Sunday 4 August 2019 | Issue 0769
CCN - a sometimes self-deprecating and occasional tongue-in-cheek look at ourselves and the world around us ....
We find the week's news, so that you don't have to
Be A Junior Vet program The CCN's "We'll take that as a comment" Column Self-Care and Clarity of Mind...a weekly column
Muslim Forum to engage Muslim Mental Health in Brisbane CCNTube The CCN Chuckle
Wrap up of Shoebox4Syria2019! Back to the Future with CCN The CCN Food for Thought
Missing person Births, Marriages, New Migrants and Condolences
Sara Saleh and Michael Ahmad speak about anthology
Jumma (Friday) Khutbas (Lectures)
Seniors visit Holland Park Mosque
PROGRAMMES & WORKSHOPS
Al-Huda graduation
The CCN Classifieds COMMUNITY & EDUCATION SERVICES
Christchurch attack survivors and relatives begin Hajj journey
Mosque Trust acknowledges canteen cooks
Australian Muslims are joining calls to boycott the Hajj
"We have much to learn from the Muslim community"
Keeping Fit with Kareema
Donations & Appeals Disclaimer
EID-UL-ADHA Programmes
QURBAN 2019
Latest Local Newsletters
SERIALIZATIONS
THE HISTORY OF ISLAM IN AUSTRALIA
Moving to QLD opened my eyes to racism
Be A Junior Vet program
The Hurricane Stars Club is excited to partner with Dr. Shibly Mustapha to share his passion for pets with children through the "Be a Junior Vet" program. We are grateful to the Logan City Council for supporting this program by choosing the "Be a Junior Vet" program to be a part of their Krank school holiday. We had an overwhelming response to the program with almost daily phone calls from parents with more than 150 children wanting to register to attend the program.
We had our first session at our Hurricane Stars Club centre in Logan Central. We held two sessions with twenty children in each session, all excitedly sitting on the floor and watching the interactive presentation. Dr Shibly taught the group all they needed to know to become future vets and care for all creatures Great and Small. They learnt about a day in the life of a vet, ranging from basic pet care to emergency first aid.
The children were encouraged to study hard and stay true to their dreams. It was great to see so much passion for the furry and feathered kind.
We will continue to run similar programs during the next school holidays, but be quick to avoid missing out next time! Monty & Minx Vet Clinic and the Algester Vet Surgery regularly takes school based work experience students.
Dr Shibly is passionate about inspiring the next generation of children to care for creation to the best of our ability. If you have questions about anything pet related, please contact the clinics for free advice.
www.montyandminx.com.au
www.algestervet.com
Local Muslim Forum to engage Muslim Mental Health in Brisbane
After the resounding success of the first Challenging Realities-Social Activism forum 01 March 2019, at the Sunnybank Performing Arts Centre (SUNPAC), the next chapter is set to attract a lot of interest.
Brisbane Muslim Conference presents the 2nd forum for 2019:
Radical Addictions and Indulgent Obsessions
A narrative on engaging the community's Mental Health Issues.
The growing interest regarding the state of Mental Health nationally has stoked discussions on how and what the Muslim community is doing to support and resolve the concerns of the community, particularly in regards to addiction and radical behaviorism.
The forum is intended to engage audiences with a vibrant interactive program and Q&A session.
Major factors that influence or cause mental health disorders are social, psychological and biological. This forum will explore aspects of mental health from a clinical, Islamic worldview and social perspective.
The experts include Ustadh Aftab Malik, the former CEO of Shaykh Hamza Yusuf's Zaytuna College and a designated �Global Expert� on Muslim affairs for the United Nations� Alliance of Civilizations.
This forum is aligned to the AITSL National Standards For Teachers and is considered as a Continuing Professional Development (CPD).
Date and Location
Friday 16 August at 6:30pm
Venue: SUNPAC
LIMITED SEATS, Secure your seat today at https://bit.ly/mentalhealthbne
Dylan Chown: Social Activism from an Australian Schooling Perspective - Challenging Realities
Brisbane Muslim Conference
Inaugural Brisbane Muslim Conference
Wrap up of Shoebox4Syria2019!
By Aalia Hussein
Assalamu-alaikum.
As you read the above sentence, please do so with a smile on your face. Make it a big smile, bring out your pearly whites on display. Now I want you to widen it until it is stretched across your face. Let your cheeks hurt from the force of it, your teeth grit in determination, begging for sweet release. I ask you, to keep smiling as you read this, even when you no longer feel like it.
There are numerous hadiths that dictate that the act of smiling or making another smile or laugh is a sunnat. Historians have commented on how the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was always cheerful and had a smile on his face; some even considered the simple task of smiling to be a form of charity. Zakat makes up one of the five basic tenets of Islam, meant to ensure that we help others in times of need and to be grateful for what we have.
This year�s Shoeboxes for Syria intended to combine both smiling and zakat. Donations were packed and shipped off to Syria in the hopes of putting smiles on the faces of Syria�s children. The youth of Syria live unimaginable lives plagued by war and violence and lack basic amenities and necessities. The backpacks aimed to meet those needs, by offering food, clothing, and toys, so that the Syrian children could at the very least, have their own belongings to be proud of. But most importantly, the campaign focuses on creating a positive experience for the children, allowing them a moment�s reprieve from their harsh lives.
Held annually at Algester Mosque, Shoeboxes for Syria took place on a sunny Saturday where mums, dads, grandparents, and kids all gathered to pack bags for Syria. Alhamdullilah, 670 backpacks were filled on the day alone, and combined with the backpacks from around Brisbane, brought the total bags to a staggering 1390.
What was particularly unique about this year�s event is that it took place nearly over a week after the tragic Christchurch shootings. You can imagine how palatable the unease was, and the lingering sense of insecurity and vulnerability, given the shooter was Australian. It made for the perfect opportunity, a mosque filled with women, men, and children, all Muslim, all easy targets. With that in mind, it�s easy to fear for our community�s safety, especially with increasing Islamophobia in today�s world.
The community of Brisbane recognised this feeling, and on the day, there were three Queensland police teams on hand to monitor everyone�s safety, along with flowers left at the doors from non-Muslims. I�m sure we are all grateful for their presence, as it brought reassurance to all of us who upon seeing the news felt scared, upset, or sorrowful. Above all, I�m certain it brought smiles to our faces, and in doing so, I hope it is a small remembrance to keep smiling.
Wisdom College, Australian International Islamic College - Durack, Glazed Dessert, As-Salaam Institute, the community groups and individuals along with the ladies who were drop off points around Brisbane, THANK YOU!!!!. Brisbane could not have done it without you!
Have you seen this woman? The 28-year-old has been reported missing from St Lucia and was last sighted at the University of Queensland campus on the morning of June 26. Got info? Call Policelink on 131 444.
Queensland Police: Police are appealing for public assistance to help locate a 28-year-old woman reported missing from St Lucia.
Aaisha AL GHAITHI was last seen at the University of Queensland campus at St Lucia around 8am on June 26. Aaisha had previously been living in Brisbane CBD accommodation but left in February 2019.
She has not made any contact with family and police and her family hold concerns for her welfare as she has a medical condition. Aaisha is from the middle east, is approximately 165cm tall with brown eyes and a slim build. Any members of the public who have seen Aaisha or know of her whereabouts are asked to contact police.
Award-winning writers and arts activists Sara Saleh and Michael Mohammed Ahmad speak with ABC News Breakfast about ARAB AUSTRALIAN OTHER: a groundbreaking anthology which explores the experience of living as a member of the Arab diaspora in Australia.
By Janeth Deen
Three bus loads of elderly people were brought by Anglicare to visit the Holland Park Mosque and the Queensalnd Muslim Museum.
