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www.amust.com.au ISSUE # 184
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Multicultural News & Views
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Standards of justice for violent extremism BOOMERANG PAGE 4
Dr Hameed’s research leads to Australia’s first ‘revived’ kidney transplant Dr Ahmer Hameed, MBBS, BSc, MS, PhD.
Zia Ahmad Westmead Hospital surgeons with the support of Westmead Institute for Medical Research (WIMR) researchers have performed a successful transplant of a ‘revived’ kidney into a patient. A first in Australia, the success has been achieved based on cutting edge research technique, a brainchild of Dr Ahmer Hameed where normothermic machine perfusion (NMP) on donated kidneys is performed before transplanting them into patients. continued on page 2
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Webinar: Faces of Hindu Orientalism COMMUNITY PAGE 9
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Oppressive law banning ‘Conversion’ AUSTRALIA PAGE 11
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Knowing what Coercive Control looks like LIFESTYLE PAGE 14
Scathing report on human rights violations in Kashmir Mohamed Ainullah The dual impact of brutal lockdown for more than 18 months and COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in extreme human suffering and near-total alienation of the people in the Kashmir valley from the Indian state. This is the conclusion drawn in “Human Rights in Jammu and Kashmir: Mid-Term Report, August 2020-January 2021, by The Forum for Human Rights in Jammu and Kashmir, an informal group of concerned citizens comprising of retired Indian judges, public servants, journalists and military leaders. This is the second report comprising of 57 pages issued by the Forum, largely compiled from government sources, media accounts (carried in well-established and reputed newspapers or television), NGO fact-finding reports, interviews, and information garnered through legal petitions. Most of the violations described in the Forum’s first report, remains, even 18 months after the imposition of a lockdown on Jammu and Kashmir, where arbitrary detentions continue, public assembly is still prohibited and hundreds, including minors and several elected legislators of Jammu and Kashmir, remain under preventive detention. continued on page 17
Australia least prepared to counter far right Hindu extremism Zia Ahmad Australian Alliance Against Hate and Violence (AAAHAV) says that Australia is least prepared to counter the rising threat of far right Hindu extremism and calls on politicians, federal and state governments to urgently recognise the threat that it poses to social cohesion in Australia and to take concrete steps to address this threat. The Alliance has been formed to create awareness and advocacy to prevent the violence and hate speech that is causing so much hardship and suffering in India to come to Australia disrupting its multicultural, pluralistic and harmonious living. The AAAHAV represents civil society activists and organisations that include Hindus for Human Rights, Turbans 4 Australia, Australian Federation of Islamic Councils AFIC, Pax Christi Australia, The Humanism Project THP, Basmala Australia and representatives of the Indian Ambedkarite community. The call from AAAHAV is in response to a number of incidents of social tension driven by far right Hindu extremist elements allied with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) in India. Their actions are perpetuating targeted attacks and online hate speech against Sikhs, Muslims, Christians, Indian Ambedkarite community (Dalits) and mainstream Hindus living in Australia. In order raise awareness of the rising threat that far right Hindu extremism poses to social cohesion in Australia, the AAA-
HAV organised a press conference on Sunday 28 February 2021 in front of the Indian Consulate in Sydney along with Greens MP David Shoebridge, Former Greens Senator Lee Rhiannon, Mr Amar Singh, President of Turbans 4 Australia, Keysar Trad, CEO of Australian Federation of Islamic Councils (AFIC), Dr Haroon Kasim from THP and
From left: Dr Haroon Kasim, THP, Former Greens Senator Lee Rhiannon, Ansari Zainul Abideen, Basmalla Australia. David Shoebridge MLC, NSW and Kulwinder badesha, Turbans 4 Australia.
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Mr Ansari Zainul Abideen from Basmalla Australia. With the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS) conducting an Inquiry into extremist movements and radicalism in Australia to report by 30 April 2021, the media conference called on the Australian government and opposition to acknowledge the dangers of far right Hindu extremism and security agencies to monitor Hindu fascist organisations like RSS just like white supremacist groups. Mr Amar Singh raised concerns about the treatment of farmers in India. Greens MP David Shoebridge concurred with Mr Singh’s statements and said that the AAAHAV stands with Indian farmers and other communities in India that are standing up against an increasingly intolerant Modi government. In February 2021, these far-right Hindu extremist elements have attempted to disrupt Sunday services at the Glenwood Sikh temple and were involved in two separate attacks on Sikh youth in Harris Park and Granville areas. This follows an ugly street brawl between these far right Hindu extremist elements and Sikh youth late in 2020. continued on page 3
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Dr Hameed’s research leads to Australia’s first ‘revived’ kidney transplant Continued from page 1 Donor organs are stored on ice prior to transplantation and this storage time impacts their ability to work immediately after transplantation. NMP is a procedure that ‘revives’ a kidney damaged by exposure to cold, or injury sustained during the donation process, utilising red cells, body temperature and oxygen to provide resuscitation to the kidney’s cells. The WIMR research team sought to find a way to rejuvenate a damaged kidney using NMP, and the research project was carried out by Dr Ahmer Hameed supervised by Associate Professor Rogers, Professor Henry Pleass and Professor Wayne Hawthorne. A TGA-Approved NMP device is expensive, so Dr Hameed and the team scoured Westmead Hospital for spare machine parts. “With the help of the hospital, bio-engineers and some duct tape, we were able to make a machine perfusion system suitable for our initial research,” Dr Hameed said. He further added, “For this pilot stage, we sought to prove the feasibility and safety of the procedure. We were able to access donated kidneys that had been damaged to the point where they could not be transplanted, and we demonstrated in the lab that NMP could resuscitate these kidneys. Not only this, but the NMP technique seemed to improve kidney quality over time, so the kidney worked better and straight away.” Dr Ahmer Hameed is the son-in-law of well known member of the Muslim community, Dr Javaid khan working as senior professional officer at the university of Queensland, Brisbane researching in the area of bio-polymers. His wife Zeba khan is a teacher in early childhood and the coordinator at Australian
The team including surgeon Prof Henry Pleass (green mask) work on ‘reviving’ the kidney from a deceased donor using normothermic machine perfusion. international Islamic college in Brisbane. Dr Javaid khan, an Aligarian from India is the father of four kids Dr Sifat khan (dentist), Sheeza khan (pharmacist at Westmead hospital), Saleha khan (completing 4th year medicine) and Hamza khan (completing third year dentistry). The first two transplants of a kidney treated with NMP have now been conducted at Westmead Hospital, and the results are
very promising. Three months post-surgery, the patients are doing very well and have good kidney function, avoiding the need for post-operative dialysis, which occurrs in up to 50% of the kidney transplants performed at Westmead. Auburn resident Folio Emelio, 64, was the first of two patients to receive one of the specially-treated donor kidneys in November 2020, ending nearly seven years of dial-
ysis for 15 hours every week. Each year in Australia more than 800 people receive a transplant due to kidney failure caused by injury or disease, such as diabetes and high blood pressure. Increasing the number of donor kidneys that are suitable for transplantation would have a major impact on kidney transplant wait times in Australia and around the globe.
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IHRA definition of antisemitism must be rejected AMUST Media We the undersigned reject any attempt to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of antisemitism and express our deepest concern at the fact that on 22 November 2020 the Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs Senator Penny Wong, asserted federal Labor’s adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of antisemitism in her keynote speech at the Zionist Federation of Australia’s 2020 Biennial Conference. The IHRA definition is frequently used to equate criticism of Israel with hatred of Jews and even its author, Kenneth Stern, has expressed his concern about the “McCarthy-like” use of the IHRA definition which he says is being “weaponized to suppress — rather than answer — political speech.” IHRA Definition: Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities. It is argued that this formulation is both
vague in language and lacking in content, to the point of being unusable. On the one hand, it relies on unclear terms such as “certain perception” and “may be expressed as hatred”. On the other hand, it fails to mention key issues such as “prejudice” or “discrimination”. See Vashti | We 66 British academics and Israeli citizens reject the government’s imposition of the IHRA (vashtimedia.com). In November last year, a group of 122 Palestinian and Arab academics, journalists and intellectuals expressed their concerns about the IHRA definition, and the way this definition has been applied, interpreted and deployed. Letter by Palestinian and Arab Academics. The letter compellingly stated: “The fight against antisemitism should not be turned into a stratagem to delegitimise the fight against the oppression of the Palestinians, the denial of their rights and the continued occupation of their land.” It continued: “The fight against antisemitism must be deployed within the frame of international law and human rights. It should be part and parcel of the fight against all forms of racism and xenophobia, including Islamophobia, and anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian racism.” On 10 December 2020, a group of some
50 prominent Jewish figures around the globe released a statement supporting this letter and applauding the set of principles expressed by those Arab intellectuals. Statement by global Jewish leaders. Additionally, a wide range of international Jewish and human rights organisations have expressed the same sentiment in condemning the adoption of the IHRA definition of antisemitism. 40+ Jewish Groups oppose
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IHRA definition. We call on you to uphold the fundamental principles of free speech and respect for human rights and international law in relation to Palestine and reject or revoke any adoption of the IHRA definition of antisemitism in a clear and unequivocal statement. See list of individuals and organisations: https://tinyurl.com/2shdjrjb
Australia least prepared to counter far right Hindu extremism Continued from page 1 The Hindutva extremist elements infiltrate community organisations under the guise of multiculturalism, set up sub-cultures and micro-networks and drive social discord in a coordinated and discrete way. Most worryingly their growth has been made possible through foreign funding from India. This highlights an urgent need for politicians from all parties, federal and state governments to recognise that right Hindu extremism has sunk its roots in Australia and concrete steps need to be taken to address this threat. Mr Shoebridge reaffirmed AAAHAV’s solidarity with members of the Sikh community who have been subject to far too many incidents of attacks by far right Hindu extremists. In particular he raised concerns about the recent disruption of Sunday services in a Sikh temple in western Sydney and Sikh Youth feeling threatened just walking around the streets. He said such acts have no place in a successful multi-cultural society like Australia. He also asked for federal, state politicians across parties to call out such far right extremist violence and stand with the communities under attack. Mr Keysar Trad also expressed his soli-
darity with members of the Indian Sikh and Muslim community. He also raised concerns that the political dispensation in India was exporting far right extremism to Australia and called for the need to support the Indian farmers and promote peace and harmony in Australia. Dr Kasim from The Humanism Project, echoed the sentiments of AAAHAV, raised concerns about the attacks on the Sikh community and called for an urgent need for state and federal politicians to take note of the escalating attacks and investigate them. In a media release dated Sunday 28 February, AAAHAV has raised concern for increasing hate speech and intimidation of Indian minority groups by Hindutva extremist linked with Hindu Fascist organisations like RSS. Activities, strategies, campaigns and hate language by far right groups in India are increasing being replicated in Australia. The far right groups in India have established Australian chapters and infiltrated community organisations trying to influence its members. The Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) is designated as a religious militant outfit by the CIA World in 2018. Within New South Wales, however, VHP is a designated Special Religious Education (SRE) provider
to the Department of Education, NSW. It also provides SRE to Australian children in Victoria, South Australia and Queensland. In the financial year 2019 – 2020, VHP received $105,161.00 in funding from Australian tax payer money. This is of concern. The Hindu Council of Australia organised and published a number of online webinars , between 18 and 19 January 2021, where speakers used hate speech against Islam and Muslims. This has raised great concern amongst members of the Australian Muslim Community as reported by Australasian Muslim Times (AMUST). On 14 January 2021, SBS Punjabi radio reported concerns about a recent onslaught of online hate speech by such organisations that was leading to “divisions and spreading hatred” within the Indian-Australian community. On 15 February 2021, SBS Punjabi radio again reported concerns by Australian Sikh Association Limited (ASA) and the management body of the Glenwood Gurudwara about a car rally by these organisations to “provoke and disrupt services” attended by thousands of worshippers on Sunday. While majority of Hindus are peaceful, Hindutva extremists vilify and hate lower caste Hindus, Sikhs, Muslims and Christians. The movement has been around for
Farmers protest at the Delhi-Haryana state border in Singhu on December 2020.
MARCH 2021 / ISSUE 184
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80 years or so and have been responsible for the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi and have a long track record of attacking places of worship and festivals of minority communities increasingly after Modi came to power. Ms Tanvi Mor from Hindus for Human Rights said, “For Hindus, the core of our faith is encapsulated in these vedic verses, “vasudhaiva kutumbakam” (the world is one sacred family). For us, the divine is equally and identically represented in every person, and indeed in every particle in the universe. To the Hindus who have responded with intimidation and threats of violence to those standing up in support of India’s farmers, or anyone defending India’s inclusive democracy, we say: Not In Our Name.” Mr Amar Singh said, “As a proud Australian Sikh, I feel recent events will have long term implications to the multicultural and peaceful subcontinent communities in Australia. The evil of far right extremism and hate mongers especially online must be made accountable and called to answer.” Dr Rateb Jneid, President of Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, stated: “I’ve been proud to call Australia home for the decades that I’ve lived here. Hindutva extremism has shown that it can be among the deadliest in the world. Australian authorities must take a tough stand on all right-wing extremism including the kind that the RSS and BJP affiliated groups operating in Australia engage in.” Mr Parag Bhagat, Indian Ambekarite said“The tiranga rally incident in Sydney was utterly disgraceful. It provides a glimpse into the disdain and hatred harboured by such fascist elements for democratic values and minorities. As a member of the Ambekarite community, I condemn any such religious extremism by the Indian diaspora or otherwise.” Father Claude Mostowik MSc, President of Pax Christi Australia, said “It is very alarming that since the rise of the Bharatiya Janata Party, there has been widespread suppression of dissent, attacks against farmers, human rights defenders and environmentalists. We also note these attacks have now spread to the Sikh and Muslim communities in Australia. We call for relationships through dialogue and pray that people will live in security, free from fear and oppression.”
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Inquiry must consider standards of justice for violent extremism Rita Jabri-Markwell More and more, the Australian Government, ASIO and field experts have pointed to the need to take an ‘ideology-neutral’ approach to violent extremism. But do our laws allow this, or are they designed to promote a focus on one community above others? To understand this, we have to look at the way these laws have been used. A 45-year-old white Australian man in Adelaide took steps to manufacture a ‘Mother of Satan’ high casualty explosive. Online, he posted support for Christchurch terrorist Brenton Tarrant and held a copy of the mass shooter’s manifesto and a mass of hate materials on his phone.[1] Before this incident, two 16-year-old Muslim boys in Sydney bought two bayonet knives in a gun store. They wrote a handwritten pledge to the ‘caliph.’[2] One boy had a history of refusing to stand for the national anthem at school, and was found to watch ISIS videos online. These two boys received 16 years in jail for planning a terror attack. The man in Adelaide, received just over 3 years and escaped the terror label, because he was prosecuted under state laws. Arguably, he could have been prosecuted under terror laws as a white nationalist. My argument is not that he should have got 16 years – but the line between state laws and terrorism offending needs to be clear. It is acknowledged that the details are not thoroughly known, but based on those reports, there are serious questions about the standards of justice used to measure and deliver terror convictions. It appears that almost every Anglo-Australian who has possessed weapons, extremist materials and shown signs of plotting a terror attack has been charged under far less serious offences at the state level, and avoided the ‘terrorist’ label. Rather than receiving sentences of 16[3], 18[4], 13[5] years – they have received sentences of three years jail[6], three years good behaviour bond[7], seven years (including child porn charges)[8] or even one month in prison, and a $5000 fine. [9] Post traumatic disorder has been considered in their sentencing[10], as opposed to terrorism cases, where a host of factors normally considered in sentencing has not. For example Muslim offenders of reduced cognitive function[11], or minors[12], have been deemed to warrant terrorism penalties. The grooming of a child towards terrorism has also been rejected.[13] Australia’s definition of terrorism requires an intent to coerce or influence the public or government through intimidation to advance a political, ideological, or religious cause. From these cases and our discussions with police, it appears that the motive test for terrorism is much harder to prove when the offender is not a Muslim. It’s easier to achieve convictions under state criminal laws. Especially where the individual’s beliefs are not connected in any way to the agenda of an organisation on Australia’s terror list. And there are no right-wing violent extremist organisations on that list.
