Stand up for justice and against evil in society
This is a call to the Muslim community to
stand up for justice
and fight off injustice and evil in society.
1. Introduction
We witness injustice and human tragedies in our society, on a daily basis.
Yet, we do nothing to address them.
For instance,
- What are we doing for the children being mistreated, abused and even killed (1) ?
- How are we addressing the root causes that lead indigenous people to be more likely to grow up in state care and then in prisons ?
- What actions are we taking to prevent the following situation
A pregnant woman suffering from domestic violence,
whose child is mistreated in foster care,
whose privacy is invaded by woman-looking men,
whose old mother is soon to be thrown to the street (because her aged-care facility is closing down)
and whose sick father is pressured to accept euthanasia?
The Quran urges the believers to bring justice and peace, and even prosperity, to people.
Are we implementing it?
2. Evidence from the Quran
The Quran is filled with verses that call believers to reform society and stand against injustice.
-
Quran 57:25 tells us that God sent messengers so people implement absolute justice
-
Quran 4:75 makes it mandatory for the believers to fight, even putting themselves in harm's way, to defend the oppressed.
It is therefore even more compelling for the believers to engage in less demanding efforts—such as providing financial, social, cultural, and political support—for the benefit of the weak, the sick, the poor and the oppressed.
-
Quran 3:110 expects believers to be the best nation in upholding justice and combating injustice.
Some of the implications of this verse are
- The believers give a voice to the voiceless, and they ought to be the best ones at doing that
- The believers stand their ground and keep on fighting when every other nation or group has backed off
-
Quran 2:251 and 28:77 remind us that God detests corruption.
Therefore, the believer’s calling is to prevent corruption from spreading in His universe.
-
Quran 2:251 and 22:40 state that stopping corruption requires the active efforts of people implementing, wittingly or unwittingly, God's commands.
-
Quran 9:24 and 8:25 warn that if we do not stand up for justice, it is only a matter of time or chance before we face God's retribution.
-
Quran 11:116-117 tells us that God is willing to protect even the disbelievers if they forbid corruption
-
Quran 2:85 warns that living by only parts of the Quran while ignoring the rest will lead to disgrace in this life and the harshest punishment in the Hereafter.
We, seriously, have to ask ourselves if we truly believe in these verses.
3. The vision for Muslims in NZ
If we are convinced that we must take action and get involved in programs and projects to
1) stop corruption and injustice in our society, and
2) go even further, to bring justice to it,
we need a clear vision to keep us focused and to maximize the impact of our resources.
One of the most powerful vision statements we can adopt is found in Quran 21:107:
"And We have not sent you, except as a mercy to the worlds."
This verse should serve as our guiding vision for several reasons:
-
The verse calls for the extension of mercy to every being, making it a universal mission.
-
It welcomes all forms of mercy.
-
It signifies that our work is never complete as long as suffering exists.
-
It is high-level. It has broad applications and can be implemented in various ways depending on the cultural, social, economic, or political context.
It invites believers to be open-minded and creative in bringing mercy to those in need, tailored to local circumstances.
4. Some actions to take
-
Discuss the content of the present manifesto and improve it
-
Publish it among the Muslim community in the country and explain it (educate them in events and in Friday sermons, for instance)
-
Build partnerships with NGOs and charities already on the ground and volunteer in them
-
Establish, in collaboration with NGOs and charities, a comprehensive list of all injustices and sufferings in the country and study how to tackle them
Some NGOs and Charities to get in touch with:
-
Save the children NZ
-
Women’s Refuge
-
Voyce
-
The Salvation Army
-
The City Mission
-
Child Poverty Action Group
-
Social Justice Aotearoa
-
Children with Disability NZ
1. Introduction
We witness injustice and human tragedies in our society, on a daily basis.Yet, we do nothing to address them.
For instance,
- What are we doing for the children being mistreated, abused and even killed (1) ?
- How are we addressing the root causes that lead indigenous people to be more likely to grow up in state care and then in prisons ?
