For Muslim poor, a shameful admission
http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/413881
Showing posts with label POVERTY. Show all posts
Showing posts with label POVERTY. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
Change the World
Today I'm gonna try and change the world
Johnny Reid
TODAY I'M GONNA TRY AND CHANGE THE WORLD
GONNA TAKE IT ONE DAY AT A TIME
I'VE MADE MY RESOLUTION
I'VE OPENED UP MY EYES
TODAY I'M GONNA TRY AND CHANGE THE WORLD
I'M GONNA SAY HELLO TO MY NEIGHBOR
GREET HIM WITH A SMILE
SHAKE THE HAND OF A STRANGER
SIT AND TALK FOR A WHILE
TELL SOMEONE I LOVE THEM
FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART
TODAY I'M GONNA TRY AND CHANGE THE WORLD
(REPEAT CHORUS)
GONNA MAKE SURE MY CHILDREN
KNOW THERES A RIGHT AND WRONG
I'LL NEVER TURN MY BACK
ON THOSE OF US WHO NEED SOMEONE
I'M GONNA TRY TO SEE MYSELF
THROUGH ANOTHERS EYES
TODAY IM GONNA TRY AND CHANGE THE WORLD
(REPEAT CHORUS)
TODAY I'M GONNA TRY AND CHANGE THE WORLD
TODAY I'M GONNA TRY AND CHANGE THE WORLD
NOT FOR ME, BUT FOR THOSE I'LL LEAVE BEHIND
I'VE MADE MY RESOLUTION
CHANGE IT ONE DAY AT TIME
TODAY I'M GONNA TRY AND CHANGE THE WORLD
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7yAu1agsUk&feature=related
Muslim man at Costco asking for Charity
March 28, 2011
He came up to me in Costco with a medical prescription. He said his prescription is for $28.00 and he only has $8.00 and something. He wanted $20.00. I was reluctant because I was thinking, how does he afford a Costco membership and he doesn't have $20.00 for his prescription. I gave him $10.00. Afterwards, I felt I should have gone with him to the Pharmacy counter and bought his medicine for him. InshaAllah I hope next time Allah will guide me to do the right thing.
Gather the loose change and give to the needy people
March 16, 2011 - Muslim woman with Hijab at St. George Station with an empty coffee cup begging. I had 2 packets of these coins in my handbag. Into her coffee cup they went. She looked at me and smiled. Her smile was sad.
Johnny Reid
TODAY I'M GONNA TRY AND CHANGE THE WORLD
GONNA TAKE IT ONE DAY AT A TIME
I'VE MADE MY RESOLUTION
I'VE OPENED UP MY EYES
TODAY I'M GONNA TRY AND CHANGE THE WORLD
I'M GONNA SAY HELLO TO MY NEIGHBOR
GREET HIM WITH A SMILE
SHAKE THE HAND OF A STRANGER
SIT AND TALK FOR A WHILE
TELL SOMEONE I LOVE THEM
FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART
TODAY I'M GONNA TRY AND CHANGE THE WORLD
(REPEAT CHORUS)
GONNA MAKE SURE MY CHILDREN
KNOW THERES A RIGHT AND WRONG
I'LL NEVER TURN MY BACK
ON THOSE OF US WHO NEED SOMEONE
I'M GONNA TRY TO SEE MYSELF
THROUGH ANOTHERS EYES
TODAY IM GONNA TRY AND CHANGE THE WORLD
(REPEAT CHORUS)
TODAY I'M GONNA TRY AND CHANGE THE WORLD
TODAY I'M GONNA TRY AND CHANGE THE WORLD
NOT FOR ME, BUT FOR THOSE I'LL LEAVE BEHIND
I'VE MADE MY RESOLUTION
CHANGE IT ONE DAY AT TIME
TODAY I'M GONNA TRY AND CHANGE THE WORLD
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7yAu1agsUk&feature=related
Muslim man at Costco asking for Charity
March 28, 2011
He came up to me in Costco with a medical prescription. He said his prescription is for $28.00 and he only has $8.00 and something. He wanted $20.00. I was reluctant because I was thinking, how does he afford a Costco membership and he doesn't have $20.00 for his prescription. I gave him $10.00. Afterwards, I felt I should have gone with him to the Pharmacy counter and bought his medicine for him. InshaAllah I hope next time Allah will guide me to do the right thing.
Gather the loose change and give to the needy people
March 16, 2011 - Muslim woman with Hijab at St. George Station with an empty coffee cup begging. I had 2 packets of these coins in my handbag. Into her coffee cup they went. She looked at me and smiled. Her smile was sad.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Tough on poverty, tough on crime
TheStar Tough on poverty, tough on crime
The most famous call for a Canadian GAI was issued 40 years ago by Senator David Croll. It was 1971 when his Senate committee on poverty issued its report.
“Poverty is the great social issue of our time,” Croll wrote. “The poor do not choose poverty. It is at once their affliction and our national shame. No nation can achieve true greatness if it lacks the courage and determination to undertake the surgery necessary to remove the cancer of poverty from its body politic........”
The most famous call for a Canadian GAI was issued 40 years ago by Senator David Croll. It was 1971 when his Senate committee on poverty issued its report.
“Poverty is the great social issue of our time,” Croll wrote. “The poor do not choose poverty. It is at once their affliction and our national shame. No nation can achieve true greatness if it lacks the courage and determination to undertake the surgery necessary to remove the cancer of poverty from its body politic........”
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Saturday, November 20, 2010
MY SUNKEN EYES , #fb
MY SUNKEN EYES
The men sitting there grossly stuff their famous faces.