Following the Cronulla riots, a Muslim woman was stabbed in the stomach in broad daylight by a stranger who said she wanted to kill a Muslim. Convicted of malicious wounding, the perpetrator was sentenced to a reduced 2 year sentence due to mental illness. There was no hate crime offence in NSW that she could be charged under (and still, there is none). However, if the tables were turned, and a Muslim woman had stabbed another woman, because she wanted to kill a Westerner, would it have been treated as a terror event? While the boundaries of hate crime and terrorism are undefined in Australia, given the nebulous territory of ‘religious motive’ under terror laws, it could have led to a terror conviction. Field experts engaging directly with radicalising extremists have attested to the dangers of double standards at law in fuelling victimhood and narratives about a clash of civilisations that are alive across the spectrum of extremist movements. In 2019, the Australian Federal Police investigated a very young Somali Muslim for buying a one-way ticket to Somalia. They lacked evidence to press terrorism charges, but when he refused to provide his mobile pin, he was incarcerated for more than 400 days. When he was released, a tracking device was attached to his ankle. This young man was spiralling in terms of mental health. In December 2020, he was shot dead by police while wandering on the highway with a knife. Within a day or so, police framed the story as a ‘terror event’ – as the young man was linked to the double homicide of an elderly couple in their home. Some will argue that the boy’s eventual offending was proof that he was a radicalised ISIS supporter. But there is a difference between double homicide and terrorism in terms of intent. This begs the question, what is required to demonstrate radicalisation, and indeed an intent to carry out terrorism. Did the young man intend to coerce the government or public through violence, and if so, for what cause? Being Muslim, a one way ticket, and
“In terms of hate
speech and abuse against the Muslim community at large, the repercussions and the grief that this creates are immense.
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a refusal to provide a pin – is that sufficient to prove a religious cause? Is screaming Allahu Akbar sufficient to prove a religious cause? What if he was driven to rage by a ‘system’ that ‘hates Muslims’, and committed a double homicide out of such rage and hatred? Is that a religious cause? I would say not. But the law is not capable of differentiating between this and terrorism, nor is motivated to. Another factor pushing against scrutiny is the sense that the broader community is happy for Muslims to be policed at any cost. The young man’s father told 7 News, “When our children, our young people are going through a mental crisis, an identity crisis… they are easily labelled ‘radicalism’”.[14] We fear that counterterror laws are compounding that crisis, and working in counterproductive ways. The effects bleed out into the broader Muslim community through the media coverage that follows. Although the police did not explicitly allege him to be a radicalised ISIS supporter (as they were yet to allege a motive) their decision to officially label it as a ‘terror event’ enabled the 114 media stories that then ensued, with headline references to the young man such as ‘Radicalised ISIS Supporter,’ ‘Wannabe radical,’ ‘Homegrown terror,’ ‘known extremist,’ ‘SHOT JIHADIST,’ ‘Shot Jihadi,’ ‘Police gun down ISIS radical,’ ‘ISIS Radical Gunned Down on highway,’ ‘Killed ISIS fanatic yelled ‘llahu Akbar” as he attacked police.’ Headlines that falsely suggested he was shot because he was a terrorist. In terms of hate speech and abuse against the Muslim community at large, the repercussions and the grief that this creates are immense. It is not media stereotyping that flows from law’s focus on ‘religious cause’. In terrorism cases, Justice Fagan asked a defendant to publicly disavow specific verses of the Qur’an[15]. Justice Fagan’s assumptions opposed research, which show that being deeply and personally religious and knowledgeable of your faith reduces the chances of becoming radicalised. [16] People of all backgrounds are socialised to violence.[17] While many Muslims are concerned about Justice Fagan’s approach, I am even more concerned with the legal framework that seems to have enabled it. Only a handful of countries require a motive, and even less which stipulate religious motives. Victoria’s Expert Panel on Terrorism and Violent Extremism Prevention (2017) argued that Australia should remove these motive elements from the offence of
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terrorism and instead require an intention to terrorise.[18] It pointed out that under the current laws, Monis, who carried out the Lindt café siege, would have likely not met the test for terrorism because he didn’t have a clear religious, political or ideological motive. I agree, but there are merits in combining an intention to terrorise with a political motive. It might help to justify the long-term penalties and distinguish from state weapon-based and ‘intent to harm’ offences. ‘Political motivations’ captures the conduct of someone who is seeking to violently deny the diversity and pluralism of Australia’s society by acting against Australia’s policy of multiculturalism, or by violently advancing the political agenda of a terror group. ‘Religious motivations’ is unnecessary. It should go because it links Islam and terrorism together in the public’s mind, enabling hostile sentiment towards Muslims and contributing to the current strength of rightwing groups. Canadian,[19] Australian,[20] US,[21] and UK[22] research has found Muslims to be a favoured ‘out-group’ around which radical right-wing activism or extremism coalesces. Anti-Muslim content is considered a gateway to ‘gradually introducing more racially and politically extremist messages to a large audience of potential supporters.’[23] Before the Christchurch attack, it seemed to be only Muslim experts saying, ‘stop making it about the religion; treat all violent extremism the same.’ Now there is a growing consensus that singular and politicised approaches of the past have been destructive and counterproductive. Encouragingly, the official line has moved to ‘we treat all threats the same, regardless of ideology.’ But can these laws deliver an ‘ideology-neutral’ approach to countering violent extremism? Most likely not. Will these laws continue to have dangerous counterproductive effects? Yes. Australia’s Inquiry into Extremist Movements and Radicalism will have to bring fresh eyes to the definition of terrorism. AMAN’s full submission to the Inquiry: www.aman.net.au/?page_id=596 References: https://tinyurl.com/95ucbcxd Rita Jabri Markwell is a lawyer and adviser based with the Australian Muslim Advocacy Network (AMAN), a national body engaged in policy dialogue, political advocacy and litigation, to achieve social harmony, inclusion and security for Australian Muslims. @JabriRita ISSUE 184 / MARCH 2021
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Justice denied by the rich and powerful Pakistan and many Muslim countries do not Global injustice is being perpetrated by the rich and powerful in global affairs have the guts to challenge China over their because of self interest, double standards treatment of Uyghur Muslims because of their self interest in jeopardising Chinese inand hypocrisy. Let us take a few glaringly obvious exam- vestment. Rich and the powerful prevail. While there is so much talk about denying ples. While all and sundry are convinced includ- Iran to build a nuclear bomb, no one is questioning the stockpiling of nuclear weapons by ing Turkish and US intelligence that Saudi Israel for decades. Double standards. Crown Prince Mohammed bin SalKashmiris have been under brutal man (MBS) personally approved military lockdown for more than the killing of Saudi journalist 18 months in addition to sufferJamal Khashoggi, the Biden ing from COVID-19 pandemic administration announced but no sanctions against Modi on Monday 1 March that Zia Ahmad government either from US or they will not sanction MBS Australia due to self interest. Assalamu because of US self interest. US and Europe keep enterJustice denied. Alaikum taining the Egyptian dictator, al The Myanmar military has Greetings Sisi wrecking havoc on the civilbeen committing atrocities of Peace ian population with jailing, torture against the Rohingya for decades and oppression on a massive scale. leading up to the recent pogroms of Double standards. killing and burning resulting in over one The Iranian government maintains its supmillion Rohingya living in refugee camps in port of the murderous Baathist dictator in Bangladesh unless terrible conditions. And now the military has dismissed the Syria against all its idealogical principles. Self elected government and are now killing their interest. Hence it seems that the international order own people who are protesting against the coup. Even Australia is not raising any alarm is not run on principles, justice and fair go, but on a government level because of self inter- self interest, double standards and hypocrisy. No wonder we are living in a chaotic world, est of military ties with the junta. Might is hence no justice, no peace. right.
Mohammed bin Salman (MBS).
Re: China’s barbarous genocide of Uyghurs must be countered
Well written article Amara. I enjoyed reading this article! Syed Mohammad Shah
Re: Raising alarm: Hindutva hate speech in Australia
So basically the key figures in the Hindu Council failed to attend. Doesn’t say much for their desire for harmony in the face of extremist hate speech does it? Gary Dargan Pushpendra Kulshrestha plays same role in Indian BJP and RSS following against minority. Please police take action against them. Muneer Ahmed
I fear the absence of a united and concerted international response to this human rights atrocity will be interpreted by Chinese authorities as license to continue its oppression. Xinjiang today, Taiwan tomorrow. Jim Nicholls
HAVE YOUR SAY Email your thoughts or comment of current events to
info@amust.com.au Re: Culling of non-native animals: Humanity’s crime?
Lovely piece Rida - quite enjoyed the article and the references to Sulayman (a.s). May those intriguing verses of the Quran and countless other of God’s signs open up to you more and become a source of inspiration. Abdullah Noman
Re: Oppressive law banning ‘Conversion’ prohibits reliPushpendra is famous for his venomous gious healing practices
speeches. AMUST must file a complaint with Australian Police to stop such functions. Aftab Khan MARCH 2021 / ISSUE 184
This is one opinion and AMUST should look to broaden discussion on this topic with opinions from other Muslims academics and commentators. To close the article promoting the LNP is inappropriate and
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Hatred sells quicker than common sense. undermines any credibility the writer might Re: Muslims stand in solidarity Great initiative by AFIC to try to conduct have had. Does he seriously think the LNP with Indigenous Australians
Inshallah Amara will continue to be a voice for justice in this country and provide an outstanding example of Islam in action to our coming generations. We have a responsibility towards the First Nations people of Australia and cannot hide from it. Surah 4 Nisaa Ayah 135 “O you who believe! Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allah, even as against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, and whether it be (against) rich or poor: for Allah can best protect both. Follow not the desires (of your hearts), lest you swerve, and if you (distort) justice or decline to do justice, truly Allah is well acquainted with all that you do.” Bilal Cleland
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Readers comments a dialogue, so common sense and humanity could prevail. Hope my Australian Hindu fellows come forward and support dialogue, respect and harmony. Tahir Mahmood
AMUST ISSUE # 184 FRIDAY 5 MARCH 2021 21 RAJAB 1442
- Standards of justice for extremism - Justice denied by rich and powerful - Confronting ecosystem of hate
EDITORIAL
Amara, your piece has power and integrity because it is backed by action- your training at the Aboriginal Legal Service. Impressive!. Dr Vacy Vlazna
AMUST
is more aligned to Islamic principles? Faikah
I have been a great supporter of the Labor Party and Greens throughout my life; but when they are coming to thwart parental guidance for our dear children, our amanah, this is unacceptable. If you are a Labor Party supporter try to bring your influence to bear to amend this oppressive piece of legislation. Daud Batchelor Would have been a more useful piece had it explicitly provided the parts of the legislation which the author claims criminalises nasiha… Any credibility it had was completely destroyed by the LNP advert at the end…. Supporting the LNP is like saying you’re happy to have a convicted child molester care for your kids after school, just because they have plenty of space in their house to do it. Sean McNulty
Re: Inquiry must consider standards of justice for violent extremism This is a very valuable article which should be widely distributed. The double standards on display when dealing with white supremacist terror and Muslim terrorists and extremists need to be addressed. We are seeing neo-nazis holding camps in the Grampians who ‘do not break any laws’ while Liberal senators oppose ASIO’s description of right-wing extremism as offensive. That an IPA member Senator Paterson is now in charge of parliament’s intelligence committee, supposedly tasked with investigating the rise of right wing extremism does not sit well with his past campaigning against Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act in an effort to win One Nation votes back to the LNP. Bilal Cleland
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AMUST Team Editor-in-Chief: Zia Ahmad Graphic Designer: Rubinah Ahmad Chief Adviser: Dr Qazi Ashfaq Ahmad OAM Multimedia Journalist: Mehar Ahmad Multimedia Journalist: Mobinah Ahmad Multimedia Journalist: Faseeha Hashmi Columnist: Dr Abul Jalaluddin (Finance) Columnist: Bilal Cleland (Victoria) Columnist: Manarul Islam (ACT) Columnist: Dr Daud Batchelor (QLD) Columnist: Zahid Jamil (NSW) Columnist: Shahjahan Khan (QLD) Columnist: Imam Malik Mujahid (USA) Promotion: Dr Wali Bokhari Web Developer: Shadow Approved Multimedia: iMoby Productions Printers: Spotpress Pty Ltd Distributers: Abul Fateh Siddiqui, Shujaat Siddiqui, Usaid Khalil, Ibrahim Khalil, Usman Siddiqui, Zahid Alam, Shahab Siddiqui, Mahmoud Jaame, Mateen Abbas, Rashid Idris, Sakinah Ahmad, Anjum Rafiqi, Hasan Fazeel, Dr Quasim, Ismail Hossain, Hanif Bismi, Luqman Landy.
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Australia should stop blocking international justice in Israel and Palestine Sophie McNeill So it was alarming to hear Australia’s Foreign Minister Marise Payne slam the ICC’s decision, saying that Australia “does not recognize a State of Palestine,” has “deep concerns” with the ruling, and that the ICC “should not exercise jurisdiction in this matter.” While several other states also Australia’s Foreign Minister Marise Payne.
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signaled their disagreement on the merits of this ruling, no other country to date has explicitly said the court should not exercise jurisdiction in this case. Australia, a member of the ICC, was among seven countries that intervened in the court proceedings to argue that the ICC did not have jurisdiction over the situation in Palestine. The panel of judges invited written submissions while they considered the issue, but ultimately held that the court’s jurisdiction does extend to Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. The UN General Assembly recognized Palestine as a state. As a result, the court’s pretrial chamber ruled that Palestine’s accession to the ICC treaty confers jurisdiction to the court for crimes committed on its territory. Australia regularly supports and defends Israel’s actions on the international stage. But an ICC probe is not about taking sides in a political conflict. It’s about ensuring that perpetrators of serious international crimes, both Israeli and Palestinian, answer for their actions at a fair trial. As a court of last resort, the ICC has a critical role to play in situations like Palestine where the path to domestic justice is closed
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and impunity is the norm. Recently, Australia has spoken out on human rights abuses across Asia, calling attention to China’s mass abuses in Xinjiang, human rights violations in Hong Kong, and the military coup in Myanmar. If Australia wants to be a credible voice on human rights, it should speak out wherever abuses occur and respect the ICC’s decisions. It should be consistent in its support for justice, accountability, and the rule of law regardless of the context. Instead of undermining the ICC, Australia should voice its support for the court, protect its independence, and stop trying to block a Palestine investigation. Courtesy: Human Rights Watch. Sophie McNeill is the Australia researcher for Human Rights Watch, based in Western Australia. She was formerly an investigative reporter with ABC TV’s Four Corners program where she produced programs on the
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Hong Kong protest movement and the mass arbitrary detention of Xinjiang’s Muslims by the Chinese government. Sophie was also a foreign correspondent for the ABC and SBS in the Middle East, working across the region in countries such as Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Egypt and Turkey, as well as Israel/Palestine. Sophie has twice been awarded Australian Young TV Journalist of the Year and in 2010 won a Walkley Award for her investigation into the killing of five children in Afghanistan by Australian Special Forces soldiers. She was also nominated for a Walkley in 2015 for her coverage of the Syrian refugee crisis. In 2016 she won two more Walkleys for her coverage of Yemen and besieged towns in Syria. Previously, she worked as a reporter for ABC’s Foreign Correspondent and SBS’s Dateline programs and she is a former host of triple j’s news and current affairs program Hack. She is the author of “We Can’t Say We Didn’t Know: Dispatches from an Age of Impunity.”
