NEW
York, January 6 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – American
Muslims are joining hands with Muslims worldwide in raising funds for
the victims of the tsunami disaster.
New
Jersey Muslims donated more than a quarter of a million dollars to the
relief effort through their local mosques, The Home News Tribune
reported on Tuesday, January 4.
After
the Majlis As-Shura of New Jersey, the state's council of mosques,
issued an assistance appeal, some 250,000 dollars in cash along with
donations of clothing were secured.
“Governments
and people the world over are compelled by compassion to assist in the
relief effort,” said Yaser El Menshawy, the council's chairman.
“New
Jersey's Muslims have also answered the call to aid the millions
suffering and displaced by the worst natural disaster in recent
history.”
The
South Brunswick mosque alone raised about $50,000 in donations.
Imam
Hamad Ahmad Chebli of the Islamic Society of Central Jersey in South
Brunswick said the money would be distributed to various aid
organizations, mainly the Red Cross.
“Islam
was built on charity,” he said.
“The
importance of charity in Islam is at the same level as the importance
of prayer.”
He
said that prayer and charity are mentioned together 83 times in the
Noble Qur’an and that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)
emphasized that a one is not a good believer if not loving fellow
Muslims like oneself.
“Those
that are fortunate have to give something to those people who lost
everything,” Chebli said.
According
to Ishrat Rahman of the Muslim Center of Middlesex County, about
$8,000 was collected after Friday's prayer.
“Everyone
knows how severe this devastation is, and it's our call to reach out
to these people,” Rahman said.
An
additional $4,000 was collected during the centre’s Sunday school
program.
Some
of money will be going to several Islamic relief organizations, such
as the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA), while $5,000 will be
going specifically to victims in Sri Lanka.
The
largest amounts were raised at Dar-ul-Islah in Teaneck ($55,000); the
Islamic Center of Passaic County, Paterson ($50,000); The Institute of
Islamic Studies, West Windsor ($25,000) and Masjid Al-Amaan,
Middletown ($23,000).
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|
Saudi
volunteers monitor computers and answer phone calls during a
telethon to raise aid for Asian tsunami victims. (Reuters)
|
Meanwhile,
Saudi Arabia launched a televised campaign to raise money for the
victims of the killer tidal waves, the Washington Times
reported Thursday, January 6.
The
bid came after criticism that oil-rich Arab countries “have been
parsimonious about this tragedy, despite its terrible effects on the
world's most populous Muslim nation, Indonesia,” the Times
said.
It
cited a reluctance in Arab culture to make charitable contributions
public, viewing it as a form of boasting.
The
American paper quoted the Saudi Arab News as saying that many
Saudi businessmen had decided to announce their donations in reaction
to “foreign news stories [that] accused Gulf states of being
stingy.”
One
leading industrialist had reportedly chartered a plane to take tons of
aid, disinfectants and detergents to affected areas.
According
to the Arab New, schoolchildren had donated their pocket money
to help the victims and three Saudi youths from the city of Jubail are
heading to Indonesia to help in the relief effort.
Saudi
King Fahd announced this week increasing official assistance to 30
million dollars, tripling what had been announced previously.
Several
Arab countries were also quick to dispatch relief materials to the
Asian countries, which took the brunt of the killer quake.
Sheik
Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahayan, the ruler of the United Arab Emirates,
raised his country's pledge from 2 to 20 million dollars.
The
UAE’s Red Crescent dispatched relief materials and transferred money
to Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Bangladesh plus a team of 25
trained officers and four police dogs for rescue missions to
Indonesia.
Qatar
has further offered immediate humanitarian assistance to Indonesia.
Kuwait
also said it was sending one million dollars in aid to the governments
of the affected countries.
The
International Association of Muslim Scholars (IAMS) called on all
Muslims and Muslim countries to offer
more aid to the survivors of the tsunami-hit Asian peoples.
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