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Muharram: The Islamic month of unity
Christchurch killer gets life sentence
Zia Ahmad
Dr Aslam Abdullah Thursday 20/Friday 21 August 2020 corresponding to 1 Muharram, marked the beginning of the new year 1442 Hijra in the Islamic calendar. Historically there is an inherent link between the Hijra (migration of the Prophet) and the martyrdom of Imam Hussain (r), the grandson of the Prophet. Hijra was to protect religious freedom, and dignity of humans for a society that respects justice, equality, and fairness. The martyrdom was to eliminate despotism, the law of pri-
mogeniture, and fascism to create a culture that values liberty, balance, and freedom. Yet in the Muslim world, many religious leaders, in cohort with despotic rulers, in general, have made every effort to promote divisions within the Ummah and the community at large. People will congratulate each other and celebrate the Islamic new year with little concern about the plight of Muslims in different parts of the world. Those who take pride in calling themselves Sunnis will focus on the migration of Prophet Muhammad (s) from Makkah to Madinah in 622 CE. On the other hand, during the
same month of Muharram, those who describe themselves as Shias, supporters of Ali (r) will mourn the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (r), the grandson of the Prophet at Karbala in 680 CE. Imam Hussein (r) lived the legacy of his grandfather when he challenged the tyrant and established the Quranic rule that life is sacred. Still, when the objectives of life are under threat, martyrdom becomes essential to remind the generations of the significance of justice, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. continued on page 2
Blacktown Council apologises for Hindutva celebrations Zia Ahmad Explanation, apologies and reassurance were given by Blacktown City Council officials during a meeting with Muslim community leaders on Wednesday 19 August for the Council’s involvement in celebration of the founding of a temple, on the land of razed Babri mosque in India, held on Wednesday 5 August 2020 corresponding with 5 August 2019, the day Kashmir was stripped of its special status and placed under military lockdown since. The Blacktown officials attending the meeting included the mayor, Councillor Tony Bleasdale, Ward 1 Councillor Moninder Singh and Mr Peter Filmer, Manger, Community Events and Sister Cities.
Meeting between Blacktown City Council officials and Muslim community leaders on Wednesday 19 August 2020. A petition was submitted by the Muslim community leaders during the meeting signed by a number representatives of Muslim organisations in the Western Sydney area and beyond including Islamic Forum for Australian Muslims (IFAM), Australian
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National Imams Council (ANIC), Australian Federation of Islamic Councils (AFIC), Australian Forum for Kashmir (AFK), Stand with Kashmir and Islamic Association of Western Suburbs (IAWSS). continued on page 3
The white supremacist killer, responsible for the death of Muslim worshippers at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand on Friday 15 March 2019, has finally been sentenced to life imprisonment this week. Earlier on 26 March 2020 Australian national Brenton Tarrant, 29 appeared at Christchurch High Court via audio-visual link from Auckland Prison and pleaded guilty to all 92 charges: one of engaging in a terrorist act, 51 of murder, and 40 of attempted murder. The judge convicted Tarrant on all charges and remanded him in custody to await sentencing that commenced on Monday 24 August 2020 with victims statements in the presence of the convict at the court, lasting almost the whole of this week. The NZ government had offered overseas-based relatives of those killed and injured to receive financial help and border exemptions to address the court during this week. In front of Justice Cameron Mander, the Mosque attack victims lined up to confront the mass killer in court with mounting anger, calling him a cowardly rat who deserved the death penalty. English-born Nathan Smith who was praying at Al Noor Mosque the day Tarrant killed men, women and children spoke at the court addressing the killer. “You took them away in a cowardly way. After you left I was surrounded by the dying, the injured and the dead.” “You killed in my name. “I am white. Muslim and proud. All you have done is cause great shame for Europeans all around the world.” Survivors, family members, they all spoke of graphic flashbacks, blood, gunfire, refugee stories, Islamophobia, sleepless nights, mental scars, financial woes, remembering the missing loved ones, those recovering from their injuries and also forgiveness. “I decided to forgive you Mr Tarrant, because I don’t have hate. I don’t have revenge … The damage was done and Hussein will never be here so I have only one choice, is to forgive you,” said Janna Ezat, mother of Hussein Al-Umari, 35, gunned down at Al Noor Mosque.
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Muharram: The Islamic month of unity
Continued from page 1 Among Shias, the first 10 days of Muharram are crucial. They hold assemblies and retell the stories of martyrdom of Imam Hussein (r), describe the virtues of Prophet’s families, and in some cases, curse those who betrayed them and who usurped the right of the Prophet’s cousin and son in law, Ali (r) to succeed him. They reassert that Imam Ali (r) was the right political and spiritual successor of the Prophet and not Abu Bakr (r), the father in law of the Prophet. In several parts of the world, the Shias also hold passion plays repeating the events that led to the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (r). In South Asia, and the Caribbeans, some communities hold parades with Taziya, miniature mausoleums of Karbala, generally made of coloured paper and bamboo. Some Sunnis celebrate the new year by taking out processions, distributing sweets, and holding conferences on the significance of Hijra, the migration of the Prophet that marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar. Generally for Sunnis, Muharram is the month of celebration, and for Shias, it is a month of mourning. As long as the two communities do not reconcile their approach to relate with the beginning of the new year, their differences will continue to create further separation among them. Every Muharram will open the old wounds, and every night will escalate into conflict because those who killed Imam Hussein (r) claimed to be Muslims. Imam Hussein’s (r) martyrdom is a sad reflection on earlier Muslim rulers and scholars, a silence that has continued to prevail even after fourteen centuries. Through their support and quietness, the scholars legitimised tyranny, despotism, violation of the Quran, disrespect of the Prophet’s legacy, and destruction of human rights and justice. They laid the tradition of oppression that
continues in the attitude of everyone who claims to lead Muslims. They killed the grandson of Prophet in the battlefield of Karbala and killed Islam’s spirit to create a new world order based on justice and equality. The divisive approach that Shia and Sunnis have adopted to observe the month of Muharram must change to revive the essence of Hijra and the martyrdom. Shias should focus on the essence of the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (r). They should replace cursing with a genuine critique of the silence and support of scholars for the oppression. Cursing and cussing do not serve any purpose except for heightening tensions and increasing hostilities and open their assemblies to Sunnis, inviting their scholars and leaders to address the audience on justice
and equality issues. On the other hand, Sunnis should not view martyrdom in the context of the clan politics of Arabs. Imam Hussein (r) is more representative of the legacy of the Prophet than anyone else, not because he was the grandson of the Prophet, but because he received the Prophet’s guidance in a manner no one else did. The Prophet loved him. The love of those loved by the Prophet is part of our faith. The Sunnis need to recognise Imam Hussein’s (r) struggle for justice and against despotism as a genuine understanding of the Quran and not as political ambition. They have to state that the law of primogeniture adopted by the founder of the Umayyad dynasty violated the Quranic prin-
ciple of governance. They must make a difference between the respect of a companion of the Prophet and respect of the policies, the Prophet lived by. Muawiya, as a companion, is different than Muawiya as a ruler, not upholding Islamic principles in governance. The Quran demands that the truth must precede everything else. Muawiya’s role in expanding the Umayyad empire was at the cost of the growth of genuine Islam. They can make Muharram a month dedicated to Hijra and martyrdom for justice, equality, and liberty. In the first 10 days of this month, they, along with Shias, can remember the sacrifice and the movement to establish justice. There is a lot of politics in the Shia-Sunni conflict. Saudi Arabia, with the help of Salafis, describes Shias as a deviant and non-Islamic group. Some of the Shia clergy denounce all Sunnis as part of the conspiracy and action against Imam Hussein (r). Their prejudices, based on their tribalism, politics, and ambitions to claim the leadership of Islam, have promoted the hostilities. As explained and defined by rulers and their salaried clergy, Islam and the Quran will never allow Muslim masses to come together for justice, equality, and liberty for all. There is a need for an independent initiative by Muslims at the grassroots level. The narrow minded religious establishment of Shias and Sunnis will not allow this to happen. Their survival depends on conflict and hostilities. Their livelihood comes from hatred towards each other. Only those who have the innocence of love and respect for the Quran, it’s eternal universal principles of justice, equality, and freedom and who see the divine faith above their race, sect, and politics can take this initiative. Let us hope that we change our paradigm of looking at this issue.
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Temple construction begins on ruins of historic mosque Babri Mosque razed to the ground in 1992 by Hindutva fanatics.
PM Modi laying foundation of temple in Ayodhya on Wednesday 5 August 2020. Mohamed Ainullah In spite of COVID-19 restrictions, the ground breaking ceremony to mark the beginning of the construction of a grand temple, on the ruins of 500 year old Babri Mosque razed to the ground by fanatics
in 1992, was held in the North Indian town of Ayodhya, on Wednesday 5 August 2020, ironically on the exact anniversary of dismantling of the Jammu & Kashmir state by the Hindu nationalist BJP government in 2019. PM Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone joining the stage with Hindu suprema-
Blacktown Council apologises for Hindutva celebrations Heated conversations after the meeting at Blacktown Council on Wednesday 19 August.
Continued from page 1 The petition questioned the Council in its role on the divisive celebration reportedly organised by the Hindu Council Australia that has hurt the feelings of Muslim community at large. “A large section of the community in the Blacktown City Council area has serious concerns about the inauguration ceremony held on 5 August 2020 at Blacktown City Council to celebrate the Ram Mandir in India,” the petition read. It was reported that the Hindu Council Australia installed a huge LCD screen in the Blacktown Council car park next to Civic Centre on Wednesday 5 August 2020 relaying the foundation stone laying ceremony of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, India by PM Modi. The event was also attended by the Blacktown Mayor and Councillor Maninder Singh who both addressed the audience at the celebrations. During the meeting Mr Peter Filmer strongly denied that the event was organised by the Blacktown Council and explained in detail as to how the organisers managed to hold the event without any formal permission. “Initially the organisers wanted to set up lightings and hold a major gathering that the Council did not agree with and later asked for an EVM board to be set up. To our surprise we later found out that they had set up an LCD screen,” Mr Filmer explained. The Mayor said that he agreed to say a SEPTEMBER 2020 / ISSUE 178
few words at the gathering with the understanding that it was a religious celebration, admitting his ignorance of the historical background to the disputed site where the temple is going to be built. He formally apologised for his misjudgement regarding this matter during the meeting. Councillor Maninder Singh also provided a detailed explanation leading to the holding of this event and denied any role in facilitating the celebrations. “Let us clarify that Blacktown City Council did not provide the screen for the event on 05 August 2020. the screen was displayed by a private party and we sincerely apologise any offence caused,” Councillor Singh explained. Mr Anjum Rafiqi from Stand With Kashmir, quizzed Councillor Singh reminding that him being of South Asian origins and of Sikh faith, he would have been privy to the dispute regarding Babri mosque/Ram mandir issue and the significance of the 5 August date in relation to Kashmir, but still failed to brief and advise on the issue to Blacktown Council officials. Subsequently in a letter dated Wednesday 19 August, after the meeting Councillor Singh wrote to AFIC saying, I would like to extend through the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils my sincere apologies for any offence caused, this was never my, nor Council’s intention. I extend my hand in friendship to the Australian Muslim community and to all my constituents.”
cist organisation RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and Islamophobic priest turned politician, UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath. The beginning of the construction comes after a 135-year-old legal dispute culminated when the Supreme Court, last November, in a controversial verdict claimed to be under political pressure by the ruling BJP, awarded the disputed land to Hindus. It also comes in the wake of a three-decade-long mobilisation by the ruling Hindu nationalist party and its ideological affiliates including VHP and RSS, and the demolition of the Babri Mosque in 1992, an act declared illegal by the same Supreme Court verdict, that led to communal violence and deaths in various parts of the country. All India Muslim Personal Law Board secretary Zafaryab Jilani said the ceremony won’t change the reality and that, for the board, the site would continue to be treated as mosque land. On 5 August 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government stripped Indian-administered Kashmir’s statehood, scrapped
its separate constitution and removed inherited protections on land and jobs. Modi’s move last year was accompanied by a total communication blackout and mass detentions. Some rights groups have been critical of the government’s handling of Kashmir, particularly continuing internet curbs. “This has been compounded by a censored media, continuing detention of political leaders, arbitrary restrictions due to the pandemic with little to no redressal,” Amnesty International said in a statement on Wednesday 5 August. China has expressed concern on Indian unilateral move in Kashmir and there have been border clashed during the last few months between Chinese and Indian soldiers in the Ladakh area. “China is seriously concerned about the current situation in Kashmir and the relevant military actions. We oppose unilateral actions that will complicate the situation,” China’s mission to the UN in New York said in a statement released earlier this week.
Lebanon Blast Sukoon Quteifan Our thoughts and prayers are with the great and resilient people of Lebanon. Sukoon Quteifan is a graphic designer and illustrator. She is the creator and the illustrator of “Sukoon Al Quloob Peace of Hearts”, an Islamic Cartoons facebook page. Sukoon is based in Sydney, Australia. You can follow her on facebook @SukoonQuteifanArt.
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Beirut blast blamed on poor governance Zia Ahmad The extremely powerful explosions, linked to unsafe storage of large quantities of ammonium nitrate, that devastated the Lebanese port city of Beirut on Tuesday 4 August, have left more than 157 people dead, many more still missing, over 5000 injured and almost 300,000 people rendered homeless. A number of Lebanese diaspora in Australia have expressed great concern for the home country, suffering from endemic corruption, incompetence in governance and effects of COVID-19 pandemic on the entire Lebanese population. The Lebanese Muslim Association (LMA) based in Lakemba, Sydney released a community statement on Wednesday 5 August expressing horror at the tragedy requesting Australians to pray for Lebanon. Mr Roland, Jabbour OAM, President and National Chairman of AACCI in a statement
released on Wednesday 5 August said, ” On the behalf of the Australia Arab Chamber of Commerce and Industry, we share our solidarity and our concerns with all the community and are deeply shocked and saddened by the unfolding news coming from Beirut this morning.” AFIC President, Dr Rateb Jneid offered his condolences and support to the people of Beirut saying, “These horrendous explosions cost tens of lives and brought injury to thousands of innocent men, women and children who were trying to go about their daily lives. My heart goes to them and their families. I offer my deepest condolences to all affected families and I pray to Allah to rest the souls of the lives lost and grant them the peace of paradise.” The Acting Minister for Multiculturalism, Geoff Lee and Multicultural NSW’s CEO, Joseph La Posta have sent messages of solidarity to the community. “My thoughts and prayers are with our Australian Lebanese community who have loved ones in Beirut. The explosion was a terrible tragedy and we stand united with you in your grief. We are heartbroken by the scale of the impact of the devastation and
“The explosions occurred at Port of Beirut that serves as the main maritime entry point into Lebanon.