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The Politics of Racism – USA and Australia
Bilal Cleland
Sukoon Quteifan peace and blessings be upon him, said: “The most beloved people to Allah are those who are most beneficial to people. The most beloved deed to Allah is to make a Muslim happy, or to remove one of his troubles, or to forgive his debt, or to feed his hunger. That I walk with a brother regarding a need is more beloved to me than that I seclude myself in this mosque in Medina for a month. Whoever swallows his anger, then Allah will conceal his faults. Whoever suppresses his rage, even though he could fulfill his anger if he wished, then Allah will secure his heart on the Day of Resurrection. Whoever walks with his brother regarding a need until he secures it for him, then Allah Almighty will make his footing firm across the bridge on the day when the footings are shaken.” ~Narrated by Al-Albani~ #WorldHappinessDay2021
Sukoon Quteifan is a graphic designer and illustrator based in Sydney, Australia. She is the creator and the illustrator of “Sukoon Al Quloob - Peace of Hearts”, an Islamic Cartoons facebook page. You can follow her on facebook @SukoonQuteifanArt.
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A strange amalgam of conspiracy cultists such as QAnon, white supremacists like the Proud Boys plus supporters of the Confederacy, staged an armed invasion of the Houses of Congress in Washington on 6 January 2021. On that same day, in tandem with the insurrection, well over half of the House of Representatives’ Republican caucus voted to overturn the presidential election results. The rejectionist Republican members come from districts where ethnicity and age differences are seen as threatening to their supporters. Jacob Whiton, a former research analyst at Brookings, undertook a demographic and economic analysis of these congressional districts. [whitonjacob. medium.com] He found that the areas represented by the most committed ProTrump Republicans were pleasant wealthy suburbs in which Latinos and Asian Americans are increasing in numbers and home ownership. The status of the white population is declining. “Being on average younger, this growth in non-white residents has also meant age and race have become increasingly correlated.” These districts were also marked by very low turnout of minorities, allowing domination by Republican voters. The evangelical strain of Christianity also made up about 20% of the constituents in these districts. The Public Religion Research Institute’s 2020 American Values Survey found that they are the only group among whom a majority expresses a preference for living in a country “made up of people who follow the Christian faith” and who believe that “God has granted America a special role in human history.” As Whiton summarised; “The Republican Party’s most Pro-Trump members have been elected by higher income white homeowners in the fast-growing exurban fringe. They feel the social status traditionally associated with their identity as white Christians is being degraded and that left wing political movements pose a threat to their livelihoods and political power.” The solution for democracy to flourish in
the USA appears to be a determined effort to encourage alienated minorities to vote, as a counterweight to the extremists. In Australia we also suffer from the threat of right wing extremism and terrorism. We have, at present, the benefit of compulsory voting which lends to a drift to the centre rather than to the extremities of the political spectrum, but we cannot afford to be complacent. We do have small extreme parties which have fluctuating support. The Pauline Hanson One Nation Party advances anti-indigenous, anti-immigrant and Islamophobic policies. Although it has drained votes from the Liberal and National parties, there are more dangerous extreme right organisations and individuals. ASIO has given several public warnings about this danger. The Christchurch Massacre was carried out by a radicalised Australian fascist and neo-nazis rallied in the Grampians over the Australia Day weekend. “Guardian Australia reported on Thursday that the US leader of the Proud Boys had praised one of the group’s Australian members as “amazing” after he filmed himself making threats at the workplace of a man who he believed made a negative comment about him on social media. “ [12 February 2021] Despite the resistance of the Liberal National Coalition, the ALP and the Greens mounted a successful campaign to demand that the extreme right be investigated by parliament’s intelligence committee. It is headed by James Paterson, a Victorian Liberal party senator. [5 February 2021 Guardian] He has carried out a long running campaign against Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act 1975, which bans racial vilification and is opposed by the extreme Pauline Hanson One Nation Party. Four years ago: “… Liberal Senator James Paterson confirmed the exercise was part of a suite of measures designed to win back votes from Pauline Hanson’s One Nation.” [22 March 2017 AIM Network] To have a senator known for his right wing attitudes in charge of the parliament’s intelligence committee to deal with the threat of the extreme right is not a cause for confidence.
“In Australia
International Day of Happiness I never knew before working on this idea that there is a special day for Happiness. And what a fabulous coincidence that this day falls on 20 March. The International Day of Happiness has been celebrated by the United Nations since 2013 as a way to recognise the importance of happiness in the lives of people around the world. Now as we face a global crisis, we need this Day of Happiness more than ever before. The UN is motivating individuals around the the world to find positive ways to look after themselves and each other. Its slogan this year is to: Keep Calm, Stay Wise. Be Kind. And that is exactly what our beloved Prophet (s) called for; encouraging us to be the best versions of ourselves and to be beneficial to others by mentioning the great reward from Allah on the day of the resurrection. Ibn Umar reported: The Prophet,
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we also suffer from the threat of right wing extremism and terrorism.
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Bilal Cleland is a keen reader, a prolific writer and a regular columnist of AMUST based in Melbourne.
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To shut down far-right extremism in Australia, we must confront the ecosystem of hate Professor Greg Barton The worst ever terrorist attack by an Australian didn’t take place in Australia, but it was very much made in Australia. The Australian man who shot dead 51 people and injured 40 in Christchurch in 2019 arrived in New Zealand two years earlier, fully radicalised and consumed with hate. He had been expressing racist hatred from his youth, and from the age of 14 was active on extremist chat forums like the notorious 4Chan. In his twenties he travelled extensively overseas, developing his white supremacist views. He connected with like-minded individuals, such as Austrian Identitarian leader, Martin Sellner. And while he carried out his mass-shooting attack alone, he saw himself as a belonging to a global community of white supremacists. He was a vocal supporter of the notorious Australian extremist Blair Cottrell. He was very much a part of Australia’s far-right ecosystem of hate. Last month, a group of far-right extremists made headlines with a public and childishly provocative camping trip to the Grampians. It is easy to dismiss them as being a bunch of attention-seeking fantasists, but the danger is greater than it appears. A pyramid of hate Far-right extremism is the ugly face of a much larger system of toxic synergies. Former race discrimination commissioner and author of On Hate, Tim Soutphommasane, refers to a “pyramid of hate crime”: The history of hate and racism tells us that any kind of violence or hatred cannot be separated from banal or low levels of prejudice and discrimination […] Hate speech leads to political violence if you allow it to escalate. In its final report released last December, the Christchurch royal commission was critical of multiple shortcomings and failures in New Zealand, but found no evidence of an intelligence failure. While pointing out far-right extremism in New Zealand in general should have received more attention, there were few, if any, opportunities to have spotted the Australian terrorist in advance. The commissioners concluded: There was no plausible way that he could have been detected, except by chance. With no comparable investigation in Australia it remains unclear, even in hindsight, whether Australian authorities could have interrupted the vocal extremist before he become a mass murderer. Far-right extremism is growing in Australia Nevertheless, the Christchurch attack certainly focused the attention of Australian authorities. In February 2020, ASIO director-general Mike Burgess gave a rare briefingin which he spoke of far-right extremist groups regularly gathering in the suburbs to salute Nazi flags and promote their “hateful ideology”. In Australia, the extreme right-wing threat is real and it is growing. As of 2020, investigating far-right extremism now takes up 30-40% of ASIO’s counter-terrorism caseload, up from 10-15%
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A member of the Proud Boys at a rally in Melbourne in January 2021. James Ross/AAP
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Red Rock Mountain Fazlul Huq Orange red mountain made of rocks and stones is witnessed to rise in steps to reach the corridor of the upper sky. And as the climb is made, there is seen to be a progressive loss in width, to create rings of walls that stand erect and upright. While the ground in front surrounding body of the mountain is found to have the dress code made in green from countless shrubs and trees. And ladder like body of green is witnessed to climb to the high as it rests on face of the peg. While the mountain top even and flat too is seen to have the cover of green not so dense in foliage.
before 2016. Although worryingly, efforts to explicitly condemn far-right extremism in federal parliament, such as last week’s neutered Senate motion, continue to be stymied by partisan politicking. The warning signs The Christchurch shooter did not go from hateful extremism to violent extremism overnight — it only looks that way. He had been cold-bloodedly preparing for and planning his terrorist attack for years. The warning signs were there in his hateful social media posts, but they were lost in a cacophony of extremist noise. It is possible that, with more attention, his deadly trajectory could have been identified and interrupted. But even if that is not specifically the case, it is clear in general that limiting space for hateful extremism reduces the likelihood of violent extremism. In the United States, far-right extremism has accounted for the vast majority of terrorist attacks over the past decade. This points to what happens when the ecosystem of white supremacist hate is allowed to flourish unchecked. Not as illegal as you think In Australia, like the US, violent extremism makes enormous demands on law enforcement resources. But hateful extremism is not, for the most part, illegal. Violent extremism represents but the tip of the iceberg. As we saw recently in Victoria, neo-Nazis are free to parade through national parks, burning crosses and yelling things like “heil Hitler” and “Ku Klux Klan” in public places, certain of securing media attention and the infamy they desperately seek. And while fascists were prancing around the Grampians, supporters of the Proud Boys — one of the far-right militia behind the storming of the US Capitol — were marching in Melbourne. Canada has just moved to declare The Proud Boys a terrorist group. It would help if we followed suit. Deadly inspiration It is true most of these neo-Nazi bullies,
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moving in packs and hiding behind balaclavas, will not cross the line and become violent extremists. But the danger is they will inspire lone actors to launch violent attacks in the toxic-narcissistic hope of going from “zero to hero”, competing for attention with avidly-consumed manifestos, live-streamed bodycam footage, and a sick obsession with “body counts”. The details of far-right extremism vary. But running through its cocktail of toxic nationalism, nativism, white supremacy, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, anti-immigrant, misogynist propaganda and fascism is a river of hate. Swirling around the edges of this vast ecosystem is a discourse of racism and bigotry, poisoning political rhetoric and public culture from organised sport to media comment. And, like a killer rip at the beach, powerful undercurrents of conspiracy theory movements like QAnon drag otherwise ordinary citizens at the edges into dark places with frightening force and swiftness. For the most part, this results in more noise than fury. But both the violent storming of the US Capitol and the gunning-down of 91 worshippers in Christchurch are reminders of where this hate can lead. A public register for hate crimes The time has come to deal with hateful extremism before it manifests as violent extremism. Australia needs to constrain the space available for the ecosystem of hate to poison public spaces and discourse. This requires both tighter legal constraints on hate speech and the incitement of hatred and investment in, and listening to and acknowledging, victims of hate. There is also a pressing need for a properly resourced and maintained open registry of hate crimes and incidents, rather than the shambolic, haphazard, disconnected, array of incomplete collections that currently exist. Four out of five organisations tackling hate in Australia are non-government and largely focus on raising awareness. Police forces are tasked with addressing hate
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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.
crime, but they need to be empowered to do this more thoroughly, with clearer guidelines and resources. The Christchurch royal commission points the way to what is required in Australia. This includes police revising the way they record complaints. “to capture systematically hate-motivations for offending and train frontline staff […] [to] identify potential hate crimes when they perceive that an offence is hate-motivated.” It also recommends police to better understand the perceptions of victims and witnesses and to record “hate-motivations”. We also need to recognise the many significant incidents and groups that do not reach the threshold of criminality. There is much to be gained from carefully recording all incidents even if prosecution is unlikely (only 21 people have ever been convicted of hate crime in Australia). Listening to victims is also important, not just for their sake but so we have more complete evidence to guide us. A healthier, happier society Doing this does not guarantee the next violent extremist attack could be stopped. But it would go a long way to making it less likely. At the same time, a society with less space for hateful extremism would a healthier and happier one for all, whether at the football, taking the train, using social media or picnicking in a national park. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article: https://tinyurl.com/pjmcsk35 Greg Barton, Chair in Global Islamic Politics, Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University
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AIMF Webinar on Hindu Orientalism Zia Ahmad The inaugural webinar conducted by the Australia India Muslim Forum was held on Thursday 25 February 2021 showcasing Professor Irfan Ahmad talking on the topic “Faces of Hindu Orientalism”. The AIMF has been recently founded with the aim of creating a forum and resource for community-building through education and debate on some of the key challenges facing the Indian Muslim community today. Monthly webinars by academics, student leaders, grass root intellectuals and social movement figures will be organised around topics, with a particular focus on bringing to light and educating the Indian Muslim community in Australia. The MC, Mr Adil Khan, a legal scholar at the University of Melbourne commenced the proceedings by welcoming the speaker and the audience and explaining the house keeping rules and proceedings of this international webinar. Mr Mohammad Zuhair, a PhD scholar at Monash University provided an introduction of AIMF and its webinar series and the context for the inaugural webinar’s topic saying, “Western Orientalism and Hindu Orientalism both need to be discussed in the public sphere to increase awareness and to dismantle Islamophobic notions and misrepresentations of Muslim history and figures. Such misrepresentation catalyses dehumanisation of Muslims that results in discrimination and violence against them on a global level in general and in India in particular.” Mr Zia Ahmad, Editor-in-Chief, AMUST provided a detailed introduction of the speaker, saying that tonights speaker is an intellectual giant, Professor Dr Irfan Ahmad, currently Senior Research Fellow at Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity, Gottingen, Germany. “Previously Professor Ahmad was Asso-
Prof Irfan Ahmad speaking from Germany at the AIMF Webinar on Thursday 25 February 2021. ciate Professor of Political Anthropology at the Institute for Religion and Critical Enquiry at Australian Catholic University in Melbourne while earlier than that he was a senior lecturer in politics at Monash University in Australia where he taught for nearly five years,” Zia Ahmad said. He concluded by saying, “I had the great pleasure of reading his classical book, that is the outcome of his doctoral research and intensive field work that took him to Delhi, Aligarh, Rampur, Azamgarh and Patna, places where I have spent some time as well.” Professor Irfan Ahmad started his lecture by thanking AIMF for inviting him for their inaugural webinar and saith that although
he is indeed an academic, this webinar is meant to be for laymen as well for their understanding of the topic. At the start of his lecture Prof Ahmad defined what Orientalism was, referring to the classical book titled Orientalism (1978) by Edward Said that mainly talked about Western Orientalism in reference to the Middle East and Islam and colonial subjugation. He then referred to a recent book Restating Orientalism (2018) by Wael Hallaq where he talked about Israeli Orientalism as a practice to justify the occupation of Palestinian Territories and subjugation of its indigenous population. Coming to the main topic of the webinar, Prof Ahmad claimed, “What we see today
in India, especially since 2014, is not simply political; rather, it is power/knowledge which I call Hindu Orientalism. Focusing on the subjects of Muslims and Adivasis (tribes), this talk describes many faces of Hindu Orientalism in domains ranging from judiciary, food choice, language use, gender question to violence/peace.” “We must go past the sibling rivalry between Congress and RSS-BJP to recognise Hindu Orientalism that binds them both. Hindu Orientalism as a knowledge/power matrix is present among “critical,” “liberal” and “progressive” voices too: in media, civil society, academia alike,” Prof Ahmad said. “I have not explained why I use Hindu Orientalism and not Indian Orientalism. The brief answer is that both Western Orientalism and Indian nationalism as derivative thereof, especially in matters religious, view India as essentially Hindu. With its philological approach and continuing preoccupation, if not obsession, with “Sanskrit High Culture,” the discipline of Indology as a branch of Orientalism is coterminous with Hindus and Hinduism, the latter as “the basis of Hindu civilization.” “In Indology, Muslims stand emptied out, erased or subsumed within Hinduism. If mentioned, as in the nationalist history, Muslims appeared as despicable and cause for the downfall of Hindus; it erases the practices of exclusion of non-Hindu traditions within to ratify the Indological equivalence between India and Hindus. On a question posed by Zia Ahmad as to why we do not term this kind of orientalism to Hindutva Orientalism, Dr Ahmad said that this orientalism is not limited to Hindutva elements only, but spread into other mainstream Hindus and political parties. At the conclusion of the webinar, Ms Yasmeen Siddiqui presented the vote of thanks on behalf AIMF and gave details of the next webinar scheduled for next month. Contacts for AIMF: ausindia.muslimforum@gmail.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/AIMF.australia Twitter @AIMF_australia Zia Ahmad is the Editor-in-Chief of the Australasian Muslim Times AMUST.
