The “Respond With Love” campaign has raised over $32,000 for the Black churches burned down since the Charleston shooting. The campaign was initiated by Faatimah Knight after the shooting of nine people at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in mid-June.
Initially, Knight reached out to a few friends to raise money to send flowers. Knight wanted to gather $500 but ended up surpassing her goal, raising $900.

Wishing to raise more money for these communities, Knight collaborated with three Muslim organizations: Ummah Wide, Muslim Anti-Racism Collaborative and Arab-American Association of New York. On the campaign's launchgood.com website, Knight highlights the relationship between the holy month of Ramadan and “the beauty and sanctity of mosques during this holy month.” She also emphasizes the fact that “all houses of worship are sanctuaries.”

Linda Sarsour, executive director of AAANY, expressed solidarity with the Black community as well as the value of honoring Ramadan through giving.

“It doesn’t matter to us how or why these churches burned down, we want to help our Black sisters and brothers get back into their houses of worship as soon as they can,” she wrote in an email to the Huffington Post. “Ramadan is a time of giving and what better cause to give to than one that rebuilds houses of worship where God’s name is constantly called, remembered and loved.”

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(Photos from Top: E+ / Getty Images, Launchgood.com)