Muslim Perspectives

The Muslim community needs to do re-thinking of its strategy for doing social work.


The Tsunami episode has once again brought to the core the soft side of the individuals. Millions of individuals contributed aid to alleviate the suffering of the victims of Nature’s fury.


At the organisational level, hundreds of small and large social and welfare groups organised the relief. No doubt, social services sector is creating a presence in our society; it also becomes apparent that competent social services have yet to arrive amongst Muslim community. The latter statement is based upon observations of signs for organisations that intend to provide services for both man- made disaster and victims of nature’s fury. Furthermore, a minimal amount of research into these organisations often reveals a bare minimum, to no qualified professionals, a lack of organisational structure and more importantly either a clientele medley or a mis-diagnosed nightmare.


While the willingness to get your hands dirty is noble, nobility alone cannot sustain an organization without a conceptual framework.


Clinical social worker, Dr Judith Lee (1994) explained that adequate service provision requires the service provider to be well equipped in the areas of professional purpose, a strong value base, knowledge, theoretical foundations and a programme method that consists of principles, processes and skills.


Contrary to the literature, Muslim’s social services and/or educational organisations begin to provide services prior to meeting structural demands. The idea is understandable and will generate sympathy. It is a moral dilemma. The need exists and the thought pattern is that some service provision is far better than none. While this thought process too, is noble, it can in fact impart far more harm than good.


It appears that as a result of the lack of qualified staff, agency philosophies and structure, all the financial and human resources pumped in the social sector by the community is not utilized optimally and many a times the performance is even sub-standard.


Most of the donors do not have time to go beyond personal interviews of the project initiators or the organisations office bearers. How many Muslim social and welfare organisations appoint MSW (Masters in social work)? The result is most of the time it’s the sub-standard work and poor services provided to the downtrodden.


Why the Muslim community needs the qualified and competent professional’s help to manage the social sector? Since changes in the society are taking place at a rapid pace, newer and newer problems are emerging. Thus social workers and/or educators must be certain of and well versed in their approach to the work, prior to deliverance of services. Service providers must collaborate with other professionals within or outside of their own agencies in an effort to gain a deeper knowledge and understanding of the field.


Agencies must provide continuous staff training, strong supervision and a safe environment that encourages staff to raise questions. Additionally, administrators must begin to do their homework. The expertise and the funding to hire the staff are out there, the motivation to find them must be brought to the table.


Let’s take a sample issue of counselling the Muslim youth. Slew of organisations claims working for the growth and benefit of Muslim youth. How many of them can handle the complex problems which today’s youth suffers from. Even the largest Muslim student organisations do not have any qualified counsellors.


None of the organisations conduct counselling sessions. Most of the counselling sessions are conducted by the office bearers who are not qualified to do the job. Those who need counselling also go to Imams asking for advice, but the Imams are not trained in counselling. They will try to tell them what to do rather than being able to assess the whole situation, being able to analyze, being able to walk them through the process of finding a resolution.


Since the community does not take the help of professionals there are many areas where the community does not have any presence. For example how many centres we have for the training of Muslim disabled, whereby they find jobs for Muslims with disabilities. So we need to become more aware, and we need to become more compassionate. Mercy should be the basic element of a Muslim. And it isn’t there.


So community needs a re-thinking of its strategy of doing social work. We just cannot afford to waste our resources by doing sub-standard work. By investing in taking professional help we will be saving precious human and financial resources and increase the productivity.

The sprawling Khuddus Sahib Burial Ground was once home to around 500 sandalwood trees. Alas, now hardly 20-30 trees remain in this burial ground.


It is common knowledge that all the sandalwood trees in India belong to the government. However there was a time, when a tree sat on a private land, the farmer was entitled 75% of its value for growing and protecting it once it harvested.


With laws being made stringent, the farmer or the owners of the private land where the sandalwood trees sit, are not at all inclined to either grow or protect the sandalwood trees. It takes about 60 years for a sandalwood tree to yield best quality oil and wood. Due to laws affecting the farmers and owners the harvest has been dwindling and poaching is the order of the day.


Take the Khuddus Sahib Burial Ground in Jayamahal area in Bangalore. Once this sprawling burial ground which spans over 30 acres of land was home to around 500 sandalwood trees. Alas, now hardly 20-30 trees remain in this burial ground. Since the government does not have any mechanism for either compensating the owners of private land for providing security services to preserve and protect these sandal wood trees, or making monetary rewards for the same, the owners of private land have been helpless in safeguarding and protecting this valuable commodity. Neighbouring states are taking advantages and they are reaping the fruits by extracting the oil from sandalwood as a result our state is loosing both natural resources as well as the revenue.


Veerappan was a terror and it took a mighty task force to eliminate him. Now hundreds of Veerappan’s have born who operate in the city and not in the forest. They have fine-tuned their skill in hunting and chopping down sandalwood trees. Their use of electric saw, heavy transportation vehicles and even carrying arms is a real deterrent. Imagine if 500 sandalwood trees could flourish in a 30 acre burial ground without any effort or maintenance, how many more thousands of trees could be grown throughout Karnataka. Environmentalists, the NGOs and the government should re-think on the laws governing sandalwood trees. It is high time the Government of Karnataka provides armed guards at all places where there are sandalwood trees even if they are in private lands. In the absence of providing security, it should allow the private owners to grow, maintain and use the sandalwood trees with their own expenses and pay the government a small amount as cess or tax . If something drastic is not done I am afraid even the remaining 20-30 trees in the burial ground will fall victim to poachers and their electric saws.


(The writer is Chairman, Juma Masjid Trust Board, Bangalore)