Muslim orphans caught between Islamic, Western law

[chloe]

"I get all kinds of families who come to me for fertility issues. They want to adopt and they want to adopt Muslim children and I'm thinking this is a crime that they can't," said Najah Bazzy, a nurse and founder of Zaman International, a humanitarian service group in Dearborn, Mich. "No one is going to convince me that Islam makes no allocation for this. Either somebody is not interpreting it right, or it needs to be reinterpreted."

Mohammad Hamid, a clinical psychologist and co-founder of the Hamdard Center, a social service agency in the Chicago area that has many Muslims among its clients, said he regularly received requests from American Muslims for advice on how they could adopt.

"We don't tell them it's Islamic or un-Islamic," said Hamid, whose nonprofit does not handle adoptions. "Our job is to facilitate the process. We believe if the child can be adopted, you are saving a child."

The prohibition against adoption would appear contrary to the Quran's heavy emphasis on helping orphans. The Prophet Muhammad's father died before his son was born, so the boy's grandfather and uncle served as his guardians, setting an example for all Muslims to follow.

However, Islamic scholars say the restrictions were actually meant to protect children, by ending abuses in pre-Islamic Arabic tribal society.
Ingrid Mattson, professor of Islamic studies at Hartford Seminary in Connecticut, said adoption in that period had more in common with slavery. Men would take in boys, then erase any tie between the child and his biological family.

The goal was to gather as many fighters as possible as protection for the tribe. Orphans' property was often stolen in the process. As a result, Muslims were barred from treating adopted and biological children as identical in naming or inheritance, unless the adoptee was breast-fed as a baby by the adoptive mother, creating a familial bond recognized under Islamic law.


http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=576&sid=13437630

[abso]

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=576&sid=13437630

its good that the article presented one reason that the Islam banned adoption for, but anyway, Islam encouraged helping the orphan very much and instructed muslims to take care of the orphans and that it would be a great charity to take care of them and spend your money on them.

Muhammed (PBUH) said:
"I and he who looks after an orphan will be together in paradise"

PS: Muslims believe that paradise have degrees, and as good you are, you will attain higher degree, Muhammed (PBUH) will be in the highest degree with the people who have spent their entire life on goodness, so who looks after an orphan will attain the highest degree in heaven, that's our belief
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"He who exerts himself (to earn and spend) on a widow and the destitute is like one who wages jihad in the cause of Allah. And he is like him who fasts a day and engages in prayer all night."
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The wife of the Prophet narrated, "A woman visited me with her two daughters and asked me for something. I did not find anything by me except a piece of date and I gave it to her. She divided it into two portions and gave one potion each to her two daughters. Then she got up and went away.

When the Prophet came, I narrated to him the story and he said that if anyone faces hardship for his daughters and treats them gently then, (on the Day of Resurrection) they will be a barrier between him and the fire of Hell (and protect him from it).
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"The best house among the Muslims is one which has an orphan who is well treated and the worst house among the Muslims is one which has an orphan who is treated badly. I and the one who takes responsibility of an orphan will be in paradise like this." And he pointed out his two fingers together.
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Quran:

Come not near the orphan's property except to improve it, until he attains the age of full strength; and fulfil (every) covenant, for (every) covenant will be enquired into (on the Day of Reckoning). [17:34]

Seest thou one who denies the Judgment (to come)?, Then such is the (man) who repulses the orphan (with harshness), And encourages not the feeding of the indigent. [107:1,2,3]

Nay, nay! but ye honour not the orphans!, Nor do ye encourage one another to feed the poor!, And ye devour inheritance - all with greed. [89:17,18,19]

Therefore, treat not the orphan with harshness, Nor repulse the beggar. [93:9,10]

And they feed, for the love of God, the indigent, the orphan, and the captive. [76:8]

To orphans restore their property (When they reach their age), nor substitute (your) worthless things for (their) good ones; and devour not their substance ( by mixing it up) with your own. For this is indeed a great sin. [4:2]

But if at the time of division other relatives, or orphans or poor, are present, feed them out of the (property), and speak to them words of kindness and justice. [4:8]

They ask thy instruction concerning the women say: God doth instruct you about them: And (remember) what hath been rehearsed unto you in the Book, concerning the orphans of women to whom ye give not the portions prescribed, and yet whom ye desire to marry, as also concerning the children who are weak and oppressed: that ye stand firm for justice to orphans. There is not a good deed which ye do, but God is well-acquainted therewith. [4:127]

And come not nigh to the orphan's property, except to improve it, until he attain the age of full strength; give measure and weight with (full) justice;- no burden do We place on any soul, but that which it can bear;- whenever ye speak, speak justly, even if a near relative is concerned; and fulfil the Covenant of God: thus doth He command you, that ye may remember. [6:152]

[fj1200]

Maybe they shouldn't look to "adopt" but rather "take responsibility for."

[chloe]

It also shows that muslims will be disregarding usa law in favor of religious law.

[Trigg]

"I get all kinds of families who come to me for fertility issues. They want to adopt and they want to adopt Muslim children and I'm thinking this is a crime that they can't," said Najah Bazzy, a nurse and founder of Zaman International, a humanitarian service group in Dearborn, Mich. "No one is going to convince me that Islam makes no allocation for this. Either somebody is not interpreting it right, or it needs to be reinterpreted."

How exactly does someone REINTERPRET something???? Either the text says no adoptions or it doesn't.