September issue of Crescent Times

Winner of the Best Australian Muslim Media Outlet Award in 2009!

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E E R F Monthly - Independent

Issue N 23 September 2010

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‫عيد مبارك و كل عام و�أنتم بخير‬

Happy Blessed Eid

Above: Muslim kids in Kings Park, Perth, WA celebrating their Eid. Muslims across the country in hundreds of locations celebrated Eid prayers and attended Eid festivals. Photo: Crescent Times.

American Scholars’ report of Aussie Halal Exports - P6 Lebanon: Ground Zero Synagogue - P11 Muslims take a stand for a greener future- P9

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Issue 23 September 2010 Š

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Issue 23, September 2010 ©

Dr. Abdullah touring Australia A highly regarded academic and visiting Professor at the University of California, Dr. Abdullah was formerly known as Periyardhasan. Born in the state of Tamil Nadu in India, he is a well known psychologist, orator, writer and politician.

Dr. Periyardhasan is also a seasoned actor. His performance in the award winning movie Karuthamma - that highlighted the obnoxious practice of female infanticide in a village in Theni district - won many accolades.

Inspired by the teachings of Periyar, a well known atheist leader in south India, he changed his name to Periyardhasan from his birth name of Seshasalam. At that time, Dr. Periyardhasan became a staunch atheist and preacher.

His search for the truth started about ten years ago and culminated in his accepting Islam in 2009. Periyardhasan’s acceptance of Islam is one of the defining moments of the decade as far as the Muslim community of Tamil Nadu in India is concerned. Dr. Periyardhasan then changed his name to Abdullah. He says that Islam is the only religion in the world that follows a book directly revealed from God. He also added “I was well known in India for my atheist theology and later I came to realise that religion is the only way out for human beings both in this world as well as in the hereafter”.

Since becoming a Muslim he has delivered speeches in Dubai, Kuwait, United Kingdom, and Malaysia in addition to numerous public talks in India, sharing his experiences of

embracing Islam. After a long journey of 45 years of preaching atheism, he began to study the Quran in the year 2000. He now teaches and lectures on the Quran as an authentic source of truth. Dr. Abdullah is popular for analytical and convincing talks.

His motivational lectures provide much needed guidance to the youth, through the will of Allah.

Dr. Abdullah is visiting Australia on the invitation of Subcontinental Muslim Association of Australia (SMAA) from September 21, 2010.

He will be delivering a number of public speeches during his stay. His main English lecture in Melbourne will be at Copland Theatre, Melbourne University on 02/10/2010 from 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm. For complete tour details visit SMAA website at http://www. smaa.org.au.

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Anti-islam Dutch MP heading for Australia

The branding of Islamic culture as ‘retarded’ by far-right Dutch politician Geert Wilders’ – on SBS’s Dateline programme – has prompted a big reaction in the Dutch press.

Wilders’ Freedom Party won 24 seats in the 2010 election earlier in the year, on the basis of an anti-Islamic campaign.

And now he looks set to visit Australia, after telling SBS Dateline that Western culture is ‘better than the retarded Islamic culture.’

Wilders told Dateline he’s forming a worldwide anti-Islamic organisation which will visit all Western countries, including Australia, to establish local chapters. He also planned to visit Ground Zero in New York – the site of the 9/11 attacks – on September 11th this year.

Wilders’ party is the third biggest party in the Netherlands based on the election results, and is making waves in the opinion polls since – some polls ranking his the most popular party overall.

He’s called for a ‘polluter pays’ head scarf tax, a ban on the Quran and Islamic schools, and immigration laws which deny migration to the Netherlands of all people from majority Muslim countries, regardless of whether they are even Muslims themselves. He’s also compared the Quran to Hitler’s Mein Kamp.

The story on the Dateline site has proved one of the most popular this year, with large amounts of traffic from the Netherlands.

Source: SBS News

Australia-Arab Business Forum and Expo Event Deferred to May 2011 The Australia Arab Chamber of Commerce and Industry (AACCI) has announced that the inaugural Australia Arab Business Forum & Expo, that was scheduled to be held in Melbourne on 25-26 October, has been deferred to May 2011.

AACCI CEO Ms. Cynthia Dearin said the Executive Committee made the decision following feedback and requests from stakeholders.

All registered attendees, sponsors, speakers, exhibitors and overseas trade delegations have been contacted and the Chamber’s decision has been well received.

The landmark event will still be held in Melbourne at the Sofitel on Collins, from 5–6 May 2011.

For information regarding the main platform and plenary sessions, registration, sponsorship and exhibition enquiries, please visit the AACCI Forum and Expo website www.aacciconference. com.

‘Naked’ airport scanners to be made over Controversial “naked” airport scanners will soon display a generic figure instead of the outline of passengers’ body parts due to a planned software upgrade addressing privacy concerns.

Travellers will no longer feel humiliated by the scanners, which currently see through clothing and reveal clear outlines of a person’s anatomy.

Instead the planned overhaul will mean the scanners will simply mark sections of their body that need to be checked using a generic figure.

The figure shown on all passengers’ scans will be that of a man in a t-shirt, jeans and a baseball cap.

The US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) aims to add the software, made by L-3 Communications and OSI Systems Rapiscan, to the machines at airport across the US. There is no time scale on when this could be rolled out.

A TSA spokesman said the software is currently being tested.

The scanners are planned to be rolled out around Australia next year as part of a security overhaul.

The revisions “certainly address most of the privacy concerns,” Peter Kant, a Rapiscan executive vice president, told Bloomberg.

However the upgrades don’t resolve privacy questions relating to the storing of the images and information.

Using the scanners is voluntary, but those who refuse may be searched by security officials.

Travellers have complained that new searching procedures, involving a front-of-the-hand, sliding down technique, are too invasive.

Scientists have raised concerns the scanners may increase the risk of skin cancer.

Source: news.com.au and agencies.

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Issue 23 September 2010 ©

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VOXPOP: Hung Parliament Result Melbourne editor Shayma Alshakshir On the 21st of August 2010, Australia witnessed a historic moment. The federal elections were held, and the result was awaited by many - even by those who put in a ‘donkey vote’. The result was astonishing: a hung parliament, where neither Labor nor the Liberal coalition secured the majority of seats required to form a Government in their own right. There have only been two hung parliaments since 1910, the first in 1940 - this is the second.

The hung parliament outcome raised uncertainties and to an extent a lack of trust in political parties all together. Crescent Times asked people from a range of political and educational backgrounds how they interpreted this limbo result.

Ultimately, Julia Gillard has formed a government with the help of three independent members.

Maria Vamvakinou Federal Member for Calwell Political Affiliation: ALP We haven’t had a hung parliament for 70 years and the recent election results can be interpreted in many ways.

I feel a lot of people d i d n’ t focus on the election and the importance of their vote as much as they should have, and this is evident from the high informal vote.

It appears the community is unhappy with both major political parties and this was reflected in the high vote for the minor parties. As a member of parliament I cannot ignore the dissatisfaction with both major parties. All politicians need to look at how policies are communicated to the electorate.

Elections should be about policy and the national interest, not about

personalities.

The results also indicate voters are tiring of polls, focus groups and media spin. There is a need for clear direct policy and as a politician I have certainly have taken note of this.

Waleed Aly Academic Pol i t i cal affiliation: None

I think this is Australia declaring its lack of inspiration. In the end, we couldn’t bring ourselves to back either Gillard or Abbott, so we’ve created a situation where parliament will have to sort itself out. I’m optimistic that this will lead to a more substantive political conversation that is driven more by policy and ideas than content-free posturing aimed at Western Sydney.

Asem Judeh I.T. Consultant Political affiliation: Liberal Party Excellent results. Having a hung parliament that means that both major political parties have to [1] make concessions for the independent demands and the public; [2] next government will be more honest and ethical; [3] next government will be less conservative and [4] next government will be forced to advance our parliament democratic system and process to make the government more accountable to the peoples’ representatives (MPs) and seriously consider various parliament committees’ recommendations. The election results should encourage our community to seriously participate in the political system and become members of political parties. Imagine if one of the independent MPs was a Muslim committed to his community and religion, then through his/her negotiations with the political parties to form a minority government then he/she could demand their support for Muslim issues.

Mohammed El-leissy Community worker Political affiliation: Greens We always knew the two major parties didn’t stand for much, and the election result has proven that. The informal vote (donkey vote) was at a record high and people were voting Liberal purely to punish Labor, which has resulted in a hung parliament.

If you deliver uninspiring politics, you get uninspiring results. The major Parties should take a lesson from the massive swings that went to the Greens.

Manzoor Mian Engineer Political affiliation: ALP People have shown anger to both parties. It is a difficult situation in the country’s political history.

Amr Hasan Construction Manager Political Affiliation: none The greed for power has forced both parties to compromise on their principles.

The election results show that the Australian people were not convinced that either party could run the country.

Sydney: The Ever Growing Muslim Population Sydney editor Ebtisam El-Najjarine Moving from Melbourne to Sydney has allowed me to experience the major differences between the two States and how Islam has progressed so strongly in NSW. It is no surprise to anyone that NSW has a larger Muslim population than Victoria. So does this affect Muslim lifestyles in any way? And if so in what way?

There are many significant differences that are visible. For starters, you know the Muslim population is strong when: your local Woolworths supermarket has a “Ramadan Mubarak” Banner up between the aisles as a friendly gesture, to make the Muslims feel welcome (Chullora, Greenacre Woolworths). Or when a major shopping centre, in this case Bankstown Shopping Centre, facilitates longer opening hours for their local Gloria Jeans’ Coffee Shop during the month of Ramadan with a sign stating they are taking into consideration the local Muslims who are fasting during the day.

Or the large television screens in the shopping centres promoting products and services for Muslims, like the Sounds Of Light annual concert.

These are only a few of the examples I could give you that show how Muslims are being recognised and taken into account by local companies - not to mention how many Eid festivals are held simultaneously throughout the Eid weekend.

When local Muslim heroes, like

the Canterbury Bulldogs Legend Hazem El Masri, make their mark in the country and are celebrated state-wide, it gives the younger Muslim generation greater goals to strive for and hopes that seem possible to achieve.

When you see more Muslim graduates applying for science, engineering and medical degrees, you know we are moving forward in the community.

There are a lot of hurdles we need to still jump. For example, restrictions on the mosque to be opened in Roselands, which will only be allowed to operate three days a week - a decision that has infuriated local Muslims. Or the fact that there is still a backlash against the Muslim community whenever they try to build a new Muslim school.

We still have a long way to go, but the trail to success is never easy and where we were, only 10 years ago, compared to where we are now, gives you a sense of major achievement already.

Sydney News And Events:

If you have an opinion on this months topic or concerns about what is going on in your community or community news and events, please share it with us, we would love to hear from you.

Please address all correspondence to the following: via email: ebtisam@crescenttimes.com.au or via mail: P.O. Box 43, Punchbowl, NSW 2196.

All letters published will include name so please advise if you wish to remain anonymous, thank you.

Contributors AUGUST 2010: Shayma Alshakshir - Kamariah Ahmed- Amirudin Ahamed- Gus Bridi- Tarek Chamkhi - Jamal Daoud - Linda Delgado - Ebtisam El Najjarine - Hyder Gulam - Madihah Hafiz- Alan Hart- Khalil Ibrahim - Joanne McKeown - Debora McNichol - Judy Nelson-Eldawy - Ikebal Patel - Ziauddin Sardar- Basem Samreen- Irfan Yusuf PUBLISHER: Crescent Press Pty Ltd

EDITOR IN CHIEF: Tarek Chamkhi

editor@crescenttimes.com.au

PRODUCTION EDITOR: Joanne McKeown joanne.mckeown@crescenttimes.com.au MELBOURNE EDITOR: Shayma Alshakshir

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SYDNEY EDITOR: Ebtisam El Najjarine

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QUEENSLAND EDITOR: Aisha Stacey

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OPINION EDITOR: Irfan Yusuf:

opinion@crescenttimes.com.au

LEGAL AFFAIRS EDITOR: Hyder Gulam

hyder.gulam@crescenttimes.com.au

MELBOURNE OFFICE: Rashid Alshakshir

rashid@crescenttimes.com.au

SYDNEY OFFICE: Radwan Nachabe

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PERTH OFFICE: Khalil Ibrahim

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Burning the Quran:

The latest test for Muslims’ self control A church in Florida – USA has decided to dedicate a site for burning the Quran on September the 11th in a protest against building a mosque on ground zero in New York. What are Muslims around the world going to do about it?

In the last few decades Islam and Muslims have been subjected to all sorts of attacks from the west.

Some of those attacks are in a military form, others are cultural attacks and now it’s an attack on the heart of the Islamic identity; the Quran.

The Quran is the first source of legislation in Islam. When a church leader decides to burn copies of the Quran it makes things clearer than ever for those who still think that the so-called “war on terror” is not against Islam. Islam has always been the target - sometimes they can’t hide their hatred of Islam and Muslims so they decide to insult every Muslim in the world by burning their holy book.

What is the purpose of burning paper and ink?

Clearly that is not the point, it is more that Islam as a religion is been declared hated.

The Quran is not the holy book for the so-called terrorists, it’s for every Muslim. It has all the moral values and teachings from Allah to all mankind to follow and to worship him in the best possible way.

If any of those lunatics reads the Quran they will find no reason at all to do what they are doing. Then again, they are not open-minded enough to even read a book they hate so much.

What are Muslims going to do about it though?

In the past we have seen millions of angry Muslims in the streets of every capital city in the Muslim world protesting the cartoons against the Prophet Muhammad (peace is upon him). Protesters burnt the embassies and flags of every country that participated in the offense. The cartoons also made Muslims want to retaliate in order to defeat those arrogant Christians. If only those Christians had asked themselves this question: why did those Muslim protesters NOT burn the bible? Or draw similar drawings against Jesus? The answer is that we believe in the bible and respect it more than they do, we also believe in Jesus as a prophet of Allah.

Email: editor@crescenttimes.com.au SMS: 0414 155 366

Turkish Soap Opera Drives Increase in Visiting Arab Holiday makers

Mail: P.O.Box: 5390 Alice Springs, 0870 NT

The Quran teaches us not be disrespectful to other holy books and prophets. Yes, the Quran, the very same book they are burning.

The picture of Christians insulting Muslims reminds us of crusaders and holy wars, which is what those fanatics are hoping to incite. We Muslims should be aware that these acts are only done in hope that we will retaliate. By retaliating we are seen in the world as the aggressors, always angry and terrorist-supporting Muslims. Retaliation only adds fuel to the fire that is burning between the two religions.

