Source/Credit: Examiner.com

By Shahina Bashir

A decade after 9/11, Americans still harbor negative feelings about Islam and Muslims. Some fear that Shariah is going to be the new rule of law, while others don’t want a mosque to be built in their neighborhood. Many still think that Islam is a religion of violence and fear and suspicion of Muslims is becoming a norm.

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, the oldest Islamic organization in the US, believes that a mutual understanding can be built by reaching out and giving back to the community. Three campaigns have been launched by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community under the titles of “Muslims for Peace”, “Muslims for Loyalty”, and most recently, “Muslims for Life”. The “Muslims for Life” campaign was launched in order to commemorate the tenth anniversary of 9/11 by holding blood drives across the country with a goal to collect 10,000 units of blood. The campaign was highly successful and the community was able to collect more than 11,000 units of blood.

On Saturday, April 21, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Potomac Chapter held a community outreach event which was titled, “Spring Fair”. It was held at the Germantown Community Center, Germantown. The main attraction of this event was a blood drive in collaboration with the American Red Cross. There was also a Qur’an exhibit which included a display of copies of the Scripture in several languages. The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community has translated the Qur’an in seventy different languages.

Continue reading on Examiner.com Area Muslims give back to the community through blood drive – Washington DC Islam | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/article/area-muslims-give-back-to-the-community-through-blood-drive#ixzz1t4F7A4Tt