“No one knows why tragedies happen, but we do know we must come to the aid of our brothers and sisters in humanity,”

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By KATIE SCHNEIDER, Calgary Sun
Last Updated: 15th January 2010, 11:31am

The local Muslim community is reaching out to earthquake-ravaged Haiti by asking Islamic Calgarians to donate to the relief efforts.

The Muslim Council of Calgary, which is the elected representative body of the city’s 60,000 mainstream Muslims, is encouraging donations to Haiti as a community who has been impacted by a natural disaster before in Sumatra, said spokesman David Liepert.

“It’s a responsibility to help out people in need,” he said.

“We’ll never forget how the world reached out to the Muslim people in Sumatra after the earthquake and the tsunami.”

Liepert said Muslims can join with the rest of Calgary in donating through Canadian banks or relief organizations, or through drives being organized at local Mosques during Friday worship services.

Muslim Council of Calgary chairman Nagah Hage said it’s necessary to step up and help.

“No one knows why tragedies happen, but we do know we must come to the aid of our brothers and sisters in humanity,” he said.