When Christian leaders who decide to insult Muslims they think carefully before doing so. They study their actions carefully for every possible outcome. Generally speaking leaders like that are probably hoping for the fame which they get through the extraordinary media coverage. We have seen the face of that priest on every news channel making him instantly famous, hooray. We should encourage Muslims not to participate in any retaliatory actions against these barbaric Christians who are hoping for a big bang to make people hate Islam more. So are you going to give them that chance?

Khalil Ibrahim, Perth, WA

Flood disaster in Pakistan

to the slow and delayed one my debt-stricken, flood and war ravaged home country received. The Victorian flood-management team managed to evacuate people from all hard to reach areas, with state and bank relief grants readily available. More than one month on, Pakistani flood-victims still remain stranded, and others are in desperate need of food, water, medicine and shelter.

More than anything, I envied Australia the empathy it would receive if a disaster of this magnitude hit the country, if it’s apathy that prevents people from donating to Pakistan. It’s noted that the Pakistani flood victims have so far received around $3 per affected person; in contrast the Haiti earthquake received $495 per affected person. I envied the importance placed on every single Australian life, when the death toll of almost 1700 in Pakistan is considered relatively low in a country that is no stranger to death and destruction.

They say the number of the people affected in the Pakistani floods exceeds the population of Australia. Twenty-one million at last count. With the current Victorian floods as, thankfully, a small scale example, one can more vividly imagine the widespread destruction floodwaters can cause to already poor infrastructure. With rural Victorians struggling to keep water out of their homes, one can possibly better relate to the ten million that have lost their homes completely in Pakistan.

Here’s hoping: www.muslimaid.org.au www.imrankhanfoundation.org www.redcross.org.au www.unicef.com.au So far the floods have: -affected more than 20 million people -killed 1,677 people -injured 2,605 people -damaged 1,248,704 houses -destroyed 3.6 million acres of crops -caused the loss of 1.2 million large livestock and 6 million poultry -affected 130,000 square kilometres of land -affected an area the size of England

As we sat around and watched the 6:30 pm SBS news last week, a family tradition, my typically Pakistani family was unusually somber. News from home hasn’t been good for the past month. Heck, it has been pretty bad for the past year; fair to say we’ve toughened our skins. But what got us so dejected wasn’t news about the Pakistani floods; it was news about the Victorian ones.

Of course one shouldn’t undermine suffering anywhere. The Victorian State Emergency Service said up to 300 homes and businesses suffered considerable damage. Premier Brumby was fast to note however, that the benefits of the flooding for the drought-stricken rural farming regions would ‘far outweigh the damage.’

As I sat there watching the piece I couldn’t help wishing that nature’s wrath had been so kind to Pakistan. I envied my new country its fast and well equipped response to the low-scale flood compared Madihah Hafiz, Melbourne, VIC.

Turkey is currently seeing an influx of tourists from its Arab neighbours, which industry insiders are putting down to the continuing popularity of imported Turkish soap operas such as Noor, also helped by both Ankara’s recent decision to relax visa requirements for some countries, and the ready availability of cheap Turkey holidays across the Arab market. Compared to 2009, Turkey has seen a 33 percent increase in tourists from Arab countries, with 105,000 visitors arriving in May. Though the series has since ended, with the finale attracting 85 million viewers across the Arab world, its effects are still being felt across the Turkish tourism industry, with large numbers of visitors avoiding the traditional sights of Istanbul in favour for locations featured in the shows.

These kinds of trends aren’t as rare as people might think, the industry sees spikes like this all the time, while certain media exposure can lead to a permanent boost for particular destinations, says Ian Raine of holiday experts ulookubook.com. Just look at Rosslyn Chapel in Scotland - The Da Vinci Code helped transform it into a multi-million pound tourist attraction, bringing in 1,000 tourists a day compared to a handful previously. This so-called soap opera effect is having a massive impact - the inter-Arab market for all inclusive Turkey holidays has risen by some 50 per cent over the past two years.

Under its original Turkish name Gms, the soap opera ran from 2005 to 2007, but became a popculture phenomenon when it began being broadcast across the Arab world last year as Noor (light).

Starring Kivan Tatlitug and Songl Den, Noor challenges Arab norms, particularly the traditional balance of power between husband and wife. Despite all the controversy, it’s not going to stop people from booking a Turkey holiday, continues Raine.

The applicant, Gäfgen, kidnapped an eleven-year old boy and demanded one million Euros as ransom.

He then murdered the boy by suffocating him and hid his body. The police followed the applicant after he picked up the ransom and arrested him as he was attempting to leave Germany. During the initial

interrogation, a police officer was instructed to threaten the applicant with bodily harm and torture in order to illicit his confession. After ten minutes, and before any actual harm was done to the applicant, he confessed to the murder and identified the location of the boy’s body. The applicant was later found guilty of kidnapping and murder and sentenced to life imprisonment.

He then commenced proceedings against the German government, claiming that the threat of torture amounted to violation of the German Code of Criminal Procedure and the European Convention on Human Rights.

The European Court ruled that the German authorities’ threat of torture amounted to inhuman treatment and found Germany in violation of Article 3 (freedom from torture or inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment) of the European Convention on Human Rights. The Chamber ruled, however, that in the present case, the threat of torture was not sufficiently cruel to amount to torture.

While the applicant successfully prevailed in German courts regarding his human rights claims, he was not granted compensation. He also challenged the inappropriate punishment given to the authorities

that had violated his rights (both individuals were asked to pay small sums of money and were temporarily demoted).

The European Court first stressed that “Article 3 of the Convention enshrines one of the most fundamental values of democratic societies . . . [and that] no provisions for exception and no derogation from it is permissible . . . even in the event of a public emergency threatening the life of the nation.” Thus, even if the authorities were hoping that a quick confession would save the boy’s life (the authorities did not know that the applicant had already killed the boy), they were prohibited from threatening the applicant with torture in order to obtain information.

The applicant was awarded almost 1,800 Euros for costs and expenses.

Prayer Schedule September 2010 Perth, Western Australia

Prayer Schedule September 2010 Sydney, New South Wales

Prayer Schedule September 2010 Melbourne, Victoria

Hyder’s case of interest:

Gafgen V Germany- 2010 Hyder Gulam* Legal Editor From the European Court of Human Rights comes this interesting case about whether the threat of torture was sufficiently cruel to amount to torture. The case is called Gäfgen v Germany (Gäfgen), and judgement was passed on June 1, 2010 by the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights.

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Fajr Sunrise 5:13 6:34 5:11 6:32 5:10 6:31 5:09 6:30 5:08 6:29 5:06 6:27 5:05 6:26 5:04 6:25 5:03 6:23 5:01 6:22 5:00 6:21 4:59 6:20 4:57 6:18 4:56 6:17 4:55 6:16 4:53 6:14 4:52 6:13 4:51 6:12 4:49 6:10 4:48 6:09 4:47 6:08 4:45 6:06 4:44 6:05 4:42 6:04 4:41 6:02 4:40 6:01 4:38 6:00 4:37 5:58 4:35 5:57 4:34 5:56

Dhuhr 12:17 12:17 12:17 12:16 12:16 12:16 12:15 12:15 12:15 12:14 12:14 12:14 12:13 12:13 12:13 12:12 12:12 12:11 12:11 12:11 12:10 12:10 12:10 12:09 12:09 12:09 12:08 12:08 12:08 12:07

Asr Maghrib Isha 3:33 6:00 7:17 3:33 6:01 7:18 3:33 6:02 7:18 3:34 6:02 7:19 3:34 6:03 7:20 3:34 6:04 7:20 3:34 6:04 7:21 3:35 6:05 7:21 3:35 6:05 7:22 3:35 6:06 7:23 3:35 6:07 7:23 3:36 6:07 7:24 3:36 6:08 7:24 3:36 6:08 7:25 3:36 6:09 7:26 3:36 6:10 7:26 3:36 6:10 7:27 3:37 6:11 7:28 3:37 6:11 7:28 3:37 6:12 7:29 3:37 6:13 7:30 3:37 6:13 7:30 3:37 6:14 7:31 3:37 6:14 7:32 3:37 6:15 7:32 3:38 6:16 7:33 3:38 6:16 7:34 3:38 6:17 7:34 3:38 6:18 7:35 3:38 6:18 7:36

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Fajr Sunrise 4:52 6:15 4:51 6:14 4:48 6:11 4:47 6:10 4:46 6:08 4:44 6:07 4:43 6:06 4:42 6:04 4:42 6:04 4:39 6:02 4:38 6:00 4:36 5:59 4:35 5:58 4:33 5:56 4:32 5:55 4:32 5:55 4:30 5:53 4:28 5:51 4:26 5:49 4:25 5:48 4:23 5:46 4:22 5:45 4:22 5:45 4:20 5:44 4:17 5:41 4:16 5:39 4:14 5:38 4:13 5:37 4:11 5:35 4:10 5:34

Dhuhr 11:56 11:56 11:55 11:55 11:55 11:54 11:54 11:53 11:53 11:53 11:52 11:52 11:52 11:51 11:51 11:51 11:51 11:50 11:50 11:49 11:49 11:49 11:49 11:48 11:47 11:47 11:47 11:46 11:46 11:46

Asr Maghrib Isha 3:09 5:37 6:55 3:10 5:37 6:56 3:10 5:39 6:57 3:11 5:39 6:58 3:11 5:40 6:58 3:11 5:41 6:59 3:12 5:41 7:00 3:12 5:42 7:00 3:12 5:42 7:00 3:13 5:43 7:02 3:13 5:44 7:03 3:13 5:45 7:03 3:13 5:45 7:04 3:14 5:46 7:05 3:14 5:47 7:05 3:14 5:47 7:05 3:14 5:48 7:06 3:15 5:49 7:07 3:15 5:50 7:08 3:15 5:50 7:09 3:15 5:51 7:10 3:15 5:52 7:10 3:15 5:52 7:10 3:16 5:52 7:11 3:16 5:54 7:13 3:16 5:54 7:14 3:16 5:55 7:14 3:17 5:56 7:15 3:17 5:57 7:16 3:17 5:57 7:17

Date 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

Day Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu

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Issue 23, September 2010 ©

Fajr Sunrise 5:16 6:44 5:15 6:42 5:12 6:39 5:11 6:38 5:09 6:36 5:08 6:35 5:06 6:33 5:05 6:32 5:05 6:32 5:01 6:29 5:00 6:27 4:58 6:26 4:57 6:24 4:55 6:22 4:54 6:21 4:54 6:21 4:52 6:19 4:49 6:16 4:47 6:15 4:45 6:13 4:44 6:12 4:42 6:10 4:42 6:10 4:40 6:08 4:37 6:05 4:35 6:04 4:34 6:02 4:32 6:01 4:30 5:59 4:29 5:58

Dhuhr 12:21 12:21 12:20 12:20 12:19 12:19 12:19 12:18 12:18 12:18 12:17 12:17 12:17 12:16 12:16 12:16 12:16 12:15 12:15 12:14 12:14 12:14 12:14 12:13 12:12 12:12 12:12 12:11 12:11 12:11

Asr Maghrib Isha 3:30 5:58 7:21 3:31 5:59 7:22 3:32 6:01 7:23 3:32 6:02 7:24 3:33 6:02 7:25 3:33 6:03 7:26 3:34 6:04 7:26 3:34 6:05 7:27 3:34 6:05 7:27 3:35 6:07 7:29 3:35 6:07 7:30 3:36 6:08 7:31 3:36 6:09 7:32 3:37 6:10 7:32 3:37 6:11 7:33 3:37 6:11 7:33 3:37 6:12 7:34 3:38 6:13 7:36 3:39 6:14 7:37 3:39 6:15 7:38 3:39 6:16 7:39 3:40 6:17 7:40 3:40 6:17 7:40 3:40 6:18 7:41 3:41 6:19 7:43 3:41 6:20 7:44 3:41 6:21 7:45 3:42 6:22 7:46 3:42 6:23 7:47 3:42 6:24 7:48

* Hyder Gulam is Legal Editor of the Crescent Times. Hyder was born in Singapore and educated in Melbourne. He is a registered nurse, a qualified lawyer, an accredited mediator as well as a Fellow of the Royal College of Nursing in Australia.

He has post graduate qualifications in business/management, law and nursing. He has served as an officer with the Royal Australian Air Force, both in Australia and overseas. He has published in areas such as trans-cultural nursing, commercial law, Islamic Law, health law, criminal law and military law. Hyder has also worked in indigenous health, paediatric nursing, aged care, as well as emergency and trauma. Prior to accepting a role with Logie-Smith Lanyon Lawyers, Hyder worked in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for one of the world’s biggest law firms. Hyder practices mainly in the areas of Commercial & Corporate, Defence Procurement and Islamic Finance. Hyder is an Executive of the Islamic Council of Victoria, member of the Australian Red Cross (International Humanitarian Law) (Vic), member of the Royal College of Nursing Australia (Vic), as well as co-founder of the Muslim Legal Network and the City Circle (2008 Revival): http://citycircle.weebly.com/ index.html. Hyder was awarded the 2010 La Trobe University Young Alumni of the Year Award, and is also the recipient of the Australian Defence Force Medal.

BA, BN, LLB, MBA, LLM (International Law), LLM (Legal Practice), Grad Dip (Legal Practice), Grad Dip (Military Law), Grad Dip (Advanced Clinical Nursing), RN, FRCNA. Hyder can be contacted at hyder.gulam@crecenttimes.com.au

Prayer Schedule September 2010 Brisbane, Queensland Date 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

Day Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu

Fajr Sunrise 4:45 6:03 4:44 6:02 4:42 5:59 4:41 5:58 4:40 5:57 4:39 5:56 4:38 5:55 4:37 5:54 4:37 5:54 4:34 5:52 4:33 5:50 4:32 5:49 4:31 5:48 4:30 5:47 4:29 5:46 4:29 5:46 4:27 5:45 4:25 5:42 4:24 5:41 4:23 5:40 4:21 5:39 4:20 5:38 4:20 5:38 4:19 5:37 4:17 5:34 4:15 5:33 4:14 5:32 4:13 5:31 4:12 5:30 4:10 5:29

Dhuhr 11:49 11:49 11:48 11:48 11:47 11:47 11:47 11:46 11:46 11:46 11:45 11:45 11:45 11:44 11:44 11:44 11:43 11:43 11:42 11:42 11:42 11:41 11:41 11:41 11:40 11:40 11:40 11:39 11:39 11:39

Asr Maghrib Isha 3:07 5:35 6:48 3:07 5:35 6:48 3:07 5:36 6:49 3:07 5:36 6:50 3:08 5:37 6:50 3:08 5:37 6:51 3:08 5:38 6:51 3:08 5:38 6:51 3:08 5:38 6:51 3:08 5:39 6:52 3:08 5:39 6:53 3:08 5:40 6:53 3:08 5:40 6:54 3:08 5:41 6:54 3:08 5:41 6:55 3:08 5:41 6:55 3:08 5:42 6:55 3:08 5:43 6:56 3:08 5:43 6:56 3:08 5:43 6:57 3:08 5:44 6:57 3:08 5:44 6:58 3:08 5:44 6:58 3:08 5:45 6:58 3:08 5:46 6:59 3:08 5:46 7:00 3:08 5:47 7:00 3:08 5:47 7:01 3:08 5:48 7:02 3:08 5:48 7:02

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Issue 23 September 2010 ©

Web: www.crescenttimes.com.au

Email: info@crescenttimes.com.au

Australian Halal Industry Investigation:

American Scholars’ 2009 Report Australia is one of the largest meat exporters in the world and is a world leader in halal production. One of its largest export markets is the United States of America, and Australian meat is widely sold all over America in numerous butchers, restaurants, and retailers. The majority of this meat is labeled as ‘halal’ and certified by a Halal organization in Australia. The halal meat industry in America is largely unregulated and there is widespread abuse in the usage of ‘halal’ labels and ‘halal’ certificates.

