Honoring the Men and Women Who Served America
By Munir Chaudry and Azher Quader
Executive Director
Community Builders Chicago, IL
It was Memorial Day last Monday. Memorial Day, falls on the last Monday of May every year, and honors the men and women who died while serving in the American military. Originally known as Decoration Day, it originated in the years following the Civil War when the graves of soldiers who died in the Civil War were decorated with flowers. Some 700,000 are estimated to have perished during the Civil War, more than all lives lost from all the wars combined that Americans have since been engaged in. It became an official federal holiday in 1971 to honor the lives of all Americans who died fighting for their country from the battles of World War 1 and 2 to the more recent engagements in Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq.
Today, many Americans observe Memorial Day by visiting the graves of loved ones, holding family gatherings, and cookouts and participating in parades. At Arlington National Cemetery near Washington a flag is posted on each soldier’s grave. Unofficially, at least, it marks the beginning of summer, the end of school years and the start of summer breaks.
At Community Builders Chicago (CBC)the tradition over Memorial Day weekend has been to hold an annual event, marked by a community bazaar, a series of workshops to discuss community issues and hold a small banquet in the evening to honor a community activist for his/her exemplary services within the community.
This year though, with increasing awareness of our community’s desire for societal engagement and a greater recognition for the needs of our neighbors, CBC has undertaken a new initiative: one that speaks to meeting the common good.
This initiative of promoting area wide Community Blood Drives at various mosques and community centers through the month of May and June, will, we hope, not only be a response to the call of the sick and injured in our community, but relevantly also, pay a tribute to the memory of those who died in American wars, both here and abroad, giving their lives, so we may live in peace and with freedom here at home.
This Gift of Life, can serve as a powerful offering for hope and healing at a time when there is so much hate and hurting in our country. Islamophobia, the pollsters remind us, is on the rise. No matter what they say to deny us, no matter how they say to disappoint us, no matter where they say to arouse us, we will not be denied or disappointed or aroused as we go forward to make this offering . For through this simple act of charitable giving we will seek neither the approval of the distrusting nor the acceptance of the hateful, but only the pleasure of the Divine.
Whoever saves the life of a single person, it is as if he has saved the life of all (of humanity) Al Maidah 5: 32
Alhamdulillah, posted below are some of the mosques and community centers holding Blood Drives in June as a result of this initiative. We hope this will become a larger tradition within the Muslim community not only in Chicago but elsewhere in the country, in the years ahead. With significant shortages for blood during the lean months of summer our donations could not be more timely and more appreciated.
Aqsa School in Bridgeview just completed its Blood Drive in May donating over 30 units.
Our target is to donate 200 units of blood. Please join one of Drives posted below to realize that goal.
June 10, 2012 (Sun) 11am-4pm:
American Islamic Association (AIA), 8860 W. St. Francis Rd, Frankfort, IL 60423
Contact: Shahzad Khan , khansoforland@gmail.com
June 10, 2012 (Sun):
Islamic Foundation North (IFN), 1751 O’Plaine Rd, Waukegan, IL 60048
Contact: Dr. Saquib Ahmed , saquib75@yahoo.com
June 17, 2012 (Sun) 11am-3pm ; To be confirmed:
Islamic Foundation (IFS), 300 W. High Ridge, Villa Park, IL 60181
Contact: Dr. Ali Ahmed , aliahmed67@gmail.com ;
June 22, 2012 (Fri) 11am-3pm:
Downtown Islamic Center (DIC), 231 S. State St, Chicago, IL 60603
Contact: Salman Azam, Salman786@aol.com ;
June 29, 2012 (Fri) 12pm-4pm
Muslim Community Center (MCC), 4380 N. Elston Ave, Chicago, IL 60641
Contact: Dr. M.Gafoor , mgafoormd@yahoo.com
June 29, 2012 (Fri ) 12pm-4pm; to be confirmed:
Muslim Education Center (MEC), 8601 N. Menard St, Morton Grove, IL 60053
Contact: Ali Quadri, theswordofali@yahoo.com
If any other mosques are willing to hold a drive in June please contact us. We will try to get it scheduled on the date you prefer. Please note that the participating centers are expected to provide at least 25 donors.
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