Their plates piled high as ant hills
Voluminous glasses of drinks as tall as small infants
They sit there eating and
Talking about the world’s problems.
They slurp and gulp their king size beers
Bellies expanding and belts popping open
They feast and gobble up uncaringly OINK OINK.
Little do they know that I sit there with my sunken eyes
Craving through the gleaming glass window
I shiver like a leaf with my empty belly growling
I can see the feast, I can imagine the taste
But can’t get it into my belly.
I am so weak I am struggling to survive.
I manage to wave my coffee cup high above the window.
Maybe I am invisible to them.
I wonder what they are talking about
Are they talking about the homeless problem outside?
Those WONDERFUL Politicians
With Words And NO ACTIONS.
by: Ontario, Canada Grade 9 Student (2008)
The men sitting there grossly stuff their famous faces.
Their plates piled high as ant hills
Voluminous glasses of drinks as tall as small infants
They sit there eating and
Talking about the world’s problems.
They slurp and gulp their king size beers
Bellies expanding and belts popping open
They feast and gobble up uncaringly OINK OINK.
Little do they know that I sit there with my sunken eyes
Craving through the gleaming glass window
I shiver like a leaf with my empty belly growling
I can see the feast, I can imagine the taste
But can’t get it into my belly.
I am so weak I am struggling to survive.
I manage to wave my coffee cup high above the window.
Maybe I am invisible to them.
I wonder what they are talking about
Are they talking about the homeless problem outside?
Those WONDERFUL Politicians
With Words And NO ACTIONS.
by: Ontario, Canada Grade 9 Student (2008)
Friday, September 3, 2010
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Maytha Alhassen: The Liquor Store Wars
Maytha Alhassen: The Liquor Store Wars
"Liquor stores, or more colloquially “corner stores,” in Detroit, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Washington, and other major metropolitan cities located in economically under-served, urban, majority-black neighborhoods have been purchased by Arab American and Arab immigrants over the last two decades. In order to understand the relationship of place to religion and race, I intend to examine the dynamics of the encounter between African-American Muslims and Arab and Arab-American Muslims (mostly Yemeni) at various liquor stores in Oakland, where, according to the US Census (2000), African Americans compose 64 percent of the population. Complicated by an ethno-religious component, Yemeni Muslim liquor store ownership concentrated in Oakland’s highest density, crime-ridden, black-dominant, and economically poorest neighborhoods, although aided by literature, requires a new theoretical arsenal for approaching the conflict. .....
"Liquor stores, or more colloquially “corner stores,” in Detroit, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Washington, and other major metropolitan cities located in economically under-served, urban, majority-black neighborhoods have been purchased by Arab American and Arab immigrants over the last two decades. In order to understand the relationship of place to religion and race, I intend to examine the dynamics of the encounter between African-American Muslims and Arab and Arab-American Muslims (mostly Yemeni) at various liquor stores in Oakland, where, according to the US Census (2000), African Americans compose 64 percent of the population. Complicated by an ethno-religious component, Yemeni Muslim liquor store ownership concentrated in Oakland’s highest density, crime-ridden, black-dominant, and economically poorest neighborhoods, although aided by literature, requires a new theoretical arsenal for approaching the conflict. .....
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Human right Canada rejects: Access to clean water
A human right Canada rejects: Access to clean water Contrary to what Ottawa says, UN convention would not compel exports to U.S.
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorialopinion/article/835040--a-human-right-canada-rejects-access-to-clean-water
Nearly 2 billion people live in water-stressed areas of the world and 3 billion have no running water within a kilometre of their homes. Every eight seconds, a child dies of water-borne disease, in every case preventable if their parents had money to pay for water.
And it is getting worse as the world runs out of clean water. A new World Bank report says that by 2030, global demand for water will exceed supply by 40 per cent, a shocking prediction that foretells of terrible suffering.
For several years, international and local community groups fighting for water justice have been calling for a binding UN convention that clarifies once and for all that no one should be denied water for life because of an inability to pay, especially in light of the water markets now being set up that allow the wealthy to appropriate dwindling water supplies for private profit.......
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorialopinion/article/835040--a-human-right-canada-rejects-access-to-clean-water
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorialopinion/article/835040--a-human-right-canada-rejects-access-to-clean-water
Nearly 2 billion people live in water-stressed areas of the world and 3 billion have no running water within a kilometre of their homes. Every eight seconds, a child dies of water-borne disease, in every case preventable if their parents had money to pay for water.
And it is getting worse as the world runs out of clean water. A new World Bank report says that by 2030, global demand for water will exceed supply by 40 per cent, a shocking prediction that foretells of terrible suffering.
For several years, international and local community groups fighting for water justice have been calling for a binding UN convention that clarifies once and for all that no one should be denied water for life because of an inability to pay, especially in light of the water markets now being set up that allow the wealthy to appropriate dwindling water supplies for private profit.......
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Ontario Deprivation Index - The Poverty Measurement
WHAT ITEMS ARE INCLUDED?
|
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Street kids' toughness only skin deep
By: Carol Goar A |
Monday, November 16, 2009
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Undernourished surpass 1 billion: UN- October 14, 2009
Decline in aid, agriculture investment blamed on growing numbers
The ranks of the world's hungry has surpassed one billion, and declining aid and investment in agriculture are expected to steadily increase the number of undernourished people for more than a decade, according to a United Nations food agency report.
http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2009/10/14/world-hunger-un-food-agriculture212.html?ref=rss
The ranks of the world's hungry has surpassed one billion, and declining aid and investment in agriculture are expected to steadily increase the number of undernourished people for more than a decade, according to a United Nations food agency report.
http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2009/10/14/world-hunger-un-food-agriculture212.html?ref=rss
Sunday, May 4, 2008
US eats 5 times more than India per capita
US eats 5 times more than India per capita
The Times of India
4 May 2008
Even as the world spins into a global food crisis, a popular theory — voiced by the likes of US President George W Bush and secretary of state Condoleezza Rice — is that the Chinese and Indians are responsible. The 'logic': due to zooming incomes, they are eating more, causing worldwide shortages. But is that true?
