CAIR Asks Muslims to
Collect Quake Aid on Eid
Washington, DC: A prominent national Islamic
civil rights and advocacy group on October 30 asked Muslim
communities nationwide to take advantage of the upcoming
holiday marking the end of Ramadan to collect funds for
earthquake relief in South Asia.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) joined
a number of other Muslim and Pakistani-American groups that
are calling for educational and fundraising efforts on Eid
ul-Fitr, or "festival of fast breaking," that
will take place on November 3rd or 4th, depending on the
sighting of the new crescent moon. Eid ul-Fitr draws large
numbers of Muslims for communal prayers.
CAIR and the other organizing groups seek to raise public
awareness of the continued suffering in areas devastated
by the earthquake, inform Muslims and Americans of all faiths
about the need for long-term US involvement in relief efforts
and to reaffirm American Muslim and Pakistani-American commitment
to quake relief and reconstruction.
"While we will return to our daily routine after a
month of self-denial, millions of people in South Asia will
remain without basic necessities," said CAIR Board
Chairman Parvez Ahmed. "We need to remember the quake
victims in our prayers and do our utmost to help them."
Ahmed added that prayer leaders nationwide can take advantage
of the spirituality of Ramadan, and the large gatherings
associated with Eid ul-Fitr, to remind worshippers about
the Islamic tradition of serving God by serving His creations.
The United Nations has warned of "a second, massive
wave of death" that may result from lack of international
donor response to the destruction of homes, hospitals, schools,
water distribution systems, and roads.
CAIR is a member of the American Muslim Task Force for Disaster
Relief (AMTFDR) that pledged to raise $20 million to provide
relief to the victims of the South Asia earthquake.
The Washington-based council has also urged American Muslims
and other people of conscience to call their elected representatives
to ask that the U.S. government provide more relief aid.
SEE: Ask President, Congress to Boost Quake Aid
http://www.cair-net.org/default.asp?Page=articleView&id=294&theType=AA
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