Psychologist and fellow Muslimah Monique Toohey is running a free seminar for women on improving self-esteem.

The way we feel about ourselves runs deeper than an evaluation of our appearance. Finding the beauty within, although sounding cliche is not as hard as it sounds. It’s all about learning a language to appreciate yourself and having gratitude for
the qualities that you have been given.

Audience: women and teenage girls (16 years and up).

Finding out about yourself never felt so good!
Guaranteed to highlight your character assets!
Grow in a supportive female only environment!
Get more than a caffeine hit!
Develop more certainty about possibilities for your future!

DATE: 25th March
10.30am-12.00pm.
VENUE: Level 1 / 430 Bell Street, Pascoe Vale South
BOOKINGS: Ph: 0404153653 or 9350-7498.
Registration is necessary. Spaces limited to 16.
Sorry, no childcare available and no children under 16 allowed.

The annual Jewish Christian Muslim Association conference is coming up and now is the time to apply. It’s for both women and men, and is being held May 26 to May 29 in Millgrove (near Warburton, I had to look it up I will confess).

The JCMA conferences are wonderful opportunities to engage in interfaith dialogue - something so sorely needed in today’s world. It’s a wonderful opportunity to learn more about how ‘others’ see God, faith, life etc. as well as them learn about your beliefs, your practices, your thoughts, your opinions.

Muslims are usually a bit thin on the ground - we seem to be new to all this interfaith conference stuff - so I would *strongly* encourage any Muslims who can make it to do so - even to plan some time off for it if you need it.

The Prophet Muhammad , God bless him and grant him peace, engaged in interfaith dialogue with Jews and Christians and it’s an opportunity to show the wider community that the three main monotheistic faiths can put goodness and light in the world, rather than just be a source of hatred and division as is often presented in the media.

Anyway, the theme of the conference is “Take off your shoes: God and the Just Life“:

We encounter one another as people of faith belonging to one of the three monotheistic Abrahamic religions. How do we understand this encounter? Why do we desire it and what do we hope to achieve from it? What limits do we place on our engagement? How do we use our own sacred texts to guide us in understanding the other? What paradigms and models do we employ to make sense of the existence of the other faiths within the context of our own believing? As we ask ourselves these questions, we will also listen to the answers given by the other participants in the conference.

Mercy Mission are holding the 2008 Annual Australian Islamic Conference (free entry) titled:

I went from one B’nai B’rith to the other yesterday. First at B’nai B’rith House in St. Kilda I attended the second Scriptural Reasoning workshop. I’m involved with the organising committee here in Melbourne and we’ve had some really wonderful academic/religious practitioners turn up and contribute.  Essentially a bunch of Jews, Christians and Muslims who are both academics or researchers AND practising Jews, Christians and Muslims get together and read and discuss scriptural texts around a particular topic.  Yesterday it was slavery, which has all sorts of implications for how we address modern forms of slavery including economic bondage.  I really love the in-depth knowledge that scholars of the three faith traditions bring to the table. It gives me an insight into other faith traditions that I just wouldn’t get by a mere cursory reading of the texts by myself.

For example, yesterday I learned about the Jewish concept of sabbatical years and jubilee.  Interestingly enough, this year is a sabbatical year and it affects land, debts and slaves.  After seven sabbatical year cycles, the fiftieth year is jubilee when slaves were freed, debts forgiven etc.

Then in the evening I was off to the eastern suburbs B’nai B’rith chapter to talk about my research on Australian Muslims. I received a thoroughly heart-warming and positive reception, and had some really good chats over cups of tea about all sorts of things including interfaith relations, promoting positive media images and more.

As hijabman would say, ‘can I get an alhamdulillah‘!

Sister Saara is running a six week course for converts/reverts/new Muslims covering the foundations of Islamic beliefs and providing support for issues faced by new Muslims.

This short course is appropriate for born Muslim who wish to learn about the faith for the first time, as well as people very interested in entering Islam. It is a basic course in belief and aims at supporting new Muslims throughout their transition.

For more information, contact Saara or Susan at the contact details given on the flyer.