Islam's Response to Contemporary Issues — Page 212
212 islam’s response to contemporary issues The entire contemporary system of international aid with strings attached is crisply described here in such few words. The believers are told not to take undue advantage of helpless people by relieving the sufferings of poor individuals or nations and at the same time depriving them of their liberty. The word ‘orphan’ is used in a wider sense as it applies to dependent individuals as well as nations. Such nations, who like orphans with wealthy relations have been abandoned by their kith and kin, should not be left unaided because they might be helped by others who are primarily responsible for them. The case of the oil rich states is a fit example. If only a few states of the Gulf had joined hands to relieve immense sufferings of humanity at large, they could have resolved the problem of hunger and drought in Africa without feeling a pinch. The mountains of money they have in bank deposits and foreign assets in Western countries generates interest and income which alone is sufficient to allay the misery and suffering to Africa. In any case, Islam forbids them from spending such interest for their own use. The case of a multitudinous sea of hunger, misery and want from the numerous calamities in Bangladesh is another deserving case to be studied in this context. They have been abandoned by the rest of the world to their own lot. The aid, if any, which trickles down to them, is virtually ineffective for relieving their misery. Such nations must be considered ‘orphan’ nations according to the wider definition of the term. When such orphan nations are abandoned by their own kith and kin, this constitutes a serious crime in the sight of God. People have a very naive and even crooked attitude towards God and nature for the sufferings of the poorer nations whilst, most