Islam
Muslims believe, like Christians that wealth has been given to them by God, for humanity and should be shared equally.
Islam teaches that all Muslims should be gentle and kind. To a Muslim they think this means that they should do a deed purely for the sake of God, and not out of any greedy hope of getting some find of reward. This is called ‘Sadaqah’
Money plays an important role in the life of a country or nation. It can buy power and strength. It is very important because it supplies hospitals, roads, and other council services. However, Muslims cannot justify a wealthy and greedy person spending a lot of money on them and leaving the poor without. This doesn’t mean there not allowed to have money, they spend on themselves, and should be able to enjoy life and God’s blessings, but should use them responsibly.
Muslims try not to waste anything, they don’t waste there food, clothes, furniture, ornaments, houses and etc. Once they are done with them, they are often given to their mosque or give them too charities. Muslims are forbidden by there religion to even think about conning people out of there money by lending money with high interests. Many Muslims believe this isn’t right and lend money to the poor with no change or interest.
Overall Muslims honour there money and their good because they know they are gifts from God. They try not to be unfair, and don’t become guilty of RIBA.
They also believe in one of the religious pillars, Zakah, meaning to be pure, and sharing money purifies the money itself, from this, they believe no harm will come to them. Zakah is often 2.5% of there income and savings.
Many Muslims also pay a special Zakah to the poor at festivals like at the festival of Idul’Fit’r.
Muslim aid, a charity gives help to people in less developed countries, these charities often provide food and help to build schools. Muslim aid also helps people in the UK providing relief and accommodation for poor or homeless Muslims and people from other cultures as well.
Hadith said ‘Richness does not lie in abundance of worldly goods, but true richness is the richness of the soul’ meaning richness as in money and goods is not the same as richness of the soul, e.g. love, good feeling, etc.
Overall, Christians and Muslims have very similar views or wealth and poverty, but Muslims take giving to the poor much more seriously, with the Zakah, moderation and some other things.
Task: Explain the need for world development.
There are four main contributions for lack of development in some countries. These are war, natural disasters, debt and cash crops. LDC’s include countries which are still very poor, and have people starving in them like Sudan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Mali.
LDC’s need money in order to improve living conditions including dry homes running water and food because war, consisting mainly of civil wars from ruling races and western empire, building.
Wars are also caused by corruption and political differences.
Earthquakes, floods, droughts and other natural disasters lead to homes and crops been damaged so people loose there income, and when rain doesn’t come, farmers mush have the money to install pumps or irrigation systems, or there crops will fail
Medcs are rich with technology modern and nice houses and are able to enslave LDC’s people to make modern day clothes and merchandise, e.g. Taiwan.
Medcs although rich don’t do enough to helps LDC’s, there, just full of greed and enhanced than help the LDC’s.
World poverty concerns most of us because we depend on each other. For example, if we continue to expect Sudanese to grow cotton to sell to us for our clothes, we have to make sure that the Sudanese have enough food, drink and money.
Everybody needs equality, everybody has basic needs. There should be no prejudice, hunger, racist, or anything’s like that.
Everybody has to have food, drink, shelter and someone to talk to. A lot of undeveloped countries don’t have this. Refugees don’t have these thinks either. This is why we need world development.
Task: Christian Aid: Analyse and explain the work of one religious agency working for world development.
The religious work of Christian Aid includes work in over sixty countries, all over the world. They help in providing emergency aid and long-term help to churches and community organisations who are working against poverty.
Christian Aid, instead of working through money greedy governments, send there money to the people, churches and individuals directly, to the people who need the help.
Christian Aid also provides emergency aid, just in disaster areas to fund the help for natural disasters and help for the refugees. This often has to be a high priority over the long-term projects.
Christian Aid has a huge advantage, it s able to send funds directly to local groups who came up with there own ideas. This is possible because of the large communication services of Christian Aid.
Alongside the EU, Christian Aid is funding the farmers of Columbia, who are developing there areas with alternative environmentally friendly methods which enabled their families to keep there homes, stopping developers driving out poor farmers and families.
In Bangladesh, Christian Aid is helping to fund a group of Christians who building a factory to mass produce the basic drugs which Bangladesh cannot afford themselves.
Christian Aid calls this aid, ‘helping people to help themselves so that will not need aid’. Christian Aid often provides help by providing self-maintaining and easy-repair technology.
Christian Aid works hard to improve the education of children and teenagers in developing countries, and less developed countries. Christian Aid puts 5% of there funds into educating people and churched of Britain about the need for development and about the ways in which Christians can and should help less developed countries.
Christian Aid publishes a newspaper every 3 months, and educational materials. These give information about world development. Christian Aid also supports campaigns in less-developed countries. This often includes not just funding but promotion too.
B.) I cannot agree or disagree. A person is rich in something if he has a lot of it.
Poverty is the state of being poor – wanting the necessities of life.
I don’t agree that someone should be so rich he can burn money when someone else can’t get the necessities of life.
I believe its ok for someone to be well off. Those e.g. the queen, I believe do not deserve riches and they should give money to poorer people because they haven’t earn there riches.
I believe a decent life is one where food, drink, clothes and shelter are all available easily. People who have more then this I consider, well off, people who have less I consider poor, I believe every single person should have all these things, before anyone has more than they require, an equilibrium is needed.
In fact, almost every person in MEDC does have more than this and almost every person in LDC’s does not, so Medcs are living well and LEDCS aren’t, I believe this to be very wrong.
I think that perhaps people (rich and well off people) should be forced to pay a percentage of there income and savings to poorer people. Generally, I do agree the rich should help the poor, but I don’t think there is anything wrong with been rich.
