|
EDITORIAL
|
||||
 |
||||
 |
||||
|
Eid Mubarak! We are back again with the second edition of reflections, celebrating the festive season. Alhamdulillah, all praise is to Allah, that we have been able to achieve this magnificent publication to enhance our ability to actively think about things around us and create bonds and friendships with one another. The launch edition of reflections received an outstanding response from people all over the world and we thank you all for your kind words and support and hope that we can all continue to work together to promote understanding in all aspects of society. After many months of hard work, the launch of reflections was long awaited by everyone involved. And on Wednesday September 10th 2003, ministers, teachers, social workers, policemen, parents and reporters were among the many who witnessed the official launch of reflections by the Minister for Youth, Hon. Carmel Tebbutt. Among the night's highlights was a youth forum, which included youth from different religions and cultures who shared their experiences as youth living in Australia and what identity means to them. The event created dialogue between different groups within the community and this was seen as a step forward in trying to promote peace, tolerance and coexistence within our society. The launch of reflections was a great success alhamdulillah, all praise is to Allah, and was reported by various media including ABC radio, SBS television and radio news, Triple JJJ and other local newspapers. We would also like to send a big thank you to all the women at the Muslim Women Association who worked tirelessly and helped us to achieve such a successful publication. The theme of this edition is celebrations. We decided to choose this particular theme mainly because at this time of the year many of us are celebrating different occasions such as Ramadan and Eid, Christmas, Hanukkah and many more important occasions. Celebrations are an important part of all lives no matter what part of the world you come from or what religion you follow. Featuring in this edition are articles on Ramadan and Eid, two events that mark an important time in a Muslims life. Ramadan is not only the month of fasting but also sacrifice of all impure thoughts and actions, and Eid marks the end of Ramadan and is celebrated by Muslims all around the world. Just as Eid is rejoiced and celebrated by many all around the world, so are other celebrations such as Christmas. It is a great time when we can celebrate and reflect upon the blessings that are bestowed upon us in life. Even though each celebration may have different concepts and are celebrated differently, we believe they share one thing in common, which is bringing family and friends together to share happiness and peace with each other. So, remembering that the name of this magazine is reflections, there are many articles in this edition for you to reflect about. One of the most talked about world issues today is the Arab-Israeli conflict and in this edition we have tried to give you a brief overview of the importance of Jerusalem to the world’s three major monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. ‘A Destructive Construction’ discusses another extremely topical issue, that of the security wall that is currently being built along the West Bank in Israel. Often, we are only presented with one side to a story in mainstream media, so we must start thinking about our media consumption and whether we can truly believe everything we read, hear, or see in the media, so we suggest you read ‘Fact or Fiction’ to get you thinking. There are many other articles in this edition to get you thinking and also to correct some misconceptions about Islam. You may be surprised to learn that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) remarked that the best woman to ever live was Maryam, the mother of Jesus. Also, the song lyrics that we have chosen to share with you in this edition, ‘Peace Train’ by former pop sensation Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens), will hopefully help us all to work towards lasting peace and harmony. So we hope you enjoy the second edition of reflections and we wish you a blessed holiday season. If you have any comments or queries on anything in this issue, or if you are interested in contributing to reflections then email us or give us a call. Thank you for sharing in the spirit of reflections Feda
Abdo Samah
Hadid Rowaida
Kadri And the rest of the reflections team |
||||
|
||||
