A drop in the bucket ... ?
One of my uncles (and when I say uncle - I mean someone remotely related to me) and I were chatting the other day, and he was telling me about his trip to Bangalore. He mentioned a government sanctioned report, the Sachar Committee Report, that documented the status of Indian Muslims. He summarized the report into a few figures for me:
He related related to me that it bothered him that so much of the money was going towards building mosques, and that sadaka (loosely, charity or alms-giving, usually as an act of purification) is more often than not given in the way of feeding the poor. While all of this is well and good, and worthy of praise, it is simply not what the community needs. A beautiful mosque, made of the best quality marble and with the most intricate ornamentation provides a clean, safe (presumably), quiet and aesthetically pleasing place to worship, reflect and engage in dhikr. But it does not provide the community the means to raise themselves up from the situation they are in. A meal that feeds a hundred people, or even a thousand people, is inadequate to pull them out of a dependent life.
My uncle told me about a hospital in Bangalore built by Haji Ismail Sait - a member of the Cutchi Memon community in the early 1900s. It was a hospital built for Muslims, and Muslim women in particular, and was to be maintained under a trust. In due time, his heirs (and presumably the trustees) were unable to maintain the hospital (for various reasons) and somehow it was turned over to the (state) Government. The hospital grounds are now in a destitute condition, and according to a news report last year - about 20% of the property is inhabited by squatters.
In the meanwhile, brand spanking new (not to mention shiney and sparkley) buildings are popping up all over the city, many of which are the result of Cutchi Memon funds or resources. Why, my dear uncle asks, can't some of those resources - instead of going to elaborate mosques and one-night biryani dinners - go into the development of this hospital, established by a man who had a vision that was well before its time? The development of a hospital complex, with an adjoining private medical school - with preference for Muslim students - would do wonders for the community, he said. Not only does it give Muslims an opportunity to raise themselves up by taking advantage of an education edge, but it is also a shining star for the city - a demonstration of a real contribution that we can make.
I stand by him on this one. I've always been quite concerned that our community is not setting an example, and is not using its resources to its full extent. It bothers me greatly that the community is not spending enough money on schools, community centers, education, medical care ... the list is endless. What we can do is endless, if we only tried.
There are nearly 150 million Muslims in India (out of over a billion Indians), and are compared to the dalit community (see wiki):
- Fifty-two percent (52%) of Muslim men are unemployed (42% of dalits).
- Ninety-one percent (91%) of Muslim women are unemployed (77% of dalits)
- Forty-eight percent (48%) of Muslims older than 46 are illiterate
- Muslims are approximately 11% of the population and 40% of those in jail
- Muslims hold 4.9% of government jobs and only 3.2% in security agencies
He related related to me that it bothered him that so much of the money was going towards building mosques, and that sadaka (loosely, charity or alms-giving, usually as an act of purification) is more often than not given in the way of feeding the poor. While all of this is well and good, and worthy of praise, it is simply not what the community needs. A beautiful mosque, made of the best quality marble and with the most intricate ornamentation provides a clean, safe (presumably), quiet and aesthetically pleasing place to worship, reflect and engage in dhikr. But it does not provide the community the means to raise themselves up from the situation they are in. A meal that feeds a hundred people, or even a thousand people, is inadequate to pull them out of a dependent life.
My uncle told me about a hospital in Bangalore built by Haji Ismail Sait - a member of the Cutchi Memon community in the early 1900s. It was a hospital built for Muslims, and Muslim women in particular, and was to be maintained under a trust. In due time, his heirs (and presumably the trustees) were unable to maintain the hospital (for various reasons) and somehow it was turned over to the (state) Government. The hospital grounds are now in a destitute condition, and according to a news report last year - about 20% of the property is inhabited by squatters.
In the meanwhile, brand spanking new (not to mention shiney and sparkley) buildings are popping up all over the city, many of which are the result of Cutchi Memon funds or resources. Why, my dear uncle asks, can't some of those resources - instead of going to elaborate mosques and one-night biryani dinners - go into the development of this hospital, established by a man who had a vision that was well before its time? The development of a hospital complex, with an adjoining private medical school - with preference for Muslim students - would do wonders for the community, he said. Not only does it give Muslims an opportunity to raise themselves up by taking advantage of an education edge, but it is also a shining star for the city - a demonstration of a real contribution that we can make.
I stand by him on this one. I've always been quite concerned that our community is not setting an example, and is not using its resources to its full extent. It bothers me greatly that the community is not spending enough money on schools, community centers, education, medical care ... the list is endless. What we can do is endless, if we only tried.
what would you attempt to do, if you knew you could not fail?
posted by zai5h at Thursday, November 29, 2007
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