Residents against mosque 'have nothing to fear' - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Residents against mosque 'have nothing to fear' - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation): "People who live near mosques around the country are encouraging Worongary residents not to oppose the worship centre.

Jordan Brock used to rent a home in Northbridge, inner-city Perth, where he lived close to a mosque.

He says prior to September 11 he barely noticed it was there.

"The mosque has been there for well over 100 years and was renovated during the 1990s, which was when we moved into the area," he said.

"We didn't have a great deal to do with the mosque for the first few years, and to be honest, we barely even noticed it was there.

"There was certainly no evidence of it encouraging or increasing anti-social behaviour and it had no impact whatsoever upon neighbourhood security.

"If there was any gathering of people on the street prior to prayers, services or functions at the mosque, they were certainly friendly and in no way threatening."

Mr Brock says nowadays the mosque hosts community gatherings and provides delicious food.

"After September 2001 the people in the mosque obviously felt the need to engage in the community a bit more and start educating their neighbours," he said.

"So they started having a series of open days, where they provided free food and the tastiest lamb burgers you've ever eaten."

He says people should visit a mosque and talk to the people who worship there before attempting to ban the construction of a worship centre.

Moreover, Mr Brock says he left Northbridge in 2005 because he could not afford to buy a house in the suburb due to rising property values.

Kathryn Hegarty from Footscray in Victoria, who lives close to three mosques, says she enjoys the cultural diversity in her neighbourhood.

"My neighbours here are Muslim and life is unaffected, except the food aromas do put me to shame about 5:00pm each night," Ms Hegarty said.

She says she never has any security concerns.

"I feel safest in the African quarter of Footscray, especially at night, where people look out for each other and the men seem to me to really respect women," she said.

"I feel so blessed here because we are rich in this country and immigration has just made us richer and we eat better as well."

Brisbane Lawyer Expects To Be Fired For Burning Koran And Bible

Brisbane Lawyer Expects To Be Fired For Burning Koran And Bible: "The Islamic Association of Australia president urged 'hurt' Muslims not to retaliate.

'Of course we're hurt ... but I would urge my Muslim fellow men to respond with caution and with responsibility,' Sheik Muhammad Wahid said.

'They should be careful when they respond upon these issues. We are a community of tolerance [and] understanding.

'Of course people will be angry but I urge they should not take the law into their own hands and they should show their response in a positive way to explain [to] the whole Australian public that we must live in a way that we respect each other's faith and practices.'

Sheik Wahid questioned Mr Stewart's motive for publishing such a video"

Little chefs do us all proud, says Colin Vickery | Herald Sun

Little chefs do us all proud, says Colin Vickery | Herald Sun: "Even more impressive is the ethnic diversity of the Junior MasterChef contestants. The top 50 contestants included children with varied backgrounds that included Italian, Greek, Iranian, French, Chinese, British, Burmese, Maori, Indonesian and Ukrainian heritage."

“While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about.”

Judge blocks 14-year-old girl's arranged marriage | Herald Sun

Judge blocks 14-year-old girl's arranged marriage | Herald Sun: "A 14-YEAR-old girl has been banned from leaving Australia and has had to surrender her passport to save her from an arranged marriage.

Just days before the girl's father planned to whisk her overseas to marry a man she has never met, the Family Court ordered she must stay.

The Melbourne teenager is one of a number of Australian girls forced into arranged marriages overseas each year.

Her plight came to light when child protection officers received a report in June that the then-13-year-old had been taken out of school ahead of her intended marriage."

Shouldn't Imams focus more on such issues than on paradise & rewards & worships?

Terror suspect walked around base: court

Terror suspect walked around base: court: "The men believed Islam was under attack from the West, including Australia, the court has heard.

Transcripts of secretly recorded conversations involving the men were read to the court on Tuesday during prosecutor Nick Robinson SC's opening address to the jury.

In one conversation, Fattal and Sayed describe Australians as the enemy.

'They are spiteful,' Fattal said.

'I swear to Allah the great, they are enemies.

'All of them. All of them. They are targeting us.'

Sayed agreed: 'I swear to Allah, poison'."

This is indisputably terrorism but isn't that what Mr. Keelty was talking about?
FORMER Australian Federal Police chief Mick Keelty's judgment that the Iraq war had increased the terrorist threat has been vindicated.

