Penniless preachers - clerics, helpers living hand to mouth

Earning money below the minimum wage, religious workers are denied treatment, formal education for their children

KARACHI:

Where inflation has complicated the lives of those focused on worldly success, the struggle for sustenance is much worse for the clerics and helpers dedicating their lives to the mosques, as they receive a pittance for income and have only charity to turn to for survival.

Despite the government fixing the minimum wage at Rs25,000 and guaranteeing benefits for workers, a large segment of the population, comprising mosque clerics, reciters, azan callers and servants, not only receive income way below the specified minimum, but are also denied medical treatment and quality education for their children, pushing them to a point where sporadic donations from philanthropists are their only saving grace.

Umar, a helper at a mosque spends his entire day looking after the maintenance of the place of worship, only to receive a measly salary at the end of each month. “I get paid Rs14,000 monthly for my services. Even though I do make extra money serving water to the worshippers, they still are not enough to pay for a critical health scan or a child’s school fee voucher,” resented Umar, who felt that affording three meals a day for his family itself was a big deal considering the state of his finances.

Distraught at the poor remuneration that they receive working at the mosque, some preachers like Qari Sohail, have started earning money from alternative means to meet their expenses. “My salary at the religious teaching center is only Rs15,000 per month. Therefore, I have started giving Quran lessons to children at their homes. Parents pay me however much they deem suitable, and I can’t complain since most people don’t value religious education,” shrugged Qari Sohail, who earns only Rs2000 to Rs3000 monthly for each home tuition.

According to members of the local mosque committee, the salaries of the mosque management depend on the status of the official and the locality of the mosque. “Congregation leaders in posh localities earn up to Rs50,000 per month,” said Nadeem, a member of the local mosque committee.

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However, while religious clerics working at the higher echelons of the mosque management like Maulana Yasir, a congregation leader at a local mosque, are paid comparatively more, their struggles for sustenance nevertheless remain quite similar to their counterparts. “I earn Rs22,000 per month, which are not enough to run a house in times of soaring inflation. If philanthropists stopped offering their monetary assistance, our survival would be highly unlikely,” he said.

Asif Bhai, a member of the local mosque committee, confirmed Maulana Yasir’s assertion, when he revealed that donations were the main source of income for the mosque’s treasury. “Since donations are not consistent every month, we cannot guarantee a higher salary to the leaders, reciters and helpers since a whopping 60 per cent of our reserves are dedicated to utility bills payment, cleaning and other repair work,” shared Asif.

“Mosques are the home of Allah, and their maintenance is our responsibility,” asserted Ahmed, a philanthropist, who regularly makes donations at a local mosque. “In the current times, high inflation has created severe financial difficulties for the mosque’s officials, and we must continue our support for the sake of Allah,” he added.

Speaking to The Express Tribune on the plight of religious clerics performing their duties at mosques, Ali Ataur Rehman, the treasurer at a local mosque committee said,” While it is true that clerics and other mosque staff members are paid measly salaries, they are provided free accommodation, gas, electricity and water facilities by the mosque administration.”