Islamic Society of Ballarat is hosting an open day at the Mosque of Ballarat on 16 April. Details in the pot below.

The post below is cross posted from the blog of the Ballarat Interfaith Network, Beside The Creek.

Ballarat Interfaith Network

is happy to promote

for the

Islamic Society of Ballarat

an opportunity to visit

the Mosque of Ballarat

on 16 April 2016

details below

The theme of the event is

'Come to Common Terms'

Lecture by Sheikh Waseem Razvi on interfaith dialogue

50% of the world's population ... can they work together & unite humanity or will they cause more divisions?

The Ecumenical and Interfaith Commission, the Australian Intercultural Society and the Australian Catholic University would like to invite you to:

Christians and Muslims in our Globalised World

Date: Friday 4 December 2015      Time: 5:30pm for a 6:00pm start to 7:30pm

Location: Phillipa Brazil Lecture Theatre, Australian Catholic University (ACU), 115 Victoria Parade, Melbourne

Keynote Speaker: Professor John Esposito, Director, Centre for Christian-Muslim Relations, Georgetown University.
 

University Professor, Professor of Religion and International Affairs and of Islamic Studies at Georgetown University, John L. Esposito is Founding Director of the Alwaleed Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding in the Walsh School of Foreign Service. Previously, he was Loyola Professor of Middle East Studies, College of the Holy Cross. Esposito’s more than 45 books include: The Future of Islam, Islamophobia and the Challenge of Pluralism in the 21st Century, Who Speaks for Islam? What a Billion Muslims Really Think (with Dalia Mogahed), Unholy War: Terror in the Name of Islam, The Islamic Threat: Myth or Reality?, and Islam and Politics.

Muslims and Christians make up more than 50% of the world's population. How they related to one another is pivotal in establishing and maintainging world peace. Are Muslims and Christians working towards uniting humanity or are they directly or indirectly causing more division? Can they work together to address contemporary issues of global magnitude? How can the ideals of interfaith dialogue transform the on-the-ground reality of relations between Christians and Muslims around the globe and particularly here in multi-faith Australia?

Q-A Session will follow the address

All are welcome. 

RSVP: esposito.eventbrite.com.au or call 03 9867 8842

Pax Christi Victoria - Christian Muslim Relations

               

Pax Christi Victoria

        International Christian Peace Movement

PO.Box 31

CARLTON SOUTH 3053

6 November 2015

Email: ahmkerr@hotmail.com   

Dear friends & members of the ANZAC Centenary Peace Coalition.,

An invitation to another organisation’s AGM might seem like the ultimate turn off.

Nevertheless Pax Christi Victoria does warmly invite you to our AGM for the following reasons:

We live at a time when relations between the West and Islam are at low ebb. This raises troubling but unavoidable questions for all of us.

How should we relate to our Muslim brothers and sisters in Australia at what is a rather difficult time for them? Many Muslims feel isolated, harassed and humiliated by the words and actions of politicians, important sections of the media and bigoted elements of society.

To help us think through this and other questions we have invited Ghaith Krayem to address us on the occasion of Pax Christi’s Annual General Meeting on Sunday 15 November, at 2.00 pm.

Ghaith was until recently president of the Islamic Council of Victoria (ICV), the umbrella body of the Muslim communities of Victoria which brings together some fifty member and affiliated organisations. In his position as president and before that as Secretary of ICV, he has played an important leadership role in guiding the Muslim community’s response to terrorist incidents, the government’s counter-terrorism policies and so-called deradicalisation strategies.

Ghaith is one of Australia’s most thoughtful Muslim leaders, articulate and outspoken, with a firm grasp of the needs of Muslim communities and of the diverse views and traditions within Islam. He has at the same time a sharp understanding of how mainstream society operates. Ghaith has held many senior positions within Australia Post, and presently runs his own consultancy Hikmah Consulting.

Ghaith Krayem’s address on Sunday 15 November and the lively discussion that will no doubt follow will help Pax Christi and its friends, supporters and partner organisations to develop a clear set of objectives, strategies and actions over the coming year. The issues to be dealt with are morally and politically challenging. They include:

·                     Christian-Muslim relations

·                     Appropriate responses to terrorism and the ‘war on terror’

·                     Practical ways of promoting a peaceful end to the conflict in Syria

·                     Australia’s role in the Middle East

·                     The dangers posed by the Sunni-Shia divide within Islam

·                     The need to rethink the future shape of interfaith dialogue and multicultural Australia.

The address by Ghaith is open to the public. So, please bring the event to the attention of people in your networks, and feel free to mention it to your social media contacts, whether through Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin or other avenues.

I very much hope that you will be able to join us for this crucial discussion on 15^th November.

Sunday 15 November,  Kildara Centre rear, 39 Stanhope St, Malvern

1 p.m. Shared meal to which you are warmly invited. Bring some food to share.

2 p.m. Address & discussion, Ghaith Krayem until 3.30

Don’t feel obliged to stay for the AGM business. (Actually we lock the doors & don’t let you out until you have agreed to join the committee!)

Warm regards.