The lift in the mosque allowed those in wheel chairs to access the mosque and the guests were happy to sit in chairs to listen to Janeth Deen explain the history of the religion in Queensland as well as the process of preparing for prayers, the prayers themselves and the features of the Mosque.
The guests were then taken to the museum and were interested in the photographs, the goods in the display case and asked questions about items displayed.
They were given a book on the history of the mosque, three MCF magazines and the war diary of Mohedeen Howsan.
It was great to see the interest in the history of Muslims this group showed.
The tour leader who booked the visit said this group came from Woolloongabba and asked if they could bring another group from Logan in the near future.
It is a great asset to have the museum to help us show our long history of Muslims in Queensland to make the visit to the mosque more interesting.
On the 28 July 2019, Al-Huda Brisbane hosted a graduation ceremony for some of their courses.
Al-Huda Brisbane Chapter is part of Al-Huda International, which was established in 1994 in Pakistan. It strives to teach the Quran and Sunnah of the Prophet SAW, with its vision being �Qur�an for all. In every hand, in every heart�.
It currently has branches in Pakistan, Canada, U.K. and Australia. In Australia, multiple courses are currently being run exclusively for sisters in Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney, Hobart, and Adelaide. Al-Huda also offers online courses as well as blended/flexible courses. Courses are run in either English or Urdu.
The ceremony was an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of graduates and participants of current courses. In total, there were 56 graduates graduating across 6 courses and 29 students acknowledged for their participation from 4 current ongoing courses.
The completed courses ranged from Fahm ul Quran (Urdu) that is run every year in Ramadan, focusing on completing a brief tafsir of the Quran completed through the holy month, short courses such as Surah Al Mulk, Ways to a happy life, Roshni ka Safar (Urdu course), a summer course that was run for children as well as Fahm ul Quran (English), a flexible online course.
At the graduation ceremony, the little graduates from the summer course did a performance to a nasheed and current students shared their reflections of their journey through the Quran thus far. All participants shared how much meaning learning the Book of Allah SWT had brought to their lives as well as a sense of organisation and peace in what they do on a daily basis. There were some emotional yet beautiful moments shared in every participant�s reflection last Sunday.
Currently, there are Saut-al-Quran courses being run in Kuraby mosque both on the weekend (Sunday) and weekdays (Tuesdays and Thursdays).
These are in Urdu and entail learning meaning of the Quran word to word with detailed tafsir and tajwid. There are also two courses on Surah al Baqarah with word-to-word translation of Surah Baqarah along with detailed tafsir being run at Kuraby mosque as well as at the West End mosque on Saturdays. Al-Huda Brisbane is also starting a Tajwid course in the coming weeks.
This will be run in the Logan Mosque, starting on the 28 August. It is a 6-month level 1 course that will be run every Wednesday from 10am to 12pm.
Please see the website for details: www.alhudaaustralia.com. For any further information on courses offered by Al Huda Australia, please email: office@alhudaaustralia.com or call: 0470761437.
The Gold Coast Mosque Trust awarded the volunteers at the Mosque's canteen certificates in recognition of their services.
"These wonderful ladies have been doing this excellent services for more than 15 years especially on Fridays by cooking and selling food after Jumma which is a source of revenue to our Masjid. May almighty Allah bless them for the services," Mr Hussain Baba told CCN.
Jacinda Ardern walks to plant a tree of remembrance with people connected to the Christchurch terror attacks.
A group of survivors and relatives of the Christchurch mosque shootings in New Zealand are taking part in the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca.
Survivors and relatives of the Christchurch mosque shootings have departed New Zealand to take part in the holy Hajj pilgrimage.
The Hajj is one of the five pillars of the Islamic faith, and all able-bodied Muslims are expected to perform it once in their lifetime.
Fifty-one people died and another 49 were injured in twin terror attacks at mosques in the suburbs of Christchurch during Friday prayers this March.
Two hundred relatives and survivors from the shootings will be traveling to Saudi Arabia as guests of Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.
Rehana Parveen is the wife of one of those survivors.
She said the trip will make a real difference.
�When a person goes for Hajj, that's a big, big thing for them,� Ms Parveen said.
�We're dealing with lots of things, pain and trauma ... but this is really going to help [and] change our lives.�
Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud is paying for all travel and accommodation costs, a bill likely to be more than $1 million.
The Saudi ambassador to New Zealand, Abdulrahman Al Suhaibani, last week said farewell to the pilgrims at the Al Noor mosque, one of two where the attacks happened.
The ambassador handed out special clothes for the men to wear during the pilgrimage and told the women they would be given kits when they arrived in Saudi Arabia.
Rehana's husband, Mohammad Shamim Siddiqui - who survived the attack - said the chance to make the pilgrimage will go a long way to healing their pain.
�It's a lifetime achievement. It is I think every Muslim's wish before they die to visit Mecca at least once in their life,� he said.
�From the [date of the shootings] our entire life has been changed."
"So we are very excited, very excited."
Australian Muslims are joining international calls to boycott the Hajj
There are growing calls from Muslims around the world to boycott the annual holy pilgrimage to Mecca over Saudi Arabia�s war in Yemen.
More than two million Muslims from around the world are expected to descend on the cities of Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia for the annual Hajj pilgrimage.
But a growing number of Muslims, including some in Australia, are turning their backs on what is one of the central pillars of Islam, and calling for a boycott of the event.
Sydney-based aspiring filmmaker Faraaz Rahman says he believes going to Hajj at the present time is not morally responsible.
�Going for Hajj would financially contribute to the Saudi regime, which currently is carrying out mass atrocities in Yemen against fellow Muslims. This is not what the Hajj is meant to be about,� the 31-year-old told SBS News.
For able-bodied and financially able Muslims, going to the Hajj at least once in life is considered a religious obligation by many.
But in April, Libya�s most famous Sunni Grand Mufti, Sadiq al-Gharawani, appealed to Muslims around the world to boycott the Hajj pilgrimage over Saudi Arabia�s human rights abuses. He is one of the most prominent Sunni Muslim leaders to call for the boycott, but he is far from alone.
The social media hashtag #BoycottHajj has trended on Twitter in some Muslim majority countries.
�Before there might have been fringe groups here and there, without any traction� but now prominent leaders are calling for it [boycott]. I hope that that leads to other religious authorities to pick up and make similar calls,� Mr Rahman said.
Differing views
Vice president of the Islamic Council of Victoria, Adel Salman, said he understood why many Muslims were calling for a boycott but doesn't personally support it.
�It is understandable that people feel very strongly. And it is understandable that people will hold Saudi Arabia responsible for the suffering and the crimes that are being committed in that country [Yemen],� he said.
�Performing the Hajj obviously you have to visit Saudi Arabia, you will go to the holy places, clearly that will mean you will be spending money in Saudi Arabia.�
�But most Muslims would see it as a completing of their religious obligations and they would dissociate completely with issues of politics or the Saudi government.�
Two Hajj tourism operators in Australia, who were contacted by SBS News but didn�t want to be named, said they had not seen a drop off in bookings for this year�s pilgrimage.
THE turning of a sod at Bendigo East yesterday meant so much more than the start of a construction project.
It was the start of a new chapter for Bendigo, and significantly for the Bendigo Muslim community.
We cannot and should not speak on behalf of the Bendigo Islamic Association, so it's best we draw on their words and lived experiences to share how they feel.
In the words of Sameer Syed, the centre 'won't be just a mosque for the Bendigo Muslims to pray in, it will be a centre of religious and cultural exchange for all residents of Bendigo. Our vision is for every Bendigonian to benefit from the BICC, whether it be to educate themselves, engage in constructive dialogue, take part in community activities or simply drop in with family and friends for a coffee in a tranquil yet ultra modern setting. I am confident that once the centre is up and running Bendigonians will reflect on what a positive impact the centre has been making on this great city of ours."
