”....and if any one saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole people”. Qur’an 5:32
A major human tragedy is unfolding in Sudan, one that has reportedly claimed at least 30,000 lives, and could claim up to one million unless the world community works together, starting immediately, to end it.
The reports coming out of Darfur are awful. It appears that this is a major humanitarian crisis that needs immediate action. Shockingly, I have checked all the major national Muslim Islamic Organizations’ websites and found nothing to use in finding a way to help, and in fact not even a mention of this crisis (perhaps because both the victims and perpetrators in this crisis are Muslims.)
Here are the resources I have been able to find to help us to respond quickly. As I find out more I will add to this information.
July 19, 2004 update - ISNA has issued a very general statement at http://www.isna.net/news/miniheadlines.asp?dismode=article&artid=351 I have yet to find even a statement, let alone a plan at any of the other websites of any of the national Islamic organizations.
Aug. 3, 2004 update CAIR has joined with more than 70 other faith-based, humanitarian and human rights groups in signing a “Unity Statement and Call to Action” in response to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Darfur, Sudan. http://www.cair-net.org/asp/article.asp?id=1147&page=NR
Aug. 29, 2004 update. A few weeks ago a 10 member delegation went from the U.S. to Darfur to see for themselves what is happening there. Today I attended a press conference held by Shaikh M. Nur Abdullah and Rep. Yaphet El Amin, two of the delegates. The press conference was held at the Dar al Islam Mosque in Ballwin, Missouri. We hope to have an article on the findings of this group in the next week.
Sept. 10 - An article about this press conference appeared at http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/stlouiscitycounty/story/9B903E30F8D0A44386256F00004A0049?OpenDocument&Headline=U.S.+Muslims+seek+to+end+crisis+in+Sudan,+Islamic+leader+say
”....and if any one saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole people”. Qur’an 5:32
A major human tragedy is unfolding in Sudan, one that has reportedly claimed at least 30,000 lives, and could claim up to one million unless the world community works together, starting immediately, to end it.
The reports coming out of Darfur are awful. It appears that this is a major humanitarian crisis that needs immediate action. I have checked all the major national Muslim websites and found nothing to use in finding a way to help. Here are resources to help us to respond quickly.
Moveon.org has information on what you can do - to contact government officials, and where to send donations, etc. http://www.moveon.org/news/sudan.html
Many more suggestions on how to help collected by BBC News at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3793577.stm
Faithful America has an easy to use form to send letters to your local congressmen and state senators http://www.faithfulamerica.org/Action.htm
Muslim Wakeup has an easy to use form to send letters to Sudanese Government Officials at http://muslimwakeup.com/formmail/darfur.php
The Chicago Council of Islamic Organizations {[Tel: 630-629-7490; ]www.ciogc.org] seems to be the only organization making some effort to rise awareness of the issue. Dr. Jihad Shoshara (.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)), has launched a local grass roots initiative to generate awareness of the tragedy in Darfur and is hoping to raise funds for immediate relief. He informed that there are some Muslim charities which are now beginning to raise funds for relief in Darfur and for the refugees from Darfur. He is also trying to get local Imams to talk about Darfur during Friday Qutbahs, please contact him for more information. Please support his efforts in whatever way you can.
Ahmed Nassef at Muslim Wakeup also has an article with multiple resources and ways you can get involved and help http://www.muslimwakeup.com/mainarchive/000959.php#more
Here are a few articles about the situation:
As Genocide Unfolds http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A54947-2004Jun19.html
Can American Muslims Do Something?, Muqtedar Khan http://www.ijtihad.org/globalog.htm
Center for American Progress has collected a series of articles about the crisis at http://www.americanprogress.org/site/pp.asp?c=biJRJ8OVF&b=97645
Crisis Profile http://www.williamshawcross.com/darfur.html
Dare We Call it Genocide http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F70A13FB35540C758DDDAF0894DC404482
Darfur http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darfur
Darfur’s Agony is the World’s Shame http://www.williamshawcross.com/darfur.html
Fur and Nuba Conflicts in Western Sudan http://www.ifaanet.org/The%20Inversion%20of%20Ethnicity.htm
History of Darfur http://www.muhajabah.com/islamicblog/archives/veiled4allah/008909.php
History of Darfur http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/para/darfur.htm
Human Rights Watch: Crisis in Darfur http://www.hrw.org/campaigns/darfur/
The Living and the Dead http://msnbc.msn.com/id/5305166/site/newsweek/
Powell to See Sudan Catastrophe http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3838083.stm
Screams of Sudan’s Starving Refugees http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/3840427.stm
Sudanese Tell of Mass Rape http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3791713.stm
Toll Rises in Sudan’s Quiet War http://www.aashf.org/pages/sudanToll.htm
W.H.O. Crisis Report http://www.who.int/disasters/repo/13313.pdf
World Fails to Stop Darfur Atrocities http://www.escapinghades.com/darfur_sudan/sudan_051404.html
World Must Act on Darfur Crisis Says Kerry http://www.politinfo.com/articles/article_2004_06_8_5548.html
World Turns Attention on Darfur http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0614/p06s01-woaf.html