INSIGHT

By Saif Manzoor
April 2008
The global food inflation is alarming. The prices of staples like rice, wheat, cereals and corn have increased rapidly over the last two years. This has already triggered riots in a number of countries and the forcast is sobering. Food and Agriculture organization of United Nations has warned that the global food prices are expected to remain at high levels for the coming year due largely to problems in production in several major exporting countries and very low world stocks.

Situation in Pakistan
The prices of basic food staples like rice, flour and cereals have also rapidly increased in Pakistan. This food inflation has disproportionately affected the Pakistan’s poor. The daily income of a working class person in Pakistan is Rupees 100-200. With a family to support, more than half of this amount will be spent solely on providing two square meals to the family with very little left for rent, clothing,  health-care, education and other basic necessities of life.

According to 2002 UNDP report about 40% of Pakistan’s poor are below or just above the poverty line. The food inflation will  further increase the number of people below the poverty line, further squeezing the already marginalized middle class and further polarizing in the economic classes with poor becoming poor and rich becoming richer.

What the Quran is advising us
In this serious situation the responsibility of those with excess resources becomes extremly important. We must listen very carefully to what the Quran is advising us:

And in whose (believers) wealth there is a right acknowledged. For those who ask and the destitute [70:24-25]
This is the basis of social and economic justice in the Quran that we must give a definite portion of our resources  to the poor as their acknowledged right. In the current situation this concept of “acknowledged right” becomes extreamly relevant and important.

The Holy Prophet said:

“Anyone who possesses goods more than his needs, should give the surplus goods to the weak (and poor); and whosoeverpossesses food more than his needs should give the surplus food to the needy and the destitute.”

What Ilm-o-Amal is doing in this situation
The programs of Ilm-o-Amal association are focused on poverty alleviation. We wish to promote community spirit by giving and sharing our resources with the needy through our support a family, children education and income opportunity programs. Our targets for 2008-09 is to support 100 families, 100 scholarships for students, 60 income opportunities and school notebooks for 200 classes. This will require a total budget of Rupees 60 lacs or 100 thousand US dollars. I urge all our members:

• to look around themselves in Pakistan, reach out and help the people in need through our programs. They can do it in a convienient way through our Beneficiary Management System which allows them to post application for the needy on the web and let our verification, approval, payment and review teams of volunteers do the rest
• to help us in achieving the donation targets by reaching out to those in their families and friends who have excess resources and wish to support people in Pakistan.

I strongly believe if we we seek our guidance from the Quran and cooperate & inspire each other we can Inshallah reach the targets we have set for our selves.