US Muslims Serve Hundreds of Christmas Meals

Rasa – As Christians celebrated Christmas, hundreds of Muslim volunteers spent a day of services to help the needy people across America.

News ID: 1909

Date: 28 December 2014 - 14:34

RNA - “We wanted to give everyone a break on Christmas,” OnIslam quoted Uzma Popal, member of the Muslim Soup Kitchen Project as saying on Thursday, December 25.

“Everyone here does such a wonderful job serving throughout the day a lot of people and we want to make a difference we want to help the people that are helping everyone.”

Wishing Troy [New York] Christians a pleasant night, the Muslim Soup Kitchen Project served some 150 Christmas dinners at the Unity House’s Front Door.

For the Muslim organizers, offering dinner on the day aimed at helping Christians to enjoy the holiday.

Similar dinners are organized by the group every Saturday at different facilities across the Tri-City area [Albany, Schenectady, and Troy, NY].

Christmas is the main festival on the Christian calendar. Its celebrations reach its peak at 12:00 PM on December 24 of every year.

Muslims believe in Jesus as one of the great Prophets of God and that he is the son of Mary but not the Son of God. He was conceived and born miraculously.

In the Noble Quran, Jesus is called “Isa.” He is also known as al-Masih (the Christ) and ibn Maryam (Son of Mary).

Denver too

Besides from New York, hundreds of Muslim and Jewish volunteers joined hands to help homeless in Colorado’s Denver on Christmas day.

“It’s in all of our religions to do good deeds, to do charity… and to show my son this is how we do it,” Andrea Mikulin-Topus, a Muslim, said.

About 650 volunteers served meals and gave gifts to 650 needy people on that day at Civic Center Park and the Denver Rescue Mission along with other 15 places.

“When we can come in and we have the time off and we don’t necessarily have any type of religious commitment with family or anything like that, I think it takes the burden off others,” volunteer Leslie Dias, who is Jewish, told CBS Denver.

Along with meals, socks, undergarments and children toys were handed out to the homeless.

“It doesn’t matter the religious background of who is serving them and who is helping them,” Dias said.

“It just matters that somebody does care and they’re not alone on Christmas.”

The United States is home to a Muslim minority of between six to eight million.

A recent survey found that American Muslims are the most moderate around the world.

It also showed that US Muslims generally express strong commitment to their faith and tend not to see an inherent conflict between being devout and living in a modern society.

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