Partnering for our Communities workshop
A ‘Partnering for our Community’ workshop is being held at Griffith University’s Multi Faith Centre tomorrow where senior leaders from Queensland’s Muslim community will meet together with members from the Queensland Police Service, Queensland’s Anti-Discrimination Commission and Griffith University’s Multi-Faith Centre.
The workshop aims to strengthen relationships between Queensland’s Muslim community and some of the government entities so that together, they can work towards ensuring the community is a safe and harmonious place.
The meeting, that is an initiative of the Islamic Society of Holland Park (ISHP), will cover a range of topics including the role of police, criminal investigation procedures and the reporting of crime, the role of the Anti- Discrimination Commission in dealing with discrimination and vilification, social media, domestic violence, and the role of Muslim Community leaders and government agencies in dealing with conflicts overseas.
Ali Kadri speaking on behalf of the senior leaders of the Muslim community said the Islamic Society of Holland Park was proud to be associated with “Partnering for our Community” program.
“Qld Police and ISHP have always enjoyed a healthy relationship and look forward to continuing this relationship with many workshops and programs like these in the future,” Mr Kadri said.
” We would also like to congratulate Qld Police for turning 150 years next month; it is certainly a monumental achievement. The Holland Park Mosque also enjoys a great history and rich tradition dating back to more than a hundred years. Established in 1908, the Holland Park Mosque was the first mosque along the eastern seaboard of Australia and is currently the oldest running Mosque in Australia.”
South Brisbane District Officer, Acting Chief Superintendent Mark Ainsworth of the Queensland Police Service said the workshop will be an opportunity for leaders to meet and discuss any cultural matters between the Muslim community and the QPS.
“The workshop opens the lines of communication and provides an avenue for frank discussion that benefits all areas,” Acting Chief Superintendent Mark Ainsworth said.
“By holding workshops with cultural groups I believe that we can work together to stop crime, make our community safer and build stronger relationships.”
Commissioner Kevin Cocks from the Anti-Discrimination Commission said he greatly valued the opportunity to build stronger relationships with leaders of the Muslim community in Queensland, so that they can work together to ensure all persons of the Islamic faith have a good awareness of the laws that exist in Queensland to protect their religious rights and freedoms, and to ensure that a culture of inclusion and respect is promoted across our community.
Dr Brian Adams of the Griffith University Multi-Faith Centre said, Queensland needed more of this type of partnering to build our communities.
” In face-to-face discussion, people from all cultures and professions can begin to understand each other and discover ways to work together,” Dr Adams said.
“This is what can make a society in which people of all faiths and cultures can feel safe to practice their traditions.”