Due to their huge populations, countries like India and China may appear to consume gigantic amounts of food. But the real elephant in the room that nobody is willing to talk about is how much each person gets to eat. And the answer will shock many.
Total foodgrain consumption — wheat, rice, and all coarse grains like rye, barley etc — by each person in the US is over five times that of an Indian, according to figures released by the US Department of Agriculture for 2007.
Each Indian gets to eat about 178 kg of grain in a year, while a US citizen consumes 1,046 kg.
In per capita terms, US grain consumption is twice that of the European Union and thrice that of China. Grain consumption includes flour and by conversion to alcohol.
In fact, per capita grain consumption has increased in the US — so actually the Americans are eating more. In 2003, US per capita grain consumption was 946 kg per year which increased to 1046 kg last year.
By way of comparison, India’s per capita grain consumption has remained static over the same period. It’s not just grains. Milk consumption, in fluid form, is 78 kg per year for each person in the US, compared to 36 kg in India and 11 kg in China.
Vegetable oils consumption per person is 41 kg per year in US, while Indians are making do with just 11 kg per year. These are figures for liquid milk, not for cheese, butter, yogurt and milk powders which are consumed in huge proportion in the more advanced countries.
A significant proportion of India’s population is vegetarian, and so, this is all the food that they get, apart from vegetables and pulses. But the source of carbohydrates and fats is mainly derived from food grains and oils.
As far as meat consumption is concerned, the US leads the world in per capita consumption by a wide margin. Beef consumption, for example, is 42.6 kg per person per year, compared to a mere 1.6 kg in India and 5.9 kg in China. In case you are thinking that perhaps Indians might be going in for chicken, think again. In the US, 45.4 kg poultry meat is consumed every year by each person, compared to just 1.9 kg in India.
Pork consumption is negligible in India, while it is a major item elsewhere. In the European Union, 42.6 kg pork is consumed per person every year, while in the US, 29.7 kgs are consumed. Pork is a staple for Chinese, and so over 35 kg are consumed per person per year. And, we are not talking about various other types of meat, like turkey.
All these comparisons are for powerful economies, whether of the west or the east.
But the story would not be complete without mentioning the plight of Africa, where foodgrain consumption in 2007 was a mere 162 kg per year for each person, or about 445 grams per day. Don’t forget they are not getting any meat or milk products out there.
Perhaps, it is time to include the lifestyle choices of the West in the whole feverish debate on how to tackle the global food crisis.
These figures are collated by the US Department of Agriculture. US per capita grain consumption rose from 946 kg in 2003 to 1046 kg last year. India’s per capita consumption remained static in this period.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/US_eats_5_times_more_than_India_per_capita/rssarticleshow/3008449.cms
The Times of India
4 May 2008
Even as the world spins into a global food crisis, a popular theory — voiced by the likes of US President George W Bush and secretary of state Condoleezza Rice — is that the Chinese and Indians are responsible. The 'logic': due to zooming incomes, they are eating more, causing worldwide shortages. But is that true?
Due to their huge populations, countries like India and China may appear to consume gigantic amounts of food. But the real elephant in the room that nobody is willing to talk about is how much each person gets to eat. And the answer will shock many.
Total foodgrain consumption — wheat, rice, and all coarse grains like rye, barley etc — by each person in the US is over five times that of an Indian, according to figures released by the US Department of Agriculture for 2007.
Each Indian gets to eat about 178 kg of grain in a year, while a US citizen consumes 1,046 kg.
In per capita terms, US grain consumption is twice that of the European Union and thrice that of China. Grain consumption includes flour and by conversion to alcohol.
In fact, per capita grain consumption has increased in the US — so actually the Americans are eating more. In 2003, US per capita grain consumption was 946 kg per year which increased to 1046 kg last year.
By way of comparison, India’s per capita grain consumption has remained static over the same period. It’s not just grains. Milk consumption, in fluid form, is 78 kg per year for each person in the US, compared to 36 kg in India and 11 kg in China.
Vegetable oils consumption per person is 41 kg per year in US, while Indians are making do with just 11 kg per year. These are figures for liquid milk, not for cheese, butter, yogurt and milk powders which are consumed in huge proportion in the more advanced countries.
A significant proportion of India’s population is vegetarian, and so, this is all the food that they get, apart from vegetables and pulses. But the source of carbohydrates and fats is mainly derived from food grains and oils.
As far as meat consumption is concerned, the US leads the world in per capita consumption by a wide margin. Beef consumption, for example, is 42.6 kg per person per year, compared to a mere 1.6 kg in India and 5.9 kg in China. In case you are thinking that perhaps Indians might be going in for chicken, think again. In the US, 45.4 kg poultry meat is consumed every year by each person, compared to just 1.9 kg in India.
Pork consumption is negligible in India, while it is a major item elsewhere. In the European Union, 42.6 kg pork is consumed per person every year, while in the US, 29.7 kgs are consumed. Pork is a staple for Chinese, and so over 35 kg are consumed per person per year. And, we are not talking about various other types of meat, like turkey.
