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February 7, 2012

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Posts tagged "children"

children among migrants heading for UK

Afghan refugees Fawad, 10, left, and Jawed, 12. They have been living rough on the streets of Calais since the destruction of their refugee camp.

Afghan refugees Fawad, 10, left, and Jawed, 12. They have been living rough on the streets of Calais since the destruction of their refugee camp.

The UN’s refugee agency warned today that children as young as three are among the migrants attempting to reach Britain and that the number of unaccompanied refugee children is on the increase.

There is evidence that ever younger children are attempting dangerous journeys around the world, said William Spindler, spokesman for the UN high commissioner for refugees (UNHCR).

“There have always been minors, but in the last 18 months or so, we have seen younger children, and more families with small children. Recently we encountered a child of three with its mother,” he said.

The warning came three days after the French government destroyed a makeshift refugee camp known as the “jungle” near Calais, detaining 278 migrants, including 132 children. The Guardian spoke to three Afghan cousins aged 10, 12 and 13 who are now sleeping rough on the streets of Calais. (more…)

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Despair of Pakistan’s forgotten flood victims

Nimani Bakhsh lost her twin girls, who were just 12 days old

Liaqat Babar, a farmer in Pakistan’s southern province of Sindh, sees just one escape from the hunger, loss and torment inflicted by the recent catastrophic floods. Suicide.

“When I see my kids, I feel like killing myself,” he says.

“We are powerless. We just keep quiet and ask God for death.”

Three months after the flooding which affected 20 million people and one fifth of the country, Liaqat has no home, no hope and no answers for his six children.

“They are crying for food, ” he says.

“I tell them God will send someone very kind, and I send them to sleep. In the morning they ask again for food, and I say again that God will send someone.”

Queuing in vain

Liaqat Babar among queues of desperate flood victims waiting for help

Liaqat was among a throng of broken men queuing for hours under a blistering sun, at a distribution of aid in the town of Daur.

Like many other areas in Sindh, Daur is cut off by water – an island of desperation.

Troops were deployed to control the hungry, who began gathering at six in the morning.

With a single helicopter the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) could only bring in 250-300 rations. But three or four times that number had joined the queue.

“It is heartbreaking,” said WFP’s Dorte Jessen, looking across at the swelling crowd.

“The need is so big, and you want to help everyone.”

But they could not all be helped that day. Liaqat was among those who was left empty-handed.

Soon there could be even less to go round. The WFP says it will have to cut rations – by half – in November because of a lack of donations. The UN’s $2bn (£1.26) appeal for Pakistan is less than 40% funded. (more…)

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Lessard residents petition against Muslim school

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Most of world exposed to deadly tobacco smoke

The risk of ADHD was higher among children exposed to tobacco and lead.

The risk of ADHD was higher among children exposed to tobacco and lead.

More than 94 percent of the world’s people are not protected by laws against smoking, leaving them exposed to the biggest cause of preventable death, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday.

In a Global Tobacco Epidemic report the WHO said smoke-free policies were crucial to reducing the harm caused by second-hand smoke, which it said kills around 600,000 people prematurely each year and causes crippling, disfiguring illness and economic losses reaching tens of billions of dollars.

The report found some progress had been made, with 2.3 percent of the world’s population, or around 154 million people, newly covered by smoke-free laws in 2008. But it warned of many more early deaths if governments did not act quickly.

“The fact that more than 94 percent of people remain unprotected by comprehensive smoke-free laws shows that much more work needs to be done,” said the WHO’s expert on non-communicable diseases, Ala Alwan.

Scientific evidence has unequivocally established that exposure to tobacco smoke causes death, disease and disability. Over the past four decades, smoking rates have fallen in rich places such as the United States, Japan and western Europe, but they are rising in much of the developing world. (more…)

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Mothers In Islam

Mothers In Islam

All praise is for Allah and peace and blessings be upon the Prophet Muhammed, May Allah send peace and blessings upon him.
After Allah and his Messenger May Allah send peace and blessings upon him, the most beloved and respected person to a Muslim should be his mother! Allah has given the mother such status that He says,

Paradise lies under the feet of mothers.


Narrated Abu Huraira:

A man came to Allah’s Apostle and said, “O Allah’s Apostle! Who is more entitled to be treated with the best companionship by me?” The Prophet (pbuh) said, “Your mother.” The man said. “Who is next?” The Prophet said, “Your mother.” The man further said, “Who is next?” The Prophet said, “Your mother.” The man asked for the fourth time, “Who is next?” The Prophet said, “Your father.”
(Bukhari, Volume 8, Book 73, Number 2)
Obedience and respect towards your mother is a very important duty in Islam and is similar to performing Salaah and keeping fast. To hurt your mother in any way is the second biggest sin and those who commit this evil sin will be harshly punished by Allah in the hereafter or maybe even in this world!
Your mother is not a Prophet, nor is she an angel; she’s just a human like you and I, so why has Allah ordered you to be obedient towards your mother and why does your mother have such a high status in Islam?
Allah loves and cares for us more than anybody else, and he especially loves those people who love and care for others. Similarly, he becomes very angry with those people who hurt other people in any way. Allah the All-Knowing, knows that in this world nobody is more loving and caring towards another person than the way that a mother is towards her child. Only Allah and his Messenger May Allah send peace and blessings upon him love you more than your mother!
Only Allah knows what your mother does for you, He sees your mother feeling pain whilst she tries to give you whatever you want. He sees your mother’s love and kindness. Pleased by your mother’s actions, Allah has given her a very high status and many virtues and rewards.

