Florida Catholic | Muslim Leaders Present Check To Catholic Charities

Muslim leaders present check to Catholic Charities

Donations collected by Catholic Charities and south Florida Islamic centers will aid victims of cyclone in Myanmar.

YÉDICA LEAL-GONZÁLEZ | SPECIAL TO THE FLORIDA CATHOLIC

Published: 06.18.08

This is a testimony of our humanitarian commitment.”
— Altaf Ali, executive director of the South Florida Council for American-Islamic Relations

MIAMI | Noting that it’s important for religious leaders to take the initiative when people need help, a representative of south Florida Muslims presented thousands of dollars in checks to Catholic Charities as part of a joint effort between the two religious groups to aid Myanmar cyclone victims.

“This is a testimony of our humanitarian commitment,” said Altaf Ali, executive director of the South Florida Council for American-Islamic Relations, who presented the checks on behalf of various south Florida Islamic centers during a press conference June 11 at the Archdiocese of Miami’s Pastoral Center.

Representatives of the archdiocese and the Islamic centers met at a local mosque May 14 to plea for monetary donations for the victims of Cyclone Nargis, which ravaged the southeastern Asian country in May. Both religious institutions have received combined donations totaling more than $21,000. The money presented to Catholic Charities for the amount of $6,700 represents donations made by eight south Florida Islamic centers. Five other centers are still holding collections. Catholic Charities has received about $15,000 in donations from other sources.

HOW TO HELP

Catholic Charities is still accepting monetary donations for the Myanmar victims. Checks made payable to Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami can be sent to:

Archdiocese of Miami
Catholic Charities Office of Social Advocacy
Myanmar Aid
9401 Biscayne Blvd.
Miami, FL 33138

Catholic Relief Services and Caritas International will receive and distribute the funds.

“Our organizations have set up centers in religious and public locations (in Myanmar) so the aid can be distributed around the country,” said Deacon Richard Turcotte, director of Catholic Charities for the archdiocese, who explained that 75 percent of the funds will be sent to Myanmar in the next few weeks and the rest will be designated for long-term help.

“Right now they are lacking everything, but in the future they are going to need help with housing and long-term illnesses caused by this disaster,” he said.

This is not the first time that Catholic and Muslim leaders have met. For the past two years both religious groups, along with representatives from the Jewish community, have been holding meetings to discuss ways in which they can join efforts to “serve humanity”.

The first time Archbishop John C. Favalora met with south Florida Muslim leaders was at a Broward County Islamic center, where Muslim leaders gathered just after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, to talk about themselves and their religion.

“I called them because I wanted to be present at the meeting and ended up being part of the panel,” said the archbishop during the press conference. “We have come together many times since. I’m very happy that the Muslim community has contacted Catholic Charities for this combined effort. May this be the first of many future collaborations.”

“We must take advantage of this momentum and the success of this collaboration so we can obtain a bigger response from the community,” said Ali.

Leal-Gonález writes for La Voz Católica, the Spanish-language newspaper of the archdiocese.

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Muslim leaders present check to Catholic Charities

HOW TO HELP

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