MUSLIM
AUSTRALASIAN
Multimedia News & Views
ISSN: 1039-2300
AMUST
Print Post Publication No. 100021354
Print edition published Monthly on first Friday with Website updates
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TIME
www.amust.com.au
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Issue # 144
November 2017; Safar 1439
The Balfour Declaration
Mufti Menk Live in Sydney
Woolworths Goes Halal
Backpacker Medics
BOOMERANG PAGE 7
COMMUNITY PAGE 9
CENTREFOLD PAGE 16
LIFESTYLE PAGE 21
$2.00
Mosques open doors, hearts and minds Mobinah Ahmad Now in its fourth year, the National Mosque Open Day was held on Saturday 28 October 2017. This is a nationally coordinated event where mosques in all states open their doors to all Australians from various faiths and no faith to showcase Islam in theory and practice. There are information displays, tours, Q&A sessions, fun activities for kids, big and small and mingling of people from diverse background and faiths in order to break down barriers. This year’s event featured several mosques across the nation who simultaneously opened their doors to the public and invited them to come in and explore their local mosque. At Imam Ali Mosque in Lakemba, a young man asked questions surrounding whether the Islamic rulings of inheritance were still applicable today given the nature of gender roles in modern day society. The annual nationwide event is supported by the Lebanese Muslim Association and the Department of Social Services, promoting cohesion within communities and clarifying misconceptions. The day was also part of the National Day of Unity on 31 October when Australians are encouraged to contribute to greater harmony in society. According to one of the organisers of the Garden City Mosque, Professor Shahjahan Khan, the open day in Toowoomba was not about religion, but about bringing people to-
A National Mosque Open Day visitor at Lakemba Mosque. Photo by Anita Martins. gether to enjoy each other’s company. groups has improved – and is now at a are your next door neighbour, pharmacists, Acting president of The Islamic Centre of high,” said Mr Dorani. GP’s, fixing your roads, the shopkeepers Newcastle (which includes the Sultan Fatih “A couple of years ago we had people you buy kebabs from,” he said. Mosque), Forugh Dorani noticed a major asking us about Al Qaeda and ISIS, but it’s change since the open day started. shifted away from that,” he further added. continued on page 16 and 17 “Our relationship with the wider com“There is fear of the unknown, but this is with photo collage of National munity, our neighbours and different faith bringing attention to the fact that Muslims Mosque Open Day 2017.
Singapore conference calls for global peace
Photo: Mehar Ahmad. Zia Ahmad An international conference with the theme “The Role of Islamic NGOs in Promoting a Culture of Peace: Challenges and Prospects,” was held from Friday 13 to Saturday 14 October 2017 at the Pan Pacific Hotel in Singapore. The international forum was hosted by Jamiyah Singapore in collaboration with The Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) based in
Rabat, Morocco. Delegates from more than 23 countries from all over the world presented papers highlighting the challenges faced and the initiatives taken by non-government organisations in their respective countries in promoting harmony and peace between people of diverse background, faiths, ethnicities. The opening of the conference on Friday 13 October was attended by a host of community leaders , members of the diplomatic corps in Singapore, representatives of the main religious institutions in the country,
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several local and international media personnel , delegations from Southeast Asia and the Pacific, Europe, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, representing several countries including Argentina, the UK, Albania, Canada, France, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, Australia, Philippines, Brunei Darussalam, Sri Lanka and Singapore. After the opening remarks by Dr Hussin Mutalib, Chairperson of the conference organising committee, President of Jamiyah Singapore, Dr Mohammad Hasbi Abu
Bakar during his welcome address thanked participating parties and highlighted the efforts being made by the Jamiyah in Southeast Asia through its various activities and initiatives with a view for promoting a culture of peace. The Director General of ISESCO, Dr Abdulaziz Othman Altwaijri thanked the Singapore government for all the facilities provided over the past years for the meetings held by ISESCO in association with the Jamiyah in Singapore. continued on page 2
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