NPR Transcript I: Pakistan Earthquake
Chicago Public Radio WBEZ
October 11, 2005
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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