AMUST
AUSTRALASIAN MUSLIM TIMES
www.amust.com.au ISSUE # 186
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Multicultural News & Views
MAY 2021; RAMADAN 1442
Facebook can no longer look away from human rights BOOMERANG PAGE 4
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A Night of Sharing: ISRA and the ABC
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Thank God for the lucky country Australia overcomes COVID-19 and observes Ramadan celebrating community iftars together Zia Ahmad As Australians, we indeed are blessed where both, by luck and by design, we have finally come out of the COVID-19 pandemic comparatively with minimum impact. Surely it has affected our economy, we have gone through lockdowns and social restrictions and it has affected our travel, entertainment and religious practices. But together working with our authorities, health professional and community leaders, we have now overcome the obstacles and now looking forward to normalisation of life in all spheres. As Muslim Australians, this Ramadan, unlike last year, we are spending our fasting month without restrictions, offering our congregational prayers and enjoying iftar dinners with family, friends and the community. At the same time, we are indeed distressed by our fellow Muslims in other parts of the world, not able to enjoy the freedoms that we have and in many places are still suffering from the terrible effects of this pandemic. We cannot forget them and need to pray for them and support them any way we can. It has indeed been a big relief, again being able to join community Iftars, meeting people face to face, exchanging ideas and being able to frequent mosques for daily congregational prayers and Taravih. Continued on page 20-21 with more iftar photos from all around Australia
Iftar on Friday 23 April 2021 hosted by Jihad Dib, Tony Burke & Jason Clare in Punchbowl.
India in crisis: The living are counting the dead Manoj Sheoran When Europe and US were reeling under a second wave, Indian Government was busy planning election campaigns, Kumbh mela and other mass events without following COVID-19 protocols. The Modi led BJP Government was busy in vaccine maitri and sending other lifesaving drugs to other countries beyond its capacity, ignoring domestic requirement and lack of any international obligation resulting into unmitigated disaster. Now, the country on one hand is gasping for oxygen and on the other hand is jostling for the space to cremate and bury the dead.
The largest democracy of the world is today in the grip of a full-blown but undeclared health emergency. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought this powerful nation to its knees and has been reporting more than 300,000 new infections for the last 10 days now. The pandemic which hits the world last year like a Strom was a more of a natural disaster, but it seems the current Tsunami in India is a man-made disaster. Today in India not just ordinary people, but even the reasonably well-networked and privileged class for whom things have been a few phone calls or messages away are suffering terribly. What to talk of hospital beds, the last few days have been filled with desperate appeals for help in finding an Oxygen cylinder or a COVID-19 related drug.
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