ASWJ Blog

Muslims in Australia Since the 1600s (Melbourne audience reaction

2009-02-10T02:10:00.001+11:00

Muslims in Australia Since the 1600s (Melbourne audience reaction)

Audience reaction to documentary film about Muslims in Australia...

Indigenous Muslims In Australia, Research: Need Your Help!!!

2008-01-15T18:38:00.000+11:00

Indigenous Muslims in Australia
Assalamu Alaikum

Dear Brothers and Sisters, I would like to personally invite you to read this article and to help the author to conduct research into a very interesting and important topic about Indigenous Muslims in Australia.

Amir Colan
Sahwa Productions
http://www.muslimsinaustralia.com

Aboriginal Muslims

Hi, I’m Peta Stephenson, a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Melbourne. I’m currently conducting research into the growing number of Indigenous Muslims in Australia. If you are or know of any Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Australians who are Muslim, please contact me at:
p.stephenson@unimelb.edu.auThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or on (03) 8344 5989.

To date I have interviewed around 40 people from all over the country (including Anthony Mundine)! Some of my interviewees are not practising Muslims per se, but they grew up with Muslim fathers (or grandfathers). Some of these connections have come through the pearl-shelling industry when Muslim ‘Malays’ came to Australia (from the late 1800s to the post-war period) and met local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women.

Other Aboriginal people - in places like South Australia and Western Australia- met Muslim Afghan cameleers during roughly the same time period. Then, there are those that have no family connection to Muslim forebears, but who have decided to identify with Islam nonetheless.

I am wanting to show the broadest possible spectrum of Indigenous meetings or encounters with Muslims through time. I am hoping that my work (which will be written up as a book in the next couple of years), will show that unlike non-Indigenous Australia, which is extremely paranoid about Muslims, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians have been meeting, trading and working with, and marrying Muslim people for generations.

Often interviews take up to an hour or so, and I send people a copy of the transcript afterwards. I also send my interviewees any papers that use their story BEFORE they are published, so that they can ask for changes or deletions if they aren't happy with something I've said. If you’re interested in becoming involved, please get in touch.

Dr Peta Stephenson
ARC Postdoctoral Fellow
Centre for Islamic Law & Society
Asia Institute
The University of Melbourne
Victoria 3010 Australia
T: +61 3 8344 5989
F: +61 3 9349 4870
E: p.stephenson@unimelb.edu.au
W: www.asiainstitute.unimelb.edu.au

Islamic Legacy Trailer

2008-01-15T18:37:00.000+11:00

Trailer for upcoming event

Islam: Empire of Faith - documentary film

2007-12-18T01:30:00.000+11:00

Islam: Empire of Faith -Part 1
This part deals with the life of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), his early life and the birth of the Islam. Islam would become the revitalizing force of Arabia, returning people to God and bringing back the monotheistic message: Islam. Women were given rights, racism was annihilated and the rich were made equal to the poor. This religion is the solution to all of humanities problems and it is important to learn about it today.

Video: Part 2
This part relates the golden age of Islam. A time of great learning when Europe was steeped in the Dark Ages. The building of great works of architecture, reading, writing, mathematics, medicine, and astronomy. Even before the printing press Muslims would have hundreds of scribes writing all at once so they would learn and reproduce the writings.

Video: Part 3
This portion deals with the growing Ottoman Empire, which would control the bridge between 3 continents: Africa, Europe and Asia. This empire would begin at the close of the Crusades until World War I, from the 1300s to 1923. They would rule the entire Middle East and make there way into Europe. Before there was the state of Israel, there was great peace in the Holy Land regulated by the Ottomans.

When the Moors Ruled in Europe - documentary film

2007-12-11T15:54:00.000+11:00

This documentary describes the glorious rule of Muslim Moors in what is now Spain.

Our way to Islam - Muslims in Australia - Video clip

2007-12-07T20:00:00.000+11:00

DVD "Muslims in Australia" Available Now:

Buy it now at:
www.muslimsinaustralia.com

New Documentary Film - Muslims in Australia - official screening info

2007-10-28T23:55:00.000+11:00

Muslims in Australia
Synopsis

Take a journey and discover how deep Muslim history runs in Australia. Discover the earliest contact that dates back to the 1600s, their connection with the indigenous population and the rich contribution they made.

Meet People, visit places, learn about Islam and witness how knowledge turns stereotypes and misconceptions around.

The film covers the following topics: Level of knowledge on Islam and Muslims, Early Indonesian contact, The Afghan cameleers, First Mosques in Australia, Islam and Aboriginals, Muslims of Today, Islam and new Muslims, The Hijab issue, Halal economic impact, Uniting against Racism, and more…

Watch other clips:
http://www.youtube.com/MUSLIMSinAUSTRALIA

Official website:
http://www.muslimsinaustralia.com/

Morning of Eid-ul Fitr in Masjidil Haram

2007-10-09T03:05:00.000+10:00

John Pilger: The War On Democracy - Film -

2007-09-28T16:34:00.000+10:00

The film is a rebuke of both the United States' intervention in foreign countries' domestic politics, and its war on terrorism.(Read more)

The War On Democracy Film Trailer by John Pilger

Watch it now:
John Pilger - The War on Democracy - ALL 10 parts

Ramadan Audio and Video lectures

2007-09-05T13:01:00.000+10:00

Moon Sighting & the Beginning of Ramadan
by sheikh Abu Ayman
Download

Other Ramadan Audio and video lecture from www.SheikhOmran.com

Dick Cheney '94: Invading Baghdad Would Create Quagmire

2007-08-12T12:29:00.001+10:00

In this interview from April 15th, 1994, Dick Cheney reveals the reasons why invading Baghdad and toppling Saddam Hussein wouldn't be a great idea. He also stipulates that "not very many" American soldiers' lives were worth losing to take out Saddam during the Gulf War.

US Presidential Candidate Wants to Bomb Mecca and Medina

2007-08-08T00:21:00.000+10:00

Rep. Tom Tancredo just won’t quit. He is a Colorado Republican congressman and presidential candidate, and he seems determined to bomb Mecca and Medina. On a recent trip to Iowa he said:

“If it is up to me, we are going to explain that an attack on this homeland of that nature would be followed by an attack on the holy sites in Mecca and Medina. Because that is the only thing I can think of that might deter somebody from doing what they would otherwise do. But as I say, if I am wrong, fine. … I would be happy to do something else. But you had better find a deterrent or you will find an attack. There is no other way around it. There have got to be negative consequences for the actions they take. That’s the most negative I can think of.” read full article

The Philippines forgotten war

2007-08-05T17:38:00.001+10:00

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front have been fighting for self-determination for years and says it has millions of supporters and members.

Polygamy row in Indonesia

2007-08-05T17:17:00.000+10:00

In Indonesia a political row has flared over the taboo topic of polygamy, after Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was accused of being secretly married.

Despite being the world's largest Muslim nation, polygamy is forbidden by law for government officials.

Sheikh Omran is now 'Online'

2007-07-28T11:35:00.000+10:00

Welcome to the new website for Students of Knowledge. Here you can find all the latest lectures, khutbahs, interviews by Sheikh Abu Ayman in different formats - video, audio or just articles. All Sheikh Omran's Friday Khutbas will be published here as well as the latest instalments in very popular series of lectures - "The Book of Marriage".
www.SheikhOmran.com

US Muslim charity on trial

2007-07-24T09:29:00.000+10:00

A leading Muslim charity is going on trial in the United States, accused of indirectly funding Hamas.

Discussion about Imaan (faith)

2007-07-18T14:52:00.000+10:00

New lecture by sheikh Abu Ayman (mp3)
Description: Discussion about Imaan (faith) according to the Quran and Sunnah (Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jamaah) and as viewed by different sects (Khawaarij, Mutazilah, Murjiites of the Jurists, Jahmites, etc). Danger of looking at Imaan as "one part" and why we have "modern" Muslims today.

Download audio, 16MB
or Watch Video

Zawjati - My wife

2007-07-16T12:29:00.000+10:00

The Book of Marriage will, insallah, continue from next week (22nd July 2007)...In the mean time you can listen to this beautiful nasheed or visit our new site for students of knowledge – www.SheikhOmran.com

Zawjati (My wife)

TRANSLATION - Zawjati (My wife)

I love you the way you are,
I love you the way you were,
No matter what did or will happen,
You are and will be my darling.

