It gives me great pleasure to

write this segment of this sea-

sons Mawlid edition newsletter.

Firstly, I'd like to extend a big

thank you to the Muslim com-

munity for their show of sup-

port at our recent fundraiser

dinner. Your generosity on the

night was heart moving and

sincerely appreciated by all. As a result, 2MFM has se-

cured exceptional broadcasting capabilities and much

needed upgrades to our infrastructure.

On another exciting note, 2MFM last week received the

NEMBC station of the year award 2017. This achieve-

ment is a testament to all the hard work 2MFM staff

and volunteers across all fronts put in everyday. But of-

course, our achievements are a reflection of the contin-

ued participation and support from various culturally

and linguistically diverse communities.

At this time, Muslims across the world gather to cele-

brate the birth of our beloved prophet Muhammad

peace be upon him; whom Allah sent as a mercy to

mankind. So what is the Mawlid? The Mawlid is a gath-

ering to thank Allah. As we thank Allah for His endow-

ments bestowed upon us such as the basic necessity of

water, Muslims also thank Allah for revealing Prophet

Muhammad peace be upon him and guiding them from

darkness to the light of faith. Mawlid celebrations con-

sist of doing good deeds such as reciting Quran, prais-

ing Allah, asking Allah to raise the rank of Prophet Mu-

hammad, chanting that draws ones heart closer to be-

ing God fearing and to developing a deeper love for the

Prophet

Even though commemorating the Prophet’s birth is not

mentioned in the holy Quran, this celebration inspires

acts of guidance and generosity. Feedback from our

audience suggests a growing need for 2MFM programs

to present the life story of our beloved Prophet and his

praised attributes and manners. The stories of his birth

and life are great lessons for all. Staff and volunteers

are hopeful to have met your expectations throughout

this season and thank you for your participation in all

programs.

I'd like to extend to you a happy and joyous Mawlid.

We look forward to meeting you at Australia's premier

Mawlid Celebration - the Multicultural Mawlid celebra-

tion at Sydney's Olympic Park Homebush Bay Sports

Centre on Sunday the 3rd of December 2017 to again

unite 'Together in Loving Muhammad'.

MUSLIM COMMUNITY RADIO

Thursday, 29 November 2017 ISSUE 6

BEHIND THE VOICE

Words from the President

Inside this issue:

Words from the Presi-dent

1

NEMBC Station of the Year

1

2MFM Fundraising Dinner Success

2

Multicultural Mawlid Concert 2017

2

Step Together Help-line Service

3

Darfur League Visit and Consultation

3

Community Engage-ment - Talk at De-partment of Human Services

3

Special Mawlid Pro-gramming on 2MFM

4

Community Bulletin 4

2MFM Wins 2017 ‘Station of the Year’ Award 2MFM has been awarded the highly competitive National

Ethnic and Multicultural Broadcasters Council (NEMBC)

‘Station of the Year’ award for 2017.

The award is in recognition of 2MFM’s significant involve-

ment in highlighting various social, health, cultural, eco-

nomic and religious issues within the Muslim and broader

community.

The Muslim Community in Australia is very diverse con-

sisting of over 200,000 individuals from over 20 coun-

tries speaking over 10 languages.

With these statistics in mind, 2MFM ensures that it pro-

duces programs in different languages that cater to the

diverse needs of the community.

A huge thank you to all the listeners, volunteers, spon-

sors, employees, managers, board members, community organisations and represent-

atives, and countless others who continue to support the Muslim Community Radio.

This is a win not only for 2MFM, but also for the entire Muslim Community!

Do not dispose of this newsletter in the bin.

2MFM would like to thank all those who attended the fundraising dinner which was held on the Thursday the 26th of October.

Over 600 guests attended and were treated to delicious dinner as well as a night of entertainment featuring world renowned chanter Hajj Mohamad Kheir.

The event was an opportunity for members of the public and listen-ers to get involved with 2MFM and learn more about the operations that occur behind the scenes to make 2MFM the success that it is.

The evening featured a speech by Mr Rafic Hussein President of 2MFM and a video showcasing the ongoing activity at 2MFM.

If you didn’t get a chance to support 2MFM at the fund-raiser it is not too late. Monetary donations can be made online via 2mfm.org or at the radio station, 40 Hector Street Chester Hill.

Thank you for your continued support!

2MFM Fundraising Dinner Success

Page 2

Multicultural Mawlid

Concert 2017 Under the patronage of Darulfatwa the Islamic High

Council of Australia, 2MFM in partnership with other

Islamic organisations is proud to extend an invitation to

the wider community to attend the 2017 Multicultural

Mawlid Concert.

The theme of the event is “Together in loving Prophet

Muhammad Peace be upon him” and the concert will

feature a musical play entitled ‘The Golden Script’

which tells the tale of the people of the ten lands. The

event will feature an ensemble of over 170 performers

and actors from diverse communities in NSW including

Sudanese, Turkish, Malaysian, Indonesian, West Afri-

can, Lebanese, Iraqi, Bosnian, Uyghur, Pakistani, Syri-

an and Palestianian.

The Production will be produced by internationally re-

nowned artist-Adam Ali who is best known for his lead

role in the Harmony band.

The concert promises to showcase a performance that

is rich in culture and in tradition in commemoration of

the birth of Prophet Muhammad Peace be upon him.

In addition, attendees will have the opportunity to seek

blessings from the relics of the Prophet.

Entry to the venue is free and ample public parking is

available. The venue is also a short walk from Sydney

Olympic Park train station.

2MFM would like to take this opportunity to wish the

Muslim community a Mawlid Mubarak and encourages

all attendees to visit our stand at the concert for the

purchase of CDS and DVDs including the 2017 Mawlid

soundtrack.