All these comparisons are for powerful economies, whether of the west or the east.
But the story would not be complete without mentioning the plight of Africa, where foodgrain consumption in 2007 was a mere 162 kg per year for each person, or about 445 grams per day. Don’t forget they are not getting any meat or milk products out there.
Perhaps, it is time to include the lifestyle choices of the West in the whole feverish debate on how to tackle the global food crisis.
These figures are collated by the US Department of Agriculture. US per capita grain consumption rose from 946 kg in 2003 to 1046 kg last year. India’s per capita consumption remained static in this period.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/US_eats_5_times_more_than_India_per_capita/rssarticleshow/3008449.cms
Friday, May 2, 2008
Price of Flour in Canada
I went into No Frills (grocery store) today to purchase Flour. Just to emphasise in Canada, No Frill is supposed to be one of the most cost saving place where one can shop. The shelves were nearly empty and there were not a lot to choose from. I stood there for about seven minutes in shock when I see the price. The only choice I had were Robin Hood Whole Wheat 10kg - $12.79 and No Name Unbleach white - $11.79. About 3 months ago the prices were approximately $6.00 and $5.00. There was a another woman there also staring at the flour in disbelieve. Eventually she walked away and didn't purchase any flour.
I did purchase the 2 bags of flour because I can still afford it. I kept wondering about the people who do not have that extra bit of money to cope with the higher prices. What will they do? Roti is a staple in South Asian meals. What will they have to give up in order to still get to eat roti.
I know this is all because of the high prices oh wheat. The high price of fossil fuel is pushing the price of wheat up. The economists are saying fossil Fuel is expensive because the demand is greater these days. China and India is trying to get industrialised now and we can't stop them because Europe and North America became industrialized without anyone telling them that they were demanding too much fossil fuel.
Type rest of the post here
I did purchase the 2 bags of flour because I can still afford it. I kept wondering about the people who do not have that extra bit of money to cope with the higher prices. What will they do? Roti is a staple in South Asian meals. What will they have to give up in order to still get to eat roti.
I know this is all because of the high prices oh wheat. The high price of fossil fuel is pushing the price of wheat up. The economists are saying fossil Fuel is expensive because the demand is greater these days. China and India is trying to get industrialised now and we can't stop them because Europe and North America became industrialized without anyone telling them that they were demanding too much fossil fuel.
Type rest of the post here
Monday, April 14, 2008
The missing Muslims
Syed Nazakat, 14 April 2008, Monday
Ever since independence, Muslims have lagged behind in every possible field. Why is it that millions of Indian Muslims were left behind? Should the entire community be termed backward? Where lies the fault for this backwardness?
AS SAFINA, 46, widow and mother of five children swings her squealing young son into the air, her starchy white pinafore gleams against the blue sky. Every time she sends her son and daughters to school, brings a notebook and pencil for them, attaches a button or hem on their school uniform, she knows she is performing an act that will help to transform the fate of her family.
"The most important thing is education," said Safina, who lives in Nizamudin Basti in Delhi. She is selling cigarette and candies at her roadside shop. "I am sending my children to school despite the fact that I am so poor", she added while walking past the crowded and rubbish-strewn street leading to Hazrat Nizamuddin shrine. "Look, this is where I came from," she said while pointing towards slums (basti). "I want to get out from here. I want my children out from here."
An Indian Muslim, she embodies a simple answer to a grave situation the India’s 150 million Muslims are facing all across the country today. The high level Rajinder Sachar committee formed last year by the prime minister to measure social, economic and educational status of the Muslim community, has confirmed that Muslims are living in deplorable condition in the country. The report indicates rampant illiteracy, unemployment and poverty among Muslims. Former MP Syed Shahabuddin has compared the condition of the Indian Muslim to that of blacks in the US — an analogy once reserved only for Dalits.
Mohammed Hamid Ansari, chairman of the National Commission for Minorities and a distinguished diplomat who served as India’s ambassador to the United States, believes that mere reservation is not going to help Muslims. "I think education is the only way to improve the living condition of Muslims. It is long but reliable way-out," said Ansari. "The Ulema had great influence on the Muslims, but this did not result in the advancement of education. Education is the main challenge for Indian Muslims."
The social economic condition of Muslims in India, which is the home to more Muslims than any Muslim country in the world except Indonesia, has raised many disturbing questions. More importantly why Muslims are left behind in every field of life even after fifty years of partition? Though the reason is a mix of history, politics and apathy of system, but the question is, are the Muslims too not responsible for their under development?
"It would be wrong to generalise the whole situation. There are many reasons for backwardness of Muslims in the country. But the Ulemas and the Muslim community can’t shrug their shoulders," said Prof. Yoginder Sikan who has done considerable work on Indian Muslims and madrassas. "The Ulemas are still involved in unnecessary issues; they are not encouraging Muslims for modern education and the educated Muslims are not interested to work for their community, with the result Muslims are failing behind".
The Sachar committee has clearly mentioned that illiteracy is one of the main reasons behind the social and educational backwardness of Muslims. The pathetic educational levels of Muslims in the 20-30 age groups is an indicator to why the Indian Muslim is missing from the corridors of power, from the civil services, from the judiciary and from land ownership. According to findings of the committee 90 per cent of Muslims do not even reach 10th class. Then no wonder that only 2.2 per cent of IAS officers are Muslim and no Muslim is a secretary-level official in the Central government.
