A group made up of different Muslim organisations has lit up a spark of hope for Christian communities who were affected by the recent spate of fires that razed predominantly African-American churches in the US.
The Arab American Association of New York (AAANY), Muslim Anti-Racism Collaborative, and digital startup Umah Wide joined forces to raise funds that will be used to rebuild at least eight churches in four states mostly in the South.
"All houses of worship are sanctuaries, a place where all should feel safe, a place we can seek refuge when the world is too much to bear," the campaign organisers said on their fund-raising page, according to the Arab American News.
"We are calling on you to help add our support to faith communities across the country pooling their resources to rebuild these churches," the coalition added on the campaign's LaunchGood page.
The series of fire incidents in worship centres in Florida, Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina began 10 days after white conservative Dylann Roof gunned down nine parishioners in a black church in Charleston, South Carolina, on June 17.
Imam Zaid Shakir, one of the "Respond With Love" campaign organisers, expressed empathy for the members of the black community who are being subjected to intimidation like American Muslims.
"The American Muslim community cannot claim to have experienced anything close to the systematic and institutionalised racism and racist violence that has been visited upon African-Americans," Zaid said, according to Al Jazeera America.
"We do, however, understand the climate of racially inspired hate and bigotry that is being reignited in this country. We want to let our African-American brothers and sisters know that we stand in solidarity with them during this dark hour," the Islamic scholar added.
Authorities have yet to officially classify whether the suspected arson attacks of God's Power Church of Christ in Macon, Georgia, as well as College Hill Seventh Day Adventist in Knoxville, Tennessee, are hate crimes or not.
But while the American Muslim coalition does not think that the recent blazes are related, AAANY Executive Director Linda Sarsour said their coalition wants those who want to get back into their houses of worship as soon as they can.
"Ramadan is a time of giving and what better cause to give to than one that rebuilds houses of worship where God's name is constantly called, remembered and loved," Sarsour said.
"We want for others what we want for ourselves: the right to worship without intimidation, the right to safety, and the right to property," the group noted.
The "Respond with Love: Rebuild Black Churches, Support Victims of Arson across the South" project collected $25,000 from more than 500 individual supporters in just five days.
Sarsour explained the fund-raiser will remain open until July 18, or around the time that Muslim community's month of fasting is set to end, before handing over the donations to pastors of burned churches that don't have adequate insurance.
