The Fate of Al-Shifa Clinic
By Perwaiz Ahmad
Fullerton , CA
Through your newspaper I would like to appeal to the scholars and directors of scores of Islamic society centers in California to act as a mediator s) between the Darul Uloom Board headed by Dr Nadvi and the Board of Al Shifa Clinic for an equitable solution.
Al -Shifa, a FREE clinic for Muslims and non-Muslims, is the brainchild of Dr M. Aslam and a few other good Muslims, who volunteer their time and money to render community service for the less privileged people amongst us.
The Darul Uloom/Masjid is located in the city of San Bernardino in the county of San Bernardino in a remote and impoverished area spread over several acres of land. The Clinic premises occupy a relatively small area and does not pose any interference whatsoever to the daily activities of the Darul Uloom and the Masjid. This Clinic has served hundred and thousands of Muslims and non-Muslims alike since its inception but now faces a rough road for its survival on this location. After ten years of successful operation, Al Shifa Clinic‘s future in its present location is in limbo because of some differences between the two parties that run each organization independently.
A year of negotiations with Dr Nadvi has shown no sign of compromise leaving the Al Shifa Board with no choice but to relocate the Clinic to another site at a cost of tens of thousands of dollars - dollars that could be used to buy new equipment, medicines and expand the facility to meet the growing needs of the people in the area. The County of San Bernardino has contributed immensely to lay the groundwork for this Clinic because of professional and timely services provided by Dr Aslam when the County Supervisor needed it most.
It may be late but it will be worth the effort if influential people of Southern California like Dr Ahmad Sakr, Dr Muzzammil Siddiqi, Dr Hathout, and Dr Yahya Rehman etc can form an ad hoc committee immediately to initiate a dialogue and find an equitable solution to this impasse which is of vital importance to the community the clinic serves. My only wish is that the Clinic functions as usual without interruption and high cost of moving. If nothing is done, I think there will be serious repercussions on our future generation who at times wonder why there is such a wide gap between what we practice and what we preach. This is a very important issue that cannot be swept under the rug or ignored.
Dr Nadvi, I think , is a man of principles, and is running a fine organization to teach the principles of Islam to youngsters and would listen if some able men like Dr Siddiqi, Dr Sakr, Dr Yahya , who have no vested interest, approach him to bring an end to the stalemate and once again work together for the benefit of the community instead of becoming adversaries .
We cannot sit on our past laurels and expect the world to fall on our feet when we cannot resolve our own problems without the threat of being sued or taken to the court. In the past five hundred years we have contributed nothing towards the betterment of human beings and have built monuments of grand proportions when simplicity is the core value stressed by our religion, Islam.
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