By Hassan Saroya
£10,000? Nope. £15,000? – Nope. £20,000? – Getting warmer. £22,501.40p? – Bulls eye! That’s right ladies and gents, The City University Islamic Society managed to raise a whopping £22,501.40p for Charity Week 2006. No, really – I’m serious – Twenty Two Thousand, Five Hundred – that’s pounds, not rupees. That makes us the top university ISoc in the capital – something we all can be immensely proud of. Our 2005 total was £13,000 – that’s an increase of just under £10,000 – quite an achievement.
Together, the universities in London raised a total of £173,000 - again, an increase on last years total of £130,000.
(3 Children just died of malnutrition.)
Yes, we’re all giddy at the moment. Basking in the reflected glory of our achievement. We came first – we beat the other universities – we’ve done our job – time to move on? Not quite. One fact remains – despite all the money we’ve raised – despite the hard work – the elephant costumes – Scooby-doo inspired antics – the behind closed doors shenanigans of the mysterious “Bobby Hussein” and weeks of planning – there are people across the world, children, orphans, the elderly – who won’t be quite as giddy.
(3 more Children just died of malnutrition.)
Why you ask? Because while you go home to bed on a full stomach, dreaming a wonderful dream, without a care in the world - there are millions of orphans who wont be dreaming at all.
Imagine losing a parent. Two parents. Now imagine losing your entire family. Now imagine your entire village being flattened by a devastating earthquake. Imagine anything you’ve ever known, anything you’ve held dear, anything which gave you hope – snatched away from you. Now imagine yourself as a 5 year old girl, with no hope in the world – no one to take care of you – imagine yourself freezing in the mountains of Kashmir, crying out for water in the heat of Somalia, scraping through a garbage dump in Peru. You’ve just imagined the plight of millions of orphans around the world.
(Another 2 children)
“Bruv – I’m staaaarving, lets go munch”
We don’t know the meaning of starve. “Starving” for us is delaying our lunch for an hour – starving for them is going hours, days, weeks without a decent meal. Weeks without so much as a chicken wing. Weeks without so much as a Mars bar. Weeks without so much as a glass of clean water.
I started this newsletter with a boast or two. We raised £22,501.40 – collectively we raised
£173,000 – that isn’t nearly enough. We haven’t even begun to scratch the surface. Our work, nay, our duty still remains – so long as there are starving children around the world – we are responsible. So long as men, women and children keep dying – we are responsible. Charity week is over, but the real charity work begins now. Continue to donate, continue to raise money – and continue, as always, to pray for those less fortunate.
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “Blessed is the wealth of a Muslim from which he gives to the poor, to orphans and to needy travelers.”
- Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 2, Hadith 544
2 more children. In the time it has taken you to read this article, 10 children have died of malnutrition.
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