American Jews and Muslims have a great connection in the US. When tragedy strikes, one comes to others aid. A few weeks ago, after a Texas Muslims mosque was destroyed by arson, the Jewish community opened their Temple doors and now, after vandals destroyed tombstones in Missouri the local Muslim community is helping raise money for repairs – PB/TK
‘Every person deserves to rest in peace:’ American Muslims raising money to repair vandalized Jewish cemetery – Colby Itkowitz The Washington Post
After the desecration of a Jewish cemetery in St. Louis over the long holiday weekend, an incident in which more than 150 headstones were toppled or damaged, two American Muslim activists started a fundraiser to help pay for needed repairs.
“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,” the fundraising page on the site LaunchingGood reads. “We pray that this restores a sense of security and peace to the Jewish-American community who has undoubtedly been shaken by this event.”
Within a few hours of going up Tuesday afternoon, the page had exceeded its goal of raising $20,000.
Tarek El-Messidi, who created the campaign with fellow activist, Lindo Sarsour, said when he saw the news about the vandalism at Chesed Shel Emeth Society cemetery in the St. Louis suburb of University City, he was reminded of a story about the prophet Muhammad, who stood when a Jewish funeral procession passed. When asked why, he said, “Is it not a human soul?”
“That story goes to show more than anything the humanity of the prophet … we should bring the story to life here and show every person deserves to rest in peace,” El-Messidi said. “This is a great way to show respect and honor for our Jewish cousins.”
Through his nonprofit, Celebrate Mercy, El-Messidi’s mission is to not only teach people about the prophet’s teachings, but also to rally Muslims to respond to evil with good. A national Muslim leader in Knoxville, Tenn., he helped launch a Muslim-led fundraiser for the victims of the San Bernardino terrorist attack in 2015 that ultimately raised $215,000. In 2012, after the attacks on U.S. diplomatic facilities in Benghazi that killed Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans, El-Messidi called on Muslims to write condolence letters to the Stevens’s family and presented 8,000 of them to Steven’s sister that Thanksgiving.
Continue to msn.com article: http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/%E2%80%98every-person-deserves-to-rest-in-peace%E2%80%99-american-muslims-raising-money-to-repair-vandalized-jewish-cemetery/ar-AAnbKT5?li=BBnbcA1
