MINNESOTA – For the third consecutive year, Minnesota Muslim residents will be doing volunteer outreach projects on Saturday, July 15, as part of their global initiative to make a difference in their community.
“Our Minnesota chapter has worked tirelessly to make it a memorable experience and to leave a lasting impact on the disabled and chronically ill population,” Nadia Abuisnaineh, a volunteer organizer for Global Impact Day, told ABC News.
“We are demonstrating that, as students of the Islamic tradition, knowledge alone isn’t enough. Only when coupled with action can religious communities make an impact on the environment around them.”
Every year, AlMaghrib Impact Muslim Group chooses a different cause to help the community.
Two years ago for its first Global Impact Day, they helped the homeless. Last year, they visited with senior citizens. This year’s beneficiary is the disabled, according to Memoona Ghani, AlMaghrib spokesperson.
Tomorrow, the group will organize a morning event in Anoka and a lunch and lecture later that day in Blaine.
On July 15 from 8-11:45 a.m., Muslim volunteers will be at Anoka’s Sunny Acres Park, 3399 Colfax Ave., to help run a Special Olympics Minnesota Bocce tournament. They will distribute awards after the games are completed.
That same day from 2-5 p.m., more volunteers will be at the Muslim American Society, 12175 Aberdeen St. NE, Blaine.
Approximately 60 guests from the Minnesota Deaf Muslim Community will be invited to learn about AlMaghrib’s efforts over the past year to teach American Sign Language to Muslims so that deaf Muslims can more easily be part of their community.
“What we have learned from the Minnesota Deaf Muslim Community is that they want some kind of resources where they can learn about religion easily,” Ghani said.
“We are making an effort to use the ASL language to bring that knowledge to them so they don’t have to go any farther than Minnesota.”
Abuisnaineh noted that Sheikh Omar Suleiman will be coming from his home in Dallas, Texas to be a featured speaker during this event in Blaine.
Imam Suleiman is a professor for Islamic Studies at Southern Methodist University and is president of the Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research.
Ghani said the volunteer work of the AlMaghrib Impact Muslim Group and other Muslim-Americans is not limited to one day, but having a Global Impact Day gives them another opportunity to be part of the community and build stronger relationships.