We’ve been working on ways to communicate better with everyone, and we’re happy to announce that the Service Provider Email Subscription option is now available!
The Muslim Women’s Association of SA enjoys working with various community groups and stakeholders and we appreciate that the easiest way to keep connected in a professional capacity is to have our updates delivered straight to your working email.
Excerpt taken from Surviving the Ocean of Depression.
In this project, asylum seekers and refugees who are now living in Australia generously share their experiences in overcoming hardships in order to reach, support and empower others. Stories are told in Arabic, Dari, Farsi, Nepali and Pashto.
This project was initiated by Dr Abdul Stanikzai. While working as an interpreter in Adelaide, he was called upon to translate for medical professionals responding to people from diverse language groups, some of whom had come to Australia seeking asylum and refuge, who were facing mental health crises (and as a result were in psychiatric wards). Dr Stanikzai recognised that mental health staff were struggling to find ways to respond and that it could be significant for those currently in crisis to be able to listen, in their own language, to stories from others who had been through similar experiences and who had managed to ‘overcome the ocean of depression’. Dr Stanikzai mentioned this to Dulwich Centre Foundation and this project is the result.
The resources contain stories from interviews conducted by Dr Stanikzai as well as contributions from the Muslim Women’s Association of South Australia.
Please visit the project page to learn more.
We have almost reached the end of the CHSP Fitness Program.
The seniors have been enjoying themselves thoroughly and are feeling stronger than ever!
Regular exercise is crucial to falls prevention. Regular exercise improves balance and reflexes so some falls can be avoided altogether. Further to that, regular exercise strengthens the musculoskeletal system so that even in the case of a fall, serious injury can be avoided.
On the afternoon of Saturday 22nd of September 2018, the Muslim Women’s Association of SA (MWASA) marked 25 years of supporting Muslim women in Adelaide by hosting a Jubilee celebration at the Clarence Park Community Centre.
Sister Ramila Chanisheff was a wonderful Master of Ceremony for the day, elegantly introducing performers and speakers and guiding us through the afternoon.
The event opened with a welcome speech from Vice Chairperson, Sister Azidah, who also acknowledged the founders of our organisation.
We were fortunate in being able to host several guests of honour: His Excellency the Honourable Hieu Van Le Governor of South Australia and Mrs Lan Le, and Assistant Minister to the Premier Jing Lee and Mr Eddie Liew.
The Governor addressed the room with a speech which was supportive and inspiring, and the Assistant Minister to the Premier Jing Lee’s speech was delightfully warm. Both speeches were entirely engaging due to the genuine charisma of our guest speakers.
In the speech by Chairperson Dora Abbas, she thanked our guests of honour for attending despite their busy schedules. As a token of appreciation, MWASA had prepared gifts for the guests of honour. Sister Dora also spoke about the outlook for MWASA over the next 10 to 15 years, and invited all members and their families to contribute and participate.
Brother Ahmed Sherbini lent his pleasant voice to proceedings with heartwarming Quran recitation, nasheed and athan (call for prayer).
A colourful stand-out from proceedings was the fashion show. Organised primarily by the Youth Group, the girls were able to express their individuality in both traditional and modern modest dress.
Of great interest was the showing of a slideshow showcasing the last 25 years. It was truly inspirational to see the journey that MWASA has been through, and then also to consider the continuation of that journey into the future.
A touch of sweetness was added to the afternoon with a couple of young ladies from Australian Islamic College (AIC) reading poetry that they had written.
Our Management Team would specifically like to thank:
We are all immensely grateful to our volunteer team and sponsors who made this event possible and so enjoyable.
We are currently halfway through our 6 week program of fitness classes which was organised in collaboration with ACH. The aim of the program is to provide participants with low impact workouts. The focus of the workouts is to promote wellness and resilience by staying fit and healthy through safe, low impact exercise. The program takes into account their health, level of activity and physical and mental capabilities.
Two trainers from ACH were appointed to deliver the training sessions. Twenty seniors attended our first training session at Wandana Community Centre. They arrived there punctually and were very eager. The session started with some administrative housekeeping followed by the trainers assessing the seniors to ensure that they are fit to perform the exercise. For this first session, the trainers demonstrated the technics for strengthening the upper body and balancing. Chairs and stretch bands were used to perform these motions. Members took a great interest into this session and were keen to attend the next session.
This is a program which combines exercise with education to optimise independence, increase strength, endurance and balance and provide motivation to live a healthy life. The trainers were well prepared and engaging. At the end of the 6 weeks session, the participants will feel great and have more energy, socialise and meet new people, learn how to prevent injury, improve strength, balance and cardiovascular fitness and increase range of motion and support body function and movement.
The Muslim Women’s Association of SA had the honour of being invited by The Honourable Steven Marshall, MP Premier of South Australia, and The Honourable Jing Lee, MLC Assistant Minister to the Premier, to the 2018 Multicultural Community Event.
This annual colourful event is a special gathering of diverse community groups coming together to celebrate multiculturalism in South Australia.
Attending from our organisation was Azidah Abdul Aziz – Vice Chairperson and Secretary, Shaista Kalaniya – Project Manager and June Hussain – Community Development Officer. Our team members, in chatting with The Premier, found him to be welcoming and friendly.
Everyone was invited to attend in their traditional cultural dress. The result was magnificent; the ballroom became a swirling kaleidoscope of colours, styles and textures.
