Article Courtesy: muslimobserver.com

(RNS) — The United Methodist Church has long promoted abstinence from alcohol.
But that didn’t stop City Road Chapel in the suburbs of Nashville, Tennessee, from announcing a Bar and Restaurant Workers Help Fund this week to assist locals whose food-service jobs have been impacted by the coronavirus outbreak.

“The reality is we’re a community-based church, and we’ve been located here for over 100 years,” said the Rev. Jay Voorhees, City Road’s lead pastor. “Many of the folks we serve are in the restaurant and bar business. So this is just a continuation of the normal command to love your neighbor.”
City Road has a relationship with a bar down the street that closed down in accordance with the city’s recommendation to mitigate the spread of the virus, leaving staffers without a livelihood. Voorhees’ own daughter works in restaurant management and had to lay off staff because of the coronavirus situation.
Across the country, houses of worship like City Road and other faith organizations have shut down their in-person services but are mobilizing to assist vulnerable community members who require assistance with grocery shopping, paying bills, picking up prescriptions and other tasks during the outbreak.
A poll conducted last week found that 18% of U.S. households already reported someone being laid off or having hours reduced because of the pandemic. Experts say it’s likely just the beginning of a massive economic downturn.
“In the midst of this crisis, we’re all having to rethink what it means to be church,” Voorhees said. “Church has been defined so often by what happens on Sunday morning when people show up for worship. … We’re trying to find the balance between keeping our people safe, keeping everybody safe, and being available to help those in need. This fund is one way we’ll do that.”
The church, which has received about $500 and five requests for assistance so far, will provide grocery store gift cards to local residents who can provide letters from former employers saying they have been laid off due to the pandemic. \

Another campaign, led by three Muslim organizations, has raised over $220,000 for low-income families to put toward food, bills and any other living expenses that will not be covered as a result of quarantines or work and school closures. Funds from the LaunchGood crowdfunding campaign will also be used to provide hygiene kits for low-income families and provide grants to local organizations coordinating similar relief projects.
Organized by CelebrateMercy, Penny Appeal USA and the Islamic Center at New York University, the effort was launched Saturday (March 14), originally asking for $20,000. Organizers bumped up their fundraising goal after donors put forward more than $75,000 within a day. So far, they have received more than 300 requests for financial aid.
“As American Muslims, we wish to respond to hardship with hope, as our faith instructs us, and send a message of compassion through action – serving our fellow Americans – of all faiths – who are facing distress and uncertainty right now,” said CelebrateMercy’s director Tarek El-Messidi. “Our Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said: ‘The most beloved people to God are those who benefit people most.’
“We pray that these hardship grants will help lessen the burden that too many hard working American families are feeling,” El-Messidi said.
That same spirit is behind the Islamic Circle of North America Relief’s grocery delivery service for families needing assistance in and around Washington, D.C. The aid group recently opened a special pantry in Boston to provide hygiene and household items to those who can’t afford it.
The Muslim Community of Ann Arbor, Michigan, created a dedicated zakat fund for those who cannot work during the outbreak. The Ahlulbayt Mercy Foundation is providing food baskets to families in need, and a group of Muslim youth in South Carolina also made headlines for their work providing groceries and other essentials to local charities.
The need appears to be growing ahead of actual cases, as schools are shuttered and layoffs begin. Georgia’s New Birth Missionary Baptist Church’s new food pantry has already fed more than 1,400 people this week. Philadelphia’s New Kingdom Baptist Church has opened its basement to provide free hot meals for children and families over the next two weeks. New York City’s Trinity Community Connection church is raising funds to keep its Harlem shelter for homeless LGBTQ youth open 24/7 during the outbreak.
Milwaukee’s Life Church is distributing meals to the local public school system and offering delivery to members in need. Florida’s Lake Gibson Church of the Nazarene is holding a “PB & Jesus” food drive event all week to collect food donations and prepare hundreds of meals for children at a local elementary school.
Other groups are focusing on providing for those isolated at home. At Colorado’s Cherry Hills Church, Texas’ Milestone Church and Ohio’s Centerburg Church of Christ, staffers are reaching out to congregants who are unable to get out for groceries and other supplies.
At Congregation Beth Jacob in Redwood City, California, clergy and volunteers set up a canned food drive and their own food delivery service and created a spreadsheet of grocery delivery services that are still in operation in their area. They’ve also created a community phone chain to have members touch base with each of their contacts.
“We want to show our concern and make sure people don’t feel isolated, even if they’re in isolation,” said Kendra Livingston, a member who helped organize the synagogue’s program after reading a viral Twitter thread about an elderly couple who were afraid to risk going into a store. “We’ve never mobilized like this in the past, to my knowledge. We’ve gotten a bunch of community members who are saying, ‘Hey, I’m young and healthy, I don’t have kids, how do I help?’”
Other synagogues have begun expanding existing support systems for congregants with new children or who are sitting shiva, now delivering groceries and setting up phone check-ins with elderly members and those in self-isolation.
In Britain, United Synagogue set up a daily phone help line to assist community members, and the Board of Deputies of British Jews sent out “I can help” cards for community members to post through mailboxes to those who are self-isolating.
“We need to dig deep to find the faith, strength and resources to get through,” Board of Deputies President Marie van der Zyl said. “ … We need to find coping mechanisms to deal with the new scale of challenge. The Jewish community has always been resourceful and giving to those both inside and outside our community and will continue to do so. We need to stick together even though we may be physically apart.”
Article Courtesy: Religionnews.com

