I was forwarded an email and thought I would share it with people here. Some of the members who themselves or their freinds or families were thinking of adopting may find this exceptionally helpful because it mau make the process much simpler. I can not vouch for the accuracy or validity of this item so please do your reseacrh.
so before you read the forwarded email msg, here is a summary
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many kids from muslims countries would be coming to Massacussets soon and would be coming here on an ongoing basis.
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if you become a foster parent, there are some stipend to help with the costs
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I am not sure if people outside of massachusets can take part in this, so you may want to investigate. call 617-960-7159 to find out more. post what you found here. I will make a call as wel to find more info.
many times we say oh we wish we could do something, but we are so far, and we have lives here, .. It appears Allah has given us an opportunity to take care of these kids who would otherwise just be lost.
From: “Najiba Akbar”
To: boston-net@…
Subject: [boston-net] Muslim Orphans in MA: Foster
Parents Needed
Date: Tue, 18 Jul 2006 13:02:55 -0400Salaam alaykum wa rahmatallah wa barakatahu,
It is related by Sahl ibn Saad (R.A.) that the Prophet
Muhammad (PBUH) said :
“Whoever supports an orphan from among his own or any
other family, he will be as close to me in Heaven as
these fingers are close to each other.” Then the
Prophet (PBUH) made a motion of his index and middle
fingers and there was only a little space between the
two.We all know how much our beloved religion exhorts us
to the care of orphans, but how many of us are truly
prepared to live out this value? This is a question we
all must ask ourselves at this moment, because of an
extraordinary situation that we have here in Boston.MAS Freedom Foundation was recently made aware that
there are a large number of Muslim refugee children
that are being admitted into Massachusetts in the
coming months (and on an ongoing basis). Just in the
few months to follow, MA is expected to receive Muslim
orphans from Somalia, Liberia, Sudan, Iraq, Ethiopia,
Iran, Afghanistan, and Turkey. These children, who
have lost or been separated from their parents and
family, will be admitted into the custody of the
state, until adoptive parents or foster homes are
found for them.A muslim sister, Ceylan Sargin, from the Office for
Refugees and Immigrants, has contacted us, asking for
our help in finding Muslim families who would be
willing to explore the possibility of becoming foster
parents for these children. The concept of fostering,
which is very close to the Islamic concept, involves
taking a child into your home and giving them the
love, care, and sustenance they need until they reach
the age of adulthood. The government supports foster
families by giving them training, as well as generous
monthly stipends ($500 each month and $300 every three
months) to cover the costs of the childs’ upbringing.There is a tremendous need to Muslim families to come
forward to offer these children a home, and most
importantly, an Islamic upbringing. Without action on
our part, these children will most likely be sent to
non-Muslim homes or group homes, without access to an
Islamic support system. As individuals, and as a
community, we have a responsibility to sincerely ask
ourselves what we can do for these children.MAS Freedom will be organizing a workshop for those
interested in exploring the process of becoming a
foster parent, or who just wish to learn more about
it. If you are interested in attending, or would like
more information on Foster Parenting, please email
najiba.akbar@… or call 617-960-7159. We would
like to faciliate this process, but we can only do
that if people come forward to learn more about this
issue.Please keep these children in your duaas as well, and
please spread the word to other Muslim families in MA.Jazakallah Khair,
Najiba