We thank The Premier’s Office for this opportunity and look forward to next year.
The Muslim Women’s Association of SA had the opportunity to be involved with National Mosque Open Day 2018 over the weekend at Masjid Al Khalil.
MWASA had 10 volunteers, mostly Youth Group members, working within the larger National Mosque Open Day Volunteer Team.
Our volunteers supported the Open Day in different capacities. A couple were welcoming guests at the entrance, handing out free show bags containing information and bottled water. A couple were part of the Dawah Team, guiding guests and answering questions along the way. One volunteer was able to snap some excellent photos, which you can see below.
A couple of the girls were at the hijab stall, styling women so that they could see how they would look in hijab and helping them to understand how it feels to be a visibly Muslim woman.
All of the volunteers did a wonderful job, showing integrity and leadership skills in their respective job roles, effectively communicating with other team members and providing guests with professional and friendly assistance.
Attractions included a children’s bouncy castle, face painting and a Henna stall, which added an exciting showground feel. The smell of the sausage sizzle was enough to start the mouth watering in anticipation. To satisfy the sweet tooth there were donuts, dates and Arabic coffee which could be enjoyed in the Arabic Lounge.
To feed the mind and soul there was a program of speakers on different topics ranging from Women in Islam and Sharia Law to Islam in Australia. The speakers were available as a panel to answer questions from guests both in the morning and afternoon programs.
If you would like more information about National Mosque Open Day, click here to go to the National Mosque Open Day page on the Masjid Al Khalil website, or Like the Masjid page on Facebook (@IslamicArabicCentreMasjidAlKhalil).
Last week the SGP (Settlement Grant Program) Youth Group had the opportunity to shake things up at Fernwood with a Zumba session!
The session had been organised as part of the holiday program, for the girls to have some fun as well as to introduce and familiarise the newly arrived girls with a gym environment.
Almost 30 girls, coming from different backgrounds, attended – and every single one enjoyed it. For some it was their first time doing Zumba. The Instructor was incredibly energetic and afterwards everyone was feeling the benefits of a good workout.
The visit to Fernwood included the Zumba session as well as a tour of the facilities and information about membership options. The staff were very cooperative and patient.
The girls are keen for future fitness sessions and some are looking into taking out their own gym memberships.
As a sign of appreciation to our Volunteer Team, who contributed so much towards our recent Jubilee, we had organised a thank you BBQ lunch at Bonython Park on Saturday the 6th of October. Seventeen volunteers attended, along with some of the management committee.
Everybody thoroughly enjoyed the day. Naturally, the food was spectacular! There was plenty of chicken wings, sausages and bulgogi beef to go around. There was opportunity to chat and have a few laughs. The weather was wonderful, people were able to stroll and explore the park.
The Muslim Women’s Association of SA provides several services to men and women over the age of 65 years who are coming from a CaLD (Culturally and Linguistically Diverse) background, under the CHSP (Commonwealth Home Support Program).
On Thursday 4th of October 2018 an outing to Mt Lofty Botanic Gardens was planned as a Learning Journey.
Those who were attending met at our office on Victoria Square and caught a coach out to Mt Lofty.
The weather was perfect for walking, overcast but not raining and with a cool breeze.
The men and women were able to explore the Gardens at their leisure and work up an appetite before sharing a picnic lunch. The group came very well prepared for the picnic with delicious home-made delicacies in picnic baskets and even a table cloth for the picnic table.
Everyone was very interested to read the signage on-site, in doing so everyone was able to learn about the plants and about the history of Adelaide and also about the Flinders Column.
Over 20 Members attended and the general consensus from everyone is that they enjoyed the day immensely. They are looking forward to going back to the Gardens in Autumn time and are, of course, looking forward to the next CHSP Learning Journey.
Our Usrah is a group of enthusiastic Muslim sisters getting together with faith in Islam, working and helping out one another, working together towards a better understanding and practice of Islam. The Usrah study circle provides direction towards building self-confidence in a process of developing a balanced and well composed Muslimah in all aspects – spiritually, mentally and physically.
The following programs are conducted in our Usrah Study Circle for Muslim women. To benefit from these programs, you need to be a member. Our annual membership fees are $10 and you can walk-in to our office to apply for membership.
1. Tajweed Class (Quranic recitation and grammar class)
Sisters learn how to read the Quran and the basic rules of Tajweed (Quranic recitation and grammar) so that they are able to recite the Quran in all its glory confidently. This class is designed for students with no knowledge of Tajweed to an intermediate level reciting and recognising the basics of Tajweed.
Details:
Every Monday (except Public Holidays)
10am – 11.20am
2. Islamic Talk / Discussion
Led by Dr Rokkiah Tawi in English, sisters gather on Mondays to benefit from Islamic discussions. Some of these talks/discussions focus on Tafseer where sisters analyse verses from the Quran and relate to everyday events and problems in the lives of Muslim women. Currently, sisters are learning about the 99 Names of Allah (Asma ul Husna).
Details:
Every Monday (except Public Holidays)
11.30am – 12.30pm
3. Conversational Arabic Class
This course is for learning how to speak and converse in Arabic. This is suitable for beginners who know how to read and write Arabic. The class is conducted in English.
Details:
Every Monday (except Public Holidays)
1pm – 2pm
All classes are conducted at our office in the city – Level 4, 182 Victoria Square, SA 5000.