For this reason, it is extremely important for the Muslim community in America to verify the halal status of Australian meat and obtain first-hand information on the halal process in Australia.

A group of concerned American halal advocates decided to conduct research on Australian Halal meat and personally visit the major halal slaughterhouses in Australia which export to America. Mufti Abdullah Nana of California and Mufti Ikramul Haq of Rhode Island visited over ten slaughterhouses in Australia from Oct. 25, 2009 until Nov. 11, 2009. These two scholars traveled over 20,000 miles each by air and 3,000 miles by car during their halal research trip in Australia. They visited numerous states and cities including Sydney, Goulburn, Brisbane, Rockhampton, Kilcoy, Bordertown, Dandenong, Katanning, Wodonga, Tamworth, and Sunshine. They have compiled the findings of their research and now wish to share this information with the Muslim community in America. This report is based on the independent research of these two scholars who have no financial stake in the meat industry and who paid for the expenses of the trip from their own pocket.

The Halal advocates noticed some general trends regarding the halal slaughter process in Australia. Australia has a halal program in place for the slaughter of meat which is enforced by the government. A slaughterhouse must have 100% halal slaughter in order to qualify for halal export and it must be approved by a halal certifying body in Australia.

Slaughterers are authorised to remove animals from the line which did not bleed properly, were not stunned properly, or were not cut properly.

They will mark them with a special tag and inform the plant manager to process the animal separately. There are strict measures in place to keep these animals completely separate from the regular halal animals. These carcasses are not labeled as halal and not exported to halal markets. The halal advocates also confirmed that no other meat products are processed in the same slaughterhouse or processing facility which they visited.

The lamb and beef plants in Australia employ stunning methods to subdue the animals prior to the slaughter. A head-only electric stunner is used for sheep and the stunning parameters should be between .5 and .9 amps. The main concern is whether the animal remains alive after this method of stunning. The two scholars have conducted research on electric stunning for sheep and have spoken to numerous experts in the field including veterinarians and doctors.

They even requested that a sheep be stunned with the electric stunner and removed from the line in order to give it time to regain consciousness.

The animal did regain consciousness within a few seconds. For both lamb and cattle, the animal is slaughtered within a few seconds of the application of the stunning apparatus. The findings of their research conclude that this voltage when applied to the head cannot cause the death of the animal and will not affect the halal status of the meat.

A pneumatic stunner or mushroom stunner is used for beef. This is also a non-lethal type of stunning in which the device does not penetrate the brain of the animal. The beef plants have measures in place to reject those animals whose skulls are damaged or cracked from the stunner.

This type of stunning also will not cause the death of the animal and will not affect the halal status of the meat. Yes, the act of stunning is reprehensible and should be avoided as much as possible. One should refer to the fatwas and articles on stunning for more information.

There are over 20 halal certifying bodies in Australia, and they vary in their degree of

reliability and trustworthiness. Some certifying bodies have a full-time staff and carry out regular inspections because of their close proximity to the plant, whereas other certifying bodies are run only by one person who is sometimes thousands of miles from the slaughterhouse he is certifying. Therefore, the two scholars felt that it was important to obtain first-hand information regarding the Halal certifying body and determine their level of halal integrity along with visiting the halal slaughterhouse which they certify. Mufti Abdullah and Mufti Ikram visited two of the largest and most reputable halal certifying bodies in Australia; the Islamic Coordinating Council of Victoria (ICCV) and the Supreme Islamic Council of Halal Meat in Australia (SICHMA). They met with the members of these two halal organisations in person and learnt about their halal slaughter program in detail. Both organisations displayed a commitment to meeting the halal requirements and doing the right thing irrespective of the circumstances. The halal advocates were satisfied with the certification process at these two halal organisations and felt that there was great potential in working with these two organisations

of the establishment numbers given below and are packaged in Australia.

The Halal advocates have contacted Costco and verified that they use seven plants in Australia for the supply of their Kirkland Signature Australian Lamb. These two scholars visited four of the seven plants personally and approved of the slaughter process. These four plants are listed below in the approved list. They spoke to the halal supervisors at two other plants which they were not able to visit and they interviewed these Muslims regarding the slaughter process. The halal advocates contacted the Muslim inspector for the Halal certifying body at the seventh plant and also interviewed him in detail regarding the slaughter process. These two halal advocates have independently confirmed the halal status of all seven suppliers of the Kirkland Signature Australian lamb and are satisfied that this meat is slaughtered in accordance to the Islamic requirements. Costco also sells Australian lamb which is repackaged and placed in trays which do not carry a halal label. A Muslim should look for the Australia Halal label and the Kirkland Signature brand label on the product.

Similarly, the two scholars also were able to verify the halal status of the Opal Valley Australian Lamb sold in many stores in the Midwest and East Coast. This lamb is sold in individually wrapped Opal Valley packages and large 40 pound Opal Valley boxes. The individually-wrapped Opal Valley meat products also bear a Australian Halal logo. The halal advocates visited all four plants which supply Opal Valley Lamb products to the United States and approved of the halal slaughter method. These four plants only do halal meat production and nothing else.

One can be confident that the Opal Valley Lamb meets the Islamic requirements.

Another popular brand sold in Safeway and Von’s in the West Coast is Diamond Valley. This brand is supplied by three plants; two in Australia and one in New Zealand. The Halal advocates visited both the plants in Australia which supply Diamond Valley and approved of their halal slaughter process. They have not yet been able to visit the plant in New Zealand. The Diamond Valley Lamb package does have a label which states if the lamb is a product of Australia or New Zealand. The halal advocates will inform the Muslim community of any updates with regards to the New Zealand supplier of Diamond Valley.

Muslim consumers in America should ask their local supermarkets or retail stores who sell Australian meat to provide current Halal certificates for each meat shipment they receive and to place these certificates for display.

This will assist the Halal Organisations in Australia as well as the Australian Muslim community.

Here is a current list of approved slaughterhouses from Australia. This information is subject to future updates.

1. Mcphee Bros (Norvic)/ Certified by ICCV – Beef and Lamb Establishment number 612 2. Castricum Bros/ Certified by ICCV – Lamb Establishment number 3085 3. Tatiara Meat company / Certified by ICCV – Lamb Establishment number 389 4. Swift Australia (Southern) / Certified by ICCV – Lamb, beef Establishment number 688 (Did not visit but spoke in person to Halal supervisor) 5. Tasman Group Services (Swift) / Certified by ICCV – Lamb, beef Establishment number 397 (Did not visit but spoke to Halal supervisor) 6. Kilcoy Pastural / Certified by SICHMA – Beef Establishment number 640 7. Teys Bros Certified by SICHMA / – Beef Establishment number 399 8. Country Fresh/ Peel Valley Exporters / Certified by SICHMA – Lamb Establishment number 394 9. Southern Meats / Certified by SICHMA – Lamb Establishment number 217 10. Wammco / Certified by the Perth Mosque and Mosque of Katanning – Lamb Establishment number 572 11. T & R Pastoral / Certified by the Halal Supervisory Board of South Australia for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Establishment number 533 (Did not visit, but spoke to Halal Certifier)

Mufti Abdullah Nana of California and Mufti Ikramul Haq of Rhode Island visited over ten slaughterhouses in Australia from Oct. 25, 2009 until Nov. 11, 2009 to investigate processing of Australian halal meat for export. in the future.

The slaughterers must carry a special slaughter card and receive special approval for slaughter after undergoing training on halal slaughter.

ICCV required that a full-time supervisor be present at all times in the plants they certified.

The two scholars questioned ICCV and SICHMA whether they currently employed any slaughterers with deviated beliefs or belonged to one of the deviated sects. The two organisations confirmed that no such individuals are currently employed as slaughterers. The halal certifying bodies were also selective when choosing a slaughterer and made attempts to ensure that he is a practicing Muslim.

Australian Lamb is packed in Australia either in whole boxes or individual packages which are vacuum packed. The whole boxes will have a MS symbol which stands for ‘Muslim Kill.’ The individual packages for Kirkland Signature, Opal Valley, and Diamond Valley currently have a halal logo as well. Each box or individual package will have a small oval shaped logo stating ‘Australia Inspected.’ In the middle of this oval, the establishment number of the plant in Australia where this meat was processed will be written.

This establishment number is the code through which the source of the meat can be traced. Many individual packages will not have the name and contact information of the supplier, but instead will only have the establishment number.

Australian Lamb is sold in many major supermarkets and retail stores across America including Costco, Kroger, Safeway, Von’s, Meijers, Jetro Cash and Carry (Restaurant Depot), Stop and Shop, and others. It is important to note that there are two types of packaged Australian meat products. Some of the individual packages sold in these stores are packaged directly in Australia and do not go through further processing in America. These products carry a ‘Australia Halal’ logo and are safe to consume since there is no possibility of cross contamination.

However, there are some products which are repackaged and/or reprocessed in a American facility and have a USDA number on it. There is no guarantee that such a product is halal and free from cross-contamination with other meat products. Muslims should avoid the products which are not packed in Australia and should look for individual packages which contain one

The Erasure of Islam

Ziauddin Sardar*

While the Enlightenment may have been concerned with reason, its champions were not too worried about truth when it came to Islam. They not only shamelessly plagiarised philosophy, science and learning from Islam, but the very hallmark of Enlightenment, liberal humanism, has its origins in Islam.

It is based on the adab movement of classical Islam, which was concerned with the etiquette of being human. Islam developed a sophisticated system of teaching law and humanism that involved not just institutions such as the university, with its faculties of law, theology, medicine and natural philosophy, but also an elaborate method of instruction including work-study courses, a curriculum that included grammar, rhetoric, poetry, history, medicine, and moral philosophy, and mechanisms for the formation of a humanist culture such as academic associations, literary circles, clubs and other coteries that sustain intellectuals and the literati. The adab literature and institutions were, in fact, what enlightenment was all about in Islam. One cannot have a revolt on behalf of reason in Islam because reason is central to its worldview: reason is the other side of revelation and the Quran presents both as “signs of God”. A Muslim society cannot function without either.

While Muslims can hardly be exonerated for the decline of reason and learning in Muslim civilisation, it was colonialism that as deliberate policy destroyed adab culture in Muslim societies.

But Enlightenment Europe swallowed the adab system, including textbooks, en masse. However, since it was a product of an inferior culture and civilisation its origins had to be shrouded. Thus, classical Arabic had to be replaced with another classical language, Latin. This was followed by a systematic expunging of all traces of the influence of Islamic thought on Europe. From the days of Voltaire right up to 1980, thanks largely to the efforts of Enlightenment scholars, it was a general western axiom that Islam had produced nothing of worth in philosophy, science and learning.

The Enlightenment legacy that Islam and Europe have nothing in common, that Islam is only a darker shadow of the West, that liberal secularism is the destiny of all human cultures, is much in evidence in our newspapers and television, literature and scholarship, as well as in our politics and foreign policies.

It is the bedrock of Francis Fukuyama’s “End of History” hypothesis, Samuel Huntington’s “Clash of Civilisation” thesis, and the neo-conservative “Project for the New American Century”.

Voltaire’s Bastards, to use the title of John Ralston Saul’s brilliant 1992 book, are busy rationalising torture, military interventions, and western supremacy, and demonising Islam and Muslims.

The Enlightenment may have been big on reason but it was, as Saul shows so convincingly, bereft of both meaning and morality.

Forgive me if I don’t stand up and salute the Enlightenment. *Ziauddin Sardar is the author of Balti Britain: A Journey Through the British Asian Experience (Granta). Source: www. philosophypress.co.uk

Email: info@crescenttimes.com.au

Web: www.crescenttimes.com.au

Australia Wide Community Events: Victoria Multifaith Future Leaders Program Date: 21-23 February 2011 Are you a committed member of a faith community-Muslim, Jewish, Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, anything? Are you a dynamic young person, around 18 to 26 years and see yourself as a future leader of your community?

If so, you may be eligible to join the Multifaith Future Leaders Program. A Participants begin with a free three-day leadership training workshop and then join a range of activities from learning public speaking to encountering other faiths. Best of all, they meet and network with other young people from different faith communities. For more details and to apply, contact reception@antidef.org.au or click on the link at www.antidef.org.au Al-Ghazzali 2011 Knowledge Retreat: The Journey to Allah.

Date:21st - 26th April 2011 (5 nights, 4 days) Location: Rutherford Park Country Retreat, Victoria Be inspired with the knowledge shared by three internationally recognised Scholars and journey to nearness with Allah. Everyday, practice Arabic calligraphy with a Master Calligrapher and every evening, relax and reflect with Qasidas under the southern stars with amongst the best reciters. For further details, please see http://alghazzali.org/ events/retreat2011 Governance in Penang after the 12th General Election Date: 27 September 2010 Time: 7-8 pm Location: Hayden Raysmith Room, Ross House, Flinders Lane, 247 Flinders Lane, Melbourne Speaker: Mr Lim Guan Eng, Chief Minister of Penang Malay Community Eid with the Homeless Date: Sunday 19 September 2010.

Time: 1-5 pm Location: North Melbourne Town Hall - also known as Arts House 521 Queensberry Street, North Melbourne The Malay Muslim communities in Victoria will be celebrating Eid-al-Fitri 1431 lunch the Melbourne Homeless. Please bring a plate or two to share.

