Chicago Public Radio WBEZ: NPR Transcript I: Pakistan Earthquake
chicagopublicradio.org Chicago's Islamic community is trying to rally support and donations for the earthquake victims of Pakistan and Kashmir.
Last night, hundreds of Muslims at a regular Ramadan prayer service in Des Plaines pledged nearly 50-thousand dollars towards relief.
Ahmed Rehab is with the Chicago chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
"Two things make this very important to us, number one is that we're in the month of Ramadan which is a charitable month in which Muslims donate generously, the second thing is that a lot of the Chicago Muslims happen to be of South Asian background, Pakistani and Indian, so this tragedy in Southeast Asia is a lot closer to home than one might think."
Rehab says the group is also asking people to contact their local representatives in Washington, D.C.
He says the U-S needs to send helicopters and search and rescue teams to the area affected by the earthquake.
Rehab says local Islamic groups have designated this Friday to be a day of prayer and donations at area mosques.
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