World
Humanitarian Day, which is being celebrated across the globe on August 19, draws
our attention to the sacrifices and contributions of the aid workers and welfare
organizations for the well-being and uplift of suffering humanity. It not only awakens
the consciousness to acknowledge their good work but also inspires us to take a
leaf from their book and do our bit for the good of humanity at both individual
and collective levels.
Notwithstanding the great and miraculous strides made by technology and the emergence
of the idea of global village, the humanity has been confronted with very complex
challenges emanating from local, regional and global socio-economic and political
contexts. The globalization has given birth to a new dynamism, which informs the
power wrangling at different levels.
The scary realities of global financial meltdown, armed conflicts, energy deficits,
skyrocketing food inflation and the prospect of food shortages at a wide scale contributed
to the humanity’s unending dilemmas. There has never been a time when natural calamities
such as earthquake and floods did not hit the world. The rampant prevalence of poverty,
unemployment, and widening inequity between the haves and have-nots has further
rendered the people vulnerable to new dangers.
What is pertinent is that these problems are not peculiar to what is referred
to as the developing world ranging from Asia to Africa. They are very much a matter
of global concern. Given the globalized structure of the world, there is a need
to make concerted efforts and rethink our approaches to rid the developing world
of these scourges. Affliction in any part of the world has domino effect on the
rest. Globalization is both a challenge as well as an opportunity to improve the
lot of human beings across continents through concerted action. Humanity has shared
stakes in future and their collective well-being.
Minhaj Welfare Foundation, a sister organization of Minhaj-ul-Quran International,
has been at the forefront of global initiatives for the welfare of humanity. Its
core areas of operations, spread over many countries of the world, are education,
health and human welfare. MWF has acted with promptness whenever any calamity hit
in any part of the world without any discrimination of caste, creed, colour and
race. Be Tsunami in Sri Lanka, Indonesia etc., earthquake in Baam, Azad Kashmir
or unprecedented floods in Pakistan or elsewhere, MWF has moved forward to mitigate
the sufferings of the people under its global outreach program.
It has been one of the major welfare organizations which mobilized its resources
and deployed thousands of its workers in different parts of Pakistan to rescue those
trapped in the flood-waters in 2010. Unlike many organizations, Minhaj Welfare Organization
has been committed to the cause of complete rehabilitation of the flood affectees.
So far, it has spent millions of rupees on the relief and rehabilitation of the
flood affectees.
MWF believes that promotion of education is a key to address the contemporary
challenges to the global peace. It has set up an elaborate educational architecture
up to the university level, which includes 572 schools, colleges and a chartered
university which are working in different parts of the country. The establishment
of Islamic and Cultural Centres in different countries of the world is part of MQI’s
global struggle against the forces of extremism, radicalism and terrorism as these
centres are serving as bridge between Muslims and non-Muslims. These Centres also
foster interfaith harmony, dialogue and understanding between followers of different
religions.
I believe that the best way to hail the services of aid workers and welfare organizations
is to vow to star working for the welfare of humanity. Minhaj-ul-Quran International,
on its part, is committed to contribute its share in this regard.
