| Lyna Mohamad |
ACCORDING to the World Drug Report 2016, one in 20 adults aged 15 to 64 years is reported to have used at least one type of drug in 2014 and 29 million people are estimated to suffer from the use of drugs. The report also stated that 12 million suffer from HIV through drug injections and that in 2014 alone, an estimated 207,400 people died from misuse of drugs.
The State Mufti, Pehin Datu Seri Maharaja Dato Paduka Seri Setia (Dr) Ustaz Haji Awang Abdul Aziz bin Juned, highlighted this in his keynote address at the opening ceremony of the National Anti-Drug Association of Brunei Darussalam (BASMIDA) Seminar yesterday.
He further pointed out that the community should be content with the approaches made by Asean member countries in related issues and reaffirmation of their integrated stance of saying ‘No to Drugs’, despite the existence of a movement for the legislation of drugs among western countries.
Brunei Darussalam, he noted, is not exempted from drug-related issues and the country relies on the Al-Islah Rehabilitation Centre to support and deliver the process towards treatment and rehabilitation.
While other countries have different rehabilitation approaches, Al-Islah focuses on rehabilitation by education through the establishment of several phases such as, Phase 1 Intensive Religious Class, Phase 2 Stress Management, Emotional Control and Awareness Education Class, Phase 3 Vocational Programme and Phase 4 Temporary Release Scheme.
With the country, through Al-Islah, shouldering not only the responsibility of prevention of drug abuse but also the responsibility of treating and rehabilitating the drug addicts until they have fully recovered, the State Mufti called on the public to give their full support to the centre and stressed that it is the responsibility of all to ensure that Al-Islah stays relevant.
The State Mufti, Pehin Datu Seri Maharaja Dato Paduka Seri Setia (Dr) Ustaz Haji Awang Abdul Aziz bin Juned, delivering his keynote address during the BASMIDA Seminar. – AZROL AZMI
Personally agreeing to BASMIDA’s approach of preventing misuse of drugs through Malay Islamic Monarchy (MIB) values, he suggested that the approach should also add more than just preventing the misuse of drugs but also treating drug addiction.
“Prevention is general, while treatment is specific to the drug addicts, yet both are needed. Prevention is needed for the community and treatment is needed specifically to rehabilitate the drug addicts,” said the State Mufti.
He also highlighted that there are no drug rehabilitation centres that have really taken the approach of treatment with the holy Al-Quran except those applying Zikir, and on this, he shared a few easy to recite Zikir that will enable individuals to be released from their burden, including recovering from sickness.
The State Mufti also raised issue on why Air Zam-Zam is not used by rehabilitation centres to treat the drug addicts and stressed that if the country uses this approach, Brunei will be the first country to uphold the Hadith on Air Zam-Zam and if Brunei succeeds in doing so, it will be an eye opener to the rest of the world, on how great the meaning of the Hadith is.
The post Support Al-Islah’s effort to save drug addicts appeared first on Borneo Bulletin Online.