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RESCENT T IMES Australian Muslim Newspaper
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Issue # 29, March 2011
Strengthening Our Community
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E E R F
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SAVING LIBYA FROM EVIL
As this issue goes to print, France has announced military action against Libya under the terms of the UN no-fly zone. French fighter aircraft are policing a no-fly zone over Libya protecting the rebel stronghold of Benghazi, Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president, said. Soon after Sarkozy’s comments on 19th of March, the French military reported that French fighter jets had opened fire on targets in Libya, destroying a military vehicle. That attack is the first by a UN-backed international military force in support of the uprising against Muammar Gaddafi, the country’s long-time leader. Around 20 aircraft are involved in operations over Libya, the French defence ministry said. Speaking after talks in Paris between world leaders to discuss the military operation, Sarkozy said that while international forces would act, the fight in Libya belonged to the Libyan people. “If we intervene on the side of Arab nations it is not to impose on the Libyan people, but because of a universal conscience that cannot tolerate such crimes,” he said. the ABC. David Manne of the Refugee Legal Source: Aljazeera Centre said police had used a modified shotgun that “can cause serious injury or death, depending on how it is used’’. Mr. Bowen said immigration and SERCO staff “were in the middle of a violent protest and they were in need of assistance from the AFP’’. 120 detainees were removed from Christmas Island following riots at the detention centre. Their destination has not been made public.
TEAR GAS
used on refugees
Following recent break-outs from the Christmas Island detention centre, federal police used tear gas and “beanbag bullets” to quell a protest by about 300 asylum seekers on the weekend of 13 March. The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre has released first hand information from detainees who hid in their rooms during the unrest - “they were shooting, really shooting, we know what shooting sounds like- we are scared”. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees has urged restraint, and its
regional representative, Richard Towle, said the incident highlighted rising tension among asylum seekers held in remote detention centres and subject to long processing delays. Immigration Minister Chris Bowen described beanbag rounds as “like a little mini beanbag which comes out of a gunlike weapon’’. “The worst injury that it would create would be bruising, and the AFP have confirmed [it was used] in line with their use of force guidelines,’’ Mr. Bowen told
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Issue # 29, March 2011
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ADVERTISING
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Issue # 29, March 2011
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NATIONAL NEWS Muslim Charity Community of Western Australia Inc (MCCWA) appeal: The Islamic Council Of Donate to build Masjid Western Australia - ICWA:
Major clean up required after years of neglect
Al-Rahman
In 2009, the Muslim Charity Community of Western Australia Inc (MCCWA) purchased a property located at 45 Mills Road Gosnells WA in April 2009 for the purpose of building an Islamic Centre for the community. The total area of the property is 6751sqm, the centre will include the following: Al-Rahman Mosque Free Quran and Arabic classes for adults and children
Islamic library for Muslims and non Muslims Recreation area 135 parking bays MCCWA board had to come up with enough money to purchase the property; therefore some brothers and sisters have made short term loans to the association (kardd hasan) to enable the association to purchase property. MCCWA is seeking donations from Muslim brothers and sisters so it can pay back all the borrowed money in the agreed time before we start the building of the centre. Your donation would be appreciated to help the community pay back the money owed and also raise
enough money to build Masjid Al-Rahman. You can make your donation directly to the MCCWA account as detailed below: Commonwealth Bank - Account Name : Muslim Charity Community of WA Inc Account number: 066-162 10398315 or : mail your cheque to: PO BOX 683 Gosnells 6990 WA For further information please feel free to contact
any of the following brothers: Hajj Amer Hawchar 0431 643 144 (Thornlie Masjid) Hajj Rateb Jneid 0427 003 000 Mazen Elsayadi 0414 694 651 Hajj Abdul Karim Jenzarli (Thornlie Masjid) Hajj Said Jenzarli (Rivervale Masjid) Please provide your full name if donating online via the internet so we may send you a receipt. The Muslim Charity Community WA has received approval from City of Gosnells to build a temporary place of worship at the community property in Gosnells prior to the construction of the community centre and Masjid Al-Rahman. *Photo: the purshased land where the Islamic centre should be built. Courtesy: MCCWA.
ICWA has expressed its appreciation for the patience shown by the Muslim community of Western Australia during the recent events at the Council as they work towards putting the Council’s affairs in order and streamlining procedures so that all WA Muslims feel empowered to participate in their state council. Since the AGM in September 2010 there have been a number of changes at the Council including the election of Brother. Sajit Smajic as President of the Council. The new Executive Committee of ICWA expressed a wish to comply with all constitutional and statutory regulations. It was imperative that the financial records were reconciled so that there was transparency and accountability of the Council to the public. Since the AGM: 1. Imam Abdul Jalil Ahmad who was employed as Imam at Rivervale Mosque resigned on the 29 January, 2011. The vacancy created by his resignation has been advertised. 2. Brother Rahim Ghauri who was Treasurer of the Council resigned on the 05 February, 2011. 3. Brother Ismail Fredricks who was the Halal Supervisor for the Council
resigned on 28 February, 2011. It has come to light that there have not been adequate financial records or audited financial statements of the Council for a number of years. There have also been allegations of misappropriation of Council funds. These allegations are currently being investigated by the new Executive Committee. The Committee stated that their task had been made more difficult by the resignation of key personnel and by the significant number of missing documents. The Committee intends to make its findings public and to endeavour to recoup any misappropriated funds. Given the resignation of the Halal Supervisor, Council members are attending to all halal matters and are working closely with customers to ensure that the integrity of halal certified food products is in no way compromised. The position of Halal Supervisor will be filled as soon as possible. In the meantime the Committee has asked the community to be vigilant and to report any breaches of halal guidelines in outlets displaying the ICWA certificate. The Committee has sought and obtained support for their reforms from the President of Muslims Australia (AFIC), Brother Ikebal Patel and his entire Executive Committee as well as the other State Councils.
Contributors MARCH 2011: Kamariah Ahmed - Muhammad Al-Sulami - Tarek Chamkhi - Jamal Daoud - Shaazlah Hafreth - Linda Heard - Aziz Khan - Yasser Khan - Joanne McKeown - Debora McNichol - Marina Mahathir - Yvonne Ridley - Aseyah Shipman - Keysar Trad - Harun Yahya - Irfan Yusuf - Fatma Disli Zibak PUBLISHER: Tarek Chamkhi
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Issue # 29, March 2011
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NATIONAL NEWS
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Premier Keneally: Youth mentoring grants Museum of Immigration to help tackle violent and Multiculturalism extremism Keysar Trad, the president of the Islamic Friendship Association of Australia recently met NSW Premier Kristina Keneally to congratulate her and the Hon. John Hatzistergos MLC for their vision to create a Museum of Immigration and Multiculturalism, as well as discussing
initiative prior to a decisive state election is a credit to the courage of Premier Keneally. This Museum will become an important tourist attraction in the Australian landscape and the initiative puts the old Law Courts site to excellent use.” “Showcasing the contributions of migrants and multiculturalism to Australian society will encourage our children to better integrate into
other community matters of interest. “This museum deserves the support of all political parties, it will showcase not only to our own citizenry, but to the people of the world how enriching immigration and multiculturalism can be for any nation or society” Keysar Trad explained. He continued: “Launching such an important
Australian society as they seek to emulate the contribution of their forefathers.” “I congratulate Premier Keneally and the state government for this timely and pioneering initiative” he concluded Above: Premier Keneally (left) discusses the Museum initiative with Keysar Trad (right). Photo courtesy Keysar Trad.
The Uniting Church in Australia: detention on Christmas Island must end The Uniting Church in Australia has expressed its horror at the excessive use of force against asylum seekers on Christmas Island in March. The President of the Uniting Church in Australia, Rev. Alistair Macrae said, “The confirmation by the Immigration Minister that “beanbag” bullets along with tear gas were used against an unarmed group of people partaking in a peaceful demonstration is of extreme concern to us.” “Uniting Church members around the country have expressed their own distress about this incident. We fear that this use of force against already traumatised people will compound their trauma and despair.” “This action is reminiscent of the worst of the Howard Government’s punitive treatment of people seeking our protection. It appears that it was the deployment and actions of AFP officers that lead to an escalation of what had been a peaceful protest,” Rev. Macrae said. “This incident confirms the total inappropriateness of immigration detention on Christmas Island,” said Rev. Elenie Poulos, National Director of the Uniting Church’s national justice and advocacy agency, Uniting Justice Australia.
“When you detain people for months on end in overcrowded and unsuitable conditions, providing little information about their case and prospects of release, it is understandable that their frustrations and desperation will boil over.” “While the Government’s commitment to the removal of children and families from detention is a welcome step forward, it is clear from this event and the countless other incidents in detention centres across the country, including a hunger strike only recently ended at Villawood, that the detention environment is unfit for any human being – man, woman or child.” “The continued use of mandatory detention for asylum seekers on Christmas Island and in other locations on the mainland is a breach of Australia’s international human rights obligations and oar duty of care to vulnerable, traumatised people.” “We await the release of the full terms of reference for an independent inquiry into this incident which fully investigates the use of force in the detention environment. We also reiterate the Church’s call for an end to the inhumane, damaging and costly policy of mandatory detention,”said Rev. Poulos.
Attorney-General Robert McClelland announced more than $1.1 million in funding for projects to mentor and support young people to stay disengaged from intolerant and radical ideologies. The grants, announced in November last year, have been awarded under the Building Community Resilience – Youth Mentoring Grants Program, and are designed to promote a tolerant, safe and inclusive society. The Building Community Resilience - Youth Mentoring Grants Program is a key part of the Government’s $9.7 million investment in counter radicalisation initiatives. “The program will support activities that directly support young people away from intolerant and radical ideologies and encourage positive participation in the community,” Mr McClelland said. “Communities have told us that they want the assistance and resources to play a more active role in countering violent extremism.” “Effective community engagement is a key component of the Government’s approach to building a stronger and more resilient community that can resist violent extremism.” “With nearly 100 applications, the Government received overwhelming interest in the program, reflecting the community’s commitment to developing local initiatives to prevent extremism amongst our young people.” Inaugural recipients of the Government’s Youth Mentoring Grants, include: •Australian Multicultural Foundation – Australian Muslim Youth Leadership and Mentorship Program; •JobQuest – Mentoring and Resiliency Development Project; •Spectrum Migrant Resource Centre – Voices of Change;
•Islamic Women Welfare Council of Victoria – Aman: Youth for Peace-Building; •New Australian Media – Media Makers; •Anglicare Sydney – Aussie Youth Connect; and •Hume City Council – Hume Anti-Violent Extremism Youth (HAVEY) Project. “Research shows a range of personal experiences can make young people more vulnerable to extremist messages, for example: discrimination, prejudice and marginalisation, social isolation, and worries about employment and educational opportunities,” Mr McClelland said. “Through this program, we want to help young people develop skills to deal with these issues in a positive way, while at the same time reducing the appeal of extremist or radical ideologies.” The grants complement existing Commonwealth, State and Territory initiatives and will: •provide mentoring to individuals identified as vulnerable to extremist views; •equip communities, especially youth, with the skills and resources to actively address intolerance and discourage extremist views; •reinforce the important role youth play in the community in addressing and countering issues around violent extremism; and •educate communities and individuals about countering extremist views and the avenues available to support them. The Government’s Counter-Terrorism White Paper: ‘Securing Australia, Protecting Our Community’, acknowledged the risk of home grown terrorism and highlighted the importance of building a strong and resilient community to resist violent extremism and terrorism. Source: www.ag.gov.au/cve
Jewish group condemns calls to exclude Muslim prayer group The Australian Jewish Democratic Society (AJDS) has declared its support for non-discriminatory access to an East St Kilda Community House that provides a valuable resource to the community it serves. From children’s parties, play groups and celebrations, to religious events and prayer groups, usage of the Community House reflects the diversity of communal activity. Recently, a Muslim prayer group that has been using the Community House for one hour a week over the last two years, has been the target of an anti-Muslim campaign by a group called the Q Society of Australia. The Q Society identified a need for a planning amendment to the approved use of the Community House and is using this issue to spread fear of Muslims across the local community. Q society spokesperson Vickie Janson, who ran for the Victorian Upper House for the Christian Democratic Party of Fred Nile and does not live in the area, is leading a campaign
of innuendo and misinformation which in part is aimed at sowing fear in the Jewish population of the local area. AJDS has joined with other Jewish organisations that have recognised the right of people of goodwill to practise their faith in the Community House. The AJDS has a long and proud history of opposing racism and supporting social justice. Spokesperson, Harold Zwier said “It is important that the prejudice emerging from the campaign against a Muslim prayer group be met by voices which proclaim the value in our diversity, the inclusive nature of a healthy community and the right of all people to be treated with dignity and fairness.” The Port Philip City Council has proposed a planning amendment to bring the rules under which the Community House operates, into line with how it is actually used. The AJDS strongly supports the changes proposed by the Council and urges everyone in our community to speak out against the voices of prejudice, exclusion and religious intolerance.
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Issue # 29, March 2011
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NATIONAL NEWS
Community consultation and open forum with Muslims of NSW
Muslims New South Wales Inc (MNSW) in conjunction with Muslims Australia (AFIC) has great pleasure in inviting all interested Muslims of NSW, member associations of MNSW, leaders and members of Islamic associations and societies, Imams and religious leaders to a community consultation - open forum with Muslims of NSW to be held as follows: Date: Sunday, 20 March 2011 Place: Malek Fahd Islamic School, 405 Waterloo Rd, Greenacre Time: 2.00 pm – 6.00 pm AGENDA: • Opening and welcome. • Address by AFIC President • Address by MNSW President (Chairman). • Address by AFIC Vice President (Arabic). • Unity of Muslims under Muslims Australia (AFIC) structure, membership, legal and constitutional matters. • Activities of AFIC and its State MemberCouncils. • Urgent issues of Muslim burials, aged care
and nursing homes for Muslims, Foster Care of Muslim children, Muslim Women’s shelter particularly for revert sisters. • Muslims in Australian Politics and 2011 Census. • Democracy, transparency and openness in AFIC’s operations. • Religious affairs, Imams, Marriage Celebrants, Halal Certification. • Islamic Education and Schools. • Open discussion & questions from the audience. This is a very important forum which will help to strengthen the Muslim community and the unity of Muslims in NSW and around Australia. Please do come along and participate in the discussions and invite your friends, families and acquaintances to come along as well! Please email or call any one of the following to confirm your attendance: AFIC Office: admin@afic.com.au; tel 02 9319 6733. MNSW office: amehboob@tpg.com.au; tel 0433 909 083; tel 0425 294 345; tel 0415 441 385; tel 0433 998 344
Muslims in Toowoomba, Queensland Aseyah Shipman
How many of you know there are Muslims in Toowoomba, Queensland? Toowoomba is the home, or rather temporary home, of between 300 – 400 Muslims, mostly University students. Of this number, less than 10 families are permanent residents of Toowoomba. The Islamic Society of Toowoomba was established many years ago in order to provide a prayer area. However, recently , two other Islamic organisations have emerged to fulfil the needs of the Muslims in the area The Islamic Sisters Association (ISA) was established specifically for the Muslim women who would find themselves in this strange country with no or little support and few halal social outlets. Many sisters find themselves vulnerable in a new society and ISA assists them in adjusting to life in their new country. Now these same sisters have regular Islamic gatherings at the University prayer rooms and in each other’s houses.
