This is an old article showing the need of Muslim shelters.
(also available w/color at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Khabr/message/527)
Here is another example of the "First they came for the Muslims, Arabs and South Asians." The impact of Post 9/11 attacks is reaching into every area of life.
Muslim Families Homelessness Crisis in New York City
by Dr. Shahid Sheikh, April 2, 2004
A confluence of several significant risk factors is responsible for the sharp rise in homelessness in New York City. Studies show that homeless families tend to be low-income with young children. Other major contributing factors include poverty, unemployment, a considerable lack of affordable housing, tenuous housing and circumstances, family instability, high divorce rate, and domestic violence. Even though studies report varying rates of domestic violence among homeless women in family shelters, there is strong consensus that homeless families experience a high rate of domestic violence.
Although New York City Muslim families have been buffeted by the same problems that cause homelessness among the city's general population, they also face some unique problems, which have significantly exacerbated the onset of homelessness in the New York City Muslim community.
A careful analysis of Census 2000 reveals that about 350,000-500,000 Muslims live in New York City. They are extremely diverse, representing over 50 distinct national, racial, cultural, ethnic backgrounds, and sects. Nonetheless, they can be divided into three major communities: the South Asian (Pakistani, Indian, Bangladeshi, Afghani), the Arab, and the African-American (American Educational Research Institute, 2003).
Homelessness Among the South Asian and the Arab Muslims in New York City
As part of the national trend, the South Asian and the Arab Muslims in New York City have suffered the most devastating 9/11 backlash. Before September 11, 2001, for instance, an estimated 120,000 Pakistanis were concentrated in the Midwood and Brighton Beach section of Brooklyn. Their departure began after 9/11 when they faced an unending barrage of harassment, intimidation and discrimination from extremists in the general community. Then federal agents and local law enforcement personnel began stopping and detaining thousands of Pakistanis. The proverbial "midnight knock" became the norm in the Muslim community. Special Registration also dealt a severe blow to the general community morale and left it reeling and feeling ever more vulnerable. Since then, between 40 and 50 percent of all Pakistanis living here have been detained or deported or have left on their own for Canada, Europe or Pakistan, according to Pakistani government estimates. In silence and anonymity, the community has suffered humiliating treatment and havoc at the hands of U.S. law enforcement authorities.
This mass exodus has disrupted every aspect of lives of thousands of the families, and the cost of human suffering is enormous for the affected families as well as the community-at-large. It has not only damaged the physical and emotional health of the family members, but has also interfered with the children's education and development and frequently resulted in the separation of family members. In the absence of hard statistics about the community, Muslim community leaders, social workers, and activists point out that domestic violence, the divorce rate, and the high school dropout rate have accelerated in the community; thousands of children have become fatherless. A great many have been separated from their families and have been placed in non-Muslim foster care homes; and the family instability has led to low academic achievements among the young children.
The economic fallout of this exodus, matched with the New York's struggling economy, is also widely apparent. Muslim-owned stores have closed, or are on the brink of going out of business; thousands of men have lost their jobs due to their prolonged interrogations and subsequent detentions; and the unemployment rate in the Muslim community is rampant and at all time high.
The exodus of Muslim men has left thousands of broken Muslim families with young children without a breadwinner. Concomitantly, many of the affected women do not speak English, have no job skills and are forced to assume the role of providing for their households. The economic fallout, in addition, has pushed thousands of once middle-class families toward destitution or homelessness. Their deteriorating conditions have been exacerbated by the fact that a vast majority of these families has no friends and economic resources to support them for a prolonged period of time during these hard times.
Once middle-class, successful and proud, these families either homeless or on its brink feel embarrassed to seek assistance from local charities and the government agencies: they, in general, consider seeking charitable contributions a personal disgrace and an ultimate failure. In addition, they are afraid of the American government, thinking that seeking governmental assistance may lead to further scrutiny, harassment, and persecution. The situation is even worse for the undocumented individuals who fear every waking moment of their life that government is out to get them, and consequently, have gone underground. They are even afraid to share their heart-rending stories for the fear of being reported to the authorities. Nonetheless, the numbers of destitute and homeless families have been increasing steadily since 9/11.
Given their embarrassment, shyness, and fear, Muslim women and children seek assistance or shelter only when they lose almost total control of their situation: in many cases, court eviction notices are served; children are without sufficient food or inadequate medical care for a prolonged time; mounting debt; and a lack of proper seasonal clothing.
