Kate Dudding: Voices From the Past: November, 2017
This is the thirty-second issue of Voices From the Past. My goal for each issue is to publish some highlights of one of my historical stories as well as an update on my activities. Please feel free to forward this e-newsletter to anyone you think might be interested.
Faatimah and the Muslim Golden Rule
Did you know that many religions have a Golden Rule?
The Muslim Golden Rule is: None of you truly believes until you wish for your brother what you wish for yourself.
Here’s a story of a woman who followed this Golden Rule.
In July 2015, 9 people were shot and killed in the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. Subsequently several Black Christian churches were burned to the ground. When a church is destroyed, that community no longer has a place to gather, just at a time when they most need to be together. And it takes such a long time to raise the money to rebuild a church.
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In response to these church burnings, a 23 year old Muslim theology student from Brooklyn, Faatimah Knight, started an online fundraiser called Rebuild With Love. She wanted to raise $10,000 to help rebuild these Christian churches. Faatimah wrote on the fundraising page: “All houses of worship are sacred. They must be rebuilt and you can help.”
However, when her goal was met and surpassed within the first 12 hours, Faatimah was astounded. She thought, “If $10,000 was raised in 12 hours, what’s a better goal to set for this entire month? How high do I dare go?” This was the type of online fundraiser where you had to reach your goal to receive any contributions. Faatimah decided to increase the target to $50,000.
When that was met in less than two weeks, Faatimah again agonized over a higher goal, and then increased the goal to $100,000. The campaign ran through the month of Ramadan, a traditional time for Muslims to give to charities. Charity is one of the five pillars of Islam. In the end, over $100,000 was raised by 2,000 donors.
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Faatimah later said, “I created the fundraiser
to give hope in a time of fear, and
to show up for those who have suffered injustice.”
I kept on remembering what Faatimah had said: “to give hope in a time of fear, and to show up for those who have suffered injustice.” Aren’t those admirable goals?
Of course, if you have donated your time or money or clothing in response to some disaster, you too have given hope in a time of fear, and shown up for those who have suffered injustice.
Those phrases kept on repeating in my head, as well as what Faatimah had written on the fundraising page: “All houses of worship are sacred. They must be rebuilt and you can help.”
I finally realized that those phrases were a different way of expressing the Muslim Golden Rule:
None of you truly believes until you wish for your brother what you wish for yourself.
However Faatimah did more than wish – she acted.
News about me
Here are two upcoming performances - I hope you'll be able to come with a few friends :-)
Thanks for reading this issue. I’ll be sending you some more story highlights in a few months.
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Copyright 2017 by Kathryn Eike Dudding. All Rights Reserved.