You're my rightful wife, I care not about
Those who like to reproach and irritate me.
It is our destiny to be
Together eternally.

In my heart you instilled love
With grace and good deeds.
Happiness vanishes when you disappear,
Life brightens when you're there.

Hard is my day
Until you return home.
Sadness disappears
When you smile.

Life turns black
When you're upset,
So I work hard
To make your wish come true.

You're my happiness.
May you be happy forever.
Our souls are united
Like soil and plants.

You're my hope, my peace
My good company and inspiration.
Life is good, no matter how hard it is,
When you're fine.

Islamic Lectures in Arabic language by sheikh Omran Abu Ayman

2007-07-12T09:47:00.000+10:00

- Fruits of Marriage
- Problems of the Ummah
- HellFire
- Last minutes of your life are the summary of your life

The Book of Marriage - part 4

2007-07-10T17:52:00.000+10:00

Sheikh Omran Abu Ayman talks about prohibition of temporary marriage (Mut’a) and other kinds of unlawful marriage contracts...

Government admits oil is the reason for war in Iraq

2007-07-09T15:45:00.000+10:00

Hot from the ABC news...

ASWJ Activities 2006/07

2007-07-09T10:11:00.000+10:00

Our activities during the past year...

The Book of Marriage - part 3

2007-06-27T23:08:00.000+10:00

The Fruits of Marriage, khutbah

2007-06-26T10:59:00.000+10:00

The Book of Marriage, part 2

2007-06-21T14:45:00.001+10:00

History of the Arab-Israeli conflict

2007-06-17T17:06:00.000+10:00

Peace, Propaganda and the Promised Land: Media & the Israel-Palestine Conflict

The Arab-Israeli conflict is a modern phenomenon, which dates back to the end of the 19th century. The conflict became a major international issue after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire in 1917, and in various forms it continues to this day. The Arab-Israeli conflict has resulted in at least five major wars and a number of "minor conflicts". It has also been the source of two major Palestinian intifadas (uprisings) and is cited by al-Qaeda, a largely Arab organization, as one of the reasons for its conflict with the Western world.

Before 1947
Tensions between the Jews and Arabs started to emerge after the 1880s, when European Jews began to immigrate and augment Palestinian Jewish communities by buying land from Ottoman and individual Arab landholders, known as effendis, and establishing agricultural settlements in the historic lands of Judea and Israel, which were then part of the Ottoman Empire.[1] At the time, Arab Palestinians lived an almost feudal existence on the effendis' land in what was known as Palestine.[2] The population in 1880 of Palestine west of the Jordan River was estimated at "under 590,000, of whom 96 percent were Arabs (Muslim or Christian); roughly 4 percent of the population was Jewish"
Read more about: History of the Arab-Israeli conflict

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which is often claimed to be at the heart of the Arab-Israeli conflict, is an ongoing dispute between two peoples, Jewish Israelis and Arab Palestinians, who both claim the right to sovereignty over the Land of Israel/Palestine in whole or in part.

Learn more about:
Fatah
"Palestinian National Liberation Movement"
Yasser Arafat
was Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization (1968–2004) and President[2] of the Palestinian National Authority (1993–2004).
Hamas
"Islamic Resistance Movement"
Ahmed Yassin
was the co-founder and leader of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement group Hamas.
First Intifada
was a mass Palestinian uprising against Israeli rule
The State of Israel

Related videos:

Palestine is Still the Issue by John Pilger

The Book of Marriage, part 1

2007-06-15T23:56:00.000+10:00

Islamic classe at IISCA every Friday and Sunday night afer Isha (8pm)
Friday - Tafseer of Qur'an
Sunday - Fiqh (The Book of Marriage)

The Fall of the Ottoman Empire

2007-06-15T00:49:00.000+10:00

Plea to take in Chinese Muslims

2007-06-14T16:55:00.000+10:00

AUSTRALIA has been asked to grant asylum to a group of Chinese Muslim men who have been released from detention at Guantanamo Bay, amid fears that they would be executed if they are sent back to China.

Australia's Chinese Muslim community is urging the Howard Government to settle the men following a request from the US, which no longer considers them a terrorist threat.

According to a report in The New York Times, Australia is one of nearly 100 countries that have been asked by the US to settle the men — with little success.

Chinese officials have pressured many countries to refuse to settle them and want them returned to China, the paper reports.

Only Albania, a staunch ally of the US, has agreed to accept five of the men, who are now languishing in a squalid refugee camp in the former communist country.

International human rights groups say China's communist Government has led a heavy-handed campaign of religious repression against the Uighur ethnic Muslim minority in western China.

Read full article

Read about
Islam in China
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hellfire - Friday Khutbah

2007-06-09T16:24:00.000+10:00

MOVIE: The World According to Bush

2007-06-09T14:09:00.000+10:00

WORLD ACCORDING TO BUSH, A VERY EDUCATED AND WELL RESEARCHED DOCUMENTARY, LEADERS, POLITICIANS AND BIG GUYS TALKS ABOUT MR.PRESIDENT ABOUT HIS PRESIDENCY. ITS FUNNY TOOO.

Riz Khan: Turkey

2007-06-06T19:21:00.000+10:00

Riz Khan looks at the increasing tensions between Turkey's secularists and Islam

USA Terrorism. Destroy Mosque In Iraq

2007-06-02T14:50:00.000+10:00

2nd video

1967 Israeli attack on the USS Liberty

2007-05-30T16:01:00.000+10:00

Six days of war, 40 years of secrecy

Tim Fischer
May 27, 2007

>> Watch documentary film <<

Was the 1967 Israeli attack on the USS Liberty deliberate? The US is morally bound to find out.

FORTY years ago in a quiet corner of the Mediterranean off the Sinai Desert, an extraordinary attack was launched by Israeli jet fighters and torpedo boats on the USS Liberty.

It was the fourth day of the Six-Day War. The large intelligence-gathering ship was in international waters, proudly flying the US flag and clearly marked as the USS Liberty. Conditions were calm and clear, but by day's end 34 American sailors were killed and 172 injured.

The USS Liberty struggled back to Malta with several gaping holes and a US Navy Court of Inquiry team on board. The president of this inquiry was Admiral Isaac C. Kidd, and Captain Ward Boston jnr was counsel assisting, but under Pentagon orders the court was not permitted to travel to Israel to complete its investigations.

There is still a fierce debate over the question of whether the attack by Israeli forces was deliberate, allegedly mounted to disrupt US intelligence collection and provide cover for the day-five invasion of Syria and capture of the Golan Heights. Against this serious accusation, a book by retired US judge A. Jay Cristol, The Liberty Incident, contends that the attack was undertaken by Israeli jet fighters and Israeli torpedo boats, but was accidental.

read all

Noam Chomsky interview Al Jazeera 1

2007-05-28T16:23:00.000+10:00

Part 2

U.S. Economic Collapse?

2007-05-19T15:28:00.001+10:00

The estimated population of the United States is 301,919,481

U.S. NATIONAL DEBT
so each citizen's share of this debt is $29,167.26.

At the Precipice of Economic Collapse

The U.S. government is broke! It must borrow more than $2 billion per day to fund its programs at home and its military operations around the globe.
...
At the current spending rate, North Americans buy $810 billion more in goods and services each year than they sell overseas.
...
But American foreign policy has made the nation an international pariah; at some point, if a country with large dollar holdings decides that the planet would be better off without the U.S., it can "pull the trigger" and quickly bring about America’s economic destruction.
...
America owes a significant portion of its debt to nations it defeated in World War II. God warned that if His people did not obey Him, they would have to serve their enemies.
read full article

Who Is Stealing Iraq's Oil?

2007-05-18T12:17:00.000+10:00

It took quite a while, but it appears that the Bush Administration has finally gotten around to acknowledging that Iraq has an oil problem. The Government Accountability Office is about to release a report that estimates 100,000 to 300,000 barrels of oil goes missing every month. According to the New York Times, the GAO will not offer a conclusion about what specifically is happening to the missing oil, other than it is probably lost to corruption, smuggling or just bad accounting.
read all

Funny video: Chasers War On Everything - Americans

2007-05-13T13:35:00.000+10:00

Chasers war on everything: Evangelicals

500 Terror Attacks in EU in 2006 - But Only 1 by Islamists

2007-05-07T00:37:00.000+10:00

There were almost 500 acts of terrorism across the European Union in 2006 -- but only one, the foiled suitcase bomb plot in Germany, was related to Islamist terror, a new EU report reveals. Meanwhile the trial of one of the main suspects in the German plot has been adjourned in Lebanon.