DEARBORN HEIGHTS — The Wayne County Treasurer’s Office hosted the third annual Veteran’s Resource Fair on Thursday, November 21 at Bellagio Banquet and Conference Center, providing veterans, spouses and family members help and information on healthcare, employment, housing, utility assistance and much more.

Well over 400 veterans, spouses and family members attended the event, which was sponsored by PNC Bank, First Independence Bank and ICNA Relief. Guests spent their time being educated by the many local leaders and workers in attendance, and veterans were honored for their service.
Veterans were represented throughout the program, including members of the local band Sing Out, which was the special musical guest for the event and performed several songs. Other elected officials, including Kwesi Betserai from the Wayne County Department of Health, Human and Veterans Services, Dearborn Heights City Councilman Bill Bazzi and Chief Judge Gene Hunt of Dearborn’s 19th District Court, were among those who attended the fair and were acknowledged.
Fifty of those in attendance were vendor tables from the resource providers. Honorary co-chairs for the event included U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Dearborn) and U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit).
In addition, U.S. Rep. Brenda Lawrence (D-Southfield) set up an information table, while opening remarks and the program were led by Wayne County Treasurer Eric Sabree and Marine Corps Sgt. Major Ronald L. Green served as keynote speaker.
Article Courtesy: Arab American News

(Detroit, Mich., August 15, 2019) – ICNA Council for Social Justice (ICNA CSJ) today organized a demonstration themed “Decolonize. Resist. Dignify. Stand with Kashmir.” in Detroit, Michigan.

The rally in front of the Patrick V. McNamara Federal Building was attended by over 300 people who spoke on standing up against fascism the settler colonialism, occupation and human rights violations in Kashmir.

The local ICNA CSJ team also had a meeting with Senator Gary Peter’s staff at his Detroit office. The team were able to present their perspective on Kashmir. The team will also be meeting Rep. Andy Levin as he’s part of foreign affairs committee and chair of South Asian subcommittee. Furthermore a meeting with Rep. Dan Kildee and senator Debbie Stabenow is planned in the near future.

By Bisma Parvez Apr. 24, 2019 – A few months ago, Verona Collection co-founder and international photographer, Lisa Vogl went public with an incredibly painful story on her Instagram about the domestic violence she faced while in her marriage.

