A gesture of love, support, and recognition

We ask you to contribute towards sending a train of flowers to the Emanuel AME Church of Charleston in their time of grief. We are hoping to flood their church with love through this small but intentional act. We want to show them that their pain is not missed by us. 

On June 17th, 2015 Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, SC was attacked while parishioners were partaking in Bible Study. The gunman walked into the church, sat with the congregants while they read and prayed and then he opened fire, killing 9 people including the pastor, Reverend Clemente Pinckney. 

As Muslims we are sensitive to the pain of all people, we love our brothers and sisters in humanity as we love ourselves. We want for them the same kind of respect and basic security we want for ourselves. We often feel deeply for others, but as our Beloved Prophet instructed us, when we love someone we should tell them. This, insha'Allah, is an opportunity to express what is in our hearts. 

"...you will find the nearest of them in affection to the believers are those who say, "We are Christians." That is because among them are priests and monks, and they are not arrogant." -Qur'an 5:82

Emanual AME Church has stood for 200 years. It began before Emancipation, before it was even legal for Black people to congregate and worship together. It was a refuge for the weary, a resting place for those seeking freedom through the Underground Railroad, a meeting place for civil rights activists and it is still a place of fellowship, service and faith to this day. This church has stayed relevant through every era of the country's tumultuous history and momentous present. 

"If God had not driven some people back by means of others, monasteries, churches, synagogues and mosques, where God's name is mentioned much, would have been pulled down and destroyed. God will certainly help those who help Him - God is All-Strong, Almighty" -Qur'an 22:40

The Muslim community and the black community are not different communities. We are profoundly integrated in many ways, in our overlapping identities and in our relationship to this great and complicated country.

Too often cowards inflict us with a crippling fear, but with encouragement and support from likely and unlikely places fear can't stop us. 

Churches like Emanuel AME Church and people like Rev. Pinckney are exactly what makes America great. We need them as reminders that progress can happen against the odds. We want these people to heal. We recognize that our success is communal and conjoined, not individual and isolated. 

Closing Remarks 

The Project

The Knight family will handle all of the logistics in terms of ordering the flower arrangements, sending cards and note of condolences. We are more than willing to collect messages from community members to send or to include your name on the condolence letters we send. If you would like your name or family or community name to be included please make sure to choose to not donate anonymously. We also commit to the first $100 donation.

If you would like further details on Emanuel AME Church, we have provided some below:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/06/18/for-charlestons-emanuel-a-m-e-church-one-of-the-oldest-in-america-shooting-is-another-painful-chapter-in-long-history/

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/27/us/thousands-gather-for-funeral-of-clementa-pinckney-in-charleston.html?_r=0

How You Can Help 

Help by donating here so that we can send a grand gesture to the folks at Emanuel AME Church. Your name will be sent on a card along with the flowers, sending them condolences and letting them know we care. 

Pray. Pray for this church which is a symbol of perseverance and the steep road to freedom and justice in this country. Pray for the soul of our nation, that we may heal and truly be united. 

Send your own letters of condolences to the church. Let them know that their lives matter to you and that you are not unmoved by this horrible attack on their identity and their faith. Find other ways to show your concern and let us know how we might expand this effort. 

With gratitude, 

The Knight Family