Homelessness Among the African-American Muslims in New York City
Many demographers estimate that African-Americans including converts make up 30-40 percent of Muslims in New York City, by far the largest portion of American Muslims. Although this population has been buffeted by the same problems--such as, poverty, unemployment, a considerable lack of affordable housing, tenuous housing and circumstances, family instability, high divorce rate, and rising domestic violence--many Muslim community leaders, social workers, and activists assert that African-American Muslim women face the following unique problems:
1. In many cases, women who have converted to Islam face complete rejection from their non-Muslim families. Consequently, they are left with no family or friend support when in need.
2. Single and older women who are unable to pay their rent and living expenses due to illness or unforeseen circumstances.
In addition, a small percentage of women and children who have been brought in the United States from overseas have been abandoned. Many of these women do not speak English, have no job skills and forced to assume the role of providing for their families.
Once Muslim families get the courage to seek financial help, there is not much available. As mentioned in an earlier article, ("Americans Muslims Under Siege,"
www.muslimsweekly.com, April 2, 2004), contributions to many Muslim charities have dwindled over the last three years due to the government's ongoing nationwide witch-hunt under the disguise of its terrorism cover, and thus, their humanitarian work has been curtailed significantly. "Sometimes we can pay the rent," said Adem Carroll of ICNA, a international Muslim charity. "Sometimes we can give just enough to keep them in a state of misery, yet not address the underlying causes to get them out of their miserable condition."
Homeless Muslim Families and New York City Shelters
The options most homeless Muslim individuals and families in New York City face can be disastrous to not only their faith, but also to themselves and their children's physical and emotional health.
While serving the destitute, most public New York City shelters are depositories of social ills. They are open to prostitutes, drug addicts, and all sorts of ex-convicts including rapists, child molesters, and murderers. Profanity, violence, and crimes are a routine matter. Drugs and substance abuse, alcohol, and smoking prevalent; crackpipes and needle exchanges common; drugs of choice delivered expeditiously; sex performed without any need for privacy; and condoms and pornographic literature carelessly thrown around. Women and children suffer because they often are forced into groups with these men, even in the sleeping arrangements.
Above all, shelters only provide a place to stay at night. During the day, however, men, women and children are back on the streets, regardless of how hot or cold the weather is. These harsh, inhospitable living conditions, in addition to a lack of privacy for women and children are not conducive to families in transition who need the tranquility and time to plan for a better future.
Former Muslim shelter resident women who have been in similar situation, furthermore, state that they sometimes do not find assistance quite so neighborly when they go to non-Muslim shelters. Several shelter counselors are not knowledgeable about Islamic guidelines on family and are untrained in crisis intervention and counseling. Consequently, they do not understand the particular cultural and religious needs of Muslim women and children. Muslims, for instance, are forced to eat non-halal food (food not sanctioned by Islamic law) beside their inability to find a distraction-free clean environment to offer their daily prayers. Some shelters even lean hard on Muslim families to attend their daily Bible classes. "A Muslim woman was told that she would go to hell because she did not believe in Jesus. Some of the staff could not understand that there were foods she did not want to eat and clothes that she did not want to wear," a social worker informed a gathering of Muslim community leaders, discussing the plight of Muslim families in these shelters.
Going to these shelters, in some cases, can result in social workers taking children away from the troubled homes if they think that it is better for them to be in a more stable environment, which often ends up being a non-Muslim home. In some extreme cases, many women leave Islam because they feel that the Muslim community has failed to live up to the Islamic promise of protection, brotherhood and sisterhood.
Many former Muslim shelter resident women say that they needed emotional and religious support in addition to financial aid when confronted with desperate circumstances.
Muslim Women's Help Network
Recognizing the growing needs of homeless Muslim single women in New York City, Muslim Women's Help Network (MWHN) was established in October 1998 through the collaboration of Muslim community leaders, social workers, activists, various social service oriented community-based organizations as well as United Muslim Movement Against Homelessness and its parent organization, ICNA Relief. During the same year, through the major financial contribution of ICNA, the Network bought and renovated a 15-bed beautiful brick building in the heart of Jamaica, Queens, to establish the only single woman shelter in New York City. This oasis of tranquility provides a safe stable living environment engendering mutual respect and effective communication.
In a given year, the MWHN receives an average of 400-500 requests for shelter. Typically, the shelter operates at 100% capacity. Many times, there is a long waiting list. Due to an extreme scarcity of funds and resources, however, the shelter currently provides temporary living to only 8-9 homeless women who stay anywhere from 3-6 months before they can develop self-sufficiency, self-esteem and stability, leading to their successful transition back to independent living. The shelter can be reached at (718) 523-5100.
The writer is the executive director of the New York City-based American Educational Research Institute and can be reached at
aeri_usa@hotmail.com or (718) 608-1228.