Assalamu alaykum
It's been a while since my last email to you. Insha Allah you are all well and getting ready for Ramadan, the best month of the year!
Ramadan as you know is the busiest month for us at NZF and I wanted to share with you what our team has been discussing and will be working through this Ramadan.
This will be NZF's 7th Ramadan insha Allah. With the increasing challenges we face as a community, be it at the through tragedies like Christchurch, or at an individual level with sisters being thrown out of homes and people leaving Islam, more than ever we realise the immediate need is for us to focus on local empowerment; to strengthen our faith and increase in our piety as a community. It is almost as though our own community is slipping away while we are trying to grapple with the tests Allah is throwing our way.
To this effect we have been working hard in the past year to collaborate and work closely with many local organisations and leaders that share our vision and Alhamdulillah have made giant steps in this space. I thank Allah for opening doors this year, as these are the same doors that have been shut for a few years.
One particular partnership I am excited about is with Crescent Wealth, who provide options for Muslims to invest their superannuation in a manner that is pleasing to Allah. While we, at NZF, work on the other end to aid those in need and empower them to stand on their own two feet, Crescent Wealth aids those blessed with wealth to further increase their wealth, which in turn results in more Zakat paid to help those most needy in our community.
This is a very powerful cycle, ordained by Allah, and you will see NZF and Crescent Wealth embarking on many joint initiatives this year to insha Allah combine our efforts to uplift our community here in Australia.
You will also see us working much closer with many community leaders you are familiar with this Ramadan in an effort to reach out and educate more Muslims here in Australia on the importance of local Zakat education, payment and distribution. The difference between 2013 and 2019 is that we now have thousand's of people like you who understand the significance of local Zakat distribution and we are not alone in answering the question "Is Zakat needed in Australia?"
JazaakumAllahu Khairan for your support through all these years and I pray that Allah allow us all to witness another Ramadan and accept all our deeds. Ameen.
I look forward to staying closely in touch with you during this blessed month.
Your brother Abu Muneer | 
