BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//https://faithvictoria.org.au///NONSGML kigkonsult.se iCalcreator 2.10.15// METHOD:PUBLISH BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20260715T041737UTC-4924mDuT33@https://faithvictoria.org.au/ DTSTAMP:20260715T041737Z DESCRIPTION:18 June 2015 - This holy month begins with the first light of d awn commemorating the revelation of the Qur'an to the Prophet Mohammed. Th roughout this month Muslims fast during daylight hours\, pray fervently an d show charity to the needy. https://faithvictoria.org.au/upcoming-events/ event/562-beginning-of-the-month-of-ramadan-islam DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20150618 LOCATION:RSEvents!Pro Location (Colorado\, USA) SUMMARY:Beginning of the Month of Ramadan (Islam) URL:https://faithvictoria.org.au/upcoming-events/event/562-beginning-of-the -month-of-ramadan-islam END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20260715T041737UTC-4934S2sfgZ@https://faithvictoria.org.au/ DTSTAMP:20260715T041737Z DESCRIPTION:Melton Interfaith Network in conjuction with Melton City Counci l invites you to celebrate:\nRefugee Week | With Courage Let us all combin e\nDate: Thursday 18 June 2015 \; \; \; \; \; \; T ime: 12.00pm - 1.00pm\nLocation: Melton Library &\; Learning Hub\, 31&n bsp\;McKenzie Street\, Melton\n \;\nKeynote Speaker: David MacPhail As ylum Seeker Resource Centre\nLunch Provided\nRSVP: 11 June 2015\; \;Da vid Cowan david@modern.com.au or 0424 125 690 https://faithvictoria.org.au /upcoming-events/event/674-refugee-week-melton-interfaith-network DTSTART:20150618T120000Z DTEND:20150618T130000Z LOCATION:Melton Library & Learning Hub McKenzie Street Melton (31 McKenzie Street\, Melton VIC 3337\, Australia) SUMMARY:Refugee Week: Melton Interfaith Network URL:https://faithvictoria.org.au/upcoming-events/event/674-refugee-week-mel ton-interfaith-network END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20260715T041737UTC-4942XBJB3v@https://faithvictoria.org.au/ DTSTAMP:20260715T041737Z DESCRIPTION:Ramadan: A Guide\nRamadan\, the ninth month in the Muslim calen dar\, is a special time for the Muslim community\, and begins on Thursday 18 June 2015. As a most blessed month\, it is a time for reflection\, pray er and renewal of faith. Muslims worldwide fast from dawn to sunset\, abst aining totally from food\, drink\, smoking and other sensual pleasures to complete one of the five pillars of Islam and to achieve greater self-disc ipline\, self-purification\, and compassion for those less fortunate.\nOne Islam – Many Muslims \nThough Islam is a single religion\, it is importan t to recognise that Muslim people are not a single homogenous group. There are approximately 500\,000 Muslims in Australia\, who have come from over 70 countries all around the world: from Europe (ie Albania\, \;Bosnia \, Turkey)\, Africa\, Asia (including Central Asia\, South Asia\, South Ea st Asia)\, Pacific Islands\, and North and South America. Muslims believe in the one God. Allah is the Arabic word for God\, and Muslims believe in all the Prophets including Jesus\, Moses\, Abraham and others including Mu hammad\, peace be upon them.\nQ: What is Ramadan?\nA: Ramadan is the fourt h pillar of Islam\, which every Muslim must endeavor to observe or fulfill . The others pillars are:\n(i) Shahadah – declaration of faith\;\n(ii) Sal at – the five daily prayes\;\n(iii) Zakat – Purification of wealth by the charitable donation of 2.5% of annual savings\;\n(iv) Hajj – Pilgrimage to Mecca\, Saudi Arabia\, obligatory once in a lifetime for those who are ph ysically and financially able.\n \;\nQ: How did the fast during Ramada n become obligatory for Muslims?\nA: The revelations from God to Prophet M uhammad that would eventually \; be compiled as the Qur'an began durin g Ramadan in the year 610 A.D.\, but the fast of Ramadan did not become a religious obligation for Muslims until the year 624 A.D. The obligation to fast is explained in the second chapter of the Qur'an: “O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you\, t hat ye may (learn) self-restraint...Ramadan is the (month) in which was se nt down the Qur'an\, as a guide to mankind\, also clear (Signs) for guidan ce and judgment (between right and wrong). So every one of you who is pres ent (at his home) during that month should spend it in fasting...” (2: 183 &\; 185)\n \;\nQ: Why does Ramadan begin on a different day each y ear?