped by varied human behaviours: men buying bodily gas for US$ 1000! We just have to live with these uncertainties and novelties – as long as they do no harm.

In a capitalist system, such financial gain and ruin is perfectly legit. Thats a discussion for the economists and social scientists. The buyer of such goods may have a choice, may be not. Human brain is a complex machine.

Australian social perspective

Modernity has ushered in the concept of country, basically amalgamating thousands of tribes and lumping them together into today’s nation states. This was a good thing, against the bane of inward looking tribalism.

In Australia, apart from merit, a modern reason to assert oneself is through identity

(instead of race, class or religious denominations of the past). This assertion of identity is balanced by the concept of human rights. Examples include gender equality, nativism, and of course gay rights.

Migrants who are new to developing concepts in modern discourse, cop the burden of learning these concepts in a short time. And pay a price, for not climbing this learning curve fast enough.

Global perspective

I mean global majority, a majority that struggles with attempts at climbing the ladders of knowledge, work and freedom, so that they can leave behind diseases, poverty and conflicts.

They are unaware of, or have no time for, or do not feel the priority in acknowledging the rights of others – including gay rights –when the rich of the world would not care about them. But these human emotions, however pessimistic, can be addressed.

Why people worry

Human brain likes consistency, and is dependent on daily routine. Yes an occasional novelty, but this has to be safe.

Responsible people worry when fun is not safe. However, the young will continue to challenge this caution. They want to test the boundaries; we do not want them scarred. Herein lies the balance of power, and politics that goes with it.

When Scottish leaders gave people the right to chose their gender in December 2022, they were the 10th nation to do so in Europe since 2014. Of note, all of these nations are post-modern, highly homogeneous, and have reasonably cushioned safety nets.

Now any 16 year old in these nations can walk into a government office and change their gender on any licensed certificate. That silly. We in Australia, along with US and England, are far more thoughtful.

In new studies, our moral guardians are asking us not to stop or interfere with ‘transformative experience’ of our loved ones. Which experience is ‘transformative’ remains an individual’s right and feeling, with no common understanding of these experiences.

Examples like these become a feed for echo chambers – that human brain loves to unravel in all kinds of ways, mostly negative. The majority of the multicultural world is wary of trends like these.

My perspective

In Religion

Acceptance of evidence leads to credibility. All religions, all that nurtured humanity

to its adulthood, must introspect and work towards this goal, in my opinion. Invoking ancestors, history or nationality will not be enough for a budding young person of our global village.

While soul-searching and researching, I found science liberating. I found that adding science to two primary sources of Fiqh – Quran and Hadith – helps progress of humankind.

It is a shame that Muslims did not add science among the primary sources in the 11th century, when they invented the scientific method. Intellectuals like Ibn-Haytham, AlBiruni and Ibn-Sina were the pioneers who formulated an intellectual domain we today call ‘science’.

Muslims could not, I suppose, for three main reasons:

1. These intellectuals lived in a politically divided lands of the 11th century: Andalusians in Spain, Fatimids in Egypt and Abbasids in Baghdad.

2. The Crusaders battered the eastern Mediterranean lands from 1096 CE onwards.

As they exhausted themselves by 1204, they turned to the westerns shores and captured most of the Andalusia by 1250. The final blow came when the Mongols invaded the East and razed Baghdad in 1258; a fourth of Persian population perished to wars.

3. Finally, at least a third of Arab population was lost to plague in 1350’s.

Three hundred years of serial chaos – first internal strife, then invasions and finally natural disasters – drained out the soul of intellectual pursuits from the Muslim body. Scientific methods, so astutely invented and documented, were relegated to dusty closets around the Muslim world. An era of Taqleed began in earnest; the scholars cocooned ourselves, depriving humanity of hundreds of years of progress.

Twenty first century exhibit: CERN in Switzerland has not published a single research paper in 2022 in response to Russian invasion of Ukraine. Science becomes a casualty when emotions overwhelm our reason and our sense of brotherhood.

We need to acknowledge this and find a way to stop this shenanigans in the future. These kinds of casualties can accumulate, threatening humanity itself.

In Practice

Quran: The ayah in 26:165-166, 27:5455, 29:28-29, etc mentions same sex activity in the context of the story of Sodom and Gomorrah in Bible, breech of their contract with their wives, transgression of social contracts, arrogantly superstitious, etc.

A punishment is promised for these groups

of people whose behaviour is persistently outside of the law of their times. Again, that punishment is exacted by God himself; there is no mention of human intervention.

Finally, in established rules, Muslims of today are under no obligation to follow the shariah of the previous Prophets.

Hadith: As a general principle, ahadith are seen in the context – of chronology, history, social structure, etc. Apart from mutawatir ahadith, none holds the high value of Quran itself, especially in the matters of hudood (punishment).

As to consensus of scholars, their value resides in they being holistically knowledgeable, and not anchored to singular knowledge of traditions. Quran warns us in Surah Tauba 9:31.

Evidence tells us that we are programmed to procreate, and nurture the next generation. The desire to have sexual fun is a limited activity in the lifespan of a human. There is hardly any skill here.

We give as much as we take; otherwise it is just shenanigans. In worse its case, a primitive power-play leads to an epidemic of domestic violence.

To The Person

It is encouraged that people commit themselves openly, work to develop a trusted relationship, be aware of developing mental health issues, be wary of sexually transmittable diseases.

At the end of journey, from being an adolescent to a young adult, the society is looking for a productive and a helpful person.

To The Wider Society

I ask you to look at science, and seek solutions – and not just rely on traditions. A relationship of understanding is the way forward. Any hate or discrimination is plain wrong.

If you are thinking where are the Ulema in all this, I ask the same question. If Taqleed keeps them beholden, then it is their choice.

Quran commands humanity to iqra (read; 96:1); and though oolil-amr (‘in authority’; 4:59) is not defined in Quran, it is understood to mean those who have the knowledge of the past, understands the present, and can debate and formulate a policy for the future of humankind.

I understand millions of Muslims behave as I do – with understanding and fraternity. So, here is my voice, amongst many, formulating a future based on a link common to human consciousness: truth, science and evidence. And our faith in sync with it.

Dr Mohammed Naushaduddin is a General Practitioner in South West Sydney, Australia.

A missed opportunity to talk about the value of sexual ethics

John Bellavance

The ABC article entitled “Power and purity” about the Four Corner program rightly pointed out the inappropriate content and approaches to fostering sexual ethics in a school.

However, parents, schools and faith traditions that properly encourage children without shame and pressure to postpone sexual relations until a committed relationship, reduce the number of sexual partners and discuss problematic issues around pornography should not be painted with the same brush as the school in the 4 Corners report.

Without love and intimacy, sex can become empty, self-serving, ungratifying, or even abusive.

What the article fails to mention is that there is good evidence that programs that encourage young people to adopt these sexual ethics and practices promote healthy choices and relationships; advice that parents would give their own children.

The article missed the opportunity to discuss the benefits of best practice teaching of sexual ethics to young people. It is in this

Thinking of you

Amatullah Tasneem

There are days that pass, Then there are days I can’t go past.

On the busiest of days I think of you, Turmoil of emotions I often go through.

Your deep voice echos in ears,The void in my heart seems to grow a bit more.

From Remembering those beautiful memories we spent..

To the hardtimes we together underwent.

From the never ending conversations we had on the table, To the sacrifices you gave to keep us stable.

By imprinting the wise words you left behind, And bringing the vision you had for me alive.

My beloved Father in Heaven.. I know I will never be able to pay you back..

But this is How I will honour you till I Die.

Amatullah Tasneem is a Life Coach, NLP Practioner and Mindful Stretch Instructor. She runs Mindful Stretch sessions, Halaqas and Courses for women. She is also a Poet and loves to inspire people through poetry.

important period in young people’s sexual and psychosocial development that they receive different information about sex from parents, schools, peers and popular culture.

This information can shape their attitudes and behaviours for good or for ill and affect the risks they take and how they threat others. Understanding their own sexuality and making informed decisions about their behaviours is essential for healthy sexual development into adulthood including the medical information that support sexual health.

Risky behaviours include sexual activity with multiple sexual partners, without the use of contraceptives, and while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Early and risky sexual behaviours can establish unhealthy sexual patterns.

The social consequences of adolescent risky sexual behaviours can be long-lasting and costly to adolescents, their families, and society at large. Research suggests that school-based sex education is an important and effective component in reducing the sexual risk-taking behaviour of adolescents.

Research shows that watching pornography is a real concern for children and should be for parents and society as well. Viewing pornography can affect young people’s sexual attitudes, expectations and practices.

