Following the recent attacks on several black churches in South America, a Muslim, Faatimah Knight along with some other friends have raised money to help rebuild the churches, CNN reports.
Knight said that after she saw the story about the Charleston shooting and the burnt churches, she decided to talk to friends and other Muslims about donations. CNN reported that Knight has raised about $48,000 to help the churches. She expressed her joy saying:
“We have been overwhelmed by how generous people have been. We will stop it today…We will figure out how to distribute the money.”
In the spirit of Ramadan, A number of Muslim organisations have responded to her call, including the Muslim Anti-Racism Collaborative, the Arab American Association of New York and Ummah Wide, The Independent also reported. She also said people of other faiths had donated as well.
Knight further explained that Islam teaches them the need to protect the weak and vulnerable. Stating that the black Christian communities of the South might not be weak, but they were vulnerable.
“I’m a black person and I do identify with the wider black community at that level,” she said. Historically, the black community has been vulnerable.”
Ms Knight is a Masters student at the Chicago Theological Seminary.