Further details are available from Madkhul Sani, email: madkhul@yahoo.com, mobile: 0412 823 104, office: 9888 8711 “Allah Made me Funny” touring with “Fear of a Brown Planet” Date: October 15, 2010 Location: Athenaeum Theatre Allah Made Me Funny (USA), will join forces in October with the winners of the 2008 Melbourne International Comedy Festival’s Best Newcomer award, Fear Of A Brown Planet (AUS), for a oneoff, one night only performance at Melbourne’s Athenaeum Theatre.

For the first time ever, comedians Azhar Usman,

Preacher Moss, Mo Amer, Nazeem Hussain and Aamer A. Rahman will take to the stage together for an unprecedented stand up comedy performance.

Allah Made Me Funny is the collective genius of three comics: one African-American, one Indian-American and one Palestinian-American, lifting the veil on the funny side of what it’s like to be Muslim in the US. Melbourne’s own Fear of a Brown Planet are two comedians boldly tackling the delicate topics of Islam and growing up brown in white Australia.

Tickets available from Ticketmaster, Presale code: PLANET

Required: Stories in the Park 2011 Team Stories in the Park is an event for young and old set in beautiful Coburg Lake Park where the best storytellers in Melbourne share amazing stories of the Islamic tradition with the public out in the warm open air after Magreb prayers. Find out more at www.storiesinthepark.com.au The team at Stories in the Park Melbourne is looking for a project manager and people to support the Summer 2011 story series of events. The project manager job will entail completing or overseeing duties to ensure the preparation and logistics for the event, (liaising with council, arranging storytellers, promotion and procurement), and managing the events on the night. The 2011 series will commence on Friday 18 February and finish on April 1 2011. Some preparation will need to commence in later 2010.

If you are uncertain about your project management capabilities, do not fear! You will be mentored through the process by experienced team members from last season.

You can apply with a brief expression of interest outlining who you are and your desire to join the team to hisham.moustafa@icv.org.au.

Alternatively, if you just want to help out on the nights, please also send through an email expressing your interest and capacity to help. We’re always looking for inspiring and entertaining story tellers. If you are one, or know of someone, please let us know: hisham.moustafa@icv.org.au Western Australia Youth Leadership Event Date: Thursday, 16th September 2010 Time: 11.30 am – 1.00 pm Place: Wilson Hall, cnr Braibrise & Armstrong Rd, Wilson Once in a lifetime opportunity to step up and make a difference! Students from Langford Islamic College and Australian Islamic College in Kewdale are hosting a cultural youth leadership event to share with you what they have learned during their leadership training program over the past two terms.

This Leadership Program is organised by the Muslim Women’s Support Centre through funding from the Department of Immigration and Citizenship Social Cohesion Program.

RSVP is essential to alicia@aliciacurtis.com Refreshments will be provided.

Ramadan Street Iftar bonds community Shayma Alshakshir Melbourne

More than 650 people attended the Street Ramadan Iftar organised by the Sareera Milli Gurus in collaboration with Australian Islamic Social Association (AISA) Youth.

The Iftar was served in the streets of Meadow Heights under a tent.

Sareera committee member, Ayesl Ilhan says the street Iftar aimed to spread the spirit of Ramadan by giving and sharing with the local community. ``We wanted to share the true essence of Ramadan with our Muslim and non-Muslim neighbours.

We held the Iftar around the mosque in order for us to introduce ourselves as Muslims in the best possible way, and to draw the community to the Mosque so that they are comfortable w i t h attending all activities a s s o c i ate d with the M o s q u e ,” she said.

Ms Ilhan says the event was a success and the general feedback was encouraging. ``We received a positive response and a lot were glad to see the youth involved and active and responsible. Seeing families,

neighbours and friends come together was another success. ``Everybody said it was a very festive, eventful and professional event, and the fact that it was the first ever event of such kind was another positive feedback. A lot said they will support us next time and want many more of such Iftars to be held,” Ms Ilhan said.

Milli Gorus Sareera Youth is a non-profit Islamic organisation working with the Muslim youth for the betterment of the Australian society. The Australian Islamic Social Association (AISA) Youth is a nonprofit organisation, which aims at catering

for the religious, educational, cultural and social needs of the Muslim Youth of Australia.

For more info, please visit Sareera and AISA youth groups on Facebook.

Page 7

Issue 23, September 2010 ©

Editorial

Crescent Times Expansion Eid Mubarek dear readers and may Allah send blessings upon you, your family and your loved ones. Insha Allah you had a joyous Eid and successful Ramadan.

Regular readers will notice a number of regular columnists and writers missing from this edition of Crescent Times. Like many of us, they are taking a brief break from the hustle and bustle of daily life to spend Ramadan and Eid with family and friends.

Insha Allah they are refreshing themselves and regathering their energy before rejoining us in the October edition - we look forward to reading their contributions again then insha Allah.

Crescent Times however has not taken a break over the recent festivities and we are proud to bring you this month’s edition along with some further good news.

As you may be aware, Crescent Times has been distributed for some time to a limited number of locations in Brisbane and Sydney. As a result of the positive response to Crescent Times in these two cities and in response to increasing demand from the

Muslim community, we are pleased to be able to tell you that distribution in both Brisbane and Sydney will be significantly increased this month. This expansion has been made possible through formation of good working relationships with our distribution partners in both locations and we thank them for their efforts in distributing the newspaper and thereby assisting us in our goal - strengthening our community.

From this month insha Allah, Muslims in Sydney and Brisbane should be able to obtain a copy of the newspaper in busy Muslim shops and businesses as well as in their local mosque. If you are a business owner in Sydney or Brisbane and you are interested in taking up the opportunity to distribute Crescent Times from your premises, please email the editor. There is no cost to the business to participate in distribution and your business will also be included in our on line list of distribution locations free of charge insha Allah.

The increasing distribution also provides an opportunity for Muslim organisations and businesses to advertise their

events and products directly to the Muslim community at an affordable cost. There are free listing spaces available for community based organisations to advertise upcoming events.

Not for profit organisations are also entitled to discounts off our regular very reasonable advertising costs. Muslim businesses are also encouraged to take up the opportunity of advertising to local and interstate Muslim communities.

For full details please refer to the Media Kit on our website.

Contributions in the form of letters to the editor, news articles, photographs or opinion articles are also most welcome.

Why rely on pamphlets that get blown away or word of mouth that can be unreliable when you can directly reach Muslims in your local area and further afield through publishing your news, photographs or announcements in Crescent Times? All contributions are welcome and can be forwarded to the editor at: editor@crescenttimes.com.au The editor

The Beginning of the Lunar Month Amirudin Ahamed* As in previous years, once again Australian Muslims were divided as to the first day of the lunar month of Ramadan as well as the first day of the subsequent month of Shawwal (i.e. the day of the festival). There seem to be three different methods adopted by the Muslims to monitor the lunar calendar. As I have used all three methods at different periods of my life, I am in a position to compare all three methods.

The first method is the Traditionalist method which I used (as did everyone else) in my native Sri Lanka. This method is based on the belief that a lunar month begins by the sight of the new moon based on a saying of the Prophet “begin fasting after the new moon is sighted and cease fasting after the next new moon is sighted”. If a trustworthy Muslim claimed that he saw the new moon and the local Imam attests to his truthfulness, then the Council of Imams based in the capital city declare the beginning of the month. The plus point of this method is that the Prophet’s practice is imitated. The negative

aspect of this method is that it cannot be used in all countries.

So, when I moved to Scandinavia, where new moon sighting was almost impossible, I used to telephone the observatory, obtain the exact time of the birth of the new moon, and then add 24-36 hours to that time which is needed for the new moon to be visible (in theory, at least!). Thus, technology was combined with tradition. This second method is currently used

by Islamic Councils in Australia to establish the beginning of the lunar month. Precedent has already been set by our praying according to the clock and not by looking at the length of shadows as the Prophet did. The plus point is that it contains the best of both worlds – the ancient and the modern. The negative aspect of this method is that the additional time that has to be added to the time of moon birth is indeterminate. It depends on the angle to the horizon, the prevailing weather, the part of the day (a.m. or p.m.) the moon is born and so on. Therefore, there is no magic number

which can be added. It can vary from 8 to 72 hours.

So what is exactly meant by moon birth? Is the moon re-assembled from scratch? Not at all!

The moon is always in existence. Therefore, the birth of the new moon should be synonymous with its first appearance to the earth irrespective of whether the human eye can observe it. Therefore, moon-birth and moonsight should be the same.

This third method has no uncertainties. The moon was born on Tuesday the 10th August and Ramadan for me began on Wednesday the 11th.

The next moon was born on Wednesday the 13th October and Eid for me was on Thursday 14th October. This is the method I currently follow.

So did the Albanian and the Turkish community in Australia and many other Muslims in the world.

There may be an

argument about following the consensus and/or obeying a leader. Well, unfortunately not all Muslims living in Australia understand Islam in the same way; consequently they are not in a position to obey a single leader.

Even on the question of the fundamental sources of Islam, unanimity of opinion may be lacking with some drawing the line under the Quran, others under the Hadith and still others under the Madhabs.

Even the orators who begin their speeches with the phrase “all innovations are evil and lead to Hell” themselves may be believing in innovation in the same way that Martin Luther railed against the innovations of the Catholic church despite believing in the greatest innovation of all – the concept of God begetting a son!

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VIC: Zamzam: Muslims take a stand for a greener future Something that is lacking in the modern Australian context is a concern for things we often take for granted, like any good consumer society.

Islam gives us everything we need and more to live our lives by, and to insha Allah be successful in the hereafter. Preservation of life is key to being successful, as Allah (sbt) tells us in the Quran “It is He, who has made you the vicegerents on the earth…so that He may test you in what He has given you” (Al Quran 6:165). We need to think about the Earth as one interconnected planet, as the Quran says “There is not a moving living creature on earth, nor a bird that flies with its two wings but are communities like you” (Al Quran 6:38), not the ‘us and them’ approach we’ve so easily adopted in Australia.

Allah (sbt) says “O people! Worship your Lord… who hath appointed the earth a resting-place for you, and the sky a canopy; and cause water to pour down from the sky, thereby producing fruits as food for you. And do not set up rivals to Allah when you know (better)” (Al Quran 2: 21-22). In this ayah the word “you” is for all mankind, emphasising that the world was created for all of us. We all have a collective responsibility to look after it and the creatures on it.

The natural world is something Muslims look to as a sign for the existence of God. The changing climate is a shift in our world we need to pay attention to. Australians are well positioned to adapt to these changes in climate. Here we have wealth, technology, the drive and most importantly the knowledge to make the changes necessary to give future Australians the same opportunities we and past generations have had to seek Allah’s pleasure.

In this country we have been blessed with many resources, from plentiful land to plenty of sun, from plenty of minerals to plenty of beaches - we have more than our fair share. The thing that we in this country forget is that it’s not all ours. Its only our amanah (responsibility) to look after it and use it all, in moderation. As the saying goes, do not waste water - even if you are at the bank of a river you must still use it sparingly. This example doesn’t end with water.

We must take this example to the rest of our lives, for

we have too long been of the wasters in this country, “Eat and drink but waste not by excess, for God loves not the wasters” (Al Quran 7:31).

The problem is that we’ve become too settled and comfortable in our day to day lives, so busy with work and taking care of commitments that we forget that Islam has a lot to say about modest living, living within your means, and ensuring there is something left over for your children and grandchildren. Think energy efficiency; think green energy, green power, green living. We’ve adopted ‘green’ for Islam; why not adopt it in life?

Muslims see the sun as a sign of Allah’s generosity. It gives light to all - Muslim or not, Allah (sbt) is Mu’tee (the giver).

The UMMA Centre in Doncaster, Melbourne has taken on board a pilot program for the Muslim community after its success in so many other communities around the country. The centre has partnered with Zamzam Environmental Sustainability Program (a non-profit Muslim organisation) to work with Clear Solar to provide a solar panel installation program to the community.

The program aims to benefit the community by harnessing the blessing of the sun. By purchasing solar panels in this program people are not only reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but they’re also saving money in the long term and donating a considerable asset to the mosque. For a considerably discounted price, individuals can purchase panels for their home, with the aim to get the mosque a system up to a 5kW (valued at approximately. $20,000) – which is free! The benefits are many.

It’s our hope at Zamzam to make this program available to more mosques and more communities throughout Melbourne and the country. We want to lead the broader community in the push for a sustainable future. Ensuring the intergenerational equality our descendants so rightfully deserve as prescribed in the religion. Allah (sbt) created us as vicegerents, and the earth as a trust for us to look after. So let us live up to this responsibility and be leaders within an ever-growing green movement, showing Islam’s true colours.

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QLD: Salam Card: Unity, Loyalty and Dawah

The recently developed twin projects, Islam TV and Salam Card, aim to address multiple needs which are identifiable in the South East Queensland Muslim community and beyond.

Islam TV Founder and Director Ismail Mehmet observed a great bounty from Allah (swt) in the abundance of Islamic knowledge being propagated in the region, and the quality and variety of Islamic talks being presented at a local mosque. He saw an opportunity to showcase this blessing from Allah in the form of an internet TV station and at the same time, bring together all of the local Islamic societies and organisations in a single project, Islam TV. Having had twenty years experience in multi-media, he felt he could share his skills and experience, which rightly belong to Allah (swt), in this way. Insha Allah this would be for Allah’s pleasure. Says Ismail, “I feel honoured to be able to work closely with the Muslim community to deliver important lectures that might otherwise be missed by brothers and sisters.”

Salam Card “And the believing men and women are awliya (loyal) to one another.” Surah al-Taubah, ayah 71.

In the several years since his reversion to Islam, Ismail noted a need for Muslim businesses to have a forum, a firm network of associations, a presence on the internet, and assistance with marketing solutions to increase their visibility and productivity. He felt that he could assist with meeting these needs by applying his years of web design and marketing experience. “When someone gets a website their biggest challenge is how to direct customers to their new site. Once you are under the Salam Card umbrella, the work is done for you as thousands of Salam Card holders are now visiting the site to look for outlets offering Salam Card deals.” As local businesses and consumers alike have responded enthusiastically, and Ismail has begun to build a team, the concept has begun to flourish into a working reality. “Sister Karima from Lawung Fashions said she was absolutely thrilled

with the look and function of her online shop, a new feature we are offering, giving businesses the chance to sell directly from within the Salam Card site,” adds Ismail.

Salam Cards have begun to be distributed to thousands of individuals with many discounts and special offers already available.

