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Many successive disasters have made the role of Muslim relief activities a very urgent issue. In the last two years, the death toll surpassed 26,000 in the Bam earthquake in Iran; 1,800 in Typhoon Nanmadol in the Philippines; 3,000 by torrential rains in the Dominican Republic and Haiti; 2,500 in tropical storm Jeanne in Haiti; 300 in Cyclone Gafilo in Madagascar’ 300,000 in the Asian tsunami; 230 in Pakistan’s torrential rains; thousands in the Niger famine; 700 in Hurricane Katrina in the United States; and 79,000 in the recent Indian Subcontinent earthquake. Such frightening numbers do not begin to tell the need of the survivors for clean water, food, clothing, and shelter.
Islam’s Stance
Islam calls for the protection of human life, for mankind generally and Muslims in particular. Allah says in the Qur’an:
[Whoever saved a life it shall be as if he had saved the life of all mankind.] (Al-Ma’idah 5:32)
[And if one of the idolaters seek protection from you, grant him protection till he hears the word of Allah, then make him attain his place of safety; this is because they are a people who do not know.] (At-Tawbah 9:6)
Islam urges Muslims to do good acts and motivates them by mentioning the rewards of such acts. Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “Whoever meets the needs of his brother, Allah will meet his needs” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim).
This Islamic stance toward disasters and people in need becomes clear when a number of Muslim scholars stated that although zakah has a special status in Islam, it is permissible to give it to non-Muslims. The Prophet of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Sadaqah (charity) is prescribed for every person every day the sun rises” (Ahmad and Abu Dhar Al-Ghafari).
Repercussions
A serious question is raised here: What are the consequences of deactivating Muslim relief activities?
Deactivating these activities would have a great impact on both Muslims and non-Muslims.
Some Muslims affected by the disasters may lose the feeling of belonging to the Muslim Ummah. Strengthening the concept of the Ummah is extremely important nowadays, as a great deal of Muslims are aware of international politics; therefore, we need a unified Ummah.
A more dangerous result is that some Muslims may be affected by missionaries who are active after such disasters. For example, a missionary group planned to place 300 Muslim tsunami orphans into a Christian children’s home. A news story entitled “Catholics growing fast worldwide” is sufficient to let us be aware of that danger.
As for non-Muslims, if Muslim relief activities are neglected, non-Muslims will not be in touch with genuine Islamic morals and values. When observing the apathy of some Muslims toward their needy brothers and sisters, a bad image will be formed about Islam itself, especially when Muslim efforts are compared to those done by many non-Muslim nations and organizations.
Obstacles Facing Muslims
Thanks to Allah, many Muslim organizations and individuals react sincerely at times of disaster. But there are many factors that prevent us from achieving that great mission. It is known that the media is selective and belittles and marginalizes the contributions of Muslim organizations, focusing on, if not exaggerating, Western aid and support. After the attacks of 9/11, the United States made many restrictions on influential Muslim monetary resources, claiming that a lot of this money is being directed to “terrorist organizations.” Another factor is the difficulties facing Muslim activists moving from one place to another, or working in groups lest they be accused of working against the “stability and security” of the countries they live in, or of Western “targets” in those countries.
A very important factor that hinders the procedure of relief activities is that many Muslims think wrongly or ignorantly that it is not permissible to help non-Muslims. This claim has been proved false. The greatest factor, in my opinion, is that Muslims in some countries are very passive and indifferent or may be busy inside their own countries for many reasons.
The following is a good quote from a participant in the Discussion Forum page. His nickname is “Selam lover” (peace lover):
"Humanitarian by Muslims? This is a good Idea but as we all know many Muslim organizations are closing under western pressure for the reason they are aiding terrorists in other words the spread of Islam in the world. The US wants to be the only organization for humanitarian reason so it can be used as bread & stick for implementing its polices and stop the ever fast growing religion of Allah (Islam)".
Steps to Act and React
Here are some ideas to act against future disasters:
- Donate to the stricken countries
- Spread information about Islamic relief organizations
- Contact other Muslims in stricken areas to show solidarity and to learn about first-hand experiences
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