WASHINGTON, DC – Muslim students at George Washington University will be hosting a fundraising event next March 1 to aid Syrian refugees in Jordan, GW Hatchet reported.
“I hope people can recognize that even if you’re an American Muslim or just an American student in Washington, D.C., you can still make an impact on things that are happening on the other side of the world,” Abdullah Tauqeer, the co-president of Muslim Students’ Association, said.
The MSA is partnering with United Mission for Relief and Development, a humanitarian relief organization, to host a “Serving Up Kindness” banquet on March 1 in the Marvin Center.
The event will raise money for United Mission for Relief and Development’s psycho-social support program, which provides Syrian refugees in Jordan.
As charity is a pillar of Islam, Muslim students wished to extend their efforts outside the campus.
Tauqeer said members of MSA will create “peace wall” in the Marvin Center room, where attendees can write messages to refugees and hang them up.
“Most of the time, when people raise money to send overseas it is for direct relief, which is obviously a great thing for food, water, clothes – things like that,” Tauqeer said.
“But this caught my eye when I was given the option because it was innovative, it was a new way to raise something that’s definitely a need.”
Isha Rauf, the co-president of the MSA, said the organization and the wider Muslim community at GW are always looking for ways to give back to their religious community.
“It’s not just restricted to people who a part of the MSA or to only our Muslim students on campus – this is an event open to everyone and we want everyone to feel welcome here,” Rauf said.
“It’s just an event for us to get people more aware of what’s happening.”
As one of the Five Pillars of Islam, zakat or donating and charity is a religious obligation for all Muslims who meet the necessary criteria of wealth.
It’s a mandatory charitable contribution, the right of the poor to find relief from the rich, and is considered to be tax or obligatory alms.
Islamic Shari’ah also has another type of optional donation called Sadaqah. This term was used in the Holy Qur’an and Sunnah for both zakat and charity.
Here are some trusted organizations through which you can support the refugees.