Almost all the terrorist attacks in the European Union in 2006 were unrelated to Islamist terror, a new report reveals -- but the potential impact of an attack aimed at mass casualties made Islamist terrorism a top priority for European investigators nonetheless.

According to a report released Tuesday by Europol, the European Union's law enforcement organization, 498 attacks were carried out in the EU in 2006. Of them, only one -- the failed suitcase bomb attacks in Germany -- was perpetrated by Islamist terrorists.

Full article

Do you Know Allah? Lecture by young child

2007-05-06T13:37:00.000+10:00

Beautiful Recitation

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk

2007-04-30T22:07:00.000+10:00

Atatürk ("Father Turk" — the name he adopted in 1935) now embarked on an ambitious and radical programme to turn Turkey from a Muslim polity into a modern state. The Republic was proclaimed in 1923, with Ankara as its capital, Kemal as executive President, and a single political party. An elected Parliament was added by the 1924 constitution. The dominance of Islam in public life was ended when the Caliphate was abolished in 1924; religious orders were disbanded; religious property was seized; religious instruction was curtailed and a secular educational system established; the Islamic legal system was replaced by a European one; and, in 1928, Islam itself was disestablished. The fez and the veil were forbidden, the Latin alphabet was substituted for the Arabic, and, in 1934, women were enfranchised. Ataturk revitalized the economy, created mixed state-private banks, protected domestic industry and, on étatiste Kemalist principles, responsibility for investment and preventing foreign capital entering Turkey was assumed by the state.
Link

Get more info irom Wikipedia:

It is evident from his personal journal that Mustafa Kemal began to develop the concepts of his social revolution very early. Mustafa Kemal constantly discussed with his staff on issues like abolishing the veiling of women and integration to females to social life and developed conclusions.
...
Mustafa Kemal acquired the consent of İnönü, Çakmak and Özalp before abolition of the caliphate. March 1, 1924 at the assembly; "The religion of Islam be elevated by ceasing to be a political instrument, as had been the case in the past."[
...
Fez symbolized the tie to the past to Mustafa Kemal.[42] He was determined to force its abandonment and finalize a series of dress reforms which its history starts by Mahmud II.[42] Like the Mahmud II, and other Ottoman reformists, fanaticism and reaction had raise obstacles in his path.[42] Mustafa Kemal first made the hat compulsory to the civil servants.[
...
The visual and the plastic arts, whose development had on occasion been arrested by some Ottoman officials claiming that the depiction of the human form was idolatry, were highly encouraged and supported by Atatürk, and these flourished in the new Turkish republic. Many museums were opened; architecture began to follow modern trends; and classical Western music, opera, and ballet, as well as the theatre, also took greater hold.
Read full article
&
Turkey - factbook

ANZAC Day info

2007-04-26T01:44:00.000+10:00

In 1915 Australian and New Zealand soldiers formed part of the Allied expedition that set out to capture the Gallipoli peninsula to open the way to the Black Sea for the Allied navies. The plan was to capture Istanbul, capital of the Ottoman Empire and an ally of Germany. They landed at Gallipoli on 25 April, meeting fierce resistance from the Turkish defenders.
Read about it from Wikipedia

ASWJ Camp 2007, Advice For Youth by sheikh Omran (Abu Ayman)

2007-04-23T16:46:00.000+10:00

Pictures from Camp and Lecture about patience and manners in working for Islam.

Nasheed for Children

2007-04-06T02:20:00.000+10:00

More Islamic nasheeds

SOMALIA: HEARTS, MINDS & HOLY WAR

2007-03-27T16:09:00.000+10:00

Channel 4: Unreported World: Somalia

Q: Is it permissible for him to cheat government and take money from them?

2007-03-15T00:19:00.000+11:00

Question:
Here in one of the western countries they give a monthly allowance to everyone who comes and seeks to settle here. They say to everyone who applies: If you find work, you must tell us, so that we can stop the monthly allowance and you will have just the salary from your work. They take 30% in taxes from salaries. Is it permissible to avoid the taxes by not telling them that I have found work, thus getting both the monthly allowance and a salary? I am here for the sake of work and study, and do not plan to settle permanently.

Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.

If a Muslim enters such a country, he must adhere to the conditions that have been stipulated. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“O you who believe! Fulfil (your) obligations”

[al-Maa'idah 5:1]

It is not permissible for a Muslim to betray them or cheat them. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Render back trusts to the one who entrusted you, and do not betray the one who betrays you.” Narrated by Abu Dawood, 3534; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood.

And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) described one of the attributes of the hypocrite as being: “When he enters into a covenant, he proves treacherous.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 34; Muslim, 58.

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to send his companions to fight the mushrikeen, and one of the things he advised them was: “Do not be treacherous.” Narrated by Muslim, 1731.

This is something which demonstrates the greatness of Islam and the perfection of its laws, for it forbids its followers to be treacherous or to cheat even its enemies.

This state has allowed you to stay there, subject to certain conditions, so you are obliged to fulfil them.

Based on this, it is not permissible for you to conceal your work from them so that you can avoid paying taxes and take the monthly allowance when it is not permissible for you.

And Allaah knows best.

Islam Q&A

Muslim Media Watch 2, An Inconvenient Truth - Sheikh Omran

2007-03-14T23:12:00.000+11:00

Compare what media reported and what sheikh Omran said about Climate change

Nothing sinister in Muslim call for divine help

2007-03-13T14:52:00.000+11:00

Dr Amjid Muhammad
Link

THE debate on the water crisis in Australia has been explored from meteorological, political and economic points of view. The recent commotion caused by a certain section of the media regarding Sheikh Mohammed Omran's comments ( The Age, 12/3) has brought into consideration a different perspective: the religious one.

Sheikh Omran's comments made during a Friday sermon have been greatly misconstrued to mean that the current drought Australians are experiencing is due to their lack of belief in Allah — the name given to God in the Islamic faith. (The sermon can be watched in its entirety on the internet at www.aswj.com.au — and I strongly urge readers to listen to it and draw their own conclusions.)

Even though the sermon was grossly distorted — one of the underlying themes to this episode is the continual exercise by certain sections of the media to portray Muslims in the most negative light possible — the issue of whether a divine being has a part to play in our present climatic crisis remains a pertinent one.

Muslims believe that all events can only occur by the will of Allah. If a calamity strikes them at a personal or communal level, then they should engage themselves in a process of self-appraisal and examine their relationship with the Creator. One usually looks at one's own transgressions and seeks forgiveness. This relationship between natural calamities and sins is not something unique to Islam. All three major monotheistic religions — Judaism, Christianity and Islam — preach about the cataclysmic flood that destroyed the people of Noah due to their disbelief and transgressions against God. The Koran captures Noah's advice to his people: "Ask forgiveness from your Lord for He is oft-forgiving and He will send rain to you in abundance" (Noah 71:10).

Islam, unlike many other religions, has divine legislation that prevents abuse of the environment. The Prophet Muhammad prohibited the excessive use of water even when performing core acts of worship such as purification. It is also prohibited to urinate in natural bodies of water such as lakes and ponds.

It may be argued that Sheikh Omran and Muslims in general are insensitive to the drought-affected community when making such comments. As a riposte, I would like to highlight the yearly communal prayer that is held by Muslims seeking rain for all of Australia. And late last year, many religious leaders and the broader Muslim community gathered in a park in Brunswick beseeching Allah for rain. Sheikh Omran's followers made up a good number of the congregation.

Australian Muslims are in need of water just as much as any other Australian. They will do whatever is necessary to conserve it, and will as a community seek Allah's mercy, plead with him to drench our country's soil with rain.

Dr Amjid Muhammad, Ahlus Sunnah wal Jam'ah Association of Australia

What Sheikh Omran said about climate control...

2007-03-12T02:38:00.000+11:00

What media said:

PREMIER Steve Bracks has ridiculed comments by a radical Islamic cleric that blamed global warming on Australians' lack of faith in God.

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,21363664-661,00.html

What sheikh Omran said???