And in Dr Aisha Neelam's words: "We love where we live, we feel welcome here and we want to use this facility to reach out to the Bendigo community."
It's pretty clear, this facility is going to be one built with the intent of bringing people together - not to divide.
Up until this point, we have seen the ugliest side of humanity, as some tried to do the exact opposite of what the Bendigo Islamic Association is hoping to do. It was a prolonged battle fought by those opposing the mosque, which was based on misinformation and untruths. A battle that deliberately created fear, incited hatred and division. An unnecessary battle that afforded our Muslim community little respect, or grace.
Yet, through all of that we saw the very best of humanity in the way the Bendigo Muslim community was always respectful and showed grace in their response. We have much to learn from that. And we saw how Bendigo stood up to the hate. We are a city that believes in harmony and fairness, and will continue to embrace people of all cultures and who practice all faiths. They are entitled to do so, free of judgement and hate.
The Bendigo Advertiser
Please send your Eid Day programme to admin@ccnonline.com.au for inclusion here.
Moving from western Sydney to Queensland opened my eyes to racism � and my own culture
By Ryan Al-Natour - This is an edited extract from Racism and Recipes by Ryan Al-Natour, published in Arab Australian Other: Stories on Race & Identity (Picador Australia).
Ryan Al-Natour loved showing Sydney friends how many kangaroos there were in the north.
I had just arrived to officially begin a new life for myself in the Sunshine State. I'd spent the previous week driving up from Western Sydney. I was born in Canterbury to Palestinian parents and for me, Queensland was a holiday destination filled with theme parks, beaches, hot weather, wildlife and fresh tropical fruits.
Now, as an adult, I had accepted a job offer and made the decision to move to regional Queensland. This was my opportunity to live in a warmer climate where I could swim all year round and avoid overpriced Sydney rent and the congestion of an increasingly densely populated urban jungle.
Bring. It. On. I thought.
Surprisingly, it was difficult to find a property to rent in Rockhampton before moving.
When I initially phoned as Ryan Al-Natour, a real estate agent told me "we don't want too many people living here". Ryan Smith phoned back and made an appointment to inspect the property. On another occasion, a real estate agent commented that I should be careful renting in Rockhampton as there were "feral Indigenous" people around. I withdrew my application.
'We shouldn't cater for that!'
Rockhampton is known as the beef capital of Australia. After passing the "Welcome to Rockhampton" sign and numerous giant statues of bulls and cows, I noticed that it was 2pm. I had missed lunch. I googled "best steak in Rockhampton" and ended up at a random pub. The steak was served on a sizzling hot plate and it was delicious.
The waitress asked about my meal. We started chatting about other items on the menu like kangaroo, crocodile and emu. I wasn't used to seeing these items on a Western Sydney menu.
She then paused, looked away and told me that they kept halal meat in the kitchen. This information came out of nowhere. Her voice tone went from being "informative" about the menu to being "annoyed".
She must think I am Muslim, I thought. I informed her that if eating halal meat were a priority for me, I would have asked about it before finishing an entire steak.
The waitress then shared her thoughts. "We shouldn't have to keep halal meat. We shouldn't have to change the menu. We shouldn't cater for that"
It struck me then. She wasn't opening up a can of halal worms with the intention of being educated about Muslims and protocol. The waitress wanted an argument.
I started to become annoyed. "Then don't keep halal meat. Then don't change the menu. It is not my restaurant, I don't care what you serve."
I had only been in Rockhampton for two hours. Was it arduous to be Arab-Australian in Rockhampton? Was racism a common day-to-day experience?
to be continued in next week's CCN....
Salih Yucel and Abu Bakr Sirajuddin Cook, editors Australian Journal of Islamic Studies
Editors' Introduction (Vol 3 No 3 2018): The history of Islam within Australia is an important, yet often overlooked, part of Australian history. Muslim presence in Australia has helped shape multicultural experience facilitating intercultural dialogue as well as contributing significantly to the development of the Australian nation. However, to date, it has received minimal scholarly attention. There have been significant studies on the engagements of the Maccasans, Muslim fishermen from Indonesia, with the Indigenous peoples of northern Australia. These studies have detailed the cultural interactions and trade between them and the lasting impacts of the inclusion of language foreign to Australian soil. There is also an increasing awareness of Australia�s cameleers, many of whom were Muslims, and the contribution they made to maintaining trade routes and assisting early Australian explorers. Despite the growing interest in the field, the history of Islam in Australia remains an understudied area of research. This rich history dates back further than we thought and has possibly had a greater impact than what is recognised. Given the current political and social climate surrounding Islam globally, it is timely that this volume of the Australian Journal of Islamic Studies is published. This volume brings to light the depth and richness of Australia�s Islamic heritage, challenging some of the prevalent assumptions on the topic, and calls for further studies in this field. Australia has proclaimed itself as being a successful example of a multicultural society. It is a society that has been shaped, and continues to be shaped, by a diverse range of cultural inputs. With this being the case, it is justifiable to ask how and why the contributions of Muslims to Australia have been largely overlooked.
Over the weeks, CCN highlights extracts from the Australian Journal of Islamic Studies which is an open access, double-blind peer-reviewed journal dedicated to the scholarly study of Islam.
ANZAC Muslims: An Untold Story
By Dzavid Haveric, Charles Sturt University
Abstract: When the Commonwealth of Australia became immersed in two World Wars, Australian Muslims accepted the national call �they shed their blood and gave their lives for Australia�s freedom and democracy. With their Australian brothers-in-arms and allies they fought courageously with honour against their common enemies in different battlefields �but this is an almost forgotten history. Muslims in Australia were challenged by Britain�s imperial might and by their status as British subjects and �aliens� to take part in ANZAC showing their commitment to their adopted country.
The virtue of justice, sense of responsibility and loyalty are peculiar qualities that find their full justification in the organised welfare of Australian society. This pioneering article, based on ongoing research on ANZAC Muslims, makes known their unique contribution. It reveals historic facts about ANZAC Muslims who were members of what has come to be known as the Heroic Generation. Although their names have not appeared in history books, they achieved the glory of victory for a better future for new generations to come. Their contribution is part of Australian National Heritage �Lest we forget.
....continued from last week's CCN.....
From an Islamic legal and historical viewpoint, members of a Muslim community can serve in the army in defence of their country or its protecting �motherland�, even if it is a non-Muslim state involved in fighting against a Muslim state.
Service in the Australian army and expression of loyalty toward it while participating in a war against a Muslim state could be justified ��flouting such an order may endanger the life, property and honour of the remaining Muslims living in the non-Muslim state.�
In fact, serving under these conditions and with good intentions was not only permissible (jāʾiz, also right/possible), but commendable (mandub).
Some Muslims considered going to war was illegitimate as they saw it as d�j� vu �a repeated bloody cause of sorrow, destruction and obliteration. However, they also expressed their loyalty to Australia by taking part in other activities to contribute to society. Similar to other religions, Islam�s orientation is towardspeace.
In the Islamic Doctrine of Peace and War, Abdel Salam highlights that war must necessarily be considered a form of self-defence; hostilities must be carried out with decency, while non-combatants should be shown respect and kindness.6 Islam requires Muslims to defend not only Muslims, but also Jews and Christians.
As such, Muslim soldiers in Australia took a pathway of social integration into a new political and legal framework.
