Islamic Council of Queensland

Community

The Islamic Council of Queensland represents more than 20,000 Muslims residing in the state of Queensland. The council also represents some 16 member organisations located in a number of cities in the state.

Services and programs

The ICQ provides a number welfare services and Islamic ritual services for local Muslims in Queensland including marriage celebrants and burial services. The group has organised annual Quran competitions and other programs for youth development. The group has also organised a number of workshops and fund raising events.

In 2008, young members of the ICQ organised a successful public relations campaign when they participated in Blood Donation Week, donating blood to Queensland blood banks.

According to the Council, the Islamic community in Queensland have suffered from a number of prejudical incidents locally, and have felt the strain on their daily lives. The Council president has attributed some of these problems to the fact that local Australians are not familiar with the religion and culture of local Muslims. The ICQ and Queensland’s Islamic community have planned an annual "Queensland Mosque Day" to encourage Australian locals to learn about the Muslim faith. The Queensland Premier, Campbell Newman, encouraged locals to attend the open session.

Zakaat and halal accreditation

The ICQ collects and distributes zakaat and provides halal accreditation.

Executive committee

The eight member executive committee is responsible for the governance of the Council. The members are (as of October 30, 2014 - now out of date):

Awards

In 2014, the Queensland state government awarded Professor Shahjahan Khan, former vice-president of ICQ, as a 2014 Cultural Diversity Ambassador award recipient.