The religious approach to people with disabilities can imply that inclusion becomes a natural part of society without recourse to legislation. All religious groups who have the
102 idea of God-given laws protective of human rights and dignity are likely to be moving towards a policy of inclusion.
Islam is one of the dominant religions in the world that calls people to worship one God and no other deity. The principles of Islam have three main resources:
1. The Holy Quran, which is a book that reveals the word of God. This is used as a guide for a person to know his or her rights, responsibilities and to how regulate one’s life, family and the world.
2. Sunnah: These are narrations of Prophet Mohammed’s deeds, commands, and sayings. These narrations support and give context to the interpretations of the Holy Quran. For instance, the Holy Quran prescribes humans to pray, but through Sunnah narrations, the prophet tells Muslims how to perform the prayers and how many times a day.
3. Consensus and Measurements:
Consensus is the agreement among the Muslim community on an issue in Islam that the prophet had not made a decision on. The condition is that the agreement must be based on the Holy Quran. Measurement is the process of applying the decision that has been taken in consensus. For instance, drugs are neither mentioned in Quran nor the Sunnah but Muslims scholars have made the decision that drugs are prohibited in Islam. This decision is the consensus, but the procedures of imprisoning dealers and the obligation of treating drug users are the measurements taken (Yusef, 2006).
These three resources have been employed to sustain the standards of laws that organize the life of an individual, individuals’ roles in society and society’s obligations towards that individual. This research describes the status of people with disability in Islam.
103
3.5.1 Rights, Respect and Care For People with Disabilities
In Islam, people with special needs are seen to be an effective part of the community and The Holy Quran, the main source of the Islamic faith, insists that people are equal regardless of their race, gender, and physical appearance. The Holy Quran stipulates how and what determines what leads people to go to heaven or not. Quranic teachings guide life and laws in Kuwait and insist that God’s people deserve equal opportunities and acceptance because God created them from the same process in constructing the earth (Guvercin, 2008). To further illustrate this point, Bazna and Reid (2009) cite a Quranic example whereby a blind man asked The Prophet for permission to stay at home during prayer times and in response The Prophet said that since the man could hear the call to prayer, he should pray socially as part of the mosque community (p.14).
Almusa and Ferrell (2004) say that The Holy Quran actually distinguishes between physical sight impairment and having a blind heart, with the latter being the true deficiency (p. 3). Moreover, within the Holy Quran, blindness has even been linked with creativity and heightened senses bestowed upon those affected by God (p. 7). The Holy Quran contains passages which describes Abdullah Ibn Umm Maktoom, a blind man, who went on to be an important and respected leader and who educated the people of Medinah about Islam. He valiantly defended his religious beliefs and fellow Muslims in the Battle of Al-Qadisiyyah before he was killed clutching the Muslim flag (p. 8). The author argues that the stories about this blind hero, Abdullah, illustrate the important role of advocacy and the support that the wider community is expected
104 Islamic scholars have provided numerous examples of Islam’s inclusivity towards those with disabilities, even in its early days as a religion within the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Omar Ibn Abduaziz, mentioned within the Holy Qur’an, provided special services for the blind and other individuals with disabilities, to help their families, as well as to facilitate their involvement in the same social activities as their families and relatives without feeling different from them (p. 6). In addition, Guvercin (2008) relates that the story of Julaybib, who was physically disabled and not satisfied with his appearance, exhibited Islam’s desire for acceptance when The Prophet helped him to find a spouse from a noble family. When Julaybib died in battle, The Prophet touched him warmly and announced, He is of me and I am of him
(p. 2).
Moreover, Guvercin (2008) cites that Bilal Ibn Ribah had a speech impediment and could not pronounce all the Arabic letters and sounds correctly. This disability did not stop Prophet Mohammed from seeing him as a valuable man and appointing him as the first muezzin, man who calls the public to prayer (p. 1). The stories and messages in Islam highlight the importance of giving everyone love, care and respect, also reiterating equality and equal opportunity and that no one is superior to any other
human (Guvercin, 2008, p.1).
In addition, Almusa and Ferrell (2004) cite Islam’s view of having a disability as being morally neutral, neither a blessing nor a curse and accepted as an inevitable
part of the human condition (p. 2). God, through His voice in Islam, intended for all
105 Since schooling and the pursuit of knowledge are regarded as having high value in Islam, allowing individuals with special learning needs the chance to participate in meaningful education is not only a modern day human right but also an enduring Islamic teaching.
3.5.2 The Right of Doing Less Religious Duties
Because Islam supports and comprehends physical or mental impairments, people with disabilities are given the opportunity to be relieved or excused of some religious duties. For instance, fasting in Ramadan in which Muslims stop eating from dawn until dusk has been relieved to a certain level but that depends on the kind of impairment and the Islamic view regarding it.
People with special needs have been given a considerable value. In the Holy Quran, the first holy verses in Surat Abasa have been shedding light on the importance of dealing with people with special needs as any other people. In these verses, God Almighty blames the prophet for turning his back on a blind man who came asking about Islam (Zahrani, 1998).
The Prophet frowned and turned away (1) Because there came to him the blind man, [interrupting] (2) But what would make you perceive, [O Muhammad], that perhaps he might be purified (3) Or be reminded and the remembrance would benefit him? (4)
106 The responsibility of people towards people with special needs has been also insisted in the reports of the Prophet Mohammed, peace and blessings be upon him. As he stated: Whoever
meets the needs of his brother, Allah will meet his needs. (Al-Bukhari and Muslim, p. 11)
Today, the Ministry of Islamic Affairs has special programs for people with special needs to employ them in simple businesses in which they are able to earn income to support themselves, help them to find a spouse, have children and to be an effective member in society (Ministry of Islamic Affairs, 2010).
Most Islamic scholars would agree that the practice of inclusion of those with disabilities into educational programs and the greater society as a whole is really not a practice needing praise as something extraordinary within Islamic nations like Kuwait.