St. Louis, Missouri
Volume 28, May 18, 2008
Editor: Mohamed and Rashida Ziauddin
In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent and Merciful
(BELOW: LETTER RECEIVED BY EDITOR):
"May 15, 2008
Dear Mohamed Ziauddin:
I am writing to you from Yangon, Myanmar, where emergency relief efforts in response to Cyclone Nargis are now in their second week. It’s raining heavily, further complicating relief efforts. It is unbelievably miserable and dangerous for thousands in temporary shelters. Time is of the essence.Save the Children’s first plane load of relief supplies arrived on Monday, May 12th. It passed government inspection and is currently being distributed in some of the hardest-hit areas of the delta region.
In the coming days, we will need your help more than ever to help us expand our work to assist children and families most affected by the storm.The good news is that about 115,000 survivors have been reached with lifesaving supplies including rice, water, oral rehydration solution, plastic sheeting and other urgently needed materials. The staff have been purchasing supplies locally within Myanmar and speeding them to families in need — by truck and by boat.By mobilizing Save the Children’s 500 aid workers who live in Myanmar, we are able to get to the most vulnerable children and families. Thirty of our child-protection staff are being trained to assist children who have been separated from their families, and we hope to get significant family-tracing activities going in as early as a day or two.
The spread of disease is one of our biggest concerns, as is the increasing number of diarrhea cases among children. And while that does not seem serious for Westerners, we know that diarrhea is a major killer among young children in the developing world. Save the Children’s oral rehydration solution can save the lives of many of these children.While our work is not easy, our hopes and spirits are strong. I’m told that as our team in Pathein was loading a boat, some local people — struggling themselves — arrived and offered to help. That really brought tears to our eyes. Their generosity and kindness, like yours, makes all our efforts worthwhile.
Andrew Kirkwood
Myanmar Country Office
Director
Save the Children
P.S. We’ve just learned that for a limited time, donations made for Save the Children’s work in Myanmar will be doubled by a special matching gift from the nonprofit group Not On Our Watch, founded by George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and others (up to a total of $250,000 raised). This means that your gift today could go twice as far".
PART II:
ORGANIZATION OF ISLAMIC COUNTRIES (OIC) CALLS FOR NGOS TO UNITE TO TACKLE POVERTY:
The Secretary General of the Organisation of The Islamic Conference (OIC) visited the Muslim Aid London headquarters on the 29 April 2008 to show his appreciation for Muslim Aid's humanitarian work around the world and also to address some the challenges faced by NGO's in tackling poverty in the future.
Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, the Secretary General of the OIC met with the Chairman of Muslim Aid, Farooq Murad and Tanzim Wasti, the Secretary of the Board of Trustees. Shahid Malik, Minister for International development for DIFD was also present.
The afternoon started with a brief introduction by the Chairman of Muslim Aid, Farooq Murad, who expressed his appreciation for the Secretary General’s visit.
"We receive many guests at Muslim Aid, but I believe today is very special. This day shows the Director General’s testimony to Muslim Aid and also his commitment for the need for action to combat poverty, resolve conflicts, build peace, assist in the face of natural disasters, and improve governments and support education and development".
Shahid Malik, then spoke of DIFD’s work across the world and highlighted the need for Muslims to work in solidarity to alleviate poverty and suffering.
“We are the fourth richest country in the world, we have responsibility to go beyond these shores to help those less fortunate”.
He focused on the need for ‘international development by consent’; the need for NGOs to gain broader public support by effectively communicating how their money is spent and how humanitarian aid addresses global issues as well as those faced by individual countries.
“Climate change, resource scarcity, disease and extremism are issues that affect us all and have no boundaries”, he said.
Hamid Azad, Head Overseas for Muslim Aid, then delivered a presentation that focused on the emergency relief work of Muslim Aid as well as long term sustainable development projects in health care and shelter.
Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, the Secretary General of the OIC, followed with a talk entitled “The Role of Muslims in The West” where he stressed the need for the humanitarian community to work together to alleviate poverty particularly by tackling the current global food crisis and also to engage in political discourse regarding the discrimination of Muslims. He also thanked Muslim Aid for it’s commitment to providing humanitarian relief to some of the most affected countries such as Indonesia and Bangladesh.
“I feel proud to note the magnificent humanitarian work undertaken by Muslim Aid which perfectly embodies the teachings of our religion”.
The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) is the second largest inter-governmental organisation after the United Nations which consists of 57 member states spread over four continents. The organisation promotes the voice and interests of Muslims across the world in the spirit of international peace and harmony.
For further information.
Contact name : Jonaid Jilani
Contact email : jonaid@muslimaid.org
PART III:
(Minority Muslims in Burma)
BELOW UPDATE FROM "MUSLIM AID":
Muslim Aid is on the ground in Myanmar (also known as Burma). Our emergency response team from Sri Lanka touched down in Yangon (Rangoon) early on Saturday 10th May 2008. We are one of the very few international aid agencies to be given access to Myanmar.