In Australia, 90 per cent of boys and 60

per cent of girls under the age of 18 have seen online porn. What is concerning about viewing pornography is the wrong message of control, pleasure and physical aggression it can give to young people about sexuality.

Postponing sexual intercourse, reducing the number of sexual partners and discussing issues around pornography are conversations that need to occur at home and at

school using best practice and in a respectful and caring way.

Dr John Bellavance is the Vice-President, Universal Peace Federation Australia –UPF.org. UPF is an NGO in General Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations

Crossover Stories: Showcasing contemporary issues through theatre

Mehar Ahmad

It indeed was an unforgettable theatre experience on Saturday 17 February watching the full house-packed first session of Crossover Stories, a series of five contemporary original plays, held at the Bankstown Arts Centre.

Crossover Stories are distinctly Australian in English language but with a South Asian/ Indian context, written by Avijit Sarkar and were developed by five directors and performed by 27 actors of diverse backgrounds.

The producer of Crossover Stories is Taufeeq Ahmed Sheik, an award-winning writer, filmmaker and radio broadcaster who had the ability to bring together 44 cast and crew members with a diversity of backgrounds, ethnicity, language, faith and no faith, together in order to enact these unique stories for all to enjoy and take lessons.

The five short plays deal with taboo subjects rarely touched upon in South Asian countries and even in South Asian diaspora communities in the West but are indeed stories that we all encounter in our daily lives.

The plays with adult themes display contradictions in community life created by differences of religion, domestic violence, homosexuality, class and cast prejudices,

racism and the migrant experience.

For instance, the first play shows a strong friendship between a Hindu and a Muslim family who enjoy each other’s company, cuisine, song and music but are reluctant for their children to develop relationships outside of their religion.

Issues of white supremacist racism and traditional religious prejudices is dealt with in another play showcasing shifting alliances between different cohorts targeting subgroups.

The stories expose broken relationships in marriages, extramarital affairs, homosexual and bisexual issues and adjustments of migrants and their new generation growing up in Multicultural Australia dealing with contemporary issues.

Mehar Ahmad based in Sydney is a Public School Teacher and President of Seena Inc, Publishers of the Australasian Muslim Times AMUST.

A tribute to Khalid Yusoff: Largely based on his early life in Australia

Zia Ahmad who was studying medicine at the same uni. During my first meeting with him, Khalid struck me as a highly intelligent person with great leadership quality who took Islam very seriously, had very set and mature ideas on Islamic activism and work methodology. This meeting where we clicked together on idealogical grounds, blossomed into a life long friendship for over 40 years.

Late Dato’ Professor Dr Khalid Yusoff (19551921) MBBS (Melb), MRCP (UK), FRCP (Lond), FACC (USA), Hon FRACP (Aust), Cardiologist, Professor, Faculty of Medicine, UiTM and finally Vice Chancellor and President, UCSI University was a life long friend, a fellow Islamic activist while in Australia 1973-83 during the early formative years and an intellectual colleague, mentor, frequent correspondent and a keen reader of AMUST thereafter till he passed away in 2021.

How did I first got to know Khalid?

After our family migration to Australia from India in 1971, both myself and my father Dr Qazi Ashfaq Ahmad, while at the campus of the University of Sydney became aware of the presence of Muslim Students Associations (MSA’s) at a few Australian universities as well as the national body Australian Federation of Muslim Students Associations (AFMSA).

There already existed an active Islamic Society of University of NSW (ISOC) with its own Musallah, Juma prayers and study circle at the campus. Inspired by that we promptly founded the Sydney University Muslim Students Association (SUMSA) in 1972 with five members only, since there were hardly any more Muslims at Usyd at the time.

There were hardly any local Muslim students or staff at Australian universities where the MSA’s at various campuses were overwhelmingly run by undergraduate Malaysian students, both males and females, who were enrolled at Australian universities in fairly large numbers on Malaysian government scholarships.

During the early 1970’s, the young generation of Malaysians were going through an Islamisation process spearheaded by ABIM, Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia. The Malaysian students studying in Australia were largely inspired by ABIM and were practicing Muslims where most females wore hijab that was non-existent in Australia at the time.

Very soon we formed networks with MSA’s in Australia, attending annual conventions of AFMSA, organising national seminars and youth camps on a students platform. It was in this context that I first met my dear fellow activist, colleague and lifelong friend Khalid Yusoff.

It was in 1976 in Ramadan that I paid a visit to Melbourne and went to meet Dr Zafar Ishaq Ansari (PhD McGill Uni, translator of Maudoodi’s tafseer of Quran) who was a visiting professor at Melbourne Uni. During our long conversations, he told me that he wants to introduce me to a very special person, who turned out to be Khalid,

Islamic activism during the formative years

Khalid spent almost a decade in Australia, competing his final year of schooling, MBBS and then further training in the hospital system here as well as getting married before returning to Malaysia around 1983.

During the initial stages Khalid, although provided guidance to MSA’s and AFMSA, was reluctant to take the top job. However towards the late 1970’s he became the President of AFMSA and almost single handedly turned AFMSA and its various MSA’s from a religious/cultural club to an idealogical Islamic movement.

The timing was dramatic, with the invasion of Afghanistan by the Soviets and heroic resistance of Mujahideen and the advent of Islamic Revolution in Iran, young Muslims were sensitised towards Islamic revival globally as well as in Australia.

Khalid made an extraordinary effort to involve non-Malays actively in AFMSA and various MSA’s at the campuses. Heavily influenced by ABIM and other South Asian and Middle Eastern Islamic revivalist movements, he implemented many of their training and Daawah methodologies.

He emphasised that becoming office bearers of MSA’s and providing token Islamic services at the campuses was not enough and in fact the backbone of an Islamic movement was the Usrah (a concept for study circle used by Hassan al Bannah and adopted by ABIM).

I remember him while visiting Sydney in 1978, he came to our house during a social function. He dragged me and my brother Najm, Presidents of MSA’s at Usyd and UNSW respectively into a bedroom away from other guests and lectured us for an hour emphasising the importance of Usrah, urging us to develop it at our campuses. We were very much convinced.

This intensively focussed effort by Khalid heralded the foundation of Usrah (study circles) almost at all university campuses later adopted by many Muslim community organisations, a tradition that continues today after so many decades.

We not only started Usrah circles at our respective universities, but also ran an inter-campus/community Senior Usrah (Australian Islamic Forum) consisting of members of different fiqh (Islamic schools of thought) from 1983-1989 as well as our extended family AIF/IFEW Usrah in 1983 that continues till today.

It was our great pleasure that Khalid attended our Family Usrah a number of times on his visits to Sydney during the last few

decades and was very much aware of the fruits of his earlier efforts.

I consider the foundation of Usrah networks as a gift from Khalid for Muslim Australians, a Sadaqa Jaria by him that will be rewarded by Allah for this great initiative that has greatly benefited us all in this country.

Khalid’s leadership qualities

Khalid’s family originated from Kalantan and his father was an Aalim. I remember meeting him once on his visit to Australia during the early 1980’s.

Khalid was a serious thinker, an activist and a strategist from his early student life. Islamic activism was not a past time for him but he took it very seriously.

At various conferences of AFMSA, while we took it easy enjoying the company of fellow Muslim activists with jokes by Mohamed Khadra (now Prof Dr Mohamed Khadra, Urologist and Head of Surgery at Usyd), Khalid always engaged in serious and constructive dialogues.

We invited Anwar Ibrahim (an Islamic activist at the time and current Prime Minister of Malaysia) in 1980 when he was a President of ABIM as a guest speaker in the AFMSA Youth Camp in Sydney, my first encounter with him. During one of the small discussion sessions with AFMSA leadership Anwar abruptly said to me, “Br Zia, please ask Br Khalid to smile, he takes Islam too seriously,” and then Khalid did give us a smile.

After leaving Australia in 1983, Khalid practiced as a physician, specialised as a cardiologist and a distinguished academic and researcher in the medical field and fi-

nally as a university administrator, a high achiever in his country Malaysia as well as serving globally in Islamic medical forums as well.

During all this time we both remained in constant touch, visiting each other from time time in KL and Sydney and after the advent of emails and finally WhatsApp corresponded almost on a weekly basis exchanging view on the current state of the Ummah.

I believe that due to his demanding medical, profession and academic pursuits, where he served with distinction in his field, he could not realise the potential of leading an Islamic movement that he showcased during his early life in Australia.

His contributions to the Ummah

To me and for Muslim Australians, Khalid’s most important contribution would be the idea and foundation of Usrah network in Australia for which we will be indebted to him for ever. This transformed the life of many individuals in the community and specially in our extended family and this is his Sadaqa Jaria.