The Muslim Family Welfare Association of Australia (MFWAA) also evolved out of an obvious need to provide support and encouragement to the family unit as well as trying to maintain unity within the community. Not only are there some Islamic lessons taking place to encourage knowledge over culture, but MFWAA started their Islamic Family camps with an introductory camp on the 12-13th of March with a National Camp planned for April. Several scholars and various brothers of knowledge have volunteered to give lessons during these camps insha Allah to the best of their abilities. Furthermore, ISA and MFWAA are actively involved in promoting Islamic awareness within the wider Australian community through radio interviews and speaking to people personally as well as distributing Islamic literature. To find out more about ISA, please contact sisters@authentictawheed.com or for more information about MFWAA please feel free to contact family@authentictawheed.com. Alternatively you may phone 0434681799.
Australians as racist as Ku Klux Klan, says former Klan leader A former Ku Klux Klan leader deeper than most people cared to admit, the
says racism in parts of Australia is reaching a similar intensity to that experienced growing up in the United States’ Deep South 50 years ago. Johnny Lee Clary, a former KKK Imperial Dragon who left the organisation after 14 years, found God and became a church minister, said that prejudice and hatred Down Under ran
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Daily Telegraph reported. “I’ve been coming to Australia for 12 years and I see just as much racism here as I have in America. A lot of people in Australia like to pretend that it doesn’t exist but it does,” he said. Mr Clary is in Port Stephens to speak to school children about his life and how he came to realise that racism and prejudice are wrong. Source: Daily Telegraph
Hanan Dover: ‘Highly Commended’ award for assistance to the community
The University of Western Sydney has celebrated the global centenary year of International Women’s Day by announcing the winners of its ‘Women of the West’ and ‘Young Women of the West’ awards. During a special ceremony at the UWS Parramatta Campus on Friday 11 March 2011, Dr. Helen Somerville and Najeeba Wazefadost were announced as the overall award winners. During the special International Women’s Day event, a ‘Highly Commended’ award was presented to Hanan Dover of Bankstown and a ‘Commended’ award was presented to Debbie Roberts of Harrington Park. Hanan Dover was recognised for her work within the not-for-profit community organisation Mission of Hope (MoH) and psychological counselling service PsychCentral; Debbie Roberts was recognised for her work as CEO of Youth Solutions as well as for her community work with the Rotary Club of Narellan and her advocacy for organ donation. Najeeba Wazefadost, an Afghan Youth Support Officer with the Bamiyan Association and ambassador for Amnesty International, was awarded the ‘Young Woman of the West Award’ for her advocacy of human rights issues. Najeeba arrived in Australia in 2000 as a 12-year-old asylum seeker from Afghanistan. After spending time in a detention centre, she eventually completed high school and is now studying her second degree at UWS with the aim of becoming a nurse. A Granville resident, she is a passionate advocate for the rights of refugees and asylum seekers as well as for equality in culture, race and gender. Within the local Afghani community she acts as
Want to be part of a book? An overseas publisher wants to compile a book on the holy Quran and the many ways it mentions the human being. The purpose of this book is to educate non-Muslims about the value of the human. Allah has blessed us with a blessing like no other by placing us as trustees on this earth, and creating all things for our happiness.
a role model for other women and young people and is committed to improving their access to education. UWS Vice-Chancellor, Professor Janice Reid, says the Women of the West awards are about celebrating the extraordinary contributions that women make to the Greater Western Sydney region. “On behalf of UWS I congratulate our winners and all of the Women of the West nominees for 2011 - UWS is very proud to welcome you to be part of our University community.”
*Above: Hanan Dover with her friend Petsy from UWS after recieving the award. Courtesy of Maha Najjarine.
He has given us a high status and told us how to maintain it. Allah has put something unknown into all human souls regardless of our race, colour, or religion. Even with the lack of knowledge of what was put into us we feel blessed because Allah created us with his hands and not by saying “kon” meaning “be” as He created other living things such as animals and plants. If you would like to express your interest in being part of this book email the address below by the 10th of September 2011. humaninthequran@hotmail.com
The one and only ‘soul-care’ regimen that suits both MEN and WOMEN Shaazlah Hafreth Queensland Every morning soon after you wake up : BRUSH your smile - it is an act of charity. GARGLE your words and spit out the bad ones - cursing is a sin. CLEANSE your morbid thoughts of people try to think of them in a positive light, even if they look down on you. TONE down your image until it is modest yet respectable – being a show-off is nothing to brag about. MOISTURISE your inner faith - don’t let it dry out. CONCEAL your faults - a Muslim displays
neither his good deeds nor his bad ones. Taqwa is the FOUNDATION of a strong Muslim - he who fears Allah fears nothing else. BLUSH when you remember your mistakes – the sin which makes you repentant is more liked by God than the good deed that makes you proud. GLOSS your knowledge of Deen – it stands out from the rest. And only Allah knows what your reflection says about you. So try and make it a good one!
Issue # 29, March 2011
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ISLAMICA Purity of heart: LINK TO PROPHET MOHAMMED SAW
On the authenticity of Hadith
Kamariah Ahmad*
Modernists believe that the sunnah of the Prophet opposed modernity and that modernity has saved the world by liberating it from the shackles of “Tradition’”. To encourage positive change in the Islamic community towards modernity, the modernists and secularists receive much support from the west; and the policy makers who are the leaders of some Muslim majority countries who give them public platforms to launch their ideologies against fellow Muslims. As explained by Humphrey, modernism is a dilemma faced by the elites in regard to their political identity. They appreciate the concept of equal citizenship, but also wish to create a state with specific Muslim values under-lying citizen’s rights and duties. Modernists offer a compromise solution to governing the state with the application of public law by using materials from sharia law where the original text will be questioned and criticised. They will try to explain the sharia, reject hadith and explain the Quran in a new way to suit the present situation which includes among other thing the attire of Muslim females. The anti-hadith movements claim that: hadith is not authentic; it is mere conjecture, vastly corrupted and does not fit the criteria of divine revelations. They state that since the Quranic verses are divine scriptures direct from Allah they are safe from corruption, but hadith is not divine thus can be subjected to corruption by man. The above argument demonstrates that the anti-hadith group has not studied the manner of the compilation of hadith. The ‘isnad’ system helps to prevent forgery and ensures the authenticity of hadith before the classification of hadith text. According to Sheik Hamza Yusuf, executive director of Zaytuna Institute in Hayward, California, “A sacred tradition cannot survive without transmission and the key to transmission is isnad, or sound and verifiable links, that stitch each generation of believers to the preceeding one all the way back to the blessed Messenger.” He elaborated further that without isnad, the entire tradition of hadith compilation would collapse. The system of ‘ijaza’ (teaching licenses) is intricately linked to isnad whereby one takes his knowledge from noble men and women who took their knowledge from those, and so on, all the way back to that model community and to Prophet Mohammed whose knowledge came from Allah through the angel Jibrail. Questions on the authenticity and corruption of hadith arising among the modernists may be due to their lack of interest in studying the intricate isnad or transmission system and refusal to recognise the extensive methodological effort that has been put in by earlier scholars in transmitting and compiling hadith. Even records of biographies of narrators and criticism of their characters were noted in the dictionaries (recorded in ‘kitab’ or books) that have come down through history. To determine whether the hadith is reliable or sahih its isnad must be truly unbroken with no missing link or interruptions. The narrator in the isnad must be of well known integrity and pious character and of accurate memory. If
Fox fooled by “Muslim ban on padded bras” hoax A Fox News website has picked up a hoax story about an Islamic council in Pakistan banning the wearing of padded and colourful bras and presented it as fact. The story, which is still featured on Fox News’ Fox Nation website, was illustrated with a picture of a woman’s mid-section and carried the headline “Pakistan: Islamic Clerics Protest Women Wearing Padded Bras as ‘Devil’s Cushions”. The lead of the Fox Nation story, which sources the piece to the Indian news website sify.com, reads: “The Council of Islamic Ideology in Pakistan has protested the use of padded and colourful bras by
the narrator is not sufficiently known, the hadith is regarded as daif or weak. He might be in fact a very accurate and trustworthy person, but the mere absence of definite and sure knowledge about him would affect the degree of the reliability of the hadith. In a hadith, Anas Radiyallahu says about Prophet Mohammed that (at times and according to the needs of the moment) whenever he said something,
he would repeat it thrice so that the meaning would be fully understood. In the West, Institutes like Zaytuna and other well-established organisation in the USA and UK are dedicating themselves to re-establishing this traditional educational method, aimed at preserving the sacred knowledge. Without the various recorded texts of hadith, certain people with opposing ideologies and motives will try to explain certain surah to their benefit. This will create even further division among the ummah, as in the next conflicting argument of anti-hadith whereby they claim that: “Hadith is a false teaching, which contributed to rise of sectarianism among the Muslim community.” In the next series, I hope to address the argument of anti-Hadith on the above matter. References available on request *Kamariah Ahmad is a Singapore based author and commentator. She is a frequent contributor to CT.
Muslim women, and recommended that Pakistani Muslim researchers should try to invent an inner wear that makes female assets unnoticeable.” The problem is, if one takes the time to track the story back to its source, the whole thing is an obvious Onion-style satire - a fact first pointed out by Arif Rafiq of the Pakistan Policy Blog. The sify.com story linked by Fox cites a “report” from yet another site called Roznama Jawani. The bra story on Roznama Jawani features a crudely photoshopped image of an Islamic council meeting with a large sign that says, “Future of Padded Bras.” The story quotes an anti-padded bra protester saying that “Padded bras are evil as they make the breasts look bigger and perky ... Only devil women show off private parts.”
Source: www.salon.com
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an invalid excuse made from worldly desires
Harun Yahya* It is the way that people suppress their consciences that prevents most of them genuinely turning to Allah and that keeps them from abiding by the moral values commanded by Him. “My heart is pure, so Allah will forgive me.” We often hear such words from those around us. This highly distorted logic that in fact consists of an excuse made up by people themselves is used in order to suppress the voice of the conscience. What does this “purity of heart” actually mean? According to Quranic moral values, is “not doing anyone any harm” sufficient justification for ignoring the responsibilities revealed to us by Allah? The Purity of Heart told in the Quran We are informed in the Quran that Allah considers people's hearts, as He reveals in "But only he [will prosper] who brings to Allah a sound heart." (Surat ash-Shu’ara, 89) The Quranic concept of a "sound heart" is not the pureness of heart that some people understand it to be, for the Quran defines a sound heart as turning to and submitting fully to Allah. People with sound hearts, in the Quranic sense, have faith in Allah, observe the limits and prohibitions that He has established, and submit to Him fully. In the Islamic sense, there is no other form of a sound heart, for the Quran defines a person with a sound heart as someone who constantly brings Allah to mind and feels at peace with His remembrance. The following verse makes this quite clear: Those who believe and whose hearts find peace in the remembrance of Allah. Only in the remembrance of Allah can the heart find peace. (Surat Ar-Rad, 13:28) In another verse, Allah describes believers as those "whose hearts quake at the mention of Allah" (Surat Al-Hajj, 35). A very important characteristic of believers is sensitivity of the heart that enables them to derive pleasure from the Quran's morality and to feel a great pleasure and peace in obeying Allah. Allah describes this sensitivity as "Allah's guidance": Allah has sent down the Supreme Discourse, a Book consistent in its frequent repetitions. The skins of those who fear their Lord tremble at it, and then their skins and hearts yield softly to the remembrance of Allah. That is Allah's guidance, by which He guides whoever He wills... (Surat AzZumar, 23) Consequently, a truly sound heart in the Islamic context means a heart that is purified from all forms of impurity that draw one away from Allah. Such people stay away from worldly greed, selfishness, fears, and insecurity. As a result, they do not become attached to any person or thing other than Allah or feel a type of love for them that is independent of Allah. The Purity of Heart Put Forward by People It is of course important and excellent for someone to be known in the community for
“being good and having a pure heart.” However, basing oneself on the importance in society of “having a pure heart” and then saying, “I do no harm to anyone, and even help them on occasion, when necessary,” does not mean that one is fully living by the moral values of the Quran. In addition, thinking in that way is nothing more than self-deception. An act or an attitude that is accepted as a good deed by a society remote from the Quranic morality, although it is not based upon the Quran's values, may not be worthy in Allah's sight. The main criterion that renders a deed good and worthy in His sight is the degree of its conformity with Allah’s good pleasure. The following verses are quite explanatory: Do you make the giving of water to the pilgrims and looking after the Masjid al-Haram the same as having iman in Allah and the Last Day and doing jihad in the Way of Allah? They are not equal in the sight of Allah. Allah does not guide wrongdoing people. (Surat At-Tawba, 19) It is not devoutness to turn your faces to the East or to the West. Rather, those with true devoutness are those who believe in Allah and the Last Day, the Angels, the Book and the Prophets, and who, despite their love for it, give away their wealth to their relatives and to orphans and the very poor, and to travellers and beggars and to set slaves free, and who establish prayer and pay alms; those who honour their contracts when they make them, and are steadfast in poverty and illness and in battle. Those are the people who are true. They are the people who guard against evil. (Surat Al-Baqara, 177) Allah’s Approval and Fear of Him Are The Bases of Quranic Moral Values People may be known as “good” by giving food to animals they see in the street or getting along well with their neighbours. And this is of course good behaviour. But the way to avoid eternal suffering in hell, the way to attain the approval and mercy of Allah, lies not in being known as “a good person,” but in being a true believer in the manner described by Allah in the Quran. As stated at the outset, there can be no question of someone who fails to fully submit to our Almighty Lord and to abide by the requirements of Islamic moral values having “purity of heart.” Those who live by the logic of “my heart is pure, so there is no need for me to completely adhere to the requirements of religious moral values” and who persist in that way of thinking may imagine that they thus deceive other people, but they are in fact only deceiving themselves. Saying such a thing is the mistaken mentality of someone who avoids fully adhering to the moral requirements of the Quran and who seeks to portray a mistaken lifestyle as being a Muslim one. Such insincere attitudes can never be acceptable. Because Allah is He Who knows what lies concealed in people’s hearts. We are told in one verse from the Quran that, …Allah knows what your hearts contain. (Surah Al ‘Imran, 119) Living by Quranic moral values bestows freedom from worldly values and all forms of dependence felt towards other people. A believer with such moral values seeks the approval of Allah, not that of other people. He fears Allah alone and knows that all things are under His control. Fear leads him to scrupulously adhere to the bounds set by Allah and silences all excuses proffered by worldly desires. The awed respect felt for Allah and the sincere efforts made to attain His approval are the basis of Quranic moral values. Almighty Allah has revealed this as follows: Who is better: someone who founds his building on fear of Allah and His good pleasure, or someone who founds his building on the brink of a crumbling precipice so that it collapses with him into the Fire of Hell? Allah does not love wrongdoers. (Surat AtTawba, 109) *To purchase the works of Harun Yahya, please visit www.bookglobal.net”
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Issue # 29, March 2011
Web: www.crescenttimes.com.au
NSW 2011 STATE ELECTION
Will the Muslim community vote for Fred Nile?