Within a few hours of their arrival the team and our local partners set about delivering vital supplies of clean drinking water, medicines, food and utensils.
Muslim Aid needs your help to raise US $2 million to save the lives of the thousands of survivors left homeless by the devastating cyclone in Myanmar. Muslim Aid has already allocated US $200,000 to provide clean water, food and basic health care.
The generous response that we have witnessed so far from donors in the UK and abroad has enabled us to send 1.5 million aqua tabs which can help to provide clean water for 50,000 people for one week. We have 9 water purification systems with the help of our partner ADRA (Adventist Development and Relief Agency) in Yangon. We are also sending 500 food parcels. This will provide 70,000 people with clean drinking water every day as long as there is water available.
Muslim Aid has been quick to respond to the current crisis in Myanmar after the devastating Cyclone Nargis hit the country on Saturday 3rd May. Experts fear that the massive storm surge that swept into the Irrawaddy delta, southwest of Yangon, has killed up to 100,000 people with thousands more missing and more than 1.5 million left homeless.
We have already assisted over 3,000 people but with your generosity we will deliver aid to many more.
Please give today and help us deliver:
• clean drinking water
• medicines
• mosquito nets
• food and cooking utensils.
Thank you for your support, together we can continue to save lives.
The Earth Quake in China was the second natural disaster to strike South East Asia inside 10 days. Muslim Aid has allocated £30,000 to its partners in China to help provide emergency relief to those affected. Our partner organisations have mobilised volunteers, food, water and emergency shelter provisions. Please support this appeal and help us to provide assistance in yet another terrible natural tragedy.
Donate today to the Muslim Aid China Earthquake appeal.
CALL NOW +44 (0) 20 7377 4200
or donate online http://www.muslimaid.org/
PART IV:
BELOW UPDATE FROM "FEED THE CHILDREN" :
Saturday, May 17, 2008
As torrential downpours struck Myanmar on Friday, the ruling junta has said more than 130,000 people are dead or missing. Feed The Children is working to move pre-positioned emergency food from its international offices in neighboring Thailand to reach those displaced and devastated by the cyclone in Myanmar (Burma).
Feed The Children’s program staff in Thailand has developed strong relationships with Burmese partners and is leveraging these relationships to help expedite the delivery of aid to the Burmese people.
Feed The Children is also reaching out to cyclone victims who have crossed the border into Thailand.
Up to 2 million people have been affected by Cyclone Nargis, the largest natural disaster since the Asian tsunami of 2004. Many of these 2 million people are now homeless. The United Nations estimates between 63,000 and 100,000 people may have died as a result of the cyclone.
Those who managed to survive the storm are still at risk, due to lack of food, clean water, and medical supplies. Food, construction materials, plastic tarpaulins, mosquito nets, water purifying tablets and medication to prevent outbreaks of cholera and malaria are badly needed.
Feed The Children is closely monitoring conditions with UN agencies to assess needs and to expedite the delivery of aid into the country.
PART V:
Muslim Car
"The Malaysian car maker Proton has announced plans to develop an “Islamic car”, designed for Muslim motorists. Proton is planning on teaming up with manufacturers in Iran and Turkey to create the unique vehicle. The car’s selling points will be not safety or fuel economy, but a compass that is designed to point towards Mecca and a special place to keep a copy of the Qur’an and a headscarf"
PART VI:
"Incredible India! Infants thrown off roofs to thank God: Religious traditions are diverse and sometimes as bizarre as they can get.."
Solapur, India 4/29/2008
(ED Note: Is below practice by Muslims a marked deviation ?)
Religious traditions are diverse and sometimes as bizarre as they can get. A village in Solapur, Maharashtra, has a dangerous tradition of throwing newborns from a height of 50 feet onto a sheet, which is held by devotees.
The infants are thrown off the roof of the Baba Sheikh Umar Saheb Dargah in Musti village in Solapur. This is an age-old tradition practiced by couples who are blessed with a child after taking a vow at the dargah. The devotees also believe that this ritual is good for the health of the child.
"People have been following this tradition for almost 500 years now. They believe that if they throw the child from the roof then it does good to him or her," deputy sarpanch of Musti village, Ravikiran Mehta said.
While the practice may seem dangerous and superstitious to others, the devotees strongly believe that the fall will not harm the infants. The reason given is that there has been no recorded evidence of any physical disability to the infants.
"It's our family tradition and so we follow it," a devotee said.
Both Muslim and Hindu families take part in this ritual, however the state administration chooses not to interfere and provides heavy police security during the ritual every year.
(Queen Elizabeth is presented with a copy of the Koran during a visit to the Green Mosque).
As usual feel free to e-mail your comments: info@mehrunyusuficds.com
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