I am also aware of his contributions to medical practice, research and academic leadership in Malaysia and scientific bodies in the Muslim world and globally for which he has been recognised in the country and internationally.

May Allah reward him for his services to Islam, Muslim Ummah and humanity at large.

Zia Ahmad is the Editor-in-Chief of the Australasian Muslim Times AMUST and is based in Sydney.

On left Sheikh Khalil Chami, Anwar Ibrahim (centre: current PM of Malaysia) Zia Ahmad next to Dr Khalid Yusoff at AFMSA’s Sydney Youth Camp (1980).

Dr Khalid Yusoff during a visit to Dar-ul-Islam attending IFEW Presentation Dinner in March 2016.

Late Dato’ Professor Dr Khalid Yusoff

Will the Turkish earthquakes affect how the country is governed?

Dr Mehmet Ozalp

As the death toll in the Turkey-Syria earthquakes spirals past a record 46,000 – and a fresh earthquake has struck the Turkish region of Hatay – there is mounting criticism of the Turkish government and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for delaying rescue efforts and politicising the disaster.

The aftermath of this catastrophe has ramifications for the critical Turkish presidential elections in May and Turkey’s relations with Syria, Greece and Cyprus.

The earthquake that hit Turkey on February 6 was unusual. The first 7.8 magnitude earthquake was followed by a 7.5 magnitude tremor nine hours later, compounding the damage.

As a result, ten major Turkish cities, scores of large towns and hundreds of villages were affected. The World Health Organization estimates 23 million people have been affected.

With millions on the streets and tens of thousands trapped underneath the rubble in the bitterly cold winter, a swift rescue and aid response was vital.

And this is where politics got in the way.

The government’s mishandling of the disaster

There have been four major criticisms of the Erdogan government’s response.

The first is the inactivity in the crucial first 48 hours. Independent reports are surfacing that the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) produced a mandatory earthquake report within 45 minutes of the disaster. The interior minister, Suleyman Soylu, then held an emergency meeting with all relevant response departments.

Within hours, rescue and relief teams were ready to go, waiting only for final permission from Erdogan. Inexplicably, he did not immediately give the orders, while international rescue teams arriving in the country were kept in airport lounges due to bureaucratic obstacles.

The lateness of the response dramatically reduced search-rescue operations to find survivors under the freezing rubble. An estimated one million Turkish people were left homeless and fending for themselves.

The second criticism relates to the centralisation of disaster relief agencies and the exclusion of the army from the response plans.

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) centralised disaster operations under AFAD in 2009. While this might have

seemed a good idea, AFAD’s dependence on government orders paralysed its response capability. AFAD also performed badly during the 2021 wildfires, raising doubt about its competence.

The Turkish army has the biggest resources, heavy equipment and organisational capability distributed across the country. But, perhaps unwilling for the army to steal the limelight, Erdogan removed it from the response plan and gave sole disaster response responsibilities to AFAD in 2022.

With no immediate help arriving, desperate people started to post tweets demanding to know where the state was and exposing the scale of the disaster. Turkish rock star Haluk Levent launched his own aid and rescue operations, collecting millions and mobilising thousands of volunteers faster than the government.

As criticism of the government mounted, Twitter in Turkey was blocked. This move further fuelled the anger as desperate survivors could not use an important communication channel to get help.

Third, there has been anger about poor urban planning and the disregard for building codes. Turkey is notorious for allowing poor building practices. Corrupt developers and council officials routinely allow the construction of cheap buildings that are unable to withstand earthquakes.

The Erdogan government periodically declared “construction amnesties”, where buildings without a safety certificate would be waived for a fee. This generated significant income for the cash-strapped government.

This policy has been responsible for the greatest number of casualties. The city of Erzin, which is in the earthquake zone, did not suffer any major building collapse or significant loss of life because it has implemented zero tolerance of unsafe building practices.

Finally, Erdogan’s critics accuse him of misappropriating funds collected through the so-called earthquake tax, implemented in 1999 following the Izmit earthquake.

Turkey is no stranger to earthquakes, being located on the Alpide belt, a seismic zone that stretches from Europe to Asia. The country has experienced numerous devastating earthquakes throughout its history, with the previous large one in Izmit in 1999. The magnitude 7.6 earthquake claimed more than 17,000 lives.

Being dangerously close to Istanbul, the 1999 earthquake exposed the tremendous risks poor building practices posed in densely populated cities. As a result, the government at the time introduced an earthquake tax.

Funds raised through this tax were meant to be used on earthquake-proof buildings and to invest in disaster prevention logistic hubs across the country. An estimated

US$4.6 billion (A$6.7 billion) had been collected during the 21 years Erdogan has been in power. People are now asking what happened to all that money.

Money raised by the so-called earthquake tax was to be invested in preventing disasters like the earthquake that has just hit Turkey. Now many are wondering where the money has gone.

How will the earthquake affect Turkey’s presidential election?

Turkey is scheduled to have presidential elections in May 2023. The mishandling of the earthquake is likely to play a big role in the vote.

The opposition parties have been quick to capitalise on the government’s perceived failures. The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) has been calling for an independent commission to investigate the disaster and determine the cause of the government’s delayed response.

The pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) has also been vocal in its criticism. The HDP accused the government of discrimination in the distribution of aid, alleging it favoured areas with a higher percentage of AKP supporters. This issue is likely to influence Kurdish voters, who make up about 18% of the population.

Erdogan’s AKP could lose votes in quake zones where Kurdish votes hold the balance of power. Conversely, the disaster and the three-month state of emergency could also affect voter turnout and engagement and work in AKP’s favour.

The massive scale of the destruction and death toll, the inexplicable delay in launching rescue and relief operations and poor public relations have exposed the weaknesses in the presidential system introduced to the country in 2016.

It was thought an all-powerful president would speed up bureaucracy and place the country on a fast trajectory of progress and development. The earthquake and poor government response exposed the fallacy of this contention.

The opposition parties will use the government’s handling of the earthquake as a campaign issue and call for reforms to improve disaster preparedness and responses and for a return to a parliamentary system with separation of powers.

The AKP’s mishandling of the earthquake could fuel existing tensions within the party. Erdogan, who founded the AKP, has been criticised for his increasingly authoritarian tendencies and his consolidation of power.

It is also possible the government’s response to the earthquake could be seen as effective in some quarters, which could enhance the AKP’s standing and improve Erdogan’s chances of winning re-election. The largely government-controlled Turkish media are already glorifying the government’s response, with Erdogan posing for cameras next to rescued people and children.

The biggest hurdle for Erdogan is the poor state of the Turkish economy. It has been on

the downturn since 2018 when the Turkish lira collapsed. Since then, Turkish people have endured one of the highest inflation rates in the world at 85.5%. The disaster could further hamper the country’s economic prospects, which could in turn influence the election.

There is a strong possibility Erdogan might postpone the elections, citing emergency relief efforts. If he can buy time for another year or so, people might forget about the disaster and his government could hope to improve the economy, maximising its chances of winning the election. A postponement, though, would set an extremely risky precedent for Turkey’s fragile democracy.

How will the earthquake affect Turkey’s foreign policy?

Rallying nationalistic fervour through military operations has been one of Erdogan’s tactics to win elections. Reading his hostile rhetoric towards Greece and the Turkish army’s preparations near the Syrian border, there was an expectation of some military operation just before the presidential election.

Hostility with Greece may have eased, as Greece was one of the first countries to send a team to help with search-rescue operations. If Erdogan needs European Union support to rebuild the country and its economy, he will not push hostility with Greece too far.

A military operation in the earthquake-ravaged north-western Syria also seems unlikely. Such operations would bring widespread criticism from within Turkey, Russia, the Syrian regime that Erdogan is warming up to and rebel groups Turkey supports in Syria.

As remote as it sounds, annexing Northern Cyprus remains a possibility for Erdogan. A sign of this is the Turkish government’s refusal of Cyprus’s offer of assistance. Such a move would bring tremendous nationalistic support for Erdogan within Turkey. Russia may recognise the annexation in turn for concessions over the Ukraine conflict and Syria.

The earthquake in Turkey is a major test for the country and Erdogan. It is likely to dramatically alter the country’s internal political trajectory and its involvement in regional conflicts.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article at https:// theconversation.com/will-the-turkish-earthquakes-affect-how-the-country-is-governed-199946

Dr Mehmet Ozalp is Associate Professor Mehmet Ozalp in Islamic Studies, Director of The Centre for Islamic Studies and Civilisation and Executive Member of Public and Contextual Theology, Charles Sturt University. He is affiliated with the Islamic Sciences and Research Academy (ISRA).

