“We’re already behind the ball due to the way in which the group has at all times handled these points, and we do not have the instruments or the assist.”
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A nationwide Islamic charity is heading to Calgary in an effort to beat the stigma surrounding psychological well being and habit points within the Muslim group.
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Penny Attraction Canada, a Muslim reduction and improvement charity, and BC-based non-profit Basis For a Path Ahead are launching a program referred to as Undertaking Fawah – each an Arabic phrase that means salvation, happiness and well-being, and an acronym which stands for Facilitating Progress in Life, Dependancy and Psychological Well being. This system goals to cut back stigma and supply the Muslim group with a full vary of assist and sources.
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“We’re already behind the ball due to the way in which the group has at all times handled these points, and we do not have the instruments or the assist,” says Fawad Kalsi, the chief improvement officer at Penny Attraction Canada. “They are not attuned to cultural sensitivities or the non secular sensitivities, the sources which can be on the market. So, we try to take a step ahead to assist in that side.”
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Penny Attraction representatives met with members of the native Muslim group at a public occasion Sunday night time at Akram Jomaa Islamic Heart in northeast Calgary as a part of an consciousness and fundraising marketing campaign main as much as Undertaking Fawah’s official nationwide launch in Might – which can be anticipated to take. place in Calgary.
“We have had an enormous downside with the group (in Calgary) with a number of lives — youth lives — misplaced to this opioid disaster,” Kalsi stated.
Kalsi, an imam — a Muslim non secular chief — stated the trigger is near his coronary heart, having suffered an opioid habit himself after being prescribed ache treatment to handle a persistent medical situation. He struggled along with his habit for 5 years, with no assist packages obtainable inside his non secular group.
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“There was no cultural sensitivity; there was no faith-based recommendation. There was simply both a scientific strategy, or there have been extra Christian-based instruments obtainable,” Kalsi stated.
He stated drug use and psychological well being points are additional stigmatized within the Muslim group than in different teams, making individuals reluctant to publicly admit they’ve an issue or search assist. In response to Penny Attraction, roughly 400,000 Muslim Canadians — greater than 20 % of the nation’s 1.8 million Muslim inhabitants — are liable to addiction-related psychological well being challenges.
“For Muslims — particularly with the sensitivity across the non secular wants for ladies — these (packages) actually do not exist and in order that’s one thing we’re attempting to assist,” he stated. “We’re attempting to create consciousness first.”
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Whereas few particulars are presently obtainable about what particular companies Undertaking Falah will present, Kalsi stated Penny Attraction will reveal extra throughout an official launch occasion in early Might. Extra details about this system will probably be obtainable quickly at pennyappeal.ca.
mrodriguez@postmedia.com
Twitter: @michaelrdrguez
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