Muslim organizations urged to recognize persons with disabilities
“On Friday December 4, 2009, we are asking all major Masjids across Canada to focus their Khutbas (sermons) on disability rights and obligations in the Islamic tradition,” said Rabia Khedr, Executive Director of CAM-D.
The International Day of Persons with Disabilities is annually observed by the United Nations.
Governments and Non-governmental organizations celebrate the day throughout the month of December with a variety of activities.
“CAM-D is requesting your participation in this effort to heighten awareness about the rights of persons with disabilities commemorating the UN International Day of Persons with Disabilities,” Khedr added in her communique to Muslim institutions.
This year’s theme is “Realizing the MDGs (Millennium Development Goals) for all: Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities and Their Communities Around the World.”
Globally, almost one in ten people is a person living with a disability and recent studies indicate that persons with disabilities constitute up to 20 per cent of the population living in poverty in developing countries.
Many persons with disabilities continue to face barriers to their participation in their communities and are often forced to live on the margins of society.
They often face stigma and discrimination and are routinely denied basic rights such as food, education, employment, access to health and reproductive health services.
Many persons with disabilities are also forced into institutions, a direct breach of the rights to freedom of movement and to live in their communities.
To learn more about CAM-D and The International Day of Persons with Disabilities, please visit www.camd.ca