We look forward to seeing you all there.

MUSLIM COMMUNITY RADIO

Step Together Helpline Service

Page 3

2MFM presenter Nadia was invited by the Department of Human services to present a talk

about her experiences living as a moderate Muslim in Australia. Nadia’s talk was part of an

event entitled “Multicultralism — Our stories session” which was held on the 31st of October

at Parramatta.

In talking about her involvement Nadia stated that she was deeply humbled and that the

invitation was an opportunity to showcase the

involvement of Muslims in daily Australian

life.

She also added that as a young Muslim Aus-

tralian it is important that Muslim youth share

their stories and make their voices heard.

For her participation Nadia received a certificate of appreciation

and was invited to talk about her experiences once again at the

Penrith session held on the 29th of November.

2MFM Engagement - Department of Human Services

Darfur League Visit and

Consultation 2MFM was delighted to have members of the Darfur League (Sudanese community organisa-tion) visit the studios of 2MFM to provide personal feedback on 2MFM programming and to meet the staff at the station.

The visit was part of a consulta-tion process whereby 2MFM uses feedback to assess programs and make any necessary modifica-tions.

The organisations notable mem-ber Mr Muhammad Idris was in-terviewed by 2MFM presenter Mazina whereby he expressed his

satisfaction with the professional service and quality programs that 2MFM presents.

2MFM welcomes the Darfur League and the broader Sudanese community for future visits and feedback.

On behalf of 2MFM staff and vol-unteers, we thank Mr Idris and his companions for their lovely visit, their valued participation and pos-itive feedback.

MUSLIM COMMUNITY RADIO

The New South Wales Government has re-cently launched a new phone and online sup-port service called Helpline Step Togeth-er aimed at helping people who are worried about any of their friends and family members who may be at risk of extremism.

2MFM Program Manag-er, Mrs Faten El Dana OAM, interviewed the NSW Minister for Counter Terrorism, Mr David Elliot who explained to the listen-

ers how and why this new initiative has been set up and the difference between the new helpline and the Na-tional Security Hotline.

The Minister explained that the helpline is not a reporting service but rather the: “service is independent of govern-ment, police and other authorities and it is only in the event of a serious and imminent risk to the safety of yourself and others that we are obli-gated to report the situa-tion, to ensure your

safety and that of oth-ers. Counsellors who are operating this help line are well trained in the area of counter- extremism and are there to offer infor-mation, advice and referrals”.

The helpline is available from 7am to 9pm every day, and the number to call is

1800 875 204.

MUSLIM COMMUNITY RADIO

2MFM Special Mawlid Programs

(02) 9707 2747 www.2mfm.org

Community Bulletin

Membership — For only an annual subscription fee of $50 anyone can become a 2MFM member. In order to become a member, please contact 2MFM on 9707 2747 or by sending an email to contactus@2mfm.org.

Donations — Support 2MFM by making a donation. It’s as simple as visiting 2mfm.org to pay using Mastercard/Paypal/Visa or you can set-up a bank deposit using the following in-formation.

• Account name: Muslim Community Radio

• BSB: 082-128

• Account Number: 53059 4280

Brothers Panel — Catch new episodes of the Brothers Panel every Thursday and Sunday after 7 pm for some beneficial religious information and interesting segments.

Soundcloud — Listen to your favourite programs, interviews and lessons online via Soundcloud. This can be accessed via the 2MFM website, www.2mfm.org

Mobile App — You can now listen to 2MFM everwhere you go with our mobile app. The app has been updated to ios 11. Be sure to update your app if you already have it installed. You can download the application from your mobile app store.

It’s been a busy month at 2MFM with the launch of a number of special series on the occasion of the Mawlid. Here’s a rundown of some of the special mawlid programs that are airing this Mawlid season.

Reconnecting in Rabi^ ul-Awwal (English)

Sandy and Nadia hosted the Mawlid English series Reconnecting in Rabi^ ul-Awwal. The program featured a number of guests and interesting segments. Some guests featured included Sheikh Bilal Homaysi, Producer/Performer Adam Ali of the Harmony Band and Mawlid Concert performers Lachlan Fos-ter and Fatima Weaver who shared some memories from their experience as Muslim converts who participated in the Mawlid.

You can find all the episodes from the series on the program’s soundcloud playlist: https://soundcloud.com/2mfm/sets/mawlid-2017

Sobhiyet Ward (Syrian)

Hajjeh Hanadi and Hiba interviewed a num-ber of past and current female 2MFM pro-gram presenters from over the years. They also ran a competition which challenged lis-teners to record the Mawlid announcement in their voice. The competition definitely brought out the creative side of listeners, some of whom mixed madih into their an-

nouncement. Well done to all those who participated!!

Nagham Al Sabah (Lebanese)

Hajjeh Jihad ran the Favourite Madih (Islamic chant) competition in the lead up to the Mawlid Concert. Listen-ers were called upon to vote for their favourite madih from the list and the response was overwhelming. Thank you to all those that called in!!

Sawalef Ahlena (Iraqi)

Hajjeh Maisoon and Haaj Dr Anmar delivered an Iraqi program that fea-tured stories from the past relating to the Mawlid occasion. We hope you enjoyed the program.

Warna Warni (Indonesian)

Hajjeh Lea has presented a number of segments during her program about the Mawlid.

Spotlight (Arabic)

Sister Mazina interviewed a number of high-profile guests on the occasion of the Mawlid including internationally renowned chanter Haaj Mohammad Maa^rouf Karanouh and world re-nowned conductor, composer, chanter and program presenter Haaj Jamal Shamma^aah.