On occasion of Ramadan 2023, the Islamic Council of Victoria gives one message to all Muslims in Victoria.
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Ramadan 2023: How Muslims observe holiest month in Islamic calendar
Ramadan 2023 begins on 23 March 2023 and ends on 21 April 2023. The Shepparton Interfaith Network extends warm greetings to our Muslim friends as they enter a period of prayer, fasting, charity-giving. Here, an overview of the main elements of Ramadan are given.
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Understanding reporting barriers and support needs of people experiencing racism
Victoria University is conducting an anti-racism project called Understanding reporting barriers and support needs of people experiencing racism, in collaboration with Ethnic Communities’ Council of Victoria (ECCV) and the Islamic Council of Victoria (ICV). The project is funded by the Victorian Health Promotion Foundation (VicHealth).
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Shepparton: Where ‘everyone belongs’ this Harmony Day
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UN 2023 Water Conference
From 22-24 March 2023, United Nations Member States, civil society, and other stakeholders will gather in New York for the UN 2023 Water Conference, to unite the world for water. The primary goal of the Conference is to raise awareness of the global water crisis and commit to joint action to achieve the internationally agreed water-related goals and targets, such as Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG6: Clean Water and Sanitation) of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
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A National Human Rights Act for Australia
Australia is the only liberal democracy that does not have a bill or charter of rights at the national level, and people’s human rights are not very well protected in Australian law. The starting point for a national Human Rights Act is to recognise that people’s human rights matter, all of the time, and should be protected.
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‘An extraordinary act of courage’: the Aboriginal activist who protested against Nazi Germany
A new song cycle from Lior, Nigel Westlake and Dr Lou Bennett pays tribute to Yorta Yorta elder William Cooper and his 1938 march to the German Consulate.
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500 churches and religious sites destroyed in Ukraine during the war
At least 494 religious buildings in Ukraine have been destroyed, damaged, or looted as a result of the Russian invasion—and seizure of religious buildings for use as Russian military bases increases the scale of destruction of religious sites in Ukraine, reports the Institute for Religious Freedom.
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Voice to Parliament: Faith Leaders’ Open Letter
This morning, Leader’s of Australia’s major religious and ethno-religious organisations have called upon all Federal parliamentarians to support a First Nations’ voice to parliament, called for through the 2017 Uluru Statement from the Heart. The Shepparton Interfaith Network supports the Voice to Parliament along with the national multifaith leaders.
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Goulburn Valley sends essentials as Türkiye earthquake victims cope with harsh winter
The Goulburn Valley Turkish community has rallied together after the earthquake on Monday. Financial donations are the most helpful support right now due to Australia’s distance from the disaster zone. The earthquake is being described as the worst the country has experienced since 1939.
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Violet Town: Film Fundraiser for Ukraine
Friends of Rural Australians for Refugees (RAR) Strathbogie Shire will hold a Film Fundraiser for Ukraine at the St Dunstan’s Hall, Violet Town on Thursday 23 February at 6pm. TWO films will be screened: Homeward (Crimea, 2019) and The Earth is Blue as an Orange (Ukraine, 2020)
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Have your say on anti-racism
What are the reporting barriers and support needs of people who experience racism? The Ethnic Communities Council of Victoria is partnering with the Islamic Council of Victoria and Victoria University on a research project, funded by VicHealth, to inform recommendations on how to improve anti-racism support and reporting pathways. Participation is sought from members of multifaith communities. If you are a Victorian aged 18 or older and identify as a member of a multicultural or multifaith community, you are invited to take part in the project by doing this short survey.
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Engaging Rural Knowledges in Education
The University of Melbourne Department of Rural Health will present a hybrid event with Dr Philip Roberts Associate Professor in Curriculum Inquiry & Rural Education who will speak on Engaging Rural Knowledges in Education – Spatial Justice, rural schooling and the sustainability of rural communities. (An important issue when school knowledge clashes with rural knowledge.) This session will present on Tuesday 14th March 2023.
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Change or suppression (conversion) practices: Information briefing
The Victorian Transclutural Mental Health agency will present an online information briefing on Change or suppresssion (conversion) practices in Victoria and the application of the new legislation. The speaker, Gregory Frank, Senior Engagement Adviser (Education and Engagement Branch), Victorian Equal Opportunity & Human Rights Commission. This event will be online on Wednesday, 15 March 2023.
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The Western Wall: From Ancient Stones to Modern Symbol
When reporting on the various religious sites that inhabit the Holy City of Jerusalem, the international media will occasionally erroneously refer to the Western Wall (known in Hebrew as the Kotel) as “the holiest site in Judaism.” In fact, the holiest site for the Jewish people is actually the neighbouring Temple Mount.
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Meditation and mindfulness at the library
Begin the New Year with a new mindset. Euroa and Cobram Libraries are offering you the opportunity to learn meditation in a free session hosted by Gen Kelsang Dornying.
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Sikh History in Australia in English and Punjabi
On the 550th Birth Anniversary of Guru Nanak, Sikh History in Australia in English and Punjabi has been released detailing the establishment of the Sikh religion in Australia. This book examines the Sikh Migrants who migrated to Australia from the 1840’s until the start of the Immigration Restriction Act 1901 known as the White Australia Policy.
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Year of the Rabbit: Chinese and Lunar New Year
This January, you will hear celebrations of Lunar New Year, Chinese New Year, and the Year of the Rabbit. But what does it all mean? Here’s everything you need to know, and how to celebrate.
While many of us celebrated the New Year on December 31st, for many members of our multicultural community, Lunar New Year is the time to celebrate what the next 12 months will have in store.
Celebrated by an estimated 2 billion people worldwide, Lunar New Year (January 22, in 2023) is a time to celebrate the lunar calendar through food, rituals, traditions, and celebrations.
But what is Lunar New Year all about? And what does the Year of the Rabbit (or for Vietnamese communities, the Year of the Cat) have in store for 2023?
Unorthodox Lessons for the Orthodox Church
The secular – either as secularism or as secularisation – being the norm and convention of our socio-political environment and everyday lifeworld might provide us with some new and special opportunities to take the Gospel more seriously, to appreciate our Orthodox Christian vocation, to engage and experiment with new mission practices, and finally to enrich both the history and experience of our faith. These are the unorthodox secular lessons that the Orthodox Church can and should take on board and make the best out of them!
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On This Day: The Muslim conquest of Mecca in 630 CE
Mecca, Saudi Arabia, is home to Masjid al-Haram, the largest mosque in the world which has within it the Ka’ba toward which all Muslims pray.
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