Melbourne Muslimahs’ Annual Fundraiser Gulhan Eryegit Yoldas Melbourne Muslimahs hosted their Annual Fundraising Dinner on 27 February 2021 with the topic “Shining Through My Muslim Identity” to continue developing projects that serve Muslim women across Melbourne. The program was hosted at Melbourne’s iconic halal restaurant Lazzat Kadah with guest speaker, Dr Lucy Verwey. Melbourne Muslimahs started in 2018 where a small group of sisters came together
during a sisters Ramadhan dinner at Al Siraat College, to support new Muslim sisters, offering a safe space where sisters could connect with each other in a non judgmental way. President Jedda Van Rooyen explains, “We were receiving feedback that there were new Muslim sisters that didn’t feel confident going to the mosque. They didn’t know anyone there.” They maybe weren’t wearing hijab so, as people that weren’t born Muslim, we could really relate to the experiences that they were going through. We wanted to encourage sisters to get together and to learn, and
to just come along to programs at mosques with us.” “We were finding other sisters were reaching out to us as well. Sisters that were Muslim but raised in a non-practicing household so they didn’t know a lot about their deen and could also relate to the convert experience.” “We had sisters that were coming out of prison as well, so there are a lot of sisters taking their shahada in prison and it’s quite a challenging time for them, because once they’re released from prison they’ve got to get back into society and get themselves set up in housing and try and find study or em-
ployment opportunities.” “They have no connections to the Muslim community outside of the prison system, so we have worked to be that connection space for these sisters. We want to be a real non-judgemental, safe space for all Muslim women.” The incredibly popular event was sold out within days, gaining overwhelming support. People looking to participate in upcoming programs and events organised by Melbourne Muslimahs are encouraged to visit their social media platforms. facebook.com/MelbMuslimahs/
Board Members: Yeliz, Seba, Jedda, Sarah Jae, Siham and Selen.
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IWWA van to serve local community Mark Smith and Melissa Peck of Westfield Burwood with Abla Tohamy Kadous of IWWA
Bilal El-Hayek, Amal Saeed, Hanaa Hajjar, Abla Tohamy Kadous, Jihad Dib and Khal Asfour. Dianna Tarm Amal Saeed. Abla Tohamy Kadous and Jihad Dib.
On Wednesday 24 February 2021, Islamic Women’s Welfare Association (IWWA) in Lakemba celebrated the purchase of a van through the NSW Government’s Community Building Partnership program and the installation of a shade sail through funding from Westfield Burwood’s Local Heroes Program and a donation from Sydney Shade Sails. The van will be used to increase positive social activities and community participation for IWWA’s senior members. The shade sail is sheltering IWWA’s food programme beneficiaries from the elements. Special thanks go to Mr Jihad Dib MP for Lakemba, Westfield Burwood and Sydney Shade Sails. For information about classes and programmes on offer at IWWA contact 0297591675 or 0451394408.
Abla Tohamy Kadous, Souhair Afiouny and Jihad Dib.
Women come together to help needy families in Lebanon Soukina Kassir Almost 50 Sydney women gathered on Wednesday 17 February 2021 at Atlantis on the Bay, Brighton Le Sands to help people suffering in Lebanon motivated by social media influencers and former instructors to donate funds. The speakers included Nora Al Sarray, Safa Al Chami, Asma Chaouk, Tamana Ehsan and Soukina Kassir. It all started when social media influencer and former instructor, known by the name of Juelliet, started receiving pleas for help from families in financial hardship, living in Lebanon and other countries. “I just couldn’t sit there and do nothing about it. I just couldn’t be posting stories of me in cafes while my fellow brothers and sisters were suffering overseas,” Juelliet explains. Having lived overseas for over twenty years and seen the hardships people go through there with her own eyes, her passion to help was unstoppable. “It was actually a challenge. To have people donate when you are not an organisation or charity is something that requires some kind of trust from people. Alhamdullilah, we were overwhelmed by the trust people put in us- some people who hadn’t ever met us face to face-only over social media.” With the power of social media becoming a real thing in 2021, Juelliet decided to collaborate with event planner and photographer, Nora Al Sarray, who had also toyed with the idea while back with some friends and put their Instagram platforms to good use. “Juelliet just messaged me one late night about the idea and I was just so excited to get down to it,” Nora narrates.
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One idea led to the next and before they knew it, Juelliet and Nora, both mums to two children and leading their own work and study lives, had organised a lunch in which they would make money by selling tickets to attend. They also threw in speeches by several other influencers and a raffle to entice ladies to attend. “People usually attend these events without a cause. Just to socialise, meet knew people and have fun. And that’s all good. So why not do it for a good cause?” Nora stated. And that’s exactly what Juelliet and Nora were betting on and the turn out for the event was great. Social media influencers, speakers, motivators, businesswomen, managers and models from different parts of the community showed up and as a result, Juelliet and Nora were able to make some money enough to help around 15 families in the Middle East. “With what’s going on in the Middle East right now, with the COVID-19 crisis and financial crisis in most countries like Lebanon for example, there is no better time to help. We still got a long way to go but every journey starts with a small step,” Juelliet stated. Being an instructor and seeing a lot of students drop out of college because they couldn’t afford tuition, Juelliet knows just how much these donations will make a difference in some people’s lives. “It’s always good to give. It’s what makes the world go round. It’s our duty as Muslims and as human beings. You’re only civilised when you think about making the world a better place. Thank you to each and every person who donated, sponsored and supported our cause in one way or another,” Juelliet concluded. Soukina Kassir (Juelliet) is a mum of two, an image consultant and a former instructor (in Lebanon). Charity and non profit work has always been a passion of mine.
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Nora, left and Juelliet, right, organisers of the Ladies Fundraising Lunch.
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Oppressive law banning ‘Conversion’ prohibits religious healing practices Dr Daud Batchelor A deeply-flawed law promoted by Andrews’ Labor Government, Change or Suppression (Conversion) Practices Prohibition Act (CSCPPA), passed on Thursday 4 February in the state of Victoria criminalises attempts to change/suppress a person’s gender identity or sexual orientation. It may punish individuals with up to 10-years jail and almost $10,000 fine, or up to $991,320 fines for corporations (eg Islamic schools). Big Brother denies religious freedoms on issues of sexuality and gender identity, the most oppressive attack yet on established religion and parental authority in Australia. The Act criminalises ‘nasiha’ (advice) to same-sex-attracted (SSA) Muslims to abstain from sex with the same gender, or counselling to abide by traditional gender norms for people experiencing gender dysphoria (boys believing they are girls and vice-versa). Parents commit ‘family violence’ if they advise their gender dysphoric children to adhere to Islamic norms, or take SSA or dysphoric children for advice to a sheikh. For conviction, the prosecution must demonstrate harm occurred to the person treated, and that the person counselling caused injury. CSCPPA will have a chilling effect on traditional practices of Imams, counselors and parents who care for people’s best interests (maslaha) as Islamic law promotes. Often the individual themself approaches the faith leader or medical professional for help. “Many who feel distress over their bodily sex know they aren’t really the opposite sex, and do not wish to ‘transition’ [but] to receive help.” (Anderson) The Act unfairly allows encouragement for a child to transition, but discourages helping them return to their natal gender. “This is troubling because research showed the majority of children who go to specialist clinics because they experience gender confusion will resolve difficulties as they go through puberty if provided the right therapy.” The Act “is likely to lead to increased suicides or other self-harm if troubled youth cannot find therapeutic help they need” when they’re most vulnerable. (Freedom for Faith) Concern increases worldwide about troubled youth who de-transition after receiving re-assignment surgery they much regretted. CSCPPA is an untried social experiment, which will harm Victorians. CSCPPA follows similar legislation in Queensland and ACT, but the Victorian Act is extreme. Judeo/Christian/Islamic teachings, including those about following one’s biological sex; avoiding promiscuity and premarital sexual relations, have succored humanity
for 4,000 years. Now, Victorian Labor is prohibiting application of God’s guidance. The Government Bill was clearly influenced by the 2018 LaTrobe University and Gay & Lesbian Health report, “Preventing Harm, Promoting Justice,” which provided negative, unbalanced views about religious organisations’ dealings with SSA and dysphoric individuals. It included failed Christian conversion efforts, which however did not emphasize enough that change must come from within. Al-Qur’an stresses: “God will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves.” (Quran, 13:11) The report’s imbalance is reflected in ignoring successful Muslim outcomes that ensure SSA is not translated into Islamically-proscribed ‘same-sex-encounters’. Further, the Government Inquiry leading to the Act conflated mild therapies with decades-old, long-since ceased European electric shock ‘conversion’ therapies. Islam promotes living according to one’s ‘fitra,’ meaning ‘sound human nature’ as God created it.
God says: “[Adhere to] the fitra of Allah upon which He created people. No change should there be in Allah’s creation. That is the correct deen (life-transaction), but most people know not.” (Quran 30:30) And: “He gives to whom He wills female [children] and to whom He wills males.” (Quran, 42:49). The gender assigned by God at birth is part of our fitra, not to be changed. Islam encourages people to never despair of God’s Mercy. Prophet Muhammad (s) said, “if you did not sin, Allah would replace you with people who would sin and they would [repent and] seek forgiveness from Allah and He would forgive them.” (Hadith: Muslim) Islam encourages those entertaining LGBTQ notions to reflect on God’s gracious guidance. LGBTQ people like other Australians deserve protection. Data confirms a disproportionate number of LGBTQ experience poorer mental health and higher risk of suicidal behaviours. Contrastingly, research consistently shows peo-
ple demonstrating greater religious behaviour, generally display better-than-average well-being. These findings encourage a person troubled with their gender identity to act upon religious guidance. Leading hypotheses posited for SSA development include genetic causes and parental factors, eg a parent raising a child against its natal sex. (Aardweg) The latter cause, consequences being an involuntary unnatural state, surely allow the affected person to seek counselling towards reverting to their natural sex. The CSCPPA discourages such resolution. LGBTQ activists claim their lifestyle is fine but other’s ‘wrongful’ view about them is harmful. However, increased cases of depression and self-harm by LGBTQ people cannot just be claimed to result only from bullying or discrimination given such acts have been illegal for decades. Rather, increased cases of depression and self-harm I believe result from adopting a lifestyle opposing one’s ‘fitra’. Many Muslims traditionally vote Australian Labor. With Greens/Labor’s laws in Victoria, ACT and Queensland attacking cherished family values, should Muslims veto such parties like Christians have? The Act is criticised by the Australian Medical Association Victoria, Royal ANZ College of Psychiatrists, and many Christian organisations who like Muslim leaders oppose coercive conversion practices. President of AFIC, Australia’s peak Muslim body, Dr Rateb Jneid, said, “I pledge to work with other faith groups to mount a legal challenge to this repressive and oppressive law. We will immediately establish a legal-fighting fund to protect religious freedoms, families and children in Australia.” Dr Jneid tells me of an exchange (which I viewed) between an LGBTQ activist and AFIC following AFIC’s statement. After having explained the extreme scope of the CSCPPA to him, the activist (whose identity remains private) changed his view and expressed respect to AFIC in taking such a principled stand. I don’t write this article to criticise the LGBTQ community, but an extreme law that threatens all our children. The law appears to disallow a person’s right to choose help to revert. Is the Victorian government making conversion to LGBTQ status a one-way street? Some Muslims informed me that notwithstanding Labor’s traditional social justice positions, faith communities are better served by the LNP provided they take sound positions against such extreme laws. [This article is not professional legal advice] 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.
National Apology acknowledged AMUST Media Mr Shaoquett Moselmane MLC moved a motion that was passed by the NSW Parliament on Wed 17 February 2021 acknowledging the National Apology amongst other items related to First Nations people. The motion included that the House • Acknowledges that Friday 12 February MARCH 2021 / ISSUE 184
was the 13th Anniversary of the National Apology to Stolen Generations made by former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd; • Acknowledges the generational trauma caused by the removal of Aboriginal children from their families; and • Reaffirms the commitment of the NSW Parliament to Closing the Gap targets and improving outcomes for First Nations people in New South Wales.
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With their mother’s Australian citizenship cancelled over alleged ISIS-links, how will NZ deal with her children?
The alleged ISIS-linked Australian-NZ citizen (right) being taken into custody on the Syrian-Turkish border. Erdal Turkoglu/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images. Professor Claire Breen By unilaterally revoking the citizenship of the 26-year-old woman detained in Turkey this week, Australia has potentially left her two children in diplomatic limbo. Known only as “S.A.” (but named by the ABC as Suhayra Aden from Melbourne), she was the subject of an Interpol blue notice, according to the Turkish Ministry of National Defence, which alleges she was a terrorist with Islamic State. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacdina Ardern responded sternly to Australia’s actions, saying it amounted to their dumping the problem on New Zealand’s doorstep. The mother had dual New Zealand and Australian citizenship, but left New Zealand for Australia at the age of six, and travelled to Syria from Australia. It would now appear Australia is also seeking to shut the door on the two children. To paraphrase the old saying, the sins of the mother are being visited upon the children. The ‘privileges’ of citizenship The stripping of citizenship as a counter-terrorism measure seeks to address the threat posed by individuals suspected of, or engaged in, terrorist activity. It’s a tactic used by many countries to prevent citizens from returning when they’re perceived as a risk to national security. These types of legal balancing acts between an individual’s human rights and national security are not uncommon. As Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has stated more prosaically, his job is to protect Australians from terrorists “enjoying privileges” of citizenship. But that view overlooks the situation of two other individuals. Aged five and under, they are presumably not suspected of terrorist activity. Legally, this raises questions about the justification for limiting their citizenship rights. Where do the children stand? In spite of the seeming intractability of the row between the two countries, the situation facing these children needs resolving. Key to that will be the recognition that children enjoy the same human rights protections as adults under the general framework of international human rights law. They also have particular and specific protection under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child 1989. Both Australia and New Zealand have accepted these international legal obligations, meaning a number of the provisions of this convention must inform both countries’ decisions in this case.
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The convention opens by stating that the family is “the fundamental group of society” and the child should grow up in a family environment. Similarly, involuntary separation is to be avoided, unless it is in the child’s best interests. The right to a nationality Children have a right to a nationality. As far as possible, they also have the right to know and be cared for by their parents. This right is particularly important in the current situation. Children born overseas to Australian citizens can claim Australian citizenship upon application. So too can the children of New Zealanders born overseas. However, the children of Australian citizens who have had their citizenship revoked can themselves lose their citizenship rights. The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child highlighted the potential impact on the citizenship of Australian children. It called for Australia to ensure no child is deprived of citizenship on any ground regardless of the status of his or her parents. Human rights versus national security The case also raises questions around the balancing of national security and human rights. For the children involved, a number of the convention’s guiding principles underpin these rights. As part of the prohibition of discrimination, states are required to ensure the child is protected against all forms of discrimination or punishment on the basis of the status or activities of the child’s parents. The best interests of the child should govern all decisions relating to them, and the child has a right to be heard in all proceedings affecting them. The child also has the right to life, survival and development. Given reports that a third sibling has died of pneumonia, this right and guiding principle takes on real significance. In essence, then, the rights of the child must inform any decisions about the future of these children. As part of that process, the maintenance of relationships with the wider family unit — if not their mother — is still key and the child’s best interests must be taken into account. These are rights, not privileges. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article: https://tinyurl.com/49p3xrss Dr Claire Breen is Professor of Law, University of Waikato, New Zealand. She holds a BCL from the National University of Ireland (University College Cork), an LLM (International Law) and a PhD from the University of Nottingham. Her research focuses on international human rights law with a specific interest in children’s rights.
