Hawzah News Agency - The campaign, which was kicked off on LaunchGood, debuted Saturday. In less than 24 hours, the site has received more than $50,000 in donations to be given to shooting victims, their families, and their loved ones.
The page’s initial goal was to reach $25,000, but that amount of money was amassed in just six hours. The groups forged on, in an effort to see how much people would donate.
The page reads, “The Muslim-American community extends its hands to help the shooting victims, whether it is the injured victims, or the Jewish families who have lost loved ones. We wish to respond to evil with good, as our faith instructs us, and send a powerful message of compassion through action.”
“Through this campaign,” the page adds, “we hope to send a united message from the Jewish and Muslim communities that there is no place for this type of hate and violence in America. We pray that this restores a sense of security and peace to the Jewish-American community who has undoubtedly been shaken by this event.”
The two non-profit organizations behind the fundraiser are MPower Change and Celebrate Mercy. The groups have partnered with the Islamic Center of Pittsburgh in order to disburse the funds once the fundraiser ends.
What’s the background?
At least 11 lives were lost during the Saturday mass killing at The Tree of Life Synagogue in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh. Several more people — including four area police officers — were injured in the attack.
The suspected mass killer has been charged with 29 federal charges, including 11 counts of use of a firearm to commit murder during a crime of violence.
The Department of Justice charged the suspect with 11 counts of criminal homicide, and 13 counts of ethnic intimidation. Other charges include 11 counts of obstruction of exercise of religious beliefs resulting in death, four counts of obstruction of exercise of religious beliefs resulting in bodily injury to a public safety officer, and three counts of use and discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence.
The mass killing is being investigated as a federal hate crime. If convicted, the suspect could face the death penalty.
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