Sada-e-Watan
Sydney ™
sadaewatan@gmail.com
SAMAA'S QAWWALI NIGHT AT BANKSTOWN SPORTS CLUB SYDNEY: New Zealand Martyrs Remembered
South Asian Muslim Association of Australia (SAMAA) staged another very successful event for the elders of the community. The Mehfil-e-Qawwali on Sunday 7 April 2019 at Bankstown Sports Club theatre Sydney drew fans from across the communities including elders, their families, SAMAA volunteers and members, wider South Asian community as well as Anglo Saxon fans of this
Julie Owens, MP
classical art. Federal MP for Parramatta Julie Owens was
among the audience to enjoy her favourite music.
The ensemble of Tahir
Faridi Qawwal gave an outstanding performance in singing very popular numbers
of Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Sabri brothers.
The atmosphere turned
sombre as victims of the mosque shooting in Christchurch were remembered. Mr
Zahid Jamil described the events in Christchurch most unfortunate which had
disturbed the tranquillity of the most peaceful nation on the earth. He said It
was shocking to learn that the terrorist belonged to Australia. Though, SAMAA
is a non-political benevolent institution, yet he appealed to the Australian
government to take necessary steps to ensure safety of mosques in this beloved
nation of ours.
Dr Sikander Khan - Dua for Martyers
Dr Sikander Khan recited holy verses from Quran and made an
emotional Dua (prayer) for the Martyrs of the mosque massacre and their loved
ones. He prayed for peace in the region and the world. He emphasized that Islam
was the religion of peace and terrorism cannot be justified under any pretext.
Dua concluded with the call to the prayer and Maghreb Prayer.
Qawwali
resumed after Maghreb. The group mesmerised and enchanted the audience for well
over three hours, receiving rapturous applauses repeatedly. With their rich
rhythmic grooves, soaring vocal melodies and the classical performance, the
performers were able to spell bound the audience. It was an exceptional
exhibition of the ancient tradition of Sufi music. The lead singer Canadian
born and a revert Tahir Faridi Qawwal showed total mastery of this art with its
smooth melodic overtures, fierce leaps of vocal passion & rich vocal
choruses which captivated the audience.
Mrs Shahnaz Hyder, famous Ghazal
Singer of Sydney and Mrs Kaneez Fatima Ali, the senior Urdu poet presented
gifts to the artists. The SAMAA volunteer Ahsan Ali was MC for the event.
Mr Zahid Jamil
Speaking briefly about SAMAA, Mr Zahid Jamil told audience that
SAMAA had entered into agreements with service providers to offer professional
services to the South Asian Muslim seniors. These included Uniting and IWAA for
Home Care services and Gallipoli Home for those who need Nursing Home Care.
Gallipoli Home is a state of art facility built by the Turkish community with
support of Australian government in Auburn. It offers religiously and
culturally appropriate care to Muslim seniors.
The Event was designed
as a Service to the Elders in our Community as SAMAA does at regular intervals
to alleviate loneliness of community elders. The elders get an opportunity not
only to entertain themselves but also meet their contemporaries. The Elders
well appreciated SAMAA's efforts at catering to their Culturally &
Linguistically Divergent Needs.
The event was supported by Bankstown Sports
Club.