A Dawah System “Invite (all) to the way of Allah with wisdom and beautiful preaching,” Surah an-Nahl, ayat 125.

By distributing Salam Cards to non-Muslim consumers as well, the system functions as an instrument of dawah. A bridge is built, as nonMuslims are also invited to enjoy the special offers at halal outlets, encouraging them to visit more often.

Additionally, as consumers must visit the Salam Card website in order to peruse outlets and activate the card to receive the latest special offers via email, they will find that it links to Islam TV where they can be exposed to the peaceful message of Islam.

Both web addresses are visible on the card itself.

Ismail believes Allah (swt) inspired him to build a system that would encompass all of the above whilst also providing the funding for him to continue producing Islam TV, “a full-time job in itself ” Ismail notes, “as many days and nights are spent filming, editing and uploading material.” As Islam TV and Salam Card have both broadened their reach to interstate, air travel and weeks at a time away from home have become necessary for Ismail, “We sincerely hope that Allah will accept these efforts towards the fostering of unity and loyalty among Muslim businesses and consumers.”

Support Islam TV and Salam Card by becoming a business member (enquire at salamcard.com.au) or by ordering your free Salam Card online to start enjoying the benefits. In addition to watching live streaming video of Islamic talks, you can shop for DVDs or make a donation at islamtv.com.au

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“CARE for all children in foster care"

September is Foster Care Month You say that you CARE about all children in our community!

You say that Muslims CARE! How is that so?

There are 2,390 children – Muslim and non-Muslim in foster care in Victoria alone and only 5 Muslim families trained and registered to CARE. There’s also a shortage of more than 1,000 carers across the state – meaning children as young as 6 are being placed in group homes waiting for more families.

START TO CARE!

What: I CARE Session (a no commitment information session) When: Sunday 26 September, 2010 Time: 12:30 Sharp!

Where: Newport, Victoria – Register for the address Stop talking and start acting by registering your interest and attend I CARE.

GET I ACTI NTO ON & REGI STER

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Issue 23, September 2010 ©

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The Ground Zero Synagogue: Lebanon Becoming More American than America Gus Bridi* “There should be no mosque near Ground Zero in New York so long as there are no churches or synagogues in Saudi Arabia. The time for double standards that allow Islamists to behave aggressively toward us while they demand our weakness and submission is over.”- Newt Gingrich Has Lebanon officially become more tolerant and progressive than the United States?

Let’s talk about Lebanon’s Ground Zero and you can decide for yourself.

One must first understand what “Ground Zero” means to most Lebanese.

In a country with about the same land mass as Los Angeles County which has been at war off and on for nearly four decades, “Ground Zero” for the Lebanese is arguably their entire country-and at the center of their Ground Zero is downtown Beirut, captured and occupied by the Israeli Defense Force in 1982 and which was almost entirely reduced to rubble from Muslim West Beirut to Christian East Beirut, and all points in between.

Once upon a time not too long ago, there was scarcely a building left standing or unscarred by shrapnel in all of Beirut. I know, because I was in Beirut in 1991, and witnessed first hand a city once described as “the Paris of the Middle East” reduced to ruins, pock marked with unexploded munitions and a haphazard “network” of open sewers.

Miraculously, Beirut was rebuilt and reclaimed its prominence. It once again became the jewel of the Arab world, remarkably able to bridge the ancient mystique of the east with the modern allure of the west.

Upon the first completion of its “rebuilding” process however - after 15 years and tens of billions of dollars spent on reconstructing Lebanon and its Ground Zero from rubble to splendor, Israel did what Israel does…

In July and August of 2006, Israel again followed through on its promise to “bomb Lebanon back into the Stone Age,” and in so doing displaced 1,000,000 Lebanese civilians (nearly a quarter of the country’s population), completely destroyed the country’s infrastructure (again), its only airport, at least 64 bridges, leveled entire buildings and neighbourhoods to rubble (again), including the country’s largest milk factory, a food factory, two pharmaceutical plants, water treatment centers, power plants, grain silos,

a Greek Orthodox Church, several mosques, and a handful of hospitals (in a country which only had a handful of hospitals to begin with).

Over 1,200 hundred Lebanese civilians were killed and over 5,000 wounded.

Israel routinely talks about “proportionality” when comparing their “terrorism deaths” to American 9/11 deaths. In order to shock the sensibilities of a gullible American public, they portray a figure “in American terms,” by multiplying their dead by a number which reflects their population in comparison to the American population.

Well, what’s good for the Israeli goose is good for the Lebanese gander. I will play their game: 1,200 dead Lebanese civilians are the “proportional equivalent” to 90,000 American dead when accounting for the two countries’ population differences. Therefore, according to Israeli goose math, that’s the equivalent of roughly thirty 9/11′s Israel exacted on Lebanon in July and August 2006 over the course of 34 days-nearly one 9/11 a day for an entire month without relent.

Incidentally, July and August of 2006 only tell a small part of the story when it comes to Israeli aggression against Lebanon. There have been decades of invasion, devastation, and occupation which predated 2006. Several thousands of Lebanese have been killed at the hands of the Israeli Defense Force. Tens of billions of dollars of damage have been levied on the Lebanese infrastructure and private and public property courtesy of the IDF over the course of decades.

“Ground Zero” for Lebanon is an ever expanding, never ending, open wound that never heals.

So what now Newt?

Should you expect the Lebanese to allow a synagogue to be built on their Ground Zero, in the

aftermath of a 9/11 that occurred 5 years after ours and which, “proportionately” speaking, was 30 times the size of ours?

Well guess what you hateful, misguided, twit?

THEY DID. In the process of re-building Beirut yet again, in 2008, renovations began and have now been completed on the Maghen Abraham Synagogue located in the middle of newly renovated downtown Beirut in an area known as the “Solidere” which has become the focal point and showcase of Lebanon’s rebirth.

This isn’t some hole in the wall, nondescript, “excuse me” synagogue hidden out of view so as to not “offend” Lebanese nonJews-this is an elaborate, ornate, beautifully designed, cathedral-style house of worship built for a Lebanese Jewish population that totals less than 500 in a country of more than 4,000,000 (in stark contrast to the eight million American Muslims living in the United States).

And wait until you hear Hezbollah’s response to the building of this Ground Zero Synagogue.

(To those expecting a Newt Gingrich equivalent response, prepare to be woefully disappointed).

Courtesy of Hassan Nasrallah himself: “We respect Judaism, just as we respect Christianity. Our only problem is with Israel.”

Did you hear that Newt (and the rest of you idiots)?

An Arab democracy, with a Muslim Prime Minister and a Christian President, allowed the building of a synagogue, squarely in the center of their “Ground Zero” in the heart and pride of downtown Beirut which used to be a dumping ground for Israeli military ordinances.

An Arab democracy allowed this, without so much as a protest being made by its citizens, or allegations by politicians that this was sacrilege, or hateful commentary by the media that the Jewish faith was

barbaric, or any of the other stupidity I have seen and heard plastered all over American television, talk radio, and internet-blogs regarding a certain “Ground Zero Mosque” and the Islamic faith.

Regardless of whether you perceive Israel to be justified in perpetrating the devastation it did on Lebanon is irrelevant. The purpose of this article is not to debate that. What cannot be debated, is that Israel (a Jewish State, flying a Jewish flag) unleashed hell on Lebanon for 34 straight days in July and August of 2006 (and for decades prior in its wars against Lebanon). Regardless of whether or not you feel Israel had a right to do that, you cannot deny that Lebanese civilians harbored, and continue to harbor, a very real resentment against the government of Israel - this Jewish state - for those actions and the devastation those actions caused.

Yet these very Lebanese, who are so quickly labeled as “blood thirsty terrorists” by Newt Gingrich and his army of xenophobic morons, were able to draw a distinction between the Jews “flying those planes” in July and August of 2006 working at the behest of the Israeli government, and the Jews whom are citizens of Lebanon who had no connection with those attacks.

Lebanon rebuilt that Ground Zero Synagogue for its Jews.

Not for Israel. Not for the world’s Jewry. Not as a monument to mark a “Jewish victory” over Lebanon.

Lebanon rebuilt that Ground Zero Synagogue because its Jews lived in that neighborhood and they had every right to build a house of worship in a place they called home.

For crying out loud, Hassan Nasrallah and Hezbollah can even draw the distinction between a Lebanese Jew and an Israeli soldier who happens to be a Jew. So how is it that Americans can’t distinguish between American Muslims who were victims of 9/11 and Saudi Muslims who were the perpetrators of 9/11?

Thank you Mr. Gingrich for allowing Hassan Nasrallah and Hezbollah to outclass you and the Republican Party (and you Democrats aren’t too far behind – yes Harry Reid, I’m talking to you). When the former Republican Speaker of the House and the current Democratic Senate Majority Leader start sounding less tolerant and less reasonable than a “terrorist,” we need to start sounding the alarm bells.

What a sad state of affairs for America. *Source: zeropartypolitics website.

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Issue 23, September 2010 ©

China Help!!! My debtors are not paying Silaturrahim Tours me when their debts are due Hyder Gulam* Introduction This is a common issue not only for new businesses, but also for mature, longstanding businesses that have been trading for decades. This article will outline some debt recovery strategies for you to consider to ensure you get paid for your hard work.

Recovery Strategies 1. Make direct contact with the debtor.

Speak to them personally and find out the reason for the delay. It could be a simple oversight, mistake or misunderstanding that prevented the settling of the account in a timely manner. Be friendly when you speak to your debtor, which assists in reinforcing your business relationship, but ensure you obtain a commitment to settle the debt by a specified date. Follow up the phone/meeting call with an email, which notes the content and outcome of your discussion. This is also very good evidence, should it be required at a later date.

2. If payment has not been received, follow up the meeting/phone call, and be friendly, firm and persistent. Your tenacity and attention to detail with following up the unpaid account will generally speed up payments. However, be careful not to harass the debtor, which can give rise to a complaint about this behaviour.

3. If the account has been settled, contact the debtor and thank them for their prompt attention – again, this builds business relationships.

4. Arrange a face-to-face meeting. Again, be friendly which can aid in settling the outstanding payment.

5. If possible, introduce a late fee into the terms of your contract. Bookkeeping and administration expenses do add up, and

there is no reason why you should have to bear this bill. Note that you may have to vary the terms of the contract (if there is one) and given ample notice of the late fee introduction.

6. Don’t let your business be dependent on too few customers – have a well balanced strategy, which can survive a bad debt and the loss of one or two customers.

7. You can also consider issuing a letter

highly unlikely that the money will roll in straight away. You may need to enforce the judgment which means going back to court to obtain an order or warrant from a range of options available to creditors: •warrants •installment arrangements •garnishee order •bankruptcy •winding up

of demand requesting the payment, but be careful not to send a letter which is

•oral examination (not strictly an enforcement option but it enables the creditor to find out what the debtor has).

Each option has different advantages, disadvantages and costs. Legal advice should be sought before deciding to carry through with one of these options.

11. Examine your existing agreements and contracts. There are some issues here you need to be mindful of, including: (i)Your contract terms should prevail over your debtor’s terms if any (in particular there should be a term in your contract which excludes all other terms, dealings and arrangements); (ii)Incorporate a terminations provision which allow you to terminate the contract if the debtor is insolvent – care must be taken when exercising this right, so as not to unlawfully repudiate the contract; (iii)Include set-off provisions, giving you the right to set off debts owed to you with debts that you owe the debtor; (iv)Have a retention of title clause, where ownership of goods does not pass to the debtor until full payment has been received.

12. Consider obtaining security for the debtor’s obligations - and if this is not an option, consider a personal guarantee from directors or shareholders of a debtor.

designed to look like a court document, which can be considered misleading.

8. Consider a ‘do-it-yourself ’ legal action via the small claims division of your local tribunal. There is generally a simple debt recovery procedure, which is relatively informal and cheap. However, note that there is a ceiling amount in respect of these types of claims, and you should check the definition of ‘small claim’.

9. Engage a debt recover company/lawyers to help you to recover your debt.

10. Once judgment is obtained it is

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Islam was introduced to China as early as the 7th century (during the Tang Dynasty) when merchants from Arabia and Persia came to China to trade via the Silk Road. In 651AD, the third Caliph Uthman Ibn Affan, sent an envoy to call on the reigning Tang Emperor Gao Zong and since then Islam has had a foothold in China.

The oldest mosque in China is the one in Kwantung, known as the Luminous Tower Mosque - the first mosque in the world to be built outside Medina.

In the midst of trade and cultural exchanges across the Asia-Europe continent for the next few centuries, streams of Muslim immigrants from central Asia settled permanently in China.

However all these exchanges gradually diminished during the Ming and Qing (Manchu) Dynasties and they came to a stop with the establishment of the Communist government.

It was only in the 1980’s under the leadership of Deng Xiaopeng that China slowly opened up again to visitors from all over the world.

Today China has ten Muslim nationalities, numbering more than 30 million Muslims. They are the Hui, Uighur, Kazakh, Dongxiang, Khalkhas, Salar, Tajik, Uzbek,

Baoan and Tartar. These nationalities have their own written and spoken languages and cultures and their own unique ethnic traditions.

When the Republic of China was formed in 1911 Muslims were recognised as a race in China. The national constitution testified to the freedom of faith.

Beijing has about 200,000 Muslims, Xian -- 60,000, Shanghai – 100,000 and Hohhot, the capital of Inner Mongolia, a modest 30,000.

Silaturrahim is an Arabic word meaning bonding or close ties. Silaturrahim Tour is therefore not just an ordinary tour where one takes in the sights and scenes of the country, but it also helps to promote cultural and educational interaction.

In this way a closer bond is established.

Silaturrahim Tour is a nonprofit based tour, organised as a community service project.

Proceeds from the tours are channeled to sponsor poor and needy children to have an opportunity to pursue an education, to set up child-care centers and kindergartens and to help build sanitary facilities in poor rural areas.

For more information on tours of Muslim China please see www.chinamuslim.net

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Nurse’s Notes:

Power of Forgiveness Judy Nelson-Eldawy* The month of Mercy and Forgiveness has just passed. In every prayer, we asked Allah to forgive us, which got me to thinking about the importance of us forgiving others.

After all, the Quran states that forgiveness is better for us, if only we knew.

Since 1985, various medical institutions have conducted about sixty studies on the power of forgiveness. One fascinating study by the non-profit Campaign for Forgiveness Research examined the MRI’s of subjects who were told to think specifically about empathy and reconciliation.

The MRI’s showed these thoughts produced brain activity in the left middle temporal gyrus. This data suggests that we have an actual ‘forgiveness center’ in our brains.

Many studies focused on the physical effects of holding grudges.

