Islamic Arts

Dear president,

As-salaamu ‘alaykum, wa rahmat-ullah.

I pray this brief message reaches you in the best of health and iman.

I would like to request you forward this message to your distribution lists and membership and pray you might continue to be moved to help. Your help previously has been essential and it remains vitally so at this time.

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Dear brother/sister,

As-salaamu ‘alaykum, wa rahmat-ullah.

As you are aware it has been a week since the devastating earthquake that hit the small Caribbean island of Haiti wreaked death and destruction to its population. Over 70,000 bodies have already been buried in mass graves, yet many more lie in streets and under buildings. Over 3 million people are without food, water, shelter and fuel. Aid agencies on the ground suffered terrible casualties of their own but now the response is fully underway.

Islamic Relief’s Emergency Response Team has been on the ground throughout, its initial assessments are now complete and it is in the process of mobilising aid through IR USA and our partners in the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC). The nation has responded as it traditionally does. £25 million has been raised already for the DEC Appeal, and the Muslim agencies have responded in kind with major appeals of their own. Islamic Relief, a member of the DEC, aims to raise £1 million for life-saving immediate relief and longer-term reconstruction and rehabilitation.

Permissions for collections at public locations and private premises up and down the country have been sought and obtained and we now need to mobilise volunteers to collect at train and tube stations, supermarkets, high streets and mosques. We would also encourage Islamic Societies across the country to organise events to raise funds as well as awareness for Haiti and donate their jum’s collections. We need a few sustained weeks of fundraising to give the Haitian people the opportunity to rebuild their lives in dignity.

We have been taught of the humanitarian imperative and of our duties and obligations of charity and kinship and nowhere more clearly than the oft recited verse, “and whoso saveth the life of one, it shall be as if he had saved the life of all mankind” [5:32] – we pray that Allah (swt) gives us the ability to understand and act upon His words and sanctions.

If you are able to volunteer please simply fill this form: http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?hl=en_GB&formkey=dHhoLVlSczRVWnAtRDB6d3NrZ2×4dGc6MA or contact Halima Hassan at Halima.Hassan@islamic-relief.org.uk or on 07545335197

We thank you for your support – Jazakum-Allahu khayran.

Halima Hassan

Volunteer Coordinator – Haiti Appeal

Islamic Relief UK