The devastation caused by the blast in Beirut, Lebanon. recognise the deep grief our Australian Lebanese community is feeling,” Acting Minister for Multiculturalism, Geoff Lee said. The explosions occurred at Port of Beirut that serves as the main maritime entry point into Lebanon and a vital piece of infrastructure to import scarce goods and included 4 basins, 16 quays, 12 warehouses, a large container terminal. In September 2013, a cargo ship MV Rhosus, owned by Russian businessman Igor Grechushkin, set sail from Batumi, Georgia, to Beira, Mozambique, carrying 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate fertilizer. In October, it was forced to port in Beirut with engine problems. After inspection by port state control, the Rhosus was found unseaworthy, and it was forbidden to set sail. Eight Ukrainians and one Russian were aboard, and with the help
of a Ukrainian consul, five Ukrainians were repatriated, leaving four crew members to take care of the ship. The cargo of the ship consisting of 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate that had been confiscated by the government from the abandoned ship was stored in the warehouses adjacent to the port for almost 7 years and despite claimed safety concerns by port authorities, the government remained paralysed with inaction. Currently investigations are being carried out and a number of people have been under house arrest in order to pinpoint the blame and negligence that has resulted in this catastrophe. Zia Ahmad is the Editor-in-Chief of the Australasian Muslim Times AMUST.
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Trump’s America fails to lead on all fronts
As a child I was exposed to all things American (we called it Amreekan) on my father’s return from the US after completing his MS in engineering from the University of Wisconsin in 1960 rejoining as a lecturer at Jamia Millia Islamia university in New Delhi. He brought me a Mechano set to construct miniature structures, a Viewsmaster to get a 3D glimpse of life in the US and imported a large Westinghouse fridge/ freezer for my mum to make our favourite mango flavoured ice creams to share with family, friends and neighbours. At the time, we were in awe of the good life in Amreeka, the high standard of living, healthy lifestyle, opportunities US President Donald Trump. in higher education, big cars for almost everybody and the leadership that US provided in almost every field of modern life. spires us with the best universities with We always wished if we could go and live excellence in higher education and leading in the US. research, its mega industrial infraAs it happened, with a twist structure, opportunities to excel of fate, we ended up in Austo the top irrespective of your tralia in 1971 instead, and ethnicity, race, religion, colloving it ever after, never our and nationality as well regretting for not settling as the check and balances in US, like many of our in its public institutions inZia Ahmad extended family, friends cluding politics, judiciary, and colleagues. media and fundamental Assalamu America has come a rights. Alaikum long way since then, the However the image of hippy movement as a reAmerica as ‘the land of the Greetings action to materialism, US free and the home of the brave’ of Peace hegemony in world affairs, the has been eroding during the last Vietnam wars, the Gulf wars, 9/11 few decades and has really come and war on terror that still continues, mile- down since, surprisingly, Donald Trump bestones that have brought down the image came President of this great nation. of US from the moral high ground. Trump, as a symbol of US has simply There is no doubt that the US still in- brought disrepute to the position of the most
EDITORIAL
The Virus
Just maybe, and for once, we could focus on the people who are most vulnerable to this pandemic, and to the human rights violations perpetrated by our government, so rarely reported, those people held as prisoner-hostages because they came here as refugees. That the 1951 UN Refugee Convention, that we signed in 1954, is constantly being flouted by Australia, and that this is hardly ever mentioned, and that this was paid for with Jewish European lives (such as those on the Voyage of the Damned) is likewise something like a state secret. As citizens we have to stand up. Together. That innocent people are locked up for years without end, is unacceptable. We have SEPTEMBER 2020 / ISSUE 178
Re: Four lessons from COVID-19 to help us care for God’s creation
Thank you for an insightful article. The amazing thing about our recent times is that, as the corona virus rages among us, nature seems to be in better shape than before. In Venice where there are a lot of waterways, the water is clearer as in many other places in the world. The shut downs have reduced pollution in large cities. The air is cleaner. Is it not nature’s way of cleansing the world? Liz
Re: Conspiracy theories and COVID-19: Do we have a problem? Muslim commentators especially those with deep understanding of Islam need to counter this voodoo trend amongst a section of Muslims towards swallowing the most bizarre conspiracy theories from the sewers of the Trumpist Administration and its supporters.
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powerful office in this world with his lies, erratic tweets, racist attitude, corrupt behaviour and blatant disregard for decency within the US and internationally. The US should have been a beacon to lead in countering the COVID-19 pandemic in order to save humanity from suffering, misery, illness and economic decline on a global scale but alas under Trump’s failed leadership, US can not lead the world out of this disaster and is itself suffering most from this pandemic due to mismanagement. It’s time the US voters kicked this person out of this most important position during the presidential elections due in November 2020, with some one who could restore dignity to this office and provide leadership for sanity to prevail in global affairs and for the sake of peace and prosperity in America.
Considering that the guidance on dealing Re: Muharram: The Islamic a weekly protest: REFUGEE LIVES MATTER. with epidemics from Rasulallah (saw) was month of unity Stephen Langford
AMUST ISSUE # 178 FRIDAY 28 AUGUST 2020 8 MUHARRAM 1442
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Readers comments What a balanced approach and a vision that Dr. Aslam Abdullah has presented. Please convey my heartfelt thanks to him. We should get together and make a start with not just reconciling but also solving our common problems and eventually become one indivisible community. Another news that you had in the same email (Blacktown apology) proves that we can do that and if we fight united, we will see these forces against us melt down and go into the rabbithole they came from. These devils from hell in their khaki knickers won everywhere but in a little council in a little country, they had to retreat, they had to apologise. We can make them retreat everywhere. Also the investing related articles were more educational than recommendatory that I had earlier cautioned, so much safer and beneficial. Thank you for such great work, may Allah give you us more taufeeq. HZK
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so valid, it is embarrassing to see so many Muslim names associated with this conspiracy drivel. Islam is not a tribal banner but a way of living. Bilal Cleland
Re: How to perform Eid-ulAdha prayer at home under COVID-19 Lockdown
Jazak Allahu khairan for posting the eid prayer procedures for those praying at home. Rashid Salam USA Thank you for this eid mubarak.
Sabina
My Allah SW reward you greatly with your thoughts and efforts to write down, so clearly and briefly, the methods of performing the Eid Salah at home. It was an essential for most Muslim homes under these conditions. We performed Salatul-Eid at home after read the simple instructions. JZK. Marleen
Re: Gallipoli Mosque COVID-19 exemption: Misinformation by media outlets
And like a virus, the shameless lies continued to spread as Sky News Australia also repeatedly “reported” the story (and still available on their YouTube channel). Conveniently, they had not a single photograph or so much as a frame of footage to corroborate their lies. Unfortunately, the damage has already been done, and the misinformation will continue to spread among those who value their prejudice over the truth. Hamdi
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Disclaimer The views and opinions expressed in articles, and Letters to the Editor, Website Comments are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of The Australasian Muslim Times.
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Gallipoli Mosque COVID-19 exemption
Misinformation by media outlets Wassim Dabboussi This was on Facebook on Friday 31 July 2020 where 7NEWS Sydney reported that Gallipoli Mosque in Sydney was given a COVID-19 Exemption for Eid Al Adha prayers schedule on the same day. What the news article failed to report was the Mosque’s usual capacity is 2000 people and that the 400 people were divided into 4 sessions of 100 people each session (as reported by attendees) which is in line with current COVID-19 health advice. I am absolutely appalled by 7NEWS Sydney media beat up and lack of moderation of comments on this post. A mixed narrative is always more interesting to the media than a straightforward one, the truth is obviously not news worthy! Media outlets need to take accountability for the repercussions of their news reporting! The photo clearly shows that people are lined up and social distancing, unlike what we have seen at other venues and sporting congregations in the media. Furthermore, 7NEWS Sydney failed to moderate the comments and allowed a vortex of hate speech in the comments by ignorant bigots that made assumptions and conclusions according to this beat up story. Even when community members commented the details of the day for clarification, they were trolled, harassed and cyber bullied.
With the current world climate, News outlets need to answer to their part in creating a further divide in our society. The old saying unfortunately still holds
true, “If It Bleeds It Leads!” Things will get worse before they get better if things do not change! Stand For Something Or Die For Nothing!
It is also worthy to note that Muslims also did not celebrate Ramadan and Eid Al Fitr (our biggest yearly celebrations) as per COVID-19 restrictions at the time.
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The calamity of the pandemic and mercy Bilal Cleland There is no doubt that this pandemic is a calamity. It is infecting millions, causing the deaths of hundreds of thousands of the aged, the ill, the poor, the indigenous and front line workers in health, food processing and distribution. It has given rise to a myriad of insane and self-contradictory conspiracy theories ranging from “ the virus does not exist” to, “it is a creation of evil political forces to harm society.” One of the most shocking features of the pandemic is its penetration into Residential Aged Care. Professor Joseph Ibrahim, head of the Health Law and Ageing Unit at Monash University told the Royal Commission into Aged Care that aged-care residents account for about 68 per cent of all COVID-19 deaths, despite being just 1 per cent of the population. [ABC News, 12 August] Also under threat from this pandemic are “minimum wage workers, often migrants, and often in contingent or casual jobs who are suffering unduly from the disease.”
The most infections are found in four of the five most socio-economically disadvantaged municipalities in Melbourne. These five areas are also where the most insecure work is found. [Age, 8 August] Many scientists, like David Quammen, have pointed to the relationship between this pandemic and our assault upon the environment. [Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic 2012 ] The threat of future pandemics from the thawing of the permafrost has also been described in many studies. Ancient bacteria and viruses are being reintroduced through the process of climate warming. [Jasmin Fox-Skelly BBC Earth, 4 May 2017 ] When we consider the statement in the Quran, ” Who makes most excellent everything that He creates.” (32:7), we might wonder at how this might be. Said Nursi asserts that the inner aspect of all things is good. Not everything that man regards as bad is really evil, for, “it may well be that you hate a thing the while it is good for you, and it may well be that you love a thing the while it is bad for you: and God knows, whereas you do not know.” [Quran, 2:21] The Qur’an also says that “it may well be that you dislike something which God might yet make a source of abundant good.” [4:19] Hasan Horkuc writes in his PhD thesis:
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I am not free and independent; I am a traveller with duties. -Said Nursi-
“Said Nursi’s Ideal for Human Society: Moral and Social Reform in the Risalae-I Nur; “Even the most undesirable things and events are good in regard to their results. In reality, apparent harms, tribulations and calamities are not misfortunes. They are not evil and bad. They are created for many beneficial and everlasting results. They are created on purpose.” [University of Durham, July 2004] This pandemic has been devastating for many families and economies but within the horror there is evidence of mercy. We are witnessing a major focus throughout the world on the inequalities and injustices which this pandemic has exposed. It has brought a new consciousness of social and political responsibility, exposing racism, corruption and stupidity in the rul-
ing elite of many nations. It is bringing about the emergence of a new leadership from amongst the people which will strengthen as the years proceed. It has led to a focus on the dangers of uncontrolled climate change and of pagan attitudes towards the aged. It has exposed the evil of uncontrolled capitalism in driving down the earnings and job security of many millions of workers. The new awareness which has emerged, like the djinn of ancient stories, cannot be put back in the bottle. The old ways will be changed, willingly or unwillingly. Bilal Cleland is a keen reader, a prolific writer and a regular columnist of AMUST based in Melbourne.
Uninformed gainsayers threaten global well-being Dr Daud Batchelor The COVID-19 pandemic is exposing dangerous groups, such as ‘99% Unite’, who in a ‘postTruth’ era claim the pandemic is a government ‘conspiracy’. They promote refusing coronavirus tests and social distancing. Such people reflect a narrow mindset demanding excessive individual freedoms without concern for fellow citizens’ health. Shouldn’t they be restrained for the common good? Similarly, we’re bombarded by irresponsible media gain-saying threats from climate change and environmental degradation. In Australia we’re blessed with a large area and small population, so impacts are less noticeable. However, shouldn’t we be concerned about many vulnerable people impacted elsewhere by our extravagant lifestyles, including poor Bangladeshis and Pacific Islanders swamped by rising sea levels, and wildlife extinctions and carbon emissions from extensive forest clearing. Murdoch media is delighted with the self-promotion of Michael Shellenberger, so-called ‘environmentalist’, who however, with his valid criticism of the few who cried ‘Wolf!’ such as US Congress-woman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, that “The world is going to end in 12 years if we don’t address climate change,” has become a hero with climate-change deniers who ignore the SEPTEMBER 2020 / ISSUE 178
impelling evidence for detrimental climate change. His public apology for a ‘Climate scare,’ and unconcern (also NewsCorp journalists) to raise ‘red herrings’ to fault momentum to take urgent action against real threats, suggests his interests lie with other than the well-being of our Earth and its communities. This is demonstrated by his championing the following issues: Firstly, Shellenberger claims climate change was not responsible for the recent Australian bushfire conflagration (Shellenberger, NewsCorp and Quadrant authors). CSIRO and informed scientists agree however, that while factors, such as buildup of forest-floor trash, contributed to bushfires’ severity, climate change with a drying/ heating trend related to human-induced climate change was a major acerbater of recent Australian fires and killing of three billion
native animals. Areas burnt may be less than 1974-75 bushfires but the smaller area is partly due to extensive urban expansion and deforestation for large-scale farming. Recent wildlife devastation was severe as critical habitats decrease, threatening species viability. Secondly, humans are not causing a sixth mass wildlife extinction (Shellenberger). Scientists do believe 20% of Earth’s species face extinction (McKie). Extinction rates from human activities are higher than non-mass extinction rates throughout Earth’s history indicating a mass extinction is occurring (Saltre). Excessive consumption is believed to be the main cause: “Rich western countries are siphoning up the planet’s resources and destroying its ecosystems at an unprecedented rate.” (Ehrlich) Australia has a poor extinction record
with 100 vertebrate species lost since humans arrived. Thirdly, protecting Amazonian rain-forests is less important (Shellenberger). On the contrary, Amazonia is critical as a carbon sink currently absorbing 5% of global emissions. Deliberately-lit Amazon fires under Bolsonaro’s presidential watch, up 17% from 2019’s nine-year high, enhance CO2 emissions and Amazonia’s savannah-isation while causing massive wildlife loss. Fourthly, nuclear power is a preferred energy source to renewable energy (RE; Shellenberger). Contrarily, Energy experts note: “Nuclear power is in terminal decline worldwide and will never make a serious contribution to tackling climate change.” The idea that a new generation of small modular reactors would be built to replace existing nuclear power distracts from a climate solution. The World Nuclear Industry Report 2019 states that RE costs are below coal and natural gas, while non-nuclear options save more carbon per dollar than does nuclear. Lead author Schneider stressed, “electricity from new reactors will be three times more expensive than that from renewables.” In brief, Shellenberger’s claims are not substantiated or based on flimsy argument. Dr Daud Batchelor, holds an MA in Islamic and Other Civilisations and a Diploma in Islamic Studies from the International Islamic University Malaysia, PhD from University of Malaya, MSc from the University of London.