Sedat Suna/EPA/AAP

Erdem Sahin/EPA/AAP

The many silences and problems in the BBC documentary on Modi

Professor Irfan Ahmad

On Tuesday 14 February 2023, the Income Tax officials raided the BBC India offices. Before the raid is hurriedly taken as a sign of BBC’s fullblown criticism of the Indian government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, we must not ignore the many similarities between the recent two-part BBC documentary, India: The Modi Question, and the worldview of Modi. Against the uncritical celebration of the BBC documentary by many deemed critical of Modi, I show how it instead reproduces the ideology he and Indian/Hindu nationalism at large subscribe to. At the outset, let’s deal with the most likely objection to my argument: if the documentary partakes in the anti-Muslim ideology of Modi’s party, Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), why did the government ban it?

The Indian government described the documentary as reflecting the “continuing colonial mindset.” But what can be more comical than the fact the law banning the documentary is itself colonial. The Information Technology (IT) law used to impose the ban criminalizes contents that are deemed against “the interest of the sovereignty and integrity of India” and “security of the State.” This law springs directly from the British colonial law: the 1919 Rowlatt Act, itself derived from the Defense of India Act of 1915. Both these laws criminalized activities defined as “a threat to the security of the state.”

Notably, Mohandas Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of independent India, endorsed colonial laws like the 1948 West Bengal Security Act. In fact, Nehru went a step further than the British. Through an arbitrary amendment in the Constitution, he expanded the ambit of the law from “the security of the state” to include “the interests of the security of the state,” which the current IT law continues. Evidently, the expanded ambit of “the interests of the security of the state” can include almost anything under the sun.

My two-fold points are straight. First, in describing BBC as colonial, the government erases the very fact of the colonial law it employed to ban the documentary. Second, Modi is simply continuing the British law made more draconian by Nehru, supposedly the rival of the BJP.

Blaming victims, Elevating perpetrators

There are many affinities between BJP’s worldview and the documentary. Early on, the voiceover in part one says: “fifty-seven people have died after a train carrying Hindu activists was set alight by a group of Muslims.” Standing close to the burnt train in Godhra, Jill McGivering, the then BBC India correspondent, subsequently reports:

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“In some areas, the grief and anger [among Hindus] here have already erupted into violence [against Muslims].”

Since the voiceover and McGivering’s report constitute BBC’s own position, we must underline the biases in both. Without evidence, the voiceover blames Muslims for the death of fifty-seven who are explicitly identified as Hindus. That is, BBC ensures that viewers take Muslims as attackers and Hindus as victims. The subsequent report legitimizes this framing because the anti-Muslim pogrom that continued for three days in Gujarat and which led to killing of over 2,000 Muslims is described as “erupting” from “the grief and anger” among Hindus.

Mark that while BBC describes the burning of the train as an act by Muslims as a group, hence planned and coordinated; the anti-Muslim pogrom is termed simply as having “erupted” and hence spontaneous. In the Oxford English Dictionary, ‘erupt’ means a natural, unplanned processes such as coming of teeth through gums. Clearly, the anti-Muslim pogrom was neither spontaneous nor unplanned.

BBC’s twin strategy of blaming Muslims for the death of fifty-seven Hindus and terming the violence of anti-Muslim pogrom as eruption are not only factually incorrect and grossly biased, they in fact partake in the language supplied by BJP or Indian/Hindu nationalism. Recall Modi justified the pogrom in Newton’s language of action and reaction: “Earlier, these people [Muslims] had murdered women teachers [in Godhra]. And now they have done this terrible crime for which a reaction is going on.” The dominant phrase “post-Godhra riots” used not just by BJP but also by its rival parties, including by most media, belongs to a repertoire that takes it that Muslims invite violence against themselves because it is they who initiate it.

In part two, the documentary names Hindus engaged in the barbaric lynching of Muslims not as killers or criminals but as “cow vigilantes.” Far from being critical, note that cow vigilante is a dignifying term supplied by BJP. Historically, cow vigilante as a term belongs to the anti-Muslim, Hindu “cow protection” movement of Indian nationalism in colonial India. Contrary to its own documentation of such lynching backed by politicians, the documentary incomprehensibly describes the issue as “enmity between Hindus and Muslims.”

Obviously, to analyze violence in terms of Newton’s action-reaction maxim is anything but “impartial and independent,” the motto of BBC. That leaders in a democracy uphold it is, to say the least, alarming. More alarming is the ratification in 2012 of Modi’s theory of action and reaction by a special investigation team appointed by the Supreme Court.

And this theory is pervasive, including in law. The attackers at Godhra train station were tried under the new anti-terrorism law, while culprits of “retaliatory” pogrom against Muslims under the Indian Penal

Code. The creation of different categories of criminals and their placement under different laws emanate from colonial-orientalist knowledge.

After the failed anti-British rebellion in 1857, Orientalist W.W. Hunter depicted Muslims as “fanatic.” To Hunter, violence by Muslims emanated from their religious “fanaticism.” The “postcolonial” Indian power elites liked this Orientalism, amplifying that violence by “peaceful” Hindus is always “defensive.” Examining the post-9/11 politics of law, anthropologist Julia Eckert remarked that “there was the perception of a growing double standard in Indian law or of a dual law that judged Muslim violence and protest as terrorism and Hindu violence as ‘natural reaction’ or spontaneous ‘outburst.’”

Astonishingly, the documentary is silent about counterterrorism accompanied by Islamophobia. Can one, however, understand Indian or international politics since 9/11, which also marks Modi’s entry into open politics, without the global war on terror? Before becoming Gujarat Chief Minister and soon after the horrific 9/11 attacks in the US, in a TV debate and as BJP’s general secretary, Modi had linked Islam with terrorism. To him, terrorism was innate to Islam and the “whole world” had witnessed terrorism “for 1,400 years” (since the Prophet Muhammad’s time).

Despite the fact that post-9/11 politics, including Modi’s, revolves around Islamophobia and terrorism, how to explain their absence from the documentary? The absence seems due probably to BBC’s own contribution – minor or major – to Islamophobia. Only days after she had vilified Islam, describing deception as integral to Muslims’ faith, BBC, for example, invited Melanie Phillips as a guest in its program, Politics Live, in 2019.

Such a practice is not a one-off. In April 2014 and before he was elected Prime Minister, Ritula Shah of BBC Radio 4 described him as “charismatic.” Based on her own reporting from an election rally she covered, Shah said: “Narendra Modi is a compelling orator. At a rally I attended in Delhi recently, the crowd was rapt attentive, almost mesmerized by this broad-chested bare of a man.” Shah preferred not to tell her listeners that Modi the orator had his speeches filled

with Islamophobia such that listening to his speech while he was Gujarat Chief Minister, a young woman sitting in the front row screamed: “Kill the Muslim motherfuckers.”

Clearly, my point is not that there is nothing critical in the BBC documentary. There is. Referring to the British government’s report about the anti-Muslim pogrom in Gujarat, Jack Straw, the then British Foreign Secretary said: “These were very serious claims – that Chief Minister Modi had played a pretty active part in pulling back the police and in tacitly encouraging the Hindu extremists.” However, he simultaneously stressed that “we are never going to break diplomatic relations with India.”

From the perspective of justice-seeking humanity brutalized by the Gujarat pogrom carried out under Modi as Chief Minister, Straw’s later statement cancels the earlier one. On this matter, the BBC documentary has no hope for the future either. Toward the end in the final part, two European academics are interviewed. They observe that since the West needs India as an ally to counter China, it is unlikely that the West will raise any consequential voice against the ongoing violent dehumanization in India. One is left wondering if such a message is either independent or impartial (or neither).

So, what the raid by Income Tax officials at the BBC offices shows is this: the government desires sameness, not only similarity, between its own worldview and that of the media such as the BBC.

George Orwell, briefly employed by BBC during WW II, had privately described his employer as “a mixture of whoreshopand lunatic asylum.” Aware of our own context as different from Orwell’s, readers can judge if and how his observation needs to be revised.

Irfan Ahmad (PhD Cum Laude, University of Amsterdam) is Professor of Anthropology-Sociology at Ibn Haldun University, Turkey. Until early 2022, he was Senior Research Fellow at Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious & Ethnic Diversity, Gottingen. A public intellectual, he has taught at Australian (Monash University and Australian Catholic University) and Dutch Universities (University of Amsterdam and Utrecht University). He tweets @IrfanHindustan.

continue after the massive earthquake in Turkey/Syria

Community support for the victims of the disaster has been swift from Australia with donations of cash, clothing and sleeping bags on their way already.