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Unions are the backbone of working people
Mr Shaoquett Moselmane MLC with Mr Mark Morey (left), Secretary, Unions NSW. AMUST Media Edited version of an address by Hon Shaoquett Moselmane MLC at the NSW Parliament on Thursday 18 February 2021. I will speak about the work of unions and their achievements in protecting workers and their families, but first I thank the Hon Greg Donnelly for offering me his speaking spot. The Hon Greg Donnelly is an honourable man and a real gentleman. He is a family man, a man of faith first and foremost, and a union man. His Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association [SDA] union protects re- The Hon Greg Dontail, fast food and nelly MLC. warehousing industry workers. If he had his way, he would fight every moment of every day for every worker across the State. In preparing this short contribution, I came across a page on the website australianunions.org.au headed “Unions Achievements”. It noted that just about everything good about people’s working lives is because of unions. “We can back it,” it boasts. Unions have been the backbone of working people in this State for generations. Because of unions, Australian workers continue to receive the respect and protections they deserve from greedy profiteers. Unions in Australia have achieved much, including the right to annual leave. Paid annual leave was first given to workers after a campaign by printing workers in 1936, and that campaign continues to this day. Unions also helped to establish awards, which are legally binding documents that set out minimum entitlements for workers in every industry, underpinning pay and terms and conditions of employment. They are unique to Australia and are integral in ensuring that workers get fair pay for a fair day’s work. Other achievements include penalty rates, maternity leave, superannuation and equal pay for women. Health and safety and workers compensation laws have helped enforce behaviour that ensure health and safety for workers. Then there is sick leave, long service leave, redundancy pay, shift allowance, uniform allowance, meal breaks, rest breaks and so forth. Then came enterprise bargaining, introduced in 1996, which allowed workers and
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their unions to negotiate pay and conditions directly with employers. Protection from unfair dismissal is another achievement. Unions campaigned hard for such laws, which reflect the “fair go” principle. Today we campaign against wage theft and for wage justice. Unions are truly committed to workers and to leaving no-one behind. Unions NSW has developed a comprehensive directory for workers and their families called No Worker Left Behind. It is a great service that is available to Australian residents and to migrant and multicultural communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. It includes information on emergency food assistance, accommodation and housing, charities and NGOs, mental health services, education, immigration and so forth. One can only commend the people behind such great humanitarian initiatives—unions going beyond their roles to help those in need during troubled times. In a speech on 10 February 2021 the Leader of the Federal Opposition, Anthony Albanese, committed Labor to a secure Australian jobs plan. The plan includes insertion of explicit reference to job security into the Fair Work Act, rights for gig economy workers through the Fair Work Anthony Albanese, C o m m i s s i o n , Leader of the Ausportable entitle- tralian Labor Party. ments for workers in insecure industries, proper definition of casual work in law, a crackdown on cowboy labour hire firms to guarantee “same job, same pay”, a cap on back-to-back short-term contracts for the same role, an end to inappropriate temporary contracts for public sector jobs, and government contracts going to companies and organisations that offer secure work for their employees. Congratulations to Anthony Albanese, Australian Unions and Unions NSW for keeping up the fight. Each of these achievements did not happen by accident; they were fought for by people who are committed to the rights of all workers. Without unions, some greedy employers would take workers down the path of exploitation and abuse. Today, we should be proud of these outcomes. We should continue to support our unions and our workers and we must continue to be vigilant. ISSUE 184 / MARCH 2021
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The Sydney Statement launch by Youth PoWR Zia Ahmad The Sydney Statement, an interfaith charter for ‘building bridges between believers from different religions’ was launched by Youth PoWR, a coalition of young adults professing diverse faiths on Tuesday 9 February 2021. It is available now at www.thesydneystatement.org.au The Sydney Statement is inspired by similar interfaith statements from other cities e.g. The Athens Declaration 2015, The Beirut Declaration 2017 and The Washington Declaration 2018. Like them, it is named after the city where it originated, but we believe this interfaith charter is “world class”, and therefore relevant to the rest of Australia and to the world! It is a great resource for schools, councils and anyone involved in community relations across multicultural, multi-religious Australia. Although ‘named’ in terms of Sydney, the
interfaith charter is relevant to NSW, Australia, and the world. Although ‘framed’ in terms of religions, the values and ideals of The Sydney Statement are readily accessible to secular worldviews and philosophies. Ryan Epondulan, Youth PoWR Coordinator, said the interfaith network developed The Sydney Statement through two years of consultations and drafting: “The members of Youth PoWR identified values and principles for a peaceful, just and harmonious multicultural, multi-religious society, and provided concrete steps for getting there.” “The Sydney Statement has been described as ‘inspiring’, ‘comprehensive’, ‘timely’ and ‘courageous’,” Ryan said. “It forms people for growing interfaith relations which are authentic, honest and respectful. It also educates them about the different ways of carrying out this task.” The Sydney Statement has been developed by Youth PoWR (Parliament of the World’s Religions), a coalition of young adults from different religions in Sydney—Baha’i, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim,
World Interfaith Harmony Week at Whittlesea
Sikh—over two years of consultations and drafting, and overseen by a Steering Committee or senior representatives from these same religions, including peak state and national bodies. Youth PoWR are inviting their peers, religious leaders, co-religionists, believers from all religions and all people of good will to sign up to the values, principles and commitments of The Sydney Statement on the dedicated website: thesydneystatement.org.au The Sydney Statement is an initiative of the Columban Centre for Christian-Muslim Relations, in partnership with Western Sydney University. The project is supported by the NSW Government with a COMPACT grant through Multicultural NSW and underwritten by St Columban’s Mission Society. The Centre will also be posting updates on our Facebook pages: fb.com/TheSydneyStatement and fb.com/YouthPoWR.
My son, Mohammad El Halabi is innocent Khalil El Halabi
Gulhan Eryegit Yoldas World Interfaith Harmony Week was celebrated in various ways around the world throughout the first week of February 2021. The initiative was first proposed at the United Nations General Assembly in 2010 by King Abdullah II of Jordan and has been keenly observed by interfaith community groups around the world ever since. It serves as a focal point where all people of goodwill, across all faiths and no faith, can recognize that the common values they hold far outweigh their differences, and therefore provides a strong sense of peace and harmony in their communities. In celebrating World Interfaith Harmony Week, Whittlesea Interfaith Network hosted an insightful virtual event on Wednesday 10 February titled Women of Faith – Footsteps to Whittlesea. Prior to the event, women from various faiths, who live or work in the region, were invited to share their stories and journey to Whittlesea, which were captured in a series of videos that were uploaded to their social media platforms. The Vice President of WIN, Ms Tanja Kubitza explained that, “When the pandemic first started in 2020, one of the things we understood very quickly was that we needed to be able to continue Interfaith engagement in person and, when necessary, virtually aswell. We are dedicating most of our time this year towards establishing our website and social media platforms and developing MARCH 2021 / ISSUE 184
interfaith content to be able to connect with our community and the broader community in a way that’s sustainable, whether there’s restrictions or not.” The interviews conducted, recorded and uploaded by the Whittlesea Interfaith team ere reflective of the journeys of several women in the community, each representing a different faith, culture and background. Whittlesea council have generously funded the project of establishing online interfaith engagement platforms, as a part of their Cultural Heritage fund. Having a virtual presence has also ensured WIN are receiving greater expressions of interests from locals, looking to participate and become active members of Whittlesea Interfaith Network. Moving forward the next project for Interfaith engagement will be to visit the various places of worship in the area, recording and uploading the visits to share with the broader community and form a virtual local interfaith archive. It’s important to support the establishment of platforms for Interfaith engagement to take place in a way that’s sustainable, in the spirit of driving greater social cohesion, especially when faced with global challenges. Watch videos of the week here: https://tinyurl.com/pu78tz34 facebook.com/InterfaithNetworkCOW/ Gulhan Eryegit Yoldas is the president of Whittlesea Interfaith Network, the Community Engagement Facilitator for Al Siraat College & a media advisor. Gulhan has three published books and a robust history of advocacy for gambling industry reform, Interfaith dialogue and media literacy.
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Jerusalem Post’s editorial, Justice delayed long enough in World Vision Hamas case appearing on Monday 15 February 2021 asks, “Which version is true? Is my son Mohammad El Halabi an innocent man or a terrorist?” I have the righteous answer. My dear son, Mohammad El Halabi, incarcerated in Ramon prison since 2016 is innocent. A parent knows the soul of the child. It is what we parent have given our lives to: to nourish and nurture our children’s bodies and souls. I know my son. He was innocent before the arrest and after. How do I know? Why am I so certain? I know this with certainty because innocence is integral to integrity and truth. My son is a good man, a man of integrity. Innocence shines like the sun. Even when clouds cover the sun, it shines. When my son’s life is darkened by the cloud of false accusation, his innocence always steadfastly shines. I did not need the proof of Mohammed’s innocence that was provided by the investigations conducted by the Australian government and World Vision that determined not a cent of aid monies were channeled to Hamas, let alone the phantasmagorical millions of dollars according to the accusations by Shin Bet. Mohammad was offered a plea bargain of three years imprisonment and of course he refused it. Why? Why would he not grab the chance to accept knowing that after three years he would be once again in the arms of his agonising mother, in the arms of his beloved wife, be able to hold in his arms the treasures of his heart- his five children? Why? Because he is an innocent man. Because as a man of Mohammad El Halabi. integrity
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he would have to admit to the lie that he was guilty. How then could he face his family as a liar? What great lesson of life would he be teaching his young children? That a lie has more power than the truth? That honour is a bargaining chip? As my Jewish brothers and sisters are aware the Talmud states, “The Holy One, blessed be He, hates a person which says one thing with his mouth and another in his heart” And in my holy faith we are warned, “Avoid falsehood. For it may appear to be a way of salvation, whereas in reality it leads to destruction.” Better for Mohammad to suffer the torture and degradation of prison, than to never walk free from suffering the degradation of his soul. Israelis know well the destruction, the horror and the lethal consequences of lies. The Nazis rounded up innocent Jewish men, women and children, incarcerated them in prisons such as Auschwitz, Belsen, Buchenwald, Terezin,Treblinka, under the false and antiSemitic allegations that Jews were subhuman and responsible for Germany’s social and economic problems. Surely, we Palestinians and Israelis share a common humanity that is held together by the principles of Truth, Compassion, Justice and Love. My son Mohammed lives by those principles in his personal and family life and in his dedicated work for the vulnerable as the director of World Vision in the West Bank and Gaza. For this, the United Nations honoured him as a Humanitarian Hero. He should be freed on his terms: the Truth of his innocence. Now. His 157th court appearance will be on 3 March 2021. Khalil El Halabi is from Gaza, Palestine. He is the father of Mohammad El Halabi, who has been incarcerated in Ramon prison since 2016.
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Knowing what Coercive Control looks like can save your life Mariam Sarhan & Mobinah Ahmad Would you notice the red flags to being murdered by your family member? With the devastating statistics of women being killed every week in Australia, politicians Anne Aly MP and Linda Burney MP discuss with AMUST the importance of educating communities on Coercive Control. It seem obvious, but there is an extreme lack of education and awareness for people to be aware of what behaviours indicate red flags. What can be misconstrued as love or “normal”, can actually be extreme jealousy, abuse and control. Coercive control is the silent abuse that can be hard to prove which can cause domestic abuse to escalate and make victims’ chances of escape more difficult. “Coercive control is not just one behaviour, it’s a compound. It’s multiple things, checking your phone and isolation,” Dr Anne Aly, said. It is usually a pattern of behaviours, which over time the person experiencing coercive control usually feels like they are held hostage or they have no control over their life from a social, financial, sexual, emotional and many other perspectives. “Normalisation of certain behaviours, targeted messaging and core message needs to be what’s normal and acceptable and what’s not. That’s where we can often get entangled,” said Dr Anne Aly. “There needs to be lines in the sand with behaviour and patterns of behaviour. We can’t get into the quagmire into ‘that’s a normal part of your culture, so that’s okay’,” she said. The most devastating for the Muslim community is where social interaction is so important, the isolation from family and friends. Ms Linda Burney MP said that coercive
control doesn’t discriminate and has the ability to lead to physical abuse. “Coercive control, prevalent across all communities, it can be a pre-cursor to physical violence, it is disempowering and there’s support out there and its unacceptable,” Ms Linda Burney said. Perpetrators may hold basic human rights away from the person being abused. This can slowly degrade them psychologically and may result in them being harmed physically. In Australia, coercive control is not yet criminalised however there are calls from multi-partisan federal alliance that is led by Labor MP Dr Anne Aly, Greens Senator Larissa Waters and Liberal MP Dr Fiona Martin to outlaw this form of domestic violence. The group is calling for the understanding and criminalisation of coercive control in Australia. Women’s Safety NSW surveyed 72 domestic and family violence survivors to which 97% said they had experienced ‘psychological control and manipulation’ in their relationship. Therefore it is incumbent upon us all as a community to teach men and women about coercive control, creating awareness and education should they find themselves in that situation. Labor MP Dr Anne Aly has experienced domestic violence first hand being a domestic violence survivor herself, she is a domestic violence advocate and recognises the cultural hurdles along with the cultural pressures faced by women of ethnically diverse backgrounds that experience domestic violence. Traditionally, people associate domestic violence with exclusively with physical violence, however it goes beyond that. In arabic cultures, domestic violence still remains a taboo topic which often gets kicked to the
Ms Linda Burney MP and Dr Anne Aly MP call for the understanding and criminalisation of coercive control in Australia.
curb. ‘Gheera’, an Arabic term which means protective jealousy and can be a beautiful portrayal of care for your partner. Unfortunately, this concept can also be spiritually abused by perpetrators to justify their ability and power to control, manipulate and intimidate others. Often Muslim women fall victim to this disturbing behaviour by their husbands who misuse the concept of gheera to abuse her mentally and physically by isolating her from the world and even use technology against her. Dr Anne Aly said that she has witnessed this in other communities who were afraid to talk about issues of coercive control within particular cultures or religions, as they were afraid it would bring a bad spotlight upon them. No doubt Muslims and migrant communities have had to face a lot of discrimination and stereotypes of oppression. However, this should not be a deterrent to recognise the issues within the community, as saving women’s lives and their safety of their children is more important that getting a poor
reputation. E-Abuse Other forms of coercive control is by electronic abuse (E-Abuse), that is part of coercive control behaviours that we need to tackle. More difficult to tackle aside from education and awareness, unless you are really quite literate, you don’t know. There’s lines to be drawn when mobile apps can be used to track where women are going to follow and harm them. “Applications are being used by perpertrators, app on phone or ipad without knowing it, so movements can be traced. It’s a terrible problem,” said Ms Linda Burney. She said that more awareness on coercive behaviors is vital. “Its about public education and awareness on cyber security,” Ms Burney concluded. Australia has a lot to do to catch up on using strategic understanding of culturally-sensitive psychology of coercive control in order to save lives. And having an awareness and understanding of how technology interplays with control is a matter of life and death.