With no education, parents expect their sons to take over often low-paying jobs. That is why the community’s performance affects the nation’s growth: India’s 13.4 per cent Muslim population contributes only 6 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP) of the country. Though the global issues concerning Muslims, whether Iraq and Middle East crises, the Afghanistan invasion, the Danish cartoons controversy or George Bush’s "war on terror," are relatively muffled in India, but there are incidents when Muslim leaders gave vent to their fury. As a result, politics dominates the religion - and the religion becomes a cover for rhetoric.
"Our Imams always issue fiery statement from Mosques. They talk about Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and other things. They never bother to see what is happening to their community in their own towns," said Ali Mohammad, 35, a riksha pullar, standing outside the grand Masjid where Shahi Imam, Syed Bukhari has just termed the Sachar report as a political bandwagon and proudly asked the government to give reservation to Muslims by defining the entire Muslim community as ’backward’.
Many Islamic scholars are saying that there is a need to reform the education system of Islamic madrassas in the country, which are considered a major source of radical influence on Muslims. There are over 50,000 madrassas in the country. "Indian madrassas are doing good work and they are there for years. But I think that there is a need of revival of education system. Madrassas have no formal education system, so the students who read there have no chance of getting jobs in government departments or public sector,” said Yoginder Sikand.
However Moulana Mohammed Farooq Qasmi of Dar ul Uloom Deoband, one of the biggest Islamic seminaries in the world said that they are not against reforms of madrassas but reforms should not become a political issue "There is a lot of confusion about madrassas. We are educating our youth about their religion, and I think there is no harm in it. Every religion does that, Farooq Qasmi said, while pointing out that only four per cent Muslim children study in madrassas (as Sachar committee states) and it indicated lack of basic education facilities to Muslims.
What is also striking is that the money generated by wakf (charitable) boards is not used for the education and development of Muslims. "Millions of rupees are collected by wakf boards every year. They are spending their money on shrines, mosques and graveyards. They have to utilise that money for establishing educational institutions and professional colleges," said Abusaleh Shariff, a member of the prime ministerial committee conducting a socio- economic survey of Indian Muslims.
There is another source of money – Zakat, which can be used for social and economic development of Muslims. "Islam has prohibited interest to help weaker sections of society. If interest free co-operative banks are established with the Zakat money to help small artisans and traders, it can be of tremendous help in uplifting the poor Muslims," said Dr. Jamul-ul-din who teaches at Calicut Univerity in Kerala.
This bleak statistical picture is rendered drearier still by new trends visible in many cities. Muslims are the first to be questioned, harassed and arrested by the police after terrorist attack anywhere in the country. That seems to be the reason that the only places where the Sachar committee found Muslims visible are prisons. Also in Gujrat, Muslim community leaders wrote a detailed letter to the Sachar committee that communal riots of 2002 has adversely affected the education of Muslim children and large areas of Muslims have been branded as "negative zones" by banks and credit card companies.
While the Muslim community is still struggling to understand, what does the Sachar committee’s finding actually mean for them, the report has become a hot political potato. The Congress leaders are talking about religion-based reservation and the BJP is claiming an obscurantist minority is being appeased and pampered. The winter session of Parliament, where the Sachar committee report will be tabled is all set for heated debate.
Far away from this political drama, Safina has figured out how to benefit for the apathy of society and system. "Once you understand that nobody is going to help you. You realise that you have to make your own future". As dusk gathers, Azan resounds from the mosque near Nizamuddin shrine. Safina is cleaning her house and asking her children to finish homework before going for Quranic classes. She has never thought of sending her children to school.
That her kids are now in school, learning and doing well is perhaps prophetic, a hopeful sign. Her self-help and resilience represents the leading edge of change. Now everybody including the government has to ensure that she and other people like her do not fail in their endeavor.
Sachar committee’s findings at a glance
· Muslims form 14.7 per cent of India’s 1.1 billion population.
· Across 12 states, with an average Muslim population of 15.4 per cent, only 6.4 per cent of government employees are Muslims.
· In 15 states where Muslims average 17 per cent of the population, they are 8 per cent of the lower judiciary.
· In eight states where they average 14.82 per cent of the population, they account for 23.4 per cent of prison inmates.
· Only 7.2 per cent of the number of school-leaving students each year are Muslims.
· Only 2.2 per cent of IAS officers are Muslims and no Muslim is a secretary-level official in the Central government.
· Out of 1.1million Indian soldiers only 29,000 are Muslims.
India ’s 13.4 per cent Muslims contribute just 6 per cent of the GDP
· There is no Muslim in RAW.
Ever since independence, Muslims have lagged behind in every possible field. Why is it that millions of Indian Muslims were left behind? Should the entire community be termed backward? Where lies the fault for this backwardness?
AS SAFINA, 46, widow and mother of five children swings her squealing young son into the air, her starchy white pinafore gleams against the blue sky. Every time she sends her son and daughters to school, brings a notebook and pencil for them, attaches a button or hem on their school uniform, she knows she is performing an act that will help to transform the fate of her family.
"The most important thing is education," said Safina, who lives in Nizamudin Basti in Delhi. She is selling cigarette and candies at her roadside shop. "I am sending my children to school despite the fact that I am so poor", she added while walking past the crowded and rubbish-strewn street leading to Hazrat Nizamuddin shrine. "Look, this is where I came from," she said while pointing towards slums (basti). "I want to get out from here. I want my children out from here."
An Indian Muslim, she embodies a simple answer to a grave situation the India’s 150 million Muslims are facing all across the country today. The high level Rajinder Sachar committee formed last year by the prime minister to measure social, economic and educational status of the Muslim community, has confirmed that Muslims are living in deplorable condition in the country. The report indicates rampant illiteracy, unemployment and poverty among Muslims. Former MP Syed Shahabuddin has compared the condition of the Indian Muslim to that of blacks in the US — an analogy once reserved only for Dalits.
