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Politics : Idea Of The Day -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: IQBAL LATIF who wrote (44683)	9/27/2003 5:00:13 AM
From: IQBAL LATIF	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 50167

In memory Iqbal Masih was a bonded-debt-slave in Pakistan and one of 250 million working children in the world. The real challange for us is eradication of poverty and promulgation of 'equal opportunity...' Rousseau has quoted Omar bin al-Khattab in his celebrated maxim “Man is born-free; yet every where he is in chains.” In his famous oration, which he delivered on the occasion of his Farewell Pilgrimage, Prophet Muhammad (Blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) re-affirmed the principle of equality and brotherhood of man in Islam. He is quoted as saying, “All men are equal in Islam. The Arab has no superiority over the non-Arab, nor does the non-Arab has superiority over the Arab, save in piety (fear of God). Other than lust of perpetual jihad propagated by the tainted clergy totally politicised and lost in direction foregoing are far more potent injunctions a Muslim is suppose to follow, however Iqbal Masih life is one example how we violate the basic injunctions that may transform us in a civilised society. In an Islamic society if inequities exists natural balance and fate will deliver such a society to disintegration and eternal decline. Iqbal Masih was a bonded-debt-slave in Pakistan and one of 250 million working children in the world. Today, he is a symbol throughout the world for the fight against child labour. In the year 2000, the first The World's Children's Prize, was awarded posthumously to Iqbal. Iqbal is enslaved When Iqbal becomes five years old he has his first working day in the carpet factory. His first year in the carpet factory Iqbal is an apprentice and earns only a few cents in salary, even though he works from early morning until darkness falls. During the period of roughly five years when Iqbal works in different carpet factories his salary is never more than 30 rupies (about 60 cent) per day. When he is beaten he changes owner. After a time he ends up with the carpet factory owner, Arshad Ghullah. When Iqbal’s mother needs money for an operation she takes an advance from Ghullah. This is called a “peshgi” The “peshgi” is made out in Iqbal’s name. Now Iqbal owes Ghullah the 5 000 rupies which his mother’s operation and medicines cost. Now Iqbal has become a debt slave and Ghulliah controls his life. Iqbal works every day and always collapses into bed of exhaustion when he comes home. Before he sleeps he mumbles: - Mother, give me tea and bread. I haven’t had anything to eat all day. Sometimes he is awakened by Ghullah at midnight. - We have a delivery of carpets that has to be ready. Hurry and get up. The peshgi debt means that he has to obey. His mother can do nothing to stop the factory owner. She only says quietly: - He ought to sleep. But Ghullah drags the half-sleeping Iqbal though the streets to the carpet factory. If Iqbal falls asleep during his work he is awakened with blows from a rug fork. Contd... childrensworld.org