Assalamu Alaikum, Ya Nesan!

Ethnic strife and conflict are nothing new. It has been played, and replayed over and over again in every human collective for millennia. Despite many organizations and social groups, both national and international claiming to strive to eradicate conflict, wisdom tells us that their ambition is naïve and fickle. Therefore, as a mature community, we need to learn to mitigate the effects of ethnic conflict, and diffuse escalation whenever it arises.

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One of the compounding side effects of ethnic conflicts is the development of disenfranchised groups of people. Attacked and then abandoned, they are a significant catalyst in escalating the situation. They often fall pray to bad actors, and are vulnerable to influence, and may engage in activities that they wouldn’t otherwise engage in, for the sake of survival. The isolation created by the loss of property will inadvertently make these people feel that their community has forgotten them, and therefore their loyalty and allegiance will begin to thin. There is a good chance that they will be the poison within. This needs to be avoided at all costs as analysts in conflict have time and time again identified the disenfranchisement of victims of ethnic conflicts as the main reason for the situation to degrade and become unstable.

The isolation created by the loss of property will inadvertently make these people feel that their community has forgotten them, and therefore their loyalty and allegiance will begin to thin.

Allah, the creator of all things has spoken to us about this, and the holy prophet, a statesman par excellence has conveyed to us the solution; charity. In light of the current situation we must approach this otherwise mechanical aspect of the holy month of Ramadhan with conscious sophistication.

The act of giving must be preceded with the act of knowing. So, avoid defaulting to the usual dry rations, and the such likes. Before you give, strive to talk to the victims, and learn of their situation so your charity will be a better fit. This is something we almost never do, but is very important to maximize the effectiveness of charity. If you do this, Allah will channel invaluable knowledge to you through these victims, which will help you avoid a similar plight.

... Before you give, strive to talk to the victims, and learn of their situation so your charity will be a better fit.

It would be more beneficial if you avoid the path of blanket charity, where you give a little, to many, but target your charity to a few, and make it sufficient for them to avoid the grip of victimhood. Zakat al-Fitr is a wonderful and powerful tool, which we must be leveraged, and there is no better time than now!

May Allah keep us all safe, and give us prosperity!