Sheikh Omran:(7th minute)

..."What we have nowadays? As the most important scientists, when they meet last month, they call them scientists of the day of judgement... did you hear about that meeting? It was the conference in Europe... And when they reveled curtain they put three minutes to twelve. Like three minutes left to the world to finish. Finish because of what? Because of our deeds. Because of our science. Because of our experiments. This Experiments went so wild because there is no control, fear of Allah is not there. So we have now polluted air, polluted water. a waste land..."

(9th min)

..."Real civilised person (is the one) who lives harmoniously with the surrounding around them. Who is good, as same as to other human as same to the fish in the water. As same to the bird in the air, as same to the plant in the ground. This is the real civilised person.

This is why you see in our sharia you are not allowed to cut the tree for no reason. Or, to harm bird without reason. But water is must to be looked after. "...

watch full video here

Canberra: Muslims and the non-Muslims, chance to hear all sides of the issue

2007-03-05T01:20:00.000+11:00

A SPECIAL opinion poll has found a dramatic drop in concern about Muslims in Australia following detailed discussions about terrorism and other issues.
...
Those who believed Muslims coming to Australia had a bad impact on national security nearly halved from 44 per cent to 23 per cent. The 49 per cent who said the incompatibility of Muslim and non-Muslim values was a big contributor to terrorism fell to 22per cent. Just under a third originally thought that Muslims who come to live here made Australia worse but this shrunk to just 7 per cent.
...
Before the discussions, those polled consistently exaggerated the Muslim proportion of the population, with under 30 per cent giving the correct answer of 1.5 per cent. At the end of the weekend, this rose to 95 per cent.
...
Melbourne sheik Mohammed Omran, who has attracted criticism for his teachings and his radical followers, presented himself as a loyal Australian and "grassroots person" who had been misinterpreted by the media.

He argued that the non-Muslim majority in Australia had the prime responsibility to make the Muslim minority feel welcome.

One of the participants, 30-year-old Perth mother of two Kimberley Marshall said the weekend had convinced her that there was "no huge problem" between Muslim and non-Muslim Australians. "We're all Australians, I think," she added.

Link

Fear of Muslims declines when all sides put their case
AUSTRALIANS' worries about the threat of terrorism posed by Muslims falls dramatically once they have a chance to hear all sides of the issue.
...
That figure fell to 22 per cent when the same people were polled yesterday, after spending two days hearing views ranging from hostile to sympathetic about the presence of Islam in Australia.
Link

Prejudices and preconceptions were challenged, misunderstandings and misapprehensions clarified.
The microcosm of Australia that attended did not emerge with knowledge about every last detail of Muslim attitudes and actions. But they did come to base their views on a much better understanding of the issues.
...
It would be a worthwhile government investment in informed decision-making. In the absence of that, the Government could offer leadership in promoting the findings of such research. But the Howard Government, which did not bother to turn up, obviously feels it is easier to pander to perceptions and prejudices.
Link

PUSHING for more Muslim integration into the Australian mainstream will only promote additional barriers and further isolate the Islamic community, according to a prominent Muslim leader.
Link

Ms Marshall, 30, from Mullaloo, on Perth's northern coast, said she learned more about Muslims in three days then she had in her lifetime. For her, the confidence in the information she now possessed about the religion was enough for her to debunk some of the myths and misconceptions held by people she knew.

"I'm now more confident to say, 'They are good people'," she said.
Link

The participants in the deliberative poll in Old Parliament House in Canberra were exposed to a weekend of analysis and arguments from academics and religious leaders. But it was discovering what many Muslims are really like - that they are just as diverse as many other Australians and just as similar as other human beings - that probably was the main factor in Newspoll measuring a shift in opinion less hostile to Muslims.
...
"Ninety-nine per cent of Australians have a great responsibility to let this little number (of Muslims) feel they are part of this society," Omran said.
Link

"The issue that we have is an artificial created problem between the Muslims and the non-Muslims," Sheikh Omran
Link

Sheik Omran said Australia had a responsibility to make Muslims feel welcome.

"You are the host. When I come to your house as a guest and you welcome me with an open heart, I see your generosity as a human - it doesn't matter what I believe in, I will love you and care for you as much as you care for me," he said.

Muslim countries had been great allies of the West during the fight against "our first enemy", communism, and Australia still had a close alliance with Indonesia, which has the world's biggest Muslim population, Sheik Omran said.

Link

Muslims and Non-Muslims in Australia, Survey

2007-03-04T21:18:00.000+11:00

Survey tracks fear of Muslims syndrome

Australians feel less threatened by Muslims once they have had the chance to talk about issues of potential conflict, a new survey shows.

Australia Deliberates: Muslims and Non-Muslims in Australia was the first attempt to survey non-Muslims' attitudes to Muslims and their culture, values and any perceived threat to national security.

"Before the deliberations, an initial survey by Issues Deliberation Australia (IDA) and Newspoll, showed nearly half of Australia thought that incompatibility between Muslim and Western values was a big contributor to terrorism," IDA managing director Pam Ryan said.

"After an intense weekend of ... discussions, information from a vast array of points of view and persuasions, and the opportunity to ask questions of competing experts, the Australians surveyed shifted their opinions dramatically.

"On the question of terrorism, the number who thought an incompatibility between values was a big contributor dropped from 49 per cent to 22 per cent."

Opposition multicultural affairs spokesman Laurie Ferguson said the forum enabled many voices to be heard.

"Most importantly Australia Deliberates provided members of the Islamic community with a forum in which they can debate and discuss many of their trials tribulations with other ordinary Australians," Mr Ferguson said.

"This was done with the spirit of an open mind and wanting to gain greater mutual understanding."
Link

Muslims in Australia - trailer (documentary film)

2007-02-26T01:24:00.000+11:00

First time in Australia - documentary film about Muslims made by Muslims...

It's purpose is to show deep history and constructive contribution of Muslims in Australia.

Direct link:
http://video.google.com.au/videoplay?docid=1386694383458957263

The rise and fall of the ’salafi dawah’ in the US

2007-02-23T12:28:00.000+11:00

From http://umarlee.com/ blog
Over the next few days, weeks or however long it takes, I will be writing a series about the rise and fall of the “salafi dawah”, the accomplishments, mistakes and ultimately, its fall amongst US converts from my perspective and consulting with some other brothers on the scene at the time.

I’m not going to open comments on these posts until the end because I’d like for everyone to have the full body of information - at least from my perspective - before commenting. This is part one.

The Beginning…

In the early to mid 90s, we witnessed a period in which lots of people were becoming Muslim after the new interest in Malcolm X brought on mostly by Spike Lee’s X hats and the movie.

This brought on a short period of revived black consciousness in which we saw many black bookstores open that sold books such as “The Isis Papers” and “Stolen Legacy” promoting myths of a black super civilization that used to exist that had 25th century technology buried beneath the Saharan desert to protect their super knowledge from the evil of the white man. There was so much hope that ‘knowledge of self’ would finally bring blacks out of the rut they’d fallen into. This “hope” is what leads African-Americans into different movements. The strong yearning to be a part of something positive. Many of you will not understand this yearning, but it is very strong. I cannot understand it as well as a black person, but I do know what this yearning is like. This point is important because many of these new Muslims from the influx would find that their next “great hope” was in the salafi dawah.

The black consciousness period basically ended with the disappointment in lack of substantive response in aftermath of the “Million Man March”. Lots of people showed up, lots of good feeling, lots of money made for some, but nothing happened in the black communities after that.

After the Malcolm X bio-pic and the new black consciousness movement, this led to a lot of interest amongst black youth (even white youth like me at the time) in “returning to their roots” which eventually led many of them to Islam. I became Muslim myself during this period after reading the ‘Autobiography of Malcolm X’. The same is the case with others I know.

On top of pointing out the influx of Muslims that came in from the short black consciousness period in the early 90’s, it must also be noted that the internet was taking off. This is important to note as the internet would feed much of the growth of the salafi movement and, ironically, eventually contribute to its current decline.

Before this time, in the late 80’s, some of the forbearers of salafi dawah that were already here in the US, used to drive hundred of miles to give lectures in which there would only be like a dozen people who all knew each other. This was a “big gathering”. There were few converts that were salafi at that time. These speakers would form part of the backbone of the salafi speakers circuit along with those that were about to graduate from the University of Madinah (Abu Muslimah and Abu Usamah). It is these individuals, along with Dawood Adib, that really took “the dawah” to the converts where it was originally mostly a Gulf Arab thing.

link

Warning on Muslims

2007-02-16T02:37:00.000+11:00

Academic's warning on Muslims causes stir
Barney Zwartz
February 16, 2007
Link

THE fabric of Western nations is at risk when the Muslim population reaches about 10 per cent, as in France, a Jewish commentator on Islam said yesterday.