They found this behaviour causes the body major stress by releasing the hormones cortisol and adrenaline, putting the body into perpetual ‘fight or flight’ mode.

This leads to increases in blood pressure and blood sugar and hardens arteries which can lead to heart disease over time. More immediate problems were found to be body aches and pains, anxiety, sleep disturbances and an increase in colds and other infections due to immune suppression.

Other studies tested the benefits of forgiveness. Research subjects who carried negative experiences that included traumas stemming from war, childhood, marriage, and the workplace were selected.

Subjects were divided into test groups that received forgiveness training, and control groups that did not. The resultant data was thought provoking.

Stanford University’s Forgiveness Project found that letting go of grudges slashed stress levels by 50%, showing immediate benefits of increased energy and improved mood and sleep patterns.

Another study reported in The Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin stated that in addition to physical health benefits, forgiving others influences us to

be more altruistic, exemplified by volunteering and giving to charities.

Clearly science supports the Quranic assertion that forgiveness is a better course of action.

However, forgiving others can be a case of easier said than done.

This is especially true in cases of life shattering events, such as the betrayal of a spouse or friend. The very thought of these people can send us into an incoherent rage, which ultimately does no harm to them but sets us up for a heart attack.

Gary Picariello, author of The (Healing) Power of Forgiveness, talks about forgiveness as a process with no timeline. This is a process where we take control of our lives back by making a conscious decision to put bad experiences behind us.

Picariello states that forgiveness is not an emotion or about masking pain. Forgiveness does not require reconciliation, although that is an option if desired. Forgiveness is about personal accountability. It is us making the decision to take control of the situation. Once we make peace within ourselves about whatever wounded us, we take its power to continue hurting us away.

There are no pat answers on how to forgive. Some techniques that may facilitate the process include keeping a journal and choosing to focus on what’s positive in our lives.

These are two of my favorite ways to deal with hurt because writing down feelings helps release them and listing what is good in my life brings a sense of perspective. Meditation and exercise or other hobbies are also useful outlets to help channel overwhelming emotions and gain insight and balance. In some cases, professional counseling may be the most appropriate action to deal with anger and grief. In all cases, prayer is beneficial and powerful. May Allah grant us all forgiveness and a forgiving spirit. *Judy Nelson-Eldawy is an American Muslim wife and mother who lives most of the year in Egypt. She has a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and over 20 years experience in the fields of psych/mental health, medical/surgical and home health nursing. She advocates a holistic approach to health and the use of alternative therapies in conjunction with more conventional Western treatment modalities.

Perth: first Western Australian Parliamentary Iftar

Monday 6 September saw the celebration of the first Western Australian Parliamentary Iftar. Held at the Perth Town Hall, the dinner was organised by the Intercultural Harmony Society, led by the Executive Director, Fuat Layic. It was well attended by prominent members of the Perth Muslim community and parliamentarians including hosts Dr. Mike Nahan MLA Member for Riverton and Mr John Hyde MLA, Shadow Minister for Culture and the Arts; Heritage; Multicultural Interests; Citizenship.

Guests were treated to an enjoyable evening of halal food, Quran recitation, Sufi music (pictured above) and speeches by well known speakers including Rev Ken Williams, Dr. Salih Yucel and Federal Senator for WA, Dr. Chris Black (pictured right). Information about the significance of Ramadan and fasting was also provided for non Muslim guests.

Email: info@crescenttimes.com.au

2010 Election Summary: The Emerging Importance of Muslim and new migrants’ votes!

Jamal Daoud* There is no doubt that the results of the federal election conducted 21 August came as a political earthquake that will have a deep impact on Australian politics for decades to come. What is depressing is the media and analysts’ engagement in only two issues in this regard. First is the inability to form a government for weeks. Secondly, the lengthy talks about the Greens holding the balance of power in the next parliament. There is no media or research centre that has fully analysed the likely future impact of this election result - if there was such analysis, it was never put to the public.

Despite the fact that the incoming government is likely to be weak and unstable, deeper analysis would reveal that there were many positive results of this election, in addition to the negative ones.

The first positive result is that large numbers of voters finally crossed the psychological barrier that prevented them in the past from fundamentally changing their voting patterns, even if this would mean that there will be fundamental changes to the parliament and government. Not only this. We saw increasing numbers of voters, especially in areas with high presence of ethnic and religious minorities (mainly Muslims and Arabs), that went even further. We have witnessed large numbers of deliberate informal votes in seats with a significant Muslim and Arab presence (namely the seats of Blaxland, Watson, Reid and Fowler; all in NSW).

These results have clearly shown that there is no real progressive political force in our parliament for the last few decades. It proves too in a very clear way that our message is getting through to increasing numbers of voters from marginalised groups in the society, especially Muslims and new migrants.

Taking into account that our campaigns were/are based in NSW to urge its residents to vote away from the three mainstream political parties (Labor, Liberals and Greens),

the evidence that proves that our message is being well received includes: 1- NSW witnessed the highest informal vote amongst all states.

2- The NSW Greens party received the least vote amongst Greens parties in the country.

3- The seats with significant numbers of multicultural and Muslim residents recorded the highest informal votes. The seats of Blaxland, Reid, Watson and Fowler recorded informal votes that range between 13 – 15%.

The post-election events proved with no doubt our vision that the differences between these three parties are very minor and negligible. Otherwise how can anyone explain: 1- Why the Greens leader (who claims to be a leftie) was begging the Liberal leader (who confesses to represent conservative right) to negotiate to form a coalition?

2- Why the agreement between the Greens and Labor lacked any Greens demand to improve human rights in the society?

3- Why all three parties had ignored the issue of multiculturalism, asylum seekers rights and indigenous rights?

During the course of the election campaign we heard all kinds of rhetoric from parties claiming to be “Lefties”. But after the dust of the election campaign settled, all this rhetoric has evaporated. The Greens, for example, were very loud in opposing the attacks on asylum seekers rights by both major parties.

By doing this, the party received a very big boost. But after the election, the Greens forgot about the plight of asylum seekers “rotting in detention centres” (as Ms Sarah Hanson-Young used to say). The Greens agreement with Labor to form an alliance did not even mention the plight of the asylum seekers. The Greens could (and should) have used their numbers in the senate and the parliament to demand an immediate end to the asylum seekers plight. But all the Greens demanded was action on climate change and

the carbon tax.

The other evidence of the lack of any progressive force in our parliament is the lack of any representation of any marginalised groups in the parliament. The few MPs who are non-English migrants and the one indigenous member are not enough to represent marginalised groups that constitute more than 30% of population. And the irony here is that these MPs were introduced to parliament by conservative right or centre left. None was introduced by the “left” (if we can consider the Greens to be on the left of politics).

One other positive result of the election was the emergence of Muslim and non Anglo – Saxon votes as an important political force. The Greens know very well that the Muslim votes were the ones to transfer the Melbourne seat from Labor to them. Yet, the Greens are still denying this fact and denying this community any return for this.

While Muslim votes are emerging as a very important factor in Australian politics, we did not witness any significant increase of our community’s representation in the parliament. Part of the reason for this may be because we are not a well organised community. The Greens expressed to us very clearly that “you have no other choice: either continue voting for the regressive Labor. Or vote for the Greens”. At least this election we, in NSW, could send a strong message: we still have other options. We still can vote informally until we will be recognised as an important political force and then be equally represented.

Now we need to translate this important influence into decent representation in parliament. * Jamal Daoud is a Sydney based peace activist and politician. He is a regular contributor with Crescent Times.

Pakistan Flood Victims Appeal Shayma Alshakshir CT, Melbourne Just a few days before the arrival of Ramadan, Pakistan was swept with catastrophic floods, which left thousands of people dead and millions dispossessed.

In solidarity with the people of Pakistan, Dr. Amjad Muhammad initiated an ‘ever lasting deeds’ campaign, and approached Victorian mosques and Muslim organisations to raise awareness and funds for the millions affected.

“Many of us knew the severity of the disaster in Pakistan and had noticed that most Muslims weren’t really fully in touch with what was occurring. We also noticed that mosques and Islamic organisations were each having separate events to raise money for the survivors,’’ he said.

“So we came up with the ‘Friday For Flood Victims Appeal’, a day dedicated to the collection of funds for the victims of the flood in Pakistan,” Dr. Amjad said.

Dr. Amjad says this campaign is not affiliated with any particular organisation, and has acknowledged the positive response from the Muslim

community.

“It was an initiative not based on any sole organisation but rather a combined effort involving the

Muslim community in Victoria. This served to raise community awareness as most organisations in Victoria agreed to participate and promote it. Muslim societies from all ethnic backgrounds got involved wholeheartedly,’’ he said.

Dr. Amjad says the ‘ever lasting deed’ campaign works with International Human Appeal and the Al-Khidmat

organisation to make sure aid is delivered.

“Human Appeal International is a trustworthy organisation, which has endured for years to help Muslims in every corner of the globe.

The other organisation we work with is the Al-Khidmat organisation, which is based in Pakistan.

D u r i n g the 2005 Pakistan

Earthquake disaster we worked closely with this organisation,” he said.

Over $100,000 was raised by the Friday For Flood Victims appeal. Dr. Amjad wishes these efforts would expand in the near future.

“We pray that the community can work together in the future for similar projects and perhaps next time we can go nationwide and involve the broader Australian community,’’ he said.

For more information and donation queries, please visit: www. everlastingdeeds.org

Email: info@crescenttimes.com.au

The Kiki Principle: Debora McNichol*

In Search of Miracles!

When my daughter was a baby, she shared a family bed with me and my husband. Ahmed slept on one edge of the king-sized bed, and I slept stiffly on the other. Laila had plenty of room in the middle of the bed, and spent most of her sleeping hours and many of her waking hours there.

As she grew, she became increasingly active, and one night in particular, she could not stop wiggling. About three in the morning, Ahmed yelled “Deb!” and startled me awake. I found my leg in the air, ready to come down upon Laila, who had, in my dreams, become some type of parasite that had to be kicked to destruction. Laila, in reality, remained asleep and unharmed.

Ahmed and I both said “Alhamdulillah,” and we were both shaken. There is no doubt I could have killed our baby girl in my sleep. To this day, he has no earthly explanation for waking me when he did. We simply thank Allah for His mercy.

I recently came across a “test” that purported to prove that Allah was not actually the cause of any given miracle. The test tried to use a mathematical construct and probability to demonstrate that because some part of a “miracle” was unknown or unknowable, that the miracle was not divine intervention per se, but rather a matter of chance. The example used was the Biblical miracle of Prophet Issa (saws) divining food for the masses from the bread and fishes meant for a few. The commentator concluded that chance, rather than “the hand of God,” was involved in this miracle, because the fish could have had any number of scales.

Silly, right? Pointing out the fallacy of the test is a simple matter, with or without a belief in a higher power. Yet, disproving the usability and effectiveness of this test and others will not make a non-believer believe in Allah or in miracles. Nor will the results of scientific studies that support the claim that our brains are “hard-wired” for faith.

(One of these studies actually attributes humanity’s belief in Allah to evolution. Wrap your mind around that!)

On the other hand, even if modern science “disproved” Allah, people of faith, especially Muslims, would continue to believe. Consider Steve Hawkings, the world famous intellectual and physicist. His newest claim (for his newest book) is summed up this way: Odds favor there not being a Creator, because solar systems other than our own exist in the universe, lessening the importance of the creation of our own solar system. We are not unique. A Creator is not a requirement in creating a universe - gravity is.

Silly, right? I wonder where he thinks gravity comes from.

In the end, either a person believes in a higher power or he does not. Muslims believe in Allah, even if we cannot explain aspects our universe. Miracles? If we can explain them, we say “Subhan Allah” and go about our business.

If we cannot, we say “Subhan Allah” and go about our business. Muslims, dear Readers, have a win-win arrangement with our Creator.

As for Ahmed and me, well. Whether a hidden physical explanation actually existed for what happened in our bedroom that night, (and regardless of whether Laila should have been in bed with us in the first place), my husband and I both believe we experienced a minor miracle, by Allah’s grace. And that’s not silly at all.

In a future column, I would like to highlight our readers’ experiences with miracles, small or large, insha Allah. If you have an experience you’d like to share with me and with other Crescent Times readers, please email me at DebMcNichol@gmail.com. Names will be changed in order to keep participants’ privacy. A story may be edited to conform to the column, but all efforts will be put forth to keep its meaning true, insha Allah. *Debora McNichol is a Muslim wife, mother, daughter, business owner, editor, and attorney in the USA. She has a general law practice in Virginia and North Carolina, and especially takes pleasure in discussing intellectual property and business law with willing clients, friends, and neighbours.

Web: www.crescenttimes.com.au

Issue 23, September 2010 ©

Page 15

Obama Has Signalled His Surrender To Zionism And Its Lobby Alan Hart* Alan Hart argues that behind US President Barack Obama’s declaration that the US will not force Israel to accept a just peace – in effect, his surrender to Zionism – may lurk the conclusion that the Zionist state is already a monster beyond control. He did it with seven words. “Ultimately the US cannot impose a solution.”

Obama was speaking at the White House the day before the start of the new round of direct talks between Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, after he had met with them and Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak and Jordan’s King Abdullah II. Today there is a growing number of seriously well informed people of all faiths (including me) who believe there will be peace only if it is imposed.

Among those who have dared to say so in public is one of the most eminent Jewish gentlemen of our time, Henry Siegman. A former national director of the American Jewish Congress, he is president of the US/ Middle East Project, which was part of the Council on Foreign Relations from 1994 until 2006 when it was established as an independent policy institute. He is also a research professor at the Sir Joseph Hotung Middle East Programme of the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London. During his more than 30 years of involvement in the Middle East peace process, he has published extensively on the subject and has been consulted by governments, international agencies and non-governmental organisations involved in the peace process.

On 16 August in a piece for the Huffington Post which was originally published by the Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz in Hebrew, Siegman said this: “Most Israelis, particularly the present government, have been blithely indifferent to repeated international condemnations of Israel’s systematic theft of Palestinian territory on which it has been settling its own Jewish population in blatant violation of international law. Yet their reaction to what they see as an attack on the “legitimacy” of the State of Israel, a concept foreign to international law, seems to bring them to the edge of hysteria.”

In fact, Israel’s legitimacy within its 1967 borders has never been challenged by the international community. It is its behavior on territory beyond its own borders to which the international community – including every US administration – has objected. To construe the condemnation of violations of international law as anti-Semitism is absurd.

