UK mosques hold collections for Philippines typhoon appeal at Friday prayers

UK mosques hold collections for Philippines typhoon appeal at Friday prayers

Worshippers at mosques across the UK are being asked to give generously at Friday prayers today and next Friday, as collections take place for the Philippines Typhoon Appeal launched on November 12 by the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC).

The collections, organised by DEC member Islamic Relief, are set to reach at least 18,000 people today in London, Glasgow and Leicester (see list of individual mosques below).

The money raised will go to the Disasters Emergency Committee, the umbrella body for 14 leading UK aid charities that come together in times of crisis. The DEC is appealing for funds to help the 11 million people affected by Typhoon Haiyan, which has killed over 3,000 people in the Philippines and left over 600,000 homeless.

Islamic Relief is helping to deliver food packs and clean water to communities in northern Cebu in the eastern Philippines, an area that was directly in the path of the ferocious storm. Each pack contains rice, noodles, tinned meat, sugar, salt and a four-litre container of clean water – much needed aid for families who have lost so much in the typhoon and the huge tidal surge that followed it. So far 13,802 families have received food packs – providing food and water for around 70,000 people.

Jehangir Malik, UK Director of Islamic Relief UK, says:  “Millions of people in the Philippines have lost everything in this typhoon – one of the most powerful storms ever recorded. They urgently need food and shelter, not just now but for weeks or even months to come. We are grateful to the growing number of mosques who are taking the lead in bringing this cause to the attention of Muslims across the UK.”

The following mosques are confirmed as taking part in the collection today, with others following next week:

London

East London Mosque (Whitechapel), Al Manar (Portobello – also known as Muslim Cultural Heritage Centre), Darul Ummah (Shadwell), Noor-ul-Islam (Waltham Forest).

Scotland

Glasgow central mosque, Kilmarnock mosque, Al Furqan mosque

Leicester

Masjid At Takwa, Masjid Imam Bukhari

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For more information call Martin Cottingham (07702-940982; [email protected]) or Sean Kenny (07881-655715; [email protected] ).