Rev Stephen Morris: We’re out of time. Thanks for your questions and thanks to the panel.
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Tom
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Tom
Nazeem: People are freaked out by halal. There’s a Facebook page to protect Vegemite from halal.
Same audience member who keeps speaking up: I’m a Christian. Halal is being inflicted on me. I can’t buy a non-Halal block of chocolate. Everything has become halal and I don’t have a choice <— My note: This guy and his sense of entitlement is really annoying me!
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Tom
Question: Why do you only eat halal meat?
Nazeem: Halal literally means permissible. Halal in terms of slaughter seems means a standard of eating meat. I eat halal meat because I’m concerned about animal rights. Halal requires high standards – you can’t treat the animal poorly (e.g. you can’t torment the animal, the animal can’t see other animals being slaughtered).
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Tom
Question: What is meant by the concept of “jihad”?
Nasirah Cavaney: Jihad means to strive or struggle, not war or holy war. It can mean anything – e.g. fasting, because it can a struggle to fast. So fasting can be a jihad to us. Every part of our life can be a jihad – struggling through life for the betterment of our relationship to God and betterment to mankind.
Dr Yucel: Jihad has 11 different meanings. There is no such expression of Jihad to mean holy war in the Koran. The first use of Jihad to mean holy war was in The Crusades. There are various meanings of Jihad.
Nazeem Hussein: A friend of mine has the name “Jihad”. It’s a beautiful name. He worked in Telstra. He didn’t get many sales.
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Tom
Dr Yucel: Importantly, one message from the story is that the spiritual journey is open to all humans.
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Tom
Question: Why did Mohammad take a donkey with him into Heaven?
Panel: (Laughter)
Imam Galil: The Koran tells the story. Mohammed was feeling disconsolate. God took pity on Mohammed and took him on a celestial journey. The means of transport was a very special creature
Ms Nishana Azadzoi: The creature wasn’t a horse or a donkey.
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Tom
Dr Yucel: To have spiritual belief is part of human nature.
Mr Imran Zaman: I was born into an Islamic family. I am attracted to the idea of only one God – no trinity, no idols, no pantheon of gods
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Tom
Question: “Why do you believe what you believe?”
Ms Sabrina Bassal: Christianity doesn’t make sense to me. I don’t understand the trinity concept. Islam makes sense and nothing really contradicts the other.
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Tom
Imam Galil: A schism developed between Shi’ites and Sunnis but the main teachings between the two groups are the same.
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Question: Do both Shi’ite and Sunni Muslims consider each other to be Muslims?
Dr Yucel: Yes. There are similarities and differences between Shi’ites and Sunnis but they both consider each other to be Muslims.
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Tom
Dr Yucel: 95% of terrorist victims are Muslims. But Muslims should nonetheless be critical of themselves
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Tom
Same audience member: Moderate Muslims should speak out against violence committed in the name of Islam.
Panel: But they do.
Nazeem: How often does the media speak to moderate Muslims?
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Tom
Audience member: You see people blowing up things. You don’t see Hindus or Buddhists blowing up things. It’s people blowing up things in the name of Islam.
Nazeem: People of many different faiths blow things up and do bad things to other human beings. The narrative about Muslims is skewed. Sure, there are Muslim extremists. We wouldn’t need to be at this forum if that wasn’t the case. 911 fuelled a 2 dimensional conversation – us vs them
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Tom
Audience member complaining that he wants to ask a question to challenge the speakers
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Tom
Ms Nishana Azadzoi: The key is education. We can educate ourselves. Ask questions about Islam.