Mohammed Hamid Ansari, chairman of the National Commission for Minorities and a distinguished diplomat who served as India’s ambassador to the United States, believes that mere reservation is not going to help Muslims. "I think education is the only way to improve the living condition of Muslims. It is long but reliable way-out," said Ansari. "The Ulema had great influence on the Muslims, but this did not result in the advancement of education. Education is the main challenge for Indian Muslims."
The social economic condition of Muslims in India, which is the home to more Muslims than any Muslim country in the world except Indonesia, has raised many disturbing questions. More importantly why Muslims are left behind in every field of life even after fifty years of partition? Though the reason is a mix of history, politics and apathy of system, but the question is, are the Muslims too not responsible for their under development?
"It would be wrong to generalise the whole situation. There are many reasons for backwardness of Muslims in the country. But the Ulemas and the Muslim community can’t shrug their shoulders," said Prof. Yoginder Sikan who has done considerable work on Indian Muslims and madrassas. "The Ulemas are still involved in unnecessary issues; they are not encouraging Muslims for modern education and the educated Muslims are not interested to work for their community, with the result Muslims are failing behind".
The Sachar committee has clearly mentioned that illiteracy is one of the main reasons behind the social and educational backwardness of Muslims. The pathetic educational levels of Muslims in the 20-30 age groups is an indicator to why the Indian Muslim is missing from the corridors of power, from the civil services, from the judiciary and from land ownership. According to findings of the committee 90 per cent of Muslims do not even reach 10th class. Then no wonder that only 2.2 per cent of IAS officers are Muslim and no Muslim is a secretary-level official in the Central government.
With no education, parents expect their sons to take over often low-paying jobs. That is why the community’s performance affects the nation’s growth: India’s 13.4 per cent Muslim population contributes only 6 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP) of the country. Though the global issues concerning Muslims, whether Iraq and Middle East crises, the Afghanistan invasion, the Danish cartoons controversy or George Bush’s "war on terror," are relatively muffled in India, but there are incidents when Muslim leaders gave vent to their fury. As a result, politics dominates the religion - and the religion becomes a cover for rhetoric.
"Our Imams always issue fiery statement from Mosques. They talk about Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and other things. They never bother to see what is happening to their community in their own towns," said Ali Mohammad, 35, a riksha pullar, standing outside the grand Masjid where Shahi Imam, Syed Bukhari has just termed the Sachar report as a political bandwagon and proudly asked the government to give reservation to Muslims by defining the entire Muslim community as ’backward’.
Many Islamic scholars are saying that there is a need to reform the education system of Islamic madrassas in the country, which are considered a major source of radical influence on Muslims. There are over 50,000 madrassas in the country. "Indian madrassas are doing good work and they are there for years. But I think that there is a need of revival of education system. Madrassas have no formal education system, so the students who read there have no chance of getting jobs in government departments or public sector,” said Yoginder Sikand.
However Moulana Mohammed Farooq Qasmi of Dar ul Uloom Deoband, one of the biggest Islamic seminaries in the world said that they are not against reforms of madrassas but reforms should not become a political issue "There is a lot of confusion about madrassas. We are educating our youth about their religion, and I think there is no harm in it. Every religion does that, Farooq Qasmi said, while pointing out that only four per cent Muslim children study in madrassas (as Sachar committee states) and it indicated lack of basic education facilities to Muslims.
What is also striking is that the money generated by wakf (charitable) boards is not used for the education and development of Muslims. "Millions of rupees are collected by wakf boards every year. They are spending their money on shrines, mosques and graveyards. They have to utilise that money for establishing educational institutions and professional colleges," said Abusaleh Shariff, a member of the prime ministerial committee conducting a socio- economic survey of Indian Muslims.
There is another source of money – Zakat, which can be used for social and economic development of Muslims. "Islam has prohibited interest to help weaker sections of society. If interest free co-operative banks are established with the Zakat money to help small artisans and traders, it can be of tremendous help in uplifting the poor Muslims," said Dr. Jamul-ul-din who teaches at Calicut Univerity in Kerala.
This bleak statistical picture is rendered drearier still by new trends visible in many cities. Muslims are the first to be questioned, harassed and arrested by the police after terrorist attack anywhere in the country. That seems to be the reason that the only places where the Sachar committee found Muslims visible are prisons. Also in Gujrat, Muslim community leaders wrote a detailed letter to the Sachar committee that communal riots of 2002 has adversely affected the education of Muslim children and large areas of Muslims have been branded as "negative zones" by banks and credit card companies.
While the Muslim community is still struggling to understand, what does the Sachar committee’s finding actually mean for them, the report has become a hot political potato. The Congress leaders are talking about religion-based reservation and the BJP is claiming an obscurantist minority is being appeased and pampered. The winter session of Parliament, where the Sachar committee report will be tabled is all set for heated debate.
Far away from this political drama, Safina has figured out how to benefit for the apathy of society and system. "Once you understand that nobody is going to help you. You realise that you have to make your own future". As dusk gathers, Azan resounds from the mosque near Nizamuddin shrine. Safina is cleaning her house and asking her children to finish homework before going for Quranic classes. She has never thought of sending her children to school.
That her kids are now in school, learning and doing well is perhaps prophetic, a hopeful sign. Her self-help and resilience represents the leading edge of change. Now everybody including the government has to ensure that she and other people like her do not fail in their endeavor.
Sachar committee’s findings at a glance
· Muslims form 14.7 per cent of India’s 1.1 billion population.
