People old and young lined up at a Halifax mosque to donate blood for the first Muslim blood drive in the Maritimes

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia – Dozens of Muslims have lined up at a Halifax mosque to donate blood, as part of a new partnership between the mosque and the Canadian blood services, The Signal reported.

“We really wanted to do a community-driven event that was open to the whole public, and an option for people within our community to give back to the greater community within Halifax and Nova Scotia,” said Ahmad Hussein, the event organizer.

The blood drive was hosted at the Ummah Masjid Mosque after Friday’s sermon during which the imam urged people to give blood and save lives.

“Some of them were surprised to find out that a single donation can save up to three lives,” said Hussein.

“And that their particular subset of blood profile from the Middle East and North Africa has a higher percentage of what they consider the rare blood types.”

Halifax MP Andy Fillmore and Nova Scotia’s Minister of Immigration Lena Metlege Diab stopped by to show support.

Canadian Blood Services confirms this was the first Muslim partnership in the Maritimes.

“We constantly need donors to meet our demands; as population ages and they can’t donate anymore, we have to make sure we have new ones coming in,” said Canadian Blood Services spokesperson Kathy Gracie.

“So not only is this area great because it’s so big, but we are also tapping into a new cultural base that we haven’t.”

Blood transfusion for medical purposes is permissible in Islam as Muslims are ordered to feed the hungry, take care of the sick, and save the life of people.

It is also permissible to take blood from a non-Muslim and it is permissible to give blood to non-Muslims. These matters are related to human life.