Allah also sees that many of us are not thankful to our mothers. He sees many of us being disobedient towards them. Therefore, Allah has ordered us to be good towards our mothers; he has not advised us but ordered us; we have no choice; therefore we have to be good towards our mothers! To encourage us to do this, Allah Taa’la has promised paradise for those of us who are obedient towards our mothers. At the same time, Allah has threatened to severely punish those of us who do not listen to our mothers or hurt them in any way.

But what does your Mother do for you? She only cooks and cleans! So why do you need to be thankful to your Mother?
Apart from Allah, nobody knows what our Mother really does for us.

10 Wonderful reasons to be

grateful to your mother

1. Your mother carried you for 9 months bearing pain upon pain.

2. During this time, she could not eat becuase of you! She could not sleep because of you!
3. When you were a baby, she spent every minute of her life looking after you!
4. She only slept when you slept! She only ate after you had eaten!
5. She was patient and loved you even when you cried all night and when you cried all day !
6. She taught you how to walk, how to speak, how to eat, she taught you how to live!
7. When you fall ill, she looks after you!
8. She always cooks and prepared food for you !
9. She buys you whatever you ask for !
10. She loves you unconditionally !

These are just a few things that our Mothers do for us; they do so much more of which we do not know about. However, one thing that your Mother does for you, that nobody else in the world does, is that she worries about you from the bottom of her Heart.

So what is it she worries about ?

She WORRIES about your food!
She WORRIES about your clothes!
She WORRIES about your health!
She WORRIES about your education!
She WORRIES about your future!
She WORRIES about your whole life !

Allah has ordered us, in various places of the Holy Qur’an, to be good to our mothers. He has told us to look after them even more when they are old and weak. He has taught us to be gentle to our mothers and speak to them in a nice manner. He has also told us to supplicate to Him for our Mothers with this prayer,

RABBIR-HAMHUMA KAMA

RABBAYANI SAGHEERAH

Transalation :

My lord, have mercy upon my

parents, the way they had mercy

upon me when I was young)

The Prophet May Allah send peace and blessings upon him has also ordered us to be good to our mothers. He has told us about the great rewards for that person who is good to his mother. He has described the mother as being a ‘door of paradise.’ He has also warned us of severe punishments for that person who is disobedient to his mother.

10 Easy Ways To Enter Paradise

1. LISTEN TO YOUR MOTHER
2. HELP YOUR MOTHER
3. SMILE AT YOUR MOTHER
4. BE THANKFUL TO YOUR MOTHER FOR WHATEVER SHE DOES FOR YOU
5. SPEND TIME WITH YOUR MOTHER
6. ALWAYS ASK YOUR MOTHER IF YOU CAN HELP HER WITH ANYTHING
7. BUY YOUR MOTHER GIFTS
8. BE GOOD TO YOUR MOTHER’S FAMILY AND FRIENDS
9. STUDY HARD AND LEAD A GOOD LIFE SO THAT YOUR MOTHER IS HAPPY
10. ALWAYS PRAY FOR YOUR MOTHER, ESPECIALLY AFTER EVERY SALAAH.

Warning :

Those who are disobedient to their

mothers will burn in hellfire.

However hard we try, we can never repay our mothers for what they have done for us, but we can at least try, and also ask Allah to repay them for us. Our mothers are indeed a great blessing from Allah. We should appreciate and value this blessing as much as we can. Whilst our mothers are alive, we have a golden opportunity to guarantee ourselves paradise and also success in this world.

Reminder :

We will only truly realise the value

of our mothers when they are no

longer with us – when they have

passed away, but then it will be too

late!

Views : 39

Pakistan Closes Schools Amid Attacks

Children prepare to sing the Pakistani National Anthem prior to the start of classes in a school in Qutbal, Pakistan, on Oct. 13

Children prepare to sing the Pakistani National Anthem prior to the start of classes in a school in Qutbal, Pakistan, on Oct. 13

Pakistan’s schools closed their doors Wednesday, a day after bombings at an Islamabad university, amid warnings of more attacks on a wider range of targets around the country.

The recent spate of attacks in Pakistani cities has come as the army prepared for, and launched, a military offensive in the tribal region bordering Afghanistan that is seen as a stronghold for Taliban and al Qaeda militants.

Intelligence officials warned that the militants could target foreign-controlled gas stations, banks and food chains.

All schools, universities and student hostels were ordered closed and vacated for an indefinite period, “until appropriate security measures are taken,” said Qamar Zaman Kaira, the federal minister for information.

Many private schools in Islamabad and other major cities had already shut this week after intelligence reports that suggested militants would try to take students hostage to exchange for militants held by the security forces.

The Taliban has claimed responsibility for the two suicide bomb attacks on International Islamic University, which killed four students and two bombers Tuesday. (more…)

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Raising money to keep kids being kids

University of Calgary student Sheraz Ali Khan

University of Calgary student Sheraz Ali Khan

It’s a place that brings children together — to laugh, learn and grow — and reminds these youngsters what it is to be a child.

Instead of working, over 25 Pakistani youth aged three to 13-years-old, are spending their youth alongside other children, learning English, math and Urdu in a small, one-room classroom.

Twenty-three-year-old University of Calgary international relations student, Sheraz Ali Khan, and 12 friends from the Pakistani Youth Organization started the initiative more than three years ago in their hometown of Karachi.

“It’s a large city, but there are so many areas where youngsters are deprived of quality education,” Khan explains. “…We went to the houses of every parent. It was one of the most difficult tasks, because each parent wanted their children to go and earn for them.”

Named after an ambitious young friend who died in a motorcycle accident at only 23-years-old, The Tauseef Memorial School is run out of Khan’s father’s home in Pakistan. Someday, the group hopes to move the school into a separate building.

So far Khan, who moved to Canada from Pakistan in 2007, has raised about $500. (more…)

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