Harry Kerr, Convenor, Pax Christi Victoria

Rev Harry Kerr
101 Katrina Street,
BLACKBURN NORTH,
Victoria Australia 3130
Phone +613 (0) 9893 4946
Mon +61 (0) 424 950 852

AbC and RVM : Archbishop of Canterbury urges dialogue to tackle religiously motivated violence

“In common with other Christian denominations, with other faith traditions, and with those of no faith, the Anglican Communion has bitter experience of RMV,” Archbishop Welby said.

“In the last 18 months Anglican dead have been certainly in the hundreds, even into the low thousands. “Around the world we face the reality and deal with it. Our bishops are in dialogue with those who attack, risking their own lives in the dialogue. This is not academic.”

Harmony & Diversity is the basis of the beauty of Australia. Please support these values - not those undergirding violent public meetings and protest

THESE ARE THE HEADLINES REGARDING 

WHAT HAPPENED IN MELBOURNE

ON SATURDAY 18 JULY 2015 

AT PARLIAMENT HOUSE.

Who was the centre of attention in front of and near Victoria's Parliament House yesterday?  Reclaim Australia and their associates wanted to provide a double focus of attention: themselves and Muslims living in Australia.

No Room for Racism and its sympathisers were equally determined on a dual focus: to counter the racism of Reclaim Australia and its cohort and to make the public aware of their organisation.

Did the events of the day go as planned for both sides?  Possibly. Possibly not.  However, it seems that there were elements on both sides who were prepared for trouble one way or another.  

A group with a similar title to Reclaim Australia hit Ballarat early in 2014.  Restore Australia arrived in Ballarat trying to incite antagonism to the building of a mosque in the city - a city which was the site of Australia's first document demanding democratic rights.  As can be seen from this Facebook presence, drumming up opposition to the mosque being built by Ballarat's small Islamic community was not too successful.  

What Restore Australia did not take into account in the Ballarat situation is that community friendships had already been forged within the broader community by the time they blew into town.  The local Islamic community had friends - a broad spectrum of friends.  And the then Mayor was an early responder.

Meanwhile, amid all this swirling of clashing tensions and violent police intervention, what were Muslims doing? Yesterday was the beginning of Eid celebrations. Muslims were enjoying themselves. Behind them was a month of fasting. Now can come the feasting.  Perhaps Reclaim Australia chose the day and date deliberately with an intent to insult Muslims - or perhaps they knew there would not be a Muslim in sight or hearing of their rampage!

The Faith Communities Council of Victoria has issued the following statement.

Statement on Nationwide Rallies:  Faith Communities Council of Victoria The Faith Communities Council of Victoria (FCCV) has issued the following statement in light of reports that over the weekend of the 18/19th July 2015, Reclaim Australia is planning nationwide rallies which we believe are divisive and not in the nation’s best interests.  The acceptance of our multicultural and multifaith society is one of Australia's greatest achievements and assets. The celebration of this rich diversity that exists in our society ensures we remain innovative, resilient and globally competitive - all of which enhances our society and increases our standard of living. Like any asset, our multicultural and multifaith identity needs to be continuously nourished and threats to undermine it need be addressed. The current environment fueled by economic uncertainty and fear is encouraging the rise of extreme groups like Reclaim Australia and UPF (United Patriots Front), who are intent on disenfranchising minorities and disturbing the peace within our society. These groups demonstrate they possess anti-Muslim, anti-Asian, anti-Indigenous, anti-Semitic and anti-Refugee sentiments. We, the Faith Communities Council of Victoria, actively discourage any kind of involvement with these groups and see them as a threat to peace and social cohesion within our society.  We believe there has to be a continuous dialogue promoting multiculturalism and multifaith. We also encourage all to discourage others from supporting these groups in any way. The harmony and diversity in our society is the basis of the beauty of Australia, and we request your support in maintaining this. Faith Communities Council of Victoria is comprised of the following peak bodies: Baha'i Community of Victoria, Brahma Kumaris Australia, Buddhist Council of Victoria, Hindu Community Council of Victoria, Islamic Council of Victoria, Jewish Community Council of Victoria, Sikh Interfaith Council of Victoria and Victorian Council of Churches.

POPE FRANCIS SPEAKS IN LAUDATO SI' - PRAISE BE TO YOU - ON CARE FOR OUR COMMON HOME

The latest papal encyclical was released to-day, 19 June 2015 AEST - 18 June in The Vatican.  The encyclical will take time to read closely and carefully, to digest it, and comment thoughtfully upon it.

Advocacy is indebted to Crux in providing the encyclical in a number of formats to make it easily accessible to people.  Advocacy has embedded the encyclical in this post where it can be read on-line or downloaded.  However, it is also available on Crux here in linked chapter by chapter outline for easy access and reading. Linked here is the encyclical as it was posted on The Vatican website.  Crux also contains recent commentary.

Comment

ABC - Australia: Key excerpts from the Pope's encyclical on the environment

The Age - Neil Ormerod: Pope Francis's views on global warming cold comfort for Canberra

The Guardian: The pope's encyclical on climate change - as it happened

The Washington Post: Ten key excerpts 

The Sydney Morning Herald:  

Papal environment encyclical a win for the Greens, challenge for Abbott

Dialogue - not confrontation - between cultures

Post by Aiatsis Library.