# Islamic Council of Queensland

The Islamic Council of Queensland (ICQ), established in 1969, an Australian Muslim organisation acting as the central representative body for the Muslim community and local Islamic organisations in Queensland, Australia. The Council provides a number of social and religious services for Muslims in the area.

## Activities
### 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. The vast majority of mosques, mussallahs and Muslim student associations at universities are members of the organisation stretching from the Gold Coast up to Cairns.

### 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 prejudicial 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.

## Organisational structure
### Executive committee

The executive committee is responsible for the governance of the Council. Members of the executive committee are selected through the AGM process and represent the variety of different ethnic, cultural and linguistic groups within the Queensland Muslim community. The members of the 2019 executive committee are:
* Akram Buksh, President
* Farouk Adam, Vice President
* Muhammad Khatree, Secretary
* Imam Akram Buksh, Assistant Secretary
* Saba Ahammad, Treasurer
* Ahmad Gundru, Assistant Treasurer
* Ali Kadri, Official Spokesperson
* Janeth Deen OAM, Committee Member
* Binil Kattiparambil, Committee Member
* Junaid Qadri, Committee Member
* Amar Ali Khan, Committee Member
* Dr Usman Malabu, Committee Member

### Member societies

ICQ member societies :
| City/Suburb | Society |
| Algester | Islamic Society of Algester |
| Bald Hills | Islamic Society of Bald Hills |
| Parramatta Park | Islamic Society of Cairns |
| Rockhampton | Islamic Society of Central Queensland |
| Oxley | Islamic Society of Darra |
| Eight Mile Plains | Islamic Society of Eight Mile Plains |
| Arundel | Islamic Society of Gold Coast |
| Holland Park | Islamic Society of Holland Park |
| Brassall | Islamic Society of Ipswich |
| Lutwyche | Islamic Association of Lutwyche |
| Mareeba | Islamic Society of Mareeba |
| Mackay | Islamic Society of Mackay |
| Kawana Waters | Islamic Organisation of Sunshine Coast |
| Toowoomba | Islamic Society of Toowoomba |
| Townsville | Townsville Islamic Society |
| West End | Islamic Society of West End |

## Awards

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