Muslims raise over $65,000 to repair desecrated Jewish cemetery

[Romero]

More than 150 headstones were destroyed at the Chesed Shel Emeth Society, a Jewish cemetery in St. Louis, in the past week. Approximately 24 hours after news of the attack spread, Muslims across the country raised over $65,000 for repairs.



Activists Linda Sarsour and Tarek El-Messidi launched a $20,000 fundraising campaign on Tuesday "to help rebuild this sacred space where Jewish-American families have laid their loved ones to rest since the late 1800's." That goal was not only met within three hours, but the total amount raised so far is triple the initial ask. More than 2,300 supporters donated $66,182, and there are still 26 days left before the campaign is closed. Additional funds will be sent to vandalized Jewish community centers across the country.



Sarsour and El-Messidi cited the Prophet Mohammed as the reason for the show of solidarity, as well as historic partnerships between Muslims and Jews.



"While these senseless acts have filled us with sorrow, we reflect on the message of unity, tolerance, and mutual protection found in the Constitution of Medina: an historic social contract between the Medinan Jews and the first Muslim community," the fundraising campaign reads. "Through this campaign, we hope to send a united message from the Jewish and Muslim communities that there is no place for this type of hate, desecration, and violence in America."



Islamic Society of North America President Azhar Azeez also asked members to contribute to the campaign. "We encourage our members to reach out to their local synagogue and Jewish neighbours to express their solidarity and support and to generously support the rebuilding of the recently desecrated cemetery," he said on Tuesday.



This is not the first time Muslim and Jewish Americans have offered each other support. With the rise in anti-Semitism and Islamophobia caused by President Donald Trump and his administration, Muslims and Jews across the country have banded together to fight hate crimes against both communities.



https://thinkprogress.org/muslims-raise-over-60-000-to-repair-desecrated-jewish-cemetery-44e48bba8134#.vok38w41o">//https://thinkprogress.org/muslims-raise-over-60-000-to-repair-desecrated-jewish-cemetery-44e48bba8134#.vok38w41o

[Romero]

Jewish people give Muslims key to their synagogue after town's mosque burns down



Jewish people in a small Texas city handed Muslim worshippers the keys to their synagogue after the town's only mosque was destroyed in a fire.



The Victoria Islamic Centre burned down on Saturday and had previously been burgled—the cause is being investigated by federal officials.



But the town's Muslim population will not be without a place to worship while their building is reconstructed, thanks to their Jewish neighbours.



Robert Loeb, the president of Temple Bnai Israel, told Forward: "Everyone knows everybody, I know several members of the mosque, and we felt for them. When a calamity like this happens, we have to stand together.



"We have probably 25 to 30 Jewish people in Victoria, and they probably have 100 Muslims. We got a lot of building for a small amount of Jews."



One of the mosque's founders, Shahid Hashmi, said: "Jewish community members walked into my home and gave me a key to the synagogue."



The centre was built in 2000.



Donations and an online fundraising campaign have raised more than $900,000 for reconstruction.



The blaze was discovered at at about 2am on Saturday by a clerk at a convenience store, who called the fire department. It took around four hours to bring it under control and no injuries were reported.



The fire took place just hours after President Donald Trump announced he would ban citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the US, and halted the country's refugee program for 120 days.



http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/victoria-islamic-centre-mosque-fire-texas-jews-give-key-synagogue-muslims-worship-gofundme-a7556331.html">//http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/victoria-islamic-centre-mosque-fire-texas-jews-give-key-synagogue-muslims-worship-gofundme-a7556331.html

[RW]

Thank you for sharing these stories Romero.  It's nice to know it's not all bad.

[Romero]

You're welcome, thank you!

[Bricktop]

And this somehow counterbalances riots in Sweden? Mass murder in the US? The slaughter of innocent civilians in Mosul?



Even some Nazis showed compassion during their reign of terror.



Commendable as these small gestures are, they are inconsequential unless they are reflected at a global level.

[cc]

Hey. We should be gentle with those trying to lipstick the islam pig



One has to run with what they can get to support the beast -  no matter how bad the beast is "in the overall"



You mention Sweden. Stories stifled for so long but starting to come out from major outlets now. What a horrible mess it has become for its people

[Bricktop]

A week ago, 88 Pakistanis were killed by an ISIS suicide bomber (not that we in the West seem to care about terror attacks in Pakistan).



Is a 65K handout going to counterbalance that atrocity?

[Romero]

And this somehow counterbalances riots in Sweden? Mass murder in the US? The slaughter of innocent civilians in Mosul?



Even some Nazis showed compassion during their reign of terror.



Commendable as these small gestures are, they are inconsequential unless they are reflected at a global level.

Who said these acts of kindness counterbalances riots and mass murders? Why would they have to? People shouldn't be nice to each other anymore?

[cc]

The official German Intel report on the huge rate of rising radicalism (turning Salafist mainly) and ... posted as thread in this section is a harbinger for all of Europe ... and for us too in due course



I see nothing to give reason to think that other EU countries are any different than Germany "today" ... and us tomorrow





Ya, a nice gesture .... I'll get excited when a few 1000 Fundy imams screaming radical crap are booted to the curb  .. and not bu cops .... by parishioners  .. .but I'm not seeing that happening much at all

[RW]

It's nice to know not all Muslims are evil terrorists.  It doesn't compensate for them but it helps paint a fuller picture of Muslims.

[Bricktop]

And this somehow counterbalances riots in Sweden? Mass murder in the US? The slaughter of innocent civilians in Mosul?



Even some Nazis showed compassion during their reign of terror.



Commendable as these small gestures are, they are inconsequential unless they are reflected at a global level.

Who said these acts of kindness counterbalances riots and mass murders? Why would they have to? People shouldn't be nice to each other anymore?

What was your motive in starting this thread?

[cc]

It's nice to know not all Muslims are evil terrorists.

You didn't know that? I told you that years ago ... know and associate with several "settler-role" followers  myself.

I always thought that was a given



Now, if only Fundies didn't rule most all of islam, this all "could have" worked out well in the end - but they do, ... so it can't



Say - Whoa!! Wait a minute here!!

Now that I think about it, I have never seen or heard anyone anywhere ever say  "all Muslims are evil terrorists"

I have only seen that term used in a large number of your posts claiming people say it or infering that many people say it

[Romero]

What was your motive in starting this thread?

It's nice that in the face of extremism people will rise above it and help each other.

[RW]

What was your motive in starting this thread?

It's nice that in the face of extremism people will rise above it and help each other.

I couldn't agree more.

[RW]

It's nice to know not all Muslims are evil terrorists.

You didn't know that? I told you that years ago ... know and associate with several "settler-role" followers  myself.

I always thought that was a given



Now, if only Fundies didn't rule most all of islam, this all "could have" worked out well in the end - but they do, ... so it can't



Say - Whoa!! Wait a minute here!!

Now that I think about it, I have never seen or heard anyone anywhere ever say  "all Muslims are evil terrorists"

I have only seen that term used in a large number of your posts claiming people say it or infering that many people say it

Yes of course *I* knew that.  The general attitude around here seems to be that Islam is evil and regular Muslims are complicit in any and all evil doings by extremists as they don't do enough to speak up about them.  Of course you know better but given the conversations I've had with others around here, I don't think your knowledge about regular Muslims is shared.  At least, I don't see you correcting the hateful memes and shit that holds all Muslims up to contempt.



But I digress.  It's refreshing to read stories where Muslims and Jews are coming together to help each other.  We need more of this and fewer ignorant memes.