After more than 200 blood drives in the month of September, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community hopes to have collected at least 10,000 units of blood, which could save 30,000 people.
The national campaign, Muslims for Life, was launched by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA to honor the victims of 9/11 on its 10th anniversary. The organization is actually a community of Muslims that spans the world with branches in more than 195 countries, but locally, it’s a community of Muslims who consistently bridge religions.
“We are so blessed to be living in this beautiful nation of ours and we are so grateful that we have the opportunity to work and do good deeds with our very dear friends in the Jewish and Christian communities such as Temple Sinai … and mobilize our various communities to do good deeds and spread the message of love, peace and harmony,” said Tahira Khan, president of the Women’s Auxiliary of the local Ahmadiyya chapter.
A blood drive will be held at Temple Sinai at 509 Broadway in Saratoga Springs on Thursday, Sept. 8, from 1 to 6 p.m. It’s an interfaith effort, with Temple Sinai, the Presbyterian-New England Congregational Church and the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Rotterdam hosting the commemorative drive.
“We wanted to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the tragic attacks on our nation, and as members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, wanted to pay our respect and homage to the victims and their families by giving our own blood to save lives and to show what the true teachings of Islam are,” said Khan.
The sentiments of love, sacrifice, unity and peace are important pillars of Islam, said Khan.
“We have just completed the Holy month of Ramadan, which teaches us the importance of sacrifice of oneself and our ego and emphasizes the notion of unity and love for all, hatred for none, which is also the motto of our community,” said Khan.
Khan said the Qur’an teaches that life is sacred, which mirrors a known Biblical teaching.
Events like the blood drive are just part of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community’s ongoing effort to spread awareness about Islam and help people better understand it. It’s a mission that’s become increasingly critical since the 9/11 attacks evoked ignorance and misconceptions, said Khan.
“It is our mission to portray the beautiful religion of Islam in its true light. Unfortunately, Islam has been hijacked by terrorists who wish to subvert its peaceful message for their own political agenda,” said Khan. “We are here to reclaim our religion back and educate what the true teachings of Islam really are, which is simply [that] Islam means peace.”
The events of 9/11 affected the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in a huge way, said Khan.
“It made us realize that we needed to step up and shout even louder what the true teachings of Islam are, to help both Muslims and non-Muslims alike,” said Khan. “After the tragic events of 9/11, we were in acute stages of pain as these hijackers demolished people’s live, not only within New York City and around the world, but also destroyed the true teaching of Islam where terrorism is absolutely forbidden in any form.”
The blood drive will also offer a Double Red Blood Cell Donation procedure for those who are interested. The donation is done through a specialized machine that collects two separate red blood cell units at the same time and then returns the remaining blood components back to the donor. The Double Red Blood Cell Donation procedure makes a single donation go further.
For more information about the blood drive or campaign, visit www.musl