This is why I wouldn't give a beggar a single penny (OP)
Cops: Street beggars earn £73,000 a year
PROFESSIONAL beggars are earning the equivalent of £73,000 a year tax free, cops revealed yesterday.
Officers have found some coining in around £200 a night - even though they have jobs.
An operation to crack down on street scroungers discovered NONE of them was homeless and they were using the cash to supplement their salary or add to benefit payments.
One woman even admitted she begged at night after work so she could buy a new kitchen for her flat.
Police in Leicester arrested 20 beggars last month. None was homeless.
Sergeant Adrian Underwood said: "A lot of well-intentioned people see someone begging and think they are deserving causes.
"Would they give them money if they knew that person had just come out of a flat, was receiving benefits and had food in the larder?"
Toni Soni, head of hostel services at Leicester City Council, said previous operations by his authority had found no beggars were living on the streets.
He added: "There are people who are actually professional beggars who are doing it to make a living."
Re: This is why I wouldn't give a beggar a single penny
If you've done a good deed, then it is your intention that counts not what beggars or thieves have done with it. Nonetheless, it is wise indeed to not be a sucker.
When people beg, I offer them food or go in to a fast food restaurant with them and buy them a soup or a sandwich especially in the winter.. the ones who aren't interested in your food but your money for whatever reason, will bust, and you'll have found them out. The ones genuinely hungry will sit down and eat a meal.
That is really something to consider knowing how many people throw out their lunch or have it half eaten. I have given people everything from bananas to half of my lunch and have seen them eat it.. so it something to be left to your discretion.
Don't stop doing good by other people simply because of one case or even a few cases and a person to whom charity in any form doesn't really count for much anyway.
1/3 of the homeless people on the streets who beg for money also have mental disorders.. so it something to ponder, as none of us are immune from a mechanical injury that will leave us half dazed and homeless!
my two cents
Text without context is pretext If your opponent is of choleric temperament, seek to irritate him
Re: This is why I wouldn't give a beggar a single penny
If i see someone really in need i will offer food but i never offer money... if they are homeless they will only use it for booze and drugs... and if they are not homeless well then they will use it for whatever... if a person really hungry and needs help they will except a hot meal from a restraunt or something (i am not feeding them at my house... too many crazys now days... dont want them to know where i live) but i have taken people to burger king or dennys or something like that just to get hot food in someone.
Re: This is why I wouldn't give a beggar a single penny
format_quote Originally Posted by Gossamer skye
If you've done a good deed, then it is your intention that counts not what beggars or thieves have done with it. Nonetheless, it is wise indeed to not be a sucker.
When people beg, I offer them food or go in to a fast food restaurant with them and buy them a soup or a sandwich especially in the winter.. the ones who aren't interested in your food but your money for whatever reason, will bust, and you'll have found them out. The ones genuinely hungry will sit down and eat a meal.
That is really something to consider knowing how many people throw out their lunch or have it half eaten. I have given people everything from bananas to half of my lunch and have seen them eat it.. so it something to be left to your discretion.
Don't stop doing good by other people simply because of one case or even a few cases and a person to whom charity in any form doesn't really count for much anyway.
1/3 of the homeless people on the streets who beg for money also have mental disorders.. so it something to ponder, as none of us are immune from a mechanical injury that will leave us half dazed and homeless!
my two cents
Excellent post, yes beggars make money, yes you can watch them putting money from their cap into their pockets and yes many are not homeless. If the money is for drugs etc then I will give so my gran doesnt get mugged, if you dont give then the genuine one in amongst them may become worse off in ways ordinary ppl cant imagine, over half of homeless are mentally ill and therefore some of those are incapable of ieading a sustained life. And the greatest point made is that if someone is begging in the freezing clutches of winter, how can you seriously deny them sustenance. If ppl like us did more then beggars would eventually become a thing of the past
"O ye who belive! Endure, outdo all others in endurance, be ready, and observe your duty to Allah, in order that you may succeed"
Re: This is why I wouldn't give a beggar a single penny
but thats why you can (not saying you have to) offer a meal... if they are not willing to except a meal then they dont really need the money. Im not saying dont do your part if you want to...
I dont buy the mentally ill bit... sorry but in the 40's - 50's and 60's there were plenty of people who didnt beg who had real mental disorders... and they still lived a normal life.. it wasnt until this ultra feely-ness broke out that we had to worry because everyone has a mental disorder and everyone is on medication for something or another... 40 years ago we didnt have these prescribed drugs and we didnt have these problems... thats all a rumor started by drug companies to keep rich and the doctors promote it...