Threats over Muslim school before blaze | Herald Sun

Threats over Muslim school before blaze | Herald Sun: "LIVERPOOL councillors received a series of threatening emails and text messages from opponents of a Muslim school before the council chambers were burnt down in an arson attack.

Police are investigating links between the council's controversial approval of the development and last weekend's huge blaze, which has resulted in chaos in one of Sydney's biggest local government administrations."

Radically opposing the school because it's founded by radicals? Radicals opposing radicals?

Feature - Christians and Muslims in joint retreat - CathNews

Feature - Christians and Muslims in joint retreat - CathNews: "Nine young people came together earlier this month at the Campion Centre in Melbourne for an experience in inter-religious dialogue.

Facilitated by Fr Herman Roborgh SJ, the dialogue, on August 6-7, consisted of lectio divina, or meditation on selected passages from the Bible and the Qur'an. They also involved sharing about each one's experience of praying with the text of the other religion.

Questions regarding each others' faith were also encouraged in an honest and respectful dialogue. The retreat finished with the MAGiS circle which is a modified and extended Examen, done in prayerful conversation.

The retreat was organized by Madeleine Marson of MAGiS Victoria and Kieran Gill, SJ of Jesuit Theological College. The attendees included two Muslim women from the Al Ghazzali Centre, a student from Newman College, a young lawyer and three Jesuit scholastics."

First timers make poll waves: News: SBS Federal Election coverage

First timers make poll waves: News: SBS Federal Election coverage: "Ed Husic - First Muslim MP

Ed Husic, the winning Labor candidate for Chifley in Western Sydney, describes himself as
'Blacktown, through and through' on his website.

A union man - he's the National President of the Communications, Electrical and Plumbing Union, Ed is the first 'Muslim' ever elected to the lower house.

Husic is the son of Bosnian parents, and describes himself as a 'non-practising' Muslim, but it's perhaps something of a milestone for this multi-cultural country where, in 2010, politics still looks decidedly different to the community as a whole.

Husic spoke of what he said was the vilification he experienced when standing as a candidate in 2004."

DARYL McLURE: no need to ban the burqa

I HAVE been intrigued in recent times by the calls by some Australians for the burqa - the head-to-toe, face-covering clothing worn by a small minority of Muslim women - to be banned.

I think such calls are a threat to religious freedom and provoked by ignorance and fear rather than by logic and real concern for the rights of Muslim women.

This is certainly the case in Europe. More than 50 million Muslims now live in Europe, including Russia and Eastern Europe, with some 15 million in the countries of the European Union.

Tensions have arisen partly because of this, partly because of the religious/cultural differences and partly because in some countries, including traditionally tolerant Britain and the Netherlands, locally-born Muslims have been attracted to the Jihadi cause and become involved in murder and terrorism.


Hence an increase in fear.

Recently, France became the first nation in Europe to ban the burqa, but Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and some parts of Italy are also debating the issue. And, back home in Australia, we have seen the Rev Fred Nile and other Australians take up the cause.

Should the burqa be banned?

About the only reason I can see for doing so is security. But how often have we seen, even in Europe, the burqa being used as a cover for terrorist operations? I may be wrong, but I can't recollect any.

Locally, most of those opposing the wearing of the burqa, including the Rev Nile, follow the European mantra and claim they are taking their stand in the interests of human rights, the freedom of women to wear what they want to wear. But are they?

Only a small minority of Muslim women in Australia - even in many Muslim countries - wear the burqa. Is it not plausible that most of them do so, not because it is imposed on them by males, but because they take references in the Koran, which encourage modesty among both men and women, literally?

The Rev Nile and his unlikely bedfellows among the women's libbers are really patronising these women.

There are Christians, Pentecostalists, Revivalists and so forth who take the Bible literally, who believe in creationism. Should we stop them from holding their belief?

Of course not. Roman Catholic and Anglican nuns used to wear head-to-toe habits and have just their faces exposed for similar reasons of modesty. That is what the burqa is about.

There is still debate among Muslim scholars relating to interpretation of the Koran and the extent of covering of female bodies. Modesty is demanded of both sexes, not just women.