The individual and collective virtues of all, including Muslims, in times of war and peace are the basis for any nation�s social order. Imamovic, in Outlines of Islamic Doctrine, points out the virtue of justice and sense of responsibility, obedience and loyalty, apart from representing a moral way of thinking and acting, are qualities that find their full justification in contributing to the organised welfare of Australian society.
CONTINUED IN NEXT WEEK'S CCN....
Teenager wins as she becomes first jockey to race in a hijab in Britain | ITV News
An 18-year-old took first place as she became the first jockey to race in a hijab in Britain.
After only sitting on a racehorse for the first time in April, student Khadijah Mellah rode to victory on Haverland in the all-female Magnolia Cup at Goodwood.
The Muslim teenager from Peckham, south London, hopes her triumph will serve as a beacon to others.
�Ambitious women can make it and that is what I want to represent,� she said.
�I�ve had so much support and I can�t wait to see other stories of other women doing the same and getting into the industry.�
Ms Mellah is set to study mechanical engineering at university in September and learnt to ride at the Ebony Horse Club charity in Brixton.
She claimed a tight victory after making her move in the final furlong of the amateur charity race, with the blanket finish tensely going to the judges.
Ijtima in UK
Thousands gathered in Blackburn UK last weekend for the �Ijtima.�
It�s the largest gathering of Muslims in Europe.
Syrian family before Judge
Caught In Providence
Welcome to America!
A Family of Syrian refugees leave a lasting impression on the Judge, as they declare their love of America.
Greek lady convert to Islam
Islam is the religion of Peace and Love
The Virtues of Dhul Hijjah
OnePath Network
It is the usual policy of CCN to include notices of events, video links and articles that some readers may find interesting or relevant. Such notices are often posted as received. Including such messages/links or providing the details of such events does not necessarily imply endorsement or agreement by CCN of the contents therein.
Child Sexual Abuse Is NEVER OKAY In Islam
By Princess R. Lakshman (Sister Iqra)
Recently in a Queensland courtroom, a Muslim female teenager bravely read out her victim impact statement. This news when shared on different platforms on social media garnered different responses - some filled with compassion for the victim and her family and others filled with justifications using hadiths on zina and issues not even relevant to the actual news article.
Today, I write this opinion piece from the perspective of survivor of childhood sexual abuse.
I'm not a Fiqh expert or an Islamic scholar, or a even a born Muslim but I am a survivor of childhood sexual abuse.
This is a very serious issue. Irrespective of religion, culture or ethnic background, the most important thing to remember is that when the heinous crime of sexual abuse happens to a child, most often the child does not even have the language in which to express nor comprehend what happened. The experience gets blocked in the subconscious mind until a trigger incident unblocks the memory. Even then, the self-blaming paradigm keeps the victim silent. Until one day she or he can no longer live with the suffocation of injustice and chooses to stand up for herself or himself, even when it means standing alone.
Arab world turns its back on religion � and its ire on the US
Survey of 25,000 people in Middle East and North Africa
Trust in religious leaders decreased in each of the 11 states and territories surveyed bar Lebanon.
CONTINUED FROM LAST WEEK's CCN.....
Ten years ago, I thought Britain was becoming more tolerant. I was wrong
Autobiography and memoir by Sarfraz Manzoor
Sarfraz Manzoor recalled the racism of his childhood in Luton in his memoir Greetings from Bury Park. As a film adaptation is released, he asks how much has really changed
A quest to belong � Sarfraz Manzoor.
CONTINUED FROM LAST WEEK'S CCN......
The film option to my book was sold in 2012. It is hard to process how much the world has changed in the seven years since. The film, Blinded by the Light, will be released in August. Directed by Gurinder Chadha, of Bend It Like Beckham fame, and adapted by me, with Chadha and her husband Paul Mayeda Berges as co-writers, it is fictional but emotionally autobiographical.
It stays loyal to the heart and soul of my book. The story is about identity and belonging, about parents and children and how we children of immigrants wish to stand on our own feet without trampling on our parents� hearts. It is also the story of the racism of my childhood and the possibility of change.
I had hoped that the tales of my teenage years would, with each year, read more and more like a dispatch from a long gone era. Younger readers would greet them with horrified fascination and a renewed gratitude for how much things had changed. It turns out that things have not changed as much as I had hoped. The old fragility has returned.
In the 12 years between my book being published and the film made, xenophobia has not only returned, it has become normalised. The racism that hovered ominously in the background of my teenage life, and sometimes in the foreground, has returned. In the days after a man ploughed into worshippers outside a mosque in Finsbury Park in 2017, only minutes from where I live, I had to take my daughter on a different route to her violin lesson, so she wouldn�t see the aftermath of the attack.
In my teenage years it was the National Front who marched through my hometown; now it is Britain First and the English Defence League. Tommy Robinson, another son of Luton, who founded the EDL, is welcomed into Ukip and Johnson, the man who may be our next prime minister, freely uses mocking language about Muslim women who wear niqabs. The right of anyone who is not white to say they are fully British is once again being challenged.
TO BE CONTINUED IN NEXT WEEK'S CCN.....
Islam and the West: How Muslims are constructing a new identity
By Adis Duderija
While there are highly reactionary types of Western Muslim identity that emphasise their distinctiveness, there are also identities that are comfortable with the idea of being Muslim and a Westerner.
The last three decades have seen an explosion of interest, both scholarly and popular, in Islam and Muslims - particularly Muslims who reside in Western liberal democracies.
Apart from global geo-political events that have contributed to this phenomenon, increased numbers and a more visible presence of Muslims in the West, mostly due to immigration, have also ensured that discussions pertaining to Islam and Muslim communities in the West have taken centre stage in many Western social and political contexts. And these discussions have only grown in intensity.
So what are the major issues and debates surrounding this "new," visible and, for some, problematic presence of Islam and Muslims in the West?
The presence of Muslims in the West is, of course, nothing new. Centuries-long Muslim presence on the European continent goes back to the eighth century in the case of the Iberian Peninsula, eleventh-century Sicily and the fourteenth century in the case of the Balkans.
In the other parts of the West, Islam has centuries-long presence. Interactions between Islam/Muslims and the West have been taking place since the early days of Islam, frequently in the context of military conflict and, at times, but not always, in situations marked by religious intolerance.
Both historically and in recent decades, conceptions of Islam and Muslims in the West have tended not only to emphasise their foreignness, but also their collective uniformity. However, among contemporary Muslim communities in the West, a number of Islamic orientations operate with very different conceptions of the normative Islamic tradition and with very different social orientations toward the broader society, ranging from highly participatory to isolationist. In my new book with Halim Rane, we try to correct this presumption of uniformity by exploring some of these different these Islamic orientations in the West and the transnational links associated with them.
In contemporary Western liberal democracies, Muslim communities constitute a new immigrant minority religion and the dynamics surrounding their identity construction in many important ways resemble those of other communities which have operated in similar contexts. The salience of their religious identity, especially among Western born or raised Muslims, at the expense of other traits - such as ethnicity or race - is one important aspect of this dynamic.
This is not, however, to imply that what we term a religion-based identity is necessarily fundamentalist in character. Individualisation or privatisation of Muslim identity is, in fact, a major characteristic of Western Muslim identity (re)construction. While there exist ultraorthodox and highly reactionary types of Western Muslim identity that emphasise its distinctiveness from the broader society, there are also types of Western Muslim identities that are very comfortable with the idea of being a Muslim and a Westerner.
The types of Western Muslim identity construction, we emphasise, depend in part on the approaches to the normative Islamic tradition Western Muslims adopt and the kind of "Muslim woman" construct they endorse. In which case, emphasis on distinction in dress or what could be termed "Muslim visibility" - especially in the form of the hijab - tends to contribute to a sense of "otherness" and "foreignness" between Western Muslims and the broader society.
