Mendicants [Archives:2007/1077/Community]
Written by :Adel Hassan ALadlany
English language graduate
Amran Faculty
“What should be done about all beggars on the streets?” this is an important question which deserves a serious answer. This is rather considered one of the problems that the Yemeni community faces daily. What a pity! To see people extended their hands for others in a painful way, especially those youngsters. O God! My heart breaks down and my eyes flow a river of tears when I see them abandoned by their parents or any one of their close relatives, obliged to beg.
To deal with this complex complication we need first to realize the cause(s) of it. As I see that every country has an allocation of this problem, but it is different in our country. In Yemen, we notice that the reasons that stand behind having beggars on streets may be limited to three main reasons.
The first reason is destitution. We know that the Yemeni society is divided into three classes of living. The first is the high class in which there are people living in prosperity and welfare. They are usually known as managers, supervisors, businessmen, merchants etc. But, some of them might be psychologically insecure and this is due to their destructive and dictatorial actions.
The second class is the middle one, which includes people who do their best to maintain good living, while the third class is the low one in which we find people suffering financially and socially. They work harder than the other two classes. Most people of this category are farmers, laborers, fishermen, and beggars, who are mostly exposed to the rough waves of life such as tempestuous weather, diseases and disasters. Nevertheless, they are the most secure class, as the scientific researches and wise men believe.
The second reason is the poor education. Education has an indispensable position in determining which path human may get in. Effective and good education can help people get better income. Therefore, people can have the chance to improve their living standards if they are well-educated and well-qualified.
The third reason is the separation of family. For instance, suppose that there are problems between mother and father, which might be solved wrongly, of course, by divorce. Do you think that the children may be static in the house? It is obvious that they leave it, particularly if there is no concern about them. For, children's instincts should be satisfied positively, otherwise, they will go astray.
The Islamic religion dealt with this problem of poverty with various means and mediums. For example, alms giving, prescribed by Islam, could treat destitution to a great extent. It gives the needy their rights out of the well-to-do's wealth. In other words, Islamic curriculum is the intermediate between the ideologies of capitalism and socialism.
Besides that, there are governmental programs that aim at creating or constructing public and private funds for dealing with poverty such as the Social Fund. Hopefully, they will succeed.
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