It is difficult. We live in a secular society but that society has evolved from traditional Christian values, that in many respects were - and, among a minority still are - not all that different to those of Muslims. But as secularism has become more widespread in Western society, norms have changed and secular (civil) law has evolved from the religious laws which once prevailed.

Will this happen with Islamic law? It may but certainly not in the short-term. However, as long as Muslims living in Australia and other Western countries accept that they owe an allegiance to their new countries as well as to their religion, there should be no conflict of loyalty.

As Muslim women mix more widely and new generations of Muslim Australians are born, there may be evolution and change in attitude. But a minority may always feel the burqa is both a religious statement and helps protect their virtue.

Is that a bad thing? Why should we force that minority to compromise their religious beliefs?

Some say the burqa is intimidating but then so is a Mohawk haircut to some and tattoos to others.

Should we ban them too? I repeat, I agree with those who have said that the only real reason to ban the burqa is security. And, in the absence of any security threat linked to the burqa or the nijab, I see no reason to do so. If we offer respect, perhaps it will be returned.

I salute such sensible & realistic thinking .. 

Sacked Liberal candidate goes loudly into exile, defending views on Muslims

SACKED Liberal hopeful David Barker has spent his first full day as a disendorsed candidate vigorously defending his views on Muslims.

In an interview with the Ten Network, Mr Barker declared the Muslim faith had no place in Australia and declaring his love for Mr Abbott, whom he earlier described as "God's mouthpiece" in politics. "I would stand up against the Muslim beliefs and ethics . . . well, I don't believe the Muslim faith actually has a place in Australia," Mr Barker told the Ten Network.

Coast Imam rejects Hanson option

The head of the Islamic Society of the Gold Coast said if the controversial former One Nation MP ran for the position and won, it would spell disaster for the city.
Earlier this year Ms Hanson came under fire for stipulating she would not sell her Coleyville home to a Muslim, but Imam Husain said no Muslim would want to buy her property anyway.....More than 20,000 Middle-Eastern people visited the Gold Coast in the year ending March 2010, but Imam Husain said they could be put off if Ms Hanson became mayor. "They enjoy our beautiful facilities here, and of course our mayor has been very accommodating to these tourists," he said. "These people are good spenders, but if they know of someone who is not so kind to them and has this biased attitude towards Muslims, then obviously they are going to look for some other destination. "Emotionally, some people may say 'that's good, we don't need these Muslims', but practically it's not good for the Gold Coast."

Six years after public rap, Keelty judgment on terror upheld

FORMER Australian Federal Police chief Mick Keelty's judgment that the Iraq war had increased the terrorist threat has been vindicated.


He was promptly jumped on by the Howard government for contradicting its line on the war.
Yesterday, he was belatedly backed in spectacular fashion by former director-general of MI5 Lady Eliza Manningham-Buller, who told Britain's Chilcot inquiry into the war that the Iraq invasion had substantially increased the threat of terrorist attacks and was a significant factor behind the radicalisation of young Muslims.

Last night, he told The Australian he did feel vindicated by Lady Manningham-Buller's testimony.
"It's probably the strongest indication yet that the position I took not only at the time, but subsequent to that, to ensure that the Islamic community was properly engaged and not marginalised in Australia, was an important decision," Mr Keelty said.
He started by introducing Islamic awareness training in the AFP and put Islamic liaison teams in each state and territory.

I salute you Mr. Keelty!

Does the media pick on Muslims?

So it’s our fault, is it? The media’s? According to some Aussie Muslims, it is journalists who have given Muslims a bad name.
Since that infamous date of September 11, when Islamic terrorists slaughtered thousands in the US, the Australian public’s attitude towards Muslims has “hardened”, says a new report from the Australian Department of Immigration.

The media is blamed. One Iraqi father was quoted saying: “The media portray us as terrorists. The media are against us.” According to a co-author of the study, Ilan Katz, “the families felt strongly the media were gunning for Muslims: it was a huge concern.”
Are they right? Or are they just shooting the messenger? I see plenty of reports about Muslims in the Australian press but most of them seem to be news reports about atrocities committed by Islamic males abroad – such as suicide bombings – or by Islamic countries, such as the proposed stoning to death - currently postponed - in Iran of a 43-year-old mother of two, Sakineh Mohammadi-Ashtiani, who has already been given 99 lashes for alleged adultery.