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So why does Kamala Harris matter? Dr Aslam Abdullah Kamala Harris is the Democratic Vice Presidential Nominee announced on Tuesday 11 August to join as running mate of Joe Biden, the Democratic candidate for the US Presidential election due on Tuesday 3 November 2020. Her mother is Hindu, her father, Jamaican, her husband, Jewish, and she calls herself a Baptist. It would be interesting to see how Kamala Harris relates to Muslim Americans on Kashmir, Palestine, and Human rights violations in India. There is a good possibility that Zionist and Hindutva lobbyists, seeing that Trump may not win the election, will abandon him now and get closer to Biden-Harris team in order to influence their policies in their favour. Kamala Harris’ mother is Shyamala Gopalan, an India born Tamil American cancer researcher and civil rights activist. Donald Harris, her father, was a former economics professor at Standford and an immigrant from Jamaica. Her Jewish husband is Douglas Emhoff, who she met on a blind date in San Francisco, arranged by friends. They married in 2014. She was a volunteer for Israel. “So having grown up in the Bay Area, I fondly remember those Jewish national fund boxes that we would use to collect donations to plant trees for Israel,” she said at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee in 2017. “Years later, when I visited Israel for the first time, I saw the fruits of that effort and the Israeli ingenuity that has truly made a desert bloom.”
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Harris also co-sponsored a Senate resolution in 2017 that rebuked the Obama administration for allowing through a US Security Council resolution condemning Israel’s settlement policies. Halie Soifer, Harris’s former national security adviser and current executive director of the Jewish Democratic Council of America, said the following about Harris. She “strongly aligns with the values of American Jews, including her support of the US-Israel relationship, her commitment to ensuring access to affordable healthcare and education, her intolerance for hatred and bigotry, and her unwavering efforts to protect our country’s most vulnerable communities.” Although she has expressed her concern on India’s domestic issues like the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act, and the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, her position on Modi and RSS is not very clear. She has rebuked India for violating the rights of Kashmiris. Reflecting on the violations of human rights in Kashmir, she said in November 2019, “We have to remind the Kashmiris that they are not alone in the world. “We are keeping track on the situation. There is a need to intervene if the situation demands.” Harris has advocated for strong ties between India and the US, but was also critical of the situation that emerged in Kashmir after the revocation of Article 370 last year. “Kamala likes India but that doesn’t mean that she’ll give a ‘free pass’ to everything that the country does,” said Harris’ maternal uncle. She also supported Indian congresswoman Jaipal when Hindutva supporters in the US attacked her for supporting the human rights violations in Kashmir. She rebuked India’s foreign minister, who refused to meet US delegation on Kashmir because of
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Jaipal’s presence there. She said: “It’s wrong for any foreign government to tell Congress what members are allowed in Capitol Hill meetings.” The Indian Hindu community in US led by the RSS and Modi supporters believes that she would have a soft corner with Hindutva because of India’s growing relations with Israel and thousands of Indian IT workers, business people, and doctors. RSS lobby groups in the US have raised millions to influence this election. There is a growing concern among the followers of Hindutva that Trump may not win the election. The departure of Gabbard Tulsi from Congress means that they have to find a strong ally in the Democratic party. They view the relations of some pro-RSS doctors and people in business with Kamala Harris in California would most likely bring her closer to Modi and RSS. Muslim groups have skepticism of her records on human rights. The Muslim Advocacy, a Muslim advocacy group, criticised her stand on the CVE (Countering Violent Extremism) program. They said that Senator Harris proposed reviving this harmful, unproven program at the US Department of Homeland Security and suggested that she could devote an astounding $100 million or more each year to fund it. In 2016, speaking at an event she said, “I know how painful and violent these crimes can be. I know they are uniquely insidious in that they intend to strip its victim of dignity. So words matter.” In her speech, she did not mention the Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump. Still, she denounced his remarks about Latino and Muslim judges possibly not being able to rule impartially in cases involving him because of his plans to build
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a US-Mexico border wall and a “total and complete shutdown” of Muslims entering the US. She later lamented Trump’s policy to deny entry into the US to people “based on whether they face east when they pray.” Dr Aslam Abdullah is a resident scholar at Islamicity.org. He is also the editor of the Muslim Observer published from Detroit, MI, USA. He is based in the USA and is a trustee of the American Federation of Muslims of Indian Origin. He has taught at several colleges and universities in India, England, and the USA.
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Media bias: Al Taqwa College, Islamophobia and COVID-19 Gulhan Eryegit Yoldas My earliest memory of experiencing islamophobia was during my schooling years at Al Taqwa College in Melbourne’s outer west, almost 30 years ago. We just had the official opening ceremony of our newly built prayer space. We finally had a masjid on campus for students and Muslim staff to pray in congregation, behind our school imam, instead of praying separately in our demountable classrooms. This was during a time when there was an intense global political climate. There was a war going on and several of our relatives and friends were asking with concern why my parents were continuing to send us to ‘that Muslim school’ because it’s ‘probably not a good time right now’ and ‘Are you sure it’s safe?’ Shortly after these conversations, one morning we found a taped parameter with barriers around our new masjid’s entrance. There were signs of a fire, with black smoke soot at the entrance and all along the interior, as far as we could see. Someone had broken into our new masjid and set it alight in an arson attack; our first experience of Islamophobia fuelled hate crime. With time, and with greater media literacy, I understood that the relentless negative media coverage played a key role in fuelling that hate which drove a person to burn down our place of worship at the school. With time, I understood that the words used in mainstream media, the labels, were selected to establish a foundation of bias and discrimination, so injustices against minorities, against indigenous people and people of colour, could appear justified; a system which serves the elite. I remember, at the time, our principal, Mr Omar Hallak, in his usual optimism, reassured us and our families, “Don’t worry.
Al Taqwa College, Werribee campus. The good thing is nobody got hurt. We will rebuild.” And rebuild they did, only bigger and better, thriving today as one of the oldest serving Islamic schools in all of Victoria. Wouldn’t it be great to say, at this point, that Australian media has come a long way from those fear-mongering days? Over the years I’ve watched certain media platforms circle Al Taqwa College like hyenas. The most recent example of this was dur-
ing the misleading and inaccurate reporting of the second wave of COVID-19 in Victoria where the term “Al Taqwa College cluster” was thrown around across multiple news platforms. This term was used to incorrectly imply that the majority of the cases reported in that particular region were contracted on campus, or that Al Taqwa College was in some way responsible for the outbreak. To put this into perspective, on 19 August 2020, 19 new cases were attributed to the
“Al Taqwa Cluster” even though the school has been closed for the past 7 weeks. In a statement made to The Age newspaper in September Mr Omar Hallak, founder of Al Taqwa College, said “When there are Government statements and media reporting of a cluster “at” Al-Taqwa College, it gives the false impression that all the cases in the cluster were contracted on-site. That is simply untrue, and needlessly feeds prejudices where they exist. Many people linked to this cluster are not Al-Taqwa College staff and students, and will have never been near the College. We sincerely hope the media, the Premier and the Government, in giving COVID-19 updates affecting Al-Taqwa College, can take this into consideration in the language they use.” Of course we now know that approximately 90% or more of current COVID-19 infections in Victoria can be traced to the Rydges hotel and the hotel’s quarantine failures. ABC News recently reported that according to Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) epidemiologist Charles Alpren, “Ninety per cent or more of Victoria’s current coronavirus cases can be traced back to a family of four that returned to Australia and stayed in Melbourne’s Rydges on Swanston hotel.” Dr Alpren is a key witness at the state’s hotel quarantine inquiry. Al Taqwa College deserves an unreserved apology and immediate measures must be taken to rectify any damage done to their good name, brand and reputation. Having one not-so-terrible article about Al Taqwa College in The Age , following the flood of negative media coverage they received prior, does little to undo the widespread misrepresentation of Al Taqwa College and more broadly of Victorian Muslims during this second wave of COVID-19. It simply reinforces the bigger problem of the systemic prejudice inherent in mainstream Australian media.
Five years of grassroots Da’wah Faisal Haroon Islamic Circle of Australia & New Zealand (iCAN) organized more than 640 learning, organizational and social community events for all ages in Session 2019-20, attended by 5000+ people Australia-wide. July is the month of reflection and reckoning for most organisations in Australia. With the COVID restrictions in-place across the board, it was a challenge to reorganise the workforce, keep them motivated, and elect the leadership for Session 2020-21. iCAN Consultative Council and Members played a vital role in organising its 5th AGM ‘Online over Zoom’ on Saturday 25 July 2020. Altogether, 63 members across Australia, attended the full-day event. iCAN Members elected Br Nabeel Musharraf (Perth) for President and Brothers Amir Rajput, Faisal Haroon, Muhammad Latif, Qamar Mahmood, Rasheed Khattak and Uzair Muhammad for Consultative Council for Session 2020-21. Some of the salient features from the previous session are mentioned below; • Overall 55% increase in the workforce with a 200% increase in sisters’ membership. • Most engaging programs of the year were Qur’an and Hadith Circles with persistent participation from the community. SEPTEMBER 2020 / ISSUE 178
• Street da’wah, neighbourhood da’wah, and Mosque open day were star events before COVID started. • Youth workshops organised in the area of Robotics, Islamic Calligraphy, and Computer Programming besides the sporting events, picnic, Cleanup Australia Day, Qur’an exegesis sessions, and Islamic lec-
tures. • Sisters’ special lecture series was vastly appreciated in the ‘Mums’ community. • Collaboration with other organizations was well received by local Imams and community leaders. Last but not the least, volunteers participated in COVID relief activities like meal/
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grocery delivery, direct donor/ receiver financial support, psychological support, and super fund related assistance. Faisal Haroon is General Secretary of iCAN and an IT Healthcare Architect by profession.
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Abdullah wins Art Prize for 2020 Transplants by Abdul-Rahman Abdullah
Mei Nee Cheong
Abdul-Rahman Abdullah.
Renowned WA artist, Abdul-Rahman Abdullah of Mundijong on the outskirts of Perth has been awarded the Australian Muslim Artists prize 2020 for his work Transplants, a tribute to his mother and her love of family. Australian Muslim Artists is an annual exhibition hosted by the Islamic Museum of Australia (IMA) in partnership with La Trobe University, which this year saw a record number of entries from artists across the country. Abdullah said it’s an amazing feeling to be recognised amongst a talented group of Australian Muslim artists. “Sometimes it feels like there are so few of us working in the visual arts, especially over here in WA and it means so much that our contributions to the broader Australian cultural landscape are acknowledged by the Islamic Museum of Australia and La Trobe University,” said Abdullah. Islamic Museum of Australia General Manager Maryum Chaudhry said the Museum moved ahead with its flagship exhibition despite being in the midst of a global pandemic. “Now more than ever, we feel it’s important to support artists and the arts community which has been deeply affected by the pandemic. Despite Covid-19, we still have the platform to shine a light on artists and we feel it’s incumbent on us to do just that,” said Ms Chaudhry. “Cultural institutions have had to reimagine how to engage with audiences and the IMA is no exception. The exhibition can be viewed on both the Museum’s website, including a virtual tour and our new Google Arts and Culture page until the Museum reopens,” she said. The seventeen shortlisted works represent
the depth of talent among Australian Muslims and highlight the cultural diversity of Muslims in Australia. Shortlisted artists have their cultural roots in countries including Malaysia, Iran, Syria, Lebanon and Pakistan. Some are first generation Australian born Muslims while many others are migrants. La Trobe University Vice-Chancellor Professor John Dewar AO, said La Trobe is committed to building strong connections with Australia’s diverse communities. “La Trobe congratulates Abdul-Rahman on his exquisite work, Transplants. The work highlights his craftsmanship and demonstrates the quality of his highly respected sculptural work.”
“I’m delighted that for the second year running, La Trobe University has partnered with the Islamic Museum of Australia to support such an important sector – one which, like many, is facing challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.” Shortlisting for Australian Muslim Artists was conducted by a panel of judges including Dr Stefano Carboni, currently CEO of the Museums Commission for the Ministry of Culture, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; Bala Starr, Director of La Trobe Art Institute; community representative Dr Anisa Buckley and IMA curator, Dr Mahmoud Mohammed. The Australian Muslim Artists exhibition is on display from 14 August – 20 Novem-
... From 5 to 19 September, online & worldwide!
ber 2020 at islamicmuseum.org.au. Museum guests can see the physical exhibition when the IMA re-opens. As an acquisitive prize, the artwork will become part of the La Trobe Art Institute which manages a collection of art acquired by the University and which has an exhibition and education facility in the arts precinct of central Bendigo. Mei Nee Cheong is a marketing professional who has worked across the arts, arts education and travel. She is currently the Media and Marketing Manager at the Islamic Museum of Australia and is based in Melbourne, Australia.
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MUSLIM FILM 2020 FESTIVAL
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streaming, Perth tickets check #MFF2020 on: Web: www.muslimfilmfestival.com.au Facebook: @MuslimFilmFestival Twitter: @MuslimFilmsOz Instagram: @MuslimFilmFestival Email: info@muslimfilmfestival.com.au
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Promoting diversity and tolerance Muslim Film Festival kick-starts its second year Tarek Chamkhi The Muslim Film Festival “MFF2020” awaits its fans across Australia and the world for 2 weeks of independent films from Saturday 5 September to Saturday 19 September 2020. The criteria of accepting films are quite relaxed and inclusive, with the prime focus on showcasing culturally diverse Muslim societies across the globe. The Australian International Muslim Film Festival was founded in late 2018 to support and promote Muslim independent films from all around the world. The organisers at Badayel House and Muslim Heritage Australia recognise how difficult it is to make a film in the current environment and find a platform where Muslim filmmakers, in particular, can reach the right audience. The event is sponsored by several organisations: The Office of Multicultural Interest, Australian Federation of Islamic Council, Human Appeal Australia, Islamic Council of Western Australia, City of Canning, and AMUST newspaper. The organisers aim to promote and provide exposure for these films and organise entertaining and culturally diverse sessions to showcase these talented filmmakers’ artwork. Dr Joanne McKeown, the festival director, says, “the festival is not strictly a religious festival or a conservative event. We accept almost any film made by Muslims, or telling stories about Muslims anywhere in the world - made by anyone Muslim or non-Muslim. She further adds, “we have ethical guidelines, of course, based on Islamic teachings and we will not let anyone cross them, but once again this is not really a preaching or daawah event.” Karina Sorelli, who joined the production team of the festival as an Executive Producer recently, added that she believes “it is important to have women’s voices heard in our
film and television industry as we are still under-represented.” She further added,”also as a Muslim woman, I believe we have a lot of history and culture to share with the world and hopefully end any stigma that may have surrounded our culture since 9/11.” Karina’s journey to her role with the Muslim Film Festival started last year in Melbourne after watching last year’s inaugural festival “I was impressed by the number of talented people that came forward to share their moving picture stories, all from diverse backgrounds. Our diverse culture was so well-represented, it made me realise how diverse the Muslim culture is and I am incredibly proud to be a part of this film festival and I hope it goes from strength to strength right across Australia and hopefully internationally one day.” The festival website and social media pages show that a total of 73 films have been submitted this year, including shorts, dramas and documentaries from around 24 countries.
