The True Face of Islamic Charity
by Naomi Ragen (4 January 2005)
Where are the Arab Moslems when Moslems really are refugees?
I have been watching with growing amazement how the Americans are being
criticized for the disaster in the Indian Ocean. First, the UN (Americans are
the largest financial contributor to the UN, with 3 billion dollars in 2003
alone) called America "stingy." Then President Bush, who made a policy statement
72 hours after the disaster, while Kofi Anan was still on Christmas vacation,
and the Swedes, who had thousands of citizens feared dead, had nothing to say.
But no one has said a word about Saudi Arabia's $10 million dollar aid package.
Wow! Considering the billions they have funneled into terror groups, that's
really big of them.
Almost exactly a year ago, on Jan 1 2004, Americans also went to Iran to help
when an earthquake killed 30,000. According to CBS news, one Iranian cleric
greeted the help with the following statement: "We hate the arrogance of the
Americans and we are sure that they haven't come for humanitarian reasons, but
for other things like spying," said Abdullah Irani, a mullah from Qum, the main
center for Shia Muslim clerics in Iran.
And just try to Google Syrian aid for tsunami victims... See what you come up
with. Zero.
Given the fact that Indonesia is 78% Moslem, and has lost more than 100,000
people, Sri Lanka is 8% Moslem, and India is 11% Moslem, one would think that
Arab nations would now show an outpouring of support and sympathy. After all,
isn't that the excuse they always use for backing the "poor Palestinians" --
that they are fellow Moslems and their solidarity is a given? And doesn't the
West tip-toe around Muslim sensibilities whether it be the Americans who are
terrified of entering a mosque (even one being used as a shelter for
terrorists), or Parisians who dare to ask girls not to wear Islamic head
coverings to class, or British, who allow local Imans to give hate sermons in
London mosques? Isn't the Western belief that that to hurt or offend one Moslem
is to hurt and offend them all?
So, how is it, that the great solidarity of the Islamic world when it comes
to their "pride" or their touchy religious sensibilities doesn't extend to
humanitarian aid when thousands of Moslems lay dead in the streets? Where are
the much touted "Moslem Benevolent Funds" when you really need them for
something other than guns to kill Israelis and blow up planes?
Makes one think, doesn't it, that perhaps all these years their concern for the
plight of the Palestinian "refugees" wasn't based on purely humanitarian
grounds. Let's just see how charitable Moslems will be to the millions of Moslem
refugees in Asia now, people who, unlike the Palestinians, really don't have a
roof over their heads or a way to earn a living. Let's just see.
|
