Zahid Hussain presents a portrait of unceasingly dedicated and committed services to humanity carried out by Jamaat-e-Islami Hind during the last few decades.
Service to humanity is one of the most significant aspects of Islamic teachings. Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) since its inception has been avidly and assiduously engaging itself in social activities like eradication of poverty, sickness, illiteracy, hunger and unemployment. Likewise, JIH also provides prompt services and plays an active role in rescuing and rehabilitating the victims of natural calamities like floods, famines, fire-tragedies, earthquakes, epidemics or communal riots irrespective of caste, creed, class or religion. It selflessly extends all possible support and facilities at times of crises to the victims without any discrimination. It always motivates its adherents rather the whole community and in fact everybody to do their best in providing services to humanity at individual level also by utilising the welfare schemes of the government.
The long unceasing services to humanity by JIH spanning over more than seven decades and a half, may be viewed in two phases. In the first phase i.e. up to 2006, the main focus was to address local problems being funded through local resources only. In the second phase i.e. after 2006, a need was felt to organise and expand the work of Khidmat-e-Khalq (Social Service) at the national level. It is with this objective, the social services wing and other welfare institutions were established in the second phase.
As aftermath of Partition in 1947, the country witnessed communal riots on a large scale.The Jamaat was the first to notice this and start relief and rehabilitation work.Alhamdulillah, with this initiative, JIH identified itself as a prominent organisation of the Muslim Ummah in India.
Gradually the work progressed. Extending its activities, the JIHfocused on other aspects also like education, employment and helping the needy such as orphans, the poor, and widows. It is in that pursuit that the local units of JIH today spend a pretty good amount of their resources on scholarships to poor students,financial assistance to the unemployed youth for setting up their businesses and help the poor and needy inearning their livelihood.
The growing trend of Riba (Interest) and the country’s changing economic milieu was the new challenge for the Muslim Ummah and mankind at large in our country. JIH took immediate notice of this and decided to establish Interest-free societies in the country. Alhamdulillah, the organisation established hundreds of such societies in the country in a few decades. As per the reports of Numaindagan, the JIH set up 325 societies till 2006.
As stated above, in 2006 the JIH decided to establish a social service wing at national level. The purpose was to organise activities and to share the experiences of the individuals as well as of the organisation itself to others. On the other hand, the country’s leaders were realising that the minorities in North India are marginalised. This mixed feeling paved the way for the establishment of Vision 2016.
Pursuing this goal, the social service wing of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind coordinated with various NGOs in India under the umbrella of Human Welfare Foundation (HWF) like Ideal Relief Wing Kerala (IRW), Islamic Relief Committee (IRC), Society for Bright Future (SBF) and Tamil Nadu Relief Committee (TNRC). The IRW was an active participant in the rescue operation during the Kashmir earthquake, spending almost about two crores. It also played an important role in the relief work in the aftermath of the Asian tsunami and the 2008 Mumbai attacks. The TNRC built 38 houses for victims of the Asian tsunami in Tamil Nadu at a total cost of Rs. 12.5 million. It also built 160 pucca houses at Nagore, Pudupattinam and Kottakuppam and provided livelihood assistance for hundreds of families in those areas.
The Islamic Relief Committee Gujarat played a major role in rehabilitation of the people of Gujarat in the aftermath of Gujarat earthquake and the Gujarat riots. It spent almost Rs. 40 million on the victims of the riots, building 1,321 new homes and repairing 4,946 damaged ones. It allocated another 40 million rupees toprovide relief and rehabilitation for the victims of the Gujarat earthquake. It also led legal proceedings against the accused in the aftermath of the riots.
Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR), an NGO for legal activities backed by the JIH,works for legal action against human rights violations perpetrated especially against backward communities and minorities. It has worked along with other NGOs like the PUCL and ANHAD (Act Now for Harmony And Democracy) in contesting the official version of the encounter killings at Batla House, Jamia Nagar in Delhi that had taken place on 19 September 2008. It has also opposed armed confrontation as a solution to the Maoist insurgency in some parts of India.
The Jamaat played a major role in rehabilitation of the people of Delhi in the aftermath of the Delhi riots. It spent almost Rs. 50 million for the riot victims, built 30 homes and repaired 170 damaged ones. It also spent 20 million on restoring the sources of their livelihood. It led legal proceedings against the accused in the aftermath of the riots.
During COVID-19 and consequent lockdown, the JIH carried out tremendous work for humanity irrespective of caste, creed and faith. As a sequel to this, compassion, charity, sympathy, mercy and feeling of brotherhood was restored at a time when Muslims have become victims of enmity, hatred and ill-will between different religious communities.
When the pandemic 2019 brought the whole country to a grinding halt,leaving lakhs of people distressed and rendering a large number of dailywagers, migrant workers and low-income groups to nowhere, the JIH started relief work without any discrimination in all directions wherever it was needed.
After the second phase of nationwide lockdown announced on 22nd March2020, the JIH units started community kitchens for distribution of food packets from 24th of March, covering almost the entire country with all required legal permissions from local administration. Major initiatives were distribution of food packets, dry ration, establishment of Covid centres, facilitation of oxygen cylinders, masks, sanitizers, PPE kits and emergency kits. 24 x7 medical helpline service was also provided. The JIH spent more than 20 crore on the lifesaving programmes during the pandemic.
This little portrait of JIH’s unceasingly dedicated and committed services to humanity is well documented. JIH has an elaborate plan to scale all heights in providing services to humanity at large without any discrimination of caste, creed, colour or race.