Muslim Film Festival judges have selected 55 brilliant films this year which are going to be offered for Video On Demand via Vimeo platform for 2 weeks from Saturday 5 September to Saturday 19 September 2020. Anyone can to watch these films from anywhere around the globe. Four sessions of in-theatre screenings will be held on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 September in the city of Perth, Western Australia. The opening session and Awards Ceremony session will be on Saturday 5 September, at the State Library of Western Australia, from 1.00 pm until 5.30 pm. There will be another two additional sessions on 6 September at Backlot Theatre, Perth, Western Australia, from 2.00 pm to 6.30 pm. (subject to cancellation depending on coronavirus restrictions). The festival is showing some films for the first time globally like the South African feature film “Barakat” (138 minutes) which is directed by Amy Jephta, written by Amy Jephta and Ephraim Gordon. The film tells the story of Aisha Davids, who decides to
accept a marriage proposal, as she devises a plan to break the news to her four sons over Eid family reunion. The only problem is that the two eldest sons have been at loggerheads since their father passed away and refuse to be in the same room at the same time. Her big revelation is spoiled when the boys hear via the grapevine about their mother’s pending nuptials and come together to voice their disapproval of the match. Now it’s up to Aisha, her fiancé and her daughters in law to bring the sons around to her way of thinking using the one thing they can all agree on the barakat. MFF2020 aims to promote inclusion, tolerance, and friendship and introduce Muslim society’s culture and stories to a wider audience. The program will reflect the diversity and opportunities within Muslim communities. Tarek Chamkhi is a journalist, academic and a filmmaker at Badayel House, he’s based in Perth, WA.
Art and Faith: Q&A with Mirela Cufurovic AMUST Media The HOME Exhibition run by the City of Greater Dandenong in Victoria aims to showcase and support the work of artists from a refugee background or those seeking asylum. The exhibition explores the theme of home and what it means for those who’ve had to create new lives for themselves. This year we had a chance to speak with Mirela Cufurovic, one of the featured artists and also a 2019 finalist for the Australian Muslim Artists Prize.
a sign of remembrance of the genocide that took place in Srebrenica on 11 July 1995, during the Bosnian war. The colour of the prayer mat symbolises Bosniak Muslim identity and the hope Bosnians hold for their future as refugees in new places they’ve now learnt to call ‘home’. In
other works, I may just turn to faith, as I did in my artwork titled ‘ihsan (Excellence in Faith).
Where do you feel most at Home? Mirela: I feel most at home when I’m in tune with my faith. It proves the guidance
Mirela Cufurovic, Ihsan (Excellence-in-faith).
As the Australian Muslim Artists Art Prize finalist in 2019 do you have any advice for up and coming artists? Mirela: Don’t be afraid to embrace change within your art practice. After many years of experimenting, defining and redefining my art practice, and exploring new themes, I’ve finally found my own ‘voice’. I’ve found something is not only meaningful to me, but that may resonate with many other people who relate to faith, being a minority, or those who are forging new paths and new lives in a foreign place they’ve now learnt to ‘home’. Challenge yourself and don’t be afraid to be inspired by other artists. Sometimes you need to lean on someone else in order to develop your own unique style and art practice. Just keep creating! To View Mirela’s works or the HOME exhibition visit: greaterdandenong.com/home
What inspires you? How do you channel your inspiration into your artwork? Mirela: I am deeply inspired by talented artists like Amani Haydar, Laura Horn, CJ Hendry and Polina Bright. All four artists have different approaches and it’s all their various elements, combined, that I love. Although I am a watercolour artist, I am really hoping to branch out by exploring other mediums to help inspire and drive my art process. But in terms of what defines my current art practice, I’d say its faith and my identity as a Bosnian Muslim survivor of the Bosnian war. I channel my inspiration by incorporating symbolic meaning into my work. For example, in my HOME artwork, Serdžada (Prayer Mat), the rumpled centre pays tribute to the crocheted flower that is used as SEPTEMBER 2020 / ISSUE 178
I need and the sense of belonging that cannot be found elsewhere. Having said that, I do find my ‘home’ within Australia, even though I have a strong connection with my identity as a Bosnian Muslim. Australia has and always will be the ‘home’ I feel most comfortable with. Because of this, I have always strived hard to aim high in order to give back to the community. I do this partly with my art practice and partly with my career as a researcher delving into the issues that affect Australian Muslim youth in Australia today.
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James family reunion in spite of COVID-19
The James family during happier times.
Gulhan Eryegit Yoldas We have received the exciting news that eight year old Paeton James and her dad, Theo have been granted an exemption to travel to Australia to be with her mother Londa James, a teacher at Al Siraat College. The Department of Home Affairs notified her mum, Londa of the good news on the afternoon of Wednesday 5 August. The family is absolutely thrilled and in tears with joy following this outcome and looking forward to being reunited soon. Enthusiastic community support and comments have directly contributed to reuniting this beautiful family. Earlier in the year Paeton James and her dad were granted a visa and were due to fly out to Australia to be with their mother, Londa James back in April. Sadly Australian borders were closed due to COVID-19, and the James’ family had been living apart across two separate continents over the last few months. During this time young Paeton began to experience medical concerns directly related to her being separated from her mother for a prolonged time.
Almost 4000 people signed a petition for Paeton to be reunited with her family which the James family are incredibly grateful for. We formally recognise the support of Federal MP Andrew Giles and Senator Nick McKim in reuniting the James family and including them by name in their recent speeches. The support of the entire AMUST team in raising awareness of the James family petition in AMUST print media and across online and various social media platforms is acknowledged. Paeton James and her dad Theo will be flying to Australia in the coming days and will stay in quarantine upon arrival possibly for two weeks. This news is a wonderful demonstration of the impacts the support a virtual community of compassionate people can have, and much needed positive news in this time of uncertainty. Gulhan Eryegit Yoldas is on the advisory board for ECCV Gambling Harm project, in the advisory group for Whittlesea Interfaith Network and currently works as the Community Engagement Facilitator for Al Siraat College. Gulhan has a robust history of advocacy for gambling industry reform and Interfaith dialogue. She is passionate about developing Muslim youth as spokespeople for their communities.
Countering conspiracy theories on COVID-19 Hannan Mansuri I recently came across a WhatsApp video regarding a COVID-19 lockdown conspiracy theory by a Muslim speaker, Sufyan Khalifa, addressing a Muslim audience. I thought it important to address the content of such a talk. Sufyan Khalifa describes the Melbourne lockdown as a ‘hostage situation’ and the COVID-19 “plandemic” as a hoax by Dajjal. He continues on with his bleak, dystopian, science-fiction outlook, which gets more and more absurd and paranoid in the course of the video. He compares Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews to “Fir’aon” (Quran 40:29) - simply because he is a person in authority and is trying “guide his people to a good policy”. One is a person who called himself a God among men and enslaved and killed people and one implemented a lockdown to mitigate a pandemic. What is the comparison? If anything, a lockdown is closer to what is plainly described in Islamic teachings through the hadith: “If you hear of an outbreak of plague in a land, do not enter it; but if the plague breaks out in a place while you are in it, do not leave that place.” (Bukhari, #5728) Prophet Mohammed (s) was also reported to have said, “Do not graze a sick herd with a healthy one, [or, Do not put a sick patient with a healthy person].” (Bukhari, #5771; Muslim, #2221) Medieval Muslim historian Ibn Khaldun descibes the practice of what can now be described as social/physical distancing in Al-Muqaddimah, and quarantining patients has been a practice of the Ottomans in the 1800s. It is inappropriate to evoke the Qur’an
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and sunnah without a grasp of the facts. In this video, no proof is given, nor references provided. Instead, he uses condescension, ridicule and rhetoric, with misspelled dot-points. The rants are not even original, but re-combinations of existing conspiracy theories of a New World Order, anti-vaxxer and the Antichrist packaged for a Muslim audience. One of the defining characteristics of conspiracy thinking is that it is resistant to challenge, unfalsifiable and self-sealing. Ironically, a lack of evidence is often taken as evidence of a mass coverup. Why it weakens society Beliefs in such conspiracy theories and paranoid thoughts may be appealing because it provides an easy to understand,
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emotion laden explanation and may even allay deeper insecurities of incompetence or inferiority by displacing blame to figures in authority. In times of uncertain and unusual occurrences, or a lack of adequate information, it can help regain a sense of control. Or perhaps to feel a sense of belonging. Such thinking weakens our society because it removes accountability from the community and promotes a sense of hopelessness about the state of the world. It decreases engagement with power structures and discourages participation in politics and activism to shape larger change in society. This would result in a society that does not value evidence or truth and relies on pure emotion and provocation. Instead of engaging in this type of rhetoric, we should be generating ideas on how
to implement a more nuanced lockdown that will actually benefit our community instead of a nihilistic approach. Yes, real conspiracies do exist. But actual attempts to deceive the public will be uncovered through healthy skepticism, evidence, and consistency, not conspiratorial thinking. It must be noted that there is plentiful information about COVID-19 available from a myriad of sources: people who have gone through COVID-19, personal anecdotes, medical journal articles about the virus’s viability and action and health websites giving guidelines to protect against the virus. The low number of deaths by COVID-19, compared to other diseases in Australia is no reason to stop a lockdown- as we know, it can get a lot worse if allowed to spread unchecked, based on its highly infectious nature. It’s like saying that there is no further need for an umbrella, because you haven’t gotten wet yet. How do we protect against it We can reduce the spread of such thinking by a) warning people about such theories floating around, b) questioning the sources, c) questioning the logic, d) allaying curiosity through reliable sources like medical journals & official regulatory bodies, or learning the basics of sciences like biology and physics, logic and reason. There is still much work to be done. References The Conspiracy Theory Handbook by Stephan Lewandowsky & John Cook (2020) Al-Muqaddimah (1377) by Abd Ar Rahman bin Muhammed Ibn Khaldun (translated by Franz Rosenthal) Hannan Mansuri is a research student at the University of Sydney.
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September webinars: Ethical storytelling for social change Gulhan Eryegit Yoldas There are two main webinars coming up in September that are a must for anyone in the field of education, for students, storytellers, community workers, managers, and anyone leading culturally diverse teams. These webinars are a part of the Interfaith Youth Forum project, a two year program taking a grassroots approach to racial and religious discrimination, proudly supported and funded by the Victorian Government. Lead by Al Siraat College the webinars are designed to give people the resources, skills and awareness of the current social issues, and developing quality content to effect social change. The webinars are hosted in partnership with Whittlesea Interfaith Network, City of Whittlesea, St Monicas College and Victoria Police. The first ground breaking webinar on Transformational Ethical Storytelling is coming up on Wednesday 9 September delivered by Our Race. The second, Social Media for Social Change on Thursday 24 September is hosted by Cinespace Inc and features several speakers on who are currently successfully developing content across various media platforms. Director and co-founder for Our Race commented on the upcoming webinar stating: “Our Race is an anti-racism storytelling organisation which delves deep into storytelling practices. We take a person and com-
munity centred collaborative model to ensure the voices most impacted by racial and social injustices are genuinely heard. T o achieve
non-profit organisation Cinespace Inc made the following comments: “For young people digital screen, including film and television, and media, including social media, are very
much a part of their daily lives. This
this we develop and deliver webinars and workshops to reach individuals, communities and or-
ganisat i o n s who believe in the importance of taking an ethical storytelling approach. The key objective of this work is to call out racist and other oppressive practices, while calling in anti-racist ones so that we can flip the power of storytelling. As a community-based membership organisation we are driven by purpose, not profit, and we invite others to join us in achieving the common purpose of racial and social justice.” Daniel Schultheis, founder and director of
is true whether at school, or socially, and perhaps even more so at the moment during the pandemic. It is important that young people can become active creators, not just passive consumers of media, and also that they become media literate and can recognise how media is being used to shape narratives in society. We live in a time when the tools to create have never been more accessible. At Cinespace we work with people from all cultural backgrounds living in Mel-
Falling in love forever or never? Rania Ahmed “When I fall in love, it will be forever, or I’ll never fall in love.” A song which affected all women’s hopes and dreams when it came to relationships. The dream of meeting Mr Right and living happily ever after, was every princess’ goal. At last the day comes and they are married only to realise love doesn’t last forever like the song claimed. So, was the song so wrong? Truth is, it’s not. The heart is meant to fall in love forever. The heart is not meant to break and that is why when it falls in love, it should be forever, however who does it fall in love with? The word forever is something we all long for, the only problem is, we are not in a place where anything lasts forever. Pain nor happiness are forever on this planet, yet we are expecting our moments to last. When they don’t, we are disappointed and often depressed. Why? Because we are longing for forever in the wrong place, Dunya, this very world. After many failed attempts to perfect that which cannot be so, women decide to separate their emotions and logic, only to realise they cannot do that either. Women and emotions come hand in hand and that’s what makes them special. Trying to suppress this feature only leads to misery. So what is the solution? The mind is a mysterious organ mentioned quite a lot in the Quran, and known to have
Three tree ferns in body of the bush Fazlul Huq The three tree ferns are witnessed to have the canopies hued in shining green. As they are shaped like umbrellas in readiness to provide the shade against hale and shine. While the bush has other native trees and shrubs including flocks of banksia, casuarina and gum trees along with wattle and the bush vine. Although the lantana bush has arrived from the far distant to make its claim. As you can also witness blue tongue lizard on the run, brown serpent in duet with python making through the tiniest gap, kookaburras and rosellas perching on the gum trees while the koala continues to laze.
firm control over human action. Sometimes it is referred to as the mind and sometimes it is referred to as the heart. The question is, which one is in control, the mind or the heart? I’ve spent most of my life trying to answer this question, only to find the answer being, they are one. Therefore, the time spent trying to separate both entities was a waste, because they worked together. The real question is who do I let in my heart? The only one who will not break it, Allah the almighty. Only Allah knows how you work and only He can love you forever. Your heart is very precious and delicate. It was created never to be broken and if it does, then it is very hard
“The real
question is who do I let in my heart?
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bourne to develop skills in filmmaking, whether that be writing scripts or directing short films in a more traditional way, making podcasts, or using smartphones to make stories. It is great to see some of the creative people we have worked with from within the Muslim community finding their voice, and sharing their stories on a myriad of platforms. The guests who will join us at this event on Thursday 24 of September are using media to connect with and discuss issues within the community and also to reach out to the broader Victorian community. We hope this forum will inspire more young people to find their own unique voice. Cinespace will also be a judge in this year’s Muslim Film Festival, held online on Saturday 5 September, offering some fantastic films for a range of ages and interests.” It is very exciting to be hosting these webinars in collaboration with experts in the field who possess both research based knowledge and a wealth of industry experience. Further details and registration available via links below; Transformational Ethical Storytelling Webinar: https://tinyurl.com/y55d26gy Social Media for Social Change Webinar: https://tinyurl.com/y3lzfq7m
to mend. If everything is for the sake of Allah, then everything else is secondary and therefore its loss will not break your heart beyond mending. It is all about the attitude, how you look at life. My girls will learn this, and I hope you teach your girls this as well. Allah is the one! The one and only! No one will love me more. Everyone else is secondary, and everything else is also secondary. All which is given to me is a gift, be it my looks or the people in my life. Allah gave them to me and he can take them away and give me better. I own nothing and the world owes me nothing. The only thing I truly have, is Him. Rania Ahmed is a Melbourne based writer and poet. Her aim is to change perspective via her and therefore inspire the change from within.