Muslim bodies including AFIC and ANIC have called on the Juma congregations today at Mosques Australia-wide to pray for the victims and donate generously to reputable charitable and humanitarian organisations helping the victims of this disaster.

The number of injured people in war-torn Syria is still rising fast across all affected territories some areas are controlled by the government while others are held by the rebels.

Rescue teams have now stopped digging out survivors including children fighting

against time and hampered by cold weather with a lack of power and heavy equipment, especially in Syria.

Earlier after the earthquake, tens of thousands of survivors were evacuated from the affected Turkish cities with the government

in emergency action mode.

However, due to the conflict in Syria, the victims especially in rebel-held areas have nowhere to go and are without shelter, power and external aid.

It took more than three days after the earthquakes for the first delivery of aid supplies from the United Nations to cross into northwest Syria yesterday from Turkey.

The flow of humanitarian aid was disrupted due to logistical issues and damage to the road connecting Turkey to the UN transhipment hub Turkey.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for more aid access to north-western Syria from Turkey so that delivery of aid can be facilitated through more than one border crossing.

Indian Police raid on BBC offices in Mumbai and New Delhi.

Toys for children, victims of the earthquake.

Christchurch Massacre: 15 March Four years on

Farid Ahmed

Something that we will never forget, and we should not forget.

The massacre on 15 March 2019 in two Christchurch Masjids is one of them. On that tragic day, innocent peaceful Muslim worshippers were attacked without any provocations.

A hate motivated gunman killed Muslims as if he was shooting birds. His cruelty took many lives, and left many injured, and many in trauma. His unloving heart did not spare children and women either. The sufferings are still ongoing. So, how can we forget the 15 March massacre?

If we forget the tragedy, then how do we learn from it?

We have learnt many things.

We can die any time and we should be ready to meet Allah, we will be tested by Allah for achieving higher goals, we did not lose our loved ones as they are in Paradise under Allah’s hospitality, we shall get rewards from Allah for our patience and per-

severance, we shall continue spreading the peaceful message of Islam, how to receive healings in traumas from Islamic Faith, how to rely on Allah during traumas, and how to hold onto the rope of Allah for hope with courage and conviction.

We have also learnt that we don’t want to live in fear, anger, and hopelessness. We have learnt to turn the negative into the positive and how to turn the grief into a vehicle of peace and the learning will continue.

We must not forget the sufferings that remind Muslims to put more trust in Allah, to supplicate more to Allah for His protection, to seek Allah’s help with patience and prayers, to remember death more do avoid sins and to do more good deeds, to face the evil with what is best, to pass the test for high rewards from Allah in paradise, and to pray for Allah’s guidance for every success.

By remembering our trials and tribulations, we cling to Allah more and we do more worship through prayers, charity, human service with kindness, and as a result we earn more rewards. The eventuality is that we gain Allah’s Love, Mercy, Forgiveness, and Blessings in this life and in the next life.

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Allah promises, “And give news to those who patiently persevere.” [Quran 2:155] How can we forget something that our next generations need to know? They should know how devastating hate is. They need to learn lessons from the tragedy to pass the good lessons to the next generations. Society, communities, different races, and the world should know that hate never wins, and the haters never find happiness in hating fellow humans. Humanity needs to know from every tragedy that loving the fellow human can solve issues peacefully.

After four years 15 March 2019 will be vivid in our memories especially for those who were directly impacted. We acknowledge the love, supplications, best wishes and support from everyone. We should stand together against hate and killing, and in favor of love, peace, and harmony.

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.

Jamia 11 accused discharged, court calls them ‘scapegoats’

Rashid Siddiqui

On 5 February 2023, Delhi court discharged activists Sharjeel Imam, Safoora Zargar, Asif Ali Tanha and eight others in a case related to the violence that took place at Jamia Millia Islamia in December 2019 saying they had been made scapegoats because police couldn’t catch the actual perpetrators.

[Ref: 11 Jamia violence accused discharged, court calls them ‘scapegoats’ | Delhi News – Times of India (indiatimes.com)]

Professor Ramachandra Guha, a respected Indian historian, environmentalist and writer was critical of the current attitude of Indian government to be authoritarian and warning of the decline of democratic credentials in the country.

In one interview to The Wire, he explained that the decline of democratic rights started in late 1960s and early 1970s when Indira Gandhi was the prime minister. He recalls the first systematic attack on national institutions such as the civil services, police, judiciary and the media were a hallmark of Indira Gandhi.

The precedence set was further exploited by current BJP regime. The distinction

though was that Mrs Gandhi was of authoritarian attitude whereas Modi/shah regime is majoritarian in nature, in addition to playing authoritarianism.

Professor Guha compares both the regimes in a clever remark as “Narendra Modi is Indira Gandhi on steroids”. [Ref: Ramachandra Guha on Hindutva history, economics of majoritarian politics | NL Interview: Teaser – YouTube]

In a similar incident Journalist Siddique Kappan, who breathed freedom after being jailed for 28 months, told The Wire that he was “targeted” only because he is a Muslim. Kappan said he was “targeted” because he had raised his voice against media censorship under the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government.

“In the process, news portals, supportive of Hindutva politics, called me the mastermind of Delhi riots,” he alleged. According to him, the government and the Hindutva brigade felt that it was a “perfect distraction” from the gang rape of a Dalit woman in Hathras, which received severe backlash against the BJP and the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh. [Ref: ‘I Was Targeted Because I am a Muslim’: Siddique Kappan Recounts His Harrowing Time in Jail (thewire.in)]

For Jamia students and Siddiqui Kappan, this is a big relief, and they are strong and more resolute to bring fresh energy in bringing forth political and social issues to the

forefront.

There is still a big majority with popular opinion that still believes in manufactured consents of Islamophobia and anti-minority stance and view this court decision as flawed.

On one hand they believe Modi to be free of all massacre charges of Gujarat riots as courts have dismissed all allegations, but on the other hand this court’s judgements in favour of innocent activists is termed as shady.

There is an ongoing state of emergency India is facing and Muslims are being used to politicize every issue possible by terming phrases like corona-jihad, love-jihad, land-jihad etc.

Current government is using all in its power and various tactics to suppress the truth while building a narrative of hate and fear to win upcoming 2024 elections. There are few rays of hope and sizeable intellectuals and activists on ground to dismantle these narratives. We hope, India settles in its traditional values of unity and diversity, tolerance and uproots evils disguised as nationalism.

Rashid Siddiqui is a Certified Senior Cybersecurity professional with 17 years of multi-faceted international experience; expertise in managing the corporate and IT Cyber security and Technical Risk of Telecommunication, Banking and IT industries.

If we forget the tragedy, then how do we learn from it? “

Settler violence report from IsraeliAmerican academic

Jeff Halper

Settlers have descended in a rampage on the Palestinian town of Huwara near Nablus and have set it on fire – houses (more than 30), businesses, mosques, schools, every building they could set fire to, plus more than 40 cars and even the local fire engines so that the spreading flames cannot be contained.

There are apparently many Palestinian casualties – one reported dead, 98 Palestinians have been treated for injuries so far – although the settlers are also attacking ambulances and the Israeli army is reported preventing the Red Cross from entering the town.

(Now, three hours after the pogrom began, the settlers are still in the town and, according to the reports of Israeli Channel 12, are preventing Palestinian families trapped in the burning houses to escape – and no attacker has been arrested.)

Huwara is a Palestinian town of about 6000 surrounded by the most violent Israeli settlements in the West Bank: Itamar, Tapuakh, Yitzhar, Qdumim, Har Brakha and others.

Attacks on Palestinians are commonplace and the perpetrators, well-known to the po-

lice (now under the control of Itamar Ben Gvir, a settler from Hebron who has been tried seven times for violent attacks on Palestinians), are never punished.

This attack, however, is on a scale we have never seen; even Israeli TV is calling it a pogrom. And apparently other Palestinian communities in the area are being attacked as well, Burin and even Nablus.

This will lead, I believe, to a qualitative change in the political situation as we have known it – in one way or another. Many in the current Netanyahu government believe that this is the time to violently repress all Palestinian resistance.

Bezalal Smotrich, a settler who has been appointed a government minister in charge of the Civil Administration, the Israeli military government in the West Bank, responsible for approving settlements, expropriating land and demolishing homes, has just posted a “like” to a tweet from an elected Israeli official in the West Bank calling for the “eradication of Huwara.”

