WHY MARRIAGE MATTERS?
The “M” Word – Open Community Forum
When: Saturday, 26 May 2012, 6pm-10:30pm
Where: Emporium Function Centre, Bankstown (Level 1, 258 South Terrace)

The “M” Word is a community development initiative by Mission of Hope (MoH) that aims to facilitate the meeting of single Muslim brothers and sisters (ages 21-40) in a safe, halal, and supervised environment for the purpose of marriage. It also aims to raise awareness among marriage-ready Muslims on various issues concerning marriage.

Our first event will be a open community forum involving a panel of community leaders from different generations talking about how they met their spouses, the current opportunities and challenges that do exist in seeking a spouse, and we will have a large part of the forum inviting the audience to discuss ways we can address this issue in order to facilitate a relevant monthly programs for those who seek to get married.

The night will be emceed by Khaled Khalafalla, comedy extraordinaire!

Panellists from the community that will be asked, but not confirmed yet are:

Hajji Maha Abdo – United Muslim Women’s Association
Sr. Hanan Dover – Mission of Hope
Br. Danny Mikati
Shaykh Bilal Dannoun
Br. Hazem El-Masri
Sr. Arwa El-Masri
Sr. Annarose Robinson – Mission of Hope
Br. Abdullah Zayed

Also, local brothers from the The Y-Factor, World Orphanage Fund, and Talk Islam will be producing funny skits for the evening on the do’s and don’ts of marriage meet-ups, courting, meeting the family.

The event is FREE to attend and refreshments will be provided.

Registration details are essential for entry:

http://themword.eventbrite.com/

Please see the Facebook event page for more details, or contact Sr. Sara on 0404 567 082 or info@missionofhope.org.au.

MAJOR GOLD SPONSORS

Volcanos Steakhouse
House of K’dor (Centro Bankstown)

Sr. Amal Awad’s novel, Courting Samira will be available for sale.

The Muslim Marriage Matters booklet, compiled by MSAA, will be freely available to those who attend.

About The “M” Word

One of the many contemporary issues faced by Sydney’s Muslim community is the lack of opportunities to find and meet a spouse to perform the Sunnah of starting a family. The “M” Word series will provide an avenue to address this difficulty by holding monthly events focusing on acquiring Islamic knowledge and resources on the rights and responsibilities of marriage, the qualities to look for in a spouse, while at the same time facilitating the meeting of like-minded individuals.

Mission of Hope representatives Sr. Hanan Dover, a Psychologist, wife and mother of three, and Br. Danny Mikati, a Family and Domestic Violence specialist, husband and father of two, will head The “M” Word project in consultation with Shaykhs and Community Leaders. In order to cater to the diverse needs of the Muslim community, the Marriage Matters Committee consists of a wide range of individuals, including brothers and sisters who are married, single, divorced and single parents. The “M” Word is a project that is entirely run by professional volunteers.

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Sydney’s First Drug & Alcohol Rehabilitation Centre for Muslims

Hayat House aims to be a culturally-appropriate, community-based drugs and alcohol addiction rehabilitation program for the Muslim community, and will be managed by Mission of Hope. Hayat House intends to provide substance abuse rehabilitation, testing, and/or counselling to Muslim individuals and their families, as well as intake and assessment, and casework support activities.

It is the community’s responsibility to try and address the needs of the ummah, especially when they are requesting a religiously and culturally appropriate response to helping them from abstaining from drugs and alcohol.

Hayat House is the first constructive attempt to do just that.

How you can help

“And if anyone saved a life, it would be as if they have saved all of humanity” – Qur’an 5:32

Show support for Australia’s first Muslim-run rehabilitation program for Muslims struggling with addictions. Mainstream services have not been able to address core cultural, family, and religious issues that are vital for those aspiring to live a drug and alcohol-free life. This project is headed by credible health professionals at Mission of Hope who are volunteering their time to initiate this service in a Muslim-friendly and culturally appropriate manner.

Hayat House needs initial funding of $75,000+GST to hire two Muslim Drug and Alcohol Counsellors and to cover the project’s running costs for the first 6 months to help save lives, and to help struggling Sydney Muslims return back to the commitment of their deen. These individuals have asked for help from the community, so let us come together and respond to their crisis insha’Allah. 

Donate to Mission of Hope to help make this project a success.  All donations are tax deductible.

Account name: Mission of Hope
BSB: 062191
Account Number: 10300318
Institution: Commonwealth Bank

Please include “Hayat House” in the description of the bank transfer.

For more information, please contact:

Hanan Dover
Project Director
Forensic Psychologist
h.dover@missionofhope.org.au

Hayat House’s Sponsors

A collaboration between the Justice and Arts Network and The Refugee Art Project, the Cross Border Collective, and The Refugee Action Coalitionm, and supported by ICE & Matta Media, Villawood: Survival+Resistance was officially opened on Thursday 8th September at the Information and Cultural Exchange in Parramatta and will continue over the course of the month until 29th September (Monday-Friday 10am-4pm).

The exhibition showcases artworks, film, talks, hip hop, music, poetry, performance art about the Villawood Detention Centre and what it means for Western Sydney in a bid to counter the recent negative portrayal of asylum seekers in mainstream media.

Opening night events included:

An art exhibition by detainees inside detention.

‘Villawood Mums’: A short film screening followed by Q&A with the film makers.

Refugee Action Coalition spokesperson Ian Rintoul discussing the current problems of Immigration Detention.

Performances by poets and hip hop artists from the Auburn Community Development Poets Group, including Rima aka Soul Beats, L-Fresh, and Bhagavadas Sriskanthadas & Nashaa Hamody Abdul-Hassan from the Aurban Poets and Writers Group.

For the Community(’s Youth) by the Community(’s Youth)

JAAN’s inception is based on the premise that given a voice, the youth must and will feel empowered and confident in their ability be part of the solution, all towards benefiting them as individuals and towards the community as a whole. JAAN aims to develop, establish and promote a wide range of essential and innovative grassroots activities and services to address the needs, rights and entitlements that are designed to get people involved in creating a community that is socially, economically and environmentally sustainable.

What’s in a Name?

The letters come together to spell out the acronym JAAN, which actually means ‘Dear’ or ‘heart’ in several languages including Turkish, Urdu, Hindi and Persian. This encompasses ideas surrounding the community involvement in both Social Justice and Arts activities, our inspiration in this case stemming from the heart. The naming and logo associated with JAAN intends to connect the symbolism of the heart and spirit with action and expression.

Vision + Commitment

• To provide positive outlets and opportunities for the youth in both justice and the arts
• To help build and empower the youth to develop their own voices, practices and infrastructures that are socially, economically and culturally active and engaged, contributing to overall positive change
• To help address shared concerns, facilitate and encourage meaningful dialogue, and enable critical thinking of complex issues the youth face
• To work ethically from a strong governance foundation
• To build and be involved in a community of strong networks that reinforces sustainable partnerships across governmental and non-governmental sectors, together supporting the people in the community
• Motivate, create and foster new and existing youth-led projects with similar aims and outcomes