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My People of Syria — I’ll Keep Sharing Your Stories
For five years I have watched my people lose their homes and lives to war. For five years I have watched as they scattered around the world in search for safety. From country to country, refugee camp to refugee camp, year after year. For five years, in six different countries and in dozens of camps, I have witnessed first-hand the effects of war and conflict on the people from the same nation my mother, grandmother and her mother were born in—Syria. I’ve seen my fellow Syrians in Lebanon, living in makeshift homes wherever they could find, a masjid construction site, a building boiler room and a leather factory near the…
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Just a Day at the Masjid With Obama
This is the story of how Naeem Muhammad, IRUSA Community Outreach Manager, didn’t quite get to emcee for President Obama, but had an amazing day at an historic event in his home city of Baltimore. Story as told to IRUSA writer Lina Hashem. I got the call on Tuesday, early morning. A good friend from Baltimore called me and asked, “Where are you?” My friends know I travel a lot for Native Deen or for relief work. I said, “I’m home, I just got back from Flint, and I’m going to the office.” He said, “They’re looking for you — they want you to emcee the event tomorrow. The White…
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From Earthquake Shaken Pakistan: “As the winter weather looms, every bit helps.”
We started the morning early and traveled up a nearby mountain in a small jeep. Only one car can pass at a time. The earthquake broke off parts of the road, and landslides are a constant hazard.
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Nepal Earthquake: Working Together Six Months On
Islamic Relief has been working in Nepal since double earthquakes tested villagers there six months ago, and as a winter warning has been issued for Nepal’s earthquake survivors, Islamic Relief teams are pushing resiliency efforts on the ground. When the earthquake struck Nepal on April 25, millions of people were affected. Pictures showed remote villages completely leveled to rubble. The full impact of the earthquake, which measured 7.9 on the Richter scale, was not known until weeks later as officials and aid workers struggling to reach remote areas. The earthquake took the lives of nearly 9,000 people, and more than 22,000 more were injured. 8 million people were affected and…
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Meet One Of The Most Persecuted People On Earth
Bilal Aslam is programs officer at Islamic Relief USA. He traveled to Indonesia to meet refugees who are stuck in the middle of their planned journeys out of Malaysia. This is the remarkable story of one young man. A minority group in Myanmar have long endured the trauma of not knowing where they’ll live, and not knowing where they’ll find acceptance. It’s a homelessness that has deeply affected their community. Many are deeply tormented by it. To escape the persecution and to search for a better life, many boarded ships with hopes to reach Malaysia or Australia. Many pay more than $1,000 to purchase tickets for the journey. When they arrive to board the…
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When Smugglers Abandon Refugee Boats At Sea
Abdullah Shawky is an Islamic Relief USA Disaster Response Team Member. This is part of the emergency story series from Greece. Salam All, I wanted to share with you all a story of a terrible tragedy that occurred the day before yesterday. Due to Internet connectivity issues, I am only able to send this message today. Today was the most difficult for all of us in the harbor. At around 1pm, we received the first batch of survivors from a terrible accident. Some were injured with cuts and bruises, but others suffered far worse… A makeshift wooden boat (we are now seeing more and more of these show up) was…
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Why You Should Eat Out Today (And Other Tasty To-Do’s on WFD)
Nada Shawish is Communications Specialist at Islamic Relief USA. Hunger is a pretty obvious global problem that most of us are well aware of. But how often do you do something about it? Maybe because such a big problem, we assume, only calls for even bigger solutions—solutions, we also assume, that are just too big for any one person to tackle. Initiatives only work if you get involved in them—and Oct. 16 is World Food Day. And this World Food Day, I’ve put together some doable to-dos that not only combat hunger, but that will also improve your world—and your day. Do these with me, and stay full today, my…
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When I Pulled A Baby From A Sinking Raft in Greece
Abdullah Shawky is an Islamic Relief USA Disaster Response Team Member. He writes from the shores of Lesvos, Greece, where responders try to rescue as many refugees from ocean waters as possible—not all make it. Here is his heart-wrenching story: You don’t have to watch children die at sea, you just have to do something right now. Salam All, It is with a heavy heart that I write the following from Greece. Last night was by far the most terrible moment here on the Island. I say terrible because although we’ve rescued many, we lost one who couldn’t even speak. It began as a light day, as there has been a blockade…
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What I Learned About the Impact of Good Works in Minneapolis
Fareeha Amir is a video and motion graphics designer at Islamic Relief USA. In Islam, taking care of our neighbors is a super priority. But do we actually take care of our neighbors enough? With how busy we get with our own lives, we forget the responsibility we have to those around us. Sometimes, we don’t even know who our neighbors are. But there are people working hard in the world to make neighbors a priority. I got to see this first hand, in Minneapolis, where individuals from the local community constantly come together to serve their neighbors in need. At Masjid An-Nur hosted Islamic Relief USA’s annual Day of…
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Floods Hurt More Than You Can See in South Carolina
Fareeha Amir is a Video and Motion Graphics Designer at Islamic Relief USA. She reports from neighborhoods flooded in South Carolina, where IRUSA disaster response teams are servicing fellow Americans in need of emergency help. I look out of the window and try to see where the flooding has hurt the most. From up above, you can’t really see much—I’m not sure what I should be looking for. The lakes look filled and fields look wet, but most of the water the news had broadcast is gone. I’m taxing over South Carolina, getting ready to land and cover Islamic Relief USA’s efforts in flood recovery there. On the news I…