Keysar Trad*
Email: info@crescenttimes.com.au
one party is allowed to survive or not. This is a decisive election with the fate of our adversarial system of parliament at stake. To her credit, our Premier Kristina Keneally has tackled this election very bravely, she did not, even once, resort to racial or religious scapegoating, rather, she came out with the brave step to launch a museum of immigration and multiculturalism only two weeks prior to the election. Whilst NSW liberals have not blamed NSW’s woes on minorities, the opposition’s federal Liberal counterparts clearly have. ACT Liberal senator Gary Humphries has tabled a petition in parliament calling for a moratorium on Muslim migration. Far from being an isolated incident, his tabled petition for a moratorium on Muslim migration echoes a similar call by former Liberal party immigration minister Kevin Andrews who wanted to change the staff at
Muslim community leadership fails to defend community
Jamal Daoud*
Elections usually are The NSW Liberals need to direct the best time to hold their preferences away from Fred Nile’s politicians and political Christian Democrats if they are serious parties accountable for about including minorities. their actions or lack An unfamiliar clamour has struck of action. And usually Australian Muslims living in Sydney’s lobby groups take South West. All of a sudden, a great deal the opportunity provided by elections to of noise can be heard with respect to the NSW state election. demand action on issues they believe need Groups and organisations some of whom traditionally shun attention or change. the electoral process are now displaying an uncharacteristic But the actions of some Muslim interest in that very process. community “leaders” defy all these trends Two weeks ago, Chinese community leader Tony Pang and norms. emailed me coverage of the meeting he organised for When the Liberal party started promoting the Leader of the Opposition and the Premier with his community. I thought, in light of the Are you concerned about the lack of Real Multiculturalism and growing strong push to vote Liberal by the Lebanese Muslim Association, why can’t we the racism and Islamophobia in NSW? Australian Muslim community issue a Are you concerned about slashing funding of public services similar invitation. After presenting the idea If you are dissatisfied with the Labor government, please remember that the Liberals and the Greens are to both the Imams’ Council and Muslims not much better. Australia, I discovered that the Imams council ran with it and they met with Mr. The Liberal party promoted racism and Islamophobia to the point that they demanded banning Muslim miO’Farrell on Thursday 17th March, just a gration for 10 years. They also vow to reduce funding for public services if they win election. couple of days after the voters in NSW were The Greens did nothing to practically promote real Multiculturalism. The Greens also promote attack on shocked to discover that the same man family and moral values by promoting drug abuse, abortion and prostitution. The Greens policy will increase who would not preference Pauline Hanson taxes and hence increase life cost. had this time given his preferences to notorious Islamophobe the Rev. Fred Nile Social Justice Network runs three candidates from marginalised communities to defend and his inappropriately named Christian Multiculturalism and fight against racism and Islamophobia and for strong public services Democratic Party. The NSW Liberal’s We need your help Ahmad Al Yasiry Jamal Daoud Omar Quiader decision to preference Fred Nile influenced To support, donate to or volThe seat of Lakemba Fairfield The seat of Auburn The seat of my decision to decline the Imams’ invitation unteer in the campaign, you can contact campaign coordito attend this meeting. nator, Jamal Daoud, on 0404 Despite this decision, the advocates for a 447 272 or email Liberal landslide in NSW from the current admin@socialjusitce.net.au You can access more informaboard of the Lebanese Muslim Association tion about the group on have continued to call on members of the www.socialjustice.net.au Australian Muslim community to vote Liberal, attempting to justify the preference deal with Nile and ignoring a range of antiMuslim rhetoric from the federal Liberals and from Fred Nile. Not to be lost in this plot of Pythonesque satire is the distinct threat facing NSW REAL MULTICULTURALISM = EQUAL REPRESENTATION being that a single political party will have Authorised by Jamal Daoud, NSW Social Justice Network, PO Box 1619, Auburn 1385 unbridled power to pass laws with virtually no opposition (or so the polls seem to racism and Islamophobia, it was anticipated indicate). Australian embassies to ensure that visas to Muslims were that the Muslim community “leadership” The current NSW election is not about whether a certain reduced. Kevin Andrews’ anti-Muslim crusade has a number would demand strong action to discipline party will win or lose government. Opinion polls have of other supporters in the federal liberal party, these include this out-of-control racist party. universally declared the election a foregone conclusion. For Liberal Senators Cori Bernardi and Mitch Fifield. Liberal The latest Liberal party slurs against the all intents and purposes, there is a universal acknowledgement Immigration Spokesman in the Federal Parliament Scott Muslim community include their demand that a change of state government is imminent. What is at Morrison had to deny reported comments of a call on the for a ban on Muslim migration for ten years. stake is the destruction of a political party and the premise party to exploit the “fear of Islam” for political gain. Whilst Recent media leaks have also uncovered that NSW may be governed without potent opposition to O’Farrell has not called for an end to Muslim migration, he the Liberal party’s strategic plan to mount keep the government honest and accountable. is giving Legislative Council preferences to Rev. Fred Nile, attacks on Muslims in Australia in their bid A state that is governed without a strong opposition a person who has clearly called for such a moratorium and to win the next election. becomes a stagnant state because the voices of dissent in who constantly attacks Islamic teachings and attacks the Given these events, it was expected that its decision making house, the parliament, will be too few freedom of Muslim women to dress as they choose. to be conspicuous, they will be silenced by a process and a The NSW Liberals need to direct their preferences system that is based on an adversarial approach to questions away from Fred Nile’s Christian Democrats if they are and issues. There is a system in Australian politics and a serious about including minorities, Friday the 18th was system within each political party. Once a party decides the last opportunity for him to do this. NSW Opposition on a topic, there is an expectation that the members of Leader O’Farrell said that he would not preference Pauline parliament belonging to that party will toe the line and vote Hanson, he does not need to, Rev. Nile who is receiving his in accordance with the position presented to them by their preferences (and those of Hanson) has stooped to depths head office. of Islamophobia that seem to exceed even those of Pauline For those expecting the fourth estate to bring politicians to Hanson. account, they should think again as the ordinary voters will Some leaders within ethno-religious minorities are calling The state awaken on March 27th to a conservative party in charge, and for a complete embrace of the NSW Liberal party, they want Opposition Leader, ultra conservative shock-jocks cheering for the entirety of a paradigm shift amongst minorities in order to prove loyalty Barry O’Farrell, the coming four years. The fourth estate will be restricted to to the Liberals. They are asking members of their community has been forced to one or two inconspicuous voices and we will be governed in to endorse a party whose federal representative senator Cory defend the Liberal a conservative manner that none of us have ever experienced. Bernardi alleges publicly that Islam is a problem. This call to All because of a lack of potent opposition. Party’s decision to prove loyalty out of fear is exactly the mentality that has kept Therefore, decisions made in the head office of one party North African Dictators like Ben Ali, Mubarak and Gaddafi direct preferences to the Christian will now receive a rubber stamp and be passed into law with in power. Democratic Party in the upper house little or no debate creating a myopic state of politics where only a week after ruling out preferencing Any endorsement of the NSW Liberal Party without one party has absolute dominance enabling it to dictate to us first seeing from it a clear and unambiguous condemnation the former One Nation leader, Pauline how to live our daily lives - all because the electorate is hell of the views of Bernardi is a betrayal of not only their own Hanson, because of her policies. bent on teaching Labor a lesson. communities, but also of the Australian voting public at As signalled by Mr O’Farrell on Friday, The Australian political landscape has survived because of large. With the clear contributions of migrants to this great pre-poll electoral material prepared by the balance that a strong opposition creates. This balance country, Australia does not need individuals who play wedge the Liberals instructs voters to direct ensures that the diverse needs and concerns of our society politics and keep shifting the blame on minorities to be preferences to key independents in the are given due consideration. Notwithstanding the smaller rewarded with paid representative law-making positions. parties and the value of the independents, in NSW, we are lower house. usually required to decide between two parties. At this But it also directs voters to place election, the reality is that we are forced to decide whether *Keysar Trad - Islamic Friendship Association of Australia Inc. the Christian Democratic Party as its
the Muslim “leadership” would cut all ties with this extreme party. On the contrary, some Muslim “leaders” and organisations are advocating Muslims in NSW to vote for the Liberals. Strategically, this exposes the naked truth that the Muslim community has no leadership. Or maybe the community has naïve leadership. Or maybe the leadership is so corrupt that it is ready to sell the rights of community members in return for promises to increase funding to their own organisations. The result of the next election in NSW will be crucial in proving or disproving these possibilities. If Muslim votes for Liberal candidates increase, this would simply mean that we deserve what we get. If votes for the Liberals increase following the recent islamophobic slurs by the Liberal leadership, no political party in this country will care about us and about our feelings or rights. The Liberals will have clear proof that Muslims are naïve and disorganised. The Liberal strategists will recommend attacking Muslims in full strength in all coming elections. This will not only win them the racist and extreme votes but it won’t turn Muslim voters against them either. Muslim community “leaders” (if there are any of them) are proving their naivety day after day. They have no strategic plan to return the community’s lost rights. Or perhaps they are just very easily bought. We do not advocate segregation of the Muslim community from the rest of the society. But we want the community to know how to vote in a way that would stop attacks on its members and attacks on their contributions to this great nation. In this election, the community needs to send a strong message. The community should punish the political party that regards it as a rogue community of criminals and extremists. It should also send a message to other parties that neglect and disregard its interests. It is apparent that none of the political trio of Labor, Liberal and Greens cares about the best interests of the Muslim community. If they do not care about us, why we should care about them and give them more power? History will judge harshly any “leader” who sells the interests of his community for any increase of funding to his organisation. The community’s needs and interests should come first. *Jamal Daoud is a Sydney based community activist.
NSW Liberal leader O’Farrell behind preferences flowing to Nile second preference on the upper house ballot. The Christian Democratic Party, led by its upper house MP, Fred Nile, is standing on a platform of “No Islamisation of Australia’’. The decision by the Liberals increases the likelihood that the CDP’s lead upper house candidate, Paul Green, will be elected. Labor’s campaign spokesman, Luke Foley, said Mr O’Farrell “would do a deal with just about anyone to win control of the Parliament’’. Mr O’Farrell said it was “a party decision’’. Source: Sydney Morning Herald
Issue # 29, March 2011
Web: www.crescenttimes.com.au
Email: info@crescenttimes.com.au
PLANET IRF - EAST WEST The end of a bloody madman
PLANET IRF
Irfan Yusuf
Some Arab revolutions are more equal than others!
So the Europeans and North Americans are bombing Libya. They want to protect civilians being attacked by North Africa’s resident nutbag Colonel Gaddafi Duck. They’ve arrived on the scene almost too late. But better late than never. I mean, they had to wait until Said al-Islam finished his PhD thesis on public governance and donated a few (as in 1,500,000) scraps to the London School of Economics. The US had to wait until Gaddafi had outlived his usefulness in the ridiculous ‘War Against Terror’. Gaddafi earned a tidy sum from the policy of outsourced torture of terror suspects which continues under Obama. No one cared much when Gaddafi treated his domestic political opponents in the same manner as terror suspects. British, American and Italian oil companies also made truckloads of cash by Gaddafi’s political rehabilitation. BP hired Mark Allen, a former MI6 operative who worked closely with Libyan intelligence. Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi invited Gaddafi on 11 state visits. They shared a fondness for pretty women, and Gaddafi frequently engaged a modelling agency to arrange hundreds of young beauties to join him for a session of ... er ... religious instruction. The Arab League suspended Libya and almost unanimously supported the move toward a no fly zone. As we all know, Arab leaders are great enforcers of democracy and human rights. You’d never expect Bahrain, that island of liberty, to shoot and bomb protesters asking for rights. Unless, of course, if these protesters belonged to the grand nefarious wahabi Shia Al-Qaeda Iranian conspiracy. Anyway, enough of this flippant nonsense. Let’s try to be a little serious. Lives are at stake. Shia lives. 70% of Bahrain’s population belong to the ithna ashariyya Shia sect, the same sect as make up some 60% of Iraq’s population and around 15% of Saudi Arabia’s population. Some readers may wonder how Bahraini royals can so successfully suppress around 70% of their people. How is it possible to govern so badly that 70% of people want to overthrow you? I mean, not even the NSW Labor Government are that bad. Still, there are some differences between NSW and Bahrain. For a start, ALP incompetence doesn’t consist of supporting minority religious groups at the expense of a 70% majority. And if it ever did, NSW electoral law sets out procedures for elections to take place. Bahraini citizens, Sunni and Shia, have become somewhat tired of living without genuine democracy. They just want equal rights and equal access to the country’s vast wealth. They don’t want some kind of scary nasty government ruled by big bearded boofy blokes. They don’t want religious police enforcing ridiculous religious rulings. But don’t expect a no fly zone over Bahrain anytime soon. And don’t expect the Arab League to suspend the Bahrain royal family. * Irfan Yusuf is a senior columnist at CT. He is a lawyer, writer and a blogger.
My Gaddafi story has been one of a personal struggle over the last 30 years. When I was 12 or 13 years of age, I was impressed with Gaddafi’s revolutionary speeches, which I used to hear frequently via the Jamahereyah revolution radio from the nearby city of Tripoli (Gaddafi’s house was only a 2 hour drive across the border from my home town). His strong condemnation of imperialism, promotion of Arab nationalism and his political humility in appearing as a simple brother of the Libyan “First of September Revolution” enabling the “revolutionary committees” to rule the country were all attractive characteristics. Over the years, I started to realise the ugly truth. I finally fully understood how crazy and delusional this war criminal is. Later on, during my last 20 years of exile, I declined invitations to visit Libya to meet up with members of my family. You could not predict what deals such a sadistic dictator could make with the Tunisian secret police. Indeed, he caught many Tunisian and non Tunisian political opponents and handed them over to their homeland t o r t u r e chambers.
Sadly it took over 40 years for the rest of the world to understand how dangerous Gaddafi is. And finally, in the early morning of March 20 2011 they started taking action to remove him from his 40+ year reign of petrol, war crimes and deception. This strange psychotic dictator deserves immediate arrest and to be sent for trial before the International War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague. His removal without doubt will save many lives and will reward the bravery of Libyan freedom fighters, and will make no difference to the Western domination of the oil wells and resources in the Muslim world. As Irfan cleverly pointed out in his adjacent column, the West won’t risk their interests by removing the Bahraini pro American royal family, who have hosted the Fifth American fleet on their territory for years. I don’t expect them to help to remove the Saudi gangs either, nor the Yemeni war criminal general Ali Abdullah Saleh, who apparently does such a great job in fighting al-Qaeda in the Gulf. It all amounts to
Page 9
Tarek Chamkhi selective political choice, and as Obama righteously said on more than one occasion: it is not the job of the West to remove dictators and secure democracy! It is first and foremost the task of the Arab people. The revolutions are theirs - limiting the intervention of western forces in the region should be the next goal of the revolutions. This cannot be achieved instantaneously you have to play it Rambo style: RevolutionI, RevolutionII, RevolutionIII, and so on. The West, according to reliable historic records, and diplomatic cables, is not innocent of bloodshed in the region over the last 60 years. Western governments have supported dictators in order to secure the supply of oil based resources or to protect Israel. This list includes the former Egyptian dictator Naser, Gaddafi, Mubarek, Ben Ali, the Saudi royal family, the Bahraini royal family, the Yemeni president, and the Israeli regime - all of whom have contributed to the suffering of the people of the Arab world in recent decades. However , the Arab revolutions in its first stage are nearly there. Just wait mums! Editor in chief.