Raphael Israeli, an expert on Islamic history from Hebrew University in Jerusalem, told The Age that Australia was at risk of violence if its Muslim population increased.

"When the Muslim population gets to a critical mass you have problems. That is a general rule, so if it applies everywhere it applies in Australia," he said.

His views were last night dismissed as extreme by Muslim leaders.

But Professor Israeli distanced himself from a report in yesterday's Australian Jewish News that quoted him as saying Australia should cap Muslim immigration or risk being swamped by Indonesians. Professor Israeli has been brought to Australia by the Shalom Institute of the University of NSW. The Australia-Israel Jewish Affairs Council is co-hosting many of his activities, including a proposed visit to Melbourne next month.

Professor Israeli said Muslim immigrants had a reputation for manipulating the values of Western countries, taking advantage of their hospitality and tolerance.

"Greeks or Italians or Jews don't use violence. There is no Italian or Jewish Hilali (controversial Sydney cleric Sheikh Taj al-din al-Hilali) Why?"

The head of the Federal Government's Muslim advisory taskforce, Dr Ameer Ali, condemned the comments as being "totally inflammatory". He said Professor Israeli was pushing an Israeli Government line and betraying his discipline as an objective academic.

Islamic Council of Victoria spokesman Waleed Aly said some of the comments attributed to Professor Israeli came close to the sort of remark Sheikh Hilali was condemned over. He said the professor was conflating complex and separate issues.

Professor Israeli said that when the Muslim population increased, so did the risk of violence.

"Where there are large Muslim populations who are prepared to use violence you are in trouble. If there is only 1 or 2 per cent they don't dare to do it — they don't have the backing of big communities, they know they are drowned in the environment of non-Muslims and are better behaved."

In Australia, Muslims are 1.5 per cent of the population.

In France, which has the highest proportion of Muslims in Europe at about 10 per cent, it was already too late, he said. There were regions even the police were scared to enter, and militant Muslims were changing the country's political and cultural fabric, and demanding anti-Semitic and anti-Israel policies.

"French people say they are strangers in their own country. This is a point of no return. If you are on a collision course, what can you do? You can't put them all in prison, and anyway they are not all violent. You can't send them all back. You are really in trouble. It's irreversible."

Professor Israeli said that in Australia a few imams had preached violence and influenced young people.

"You should not let fundamentalist imams come here. Screen them 1000 times before they are admitted, and after they are admitted screen what they say in the mosque."

Link

Signs of the Hour - Sheikh Feiz

2007-02-13T14:38:00.000+11:00

Putin blasts U.S. for 'very dangerous' foreign policies

2007-02-11T16:34:00.000+11:00

Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused the United States of making the world a more dangerous place by trying to impose its will through an "almost uncontained, hyper use of force."

U.S. foreign policies are prompting countries around the world to develop nuclear arms, Putin told a security conference in Munich on Saturday in what many observers said were the strongest verbal attack that Putin has made on Washington.

Putin, speaking through a translator, said countries were "witnessing the almost uncontained, hyper use of force in international relations."

"One state, the United States, has overstepped its national borders in every way. This is very dangerous. Nobody feels secure anymore because nobody can hide behind international law," Putin told the annual Munich Conference on Security Policy.

"It is a world of one master, one sovereign.… It has nothing to do with democracy," he told the gathering of senior security officials from around the world.
Read full article

US mayor converts to Islam

2007-02-09T02:36:00.000+11:00

MACON, Georgia: Macon Mayor Jack Ellis has converted to Islam and is now working to legally change his name to Hakim Mansour Ellis.

Ellis, who was raised Christian, said Thursday that he became a Sunni Muslim during a December ceremony in the west African nation of Senegal.

"You do it because it feels right," said Ellis. "To me it's no big deal. But people like to know what you believe in. And this is what I believe in."

Ellis said he has been studying the Quran for years and that his new religion was originally practiced by his ancestors before they were brought to North America as slaves.
...
"If anybody wants to know about Islam, I can hold an intelligent conversation," Ellis said. "What I've found is how little we know about the religion."
Read full article

Bush seeks $700bn for military

2007-02-06T13:42:00.000+11:00

Only World War II has cost the US taxpayer more than the conflict in Iraq.
...
George Bush, the US president, has asked Congress for an extra $700bn to spend on the military, funded by curbs on spending on health and domestic programmes.

The request, totalling a record amount of $2.9 trillion, provoked immediate criticism from Democrats who now control congress.

Nancy Pelosi, the Democrat leader of the house, said: "Democrats will not give the president a blank cheque on Iraq."
Read full article

Elements of Iraq 'civil war'

2007-02-03T14:59:00.000+11:00

WASHINGTON, Feb 2 (Reuters) - U.S. intelligence concluded that key elements of Iraq's violence rose to the level of "civil war" in a report on Friday that the White House said justified a troop increase and Democrats seized on as proof of a failed strategy.

Escalating violence between Iraqi Sunnis and Shi'ites met the definition for a civil war, but the politically charged term did not describe all the chaos in Iraq, the report said.

Read full article

Church's 'Jesus loves Osama' sign

2007-02-01T23:10:00.000+11:00

JESUS does indeed love Osama bin Laden - it is just that he does not approve of him or his line of work.

The head of the Anglican church in New South Wales has said "there is a truth" to a Baptist parish's billboard declaration that "Jesus loves Osama", but love does not necessarily translate to approval.

The Central Baptist Church on George St in Sydney's CBD yesterday defended the sign - outside its front doors and facing the street - and said it was designed to convey that Jesus Christ taught the importance of loving everyone.

Read all

'It's like a Nazi camp': Hicks

2007-01-30T17:20:00.000+11:00

Accused terrorist David Hicks has told his lawyers that conditions at Guantanamo Bay, where he has been held for five years, are "like a Nazi concentration camp".

...Hicks has been detained by the US military without trial since he was captured with Taliban forces in Afghanistan in December 2001.

He was sent to Guantanamo Bay the following month.

"He continues to be locked up 22 hours a day," Mr McLeod said.

"He has seen the sun three times since he has been at Camp Six in early December.

"He has no privacy whatsoever in Camp Six - his toilet paper is rationed, he hasn't been able to comb his hair since going there because he's not provided with a comb or brush.

"The guards can see into his cell 24 hours a day.

read full article

Canada 'sorry' for citizen's ordeal

2007-01-30T13:28:00.000+11:00

Canada has apologised to a software engineer and paid him $8.9m in compensation after he was deported to Syria by US agents because Canadian police had mistakenly said he was an Islamic extremist.

...He has said he was repeatedly tortured during the year he spent in detention in Damascus, the Syrian capital...

The deportation has strained diplomatic relations between the USA and Canada.

Stephen Harper, the Canadian prime minister, once again urged Washington to remove Arar from its security watch list as he announced the settlement on Friday.

Read full article

Jewish leaders welcome new $8 million Islamic studies centre

2007-01-27T18:25:00.000+11:00

...Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) president Grahame Leonard said the initiative, which has the backing of the Federal Government “has objectives we very much applaud”.

The National Centre of Excellence for Islamic Studies, which will receive $8 million in funding from the Federal Government, will be a shared resource of the University of Melbourne, Brisbane’s Griffith University and the University of Western Sydney.

Leonard said the appointment of Professor Abdullah Saeed, an acclaimed Islamic educator at the University of Melbourne, as the centre’s director “is comforting and a good appointment ... we have had dealings with him and find him to be a moderate”.

...“If the centre allows non-Islamic people to learn about Islam and allows young Muslims to learn about their religion and culture, it can become a counterpoint to extremism.”...

Read full article

EU training of Imams & European values

2007-01-27T18:18:00.000+11:00

...Wolfgang Schaeuble suggested that the EU should promote the training of imams to encourage Muslim leaders who were comfortable with European values.

He compared parts of the Islamic world to pre-Enlightenment Europe, and criticised both the burka veil and traditional Muslim attitudes to women.

He pledged to use his country's EU presidency to promote integration.

