Local Muslims collect funds for quake relief
11th Oct 2005, 06:43 GMT
Like they did for the victims of Hurricane Katrina and the tsunami, local Muslims - including Pakistanis - have begun collecting relief funds at the Melbourne mosque as the death toll continues to mount from last week's deadly quake that leveled villages in Pakistan and struck portions of India. "They are in our prayers," said Dr. Syed Murshid, a 41-year-old native of Pakistan and an optical electronics professor at Florida Tech in Melbourne. "We are gathering some local funds at the local mosque. Last week during the Friday service we collected about between $1,000 to $1,500." Murshid, whose family was from Karachi in southern Pakistan, was home watching television last week when he heard the news about the 7.6 magnitude earthquake. Since then he has been talking with his sister by phone. He has also heard that whole villages - some mostly mud homes - have collapsed. "The aftershocks are still coming from what I'm hearing. It's a very tough situation but we all get to pray for the people that Allah gives patience to the survivors and cures to the injured," Murshid said. Murshid, recently named one of the state's five most influential scientists by Florida Trend magazine, moved to Melbourne in 1994. He said there are about 25 Pakistani families living in the Sebastian, Palm Bay and Melbourne areas. The Islamic Society of Brevard Mosque, made up of members from across the Middle East and Asia, is located in south Melbourne and has been holding nightly gatherings as part of its holy month of Ramadan celebrations. Ramadan is a month-long time of special fasting, prayer and charitable giving for Muslims worldwide. "This is Ramadan and we are getting some very good collections. The spirits were very high for celebrating when this happened. It's very tragic," said Dr. Muzzafar Shaikh, a native of India and a spokesman for the mosque. He said the mosque's leadership will decide later which charity will receives funds from the mosque. The mosque draws about 400 people during its weekly Friday services.
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