Today I went to Jumua'a prayers at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) Campus in the main city of Brisbane. With the help of the gentleman at Navarre Lodge (permanent place of residence while in OZ), I caught the bus to the University. Jumua'a started at 1:30 pm, and *surprise surprise* there were no Muslim sisters at prayer. There must have been over 100 brothers, and me. You travel so far to find no Muslim sisters.
I talked to the MSA president and exchanged information. I have noticed that most of the Muslims here are Indonesians, Malays... asian. The Khutbah (sermon) was about getting involved in Australian society and government. "Other Muslims outside of Australia need help, but we are in Australia. We have the power to affect things around us. Being Muslim is much more than praying and fasting. Australia will be affected by the actions of Muslims (not only prayer in mosques, but how we interact within society as well). We need to reach a balance which is the lesser evil. Dress clean so they want to emulate us. Dawah is not only religious knowledge, but it is also behavior, dress, business, etc." I very much enjoyed the Khutbah.
After prayer, I went to run some errands, etc. On my way to the bus stop, I met a Muslim sister named Z. She was a sweety... turned out she'd only been in Australia for 4 weeks. She told me of a Masjid close to the city. We exchanged info.
One thing that upset me earlier was a laminated sheet that was displayed in front of the Musalla at QUT. It basically quoted a hadith that discussed women wearing the scarf, etc. Why wasn't there a general modesty hadith up there? I took the liberty to take the sign off and put it in my bag. Yes, I stole it b/c it shouldn't have been there in the first place!!! I haven't told this to anyone, and perhaps I won't tell anyone... ppl are too judgmental. It just really pissed me off to be honest... the chatter of the mullahs, that's all that it is... the mullahs with long beards that want to oppress, suppress, and depress Muslim women. Why, you may ask? Well, because they are scared and intimidated by women, that's why. I respect the Hadith, if it's an authentic one that is, but I really don't respect or appreciate being told that women should cover cover cover. What about the gentlemen of Islam? Don't they have any rules for modesty? Shouldn't they also cover and be dressed in a modest fashion when they enter the Musalla? After all, in the Qur'aan (which IS the MOST authentic source we have... yup, more authentic than the Ahadith, if I may add) it clearly mentions the modest behavior and dress required of men BEFORE it even mentions modesty for women... So, why is it that we so conveniently forget that? Why is it that we focus on women's dress as opposed to men and women's dresses and behaviors? Because we blindly follow these mullahs who think they have the real Islam when they really don't. I think it's past time we pick up the Qur'aan and do some valuable research on our own, don't ya think?
I didn't write in here about moving day. Driving up to Navarre Lodge, I felt like my stomach had just dropped. I had imagined it to be a hotel-like structure, but Navarre turned out to be a place hidden with bushes. Quite frankly, I had no interest in being there. I had to adjust a bit to my surroundings. I was in Room 3 all the way upstairs. The lodge seemed more of a place for older people, and it wasn't enclosed at all. As the day went on, I started to enjoy it more and more. I had my own kitchen, bathroom, room! Other things I had were a complete set of dishes including cooking pans (not that I can cook), two beds, a desk, dressing table with complete closet, night stands, dining table, etc. The view from my back door was very nice too =) I was starting to actually like this place... hmm.....