He wanted training for imams that could "strengthen those who can live with the European rule of law, universal rights and the achievements of the Enlightenment", he said, referring to the 17th Century European movement that put reason and universal rights ahead of tradition.

"There are still parts of the Muslim world where historical enlightenment still needs to be implemented," he told Brussels-based journalists on Thursday.
Full article

Hezbollah Strike Brings Beirut to a Virtual Halt

2007-01-24T20:24:00.000+11:00

By NADA BAKRI and HASSAN M. FATTAH
Published: January 23, 2007

BEIRUT, Lebanon, Jan. 23 — An opposition protest turned violent today as thousands of Hezbollah supporters blocked roads leading into Beirut, burning tires and cars and clashing with government loyalists. The escalation brought the Lebanese capital to a virtual standstill and heightened fears that the nearly two-month long political crisis could burst into sectarian conflict.

Read all

"Australian-friendly Islam"

2007-01-23T20:28:00.000+11:00

Teaching Muslims moderation
By Lachlan Heywood

YOUNG Muslims will be taught Australian-friendly Islam under a Federal Government plan to stop them falling prey to extremists.

An approved Islamic curriculum will be rolled out by a consortium of universities, including Griffith University in Brisbane, to counter the teachings of Muslim firebrands who preach intolerance and hate.

Read full article

Mufti asked to run for parliament

2007-01-22T06:11:00.000+11:00

NSW Premier Morris Iemma has challenged controversial Islamic cleric Sheik Taj Din al-Hilali to stand in the March state elections so Muslims can "reject his lunacy".

The mufti's spokesman Keysar Trad yesterday played down reports Sheik al-Hilali may stand against Mr Iemma in the Premier's electorate of Lakemba, but said he might help the Muslim community nominate candidates in Sydney.

Muslims are tired of getting picked on whenever incidents of violence or racial abuse occur in Sydney, Mr Trad said.

Read all

Presidential campaign Conspiracy theory

2007-01-20T16:23:00.000+11:00

Right-wing media figures claim Clinton behind Obama/Muslim smears

...The sources said the background check concerned Mr. Obama's years in Jakarta. In Indonesia, the young Obama was enrolled in a Madrassa and was raised and educated as a Muslim. Although Indonesia is regarded as a moderate Muslim state, the U.S. intelligence community has determined that today most of these schools are financed by the Saudi Arabian government and they teach a Wahhabi doctrine that denies the rights of non-Muslims.

Although the background check has not confirmed that the specific Madrassa Mr. Obama attended was espousing Wahhabism, the sources said his Democratic opponents believe this to be the case -- and are seeking to prove it. The sources said the opponents are searching for evidence that Mr. Obama is still a Muslim or has ties to Islam.

Read all

Mixing up Barack Obama and Osama bin Laden

Senator Obama on The Today Show

Barack Obama - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Howard's greeting for 'anti-Muslim' group

2007-01-19T15:40:00.000+11:00

PM defends 'Catch the Fire' message

Misha Schubert
January 19, 2007 - 3:36PM

Prime Minister John Howard has defended his decision to record a goodwill message for an Australia Day prayer event organised by a controversial group involved in an anti-Islamic court case.

The prime minister will appear in a DVD message for Catch the Fire Ministries, which is sponsoring a multi-denominational gathering in Melbourne on January 26.

Critics say Mr Howard should not be affiliated with the group while it is facing court proceedings for alleged racial vilification of Muslims.

In the DVD Mr Howard says Christianity has been an enormous force for good and he congratulates Catch the Fire Ministries for organising the event, to be held next Friday.

"Today is, of course, Australia Day,'' Mr Howard says on the DVD.

"It's a time when we celebrate the freedom and privileges we enjoy as citizens of a great, prosperous and peaceful nation so blessed with an abundance of natural beauty.

"It's also a time to reaffirm our commitment to shared values and our abiding loyalty to our nation, Australia.

"Christianity has been an enormous force for good and has done more than anything else to shape the lives, not only of millions of Australians, but the character of our nation.

"I congratulate Catch the Fire Ministries for bringing Christians from many denominations together for this celebration and I wish you all a very happy Australia Day.''

Read full article

The Virtues of Knowledge by Abu Bakr Zoud

2007-01-13T18:14:00.000+11:00

The manners of seeking knowledge - Sheikh Khaled Eissa

2007-01-05T15:18:00.000+11:00

Would the minister for the mushy M-word stand up?

2007-01-05T03:09:00.000+11:00

...Consider, after all, the comic irony that abounds when the de facto minister for multiculturalism, parliamentary secretary Andrew Robb, avoids using precisely that word beginning with "m", which defines his portfolio. In fact, he's on record as favouring scrapping the term "multiculturalism" entirely from the Government's revamped ethnic policy...

And so here we are: navigating through the fog of a new cultural battlefield, as the earth reverberates from the shockwaves of Islamist terror elsewhere in the world.

There's fog because the words that frame this still-tentative debate — "integration", "values", "cultural diversity" and so on — are necessarily nebulous. And precisely why we must have this debate in the first place is yet to be properly explained.

...Yet the Government insists the new measures are not aimed at Muslims. Is this all an elaborate dog-whistle, an appeal to the would-be Hansonites whose support can sway elections? Whatever the truth, it surely leaves the public feeling something less than relaxed-and-comfortable.

Read full article

Eritrea blames Washington for Somalia war

2007-01-02T05:31:00.000+11:00

ASMARA (Reuters) - Eritrea accused the United States on Monday of being behind the war in Somalia, but said Washington could never thwart the will of the Somali people.

Diplomats across east Africa agree that Washington almost certainly gave tacit approval for Ethiopia to provide the forces which allowed Somalia's weak interim government to roll into the capital Mogadishu and send the hardline Islamists packing.

Washington has accused Eritrea of providing arms and men to the Islamists. The government in Asmara denies that.

"There is a misrepresentation in the media. This war is between the Americans and the Somali people," Eritrean Information Minister Ali Abdu told Reuters by telephone.

Full Article

ASWJ Eid Festival - Melbourne & Sydney

2007-01-01T12:44:00.000+11:00

Eid Mubarak!

Factfile: Somalia - a brief outline of the country

2006-12-26T12:02:00.000+11:00

Key facts

Population: 10 million
Religion: Sunni Islam
Average annual income: $600
Exports: Goats, bananas and fish
Language: Somali
Capital: Mogadishu

Rise of the Islamic Courts Union

On June 5, an Islamic Courts-allied militia defeated the US-backed leaders and took control of Mogadishu.

Since then, they have expanded their control over much of southern Somalia, capturing the key port town of Kismayo.
Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, executive chairman of the Union of the Islamic Courts Areas under the Islamists' control have enjoyed a return to relative normality.

The Islamic Courts Union has also re-opened the city's international airport and numerous other ports along the Somali coast and invited foreign countries and individuals to invest in the war-shattered country.

The interim administration has been powerless to control fighting in Mogadishu and is not strong enough to move to the capital. It is based in Baidoa.

In the country's north, Somaliland and Puntland, two break-away regions, have established functioning governments and enjoy a measure of security and stability.

Somaliland, with the city of Hargeisa as its capital, declared independence from Somalia in 1991.

Read full article

Map of Africa

World fact book

What's the score with all those Poms?

2006-12-22T02:11:00.000+11:00

A bigger issue for citizenship is, or ought to be, the anomaly that permits as many as 300,000 British subjects to have all the rights of Australian citizenship without having to sign up. Most famous among this group was Nicky Downer, the wife of the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Alexander Downer. She acquired citizenship in 1995, only after Labor exposed the fact that although she was married to the then leader of the opposition, and thus could potentially be the wife of the prime minister, she was not Australian. Moreover, such was her attachment to her British citizenship that she went back to England to have one of her children to ensure that the child was British.

Read all

Vandals strike airport prayer room

2006-12-20T18:30:00.000+11:00

Jordan Chong
December 20, 2006 - 4:40PM

link

A prayer room used mainly by taxi drivers working at Melbourne Airport was vandalised today, according to police.

Police were unable to confirm the exact nature of the incident, but said in a statement a damaged Koran was found at the scene at about 5.30am.

"Forensic procedures are being used in attempt to identify the offender or offenders," the statement said.