\nA: Because Ramadan is a lunar month\, it begins about eleven days ea rlier each year. Throughout a Muslim’s lifetime\, Ramadan will fall both d uring winter months\, when the days are short\, and summer months\, when t he days are long and the fast is more challenging. In this way\, the fast is evenly distributed between Muslims living in the northern and southern hemispheres. In Australia\, the Australian National Imams Council is the p eak religious body which decides the start and end of Ramadan for Australi an Muslims.\nQ: What do Muslims believe they gain from fasting?\nA:\n•&nbs p\;Compassion – When one does not eat or drink at all during the day\, you feel in your body what the poor and hungry go through. Thus social respon sibility is introduced into one’s conscience through religious acts.\n•&nb sp\;Renewed focus on spirituality –During Ramadan\, Muslims are encouraged to engage their time in reading the Qur'an and offering extra prayers at night.\n• \;Character building – In the state of fasting\, anti-social habits are forbidden. E.g. backbiting\, indulging in foul speech\, tellin g of lies\, losing one’s temper\, etc. Perhaps the greatest practical bene fit is the annual lesson in self-restraint\, patience and discipline that can carry forward to other aspects of a Muslim’s life such as work and edu cation. Abstention from food is only one step to make a man realise that i f he can\, in obedience to Divine injunctions\, abstain from that which is otherwise lawful\, how more necessary it is that he should abstain from t hat which is evil and temptation.\n• \;Social interaction – Muslims ar e encouraged to share their food with family\, friends and neighbours duri ng the time they break their fast.\n \;\nQ: Is not eating and drinking all day for 15 hours or more during summer harmful to the body?\nA: Accor ding to health studies\, fasting is practically the most powerful of all r emedial measures. It enables one to get rid of toxins\, which may have acc umulated within the body\; it purifies the blood stream and renovates the entire system. While purifying and cleansing the body\, fasting\, at the s ame time\, adds to the actual vital strength of the body\, by removing tox ic material which can weaken the nerves of the body and the cells of the v arious organs.\n \;\nQ: Does a person’ s strength reduce due to not ea ting or drinking in the day?\nA: Missing a few meals is not the same as st arvation. In the study of the body and its needs and of foods and their pu rpose\, scientists have since long proved that food energy is not immediat ely available\, that some of this is stored in and upon the body as and wh en needed at a later time.\n \;\nQ: Do people normally lose weight dur ing Ramadan?\nA: Some people do lose weight\, but others may not. It is re commended that meals eaten during Ramadan be light\, but most people can’t resist sampling special sweets and foods associated with Ramadan.\n \ ;\nQ: Who Must Fast?\nA: Fasting is compulsory for those who are mentally and physically fit\, past the age of puberty\, in a settled situation (not travelling)\, and are sure fasting is unlikely to cause real physical or mental injury.\n \;\nQ. Are there any exemptions from fasting in the m onth of Ramadan?\nA: Yes. The following are exempt from fasting (some exem ptions are optional):\n\n\n\nChildren under the age of puberty and discret ion.\n\n\nPeople who are mentally incapacitated or not responsible for the ir actions.\n\n\nThe elderly who are too old and feeble.\n\n\nThe sick.\n \n\nTravellers who are on journeys of more than about fifty miles.\n\n\nPr egnant women and nursing mothers.\n\n\nWomen who are menstruating (days mi ssed are made up later).\n\n\n\nNote: Those who are temporarily unable to fast must make up the missed days at another time or feed the poor an aver age full meal or its value per person per day.\n \;\nQ. What are the t imes of fasting?