Press-centre / ARRAID news

Dr. Ismail Kadi

Ursula Mollet, East European Institut of the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, September 2004

Ursula Mollet: Dr . Ismail, Arraid supports a huge number of social projects. According to which criterias do you chose them?

Dr. Ismail Kadi: When Arraid in the year 1997 with the social work began, we found out that practically the whole Moslem minority was depending on support. We had to make a choice and, therefore, got in touch with the local authorities to bring forward our concerns. They granted us an insight at the documents which give information about the financial situations of the families. We selected the poorest under the poor from it. Arraid tries to find social organisation which performs the help. As the first measure we bought a cow for the poor, so they had at least a minimum of self-sufficiency.

How do people know about your offers?

We switch regularly advertisements in a free newspaper in what we point out to our institution. Our offers are all for free. If somebody is supported by Arraid, the information gets around quickly. Mouth to mouth advertisement is very important and effective. We are also financing a lot of water projects on the whole Crimea peninsular, which supports of course to our name recognition.

How is Arraid organized?

The head office of the organization is in Kiev. There are about 30 persons working, Muslim and non-Muslim. We employ them after their qualifications, not after their religion. Among our employees there are people with different occupations: management and administration, finance and economics, communication, media-creative, translators, editors, social workers, teaching staff and a lot of volunteers, often students.

The Crimean branch with about 20 employees is a very important and autonomous part of the Arraid Federation. Our goals are charity and social projects for the Crimean Tatars and other needy people. A lot of volunteers are working mostly on weekends. They teach Islam and arabic language, but also computer knowledge and skills. Arraid is a union from nine different organizations which all aim the spread of east cultural and pursue social and humanitarian purposes.

Can you precise these social and humanitarian purposes?

Besides of the financial support of about 400 orphans and their attendants we carry out summer camps out and annual excursions and teach them the Islamic morality. In addition, we offer to all interested people arabian, computer, calligraphy and sewing courses, everything free of charge. And we also have a sport-room at their disposal.

The new women's center which is built on initiative of the Moslem women will be opened at the beginning of 2005. A day nursery and a kindergarden, as well as a kitchen and a meeting center besides many class rooms will be available. We also have organized a second hand cloth’ trade. One major task is and remains however the spread of the Islam. We organize seminars about social and Islamic subjects, are publishing books and inform abaout the Islamic culture. Weekly we publish a free newspaper in Russian, Arabic.Very important are also a lot of drinking water projects for which we perform big support.

How can Arraid finance all these projects?

All Moslems are obliged to perform a 2.5% of the annual income for charitable purposes, the so-called Zakat. There are two different ways to do this. Either one pays this amount directly to destitute families, or one pays it to an organization like Arraid, which administers the money fiduciary and guarantees to spend it exclusively on these goals. The support requests become strictly evaluated and there is also a regular controlling obligation.

How and in which form do you communicate with the non-Moslem population?

Good contacts to the president of the autonomous republic of the Crimea, to the representatives of the city administration as well as to other important personalities permit us to handle openly with each other. In March, 2004 we have carried out together a seminar with the subject “Women in Islam” in Simferopol. This was the occasion when it became clear to us that stereotypical and preconceived opinions about Muslims are up here exactly as widespread as somewhere else in the world. Everybody who had taken part in the seminar was very much surprised about that fact, how well Muslim women are educated, how open they communicate, how self-confident and humorous they are. This event was a big success. Together we have decided to organize in future further such women's projects. They will stand under the title "Women’s societies".

You are very much involved in intercultural and interreligious exchange. Have you ever had contact with Christian dignitaries or have visited a Christian church?

Christian organizations come to us and search the conversation. If somebody asks us for help, as for example with the aquatic projects, we grant it to them, all the same to which religion they belong.

Which are in your opinion the biggest problems to solve?

What do you mean exactly, in general or personally or concerning the work of Arraid?

Concerning the work of Arraid.

None. We have no problems. Our organization works and functions according to the valid, Ukrainian law, we have no problems with it.

What message should principally be communicated in Western Europe according to your opinion to fight most effectively against the Islamophobia?

I do not make political statements, this is not my task. What seems to me important, is the spread of the right apprenticeship of Islam which dissociates itself from the attempts and acts of terrorism. The Moslem population has got nothing to do with it. Important is also, that people all over the world should know about the big efforts, which are necessary to relieve the misery of the Crimean Tartars. There is no middle class, just very rich and very poor people and they barely get help. International support of social organizations is a must.

Dr. Ismail, many thanks for the conversation.

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Dr. Ismail Kadi is a leader of the autonomous branch of the Federation of Social Organizations Arraid in Simferopol, on the Crimea peninsular, which belongs to the Ukraine since 1954. He is 31 years old, married and father of one child. He finished his studies in medecine, with specialty of traumotology and orthopedic.

The independent Federation of Social Organizations Arraid is registered on 7 February 1997. It is a confederation of nine organizations located in different cities of Ukraine: Kiev, Kharkov, Odessa, Donetsk, Simferopol, Lugansk, Lvov, Vinnitsa and Zaporozhye. In its head office in Kiev are about 30 persons working in different departments. The charity work is one of the main duties of the Crimean Branch. It includes the support and tutorship of orphans and invalids, attendance of children’s houses, assistance to old peoples homes, help for poor and needy and carrying out iftars and sacrifices. A great number of the about 20 employees in the Crimean branch are volunteers.

Ursula Mollet, East European Institut of the University of Fribourg, Switzerland,
Simferopol, September 2004.

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