Living with a mindset of abundance Princess R. Lakshman Abundance (plenty) is a mindset. Living from abundance is a conscious practice. As Muslims, when we ponder on Allah’s creations, we realise that He has blessed us with abundance. All limits or lack that we perceive is self-imposed. How often do relationships suffer due to arguments concerning money? Or the lack of it? How often do we find ourselves feeling anxious because we fear we may not have enough – enough courage, enough money, enough knowledge about a subject, enough physical beauty, enough intelligence, enough children, enough material possessions? Allah has created this entire planet for our benefit and yet we live from fear. Unless we open our minds to embrace abundance, we will go on living from lack. If you take a teaspoon to the ocean, you will fill only a teaspoonful of water. The abundance of the ocean remains before you and yet you only fill a teaspoonful. Allah has blessed us with an abundance of joy, kindness, love, creativity, peace – all in nature within us and outside of us – yet we present our own limiting vessels (our closed minds) to capture only a fraction of this abundance. Furthermore, we begin to believe that the vessel is the source, and its limitation gives us an illusion of false security. All along, the one and only source, Almighty Allah bestows us with an abundance that we reject
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How to change the mindset from “Lack” to “Abundance” Someone wise once said, “When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” Situation
Negative Self -Talk
Positive Affirmation
Money
I don’t have enough money yet.
Thank you, Allah, for providing me with exactly what I need precisely when I need it. Ya Allah, you are the only source of rizq, and you know what I need and when I need it.
Marriage
It’s not going well.
Thank you, Allah, for my realisation that there are things that I need to reflect upon choice of thoughts, words and deeds that contribute to my marriage. I am grateful for the daily realisation that I need to be accountable and responsible for my own choices.
Disobedient children
What more can I do? They are so ungrateful.
Thank you, Allah, for making my children healthy and joyful and keeping them on the straight path. Help me to be a good role model for my children.
Job
I hate my job.
Thank you, Allah, for the realisation that my heart is not aligned with my work. Help me to be of service to others in all that I do in my work so that I may please you.
Body Image
I don’t like my body.
Thank you, Allah, for my healthy body which unconditionally breathes for me and allows me to accomplish righteous deeds that may please you.
because we begin to live in fear of the lack of space in our own vessels. Let us transform ourselves right this mo-
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ment and cultivate a mindset whereby we live from abundance.
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Princess R. Lakshman is a writer, speaker, qualified clinical nutritionist, life coach and a counsellor. She is based in Sydney, Australia. ISSUE 184 / MARCH 2021
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Interview with Dr Safinah Hambali We have interviewed Dr Safinah H Hambali, principal dentist and founder of Northvale Dental. Dr Safinah migrated to Melbourne with her family from Singapore when she was nine and graduated from University of Melbourne, with a Bachelor of Biomedicine and a Doctor of Dental Surgery. She runs her own private practice in Northcote, Victoria. As a Muslim woman and a principal dentist, tell us about what inspired you to pursue this ambitious career path? Dr Safinah: Thank you for having me today. Education was such a big part of growing up. It was very important to my parents. When we came to Melbourne I went to a Muslim school, getting that academic as well as Islamic studies side of education, which was a great opportunity. Arabic speakers would know that my name Safinah actually means a big ship. In my first parent teacher interview at this Islamic school the Arabic teacher asks my mum “So why did you name your daughter Safinah. Did you know Safina means a ship?” My mom was like, “Yes, it does mean a ship. We did that on purpose but her name is actually Safina Hidayati and Hidayati means guidance. So my parents named me the guiding ship or the ship that shows the way so maybe it was in my name to one day lead. I’m currently embarking on this big journey in my life, where I decided to open my own practice from scratch and I see myself as the captain of this ship. My aim was to be a principal dentist. I love what I do and I think it’s a great way to connect with people. My personality, my skills all work in this environment, but one of the reasons why I wanted to open my own practice was because I wanted to challenge myself and see ‘Can I be a great leader? Can I run a successful practice and grow and build a successful practice?’ I wanted to build something that I can be proud of and the people who support me can be proud of. One of our first obligations as parents, the rights of our children, is to give them a
“... it doesn’t
very connected to people. You need to be able to make someone feel comfortable. If I didn’t know what kind of person I am or what I can bring to the table, I think that would make it hard for me to communicate effectively. Also, the Prophet peace be upon him is a role model of leading by example so we should also strive to lead by example.
matter whether you’re a doctor or a teacher or a janitor as long as you love what you’re doing.
Do you have any specific advice for young people, girls in particular, that may be looking to pursue a similar path. Dr Safinah: My best advice is that it doesn’t matter whether you’re a doctor or a teacher or a janitor as long as you love what you’re doing. That’s THE most important part. Being a dentist, running a practice is not easy. If you don’t embrace the challenges and the obstacles then I shouldn’t be doing it. Ask yourself, ‘what is my intention in life?’ Having that clear intention was very important in the choices I made. For me it was about connecting to my Community. Don’t haphazardly move through your life and not make choices. You don’t want someone to decide what you should be doing. Decide for yourself. Say “Yes, I love this! I want to do this!” It just means so much more when you embrace your journey. Make your intention and then have faith and trust in the plan Allah SWT has for you.
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Gulhan Eryegit Yoldas
good name, a name that they can be proud of. How incredibly inspiring to see the impact that a name can have on a child growing up. Did you come across any obstacles along the way, particularly around your faith? Dr Safinah: Well, life is not meant to be easy, we are constantly tested so definitely. As a young Muslim female growing up in Australia in this Western society, there’s a lot of expectations, but there’s a lot of naivety too. As you grow up there’s a lot of learning that happens. One of the biggest challenges in my life when we first came to Australia was that I went to a Muslim school for six years and then I decided myself to move from a Mus-
lim environment into spending my last three years of school in an Anglican grammar school. I went from an environment where all the girls were wearing hijab to one where I was the only one wearing hijab. That was a very big culture shock for me. There were a lot of classmates that probably never met a Muslim in person, especially one wearing a hijab and it was such a big learning journey for me. I had to really put myself out there and be vulnerable. I think, living in a Western society is working out your identity, working out who you are. Being vulnerable, having that courage to reach out and put yourself out there. Relating that to being a dentist, you’re
Any closing remarks for us before we wrap up the interview? Dr Safinah: Well, I think being a young female Muslim in Western society is actually a great opportunity for us, not only for what we can bring to people around us, but also to learn about ourselves. Don’t forget who you are and embrace your identity. There’s no limit to what you can achieve. Take risks, make use of all the opportunities that come your way. Don’t live with regrets. At the end of the day being a Muslim is your way of life. Having faith is super important, especially when you’re not sure what’s going to happen tomorrow what’s going to happen next year. Lastly surround yourself with supportive people. If I didn’t have the support of my family, my friends, I think I couldn’t do what I’m aiming or trying to do here.
A personal story of breaking the victim cycle of DV Princess R. Lakshman The photograph I’m holding was taken on my wedding day in 2002. Like any new bride, I was looking forward to a fairytale life of marital bliss. The marriage ended in Dec 2011, shortly after my brain tumour diagnosis. On Mother’s Day of 2011, my daughter, then aged 7, watched me faint, as her father punched me on the head, traumatised from the thought that I was dead. That day, truth finally hit me. We were both victims of domestic and family violence. There was always violence in my relationship with him even back in the days of our courtship. My intuition told me to not marry him. I ignored it. There was time to stop the wedding preparations. I felt trapped. It’s not that I wasn’t educated and didn’t know what to do. Of course, I could have left. I was too blindly in love with him. I yearned for love and acceptance due to a compromised childhood in a family where violence and paedophilia was the norm. I found comfort in his possessiveness - misconstruing it as love. His every push, shove, threat, every act of spying on my phone, ultimatums to choose him over my family, every apology that immediately followed those countless fights, convinced me that it was my fault. I vowed to improve myself - talk less, laugh less, stop complimenting others, start complimenting him, never discuss my family in his presence, always praise his decisions, alMARCH 2021 / ISSUE 184
ways agree with his gambling and drinking habits, never criticise, never question. Never, ever question. I allowed him and others to treat me violently. I began self-harming. Late 2010, I was diagnosed with a brain tumour. We were in Auckland, NZ at the time. He couldn’t cope with my illness. His violence worsened. I began to get help from my GP and a counsellor. The punch on my tumour-ridden head on Mother’s Day was the final wake up call. I gathered the courage to call the police. Despite suffering reporter’s remorse, the police assured me that the law was there to protect me and my daughter. His family hated me for it. It was a huge blow to their cultural norm. The woman must maintain silence no matter what happens. I was a published author and a freelance journalist by that stage. I felt compelled to give my daughter a safe, joyful, and secure life. I packed my life in boxes, returned to Australia and started a new life with my daughter. It took me five years of therapy and daily personal development coaching to understand that I am Not my experiences. Rather, I am the Force that overcomes them. I now work in the community to help others heal from the trauma of domestic and family violence through counselling, life coaching and Clinical Nutrition. I teach survivors to switch from the victim’s mindset to the victor’s mindset. DV, de Victoire, of victory. WWW.AMUST.COM.AU
Princess R Lakshman holding a picture of her taken on her wedding day in 2002.
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A housewife in our modern societies Nada Khalifa In our modern society, people tend to assess an individual’s value by their profession or wealth. Regardless of how content you are with your life, people just see the external and materialistic things, such as the house you live in, the car you drive, and the brands you wear. Everyone has their own beliefs and perspectives of life and we cannot deny that we sometimes judge people involuntarily. Today, people view a housewife as a woman who just sits at home to feed and look after her children, cook, and clean the house for her husband. Technically, society considers a housewife not even an easy job rather not a job at all, due to the inexistence of a tangible income. As evident, legally it falls under the unemployed job status. Moreover, people often underrate and overlook the tasks of a housewife and so it is no longer of much significance. Regardless of the amount of effort or the number of hours a mother spends raising her kids to live in our rapidly changing world, society yet underestimates her role.
A housewife is not just a job, rather a whole investment. Raising a kid to be a good citizen is nowhere near easy. And if you ask why, it is because it requires high manners, positive values, good morals, and solid beliefs for a child to a beneficial individual in their society.
In addition, the necessity for this child to have academic achievements, learn the necessary skills for life, all requires hard work from the parents. It is also quite time consuming. Yet, a housewife in our modern society tends to hold shame that she is what they
insist to call “unemployed”, which is a very inconvenient label. Children are the future generation who takes after their parents. If children are not well taught the skills needed for life, the future is at great risk. Mothers grow children who will later have various influences in our communities. One day they will be the individuals who choose their career pathway, arrange their family’s finance, make political decisions and much more. If the income is the only thing that society will judge a person by, then we would all be fooled by the true value of many individuals in our current society. For instance, a typical surgeon who saves people’s life can possess much less money than a media personality who just entertains people all day long. Thus, this proves that income could be a misleading method to evaluate an individual’s value. Hence, a housewife who earns no income at all is a priceless investment in our society. Giving up on gaining status in our modern society to raise children, to be good citizens in our communities, is indeed a very selfless act of many brave women! Nada Khalifa is a senior student at Al Noori Muslim School (AMS) and is based in Sydney, Australia.
Mental well-being within the Muslim Community Life is a test for hereafter Frazia Ali This is the way of life Life is not a story of love Life is not a bed of roses Life is a test for hereafter We need good marks from this life for hereafter Allah says in Quran He who created death and life to test which of you is best in deed When we come in this word Then Azan is called And when we go from this world Then Salah is performed The time between Azan and Salah is our life Sometimes we gain something Then Allah says in Quran Those who spend in charity will be richly rewarded Sometimes we lose something Prophet Muhammad (s) said Those Allah desires for success He tries them with hardship This is the way of life Life is a test for hereafter Frazia Ali is a Pakistani American Muslim single mother. She has two children and lives in San Ramon California, USA. She started writing poetry to spread peace and love through her writing.
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Mariam Sarhan Mental health in the Muslim community in Australia is seen as a taboo topic that is rarely ever spoken about and that needs to change. “You wont be depressed if you become closer to god and start reading the Quran”. A phrase we hear whenever a person of Muslim faith is experiencing mental challenges. While having faith in god is no doubt important, a person that is struggling mentally needs more than just faith to overcome their issues. They also need to speak out to those that can help such as professionals like psychologists and councillors. Often when a Muslim is struggling with their mental health, the Muslim community is quick to associate that person with a weakened iman or far from faith . In Muslim communties especially within ethnic groups, mental health is a topic that is seen as a forbidden subject which parents do not speak what mental health is and how to take care of yourself along with your faith. There is a misconception that if you are a pious and an individual who follows their religious duties, you should not run into these issues. Often Muslims who experience these issues do not know how to express how they are feeling. Faith is spiritual, and mental along with the actual commands from God like praying five times a day, however in life we encounter psychological issues that transpire from our daily experiences that at times are not resolved by just having faith and fulfilling your daily religious duties. Just like a car you can maintain it by changing its oil, filling its fluids, but if the car’s computer has an issue it can give you problems therefore you need to take it to a
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Birds Dr Reginald Naulty
mechanic. The Muslim community often does not acknowledge that mental illness exists as well as the importance of maintaining good mental wellbeing. This usually comes from cultural correlation of if you are sick you visit a doctor. But what if the illness is not something you can see like someone coughing or a broken arm, what if it’s something the person who experiences it only gets to feel it, this can’t be voided as this person is crazy or their faith is low therefore they are experiencing these issues. Why is that we only seek professional assistance when it is physical but its disregarded when the challenge is mental. Normalising conversations around mental wellbeing will allow Muslims that are experiencing psychological struggles to reach out for help without feeling a sense of shame or embarrassment. Mariam Sarhan is a Journalism intern at AMUST. She is based in Sydney.
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Birds are worth a poem they are so diverse in color and song and shape. The kookaburra, so sedate on a bough, laughs heartily for what it has ate. The determined magpie, swooping in anger, cares nought for pedestrians it has roused to ire; the majestic eagle, riding a thermal, shows that free flight is completely normal. The willy wagtail, so jaunty and gay, sings spooky at night and reproachful, tsk, tsk, by day. They should come closer, there is no need to fly away. Dr Reginald Naulty, originally from Adelaide, has taught at Charles Sturt University and has been a prolific writer since 1972.
