Suffer the Children
| Khatib : |
Sadullah Khan |
| Khutbah No: |
240 |
| Khutbah Date: |
06/01/07 |
ليس منا من لم يرحم صغيرناThat person is not of us who has no mercy on children. - Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)International Children's DayInternational Children's Day is widely commemorated on June 1 in many parts of the world to focus on the plight of children world-wide. The children of the world are innocent, vulnerable and dependent for childhood is the period of innocence, of nurturing, of being cared for, of development, of fun and hope. They are also curious, active and full of hope. Their time should be one of joy and peace, of playing, learning and growing. Their future should be shaped in harmony and co-operation.Most people use to find themselves wishing they could recapture the carefree days of childhood? “Kids have absolutely nothing to worry about, do they? No bills to pay, bosses to answer to, or obligations to keep. They have none of the everyday stresses that we adults have.”
Childhood Increasingly StressfulBut, is childhood really a time of bliss? The truth is, childhood is far from being without stress, is increasingly becoming the most pressured period of life; and in many parts of the world, the period of utmost exploitation. Children can be faced with many difficulties which they are ill-equipped to handle emotionally… parental divorce, poverty, learning disabilities, abuse, neglect … just to name a few. Children by nature feel powerless against these situations and the effects can haunt them well into adulthood.
Children in the World TodayRecent UNICEF and Save the Children reports indicate that …
- 34,000 of the world’s children die each day from starvation and related causes
- In the past decade, more than 4million children have been killed due to war (31 000 a month), and 6 million have been seriously injured or disabled due to war. The onset of war inflates the average child death rate up to 24 times. Thousands die as the result of direct violence; millions more die from indirect consequences, including destruction of food supply, water systems, health services and sanitation
- Approximately 1 million children have been orphaned by war in the past decade and an additional 4 million have been subjected to physical mutilation and torture.
- Every three seconds, poverty takes at least one child’s life, resulting in 30,000 deaths each day. 11 million children every year and more than 5 million of these are under 5 years old
- Of the 250 million children between the ages of 5 and 14 who are forced to work
- World Vision estimates that U.S. citizens account for an estimated 25% of child-sex tourists worldwide
- 425 million children under the age of 18 lack access to safe drinking water
- About 2,000 children younger than age 15 are infected with HIV each day; 2.7 million children are living with the disease, many are babies who are born to infected parents. About 13.4 million children younger than 15 have been orphaned by AIDS in the past 6 years. After their parent dies, children often are forced onto the street, and older children must work to support their siblings
- World Vision, a non-profit relief and development organization, estimates that 2 million children worldwide are trapped in the commercial sex trade, and many of these children are either sold into prostitution to pay off family debts or forcibly recruited on the street. World Vision estimates that U.S. citizens account for an estimated 25% of child-sex tourists worldwide.
- The International Labour Organization (ILO) has estimated that 218 million children between the ages of five and seventeen work. Denied an education and a normal childhood, some children are confined and beaten, reduced to slavery. Some are denied freedom of movement—the right to leave the workplace and go home to their families. Some are abducted and forced to work. Of nearly 218 million children engaged in child labor around the world, the vast majority—69 percent, or some 150 million—are working in agriculture. Child agricultural workers frequently work for long hours in scorching heat, haul heavy loads of produce, are exposed to toxic pesticides, and suffer high rates of injury from sharp knives and other dangerous tools. Their work is grueling and harsh, violating their rights to health, education, and protection from work that is hazardous or exploitative.
- Millions of women and girls around the world turn to domestic work as one of the few options available to them in order to provide for themselves and their families. Abuses against domestic workers, typically taking place in private homes and hidden from the public eye, have garnered increased attention in recent years. The long list of abuses committed by employers and labor agents includes physical, psychological, and sexual abuse; forced confinement in the workplace; non-payment of wages; and excessively long working hours with no rest days. In the worst situations, women and girls are trapped in situations of forced labor or have been trafficked into forced domestic work in conditions akin to slavery.