\nA: A Muslim who intends to fast rises an hour or two bef ore dawn and has an early breakfast. All eating and drinking must cease ap proximately one and half-hours before sunrise which is the start of the fa sting period. The fast is broken at the time of sundown\, traditionally wi th dates and water\, followed by the main meal after prayers. Fasting time s vary from one time zone to another. In Melbourne\, it may start as early as 3:45 am\, depending on the time of the year. The times vary each day. \n \;\nQ: How can non-Muslim co-workers and friends help someone who i s fasting?\nA: Employers\, co-workers and teachers can help by understandi ng the significance of Ramadan and by showing a willingness to make minor allowances for its physical demands. Special consideration can be given to such things as requests for vacation time\, the need for flexible early m orning or evening work schedules and lighter homework assignments. Try to avoid the following for your Muslim colleagues:\n\nmeetings which include lunch\;\nmeetings extending past 5pm\; and\ndepartments parties (or social events) during Ramadan.\n\nIt is also very important that Muslim workers and students be given time to attend Eid-ul-Fitr prayers at the end of Ram adan. Eid-ul-Fitr is the day of rejoicing for Muslims to mark the end of t he fasting month. It is as important to Muslims as Christmas and Yom Kippu r are to Christians and Jews. If invited to share in Iftar (or the breakin g of the fast)\, try to make it…it will be fun!\n \;\nQ. What are some of the traditional practices of Ramadan?\nA:\n• \;Breaking the daily fast with a drink of water and dates. Main meal to follow after dusk praye rs.\n• \;Reading the entire Qur'an during Ramadan\n• \;Acts of cha rity\n• \;Offering additional prayers early morning and at night in th e home or in a congregation at the mosque\n• \;Social visits are encou raged\, especially visiting the sick and elderly.\n \;\nQ. I am travel ling (to and from) or working in a Muslim Country – what should I know?\nA : You should note the following things:\n• \;Holiday traffic jams (to Muslim countries) begin a week before the end of Ramadan and three days fo llowing Eid.\n• \;Traffic jams are common before Iftar – beware of bei ng grid-locked.\n• \;Congestion occurs on flights to Saudi Arabia espe cially during the 2nd half of Ramadan – people visiting Mecca.\n• \;Wo rking hours in some countries may be reduced\, and finish earlier during R amadan – so plan accordingly.\n• \;Restaurants may be booked out aroun d Iftar – so plan ahead.\n• \;Some food outlets may be closed during t he day – however many shops/markets etc will be open to late – way past mi dnight – enjoy the festivities.\n \;\nQ. What is Eid-ul-Fitr ?\nA: Thi s is the feast marking the end of Ramadan. Muslims are obliged to pay a pr escribed amount of money to assist the poor and disadvantaged (called Zaka t-ul-Fitr). Muslims observe the following:\n• \;Attend Eid prayers in the morning\n• \;Visiting family\, friends\, neighbors\, the sick\, el derly\n• \;Enjoying festive meals\n• \;Modest gift-giving especial ly to children\n \;\nRamadan Buzzwords:\nIftar: The traditional sundow n meal that breaks the Ramadan fast observed by Muslims around the world t his month. The event begins with a call to the maghreb (evening) prayers b y a local imam\, followed by a prayer.\nRamadan Mubarak: Arabic for “May y our Ramadan be blessed.” Some may say “Ramadan Kareem.”\nSahoor: The meal one eats in the early hours of the morning before starting one’s fast.\nEi d Mubarak: A greeting pronounced (eedmoobar-ak)\, meaning “May you have a blessed Eid”\n \;\nFor More Information:\nIslamic Council of Victoria (ICV)\n66-68 Jeffcott Street\nWest Melbourne\, Vic 3003\nTel: (61-3) 9328- 2067 \nwww.icv.org.au\n \;\nAcknowledgements: Ms May Khanam\, Mohammed El-leissy\, and Hyder Gulam FRCNA https://faithvictoria.org.au/upcoming-e vents/event/680-month-of-ramadan-2015 DTSTART:20150618T050000Z DTEND:20150618T170000Z LOCATION:RSEvents!Pro Location (Colorado\, USA) SUMMARY:Month of Ramadan 2015 URL:https://faithvictoria.org.au/upcoming-events/event/680-month-of-ramadan -2015 END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR