(Forward) Within hours of the October 27 mass shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, Muslim-American activists sprang into action.
Tarek El-Messidi, founding director of the faith-based nonprofit CelebrateMercy, launched a “Muslims Unite for Pittsburgh Synagogue” campaign on LaunchGood, a Muslim fundraising website, with the goal of providing for the short-term needs of victims’ families including burial expenses and medical needs.
MPower Change, a grassroots social justice group run by controversial activist Linda Sarsour, joined CelebrateMercy in sponsoring and promoting the giving campaign. What began as a modest goal of $25,000 has reportedly surpassed $200,000.
According to an update posted on LaunchGood, “any leftover proceeds, after disbursing funds to victims’ families, will be spent on projects that help foster Muslim-Jewish collaboration, dialogue, and solidarity.”