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Scathing report on human rights violations in Kashmir Continued from page 1 The Forum regrets that the Ministry of Home Affairs and Jammu and Kashmir administration did not responded to the first report issued in August 2020 covering the period of one year since Kashmir went into military lockdown in August 2019. Statutory bodies to which citizens could go to seek redress – for human rights, women and child rights, anti-corruption and the right to information – have not been reinstated, even though Union Territories too are entitled to independent statutory bodies for oversight, as pointed out in the Forum’s August 2020 report. Two new developments – elections for District Development Councils (DDC) in December 2020 and further changes to land laws – combined violation of human rights with further erosion of political and economic rights. Moreover, implementation of the much-criticised new media policy has led to the dis-empanelment of about 20 media outlets. There is great concern amongst Kashmiris over economic and educational losses as well as policies such as the new domicile rules and reversed land laws. Counter-insurgency concerns continue to be prioritized over public, civilian and human security, leading to the vitiation of protections such as habeas corpus, prevention of illegal detention and strict restrictions on arrest and detention of children. Denials of the right to bail and fair and speedy trial remain, coupled with misuse of draconian legislation, such as the Public Safety Act (PSA) and the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), to stifle dissent. Civilian fatalities in cross-border shelling and armed encounters between militants and security forces continue; arrests and detentions of political leaders continue, with the latest victim being PDP youth president Waheed ur Rehman Para. The recent pellet firing, lathi-charge and tear-gassing of Muharram processions was entirely avoidable. The arrest of over 50 participants in the processions was, by any measure, excessive. The 18-month ban on 4G connectivity continued to impact public health, causing
trauma and stress amongst the people of Jammu and Kashmir and violating the rights to health and medical care under the Indian, and Jammu and Kashmir, constitutions. Assault and mistreatment of media professionals has continued, while media houses have faced economic, administrative and logistical problems. Further changes in land rights have impacted ever-widening groups of people. Recent contraventions of the national Forest Rights Act of 2006, allowed for the demolition of hundreds of Gujjar and Bakerwal homes with no alternative housing provided. The repeal of the former state’s Roshni Act, applied with retrospective effect, has lumped lawful owners in with land-expropriators. The rights of children to a trauma-free environment continue to be arbitrarily ignored. Local and regional industries continue to suffer large losses in every sector. The tourism industry continues to languish and the iconic houseboat industry is on the verge of collapse. Recommendations None of the Forum’s August 2020 recommendations have been acted upon and are therefore reiterated below, with new additions. 1. Release all remaining political detainees who were taken into preventive detention on orafter August 4, 2019. Strictly follow jurisprudence on the rights to bail and speedy trial. Repeal the Public Safety Act (PSA) and any other preventive detention legislation, so that they cannot be misused against political opposition, or amend them to bring them in line with
our constitutional ethos. Remove all restrictions on freedom of representation and expression. Strictly implement juvenile protection legislation in letter and in spirit. Release all detained juveniles and withdraw charges against them. Withdraw unsubstantiated charges under the PSA/Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) against political leaders, journalists and activists. 2. Initiate criminal and civil actions against personnel of police, armed forces and paramilitary forces found guilty of violation of human rights, especially with regard to recent instances of attacks on journalists. Moreover, the details now revealed by the Jammu and Kashmir police on the July 2020 extra-judicial killing of three Rajouri youth in Shopian indicate that this is a fit case for criminal charges in place of the army’s court martial procedure. The Forum recommends that the Ministry of Home Affairs grant permission for a criminal trial of Captain Bhoopendra Singh and his two accomplices. 3. Ensure the army’s additional directorate for human rights (a very welcome development), is given full freedom in the role it can play in investigating alleged human rights abuses, including the recent Hokersar deaths, and monitoring adherence to the humanitarian guidelines to be followed when conducting Cordon and Search Operations (CASO), to prevent civilian deaths, injuries or any other damage or loss. 4. Curb the application of Section 144 to only those instances in which there is clear and present danger and ensure that District Magistrates strictly follow ju-
dicial guidelines restricting the use of Section 144. Such incidents as the August 2020 pellet firing, lathicharge and tear-gassing of Muharram processions could have been and should be avoided. 5. Adequately compensate innocent citizens whose houses have been destroyed in CASO or the recent land reclamation drive. Ensure that Gujjars and Bakerwals are extended the rights that they are entitled to under the Forest Rights Act of 2006. 6. Ensure that police and paramilitary forces at checkpoints allow smooth passage for medical personnel and patients. Where patients lack transport to hospital, provide aid by making vehicles available. Hold police and paramilitary personnel who harass civilians at checkpoints accountable and initiate appropriate disciplinary action. 7. Now that the 4G restriction on internet and mobile services has been revoked, put all reports of the Special Committee extending the ban in the public domain, and ensure that stringent criteria are applied to curtail imposition of any further bans. 8. Reinstate all the former state’s statutory oversight bodies, especially those monitoring human rights, such as the Jammu and Kashmir Human Rights Commission and the Jammu and Kashmir Women and Child Rights Commissions. In the interim, their national counterparts under whose purview these rights fall, such as the National Human Rights or Women’s Commissions, should set up branches in Jammu and Srinagar cities. 9. Compensate local businesses that were forced to shut down due to the government lockdown between August 2019 and March 2020 and ensure that they are given the government aid they require to the fullest extent possible. Provide immediate economic and anti-pollution aid to the houseboat industry. 10. Rollback the new media policy and encourage all shades of opinion to be freely and peacefully expressed. Review the empanelment policy to ensure media outlets are not being punished for dissent.
ICC to investigate Israeli war crimes rejecting Australian opposition AMUST Media The Pre-Trial Chamber of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has ruled that the ICC has jurisdiction over Rome Statute crimes committed in the territory of Palestine thus moving forward to investigate alleged war crimes committed by Israel since 13 June 2014. The Court ruled that Palestine is a State Party to the Rome Statute and confirmed the Court’s territorial jurisdiction extends to Gaza, the West Bank including East Jerusalem, territories occupied by Israel since 1967. An investigation could lead to indictments against members of the Israel Defense Forces, Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups, and members of the Israeli authorities. Australia was among a small number of States Parties who intervened in an effort to stop an investigation from proceeding, arguing that Palestine was not a State and therefore not a State Party to the Rome Statute. Australia and Palestine were both elected as members of the 18 member States that MARCH 2021 / ISSUE 184
make up the ICC’s Bureau of the Assembly of States Parties. Australia never objected to Palestine’s accession to the Rome Statute. Director of the Australian Centre for International Justice, Ms Rawan Arraf said: “This is a major breakthrough and a huge advance for those all around the world fighting to end impunity for serious international crimes.” “Australia’s position has been rejected by the majority of the Court. It is Australia who played politics and lost. We hope Australia will now support the right of all victims to access justice equally, and end selective support for justice and accountability.” “Today’s decision is the result of decades long struggle led by Palestinian human rights defenders, victims’ communities and civil society organisations, against a backdrop of daily violence and an aggressive amount of political pressure and lobbying, in attempts to bury an investigation and grant impunity to perpetrators of atrocity crimes.” “Once again, an international court has affirmed the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination. The Court has recognised that serious harms the Palestinians have endured and continue to endure, can-
not be ignored.” Israel intends to ask dozens of allies to convey a “discreet message” to Fatou Bensouda, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), tomorrow and urge her to not move forward with an investigation against Israel on alleged war crimes in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, two Israeli officials tell Axios. Israel is very concerned any investigation could lead to international arrest warrants against Israel officials and military officers. The Israelis are also concerned such an investigation will boost BDS campaigns against Israel. The Israeli ambassadors were asked to tell friendly countries that Israel wants to open special channels of dialogue that will focus on the ICC issue. Prime Minister Netanyahu is expected to send letters to dozens of leaders around the world asking for their support in countering any investigation. Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi are expected to make phone call to several of their counterpart in main world powers and allies to discuss the issue. Bensouda announced the potential inves-
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tigation into Israel and Hamas over alleged war crimes during the 2014 war in Gaza, as well as the construction of West Bank settlements by Israel, in December 2019, and Israel and the Trump administration immediately began attempting to mobilize opposition to try to convince the judges to block it.
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Silence over China’s abuse of the Uyghur is deplorable Zahid Jamil Muslim governments’ selective concern of Muslim sufferings around the globe is deplorable. The least talked about issue among Muslim political leaders is a major crisis facing the Chinese Muslims for past few years. Global Legal Action Network (GLAN) of UK describes how the Uyghur Muslim minority in the far western Xinjiang region of China has been subject to “enslavement, torture, rape, enforced sterilisation and persecution”. There is a “plausible” argument that the country’s president Xi Jinping is himself responsible for the action, which has seen more than a million people, including Uyghur and other mostly Muslim ethnic groups, imprisoned in a vast network of concentration camps. Victims have been “forced to remain in stress positions for an extended period of time, beaten, deprived of food, shackled and blindfolded”, it said. On the basis of the evidence, the report concludes that there is a very credible case that acts carried out by the Chinese government against the Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang Autonomous Region amount to crimes
against humanity and the crime of genocide. A high-security facility where mostly Muslim ethnic minorities are detained, on the outskirts of Hotan, in China’s northwestern Xinjiang region. The legal team of GLAN state they have seen “prolific credible evidence” of sterilisation procedures carried out on women, including forced abortions, saying they “clearly constitute a form of genocidal conduct”. They also found evidence of children being placed in orphanages or boarding schools without parental consent. Peter Irwin, of the Uyghur Human Rights Project, said, “This finding makes it impossible for responsible governments to continue treating China as a normal member of the international community.” The China scholar Adrian Zenz reports that the communists are forcing Muslim Uyghur women to be sterilised or fitted with contraceptive devices. If they resist, the state sends them to join the one million Uyghur people and other Muslim minorities detained in what the state defines as “re-education” camps. A BBC investigation found that China was separating children from their families so they grew up without understanding or practicing Islam. Under the communist rule, reporters face huge logistical difficulties and cannot get near Xinjiang without taking extraordinary risks. With no footage of their suffering and
Ethnic Uighurs are seen during a protest against China near the Chinese Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, December 15, 2019. Photo: Huseyin Aldemir / Shutterstock.com strcit censorship , millions of Uyghur Muslims continue to face harshest conditions. As one of the great crimes of the 21st century unfolds in front of our eyes, Muslim world is the silent spectator. Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan is rightfully raising Kashmir issue on every available opportunity but Pakistan’s interests in China are such that he is reluctant to mention a word about the plight of Uyghur. In July 2019, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Algeria and other Muslim-majority states that claim to be the defenders of the faith helped to block a Western motion at the United Nations calling for China to allow “independent international observers” into the Xinjiang region. Unfortunately these Muslim governments use the idea of Muslim solidarity only when it suits them.
Many have been bought off by China. China’s “Belt and Road” infrastructure programme in 70 countries has made China an influential leader at the United Nations. Such favours result in the Muslim countries to turn a blind eye to the suffering of fellow Muslims. Not only that if you speak against China, you are being punished with cyber-attacks and sanctions as has happened to Australia for seeking inquiry into the origins of COVID-19. Alas, “Might is Right” rule prevails as always. 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.
Dr Mohammad Basheer Ahmed
A man with a golden heart Aini Mahfooz Dr Mohammad Basheer Ahmed, 85, an Indian Muslim veteran leader passed away on Friday 22 Jan 2021. His death is a huge loss for his family and the whole community as he did a lot of work for the development and better prospect of the community as well his family. Dr Ahmed completed his medical degree from Osmania University, Hyderabad, India and worked as a senior government doctor. Though he retired from government services after a long distinguished service but not from his social service till his last breath. He was a director of Crescent High School, a social activist, board of director for Rumaan Hospital, Vice president of Islamic Welfare Society, active associate of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, member of Khaadiman E Millat organization, member of Seva Bank, a philanthropist founder and adviser of Gulf High School. He was a true practitioner of Islamic principles and always did work to please Allah. He was pure hearted and admired by a lot of people around him. He was a magnanimous donor, an amazing inspirer, a great
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and unique motivator, a caring and loving preacher and a kind advisor. He maintained good relations with everyone. He was passionate about his social work and was never stopped by his age or health in performing his work. He taught and practiced the art of giving saying “be a giving hand rather than a receiving hand because giving hand is greater than receiving hand” and he followed this principle teaching till his last breath. He was one of the most altruistic persons with no attachment to material things. If anyone needed anything, he will literally give it away with little concern of losing. He had enough money to spend on a lavish lifestyle but he never wished for it. Instead, he contributed his wealth among poor and needy to uplift them from poverty and become self-sufficient. After his retirement, he established Crescent High School and College to provide education to the minority groups in India actively getting involved in talking to parents on how to help kids become better in studies. He considered education as one of the key factors in helping the community become better and he worked hard to provide it. He motivated my sister-in-law to build and run Gulf High School in one of the most backward area of Karimnagar to help kids acquire education. This project started 30 years ago and now that area consisting a large Muslim population has become a developed area. Many kids that graduated are now residing abroad and holding position all over India. He always helped and provided assistance in overcoming the hurdles, struggle and challenges needed to run the school. He also distributed books to poor kids in remote areas for their better education. He
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ran a clinic only for poor patients and used to give them free medicine. One of the things he thought me in life is to be hardworking, honest and always go out of my way to help other people. May the sky shed its dew upon your grave!
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May the freshly grown verdure watch over your home! (Allama Iqbal) Aini Mahfooz resides in Canada and works as a Database Administrator for ABS Data Services, Canada. ISSUE 184 / MARCH 2021
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Is Islam exclusivist or pluralistic? A Rabbi’s view Rabbi Allen Maller “O humankind, we have created you male and female, and appointed you races and tribes, that you may know (respect) one another. Surely the noblest among you in the sight of God is the most God-fearing of you. God is All-knowing, All-Aware.” (Qur’an 49:14) This verse establishes the principle that God is the God of all creation and one who recognizes and embraces all His children. Another key verse rejects the idea of exclusivism in Islam, offering salvation to the other monotheistic peoples of the Book: “Surely they that believe, and those of Jewry, and the Christians, and those Sabaeans, who believe in God and the Last Day, and do works righteousness—their wage awaits them with their Lord, and no fear shall be on them, neither shall they sorrow.” (Qur’an 2:62) The unique characteristic of Islam is its conviction that belief in the oneness of God unites the Muslim community with all humanity, or at least with all other monotheists, because of the one God who is the creator of all humans, irrespective of their religious traditions. The Qur’an declares that on the Day of
Judgement all human beings will be judged, irrespective of sectarian affiliation, about their moral and monotheistic performance as citizens of the world community. But the liberalism of these verses frequently caused discomfort for jurists who were trying to support the expansionist political claims of Muslims rulers. The political desire for exclusivist Islamic Imperial power overcame the Qur’an’s desire for monotheistic religious harmony and religious pluralism; and became the dominant view for all the later Tafsir. They used one exclusivist Qur’an verse to oppose the many verses in the Qur’an that support pluralism, and this was their exclusivist position. “Whoever desires a religion other than Islam, it shall not be accepted of him; in the next world he shall be among the losers.” (Qur’an 3:85). But this verse, in the light of the two verses above, which have several similar verses on their side; clearly means that a monotheist who abandons monotheism for polytheism will in the next world be among the losers. But both Qurtubi and Zamakhshari report that this verse was first revealed concerning a man of the Ansar: “Al-Harith and 12 men with him apostatized from Islam, and deserted back to (polytheistic) Makkah as re-
jecters of faith (in monotheism). When this verse was sent down al-Hrith sent a message to his brother begging that his repentance be accepted.” This tradition was also reported on the authority of ibn Abbas and other Mufassareen. (Qurtubi IV, Page 128) This shows that this verse was originally intended only to apply against apostates from monotheism to polytheism. Only in later generations was it glossed
for exclusivist polemical purposes to apply to other monotheists; and even then it was never use to justify mass execution of heretics as was common in Christian Europe, because of the four holy books that have come down from ancient days, only in the Qur’an (2:256) is it explicitly stated that for all humanity: “There is no compulsion in religion, the right direction is clearly distinguished from the wrong.”
The story of religion: Duties as a Muslim immigrant from love to anarchy Hena Jawaid Farid Ahmed In Islam responsibility is more important than the right because Allah will question about responsibility on the Day of Judgment to judge, but Allah will reward for the deprivation of the rights without judging it. The entire life from birth till death is a test of duties or responsibilities. Allah says in the Holy Quran: “He (Allah) Who created Death and Life, that He may test which of you is best in deeds (performing duties and responsibilities)” [Quran 67:2] Therefore, Islam teaches Muslims to be mindful all the time about discharging their Allah-Given duties. Let me highlight a few duties of Muslims as immigrants. Duty 1: To carry the flag of truth. It includes our faith, righteous actions, and the identity that we are Muslims. We get the title Muslim from Allah because of our humble surrendering to His will. Muslim title derives from Islam. Islam means Peace and Muslim means the bearer of peace flag. When Allah commanded Prophet Muhammad (s) to migrate, the reminder was as following: “Say: ‘O my Lord! Let my entry be by the Gate of Truth and Honour, and (make) my exit by the Gate of Truth and Honour.” [Quran 17:80] Duty 2: To carry the safety device firmly installed in us. That device is called “Taqwa”. Taqwa is the faith and awareness that Allah knows our open and secret deeds for which He will either reward us or judge us. That safety device saves us from criminal actions, imprisonment, dishonour, and all sinful actions as immigrant. Moreover, it guarantees Allah’s help in all sorts of hardship in new environment. Allah’s guarantee is mentioned in the Holy Quran: “And for those who have Taqwa, Allah always prepares a way out for that person. And Allah provides for that person by (Sustenance from a source) that he could never MARCH 2021 / ISSUE 184
imagine.” [Quran 65:2-3] Duty 3: To contribute positively any way possible as immigrants. Allah’s messengers are the role models for the positive contributions. For example, Prophet Ibraheem (a) as an immigrant built the city of Makkah in a desert land which turned out to be the “Ummul Qurra” mother of all cities with peace, safety, and economic prosperity. Prophet Yusuf (a) was an immigrant in Egypt. With his honesty, love, and compassion along with his talent, he became a great contributor to Egypt for which Egyptians loved and acknowledged him by putting higher responsibilities on him. Prophet Muhammad (s) was an immigrant in Medina city. He turned a sick city into a healthy one, established peace around the region with peace treaty, contributed peace by reconciliating between two major tribes to stop bloodshed and life loss. He built a city with peace, harmony, safety, fairness, and prosperity. Muslims are the humble followers of those great role models, and our duties as immigrants are to be the positive role models in building peaceful and prosperous societies. 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.