Wouldn’t Aussie Muslims be better speaking out against these blots on the Islamic faith? A caller phoned Melbourne radio 774 ABC a while back when Muslim writer Waleed Aly was guest-hosting, asking this very question. Aly’s response was that “very few” countries condoned stoning any more and then he moved on. Few? Even one is one too many.
But you certainly don’t have to look far to find bad press involving Muslims. Here’s one from the weekend in The Age: “Suicide bombers hit mosque” , which told of Sunni Muslims killing 27 people and injuring 270, presumably (seeing as it was a mosque) all fellow Muslims. To add to the outrage, the Jamai mosque was bombed as Muslims celebrated the birthday of the grandson of the prophet Muhammed.
Rather than decry the media for “hardening” people's attitude towards Muslims, shouldn’t all good peace-loving Muslims be loudly condemning this appalling act of barbarity on one of their own sacred days?
What puzzles a lot of non-Muslims is why the good law-abiding Muslims don’t speak out against the atrocities that continue to be perpetrated all over the world by thugs and criminals in the name of Allah. When a terrorist explodes a suicide vest in a crowded market place or mosque, the media is not going to ignore it, whether it is done in the name of Allah or not. What the decent Muslims need to do is loudly and consistently condemn this pointless Islamic violence, as much of the rest of the world does. The media would be happy to report that. 

Source: http://www.watoday.com.au/opinion/blogs/modern-times/does-the-media-pick-on-muslims/20100717-10ezg.html

Please fellow Muslims brothers/sisters .. Make your stand load and clear .. condemn terrorist acts and disassociate yourself clearly and publicly from such non-Islamic barbaric acts .. Speak out for Allah's sake! Quit being passive! Please! Please!

Better ways to spend $1 trillion

RUSSELL Skelton, in his article ''Australia 'lacks clear Afghan strategy' '' (The Age, 17/7), does not mention the financial costs of the war in Afghanistan. The United States has already committed about $US1 trillion on wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Meanwhile, the United Kingdom is reported to have spent about £20 billion on both wars. The loss of lives, both combatants and in the civilian population, is the greatest tragedy in this brutal means of stimulating nations' economies. Imagine what we could have done with this money on winning the hearts and minds of people in the Islamic world to give them basic literacy and health and the infrastructure to build a foundation for better growth, peace and prosperity. Such measures would have gone a long way to eliminate anti-Americanism or anti-West feeling.

Afghanistan: an open-ended commitment?

Looking at the terrorism threat to Australia, the reality is that our involvement in Afghanistan is more likely to lead to terrorism in Australia than prevent it. The main terrorism threat today is not from terrorists coming to Australia from Afghanistan, but from a few disaffected second-generation young Australian Muslims motivated by what they see as our involvement in a US-led international war against Islam. Some will travel to places like Pakistan, Lebanon and Somalia to get terrorism training, but more will rely on what they can learn from the internet.

http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/stories/s2953525.htm

The Age: Shepparton shines as a haven with no room for racism

I think the biggest mistake immigrants do is alienating themselves and the best thing they can do is to keep their values and principles but engage warmly with the overall community.

"Shepparton Mayor Geoff Dobson said 11 per cent of the city's population were born overseas and 32 languages were spoken.

He said he was particularly impressed with how recent immigrants from Sudan and the Congo had made themselves at home and reached out to the community with their music and dancing groups.

''I think the Afghans and Iraqis are a bit different,'' he said.

''They tend to keep to themselves and don't become so engaged in the mainstream community.''"

http://www.theage.com.au/national/shepparton-shines-as-a-haven-with-no-room-for-racism-20100706-zz1u.html

An Australian Childcare Centre has converted to Halal beef to promote healthy eating

http://ping.fm/lZTeY
An Australian Childcare Centre has converted to Halal beef to promote healthy eating. 'There was previously a lot of leftover meat and now children are eating the majority of the meal' Centre Director Ms. Palmer said

Where are the +300k Australian Muslims?!

http://ping.fm/Br8KS
An Iranian cleric, Dr. Leghaei has been deported from AU after living there for 16 years! Where are the +300k Muslims?! UN said NO! Arabs probably said "Who cares he's Iranian" & Sunni Muslims may said "Good! He's Shiah"! I'm sure if he was a Jew cleric the Jewish community would have forced the government to back down!