VOICE OF GLOBAL UMMAH
Volume 213,
Editors: Mohamed & Rashida Ziauddin
In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent and the Most Merciful
EDITORIAL:
While the spotlight of previous two E-Zines was on the importance of fatherhood and the negative consequences in the absence of father at home, the focus in this E-Zine is in dealing with loss of father and/or other family members and the impact of subsequent grief experienced by family members and exploring the possibilities of Ummah assisting them in the HEALING process under the title:
"CLINICAL APPLICATION OF THE CONCEPT OF GLOBAL UMMAH"
The permanent absence of Muslim men at home "percentage wise" is greater than the absence of men in other individual religions at their respective homes. See the toll of lives lost in
We want to emphasize that any loss of life is SAD ENOUGH and our comparison should not be misunderstand in terms of value of life. The purpose to highlight the above is two fold: (a) First is to understand the impact of loss of head of household and second (b) loss of the primary bread winner at home and its economically devastating impact on the family. For example, in
As part of the name of this E-Zine, VOICE OF GLOBAL UMMAH, above issue is an important issue for the entire Muslim global community. We were curious to know as to what is the global ummah doing to deal with the severe negative impact of loss of family members (including fathers/husbands) especially as it pertains to loss by traumatic deaths including being blown up to pieces by bombs, when even the most basic minimal normal procedure to bury the dead by washing the body becomes almost impossible due to the nature of death ?
One easy option is to just state "Allah is there" and leave it at that. But Almighty Allah has also told us that HE would not help those who do not help themselves.
When Almighty Allah stated in the Holy Quran: "MANKIND IS BUT ONE COMMUNITY", the people fourteen hundred years ago who were riding camels and horses & living in mud/clay huts had no clue to the depth of above awesome statement by Allah as compared to the present 21st century, when we use phones, fax, Internet, video-camera and post / send instant tweet messages et.c and realize that INDEED WE ALL ARE ONE COMMUNITY.
Although we have Internet to reinforce the depth of ONE COMMUNITY in terms of communication, we believe that there is lot of improvement for the global ummah to use the TOOL OF INTERNET to assist each other across the globe.
We humbly appeal to get your valuable feedback to assist us in developing innovative ways to reach out for the grieving family members by having a GLOBAL ISLAMIC CYBER GRIEF SUPPORT GROUP that has a matrix of LIVE HOT SPOTS AROUND THE WORLD where while deaths instantly occur, we are available ONLINE to supplement and provide ongoing support to the grieving member. We urge all interested Muslim organizations and Islamic Centers to contact us and symbolically be an extension of "our hearts" so to speak to reach out and assist the grieving family members. There is no hidden agenda, there is no catch, the service is FREE. But we cannot do it alone, we need help from one and all.
Further, the Islamic Centers, Muslim Social Service Organizations and other similar entities can be a medium to link us as providers of emotional support to the English speaking grieving family members across the globe.
We believe that currently the Islamic Centers/Masjids are grossly underutilized in terms of their potential to assist the distressed Muslims in their local neighborhood.
The Islamic Centers / Masjids play a pivotal role to ensure that their grieving members in their local area have access to such support group and get the needed support, Currently we can start only such a support group for English speaking Muslims as the first baby step.
In terms of helping Muslims worldwide who are dealing with grief, trauma and loss, we desperately need voluntary ON-LINE clinicians who are specialized in grief across lifespan, intertwining attachment theory, family systems therapy and neurophysiology to provide an effective online clinical intervention for processing grief with the ultimate goal of healing. We need volunteers at the local level to lead support group for families and children who have experienced the loss of a family member through death.
PART I
(ED NOTE:
If you note the main caption in bold letters at the very top of this E-zine VOICE OF GLOBAL UMMAH, you would see the caption titled: "YOUR WINDOW TO THE HARSH REALITIES OF THE MUSLIM WORLD". The pictures below reflect such a harsh reality that the global ummah is experiencing. Above caption surely DID NOT MEAN to present to you pictures of beautiful flowers from a garden or a romantic couple on a honeymoon, french kissing on a beach.
Further we want to emphasize that the primary purpose to present below pictures is for you to get a better clinical in depth understanding of the intense emotional pain and devastating grief that the surviving family members and injured victims would be going through after such a traumatic and shocking event. (A PICTURE SPEAKS A THOUSAND WORDS).
We condemn terrorism against innocent people from all sources including private extremist organizations and also State sponsored. We defend the innocent men, women and children from all religions, nationalities, cultures and ethnic groups. We appeal to people from all countries across the globe to work together for GLOBAL PEACE.
