Lebanese descent, has won a seat in the city council of Canterbury-Bankstown, Sydney. Nadia is the first elected hijabi councillor in the country.
She won the race for the country’s largest city council in terms of population along with other two Muslim councillors, Mohammad Huda and Mohammad Zaman, from the same Sydney suburb….MORE: mysalaam
SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Singapore named a former speaker of parliament as the multicultural city-state’s first woman president on Wednesday while critics expressed dismay that other candidates were disqualified and the election went uncontested…more: www.reuters.com
Rohingya Muslims fight for survival- BBC correspondent Justin Rowlatt reports on the plight of Rohingya Muslims fleeing violence in Myanmar.
Houston’s Muslim community is at the forefront of helping those affected by Tropical Storm Harvey, which has flooded much of the fourth most populous city in the United States. Dozens of mosques have either opened their doors for shelter, aided in rescue operations or provided goods, such as food, blankets and bottled water for those in need. “In the whole Greater Houston area, people are helping people; neighbors are helping neighbors and we are trying everything we can to help people,” said MJ Khan, the president of the Islamic Society of Greater Houston. The Islamic Society of Greater Houston represents 21 Islamic centers in the area. Khan said all types of evacuees, including a number of families, have come to find shelter at the places of worship. “Our volunteers there got together with the first responders to rescue people. Since 9/11 was inundated and were only dealing with life threatening situations, our volunteers knew where people were stranded, boated into their homes and brought them to the mosque”, Khan told Middle East Eye.
A Nobel laureate and Muslim nations in Asia criticized Myanmar’s persecution of its Rohingya Muslim minority as thousands in Indonesia and elsewhere staged angry protests against Aung San Suu Kyi and her government.
At least 87,000 refugees from Myanmar’s western Rakhine state have fled to neighboring Bangladesh since violence escalated in late August, according to the United Nations, overwhelming existing camps for the displaced…more: washingtonpost
On its website, the society notes the work of Islamic Relief USA, which has a four-star rating from Charity Navigator, in assisting the victims of Hurricane Harvey.
IRUSA has been helping to manage the “mega shelter” in the Dallas Convention Center, and is arranging to serve a special meal to those there who observe Eid al-Adha.
IRUSA’s disaster relief team was the first Muslim organization to partner with the Red Cross. It provides such relief both in this country, including distributing 300,000 bottles of water during the lead-tainted water crisis in Flint, Mich., and abroad….more: masslive.com
HOUSTON — Houston’s Muslim community has opened many of its community centers to people seeking shelter from Harvey and sent hundreds of volunteers to serve food and deliver donations. Some have rescued neighbors from high water.
Their efforts continue, even as mosques welcome congregants for Eid al-Adha,
Houston’s Muslims volunteering post-Harvey, even on holy day
“I first discovered Haroon Moghul when I noticed him following me on Twitter. Normally, this wouldn’t have attracted my attention, except that I was pretty sure that he disagreed with most of what I was writing…” more: tabletmag.com
Haroon Moghul said in his face book page: “I’ve been called a sell-out, a House Muslim, a traitor to the ummah, all because of my work with MLI, a program that takes North American Muslim leaders to Jerusalem to study Judaism, Zionism and Israel with leading Jewish scholars, American and Israeli. Not in order that we agree, but so that we might learn, appreciate, and engage more sincerely…more:facebookhs MORE:http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/syrian-newcomers-name-son-justin-trudeau-1.4103300
There’s a phrase that’s become common in the reviews and write-ups of “The Big Sick,” a romantic comedy that debuted in theaters in late-June: “culture clash.” The film, which was produced by Judd Apatow, stars Pakistani-American actor Kumail Nanjiani. It’s Nanjiani’s first lead acting role, and the movie — which is based on his real-life romance with white American screenwriter Emily V. Gordon — documents their courtship,…MORE: www.good
