Welcome to AMWAAssalaam 'alaikum or peace be with you.
Established in 2010 this organisation represents the interests and concerns of Aussie women - those born here, converted to Islam, or who identify as much with Australia as their ancestral background. Support for Muslim women is often limited to cultural associations and religious classes. There are many areas though where Muslim women may need advice, assistance or mentoring. Some of the areas that we hope to address are listed in the About Us section. Contact us for information, check out our blog, or check our Facebook page and find out what issues and events are big for Muslims in Australia. Accolades to the Good Heart of Australians
We at the Australian Muslim Women's Association have been inundated with emails and phone calls expressing messages of support, understanding and offers of help after we joined with others leaving tributes at Martin Place.
We cannot express deeply enough how much these messages of support have meant. Like the rest of Australia we are reeling and in grief for the terrible tragedy that unfolded over the past few days with the Martin Place seige and the tragic loss of life of the heroes Tori Johnson and Katrina Dawson. Our hearts go out to their families and especially the children who have lost the love and grace of their beloved mother. Violence is not an answer to the political and social conflicts that currently rage across our beautiful planet. Unfortunately there are still many each day who continue to suffer from such violence, but we hope that the example that we have seen amongst our Australian community - the coming together, the sharing of grief and the compassion for each other - will have a positive effect on other parts of the world where communities remain divided. |
Latest Posts* Turning Away From Violence
* Accolades to the Good Heart of Australians * National Unity Day October 25th * How could 2 Australian boys join ISIS and commit atrocities? * ISIS - Very Far from Islam, the Religion of Peace * Senseless Slaughter of Innocents Turning Away From Violence
In the past 5 days there have been two major tragedies that have dominated Australian television screens - the Sydney Siege and the slaughter of children in Pakistan. There are many more that have not made it to the news room. Most of them involve anger, hate, revenge and violence. They stem most often from injustice, from corruption and from the powerful oppressing the weak. It is easy at times like this to fall into despair, and to lose hope.
Those who believe never lose hope. The Quran advises us "Verily, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves" (13:11) Although this is a well known verse, it is not always clear how this should happen. The most important driver of our actions and therefore the state of our mind is our heart. If our hearts are full of greed, holding onto resentment and being selfish, we cannot bring much good to those around us, or help bring about change for the better. The grief, the caring and the compassion that has been shown by so many over the past few days helps remind us of what is truly important in our lives - our families, the blessings that we have been given and caring for others. The tragedies that we have witnessed help us to recognise that anger, hate and injustice do not bring any benefit either to ourselves or to society as a whole. It is possible for individuals to bring about the change that the Quran refers to - each of us in our own way, by recognising and rejecting the anger and resentment, the greed and the selfishness that clog up our hearts. When we fill our hearts with care for others, with thankfulness to our Creator for what we have and a willingness to do good for those that we interact with, then and only then will society begin to change for the better. Praying for all of us to try and make the world a better place. |