Photos: Gaddafi on parade- One day soon the world will vaguely remember the Colonel Gaddafi, the strange dictator with his delusions, crazy clothing and unpredictable political decisions.
Turkey opposes NATO Libya intervention
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has reiterated his opposition to NATO intervention in Libya, saying it would trigger dangerous consequences. “Military intervention by NATO in Libya or any other country would be totally counter-productive,” the Anatolia news agency quoted Erdogan as saying during an address to an international forum in Istanbul. “In addition to being counter-productive, such an operation could have dangerous consequences.” Turkey, a NATO member, stressed that the 28 member military alliance could
intervene only when one of its members is attacked. During a visit to Germany late last month, Erdogan said a NATO intervention in Libya would be “unthinkable” and “absurd”. He also raised strong objections to imposing sanctions on Libya, saying innocent people would suffer and accusing world powers of making “calculations” over oil. NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen meanwhile said early this month that the alliance did not intend to intervene in oil-rich Libya but was planning for “all eventualities”.
He has insisted that the UN Security Council would have to approve any military action in Libya, including the enforcement of a no-fly zone. The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation appeared divided meanwhile on the usefulness of such a measure as well as the idea - attributed to French President Nicolas Sarkozy - to launch air strikes in Libya. The organisation decided to reinforce its naval presence in an area near Libya, and assess the humanitarian aid the United Nations could request.
Issue # 29, March 2011
Page 10
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Issue # 29, March 2011
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Page 11
COMMUNITY NEWS
Tony Abbott: The Australian Government should not overreact to incidents of self defence by Israel
Editorial
What is going on?
Opposition leader Tony Abbott was the keynote speaker at a United Israel Appeal function in Melbourne on 9th of March 2011. J-Wire reproduced his speech, and Crescent Times republishes it below to inform the Muslim community of the Liberal Party’s foreign policy. country goes far beyond business and philanthropy. There is hardly a field of activity in this country that has been untouched by Jewish endeavour, and it’s fitting that, apart from Israel, Australia is the one country on earth that has had Jewish people in the three most important positions of national Rarely do I get leadership – head of army, head of the justice the opportunity system and Head of State. to address such a But Australia’s debt to Jewish people and to vast and glittering Jewish culture goes far deeper, even than that, gathering. It’s because Western civilisation itself is inconceivable an honour to be without our Judeo-Christian inheritance. in the presence Everyone who participates in western civilisation of Ambassador is in a sense a Jew. Abraham, Moses and David may Rotem, former not be everyone’s fathers in faith but certainly they minister Sandberg. It’s great to be with my are all our fathers in culture. But for them, but for parliamentary colleagues Mark Dreyfus, Michael that inheritance, we Danby and, in particular, would not be who Josh Frydenberg, the new we are and what we Member for Kooyong, are and we should who I’m pleased to always remember say is the most recent that immeasurable Jewish member of the contribution to Australian Parliament human civilisation. and is amongst the most That legacy of faith promising members of and freedom lives on my parliamentary team. in many parts of the But I’m here tonight world, but particularly ladies and gentlemen to in the state of Israel. celebrate the contribution Israel is the only of Jewish people to well-established Australia, to acknowledge democracy in the the importance of Middle East. It is Israel as a bulwark of the only liberal democratic freedom in a democracy in the part of the world where Middle East and yet liberal pluralism is almost almost because of unknown, and then to these qualities Israel dwell on some of the lives under existential more uplifting aspects threat that is almost of Australia’s national inconceivable to the character, aspects of citizens of a country our character to which such as Australia. And Jewish people have so yet to its great credit Israel has never stooped to prominently contributed. conquer, it has not compromised its freedom and Of course it is almost impossible to think of its values in order to defend them. business and philanthropy in this country without Now, I don’t always agree with the Israeli thinking of the great Jewish families who are the Government, but I always support Israel’s right to household names of business here in this country, exist, its right to exist behind secure borders and I but the contribution of the Jewish people to this call on the governments of Iran and Syria, I call on movements such as the PLO, Hamas and Hizbollah to recognise this and to do so in language that their own people can understand. I call on the new government of Egypt to maintain the important peace treaty with Israel and I observe that other governments, including the Australian Government, should not overreact to incidents of self defence by Israel and should be slow to judge Israel by the standards of countries Next door to the Brunswick that do not face an existential threat comparable to that faced everyday Masjid by Israel and its people. And I declare that a Coalition government Tel/fax: 03 9383 1865 would never support one-sided anti-Israel motions at the United Nations in a bid to garner support for a Security Council vote. Israel, ladies and gentlemen, is a far away land but it is hardly a foreign country. It is a country where Australians instantly feel at home. Its values and even its foibles are totally familiar to people from this country, not just those who have strong family and cultural ties directly to Israel. And it is of course, like Australia, one of the successful immigrant societies. And let me for the record rededicate the Coalition
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Salam dear readers, These last few weeks have seen widespread reports of violence and deprivation faced by innocent civilians including: • use of tear gas on unarmed civilians • use of live ammunition on unarmed civilians with subsequent serious injuries to unarmed civilians • containment of men, women and children behind barricades from which they have no prospect of escape • whole communities deprived of the ability to communicate with loved ones, to travel out of the danger zone or to find out what is likely to happen to them • children deprived of contact with families and loved ones, living under stressful conditions with no end in sight All across North Africa, through Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Bahrain revolutions have taken place or are still in progress. Unfortunately, the incidents referred to above have taken place much closer to home
to a multicultural Australia and to a nondiscriminatory immigration policy because I believe that this country of ours, Australia, is the world’s most successful immigrant society. And I believe that the Jews here in Australia have been the very exemplar of a successful immigrant community. As individuals they have been at the very heart of our national life, yet they have maintained a distinct identity in ways that are perfectly consistent with full participation in the life of our country. Jewish people in Australia have been simultaneously fully Australian without being anything less than fully Jewish. Let me also say for the record that extremism is a real threat, even to the most settled of liberal pluralist countries and societies and I am against extremism wherever I see it. I am against Christian extremism. I am against Jewish extremism and of course I am against Islamist extremism, of which there is too much in the modern world. We must accept that whether it be religious or irreligious extremism, it should have no place in a settled pluralist democracy such as Australia, and I should mention Hizb UtTahrir in this context whose leaders have gone on the public record calling for the killing of Jewish people. It never ceases to amaze me why some of the anti-discrimination watchdogs that we have here in this country are not as ferociously opposed to the utterances of organisations such as Hizb Ut-Tahrir as they are to the utterances of fringe Christian groups, such as the Catch The Fire Ministry, and I say that a Coalition government will not give visas to preachers of hate seeking to enter this country. A Coalition government would never support policies which made decent Australians feel like strangers in their own country because we are all in this together. In all our diversity, from all of our different backgrounds, of faith, of ethnicity, of gender, of sexuality, we are all in this together in this great Australian enterprise. And let me say that the Jews have been almost a model for other cultures in a country such as Australia. It is fitting that Mark Leibler, one of Australia’s most distinguished Jewish people should be co-chairing the working group to devise an appropriate form of constitutional recognition for the first Australians, for aboriginal people, because no less an aboriginal leader than Noel Pearson – perhaps the greatest prophet of contemporary Australia – has urged his people to learn from the Jewish experience, to value education, to appreciate hard work, and as Mark mentioned
- on Christmas Island and in immigration detention centres elsewhere in the country. Only a tiny proportion of incidents occurring in immigration detention are ever reported in Australian media - partly as a result of secrecy imposed by the Department of Immigration and partly as a result of lack of interest on the part of the media and the majority of Australians. Even the incidents that occur are minimised by spokespeople including the Minister for Immigration who referred to the “beanbag” bullets as causing “bruising at worst” when it has been reliably reported that at least one victim of this “harmless” ammunition was taken to hospital with a broken leg. No doubt there will be further assaults on the refugees in Australian detention before authorities get around to processing their applications for asylum - we have the moral responsibility to speak up on their behalf.
Dr. Joanne McKeown Editor at large
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I have seen at close quarters, and at first hand, the work that Noel Pearson has been doing amongst his own people on Cape York. I have seen, because I have taught there, the largely aboriginal school at Coen, which, notwithstanding that, is one of the best schools in Queensland. I have seen the transformation that is beginning to take place at Aurukun, not always one of the finest aboriginal schools in our country, but certainly getting that way because of the work of Noel Pearson. We need to ensure that some of those values which have been so important in the success of the Jewish community become equally entrenched in other communities – values like a 100 per cent attendance at school, values like 100 per cent attendance at work, taking family seriously, taking your obligations and your responsibilities seriously and, thanks to people like Noel Pearson, I think that those values are becoming more prevalent amongst our first Australians. May I close these remarks by recalling William Cooper, an aboriginal activist who in 1938 presented what is thought to be the only private protest against the horror of Kristallnacht, an aboriginal elder now remembered at Yad Vashem as a righteous gentile. His gracious and noble act is I believe a tribute to Australians’ generosity of spirit and a sign of the deep affinity between two ancient and resilient cultures. Ladies and gentlemen, we are incredibly lucky as Australians to have had such a large and strong and long Jewish presence in our country. We are immeasurably
Issue # 29, March 2011
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INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Al-Qaeda’s new magazine for women: beauty tips and jihadist ideology Want to be a distributor? (07) 5571 7386
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ussana has just been launched in Australia, working under it’s parent company Dukkaan Ltd. The concept behind the Hussana brand started in early 2008. After researching the market, we found very few, if any, body care and beauty products were Halal certified. The products that were available were mainly cheap imports from the Middle East, with very poor packaging, not widely available.
The aim of Hussana is to introduce a halal alternative to the current high street products, many of which contain alcohol and other haram ingredients from different animal parts. None of Hussana’s range contains any alcohol or animal products. The range consists of Shampoo, Conditioner, Body Wash, Moisturiser, Cleanser, Face scrub, Lip balm, Baby shampoo, Baby lotion, Baby oil and Baby bath. The range is suitable for use by both males and females.
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Shiite Muslims rally behind Bahraini protesters
DENTAL CARE
From Iran to Saudi Arabia and through the Iraqi city of Najaf, Shiites in the Middle East have rallied behind Shiite protesters in Bahrain against the violent crackdown by the ruling Sunni dynasty. In Shiite-majority Iraq, a leading authority of the sect called for an immediate halt to the deadly crackdown in Bahrain. “We condemn this irresponsible act,” Basheer al-Najafi, one of Iraq’s four top Shiite authorities, said in a statement from his base in the Shrine city of Najaf in central Iraq. Earlier this month, hundreds of Bahraini riot police backed by tanks and helicopters fired shotguns and tear gas at demonstrators in Manama’s Pearl Square, clearing the symbolic heart of the uprising in the strategic Gulf kingdom. Bahrain’s mainly Shiite opposition said at least three
Al-Qaeda has launched a women’s magazine which mixes tips on skin care with articles on marrying suicide bombers and waging electronic jihad. Al Shamikha magazine - its title means The Majestic Woman - features beauty and fashion tips alongside articles on “marrying a mujahedeen” and carrying out suicide attacks. The first issue of the glossy 30-page publication, which must be ordered online, was released in recent days by the al-Qaeda affiliated Al Fajr Media Centre. Its cover features the barrel of a submachine gun next to the image of a woman in a veil. Inside, there are exclusive interviews with martyr’s wives who praise their husband’s decisions to die in suicide bombings. Many other articles have female authors. The aim of the magazine, according to editor Saleh Youssef, is to educate women and involve them in the war against the enemies of Islam.
protesters were killed and dozens wounded in the violent assault. “We were surprised that the Bahraini government asked for forces from neighbouring countries, who targeted villages and people who had raised slogans of peace, with gunfire and mortars,” Najafi said. Armed forces from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates rolled into Bahrain at the invitation of the Sunni monarchy to help Manama deal with Shiite-led protesters. The assault on protesters prompted radical Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr to call for protests in Baghdad and the southern city of Basra “in support of the people of Bahrain,” his office said. Source: AFP
Bruxism Yasser Khan* We know what you’re thinking: brux what? Bruxism is simply the clinical term for teeth grinding. Teeth grinding can happen at night (sleep bruxism) or during the day. Sometimes it occurs in conjunction with jaw clenching. Telltale signs of bruxism include chronic headaches, earaches and jaw pain. Even worse, bruxism can wear down tooth enamel. What’s the cause of bruxism? The official verdict is still out. But most medical and dental professionals believe that stress or suppressed frustration and anger can provoke bruxism or sleep bruxism. Fortunately, there are ways to put an end to the grind. A little meditation or yoga can be great for stress relief. Dentists also offer many proven treatments for bruxism!
BRUXISM FAQS Q: Does bruxism need to be professionally treated? A: If your symptoms of bruxism seem mild, you may get relief from simple jaw exercises. But even if you can endure the headaches, earaches, facial or jaw pain, why put yourself through that? One trip to the dentist can put an end to the pain. Plus, over time bruxism can wear down tooth enamel, making you vulnerable to chipped teeth, cracks and breaks — which can be costly to repair. Getting professional help for bruxism early on can actually save you money later. * Yasser Khan is a general dentist with special interest in cosmetic and aesthetic dentistry. He has been actively involved with various organisations locally and abroad in promoting the awareness and importance of oral hygiene care. He works mainly in Mansfield north east of Melbourne and part time in Pascoe Vale South.
“Because women constitute half of the population - and [one might even say] that they are the population, since they give birth to the next generation - the enemies [of Islam] are bent on preventing [the Muslim] woman from knowing the truth about her religion and her role, since they know all too well what would happen if women entered the field [of jihad],” he wrote. J a m e s Brandon, a spokesman for the UK antiextremism think tank Quilliam, described the magazine the second issue of which promises tips on exfoliation and electronic jihad - as a “jihadist’s version of Cosmopolitan magazine,” telling British newspaper The Sunday Times that al-Qaeda leaders “see how effective magazines are at pushing the ideals of Western culture and want to try the same thing.”
Source: news.com.au and agencies.
School crucifixes “do not breach human rights”
Displaying crucifixes in schools in Italy does not breach the rights of non-Catholic families, the European Court of Human Rights has ruled. The court ruled there was no evidence that a crucifix hung in a classroom would influence pupils. The ruling overturned a previous decision made in November 2009, which angered the Roman Catholic country. Friday’s decision was welcomed by Italy’s foreign minister as a win for European “popular sentiment”. “The decision underlines, above all, the rights of citizens to defend their own values and their own identities,” Franco Frattini said, according to Italy’s La Repubblica newspaper. “I hope that following this verdict Europe will begin to examine issues of tolerance and religious freedom with the same courage,” he added. The Vatican too welcomed the decision. Its spokesman Federico Lombardi called it “an important and historic ruling”. The original case was brought by a Finnish-born mother-of-two who said public schools in the Italian town where she lived refused to remove the Roman Catholic symbols from classrooms. The hanging of crosses in public buildings is not compulsory in Italy but it is customary. Soile Lautsi had argued that the crucifix
violated the secular principles that public schools are supposed to uphold. But the final decision by the Strasbourgbased court’s Grand Chamber said it found no evidence “that the display of such a symbol on classroom walls might have an influence on pupils”. Her husband said the family was disappointed and “disillusioned” by the ruling, saying it showed that the court did not respect the principles on which Italian society is built. “Freedom of religion, freedom from discrimination, freedom of choice are fundamental principles and in this case they weren’t respected,” Massimo Albertin told AP from the northern Italian town of Abano Terme. Friday’s ruling focused on Italian public schools, and does not automatically force other countries to allow crucifixes in the public schools, according to the court. But the ruling will affect all 47 Council of Europe member states as citizens in other countries who want religious symbols in classrooms could use it as a legal argument in national courts. National governments could also the ruling as a justification to change laws on religious symbols. Source: BBC
Issue # 29, March 2011
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INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Page 13
Assange: Internet is world’s greatest spying machine and obstacle to free speech
US soldiers punished for refusing to attend Christian rock concert
A US army sergeant who confined dozens of soldiers to barracks and ordered them to clean up after they refused to attend a Christian concert was part of an “absolute attempt to establish fundamental Christianity in the military”, it is alleged. The incident happened at Fort Eustis, Virginia, in May 2010 when Christian rock group BarlowGirl played at “the commanding general’s spiritual fitness concerts”. Though concert attendance was meant to be voluntary, a staff sergeant – who has not been named – told 200 soldiers they could either go or stay in barracks. About 20 soldiers who refused to attend, including some Muslims, were told not to use mobile phones or computers and to instead clean up their living area.
