CANADIAN JUDGE APOLOGISES FOR HIJAB RULING
A Muslim woman whose hijab was compared to wearing a hat and sunglasses in court, finally received an apology from a Quebec judge on September 8. But the apology was five years in the making after Judge Eliana Marengo refused in 2015 to hear the case of Rania El-Alloul, who was seeking to have her impounded car returned, unless she removed her hijab. The apology was ordered by the Quebec Council of the Magistrature, the body responsible for disciplining judges. “My reference to hats and sunglasses was simply meant to exemplify how the rules of decorum are generally applied in the courtroom…. I would like to offer you my most sincere apologies, which I hope you will accept,” the judge said in a statement read at a hearing. “I accept her apology,” El-Alloul said in response the apology. “This is what my religion teaches.”
MUSLIM IMMIGRATION DETAINEES ALLEGE THEIR FOOD IS NOT HALAL
Muslim immigration detainees in Brisbane have filed a complaint with the Australian Human Rights Commission, claiming they have not been given certified halal food for more than 12 months; infringing upon their human rights. Recent protests near Kangaroo Point hotel in Brisbane have placed a spotlight on the makeshift detention centre. The facility hosts around 100 refugees and asylum seekers who were evacuated from Nauru and Papua New Guinea (PNG) for medical reasons. These men, mostly of Muslim faith, have alleged that the establishment has not provided them with halal food and failed to meet their human rights. “After research and investigation we find out the food has been provided by Serco is not halal food and this is from the beginning when we arrive in Brisbane,” said Iranian detainee Amin Afrid.
SOLDIERS CONFESS TO MASS MURDER, RAPE OF ROHINGYA MUSLIMS
Two Myanmar soldiers have gone on record confirming for the first time the atrocities committed by the army against the country’s Rohingya Muslim minority. The two defectors said on camera that they were ordered to carry out mass killings and rape in 2017 which, according to a human rights group, corresponds to accounts by survivors of the attacks in Rakhine state, a report said on September 10. NGO Fortify Rights says that the testimony, which also claims that men, women and children were buried in mass graves, could be used as evidence of crimes against humanity in the International Criminal Court (ICC). The rights group said that the two soldiers fled the country last month and are said to be in the custody of the ICC in The Hague. Myo Win Tun and Zaw Naing Tun reportedly gave “the names and ranks of 19 direct perpetrators from the Myanmar army, including themselves, as well as six senior commanders… they claim ordered or contributed to atrocity crimes against Rohingya.”
NO PEACE WITHOUT JUSTICE FOR PALESTINIANS: AMNESTY
Rights group Amnesty International said peace between Israel and Palestine must include the removal of illegal Israeli settlements, The New Arab reported on September 13. In response to recent normalisation deals between Israel and Arab states, the rights group said all systematic violations of human rights should come to an end, including justice and compensation for victims of crimes. Amnesty said in a statement on Twitter that no agreement “can change the legal duties of Israel as an occupying power in according with international humanitarian law and international human rights law, nor deprive the Palestinians of their rights and protections guaranteed by international law.” This comes as Bahrain normalised relations with Israel, following the UAE. The deal with Bahrain was brokered by US President Donald Trump, who has declared his diplomatic win a “historic breakthrough”.
PAS PRESIDENT HADI SAYS UNITING MUSLIMS IS PERIKATAN’S FEAT
PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang said that Perikatan Nasional’s (PN) greatest achievement was uniting the country’s major Malay political parties, declaring it a triumph for those intent on bringing good to multiracial Malaysia. Hadi argued that Muslim unity was the first step towards a better federal administration, one that would surpass its predecessor that was plagued by infighting. The Marang MP said the collaboration of the three major Malay-Muslim political parties – Umno, PAS and Bersatu – mirrored Islam’s history, when the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ united the warring Arab tribes and turned them into a major political force that became one of the world’s most powerful empires at the time. “We took the action first by uniting PAS and Umno with the intention of effecting change, and later forged together (with Bersatu) as a government,” Hadi said before an audience of academics gathered to “rate” PN’s half-year performance.
JOHOR PAS AGREEABLE TO FIELDING NON-MUSLIM CANDIDATES IN GE15
PAS in Johor state of Malaysia will support any candidate from its PAS’ Supporters Assembly (DHPP) who is selected to contest in the 15th general election (GE15), said Johor PAS Commissioner Abdullah Hussin. He said any decision on the fielding of candidates from DHPP was subject to the approval of the party’s central leadership. Abdullah said Johor DHPP head R. Kumutha had contested for state seats in the past three general elections on the recommendation of Johor PAS. He said Johor PAS aimed to increase the Johor DHPP membership to 2,000 by the end of this year from the current 600 members.
INDONESIA POLICE DETAIN DOZENS IN RAID ON JAKARTA GAY PARTY
Jakarta police spokesperson Yusri Yunus said nine people suspected of organising Saturday’s party were arrested and 47 others who participated were released. The nine are being charged under a pornography law which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a fine, he said. Yunus said the participants were all from the same community in Jakarta. Police are still investigating to determine if any other people were involved, he said. Police have set up a special task force to investigate alleged homosexual activity. In February, members of the House of Representatives proposed a bill that would define homosexuality as deviant and require lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people to report to authorities for rehabilitation.
QAZI ASHFAQ AHMAD PRESENTED WITH AUSTRALIAN AWARD
Dr Qazi Ashfaq Ahmad OAM, 90, a retired professor of mechanical engineering and a Qur’anic scholar and long time community leader was presented with his Order of Australia medal by Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley, the Governor of NSW, on September 8. The award was announced on January 26 earlier this year but the investiture ceremony was much delayed due to the pandemic and was held this week at the Government House in Sydney under COVID-19 restrictions. Dr Ahmad, professor and head of department of mechanical engineering in Kashmir, arrived in Australia in 1971 and has been in the forefront of building Islamic institutions, founding community organisations and promoting interfaith harmony for almost half a century.
ABDULLAH, RENOWNED ARTIST WINS ART PRIZE FOR 2020
Renowned WA artist, Abdul-Rahman Abdullah of Mundijong on the outskirts of Perth has been awarded the Australian Muslim Artists prize 2020 for his work Transplants, a tribute to his mother and her love of family. Australian Muslim Artists is an annual exhibition hosted by the Islamic Museum of Australia (IMA) in partnership with La Trobe University, which this year saw a record number of entries from artists across the country. Abdullah said it’s an amazing feeling to be recognised among a talented group of Australian Muslim artists. Sometimes it feels like there are so few of us working in the visual arts, especially over here in WA and it means so much that our contributions to the broader Australian cultural landscape are acknowledged by the Islamic Museum of Australia and La Trobe University,” said Abdullah.