The issues pertaining to gender have also come into the focus in the context of discussions surrounding Islam and Muslim communities in the West. One of the most sensitive and controversial debates relates to the various responses elicited by Western Muslim organisations to the ever-increasing demands by certain sections of Western Muslim communities for the recognition and accommodation of female religious authority - defined both as scholarly authority to engage in interpretation of normative texts, and the legitimacy of assuming religious leadership and representation of Muslim communities, including in mosques.
This new-found gender consciousness has given rise to activist and scholarly-based forms of gender jihad, which has resulted in the emergence of scholarly literature that produces non-patriarchal interpretations of Islam and is affirmative of female religious authority. But these developments have also forced some of the main Islamic organisations in the West to confront this issue of gender directly and make certain accommodations in this respect. Alternative initiatives have also sprung up that bypass existing power structures and have materialised in form of women only/inclusive or women-lead mosques.
Minority fiqh is another issue that has come to the fore of the discussions on Islam and Muslim communities in the West over the last few decades. Minority fiqh is an approach to Islamic jurisprudence developed in the 1990s by an Iraqi-born American Muslim scholar, Taha Al-Alwani. It is premised on the idea that new Islamic jurisprudence needs to be developed - rather than relying on existing classical jurisprudence whose contours were more or less finalised in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries - for Muslims living in the West that reflects the new context in which they find themselves.
In our book, we are most interested in demonstrating the contested nature of the concept of minority fiqh by analysing the differences between two leading theoretical approaches to the discourse of minority fiqh - the wasati and the salafi. The former is associated with scholars such as the "Global Mufti," Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, whereas the latter is associated with the religious establishment in Saudi Arabia. We argue that the wasati approach, unlike the salafi, to minority fiqh has far more potential to contribute to the meaningful and lasting integration of Western Muslims. This is so because the wasati approach explicitly encourages Muslims in the West to be proactive citizens in their respective societies and to engage in electoral politics.
This gives rise to the possibility of a distinctly Western Islam - conceived not merely as a political-juristic construct (as per minority fiqh discourse) but as a fully-fledged philosophical and cultural system or worldview, akin to South-East Asian or African Islam. In our book, we identify some grounds and developments that might assist in the emergence of such a system or worldview - focussing particularly on ideas of Tariq Ramadan and Basam Tibi.
While some of these developments continue to provoke concerns about the future of the relationship between Muslims and non-Muslims in the West, many of these developments point to successful transformations and fruitful exchanges of ideas. Given the nature of the present socio-political context - characterised as it is both by the rise of right-wing politics in Western liberal democracies and the continued threat of terrorism, including home-grown terrorism - it is likely that many of the issues we identify will continue to hold a great deal of relevance for the foreseeable future.
Adis Duderija is Lecturer in the Study of Islam and Society in the School of Languages and Social Science, Griffith University. He is the co-author (with Halim Rane) of Islam and Muslims in the West: Major Issues and Debates.
ABC Religion & Ethics
"My mother didn't talk about my ancestors" - Aboriginal Muslim woman speak out By Talib Haider
As NAIDOC Week has drawn to a close, SBS Urdu talks to a Noongar Muslim Aboriginal woman on what she feels is an element of underlying racism in Australia and why her mother did not share information about her Afghan Muslim ancestors until Shaymaa Abdullah traced them herself.
Shaymaa Abdullah is an Indigenous Muslim woman and a descendant of Afghan cameleers.
SBS Urdu spoke to her about the importance of Naidoc Week and her family ancestry.
�Naidoc Week not only brings us close to our culture and reflect on history, but it also brings awareness to a lot of other places as well.
�Everybody gets involved in Naidoc Week, a lot of corporate companies get involved it. They recognise their Indigenous employees as well.
�I think it is great, but I feel even though it is a special week for us but I think there should be more to be put in place.�
�I don�t think we get the recognition we deserve.�
On the question of whether the Naidoc Week is bridging the gap between the mainstream Australian and the Aboriginal people, Shaymaa says it is not enough.
�I don�t think one week [in a year] is enough to bridge that gap; I think there needs to be more done to bridge that gap.
�Without any questions, we should be able to speak about the Aboriginal community ourselves and not somebody else speaks for us."
Shaymaa says that it is the limited knowledge of the religion which results in people throwing racial remarks.
�It kinds of get a bit frustrating because a lot of comments thrown at Muslims, it comes down to lack of education and ignorance. They don�t want to accept that the Muslims had close ties with Indigenous people for many years.�
�I identify as an indigenous woman, I am Muslim and I think these are two very strong ties to this country.�
Talking about her ancestral connections and family history, Shaymaa said that she had limited knowledge about it but later researched about Islam and reverted to it in 2001.
�When my mother passed out I did a lot of research myself� finding out the meaning of Abdullah and getting my family records from Western Australia.
�Going through the records, it traces back to my Afghan ancestors were here as cameleers. A lot of it is in calligraphy so it is very hard to understand because of the writing which is from way back.�
Listen live with the TuneIn app at http://tun.in/sfw8Z
Friday lecture (sermon)
DATE: 2 August 2019
TOPIC: "The first ten days of Dhul Hijjah"
IMAM: Ahmed Naffa
TOPIC: "Lessons from the life of Hazrat Ibrahim Part 4"
IMAM: Ikram Buksh
TOPIC: "The light of Emaan"
IMAM: Junaid Akbar
TOPIC: "We have forgotten the Akhirah"
IMAM: Imam Tahir (visiting Imam from ICB)
The Inbox
Dear CCN Editor,
I have read your article for job hunting by migrants in your past CCN766. I know it�s very time consuming and difficult to find work in Australia.
However, I am writing this email to give some positive advice for new job hunters and keep theirs hope high. I have faced the same situations and based on my experience collected few tips, which may help them in finding the right opportunity.
1. Create your account and job alerts on Seek, Indeed, Jora etc as well as on your related industry or companies websites. This will minimise your effort and time to search related jobs on internet.
2. Connect locally with the people working in the same industry and also network through Linked this will help you to get an idea about growth and market trends. Like Mining is going good now a days as compared to four years before.
3. I know like every skilled migrant you have Uni degree. But still if you are facing difficulty to find work then check related short course and liscences with TAFE and RTO which will increase your chance to step in any organisation through work placement. You can even think about changing your career field like there is no career scope for Textile Engineers in Australia.
4. Start volunteering if you have strong financial situation or any casual work, this is another way to get job reference for your next permanent job. Your credibility will increase, if you have 2-3 local references on your CV.
5. Don�t be shy to ask for help with your community and friends to proofread your resume, cover letter and selection criteria. Preparing good response to selection criteria is very important specially for government jobs.
Amber Kamran
Hundreds of coaches transport Hajj pilgrims hosted by King Salman
Hundreds of coaches were put into service on Friday to receive Hajj pilgrims who are being hosted by King Salman.
SAUDI ARABIA: Hundreds of coaches were put into service on Friday to receive Hajj pilgrims who are being hosted by King Salman.
Pilgrims who are performing Hajj as part of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques� Guests Program for Hajj and Umrah will be transported by coaches equipped with interactive screens that can be operated in various languages.
The initiative is part of efforts to ensure that pilgrims are transported safely and comfortably from the moment they arrive in Saudi Arabia until they leave after performing the pilgrimage, Saudi Press Agency reported.
They will transport pilgrims during the days of Hajj, as well as between Makkah, Jeddah and Madinah.
6,000 pilgrims will perform Hajj this year as part of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques� Guests Program for Hajj and Umrah.