· Across 12 states, with an average Muslim population of 15.4 per cent, only 6.4 per cent of government employees are Muslims.
· In 15 states where Muslims average 17 per cent of the population, they are 8 per cent of the lower judiciary.
· In eight states where they average 14.82 per cent of the population, they account for 23.4 per cent of prison inmates.
· Only 7.2 per cent of the number of school-leaving students each year are Muslims.
· Only 2.2 per cent of IAS officers are Muslims and no Muslim is a secretary-level official in the Central government.
· Out of 1.1million Indian soldiers only 29,000 are Muslims.
India ’s 13.4 per cent Muslims contribute just 6 per cent of the GDP
· There is no Muslim in RAW.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
WAR ON POVERTY: RISE OF THE MUSLIM GHETTO
For Muslim poor, a shameful admission
Apr 12, 2008 04:30 AM
Noor Javed
Staff Reporter
On the corner of Dundas and Chestnut Sts., Ahmed dumps a handful of pennies and quarters on the sidewalk, and begins counting his day's earnings.
"Asalamu alakum, can you spare some change?" he shyly asks two men as they rush past him and into Masjid Toronto, a downtown mosque.
A former teacher, Ahmed left war-torn Iraq five years ago for Canada. "I came here but couldn't find a job, couldn't make money," he said. "Now I am homeless. I live in a shelter."
The exact number of Muslims in Toronto who live below Statistics Canada's low-income cut-off, the country's unofficial poverty line, is difficult to determine, as socio-economic data is rarely gathered through the lens of religion.
But among those on the front lines in the Muslim community, those who work in mosques, community centres and the few charitable organizations, there is growing concern about the magnitude of poverty in the community, the lack of resources available to deal with the problem, and the reluctance – among all social classes – to admit the problem even exists.
For the Muslim poor, an admission of poverty is shameful. To the rich, the problem is invisible, or at least not so obvious when compared to the stark conditions of poverty they have seen back home.
"It is a cause for concern," said Uzma Shakir, former executive director of the South Asian Legal Clinic of Ontario, and member of the Colour of Poverty campaign. "The repercussions of poverty and systemic poverty are not just economic but have serious social impacts as well," she said.
"Already we can see the formation of ghettos in some parts of the city," said Shakir, referring to neighbourhoods where overt race-based poverty is glaringly obvious, and where halal meat stores are in abundance.
The scant data available paints a troubling picture of a growing community of nearly 300,000 Muslims, which includes a mix of refugees, recent immigrants, and those who settled in Canada decades ago.
The four poorest of all ethno-racial groups, with more than 50 per cent of their members living below Statistics Canada's low-income cut-off, were Somalis, Afghans, Ethiopians and Bangladeshi populations – all from predominately Muslim countries. At least 30 per cent of Pakistanis and West Asians also qualified as poor, according to a study done by the Institute for Social Research at York University in 2006, which looked at the demographic and social profiles of ethno-racial groups in the city.
According to the low-income cut-offs, a family of four in Toronto with an annual income of $33,221 after taxes would be considered poor. Bangladeshi women earned the lowest median income of any group at just more than $15,000.
In 13 neighbourhoods deemed "at-risk" in Toronto by United Way, more than half have significant Muslim populations, including Flemingdon Park, Regent Park, Etobicoke North and Jane-Finch."Every year, we see more and more poor people coming to the mosque for help," said Omar Farouk, president of the International Muslims Organization, based in Etobicoke, which has opened a food bank and distributes food to shelters once a month. More than 200 people regularly access the food bank.
"People will work two or three jobs, and still not have enough money to make ends meet at the end of the month," said Atulya Sharman, a community legal worker with the South Asian legal clinic. "But nobody wants to admit they are poor, partly because of the stigma, and because they think it's just part of the settlement process."
That is where they are mistaken, said Mohamed Boudjenane, director of the Canadian Arab Federation, which is part of the Colour of Poverty campaign.
"The Muslim community is faced with tremendous barriers, like the issue of foreign credential recognition, and the issue of racism and stigmatization of simply being Muslim post 9-11," he said.
"It's not about settlement; it's about systemic barriers in the system. We are receiving well-educated people. They are ... engineers and doctors, but they are still doing dishes, or driving cabs."
But many don't even get those menial jobs. In a 2005 Canadian Labour Congress study on Racial Status and Employment Incomes, Arab and West-Asian visible minorities had the highest overall unemployment rate at 14 per cent.There are internal barriers within the community too. There is an obvious divide between the haves and have-nots, the second-generation Muslims and the new arrivals who have little interaction with each other outside of "Friday prayers at the mosque."
While charity is a fundamental part of the Islamic faith, many established Muslims in the GTA are ignorant of the growing need within their own communities and instead see poverty in their countries of origin as a more worthy cause.
"The image that comes to mind when you think poverty is that beggar on the street in Pakistan. You don't think of a family in Scarborough," said Sadaf Parvaiz, a chartered accountant and second-generation Pakistani-Canadian.
Attitudes are slowly changing among some second-generation Muslims, who feel little connection to their parents' homeland. Parvaiz is organizing a walk for poverty in the summer with proceeds going to a local food bank.
The Muslim Welfare Centre, one of the few organizations addressing poverty, runs a halal food bank and emergency women's shelter, funded by donations from the community, said CEO Qaiser Naqvi.
In most neighbourhoods, mosques have become places of service as well as worship.
