The Muslim orphanages or "yatheem khanas" in Kerala are in the news recently, for all the wrong reasons.
First of all, let me clarify that there are many good Muslim orphanages around in Kerala, doing good work.
However, there is no denying the fact that quite a few orphanages are more businesses and commercial enterprises using religion as a front. It is an ecosystem in itself, comprising of agents, traffickers, religious charlatans, politicians, and sundry others.
The collection agents, donning the grab of religious scholars, run amok all over the place and Gulf, to collect "donations" for the upkeep of these "orphans." What they don't tell you is that these collection agents get to keep 10-20% of the amount collected as "commission" and the so-called orphanage gets the remaining 80% approx. From these, go the various administrative expenses and paraphernalia. One prominent orphanage had to its credit constructing a big "gate" out of the donations received to care for the orphans, which was inaugurated by a notable supremo, no one less. The inmates of the orphanage get whatever trickles down - nothing quite different from government spending really.
Let me give you a personal experience. Some seven-eight years back I was approached by a well known "scholar" near Nilambur, seeking donation for his orphanage. He used his gift of gap to present it quite attractively : the gist of it was that "invest Rs 9000/- to support the day to day care of an orphan for a year. Consider is as an investment for the after-life." A few months back I got the news that this so-called "scholar" was accumulating a real estate empire with such collections. I don't know whether the inmates were well-cared or not, but what I do know is that this "scholar" invested a few crores to build up an "asset" for the "orphanage" and according to him someone conveniently "cheated him" and that this asset is now somebody's personal property and no longer with the orphanage.
Nnow, there is another thing that very few "scholars" associated with an "orphanage" will tell you. Islam recommends is that orphans be supported by the closest relatives that they have. If they are poor, others can offer zakat (charity) to them. Orphanages are meant for the truly destitute, and others whose closest relatives, for any reason, cannot look after the orphan. The "commercial orphanages," (for want of a better term) usually have many children with one or even both parents living, and these children go their houses on every weekend - it is more of an boarding facility, with a few real orphans thrown in the mix.
However, it is wrong to paint every orphanage in the same brush, and say that government take over all orphanages. In the midst of these, the real orphanages who truly try to help the orphans and the destitute also get a bad name.
First of all, let me clarify that there are many good Muslim orphanages around in Kerala, doing good work.
However, there is no denying the fact that quite a few orphanages are more businesses and commercial enterprises using religion as a front. It is an ecosystem in itself, comprising of agents, traffickers, religious charlatans, politicians, and sundry others.
The collection agents, donning the grab of religious scholars, run amok all over the place and Gulf, to collect "donations" for the upkeep of these "orphans." What they don't tell you is that these collection agents get to keep 10-20% of the amount collected as "commission" and the so-called orphanage gets the remaining 80% approx. From these, go the various administrative expenses and paraphernalia. One prominent orphanage had to its credit constructing a big "gate" out of the donations received to care for the orphans, which was inaugurated by a notable supremo, no one less. The inmates of the orphanage get whatever trickles down - nothing quite different from government spending really.
Let me give you a personal experience. Some seven-eight years back I was approached by a well known "scholar" near Nilambur, seeking donation for his orphanage. He used his gift of gap to present it quite attractively : the gist of it was that "invest Rs 9000/- to support the day to day care of an orphan for a year. Consider is as an investment for the after-life." A few months back I got the news that this so-called "scholar" was accumulating a real estate empire with such collections. I don't know whether the inmates were well-cared or not, but what I do know is that this "scholar" invested a few crores to build up an "asset" for the "orphanage" and according to him someone conveniently "cheated him" and that this asset is now somebody's personal property and no longer with the orphanage.
Nnow, there is another thing that very few "scholars" associated with an "orphanage" will tell you. Islam recommends is that orphans be supported by the closest relatives that they have. If they are poor, others can offer zakat (charity) to them. Orphanages are meant for the truly destitute, and others whose closest relatives, for any reason, cannot look after the orphan. The "commercial orphanages," (for want of a better term) usually have many children with one or even both parents living, and these children go their houses on every weekend - it is more of an boarding facility, with a few real orphans thrown in the mix.
However, it is wrong to paint every orphanage in the same brush, and say that government take over all orphanages. In the midst of these, the real orphanages who truly try to help the orphans and the destitute also get a bad name.