- What actions are we taking to prevent the following situation
A pregnant woman suffering from domestic violence,
whose child is mistreated in foster care,
whose privacy is invaded by woman-looking men,
whose old mother is soon to be thrown to the street (because her aged-care facility is closing down)
and whose sick father is pressured to accept euthanasia?
The Quran urges the believers to bring justice and peace, and even prosperity, to people.
Are we implementing it?
2. Evidence from the Quran
The Quran is filled with verses that call believers to reform society and stand against injustice.- Quran 57:25 tells us that God sent messengers so people implement absolute justice
-
Quran 4:75 makes it mandatory for the believers to fight, even putting themselves in harm's way, to defend the oppressed.
It is therefore even more compelling for the believers to engage in less demanding efforts—such as providing financial, social, cultural, and political support—for the benefit of the weak, the sick, the poor and the oppressed.
-
Quran 3:110 expects believers to be the best nation in upholding justice and combating injustice.
Some of the implications of this verse are
- The believers give a voice to the voiceless, and they ought to be the best ones at doing that
- The believers stand their ground and keep on fighting when every other nation or group has backed off
-
Quran 2:251 and 28:77 remind us that God detests corruption.
Therefore, the believer’s calling is to prevent corruption from spreading in His universe.
-
Quran 2:251 and 22:40 state that stopping corruption requires the active efforts of people implementing, wittingly or unwittingly, God's commands.
-
Quran 9:24 and 8:25 warn that if we do not stand up for justice, it is only a matter of time or chance before we face God's retribution.
- Quran 11:116-117 tells us that God is willing to protect even the disbelievers if they forbid corruption
-
Quran 2:85 warns that living by only parts of the Quran while ignoring the rest will lead to disgrace in this life and the harshest punishment in the Hereafter.
We, seriously, have to ask ourselves if we truly believe in these verses.
3. The vision for Muslims in NZ
If we are convinced that we must take action and get involved in programs and projects to1) stop corruption and injustice in our society, and
2) go even further, to bring justice to it,
we need a clear vision to keep us focused and to maximize the impact of our resources.
One of the most powerful vision statements we can adopt is found in Quran 21:107:
"And We have not sent you, except as a mercy to the worlds."
This verse should serve as our guiding vision for several reasons:
-
The verse calls for the extension of mercy to every being, making it a universal mission.
-
It welcomes all forms of mercy.
-
It signifies that our work is never complete as long as suffering exists.
-
It is high-level. It has broad applications and can be implemented in various ways depending on the cultural, social, economic, or political context.
It invites believers to be open-minded and creative in bringing mercy to those in need, tailored to local circumstances.
4. Some actions to take
-
Discuss the content of the present manifesto and improve it
-
Publish it among the Muslim community in the country and explain it (educate them in events and in Friday sermons, for instance)
-
Build partnerships with NGOs and charities already on the ground and volunteer in them
-
Establish, in collaboration with NGOs and charities, a comprehensive list of all injustices and sufferings in the country and study how to tackle them
Some NGOs and Charities to get in touch with:
- Save the children NZ
- Women’s Refuge
-
Voyce
- The Salvation Army
- The City Mission
- Child Poverty Action Group
- Social Justice Aotearoa
- Children with Disability NZ
Footnotes
(1) Examples of cases of children murdered or mistreated:
Death of five year old Malachi Subecz
Oranga Tamariki failed to protect Malachi Subecz from abuse
Man burns boy’s foot with cigarette lighter
What would the ideal NZ look like if this manifesto and its plan was successful?
ReplyDelete1-
ReplyDeleteIdeally
there should be NO human being living in injustice.
Ideally
ALL forms of evil should disappear
No child abuse
No domestic violence
No drugs or intoxication
No poverty
No homelessness
No one should live in any kind of fear.