- One billion children are suffering from one or more forms of deprivation
None of the above is any of their fault.
False AidUNICEF notes how 30 percent of “aid” from G8 countries is tied to obligations to buy goods and services from the donor country. It was also tied to the receiving country having to carry out “reforms” usually in the form of privatization of state sector concerns, all in the economic interest of the donor countries.The increasing tensions between the major Western powers driven by imperialist ambitions can only mean that aid and global trade policies become more and more determined by (and reflects the interests of) the major powers. There is thus no real coordinated global response to the needs of the vast majority of humanity. We, as conscientious citizens of the world, can choose to ignore the global implications of our actions, mindlessly buying the products of child laborers and otherwise contributing indirectly or directly to the processes of exploitation and abuse, or we can accept the responsibilities that accompany our position in the global order and use our economic and political might in pursuit of justice for the world's most vulnerable citizens.Children suffer immensely as casualties of war and violence; as victims of racial discrimination, political aggression, foreign occupation and annexation; as refugees and displaced children, they are forced to abandon their homes and their roots; as disabled; or as victims of neglect, cruelty and exploitation. Millions of children suffer from the scourges of poverty and economic crisis - from hunger and homelessness, from epidemics and illiteracy, from degradation of the environment. We must use every means and the avenues we have to protect the lives and to diminish enormously the suffering of children, to promote the full development of their human potential and to make them aware of their needs, rights and opportunities.
Relfect on the Parent-Child RelationshipWe can take a great lesson from the fact that Allah documents, as part of divine revelation, the naseehah/advice of Luqman ‘the Wise’ to his sons [Q31:12-19] and makes that parental advice the central theme of the 31st chapter, titled Luqman. In the relationship between the Prophets (peace be upon them), respect, care and love was visible and real…
- Prophet ‘Isa/Jesus with Maryam/Mary [chapter 19]
- Prophets Ya’qub/Jacob with Yusuf/Joseph [chapter 12]
- Prophets Ibrahim/Abraham and Ismai’l/Ishmael [Q37:100-102]
- Prophet Muhammad with his daughter Fatima and her children and his other grand-children
- The Prophet said of his daughter, Fatima (his only child to survive him) لحمها كلحمي “her flesh is my flesh, her blood is my blood”
- Prophet Muhammad said of his grandchildren, Hasan and Husayn; اللهم اني احبهما فحبهما و حب من يحبهما “O Allah! I love them. O Allah, do love them and love those who love them”
- Such was the affection of the Prophet for his near ones that Allah [Q42:23] instructs Prophet Muhammad to say; قُل لَّا أَسْأَلُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ أَجْرًا إِلَّا الْمَوَدَّةَ فِي الْقُرْبَى Say: I ask no reward of you, except love for the relatives/dear ones
Love Your ChildrenMany children are deprived of true love, coming from homes where the important adults lack either emotional depth or emotional expressiveness.
The worst person is the one who suppresses/distresses his familyشرُّ الناسِ الضَّيِّقُ على أهله ، ألرجلُ اذا دخل بيتهُ خشِعَت امرأتهُ و هرب ولده و فرَّ عبدَهُ ؛فاذا خرَجَ ، ضحِكت امرأتهُ واستأنسَ أهلُ بَيتِهِThat person who when he comes home, his wife becomes fearful, his children run away from him and his servant hurries out of his way;But when he leaves the house, the wife is cheerful and his family is at ease.Parental ResponsibilityThe Prophet said:Honor your children and train them well.Children enjoy certain human rights specifically linked to their status as minors and to their need for special care and protection.
- Parents/Guardians have the basic responsibility of providing the child a loving family circle, a nurturing and protective home, a good name, good education, health care and preparation for independent life (marriage, work, responsibility …).
- Parents/Guardians also have the moral, religious and legal obligation to ensure that the child is not abused; whether physically, psychologically or emotionally.
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