ISLAMIC PSYCHOTHERAPY ONLINE
Volume 17, May, 2010
St. Louis, Missouri, USA

Editor: Mohamed Ziauddin

In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent and the Most Merciful

EDITORIAL:

ARE WE ONE UMMAH? SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT…….

The word “Ummah” gets recycled & repeated again and again during speeches on Fridays, Idd days and other Islamic special occasions. But to what extent are we really applying it in practice in terms of a strong sense of brotherhood, unity, helping each other especially the most vulnerable ones in our community et.c. ?

Let’s analyze one real life example indicated below, to see whether we are indeed one UMMAH just in words or in practice.

Several years ago, a young Muslim woman immigrant from overseas with no family support in the US, suddenly developed serious medical problems and unexpectedly died leaving behind a one year old female child.

Her last words to her friends before her death was that she wanted her child to be raised a Muslim.

Appeals were made on Friday prayers and through informal ways to find any Muslim family that could adopt and raise the child. There was not ONE single individual from our local UMMAH who was willing to adopt the born Muslim infant

Of course in numbers; we are thousands if not millions. Look at the Idd congregations in the major cities for a sample. Just try to take a new initiative for the good of the Muslim Community, with the best of intentions and see for yourself the quick multiple negative judgmental responses you will receive. compared to positive responses of support.

But when it comes to requesting their participation by action & implementation, only then you tend to face the REALITY in the form of either silence or minimal support.

With regard to the above infant, not surprisingly, there was no Muslim family coming forward to adopt the infant, and therefore the infant was adopted by a Christian family and could now be assumed to be possibly attending Church, maybe eating pork and maybe raised as a Christian.

For our dear Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist and Atheist brothers and sisters of Humanity, whom we love, we don't mean any disrespect.

THE FOCUS IS ON RESPECTING THE WISHES OF THE MOTHER OF THE INFANT.

THINK OF IT….That under the very eyes of the local UMMAH, a born Muslim is now a Christian, all because there was not a single MUSLIM who could step up to the plate and adopt this innocent Muslim infant. This same infant may grow up one day to be an adult Christian mother and later a grandmother and she is likely to pass on the same Christian values that she learned from her Christian parents, to her future generation.

Please note that the death of a mother alone (with no known relatives or friends willing to adopt the child) is not the only cause for a child to be considered for adoption. What is more frequent is when the parents are charged with severe abuse or neglect of the child and remain non-compliant with Court’s recommendation for correction OR the parents may have a medical or psychiatric or substance abuse condition so severe that it significantly impairs their ability to care for their child, and they have no known relatives or friends to adopt the child. In such situations, the child could be given up for adoption.

For many Muslim parents, especially those who were born overseas; receiving physical punishment as a means of discipline during their childhood was essentially a normal practice. When such parents re-enact their socially learned child disciplining behavior with their own children in the U.S., at times, they get into legal problems. This initially results in their children being taken away as the ward of the Family Services & Courts and placed in the Foster Care System.

SOMETHING TO REFLECT:

An innocent, extremely vulnerable, helpless, Muslim infant who could not speak for herself given her infancy and who lost her mother resulting in zero family support system, was subsequently considered for adoption, with priority given to any MUSLIM family that would come forward to adopt her.

FINAL OUTCOME: NO MUSLIM AVAILABLE TO ADOPT THE INFANT.

Now you decide for yourself whether we were just spectators and UMMAH in words only OR not.

DEAR BROTHERS AND SISTERS, I AM ASKING YOU WHAT IS THE STRENGTH AND BONDING OF SUCH A UMMAH THAT COULD NOT COME TO THE RESCUE OF ITS VERY OWN MOST VULNERABLE ONE YEAR OLD?

If you work actively in the Social Services field, you will know for sure, that above was not an exception. If anything, it was just one of the many examples. Many more Muslim children had already inadvertently became Non-Muslims, does the Ummah know about it? It is time that we implement in PRACTICE what ideally a truly UMMAH should be.

TO PREVENT SUCH LAPSES IN FUTURE WE APPEAL TO THE ISLAMIC CENTERS AND OTHER MUSLIM ORGANIZATIONS TO GO WAY BEYOND IMPLEMENTING THE IMPORTANT RITUALISTIC AND RELIGIOUS PRACTICES AND REACH OUT TO THE PROBLEMATIC LIVES OF OUR VULNERABLE MUSLIMS. PLEASE ATTEMPT TO, IF POSSIBLE HAVE A SOCIAL SERVICE COMMITTEE THAT ASSISTS WITH SOCIAL SERVICE ISSUES FOR MUSLIMS IN THEIR LOCAL COMMUNITY.

WE APPEAL TO THE AMERICAN UMMAH TO REFER OR FORWARD US A LIST OF INTERESTED COUPLES/FAMILIES THAT ARE OPEN TO ADOPTION OR TO BE A FOSTER PARENT. HAVING SUCH A DATABASE WOULD BE OF TREMENDOUS HELP TO DEPARTMENT OF FAMILY AND CHILDREN SERVICES OF VARIOUS STATES TO MORE EASILY FIND MUSLIM PARENTS WHO ARE WILLING TO ADOPT A MUSLIM INFANT OR BE A FOSTER PARENT FOR THE MUSLIM CHILD.

COMMENTARY:

What you are observing in above example is a general absence of Organizational Islamic Social Structural Supports that could easily be a bridge to connect the needy Muslim (whether it is a Muslim infant waiting to be adopted OR any other needy Muslim that needs Social Service help) with the existing resources. As per the above recommendation of setting up SOCIAL SERVICE COMMITTEES, the staff of such committees could link the “Muslim in Need” with a vast array of Federal, State, County and Private Social Services that are available and endeavoring its best to ensure that the “Muslim in Need” receives such services in an Islamically sensitive and Islamic-friendly manner. Such service is specially helpful to those who have language difficulties and unable to access the community resources.

THE END