Bond 25: Rami Malek refused to play Arabic-speaking terrorist in new 007 film
Rami Malek has revealed that he insisted upon just one thing prior to accepting his role as the villain in Bond 25: that his character wouldn�t be an Arabic-speaking terrorist, or a villain who uses religion as justification for his crimes.
�It�s a great character and I�m very excited,� Malek told The Mirror. �But that was one thing that I discussed with [director] Cary Fukunaga. I said, �We cannot identify him with any act of terrorism reflecting an ideology or a religion. That�s not �something I would entertain, so if that is why I am your choice then you can count me out�. But that was clearly not his vision. So he�s a very different kind of terrorist.�
The Bohemian Rhapsody Oscar winner said that his own ethnic background, and his awareness of the importance of positive representation, drove him to the decision.
Speaking of his Egyptian heritage as �the fabric of who I am�, Malek added: �I am Egyptian. I grew up listening to Egyptian music. I loved Omar Sharif. These are my people. I feel so gorgeously tied to the culture and the human beings that exist there.�
As for Bond 25, Malek teased that it is �another extremely clever script from the people who have figured out exactly what people want in those movies. But I feel a substantial weight on my shoulders. I mean, Bond is something that we all grow up with.�
Nigeria bans Shia group after deadly clashes
Tensions escalate as supporters of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria demand the release of their leader Ibrahim Zakzaky.
NIGERIA: The Nigerian government has banned a Shia group after a spate of deadly clashes at protests in the capital Abuja, and following a court decision allowing authorities to call it a "terrorist" organisation.
The office of President Muhammadu Buhari said in a statement on Sunday that the government "had to act" against the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), before the situation got out of control.
Tensions have risen between the authorities and IMN as demonstrations in Abuja to free pro-Iranian leader Ibrahim Zakzaky have descended into violence.
On Monday, a court in Kaduna State will decide on Zakzaky's application for bail to seek medical treatment abroad.
"Proscription of Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) has nothing to do with banning the larger numbers of peaceful and law-abiding Shia in the country from practising their religion, instead it was to discourage wanton violence, murder and willful destruction of public and private property," the presidency said in a statement.
"The banned organisation was taken over by extremists who didn't believe in peaceful protests and instead employed violence and arson, driving fear and undermining the rights of others and constituted authority."
Dutch 'burqa ban' unworkable on first day as police, transport refuse to enforce it
A woman wearing a niqab pushes a baby stroller on snow-covered streets in Amsterdam.
HOLLAND: A day after the controversial law came into effect, concerns are being raised about how it will be enforced.
A day after a controversial ban on the wearing of face-coverings, including the burqa or niqab, came into force in The Netherlands concerns are being raised about how it will be enforced after police said it was not a priority.
The Partial Ban on Face-Covering Clothing Act prevents the wearing of veils in public buildings, such as schools and hospitals and on public transport, but it does not cover the street.
A person wearing a head-covering will be given the option to remove the item or face a $244 fine.
But a statement from Dutch police announced the responsibility of enforcing compliance with the new law rests with employees of the institution, including public transport workers, has given rise to concerns.
Employees are expected to address offenders, inform them about the prohibition and request them to remove the face-covering or leave the venue, the statement reads.
Representatives of medical centres and the public transport industry have reportedly said the responsibility for the enforcement of the law did not lie with employees but with the police.
According to The Guardian, transport companies said they would not ask their staff on trains, metros, trams or buses to enforce the law.
Fears have also been raised that the law will mean Muslim women avoid seeking out health care and dissuade them from entering public spaces. There are also concerns that it will lead to increased violence towards Muslim women as people attempt to undertake citizen arrests.
The law will be reviewed in three years, two-years earlier than is usually the case, according to local media.
Between 200 and 400 women are estimated to wear a burqa or niqab in the country of 17 million people.
Sign of the times: China's capital orders Arabic, Muslim symbols taken down
The Arabic script on the signboard of a halal food store is seen covered, at Niujie area in Beijing, China, July 19, 2019. Picture taken July 19, 2019.
CHINA: Authorities in the Chinese capital have ordered halal restaurants and food stalls to remove Arabic script and symbols associated with Islam from their signs, part of an expanding national effort to "Sinicize" its Muslim population.
Employees at 11 restaurants and shops in Beijing selling halal products and visited by Reuters in recent days said officials had told them to remove images associated with Islam, such as the crescent moon and the word "halal" written in Arabic, from signs.
Government workers from various offices told one manager of a Beijing noodle shop to cover up the "halal" in Arabic on his shop's sign, and then watched him do it.
"They said this is foreign culture and you should use more Chinese culture," said the manager, who, like all restaurant owners and employees who spoke to Reuters, declined to give his name due to the sensitivity of the issue.
The campaign against Arabic script and Islamic images marks a new phase of a drive that has gained momentum since 2016, aimed at ensuring religions conform with mainstream Chinese culture.
The campaign has included the removal of Middle Eastern-style domes on many mosques around the country in favour of Chinese-style pagodas.
China, home to 20 million Muslims, officially guarantees freedom of religion, but the government has campaigned to bring the faithful into line with Communist Party ideology.
It's not just Muslims who have come under scrutiny. Authorities have shut down many underground Christian churches, and torn down crosses of some churches deemed illegal by the government.
But Muslims have come in for particular attention since a riot in 2009 between mostly Muslim Uighur people and majority Han Chinese in the far western region of Xinjiang, home to the Uighur minority.
"Arabic is seen as a foreign language and knowledge of it is now seen as something outside of the control of the state," said Darren Byler, an anthropologist at the University of Washington who studies Xinjiang.
"It is also seen as connected to international forms of piety, or in the eyes of state authorities, religious extremism. They want Islam in China to operate primarily through Chinese language," he said.
Kelly Hammond, an assistant professor at the University of Arkansas who studies Muslims of the Hui minority in China, said the measures were part of a "drive to create a new normal".
Beijing is home to at least 1,000 halal shops and restaurants, according to the Meituan Dianping food delivery app, spread across the city's historic Muslim quarter as well as in other neighborhoods.
It was not clear if every such restaurant in Beijing has been told to cover Arabic script and Muslim symbols. One manager at a restaurant still displaying Arabic said he'd been ordered to remove it but was waiting for his new signs.
Several bigger shops visited by Reuters replaced their signs with the Chinese term for halal - "qing zhen" - while others merely covered up the Arabic and Islamic imagery with tape or stickers.
"Currently, our country�s halal food regulation is managed locally, every local government�s relevant department administers it according to the local dietary habits and customs," he said, referring further questions on the matter to the Beijing committee.
While most shopkeepers interviewed by Reuters said they did not mind replacing their signs, some said it confused their customers and an employee at a halal butcher shop accused authorities of "erasing" Muslim culture.
Asghar and Zahra
Sameer Rahim
Childhood friends Asghar and Zahra were born into the same British Muslim community in west London. But they grow up into very different people. Asghar is a shy boy nervous of stepping outside his family's comfort zone, while Zahra is an ambitious woman who has just finished her degree at Cambridge.
The novel opens on their wedding day as friends and family wonder what could possibly have brought this odd couple together. After a comically disastrous honeymoon, painful secrets from the past throw the relationship further off-balance. And then there's the sinister preacher taking a keen interest in them . . .
A funny, sympathetic and very human novel about the first year of a marriage, and the difficulties of reconciling the sometimes conflicting demands of family, religion and society, Asghar and Zahra is the debut of a striking new talent.
This book, like so many others, is about being stuck and torn between cultures. It is a well-written book, but the tale told is not new.
