Do you know what it means to miss New Orleans, and miss it each night and day? Do you know what it means to miss New Orleans when that’s where you left your heart? Mahdi Bray, the Poor Old Country Muslim from Norfolk, Virginia, doesn’t. He is taking up a collection for the victims of Katrina, but in an unsurprising manifestation of Islam’s sharp and all-encompassing distinction between believers and unbelievers, he seems to be chiefly concerned about the Muslim victims. In this press release from the Muslim American Society (thanks to the one who sent this), he says: “It is critical that we all pull together to help the thousands of Muslims and their neighbors who have been devastated by Katrina.”
Imagine the outcry that would ensue if any charitable organization declared, “It is critical that we all pull together to help the thousands of Christians and their neighbors who have been devastated by Katrina,” or “It is critical that we all pull together to help the thousands of Jews and their neighbors who have been devastated by Katrina.” Other groups help everybody they can, without asking about their religion first. But not Good Old Mahdi’s MAS.
MUSLIM ORGANIZATIONS AND CHARITY ANNOUNCE MAJOR RELIEF EFFORT AT HOUSTON ASTRODOME PRESS CONFERENCE
Relocated Hurricane Victims Join MAS and Islamic Relief in Responding to Needs of Thousands Devastated by Katrina
http://www.masnet.org/pressroom_release.asp?id=2726(Washington, D.C.) – The Muslim American Society (MAS),
(http://www.masnet.org/) and its Freedom Foundation (http://www.masnet.org/index_publicaffairs.asp), and Islamic Relief USA (http://www.irw.org/katrina/), will hold a press conference on Friday, September 2 at 3:00 p.m. in front of the Holiday Inn across from the Houston Astrodome to announce ongoing relief efforts to assist victims of Hurricane Katrina.MAS, America’s largest grassroots Muslim organization with over fifty
chapters, including those in Houston, Dallas and New Orleans, has teamed up with Islamic Relief USA, a U.N. NGO and member of the U.N. Economic and Social Council, with its offices in 30 countries.MAS and its Freedom Foundation will announce major ongoing efforts initiated by the organization and Islamic Relief to mobilize the American Muslim community in order to work in concert with other national relief organizations, religious charities, government officials, and the private sector, to assist victims.
The press conference will be held in front of the Holiday ! Inn across from the Houston Astrodome at Reliant Park, 8111 Kirby D rive, Houston, TX, at 3:00 p.m.
Also attending the press conference will be Muslims who were evacuated from New Orleans and the surrounding area.
“There are three basic components to our work,” stated MAS Freedom
Foundation Executive Director Mahdi Bray.“To encourage Muslims to open their mosques and homes to victims as well as adopting a family and renting an apartment for displaced families. Second, to collect and assist with the distribution of food and other consumable necessities to shelters and other temporary lodging facilities. And lastly, to insure that Islamic Relief has the resources to provide the high caliber assistance that they have provided throughout the years to victims of natural catastrophes here in the United States and abroad.”
“It is critical that we all pull together to help the thousands of Muslims and their neighbors who have been devastated by Katrina,” concluded Bray.