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But as you look beyond the bush the landmass continues to elevate and so do the canopies of the gum trees. Dr Fazlul Huq was an Associate Professor in Discipline of Pathology in the School of Medical Sciences University of Sydney (just retired). Besides being a poet over 29,000 compositions, he used to lead Cancer Research Group focused on drug discovery and therapy. Dr Fazlul Huq is a retired academic and Editor-in-Chief Emanreserch Journal Of Angiotherapy. He is also the poet “Jujube” at Allpoetry.com with over 35,000 compositions.
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COVID-19: What can I do? Farid Ahmed COVID-19 has shaken the world causing death, sufferings, grief, hunger, freedom of movements, fear and economic struggle. The scientists, health professionals, care givers, politicians and every individual are doing their best to either prevent it, or to help recover from it. Mankind is united against this deadly virus and is fighting back against it with every possible means. Despite all the wonderful efforts, the COVID-19 is not completely going away. So, is there anything else I can contribute to that fight as a Muslim? The answer is: Yes, I can do at least the following things as my faith teaches me: I must refresh my faith: I need to strengthen my faith that Allah
has the power to remove the virus, or He can grant wisdom to find cure, or He can guide to find ingredients that can cure etc. I need to feel positive, hopeful in Allah’s Mercy, and I should say as Prophet Ibraheem (a) said to his people, “And when I am ill, it is He (Allah) who cures me.” [Quran 26:80]
Allah has commanded me not to give up in seeking His help. So, why should I lose that golden opportunity? I can pray at home, in Mosque, and constantly in my heart to seek Allah’s protection for the mankind from the COVID-19. Allah calls me with His love, “O you who believe! Seek (Allah’s) help through patience and prayer. Surely, Allah is with those who are patient.” [Quran 2:153]
I must continue my patience and prayers: I must not underestimate the healing through prayers and the power of prayers. I can be an ordinary person, but my prayer to Allah is not ordinary because Allah has all the extra-ordinary power to help me and the mankind.
I must help humans: I can help other humans in prevention or in recovery with my knowledge, time, energy, skill or with wealth. My little contribution will add to the service of mankind. When it comes to the care giving, my faith teaches me that humans have rights on me because humans are one large family to
love and care for one another. Failure to do that I will face questioning from Allah in His court in the next life. Prophet Muhammad (s) taught us, “On the Day of Judgment, Allah will say, O son of Adam! I was sick but you did not visit me (to take care of me). He/she will say my lord! How could I come to visit you when YOU are the Lord of the Universe? Allah will then say, did you not know that MY servant such and such was sick, and you did not visit him/her (to give care, help)? Did you not know, if you did visit him/her, surely you would have found ME beside him/ her.” [Hadith, Sahih Muslim] In conclusion, may Allah save mankind from COVID-19 and grant human unity in love and in peace. Ameen! Farid Ahmed is a survivor of Christchurch attack on 15 March 2019, a peace advocate, author of HUSNA’S Story and Quran teacher in Christchurch.
Respect and care for the elderly “Your Lord hath decreed that ye worship none but Him, and that ye be kind to parents.” (Qur’an 17:23) Why am I writing about a slave girl when there are so many dreadful things happening in this world? Indeed it may seem strange, but as I look around and listen to the way some parents, particularly mothers, are being spoken to as being of no account I am struck by how far downhill humanity has drifted. Now, even more, as I see the leaning towards older parents being considered expendable, I have felt the urgency for this topic.
Last Words Dr Reginald Naulty In our family, it had never been done before to be with the dying in their last hours. Then, one day, out of the blue, someone rang; it was a nursing home attendant, my mother, in a faraway city, was dying. Would I like to say something? Stunned, I did my best to comfort her; “Soon, things for you will be much better; your beloved brother, and brother in law, your mother will be together again,” And other words to soften the pain. Thanks to a strangers attention a woman was consoled by her son; at the end, a kind of union. Dr Reginald Naulty, originally from Adelaide, has taught at Charles Sturt University and has been a prolific writer since 1972.
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An ancient command In the previous Scriptures the honouring of parents is found. The first four of the Ten Commandments refer to man’s honouring of God. However, the very next commandment is: “Hono u r t h y father a n d mother that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.” [Exodus 20:12] If we look at earlier civilisations we find parental respect. This has been an important part of human culture and history. In the Qur’an parenthood is important, and in ahadith, the position of the Mother holds great significance, and respect is reminded even above that of the Father. Qur’anically there are several verses that refer to the parent-child relationship. All of them point to the importance of respect and caring. Even the children of parents who try to force them to worship other than Allah are told that while they are not to obey them, “Yet bear them company in this life with justice [and consideration], and follow the way of those who turn to Me in love.” (Qur’an 31:15) Love and caring Love is a very important aspect which stems from Allah and from our love for Him. Qur’anically, empathy and love is the God-given part of the human experience and interaction. There is no rigid, unloving, judgemental, or isolationist attitude upheld here. Attending the funeral, even of a non-Muslim parent, is part of caring, accompanying them to the end of their journey. Although sadly I have to say that there are those who preach against going to the funeral of a parent who is not of their faith – this attitude is not admirable, nor should it
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be followed. How is it possible that with such love and respect accorded to parents by the Lord of the Worlds that this world is seeing them treated quite shamefully? Placed into aged care homes by thankless offspring they lang u i s h without visitations, often without proper care, seeing
out the last o f their days in sadness and pain. These unfeeling children forget that they are setting the scene for their own future aging process. The Slave Girl and her Mistress Most will be familiar with the hadith regarding the signs of the end days in which it was stated that one of the last signs will be “When the slave girl gives birth to her mistress.” This may be found in Sunan Ibn Majah Vol.1. Bk1. Hadith 63/66. There have been a number of interpretations of this hadith, all of them valid in their own way. Certainly it shows that the parent/ child balance will alter as the last days approach. However, I am interested in the genderised terminology in this hadith. An interpretation put forward by one Sheikh is that of women being used as surrogates by the wealthy. Thus they are quite literally the slave girls giving birth to their mistresses [or masters]. While there may be a lot of merit in that
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interpretation, yet still I find myself thinking that the “slavery” of surrogacy is temporary, lasting only until the birth of the child so may not be considered to be slave of the surrogate. The other aspect of the slave girl That which seems to me to be a case in point is that of daughters who believe that they have more knowledge and are better educated than their mothers, or perhaps even both parents. Instead of being respectful and grateful, they see themselves as being above them. It doesn’t seem to dawn on them that their mothers may well have attained such excellence, or possibly more, had the opportunity for them arisen. Instead they speak sharply and unkindly, forgetting the love and sacrifice that they have received. Sometimes they are even ashamed to be seen with her. Often fathers are so proud of their daughters’ achievements that they fail to notice the disparagement and degrading of their wives which is taking place. In one case made known to me, the father actually joined forces with the daughter in belittling his wife. God forbid that this should be! I found myself asking “Why?” Why would a good woman allow this to happen? In studying this case it was revealed that the custom was for women to put their husbands and children first to the point of suffering many forms of degradation, without questioning! The woman in question was told by her mother, who was told by her mother and so on… that a woman must not have a thought or a voice of her own when it came to her husband and children. The astonishing part of this case was that the woman in question was in fact a trained Medical professional. This, my friends, is not Islam that is being taught but an abusive culture. It is a culture which, should she become widowed, will demand that her iddah period of 4 months and 10 days be spent in a single room with no windows. This I have personally witnessed, and even though told that this is not Islam, she is fearful to do other. In fact, the slave girl has more than one Mistress the most overbearing is that of Culture.
“If we look at earlier civilisations we find parental respect. This has been an important part of human culture and history.
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Shifa L Mustapha
Shifa Mustapha is a writer and community worker based in Brisbane. ISSUE 178 / SEPTEMBER 2020
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Jamia named top Indian university Zahid Alam Jamia Millia Islamia tops the list of Central Universities released by the Union Ministry of Education of India a few days ago. In other words, in 2020, Jamia Millia Islamia is the most prestigious university in India. Jamia Millia Islamia secured the first position with 90% marks, while Rajiv Gandhi University, Jawaharlal Nehru University and Aligarh Muslim University scored 83%, 82% and 78% marks respectively. The same, Jamia University was criticised early this year by the ruling BJP Hindu Nationalist government politicians and the current ruling Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, who criticised it for its continuing anti-CAA agitation at Shaheen Bagh, calling the protestors anti-national. On 15 December 2019, the university’s students protesting against India’s discriminatory citizenship laws were brutalised by Delhi police personnel. They reportedly fired bullets and used tear gas inside the campus, badly damaging the library and
rest-rooms, and injuring several students. It was during this time and later in 2020, the Muslim community was groping in every direction and grappling with questions of country and community that inspired anti-CAA movement from Jamia that spread all over the country. Jamia Millia Islamia, which roughly translates as Islamic National University, is a Central Government University in New Delhi, established by Muslim leaders in the 1920’s inspired by the Non-Cooperation Movement against the British and the Khilafat Movement. The university was underpinned by both anti-colonial Islamic activism and the aspirations for independence by both the traditionally educated as well as Western educated Muslims. It is the characteristic of this institution that its founders were fully involved in the Indian struggle for independence from British Raj. The university prides itself for safeguarding India’s Islamic heritage, freedom of thought and action, patriotism, enlightenment and tolerance amongst India’s diverse religious and ethnic communities.
Icon for Muslim unity, Ayatollah Bombay High Court: Tablighi Taskhiri passed away foreigners made scapegoats Tahir Nawaz
Mohamed Ainullah
Iranian scholar and diplomat, Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Taskhiri, a Member of the Assembly of Experts passed away on Tuesday 18 August in Tehran at the age of 76. He served as the Iranian representative to the Organisation of Islamic Conference as well as Secretary General of World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of thought for many years actively reinforcing unity amongst Muslims. Ayatollah Taskhiri was born in 1944 in Najaf, Iraq where he received his education and taught at the well know seminary. His father Sheikh Ali Akbar was of Iranian origin. He was well versed in Farsi, English and Arabic poetry and literature and composed Arabic poetry himself. In 1971 he went to Qom learning and teaching at the seminary in the companionship of revolutionary scholars and teachers. After the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran he got involved in cultural affairs within the country and abroad strengthening relationship between scholars in Iranian and the Muslim world. Ayatollah Takshiri was among activists and worked to bring down the Ba’athist regime in
In a strongly-worded judgment, the Bombay High Court on Friday 22 August quashed the FIRs filed against a total of 29 foreign nationals who were booked for allegedly violating their Tourist Visa conditions by attending the Tablighi Jamaat congregation at Nizamuddin in Delhi earlier this year. A Division Bench of Justice TV Nalawade and Justice MG Sewlikar of the Aurangabad bench heard the three separate petitions filed by petitioners who belong to countries like Ivory Coast, Ghana, Tanzania, Djibouti, Benin and Indonesia. Police also booked six Indian nationals and trustees of the Masjids for giving shelter to the petitioners. All the petitioners were booked after police claimed to have received secret information about them residing at the respective masjids in different areas and offering prayers in violation of lockdown orders. Justice TV Nalawade observed: “The material on the record shows that Tabligh Jamamat is not a sep-
Iraq and developed strong relations with the Oslamic opposition in Iraq during Saddam’s rulr. He has taught in Tehran’s Imam Sadiq University, Tarbiat Modarres University and was also a member of the Fiq’h committee of Islamic bank. Tahir Nawaz is Specializing in Muslim Affairs of New Zealand & Global Muslims. He is Current President of International Muslim Association of New Zealand (IMAN). He is also the Current council member for Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand (FIANZ) and previously served as First Vice President of FIANZ.
Kashmiri photojournalist wins international award Mohamed Ainullah Masrat Zahra, a freelance photojournalist from Srinagar, Kashmir, has been named for the 2020 Peter Mackler Award for Courageous and Ethical Journalism. The award will be presented in New York on 24 September 2020. She was named winner for the award for her work covering events in the Kashmir valley with a specific focus on women in the region telling the stories that have been ignored of Kashmiri women caught up in the conflict zone. Catherine Antoine, president of the Global Media Forum Training Group and founder of the Peter Mackler Award, said, “Masrat Zahra exhibits the very qualities that my late husband, Peter Mackler, fostered in the new genSEPTEMBER 2020 / ISSUE 178
arate sect of Muslim, but it is only movement for reformation of religion. Every religion has evolved over the years due to reformation as reformation is always necessary due to the changes in the society and the development achieved in the material world. In any case, even from the record, it cannot be inferred that the foreigners were spreading Islam religion by converting persons of other religion to Islam. The record shows that the foreigners were not talking Indian languages like Hindi or Urdu and they were talking languages like Arabian, French etc. In view of the aforesaid discussion, it can be said that the foreigners may have intention to know the ideas of Tabligh Jamamat about the reformation. The allegations are very vague in nature and from these allegations inference is not possible at any stage that they were spreading Islam religion and there was intention of conversion. It is also not the case that there was an element of persuasion on any point from these foreigners.”
Media ANIC makes joint Scan submission on Anti-
Discrimination Bill
Ainullah
Mohamed Ainullah
eration of reporters whose path he crossed.” “Masrat’s complete dedication to reporting the story, no matter the risks, along with her mental fearlessness and creative approach to use any medium at her disposal to bear witness to the world made our choice easy,” she added. Zahra was previously awarded the 2020 Anja Niedringhaus Courage in Photojournalism Award by International Women’s Media Foundation which celebrates the courageous work of women photojournalists. In late April, Zahra was charged by Indian police for “making fake news and supporting enemies of the state” under Unlawful Activities Act (UAPA) for her work which she had uploaded on social media. Under this stringent law, a suspect can be jailed for up to seven years.
The Australian Imams Council together with signatories from almost 50 other Muslim organisations made a joint submission on Friday 21 August 2020 to the Joint Select Committee on the Anti-Discrimination Amendment (ReligiousFreedoms and Equality) Bill 2020 in the NSW Parliament. This joint submission is made on behalf of the broader Australian Muslim community relating to the Anti-Discrimination Amendment (Religious Freedoms and Equality) Bill 2020 (Bill). The submission has been prepared by Australian National Imams Council (ANIC), supported by a number of NSW based organisations with a representative role in the Australian Muslim community and specifically in NSW.