Their rights, freedom and dignity is protected
And this movement will spread to Australia, UK, Europe, Africa and the rest of the world
We might end up creating, in 50 years from now, and for the *first time* in human history, a world where humans from
ALL backgrounds, cultures, religions come together to stop exploitation, famine, conflicts and wars.
A world where children are not enslaved in makeshift mines in Congo or factories in Thailand
A world where every single human being can live in peace and reach their full potential in life.
ReplyDelete2- As a by-product of eradication of injustice, humanity will boom in productivity.
We've been living so far with what a fraction of humanity did (mainly Europeans).
Imagine if other continents are given the chance to live in peace and prosperity.
Imagine how Africa or South America will be in that world, with the population they are and the natural resources they possess.
Imagine the level of contribution these continents will bring to humanity, current and future, in every area of life from science, to technology, to art, etc...
And all this, can start here, just around us and between us.
I like a saying of Dr Martin Luther King Jr:
“Injustice anywhere
is a threat to justice everywhere.
We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality,
tied in a single garment of destiny.
Whatever affects one directly,
affects all indirectly."
Right, and so this seems very much like a Utopian society.
ReplyDeleteAnd through the methods you've proposed in getting there (such as collaborating with NGOs) I don't see how those methods would correlate to such grand success.
Some of what you're talking about would simply have to be changed via education, government and general morality system of the society.
Which are very very big margins to reach.
I will give elements of response.
DeleteHopefully you can make sense of them and improve on them.
One of the challenges in society is that charities and NGOs often work independently, without collaboration.
As a result, they don’t share resources, which limits the scale of their impact.
A clear example of this is seen in petitions.
In June 2022, VOYCE launched a petition opposing a law proposal that would make it much harder for families to advocate for their children in state care.
Despite the seriousness of the issue, the petition only gathered around 4,000 signatures over a long period.
If organizations like the Salvation Army, Christians Against Poverty, Save the Children, Family First, VFF, and others
had been made aware of the petition and the dangers of the proposed legislation, the number of signatories could have been significantly higher—even though
state care may not be their primary focus.
Collaboration across sectors would have amplified the response and increased the chances of preventing such harmful changes.
The civil society would have won this battle for the children in state care and their families.
How to fix this?
DeleteTo address this issue, I believe the solution lies in fostering collaboration between NGOs and charities, enabling them to share resources and work together.
This collective approach would transform specific issues in one area of society into concerns for the entire civil society, leading to several key benefits:
- Increased efficiency: By pooling their efforts, organizations can address problems more quickly and effectively.
- Greater government accountability: Instead of facing isolated, smaller NGOs, the government would be confronted with a unified civil society, making it more likely to intervene.
- Strengthened public engagement: When people see the achievement of the civil society, they will regain hope in it and be more inclined to participate and support its efforts.
Political impact:
DeleteSince social issues are interconnected and deeply tied to politics (the political system, decisions, or parties...) NGOs and charities working together would create a substantial political impact.
This collaboration will drive reforms across various sectors, including education, healthcare, and the economy.
In this coalition, NGOs and charities would benefit from having a dedicated political wing. This wing would be especially valuable during election campaigns: While political parties focus on securing seats in Parliament, this wing would work to remind voters of how specific parties or candidates responded to social causes in the past—whether they were dismissive or, conversely, supportive of the coalition’s efforts.
This will change the way people vote. Rather than being swayed by campaign promises or party loyalty, voters would base their decisions on the candidates' actual track records. As a result, we will end up with a Parliament and a government that truly works for the people.
And overtime, political system will be improved and the political class will be cleansed.
International impact:
DeleteAs people in other countries adopt the methods and strategies pioneered by New Zealanders, they too will establish governments that align with similar goals. This creates the possibility of forming international alliances to stand against injustice anywhere in the world.
In this way, we can see how a coalition of New Zealand NGOs and charities, by working together and expanding their influence, can have far-reaching global impacts.
These are just my initial ideas, but I believe that as more charities, NGOs, and people from all walks of life come together, even more ideas and opportunities for positive change will emerge.
Delete