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When I Served The Homeless in ‘The City of Roses’
Laura McAdams is International Programs Coordinator at Islamic Relief USA. September 20—Portland, Oregon is famous for its natural beauty, world-class coffee, and funky arts scene. Less known, however, is that the City of Roses has almost 4,000 homeless men women and children. Many of these people are not able to predict when their next meal will be. They sleep on the streets as they struggle to find affordable housing, while the city’s population grows. Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, I was thankful to return to help out at Sunday’s Day of Dignity event, which aims to provide necessary services and supplies to the city’s most vulnerable. Laila Hajoo…
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‘ American Dream ‘ Achieved: Refugee Now Homeowner in Baltimore
In his home country of Togo, Akote Akwei was a top human rights activist. He came to the United States in 2005 to report on conditions there in front of the United Nations. While he was here, he received word that he was a wanted man. He couldn’t go back. Akwei applied for asylum and received permission to stay with his family in the United States. Now the man known by so many back home was a refugee. He never thought he’d own a house again. This summer, thanks in part to Islamic Relief USA donors, that dream came true. And this month – after his family prayed and sang…
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Pay More Attention to Your Creator, Not Your Critics
Nada Shawish is Communications Specialist at Islamic Relief USA. Feeling exhausted? Maybe there’s too much negativity vibrating in your ears. And maybe these devilish voices are not exactly the post-human creature “the devil”— that negativity is likely coming from the people around you. And I hate to break it to you; you’re the one letting them in. Trying to earn the approval of others is exhausting. People are people: They have a human quality of never being satisfied: Not with themselves, not with others, and certainly not with you. And another very human tendency is for people to turn their dissatisfaction with themselves and the world on others (and it…
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3 POWERFUL Islamic Reminders About Your Neighbors For Eid
Nada Shawish is Communications Specialist at Islamic Relief USA. In the throes of celebration — Eid al Adha (Happy Eid!) is a time to rejoice with family and friends—but in celebrating, it’s easy to forget people in need that live among us, like neighbors. Forgetting our neighbors during holidays is about as un-Godly as you can get in Islam. Your neighbors have rights over you every day, Allah (swt) says. It’s that serious. And you need to remember them, especially on holidays. (One of them is to share Eid al-Adha meat on Eid (be amazing and do this!) with your neighbors in need—more on this point later). Here are the reminders…
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With Love, From Lesbos, Greece: A Video Postcard Addressed To You
Nada Shawish is Communications Specialist at Islamic Relief USA. Have you ever wanted to go to the Greek Islands? A postcard has arrived from Greece, and it’s addressed to you from Islamic Relief USA’s CEO Anwar Khan. He’s virtually inviting you there. Watch with an open mind and heart—And see for yourself .. The Greek Islands are a place that people often go to for vacation—this is what they’re like right now: Instead of floating leisurely on calm waters, imagine traveling in dinghies and rafts unsuitable for sea travel, like this one, to try to get across the Mediterranean Sea. These people aren’t site seeing on the beach. Humanitarians have…
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How to Be A Superhero: Show Up for Baltimore with Super Iman
Nada Shawish is Communications Specialist at Islamic Relief USA. This blog is dedicated to the superheroes doing the best they can for the city of Baltimore. What’s the difference between the superheroes in comic books and you and I? Not much. Human beings have a lot of potential. In The Holy Qur’an, Allah (swt) says: “Surely, We created the human being of the best of forms.” (Surat At-Tiin, 4) Every fictional superhero quality is a metaphor for a very human, but highly undervalued, underutilized attribute. Being a superhero in Baltimore City isn’t that far-fetched or super human, for example. It means being just a little bit more human—by showing up…
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A Dua and 4 Realistic Ways to Help Syrian Refugees Now (and it’s not just about your money)
Nada Shawish is Communications Specialist at Islamic Relief USA. “People are dying and they need our help. If we cannot see that, then we have no right to look away from the consequences of inaction.” –The Independent, September 3, 2015 The world is currently in the worst refugee crisis since World War II, and most of the refugees are Syrians. More than half of them are under the age of 18. There’s a lot of work to do to remedy this massive tragedy. While leaders bicker about how they’re going to reverse a crisis that started under their noses, there’s a lot we as individuals can do to help…
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How To Be Charity Itself: Mother Teresa’s International Day of Charity
Lina Hashem is communications specialist at Islamic Relief USA. Islam teaches us simply to always keep some charity in our everyday life, and to make our lives a blessing to others. But in a world filled with suffering, it’s hard to see what one person can do to help. And when we’re stuck in our daily routine, it might seem like the wrong time for charity, or even too late. It makes sense why we might feel that way in our hectic, troubled world. But next time you’re stuck in that way of thinking, remember this story … There was a little girl born in a city between the mountains…
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Hurricane Katrina: Islamic Relief USA’s First Big U.S. Disaster Relief Effort.
When Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast on August 29, 2005, Elouise Kensey was traveling. Her home in New Orleans was destroyed, but she called herself lucky. “I have custody of my seven grandchildren, and had we stayed somebody would have died,” she told Islamic Relief workers after the storm. “A tree fell on the house. We were lucky, blessed , however you want to call it.” The Category 5 hurricane devastated large parts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, and its floodwaters surged right over and through the levees protecting New Orleans. More than 1,800 people were killed. Hundreds of thousands were left homeless, including Kensey and her family. Hurricane…