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These organisations are listed in Schedule 1 of the submission and therefore, is reflective of the views prevalent in the Australian Muslim community. The concept of the Bill is much overdue in NSW. It offers a critical opportunity to address an urgent and pressing concern held by Australian Muslims living in NSW and persons of other minority faiths. This is in a context where, in NSW, there is no legislative protection against discrimination directed at a person based on their religious identity and belief. It is important that NSW implements a uniform and consistent protection for all religious communities, particularly in a climate of increasing Islamophobic and antireligious sentiment directed at persons who are readily identifiable with reference to their religious belief, activities and/or affiliation. Read the submission on AMUST website https://bit.ly/3jc7gWG
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Global silence on “The Kashmir Question” Dr Nahid Kabir In 2017, one of my Bangladeshi friends visited Kashmir. My friend liked the tourist areas but she commented that it felt like the 1971 period in Bangladesh when the Pakistani military were patrolling everywhere. In Kashmir people were under surveillance and the Indian military was patrolling. Ordinary Kashmiris were being watched in their everyday lives. During my recent stay in the USA (2016– 2018), I have observed diasporic Kashmiri communities and their “World Kashmir Awareness Forum”, and, now while in Australia (2020), I have seen the “Stand with Kashmir” group trying to raise peoples’ awareness of the Kashmiri situation through silent protests with pictures and placards. In the history of the Indian Subcontinent, the rise of nationalism against the oppressive powers has been possible whenever peoples’ collective national identity overpowered repression. In the case of Jammu and Kashmir, the Kashmiri’s ethnic and national identities, and their desire for freedom, have been being silenced by India’s internal politics. The global silence on the Kashmir question is deafening. When I think of nationalism the first thing that comes to my mind is a nation formed by one group of people who share same ethnicity, culture and heritage and desire to gain autonomy or freedom from an oppressive or colonising regime. Collective identity plays a crucial role in nationalism. As a student of history, I can recall the rise of nationalism in India that
eventually led the British colonial power to leave India. The British colonised India from 1858 to 1947. They applied a policy of “divide and rule”, and enriched their empire through exploitation. When they left India, the Indian Subcontinent was partitioned into Pakistan and India. After Pakistan came into existence, the West Pakistani government exploited the people of East Pakistan, and denied their economic, cultural and political rights from 1947 to 1971. Finally, East Pakistan gained independence through the Liberation War of 1971, and became Bangladesh. Amid this long history of the Indian Subcontinent, the Kashmir question remained unanswered. At the time of the Partition of India in 1947, the State of Jammu and Kashmir (known as Kashmir) had a Muslim majority of 78 per cent (and it remains the only
Muslim majority population state in India). During the partition of India, Jammu and Kashmir was a princely state. It had to choose between India or Pakistan. Both India and Pakistan were interested in Kashmir, which led to the Indo-Pakistan War of 1947-48. India offered military assistance and identity politics led the Hindu Maharaja Hari Singh to accede to India. Three wars were fought over Kashmir: the India-Pakistan wars of 1948 and 1965 and the Kargil War of 1999. There have also been constant issues of terrorism and blame games by both India and Pakistan over the Kashmir issue. After the Mumbai terror attacks in November 2008, India blamed Pakistan and directly linked the attacks to the Kashmir problem. On 4 February 2009, the United Nations Secretary-General, Mr Ban Kimoon, declared that Kashmir was the main
cause of instability in the South Asian region. Finally, on 5 August 2019, the Government of India revoked the limited autonomy granted to Jammu and Kashmir under Articles 370 and 35A of the Indian Constitution. Article 370 allowed Kashmir to have its own constitution, a separate flag and freedom to make laws. Foreign affairs, defence and communications remained under the Indian central government (“Article 370: What happened with Kashmir and why it matters”, BBC.com, 6 August 2019). As a result, Kashmir lost its partial sovereignty, and it has been forced to abide by the Indian Constitution like the other Indian states. Ms Mehbooba Mufti, former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, and other political leaders in Kashmir say that the Kashmiris were not consulted about India’s intention to annex the state, and hence the abrogation of Article 370 was “illegal and unconstitutional”. They say it is a brutal occupation, and has paved the way for the ethnic cleansing of the Kashmiri Muslim majority. Kashmiri residents reacted to the news despite a communication blackout. The Indian authorities had shut down the internet in Kashmir. The Indian government described these measures as “strictly an internal matter” (“India’s clampdown on Kashmir continues”, The Washington Post, 13 August 2019). Dr Nahid Afrose Kabir is Professor of History in BRAC University, Bangladesh; a Visiting Researcher at the Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown University, USA; and Adjunct Professor at Edith Cowan University and the University of South Australia, both in Australia.
You ask: Why do Muslims kill other Muslims? Muhammad Zuhair Non-Muslims ask several questions to Muslims related to Islam and the problems in the Muslim world. The assumption they make while interpreting such issues in Muslim dominated countries is that Islamic teachings encourage brutalities and barbarism and are responsible for every wrong thing happening in these countries. Most of the time, such questions are asked to vilify Islam and to paint Muslims as cruel and evildoers. Still, sometimes modest people, who are open to learn, ask to expand their knowledge because they can’t see people being killed unjustly. So, why Muslims kill Muslims? It is a valid question. I agree that Muslims are killing Muslims, and no Muslim should deny this. But hold one, what are the reasons behind? Is it happening because of Islamic teachings, or is it happening because of something else? Let’s unfold this intriguing problem based on an academic research perspective and associated scholarships. The data confirms that there is a weak correlation between suicide terrorism and Islamic fundamentalism or any one of the world’s religions. The leading perpetrators of suicide attacks have been the Tamil Tigers, a Marxist-Leninist cohort who are vehemently opposed to religion. This group perpetrated 76 of the 315 incidents, way more suicide attacks than Hamas. When did you last time watch on the television ‘Tamil Tigers blow themselves up?’
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Now come to your question: Why Muslims are killing Muslims? My understanding and research based on authentic scholars in the field suggests that most of these unfortunate events resulting in the Muslim world are because Muslims don’t internalise Islam, meaning that they are not materialising Islam within themselves, despite born in Muslim families. Most of the Muslims are enslaved to their desires and carry cultural baggage. For example, casteism in Indian/Pakistani/Bangladeshi Muslims, which is directly stemmed from the influence of the dominant culture in the region, against the very primary teaching of Islam. Now you might ask: why are we not stopping Muslims killing Muslims? You and I can do a limited thing, we need to be honest. We should understand our limitations. But it doesn’t mean we are not trying to stop such insanity. What I believe that we can do, as Muslims, we can educate people. I agree that Muslims also need to be blamed for several problems. According to Qur’an: God doesn’t change the condition of the people until they change conditions for themselves (13:11). It applies to the entire humanity, not exclusive to Muslims. Islam is meant for everyone, not exclusively for Muslims, as people perceive. Muslims need to go back to their Islamic roots. They need this reformation. I wish I could stop the oppression of non-Muslims by Muslim government/people in other Muslim countries. What least I can do from my end is to educate Muslims of that country and emphasise to adhere to the Islamic teachings. That is what we do on different social media platforms. At the same time, I think, as many re-
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Syrian refugees at the Turkish Syrian border in 2011. searchers pointed out, that West is also responsible for the intricacies we observe in Muslim countries. Just analyse the colonial history from the 17th to 20th century where the majority of Muslims were not in the Ottoman/Muslim Empire but the British Empire till the early 20th century. Now if you examine a little further and look at the world map and ask yourself why Muslims are killing each other. Look at Syria, one of the most religiously diverse countries in the Muslim world. What is happening in Syria today has already happened in Lebanon. In 19 70’s to 80’s, Lebanon went through a war for ten years. Why? When the colonial rulers sketched the lines and declared that this part is going to be Syria, and that part is going to be Lebanon. They intentionally put opposing factions in the same country so that they would have to dispute. It resulted in conflicts, which raised the question: who would control the local power dynamics? And that continued to happen in both Lebanon and Syria. As a result, we find most conflicts in those geographic regions. And something similar happened to Iraq, you should research.
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Long story short, it is not the Islamic teachings which encourage Muslims to kill innocent Muslims or others. There are segments of course in Islamic teachings, which talk about violence. But it is being said in the context of war. You need to understand the context behind it before inferring anything from your finite cognitive power. Thus, any problem should be studied in a three-dimensional perspective by including historical, social-economical, and disturbance in local power dynamics. It would be an injustice to conclude anything based on shallow understanding of a specific subject. Prophet Mohammad (s) said, “Help your brother, whether he is an oppressor or he is an oppressed one.” His companions were confused, and they asked, “It is all right to help him if he is oppressed, but how should we help him if he is an oppressor?” The Prophet (s) replied, “By preventing him from oppressing others.” (Hadith: Sahih alBukhari) Zuhair is a PhD student (Geoscience) at Monash University, Australia. He is an alumnus of Aligarh Muslim University and IIT Kharagpur, India. ISSUE 178 / SEPTEMBER 2020
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Varying perceptions of partition among Indian Muslims Zahid Jamil Indian Muslims have gone through various political phases since India’s partition in 1947. Both India and Pakistan have seen political turmoils from within. These political disturbances affected Muslims who opted to migrate to Pakistan from India and those who opted to stay in India despite having an opportunity to migrate to the newly created Muslim nation of Pakistan. For more than thirty years before British left India, Muslims faced the great dilemma due to differing attitudes of Hindu leadership within the main political Congress party . A few extremist Hindu leaders, outside Congress, advocated that Muslim rulers had exploited Hindus during eight hundred years of Muslim rule and India should aim to return to its ancient glory of a Hindu nation. Many political leaders within the Congress party, though not considered to be the hardliners, yet they felt uncomfortable with Muslim participation in the political process. Following the partition, democracy flourished in India, sound political institutions were established and the country made significant progress in many sectors. Industrial growth was encouraged and a few reputable educational institutions produced competent technical personnel. Pakistan was not so lucky as it faced leadership struggle over the years which led to multiple coups by Military dictators. Yet, Pakistanis enjoyed better living standards, thanks to the fertile land of Punjab province and remittances from very large workforce who went to rich gulf states to work. In India, a very large section of population continued to live under extreme poverty. Muslims in India failed to prosper after
partition. As a large percentage of better educated Muslims in North India migrated to Pakistan, they became socio-economically weak and demoralised. Hindus were hostile to them as they blamed Muslims for partition. Yet, the secular credentials of India had some strength and in general Muslims enjoyed freedom despite being discriminated at times. Regular communal riots also harmed them significantly, yet Muslims treated India as their motherland where they would live despite some difficulties. However at the same time, the right wing Hindu political party BJP started gaining strength. It won its first two seats in the parliament in 1984. BJP leader LK Advani started a campaign to build the temple of Lord Rama at the site of Babri Mosque built by Moghul Emperor Babar in the north Indian city of Ayodhya. Modi took Hindu agenda to a new height as he allowed RSS leaders to mastermind the worst communal riots in Indian history in 2002. International Human Rights agencies and US government took notice of gross violation of human rights of the Muslim minority. US banned Narendra Modi under a law passed in 1998 that makes foreign officials responsible for “severe violations of religious freedom” ineligible for visas. Mr Modi is the only person ever denied a visa to the US under this provision. In India however, Narendra Modi’s rise within BJP was surprising for many as he eclipsed many senior leaders to be chosen the leader of the party. He became the Prime Minister in 2014 following a landslide electoral win for BJP. The controversial Tilaq Bill was passed which would jail Muslim men for pronouncing Tilaq three times at one instant. As BJP again led by Modi won the second term in 2019, anti-Muslim policies gained momentum. The state of Jammu & Kashmir, a disputed territory between India and Pakistan was annexed through a parliamentary
Lord Mountbatten (centre) with Jawaharlal Nehru (left) and Muhammad Ali Jinnah (right). Act in August 2019, putting the Kashmir valley under oppressive military lockdown. Finally India’s supreme court came up with the final verdict in favour of Hindus to build the Rama temple on the grounds of the raised Babri Masjid in December 2019. A new Bill seeking fresh evidence of Indian citizenship excluded Muslims from any concession which would result in millions of Muslims stateless came into effect towards the end of 2019. Even during Corona pandemic, Muslims were blamed for spreading the virus following a religious gathering in Delhi as a few of the attendees tested positive. The hatred, intimidation and persecution of Muslims has become intolerable in India lately. As Muslims are feeling increasingly insecure, they now feel that Pakistan would have provided them secured future if their forefathers had migrated to Pakistan. Some among intelligentsia advocate that if India was not divided in 1947, Muslims
in India would be close to 40 percent of the population. Such a number would not allow Hindus to exploit Muslims, as they would be equal rivals and Muslims would have much stronger political representation, disallowing Hindu extremists to gain the upper hand. I always held an opinion that the partition was in fact the division of Muslims into three nations which weakened Muslims and created a particularly difficult situation for Muslims in India. The debate is likely to continue in future as the crisis for Muslims is expected to worsen in India. Zahid Jamil is an engineering post graduate from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and runs a financial planning practice based in Sydney. He heads South Asian Muslim Association of Australia, SAMAA: samaa.org.au)
Building a better future for the street children of Afghanistan Bridget Surdich Affected by decades of conflict, Afghanistan is one of the most dangerous places in the world for a child. Thousands of children are homeless and living on the streets with no access to education, shelter and food. The children that roam the streets of Afghanistan suffer the most out of the entire population. Not only are they living through an endemic poverty, most suffer from assault and violence on a daily basis. Children as little as 3 years olds, are forced to work and beg around the Afghan cities in dangerous environments which often results in detrimental effects on their mental and physical wellbeing. The ongoing pandemic has only worsened the situation for the street children creating an urgency for support and rescue efforts for the children in Afghanistan. A child should be able to have their most basic needs fulfilled. They should be enriched with education, provided with adequate nutrition and be given a safe environment whilst being given a chance to have a somewhat normal and happy childhood. Children living on the streets are often forced to mature prematurely and develop survival skills. Along the way, they become more resilient and ambitious. Perhaps all they need is a helping hand to help take SEPTEMBER 2020 / ISSUE 178
them out of poverty and be given a chance to become valuable members of the society. Helping take children off the streets will not only give them a chance at turning their lives around but also become future community leaders in Afghanistan like Hashmatulla Hayat. Hayat lived on the streets of Kabul before being rescued by a local charity in Afghan-
istan. Through the charity’s rehabilitation program, Hayat gained access to education and vocational skills allowing him to take up painting as a paying hobby. By selling his paintings, Hayat was able to fund his education and graduate from university. Today, Hayat plays an integral role in the same charity that allowed him to have a better future.