The actions of the sergeant were referred to his battalion commander for nonjudicial action. Mikey Weinstein of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, which first reported soldiers’ complaints, described the conclusion as typical for the military. “Blame some lower-ranking enlisted guy who didn’t know any better,” he said. “That is just a completely inappropriate and disgraceful statement.” Weinstein called the concerts “an absolute attempt to establish fundamental Christianity in the military”. The army spokesman described them as “nondenominational with no particular religious affiliation”. The concerts continue to be staged but are strictly voluntary, as they had been in May 2010, the spokesman said.
Julian Assange, the founder of controversial website WikiLeaks, last week warned that the internet was the “greatest spying machine the world has ever seen” - and an obstacle to free speech. Speaking to students at Britain’s prestigious Cambridge University, the former computer hacker claimed that the internet, particularly social networking sites such as Facebook, gave governments greater scope for snooping. “There was actually a Facebook revolt in Cairo three or four years ago,” Assange explained. “It was very small ... after it, Facebook was used to round up all the principal participants and they were then beaten, interrogated and incarcerated.” “So while the internet has in some ways an ability to let us know to an unprecedented level what government is doing ... it is also the greatest spying machine the world has ever seen,” he added. The rise of technology was helping tyrannical regimes, said the 39 year old Australian, who is currently fighting extradition to Sweden over allegations of sex offenses, which he denies. “It is not a technology that favours freedom of speech,” he claimed. “It is not a technology that favours human rights.” “Rather it is a technology that can be used to set up a totalitarian spying regime, the likes of which we have never seen.” But the activist restated his belief that his website, which has released a string of official documents to the world, had helped trigger the ongoing Arab uprising. He also said that the release of US diplomatic documents had “changed part of the dynamics” in Tunisia, resulting in eventual regime change. Assange said he sympathised with imprisoned US soldier Bradley Manning, who is suspected of having leaked the cables. “Our support for his plight cannot be stated too loudly,” he said. Source: http://www.news.com.au
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Issue # 29, March 2011
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INTERNATIONAL NEWS Turkey: Dozens detained as Hamas, Fatah make ‘unity’ overtures under pressure Ergenekon probe investigates 2007 missionary murders
The huge unity protests of the 15 March 2011 may have forced Hamas and Fatah into making a show of patching up their differences, but analysts are cynical about the rivals’ sincerity. Earlier in the week, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said he was ready to go to Gaza “in the next few days” to put an end to years of hostilities between the Islamist Hamas movement and their secular Fatah rivals, so the two factions could “turn the page on this black and shameful division.” His remarks were welcomed by Hamas, and appeared to set the stage for a rare meeting between Abbas and the Islamist prime minister Ismail Haniya in the movement’s Gaza stronghold. The exchange of platitudes came about after tens of thousands of young Palestinians took to the streets of the West Bank and Gaza to demand that the two factions end nearly two decades of bitter rivalry which has badly damaged their national movement. “It takes two to tango, so there is a chance for things to improve. But both sides must move, and this is dependent on each side’s political will.” Most analysts and commentators agree that the proposed meeting between Abbas and Haniya came about as a result of the protests. Hamas and Fatah have been at loggerheads since the early 1990s, but tensions boiled over in 2007 when the Islamists kicked their secular
rivals out of Gaza after days of bloody street battles. Since then, Abbas has not set foot in Gaza, which has been effectively cut off from the West Bank and the Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority which controls it.
But in his speech, Abbas made clear he had more on his agenda than just unity talks. “I am ready to go to Gaza tomorrow to end the division and form a government of independent national figures to start preparing for... elections within six months,” he said, in a move which some said was likely to prove a stumbling block for Hamas. Hamas “welcomed the visit but didn’t welcome the initiative,” political analyst Khalil Shaheen told AFP. “Hamas is afraid of going to elections without agreeing on other political elements because it fears it may be voted out in the same way it was voted in,” he said, referring to the Islamists’ landslide win in 2006 legislative elections. ““I think there will not be any result from this as neither side is willing to give up their international and regional alliances,” he said.
United States proposed giving Palestinian refugees land in South America
The United States proposed giving Palestinian refugees land in South America as a radical solution to a problem that has haunted Middle East peace talks for decades. Condoleezza Rice, the Bush administration’s secretary of state, wanted to settle displaced Palestinians in Argentina and Chile as an alternative to letting them return to former homes in Israel and the occupied territories. Rice made the proposal in a June 2008 meeting with US, Israeli and Palestinian negotiators in Berlin, according to minutes of the encounter seen by the Guardian. During a discussion about international funding to compensate refugees – an estimated 5 million Palestinians are scattered around the Middle East – the US diplomat made a startling suggestion. “Maybe we will be able to find countries that can contribute in kind. Chile, Argentina, etc (ie, give land).” The minutes, which are not verbatim, have the initials CR before the quote. Rice was the only participant with those initials. The proposal seems based on the fact that Chile has a large Palestinian community dating back a century and, like Argentina, has large tracts of sparsely populated land. It flew in the face of Palestinian insistence that the refugees have the right to return to their ancestral land – a demand Israel has resisted since its foundation in 1948. Carving out a new Palestinian homeland 8,000 miles away in the Andes could theoretically reduce pressure on Israel to return land.
The proposal, not previously disclosed, is a twist on suggestions made in the last century to settle Jews in Madagascar and what is presentday Kenya. It appears to have been influenced by the transfer of 117 Palestinian refugees to Chile between March and April 2008, a few months before the Berlin meeting. The group had lived in Iraq for many years but was stranded in a grim camp on the Syrian border during post-Saddam Hussein chaos. Chile hosted them in response to a UN appeal, said Carolina Podesta de Footner, a spokeswoman for the South American office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. “The UNHCR made an appeal to governments to take these people. Chile was one of the first countries to accept.” As well as having Latin America’s largest Palestinian population – estimated at more than 200,000 – Chile had previously accepted refugees from Afghanistan, Colombia and the former Yugoslavia. Podesta said other Palestinians from Iraq were settled in Brazil, Iceland and Romania. At the time Rice made her proposal the Iraqi Palestinians appeared to be settling well in La Calera, a city north of Santiago. They were greeted with smiles, songs and promises of help with housing, jobs and language training. But unlike previous Palestinian arrivals – mostly Christians with education and money who chose to move – the refugees were bluecollar conservative Muslims and had struggled to integrate.
On Thursday 17 March, police raided a series of locations in nine different provinces in Turkey and detained around 20 people as part of an operation said to be related to the murders of three missionaries in Malatya province in 2007. Simultaneous operations were carried out in nine provinces yesterday at the order of Zekeriya Öz, the chief prosecutor overseeing the investigation into Ergenekon, a clandestine criminal network charged with plotting to topple the government by creating largescale chaos in the country. Twenty locations were searched in nine provinces, including Malatya, Siirt, Muğla, Mersin and İzmir. Among the premises searched were provincial gendarmerie commands in some provinces. The detainees are suspected of having masterminded and instigated the murders as part of Ergenekon’s plan to lay the groundwork for a military takeover. Reports said the detainees will be brought to İstanbul to be interrogated by prosecutor Öz. Military links to the Malatya missionary murders first surfaced three years ago. In May 2008, a letter sent by an individual identified as Ali Arslan to the Malatya 3rd High Criminal Court, currently hearing the 2007 murder case, claimed that Emre Günaydın, one of the key suspects in the murders, was provoked by Ülger. The letter claimed that Col. Ülger had communicated with Günaydın through Abat and Halil İşler, a gendarmerie station commander at İnönü University. Later, Sgt. Mehmet Çolak took on the responsibility of establishing contact between Col. Ülger and Günaydın. Ülger was detained as part of the Ergenekon probe in 2009 but was released later. On April 18, 2007, Christians Necati Aydın (35), Uğur Yüksel and German national Tilmann Ekkehart
Geske (46) were tied to their chairs, stabbed and tortured at the Zirve Publishing House in the southeastern Anatolian city of Malatya before their throats were slit. The publishing house they worked for printed Bibles and Christian literature. Suspects
Abuzer Yıldırım, Cuma Özdemir, Salih Gürler and Hamit Çeker were apprehended at the scene and immediately taken into custody, while Günaydın jumped from a third-story window in an attempt to escape from police and was taken into custody after being treated for injuries. A total of nine men have been charged in connection with the murders. Connection between Ergenekon and Malatya murders A 2010 report prepared by the İstanbul Police Department revealed links between the Zirve murders and Ergenekon. The report, prepared upon a request by the İstanbul Chief Prosecutor’s Office, described links between Ergenekon suspect Doğu Perinçek and Ülger. Included in the report was information concerning a conference on missionary activity given by Sevgi Erenerol -- who bears the title “media and public relations officer” of the Turkish Orthodox
Mass Beirut rally demands Hezbollah disarm On Sunday 13 March, tens of thousands of Lebanese opposition supporters demanded Hezbollah be disarmed as they rallied to mark the sixth anniversary of a popular uprising against Syrian troops in the country. “It is impossible that any of us here accept tutelage over Lebanon again, whether foreign domination or the domination of arms within Lebanon working for foreign interests,” said outgoing prime minister Saad Hariri, in reference to the arsenal of the Iranian-backed Shiite militant group. “It is impossible to accept that these weapons ... continue to be turned against the democratic will of the people,” said western-backed Hariri, son of ex-premier Rafiq Hariri whose 2005 assassination sparked the uprising that led to the departure of the Syrians. A massive crowd thronged Martyrs’ Square in central Beirut, focal point of the protests six years ago, waving the national flag and the banners of pro-western political parties. “The people want the fall of arms,” the demonstrators chanted amid tight security. “We are here to say yes to life and no to their
Patriarchate and was arrested in early 2008 for alleged links to Ergenekon - at the General Staff ’s Strategic Research and Study Center (SAREM). Erenerol reportedly termed foreign missionary activity as “spying” and “provocative” during this conference and voiced opposition to all foreign missionary activity. A report drafted by Öz last year also contained information proving a connection between Ergenekon and the Malatya murders. The latest operation ordered by prosecutor Öz is thought to have been launched based on Erenerol’s suspected links with the individuals who are thought to have masterminded the Zirve murders. The Malatya murders are thought to be a part of the Cage Action Plan, a subversive plot allegedly devised by military officers that sought to undermine the government through the assassination of non-Muslims and other acts of terror. The Cage Plan was allegedly drawn up at the order of Ergenekon. Cage Plan documents specifically call the killings of Armenian-Turkish journalist Hrant Dink, Catholic priest Father Andrea Santoro and the three Christians in Malatya an “operation.” An antidemocratic group within the Naval Forces Command behind the Cage Plan had intended to foment chaos in society with those killings, but complained that the plan had failed when large segments of society protested the killings in mass demonstrations. *Photo: The “Ergenekon” conspirators. Courtesy: flickr-ozdo *Source: Todays Zaman.