It was not an anti-Semite seeking to delegitimize the Jewish state, but Theodore Meron, an internationally respected jurist and the legal advisor to Israel’s Foreign Ministry, who following the war of 1967 conveyed the following legal opinion to Israel’s Foreign Minister Abba Eban: “Civilian settlement in the administered territories contravenes explicit provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention,” to which Israel is a signatory. That convention’s ban on population transfer is “categorical and not conditional upon the motives for the

transfer or its objectives. The convention’s purpose is to prevent settlement in occupied territory of citizens of the occupying state.”

So yes, Israel’s leaders knew that settlements on Arab land occupied in 1967 are illegal. They simply didn’t give (and still today don’t give) a damn about international law. But this attitude, a mixture of extreme arrogance and insufferable selfrighteousness, does not make them the main villains in the story of what happened after June 1967. The main villains were (and still are) the governments of the major powers and the one in Washington DC above all.

What they should have said to Israel in the immediate aftermath of the 1967 war is: “You are not to build any settlements on occupied Arab land. If you do, you’ll be demonstrating your contempt for international law. In this event the international community will declare Israel to be an outlaw state and subject it to sanctions.”

If something like that riot act had been read to Israel there would have been peace many, many years ago. The pragmatic Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat, was reluctantly reconciled to the reality of Israel’s existence inside its pre-1967 borders as far back as 1968. In his gun-and-olive-branch address to the UN General Assembly on 13 November 1974 he said so by obvious implication.

Thereafter he put his credibility with his leadership colleagues and his people, and his life, on the line to get a mandate for unthinkable compromise with Israel. He got it at the end of 1979 when the Palestine National Council voted by 296 votes to four to endorse his two-state policy. What he needed thereafter was an Israeli partner for peace. He eventually got a probable one, Yitzhak Rabin, but he was assassinated by a Zionist fanatic. The more it became clear that Israel’s leaders were not interested in a genuine two-state solution for which Arafat had prepared the ground on his side, the more his credibility with his own people suffered.

It is in the context briefly sketched above that Obama’s seven words have their real meaning.

At the time of writing it seems reasonably clear that Obama is hoping that Abbas and his equally discredited Fatah leadership colleagues can be bribed and bullied into accepting what Netanyahu will eventually offer – crumbs from Zionism’s table.

(My guess is that Abbas will resign rather than trigger a Palestinian civil war). THE question is what will Obama do when Israel refuses to give enough to satisfy the demands and needs of the Palestinian people for an acceptable measure of justice?

We already know the answer. “Ultimately the US cannot impose a solution.”

Effectively, those seven words tell Israel’s leaders that they can go on imposing their will on the occupied and oppressed Palestinians with the comfort of knowing that Obama is not going to use the leverage he has, and every American president has had, to cause them, or try to cause them, to be serious about peace on terms virtually all Palestinians and most other Arabs and Muslims everywhere could accept, and which a rational Israeli government and people would accept with relief.

Put another way, those seven words are effectively a green light for Zionism alone to determine the future of the Palestinians,

a future which at some point will most likely see the final ethnic cleansing of Palestine, followed by an uprising against the Jews (provoked by the Zionist state’s behaviour) and a clash of civilizations, Judeo-Christian versus Islamic.

In his analysis on the day Obama delivered his seven words, Jeremy Bowen, the BBC’s admirable Middle East Editor, offered this thought: “There might not be room for many more failures. The conflict is changing. A religious war is now being grafted on what used to be fundamentally a competition for territory between two national movements. You can make deals with nationalists. It’s much harder with people who believe they’re doing God’s work.”

The next question asks itself. Why won’t Obama be the president and call and hold the Zionist state to account for its crimes, even when doing so is necessary for the best protection of America’s own interests?

Part of the answer is, of course, that he is no more willing than any of his predecessors to have a showdown with the Zionist lobby and its stooges in Congress and the mainstream media.

But there might be more to it.

In the privacy of his own mind Obama probably understands better than any of his predecessors how the conflict was created and what has sustained it. If that is the case, he will also know there’s no guarantee that real American-led pressure on Israel to be serious about peace would work and that it could be counter-productive.

I am a supporter in principle of the case and the need for the Zionist state of Israel to be totally isolated, boycotted and sanctioned as apartheid South Africa was, eventually.

But the danger is that even the credible threat of a real boycott and sanctions could play into the hands of those Israeli leaders – Netanyahu has long been their standard bearer – who have brainwashed Israelis, most if not quite all, into believing that the world hates Jews, always has and always will, and that Israeli Jews have no choice but to tell the world to go to hell. In this context I think it could and should be said that Zionism succeeded, probably beyond its own best expectations, in transforming the obscenity of the Nazi holocaust from a lesson against racism and fascism and all the evils associated with them into an ideology that seeks to justify anything and everything the Zionist state does. War crimes and all.

So it could be that in the privacy of his own mind, Obama knows it is already too late (not to mention too dangerous) to try to push Israel’s leaders much further than they are willing to go.

What, I wonder, will honest historians of the future make of what is happening right now? My guess is that they will conclude that when Obama launched his push for peace, the Zionist state was already a monster beyond control. *Alan Hart is a former ITN and BBC “Panorama” foreign correspondent and a Middle East specialist.

His Latest book Zionism: The Real Enemy of the Jews, is a three-volume epic in its American edition.

He blogs at www.alanhart.net and tweets at www. twitter.com/alanauthor.

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Page 16

Issue 23 September 2010 ©

PLANET IRF

Irfan Yusuf*

Recruitment

by Remote Control!

One of my all-time favourite movies is The Naked Gun. For those who can’t recall the plot, an LA businessman (played by the late Ricardo Montalban of Fantasy Island fame) is hired by terrorists determined to have Queen Elizabeth II assassinated. His solution? A special key ring with a button that, when pressed, will turn anyone into an unwilling assassin.

And in case you thought this only happens in hilariously bad comedies, now al-Qaeda is using the same strategy in its jihad against anyone who isn’t them. Al-Qaeda’s slaughter of tens of thousands of Muslims in Somalia, Iraq, Iran and Pakistan obviously hasn’t convinced Muslims to join its cause. Hence it has had to resort to remote control non-Muslim wingnuts in the United States to help things along.

One of them is a goofy pastor from Florida named Terry Jones who wanted to gather his flock to burn copies of the Quran on the anniversary of September 11. Jones thought this crazy act would somehow send a message to crazy suicide bombers.

President Obama agreed. Except that he thought the event would be a “recruitment bonanza for al-Qaeda” and similar groups looking for even more people crazy enough to “blow themselves up” in American, European, Middle Eastern, Asian etc cities. As if the Americans

Web: www.crescenttimes.com.au bombing Middle Eastern and Asian cities isn’t enough incentive.

Of course, Muslims who understand their faith will understand that no amount of burning Qurans will have any effect on the book’s appeal to its believers. They believe the promise contained in the Quran’s text that God will preserve and protect the Quran.

Muslims who understand their faith will know this. But here’s the bad news. There are lots of Muslims who don’t understand their faith very well at all. There are Muslims whose dictators, kings, emirs and presidents-for-life hold special key rings. At the press of a button, thousands are transformed into nutty crowds that behave like attendees at a KKK rally.

We all saw how much damage these crazies did in response to the Danish cartoons. And - in a touch of irony - the Danish cartoonist who drew the most offensive one - depicting the Prophet wearing a bomb for a turban - has also come out and condemned the Florida pastor.

In fact, it’s hard to find anyone who won’t condemn the nutty pastor. Sarah Palin has refudiated him, as has Angela Merkel of Germany and David Cameron of Britain. One Indian politician has even asked media not to print or broadcast images of the event.

Perhaps the wisest words came from a French government spokesman who declared the event would be a grave insult to the 9/11 victims and their families.

For one victim, this especially rings true. On the morning of September 11 2001, Baraheen Ashrafi joined her husband Mohammad Chowdhury for morning prayers and recitation of the Quran. He then left for his work as a waiter at the Windows of the World restaurant, on the top floors of Tower One. Reciting the Quran was one of their last acts together.

Pastors burning Qurans and wingnuts protesting outside proposed mosques won’t reduce Baraheen’s pain. Still, those who share the same types of hatred as terrorists would hardly care for the sentiments of victims. * Irfan Yusuf is a Melbourne based lawyer and author.

He is the opinion editor of Crescent Times.

Healthy Cooking: Health benefits of Brown Rice

Kamariah Ahmed

Getting one’s mind to accept whole grains such as brown rice may not be easy as we are brought up to consume refined f l o u r or rice.

Refined white rice or flour may look nice or easy to eat however it has been stripped of its fibrous bran and wheat g e r m layers which are essential to our health. Regular intake of whole-grains which are rich in antioxidants like vitamin E and selenium, not only play a role in weight management, but help to lower the risk of heart disease, diabetes and even some types of cancers. Fibre helps reduce ‘bad’ cholesterol and regulate blood sugar levels.

Whole grains may also help weight management as they help promote the feeling of fullness hence one does not need to consume much as they are digested more slowly and give the stomach a feeling of

fullness. Refined rice or flour 1. Wash rice and soak in water which is high in for ½ hour 2. Heat oil and stir in onions till brown, add in peas and set it aside 3. In the same pan with remaining oil stir in cumin, turmeric, garlic, ginger and salt 4. Boil rice with water add in stirred ingredients and yogurt 5. When rice is ¾ cooked add in peas and onions.

Khan Prawn Curry

carbohydrate will be turn to sugar easily in the digestive system.

These recipes won 1st price for healthy cooking.

Brown Rice Peas Pilau with Khan Prawn Curry 1/2 kg Brown Rice 4 garlic cloves crushed 3 cm ginger shredded 8 small onions sliced 2 tsp cumin 100gm Peas 2 tbsp Yogurt 3 tbsp Olive oil 1 tsp turmeric 2 tsp salt 1ltr water Method:

300gm Prawn 2 tbsp meat curry 1 potato (diced) 2 tomatos (diced) 2 onions (sliced) 4 garlic cloves(crushed) 2 cm ginger (crushed) 1 pc low fat slice cheese 2 tbsp Olive oil Coriander leaf (chopped) 1 red pepper 200ml water Salt to taste Method: 1. Heat oil, stir in onion add ginger, garlic, curry paste, salt and tomato 2. Once fragrant add in dice potato, water and let it boil till cook 3. Add in low fat cheese and let it melt before adding in prawns 4. Last add in coriander leaf.

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September 2010

Assalamu alaikum The ICV hopes that you had a blessed Ramadan and a joyous Eid-ul-Fitr.

Things were busy for us, both hosting and attending various iftars in the spirit of building community relationships. We hosted nightly iftar at the city mosque attracting over 200 people each night.

This year we also received letters of well wishes for Eid on behalf of the Muslim community, from many different organisations and groups including The Palestinian Delegation in Australia, the Jewish community and even the Vatican.

While Eid is a happy occasion, we also hope that the spirit of Ramadan does not die out and that it continues well after for many months.

The ICV is still continuing with renovation work on its mosque. People are encouraged to donate to this facility that is used by Muslims all over Victoria. To donate: Name: Islamic Council of Victoria Inc Mosque Maintenance BSB – 063 120 Account number – 1028 4513 Commonwealth Bank of Australia Lastly, in other news, very soon, the ICV will be launching NILS – a No Interest Loan Scheme that will help disadvantaged people with small loans to help them if they have fallen on hard times.

Eid-ul-Fitr Message from Muslims Australia/AFIC President It is with sadness that we farewell this month of mercy, forgiveness and blessings.

The sacrifice of the joys of life during the past month would have strengthened our Muslim brothers and sisters’ sense of mercy, charity and forgiveness. Fasting in the month of Ramadan purely for the sake of Allah (swt) is an act of commitment and self control. This is a very positive message and is one that we should emulate during the rest of the year.

The challenges of the past month, so admirably overcome by our Muslim brothers and sisters here and all over the world, should imbue in all of us greater faith in and commitment to our family, community and country.

Eid-Ul-Fitr is a time for deep reflection, renewal of pledges and to cultivate faith.

This day should be a new beginning in the

MUSLIM RADIO SHOW

spiritual, cultural and moral life of Muslims after the lessons acquired during the month of fasting.

Eid-Ul-Fitr is a day of victory for Muslims, having fulfilled their duties in many unique ways during the Holy Month of Ramadan. As we celebrate with our families and loved ones let us take a moment to reflect on the sad plight of millions of Muslims who have spent this Ramadan and now Eid-ul-Fitr homeless, anxious and desperate. Let us pray for our Muslim brothers and sisters who are afflicted this day. May Allah ease their pain and open the doors of mercy for their speedy relief, Insha Allah.

On behalf of the Executive Committee and staff of Muslims Australia – AFIC I wish you and your families a joyous Eid celebration.

May you be guided by your faith in Allah and shine in His divine blessings.

Kul Aam Intu Be Khair Eid Mubarak Ikebal Adam Patel Muslims Australia - AFIC President

Hosts: Rashid and Shayma Alshakshir Radio station: 3CR 855am (can be streamed online) When: Last Sunday of every month from 6pm-7pm Discussing issues related to Muslim youth, politics, world news and interviews with international Muslim artists/singers To make suggestions for guests or topics to be discussed on the show Or if you are a Muslim organisation or business and would like us to air your advertisements Contact Shayma on 0432 517 364 or email : shayma.alshakshir@live.vu.edu.au

OPINIONS

Email: info@crescenttimes.com.au When we publish opinion articles in Crescent Times, we do not necessarily endorse their content. Opinion articles do not necessarily represent the opinion any of our team members, editors or publishers.

However, we are not afraid of opinions! Our role is not to teach

a particular package of opinions and beliefs to our readers. We do our best to provide space for all schools of thought, personal beliefs and directions of Islamic thought! All are free to submit articles for publication to defend and hold what they see as truth!

The Editor In Chief

F OCU S :

Linda D. Delgado*

Leadership and Letting Go I read daily about many charitable causes that all ask for help and support. Most are on the level and their need is great. If you are an avid reader, as I am, and active in cyberspace groups, forums, and social networks, then you will come into contact with many good people who are working to support and promote a specific good cause.

How do you choose where you will spend what time, money, and other resources or even skills Allah gave you? I have found this to be a very difficult decision for me or I should say difficult decisions because I think most people give to, in one way or another, more than one cause. The wider one’s interests the greater the choices to support worthy causes.

I am a published author and a Muslim publisher primarily of Islamic fiction books for older youth, teens and adults. For nearly a decade I have worked in many projects, programs, groups and organisations that have the purpose of promoting literacy through books and creative writing. I have been a leader and a follower in the “causes” I have chosen to give of my time, resources, money, and skills.

