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Paradise in Our Homes - II
Episode 12
Hemaya Campaign
The problem of addiction has been immensely increasing in the Arab world and it has become very difficult to combat. Thus, we decided to launch our campaign. We aimed at raising people's awareness in universities, clubs, villages, etc.. Our campaign “Hemaya” has 2 main elements:
1- Addressing the healthy youth and advising them to maintain their health and never do drugs. I was stunned to know that 19% of the girls in high school do drugs. There are no specific numbers or statistics but different studies have estimated the number of drug addicts in the Arab world to amount to 10 million. The impact of this is quite apparent in the increase in major crimes like murder and raping, and minor crimes like thefts and road accidents. It even destroys families and children. Hence, the safety of the whole society is threatened. We should feel that we are responsible to solve this problem out of our sense of belonging to this nation. Such sense transcends the obligation of governments and relevant associations.
2- Carefully addressing drug addicts to urge them start the treatment program. This would be done not through one particular entity but through the efforts of millions of Muslims who, if would show positive attitude, it would be in turn invested in more campaigns to come thus solving many problems which used to seem impossible. It would be a fresh start on how to handle problems.
The vision to achieve this is through 3 steps as follows:
- Posting one million stickers of the logo of Hemaya campaign everywhere, vehicles, elevators, buildings, clubs, universities, schools, everywhere.
- Launching 5,000 activities, such as football matches, under the slogan of “Stop Drugs... Change your life”.
- Guiding 5,000 drug addicts to start treatment program through trained youth convoys. We would teach parents how to deal with a drug addict son or daughter. Even the addict's friends would be addressed on how to deal with their friend in this case.
Only 5,000 drug addicts in the Arab world start treatment annually and the rest become the prey of indulging in more and more drugs. Addicts are ill people; they need help and love. Thus we want these addicts to feel that the hope for treatment and recovery is still there. There is hope in starting a new life as long as there is Allah the All-Merciful; as long as there is the ummah (Muslim nation) of Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) there is hope.
I visited one of the drug treatment clinics and met some of the youth who should have been fighting with their brethrens in Ghaza. I talked to them out of love and they opened up to me out of love too. They were regaining back their strength, vitality and humor. One of the youth who recovered from drug addiction is now working in the same center he was treated in and is helping other addicts to overcome their crisis. I had unquestionable hope. We all should have such enthusiasm and decide what we should do.
This week, our assignment is to launch 5,000 activities in this relevance across the Arab world. This would increase the positive attitude and would ignite enthusiasm in addressing different programs. This would be as:
- Preparing a word about the subject to be broadcasted in school lines.
- Convincing the Imam to talk about the subject in the Friday’s sermon.
- A football match with the logo of the campaign
- Arranging a seminar in university about the campaign.
The problem of drug addiction has different parties that should communicate. The police authority, awareness associations, treatment clinics, media, etc. everyone works alone. There is no consorted efforts, no link binding them though the target is the same in this respect. The required activities are meant to be the vein through which the same blood can flow among the abovementioned entities binding their efforts to achieve the same targets. We are only the tools that facilitate work for these entities.
Allah (SWT) says "Allah sets forth (another) Parable of two men: one of them dumb, with no power of any sort: a wearisome burden is he to his master; whichever way he directs him, he brings no good: is such a man equal with one who commands justice, and is on a Straight Way?"(TMQ,16:76). Which one would you like to be? The dumb, or the one who commands justice. Everyone should move to do something.
In Egypt, drug addicts amount to 5 million people out of the 75 million that constitute its total population. Each of the 5 million drug addicts has 30-40 people as his/her acquaintance; that makes 200 million, how can this be when we are only 75 million? Each one probably knows more than one drug-addict. It is a necessity that everyone moves to take part in this campaign. Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) was once heard to have said that if the Day of Judgement comes and one is cultivating a plant one should continue what one is doing. Thus the following examples will offer an excellent model for those who have not done anything yet just to toe their line:
- A group in the American University in Cairo (AUC) is hosting a session in which a professor will give a lecture about addiction and the Hemaya Campaign.
- Training lessons to boys and girls to handle the problem.
- Dr. Ibrahim al-Fiqi is also giving a lecture in the AUC with posters carrying the logo of the campaign.
- You can make taxi drivers get acquainted with the campaign and offer them Amr Khaled's tape about it.
- Those who ride the metro would put stickers and talk to passengers about the campaign. These are tips that can be available to everyone and are not time consuming for everyone.
- The “Facebook” site has set the Add Application option to whoever wants to add the campaign logo as profile picture and invite others to do the same as a means to acquaint others with it. The site also organized a discussion board where they host experts trained in addiction treatment clinics to raise awareness on how to deal with addicts and how to facilitate taking the decision of starting treatment program.
- To know that on the Day of Judgement those whom we help would lead us to Paradise "… and if any one saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole people." (TMQ, 5:32)
- Banners of the campaign were placed everywhere.
- Universities in the South Valley have coordinated their efforts to launch the targeted activities of the campaign in concert.
The examples are very stimulating and urge everyone to move and do something. Even the ladies have a major role to play.
The required activities for this week:
- Setting up a minimum of 5,000 activities, of course we head for more but we state this number as a beginning. We should recall that Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) taught us that whoever helps his brethrens, Allah helps him and that good deeds protect us from harmful events. When we help drug addicts we are helping their parents and wiping away their sorrow and disappointment. We are indeed protecting our whole nation. We are, thus, the blood of the society that will unify all efforts and by that Allah would alleviate and ease down all our grievances. The reward of saving lives is indeed very promising.
Here are the mobile phone numbers for whoever needs help:
016 880 8001/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9.
You can also contact us at: hemaya@amrkhaled.net
Do not hesitate to contact the campaign if you need help. Please be sure that you will feel safe and secure.
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