It is heart wrenching to see the state of religion today as well as the perspective which is often used to understand and practice the faith. Faith has trodden a long way to this day where it is commonly perceived as a monstrous force of extremism. If we talk about Islam from 10th century till 16th century then we can easily trace a religion profusely enriched with the essence of love, tolerance and acceptance for each other. Therefore, by then a religion was one of the strongest social element which used to weave respect, harmony and peace among people. All religions have gone through a phase of upheavals in some point in time during their early or late formative periods. In case of Islam, from 17th century onwards a great shift is observed in terms of Islamic teachings and standpoints where the sense of brotherhood reduced not only between Muslims and non-Muslims but also between subsets of Islamic faith. The continuous series of internal war and conflict has sabotaged the message of Islam to a great extent. Media and mainstream representatives (taking the advantage of this anarchy) misrepresented the religion to the whole world and caused further misconceptions amongst people left, right and forward. With the passage of time, the message of the Holy Book was solely comprehended through the lens of a (translating) scholars’ range of knowledge and understanding. The diversion between scholars gradually widened and each one of them started deeming their interpretation as the absolute and complete depiction of verses.
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The present day injustices in the form of civil war, oppression by external forces, occupation and displacement in different Islamic countries came across another catastrophe, radicalism. The relentless use of Quranic verses to ignite fanatical thoughts and emotions between people has absolutely conflagrated the situation. The swarm of opportunistic rioters followed the path and destroyed Muslim countries and people more than non-Muslims nations. The teachings of Islam amongst radicals are devoid of Prophet Muhammad’s (s) character and commands. It is merely filled with vengeful feelings, hatred, control and arrogance. Wherever this radical force has gone, whatever region they infiltrated, they have only caused chaos and disorder. Let’s suppose, if they are bringing the right message of Islam then who were Ibn e Haitham, Ibn e Arabi, Salahuddin Ayyubi , Saa’di, Muhammad bin Qasim and Rumi? These nobles, warriors and scholars have certainly brought a constructive and positive wave of knowledge, justice, wisdom and practice to their respective societies. Therefore, history can never forget their endeavors for Islam. Their sacrifices have brought justice and peace to societies. Religion was warmly embraced and widely understood by then. It served as a source of cohesion and development for states and not as a tool of division and animosity like in the world, today. Hena Jawaid is a mental health professional having trained in Pakistan and US completing 5 years of medicine and then 4 years training in psychiatry. She has contributed to international and national newspapers, magazines and scientific journals on professional and community issues and spends many hours volunteering for various NGOs.
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US missionaries in sheep clothing Rabbi Allen Maller Among the more than 220 people arrested in connection with the 6 January attack on the American National Capital, the FBI has linked at least 40 defendants to extremist movements with at least 16 members or associates of the neo-fascist Proud Boys plus at least five connected to the anti-government Oath Keepers. And nearly half of the 220+ federal cases were inspired by conspiracy theories, rightwing propaganda and racist, anti-immigrant extremist ideologies. Also among the more than 220 people arrested have been state lawmakers, military veterans and a [Christian] ‘rabbi’ from Tampa Bay. This should be noted by Muslims because it publicises the sly tactics that some Christian Missionaries use to win converts. The United States Department of Justice filed several charges against Michael Stepakoff, who is the Christian rabbi at Temple New Jerusalem, a messianic Protestant church [called synagogue] located in Palm Harbor. Documents from the DOJ say Stepakoff could be seen on surveillance video taking photos with his cell phone after entering the US Capitol. He later posted these photos on social media. Someone who knew Stepakoff over 20 years ago, later identified him to authorities. Stepakoff appeared in court and was released on $25,000 bond and ordered to surrender all his firearms. Michael Stepakoff was raised in a Jewish family but later was baptized after he accepted God’s son Jesus who he calls the Messiah known as Yeshua; through a Church named
Beth Israel, a Messianic Jewish congregation whose ‘synagogue’ is the headquarters of the International Federation of Messianic Jews. About 2/3 of the Beth Israel congregation are ethnically Jewish and 1/3 are Evangelical Protestants who love Israel. Messianic Jews say they do not refer to their messiah as “Jesus Christ,” although they admit that Yeshua is the same person as Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The large majority of Jews, who believe strongly that Jesus is not Son of God, think Messianic Jews may have been Jews once, but they are not now Jews at all, but camouflaged Christians who want to convert other Jews and baptise them. That suspicion is bolstered by the Southern Baptist Convention’s financial pledge to expand Messianic congregations. Baptist leaders called it a quest to bring salvation to America’s 5.9-million Jews. A century before the Jews for Jesus movement started, there was an organized Anglo-American Hebrew Christian Missionary movement; because most Jews have a strong ethnic identity that makes it easier for family members to accept a Jew who has become an agnostic, or even an atheist, than to accept a Jew who converts to Christianity. American Muslims should be alert to this because they also are now the target of Christian Missionaries. Eleven years ago the DETROIT FREE PRESS reported that standing amid a crowd of Muslims at June’s 2009 Arab International Festival in Dearborn, Michigan, the Rev George Saieg declared: “I’ve been commanded as a Christian to reach out to these people.” These Christian groups flocked to Dearborn to convert its Muslim population: Arabic Christian Perspective: Based in Anaheim, Calif., and started in 2001, the group does outreach at mosques and Arab festivals. Also known as Ministry to Mus-
lims, it is headed by George Saieg, a pastor. It filed a free speech lawsuit against the city of Dearborn in June, alleging the city trampled on its right to hand out literature on sidewalks at the Arab International Festival that month. Acts 17 Apologetics: Features ministry work of David Wood, an evangelical from New York, and Nabeel Qureshi, a convert from Islam who lives in Virginia. They visited metro Detroit at the request of Saieg and produced a controversial video on a dispute at the Arab festival in Dearborn. Confident Christianity: Based in Houston and headed by Mary Jo Sharp, who helped film the controversial video of the Arab festival. Works with Saieg and Arabic Christian Perspective on debating Muslims. Josh McDowell Ministries: A native of Michigan, McDowell is a popular Christian evangelist who warned of the “tidal wave of Islam” during a June visit to Michigan when he attended the Arab festival. Everyone should be free to invite people who are seekers to study and join their reli-
gion; but they should not use deceptive techniques or insulting language in doing so. Everyone should listen to the Qur’an admonition: “Argue not with the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians), unless it be in (a way) that is better (with good words and with good manners), except with such of them as do wrong; and say (then): We believe in that which has been revealed to us and revealed to you; our Ilah (God) and your Ilah (God) is One (God), and to Him we have submitted (as Muslims).” (Quran 29:46) Allen S Maller is an ordained Reform Rabbi who retired in 2006 after 39 years as the Rabbi of Temple Akiba in Culver City, California. His website is: www.rabbimaller. com. Rabbi Maller blogs in the Times of Israel. His book ‘Judaism and Islam as Synergistic Monotheisms: A Reform Rabbi’s Reflections on the Profound Connectedness of Islam and Judaism’ (31 articles previously published by Islamic web sites) is for sale ($15) on Amazon.
Quran: God’s constitution for entire humanity Muqeem Rauf It is an unfortunate reality that humanity has always woken up to fix things only after being hit by an unprecedented tragedy. History is replete with such examples. Let us not go back too far into history and talk about the developments of the last few centuries. Humanity towards the end of the 18th century started testing and trying the idea of constitutional democracy which kept maturing and establishing itself towards the beginning of the 20th century. It keeps refining itself by experimenting different methodologies. The biggest setback to democracy, I believe, happened in the last few decades when the political inclination moved more towards party democracy under the garb of constitutional democracy. The party democratic system across the globe is rapidly transforming and driving nations and societies towards the oligarchical system, in which a select group or politicians and capitalists pull the strings of the political parties of the countries and control the political, economic and social discourse through their immense money power and control over the propaganda machinery. The world needs to wake up to this reality and curtail the sufferings and deterioration in the quality of lives of the people across the globe which comes at the cost of greed for money, power, control and luxuries of a select few. If not curtailed soon, this could eventually lead to an unprecedented economic inequality between the rich and the poor. History tells us that every time that gap
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has disproportionately ballooned, humanity, civilizations and societies suffered destruction and chaos and had to rebuild itself from scratch. Each cycle of destruction puts humanity and human progress behind by at least 5 centuries. Now is the time the world wakes up to realize where the ship of human consciousness is breaking apart and mend it before it is too late. We need to revert to constitutional democracy and get rid of the party system. We need to bring back our attention to-
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wards the constitution and keep working towards refining and bettering it through scientific and rational discussions and debates. We need to introduce and teach constitution as a fulltime subject in our schools and universities so that the future generations grow up with a realization of what binds every individual of the society together and that every person of the society is responsible and accountable to the constitution/law of the land and to no one else. Even the head of the state holds account-
ability to the constitution. On that basis we need to enable leaders and leadership of the future from within the society, of people with intellect, who are committed to upholding the laws, values, ethics, morals and principles of the constitution. We need to teach and impart honesty and accountability as part of the education system of our societies so as to bring up people and leaders who, if strayed from the constitution for some unfounded reason, would accept responsibility and go through the necessary course corrections. This could be the most realistic set-up for our societies and nations that holds the potential to bring the entire world under its ambit and is in fact not something new to be realized. Every messenger of God had challenged the corrupt man-made social setups of their times and practically implemented the God’s constitution, or the constitutional democracy based on God’s constitution during their times. The last messenger of God had successfully uprooted the oligarchies and monarchies of his times and established this system in almost half of the then existing global population. Humanity has always longed for an ideal peaceful society for all of us and I believe that we are rapidly advancing towards re-establishing that system, but our slumber in a few disciplines and trial and error approach in others is delaying our dreams from becoming reality. This process can in fact be accelerated by exploring and realizing the message of Quran: God’s constitution for entire humanity. Muqeem Rauf is a biomedical engineer by qualification and a business man by profession based in Melbourne, Australia.
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A pioneering partnership between BNK Group (ASX:BBC) and Hejaz Financial Services will allow, for the first time in Australia, Islamic home finance products to be offered to clients through a broker channel. The deal will be executed through Finsure, a subsidiary of BNK Group, and connect brokers to the rapidly growing Australian Muslim home-buyer market. The Hejaz Group is Australia’s leading diversified provider of Islamic Financial products and services. For several years Hejaz has expertly combined Islamic finance knowledge and technical expertise to create specialised products and services, tailor-made to meet the needs of our clients. Hejaz provides an in house solution across a range of services including funds management, financial planning, accounting, property finance, super and tax, legal and insurance offerings. Muzzammil Dhedhy, Chief Operating Officer Hejaz Financial Services said Islamic home finance provides an avenue for a growing market of primarily younger Australian Muslims seeking to enter the housing market through financial products that align with their religious values. “Islamic law does not allow Muslims to borrow on interest so conventional mortgage products are not an option for many. By contrast, our home finance provides a home ownership pathway that is compliant with Islamic (Sharia) law in two ways – the source of capital and the structure of the agreement with the buyer,” Mr Dhedhy said. “Increasingly we are seeing Muslim Aus-
tralians – particularly younger generations – seeking financial products and models that align with their faith, while still helping them reach their financial goals, be it home ownership or wealth creation.” Mr Dhedhy said Hejaz Financial Services was currently approving 200 home finance applications each month and that the average home finance loan is $420,000. “We are delighted to partner with BNK Group to be able to offer our market-leading suite of products and services through a highly-respected broker channel with such extensive national reach,” he said. Simon Bednar, Group General Manager of BNK Group, said the organisation was excited by the prospect of being the first in market to offer this unique loan type to its brokers. The company, which recently hit $2bn in monthly settlements, has a broker network of some 1,900 brokers across Australia. “We are driven by a commitment to providing our brokers with the best and most comprehensive suite of lenders and products, and this partnership is an opportunity to better service our brokers, and by extension their clients,” Mr Bednar said. Mr Bednar continued that considering recently implemented obligations set to mortgage brokers by ASIC, it was more important than ever to be able to clearly demonstrate why a loan product recommended is in fact in a client’s best interest. “Through this new offering, when a client of Islamic faith approaches a broker seeking an Islamic loan, our brokers will be able to look beyond conventional loan products and offer a service that aligns with not only that client’s best interests, but their personal values.” The deal was inked in January 2021 and taking effect on Thursday 4 March 2021.
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@MuslimWomenAustralia On Tuesday 23rd February 2021, Nemat Kharboutli, Manager, Strategic Support, at Muslim Women Australia, appeared before the Joint Select Committee for the Parliamentary Inquiry into Coercive Control at NSW Parliament House. This was an opportunity to present on the Submission by Muslim Women Australia that was submitted in writing to the Joint Select Committee in January 2021. Ms Kharboutli emphasised the need for culturally, linguistically and religiously appropriate Domestic and Family Violence (DFV) services, including specialisation of services to meet the needs of CALD and Muslim women; and the centering of CALD and faith-based perspectives in informing appropriate legal and policy responses to coercive control, as well as in non-legal initiatives to prevent and address DFV. MWA’s Submission can be found at our website, under Articles, Submissions and Reports.
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Lujeyne Ahmad and Layal Moussa of Yr 11 today visited Penny Appeal Australia who provide aid to poor and needy people in over 30 crisis-hit countries worldwide as well as to vulnerable individuals and communities in Australia. They also provide work experience, internships, volunteering and professional development to young people here in Sydney. We look forward to our students collaborating with Penny Appeal to learn essential life skills and do their bit to make our world a better place. We thank Penny Appeal for their time and hospitality.
With great sadness we are sharing the news of the passing of a member of the Academy Alive family. The loving father of Qari Wahied Kannemeyer returned to Allah swt earlier today. His father is a beloved man who was tragically taken by covid-19. We ask Almighty Allah to shower his mercy upon his father and strengthen the family with patience. We ask Allah to accept his passing as a martyr, fulfilling the hadith of the Prophet S.A.W. Qari Wahied has spoken highly of his father as the man who has shaped him, and his father’s teachings will echo in Qari Wahieds voice and personality which has become so familiar for all of our audience here in Australia and South Africa.
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A session to explain Australian Law was organised on 21 January 2021, focusing on the most common issues brought up by our SETS clients. Melanie and Ella from Legal Services Commission went through the rights of both the tenants and landlords, fines, what to do if you are involved in a car accident, marriage and divorce. They also provided all attendees with phone numbers to the legal services commission helpline and the translating and interpreting services available to them. In addition, all attendees were given a booklet with all the important information in their own language. The session was informative and delivered using clear and simple terms. It helped them to correct some of their misinformation regarding Australian law. Interpreters for both Arabic and Dari speakers were present. WWW.AMUST.COM.AU
Amal Abou-Eid @booksbyamal I know a lot of people hesitate to take their children to the mosque. I understand why. They can be loud, impatient and they have trouble sitting still - all very normal! Problem is, if you don’t take them when they’re young, if you don’t nurture a love for the masjid in their young hearts, it’ll be a lot harder to do so when they’re older. We are working hard behind the scenes to organise events and classes that welcome people of all ages to the mosque. Insha’Allah these events and classes will create a positive attachment to the mosque and will ensure kids and adults alike enjoy coming to the mosque and benefit from it too Insha’Allah. ISSUE 184 / MARCH 2021
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