There is an emergency situation going on in Afghanistan at the moment.
As you know, the Afghan people are facing a dire humanitarian situation this Winter. They cannot wait till Ramadan when generosity becomes the hallmark of the daily life of Muslims to help the needy. But in the weeks preceding the blessed month of Ramadan, every missing meal and every cold night without fire is making a dent in the Afghan people’s hopes and expectations from their neighbours and fellow Muslims. It is true that God Almighty has undertaken to provide food to every living being, but He also tests his servants through trials and tribulation.
The disputed political nature of the current government in Afghanistan and its social and economic boycott by the international community of nations, as well as banking and finance sanctions placed on this unfortunate country have resulted in non-payment of salaries to those in jobs, loss of trade for businesses, high prices of food and fuel shortages in many parts of the country, especially in the remote areas and lesser known provinces and districts. Inflation is hurting everyone irrespective of who is pro-Taliban or anti-Taliban in Afghanistan, or belongs to its diverse population of ethnic Pashtuns, Hazaras, Uzbeks or Tajiks. The Afghan “squid game” includes everyone without choice, including the elderly and ill. The situation is so bad that some families are considering to sell their young girls for a pittance of £1500 to £2000 to just survive, offset the responsibility to feed their daughters and get some cash to pay off their loans.
The film by RT Documentary Don’t Sell Me Mama is about the grim Afghan practice of selling girls off to buy food and wood for the fire. The dire economic situation in Afghanistan has put 97% percent of the population below the poverty level. As a result, people have to do anything to keep themselves alive.
We live in a world of live humanitarian emergencies in many conflict and disaster-affected countries. But Afghanistan’s situation is worse because its government is completely handicapped and totally dependent on foreign handouts.
You can help by taking any of the following actions:
*Forward this message to your family and friends;
*Organise a small fundraising event with your friends for Afghanistan’s humanitarian aid;
*Talk to any Afghans in your mosque to find out how they are helping their countrymen;
*Make a donation equal to the cost of one meal you would happily pay for at your local restaurant, (£50) to a Charity of your choice in your town;
*Contribute to the fundraising efforts of the World Food Programme (WFP) or other local and international NGOs which are paying to load food trucks bound for Afghanistan.
Some of the helpful websites you can use to make an online donation , among others, are as follows:
World Food Programme, UK
Oxfam UK
www.oxfam.org.uk/oxfam-in-action/current-emergencies/dec-afghanistan-crisis-appeal-emergency/
Save the Children UK
https://www.savethechildren.org.uk/where-we-work/asia/afghanistan
Al-Khidmat Foundation Peshawar, Pakistan
https://alkhidmat.org/appeal-for-afghanistan-2021/
IHH Turkey
https://ihh.org.tr/en/donate/afghanistan-emergency
Turkish Red Crescent Society Ankara
https://www.kizilay.org.tr/Haber/HaberArsiviDetay/4365
Whichever Charity you choose to send whatever amount you can afford (even as little as the cost of a cup of coffee at Starbucks) to help the people of Afghanistan will go a long way towards a good deed that will not go waste.
Narrated Abdullah ibn Umar:
Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “A Muslim is a brother of another Muslim, so he should not oppress him, nor should he hand him over to an oppressor. Whoever fulfilled the needs of his brother, Allah will fulfill his needs; whoever brought his (Muslim) brother out of a discomfort, Allah will bring him out of the discomforts of the Day of Resurrection, and whoever screened a Muslim, Allah will screen him on the Day of Resurrection . “
أَخْبَرَهُ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ “ الْمُسْلِمُ أَخُو الْمُسْلِمِ، لاَ يَظْلِمُهُ وَلاَ يُسْلِمُهُ، وَمَنْ كَانَ فِي حَاجَةِ أَخِيهِ كَانَ اللَّهُ فِي حَاجَتِهِ، وَمَنْ فَرَّجَ عَنْ مُسْلِمٍ كُرْبَةً فَرَّجَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ كُرْبَةً مِنْ كُرُبَاتِ يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ، وَمَنْ سَتَرَ مُسْلِمًا سَتَرَهُ اللَّهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ ”.
Syed Sharfuddin
Former CEO, Muslim Aid UK
