What to do about our brothers and sisters in Aleppo ?

[ilker]

Assalamu alaikum

I couldn't find any questions or topics about Aleppo here. I don't know if it's forbidden or inappropriate to talk about this concerning the forum policy. I hope it's not. Because we cannot overlook one of the biggest massacres in the human history if we identify ourselves as Muslims.

But I really want to learn your opinions on this crisis especially from a Quranic point of view. Just one simple question:

If we keep silent on this, if we keep looking away, if we don't do anything to help our brothers and sisters who are in desperate need of any help, then how are we going to answer to Allah (swt) ?

What do you think ?

Two short videos about the situation of Aleppo and what can we do about it.

How are we going to answer to the question that is the title of the first video ?

 Warning: Graphic Images.

https://twitter.com/trtworld/status/809118223455109120

https://twitter.com/trtworld/status/809473126060867584

[Wakas]

peace,

Can you briefly summarise:

1) what is going on in Aleppo

2) the evidence you have for "one of the biggest massacres in the human history"

3) what action you took to prevent the situation in Aleppo arising in the first place


Thanks.

[wanderer]

With all due respect Wakas, do you seriously not know what is going on in Aleppo? Brother ilker is absolutely correct that this is one of the biggest human rights tragedies of our times. And what do you mean 'what action you took to prevent the situation in Aleppo arising in the first place'?? I am seriously confused by your response.
Regards
wanderer

[ilker]

salam all

brother wakas, i really can't understand the purpose and the harshness of your response. i wrote this to learn what my brothers and sisters in this forum think about the situation in Aleppo and what responsibilities they think we have about it.  Nearly 400.000 people died there and the number continues to rise. have you even watched the videos i posted and really nothing moved in your heart ?

Why are you asking these questions (especially the third one) while I'm asking a simple and sincere question about what can we do as Muslims ?

if you're "really" asking what's going on in Aleppo, please do your research.

peace.

[Hamzeh]

Asalamu Alykum

Wakas to answer your questions

1. Aleppo and surrounding cities and countries are getting torn apart, where innocent people are getting tortured, raped, burned, and killed. Millions have fled. Regardless of who is at fault and which side is to blame, the fact is even if the people were Jews, Christians, Hindus, Muslims, etc there is innocent people who have nothing to do with the conflict that broke out and are just part of society who have no where to go and no means to leave and are getting massacred. These in particular are brothers and sisters.

2. Even from afar, one can realize from watching local TV who are not interested in what is going on even display the horrors of this war. Also for those who go on the internet, it is almost not avoidable to see what has been displayed via Facebook, youtube, etc.

3. I do not see how this matters and also agree with Wanderer that I'm confused by your response.



Brother Ilker, one first must pray to the Lord with sincerity, that may He the Lord forgive the faults of the brothers and sisters and to adjust and straighten their ways and to help them.

Any helping hand to any refugees is well needed. I'm not sure how one can help those who are in Aleppo from far. How donations to the poor and starving and displaced is going to reach them.

The west is indeed aware of whats going on, and are not to concerned of the situation other than speaking kind words to whoever is doing the destruction and telling them to stop. Maybe there is wisdom in not intervening as this may start something that is far much worse I do not know. I'm as confused as you are, and we all really need to be taking the time to speak to the Lord and asking Him to find a way out, as I can see this spreading far and worse.

May God help the innocent. He is able to do all things.

Salam

[Wakas]

peace all,

I'm not in the habit of asking pointless questions.

Re: 1)
The reason I asked what is going on is, I think you will find the answer differs depending upon whom you ask. However, there is no doubt there is a man-made tragedy unfolding in Aleppo, just like how >30k people die every day due to poverty and preventable disease.

Re: 2)
The reason for asking this should be self-evident, i.e. baseless claim. 400k is the estimated figure from the UN for the entire Syrian conflict.

Re: 3)
The reason I asked this was because the situation in Aleppo was a tragedy long before it received mainstream media attention. Are we reactive (only responding to a crisis when it happens) or proactive (trying to prevent a crisis before it happens)?

To prevent such things, we must understand the causes. My questions are to make one think, and especially to question what the mainstream media tells you.


With regards to what one can do, there are plenty of NGOs trying to deliver aid to Syria and refugees in surrounding countries. One can donate online etc.

I prayed for twenty years but received no answer until I prayed with my legs. ~Frederick Douglass

[ilker]

salam

brothers wanderer and hamzeh thanks for your comments.

brother wakas thanks for clearing that up. But with all due respect can i ask you then why this topic was not started by "Wakas" long before this tragedy received mainstream media attention ?

it's never too late to remind. we are brothers and sisters. they are dying under bombs, while war crimes are committed all over Syria. 400k, 500k maybe 600k, numbers are pointless. this is a genocide. we are all responsible. Here in Turkey, all local mosques have started aid campaigns. Something better than nothing Alhamdulillah.

"And what reason have you that you should not fight in the way of Allah and of the weak among the men and the women and the children, (of) those who say: Our Lord! cause us to go forth from this town, whose people are oppressors, and give us from Thee a guardian and give us from Thee a helper." (4:75)

"What is the matter with you that you do not help each other?" (37:25)

[wanderer]

Yes Wakas, I do agree with your points (particularly #3), but they still come across as unnecessarily callous and arrogant. Like ilker said, who the hell cares how many people are suffering? God says that the death of just one soul is equivalent to the death of humanity (5:32). It doesn't matter to me whether 1k or 5k people die there. People are dying. Also, we need to be both proactive AND reactive. Mainstream coverage of a tragedy does not somehow make it any less potent. And like ilker also said, were you out there protesting the Assad regime pre-2013? If not, kindly desist from making snarky comments at others here on this forum. I think you can also see how your previous comments here on this thread could have been wildly misinterpreted, given the complete lack of context you provided.
Yes, world hunger is another serious cause. As is malaria, civil war, lack of access to clean water, religious persecution, AIDS, drug epidemic, etc. None of these causes are "more important" than the rest.
Regards
wanderer

[relearning]

turkey is hosting more than 2.5 million syrian refugees and also turkish ngo's helping them both in turkey and in syria.  I think turkey done more than the whole world in this matter.

[Wakas]

peace all,

wanderer, I choose not to reply to your ad hominen comments (other than to point them out).

ilker, quote "why this topic was not started by "Wakas" long before this tragedy received mainstream media attention ?"
I'm not in the habit of starting multiple forum topics about numerous tragedies around the world otherwise I'd be posting much of the day.

[wanderer]

If any form of criticism is now considered an"ad hominan" attack now, then count me in
Regards
wanderer

[Wakas]

peace,

I think turkey done more than the whole world in this matter.

Certainly the Turkish people and NGOs/charities have done a lot to help, however the Turkish government have been widely reported in aiding the opposition, including ISIS. I suggest you research this.

Also Lebanon for example have taken in more refugees in terms of % of their population than Turkey, in case you were unaware of this.

[relearning]

yes i made a little search and current situation is that turkey is in war with ISIS. Turkey supports free syrian army and both of them are on the ground battling against ISIS at the very current moment.