The "non-denominational facility" on Melrose Drive near the airport is used by taxi drivers waiting for available cab ranks at the airport.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or to visit www.crimestoppers.com.au

Uniting Australia Against Racism

2006-12-17T16:09:00.000+11:00

On behalf of Ahlus Sunnah wal Jama’ah Association of Australia, we extend our sincere greetings.

Peace be upon you.

We would like to extend our sincerest appreciation to everyone who overcame the high temperatures on the day in support of the “Uniting Australia” sausage sizzle.

The community of Moreland city and greater Melbourne joined together to make a stand against racism, discrimination and sexual assault. There were distinguished members of the community, emergency services, union representatives, community groups, children, parents, grandparents, people, from all walks of life and many more uniting to break down barriers and show solidarity.

The event strengthened existing and built new community relationships, further demonstrating why our wonderful state prides itself on the diversity of cultures, religions and ethnic communities all coexisting harmoniously together.

Guilty or not, Hicks has done his time

2006-12-17T03:07:00.000+11:00

Natasha Stott Despoja
December 17, 2006

THE Federal Government has announced it will introduce a citizenship test for migrants — to test their commitment to "Australian values" and principles such as the importance of democracy and the rule of law.

Yet the Government is flouting these very values in relation to someone who is already an Australian citizen — David Hicks

Full Article

Melbourne Islamic school official bashed

2006-12-12T02:52:00.000+11:00

Melbourne Islamic school official bashed

December 11, 2006 - 12:20PM

A board member at the Melbourne Islamic school which recently expelled students for desecrating the Bible has been bashed by a man police fear is armed.

Samir Mohandis, a member of the board of the East Preston Islamic College, said he suffered head injures during the attack by an unknown assailant who entered the school ground about 4.45pm on Friday.

Police said the attacker, a man aged in his 30s, appeared to have been holding a firearm.

The assailant was not known to Mr Mohandis nor did he say anything to indicate the attack may have been racially motivated, a police spokeswoman said.

Mr Mohandis told Southern Cross Broadcasting the man claimed to be Jesus.

He said security at the school would be increased.

"I still have scars to my head," he said.

The attacker is described as being about 180cm tall and of muscular build with a tattoo on his right forearm.

He had straight dark brown hair and at the time of the incident was wearing a grey t-shirt and dark trousers.

Anyone who may have seen the man in the vicinity of the school around the time of the incident should call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Two Muslim students were expelled from East Preston College earlier this month for urinating and spitting on a Bible and then setting it alight.

At the time, the college head, Shaheem Doutie, said the incident was isolated and the school had done all it could to punish the people involved.

Link

Bikini march sparks retort

2006-12-07T03:15:00.000+11:00

Mark Dunn

December 07, 2006 12:00am

MUSLIMS, socialists, unions and other groups will conduct a counter-rally against bikini protesters who plan to march on a Brunswick mosque on Saturday.
Police will monitor the demonstrations, with white supremacists claiming to have infiltrated bikini protest ranks, increasing the potential for confrontation.

Organisers of the "Great Australian Bikini March" had planned to march against the Michael St mosque last Saturday, anniversary of the Cronulla riots in NSW.

Though the bikini march has been postponed until Australia Day next year, some supporters say they will still hold the rally on Saturday.

The march has been promoted on white supremacist websites.

In response, the Islamic Information and Support Centre and the Socialist Party Australia are organising a barbecue and mosque open day for Saturday at the same time.

The so-called bikini march, criticised as being insensitive, was designed as a reaction to mufti Sheik Taj el-Din el-Hilaly's comments on scantily clad women being the cause of some rapes.

Sheik Mohammed Omran, who heads the Brunswick mosque, later defended the mufti.

A mosque spokesman said the theme of their meeting and sausage sizzle was uniting Australia.
Link

English take-up speaks volumes for Muslims

2006-11-20T16:55:00.000+11:00

DESPITE the Prime Minister, John Howard, criticising some Muslims for being "very resistant to integration", new figures show they have adapted to speaking English more quickly than other religious groups.

Full article

Al Jazeera just launched its English-language channel

2006-11-18T00:49:00.000+11:00

Will You Watch Al Jazeera English?

Amar C. Bakshi - The Arabic news network Al Jazeera just launched its English-language channel today. According to the station's Director General Wadah Khanfar, its goal is to "revolutionize TV news by giving voice to the oppressed South." This sounds ambitious. Will Al Jazeera English live up to it? Watch a clip below and tell us what you think.

Links: WATCH Al Jazeera LIVE NOW

The station is certainly not lacking in resources. Qatar's Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani has staffed it with 500 reporters spread across the world. They've managed to pull some big names from CNN, BBC, and even the U.S. Marines like Riz Khan, Sir David Frost, and Josh Rushing respectively.

Al Jazeera's bureaus in Washington DC, London, Kuala Lumpur, and Doha house over one hundred employees each and are immaculately designed. I visited their Doha headquarters two weeks ago exactly on the station's tenth anniversary. Though I was in the city for a United Nations conference on emerging democracies, the Al Jazeera compound was where all the action was.

In their main English language newsroom, a vast plasma image of the globe illuminated the anchor desks. Skinny silver computers stood perched on custom-curved desks. "We've spared no expense," exclaimed a young Egyptian employee, quoting the billionaire scientist from the movie Jurassic Park. He explained that Al Jazeera's "polish proves its professionalism." But then he quickly changed gears to stress that Al Jazeera would win world support only "by sounding truly different from our competitors like CNN and BBC."

Al Jazeera's consultant on Middle East affairs and new PostGlobal panelist Lamis Andoni outlined just what "different" meant:

Al Jazeera will cover the developing world; it will offer another view on the Israel-Palestine conflict. It will inject international discourse with the arguments of and the social and economic plights of the South to enable a real dialog.

With her voice rising, she gestured toward a huge photograph hanging on the newsroom wall of a young Al Jazeera cameraman picked up on the border of Afghanistan and imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay:

Al Jazeera's status was earned at a high price. Cameraman Sami al-Hajj is spending his fifth year in Guantanamo. Two of our journalists are killed -- one during the American bombing of Al Jazeera in Baghdad. Our top correspondent Tayser Allouny is under house arrest in Spain for unsubstantiated charges. These colleagues are an inspiration for the rest of us, a call to courage, and a constant reminder of the cost of telling the story.

She then swept her arm across the newsroom pointing to dozens of young faces scurrying in and out of the building. Many of these employees were British and Australian students fresh out of college, sweating in the hundred-degree Doha heat. According to Andoni, they too share her vision:

There are many young people who are coming on board, and many seeking to. They want to be part of a new, more inclusive, daring medium -- a medium that speaks truth to power.

But an hour's flight away in Dubai, another PostGlobal panelist, Bashir Goth expressed far less hope for Al Jazeera English. Many across the world, especially in America, think Al Jazeera inexcusably promoted Osama bin Laden for mutual benefit. Al Jazeera achieved substantial publicity by airing the terrorist's videos before anyone else could see them. Bin Laden, many scholars argue, would not have been a global celebrity without the TV platform Al Jazeera offered. By airing his clips, the Wall Street Journal argues that Al Jazeera became a "mouthpiece of Osama bin Laden," offering free publicity that helped him recruit more fighters. When I asked Director General Wadah Khanfar if Al Jazeera English would show more bin Laden tapes should they be released, he replied forcefully, "Yes, we will abide by the same editorial guidelines as our Arabic channel."

Though Al Jazeera launched today, it will be tough to find in the United States. Cable companies here worry that in the minds of Americans Al Jazeera is too closely associated with Al Qaeda for comfort. The station's presentation -- some would say selective presentation -- of atrocities in the Middle East, especially in Iraq, Palestine and most recently Lebanon, have inflamed anti-American sentiment.

On multiple occasions, officials within the Bush administration accused the station of willfully stirring hatred toward America. As Al Jazeera's introductory video boasts, Donald Rumsfeld called their broadcasts "vicious, inaccurate and inexcusable". Rumors circulate that America even considered it an outright military target after it bombed its offices in Kabul.

But beyond the simple accusation that Al Jazeera aids terror groups comes a more fundamental criticism. Is the station's articulated concern for "voices from the South," for the billions who don't watch TV but are affected by the global players who do, a genuine one or just more anti-West rhetoric? Will this station really open up new debates that are often overlooked like poor education, weak public health systems, or hunger? Or will Al Jazeera just add to the cacophony of angry voices and polarized discussions, perhaps even promoting violence in the process by providing a platform for an extreme few?