I think most of you will agree that being a follower in any cause is much easier than being one of the leaders. There is still a certain amount of responsibility as a follower to help towards the success of the cause, but the level of effort and responsibility is significantly less.

As a leader though, the followers rely upon your integrity, decision making capabilities, dedication to the cause and willingness to give more than what is normally expected.

Sometimes, though, leaders of organisations seem to get “used up”. Perhaps they stay too long in their roles as leaders? Perhaps they have given all they can give to the membership and the cause in their specific role in the organisation?

Maybe it is the leader’s own need to move on as his or her vision for the cause has out-paced the organisation or has become different from the members of the organisation? Whatever the reason, when a leader comes to

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terms with such a decision - to stay longer or leave, it is always a very difficult choice.

It is only natural that a longterm leader of a cause orientated organisation would be concerned about the organisation when no longer available or actively involved as a leader to provide advice, recommendations, counsel, and inspire the membership. But if it is time to go, to let go and move on, a leader can hope that foundations set down and efforts made by the leader will withstand the loss of an individual leader and new leaders will step forward.

Giving up a leadership role or even leaving a worthy cause’s organisation does not make the cause or organisation less worthy. Ensuring the membership understand this is something the leader has to do before leaving so that some members will not lose heart or confidence in the cause and organisation. This I think is the true test of a leader’s skill and abilities. To leave an organisation he or she has led with the membership still feeling confident in the cause and organisation.

In January I am leaving a super organisation with a critically important cause. I founded the organisation and have maintained a leadership role in the development and growth of the organisation for over seven years. It will be difficult for me to cut the ties and move on, but I strongly believe that the strength in any organisation should not depend too much on one leader… there should be many leaders waiting to assume the role or roles vacated. Sometimes a leader comes to believe that he or she has done all that can be done by him or her and it is time for new leadership which will bring new ideas and challenges to meet and conquer.

As always, for a Muslim, praying Istikhaarah before making such an important decision, is the first step in arriving at the right conclusion. *Linda D. Delgado is a wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother. She is the author of the award winning Islamic Rose Books series and the publisher-owner of Muslim Writers Publishing. www.

MuslimWritersPublishing.com and

Issue 23, September 2010 ©

Page 17

Muslims Australia & Federal Election 2010

Ikebal Patel* The campaigning is over, no more promises or kissing babies or racing children, the Prime Minister Julia Gillard and the Opposition leader Tony Abbott have played their parts impressing you in winning over your vote.

The election result, after 14 million votes have been cast, has delivered a hung parliament. Neither of the two major parties has secured enough seats as a majority to govern in their own right. This leaves Australia with a hung parliament which means no legislation or policy can pass through Parliament without relying on the support of minor parties or independents.

A hung parliament is not a new phenomenon in Australia. Tasmania and Western Australia have hung parliaments and are governed satisfactorily.

Julia Gillard and Tony Abbot held talks with Tony Windsor who is the Independent for New England (NSW), Rob Oakeshott is the Independent for Lyne (NSW), Bob Katter is the

Independent for Kennedy (Qld) and Andrew Wilkie the Independent MP for Denison (Tas). In the end we finished up with Julia Gillard being retuned to power with the support of the Greens and 3 independents.

This parliament has the first indigenous member, Ken Wyatt, who narrowly defeated the Labor MP Sharryn Jackson, 50.5 per cent to 49.4 per cent, according to the ABC. He’s reportedly sought guaranteed parliamentary seats for indigenous Australians, and has voiced considerably softer opinions on ‘boat people’ than party leader Tony Abbott.

He’s spent a lot of his life working in education, and has held the role of Director of Aboriginal Education and as Director of Aboriginal Health in Western Australian and NSW. The election also saw a win for the first Muslim in parliament, Ed Husic, the winning Labor candidate for Chifley in Western Sydney.

This parliament seems to the first time for many. Wyatt Roy will be Australia’s youngest ever MP. The 20-year-old Liberal-National candidate winning

Longman, on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, The election result is a clear demonstration of the views of the Australian public on the incumbent government’s strategies. Some of the government’s economic stimulus packages have worked well, unlike their insulation program - an excellent idea that unfortunately lacked attention to detail which resulted in loss of lives, homes burning down and ongoing problems for genuine businesses and families who are still suffering as a result.

Infighting and leadership problems that affected the Liberal Coalition with two changes of leaders have filtered through to the Labor Party and some, especially those in Kevin Rudd’s Queensland electorate were dissatisfied, this is reflected in the poles.

As eligible voters have we made our vote count?

I hope the answer is a resounding Yes. * Ikebal Patel is an engineer and the President of Muslims Australia “AFIC”.

Mr El-Leissy: this is why Muslims should not have voted for the Greens!

Basem Samreen*

I was shocked to read Mohammed El– Leissy’s article about why he would vote for the Greens. Not only this. He had the courage to recite Islamic values to compare them with the Greens “values” and policies. All he could find as a contrast between Islamic teachings and Green’s policies was the “lenient” views on gay marriage.

Mr El-Leissy, a Greens member and candidate, apparently does not know that the Greens: 1. Support legalising a wide range of drugs, from marijuana to deadly ICE, as a solution for the out-of-control drug abuse problems.

2. Support promoting prostitution, to the extent that at some stage Greens successfully introduced laws to allow prostitutes to operate in residential buildings in Marrickville council district in 2003.

3. Promote abortion 4. Promotes euthanasia (in other words, murder).

5. Have gay marriage firmly on their agenda.

In other words, the Greens are promoting all kinds of values that aim to destroy families and healthy society. This is in stark contrast to the aims of Islamic values.

Then Mr El-Leissy repeated all the Green’s lies and deceptions about the Green’s achievements on different areas.

We here need to differentiate between empty rhetoric and real achievements.

For example: 1. On asylum seekers: apart from speeches and media talks, the Greens did not take any practical steps to support refugees and asylum seekers. It

is sad that the Greens remember to visit refugees and asylum seekers at detention centres only before elections!!!!

The irony here is that, while the asylum seeker’s issue was the major reason behind the Green’s vote increase, the agreement between Labor and the Greens on forming the next government contained not one word about ending the asylum seeker crisis. The Greens could have used their balance of power control to demand Labor ends its inhumane handling of asylum seekers issue.

2. On the Palestine issue: the Green’s practical stance on this issue is in fact worse than the Labor and the Liberals.

For example: - the Greens introduced to parliament the largest numbers of Zionist politicians.

- the Greens have refused to take any practical steps to support the Palestinian cause, as they refused on several occasions to participate in solidarity delegations to Palestine and Middle East(unlike Labor, Liberals and Democrats).

- the Greens media releases equate the violence of Israel with the Palestinian resistance.

- the Greens enthusiastically supported the banning of Hamas, Hezbollah and all national resistance forces.

And as for the policy of the Greens, again Mr El-Leissy mentioned that only the Greens call for a two state solution.

In fact, Labor and Liberals are calling for a two state solution. Not only this.

Even the Kadima Israeli Zionist party is supporting a two state solution.

3. On climate change: the Greens were instrumental in blocking Labor’s ETS law. They in fact blocked any action on climate change suggested by the

governments of developed countries.

In addition to these extreme immoral and anti-family policies and actions, Mr El-Leissy did not mention that the Greens are the only party among the mainstream parties that: 1. Have no migrants from non-English speaking countries in their hierarchy and parliamentary teams.

2. Have no indigenous elements in their hierarchy and parliamentary teams.

3. Have no concrete achievements on other policies. Let us mention here that the Greens policy on health, for example, is to oppose the government rebate on private health insurance. But when Kevin Rudd’s government suggested abolishing this rebate, the Greens sided with the Liberals to abort this move.

Mr El-Leissy urged us to vote for the Greens because they might hold the balance of power. This is very strange logic. If this is the only reason why we should vote for the Greens, it would be far better for us to vote for the Liberals or Labor who usually form the government for the last 70 years (and not only hold the balance of power once in a life time).

If the Greens are serious in their support for multiculturalism, they should have run Mr El-Leissy in a more high profile seat (like for the senate or seat of Melbourne).

We hope that Mr El-Leissy can wake up before it’s too late. We understand that he (and all of us) is angry and dissatisfied with both Labor and Liberals. But this should not make us blindly support something worse. A party that aims to destroy our families and morals, in addition to practising racism and Islamophobia. * Basem is a Melbourne based concerned Muslim.

Page 18

Issue 23 September 2010 Š

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Issue 23, September 2010 ©

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New documents released by the US Army say a staff sergeant charged in a conspiracy to murder civilians kept Afghan body parts and threatened subordinates.

Staff Sergeant Calvin Gibbs is the most senior of five Fort Lewis-based Stryker soldiers charged in the deaths of three Afghan civilians earlier this year.

His lawyer says he denies being part of any conspiracy and that the deaths were all “appropriate engagements.”

In charging papers released yesterday, prosecutors say Gibbs and others in his platoon also beat up a soldier who reported drug use in the unit, said they’d kill him if he kept talking about it and threatened him by showing him fingers that had been cut from an Afghan corpse.

The informant reported hearing soldiers talk about killing civilians.

Some platoon members told investigators that Gibbs began joking with other soldiers last December about how easy it would be to “toss a grenade” at Afghan civilians and kill them.

One soldier responded that it was a stupid idea, and another believed Gibbs was “feeling out the platoon.”

But eventually, Gibbs formed what one called a “kill team” to randomly execute Afghan civilians while on patrol, the documents said.

No motive was discussed.

Gibbs has denied any involvement in the killings.

The five soldiers were charged with murder in June for the deaths of the three Afghan civilians in Kandahar Province this year.

Hearings in the case are expected to begin this autumn Source: news agencies.

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The University of Indonesia (UI) is building a new library which will be the biggest library in the world; it is scheduled to become operational early next year, according to UI’s spokesman Vishnu Juwono.

“The library is now already 80 percent completed,” he said. The library located near the UI rectors office, covers 33,000 square meters, Vishnu noted.

UI rector Prof. Dr. der Soz. Gumilar Rusliwa Somantri said the library is a realization of UI’s commitment to the people and is also part of its efforts to build itself into a world class university. It has been designed as a source of inspiration for both students and the general public.

“The project is scheduled to be opened by the president during the commemoration of national education day,” he said. The library will have six million volumes of books, exceeding the previous record holder in Hong Kong, and be set amongst beautiful gardens and artificial lakes. The library construction will cost Rp200 billion, to be derived mostly from the state budget, which will also be used for the procurement of books.

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Page 19

USA: Muslim soldier refuses deployment to Afghanistan A Muslim soldier trying to avoid deployment to Afghanistan said his year in the Army has shown him that “no Muslim should serve in the U.S. military.”

Pfc. Naser Abdo, 20, has filed for conscientious objector status, which would allow him to leave the Army without consequence, on the belief that his Islamic faith and one-time desire to serve his country can’t be reconciled.

“A Muslim is not allowed to participate in an Islamicly unjust war,” the Texan told ABCNews.com. “Any Muslim who knows his religion or maybe takes into account what his religion says can find out very clearly why he should not participate in the U.S. military.”

Stationed at Fort Campbell in Kentucky, Abdo said he once believed strongly that joining the Army and fighting to protect Islamic freedoms in Iraq and Afghanistan would make him a good Muslim.

“I felt it would be challenge to my body and a challenge to my mind and I thought God would be proud of me,” Abdo said. “I felt I was doing something good for the Muslim nation.”

But in February, less than a year after joining and going through basic training at Fort Benning in Georgia, Abdo said he began to lose touch with the Islamic community that had become so important to him.

“I started considering that, I’d had a problem maintaining my faith because I wasn’t involved with the Islamic community as much as I should have been,” he said. “I started questioning whether I was really ready to die.

“I came to the conclusion,” he said, “that I wasn’t ready to die and meet God.” Fort Campbell spokesman Rick Rzepka said his base is home to several Muslims who serve without issue. He pointed to a weekly Islamic prayer service and a recent memo that went out telling soldiers of accommodations that could be made for them to observe Ramadan.

Rzepka confirmed that Abdo’s deployment had been deferred. It would take officials about six months to review his conscientious objection application, which was filed in June.

“He’s not in trouble,” Rzepka said, while noting that if Abdo were ordered to deploy and refused, he would face charges.

Abdo is hoping it doesn’t come to that.

Earlier this year, Muslim Army Spc. Zachari Klawonn expressed his frustration at the Army’s response to a growing pattern of what he considered harassment and threats by his fellow soldiers, alleged abuse that he said only worsened after the Fort Hood shooting.

And although he’d like to see the Army do more to prevent discrimination against Muslim soldiers, he has never regretted enlisting.

The Army makes every effort to ensure that its soldiers are able to maintain their faith, but the guidelines specifically state that what the Army deems a “military necessity” must come before religious practices for all faiths.

The son of a Muslim father and a nondenominational Christian mother, Abdo was raised in both religions and decided to delve into his Muslim heritage as a teenager, identifying with how Islam advocated the idea of community.

But in the Army, Abdo said, he has found that his fellow soldiers look down on him when he makes time for his five-times-a-day prayer schedule and other Muslim practices. Once he filed his claim, Abdo said, he was pulled out of a Pashto language class as retaliation. Pashto is spoken in Afghanistan.

Now, he said, he wants out of the Army so he can spend his life combating what he called Islamophobia and advocating Islam as a peaceful religion.

“I want to use my experience to show Muslims how we can lead our lives,” he said. “And to try and put a good positive spin out there that Islam is a good, peaceful religion. We’re not all terrorists, you know?”

Source: ABC News (US)

Page 20

Issue 23 September 2010 ©

Web: www.crescenttimes.com.au

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Now you can purchase Kamariah Ahmed’s MuslimPages.com.au book: Let’s Celebrate Islam in Poems $25 including postage and handling anywhere in and Art Australia. from our website: The complexity of the human body inspired me to produce this artwork. The nerve cells or neurons can be seen from a colour scan taken by an electron micrograph. It shows details of the cells’ parts in green with axons and dendrites extending from it. Neurons transmit messages to the brain through different sensory organs. The nerve cells in man’s eyes, ears, tongue, nose and skin will send messages to the brain for it to analyse and decide upon the necessary actions.

With maturity and intellect, man can ponder and conclude certain beliefs. Islam is a religion of ‘Fitrah’, which means the natural order of Man. It is a religion of reasoning, providing answers and guidance to man through the Quran, Sayings of Prophet Muhammad and through man’s own miraculous life. To be steadfast in his Islamic spirituality, man must have true conviction in his faith.

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From the book Let’s Celebrate Islam in Poems and Art by Kamariah Ahmad , Published by Haritha Artworks

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