The problem of hunger

The problem of hunger is a common factor between most developing countries including most Islamic countries. One of the most important features of this problem in the Islamic world is the following:

1- There is about 300 - 400 Millions, i.e., half Muslims in these countries do not get but few food and always suffer famine, especially in African countries.

2- Ill-nutrition causes the death of a large number of Muslim children according to international statistics and data.

3- Severe suffering which a number of Islamic countries suffer due to shortage of food, especially those countries that suffer natural disasters such as drought and floods.

4- The governments of most Islamic countries bear in their budgets a large proportion of national income to import food from abroad.

From the examples of Muslims' full dependence on import to feed the people are the following:

A- News reported that Egypt imports food with 8 million dollars per day.

B- News also reported Indonesia had to import two and half Million tons of rice during year because of the bad harvest season.

C- News reported that Arab countries are currently spending 200000 million dollars annually for importing food.

The important question is: Who consumes the world food extravagantly?

Some Westerns claim that the increase in population of the poor world is the cause of hunger and food shortage. Perhaps, the best response came on the tongue of the French thinker Raja' Garaudy who said: "It is a shame to hear the Population Conference in Bucharest says in regard to population: having lower number of children can save the world the problems of hunger in a time that a Pakistani or Indian farmer consumes four-hundred-time less than his American counterpart in California."

Therefore, Joseph de Castro said: "Indeed, the world's problem is a problem of distribution and not a problem of poverty. The developed countries have become an avid consumer, for instance a country like USA contains only 6% of the world population which consumes 40% from the world natural resources."

On the other hand, some people see that hunger in a world full of welfare and affluence is not because of the increased number of population on earth and not because of the bad weather or climate variability; that is because food is under the supervision of the rich, therefore only the poor who feel hunger.

Francis Murlabiah and Joseph Collins said in their book "Hunger in the world - 12 myth:" "15 years ago we have tried to understand why there is hunger in a world of affluence. When we passed that superficial and fearful look of hunger, we reached amazing facts. Hunger is not an impossible problem in any country even those countries that are densely populated to a large extent have necessary means to save themselves against hunger."

The presence of this gab in spending and consumption in developed countries and developing countries made the rich countries become richer, whereas the poor countries became poorer.

`Ali ibn Abu Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) referred to part of that fact when he said: "Indeed, Allah (He may be Exalted) ordained in the funds of the rich the sustenance of the poor, consequently no poor suffers hunger but due to the withholding of a rich person, however Allah (may He be Exalted) shall ask them about that."