We want you to see the huge vacuum that is left for the untreated traumatized family members resulting in the ongoing pain and suffering in their day to day life and its potential disruption in the areas of their individual and family lives. Almost all of the victims in below pictures are not individuals that came out of the blue, but are part of a larger family having relatives that may include grandparents/father/mother/brothers/sisters/wife/children/cousins/nieces/nephews/grandchildren et.c.
You yourself try to recall when was the last death of your own relative and what were the circumstances surrounding it. Let's assume that it was a death due to health related reasons. Even then, try to recall the pain and grief of the immediate relatives of the deceased. Compare and contrast such a death with a traumatic death due to being blown up to pieces or gunshot or shrapnel wounds et.c, the blood and gore around the dead and the overall commotion surrounding the death.
CAN THE LOCAL AND GLOBAL UMMAH JUST KEEP QUIET AFTER SEEING SUCH EXCRUCIATING PAIN THAT OUR MUSLIM BROTHERS AND SISTERS ARE GOING THROUGH ?
From a clinical perspective, in what ways can the Muslim mental health professionals along with co-operation from the Imams and volunteers step up to the plate and provide emotional and social support to such grieving Muslims ?
We believe that in this situation it is not a question of money, it is a question of WILL, DETERMINATION, PROPER PLANNING, TEAM WORK, CO-ORDINATION AND A SOUND ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE TO REACH OUT AND EASE THE GRIEF AND SUFFERING OF SUCH INDIVIDUALS.
Given the current state of pathetic affairs in the world including politics of "US Versus THEM", SHIA-SUNNI CONFLICT, INTER-ETHNIC CONFLICT, POWER HUNGRY AND SELF CENTERED DICTATORS WITHIN THE MUSLIM COMMUNITY, we see no sight in end and it is likely to continue for quite a long time.
Further natural disasters like earthquakes and cyclones are likely to occur bringing yet another group of our Muslim brothers and sisters who shockingly had to lose their family members. Therefore, even now, it is not too late, from a clinical and organizational perspective for the Ummah at the local, state, national and international level to work towards assisting fellow Muslims who have lost their loves ones by easing their pain of grief and assisting them in the healing process.
Don't underestimate yourself and let us tell you that your opinion, ideas and feedback is valuable, WOULD YOU NOT CARE THEN TO SHARE IT WITH US ? )
Attack on Afghan Minority Group Leaves Over 60 Dead
(www.lens.blogs.nytimes.com)
Suicide bombers struck Shiite (mostly Hazara) pilgrims on December 6, killing over 60 people in Kabul, Kandahar and Mazar-i-Sharif during holy holiday of Ashura. I was moved by a photo of a woman crying out in horror at the carnage around her. It was also a cry of helplessness and a cry of sorrow. I couldn’t help but feeling that sense of helplessness and sorrow.
KASHMIR - INDIA
KASHMIR, WILL IT EVER BE RESOLVED ?
October 28, 2010
Below pictures of Kashmir from www.koolblue.wordpress.com
A young innocent Kashmiri student, aged 22, shot dead at point blank range by the draconian CRPF. They had promised a revenge killing after a trooper was shot dead by militants in the same location: The Slaughterers awarded one hundred rupees and promotions for killing the innocent Kashmiri.
The 8 year old innocent was killed by Indians during current protests
Can this old man be dangerous for hundreds of thousands of Indian troops deployed in valley?
Baramulla Kashmir - PEOPLE CARRY THE BODY OF NINE-YEAR-OLD TARIQ AHMADPART III:
TURKEY EARTHQUAKE PICTURES
www.survivalstarter.com
By M&C October 24, 2011
Relatives of victims mourn in front of a collapsed building after a powerful earthquake rocked eastern Turkey, in the city of Ercis, Van rpovince, Turkey, 24 October 2011. More than 1,000 people were likely to have been killed in an earthquake as powerful as the one that struck 23 October in eastern Turkey, experts from the Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute said at a press conference broadcast on Turkish TV. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was flying from Istanbul to the province of Van, the epicenter of the earthquake whose preliminary magnitude, according to the US Geological Survey, was 7.3. EPA/TOLGA BOZOGLU
Relatives of victims mourn in front of a collapsed building after a powerful earthquake rocked eastern Turkey, in the city of Ercis, Van province, Turkey, 24 October 2011. EPA/TOLGA BOZOGLU
Relatives of victims mourn in front of a collapsed building after a powerful earthquake rocked eastern Turkey, in the city of Ercis, Van province, Turkey, 24 October 2011. EPA/TOLGA BOZOGLU
Relatives of victims mourn in front of a collapsed building after a powerful earthquake rocked eastern Turkey, in the city of Ercis, Van province, Turkey, 24 October 2011. EPA/TOLGA BOZOGLU
Relatives of victims mourn in front of a collapsed building after a powerful earthquake rocked eastern Turkey, in the city of Ercis, Van province, Turkey, 24 October 2011. EPA/TOLGA BOZOGLU
Relatives of victims mourn in front of a collapsed building after a powerful earthquake rocked eastern Turkey, in the city of Ercis, Van province, Turkey, 24 October 2011. EPA/TOLGA BOZOGLU
PART IV:
CHECHNYA - RUSSIA
According to www.pbs.org, an estimated 40,000 people – both military and civilians – died in Chechnya’s 1994-1996 war with Russia. More than 300,000 residents of Chechnya left the republic as refugees.