arms,” said Adnan Antar, 65, who travelled from the northern port city of Tripoli to attend the rally with his family along roads clogged with convoys blaring songs and displaying pictures of Rafiq Hariri. “There can be no rule of the state in Lebanon as long as there is the rule of arms,” he added. Rafiq Hariri’s assassination on February 14 2005 saw the rise of a US and Saudi-backed alliance that became known as March 14, named after a day of massive anti-Syrian protests dubbed the “Cedar Revolution.” Combined with international pressure, the protests in the weeks after the killing led to the pullout of Syrian troops from Lebanon in April 2005, ending 29 years of military and political domination by Damascus. The rally this year comes as Hezbollah’s military might is once again the focus of a deadlock between rival Lebanese camps. The anniversary comes amid a drawn-out political crisis which saw Hezbollah topple Saad Hariri’s unity government in January, capping a longrunning feud over a UN-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon. The tribunal -- tasked with investigating the Rafiq Hariri murder -- is reportedly readying to implicate members of Hezbollah in the killing. Sunni Muslim billionaire Najib Mikati, appointed with Hezbollah’s backing, has been tipped to succeed Saad Hariri and has since January 25 sought to form a government. The Hariri-led opposition has announced it will boycott Mikati’s government, which it accuses of being “Hezbollah’s cabinet”. Source: AFP
Issue # 29, March 2011
When we publish opinion articles in Crescent Times, we do not necessarily endorse their content. Opinion articles do not necessarily represent the opinion any of our team members, editors or publishers. However, we are not afraid of opinions. Our role is not to teach a particular package
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OPINIONS
of opinions and beliefs to our readers. We do our best to provide space for all schools of thought, personal beliefs and directions of Islamic thought. All are free to submit articles for publication to defend and hold what they see as truth. The Editor In Chief
Arabic: new Language of Revolution Marina Mahathir* Who would have thought it? Only less than two months ago, nobody, least of all me, would have dreamed that the new language of revolution would be Arabic. For so long the language of rebellion has been Spanish or Eastern European, maybe Indonesian. But Arabic? No, Arabic was the supposed language of piety. It is what you use to show that you’re more religious than anyone else. Thus you can begin a speech with long passages in Arabic without bothering to translate and have everyone assume that you were invoking God’s name. Arabic is the language of choice when you wanted to name your children so that they will grow up pious and good, although it is difficult to prove that this actually works. Arabic was also the language by which you exclude people. You tell people they can only read the Quran in Arabic, regardless of whether they understand it or not, because to read it in languages you actually do understand is not the same. Thus God’s word was available to an exclusive few, instead of to all humanity. Arabic was also the language of us and the Other, the ummah and the kafir. About what was halal and haram. Who was with us, and who was not. But since January 2011, Arabic has become a different language. It has become the language of revolt and rebellion and of freedom. Suddenly the whole world knows that the Arabic word for liberation is ‘tahrir’. Those of us on Twitter also learnt the word ‘Yalla!’ (roughly, Viva!). Other new words for us:
ambulances to pick up the wounded and even fired teargas and bullets into hospitals. Extremely graphic photos of the dead and wounded have been posted on Twitter and Facebook by eyewitnesses. In Libya, Gadaffi’s army has used mercenaries from other African countries to shoot at Libyans. When such governments feel the need to use foreign mercenaries to kill their own people, surely this means that they know they are not legitimate governments? Meanwhile, the OIC and individual Muslim countries have been completely silent. Deathly silent. Could it be that they are shocked that people in these countries are actually demanding ‘Western’ things like freedom and rights? Could it be possible that the educated and the uneducated, the rich and the poor, the Muslim and the
Amal = Hope Democratiyyah = Democracy Karamah = Dignity Kefaya! = Enough! How important is this new language of revolution? To me, it is hugely important because language represents mindsets. So when language changes, mindsets also change. And with these new Arabic words we are learning, we are also learning about a new kind of Arab. Previously we knew of only two kinds of Arabs. One was the fantastically wealthy Arab oil sheikh who goes to Harrods in London and buys up everything without bothering with the price tags. The cartoon stereotype is of the Arab sheikh in his white jubah and red and white headdress, being chauffeured in his sleek limousine accompanied by his four wives. Over here, we looked on this wealth as somehow God-given and we bowed and scraped as they threw us a few coins here and there. That, we thought, is what we want to be because after all they are Arabs, they guard the Holy Cities and surely it must be all blessed by God. The other stereotype is of the very holy Arab, intoning away on all the evils of the world, all of which seem to emanate from the West. We worshipped these men (for they are almost always men) with the long beards because they seemed holy and they seemed to do the ‘right’ things, beginning with putting women under covers, and they must surely be guaranteed a place in heaven. Oh we all must strive to be like them! And we shall start by emulating their clothing! My, how things have changed! Now we know that the oil sheikhs keep most of their people living on less than $2US a day while they build palaces for themselves and their families. We know that when they take over the leadership of their countries, they often do away with elections and hold on to power for decades (Ben Ali of Tunisia, 23 years; Mubarak of Egypt, 30 years; Gaddafi of Libya, 42 years; Bouteflika of Algeria, 23 years; Saleh of Yemen, 32 years), during which time they enrich themselves while their people starve. We are also now learning that to stay in power, these dictators are viciously brutal. Although the Tunisian and Egyptian revolutions were relatively peaceful (relative being the operative word), the response to the protests in Bahrain and Libya has been astoundingly ruthless. In Bahrain, the army (comprising mostly non-Bahrainis in the rank and file) have fired live ammunition at protestors at funerals, refused to allow
Christian and men and women are actually standing together and saying they want their ‘leaders’ out? That they actually want a say in how their lives are run? (Oh my, the Star actually published an article by an actual Egyptian talking about how peaceful the protests were! Could it be that our vocabulary about protest is changing too?) And predictably our scholars have nothing to say. Why, Al-Azhar University (where we have 6000 students) and the Grand Mufti of Egypt were discredited for supporting Mubarak. And then the imam Yusouf Al-Qaradawi, the exiled Islamic leader returns to lead prayers at Tahrir Square and says, well, pretty revolutionary things. (Except he still didn’t say that women should be equal to men, even though women were very much part of the revolution...sigh.). But our scholars remain silent. Instead they spend their time worrying about how Valentine’s Day is going to rot our morals, instead of condemning Muslims who spill their own people’s blood. I’m sorry but they don’t hold any moral authority anymore to me. Yup, today we have a new Arab. He (and she) is young, internet-savvy, demanding a say in how their countries are run. They want room for everyone, regardless of religion, gender, race or class. They want to speak, and to breathe. Is it any wonder that one of the initiators of the Egyptian revolution is a Google executive called Wael Ghonim? Or a young woman called Asmaa Mahfouz? So now, do we follow the examples set by these Arabs, just as we so diligently followed those before them? *Marina Mahathir is a Malaysian blogger and activist. She is the daughter of the former famous Prime minister
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Hijab makes a come back in Tunisia
Yvonne Ridley Something really wonderful happened outside the Tunisian Embassy in London the other day as a crowd of us gathered to continue the demand for justice in the people’s revolution. I was standing next to a sister, and, with tears in her eyes she revealed she had been inside the embassy that morning to get passports for herself and her family. Her face looked vaguely familiar but I could not remember where we had met previously. Just a few weeks ago she would not have been allowed to put one foot over the threshold but this time she was welcomed like a long lost daughter and given the red carpet treatment by the embassy staff – one even asked if she wanted to meet the Ambassador. The more she talked the more I knew that we had met previously, but where? Then we began speculating about the deposed dictator Zine el Abidine Ben Ali and his truly awful wife Leila who, we now know thanks to WikiLeaks,
To our Christian friends, put it this way - can you imagine sitting in a church pew listening to some vicar or priest urging you to thank God for Tony Blair, George W Bush or Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheyney? Exactly! My sister and I both wondered how Leila would view having to wear a black abaya every time she steps outside her new home. I’m sure the Saudi religious police will be on hand to give her some encouragement. Of all the places in the world those two had probably expected to end up I think it’s a fair bet Saudi was no where near the top of their list as they boarded the flight from Tunisia. In fact what wouldn’t I have given to see the expressions on their faces as the pilot delivered the bad news. Sorry, we can’t get clearance for Paris, New York, Monaco or Geneva but how does Jeddah sound? It was Ben Ali’s barbaric actions and abuse of the most basic human rights which prompted me to first go and stand outside the Tunisian Embassy in London way back in November 2006 and protest in defence of our Tunisian sisters ... and Islam. This man and his godless wife despised the religion of their birth so much and everything it represented that they did their best to turn the country in to a secular state. Did they do it to please themselves or the western powers which courted them and pretended to be their best ever friends? I remember in February 2009 driving through Tunisia with the Viva Palestina convoy, encountering literally hundreds of Ben Ali’s henchmen who did everything in their power to stop us from praying and attending Friday prayers. The horrified expressions on their faces when we stopped our vehicles in the middle of the road and prayed in the street is something I will remember for ever. I recounted the tale to the sister outside the embassy and again we both laughed at the ultimate irony Ben Ali and the light-fingered Leila (she is reported to have looted 1.5 tons of gold as she fled) were now languishing in Saudi. How poignant, having been shunned by their fickle friends in the West, it was Muslims who came to their rescue. Forgiveness is a major element in Islam and while it is far too early for Tunisians to even begin to think about that f-word, the expresident and his wife should be grateful that some Muslims are prepared to show them the sort of mercy Ben Ali and Leila could never show their own people. Now that he, in particular, has time to reflect on the brutalisation of our hijab-wearing sisters, practising brothers and human rights campaigners, I wonder if he will discover the beauty of real Islam and not the distorted, diluted version he tried to force on his people? I turned to the sister outside the embassy and wondered out loud if Leila will ever discover the beauty of the hijab. The words were barely out of my mouth when I suddenly recognized this woman. We had first met in 2006, outside the Tunisian Embassy in London, at a protest. She told me in graphic detail of her detention, abuse and torture at the hands of Ben Ali’s thugs. I will never forget her dramatic words back then as she said in a shaky voice: “I came to London with my hijab still in my pocket.” I remember being moved to tears by her story, one of many that Tunisian sisters can tell and no doubt will over the coming months. And now she is planning to return but with her head held high and wearing her hijab with pride.
fancied her chances of becoming the next leader of Tunisia when her ageing husband either stood down or expired. We both laughed at the irony of the location of their current bolt-hole … Saudi Arabia, The Land of the Two Holy Mosques and wondered how Ben Ali and Leila Trabelsi were coping with hearing the call to prayer five times a day. They had banned the call to prayer from being played on state television, shunned fasting during Ramadan and dismissed the hijab as being a foreign import and not part of the Tunisian culture. Let’s just say they made it up as they went along and if they wanted fatwas they would wheel out their tame and obliging scholars for dollars. Ben Ali, a brute of a man who made words and phrases like torture, detention without trial, political and religious persecution commonplace in Tunisia, is also credited with ripping the hijabs from the heads of Muslim women. He banned them from wearing their scarves in schools, hospitals and universities and other public places. He saw that the Holy Quran was banned and desecrated in the cages and dungeons where prisoners of conscience were beaten if they dared to pray outside of allotted times. His brutal regime brought in happy clappy clerics whose narcotic-style preachings in praise of Ben Ali and his corrupt government certainly had the desired effect … it drove God-fearing worshippers out of the mosques. No wonder the Muslim youth no longer * Yvonne Ridley is the European President of the International clamoured to get into mosques on Fridays to listen Muslim Women’s Union to these Imams who spent half the sermon praising the President and his followers.
Issue # 29, March 2011
Page 16
Web: www.crescenttimes.com.au
NATIONAL NEWS
MP Wilkie attacks ‘racist’ Libs Independent MP Andrew Wilkie has defended his outspoken attack on the “racist” Liberal Party, saying the Federal Opposition’s policies are being “corrupted” by “hatred”. Mr Wilkie used an appearance in Parliament to condemn what he called the “racism that eats at the Liberal Party” and called for immigration spokesman Scott Morrison and controversial Senator Cory Bernardi to be sacked.
Andrew Wilkie’s Speech 1 March 2011:
Mr Deputy Speaker, I stand today to condemn the racism that eats at the Liberal Party and I call on the Opposition Leader Tony Abbott to show strong leadership and to stamp it out, once and for all. Australia’s history is littered with politicians peddling hate. Whether it was Pauline Hanson claiming the country was in danger of being swamped by Asians, or John Howard tapping into the same mother-lode for his own political gain, spiteful politicians understood the rich rewards to be had in going there and mined it for all it was worth. Nothing’s changed. As the families of the victims of the Christmas Island disaster buried their dead last month, we listened in disbelief as Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Scott Morrison, took politics to a new low by whining over the cost of flying mourners to Sydney, including the orphan boy who probably watched his parents drown. Moreover still on the website of Shadow Parliamentary Secretary Assisting the Leader of the Opposition, Cory Bernardi, are rants whipping up fear of Islam including the comment on halal food “I for one don’t want to eat meat butchered in the name of an ideology that is mired in sixth century brutality and is an anathema to my own values.” Well I say to Mr Morrison and
Senator Bernardi you are a disgrace, a disgrace to the high office you hold and to the people you represent. And I say to Mr Abbott you must lance this boil once and for all. It is not good enough to dismiss the hate inhabiting the dark corners of the Liberal Party, and the widespread community concern it engenders, by just noting that your most senior operatives merely go a little too far. What you should have done is sack such people immediately from the Shadow Ministry and read the lot the riot act. At least get Senator Bernardi to remove the bile from his website. You must also look afresh at your party’s policies, determined to address the way hate corrupts your party’s approach to public policy. For instance asylum seekers are not “illegals” or terrorists, and heartfelt protection is not afforded by Temporary Protection Visas. Trying to deny asylum seekers the use of surplus Defence housing is nothing short of an act of bastardry. And threatening to slash foreign aid is abominable. Mr Deputy Speaker, the Parliament of Australia should be a place for leaders; people who refuse to exploit the fault lines in our community and instead seek to guide our society. Anyone who sits in this place and does not understand that responsibility has no right to be here. What we say matters, as evidenced by a letter TV personality Andrew Denton challenged Pauline Hanson with in 2004. It was written to an Asian woman by someone inspired by Ms Hanson and it went “you are nothing but an ungrateful, treacherous, yellow slanty-eyed little Vietnamese whore. We have had enough of your lot with their drug peddling and crime. So piss off now.” In other words, Mr Deputy Speaker, some politicians are as much to blame as the thugs themselves for episodes like the Cronulla riots and the hate crimes which continue on our streets.
*Photo courtesy of Andrew Wilkie’s Facebook page.
Prayer Schedule March 2011 Perth, Western Australia Date Fajr 1 Tue 4:43 2 Wed 4:44 3 Thu 4:45 4 Fri 4:46 5 Sat 4:46 6 Sun 4:47 7 Mon 4:48 8 Tue 4:49 9 Wed 4:50 10 Thu 4:51 11 Fri 4:52 12 Sat 4:53 13 Sun 4:54 14 Mon 4:54 15 Tue 4:55 16 Wed 4:56 17 Thu 4:57 18 Fri 4:58 19 Sat 4:58 20 Sun 4:59 21 Mon 5:00 22 Tue 5:01 23 Wed 5:01 24 Thu 5:02 25 Fri 5:03 26 Sat 5:04 27 Sun 5:04 28 Mon 5:05 29 Tue 5:06 30 Wed 5:06 31 Thu 5:07
Sunrise 6:05 6:06 6:07 6:07 6:08 6:09 6:10 6:10 6:11 6:12 6:13 6:13 6:14 6:15 6:15 6:16 6:17 6:18 6:18 6:19 6:20 6:20 6:21 6:22 6:22 6:23 6:24 6:24 6:25 6:26 6:26
Dhuhr 12:30 12:29 12:29 12:29 12:29 12:29 12:28 12:28 12:28 12:28 12:27 12:27 12:27 12:27 12:26 12:26 12:26 12:25 12:25 12:25 12:25 12:24 12:24 12:24 12:23 12:23 12:23 12:22 12:22 12:22 12:22
Asr 4:05 4:04 4:04 4:03 4:03 4:02 4:01 4:01 4:00 3:59 3:59 3:58 3:57 3:57 3:56 3:55 3:55 3:54 3:53 3:52 3:52 3:51 3:50 3:49 3:48 3:47 3:47 3:46 3:45 3:44 3:43
Maghrib 6:53 6:52 6:50 6:49 6:48 6:47 6:46 6:44 6:43 6:42 6:41 6:39 6:38 6:37 6:36 6:34 6:33 6:32 6:31 6:29 6:28 6:27 6:25 6:24 6:23 6:22 6:20 6:19 6:18 6:16 6:15
Writers festival: The Democracy Debate
Aziz Khan*
On a cool Perth evening the beautiful University of Western Australia hosted the annual Perth Writer’s Festival debate. It was a sheer delight to see the Octagon Theatre packed with such a diverse range of people. This year’s debate, The Democracy Debate, was chaired by former West Australian Premier Dr. Carmen Lawrence. Australian Jurist Ken Crispin, leading political scientist John Keane, internationally renowned writer and social activist Tariq Ali and journalist Anthony Lowenstein debated the future of democracy drawing inferences dating from ancient Athenian times right up to the current ‘Facebook democratic revolutions’ sweeping the Muslim Middle East. Perth’s sophisticated audience included students, union organisers, social workers, pensioners, Imams, peace activists, lawyers, priests and mothers with babies. The audience applauded each of the speakers’ pronouncements and arguments that succinctly pointed out the erosion of hard-fought democratic freedoms in the Western world. Judge Ken Crispin was highly critical of some Australian state governments having the power to outlaw groups and associations,, on the basis of secret evidence, all at the whim of the attorney general. The speakers argued democratic freedoms were gradually and deliberately being undermined by Western neoconservative populist politicians, who are captive to their electoral cycles and the media’s opinion polls; and that this was evident in the type of security legislation introduced by Australian parliaments over the last 10 years. The role played by mainstream mass media to mislead and to promote war was also criticised.
