Mutual Aid is a Ramadan Practice

By Queer Crescent

As our communities respond and persevere amidst COVID-19, health crises, and financial implications of missing or losing work, we are also invited into sacred practices of Ramadan. This time reminds us of the importance of zakat, the Islamic mutual aid practice around redistribution of wealth. 

Marginalized communities are experiencing compounded barriers to support, lack of access to resources, and precarity in job security. The social safety net in this country is inadequate to support actual needs, and communities have been structurally excluded from having access to resources. With the impact of historical and current imperialism, surveillance, and criminalization, Muslim communities are also marginalized and in need of support. In light of all of these things, LGBTQI+ Muslim healing justice organization Queer Crescent and radically inclusive Muslim community center Masjid al-Rabia have come together and built the Radical Muslim Mutual Aid as an effort to provide some support to Muslims during this time. 

We define Muslim as a person who identifies with muslimness in some way - cultural, political, spiritual, revert, etc. We seek to dismantle traditional ideas and norms of what it means to be Muslim while intentionally supporting our communities. We will be prioritizing support for our community members who are disabled, low-income, transgender, queer, undocumented, formerly incarcerated, survivors of domestic and sexual violence, those who financially support others, and/or have had their income impacted due to loss of work as a result of COVID-19.

During these last 10 days of power in Ramadan, will you help meet our final fundraising goals to meet the needs of our communities?  We have already redistributed over $45,000 to over 120 individuals and families in three short weeks.  Join us to reach more Muslims on the margins. #MuslimMutualAid