“I hate beggars; they disturb me when I am standing at the signals. I want to just kill them” these are the statements which I usually used to deliver when I saw beggars constantly irritating me and asking for a penny or some amount to help them. If I want to give money, I just don’t give them thinking that it will get wasted. I do realize that Rs. 10 out of my healthy wealthy pocket won’t affect my budget but still I feel reluctant giving even this small quantity.
I tired to figure out the reason why am I so not willing to give them from what Allah has given to me. I couldn’t find the GREAT reason that could satisfied me but still I get to know some of the de-motivational factors that some how were playing a huge role behind this Unwilling behavior. I was shocked to know that in a country Pakistan where I live, there are around 2 million beggars apart from the seasonal beggars who usually get out like “Seasonal Bugs” and used to take a huge fraction of deserving people’s money. A recent survey conducted by Center of Excellence for women studies; University of Karachi revealed mouth opening facts. They have conducted interviews with beggars girls at the 17 location of Karachi, a city of Pakistan and the statistics told that 78% of the beggar girls were between 12 to 15 years of age and the next group was 9 to 11 years old and 9% said that they were around 6 to 8 years old.
About 52per cent beggar girls said they were Muslims, and those who claimed to be Hindu were 45 per cent while 3 per cent said they were Christians. When they were asked that how they started begging as a livelihood, 57% said that there father started it and 10% said that there Grandfather started it. The thing that I felt odd was that they have taken begging as their “Family profession” and are begging without any proper reason. They are more than half of the 2 million beggars who depend on begging as their way of earning income.
The religion I am a follower of, Islam, has a clear cut policy regarding Beggars. Islam has introduced the concept of “Zakat” which means a portion of wealth from the rich people will be taken and handed over to poor so that they may not get even a chance to ask for money from any other person and their needs may be satisfied without any declaration. If this system is properly implemented through out the world, I bet that there will be no poor asking for any kind of financial help and will surely play a vital role in the development of society by playing an important role in the progress of any nation.
Poverty is the root cause of terrorism. A person who doesn’t get 2 times meal a day and is unable to feed a family of 5 to 6 members will surely go for suicidal attack at cost of a HANDSOME money thinking that if at the cost of my living, my family can live a better life why shouldn’t I go for this option? This is the reason why the third world countries are the victims of terrorism.
“I hate beggars and I am wrong, I should hate the circumstances that gave rise to these beggars. I should hate begging as a profession. I should hate professional beggars and should discourage them by not giving them the money and should dishearten child begging as children are the Future Representers of our society and are not the source of money generation for the idle families”