Prayer Schedule March 2011 Sydney, New South Wales Isha 8:12 8:10 8:09 8:07 8:06 8:05 8:03 8:02 8:01 7:59 7:58 7:57 7:55 7:54 7:53 7:51 7:50 7:48 7:47 7:46 7:44 7:43 7:42 7:40 7:39 7:38 7:36 7:35 7:34 7:33 7:31
Date Fajr 1 Tue 5:17 2 Wed 5:18 3 Thu 5:19 4 Fri 5:20 5 Sat 5:21 6 Sun 5:22 7 Mon 5:23 8 Tue 5:24 9 Wed 5:25 10 Thu 5:26 11 Fri 5:27 12 Sat 5:28 13 Sun 5:29 14 Mon 5:30 15 Tue 5:31 16 Wed 5:32 17 Thu 5:33 18 Fri 5:34 19 Sat 5:35 20 Sun 5:35 21 Mon 5:36 22 Tue 5:37 23 Wed 5:38 24 Thu 5:39 25 Fri 5:40 26 Sat 5:40 27 Sun 5:41 28 Mon 5:42 29 Tue 5:43 30 Wed 5:44 31 Thu 5:44
Email: info@crescenttimes.com.au
Sunrise 6:42 6:43 6:44 6:44 6:45 6:46 6:47 6:48 6:49 6:49 6:50 6:51 6:52 6:53 6:53 6:54 6:55 6:56 6:56 6:57 6:58 6:59 6:59 7:00 7:01 7:02 7:03 7:03 7:04 7:05 7:06
Dhuhr 1:08 1:08 1:08 1:08 1:07 1:07 1:07 1:07 1:06 1:06 1:06 1:06 1:05 1:05 1:05 1:04 1:04 1:04 1:04 1:03 1:03 1:03 1:02 1:02 1:02 1:02 1:01 1:01 1:01 1:00 1:00
Asr 4:44 4:44 4:43 4:43 4:42 4:41 4:41 4:40 4:39 4:39 4:38 4:37 4:36 4:36 4:35 4:34 4:33 4:32 4:32 4:31 4:30 4:29 4:28 4:27 4:26 4:26 4:25 4:24 4:23 4:22 4:21
Maghrib 7:33 7:32 7:30 7:29 7:28 7:27 7:25 7:24 7:23 7:21 7:20 7:19 7:17 7:16 7:15 7:13 7:12 7:11 7:09 7:08 7:07 7:05 7:04 7:03 7:01 7:00 6:58 6:57 6:56 6:54 6:53
For example, the suppression of the truth and overt display of patriotism during war was cited as further evidence of the media eroding its own traditional role of independence. Corporate media are hardly ever objective in their ‘investigative news reporting’ when
unchecked neo-capitalism in fact undermines democracy”. Tariq Ali suggested that the Jasmine democratic revolution sweeping the Arab world is an expression of the universal desire of the individual to be free from tyranny and oppression. It is
they willingly side with war makers and the war profiteers argued the speakers. Iraq and Afghanistan wars were cited as classic examples of ‘embedded journalism’ in bed with corporate war mongers. “Without the ABC”, Lowenstein said, “independent news service in Australia would be worse off.” He argued that the threat to democracy was more evident when these embedded war correspondents and their so-called war stories become part of the government’s public relations policy to strategically suppress the truth about its war making policies and the waste of tax payer dollars in unwinnable wars. Lowenstein suggested that mainstream media and neoconservative’s relentless attacks on WikiLeaks and whistle blowers were further signs of suppression of the truth and the audience applauded this point. The speakers also made good comparisons with the Chinese model of governance and its marriage with capitalism where a single party dominates the political landscape. There was good healthy debate in this as well as laughter but the main point was clear, that neo-capitalism can have strange bedfellows with anti democratic ideology such as communism. Tariq Ali noted “capitalism is not an integral part of democracy because
wholly indigenous to the Arab world and a natural outcome of long suppression of Arab citizens. Tariq Ali said that it is reminiscent of Europe’s own democratic struggle of 1848 against European heredity autocracy. Ali pointed out that the corridors of Western power in Washington, London and Paris have been shaken and stirred by these seismic indigenous Arabic democratic movements for freedom; it also reflects, he said just how bad and miscalculated is Washington’s rhetorical claim on exporting democracy to the Middle East. John Keane focused on the subversion of individual freedoms, privatisation of public assets and the erosion of public accountability in the West as signs that future democracy has to be revitalised, equalised and energised by people power and that serious meaningful reform of the Australian electoral system is needed. The audience were deeply engaged in the discussions and the major concern in the debates was the subtle subversion of individual freedoms by neoliberal conservatives in the name of security which, the audience agreed with their loud applause, was a clear anathema to democracy and the social contract between the government and its citizens.
Prayer Schedule March 2011 Melbourne, Victoria Isha 8:54 8:52 8:51 8:49 8:48 8:47 8:45 8:44 8:42 8:41 8:39 8:38 8:36 8:35 8:34 8:32 8:31 8:29 8:28 8:26 8:25 8:23 8:22 8:21 8:19 8:18 8:16 8:15 8:14 8:12 8:11
Date Fajr 1 Tue 5:34 2 Wed 5:35 3 Thu 5:36 4 Fri 5:37 5 Sat 5:39 6 Sun 5:40 7 Mon 5:41 8 Tue 5:42 9 Wed 5:43 10 Thu 5:45 11 Fri 5:46 12 Sat 5:47 13 Sun 5:48 14 Mon 5:49 15 Tue 5:50 16 Wed 5:51 17 Thu 5:52 18 Fri 5:54 19 Sat 5:55 20 Sun 5:56 21 Mon 5:57 22 Tue 5:58 23 Wed 5:59 24 Thu 6:00 25 Fri 6:01 26 Sat 6:02 27 Sun 6:03 28 Mon 6:04 29 Tue 6:05 30 Wed 6:06 31 Thu 6:07
Sunrise 7:03 7:04 7:05 7:06 7:07 7:08 7:09 7:10 7:11 7:12 7:13 7:14 7:15 7:16 7:17 7:18 7:19 7:20 7:21 7:22 7:23 7:24 7:25 7:26 7:26 7:27 7:28 7:29 7:30 7:31 7:32
Dhuhr 1:33 1:33 1:33 1:33 1:32 1:32 1:32 1:32 1:31 1:31 1:31 1:31 1:30 1:30 1:30 1:29 1:29 1:29 1:29 1:28 1:28 1:28 1:27 1:27 1:27 1:27 1:26 1:26 1:26 1:25 1:25
Asr 5:12 5:11 5:10 5:09 5:09 5:08 5:07 5:06 5:05 5:04 5:04 5:03 5:02 5:01 5:00 4:59 4:58 4:57 4:56 4:55 4:54 4:53 4:52 4:51 4:50 4:49 4:48 4:47 4:46 4:45 4:44
Maghrib 8:01 8:00 7:58 7:57 7:56 7:54 7:53 7:51 7:50 7:48 7:47 7:45 7:44 7:42 7:41 7:39 7:38 7:36 7:35 7:33 7:32 7:30 7:29 7:27 7:26 7:24 7:23 7:21 7:20 7:18 7:17
Prayer Schedule March 2011 Brisbane, Queensland Isha 9:27 9:25 9:24 9:22 9:20 9:19 9:17 9:15 9:14 9:12 9:11 9:09 9:07 9:06 9:04 9:02 9:01 8:59 8:57 8:56 8:54 8:53 8:51 8:49 8:48 8:46 8:45 8:43 8:42 8:40 8:38
Date Fajr 1 Tue 4:21 2 Wed 4:22 3 Thu 4:23 4 Fri 4:23 5 Sat 4:24 6 Sun 4:25 7 Mon 4:26 8 Tue 4:27 9 Wed 4:27 10 Thu 4:28 11 Fri 4:29 12 Sat 4:29 13 Sun 4:30 14 Mon 4:31 15 Tue 4:31 16 Wed 4:32 17 Thu 4:32 18 Fri 4:33 19 Sat 4:33 20 Sun 4:34 21 Mon 4:35 22 Tue 4:35 23 Wed 4:36 24 Thu 4:37 25 Fri 4:37 26 Sat 4:38 27 Sun 4:38 28 Mon 4:39 29 Tue 4:39 30 Wed 4:40 31 Thu 4:40
Sunrise 5:40 5:40 5:41 5:41 5:42 5:43 5:43 5:44 5:44 5:45 5:46 5:46 5:47 5:47 5:48 5:48 5:49 5:49 5:49 5:50 5:51 5:52 5:52 5:53 5:53 5:54 5:54 5:55 5:55 5:56 5:56
Dhuhr 12:01 12:01 12:01 12:01 12:00 12:00 12:00 11:59 11:59 11:59 11:59 11:59 11:58 11:58 11:58 11:57 11:57 11:57 11:57 11:56 11:56 11:56 11:55 11:55 11:55 11:54 11:54 11:54 11:53 11:53 11:53
Asr 3:32 3:32 3:32 3:32 3:31 3:30 3:30 3:30 3:29 3:29 3:28 3:28 3:27 3:27 3:26 3:26 3:25 3:24 3:24 3:24 3:23 3:22 3:21 3:21 3:20 3:19 3:19 3:18 3:17 3:17 3:16
Maghrib 6:21 6:20 6:19 6:19 6:18 6:16 6:15 6:14 6:12 6:11 6:10 6:10 6:08 6:07 6:06 6:05 6:04 6:03 6:03 6:01 5:59 5:58 5:57 5:56 5:55 5:54 5:53 5:51 5:50 5:49 5:48
Isha 7:36 7:35 7:33 7:33 7:32 7:30 7:29 7:28 7:26 7:25 7:24 7:24 7:22 7:21 7:19 7:18 7:17 7:16 7:16 7:15 7:12 7:11 7:10 7:09 7:08 7:07 7:05 7:04 7:03 7:02 7:01
Issue # 29, March 2011
Web: www.crescenttimes.com.au
Email: info@crescenttimes.com.au
GLOBAL MUSLIM NEWS
The Kiki Principle: Debora McNichol* Leaving half a country behind
During my first trip to Egypt, I decided that the country had an inferiority complex. Fair or not, PC or not, my conclusion was based upon the stark differences between how Egyptians treat each other and how Egyptians treat foreigners. One afternoon, my sister-inlaw and I were in a restaurant in a business district in Cairo, where we were ignored by the servers. I finally flagged down a waiter and said, “fee eh?” with a terrible American accent. He apologised profusely, stating in Arabic that he thought I was from Tanta (which apparently is Egyptian for “ghetto”). When my sister-in-law politely told him that I was American, the man blushed, perhaps realising that his tip had flown out the window. My sister-in-law remained polite despite the fact that her hometown is a close-by mini version of Tanta. Offended by the waiter’s blatant bigotry, I asked why it mattered whether I’m from Tanta or the US or China - aren’t I a human being? While I was in Egypt I also came to the conclusion that Egyptian women were the most patient people on the planet. Alhamdulillah, patience is rewarded in the hereafter, even if it is not today. The needs of Egyptian women follow their husbands’ and their children’s. If there is nothing left after their families are taken care of, Egyptian women just do without. Very noble, these women. For the purpose of this short article, I will not go into the abuses, discrimination, and annoyances that women have to put
up with every day in Egypt, except to state that these acts are theorised to be the result of men’s frustration with life outside the home, and that men on a large scale would regularly be imprisoned (or successfully sued) for their treatment of their spouses, their daughters, and strange women on the street were they to act like this anywhere in the West. Alhamdulillah, the revolution brought out the best in Egyptian society, with very few negative elements. But revolutions, unfortunately, tend to disregard the value and relevance of women’s participation in society and politics, let alone the revolutions. Case in point: this revolution’s protests were strongly supported by women, yet the committee tasked with drafting the new Egyptian constitution includes not one. This passionate revolution included men and women, and amazing to me, so did the post-revolution cleanup. Let’s remember as time passes that women are not the only ones that should use a broom, and that men are not the only ones who should participate in this new democratic society, insha Allah. And while we’re establishing the new society, let’s leave the hijab debate out of it.
* Debora McNichol has written for Crescent Times since its first issue. Debora is an American Muslim lawyer, editor, restaurant manager, and writer, who lives in Virginia and North Carolina, US with her ever-so-patient daughter and husband. She practices business, intellectual property and criminal law in those states. To contact Debora, email her at DebMcNichol@hotmail.com
Saudi protests ‘tempest in teacup’ says Prince Alwaleed Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal called the protests in the oil giant a “tempest in a teacup,” saying instead of it being a “day of rage” people were demonstrating their love for the king. A day after police fired on marchers to break up a demonstration in the eastern city of AlQ a t e e f , Alwaleed told the US CNBC television that the country was nothing like Libya or Egypt, and the government had the strong support of its people. Alwaleed said nobody showed up after midday prayers in Riyadh Friday for a “day of rage” demonstration calling
for democracy and rights arising out of an anonymously-launched Internet campaign. With a heavy police presence on the streets of the Saudi capital, “I didn’t find a single human being there after the prayer,” he said. “In a nutshell, this whole thing was a tempest in a teacup.” “ Y o u should call it day of allegiance, of love for the King Abdullah,” s a i d Alwaleed, a nephew of the king and an investment tycoon with a fortune pegged at $20 billion. Source: AFP
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Muslim apathy to USA witch-hunt
Linda Heard Arab News *
When Rep. Peter King from New York’s Long Island has championed a Congressional Hearing into “the extent of radicalisation in the American Muslim community and that community’s response” reminiscent of the McCarthy’s House Un-American Activities Committee, isn’t it about time that the Arab League or the OIC held hearings into America’s un-Islamic activities? Ten years have passed since the 9/11 tragedy when Muslims in the US were rounded up in their thousands and incarcerated without access to lawyers or loved ones. Since, Muslims have been made to pay a terrible price for the actions of 19 fanatics who in no way represent Islam or its values. Afghanistan and Iraq were bombed and invaded as a direct consequence. Over a million Muslim men, women and children have been killed in those countries, untold numbers maimed, widowed and orphaned. Innocent Muslims have been humiliated and tortured in Bagram, Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo. Some were abducted off the streets of Europe when they were hooded and chained before being flown to third countries prepared to do the CIA’s torturing dirty work. Women and young children are still being bombed by US drones in Afghanistan despite the heartfelt pleas of President Hamid Karzai. Yet, instead of apologising for its crimes against the world’s 1.5 billion Muslims, Congress has launched into an anti-Islamic witch-hunt. I wonder how those worthy gentlemen in Washington would react if, say, Egypt, where some 11 percent of the population is Coptic Christian, were to embark
on a similar official demonising of Christians for crimes committed by Americans of shared faith in Arab lands. Congress should never have blessed Peter King’s divisive, hatemongering endeavor, billed by King “to establish and show the American people that there is a real threat of Al-Qaeda recruiting and also homegrown terrorists radicalising the Muslim community.” If there is any radicalisation of Muslim communities in the West, it is prompted by America’s unjust wars and slurs heaped upon Muslims by King and his ilk. Resulting from the hearing, the Council for American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), an advocacy and lobbying group set up to protect the interests of American Muslims, was besmirched as “a terrorist organisation” that collaborates with outlaw groups such as Hamas. That ridiculous unsubstantiated allegation was countered by Los Angeles Sheriff Leroy Baca who said, “If CAIR is a criminal organisation prosecute them and bring them to trial.” US Democratic Rep. for California’s 12th Congressional District Jackie Speier was hissed and booed when she condemned the hearing as being “grossly incomplete” and suggested that in addition to investigating Islamic radicalism, a Christian terrorist organisation called The Army of God should also come under scrutiny. In fact, the former activities of Peter King himself should be looked into. An enthusiastic supporter of the IRA in its murderous heyday, King announced in the 1980s “If civilians are killed in an attack on a military installation it is certainly regrettable, but I will not morally blame the IRA for it,” and he was shown out of a Belfast court room during an IRA murder trial for being
“an obvious collaborator.” When taken to task for his murky terrorist-supporting past, King points out that the IRA never committed terrorist acts within US borders (in other words, to hell with America’s British ally) and likens the IRA to the Israeli Irgun which used extreme violence to consolidate a Jewish homeland. He would not, however, accept that same argument if it were used to defend methods used by Hamas to retrieve the stolen Palestinian homeland. I was gratified to note messages left by surprised Americans under Egypt’s revolutionary music video “Sout El Horiya” (Sound of Freedom) on YouTube showing people from all walks of life in Tahrir Square singing along when the uprising was in full swing. One of those messages read, “Look at those faces. Those are the kind of people I would like to get to know.” What mystifies me is the lack of reaction by Muslim and Arab leadership to such continuous physical and verbal US attacks on their own people. Predominantly Muslim countries supply America and its allies in Europe with oil and gas, host numerous US bases. Collectively, they have vast wealth, huge armies and state-of-the-art warships and airplanes. Yet, they behave as if they have no geopolitical clout at all. It seems to me that Arab states have been apologetic and obliging enough relative to 9/11 in which they had no part. Instead, they should be holding the US to account for its crimes and slurs against Muslims, both past and current. Muslim people need defending. When oh when will the 22 member states of the Arab League and the 56 member states of the OIC that are supposed to promote Muslim solidarity be up to the task?
