When we were young, visits to our grandmother used to be great fun. One thing that was very strange about the place was that guests always frequented it. People, we had never met or seen before, used to have breakfast or dinner with us.
She was one of those selfless characters who became restless on seeing human sufferings. She could not even think of dining alone when there were people hungry outside. Grandmother would always feed the hungry and helped those in need.
In retrospect, I think her actions were fully in accordance with the teachings of Islam. Later in my life, I realized that it was the duty of well-off Muslims to help those in need. We have been “commanded” and “encouraged” to do so.
However, times have changed. People have become self-centered. Even if our next-door neighbor is sleeping hungry, it is no longer “our problem,” as we already have so many personal problems to attend to.
The main reason behind this attitude is our growing detachment from the teachings of Islam. We as a people have stooped so low that upon seeing children dying, instead of reaching out to help them, we tend to protect our loved ones or ourselves.
To many this reaction might appear natural but if this indifference goes beyond a certain limit, it becomes un-Islamic.
This negative attitude has pervaded the Muslim community all across the globe. We as a nation have stopped caring for those who are being oppressed or wronged. It is due to this attitude that elements or groups professing deviant ideologies in the name of Islam are having a field day. We are to be blamed for giving them a chance to fill the vacuum that has been created mainly because we failed in performing our religious duties. We were the ones who had abandoned our suffering brothers and sisters. It was us who perhaps unintentionally made room for extremist elements to emerge as the so-called protectors of Islam and Muslims.
Imagine the plight of a mother on the street with nothing to protect her child and survive subzero temperatures. Just try to feel her helplessness, when she sees her child drifting away from life leaving behind nothing but crushed dreams.
Imagine people who are forced to consume sewage-mixed water or children lining up for a loaf of bread in the snow with plastic bags wrapped around their tiny feet or people trying to keep warm by burning their shoes in the ruins of their homes.
This is the sorry state of Syria. It is difficult to say who is killing whom in Syria? Assad’s wickedness is obvious; but on the other side the opposition groups are fighting each other and it is impossible to distinguish friends from foes. Everyone appears to be jockeying for power and prestige. But what about those innocent people caught in the crossfire.
Syria is now in ruins. It has become a battleground of different forces fighting for their vested interests. People striving to acquire a share of Syrian territory have infiltrated those who had begun a struggle to save their countrymen from the clutches of a tyrant. Syrians are dying, not just from shelling, but also from diseases and cold. We need to take action on a war footing to save them.
The United Nations and the world powers must swing into action to stop the bloodshed. Most importantly, arrangements should be made to transport people — whether they are pro- or anti-regime — to safety. Efforts should be made to get them settled in neighboring countries till the conflict ends. Of course, assistance must also be provided to the countries hosting Syrian refugees.
Understandably, many neighboring countries cannot afford to cope with the influx of refugees. The United Nations must declare a state of emergency and motivate affluent countries to donate generously and push the stakeholders to end this bloody mess at the earliest. There may be many people who do not care about the poor, the wretched and those in difficulties; however, there are exceptions. We must not allow the callousness of the world deceive us. In matters of conscience, the law of majority has no place.
People may make mistakes by following the majority, but never by heeding the voice of their conscience. The majority is ever distracted, and their desires are largely short-lived. But communities that have come together around a righteous aim — even if they are in the minority — always emerge strong and victorious.
For that reason, rational and enlightened Muslims must speak out unanimously on the sad events taking place in Syria. They must raise the matter by using all possible means to prevent it from being forgotten and to attract the attention of the world.
Muslims must act for the protection of Syrians. Syrians should be allowed entry to neighboring countries as guests until the regime changes, until the radicals depart, and until schools and hospitals are rebuilt. If they wish, let them never go back. Allah’s guests bring prosperity with them.
No matter what measures they take, people, communities and countries that think only of their own interests can never progress. That includes certain European countries that are unwilling to accept Syrian refugees, despite their vast resources. They may regard that as being in their own interests. Our world works according to Allah’s laws, it has nothing to do with historic experiences or political maneuvering. Allah is always on the side of those who help the weak.
- The writer is a commentator on Turkish tv & a columnist.
