1) Muslims Help To Rebuild African-American Churches: MuslimARC, Arab-American Association of New York, and Ummah Wide (a Muslim digital media startup) have all come together to launch an online fundraising campaign to help rebuild the African American churches which have recently burned down after the June 17 deadly shooting in a South Carolina church.
2) One Year Later, Gazans Affected By Horrors Of War: This July 8th marked the one-year anniversary of the fifty-day war between Hamas and Israel. According to U.N. figures, more than 2,200 Palestinians (including approximately 1,400 civilians) were killed, and on the Israeli side, seventy-three people (including six civilians) were killed.
3) The Sad State of The Uighurs, China’s Muslims: Foreign Policy magazine reports that the Uighurs “are experiencing intensified state assault on their religious freedom.” This year during Ramadan, official notices on government websites mandate that Uighurs who are party members, civil servants, teachers, and students forgo fasting (a requirement for observant Muslims).
4) “Ms. Izhar’s Choice…” In Myanmar: New York Times brings you a first hand account of a Rohingya woman escaping the persecution of her home country, Myanmar, by fleeing to Malaysia (a Muslim country). Due to the exorbitant cost of smugglers, Ms. Izhar had to make the difficult choice and left one of her children behind.
5) And finally, Muslims Get Their Funny On With New Comedy Fest: Running July 21-23rd in New York City, the “Muslim Funny Fest” is said to be the first comedy festival featuring Muslim-only talent. The festival’s organizers/comics, Dean Obeidallah and Maysoon Zayid, say no subject is off limits.