Mecca: Imam describes protest calls as ‘devilish temptations’ Muhammad Al-Sulami Arab News Sheikh Osama Khayyat, the imam of the Grand Mosque in Mecca, described calls for protests in the Kingdom as “devilish temptations” and urged people of faith to be aware of such calls. “With false promises the devil strives to trap believers and drive them to acts of sedition, disagreement and dispute,” said the sheikh in his sermon to pilgrims and locals. “Countless media channels, information networks and websites are there to tempt people to participate in protest marches and sit-ins,” he said, adding that all of these channels are gateways to evil. “They are employed by the forces of darkness to awaken the sleeping sedition and lead people to chaos that will tamper with the security and ruin the welfare of people,” he said. During his sermon at the Holy Mosque in Medina, Sheikh Salah Al-Budair lamented the turmoil in the Muslim world. “Our hearts pain on seeing clashes in many parts of the Muslim world,” he said.
He said it was against Islam to rise against rulers who rule according to sharia. Referring to calls on websites for protests on Friday 18 March, Al-Budair said it is the duty of Muslims to defend and protect the Kingdom, which is home to the two holy mosques. He reminded people of faith that those who call for rebellions against the ruler of Saudi Arabia, the land of monotheism, are serving the interests of the enemies of Islam. He appealed to Muslims to preserve the Kingdom’s security, stability and integrity, and asked them to look at and learn from the suffering of neighboring countries. “In the Quran and sunnah it is totally haram to rise against the ruler. You should advise him and if he refuses to listen, just be patient and supplicate against him,” said the imam of JamJoum Mosque. The Imam, in his late 20s, read out the statement issued by the Supreme Council of Saudi Scholars in which the council also warned against demonstrations and described uprisings as haram. The Imam, however, did not offer his usual supplication against Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
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Issue # 29, March 2011
Web: www.crescenttimes.com.au
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GLOBAL MUSLIM NEWS
Turkey: Erbakan, number one victim of 28 February 1997 dies on eve of coup anniversary F o r m e r Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan, whose coalition government was forced to step down by the military on February 28 1997, has died at the age of 85 from cardiac and respiratory failure at an Ankara hospital, where he had been a patient since early January. The legendary leader of the National View (Milli Görüş) political movement, Erbakan was re-elected as the head of the Felicity Party (SP) after troubles within the party last year. After the 1997 coup d’état, his ruling Welfare Party (RP) was banned by the courts and Erbakan was temporarily barred from active politics. The 1997 event was the fourth military intervention in politics in Turkey, preceded by the coups of 1960, 1971 and 1980. Not only were fatal blows dealt to many fundamental rights and freedoms, but democracy and the rule of law were suspended. The coup introduced a series of harsh restrictions on religious freedoms, with an unofficial but widely practiced ban on the wearing of the Islamic head scarf. The military was purged of personnel with suspected ties to religious groups, a tradition that is still widely observed today. In addition, a number of newspapers were closed. Despite being under a political ban, Erbakan acted as a mentor and informal advisor to former RP members who founded the Virtue Party (FP) in 1997. However, the FP was ruled to be unconstitutional in 2001 and banned. By that time Erbakan’s ban from political activities had ended and he went on to establish the SP, of which he was the leader in 2003-2004 and again from late 2010. A mechanical engineer by profession, Erbakan entered politics in 1969 and became an important political figure in Turkish politics. He was often referred to as the “number-one victim” of the 1997 coup, but was also harshly criticised for not defending democracy and the rule of law during the coup period. For years, he was accused of leaving his post too easily when the military forced him to resign. The timing of Erbakan’s death has added to the painful memories of the 1997 coup. On this, the 14th anniversary, there are growing calls for pro-coup factions to end their anti-democratic endeavors targeting the civilian authority and the rule of law. In early 1997, the General Staff sought ways to get rid of
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the conservative government led by Erbakan. The National Security Council (MGK) made several decisions during a meeting on February 28 and presented them to Erbakan for approval. Erbakan was forced to sign the decisions and he subsequently resigned. None of the military figures who had a hand in overthrowing the RP government has, however, stood trial. Erbakan was referred to as the “teacher” of several of Turkey’s leading political figures, including President Abdullah Gül, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç, Turkey Party (TP) leader Abdüllatif Şener and former Prime Minister Recai Kutan. Following the coup, Erbakan was sentenced to two years, four months behind bars in a lawsuit known as the “lost trillion” case, but was able to defer serving his sentence by submitting medical reports to the court. The lost trillion case concerned the disappearance of more than TL 1 trillion the Treasury granted to the RP. In 2008, President Gül pardoned Erbakan. Professor Necmettin Erbakan was laid to rest at the Merkez Efendi Cemetery in İstanbul following a large funeral ceremony that drew hundreds of thousands of mourners. Erbakan’s daughters, son and other family members were accompanied by President Abdullah Gül and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Also present were a number of representatives from other Muslim countries, including Lebanon, Malaysia, Kuwait, Egypt, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria and Morocco. The Bosnian delegation brought with them a jar of soil from the grave of the late Bosnian President Aliya Izzetbegovic to be poured over Erbakan’s grave.
Muslim woman removed from Southwest Airlines flight for wearing head scarf A Muslim woman said that she wants a Southwest Airlines crew disciplined for removing her from a flight for wearing a head scarf. Irum Abbasi, 31, told reporters at a news conference outside San Diego’s airport that she was forced off a San Jose-bound flight in San Diego on Sunday because a flight attendant found her to be suspicious. Abbasi said she was told that a flight attendant overheard her say on her cell phone words to the effect of: “It’s a go.” The mother of three, who is originally from Pakistan, told reporters that she said, “I’ve got to go,” before hanging up because the flight was about to depart.
She believes the flight attendant made the assumption about her comment because she was wearing an Islamic head scarf. After patting down her head scarf and talking to her, Transportation Security Administration agents recognised the mistake and told her it was not necessary to inspect her purse or cell phone, Abbasi said. But they refused to let her back on the plane, telling her the crew was uncomfortable with her on the flight, according to Abbasi. She was booked on the next flight. “I was in tears,” Abbasi said. “I was just crying. I have lived in the United States for 10 years. I am a U.S. citizen.”
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Coming soon! Erbakan’s vision Fatma Disli Zibak * Turkey has bid its last farewell to former Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan, who left his mark on Turkish politics despite the facts that his parties were constantly banned and he faced many military interventions throughout his long political career. There is agreement that Erbakan was a charismatic political leader who laid the foundations of today’s Turkey with his vision and managed to keep his movement away from violence. Yeni Şafak’s Ali Bayramoğlu says the first thing that can be said about Erbakan following his death is that he was a charismatic leader and a great mobiliser who had the ability to spur the masses he addressed, and their resources, to action. According to Bayramoğlu, Erbakan was also a cold war politician who preferred policies of crisis and moves involving tension in the hope of expanding his influence this way rather than engaging in an open fight of principles. “This was both his weakness and his strength,” Bayramoğlu says. Star’s İbrahim Kiras defines Erbakan as a visionary leader who dreamt of establishing heavy industry in Turkey, manufacturing 40,000 tanks, getting Turkey involved in alleviating the suffering of people in other countries and establishing an interest-free economic order in Turkey. Kiras says Erbakan was saying this at a time when Turkey was in need of a penny, which made the country’s elite laugh at him. “Turkey today is the world’s 16th largest economy. It is a prominent country which has a say in its region. Its oligarchic structures have been eliminated while its democratic structure based on the nation’s will is getting stronger. It is a fact that the Turkey dreamt of by Erbakan and his generation has not yet been achieved; however, we now see that this is possible. We are seeing signs that their dreams are coming true. We also see that the point Turkey has reached today is mostly shaped by the dreams of Erbakan and his associates,” explains Kiras. Milliyet’s Hasan Cemal says Erbakan was a real political leader who understood that political life is a long marathon and who defended his principles to the very end and with persistence. Cemal says that, unlike the case in a number of other predominantly Muslim countries where Islamic movements have links to violence, Erbakan managed to keep his National View (Milli Görüş) movement within the boundaries of democracy, which he says is important for both democracy and Islam. “Erbakan was a leader who left a big mark on Turkish politics with his pluses and minuses,” notes Cemal. *This article first appeared in Todays Zaman Turkish daily newspaper. Is reprinted with permission from the author.
Issue # 29, March 2011
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NATIONAL NEWS
Rida: Tunisian traveller walking across Australia to promote peace and harmony Tarek Chamkhi
Mail: P.O. Box: 628, Mirrabooka, 6941 WA
Email: editor@crescenttimes.com.au SMS: 0414 155 366
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Rida Ben Haj Ahmed, is a Tunisian traveller who left his home town in the Tunisian inland in 1998, to walk around the world promoting peace, harmony and friendship. On arrival in Japan, after visiting and walking through most South East Asian and Far Eastern countries, his story made the chief of a Japanese police patrol cry. Rida had just expressed how awful war is and that the world would never forget the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. However, Rida’s trip has not been entirely peaceful. He was assaulted in Libya and Egypt on more than one occasion, which almost put an end to his life long dream. In Ethiopia he was arrested and imprisoned for around 60 days before he was deported. He found that some countries of course are more friendly and hospitable than others. Some are more high tech than others and some have more beautiful scenery than others. Through more than 35 countries over the last 13 years of walking he has recorded at least 90,000 kms of walking. He does not use transport unless he is in an area where walking is not permitted such as some places between China and Hong Kong for example, or in an emergency situation where he has run out of food or water. In China he recalls that he also had to
Why was the Quran revealed to us?
Sometimes one wonders which is the greater threat to Islam – being frontally attacked by non-Muslims or subtly undermined by Muslims? The London-based writer Usama Hasan is of the opinion (Crescent Times, February 2011) that the Quran should not be treated either as a textbook or as an instruction manual. Excuse me? There are several verses in the Quran which recommend reciting the Quran. The sahaba recited the Quran daily.
use transport as his short term visa did not allow him time to explore on foot. Among the more bizarre moments of his trip are the repeated refusals of the Saudi regime to grant him a visa to visit the holy places for pilgrimage or to travel there. He has applied on three or four different occasions without success. Other Arab countries such as Oman welcomed him with open arms. Rida confirms, for Australians of Singaporean background, that Singapore is the most tidy and clean country he has visited. When he arrived in Australia, immigration authorities were most welcoming too. They renewed his visa for 1 year and he is planning to go to New Zealand than come back to finish the remainder of his Australian tour. Crescent Times caught up with Rida at the Alice Springs mosque on his way to Uluru. So far he has walked from Perth to Darwin through Geraldton and Broome. The next part of his trip will be through far North Qeensland, to Cairns, then down to Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. He walks around 40 kms a day, carrying his 21kgs of gear and supplies - he camps wherever his daily energy runs out. Rida hopes to enter the Guinness book of records for the world record walking tour of the world. He is planning to continue his journey for another 6 to 8 years through Europe, North and South America before he settles down again with his family in Tunisia.
Even prayer is not valid unless a part of the Quran is recited. Seyed Qutb attributes the product of a unique generation of people under the Prophet’s leadership to the fact that this generation learnt their religion exclusively from the Quran. The Quran is referred to as the guidance to mankind in several places. In any subject one studies in university, it is the textbook which is read the most. Only then do the students visit the library and collect extra points from reference books. If Allah expected the Arabs (who understood Arabic) to
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BOOK REVIEW:
Islam Dreaming: Indigenous Muslims in Australia
Along with non Muslims all over the world, more and more Indigenous Australians are becoming Muslim. Islam Dreaming brings together the stories of Australia’s Indigenous Muslims, from histories told by descendents of the Afghan cameleers and Malay pearl divers, to the deeply reflective accounts of contemporary Indigenous converts. Dr. Stephenson’s research and interviews with Indigenous Muslims from all over Australia tell the story of Indigenous people trying to make sense of colonisation, to reverse the disintegration of family brought about by the actions of Christian missionaries and to build a new sense of personal identity and public enfranchisement. The book contains fascinating insights into the effect of Muslims who came to Australia as traders and employees on the lives of the Indigenous people they lived and worked with. These effects arose out of intermarriage with Indigenous people and included incorporation of Islamic customs and practices into the important rituals of Indigenous life such as burial traditions and prayer rituals. These rituals have been changed and moulded to include Arabic words and phrases that can still be identified today although the memory of those who introduced them may have long faded. Interestingly, the research undertaken by Dr. Stephenson has identified the similarity between Indigenous values and Islamic values in terms of relationship to country, family and community. Indigenous Muslims almost invariably reject extremism and find the values of Islam drawing them back to their culture of origin in many ways. Contemporary interviews of recent converts outline the unique challenges faced by Indigenous converts as they struggle to maintain and strengthen cultural identity while also incorporating aspects of Islam that can be totally foreign to their previous experience - including the experience common to many female converts of being perceived as foreign as a result of wearing the hijab. In keeping with Indigenous tradition, Islam Dreaming is a book of stories. Stories told by Indigenous men and women from across Australia about the impact Islam has had on their lives as converts, descendents of Muslim ancestry and spouses of Muslims. These stories give rise to a hope that future reconciliation will be possible between Indigenous and non Indigenous Australians - and that perhaps, one day, there will be such a thing as Australian Islam where culture can meet deen.
recite the Quran as much as possible, it is very obvious that He meant it to be the textbook of Islam. A man-made religion can be learnt from books written by men but a divine religion can be learnt only from a book authored by God. Unfortunately, many of us do not realise this simple logic. Otherwise, why would converts want to study Islam from schools in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia etc and even end up in Guantanamo Bay? They should have sat at home and pored over Mowdoodi’s voluminous Tafheemul Quran or Seyed Qutb’s equally
voluminous In the Shade of the Quran. If Quran is neither the textbook of Islam nor the instruction manual for life, then what is its role in Islam - one of many reference books or a hymn book to be chanted melodiously as Muslims do (thinking that God is a judge of a musical contest?) Or simply an ornament to adorn one’s neck or the wall of a house? Is it befitting the Word of God to be relegated to a secondary position? Ahamed Amirudin Melbourne
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Issue # 29, March 2011
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