As British born Muslims we find ourselves in this arid cultural in no man�s land, where you cannot recognise yourself in your parent�s community but neither can you fully belong to the other side. In a conversation that is described between Zahra and Krish a fellow student she meets at a club: �They continued swapping family stories � stories they would have felt uncomfortable telling their white friends but which they trusted each other to appreciate in the right way.� (p107)
Rahim in writing a fictional novel, as opposed to a biographical novel, has given himself a lot of space to manoeuvre. I was surprised at the number of explicit scenes � both embarrassing and funny � that were written into the novel, and quite often they distracted from the development of the characters.
This book is about Asghar and Zahra two Millenials from the same community who decide to get married. In Asghar, Zahra sees her ticket back into the community, and in Zahra, Asghar sees his ticket out of the community that he has spent all his life in. �She had planned to guide Asghar into a new world. One where not everything was viewed through the lens of religious doctrine or cultural expectations:� (p 47)
Zahra had decided to study at Cambridge University to get away from family and community and is desperate to prove she can fit in. She goes clubbing and pretends to drink when offered a promotion in her workplace. �But she couldn�t help thinking back over the successes of her life so far � being accepted by the bank, getting into Cambridge � and wondering how much had depended on the liberal sympathies of her interviewers and her playing up to that liberalism. (Within limits she told herself: she hadn�t, after all, drunk the wine, and back at the office had washed her mouth thoroughly.)� (p98)
So the question then that arises why run away from that which gives you the most value? Asghar, on the other hand, is a boy who has always stayed at home and around the community. He listens to what his mother says and has stayed at home while studying at University. He�s religiously and culturally more conservative than his spouse.
It is interesting that Asghar finds solace in a cleric, Tariq, who seems to have extremist tendencies. Asghar seeks sympathy for the humiliations that he had endured as a child from the headmaster at his school. He doesn�t confide in Zahra because she would blame him for not integrating into the school. But she too would never admit for all the compromises she had made still doesn�t fit in.
For she states, �But you have to prove you�re aren�t an imposter: that you can adjust to their ways; admire the culture you want to be a part of. If you challenge them a bit, you do it with the help of Shakespeare � not, you know the way your friend Tariq does. Give them something they can trust.� (p 118). Asghar cannot understand that sentiment.
This book is a story of two parallel narratives that are doomed to go their separate ways, and you hope that they would converge when they got married but they don�t which leads to conflict and is resolved by the very community members whom neither protagonist had thought very highly of in the past. These moments are the only redeeming aspects of our mosques.
Rahim brings up the awkwardness of straddling two cultures but does not seek to resolve them. He merely talks about them, and you find yourself laughing and too often cringing at the different scenarios that are all too familiar in our lives.
He listed all the painful truths from our faith and culture, our class systems, how we judge individuals who step out, or not lead their lives according to the norms amongst other issues.
Watching, or reading about these characters attempts to navigate these painful truths was excruciating, and it held up a mirror holding us accountable for the injustices that occur amongst our own.
I do wonder, however, how this book portrays our community to an outsider. In an era where there is so much negative coverage about our cultures, our faith does this book do us more harm than good?
Aasiya I Versi
Source: Muslim News UK
Then simply email the title and author to admin@ccnonline.com.au
KB says: Just perfect with a cuppa.......
Vanilla Sponge Cake (the easy way)
Recipe Credit: Samihah Moosa Abasoomar
1 Cup Castor Sugar
Combine all Ingredients until you have a smooth batter
Pour into your favourite greased pan.
Bake in 180 deg for 30 minutes.
When cool dust with sifted icing sugar
Send in your favourite recipe to me at admin@ccnonline.com.au and be my "guest chef" for the week.
Dear Kareema, what can I do, or how can I change my workouts to feel less sore, or not be in pain in the days following? I seem to take a while to recover after working out.
There is nothing more frustrating than feeling too tired or sore or even have niggling aches a few days after a good workout sesh.
The best workout is one that is safe and effective. So you need to protect yourself before, during and after each session for
your healthiest, happiest body yet.
Make sure you have good technique when working out as this will set you up with a good foundation. Build from there by challenging yourself but staying safe. Start each session with a warm-up and be sure to finish with stretching. This will aid in the recovery
process. Stay hydrated throughout.
N-JOY!
@Kareema_Benjamin
Send your question to Kareema at admin@ccnonline.com.au
Self-Care and Clarity of Mind...a weekly column by Princess Lakshman (Sister Iqra )
Princess Lakshman
Writer, Clarity Coach, Founder and Facilitator of Healing Words Therapy - Writing for Wellbeing
website: http://www.princesslakshman.com
email: info@princesslakshman.com
Welcome to my weekly column on Self-Care and Clarity of Mind. If you�re taking time out to read this, pat yourself on the back because you have shown commitment to taking care of your mind and body.
Today, In Shaa ALLAH, we will explore the topic: How To Communicate With People Who Negatively Trigger You
Two kinds of people exist in your life. One kind brings love, light, peace and joy into your life and enhances you in your journey to get closer to ALLAH. The other kind does exactly the opposite. They are the toxic kind and they suck out of you love, light, peace and joy and become a hindrance in your practice of becoming closer to ALLAH.
In the core of your being, you are always able to identify these two kinds of people. However there may be times when you are unable to effectively build, maintain and respect your protective boundaries that stop these toxic people from affecting you. They seem to get their way, manipulate you into believing in their falsehood and convince you that their way is the only way. Sadly, sometimes their toxicity rubs off on you and you begin to dwell in their toxic energy so much so that your own decision-making and your choices become affected. Ultimately, you become so engrossed in their toxic cycle of gossiping, bullying, put-downs, name-calling or constant bickering and criticising that you begin to participate in that cycle and even seek their approval to find meaning in your own life. You may do this because you care for them and don�t want to hurt their feelings.
The toxic behaviours displayed by these people may be negatively triggering you. It is now time to become aware of these people in your life and re-evaluate your relationship with them. Your life is a gift from ALLAH and you have every right to protect your emotional and physical health from toxic people the same way you would if you were around toxic chemicals.
10 Strategies On Dealing With People Who Negatively Trigger You
1. Make a list of people in your life who often cause you to feel drained and tired after you interact with them.
2. Write down exactly how these interactions affect your body and your mind. Describe in detail the way you feel whenever you are in contact with them.
3. Become mindful of these physical and mental responses so that whenever these people interact with you, you will immediately notice these signs in your body and mind.
4. If the person is physically with you or talking to you on the phone or online, spend more time LISTENING. While you listen, observe your own bodily sensations...Is your heart rate getting faster while you are interacting with them? Is your chest feeling painful or heavy? Is your throat becoming dry or painful? Are your ears hurting? Is your mood becoming angry or negative? Are you holding your breath more?
5. Use these observations as a sign that this person is in need of your duaa. Start making silent duaa for him/her.
6. Take deep breaths and start focussing on ALLAH. You will notice that the person will begin to feel your calm energy and will either take your leave, become silent or begin to say something positive.
7. If the person is communicating with you via text messages, allow yourself time to read first and then put your gadget away to respond to their message at a later time. You do not have to respond immediately. Change the settings of your phone app so that the person is not aware whether you have read their message or not. It�s not an emergency. If it were an emergency they would be calling 000, not texting you.
8. If the text messages become too aggressive, delete them. You don�t need to read them at all. You are in charge.
9. Identify your boundaries in your relationships and respect them. Once you respect your own boundaries, others will learn to respect them too.
10. Always remember, you are answerable ONLY to ALLAH, no one else.
Download the above article.
DOWNLOAD Muslimah Reflections - my new ebook of poetry and affirmations
Muslimah Mind Matters videos : available on YouTube
DOWNLOAD The Ultimate Self-Care Guide For Muslimahs
WATCH VIDEOS from Muslimah Mind Matters YouTube Channel.
