Windsor Muslims Urge Donations for Xmas Food Drive

A Windsor mosque and a Muslim food bank are urging the Muslim community to donate and help the needy during the Christmas time, CBC reported.

FEED THE POOR

Feeding the poor and needy is an act that draws us closer to Allah. We earn His forgiveness, mercies and blessings through this act of charity.

“Anyone who looks after and works for a widow and a poor person is like a warrior fighting for Allah?s cause, or like a person who fasts during the day and prays all night. (Bukhari)

“If we don’t help them out, who’s going to help
out?” said Sinan Yasarlar, the public relations director at the Windsor
Mosque.

Yasarlar was referring to a partnership between the Windsor Islamic Social Welfare and Assistance (ISWA) and the mosque, as they kicked off their annual Christmas food drive — one of four they take part in throughout the year.

According to Dawud Aderinto, director of ISWA program which runs the food bank, they feed 450 families every month and donate to others throughout the year.

“On a monthly basis, we spend $6,000 to $10,000 [on food],” said Aderinto.

Personal Experience

Yasarlar believes the experience he went through with his family during the 1980s was the main drive for him to get involved in helping the needy.

He was only 6 when his father was laid off.

“It’s little things like, ‘We can’t get that. We can’t
go there’. We didn’t have a car, so we took the bus. We couldn’t afford a
car,” said Yasarlar

“We had very simple furniture. We had maybe one rug. We didn’t live extravagantly,” Yasarlar said. “When my dad got me shoes, it meant a lot, so that means I must not have had new shoes for a long time.”

Appreciation

Mustafa Akyar, one of those who receive help from the food
bank, said he was grateful for the help the food bank provides.

“It helps a lot,” said Akyar, who was once a truck
driver, but botched surgery and Crohn’s disease left him on social assistance.

“Today there are a lot of people in need, so sure I
appreciate it a lot.”

Gimil Khassim said he and his wife get by on a small
pension.

“It helps a lot because things are very expensive these days,” he said.

Generosity and charity are generally considered a source of blessing and highly praised in Islamic Shari’ah.

Muslims are the fastest-growing religious community in
Canada, according to the country’s statistical agency, Statistics Canada.

Historically, Canada’s Muslim population increased by 82 percent over the
past decade – from about 579,000 in 2001 to more than 1 million in 2011.

Muslims represent 3.2 percent of Canada’s total population