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Charleston In Mourning After 9 Killed In Church Massacre

Source: Joe Raedle / Getty

At least six black churches have been torched throughout the South, since the June 17 massacre of nine African Americans inside the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, S.C.

However, not everyone in this world is evil. According to Al-Jazeera, three Muslim groups including, Muslim Anti-Racism Collaborative, the Arab-American Association of New York and Ummah Wide, have created the “Respond With Love” campaign to raise money to help rebuild those churches that have been damaged or destroyed.

Authorities have not labeled these suspicious incidents as hate crimes, and investigations are pending, but come on! We know what country this is, and we know that Black churches have been targets of hate for decades. So, we can safely assume what’s really going on. Here’s a statement from Respond With Love’s campaign site:

To many it is clear that these are attacks on Black culture, Black religion and Black lives. These kinds of attacks on Black churches are a very old form of intimidation in the South, historically used to strike fear into the hearts of Black people.

Its Ramadan and we are experiencing firsthand the beauty and sanctity of our mosques during this holy month. 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. We are calling on you to help add our support to faith communities across the country pooling their resources to rebuild these churches. There has not been anywhere near the amount of resources needed to rebuild these churches. The time is now, let’s unite to help our sisters and brothers in faith.

Here’s another part of the statement:

We must always keep in mind that the Muslim community and the black community are not different communities. We are profoundly integrated in many ways, in our overlapping identities and in our relationship to this great and complicated country. We are connected to Black churches through our extended families, our friends and teachers, and our intertwined histories and convergent present. 
The statement continues with comments from Imam Zaid Shakir, and facts and timelines about the #BlackLivesMatter and #WhoIsBurningBlackChurches movements.
This is truly amazing. The campaign has raised almost $40,000 out of its $75,000 goal (at the time of writing this post). If you can help, please head to Respond With Love’s campaign page and donate what you can. Every little bit helps.
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