Muslims intensify efforts to save Katrina victims

[PsychoDad]

Muslims intensify efforts to save Katrina victims
9/10/2005 8:10:00 AM GMT

http://www.islamonline.com/cgi-bin/news_service/world_full_story.asp?service_id=1746
Source: LA Daily News

After weekly prayers ended Friday, members of the Islamic community in Southern California started collecting food, clothes and money to send them to victims of Hurricane Katrina

"As Americans, we need to take part in all these problems," said Aref Abedi, director for the Islamic Center of Reseda. "This is a time for humans to help humans." More than 12 mosques and community centers in Southern California will be collecting donations until Sunday; part of a coordinated effort made possible through Islamic Relief USA, a Burbank-based organization that has provided disaster relief over the past 20 years.
...
"Donations so far have been really good," said Ahmed Shama, spokesman for Islamic Relief. "Since Hurricane Katrina struck, we've collected $200,000 just in online donations. The Muslim community has had an overwhelming response to this."

The organization already has one donated truck filled with goods, Shama said, adding that he expects two more trucks to be ready by Sunday. On Monday, the donations will be sent to evacuees sheltered at the Houston Astrodome, he said.

"This is the true representation of what Muslims believe in," Shama said. "We do this because we value human life."

[Erika]

1. Don't let Bushbots & Dr, Savage know

that Muslims are peaceful. They'll lynch you. The idiots.

[Fovea]

2. A wonderful story

than you for the link.

[NMMNG]

3. Great story, nominated

It helps to offset all of the negative stories that plague the Muslim community.

[onager]

4. Oh, but just imagine the Fundie spin...

They'll be yammering that the Muslims are only doing this to try and convert the good Christians of New Orleans. I bet the e-mail alerts are already flying.

When I was in Egypt last month I ran into many incredibly generous and gracious people who were suspiciously Muslim. Since they're 90% of the country...duh...

As I've noted before: the only "anti-American" comments I heard were directed at Dim Son and his Madministration, not at Americans in general.

One night I got caught up in a huge street party sort of thing in Alexandria. I think some of the people came from a BIG wedding that had just taken place down the street. Despite being the only Western Infidel Devil in the crowd, I was perfectly comfortable. Very poor people tried to share their food with me. I held babies and chatted with school kids, most of whom spoke English better than me. (Well, I grew up in the South.)

I did get rear-ended by a donkey once, but I don't think he was a terrorist donkey. Donald Rumsfeld might differ with me, though.

[NMMNG]

5. Are Muslims really that evangelical though?

I'm not familiar enough with the faith to know if they are rabidly evangelical in the way the fundy Christians are.

[onager]

6. Not usually.

I was thinking more of the Fundies projecting their own habits onto Muslims, and should have made that clear.

I never ran into a "rabidly" evangelical Muslim, not even during the two years I was in Saudi Arabia. I did have a couple of Saudis try to convert me. Both used a more "reasoning" approach: Islam is the "most perfected" religion, because it was the last great monotheistic religion founded.

No Egyptians have ever even talked to me about religion in a proselytizing way. Or hardly any other way. One tour guide made it pretty clear he wished Egypt was more fundamentalist. But that sounded mostly like wishful thinking.

An older Egyptian (and Muslim) man who works with us said something like this: "We have many different religions in this country. I don't care what anybody believes as long as they're a good person. Religion is something you should keep in your heart."

Wise words, and too often ignored, in my atheistic opinion.

(The same guy has a great story about suddenly coming face-to-face with an Israeli soldier when he fought in the 1973 war. They mutually agreed not to shoot each other.)

[NMMNG]

7. I figured as much

I just thought I'd ask to make sure. It seems that the rabid fundies are not only proselytizing and trying to take over the world, but always fearing that every other religion is trying to do the same thing. Projection, projection, projection. :eyes: