Letters

UNHCR – The UN Refugee Agency – provides much-needed cash assistance to extremely vulnerable Syrian refugee families without any alternative sources of income. This has been made possible through innovative mechanisms, primarily UNHCR’s Zakat initiative, a trusted and efficient route for people to fulfil their Zakat obligations.

Zakat contributions this year have already saved 1,152 refugee families in Jordan and Lebanon from falling deeper into debt and poverty, and from the risk of exploitation. However, 5,465 families are still in urgent need of sustainable cash assistance. A contribution of approximately $2,000 (BD755) feeds, clothes and houses an extremely vulnerable family for a year.

We are very thankful for the donations received so far. As we enter the last days of Ramadan, we urge Muslims to allocate their Zakat to struggling refugee families. Such an allocation is guaranteed to make an immediate difference in the lives of the most vulnerable refugee communities in the Middle East.

Your contributions will save families who solely rely on our monthly aid to survive from the grasp of extreme poverty. Help us keep a roof over their heads, food on their table and clean water to drink. Eligible refugee families need your Zakat.

Quarterly reports on how Zakat funds are distributed are posted on UNHCR’s Zakat website zakat.unhcr.org

Houssam Chahine, Head of Private Sector Partnerships for UNHCR in the MENA region.

l Editor’s note: As one of the Five Pillars of Islam, zakat is a religious obligation for all Muslims who meet the necessary criteria of wealth. It is a mandatory charitable contribution, the right of the poor to find relief from the rich.

I’ve never really understood the football craze that takes over fans during the World Cup, and especially so here in Bahrain where football has such a large following.

Fans are gearing up for the matches coming ahead, championing their favourite teams and counting down the hours until the tournament starts.

I, however, will be quietly chipping away at my usual routine, searching the web for delicious reads or tackling a movie from a to-watch list, paying no special heed to the whole unfolding of a major football event.

Maybe I should check what all the fuss is about, and gain insight on how football, like most sports indeed, bring so many people together and serves as a means of both bonding and camaraderie, or rather of friendly enmity?

Sarah Belal,

university student.

Loved the double page spread of our Greek Sails trip you published recently. Thanks so much. The layout was outstanding. We go again shortly.

Pamela and Stanley Henderson-Monsef, Hamala.

I was about to post this on Facebook, but a friend has suggested it might be better to send this as a letter to the editor.

Leo, a darling little rescued desert pup diagnosed by a vet with some non-specific problem that caused gapping of the joints, died on June 9.

I often foster injured animals while they are recovering. I was asked by its rescuer to administer part of a tablet, presumably an antibiotic, but it seems he may have been exposed to distemper.

This letter is not to elicit judgements or sentimental outpouring. It is to warn dog lovers and rescuers to be on the alert for dogs coughing, mucus/nasal discharge, swollen joints, stiff gait, muscle-twitching and swollen paw pads and to be particularly mindful when transporting dogs from one area to another for risk of spreading infection. 

This includes disinfecting kennels and transport where there is even the slightest risk of contagious disease.

We all want to help save lives and improve the quality of life of stray dogs. But this must be done responsibility. Trying to save the life of one (and Leo, right, was past the point of no return when he came here) is not the wisest course of action when others are now also at risk.

Anna, Bahrain.

Editor’s note: Puppies and adolescent dogs who have not been vaccinated are most vulnerable to the distemper virus. They are typically rescues with unknown vaccination histories. Make sure your dog has completed his series of vaccinations. Also, routine cleaning and disinfecting your home will ensure that the virus is not in your dog’s living environment.