“ AUSTRALIAN AFFINITY AWARDS”

  Muslim Community Promotes
Harmony with Community Awards

Sunday 23rd October 2005

While so much of the world's attention focuses on religious conflict and rivalry, it's easy to overlook the work being done particularly in Australia to promote peace and understanding between cultures and faiths.

Last night at a gathering of over 170 Muslims, Christians and Jews, the Affinity Intercultural Foundation presented its 2nd Australian Affinity Awards , to recognise the efforts of individuals who actively promote interfaith dialogue and the removal of religious prejudice in the Australian community.

Notable award winners included Cardinal George Pell of the Sydney Catholic Archdiocese for his active support and sponsoring of interfaith events in Sydney; and Professor Terence Lovat, Pro-Vice Chancellor of the Faculty of Education and Arts at the Newcastle University for advocating the teaching of world religions in high schools.

The work done with and by the youth community featured prominently in the awards list. Australia Day “Young Citizen of the Year” recipient Kolitha Wickramage was recognised for his work with young Auburn migrants and for his help and support of Muslim refugees in the Villawood detention centre.

Speaking shortly after recitals from the Qur'an, the keynote address by Bishop Julian Porteous described the significance of the similarities between the world's western religions and the opportunities for ongoing peaceful coexistence. Importantly, many of those listening were eating their first meal since sunrise that morning, as the dinner marked the end of the day's fasting, a practice required by all observing Muslims during the month of Ramadan. The sharing of a meal is considered in all cultures of the world to be one of the most significant gestures of accord and goodwill.

In all, 8 awards were presented at the dinner hosted by the Affinity Intercultural Foundation, an organisation founded in 2001 by a group of young Australian Muslims specifically to promote cultural and religious awareness and understanding across the entire Australian community.

According to Mehmet Ozalp, Affinity's president and author of 101 Questions You Asked About Islam , “The Awards recognise individuals for their significant contribution in bringing together Australians, and improving understanding between Australians of diverse religious and cultural backgrounds”.

Award Details

Interfaith Dialogue: Cardinal George Pell Sydney Catholic Archdiocese

Academic: Professor Terence Lovat Newcastle University

Public Service: Stepan Kerkyasharian Community Relations Commission

Media: Monica Heary Parramatta Sun

Education: Matthew Gray Shore School

Youth Interfaith: Kolitha Wickramage World Health Organisation

Muslim Community: Ali Roude Rissalah College

Youth Community: Suelaima Samman Mission of Hope

Award Receivers Details

Interfaith Dialogue Award Receiver: Cardinal George Pell

Cardinal George Pell is the head of the Sydney Catholic Archdiocese and representative of the Australian Catholic Church at Vatican . Cardinal Pell has displayed a genuine support for the interfaith movement in Sydney in and beyond his archdiocese. In 2004, he has hosted an interfaith event at St Mary's Cathedral involving Imam Faisal Abdul Rauf from the United States involving the Premier of NSW Bob Carr. He has been involved in interfaith events with key people in the Muslim Community including Sheik Hilaly.

Most recently Cardinal Pell has both sponsored and took an important part in the 4 th International Inter-Religious Abraham Conference held in Sydney .

Academic Award Receiver: Professor Terence Lovat

Professor Terence Lovat is the Pro-Vice Chancellor of the Faculty of Education and Arts at the Newcastle University . Prof Lovat has been instrumental in the establishment of the General Religious Education, which covers world religions in Australian High Schools. He has also worked hard to introduce and include world religions in the “Studies in Religion” subject, which is offered for HSC students in Australia . He has also authored text books to help in the delivery of education in world religions.

Most recently, Prof Lovat has been advocating the teaching of Islam in high schools so that students would be able to properly understand Islam and Muslims and therefore remove religious prejudice.

Public Service Award Receiver: Stepan Kerkyasharian

Stepan Kerkyasharian is the Chariman for the Community Relations Commission for a Multicultural NSW. In this capacity, Mr Kerkyasharian has served the people of NSW and worked beyond the call of duty to foster community harmony. During the start of the Iraq war in 2003, he has established and chaired Harmony Reference Group made up of Jewish and Muslim community leaders. He has personally facilitated numerous interfaith gatherings over the past four years.

He has been a strong advocate of the International Inter-religious Abraham Conference and has been instrumental in the success of the Anti-Terror Summit held this year on September the 11 th in spite of open public criticism of the Summit .

Media Award Receiver: Monica Heary

Monica Heary is a journalist with the Parramatta Sun. Monica and the paper she works for, the Parramatta Sun, have been conscious of the positive role the media can play in fostering social cohesion and understanding. She and her editor Charles Boag have undertaken a series of articles giving voice to young Muslims at a time when Muslim youth were treated with scrutiny in the general media.

Most recently in 2005, Monica has covered the first ever Muslim youth event in NSW, the Youth Panel organized by Affinity Intercultural Foundation further enhancing her good work.

Education Award Receiver: Mathew Gray

Matthew Gray is an ordained Anglican priest and the Studies in Religion Coordinator at Shore School in North Sydney . Mathew has gone beyond the call of duty and the norms of the Anglican Community to involve Muslims in the education of senior students in Shore School .

Over the last two years, he has been inviting representatives from other religions including Muslims to his school for information seminars and an opportunity for his students to experience human encounters with Muslims.

Youth Interfaith Award Receiver: Kolitha Wickramage

Kol Wickramage is currently completing a Masters in Public Health and Community Medicine program at the University of NSW . He has served Youth programmes in Australia and is an example of a youth who has gone beyond the call of duty in serving people and bringing people together in peace. He has received the “Young Citizen of the Year” award, presented at Australia Day Awards in 2002, for his work with migrants in the Auburn area. He has led visits to help and support Muslim refugees in the Villawood detention centre.

He has been working for the last year with the World Health Organisation in Sri Lanka helping victims of the Tsunami disaster of 2004.

Muslim Community Award Receiver: Ali Roude

Ali Roude is the Principle of Rissalah Primary College and has served the Muslim community for more than two decades as the president of the NSW Islamic Council. I n 1988, he was awarded the Order of Australia for outstanding services to the Muslim community; and in 1996 awarded the "Parent of the year". In 1996, Mr Roude was appointed to the Police Ethnic Advisory Committee and the Olympic Multicultural Advisory Committee. He has also served as an executive of the world Council on Religion and Peace.

He has been instrumental in the success of the Anti-Terror Summit held on Sep 11 2005 . He has supported this initiative in spite of the negative media coverage.

Muslim Youth Award Receiver: Suelaima Samman

Suelaima Samman is the Vice-president of Mission of Hope. Suelaima has demonstrated herself as a model young Muslim in the way she has developed herself and the positive active role she has taken in the community. Despite the fact that she is a university student studying a Bachelor of Psychology course, she has been active with the Muslim Women Association's Step Up! Project which aims to reduce and prevent racial and religious discrimination and vilification against Muslim women and young people. She is also actively involved in Greenacre Neighbourhood Centre, Mission of Hope, Australian Society of Islamic Psychology, Muslim Student Association Advisory Committee and Muslim Students' Society at UWS Bankstown Campus.