Detroit Muslims Offer Relief Services to Katrina Victims

November 9, 2005

Source: The Detroit News

http://www.detnews.com/2005/religion/0511/09/B01-376309.htm

On November 9, 2005 The Detroit News reported, "On Sept. 11, Khalil Jassemm boarded a plane and flew to Houston for the day to join 2,000 fellow Muslims offering relief services to Hurricane Katrina victims. 'We, as a group [of] American Muslims, wanted to show support for the community there,' said Jassemm, the head of Life for Relief and Development, a Southfield-based nonprofit group that provides international humanitarian aid. 'We wanted to let people know we were there for them.' Local Muslims, who traditionally give to the needy in their own community, have been increasingly reaching out to non-Muslims to help feed the poor and homeless and perform their religious duty to help others. Last month, a $30,000 food drive was sponsored by the Tawheed Center, a mosque in Farmington Hills, and Muslim Family Services in Detroit, in conjunction with Sam's Club. Local mosques and charities also have raised $150,000 for Hurricane Katrina victims, according to Dawud Walid, executive director for the Council of American-Islamic Relations for Michigan. 'When people come in, we don't ask whether they are Muslim or non-Muslim,' said Ali Ali, director of Detroit-based Muslim Family Services... 'We help people regardless of their religion, regardless of their color.'"