www.cerebral-coffins.com/spk/first-chechen-war
www.cerebral-coffins.com/spk/first-chechen-warPART V:
BOSNIA
Needless to say, besides thousands of our Bosnian brothers being killed by the ruthless Serbs, there were thousands of Bosnian women in various countries who were struggling with the trauma of rape and PTSD symptoms et.c for a long time.
The global ummah not having had any semblence of any organizational structure in place to help the traumatized Muslims had MISSED a golden opportunity to assist our Bosnian brothers and sisters who were victims of the SERBIAN GENOCIDE in early 1990's.
Given the current atrocities against Muslims around the world including SYRIA, it is still not too late to develop above clinical model to reduce the psychological pain, anguish and trauma experienced by Muslims across the globe.
We need to start thinking as to how newly formed interdisciplinary teams originating from within Islamic centers and Muslim Social Service Organizations can assist traumatically distressed Muslims who may have problems with prolonged grief and others issues including being a victim of rape and torture.
Finding effective approaches for healing above psychological wounds could be equally applied to assist Muslims from various countries including but not limited to Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, Kosovo, Chechnya where there has been conflict resulting in loss of lives, permanent disability, trauma from being tortured et.c.
THE BRUTAL RAPE OF OUR BOSNIAN SISTERS:
SOURCE: www.womenforwomeninternational.org.uk/wordpress
www.bosniangenocide.wordpress.comNov 15, 2011
Rebecca Parnell
www.womenforwomeninternational.org.uk/wordpress
www.womenforwomeninternational.org.uk/wordpress
Photographer: Ron Haviv
QUESTIONS THAT ARE FOOD FOR THOUGHT
What is the possible impact of grief on a Muslim(a) across his or her entire lifespan ?
What role does the connection between early attachment styles, developmental, relational trauma, Islamic belief system and grief have across one's entire lifespan ?
How does one distinguish the difference between healthy grief VS complicated grief/prolonged grief, uncomplicated grief, complex post traumatic stress disorder ?
What are the neurophysiological impact on grief and does Zikar/deep intense islamic meditation have a "positive impact" in changing the neuro-circuitry of the grieving individual ?
What are the differences between child and adult grief from an Islamic perspective ?
What is the role of gender especially in context of people living in an Islamic country, specific culture in the said country and specific type of traumatic death in determining the severity and type of grief response that a Muslim(a) may have ?
How do you examine a tragic death and subsequent stress suffered by a family member from an Islamic perspective ?
How does such grief and stress impact you and your relationships ?
In what innovative ways can the clinical problems resulting from trauma and tragic death be combated and solved by using a combo pack of Islamic tools of Holy Quran & Hadith blended with the icing of the latest therapeutic techniques in the field of grief and counseling ?
What the the various masks of stress that are spawned emotionally, physically and mentally due to the initial loss of a loved one through traumatic death ?
How the above loss and stressors take a devastating toll on the grieving Muslim family member ?
How can a Muslim(a) avoid the pitfall of getting into addictions as a coping mechanism with grief and as a magnifying reaction to stress ?
How can anger and resentment be better tamed in order to make stress less toxic ?
How can a grieving member of the global ummah liberate himself/herself of intense pain by utilizing the valuable gems from Holy Quran and hadith as one of the many interventions ?
What role can local grief support groups originating from within Mosques and Islamic Cyber Grief Support groups do:
(a) to alleviate the intense emotional pain and stress caused by a traumatic and tragic death of a loved one ?
(b) be a platform to talk out your grief with other trusted members of your local support group ?
(c) be a platform to encourage externalization of grief through journaling, expressive arts, blogging et.c ?
(d) facilitate the grieving member to help others and in the process recover himself/herself ?
