Three Muslim organizations have teamed up to raise money to help rebuild Christian churches in the US that were destroyed by fire in recent weeks. The campaign was launched on July 2, and aims to collect all funds raised by the end of Ramadan, July 18.
The initiative started after eight black churches were burned down since the Charleston shootings, where a gunman killed nine parishioners at the historic Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, raising nationwide concerns for black churches and America's black community.
The three Muslim charities, Ummah Wide, Muslim Anti-Racism Collaborative and Arab American Association of New York, have set a goal to raise $30,000 in an effort to help the communities.
A statement on the fundraising page said: “These kinds of attacks on black churches are a very old form of intimidation in the south, historically used to strike fear into the hearts of black people.
“As Muslims we know the importance of protecting the vulnerable and respecting people who call on God in their various tongues. We are calling on you to help add our support to faith communities across the country pooling their resources to rebuild these churches.”
The “Respond With Love” campaign has so far raised $28,963 with the help of more than 600 individual supporters during Ramadan.
According to the Huffington Post, church fires are not unusual, with the estimation of arsonists regularly setting fire to about five churches every week.
Three of the church fires have already been ruled as arson attacks, while the others are still under investigation. – Al Arabiya News