It is a concept that Waris Malik put to use three years ago, when he launched a weekly Hot Soup Day at the Islamic Foundation of Toronto, a mosque in Scarborough – the first to launch a project of this kind in the city. The initiative now serves and distributes 750 meals each week. Masjid Toronto will be starting a similar soup kitchen at downtown's Scadding Court at the end of this month.
"The mosque can't play all roles," said Boudjenane, of the Canadian Arab Federation, who believes Muslims need to shift their focus from building mosques to creating civic structures and social agencies.
"We have the foundations, what we need now is to start building the community."
http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/413881
Apr 12, 2008 04:30 AM
Noor Javed
Staff Reporter
On the corner of Dundas and Chestnut Sts., Ahmed dumps a handful of pennies and quarters on the sidewalk, and begins counting his day's earnings.
"Asalamu alakum, can you spare some change?" he shyly asks two men as they rush past him and into Masjid Toronto, a downtown mosque.
A former teacher, Ahmed left war-torn Iraq five years ago for Canada. "I came here but couldn't find a job, couldn't make money," he said. "Now I am homeless. I live in a shelter."
The exact number of Muslims in Toronto who live below Statistics Canada's low-income cut-off, the country's unofficial poverty line, is difficult to determine, as socio-economic data is rarely gathered through the lens of religion.
But among those on the front lines in the Muslim community, those who work in mosques, community centres and the few charitable organizations, there is growing concern about the magnitude of poverty in the community, the lack of resources available to deal with the problem, and the reluctance – among all social classes – to admit the problem even exists.
For the Muslim poor, an admission of poverty is shameful. To the rich, the problem is invisible, or at least not so obvious when compared to the stark conditions of poverty they have seen back home.
"It is a cause for concern," said Uzma Shakir, former executive director of the South Asian Legal Clinic of Ontario, and member of the Colour of Poverty campaign. "The repercussions of poverty and systemic poverty are not just economic but have serious social impacts as well," she said.
"Already we can see the formation of ghettos in some parts of the city," said Shakir, referring to neighbourhoods where overt race-based poverty is glaringly obvious, and where halal meat stores are in abundance.
The scant data available paints a troubling picture of a growing community of nearly 300,000 Muslims, which includes a mix of refugees, recent immigrants, and those who settled in Canada decades ago.
The four poorest of all ethno-racial groups, with more than 50 per cent of their members living below Statistics Canada's low-income cut-off, were Somalis, Afghans, Ethiopians and Bangladeshi populations – all from predominately Muslim countries. At least 30 per cent of Pakistanis and West Asians also qualified as poor, according to a study done by the Institute for Social Research at York University in 2006, which looked at the demographic and social profiles of ethno-racial groups in the city.
According to the low-income cut-offs, a family of four in Toronto with an annual income of $33,221 after taxes would be considered poor. Bangladeshi women earned the lowest median income of any group at just more than $15,000.
In 13 neighbourhoods deemed "at-risk" in Toronto by United Way, more than half have significant Muslim populations, including Flemingdon Park, Regent Park, Etobicoke North and Jane-Finch."Every year, we see more and more poor people coming to the mosque for help," said Omar Farouk, president of the International Muslims Organization, based in Etobicoke, which has opened a food bank and distributes food to shelters once a month. More than 200 people regularly access the food bank.
"People will work two or three jobs, and still not have enough money to make ends meet at the end of the month," said Atulya Sharman, a community legal worker with the South Asian legal clinic. "But nobody wants to admit they are poor, partly because of the stigma, and because they think it's just part of the settlement process."
That is where they are mistaken, said Mohamed Boudjenane, director of the Canadian Arab Federation, which is part of the Colour of Poverty campaign.
"The Muslim community is faced with tremendous barriers, like the issue of foreign credential recognition, and the issue of racism and stigmatization of simply being Muslim post 9-11," he said.
"It's not about settlement; it's about systemic barriers in the system. We are receiving well-educated people. They are ... engineers and doctors, but they are still doing dishes, or driving cabs."
But many don't even get those menial jobs. In a 2005 Canadian Labour Congress study on Racial Status and Employment Incomes, Arab and West-Asian visible minorities had the highest overall unemployment rate at 14 per cent.There are internal barriers within the community too. There is an obvious divide between the haves and have-nots, the second-generation Muslims and the new arrivals who have little interaction with each other outside of "Friday prayers at the mosque."
While charity is a fundamental part of the Islamic faith, many established Muslims in the GTA are ignorant of the growing need within their own communities and instead see poverty in their countries of origin as a more worthy cause.
"The image that comes to mind when you think poverty is that beggar on the street in Pakistan. You don't think of a family in Scarborough," said Sadaf Parvaiz, a chartered accountant and second-generation Pakistani-Canadian.
Attitudes are slowly changing among some second-generation Muslims, who feel little connection to their parents' homeland. Parvaiz is organizing a walk for poverty in the summer with proceeds going to a local food bank.
The Muslim Welfare Centre, one of the few organizations addressing poverty, runs a halal food bank and emergency women's shelter, funded by donations from the community, said CEO Qaiser Naqvi.
In most neighbourhoods, mosques have become places of service as well as worship.
It is a concept that Waris Malik put to use three years ago, when he launched a weekly Hot Soup Day at the Islamic Foundation of Toronto, a mosque in Scarborough – the first to launch a project of this kind in the city. The initiative now serves and distributes 750 meals each week. Masjid Toronto will be starting a similar soup kitchen at downtown's Scadding Court at the end of this month.
"The mosque can't play all roles," said Boudjenane, of the Canadian Arab Federation, who believes Muslims need to shift their focus from building mosques to creating civic structures and social agencies.
"We have the foundations, what we need now is to start building the community."
http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/413881
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)