By Ali Al Matani — Some voluntary campaigns have great significance, and clear and noble goals. They allow authorities and civil society organisations undertaking them to reach the peak of their work spreading the fragrance of human love far and wide. They always seek to offer a touch of kindness on every chest of those who suddenly found themselves in an unenviable situation.
We face various disasters, and such catastrophes keep unfolding in summer, winter and autumn. The humane touch of kindness provided by these organisations shines like a bright star in the middle of the sky, and ease the worry, dullness and confusion of catastrophes.
Such organisations have decided to take it all upon themselves and go through all this distress to help and save people stuck between the jaws of catastrophes.
They just don’t give a helping hand or save as many souls as they can, but they seek to gather together families that got separated because of adversities such as storms, wars, hurricanes, earthquakes and high tides from raging seas.
The civil society organisations go through hard and difficult situations to rescue what can be rescued.
Similarly, we find that Oman Lawyers Association is doing the same thing but in a different field doing different things from what other voluntary associations do. They focus their efforts on gathering the families together whose members were scattered apart because of imprisonment.
How painful it feels when a child searches for his father or his mother but does not find anyone except for the echo of his cries across the house walls. This is the mission of Oman Lawyers Association, and they perform the responsibility perfectly. They are never late to answer calls of help despite their members’ busy schedule of cases and pleadings in courts.
They are like a floodlight in the lives of people enveloped in darkness, and they seek to ease their burden during holy days by releasing them through their “ease a burden” campaign, which calls for standing juries to reduce the burden of imprisoned people.
Those imprisoned people are eagerly looking forward to the day when they will be set free. Certainly, there are many who need whole sums of money to be paid in return for freedom. Our support and share in easing their burden is the easy way to please the Almighty Allah (God).
As we know, God loves the givers and the benevolent, and when God loves somebody, He gives him whatever he needs doubtlessly; and we’re a few days away from the Holy Ramadan, the month of repentance and forgiveness.
‘Ease a Burden’ campaign has eased the burdens of hundreds of people who were in trouble in the past years. In 2012, when the campaign was launched, it targeted five courts with 10 working lawyers. It contributed in releasing 44 imprisoned people.
In 2014, in its second version, the campaign widened to include most of the courts, with 60 participating lawyers who contributed in releasing 304 prisoners. In 2015, we witnessed four awareness campaigns in Muscat, Sohar and Salalah. They covered all courts with the participation of 100 lawyers who were able to secure the release of 432 people. They seek to increase the number this year.
As a result of this campaign, the association is looking to develop this idea to be a sustainable project throughout the year. Thus, the invitation to all those who seek paradise and good reward are sent to make them increase their support towards such opportunities.
When the good prevails and charity is repaid with charity, we can say then that our Omani society is on the right path towards pleasing our Almighty Allah (God), which is the ultimate wish of all wishes.
The association also works to raise public awareness through the campaign highlighting the risks of victims falling into such a hell that result in imprisonment with all its bitter taste and feel.
Hopefully, these campaigns would pay off, and we all should cooperate with them to help them achieve their humane goals that are consistent with the Holy Ramadan blessings.
We should also be shoulder-to-shoulder with all humane efforts aiming at making those people regain their lost smiles again, reflecting the words of our great Prophet Muhammed (PBBUH): if one relieves a Muslim of his troubles, Allah will relieve his troubles on the Day of Resurrection; and in this, the competitors shall compete.
— ali.matani2@gmail.com
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