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Companions in Dialogue Launch & A Common Word Conference

2009-07-20T15:12:01Z

Companions In Dialogue is a newly formed interfaith association which was launched on Thursday May 28th, 2009 by Peter Kirkwood, past producer of ABC religious program Compass. I am a founding executive of Companions in Dialogue, and its launch through the Common Word Conference was covered on the Parramatta Catholic Diocese newspaper as well as on the Uniting Church's Relations with Other Faiths website.

Charter for Compassion

2009-02-08T05:52:14Z

Karen Armstrong is behind an excellent initiative, Charter for Compassion. Also involved are Tariq Ramadan, Chandra Muzaffar, and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. The organisation interviewed me last year in October about what compassion is in Islam. CLICK HERE to find the excerpt of the interview.

Go to the front page of this blog to view Karen Armstrong's keynote speech about the Charter.

Launch of ARRCC

2008-11-04T13:32:01Z

Australian Religious Response to Climate Change (ARRCC) was launched at al-Ghazzali Centre on Monday 4th November, 2008. And, 2SER Radio interviewed ARRCC's secretary, Dr. Miriam Pepper and myself on their Current Affairs news program.

CLICK HERE to listen to the interview.

The Cost of Food

2008-09-11T15:47:03Z

David Rutledge of ABC Radio National interviewed me, amongst others, regarding the cost of food in the modern world. "With food prices rising around the world, millions are threatened with deprivation and starvation. In a complex web of causes - fuel prices, climate change and commodity speculation - how to respond to the challenge of feeding those who have trouble feeding themselves?"

For a transcript as wel las the audio, CLICK HERE.

Unveiling Hijab

2008-08-27T14:11:02Z

I recently launched my first book, on the topic of the head-veil (commonly referred to as hijab) and the proofs of its obligatory nature in Islam.

The book is specifically aimed to dispel the assertion that Hijab is not obligatory, when infact it is explicitly obligatory. The book is not about judging those who may choose not wear the hijab, or to suggest that there are attire codes for women only in Islam. The book came out as a result of false information being circulated about the nature of Hijab.

You may purchase the book from here.

Australia- Historical Change Underway?

2007-11-25T19:12:35Z

An after-election analysis article of mine was published by Islamonline.net. It highlights, not the jubilation of a Labor win hence a Howard-led government defeat, but what we need to be aware of by learning from the past. The very things that brought Howard and his coalition an embarrassing loss is the very thing that people did not see or understand when Paul Keating lost in 1996 to Howard.

Keating and his government were the ones that brought the economic prosperity Australia enjoyed in the past 11 years. The Keating government was cementing Australia's sovereignty and an Australia for all, with strong focus on education, arts and culture, historical reconciliation with the Aboriginal peoples of Australia.... things that make nations into civilisations of great legacy.

Australia learnt the hard way through Howard's amazing run with dishonesty, authoritarianism and racism as his legacy for nearly twelve years. It is my hope that we finally turn our course for a constructive future.

The Islamonline.net article can be found here.

Other articles and information on the 2007 elections can be found on rhis website, here.

TV Interview with Geraldine Doogue - ABC TV

2007-11-19T18:18:23Z

A week before Australians went to the polls in 2007, ABC's Compass throws the spotlight on values, by talking to the country’s religious leaders and a leading philosophical thinker. What values would they like to see guiding voters’ at the polling booths on Saturday? What do they believe are the key moral and ethical issues underpinning this election? In previous election specials Geraldine Doogue interviewed our political leaders about their beliefs and values. This time she’s invited our religious leaders (Christian, Jewish, Muslim) and a leading secular voice to air their views on what should shape voters’ choices ‘in the 2007 federal election. Our interviewees are: Catholic Archbishop Philip Wilson; Jewish Rabbi David Freedman; Australian Christian Lobby Jim Wallace; Anthropologist, historian/ethicist Inga Clendinnen; Muslim Imam Afroz Ali; and, Anglican Archbishop Peter Jensen.

To read the transcript of the interview, click here.

Online Interview on Islamonline.net

2007-11-18T18:25:31Z

During my study visit to Cairo, Egypt I was asked to be interviewed on one of the most popular global Islamic website, Islamonline.net.

The interview was about bringing about positive change in the world, inlcuding the reasons for the establishment of a new initiative, Nexus. I will provide more details about Nexus soon. My special thanks to the staff and the editor in-chief of Islamonline for giving me the opportunity for the live interview. It was amongst the more difficult interviews I have been involved in. I was right in the middle of a study schedule with al-Azhar University Scholars, as well as my Language program at Markaz Aleem, with this 3-hour interview fitted in between!

You may read the entire interview here.

Jihad of the Service Provider

2007-09-22T13:56:39Z

The many values held in Islam are very compatible to those valued by the wider Australian society. The essential difference is that the average Muslim Australian is very much aware of their values, which includes rights and responsibilities, whilst the wider Australian community may not have simply articulated them consciously. It is not so much as values that differ in this regard, but our diverse lifestyles. And, this lifestyle includes what we choose to consciously uphold as precious, or sacred. Upholding and maintaining these values is the foundation of Jihad. Jihad is about a personal struggle, striving to attain the best outcomes possible. This lecture presentation considers this utmost striving, Jihad, in the context of what the priorities and realities are in Australia, a lecture presented at a United Muslim Women Association Inc “Step Up” Program.

Audio can be listened to here.

A transcript of the lecture can be found here.

Peak Oil & Consumer Extremism- 'Ayn Academy

2007-09-22T13:52:13Z

'Ayn Academy was kind enough to invite me to speak on the topic of Peak Oil, the environment and our personal responsibilities against consumerism that is at the foundations of energy consumption. Islam has a tremendous amount of Guidance about the ethics of responsible resource use, and I hope that the world gets to learn the wisdom it provides about sustainability.

My powerpoint presentation collated from different sources can be found here.