Re: This is why I wouldn't give a beggar a single penny
^ Agree with sis Skye
we are giving the beggars moeny to help them and get the rewards from Allah
its hard sometimes to tell whether they are REALLY needy or not..thats is the problem, but in either cases we got the rewards from Allah because he is the only one who knows what is in our heart.
I know a story of a very old Man that used to big and when the Police caught him a paper from his Jacket fall at the ground. The Police Officer picked it up and guess what it was????
It was the possession contracts of the TOWERS he had only from the money he earned from begging!!!!
Re: This is why I wouldn't give a beggar a single penny
format_quote Originally Posted by Grofica
but thats why you can (not saying you have to) offer a meal... if they are not willing to except a meal then they dont really need the money. Im not saying dont do your part if you want to...
I dont buy the mentally ill bit... sorry but in the 40's - 50's and 60's there were plenty of people who didnt beg who had real mental disorders... and they still lived a normal life.. it wasnt until this ultra feely-ness broke out that we had to worry because everyone has a mental disorder and everyone is on medication for something or another... 40 years ago we didnt have these prescribed drugs and we didnt have these problems... thats all a rumor started by drug companies to keep rich and the doctors promote it...
just my two cents.
Beleive it its true, so many with learning disability and or mental health problems living on the streets at the mercy of unscrupoulos pervs etc. The gvment here even altered the specific criteria an iq that constituted a learning disability in order to lock more ppl up for crimes than to offer homes and real (but expensive) interventions. Take it from me its true. As for the meal thing, its naive to think ppl are begging for food, and since being muslim I am aware that I should feel different, but I would rather give someone money knowing its for heroin or cheap cider than force them to burgle houses and nug ppl. They at least have enoiugh about them to ask me to my face for money, and not steal it from me. I do understand your veiwpoint and respect it, but I prefer my veiwpoint. Peace
"O ye who belive! Endure, outdo all others in endurance, be ready, and observe your duty to Allah, in order that you may succeed"
Re: This is why I wouldn't give a beggar a single penny
Jez, it'd be so nice to get a list of them, and just beat the squash out of them lol, that'd be so ironic. Eh, people are rather evil at times, let em, they will receive punishment.
Re: This is why I wouldn't give a beggar a single penny
Islam view in begging:
The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, has made it Haram for a Muslim to beg money from others without dire necessity, thus losing his honor and dignity. He says: "He who begs without need is like a person holding a burning piece of coal in his hand.'' (Reported by Al-Bayhaqi and by Ibn Khuzaymah)
He also says: "Anyone who begs from people in order to increase his wealth will have his face scratched on the Day of Resurrection, and will eat burning stones from Hell; so let him reduce it (his punishment) or let him increase it as he pleases." (Reported by At-Tirmidhi) This means that it is up to him to decrease his punishment by not begging, and vice-versa.
Again, he says: "A person keeps on begging until he meets Allah (on the Day of Resurrection) with no flesh on his face." (Reported by al-Bukhari and Muslim)
Re: This is why I wouldn't give a beggar a single penny
It is true about homelessness and mental illness, also prisons (holding them without charges) this isn't the only report but was the first so I chose it...
it isn't meant to conjure up sympathy or anything, in fact there was a case of such a homeless man who was let go from a mental facility only to push a woman down the train...
I guess what I am saying is, you really don't know about people, there are sleaze bags.. and yes begging is really frowned upon in Islam.. and maybe the other half of the people out there are twerps, and by no mean am I suggesting to give money (but there is no reason not to give food) especially if you were going to throw your food out anyway...
one time I was going home after a huge restaurant meal with my friend .. we took the rest of our food to go and headed for my car, when we were confronted by this really creepy guy and I was getting ready to get my mace, when he just asked us literally if we can spare food, and we both gave him our meal.. and when I got into the car he had devoured mine and was already about to work on hers, he really looked like he hadn't eaten for days... It was on November 24th (I remember because I'd taken my friend out for her bday) it was positively freezing out.. he didn't look like he was into real estate.. anyway as I said before, it is something that should be left to your discretion...
"There are at least as many individuals with schizophrenia homeless and living on the streets as there are in all hospitals and related facilities. Studies of homeless individuals in the United States have estimated their total number to be between 250,000 and 550,000. A median estimate of 400,000 is consistent with the data from most of the studies. Studies have also reported that approximately one-third of homeless individuals are seriously mentally ill, the vast majority ofthem with schizophrenia. It is likely, therefore, that on any given day at least 100,000 persons with schizophrenia are living in public shelters and on the streets. As will be described below, there are only approximately 100,000 people with schizophrenia in all hospitals and related facilities at any given time.