The post quickly became more than just a story; it turned into an opportunity to raise awareness about domestic violence in the Muslim community and a conversation of how Muslims can better deal with such difficult situations.
Domestic violence is not particular to any race, religion or culture and it is just as rampant in Western countries. According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV), 1 in 4 women has been victims of severe physical violence by an intimate partner in the U.S.
Salma Abugideiri, the founding board member of the Peaceful Family Project (PFP) and a licensed professional counselor, provided insight into domestic violence in the Muslim community. According to a 2011 PFP survey, the number of Muslims affected by domestic violence is comparable to the national U.S. average. When asked about domestic violence in the Muslim community, Abugideiri stated that Ms. Vogl’s case is not an isolated incident and that the matter of domestic abuse needs to be taken more seriously in the Muslim community. The topic tends to get swept under the rug due to the value Muslims place on privacy, especially concerning family matters and because sometimes there is an idea that a person of faith wouldn’t face such issues, but that is far from the truth.
Lisa Vogl, who shared her heartbreaking story of being slapped, hit, kicked and even strangled while pregnant during her three years of marriage, thought long and hard before deciding to speak out. “No matter how many times I speak out about it and speak out on stage, I still cry, but I want to use what I went through to help others.”
Ms. Vogl, who is a revert to Islam made it clear that “this is not a Muslim issue and statistically there’s no difference based on education, race, ethnicity, religion; it happens across the board, but my community needs to step it up with how they handle the situation.” Vogl and her ex-husband went to four different counselors and multiple imams, and unfortunately, the non-Muslim therapist took it more seriously. On the other hand, they were told by some Muslims to pray, read more Quran and be patient.
However, Ms. Vogl also stated that she wants to “paint the full and accurate picture that I had just as much, if not more help from Muslims. It was my Muslims friends who got me in the car, that paid for me to get to Orlando, that took me in.”
The Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) Relief, a nonprofit organization, took it as seriously as offering Ms. Vogl a volunteer position on their advisory board to educate Imams and leaders on how to best support domestic violence victims and survivors.
Salman Siddiqui, the Director of Community Development at ICNA Relief Central Florida, shared that they already have 18 women’s transitional houses, and two domestic violence shelter’s in the U.S. Mr. Siddiqui reached out to the community leaders in Central Florida to have a long term domestic violence shelter in the area as well. When asked if he felt the community leaders were properly helping victims, Mr. Siddiqui responded, “I think in our community imams have good intentions and try to do their best from an Islamic point of view, but they might not be educated enough to help these victims.” He believes that more education and courses on how to deal with domestic violence issues would help the community move forward.
Salma Abugideiri, in her role at PFP, has been working to educate imams to educate on how to react and provide assistance to domestic and sexual violence victims. “PFP hosts the National Imam and Chaplain training and workshops around the country to provide training to imams on how to recognize domestic violence, how to respond to it in a way that prioritizes the survivor’s safety and in a way that facilitates accountability in the abuser.” PFP also trains community leaders to learn how to work collaboratively with other advocates and professionals to develop a coordinated community response.
Sheerin Siddique, an attorney, blogger, Secretary of Women’s March Michigan and a domestic and sexual violence survivor, has been publicly sharing her story for years. She shared her experience of a 10-year marriage, filled with emotional, spiritual and physical abuse. For Ms. Siddique divorce was never an option for her, even though the abuse started right from the beginning. “He hit me, bit me, even pushed me down the stairs. He was so possessive and very critical in all aspects, from my height to my looks to my personality. He would ask me if I was really a Muslim and if I prayed.”
Ms. Siddique also spoke to imams and was even kicked out of her home by her ex-husband, while an imam was present. However, she was told by him to “give it some more time and keep trying.” She shared what finally pushed her to leave the marriage. “The night that I left, my three daughters were sleeping in their room, and he came upstairs screaming and shouting, and he literally started choking me. At that point, I knew he was going to kill me, and all I kept thinking was what is going to happen to my girls if I die.”
In both Ms. Vogl and Ms. Siddique’s case, strangulation and the fear of literally being killed was the final push that led these women to leave their homes. Ms. Vogl says “abuse does so much to you that you end up thinking that you need the abuser. I was so broken down inside that I felt like I couldn’t live without him, not the other way around.”
Muslims tend to encourage patience and prayer, even when the situation gets dire because encouraging a woman to leave her husband or seek a divorce is considered so taboo. But Salma Abugideiri says that she talks about safety. “Safety might be that you stay home and he leaves. Safety might be that you separate for a while. Safety might be that somebody comes to live with you. Safety can take lots of different forms. But if in exploring safety, leaving is the best option then it’s really important that as Muslims we understand that divorce is not a sin and in the Quran, God said to stay together in kindness or separate with kindness.”
After hearing multiple stories of domestic violence from Muslim women, as a Muslim, I hope that the Muslim community will step up and start dealing with this issue as a serious problem with a focus on the safety of the victims first.
If you or anyone you know has been affected by domestic violence, please reach out to The National Domestic Violence Hotline. To bring imam and chaplain training to your area, contact the Peaceful Families Project.
Article Courtesy: The Tempest