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Islamist charities gain goodwill in flood calamity
[Pak Daily Times] Hadiya Bibi sits paralysed in a wheelchair donated by a religious charity, its wheels coated in mud caused by flooding. Over a year ago she was paralysed by a shell she said the army fired at terrorists. The government never provided compensation, and now Hadiya is turning to terrorists and religious charities to help her cope after raging waters swept away her meagre belongings."I registered for help with the authorities because of my injury and nothing happened. Now everything is gone. The religious charities will help me," she said, as members of the Al Khidmat charity spoke with flood victims about their needs. Pakistain's worst-ever natural disaster has made more than six million people homeless and now fears are growing that disease and malnutrition will inflict more suffering and add to a corpse count of around 1,600. And while floodwaters might be receding, anger continues to rise over the government's slow response. Authorities are still absent from many towns and villages one month after the monsoon floods struck. The speed and efficiency with which religious charities, some with suspected links to terrorists, have helped flood victims worries government officials and the US, which wants a stable Pakistain because of its role as a frontline state in the war on terrorism. Officials from both governments have warned the Taliban will try to exploit the disorder and misery to gain recruits. The success of religious parties in providing aid points out the failures of the federal and provincial governments, which like many before them, are widely viewed as corrupt, inefficient and neglectful. Al Khidmat is linked to Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), the most influential religious party in Pakistain. JI members fought in the jihad against Soviet occupation troops in Afghanistan. But it is not believed to have ties with the Taliban or other banned groups. Nevertheless, its relief efforts have helped discredit the government because of its relative efficiency. Al Khidmat rushed to villages like Margala after floods flattened two-storey concrete homes like pancakes and filled shops with five feet of mud even though they were shuttered. Approximately every two days, the group provided sacks of sugar, rice, cooking oil, flour and tea to families of six, enough for a week. Posted by: Fred 2010-08-30 |
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