While the Muslim American Society members were in the mosque in Port-Au-Prince the second earthquake began to shake the ground. “The ground started shaking and everyone jumped up and during that whole time the whole masjid started screaming Allahu Akbar and La ilaha illallah. It was such a moving moment that everyone there felt no fear and Allah was on the tip of everyone’s tongues”, said Shafi.

It is estimated there are over 150,000 deaths due to the earthquake, and going through an experience where death and destruction are witnessed on such a scale has profound impacts on an individual. “It brought us closer to Allah, but more than anything it really makes you grateful for what you have” said Shafi, as he relayed his personal feelings after witnessing the devastation first hand. “After waking up to pray Fajr, we would drive down the road and see people sitting on the sidewalks on the streets displaced with nowhere to go, and that impacted me a lot”, said Khalid Kamalmaz who lives in Northern Virginia.

Having initially set out to facilitate aid and document what was going on in Haiti, the real life tragedies and eye witness descriptions were still vivid as Shafi Khan relayed one of the most distressing experiences he witnessed from Haiti:

“One of the things you find out very fast is the smell of death. It is a very powerful stench that stays in the area, it hovers and it’s not something that goes away. Even when you drive by in a car, you’ll feel it... I jumped the fence in the building next to the masjid, and I walked to a section were there was rubble and a lot of flies and I saw a human hand sticking out with a gold watch, then I looked over and saw a face. I realized this person had probably been alive for a couple of days and was trying to get out, and maybe no one heard their cries, and they died right there”.

The Muslim support for the Haitians is extensive with various Muslim organizations from the United States, and United Kingdom on the ground trying to help stabilize the devastation done throughout many communities in Haiti. There is a silence in the majority of media outlets regarding the tireless efforts displayed by these Muslim organizations to bring food, water, aid and other necessities to the people in need in Haiti. “The American public needs to know what the Muslim community is doing. Of course you do everything for the sake of Allah, but we have to have this on the news. Our future objective with this project is to give awareness to what the Muslims in Haiti are doing, because the American public needs to know about our good work” said Shafi.

The long term development in Haiti is the main concern of the Muslim organizations that are currently facilitating aid in Haiti. “This is a chance to do dawah, and to reach out to everyone and show that Muslims are generous” said Shafi, who believes this outreach is of utmost importance.

Shafi, along with filmmaker Khalid Kamalmaz captured their experiences in Haiti, and plan on releasing a documentary showing the devastation, the Muslim community, and the good work the Muslims are doing in a country trying to recover from a disaster.

To find more information on what you can do to help the Muslim effort in Haiti visit www.usmuslimsforhaiti.com and view the documentary filmed by Khalid Kamalmaz and Shafi Khan, “Convoy: Muslim Relief in Haiti”.

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Comments (3)

• Y-m-d H:i:s | Arif  - Masha'Allah!

  Masha'Allah, it's amazing to see these local Muslims stepping up and making a difference in the world!

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• Y-m-d H:i:s | nilofer  - no need for the American public to know

  No religious group has been highlighted in the American media regarding the aid being given to the people in Haiti. There is no reason to do so.

  Everyone (regardless of religion)who is helping knows it's for the sake of Allah (swt), that He knows, and to show gratefuless to Him for what He has allowed us to do.

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• Y-m-d H:i:s | Halimah Abdul-Mateen  - Al-Humdulillah!!

  Al-Humdulillah!! Yes I believe that the public needs to know. 1. It will serve as dawah 2. It allows others in the muslim communitiies know that they too can make a difference. May Allah bless this group for their sacrifices.

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