DOWNLOAD Muslimah Meditation Moments - audio files for self-awareness meditation.
If you wish to know about a specific topic with regards to Self-Care and Clarity of Mind, please text or email me or visit www.muslimahmindmatters.com. If you wish to have a FREE one hour Finding Clarity telephone session, contact me on 0451977786.
Jallalludin is a serious meat and potatoes man.
Once, while getting dinner ready, his wife asked him how he liked his vegetables prepared.
He said, �Feed them to a cow, so they�ll turn into steak.�
There is the type of man whose speech about this world's life may dazzle you, and he calls Allah to witness about what is in his heart; yet he is the most contentious of enemies.
~ Surah Al-Baqarah 2:204
"In life, sometimes a start is all you need."
Erdin Beshimov
A narrative on engaging the community's Mental Health Issues
This is a FREE event
The growing interest regarding the state of Mental Health (MH) nationally has stoked discussions on how and what the Muslim community is doing to support and resolve the concerns of its community members particularly in regards to addiction and radical behaviourism.
Major factors that influence/cause mental health disorders are social, psychological and environmental. This forum will explore aspects of mental health from a clinical, Islamic worldview and social perspective.
Panel Members:
Dr Riyad Rahimullah - Academic Researcher in Psychology
Aneesa Kathrada - Dept of Education, EQ Mental Health Coach
Ustadh Aftab Malik - Guest Lecturer, Dept of Law, Uni of Sydney
Dr Mohamed Ghilan - Neuroscientist
Brought to you by Brisbane Muslim Conference.
Contact Muhammad Khatree on 0401 972 865.
Register for free here
ABOVE WORKSHOP CANCELLED
DUE TO ILL-HEALTH
WILL BE RE-SCHEDULED
COMMUNITY & EDUCATION SERVICES
SALAM RESPITE CENTRE CURRENTLY HAS VACANCIES
FEEL FREE TO CALL THE COORDINATOR
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON:
(07) 3272 8071 OR 0401 971 471
Located in the hear of St.Lucia and open from 11:00am-9:30PM Daily, Zambeekas St.Lucia is always available when you need it.
Zambeekas St. Lucia opened on the 1st of May 2019 boasting the same delicious flame grilled BBQ chicken flavour that Zambeekas is renowned for.
What started as an inherited recipe of homemade basting sauces from a small town family of the Zambezia Province has evolved into an intriguing range of Portuguese cuisine tempting even the finest taste buds!
Who would have thought the flavours of a small Portuguese settlement in Mozambique in the 1500�s would unite these two vastly different flavours so wonderfully!
This fusion is what Zambeekas is known for. Pop into our St.Lucia Store and get to know why Brisbane loves Zambeekas!
Donations & Appeals
An initiative of Sisters Support Services we are collecting personal items for care packs for the homeless.
Must be new items and dropped off to the office at 4/3 Fermont Road, Underwood by Thursday 8 August so they can be distributed by Brothers in Need.
Hot meals and food packs are handed out to the homeless three times a week in Brisbane city by Brothers in need.
May Allah reward all the Brothers and volunteers in the community who help out on a weekly basis. (Non perishable food pack are donated by MFC and packed by volunteers)
If you would like to donate or help out please contact Br Ansary on 0478 066 361 or Aliyah on 0404 921 620 (for donations of personal items)
At Sisters Support Services Inc we have qualified volunteers who help women in their darkest moments & time of need to empower them to make the right choices for better outcomes for their own lives.
Here are some examples of our cases over the past few months. ALL names have been changed to protect client identities.
1. Aisha, a victim of Domestic Violence came to us for assistance. We assisted her by giving her money to buy clothing and personal items as she left her home quickly and with very little. Aisha has also needed ongoing counselling which she has been receiving from us for the past few months. She was taken to appointments and connected with the right people who helped her start a new life in a safe environment.
�Thank you so much for your help. I am so very grateful. Thank you to Sister Services. Allah bless you all.�
2. Katie, a revert sister with young kids needed ongoing counselling and support as she had not been coping well at home and was not able to look after herself and her family. Sisters Support Services was there for her;
�I can�t tell you enough in words how grateful I am, just by listening to me when I was feeling so low. Life is not looking so dark anymore !�
3. Sarah also a revert sister recently divorced with a young child arrived in Brisbane with virtually nothing. We have helped her with everyday essentials, food supplies & assisted her to find suitable accommodation. Sarah has some health issues & needed financial support with purchasing medications & by being driven to medical appointments by our volunteers.
"So happy with the help I've received from Sisters Support Services."
Contact Times
Migrant Expo 2019
QLD Multicultural Committee
Multi-faith Center, Nathan Campus, GRIFFITH UNIVERSITY
YAWMUL ARAFAH
(Day of Arafah)
9th Zil-Hijjah 1440
10th Zil-Hijjah 1440
Eidfest @ Dreamworld
from 6PM
RA'S AL-SANAH AL-HIJRĪYAH
(Islamic New Year)
1st Muharram 1441
Hurricane Stars Club
Islamic College of Brisbane, KARAWATHA
Palmerston Mosque: Fund Raising Dinner
Islamic Society of Palmerston
6.30PM sharp
Victims of War: FUND RAISER Dinner
from 3.30PM to Maghrib
MASJID TAQWAH
Bald Hills, Brisbane
Download the programme here.
SISTERS SUPPORT SERVICES
LUTWYCHE ISLAMIC ASSOCIATION
Masjid As Sunnah
Every Sunday Quran Tafsir or Islamic Lesson or Arabic Class.
After Magrib
Conducting by Imam Yahia Baej
Children Arabic/Quran Class every Tue-Wed-Thursday after Magrib
Time: TBA
Date: TBA
Venue: Islamic College of Brisbane (ICB), 45 Acacia Road, Karawatha
Email CSU@police.qld.gov.au with any agenda considerations or questions.
HikmahWay Institute HikmahWay offers online and in-person Islamic courses to equip Muslims of today with the knowledge, understanding and wisdom to lead balanced, wholesome and beneficial lives.
Al-Nisa Provide young Muslim women in Queensland with support and opportunities to express themselves
Islam TV Recording of lectures and events in and around Queensland
Carers Queensland Free service for multicultural clients who are carers, elderly and people with disabilities
Muslim Charitable Foundation (MCF) Coordinated collection & distribution of: Zakaah, Lillah, Sadaqah, Fitrana, Unwanted interest
Islamic Council of Queensland (ICQ) Umbrella body representing various Mosques and Societies in Queensland
Muslim Women's eNewsletter Sultana�s Dream is a not-for-profit e-magazine that aims to provide a forum for the opinions of Australian Muslim women
Islamic Solutions Articles and Audio recordings
MCCA Islamic Finance & Investments
Gold Coast Mosque Incorporating Islamic Society of Gold Coast Inc.
Muslim Womens' Convert Support Group (MWCSG) Network of Muslim women converts from the Brisbane and Gold Coast areas of Queensland.
Jamiatul Ulama Western Australia Body of Muslim Theologians (Ulama, Religious Scholars)
GIRU � Griffith Islamic Research Unit Qld Stories link or YouTube link
Muslim Aid Australia Serving Humanity
Al-Mustapha Institute of Brisbane Preserving the Past, Educating the Present to Create the Future
iCare QLD (formerly AYIA Foundation) - Charity
Slacks Creek Mosque Mosque and Community Centre
Al Tadhkirah Institute Madressa, Hifz and other Islamic courses
Centre for Islamic Thought & Education University of South Australia
Hurricane Stars Club Get Active & Have Fun, Confidently!
Sisters Support Services Programs and activities for women in need (contact@sisterssupportservices.org.au and 0404 921 620)