But perhaps the Saylani Welfare International Trust is behaving aberrantly, “radically”? More recent reports suggest otherwise: “A few days back there was an announcement made through a mosque’s loud speaker in the Sher-Shah neighborhood of Lahore inviting citizens to collect the government’s announced foodstuffs,” a pastor explained. “When Christians reached the distribution point and presented their national identity cards, they were asked by staffers to get out of the line claiming the foodstuff was only for Muslim citizens.” This same pastor received numerous phone calls from his flock, all of whom experienced the same denial. “Christians often face religious hatred and discrimination,” another Christian woman, aged 50, said of her experience. “However, we never thought of this biased behavior by the majority people at this critical time of COVID-19.”
As disgraceful as such “biased behavior” is, it is also perfectly Islamic. Indeed, all of this reminiscent of when Barack Obama said that “in the United States, rules on charitable giving have made it harder for Muslims to fulfill their religious obligation. That is why I am committed to working with American Muslims to ensure that they can fulfill zakat.” At that time (2009), I wrote an article titled “The Dark Side of Zakat”; an especially applicable portion follows:
https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politi...im-charity-help-their-own-hate-everyone-else/
As disgraceful as such “biased behavior” is, it is also perfectly Islamic. Indeed, all of this reminiscent of when Barack Obama said that “in the United States, rules on charitable giving have made it harder for Muslims to fulfill their religious obligation. That is why I am committed to working with American Muslims to ensure that they can fulfill zakat.” At that time (2009), I wrote an article titled “The Dark Side of Zakat”; an especially applicable portion follows:
Etymologically related to the notion of “purity,” zakat — paying a portion of one’s wealth to specifically designated recipients — is a way of purifying oneself, on par with prayers (see Koran 9:103). The problem, however, has to do with who is eligible for this mandatory “charity.” Most schools of Muslim jurisprudence are agreed to eight possible categories of recipients — one of these being those fighting “in the path of Allah,” that is, jihadis, also known as “terrorists.”… More revealing of the peculiarly Islamic nature of zakat is the fact that Muslims are actually forbidden from bestowing this “charity” onto non-Muslims (e.g., the vast majority of American infidels). “Charitable” Muslim organizations operating on American soil are therefore no mere equivalents to, say, the Salvation Army, a Christian charity organization whose “ministry extends to all, regardless of ages, sex, color, or creed.” In Islam, creed is a major criterion for receiving “charity” — not to mention for receiving social equality.
https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politi...im-charity-help-their-own-hate-everyone-else/