Islam encompasses the concepts of community service in its morals. Showing kindness to people and charity to the poor are the most emphasized moral virtues in the Qur’an.

To help Columbus youth, the largest Muslim social services organization in Ohio opened its first Youth Empowerment Center in Ohio.

MY Project USA will help neighborhoods get easy access to food as well as helping immigrants and refugees to find a safe space.

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“MY Project USA and this center is a gift to the Muslim community to the City of Columbus and our neighbors,” Zerqa Abid, the founder of My Project USA, told NBC 4.

“This is an emblem of our Muslim faith engrained in community service, our love for our neighbors, and our shared humanity.”

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Breaking Barriers

Targeting immigrants as well, Abid hopes the new center will help break language and cultural barriers.

“There’s a large number of Somali, Muslim, refugees and other Somali refugees that live in this neighborhood,” she said.

“They can see us, they can relate to us, and they can trust us.”

“So we work on food, then we work on home, then we work on safety and security, and then clothes and whatever else they need,” she said.

Islam advocates feeding the hungry, regardless of race, religion or background. It is such an important part of the religion that Prophet Muhammad said a person is not really a Muslim if he goes to bed satiated while his neighbor goes hungry. 

In another hadith, Prophet Muhammad said, “Feed the hungry, visit the sick, and set free the captives.” Al-Bukhari

Hoping to get the reward from Allah, there are many Islamic charities that strive to alleviate hunger and suffering around the world.