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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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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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From Serving to Solving in the Faith Community
Christina Tobias-Nahi is Director of Public Affairs at Islamic Relief USA. The spiritual week of Eid Al-Adha was an action-oriented week for Muslims and other members of the Washington, D.C.-area faith community who work to combat hunger and poverty. Islamic Relief USA was honored to take part in numerous high-level engagements before the well-anticipated arrival of Pope Francis, to work with our counterparts to eradicate hunger and poverty. The goal: to move from merely serving the vulnerable to finding systemic solutions. On the afternoon and evening of Sept. 21, Bread for the World Institute convened an Interfaith Religious Leaders Summit on Ending Hunger by 2030. More than 100 Christian faith…
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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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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…
