Photo: Dr Mufti Ismail ibn Musa Menk addressed over a thousand men, women and children at the Divine Legacy Conference Tour 2024 in Sydney on Sunday 1 December at The Highline Venue in Bankstown, organised by Human Appeal Australia (HAA). Photos by Think Studio.
While acknowledging Australia as one of the best countries, Mufti Menk, global Islamic scholar, motivational speaker and influencer based in Zimbabwe has urged Australian Muslims to build bridges and communicate effectively with their neighbours in order preserve peace and harmony in the broader human family.
He was addressing more than a thousand strong audience at the Sydney leg of the nationwide Divine Legacy Conference Tour 2024 on Sunday 1 December at The Highline Venue in Bankstown organised by Human Appeal Australia (HAA).
“You guys are fortunate, you have something amazing, beautiful country, lovely people, great understanding and in order to preserve this, you need to consciously ensure that you build bridges all the time. Watch the way you communicate with people when you want to say something, say it in the most beautiful way, when you want to educate, educate in a proper way,” Mufti Menk said.
He further added, “When people are in need, no matter who they are Muslim, non Muslim, whoever they may be, reach out to them, help them, make sure you have gone out of your way to communicate with your neighbours because they will begin to feel we are all part of a broader human family, and then we will be able to save ourselves from such misunderstanding that would result in one jumping on another and attacking them to the degree that they forget they are even human beings.”
Referring to what is happening in Gaza, Mufti Menk warned, “Think for a moment, imagine what you have your families, your wealth, your cars, your houses, your whatever else, the bank balance, everything you can imagine, if that were to suddenly disappear overnight and you had to rush for your life, leaving everything, no clothing no nothing, you just had to run if you were just given half an hour to empty your house or take whatever you can and to just get out because someone is about to blow the whole building into pieces and they will just call you a name in order to justify it.”
Bashar Al-Jamal, Director, HAA.
The national Divine Legacy Conference Tour 2024 organised by Human Appeal Australia attracted thousands of people across six major Australian cities starting from Brisbane to Perth with the the theme: Resilience and Faith: Upholding Islamic Values in Challenging Times.
Building on the success of its previous tours in 2019 and 2022, this year’s edition brought together world-renowned speakers and reciters, alongside local community leaders, to inspire and engage attendees and at the same time raise awareness and raise funds for several humanitarian initiatives aimed at alleviating suffering and empowering disadvantaged communities around the world.
Omar Al-Jamal, MC of the Sydney event.
The tour began in Brisbane on Saturday 23 November at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre. It moved to Melbourne on Sunday 24 November, hosted at Hyatt Place Melbourne, Essendon Fields.
The nation’s capital, Canberra welcomed attendees on Thursday 28 November at the Australian Parliament House moving then to Adelaide on Saturday 30 November at the Adelaide Convention Centre.
The Sydney event was held on Sunday 1 December 1st at a packed venue at The Highline, in Bankstown before the tour concluded in Perth on Monday 2 December at the Perth Convention & Exhibition Centre.
In addition to Dr Mufti Ismail ibn Musa Menk, the Divine Legacy Conference Tour 2024 included Sheikh Alaa Elsayed from Canada, a scholar and engaging speaker, internationally acclaimed Qur’anic reciters Dr Ahmed Neanaa from Egypt and Sheikh Ahmad Al-Nufais from Kuwait and many local speakers and scholars including the ever-present Muslim auctioneer Hussin Goss.
Qur’anic reciter Dr Ahmed Neanaa from Egypt.
The conference wasn’t merely a gathering of knowledge and reflection, it was also a call to action highlighted by Bashar Al-Jamal, Director of Human Appeal Australia who recently returned after seven months trotting the globe engaged in logistical management on the ground of various humanitarian projects.
Talking about HAA services in Gaza amongst most difficult conditions, Mr Al-Jamal said, “Our field teams in Gaza have provided paramedic support, the delivered essential food parcels and distributed hot meals, also ensured, clean drinking water whereby we have two water walls, providing 150 cubic meters of a drinking water daily, and the other two water walls, providing 200 cubic meters of water for general use.”
He further added, “I just recently came back from a long journey to ensure another 20,000 food parcels made their way into Gaza, some of these convoys took months of resistance to get through, but they made it with cooperation from our partner at the Jordanian Hashimite charity organisation in Jordan.”
“In the south of Lebanon we have supported displaced families, offering them a lifeline during their most difficult days. Our teams have risked their lives to deliver these services, their courage and dedication is highly commendable, but as much as we have achieved, there is so much more to do the devastation in Gazza and Lebanon is unimaginable, and the needs of those suffering are overwhelming. We must continue our work and expand our efforts to save lives and rebuild communities, Mr Al-Jamal concluded.
The HAA projects include providing cataract surgeries in Yemen and Afghanistan, which address preventable blindness and other eye diseases; funding home renovations in Gaza to improve living conditions for families in need; and installing artisan wells in rural Somalia to provide clean and safe drinking water.
Qur’anic reciter Sheikh Ahmad Al- Nufais from Kuwait.
Additionally, funds raised will support orphan sponsorship programs for over 10,000 children across 16 countries, including Pakistan, Palestine, Somalia, and Sri Lanka, offering them food, education, and medical aid. Another key initiative provides sewing machines and training to widowed women in Afghanistan and Bangladesh, enabling them to achieve financial independence.
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