What is (Ladies Headdress and ? Some common terms used: Hijab is an word meaning barrier or Allah – Arabic name for God used by Mus- partition. lims all over as well as Arab Muslims and Christians alike There are 3 common versions of headdress worn by most Muslim women. Assalamu Alaikum – “Peace be upon What is ? They are the Hijab, Niqab and the Bur- you”, a greeting used when Muslims meet qa. The Hijab is by far the most common each other worn by Australian Muslim’s however some Halal – permitted choose a more conservative option such as the Niqab or Burqa. Whilst it is a religious Haram – Forbidden such as alcohol, pork requirement for Muslim women to wear a and any of its derivatives, any animal covering of some sort, some women choose slaughtered in a way other than what Is- not to wear the hijab. lam prescribes, gambling, relationships In Islam women’s headdress is a principle outside marriage of modesty. Some Muslim women choose Hijab – the used by Muslim women to to wear garments covering everything ex- cover their hair and chest area cept the hands, face and feet with loose, non -revealing cooling material. Modesty rules Niqab—veil that covers face showing only are open to interpretation with some wom- eyes en covering every part of the body except Brief the eyes. Some believe only their hair or Burqa—full face and body covering is compulsory to cover while others Imam - Religious leader do not observe any special dress rules. Information Other modesty considerations may include avoiding situations where a Muslim is secluded with a male. Whilst this may for not at times be possible or suitable, consid- eration is always appreciated. Similarly, some Muslim women prefer not to have physical contact with another male includ- Employers ing a simple handshake. It is important to note that not all Muslim women avoid such contact and situations.

In the English speaking world, use of the word hijab has become limited to mean the PO Box 412 covering on the head of Muslim woman. UNDERWOOD

QLD 4119 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/ beliefs/hijab_1.shtml#top) Phone: (07) 3208 6333 Fax: (07) 3208 6933

Email: [email protected] What does Islam mean? Five Pillars of Islam: – ninth month in the Islamic Calendar. It is obligatory on The Arabic word “Islam” means surrender to the • Belief in Oneness of God (Allah) and that Prophet will of God and is derived from a word meaning is his last Messenger Muslims to fast in this month. However, “Peace”. there are a few exceptions such as • Prayer Muslims believe that by definition, Islam is a elderly, pregnant women, travellers, ill religion which was preached by every prophet • Fasting persons (these can make up the missed from Prophet Adam (Peace be upon him) to fasts later) Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon Him) • Zakat – similar to income tax • Hajj – Pilgrimage to Mecca (one of Islam’s holiest Fasting means abstaining from eating, sites) completed once in a person’s lifetime if fi- drinking and sexual activity from dawn Sources of knowledge for Muslims nancially, physically and mentally capable. Hajj until sunset. Smoking is also prohibited There are two sources from which Muslims can falls in last month of the Islamic calendar during fasting! refer. Prayer— performed five times a day and is obliga- An employee who observes Ramadan • The Quran - which Muslims believe is the di- tory upon Muslims shouldn’t have any adverse effect on the rect word of God - in Arabic this cannot be chal- employer/business however they may lenged. Prayer times: • Authentic - sayings or actions of the • Fajr - before sunrise choose not to partake in work lunches/ Prophet Peace Be Upon Him • Zuhr - around midday after sun crosses the morning teas/functions and may show midpoint effects of fatigue through reduced sleep The Muslim Community in Australia • Asr - mid-afternoon and food/drink consumption The Muslim Community in Australia is made up • Maghrib - sunset FYI of diverse people from all over the world. • Isha - approx. 1 - 1 ½ hours after Maghrib The majority of Muslim Australians are born in Prayer is seen as leaving the material world and re- The Islamic calendar is a Lunar calen- Australia connecting with God dar (similar to Chinese, Thai and Hin- dus) and therefore fasting, zakat and They speak a range of languages such as Arabic, We perform ablutions before prayers and this in- hajj changes from one year to next Turkish, Persian (Farsi), Bosnian, Dari, cludes washing hands, feet, and face (preferable to have a Albanian, , ,Kurdish, Pashtu, etc. tap/sink separate from toilet space) within the Solar/Gregorian calendar by about 11 days. We face towards Mecca in our prayers Common Stereotypes The obligatory prayers take about 10 minutes each to perform and can be done during lunch (for Zuhr), Also, feasts and important events vary All Muslims are Arabs Afternoon tea (for Asr) from year to year. All Arabs are Muslims Friday prayers are very important for Muslims. This may take about an hour as it consists of sermon , There are two important feasts for Despite the stereotype that all Muslims are of prayer and time taken to go to the nearest congrega- Muslims. These are Eid-ul-Fitr (after Arab or Middle-Eastern background, less than tion for Friday prayers.. Can negotiate with employ- fasting) and Eid-ul-Adha (after the rit- 20% of Australian Muslims were born in Middle ee to start early or finish late to make up for time Eastern or Arab countries taken to go for the prayers. uals of pilgrimage are completed)