The Israeli government believes – and not without reason – that “quietizing” the situation through violent repression, punishment and economic sanctions will, given the complicity of the US and normalization with the Arab world (based itself on the use of Israeli technologies of repression against

An aerial view of a yard where cars were torched overnight, in the Palestinian town of Huwara near Nablus in the occupied West Bank. [Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP]

their own people), pave the way for a normalized, permanent regime of apartheid.

But Israeli pogroms also open opportunities – tragically. They demonstrate the unrestrained violence to which Palestinians are submitted and highlight the unsustainability – and injustice – of “the situation.”

We must demand that our governments hold Israel and its settlers accountable for their actions. Indeed, if only our governments would uphold their own international laws of which Israel stands in gross violation, the occupation would collapse by the very weight of its illegality.

Palestine represents the test of whether “the international rule of law” constantly invoked by Biden in regards to US support for

Ukraine has any political or moral meaning, or if we in fact live in a Kissinger-arian dystopia of realpolitik.

I think we know the answer, and that means we have to go beyond the “human rights approach” to meaningful political action.

Source: Jim Halper Facebook

Jeff Halper is an Israeli-American anthropologist, author, lecturer and political activist who has lived in Israel since 1973. He is the director of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions and a co-founder of The One Democratic State Campaign.

Modi documentary: lessons for and from Bangladesh?

Dr Faroque Amin

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) released a two-part documentary late January 2023 on India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Damodardas Modi. More than a month later, different stakeholders’ responses to the documentary appear to be growing, rather than fading away.

Mid-February, Indian tax officials conducted a three-day search of BBC’s offices in New Delhi and Mumbai – a move reminiscent of the US federal authorities’ tactics in the early 1930’s to convict Italian-American mafia boss Al Capone on tax evasion charges.

In an ironic parallel, Modi’s government appears to have sent tax officials to target the media outlet after it exposed his controversial past and present actions, earning him the nickname “Butcher of Gujarat”.

Titled “India: The Modi Question”, this documentary delves into the history of

Narendra Modi, tracing his rise through the ranks of RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh).

The first part of the documentary centres on Modi’s connection to the 2002 Gujarat riots, in which over a thousand people were killed mostly Muslims, where many women were reported to have been raped.

In its second part, the documentary tackles various issues plaguing India, including targeted violence and lynching of Muslims for carrying beef (cow meat), the government’s handling of protests against the National Citizenship Register, the situation in Jammu & Kashmir, and the country’s declining press freedom and freedom of speech.

In summary, the BBC documentary presents a compelling case to portray Modi, the current Prime Minister of India and supreme leader of BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party, the political front of RSS), as a xenophobic, racist, and populist leader.

This portrayal is in stark contrast to the image India has been trying hard to cultivate of Modi as a global leader and the face of a rising India.

Following the documentary’s broadcast, a report from Hindenburg Research on Gau-

tam Adani, Modi’s chief financier and the third richest man in the world, alleged that he had amassed his wealth through the exploitation of state support, market manipulation and fraudulent schemes, branding him as a ‘conman’.

This simultaneous political, social, and financial upheaval in India, a country on the verge of a Muslim genocide, has significant implications for neighbouring Muslim-majority Bangladesh and vice versa.

The current regime in Bangladesh has held power for over fourteen years with the explicit backing of the Indian government, a fact that is no secret.

In March 2021, Modi visited Bangladesh to participate in the country’s independence anniversary celebrations. However, his visit sparked widespread protests against “the Butcher of Gujarat”.

Bangladesh police responded with live fire in several cities, resulting in the deaths of at least 19 people, and many more were injured and detained, though these figures only reflect official reports.

The questions raised in this documentary will be all too familiar to the Bangladeshi audience.

From the unresolved mystery surrounding the Godhra train burning, which catalysed the Gujarat riots, to the use of police and party thugs together to suppress and even kill opposition activists, the exploitation of

the judiciary to absolve their own crimes, the arbitrary arrests and punishment of opposition witnesses on baseless charges, and the unexplained deaths of those who create problems for powerful politicians – these are all tactics that resonate with current Bangladesh regime.

The documentary proves that the BJP in India and the BAL (Bangladesh Awami League) in Bangladesh share a similar modus operandi, including the use of nationalistic fervour to gain popular support, much like Adolf Hitler did in pre-WWII Germany. Bangladesh has a track record of conducting heavily manipulated and staged national elections, with the 2014 and 2018 elections being compared to those of North Korea by some international media outlets.

In contrast, India’s national elections have thus far been considered legitimate. However, the similarities between the ruling parties in both countries raise the satirical question of whether the BJP in India will learn from the tactics used in Bangladesh to cling to power, should they feel the need to do so in the near future.

* Images in this article are collected from Flickr under creative commons licences.

Dr Faroque Amin works with Suprovat Sydney, a Bengali community newspaper published from Sydney, Australia.

Adani has business interests in Australia too.

Prime Ministers of India and Bangladesh together

Lebanese Muslim Association 60 years and counting

John

Mahoney

The Lebanese Muslim Association (LMA) was formed in 1962 and has just celebrated its 60th year of operation.

Over the past six decades, the Sydney-based LMA has grown in both size and stature, expanding its positive presence and influence in the community to become a nationally-recognised organisation, which is representative of and which provides a wide variety of services for the benefit of the Muslim community.

Established by a group of Lebanese immigrant families, the LMA originally held its meetings and other gatherings (including a Sunday school) in a community hall.

Its aims all those years ago were – and still are – to provide social, religious, recreational and educational services for the Muslim community in Australia.

Once established, the LMA set out to unify the community with a common place of worship and in the late 1960’s, the organisation purchased a house on a parcel of land in Wangee Road, Lakemba, on the site of the current mosque.

The house was initially used by the LMA as a place of worship before it was demolished in the early 1970s. The construction of the current building commenced in 1972.

Australia’s first purpose-built masjid, Lakemba mosque was completed in 1977 and the majestic Imam Ali Bin Abi Taleb Masjid opened its doors.

To this day, Lakemba mosque remains Australia’s most famous and iconic masjid, with beautiful interior artwork and calligraphy.

Thousands of worshippers pass through the doors of Lakemba mosque each and every week and these already huge numbers

increase further in times of major events.

The LMA facilitates Australia’s largest Ramadan program, with around 3,000 worshippers visiting Lakemba mosque each night of the Holy month for Taraweeh prayers: numbers which double on Laylat-al-Qadr.

Eid Prayers at Lakemba mosque see worshippers travel from near and far for the biggest gathering of its type anywhere in Australia, with a congregation of tens of thousands praying not only in the mosque but spilling over into the car park and surrounding streets, which are temporarily closed to traffic.

The LMA has traditionally enjoyed a strong working relationship with local politicians (which it maintains to this day) and senior figures from Federal, State and Local government invariably attend the Eid prayers gathering, regardless of their religious beliefs.

Indeed, former Prime Minister, the late Gough Whitlam, was a special guest at the official opening of Lakemba mosque in 1977.

Space does not permit me to reference the LMA’s many, many achievements over the past six decades, but its work in the area of funerals must be recognised: establishing the first Islamic funeral parlour in Australia, instituting out-of-coffin burials and successfully petitioning for Muslim-designated areas in cemeteries.

As well as Lakemba mosque, the LMA also owns masjids in Cabramatta and Young, which both opened during the 1990s.

Also during the 1990s, construction commenced on the multi-purpose LMA services building at 71-75 Wangee Road, Lakemba (adjacent to Lakemba mosque).

Since 2014, the LMA has supported and co-ordinated National Mosque Open Day

when participating mosques from around Australia open their doors to welcome members of the public, regardless of their faiths – the first such event being held on 25 October 2014.

National Mosque Open Day is one of the LMA’s most significant events and a return to an ‘in person’ format in 2022 following a three-year hiatus owing to COVID restrictions saw an excellent response from the public, who turned out in their numbers at Lakemba Mosque and other participating masjids.

Commenting on the ongoing success of National Mosque Open Day, state local member the Jihad Dib MP said following of the 2022 renewal, “I am grateful for my ongoing relationship with Lakemba mosque…. may Allah reward Lakemba mosque and the LMA for their tireless efforts and contributions towards the community.”

Over the years, the LMA has implemented a host of programs, services, projects, events and other initiatives for the benefit of the Muslim community, playing an integral role in advocating for the rights of all Muslims in Australia, including recently arrived immigrants and refugees, while another key target areas is youth.

All LMA activities have a strong Islamic focus.

The LMA’s extensive growth and networking sees it collaborate with and engaged in partnerships with a huge number of community stakeholders and sponsors, federal and state government departments and not-for-profit organisations.

As an organisation, the LMA is embracing new technologies, constantly utilising and developing online platforms to enhance its

presence as one of Australia’s pre-eminent organisations within the Muslim community.

Now in its 61st year of operations, the LMA’s strong awareness of history cannot be emphasised strongly enough but at the same time, it is a body with a dedicated, proactive and future-focused board of directors.

In the past 12 months alone, the LMA has added acquired complexes at Bankstown and Greenacre which will be used to assist and care for the most vulnerable in our community.

Additionally, the organisation did some fantastic work to assist those in need overseas, including the sending of a special aid team to Lebanon last August, where they provided much-needed food, water and other supplies to poverty-stricken communities, including the donation of the flesh from several hundred sheep as part of their Adahi Project.

Also during 2022, the directors signed off on a major upgrade of Lakemba Mosque and its grounds as well as the LMA Islamic Funeral Services and the LMA services building (an artist’s impression of the front of the proposed upgraded mosque is at the top of this story).

The infrastructure repairs and upgrades are needed to support the capacity and delivery of the LMA’s services to the Muslim and broader community.

The year of 2023 will be a period of further growth, activity and progress by the LMA as it strives its utmost to help develop a community capable of addressing the many challenges and issues that it faces with both confidence and professionalism.

Book launch: “Transformed by Values” A guidebook to excel in Islamic values

AMUST Media

A premiere book launch held in Sydney on Friday 24 February, 2023 at ISRA centre in Auburn served as the next big step of author, Cynthia Aisha Meguid’s ‘Transformed by Values’ Islamic educational work, spanning 20 years in the Sydney Muslim community.

‘Transformed by Values’ is a highly valuable Islamic self-improvement and self-mastery solution packed, guidebook using the most advanced personal development strategies.

After reading Transformed by Values, you will be surprised how easy it is to achieve your aspirations of excelling in your positive emotional habits, thinking habits, relation-

ships, communication skills, positive behaviours and more!

This first-ever, 330-page guidebook, (3 volumes in 1 book) gives you expert knowledge, strategies, and skills, combined with over 100 activities, to excel in the psychological, emotional, social, and spiritual skills needed – to excel in living your Islamic values with excellence.

Methodologies of Aisha’s book include: self-help, personal development, Islamic, neuro-linguistic programming and applied cognitive psychology.

There are three key goals of ‘Transformed by Values’.

The first key goal is to support Muslims to live their Quranic and Prophetic values with greater effectiveness to guide their personal

How do I support my child in the new academic year?

Muhamed Saeed children for the new academic year is to ensure that they are spiritually and emotionally ready for the challenges ahead.

As the new academic gets underway, parents across the nation are gearing up to help their children prepare for the school year ahead. For Muslim parents, this preparation takes on an added dimension, as they strive to ensure that their children’s academic pursuits align with their faith and values.

There are several ways that Muslim parents can prepare their children for the new academic year to ensure worldly and spiritual success. One of the most important is to instill in them a love of learning and a desire to seek knowledge.

In Islam, seeking knowledge is considered a re- ligious obligation, and Mus- lim children are encouraged to pursue academic excellence as a means of serving Allah and benefiting society.

Parents can also encourage their children to set goals for the new school year and to develop a plan to achieve those goals. This not only helps children stay focused and motivated, but also teaches them the importance of taking responsibility for their own success and taking action to achieve their aspirations.

Another important aspect of preparing

This can involve incorporating Salah and Quranic study into their daily routine, as well as fostering a sense of resilience and perseverance in the face of adversity.

Muslim parents can also play a role in helping their children navigate the challenges of social interaction at school, especially if your child does not attend an Islamic School.

By teaching children to be confident in their identity and to treat others with kindness and respect, parents can help their children build strong relationships and create a positive impact in their school communities as a representative of Islam.

Ultimately, the key to preparing children for the new academic year is to ensure that they are equipped with the knowledge, skills, and values that will help them succeed both academically and spiritually. By prioritising these aspects of their children’s education, parents can help their children achieve success in this life and the hereafter.

All the best to our young learners in 2023, I pray for your ongoing success and benefit to our community.

Mr Muhamed Saeed is the Business Development Manger at Unity Grammar, one of Sydney’s leading Islamic Schools located in Austral, NSW. He is a trained and qualified teacher with a strong and proven background in Sales, Business Consulting and Islamic Finance.

growth, character and transformation.

The second key goal is to support Muslims to excel in their Islamic values such as –self-discipline, God-consciousness, unconditional love, unshakeable faith, solid bravery, authentic self-confidence, patience, calmness under pressure, perseverance and others.

The third goal is to support Muslims in learning effective strategies for overcoming any personal challenges and obstacles.

Why did Aisha author a book about Islamic values? Values are the deep roots of every thought, intention, emotion, behaviour and habit – like the roots of a tree.

Living your Islamic values for her is about living with a mental, emotional and spiritual state of excellence (Ihsan).

This self-empowering book aims to help you excel in your ability to live your values

in your emotional, mental, social and spiritual life – by learning the most effective personal development knowledge and methods within an Islamic perspective.

The many easy-to-follow, practice activities she has included, support you being highly motivated and engaged in achieving daily improvements in how you live and excel in your Islamic values in any life area.

Aisha’s goal is to empower individuals to become the best Muslim version of themselves, by upgrading their ability to excel in living Islamic values, insha’Allah!

Transformed by Values is available at online bookstores, more details can be found here: www.aishameguid.com/shop /transformed-by-values.

Amity announcesCollegenew school

AMUST Media

Amity College is set to open a new school in 2024 for K-3 students, with state-ofthe-art facilities that will greatly school school benefit the entire community.

The project will be boosted by an $11.7m Westinvest grant from the State Government and includes a range of impressive features, such as learning spaces for up to 500 students, a multipurpose hall, an oval, adventure playground, kitchen garden, pedestrian/ cycle paths, dedicated drop-off zone, offstreet parking, bus bay, and road upgrades.

The school has been designed with modern, flexible, and digital learning concepts in mind, with state-of-the-art ICT infrastructure and intricate cooling design.

The landscaping of the school campus incorporates formal and informal outdoor learning areas, canopy shade trees, and seating.

Families can look forward to increased community awareness and engagement with school activities, positive and cooperative relationships, improved curriculum

and learning programs, enhancement of knowledge, skills, talents, and wellbeing, improved security, access to a wider range of high-quality facilities, and more efficient utilization of the community’s investment in school facilities.

The school will also feature a modern, highly functional Multipurpose School Hall that can accommodate 350-400 people and be used for sports, assemblies, performance, community events, and venue hire.

The project will not only provide families with quality education and recreational facilities, but it will also improve the local facilities and green, open spaces in Leppington, creating a better place to live, work, play, connect with nature, and raise a family, while reducing the carbon footprint.

Enrolments for K-3 at our Leppington campus have commenced and spaces are filling up quickly. Families who would like to send their children to the school are encouraged to apply as soon as possible

Stay tuned for more news as the school opening in 2024 approaches!

Amity Leppington building.

Transitioning into retirement? Get the right strategy set from beginning!

Rokibul Islam

Transitioning into retirement

If you’re nearing retirement age but don’t want to stop work entirely, another option might be to transition into retirement. For those over 60, pension payments from Transition to Retirement (TTR) pensions are tax-free. For those between the preservation age and age 60, tax offset of 15% applies to pension payments. As such, TTR strategies can be tax effective and can provide a number of benefits.

Let’s look at some options available to 62-year-old accountant, Ahmed. He works full time and is on an annual salary of $100,000.

Easing into retirement

First up, Ahmed might consider reducing his hours as he prepares for retirement. Dropping from five to three days a week will see his $100,000 annual salary reduce by $40,000 to $60,000. But as his tax bill[i] also falls, from $24,967 to $11,167, his net income only drops by $26,200. Subject to minimum and maximum pension payment rules, and as the pension payments are exempt from tax, Ahmed only needs to start a TTR pension paying $26,200 each year to maintain his current lifestyle.

One thing to be aware of

Based on Ahmed’s reduced hours his employer’s super contributions[ii] will decrease by $3,230 after contributions tax of

15% is taken into account. Most simply, Ahmed could add this amount to his pension payments, and make an additional contribution to his super.

Bridging a gap

TTR pensions can also help bridge the gap if household income takes a hit. What if Ahmed has no plans to reduce his hours, but illness prevents his partner from working for several months? He could start a TTR to tide them over and help meet mortgage repayments or medical expenses.

However, once the crisis has passed the TTR pension will need to continue, as it can’t be withdrawn as a lump sum. Alternatively, it can either be converted to a regular

account-based pension when Ahmed either turns 65 or permanently retires, or rolled back into the accumulation phase.

Boosting super savings by reducing tax

With his partner restored to health and back at work, and Ahmed still working full time, what can he do with the now surplus income from the TTR pension? One strategy is to make salary sacrifice contributions to super if Ahmed does not wish to roll the amount back to the accumulation phase.

Ahmed is able to salary sacrifice up to $15,500 of his pre-tax income to superannuation (the difference between the concessional contributions cap of $25,000[iii] less compulsory employer contributions

of $9,500). Taken as salary, $5,347 of that $15,500 would go in tax and Medicare levy. Make a concessional contribution to super and the tax could be reduced to just $2,325, a difference of $3,022!

If there’s still money to spare after the salary sacrifice contribution is made, Ahmed can look at making after tax contributions (also known as non-concessional contributions) to superannuation where the amount contributed is not taxed and earnings will only be taxed at up to 15%, significantly less than his marginal tax rate of 34.5% including Medicare levy.

Your Solutions: Getting it right with Meezan wealth Financial Planning

If you’re approaching retirement, it might be worth checking out what a TTR strategy may be able to achieve for you. It’s a complex area, eligibility criteria and contribution caps apply, so make sure you talk to a financial adviser at Meezan Wealth before you act. Penalties may apply for making personal contributions when not eligible to do so OR if you exceed the caps.

Meezan Pure Wealth Pty Ltd is a Corporate Authorised Representative of Lifespan Financial Planning Pty Ltd AFSL 229892 Suite-104, 8 French Avenue, Bankstown,NSW

Call: 1300 141 145

Email: info@meezanwealth.com.au

Web: https://meezanwealth.com.au

Rokibul Islam Founder I Director I Senior Financial Adviser Meezan Wealth Management Meezan Wealth is built for the Australian Muslim community and we stand by our moto “ making our Community better off.’’

Maulana Attari meets Sydney’s communty leaders

AMUST Media

Maulana Haji Imran Attari, Nigran-e-Shura of Dawat-e-Islami, a global daawah organisation met Sydney’s South Asian business and community leaders at a dinner held on Friday 24 February 2023 at Himalaya Restaurant in Granville.

Nigran-e-Wales UK, Syed Fuzail Raza who has accompanied Haji Imran Attari on this trip also attended this event along with Haji Abdul Waheed Attari, Nigran-e-Shura, Australia, New Zealand and Fiji.

Maulana Imran Attari is a world-renowned Islamic Scholar who has been the Head of the Central Advisory Board of Dawat-e-Islami for around 18 years.

He joined Dawat-e-Islami in 1992 as a local volunteer and was appointed as the Head of the Central Advisory Board by His Eminence Maulana Ilyas Qadiri in 2002.

During the event, Haji Imran Attari explained Dawate Islami’s vision, purpose, and activities in detail, highlighting the organization’s commitment to improving the lives of individuals and communities through religious education and spiritual development.

He also discussed future projects planned for Australia seeking support from community and business leaders in current and future initiatives.

The attendees were encouraged to follow the basic principles of Islam, which include believing in the oneness of Allah, performing salat regularly, giving charity, fasting during Ramadan, and undertaking the pilgrimage to Mecca.

Haji Imran Attari emphasised the importance of avoiding bad deeds, using our precious time in beneficial activities, and living in harmony with each other, supporting each other, and helping good causes by giving charity.

Maulana Haji Imran Attari also invited community leaders to join him for a private

lunch next day, Saturday 25 February 2023, which was attended by several community leaders including Mr Farhat Jaffri, President Pakistan Association of Australia, Mr Ejaz Khan, Dr Khurram Kayani, Mr Munir Mohammed, CEO of Sydney Forex and prominent Pakistani community and business leader and others.

This event also provided further opportunity to engage and discuss various projects and activities between Maulana Haji Imran Attari and his team of Dawate Islami Australia volunteers and business and community leaders.

The program was followed by dinner and interactions with all the participants, providing an opportunity for networking and exchanging ideas. Nigran-e-Shura highlighted the role of Dawate Islami during recent earth quack in Turkey and Syria where volunteers from Dawate Islami were at the forefront of

relief efforts especially in Turkey where Dawate Islami has already established several centres undertaking range of religious and humanitarian relief activities.

Dawate Islami is a non-political, non-profit Islamic organization based in Pakistan with a global presence. The organization aims to promote the teachings of Islam and the Prophet Muhammad (s) through a range of educational and spiritual programs. It seeks to encourage individuals to improve themselves and their communities by following the basic principles of Islam.

Dawate Islami has been active in Australia for several years, with a strong focus on Dawah (invitation to Islam) and educational activities. The organization has established several centres across Australia, including Melbourne and Sydney, where individuals can learn about Islam and engage in community activities. Regular Quran classes,

Sunday schools for children, and online teaching sessions are also organized by Dawate Islami Australia.

In addition to educational activities, Dawate Islami Australia also organizes regular Friday prayers, Taravih prayers during Ramadan, and Eid prayers at multiple locations in several cities across Australia.

Haji Imran Attari has been invited to deliver lectures in various parts of the world, including the U.K, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Indonesia, Germany, South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Belgium, Austria, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Mozambique, and many others.

Through his brilliant vision and leadership under the guidance of the His Eminence Maulana Ilyas Qadiri, he has played a vital role in promoting the teachings of Islam and the Prophet Muhammad (s) globally.

Maulana Haji Imran Attari

Community and business leaders at the meeting

Kitkat launches Ramadan themed chocolate gift box

As the holy month of Ramadan approaches, Kitkat, a popular confectionery brand, has launched a special chocolate gift box in Australia to celebrate the occasion.

The gift box includes 18 pieces of chocolate shaped as ‘Ramadan characters’, featuring characters wearing hijab, one wearing a thobe, and one holding a Ramadan lantern. The box also includes a lantern piece with a crescent moon on it. The Ramadan-themed chocolate gift box is available for purchase online for AUD $15.

In recent years, many brands have made an effort to be more inclusive and diverse in their products and marketing campaigns. Kitkat’s Ramadan-themed chocolate gift box is an example of how brands can celebrate and respect the cultural and religious values of their consumers. By offering a product that resonates with Muslims during Ramadan, Kitkat is showing its commitment to inclusivity and diversity.

While most reactions to the Ramadan-themed chocolate gift box have been positive, there have been some negative comments on social media. Some individuals have complained that Kitkat is pandering to Muslims and ignoring Easter. However, popular food blogger Lina J “thelebaneseplate” commented on Instagram, “I find it hilarious that some in the comments are triggered by this and asking ‘what about Easter!?’ Lol Easter choc eggs & hot cross buns have been on supermarket shelves since Jan. Not that I’m complaining, I’ll eat chocolate in any shape or size! People really need to live outside their bubble though.”

“I don’t really need much convincing when it comes to buying chocolate, esp KitKat but this has certainly made me want to buy double! Love that @kitkatanz have recognised Ramadan as one that’s participated in & celebrated by many Aussies.” She continued.

The Kitkat Ramadan-themed chocolate gift box is available for purchase online through Kitkat’s website or at major grocery stores.

AMUST Media

My Choice Ramadan Calendar 1444 Hijra

March/April 2023

It was the month of Ramadan in which the Quran was (first) sent down as Guidance for all people, having clear proofs of guidance and the criterion between (right and wrong)…

(Quran 2:185)

O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you as it has been prescribed for those before you so that you may be ever Allah-conscious. (Quran 2:183)

Dua at Emsak

I intend to keep the fast for tomorrow in the month of Ramadan

Dua at Iftar

O Allah! I have fasted this day, for your sake and believe in you and, having confidence in you, I open my fast by your sustenance.

Islamic Dates

Islamic dates are subject to the visibility of the new moon and variation can take place if this sighting of the crescent is done globally, regionally or locally. The following possible scenarios can occur this year:

1. Global Sighting (or prediction of sighting) Ramadan (29 days) starting Thursday 23 March and ending Thursday 20 April with Eid on Friday 21 April 2023

2. Regional Sighting Ramadan (30 days) starting Thursday 23 March and ending Friday 21 April with Eid on Saturday 22 April 2023

3. Local Sighting Ramadan (29 days) starting Friday 24 March and ending Friday 21 April with Eid on Saturday 22 April 2023

When you are notified of the commencement of Ramadan through your community, indicate the dates you will follow under the relevant “Ramadan” column.

Please s tay in con tact with your local mosque for announcement of Ramadan and Eid dates.