December 21, 2015

Blood drive aims to erase stigma of American Muslim community

Monday 21 Dec 2015 - 12:56 Makkah mean time-10-3-1437

Image from Houston Chronicle.

Washington, (IINA) - Over the past few months, Ejaz Hossain has grown increasingly disconcerted by the amount of anti-Muslim rhetoric he sees on the news. In the wake of the terrorist attacks in San Bernardino, Calif., and Paris, and the flurried debates that followed, he felt the wrong message was being sent about Islam, Chron or Houston Chronicle news reported.
In order to counter that that effect Hossain organized a blood drive Sunday afternoon at the Masjid-al-Salaam, also known as Champions Masjid, in Spring, as a way of honoring terrorism victims worldwide.
"We are being portrayed as Islam being the religion of violence," Hossain said. "We wanted to counter that effect."
There is a community-wide sentiment that a small number of extremists should not represent all Muslims, Hossain said. He added that the extreme violence associated with the attacks go against everything Islam stands for.
"The basic tenet of Islam is, if you take an innocent life, to God it's as if you killed all mankind," said Hossain. "If anyone has killed anybody, he's not a Muslim."
Overall, 40 people signed up to donate, and more than two dozen walked in.
After making his donation, Ahsan Huq, 60-year-old, said he wanted to help spread goodwill in the community.
"We think that we can do more - we should do more," Huq said. "As a Muslim, that's what we're supposed to do: help others, regardless of race or religion."
Sixteen-year-old Ifrah Raja, a junior at Klein High School, decided to volunteer at the blood drive after it was publicized by the school's Muslim Students Association (MSA).
Since the school has a strong Muslim student population of about 200, Raja said she has not personally felt any backlash. But she still wanted to get involved in the efforts.
"One person shouldn't represent a whole religion," she said. "Maybe we need to know a Muslim before we think bad about them."
The mosque, which draws 700 to 800 worshippers each week, is trying to help people from all backgrounds, said Dr. Mohammed Hanif, who runs a free health clinic out of a trailer behind the mosque. Established 5 years ago, the clinic primarily serves those without health insurance, providing medicines, blood tests and consultations with physicians.
Although the clinic is associated with the mosque, Hanif said he stills sees plenty of patients from other religious backgrounds. In the next few years, he's hoping to secure enough funding to construct a small building to house the clinic.
"It's not only for the Muslim community," Hanif said. "It's for everyone."
SM/IINA

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