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Hayat’s story is one of inspiration and perseverance, exemplifying how basic support can help turn a child’s life around. A story Mahboba’s Promise hopes to provide to other children living on the streets in Afghanistan. Mahboba’s Promise aims to extend sustainable development support to the scores of street children living in precarious conditions in Kabul. The first step in the rehabilitation of these children is to help them gain access to a secure environment away from the perils of the streets. The program not only aims to get children off the streets but also provide them with a safe house during the day where they will be sheltered, provided education and fed nutritious meals. The street kids rehabilitation program is part of Mahboba’s Promise’s sustainable development projects focused on enabling the children and youth of Afghanistan to develop key skills to bring about sustainable change within the society. Donations to sustain the project helps ensure much needed assistance is provided to the street children because no child deserves to go hungry, be without a roof over their heads or die of a preventable disease! To find out more and to donate to Mahboba’s Promise current projects, please visit https://mahbobaspromise.org/projects-2/
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Mansa Musa: Richest person who ever lived Umar Khan When you think about the richest person in the world of all time, people generally think of the billionaires of today who own large multinational corporations such as those found in the Forbes’ list of billionaires. After all, we live in an era of great wealth and prosperity (even if it isn’t distributed evenly). But, according to some historians, the richest person to have ever lived could well have been Mansa Musa. Mansa Musa, a devout Muslim, was the 14th Century Mali ruler whose true wealth is indescribable, as it would nigh on impossible to fathom. He was born in 1280 CE into the family of the rulers of the Mali Empire. He became the leader of the Mali Empire when his brother, Mansa Abu Bakr II abdicated. Mansa Musa inherited a wealthy kingdom. However, it was under his rule that the empire grew to its zenith and was at its wealthiest. At its height, the empire covered parts of what are now Ivory Coast, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Gambia, Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritanian, and Senegal, and stretched over 3,000 kilometres inland from the Atlantic Ocean. Under his rule, the Mali Empire annexed 24 cities, including the famous city of Timbuktu. His wealth came from the vast resources his kingdom held such as gold and salt. In fact, according to the British Museum, almost half of the Old World’s gold was in the Mali empire during Mansa Musa’s reign. And this all belonged to Mansa Musa . Even though his kingdom was saturated with gold, it was not well known in the world. However, this changed, as Mansa Musa de-
cided to go for Hajj, a pilgrimage to Mecca, passing through Egypt. On a journey of over 6,000 kilometres, Mansa Musa took a caravan that was said to have been 60,000 people strong. It was report-
ed that his caravan stretched as far as the eye could see. It was on his route to Mecca, that Mansa Musa met the Sultan of Egypt in Cairo. He spent so much gold in purchases and dona-
tions in Cairo, that he decimated the entire economy. An estimate by SmartAsset.com says that Mansa Musa’s excessive donations of gold resulted in about $1.5 billion economic losses in the Middle East . It is reported by some that he did this initially to move the gold capital of the world from Cairo to Timbuktu. Others report that it was an honest mistake, and that Mansa Musa tried to rectify the situation by borrowing gold on his way back to Mali, to remove some gold from circulation. Whatever the case, Mansa Musa’s pilgrimage revealed his vast wealth. It was also this journey that put his kingdom on the map – literally. In a Catalan Atlas from 1375, the kingdom of Mali is portrayed with Mansa Musa on a gold throne, holding a piece of gold. Mansa Musa also brought back artists and scholars, upon his return, helping to develop the Mali Empire. He had the famous Djinguereber Mosque built in Timbuktu with the help of an Andalusian architect and established a university, to attract students and scholars to Timbuktu. By attracting the best scholars in the Islamic World at that time, Mansa Musa made Mali the most important place for knowledge in Africa. Under Mansa Musa, the empire became urbanised, with the establishment of many schools and mosques. Mansa Musa was succeeded by his son, Masa Maghan I, when he died in 1337. However, his legacy still lives on today with the Djinguereber Mosque and the university he established, the University of Sankoré, still standing today, testament to his wealth, his faith and dedication to education.
Psychology of depression and Islam Janelle Di Falco Almost half of Australians will have a mental health condition in their lifetime, with 3 million adults having anxiety and/or depression in any year. Almost 50 per cent of clinics are having people with a psychiatric diagnosis. When understanding depression, depression is a state of mind which is accommodated with mood symptoms. However, there are different kinds of depressions and having sound knowledge on which depression is being discussed in the media is crucial. When discussing depression there are three components which are identified as the core symptom of changing mood (Persistent and long-lived sadness), the cognitive component and the bodily symptoms component. The brain has this capacity though where it bounces back - so feelings of sadness will not last long. However, for some people with or without reason, it can turn into depression. Situations that cause depression come from life events that cause a certain amount of stress. Those life events, if most people suffer - will go into some kind of mood change which is called an adjustment disorder. For example: losing a job, divorce or children going away. Adjustment disorder can additionally lead to a prolonged depressive disorder. The next type of depression is neurotic depression which is known as dysthymia. All
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these different depressions vary from what is called endogenous depression, which is apart of recurring depressive episodes. This is where continuous episodes of depression occur with or without reason. In endogenous depression, the quality of sadness could go from sleeping fine then waking up in the morning feeling sad where nothing makes you happy. That sadness interferes with almost everything. These depressions can either be from a biological thing or it can get precipitated by an external leaver. However, the quality of depression would need to be determined. It makes a difference to know which depression someone may have due to prognosis. Interestingly though, before someone sees a clinician they may find their own mood state and automatically call it depression. However, 70-80 per cent of people are just having problems with the daily life of living. A question to ask is why medicalisation is occurring? To which the answer is because of the ease of treatment. The main awareness is if someone is experiencing beyond sadness, then seeing a clinician to work out the causes of the situation, which may just be from the stressors of life to which the clinician will help find solutions to those problems. The sadness that one may be experiencing
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is all temporarily and often when a problem occurs, for most people as time passes the pain gets less and less. This reason is due to the brain that functions to survive. As the emotional brain starts developing over time, it would have slowly fine-tuned to these emotions against the external environment and survival. There is this part of the brain where it shows that we all have coping mechanisms inside of us. This part of the brain is known as the
ventromedial prefrontal cortex. So no matter what, our brain will get through whatever it is that we are going through. Interestingly looking at an Islamic perspective it makes sense and only stands as further proof to the psychological research where Allah (God) states ‘Allah does not burden a soul beyond that it can bear’ (Qur’an 2:286). It makes one realise that whatever hardship we face in our life is always going to be something that we know we can handle because we are the creations of Allah - including the brain and
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Allah loves his creations. The brain was created and designed by Allah in a way where he knew his creations would adjust and adapt to any trial and tribulation that gets thrown their way. If the brains main function is to act for survival, then, of course, it is to protect ourselves from any evil that could occur in which our brain can sense this. To add further proof that Allah had created the brain is where he states ‘A lying sinful forehead’ (Qur’an 96:16). This was due to an occasional event in response to a man who caused evil destruction to Prophet Muhammad (s). He was known as a pathological liar. Research states that pathological liars have more white matter at the prefrontal cortex. But 1400 years before it was discovered the Quran said that disbelievers will be dragged from their lying forehead. Scientists have only discovered these functions of the prefrontal area in the last sixty years. Hence, the fact that it is determined that Allah has created the brain and that the prefrontal cortex is the area surrounded by emotions, then it is without a doubt that when a calamity occurs, we will all get through it. ‘For indeed with hardship, will be ease.’ (Qur’an 94:5) Janelle Di Falco is a Bachelor/Honors Degree Graduate of Islamic Studies. She is in her final year of completing her Masters in Teaching. Janelle is also an Academic writer in Contemporary Islamic issues. She is based in Melbourne, Australia. ISSUE 178 / SEPTEMBER 2020
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Tips for Year 10 students choosing their HSC subjects Umar Khan As Year 10 students, university and even Year 12 can feel like a lifetime away. But the choices you make in your subject selection in Year 10 for your HSC course, will set you up a long way in reaching your goals. The following tips are to help you choose your subjects as you enter the final stages of your schooling journey. These tips are also useful for parents to help guide your children through this uncertain journey. 1. Choose Subjects that you are good at or enjoy For the first time in your schooling journey you have a choice as to what subject you want to complete (apart from English – its compulsory), so you can choose subjects that you are good at or enjoy. Even within those subjects you can choose different levels to tailor your learning interests. 2. Choose Subjects you may need as Pre-requisites for your Preferred University Course It may feel like university is very far away, but may universities require certain HSC subjects as pre-requisites for certain degrees. So, if you have an idea of what degree or area you want to study at university, check the pre-requisites, if there are any, and make sure that the subjects you pick meet those requirements. You can search courses at UAC: https://uac.edu.au/. 3. Choose Subjects according to your ability
Don’t choose subjects because you think it will give you a better ATAR – be realistic and choose subjects you can do well in. 4. Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank (ATAR) is a rank NOT a mark Don’t fall into the trap that the ATAR is a mark – it’s a rank. It ranks you against all the other Year 12 students in Australia. 5. Make sure you are ATAR Eligible Ensure that subjects you pick will allow you to receive an ATAR after Year 12. Some subjects don’t contribute to your ATAR, and may mean you have less ATAR eligible units than you need. Be sure to speak to your Careers Advisor at school to confirm if the subjects you are picking will give you an ATAR at the end
of Year 12. 6. Universities may increase your Selection Rank if you do well at certain Subjects Universities may increase your selection rank*, used to compare students applying at university, if you perform well in a particular HSC subject. So, try to get those extra marks and push yourself at school! But remember this is dependent on the degree, university and subject(s) you complete. Some universities, degrees or subjects are not eligible for increases in selection rank, particularly if it is a lower level course. Head to UAC or the university’s website to find out if your selection rank will increase if you excel in a particular HSC subject.
7. If you are not sure what level of Mathematics or English to take, choose the level that suits your ability and future plans best It’s important to choose the level of English and Maths based on your ability, so that you are able to excel, or based on your future plans so that the subject can help you in your university endeavours. 8. Try and push yourself to get Higher Marks Roughly speaking, if you get marks of around 70 in your HSC subjects, you may end up with an ATAR in the 50s, but if you get marks closer to 80, you can get an ATAR closer to 80. This is because most students’ marks are in the range of 70 to 80, and when these students are ranked it really spreads out. Make sure that you work hard to get your marks as high as possible because every mark counts in getting a better ATAR. 9. To maximise your ATAR you have to Work Hard Every little mark counts, so establishing good study habits and working to the best of your ability, will ensure that you can get the highest possible ATAR to achieve your university dream. *Selection Rank: Your selection rank takes into account all the criteria you are required to meet in order to gain entry to a course. As a Year 12 student, your selection rank is usually your ATAR plus any adjustment factors for which you are eligible, such as doing well in an HSC subject, portfolio marks or interviews.
Role Institutions of National Importance can play in uplifting Muslims in India Zahid Alam Higher Education sector in India has witnessed a tremendous increase in the number of Universities/University level Institutions & Colleges since Independence. The number of Universities has increased 34 times from 20 in 1950 to 677 in 2014. The sector boasts of 45 Central Universities of which 40 are under the purview of Ministry of Human Resource Development, 318 State Universities, 185 State Private universities, 129 Deemed to be Universities, 51 Institutions of National Importance (established under Acts of Parliament). (MHRD, 2016) I would like to focus on Institutions of National Importance (INI). Many well-known Institutions fall under INI, to name few: All India Institute if Medical Science (AIMS), Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), National Institute of Technology (NIT). IITs, IIMs, NITs have just 3% of total students but get 50% of government funds. (SHARMA, 2018) To give the reader importance of INI “Data shared by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) in Parliament recently shows the single biggest chunk of government funds — 26.96 per cent of the total — has gone to the IITs, which have just 1.18 per cent of the students; 17.99 per cent has gone to NITs, where 1.37 per cent of the students study; 3.35 per cent has gone to the IIMs, which have 0.12 per cent of the students and 2.28 per cent of the budget has gone to the IIITs, where 0.05 per cent stuSEPTEMBER 2020 / ISSUE 178
dents study. The remaining 48.9 per cent of the higher education funds have gone to the 865 institutions, which have 97.4 per cent of the country’s students.” (ThePrint, 2018) In 2008 Sachar Committee report was published, on the condition of Muslims in India, which was commissioned by the then Prime Minister of India Dr Manmohan Singh. This extensive report highlighted that the systemic discrimination of the Muslim community has pushed it to be the most backward community in India behind even the scheduled castes and tribes, previously known as untouchables. A wide gap exists between the national average and the Muslim community in terms of access to education, sanitary living conditions, clean drinking water, and wealth, to name a few.
It’s been claimed that Muslim population in India is around 15% and they contribute roughly similar proportion of tax into Indian taxation system. Data has shown the participation of Muslim students in Institutes of National Importance is around ~1% to 4%. This shows that Muslims are unable to take advantage of these highly subsidised institutions in this case INI. The Alumni’s from INI are usually leaders in their respective fields and if not gone overseas become policy makers and bureaucrats within Indian Institutional systems. The question to ponder over is: Are Indian Muslims reaping the equal benefits against the tax they are contributing to the Indian government; and by not gaining knowledge from these heavily subsidised, respective in-
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stitutes (in this case INI) and slipping away in the field of education? Finally, would Indian Muslim situation in the country had been any different if there were more graduates from INI and the role alumni from these institute would have played in uplifting Indian Muslims in in the contemporary Indian society and beyond? Zahid Alam is a Project Manager in Telstra and AMUST correspondent based in Sydney. He immigrated to Australia in 2005. He holds a Masters of Engineering Management degree from the University of Technology Sydney and a diploma in Electronics Engineering from Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India.
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COVID-19: Its impact on employment and income of young Australians FINANCE Dr Abul Jalaluddin In June 2020, the rate of unemployment for those aged between 20 and 24 reached 13.9%, while for people aged 25 to 34, the jobless rate climbed to almost 7.5%, together disappearing over 314,000 jobs. Young Australians (aged 15 to 34), many of whom are recent university graduates, are facing a dire job market during this coronavirus pandemic and risk being trapped in low-paying jobs or remaining unemployed for years. Training programs and apprenticeships offered by Federal and State/Territory governments would help the youth to build confidence and ambitions in the job market. Young people are disadvantaged because they are young, inexperienced and now they face competition from experienced adults who lost jobs in other sectors of the economy. Motivation, staying on track and just focusing are necessary for a successful career building in this highly demanding job market. The industries where young people are more likely to be employed have been hardest hit by the COVID-19. These locked down sectors particularly include tourism, hospitality, retail food and entertainment. In 2007, around 19% of all people aged between 22 and 25 working in their first full time job after leaving education were employed in sectors that are now essentially shut down by the pandemic, while by 2019 this had increased to 22%. Historically, teenage and youth unem-
ployment spiked since the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) in 2008 and 2009 which resulted in a low level of income and it didn’t fully recover. The Coronavirus is a double whammy for this young cohort of Australians. On 30 July 2020, Productivity Commission (PC) released a report into “Why Did Young People’s Incomes Decline?” in the years from 2001 to 2018. The analysis of the report found that the growth in wage rates for people aged 15 to 34 was negative from 2008 to 2018. In contrast, average wage rates for people aged 35 to 65+ continued to positively grow, on an increasing scale, in the same period. Hence, the disadvantage in wage growth observed since the GFC was primarily a phenomenon experienced by young Australians, aged under 35. There has been a shift from full time to part time work for people aged 15 to 24 which was associated with young people studying longer. This contributed to a decline in hours worked and incomes earned. This age group has seen a slow decline in full time employment since the early 1990s due to then impending recession, except the period of the mining boom from 2001 to 2008. The PC report suggests that, after 2008, young people obtained work in lower scored occupations (a ranking of occupations developed by Australian National University) than did comparably skilled young people before 2008. Young job seekers still found work in the more competitive labour market, but accepted lower scored occupations with essentially lower pays. The movement down the jobs ladder of young people with university degrees is highly likely to push those with vocational degrees or no tertiary qualifica-
“The industries where young people are more likely to be employed have been hardest hit by the COVID-19.
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tions further down the ladder in the current job market. After 2008, changes in the transfer income such as Youth Allowance and Newstart (now called JobSeeker) from the government did not compensate for the decline in employment income for our youth population. Students aged 16 to 17 became ineligible for Youth Allowance. The unemployed aged 21 only qualified for the lower Youth Allowance rather than higher Newstart payment. The decline in income for the youth was partly offset by an increased support from parents. Parents transferred more funds to children who had moved out of home and many more young people remained in the family home with sizeable financial benefits in the forms of free or concessional rent, food, utility bills and other amenities which
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would have been equivalent to a third of the young peoples’ income. This is and has been an extraordinary time for our youth and extraordinary measures are necessary to resolve the high level of youth unemployment and low level of income. The Australian industries have a significant role to play in engaging young people in work at various capacities. All three levels of Australian government (Federal, State/ Territory and local councils) should build targets into their agencies and out sourced contracts on the recruitment of young people. Dr Abul Jalaluddin is an Islamic Finance expert, taxation advisor and a regular columnist for AMUST. He is based in Sydney.
Muslim pharmacists providing free flu vaccines amid COVID-19 Mehwesh Ahsan Amid all the tensions and news that we keep hearing about COVID-19, one pharmacist couple based in Adelaide brought some relief to public when they decided to offer free flu vaccines to anyone who could not afford to vaccinate due to lack of subsidised benefits collaborating with multicultural communities to come up with effective ways to create awareness and ensure that these communities stay well protected. Irfan Hashmi and Sobia based in Adelaide are both pharmacists of Pakistani origins. They moved to Australia in 2003 as students. After completing their requirements to be Australian Registered Pharmacists, Irfan got his first job in rural Australia. His exposure helped him identify the need of pharmacies in rural and remote towns where people had to travel long distances to get medications. He successfully opened pharmacies from scratch in Port Pirie, Coober Pedy, Orroroo and Quorn. Some of these towns had no pharmacy at all. Today, they own six pharmacies in regional South Australia and Victoria. During pandemic, Irfan decided to go above and beyond and do something more for the community that was mentally and emotionally stressed. Providing free flu vaccines was something that offered not just relief to the public but it also contributed in reduction of burden on the GPs and hospitals as flu in Australia can lead to hospitalisation. Irfan Hashmi excitedly commented on his achievements while serving the diverse Australian community: “When you do something different, there are always things you learn along the way.” “We realised the strong power of our multicultural in-house staff who helped us reach smaller communities by translating our flyers in different languages, including Hindi, Pun-
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jabi, Urdu, Farsi, Mandarin, Nepalese, Gujarati, Malay, Arabic, Filipino, Sinhala, Bangla, Greek and Pashto.” “These flyers were circulated in more than 60 social and networking groups of community associations based in South Australia with the help of people-to-people connections.” “This multicultural and multilingual twist to our communication ensured inclusivity and a very comfortable experience for our customers who felt more connected and involved.” TerryWhite Chemmart Cumberland Park Pharmacy not only welcomed walk ins for free vaccination but, Irfan’s team also set up off-site flu clinics at mosques, offices, temples and community centres in the bid to ensure that even those who have never done vaccination before learn about it and get it done. These clinics proved to be insightful not just for those who benefited from it but, for also benefited the pharmacists as well. Lessons learned during this process could be used to enhance community knowledge and understanding of common avoidable diseases. In future, Irfan plans to focus more on communities that are most vulnerable due to cultural and language barriers by keeping a multicultural team that is more sensitive to cultural specific attitudes in this industry. Mehwesh is a blogger who documents her experiences as ‘The Ordinary Girl’ and is based in Adelaide, Australia. ISSUE 178 / SEPTEMBER 2020
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EDUCATION 18 - 19
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3 reasons why investing earlier builds more wealth
allow you to make better, rational and educated decisions in your life. To earn more you have to learn more. Once you have got this far, you start looking at stocks, ETF’s and all the other options. As someone who only invests in a Halal and ethical companies, my life is so much easier as my screening for the companies that fit our criteria makes the investing world that much smaller and the ability to pick good companies becomes easier.
Fahd Dameer The cliche No time like the present is overused. You hear it in the context of buying a house too. What is missing and not looked at is the why starting earlier in the context of investing makes a difference and how it allows you to grow more wealth. Reason 1 - Compounding needs time The most important principle about investing is that the earlier you start your investment journey the easier it gets to build your wealth. This allows your money to take advantage of compounding return. We cover this with examples in our article how compounding is one of the 3 reasons we beat index funds and short term trading on the share market. Reason 2 - Learning earlier from mistakes The other reason it is important to start early is that you learn from your mistakes earlier. What this does is give you experience which cannot be learnt from a book. A mistake you might make as 20-year-old with $500 is not going to be as costly as a mistake you make when you invest in your 40’s and lose your life savings. Reason 3 - Growth Mindset and psychology Starting earlier, even with a smaller amount means you learn by doing and as a result, you experience the following scenarios:
• Seeing your portfolio in red and what that feels like • Patience to allow the companies to grow and therefore your investment • Developing a detachment to short term price movements • Learning objective decision making by recognising when emotions like fear and greed influence us These situations over time build resilience and make one have a much higher stress and risk tolerance. Current market conditions an opportunity With the virus crisis and the economy not
fully recovered yet, there is no better than to start than now. Certain sectors and companies are trading at a discount. We use the Tabarruk Framework and Screening Process™ to identify these. To earn more, you have to learn more The best ‘non-financial’ investment you can make is in yourself. Educate yourself, sign up to courses learn about investment, look at what successful investors are doing and how they do it. Be different, as most of the world is working on autopilot and you need to chart your own unique path out of the rat race. This will
Start early but stay for the long term If you don’t have a long-term mindset, then this article is probably not suited to you. The reason a lot of people make extremely bad decisions is that they have a get rich quick mentality. Tabarruk’s investment success is due to the long-term investment approach we take. Regardless of the price of the stock going up or down in a business you’ve invested in, it won’t you because you’ve understood the business and their long-term prospects. If anything, when the price is down, you just buy more. We cover this in The secret to buying at the bottom article. Solid businesses always find a way to thrive and the market always recovers. This is not financial advice. Please view our disclaimer at https://tabarr.uk/disclaimer/ Fahd Dameer is the co-founder along with Moin Zaman, of Tabarruk, a website that teaches halal investing on the ASX share market in Australia.
What ‘the market’ really is and the psychology of successful investing Moin Zaman The way we think and behave, the core of who we are, our level of self-awareness with regards to our emotions have a direct and significant impact on our results as investors. The psychology of investing is something which has been written about in books and articles. ‘Fear and Greed’ are concepts that are tossed around as clichés and as obvious drivers of sentiment in the share market. The emotions an investor experiences are more complex than fear and greed. The challenge is measuring the interplay between these emotions and the success attributed to one’s psychology. In the first part of this series, I want set the context with what ‘the market’ really is and also some insights that both Fahd and I have learned. Years of investing later and we’re still learning by continuing to discuss this side of investing passionately and learning from our experiences. The market is shockingly familiar No amount of in-depth. fundamental or technical analysis of an investment opportunity can guarantee success on the share market. Why? Because investing is more than numbers SEPTEMBER 2020 / ISSUE 178
and research. It involves a market of humans wanting to buy and sell the same thing. We may not have considered that we look at the market in the mirror everyday. The market is ‘us’. It is a study of how ‘we’ behave. Some of us will think a company is not worth the price it’s trading at and sell. Others will think the same price is a bargain and buy. Remember: 1. The “market” isn’t a thing, it’s just a trading place where buyers and sellers come together 2. The “market” is neutral - it doesn’t know who we are, nor does it care if we are buying or selling 3. The “market” isn’t out to get us! If you sell for a price below where we bought, that’s down to us The typical investor pattern Most people invest on the underlying uncertainty from not understand how to price a company for the long term. So they try and buy when “the market” is going up and sell when it is going down. They are therefore constantly trying to predict what other people are going to do. That means they sell the lows (when more people are panicking and selling) and they buy the highs (when everyone is ebullient and buying). They then make a loss and blame “the market”. Because markets are not separate beings with agendas of their own, they neither
know nor care if you are in a particular stock. They will go up and down anyway and it’s up to you to judge the right time to get in or out of a stock. Many people say “the market hates me” or “the market always steals my money” it would be more apt to say “I don’t understand other people’s thinking”, or “I think I understand why others are selling or buying and where the opportunity is to go the same way or be contrary”. The only way to beat the market is to have a long term valuation and buy when the price is below that and sell when it is above (after years, to avail of tax benefits,
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or not sell and take value from dividends if the company offers them). This is also why most short term traders lose money (studies have shown consistently that more than 85% of short term traders lose) You can read the rest of Investing Psychology series on Tabarruk. This is not financial advice. Please view our disclaimer at tabarr.uk/disclaimer/ Moin Zaman is the co-founder along with Fahd Dameer, of Tabarruk, a website that teaches halal investing on the ASX share market in Australia.
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Social Spotlights Palestinian Youth Movement @Pal.Youth.Movement The PYM is saddened to learn of the passing of Palestinian poet Harun Hashim Rashid. Born in Gaza in 1927, Rashid survived the Nakba and was among the first to set up tents to shelter Palestinian refugees exiled by Zionist forces. In the 1950s, he worked first as a teacher and then as the director of the popular Palestinian radio station, Sawt al-Arab. Rashid hosted Malcolm X during his 1964 visit to Gaza and moved there himself after being displaced in the ’67 War. Rashid later moved to Canada, where he was to remain in exile until his death at the age of 93. Over the course of his lifetime, Rashid published more than 20 volumes of poetry, most notably, “With the Strangers,” which explored the psychological effects of displacement and forced removal. We honor Rashid’s memory and will continue uplifting his contributions to Palestinian literature. Rest in power. “Palestinian The name pursues me, lives with me. Palestinian is my fate, Clinging to me, reviving me. Palestinian, I am.” —Harun Hashim Rashid
Brothers In Need @brothersinneed.org Grandfather and Grandchild. Both providing a lending hand to people in NEED. Isn’t that just wonderful to see?
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My Home Disability Services @My-Home-Disability-Services We were invited to UMA’s Makkah to Madinah - A Journey of a Lifetime Exhibition today that allowed participants to experience the life of the Prophet PBUH and re-live the major events of his life. What a truly amazing experience it was! UMA’s staff were so accommodating, friendly and hospitable. Our participants really enjoyed themselves and felt privileged to have been invited. We look forward to visiting UMA again.
ICAN Australia @icanw.au We commemorated the 75th anniversaries of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings and raised up the call for Australia to join the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, on and off line, all over Australia. Thank you.
Helping ACT @HelpingACT
Ilhan Omar @IlhanMN In Minnesota, we know that organized people will always beat organized money. Our movement didn’t just win. We earned a mandate for change. Despite outside efforts to defeat us, we once again broke turnout records. Despite the attacks, our support has only grown. This election isn’t about me. It’s about an agenda rooted in people’s everyday struggles — and the corporations and rightwing donors who are threatened by it. It’s about standing up to a president who promised to ban an entire group of people from this country based solely on their Muslim identity, calls our countries of origin “shithole countries,” and threatened to send us back to where we came from. It’s about standing up for the basic human rights around the world — and fighting a military-industrial complex that opposes the recognition of people’s humanity and dignity. It has been the honor of my life to represent you in Congress, and I look forward to continuing to serve the people of the 5th District in the years to come. WWW.AMUST.COM.AU
A new asylum seeker was introduced to the list of families/individuals that we are providing groceries on weekly basis. This is on top of topping up food pantry at Companion House and providing similar support to needy families via Multicultural Hub and Havelock House. In total now we are serving five families for their weekly food needs and other occasional small needs plus three organisations. Woden Community Centre identified the new family which was served. This week Companion House was delivered 50 Kg of Basmati Rice, 30 tins of diced tomatoes, 75 tins of tuna, 15x1 litre bottles of cooking oil, toiletries, and bath soaps. Multicultural Hub pantry was delivered 20 Kg rice, 10 litre cooking oil and long life milk. The total amount of food delivered was roughly equal to 450 meals. Sincere thanks to Yvonne Douglass for her continuing support. Helping ACT was able to do all this due to your support. Please keep it up. We are determined like you that no one in our lovely city of Canberra sleeps hungry. Spring is in the air. Let it be real spring for all.
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TOP 7 Muslim Memes
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#BeirutBlast
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7 tips for staying safe with social media
Saied Altabaa Connecting with family and friends online can be fun and exciting, but it also comes with some risks. There are a few simple things you can do to try to keep safe online: Think before you accept requests – only accept ‘friend’ requests from people you know in real life. This reduces the chance of getting into an unsafe situation. Do not accept random requests especially if there are no mutual friends. Block anyone you’ve had contact with that was negative or unsafe – this stops them from having contact with you and from seeing your profile if they search for you after you block them. Think before you upload and share photos – post photos that show you and your friends in a positive way. Once it’s uploaded, it’s no longer private and could be viewed by friends, family, teachers and strangers. Once you post something, it’s not yours anymore even if it is under your profile. Be mindful of what you write to others – you never know who will read these comments and how they might interpret them. Something that you think is funny could be very serious to others. Think carefully about sharing links to other sites – the content could be embarrassing, upsetting or hurtful to others. Also, having an internet security filtering system
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AMUST
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on your device is a very good tool to filter the content that you are searching for. Think about your privacy – avoid sharing personal information online that could be misused by someone in real life. Check your privacy settings and make sure your account is secure. Remember, once you post something online about you or your family, it is not yours anymore, because you decided to make it available for the public. Seek professional IT advice from an expert - if you are unsure, just ask those who have the knowledge and those who are impartial. Ask your IT team at school, at work or an expert who is in the industry. You can also seek this knowledge from sources like Google, but make sure those results are authentic and a trusted source of information. Stay safe and always remember, ask those who know if you do not know. Saied Altabaa is an IT consultant and youth community leader. He is heavily involved in so several communities and humanitarian causes. He established some community schools in Melbourne, Sydney & Bendigo in regional Victoria. Developed several programs to enhance the learning of the kids and youth within the Australian Muslim communities and has achieved several records in community program leadership, educational programs in several forums and conferences with various councils. Saied focus on the youth and deliver several programs to the wider community to educate them about the important matters within the wider Australian community in IT, internet security and many other community causes.
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Australia’s first Islamic bank is coming. IBA will launch in 2021 offering a full suite of banking services:
Everyday bank accounts Investment deposit accounts Home finance plans Small business accounts
… all 100% Shari’ah-compliant. Excited about banking with IBA? Fill out the survey at www.ibagroup.co.au/survey
or simply aim your smartphone camera at this code.
Join the waiting list today: www.ibagroup.com.au
IBA is not yet a bank. We are aiming to launch in 2021. Our banking licence application is currently under consideration by APRA. IBA Group Pty Ltd (ABN 37 609 971 280). IBA cannot offer deposit or credit products at this time. 24
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ISSUE 178 / SEPTEMBER 2020