The International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS) has called for the provision of urgent aid to Turkey and Syria after the widescale destruction and loss of life caused by the 7.8 magnitude earthquake on Monday.
Secretary-General of the IUMS, Dr. Ali Qaradaghi, expressed “full solidarity with Turkey and Syria following the earthquake” and called on “Islamic countries, charitable and humanitarian institutions, and philanthropists to provide urgent help and send zakat, public alms, and others”, confirming that this act is a “legitimate duty towards brothers in Turkey and Syria.”
The Qatar Charity has announced the launching of a relief campaign for the earthquake victims.
The charity said it was working to provide relief to “thousands of families and those affected” by the earthquake, who are “unable to secure their basic needs in light of the adverse weather conditions that impede search and rescue operations.”
Also, a United Kingdom mosque in Blackburn is leading an appeal to raise funds for the Turkey and Syria Earthquake Appeal.
The appeal is being led by Musabhai Haldarvi, 71, who has been travelling to disaster zones to distribute aid for more than three decades.
He will head a team from the Masjid E Raza, which has teamed up with a registered organisation in Turkey and local volunteers to visit the affected areas later this month.
Meanwhile, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), US’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, has urged the American public and the Biden administration to increase support for those aiding the victims of Monday’s powerful earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.
Nihad Awad, CAIR executive director, in a statement Wednesday, also encouraged imams, or Muslim religious leaders, across the country to “devote their Friday sermons to urging the community to stand with quake victims in Turkey and Syria.”
More than 20,000 people are now known to have died after Monday’s earthquakes, according to Turkish disaster agency.