"There are more individuals with schizophrenia in jails and prisons than there are in all hospitals and related facilities. A recent Department of Justice survey reported that 16 percent of inmates in local jails and state prisons, or 275,900 individuals, are mentally ill. Based on data from previous jail surveys, it is reasonable to estimate that approximately half of them, or 135,000 individuals, have schizophrenia. Thus, there are more individuals with schizophrenia in jails and prisons than there are in all hospitals and related facilities. Even more shocking is the fact that 29 percent 'of jails acknowledged holding such individuals with no charges against them, often awaiting a bed in a psychiatric hospital. The vast majority of those who do have charges have been charged with misdemeanors such as trespassing. The Los Angeles County Jail is now "de facto the largest mental institution in the country.
Re: This is why I wouldn't give a beggar a single penny
Few years ago I saw a cartoon of a beggar who comunicated with cellphone. But today this cartoon becomes real, even their cellphone are not cheap cellphone.
Profesional beggar is a problem in many Indonesian cities. I see many people who young and in good health but always beg. Even some beggar women rent a baby and act like a mother and her baby. Or if they have childs they exploitate their childs to beg.
Ironically, sometime I found a blind of disabled poor person who work as massager or sell some stuff. And they never want to beg.
Of course, not every beggar is profesional. There are some beggar who too old to work, and I never doubt to give my money to beggar like this.
Re: This is why I wouldn't give a beggar a single penny
I mean thats nothing... i mean the articale is correct, however there are TONS of cases.... Like the first time my darling hubby took me to bosnia i saw all these children in the middle of the street begging cars for change (they had fleas and had not washed their hair in who knows how long) and i was going to give them a little change but my husband said that thats all they do. they are gypsy children and their parents drop them off everyday to beg money and then pick them up at night. he said MOST of them have houses they just do that because they dont want to work... and they are everywhere there...
i even saw one gal dressed up in traditional muslim clothing (which i thought was weird) and asked my hubby about it and my husband said no she was not muslim she was a gypsy... and she do that because she makes more change (it was in the tourist part of town i had to get some stuff for my mom)
Re: This is why I wouldn't give a beggar a single penny
Salam,
I wouldn't stop give money to beggars because of this. It's about your intentions what you do, it's not your fault if this person isn't a beggar suddenly. You might get rewarded for it anyway because your intention was to help. But like when i was abroad this summer I saw many beggars. Some of these were almost overweight and had really good clothes - I didn't give to these. Instead I gave to the ones who i could see were sick, like a blind albino lady who sat every day outside the same shop. You never know who is righteous and not, but you feel the same good from it anyway.
Re: This is why I wouldn't give a beggar a single penny
format_quote Originally Posted by Grofica
they are gypsy children and their parents drop them off everyday to beg money and then pick them up at night. he said MOST of them have houses they just do that because they dont want to work... and they are everywhere there...
Gypsy have houses ?. Hmmm, maybe they have change their nomaden life style.
But children exploitation for begging is happen in many countries. And when people ask to their parent "Why you force your child to beg ?". They always answer "I have no choice. Do you know, get a job is not easy". I know this is only a reason because they never looking for a job.
And the problem to help those childrens is they are always prevented by their parents when people try to bring them to the school. For their parents, those children are gold mines.
There was a case that I read in an article. A guy walked on the street and he saw a beggar and his little daughter, around 5 years old. She was coughing. This guy went to drug store, bought a cough drop and gave it to the beggar. However, the beggar refute. "No" said the beggar "If she doesn't cough, people will not give us money".
Re: This is why I wouldn't give a beggar a single penny
format_quote Originally Posted by ardianto
Gypsy have houses ?. Hmmm, maybe they have change their nomaden life style.
There have been gypsys in the balkans for hundreds and hundreds of years... not all gypsys are nomadic... Mostly throughout (bosnian history from what i have studied) the nomads were mostly sheep hearders and such. But a lot of gypsys settled in the balkans. I am not sure as for the other places (ie massidonia, serbia etc) as i have only really looked into the parts of history that were about Bosnia specifically but i know there are quite a few large gypsy "areas" my husband and i went to this one town once to eat dinner and stayed a little too long as soon as dark hit there were so many out i was scared to get out of the car... they really do chase you down the street asking for money.
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