What do you think? Have you watched Al Jazeera in Arabic and do you have thoughts to share?

Below, we invite our global readers to discuss the clip, share their view of Al Jazeera, and debate whether the station's call to "lift oppressed voices" is hollow rhetoric, dangerous propaganda, or a cause for hope.

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/postglobal/needtoknow/2006/11/will_you_watch_al_jazeera_engl_1.html

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Some political remarks racist: former PM

2006-11-16T21:20:00.000+11:00

November 16, 2006

Former prime minister Malcolm Fraser believes many comments by Australia's politicians about Islam are racist.

Mr Fraser also said many of the words used to stimulate debate about the need for a set of Australian values were code for saying Muslims did not comply with Australian values.

And he questioned whether the next federal election would be fought using a race card.

Mr Fraser made the statements during the official launch of the Australians All website aimed at promoting an inclusive, diverse, multicultural, peaceful and prosperous Australia.

More than 40 eminent Australians are involved in Australians All - taken from the opening line of the national anthem - including ACTU president Sharan Burrow, the Reverend Tim Costello, Islamic Council of Victoria's Waleed Aly, and Muslim Community Reference Group chair Dr Ameer Ali.

The members say they were forced to begin the website because of a lack of positive political leadership and diverse discussion about Australian issues.

"I think, and we all felt, that Australia needs a voice for sanity, for reason, for inclusiveness, for acceptance, for respect for diversity, respect for difference, and knowing of course that people who live in this country accept Australian laws and the primacy of Australian democracy and all the things which are necessary for a peaceful and prosperous Australia," Mr Fraser told reporters in Melbourne.

Mr Fraser said no government had used the race card to build fear among Australians, until the "children overboard" scandal before the last federal election.

"(That) created fears about followers of Islam, fears about people who are different, fears of people who came from a different country ... I don't recall anyone from the parliament getting up and saying, `well we need to respect, we need to support people fleeing the Taliban'... no, we were told they were not the sort of people we wanted to have in Australia," Mr Fraser said.

Asked if he thought the current comments about the Islamic community were racist, he said: "Many of them, yes".

"I don't think it's restricted to one party or to one group because ... if there was a really vigorous debate about these issues in Canberra, a lot of the members of this supporting group might have felt, `well there's no need for us to do it, because there is a public debate about it'," he said.

"But what public debate has there been?"

Mr Fraser said the short term goal of the website was to provoke a moderation of language used to discuss Australian issues.

"If language is used that plays a race card, we will do what we can to expose it," he said.

"People do use coded words which are saying, `this group is not really conforming', and implying that this group don't really accept Australian values and whatever, we'll try and expose it."

Article link

Muslim Media Watch, Cameron Stewart about sheikh Omran

2006-11-06T00:19:00.000+11:00

Compare Cameron Stewart (The Australian) article about sheikh Omran with the press conference video in the first episode of Muslim Media Watch.

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Sheikh Omran's Press Conference re Hilaly comments

2006-11-02T11:23:00.000+11:00

Media interview with Sheikh Mohamed Omran (Abu Ayman) about Mufti Taj al-Dene Elhilaly comments, role of the mufty, Islamic judgement and role of the media in all of this.

Listen and compare to media reports...

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Sheikh Abu Ayman (Omran) comments on the Mufti saga

2006-10-31T01:32:00.000+11:00

Balanced perspective on the turmoil surrounding recent controversial comments made by the Mufti Taj Al-Hilali.

Listen

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Sheik claims court bias

Mark Dunn and Evelyn Yamine
October 30, 2006 11:00pm
Article link

A MELBOURNE cleric claims a gang of rapists was jailed for up to 60 years because they were Muslim.
It came as Sydney firebrand Sheik Taj el-Din al-Hilaly stepped down indefinitely last night after being rushed to hospital with chest pains.

Days after igniting a storm of controversy by comparing immodestly dressed women to "uncovered meat", Sheik Hilaly said the pressure was affecting his health.

In a statement from his hospital bed, the mufti said he had asked for "indefinite leave from my duties at Lakemba mosque".

Sheik Hilaly has received support from his Melbourne rival Sheik Mohammed Omran.

Sheik Omran said the gang rape case central to Sheik Hilaly's explosive comments revealed an anti-Muslim bias in the judiciary.

In a recent sermon, the Brunswick cleric said the rapists were treated worse than murderers.

He said a father who raped his daughter was jailed for just three years.

"I feel there is no justice here. They (the Sydney gang) deserve more than 60 years . . . in Islam they deserve the capital punishment if they really did that," Sheik Omran says in an audio from the sermon available on his website.

"But . . . 60 years and someone else three years -- and they did the same crime. Why? Three years for someone, even raped his own daughter, what (is) worse more than that. But they make big fuss about these kids (the Sydney rape gang) because one of them has names Mohammed, one Ahmad.

"Even if you killed someone you don't go for 60 years. This is where I think everything is unbalanced. We want either justice for everyone, either everyone goes for 60 years or everyone goes for three years."

The besieged Sydney mufti was rushed to hospital after collapsing in a meeting with the Lebanese Muslim Association, which was deciding his future. "The pressure of the last couple of days has had an obvious effect on my health and wellbeing," he said in a statement.

The mufti said his comments were not intended to offend women and conceded the comparison of women to exposed meat was "inappropriate and unacceptable for Australian society and Western society in general".

The sheik is also facing a police inquiry into whether he breached anti-terror laws after comments supporting jihadists fighting coalition troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Prime Minister John Howard said yesterday he was concerned recent events would irreparably damage the reputation of Muslims within the broader community.
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Eid Mubaarak, sheikh Abu Ayman

2006-10-21T16:22:00.000+10:00

Taqabbal Allaahu minna wa minkum (May Allaah accept (this worship) from us and from you)

A Touch of Tawakkul, Sabr and Shukr

2006-10-19T17:03:00.000+10:00

Beautiful article by our sister, currently in year 12, and reminder for all of us.

The Prophet Muhammad (upon him be blessings and peace) said, "The hearts are in the fingers of the Merciful One, He turns them as He wishes." (Muslim and Ahmad)

It is essential for us, an Islamic studies teacher of mine once told me, as Muslims, to know and understand the workings and composition of our hearts. In that, if our hearts are corrupt; if our intentions are corrupt, such deceit will follow in our actions. Similarly, if our hearts and intentions are pure, our actions are sure to be of purity. For how will a fruit tree bare fragrant and delicious fruit if it's roots, underground, have decayed?

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Heart moving story of Umar r.a. leadership

2006-10-16T23:23:00.000+10:00

The other night sheikh Abu Ayman (Omran) talked about Umer r.a. and his inspirational qualities. Story talks about actions and behaviour of a true leader. Leader who is concerned for his community and want Allah to be pleased with him.

You can download mp3 audio recording here. Then, share it with others and put smile on their face as well.

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Islam is not a Nokia, response to Ameer Ali

2006-10-12T23:28:00.000+10:00

There is nothing wrong in being modern, that’s if you're a fan of mobile phones. As times change, they (mobiles) need to be redesigned from shape to size. But religion is not a Nokia. Last week Ameer Ali former head of AFIC outraged Muslims across Australia with his comments about the Prophet s.a.w.s. and the Qur'an. In the article entitled "Prophet not perfect, says Islamic scholar" (The Australian, 04/10/06) written by Richard Kerbaj, he spoke about the "flaws" of the best human ever to walk this earth - prophet Muhammad s.a.w.s., he questioned the veracity of the Qur'an, called for the reinterpretation of it, trivialized Sunnah and so on. With the following article I will examine some of these statements, as well as his 'so called' apology. One apology for Muslims and another one for the editor of "The (Un)Australian" newspaper.

Read Full Article at:
http://www.aswj.com.au/articles/document.jsp?id=107

Also, Sheikh Omran's response

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Islam QA - Sharia

2006-10-12T02:21:00.000+10:00

There is a debate in the media about sharia, so, we present you our dear sheikh Omran who will give you Islamic perspective and few examples of sharia in everyday life.

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Great Video: What is Culture? by Sheikh Omran

2006-10-12T02:01:00.000+10:00

Watch Conference trailer and full lecture -"What is Culture?"- by Sheikh Mohamed Omran - 2006 Annual Australian Dawah Conference

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