Reflections of the six weeks at Queensland Faith Communities Council (QFCC)
Since our last executive meeting in March, most of us have been pre-occupied with our own faith groups celebrating various festivals.
Iftar Dinners
Many Iftar dinner invitations have been received and I attended the Lord Mayor’s Iftar Dinner at Sunnybank on the 15th April. The Chairperson will also be attending the annual Queensland Education and Cultural Foundation (QEFC) Peace and Dialogue Iftar dinner at Wisdom College on 6th May.
CALD Community Engagement Programme
On April 20 the Secretary and I met with representatives from the Mater Hospital and Red Cross, to discuss how QFCC could help the Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Community Engagement Programme who are disseminating vaccine advice to the CALD community, particularly youth, international students, unemployed and domestic violence victims. The representatives advised they are working on a slide presentation that could be shown at one of our future meetings. A health spokesperson would attend and present. I think we should accept their offer.
Cohesive Communities Coalition
Thank you to the Islamic Council of Queensland President who put us in touch with the Co-Chairs of the Cohesive Communities Coalition. The Queensland Premier last week announced that their Legal Options Paper will be referred to a Parliamentary Inquiry, which is a solid achievement by this group. Many of you will be involved with this or your own communities will have representation on the Cohesive Communities Coalition.
General Council Meeting Thursday 17-Jun-2021
One of the Co-Chairs of the Cohesive Communities Coalition has agreed to be our guest speaker at the General Council meeting on 17 June. We have been in touch with her and asked that she address the law reforms regarding hate crimes and vilification and to also give us an update on where things stand. I am confident she will be an excellent presenter.
Chairperson
Queensland Faith Communities Council