Quartz reports that three Muslim nonprofit groups are raising money to help rebuild black churches that have burned down in different Southern states since nine were killed in a church shooting in Charleston, South Carolina last month.
The Arab-American Association of New York, Muslim ARC, and Ummah Wide launched an online campaign called Respond With Love on July 2, and they have already exceeded their initial fundraising goal of $20,000. The campaign is now trying to raise $30,000, and are currently just a few thousand dollars away from meeting that goal.
Respond With Love's website calls for solidarity and understanding for the black community in America, saying that "all houses of worship are sacred."
"We want for others what we want for ourselves: the right to worship without intimidation, the right to safety, and the right to property," the campaign description says. "We must always keep in mind that the Muslim community and the black community are not different communities. We are profoundly integrated in many ways, in our overlapping identities and in our relationship to this great and complicated country."
The website calls the campaign "a small symbol of that solidarity," and calls upon Muslim Americans to donate during the month of Ramadan. They've amassed over 650 supporters so far, and will keep gathering donations until July 18, after which they'll consult with church leaders about how to distribute the funds fairly.
[via Quartz]
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