Muslim Community Representatives in France Tell: Increase in Ramadan Charity Reflects Islamic Values
Paris, March 14 Many leaders from the Islamic community along with organizations and charities in France said that during Ramadan there is been a big increase in charity work which shows the caring values of Islam.
In talks with Qatar News Agency, they said Ramadan is a special time for Muslims to come together help each other out and give to those in need. They talked about how young Muslims in France are getting involved in mosques prayers and helping others.
Aboubakr El Bakri, who is part of the French Council for the Muslim Faith talked about the many mosques in the Alpes Maritimes region and how they see lots of people during Ramadan. He said there are about 40 mosques in the area and they get around 3000 people for prayers.
He also talked about how Nice has a big Muslim community of about 30000 people and how the mosques there help out with food during Ramadan. The mosques in Nice give out about 300 meals each every day during Ramadan, spending around 20,000 Euros a day which adds up to over half a million Euros for the whole month.
El Bakri said that during the last ten days of Ramadan and Eid Al Fitr people give even more especially to help out orphans and people who need it.
Meanwhile Abdel Salam Hamdoush, who works with the Muslim community in Evry Courcouronnes talked about how they give out meals to families who need them. He said the mosque and other groups in the city give out over 300 meals every day during Ramadan.
He also said that during Ramadan they see a lot more people volunteering and giving money to help others especially during the last ten days and Eid Al Fitr.
He explained to QNA that mosques and Islamic groups play a big role during Ramadan, especially for young Muslims who want to learn more about their faith and help others.
Rashid Al Hallou, who's part of the International French Islamic Aid Organization, talked about how they help people all over the world, especially during Ramadan. He said they're helping even more this year because there are so many problems going on, with over 200,000 people getting help during Ramadan compared to 192,000 last year.
He said they are spending over 50 million Euros this year to help people with most of the money going to Palestine because of the war there.
Mohamed Heniche who is part of the Union of Mosques and Islamic Associations in Saint-Denis, Paris, said Ramadan is a time to help out people in need especially in poor areas like Saint-Denis.
He said they give out about 20,000 meals every day during Ramadan and give food baskets to 50 families every day. They also give out meals to homeless people and immigrants in different parts of the city.
He said Ramadan is also a time to collect money for mosques and to get to know the Muslim community better.
Heniche told QNA that this year, they're focusing on helping people in Palestine especially in Gaza, by collecting money and doing special events. He said mosques in France, especially in Saint-Denis have special days to collect money for Palestine during Ramadan.
