Muslim Americans raise over $170,000 for victims of Pittsburgh synagogue shooting
A Muslim American group raised over $170,000 to help those affected by the mass shooting at a synagogue in Pittsburgh
Authorities believe the attack was motivated by religious hatred
Updated 30 October 2018
Arab News
DUBAI: A Muslim American group raised over $170,000 to help those affected by the mass shooting at a synagogue in Pittsburgh through an online crowdfunding campaign.
The online crowdfunding campaign called Muslims Unite for Pittsburgh Synagogue has raised the funds for survivors and families. It was launched by two American-Muslim charities, CelebrateMercy and MPower Change.
“We wish to respond to evil with good, as our faith instructs us and send a powerful message of compassion through action,” the groups said.
Authorities believe the attack was motivated by religious hatred, and 46-year-old Robert Bowers has been charged for the incident. He was charged Monday with 29 felony counts, including 11 counts of use of a firearm to commit murder and 11 counts of obstruction of the exercise of religious beliefs resulting in death.
Meanwhile, others have also joined efforts to raise funds for the victims of the attack. A graduate student in Washington has increased his fundraising goal from $500 to $1 million.
Shay Khatiri’s fundraiser had raised nearly $545,000 as of Monday morning. The Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies student says the funds will go directly to the Tree of Life congregation.
Khatiri says he’s a political refugee from Iran who has been a recipient of the Jewish community’s generosity.
Zelensky blasts EU's lack of political will against Putin
Ukrainian president says he reached agreement with Trump around post-war US security guarantees for his country
In a fiery speech, he slammed his main political backers in Europe over their 'inaction'
Updated 5 sec ago
AFP
DAVOS: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday blasted the EU’s lack of “political will” in countering Russian leader Vladimir Putin, in a fiery address criticizing some of Kyiv’s top allies at the World Economic Forum. The speech to the Davos elite came minutes after Zelensky had met with US President Donald Trump, a conversation he said had brought agreement about what post-war US security guarantees for Ukraine would look like. Zelensky did not say what they included, only that they were “done” and were ready to be signed by the leaders and ratified by the Ukrainian parliament and US Congress. But in a marked departure from his usual warm rhetoric toward the European Union, Kyiv’s main political and financial backers, Zelensky slammed what he cast as inaction. “What’s missing: time or political will?” he said at one point, referencing delays over the establishment of a European war crimes tribunal on the Russian invasion. He also said Europe, without mentioning any single country, was failing to agree on how to address global problems. “There are endless internal arguments and things left unsaid that stop Europe from uniting and speaking honestly enough to find real solutions,” Zelensky told the forum. “Instead of becoming a truly global power, Europe remains a beautiful but fragmented kaleidoscope of small and middle powers,” he added.
Fresh talks
“Europe looks lost trying to convince the US President to change,” said Zelensky. “But he will not change. President Trump loves who he is, and he says he loves Europe, but he will not listen to this kind of Europe,” he said. Trump had hailed a “good” meeting with Zelensky in the Swiss ski resort, hours before his envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner were due in Moscow for talks with Putin. “This war has to end,” Trump told reporters including AFP when asked what message he was sending to the Russian leader. Zelensky said the question of territory was the one outstanding issue in the talks to find an end to the war. “It’s all about the eastern part of our country. It’s all about the land. This is the issue which we (have) not solved yet.” He also said the United Arab Emirates would host “trilateral” talks on the Ukraine war Friday and Saturday with Ukrainian, US and Russian negotiators. “It will be the first trilateral meeting in the Emirates,” said Zelensky, without elaborating on the format of the talks. “Russians have to be ready for compromises,” he added. Russia, which occupies around 20 percent of Ukraine, is pushing for full control of the country’s eastern Donbas region as part of a deal — but Kyiv has warned ceding ground will embolden Moscow.
